While nearly 500 people waited outside The Reading Bug on a beautiful Monday morning, Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary was seated in our event space working away on his next project on his laptop. With 5 minutes to spare before his performance, the 73 year old singer closed his computer, walked over to me and said, “Lauren, I have a problem.” Panic spread across my face. There are nearly 500 people waiting for this concert, it’s 10:55… and we have a problem?! “What’s wrong?” I ask. His reply could not have made me smile any bigger…”I need someone to sing Puff the Magic Dragon with me. Would you do it?” WOULD I SING WITH PETER YARROW? YES!!!
But this isn’t all about me (I mean, you can see the clip on YouTube if you want ;0)). This was about different generations in our community coming together to enjoy timeless music of one inspiring man. In addition to Puff and adorable songs like “We’re Going to the Zoo” where all 225 students from local schools sang along, Peter’s song “Don’t Laugh at Me” touched the hearts of every grown-up and child in the room. It’s message came across loud and clear when 4 students from Parkside Elementary stood at the microphone and told Peter what it meant to them. Their poignant answers reminded all of us how important it is to respect, love, and accept one another for who we are.
My favorite part of the day was at dinner that evening with Peter when he said, “if every town in the world had a community gathering place like The Reading Bug, the world would be a perfect place.”
Thank you, Mr. Yarrow. We will never forget this day!
