The Hylton Center Almanack
As I write this, I’ve switched on the space heater in my home office for the first time in many months, and the early morning air is crisp. Crisp! The last installment of this greeting was all about the dog days of summer, looking ahead to just this moment, my favorite of the annual climatic gyrations. I guess that makes this space a sort of almanac, charting (and predicting) the seasons as they turn.
But as I am not an Old Farmer (although I have been Poor Richard from time to time), I’ll skip the autumn harvest and winter planting advice and go straight to the idea of an almanac that is 100% accurate and on point—this newsletter, which can help us chart our fall activities with unerring precision.
Just as with an almanac, you can turn to the stories and calendars here and find a meaningful entry for almost any day. One might wonder: “What is Tuesday, Oct. 14th going to be like?” Open your almanac! A little early to plant garlic, perhaps, but for sure you can enjoy a delicious luncheon and a sumptuous buffet of operatic highlights in our Matinee Idylls presentation, “Virginia Opera: A Taste of Opera,” which comes to us like clockwork every year. You could almost say it’s seasonal. And the weather will be sunny, with a high of 62. Quite possibly.
Friday, Oct. 3rd? The uplifting sounds of the Soweto Gospel Choir, the moon nearly full, and a partly cloudy evening with light westerly breezes. Well, two out of three anyway. You see how it works.
So play the almanac game with me as you read through the exciting news of the fall season, and celebrate the rich harvest of artistry of all kinds that our Hylton Center provides. Pick a day, or a favorite ensemble, or an art form you love (or would like to try, like a colorful new fruit in the farmer’s market), and use your almanac to guide you to it. Benjamin Franklin would be proud.
See you at the theater!
Rick Davis
Dean and Executive Director