This Day in NLM History

Six years ago on Friday July 4th, 2003, I held what could technically be termed the first event that had all five NLM members in attendance: an overnight LakeFest!

I got up at 6 am, because I needed to pick up Jay at Alewife on the way to Westminster from Rollinsford, and when we got to the lake, my old college chum Bob was already trimming bushes, and had a hammock set up between two trees to sleep in that night. We unloaded the car, and then I set off for Templeton to get firewood from my sister, and then to Hubbardston to my youngest brother Jason's house to pick up his gas grill. When I got back, because my car hadn't been parked at the top of the road, there were five cars (Rob, Erik F., Lisa Chu & her friend Kathleen, Steve & Kristen from Medford, and Mike N.) driving up and down Gatehouse Road, unsure of where the dirt track down to the lakefront was. Weak! Brian and Keith each showed up around that time, too. Over the next hour or so, Keith's older and younger brothers (Pete, and Mark & his girlfriend) stopped by, along with Gavin, Kerry K. & Liz, Scott M., Matt B., Luke, and Bob's little bro Pat and a friend. It was an amazing turnout!

I had provided a Wachusett Country Ale keg, as well as 2½ cases of Rolling Rock, Corona and Coors Light (for the folks who don't care for good microbrews), and Steve & Kristen had brought a TON of meat for grilling: steaks, chicken, 3 kinds of sausage, and the traditional burgers & hot dogs. It was definitely smart to have grabbed my brother's grill, because the firepit wouldn't have had enough room for the constant cooking. There was also s'mores-making stuff, various types of fruit, and Stoli Raspberry and Drambuie (for Brian).

There was a lot of frisbee and swimming taking place (I spent over an hour in the water at one stretch, gratefully receiving fresh beers occasionally from people coming into the lake), a few people wrestled, and the Red Sox beat the Yankees in their four o'clock game. After dark, as people slowly headed home from their comfortable places around the fire, the ten people who'd decided to camp out overnight finally crashed around two am.

The following morning, people trickled away at their leisure, but Jay, Bob and I stuck around all day Saturday, because it was SO nice out (dry low 80's and sunny). Jay & I even skipped the Foo Fighters-Pete Yorn concert down at The FleetBoston Pavilion, because the level of contentment was so high (and the urge to pack everything up and drive to the Boston waterfront was so low). Also, two of my favorite Seacoast NH gals, Heather & Katherine, came down for a few hours mid-day, injecting a bit of energy into the sunny sit-around. It was a fantastic 2-days of perfect weather, awesome beer & food, and many friends, that we still tell tales of whenever we all get together...