The Friday night blues
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
Friday has always been my favorite day of the week, and I suspect I’m not alone.
On a normal Friday around this time, after a long work week, I might be looking forward to having a beer at a bar, brewery, tap room or restaurant in downtown Black Mountain. While I’ve never really considered myself to be the most social person in the world, I find comfort in seeing familiar faces out on the town as they welcome the upcoming weekend.
When spring rolls around and brings longer, warmer days, I also enjoy seeing visitors from out of town walking along Cherry Street, looking in the shops, sitting in a rocking chair or enjoying a meal at one of the many restaurants in the Swannanoa Valley. The look of joy on their faces always reminds me of the first time I visited Black Mountain.
The benches and rocking chairs on Cherry Street sit empty, April 3, as the COVID-19 crisis forces Swannanoa Valley residents and visitors to stay home. Fred McCormick
When the weather is particularly nice, like it is today, Friday evenings downtown have a festive atmosphere. Personally, I enjoy visiting with the business owners and service staff who help make this community so special. I order something local, chat about what’s been going on that week and head to another spot to do it all again. It’s sort of a ritual for me.
Over the years I’ve gotten to know so many of the people who live, visit, work or operate businesses in the Valley. I’ve listened to their stories, learned about what brought them here and spent plenty of evenings just shooting the breeze.
Lately, Fridays have been different.
For starters, like many of you, most days of the week feel the same since the COVID-19 pandemic came into our lives. With the necessary social distancing and stay-at-home directive, Sunday just kind of fades into Monday, which fades into Tuesday and so on.
I woke up this morning, turned on my computer, started working and the fact that it was Friday didn’t even occur to me until around 9:30 a.m. I quickly turned my focus back to work, but when I finished for the day, I started to feel a little down.
The patio outside of North Fork Kitchen, which is typically full on a sunny spring evening, is quiet and empty, April 3, as the COVID-19 pandemic forces businesses to close its doors and the public to stay at home. Fred McCormick
This is the kind of Friday I always look forward to. The sun is out, it’s warm enough to wear shorts, the sky above is a beautiful bright blue.
But today, like many recent days and more to come in the future, our charming downtown was quiet and still. It’s a stark reminder of just how much has changed in a very short period of time.
This would normally be the kind of day where we would all be hanging out, having a beer, eating some carefully prepared meals and listening to music together. Not being able to do that makes Fridays a little tough for me.
As we all do our part to stay at home, practice social distancing and work together to slow the spread of this crippling virus, I’m looking forward to the day things get back to normal.
And while it makes me sad that we can’t all be together in town, celebrating the weekend ahead, I’m looking forward to that Friday evening in the future when we are all together again.