Miller Minutes
I recently discovered an unconventional way of coping with worry: watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance.
While sitting at my desk last week, I was overcome with a sense of dread about all the tasks ahead of me. Instead of dealing with any one of them, I felt myself humming a tune that brought Fred and Ginger to mind.
The video I chose to watch (a tap dance routine from the musical “Swing Time”) brought me instant peace and led me down a rabbit trail at the end of my workday.
As the week has dragged on, I asked myself why Fred and Ginger are so calming. There are only a few answers I could come up with. One was that rewarding my procrastination with a fun distraction allowed me to briefly forget all that was bothering me.
Entertainment has always served this purpose: to get people’s minds off what troubles them in the real world. In the darkness of a theater, or from the light of a screen, we can escape the to-do lists and the task calendars.
Yes, this means entertainment of all sorts is technically an avoidance strategy, but it works nonetheless. Fred and Ginger fit into this category and remain a timeless form of entertainment because they are good at what they do and help others to feel something other than dread.
While Fred and Ginger are no longer with us, there are still opportunities to escape your worries and watch people entertain. Funnily enough, Butler has tons of great opportunities to do just that this weekend. Check them out here!
Thursday
Butler High School’s Golden Tornado Marching Band is having its Pie Festival from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, in Art Bernardi Stadium, 120 Campus Lane, Butler Township. Be the first to watch this year’s halftime performance and eat some delicious treats! For more information, see the event’s Facebook page.
The Band Jam Music Festival is back for another year at Coopers Lake Campground, 205 Currie Road, Worth Township. From Thursday through Sunday, hear local artists and bands and participate in other activities throughout the campground. Tickets cost $30 in advance via thebandjam.com, and $40 at the gate.
Friday
Come to the Pet Fair at Odd Fellows Gazebo in Alameda Park for “An Artful Celebration of Pets” exhibit that will be at the Butler Art Center & Gallery. The event takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23, and will feature art activities for pets, pet vendors, raffles and more! For more information, visit butlerartcenterandgallery.org/Events.
Saturday
Venture out to the Taste of Italy crawl between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, on Jefferson and Main Streets in Butler. Collect your passport at Totalus and see which local businesses are participating. For more information, visit the event Facebook page.
A Taste of the Symphony, a summer music series hosted by the Butler County Symphony Orchestra, kicks off at noon in Diamond Park, 108 S. Main St., Butler. Christie and Sasha will be performing on violin and viola. Admission to the concert is free, and there will be vendors set up at the park. For more information, visit the symphony’s website.
The Butler Art Center & Gallery is also hosting an opening reception for its latest show “An Artful Celebration of Pets” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, in the gallery, 344 S. Main St. The show started its run Tuesday. For more information, visit the gallery’s website, butlerartcenterandgallery.org/Events.
Want to watch a show that was brainstormed, written and rehearsed in a day? To see this feat in action, go to the performance of Hobnob Theatre Company’s first 24-Hour Theater Project at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, in the studio at 134 S. Main St. What you see is the result of tons of creative strategy from a hilarious group of people. Tickets are pay what you can at hobnobtheatre.ludus.com.
Sunday
Learn how you can help native pollinators at a program hosted by the Audubon Society at Succop Nature Park, 485 W. Airport Road, Penn Township, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25. Registration is free on the society’s website, aswp.app.neoncrm.com.
If you want to submit an event for Miller Minutes, email the information to news@butlereagle.com.
Molly Miller is an Eagle correspondent.
