An Afternoon at the Love Center
Entering the Love Community Center, my ears are greeted with the enthusiastic strumming of ukuleles, while the mouth-watering smell of barbecue welcomes me inside. To my left, the Senior Center hosts lunch served by Sav’ry J’s, and to my right, the Joy Jammers, a ukulele group whose members are mostly RCHS staff, perform in front of the huge courtyard windows. The early afternoon sunlight hugs each of the performers with its warm halo.
I am only a few minutes late, but there is already a crowd surrounding the stage. I find a seat along the back bench next to a group of teachers who prove they are the performers’ biggest fans. They embrace me with warm smiles as the harmonies intertwine above the room’s chatter.
When the song ends, someone from Sav’ry J’s requests that everyone pause for a prayer. The noise breaks and then builds into a roar after the resonantly collective “Amen.” Within moments music erupts on one side, while the other side grows quiet as diners begin to eat. Across the space, heads bob, keeping rhythm with the music. One of the servers bounces and claps her hands excitedly to the performers’ cover of the gospel classic, “I’ll Fly Away.” She sings every word, like a die-hard “Swiftie.” When the song ends, the cheers echo from every direction. Two of the Joy Jammers smile at each other as they flip the page of their music.
Everywhere, pockets of people become wrapped up in conversation and laughter. Beside me, a little girl approaches the teacher next to me. They talk like old friends for a short while about how excited they are for Bible School. Then the little girl announces she is going to her great aunt’s pool after the gig. The teacher beside me wishes her a good afternoon as they say goodbye.
Farther down the bench, a retired high school teacher spots a former co-worker. They hug tightly and sit side by side to catch up and enjoy the rest of the performance.
In front of me, two young little girls squeal as they tease each other. I assume they’re siblings by the way they play together. The older girl has honey blonde hair, and the younger girl has bright fiery hair. The younger girl flashes her gummy smile at a stranger and gives a high and elongated, “hiiii!” When she stretches out the vowel, so does her smile across her face, evoking “aws” from the adults nearby. The blonde starts to run to and from her mom and grandma, laughing deviously each time she slammed into them with a hug.
Meanwhile, the music swells. People in the crowd take pictures and videos as the Joy Jammers strum and sing. During their last song, the teachers turn on their phone flashlights and sway back and forth. The laughter crescendos from the back of the space.
Suddenly, the Rush County Recreation Center Manager Sandra Walter drops her phone in my lap saying, “Here, wave my phone.” She darts to the front to get closer to the stage. I lightheartedly join, waving her phone’s flashlight in the air to the beat. At the song’s conclusion, the crowd claps and cheers as the Joy Jammers say goodbye. The huddles of people once consumed by their conversations slowly trickle out the door as if they were walking on air.
When I close my car door, the elation of community, music and food strikes me. A few months ago, this scene would not have been possible. Gratitude surges through me as I realize the impact that this space makes. I am excited to see how the camaraderie built within the Love Community Center will spread throughout the County.
Editor’s Note: This article was provided to the Love Community Center by Katie Thoman, intern at the Rush County Community Foundation
Members of the Joy Jammers Band along with Zuzana Smith, Executive Director of the Love Community Center, and Sandra Walter, Manager of the Rush County Recreation Center. Photo by: Harrison Wicker, LCC Intern