by Isabella Mahal and Karen Manley
Lights in Old Town. Photo Credit: Isabella Mahal
Our names are Karen Manley and Isabella Mahal, and we’re best friends. We’re also sophomores at Fossil Ridge High School. The idea for this column sprung when we were sitting in Karen’s basement on a Friday watching American Horror Story, eating our third bag of popcorn. Also, our editor told us to write this column- but mostly the popcorn thing. We, being high schoolers just short of working age, are broke. However, high school is a time to do memorable things with your best friend. We are here to cure the lack of ideas and teach you to avoid the financial limitations that come with adolescence.
We pose with tea on a street corner. Photo Credit: Debbie Manley
On Friday, November 4, Old Town had its annual tree lighting ceremony, during which many families and college students stand in the square and enjoy free hot chocolate and cookies. People of all ages gasp and applaud as every tree lights up for seven blocks along College Ave. The very first school project we ever completed together was in eighth grade photography, and we attended the very same event to photograph it. It was a perfect precursor to a late night poetry slam and the adventures leading up to it.
Old Town has a host of free and inexpensive activities throughout the year, and we’ll be sure to have more on those as they are scheduled. New West Fest, for example, is a free musical festival right in the downtown area. Last August, 86 all-Colorado bands such as the Fray and Elephant Revival performed during the three day span.
Anyway, back to Friday night. We had several tasks to accomplish, including shopping for a friend’s birthday, getting a hot drink, and having an adventure. The former was accomplished at Ragstock and Somewhere Secret, where we picked up a Minnesota license plate, a fanny pack, a cactus choker, a book of road maps from 1974, and a rubber duck (long story). Then, we walked into our favorite coffee shop in the world, The Bean Cycle.
Many people came out for the lights ceremony and stayed for Christmas shopping. Photo Credit: Karen Manley
That was when the real fun began. We’d been hoping to attend a poetry slam there for months, and we happened to walk in just half an hour before one began. We enjoyed some earl grey tea and sipped hot chocolate while we browsed the shelves for The Great Gatsby. Just before eight, people began streaming in, and soon every seat, as well as stair, counter, and bookshelf, was occupied.
The poetry slam was extraordinary and emotional, and an all around great experience. People who choose to read are choosing to open themselves to a hundred strangers, whether for the first time or the twentieth. Jars are passed around to “pay a poet”, and many generous donors help keep the program alive. The poets who made it to the final round were both talented and real, the kind of people who you just want to be friends with.
For a donation of just a few dollars, and a cup of coffee, a poetry slam is a wonderful event to attend with your best friend.
