Two-Lane Bloggin'

I live most of my life “out of the loop.”

We don’t watch television, we don’t often go out unless were delivering magazines or on a business call, and while I’m pretty much on top of local news (Central WV and some State), I check national news about once a week, and get the rest of my headlines from twitter. (I have yet to watch a single mainstream media broadcast about the death of ANY celebrity. I know all I need to know from facebook and twitter.)

In fact, I had never heard of a Meetup (not Meet_up) before until someone tweeted that there was going to be on in Charleston, and anyone who was reading was invited.

In the past, I’ve attended “business social hours.” So, I’m guessing that was a kind of Meetup.

And when I finally began organizing a get-together for all the columnists of Two-Lane Livin’, I realized I was actually planning a Meetup.

Many of our columnists have never met.

People bump into each other and make a connection with each other in millions of strange and seemingly uneventful ways. When Frank and I first began really planning Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine, we knew two, maybe three potential columnists that were “seasoned” writers. We knew two or three we knew had something to share and hoped would maybe like to write.

But once you have an idea, it seems that you almost stumble upon possibilities. One of our columnists, I bumped into at the Farmer’s Market. Another wrote me letters when I worked at The Calhoun Chronicle. Another lives just a few miles down the road, but we had never met before. One, I haven’t seen, in person, in years.

In fact, only a few of them know each other. We have columnists from nine different counties, and I can honestly say, they are a group of people that are always on the go. Storytellers, musicians, doctors, gardeners, farmer’s market vendors. Moms, club members, church members, mobile RV repair. All of our columnists have great talents and busy lives of their own.

They all receive my little e-mail newsletters and updates each month urging them to meet their deadlines and telling them what’s going on behind the scenes, and they all turn in their pieces by email each month. (Actually, one actually comes by snail mail, hand written.)

And truth be told, there are a few columnists that I have never met in person. Contact and communication has been by Internet alone.

I Promised Them A Party

With the September 2009 issue, Two-Lane Livin’ begins Volume 3 – our third year in print. Basically, this means that for two years, I’ve been promising my columnists a party. You don’t know how many times since we started that I have thought, “this columnist needs to meet that columnist.”

I originally thought I would invite them all to the farm…. But that would mean a lot of work – for Frank and I. Enough work that I was deterred from getting around to it.

And then, one day, I mentioned this promise to Chuck Itolfe, the owner of The Copper Kettle in Gassaway.

He immediately offered his restaurant, for the day, for our purpose.

And the party was on.

Let’s Make it a Meetup

So, the collection of Two-Lane Livin’ columnists has never before been assembled in one place. I’m not sure if we’ll have 100%, but ‘pert near all of them.

And in their RSVPing, the idea surfaced of meeting the readers. And then, of course, I thought about all the folks who are members of our facebook group, and those who follow my little updates about Two-Lane Life on Twitter, and…

Well, we’re just going to open up our Meetup to the Two-Lane Livin’ world.

You’re invited.

On August 14, at 6 p.m. Two-Lane Livin’ columnists will be waiting to meet you at The Copper Kettle in Gassaway. Many of them will be offering their books, CDs, crafts, plants — whatever their talent — as well.

We’ll be giving away signed issues of Two-Lane Livin’s September 2008 issue (that’s the first edition of the volume we will be ending in August) and we have plans to hold a raffle for something really special.

Meetup, Get Together, Gathering, Party – Whatever You Call It

It’s a family-friendly thing. The Copper Kettle has a kid’s corner, and both indoor and outdoor seating. They do not serve alcohol. Chuck has pork BBQ, baked chicken, steak and more on his menu, and especially for the Two-Lane Livin’ crew, that evening, will also be offering vegetarian lasagna.

There’s a juke box, and an antique piano you are welcome to play, but I don’t think it’s been tuned in ages. The entryway to the bathrooms looks like an outhouse, and the restaurant store front is covered in rough cut wood, softened by bountiful hanging flower baskets. We’ll be hanging out at the end of the main street (named Elk Street, and not Main Street) running through the town.

Stop on by if you can.

For Frank and I, it’s a historic moment.