Messages From Carrie
Wonder in the shape of a basket
February 6th, 2008
Ok folks . . . This weekend I was traveling in Ohio. I performed at a lovely series housed in a beautifully renovated turn of the century vaudeville theater. This beautiful old theater had been saved from decay and disrepair by the efforts of a dedicated historical preservation community and the funding of the Longaberger Basket Company, which is headquartered in Newark Ohio. During the course of the evening I was told that the Longaberger main office building was marvelous thing and that I should stop by the location on the way to the next show. So the following morning I said to Gary (the wonderful pianist who travels with me) “What the heck, let’s drive by the building.” He looked at me from the corner of a dubious eye, but good naturedly picked up his bag and said, "Sure, lets go." So we did. Now central Ohio is fairly flat countryside, fine land for farming and for seeing a great expanse of the sky at one glance. So you can imagine our surprise as we rounded a curve in the road to be greeted by the sight of a giant seven- yes, honest to Moses- seven-story picnic basket. I mean this looked like Paul Bunyan had just casually placed the basket there for a moment while he spread out a football field size checkered picnic blanket. We had been told the company had finally put lights on the steel basket “handles” because small airplanes were flying through them. We stopped, took photos with our cell phones, and shook our heads in amazement. You know, just when you think that life is so good, it just can’t get any better, you round a curve and there is the largest picnic basket in the world. . . in the whole wide world. . .right there . . .with lights on the handles.