A moment ago we finished what we came to start in Lily Dale.

After some difficulty and abandonment by our liaison, we managed to have a wonderful screening and production of the 13th screen on ala Friday the 13th. This was a special shoot as I think my own previous experiences in Lily Dale informed the conception of the 13th screen, which could be seen as a form of mediumship, each participant new to video gravitating in their own direction, the audience acting as the interpreter as images and events are put together not randomly but by the combined mind of the group.

Before abandoning us, our liaison did a great job at securing 9 healthy and excited video disciples. We had a good workshop and I added a few extras into the cauldron for this one.

Every participant was given a bell to ring when the spirit moved them, and two smoke bombs with matches. They decided to dress up for the shoot which took place on the Thursday the 12th of July. We started the video off with all our hands in the center and each videographer throwing in individual words of prayer, harmony, hope, inspiration then through Lily Dale they went.

The screening was held in the Assembly Hall, and we had a good discussion afterwards. It seemed as though we were witness to extra presence as we watched the video, with a few viewers seeing an extra shadow in the healing temple, along with a general feeling of really capturing the deepness of place.

We were unable to hold the singing portion of our program, Jesse and I were very disappointed to make this decision. We did however write 4 songs and one of them, a riddle about the Maplewood Hotel, we sang on every floor before we left.

During this portion of the trip we also had a jovial singing school off site at the Woodside campground in Cassadaga, where I spent the summer a couple of years ago while working on my thesis in Lily Dale. We had about 35 guests including a bunch of kids. This was lots of fun, we had a few good singers, smokers and drinkers backed by the infamous Woodside boys. We were happy to be able to sing the new songs with them about Lily Dale, though not many people at the campground actually go to Lily Dale. In total we sang: New Britain (Amazing Grace), Animals Don’t Tell Stories, Maplewood, You Know and End.

Back to Friday the 13th after the final presentation.

Still not getting the horse out of our throats we ventured to May’s Place, a local bar in Cassadaga. (if you’ve ever been to Mom’s in Troy, you know what I mean) And alas it was karaoke night!

We were needless to say very happy, drank copious amounts of cheap Yuengling and Started of with Jesse singing Bob Segar’s “Old Time Rock and Roll”, in a loud jumpy and fully gutteral sound. Then he sang Revolution, they ignored us a bit more then. I sang “I write the songs” by Barry Manilow, sometimes they looked at me, and though I didn’t really know the words, managed to own them nonetheless. In between we heard Chris a local guy with quite a musical repertoire and an awesome throaty vivacious munchkin singing woman, who ran the show. Jesse then sang the very romantic “Fly me to the moon” (Sinatra) to swooning ladies. and I sang Master of Puppets, I might have been in a trance, so I can’t say much about what happened there, though I shook alot and lots of people chimed into the laugh at the end.

The evening of our final presentation ended as Jesse took on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Soon after that we left Lily Dale, and then that is a whole other story, listen for Jesse, or I to tell.

We have just arrived to Schenectady, our last stop….. sadness has overtaken us, but excited to start unearthing Vale Park.

Please come to Schenectady if you can to our last and final final will be held at the Schenectady Museum and Planetarium on Saturday July 21st at 7 pm.

Goodbye for now - Carrie