The location for this nostalgic jog: Elk Grove Park, just about 35 minutes from Carmichael. The occasion: 105.3's free mega pet event Pet-a-Palooza.
Wait a second, you're rightly wondering. What does a pet event in Elk Grove have to do with YOU, Katharine Oswald?
On the surface, nothing. Except that the final flourish on Pet-a-Palooza's day-long event was a (free) concert by HANSON. Yep, as in the Hanson brothers, from Tulsa, OK: Isaac, Taylor, Zac. The three males that took up oodles of my time and creative energy in junior and high school :)
Sixteen years after ripping their posters off my bedroom wall, I got to revisit Hanson's music at an outdoor concert with my One and Only. He good-naturedly went along, and we turned this into a outing that involved some special Oswald nostalgia to top it off.
First - Hanson. My obsession with the Tulsa trio lasted way too long and was infamous among close family and friends. I don't recall now how many times I saw them in concert (again, 16 years have passed), nor how many times I met them in person. (You could say I stalked them... if visiting their hometown and chasing them around L.A. counts as stalking...), but my immersion in the world of Hanson fandom was complete. I was a high school student by day, and a Hanson junkie by night (I built and curated my own Hanson fan website - 'nuff said :)
This is where the title of the post should be changed to "Confessions of a Former Hanson Fanatic." But, we'll save some of those soppy and hysterical details for another time. Suffice it to say, I had all their music memorized; I knew their birthdays by heart; their favorite colors, songs, etc. I loved them from Mmmbop (13 for me) till wedding bells chimed for their lead singer, Taylor (18), so it's no wonder that their music and personalities played a big role in my teenage "upbringing." It's also no wonder I needed a 16-year break to get "sober!"
But our afternoon in Elk Grove Park was a fun one. The music they write continues to be fun. It's got a lot more funk mixed in with the pop/rock. I told Ted that probably the biggest reason Hanson isn't considered "cool" is because they don't appear grungy, unhappy, or addicted to drugs. (That, and that they looked and sounded like girls when their first songs flew to the top of the charts worldwide. That's a hard image to shake.)
The park holds other memories near and dear to me. It's in this park, nearly 9 years ago, that Ted and I had our Faux Wedding celebration. Orchestrated by mother-in-law Lee Ann, it was a hilarious affair complete with washer wedding rings and a golden retriever "ring bearer." I wore a thrift store "wedding dress," and it was all just absolutely goofy.
More important to Ted's childhood is the location of the park. He ran through Elk Grove park as a teen, and his childhood home is just a mile or so away. Elk Grove Jr. High and High School, where he attended, are just across the street. We don't often get to visit this place as a a couple. But each time we have, it's been full of sweet and wacky reminiscences.
A post-concert "selfie" at Elk Grove Park.
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