They all flew away. The instruments safely packed in cases which will stand air flight. The musicians with the notes ringing in their heads. All gone back to New York, Miami, Edinburgh, California and far distances from Brainerd.
The volunteers who cooked late into the night to bring food to the music makers backstage before a concert or lunch during rehearsals were back home cleaning their kitchens.
Scott Lykins and friends were packing up chairs and music stands to return to CLC-all muscle work. The last of a season of muscle work which included setting up the Tornstrom stage for orchestras, a children's performance, or the opera, "Carmen."
The hosts were home reading the thank yous their musician guests had left them, with memories of waking to the practice trills of a flutist or the singing of a violin string in their guest room or out on their lake dock.
The last notes lingered in Tornstrom-but only for a second-and then the audience rushed to their feet, hands clapping, bravos shouted out with a few whistles thrown in. On the accolades went, not wanting the festival to end, not wanting to have to wait 11 long months for next August when the 10th LAMF will begin.
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But the music will return. It's the reason the volunteers spend so much time and money, the reason the LAMP Board works so hard all year, the reason donors dig deep into their pockets to contribute, the reason the musicians practice for hours.
Then, like magic, next August will roll around and the work and efforts of the hundreds of people will come together when that first note will again ring out into the air of Tornstrom Auditorium.
It's the music which fills our souls. It's the reason it all happened.
Luann Rice
Baxter
