I personally am a fan of live music, seeking out free outdoor concerts whenever I have the chance. But I do have a problem with the volume. Downtown Alive is not the Tweeter Center and it shouldn�t sound like it. When you can�t call out for your children because they�re walking past the Main Stage at the Prairiefest, it�s too loud.
You�ve all heard the complaints from the residents, but apparently nobody wants to be the one to pull the plug. Can�t make everybody happy, can you? The thing is, most people probably wouldn�t notice if the volume were toned down a little. And concertgoers might feel a little more comfortable as they make their way pas the speakers.
And a little courtesy regarding your neighbors can go a long way.
While I�m on the subject � the Fourth of July is over already so please put your fireworks away. If you absolutely must set off your leftovers, if you have no self-control, then could you at least move your pyromania someplace away from human habitation? Go find a field or something. I�m sure I�m not the only one who silently wishes you�d put an eye out while I�m rocking the little one back to sleep for the tenth time. And for crying out loud please pick up after yourself. The rest of us are sick and tired of picking up your spent bottle rockets on the playgrounds.
Wow, does that sound like a cranky old lady, or what? Well, that�s what lack of sleep due to inconsiderate neighbors will do to you. That and a construction crew that starts their day at sunrise, regardless of what the clock says.
The prevalence of noise pollution at this time of year is not restricted to the holiday merrymaking. It�s everywhere. Just when I want to open my windows to let in a little fresh air, the birds� chirping on my back fence are drowned out by the heavy equipment working on their latest new strip mall out by the main road.
Here�s a typical day of summer in suburbia: awakened at 6AM by the friendly sound of my neighbor�s lawn mower. That cues in the nearby construction crew that it�s time to start their engines, which become the background music for the rest of the day. Later on the parade of cars begins, with their boom boom boom stereos that shake the house as they roll by. And yet another neighbor joins the chorus from their driveway while meticulously washing their car. Then there�s the landscape crews that pull up out front, then disperse to mow several lawns at once. They don�t care how loud their variety of power tools are to the surrounding community � they all wear ear protection and can�t hear a thing!
Daily errands may be an escape from the noise around my home, only to be replaced by more construction equipment (can�t get away from them), sirens, more stereos, and a jackhammer just outside the bank. Now that�s pleasant.
Back home it�s time to make some noise of my own. So I turn on the sprinkler, fill up the pool, break out the bubbles and turn up the giggles. Laughter really is the best medicine, and my boys� joyful shrieks can cure the worst noise pollution the great outdoors has to offer.
And late at night, if I listen carefully, I might even get to hear the music of my wind chime in the back yard. Ah, the sounds of summer.
All text � 2005 Patti Hermes. All rights reserved.
