Folk Center

The Folk Center is at the heart of Claremont 'village'--the old part of the town. It is a fantastic space, full of every imaginable stringed instrument and percussion from around the world. It has a real hippy- vibe to it. It was/is owned by Ben Harper's grandparents and it was here that he started his music career, building his gusty lap- guitar in the back of the shop I believe. I bought a really cool skull-shaker which I am sure will make an appearance on the blog at some point. The theology conference is going quite well, I missed the afternoon sessions yesterday because of the teenager's commencement exercises, but the morning was filled with some lively conversation. Although, as is always the case, the agenda outweighs the opportunity to get down and dirty with issues--too many people, too little time etc. An undercurrent is the malaise of the denominations although I am unsure that all of the attendees are willing to fully face the implications. One bloke from the United Methodists said that something needs to happen and soon and also said that money was not the issue, that the denomination had 'more money than it would ever need' but throwing money at the challenges was no real answer-- he just might be the person at this gathering who is honest enough, and blunt enough, to take this time into some fruitful directions... We'll see.