The Gathering of the Clans

Rangeton Park Farmers' Day Festival

The Gathering of the Clans

 (What Music Festivals are all about!)

In days gone by we lived in tribes
Depended on our band.
We gathered food and followed herds
Living off the land.

But every year the elders stood
And said, "The time has come!"
Then o'er the land came rising sound,
The beating of the drums.

Then began a vast migration
O'er mountains, prairies, arid lands,
To the Valley of Three Rivers
For the gathering of the clans.

They made their camps, prepared a feast,
Traded, bartered, shared some tales,
Met old friends, discovered lovers,
Danced to drumbeats 'til night paled.

Times have changed. We live in cities
Or country homes with fences 'round.
But deep within, ancestral memories
Stir a quest for tribal sounds.

So begins a vast migration
O'er mountains, prairies, arid lands,
To camp amidst the sounds of summer
At a gathering of the clans.

We make our camps, prepare a feast,
Trade and barter, share some tales
Meet old friends, discover lovers,
Dance to drumbeats 'til night pales.

Our present links us to our past,
We've not changed much after all
With chosen tribe and gathering place
We answer when the drumbeats call.