Editor, Gazette-Journal:

On Saturday I attended the Gloucester Main Street Association Blues and Brews event. This was the first year for the event and it was a home run. An early sign that the organizers had struck on a good idea were the notices going around several days ahead that tickets were nearly sold out.

For those of you who may be new to Gloucester, the Court House area has gone through a renaissance. New businesses, renovated buildings, redone sidewalks and charming lights have added much to one of the most historic courthouse circles in the nation. The Main Street Foundation has done several events over the past few years to showcase this rebirth. I am told that this recent effort was the most successful ever.

One of the most exciting things was seeing hometown favorite Sarah Williams who was probably a large draw for the over 600 people that attended. The four other acts were also great. The entire event was perfect if you wanted to sit in your lawn chair and just listen or socialize with friends and sample the food from the local restaurants that participated.

It was also very nice to see so many families with young children in attendance. Friends who lived in Gloucester in the days before mobile phones, 300 cable channels and all the distractions of modern life remember the Court House as a place people would congregate and socialize. It was a place where interacting and just being with one another knit our community together. I want to thank the organizers of this past Saturday’s event for giving us chance to build that sense of community and I encourage them to do more events in the future.

Sherwood H. Bowditch

Gloucester, Va.