Friend a Day – Chris Arneson

As I’m currently in South Dakota performing with the Dregs, today seemed like a good day to write about a Dregs super fan.

Chris has been a loyal fan of our band for as long as I can remember.  In one of our earliest incarnations, she came up to us and the end of the year and presented us with a paper bag.  Inside the bag was a beautiful Irish Clauddagh that she had bought for us just because she loved our music.

We hung it in the pub for several years but eventually feared it would be damaged.  At the moment it is in my basement, which is a bad location.

It was the first time anyone gave us a gift just to say “thanks” for entertaining them and it still is a special memory.

Chris comes to most of our shows but she has her priorities.  She misses a few because she is watching her grandchildren.  She misses others because she’s watching the Vikings.  She’s missed a few lately because of health problems.

We always notice when she’s gone because she’s it feels like she’s part of the pub now.

She becomes part of the family for seven weekends a year. She’s one of the people who cries on the last day of the festival because it’s all going away and she isn’t ready.

I think Chris is a naturally cheerful person.  She enjoys coming to the shows because she likes to laugh and she likes to sing along and she feels invited to be a part of the experience.  That’s something that clearly connects with her.

For me, she is a great example of what being an entertainer is all about.  It is making a personal connection with someone you hardly know and making a difference in their lives.

It’s great that we have made a difference to her.  The great thing is that she has also made a difference to us.