On The Ocean Service Project
As part of Guster’s On the Ocean weekend, REVERB, members of the band, Portland Trails, and a few dozen fans, got together to do trail maintenance at a local park.
REVERB’s Concert Corps member, Jack Foley, led the event. Here is his recap of the day.
On August 4th, 2018, at 9:30 am, people began to gather at a park off of Main Street in Westbrook, Maine. They had sacrificed a few hours on a damp Saturday to help maintain one of Portland Trails’ many scenic properties.
It was part of Guster on the Ocean Weekend, and the volunteers were Guster fans who wanted to create a positive impact in cooperation with members of Guster.
We gathered in the park to enjoy some breakfast treats and refreshments before walking a short distance to a nearby Portland Trails property.
The property consisted of a circular trail running through thick vegetation and overlooking the beautiful Presumpscot River. We were tasked with resurfacing its trails to make them more level, trimming overgrown vegetation, and constructing a small bridge. That meant plenty of shoveling and wheelbarrowing material, but our volunteers were certainly up for the challenge!
They made the trails of the Conant Property look good as new, with fresh material and clear passable pathways. By the end of the project we were working through heavy downpours, but most welcomed the opportunity to cool off after a job well done.
Afterwards, we headed to Mast Landing Brewery to enjoy some Ben & Jerry’s and OTTO Pizza, and try out the Guster + Mast Landing collaboration beer: On the Ocean The Big Friendly Pale Ale.
Looking back on the Guster On the Ocean pre-show service project, what I feel most is gratitude. I’m grateful for all the support I received from REVERB, Concert Corps, and Portland Trails folks. I am most grateful, however, for the time that was volunteered by the fans who made it out to the project. Even with all the help I received from the organizations, we can only do so much to put a project into motion; the actual impact was made by dedicated and passionate fans. Their impact was clear and immense, and Portland is better for it.