Hype for the Future 27A: Events to be Grateful for

Preamble

Thanksgiving can never be celebrated nor acknowledged exclusively in the third person. To truly understand someone’s holiday experiences (for any given holiday, in fact), one must utilize first- and second-person language as appropriate. I am novaTopFlex, and I am grateful for my events, research, and three YouTube channels all in one.

Overview

Generally, novaTopFlex interests span numerous types of settings: urban, suburban, town, rural; large, medium, small; fringe, distant, remote; and more. Different types of communities often have different types of needs, whether in terms of the number of services, amenities, or other opportunities nearby. Oftentimes, personal and community interests intersect at the novaTopFlex business level, with different types of facilities hosting different types of services located within. Some of the most common locations of interest are museum sites, historic sites, historical societies, historical markers, cultural sites, fine arts communities (particularly art galleries), select live music venues, and festival sites. As novaTopFlex, I am continuously thankful for my research on opportunities to connect and to potentially organize against capitalism and other crises. Life is not for sale, yet society has not accepted that reality and continues to maintain superficial beliefs in terms of what counts as “freedom.” “Freedom” should not be about wealth nor social class, but rather about true freedom—the freedom to live in a moneyless society, post-money and post-scarcity. Freedom from capitalism is true freedom, since capitalism is actually the thief of freedom to begin with, largely depending on different sets of social hierarchies analogous to master-slave relationships.

Hierarchy and Symbolism

At novaTopFlex, our hierarchy for ranking different points of interest is based on the following conjectures:

1. Priority places shall refer to places of high priority and interest to the novaTop, geoTop, and futoTop interest domains. In many cases, these locations of interest are the backbone of geoTop travel journalism.
2. Recognized places shall be considered the second level of travel hierarchy. Notable places and historical landmarks shall be identified as included within the recognized category in cases of significance to the journal, yet should always be set at a lower priority level “downstairs” than the priority zones.
3. Notable places are the third—and lowest—level of the novaTop travel hierarchy. Notable places lack the sense of familiarity or urgency of the priority and recognized places, yet notability is a fundamental element of what makes a destination worthwhile.

In all of the above cases, numerous elements of the system must be researched to the greatest extent. Different factors must be assessed, including distances between different locations in terms of travel heuristics, prices and pricing (in case different tiers exist), researching the perks (to make sure that we only get what we actually need for the specific purpose of the journal but also to prevent potential drama and other potential pressures from the higher tiers), amenities, location types, indoor/outdoor setting differences, and more.

Priority Places of Interest

• Mass MoCA (the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art of North Adams, MA)
• Clark Art Institute (Williamstown, MA)
• Tanglewood (located in both Lenox and Stockbridge, MA) — summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Recognized Places of Interest

• Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home (Manchester, VT)
• Vermont State Fair at Rutland, VT (typically late August)
• Tunbridge World’s Fair at Tunbridge, VT (typically mid-September)

Notable Places of Interest

• The Ohio Challenge (typically mid-July in Middletown, OH)
• Voices of America Country Music Fest (typically early August in West Chester Township, OH)
• Country Music Festival at Lebanon, OH (typically mid-June)
• Blues Festival at Lebanon, OH (typically early August)
• Ohio Sauerkraut Festival (mid-October in Waynesville, OH)
• Tour De Donut Bicycle Race (typically late August in Troy, OH)
• Ohio State Fair (typically late July—early August in Columbus, OH)
• Quarter Horse Congress (typically late September—late October in Columbus, OH)
• Bogart’s, Brady, Riverbend, KEMBA Live! — live music venues to be researched for more information.