Blast from the Past

Me, on the steps to Alice's Restaurant

I subscribe to MassMoments. This is a daily email which will give you a highlight of something interesting that happened in Massachusetts' history.

Today's blast from the past gave me a fond memory.  Today is the day Arlo Guthrie, the folk singer, was arrested for littering, in Stockbridge, MA.  He had spent Thanksgiving at friends'--Alice's Restaurant.  The day after Thanksgiving, Alice asked Arlo to take the trash to the town dump.  He did, or would have, if it had been opened.  It was locked up.  So to get rid of the trash, he threw it down the hill.  Consequently, the reason for Arlo's arrest--littering.

Arlo turned this sad tale into a long, funny song.  It goes on and on and on--20 minutes.  The funny part is because Arlo was arrested, he wasn't fit to serve in the army, so he was never drafted to go fight in the Vietnam War, which he protested against, anyway.

I blogged about this before, here.  I've been to Alice's Restaurant when I was on vacation in the Berkshires.  The place still exists and is an interfaith social services center, with an emphasis on raising funds for Huntington's Disease, which Arlo's dad, Woody Guthrie had.

Lyrics to Alice's Restaurant http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/arlo+guthrie/alices+restaurant_20518619.html