Letter: 39 Days makes everyone a little less alone

Letter: 39 Days makes everyone a little less alone Published 12:49 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2026 Yes, 39 days of music is fun.

Letter: 39 Days makes everyone a little less alone Published 12:49 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2026 Yes, 39 days of music is fun. It’s a place where people who don’t have access to live music for whatever reason can hear music that does not come out of a machine.

39 days is a gala event, a gathering event, a spectacular event and Long John deserves a lot of credit for his creative efforts, his perseverance and most of all for his enduring commitment to Duncan. He could call it quits but he loves it. But if he did pack it in (and presumably that will happen one day) he would leave an immense vacuum in Duncan summers for those of us who have experienced the 39 Days of July.

Now I don’t know how much credit Long John gets but in my mind, he deserves to have something named after him (City Square is a pretty bland descriptor). In the future, when the 39 Days of July are no more, the City of Duncan will have the story of Long John, his commitment to bring music to our community, his desire to foster community and encourage neighbourliness, his openness about his alcoholism and his sobriety, which is a model for others who need a model. I’m sure there are other values that would fill out his story but this is just a short letter to the editor and city council.

Hopefully you’ve read this far because the final thing I’d like to say is that 39 Days is not just a gathering of people, of community. For many 39 Days is a destination. It is a place where people who live alone in their apartment, condo or home can come to hear music and be with other people.

It is a place where people who live alone can hear the voices of other people. It is a place where people who live alone can engage with people, banter with people and talk to people if they are inclined and maybe even experience happiness with people. And perhaps, that is the most important unseen aspect of 39 Days.

Something that isn’t necessarily noticeable but something that makes an impact in a person’s life so that they can go back home and feel just a little less alone. Am I overstating it? Ask a person who lives alone the rest of the year.

Barry Corrin Duncan