I wanna be Joe…the cool 98-year-old I met Friday

BY Aprile McKinnon

It’s Friday! Hope you are ready for a great weekend. I love the weekends, even though I am usually working. I am lucky to love my jobs.

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to play at the Canyon Lake Country Club with our band Code 415. The band plays classic rock, blues, country and some other occasional genres that are our favorites.

I have to be honest, there were a few tables pretty close to the front and I was concerned the music might be a little too loud. I was really happy to see that the tables were full of smiling faces seeming to be enjoying themselves, which was a huge relief.

It’s always a trick to balance the sound and not blow away the customers. I know for me, when I go to a venue I like to be able to talk and not have to scream to be heard.

After one of our breaks, a woman approached me and said that her father would like to meet me. I love people, so of course I went to meet him. That is where I learned that Joe Warren, a 50-year resident of Canyon Lake, had just turned 98 last week. I honestly would never have believed he was that age.

Joe’s family was there with him and his daughter, Bea Keller, had come from Arkansas to visit him for his birthday. They all seemed to take after their father, a good gene pool Joe has. I introduced the crowd to Joe and told them he was celebrating his 98th birthday and asked everyone to sing along with me and do a toast to Joe.

Everyone adored Joe. He was smiling and you could see his eyes light up as the crowd sang to him. It was one of those magical moments.

Joe told me that he just loved the music and that our music made him feel young. I honestly had to give him a big hug and thank him for sharing that with me. Joe was very sharp, witty, and obviously loved the music. I want to be Joe.

He was embracing life to the fullest. He said he loves music and would be at the concert the next day to see the Smooth Sounds of Santana. Sure enough, I ran into Joe there. He remembered me and we gave each other another hug and were both excited to hear the music.

We shared a very common bond of the love of music and the healing effect it has on people. I will never forget Joe. He had a great attitude and a zest for life that didn’t change with his age. God bless you Joe. Keep on listening to music and spread your warm messages to the community we live in.

We are very blessed to have a community where so much local talent is here among us, with so many opportunities to experience the arts.

Enjoy your weekend, go out, enjoy the music, catch the children‘s Little Mermaid musical at Indian Beach and support the arts this weekend as a tribute to Joe. Here‘s to you Joe. Cheers to another 98 years!