My community hall is my spiritual home

I live in a rural community called West Dublin, Nova Scotia. About five doors away from my home, there's a hall - The Rebekkah Emerald Lodge is its official name, but most of us in the community call it The West Dublin Hall, or just, The Hall.

The West Dublin Hall, June 2, 2012

The Hall is simply magic. It's wooden and warm. It has amazing acoustics. It gathers us together as a community and holds us safe and happy.

For the past three summers, we've hosted a farmers' and artisans' market in The Hall. When The Hall is thrumming with activity during a Saturday market, it feels like we are the beating heart at the centre of our community. The Hall is where we distribute our local newspaper, The West Dublin Monitor, on market days.

I only moved to West Dublin about two and a half years ago. I grew up 50 minutes away, in Clearland, Nova Scotia, just outside of Mahone Bay. When I was 18, I moved to Toronto and lived there for many years. When I came back to the east coast, I landed in West Dublin by a happy accident – an old friend happened to have space in his house to rent to me.

I'd only been here a couple of months before I got involved with some people who were interested in starting a festival. That festival, the Pennybrook Festival, ended up being located just down the road from The Hall on Pennybrook Farm. The people I met at those first festival meetings have become a core group of people who work together to create interesting events at The Hall and elsewhere in our community.

Ian Foster and Ashley Condon share a high-five.

Last night, I presented a music show at The Hall. Two wonderful singer-songwriters, Ian Foster and Ashley Condon were touring in Nova Scotia (from Newfoundland and from Prince Edward Island, respectively). It felt so good to be able to welcome them to The Hall and invite them to grace The Hall with their songs. Jude Pelley (of the band, Pennybrook, as well as the farm and festival of the same name) mixed the sound perfectly and The Hall filled and resonated with beautiful music. It was an intimate show; the audience was engaged and appreciative. I'd be willing to bet that I wasn't the only one with chills running up and down my spine when Ian or Ashley sang some of their more poignant songs.

The grand finale, with Ian, and his partner and back-up singer, Nancy, joining Ashley for her song "I'm Coming Home, Amen!" had everyone pitching in with a rousing chorus of Amens.

I think that might have been the moment that I realized that The Hall is my spiritual home. It is where I get to join with people in a spirit of community to sing, chat, buy fresh veggies and art, read the news, share my opinions, hug my friends and neighbours, smile, listen to music, dance and feel completely at home. I landed here by accident, but I will stay with intention.

Alex Hickey is a singer-songwriter who lives in rural Nova Scotia. She tweets at @alexsings and @churchofbanjoy.