Yeah, Sure

July 16, 2026 | Third Thursday Thoughts
Dawn LaRochelle, Executive Director

The first thing I ever gave Nick the Brit wasn’t my phone number.

It was a pistachio martini.

More specifically, I gave it to his lap.

As Nick and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary this month, I found myself reminiscing about our very first date… and the pistachio martini that nearly derailed it before it had even begun.

Nick and I met the new-fashioned way: online. Despite being shy and demure and all that (did I mention I have a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you on the cheap?), I was the one who asked him out.

“Yeah, sure,” he replied.

Looking back, I probably should have included a disclaimer.

I chose a lively pub halfway between my home in western Massachusetts and his in north-central Connecticut. It had good food, good parking (an underrated quality in a first-date location), and, as it happened, a specialty pistachio martini on the menu. Our server assured us it tasted exactly like pistachio ice cream.

He wasn’t wrong.

Unfortunately, I barely had time to find out before I managed to spill mine. Not a polite little splash, either. A full-scale pistachio catastrophe involving the table, the floor, my hair, and — most memorably — Nick’s lap.

I was mortified.

But since there wasn’t a trap door under my chair (I checked), I realized I had two choices: cry or laugh.

I chose correctly.

To my immense relief, Nick chose correctly, too.

Soon, we were both doubled over while our poor server raced back and forth with towel after towel, doing his best to undo the damage I’d managed to inflict in under ten seconds.

Months later, after we’d become a bona fide couple, Nick confessed he’d been so charmed by my, er, “antics” that he’d assumed the whole thing was some sort of advanced American flirtation strategy.

For the record, it wasn’t.

Somehow, against all logic, there was a second date.

And then another.

Fourteen months later, we were married.

Nine years later, we’re still laughing.

Over the years, I’ve come to believe that laughter has an extraordinary way of changing the trajectory of an evening — and sometimes even a lifetime. It softens the edges. It reminds us not to take ourselves quite so seriously. It transforms strangers into friends and awkward moments into cherished memories nine years later.

That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about Comedy, Community & Catskills Classics on Thursday, August 6.

Yes, it’s our biggest fundraiser of the year, and I hope you’ll help us make it a success. But more importantly, I hope you’ll join us because we could all use an evening of great food, great company, and belly laughs.

The evening begins with cocktails and an upscale kosher-style pescetarian barbecue dinner (prepared by yours truly, because you can take the girl out of the catering business, but…), followed by the razor-sharp Cory Kahaney, a Comedy Central and Late Show with David Letterman favorite, and the incomparable Rubin Brothers, whose inspired blend of juggling, music, comedy, and classic vaudeville will have you busting a gut.

Then comes dessert.

Well…

Desserts, plural. Because moderation has never been my strong suit. Let’s just say you’ll want to save room.

Not up for dinner? We’ve got you covered there, too. Join us for the show and dessert, enjoy all the laughter, get your sugar fix, and still be home at a respectable hour.

The fun starts even earlier, when our online auction goes live on Thursday, July 23.

Fair warning: you may find yourself developing an unexpected competitive streak.

This year’s lineup includes everything from a Brownie of the Month gift certificate (a different flavor of handmade brownies from my kitchen every month for an entire year!) and breakfast with Portland Mayor Mark Dion, to fabulous getaways, Bronze-age pottery, unforgettable experiences, and plenty of surprises we think you’ll love. Whether you’re bidding to win, bidding to support the Museum, or bidding because someone just outbid you by five dollars, I have a feeling you’ll have a great time.

The best part? Every winning bid helps support the Maine Jewish Museum’s exhibitions, educational programs, and community-building work.

So, here’s my invitation:

Come hungry.

Hungry for great food.

Hungry for great comedy.

Hungry for spectacular desserts.

Hungry for a little friendly competition in the auction.

Most of all, come hungry for the kind of evening that leaves you smiling all the way home.

If you’re thinking, “That sounds like fun…”

Be like Nick.

Say, “Yeah, sure” and:

REGISTER HERE

Warmly,

Dawn LaRochelle
Executive Director

P.S. If I can tempt you with one more outing, I’d love to see you tonight at 5:30 PM as the Maine Jewish Museum’s traveling exhibition, There Is Always an &, opens at the Holocaust & Human Rights Center of Maine in Augusta. Close to 80 of award-winning Israeli photographer Hedva Rokach’s portraits have headed to Augusta for a year-long stay, while more than 100 additional portraits remain on view on the second floor of the Maine Jewish Museum. There is no better measure of an exhibition’s impact than when its story continues beyond the walls where it began, and I’m absolutely thrilled to watch this one spread its wings.