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There is an old sketch from British comedy troupe Monty Python that always makes me laugh. Not one of the really famous ones – though those are fun too – but this one’s my favorite. It’s a simple bit where a so-called hermit living in a cave is chatting with another hermit.

The hermit, sitting on the rocks outside, happily chats about all his fellow hermit neighbors in the other caves nearby. It all sounds a bit like a gossipy busybody updating you on all the happenings in their local neighborhood. At the end of the sketch, the punchline is that one of them says something like “the nice thing about being a hermit is that at least you get to meet people!”

I’ve always been a bit of a homebody, and a few friends back in high school did jokingly call me a hermit once or twice. So the Monty Python sketch makes me laugh every time because, even if you’re a “hermit,” you’re probably still going to run into people quite frequently.

Even now, I must admit, I still prefer spending more time at home than getting out and about when I’m not working. I don’t think that’s ever going to change.

But, every now and then, I do emerge from my proverbial cave and do something fun locally!

Recently, I was able to attend one of the “Willy Wonka Jr.” performances put on by the Freedom Players. The group is under the umbrella of the Cultivator nonprofit, orchestrated by Caroline Stephenson.

This was their fifth production since the group began last year. They’ve previously performed shows including “The Addams Family” and “Matilda Jr,” among others. But this was the first time I actually had a chance to see one of the performances myself.

I really enjoyed it!

The cast members are local kids and teens from the Roanoke-Chowan area, ranging in age from nine to 18 years old. I can imagine performing in front of a crowd (for three days in a row) might have been nerve-wracking for some of them, especially for any first-time performers. But I think they all did an excellent job. The performance I saw ran smoothly from start to finish.

Willy Wonka is a fun musical with plenty of catchy songs and an easy-to-follow story. The colorful set, props, and costumes helped bring things to life too along with the actors.

I used to watch as many plays and musicals as I could when I was in college. There’s just something different about watching a live performance compared to a TV or movie recording. And I’ve missed that experience in the years since I moved back home. So I appreciate that there are more local opportunities now to attend things like this.

Congrats to the Freedom Players cast and crew for a job well done. I’m looking forward to future productions.

I also got out of the house this past week to attend my first ever Chowan University basketball game.

Despite living only twenty minutes away from Murfreesboro, I had never actually gone to watch any games there before. But a few weeks ago, I thought about how I was missing out on an easy opportunity to watch my favorite sport, and I asked my brother – who is a Chowan alum himself – if we could maybe go to a few games together this season.

Thankfully, he had the same idea, and was already making plans to go.

So we went to the Chowan men’s basketball home opener versus West Virginia State on Monday night.

Most of my in-person basketball watching experience has been in Raleigh to watch NC State play. The Hawks Athletic Center, however, is a bit different than the (formerly named) PNC Arena. For one thing, I got to sit a lot closer to the court than I do when I watch the Wolfpack.

But basketball is basketball, so I had just as much fun as I do watching my usual team.

(Although I did find myself automatically making the wolf signs with my hands a couple times without even thinking.

“What am I supposed to do with my hands?” I joked with my brother while one of Chowan’s players shot a free throw.

“Nothing!” he shushed me in response, so we could pay attention to the shot.

The game ended on a heartbreaking buzzer beater loss for Chowan, which was disappointing. But as a spectator, I thoroughly enjoyed myself from start to finish, though the last eight or so minutes of the second half was especially thrilling to watch. The crowd got loud, and I cheered right along with them.

I’m hoping to be able to attend more games this season, and I’d like to see the women’s team play too. Good luck to all the players, coaches, and staff as the season continues over the next few months.

Overall, I had a good time getting out of the house for a bit, though I’ve been tired since. (I miss my college student days when I could get by on little sleep.) Hopefully, I will get a chance to catch more local events when I’m not too busy with work, and I encourage everyone else to check out what’s happening in their community as well.

Even hermits need emerge from their caves sometimes, right?

If you don’t know what’s happening locally, check out the community calendar section in our newspapers (located on page 2A of the News Herald, and on the front left column of the Gates County Index). And if you have an event that’s happening that you want included, just email me so I can add it to the list!

Holly Taylor is a Staff Writer for Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact her at holly.taylor@r-cnews.com or at 252-332-7206.