sun spot: dave’s taverna.

Posted on June 5, 2013 by junebug

Nothing ushers in summer like drinking a giant beer on the taratsa at Dave’s Taverna. And Dave’s has provided that for us for nearly twenty years. Twenty years! A generation. Another impressive statistic?

Three million? That’s more people than the population of Jamaica. Which is another nice place to sit outside and enjoy a meal. And if Harrisonburg’s population hovers around 50,000, then Dave’s has served each and every one of us sixty times over the years. And I, for one, appreciate that hospitality. Greece is also quite hospitable – the number of tourists who visit each year exceeds the number of citizens by a long shot – and it’s one place, during my European hobo travels, I didn’t visit. If I ever get the chance again, I’m going there. For now, I am perfectly content to eat spanakopita at Dave’s, surrounded by people I love.

On this day I was on a “bargain high.” Brandy and I had just come from Duo, where I got three items for like $20. To my delight, it happened to be Tuesday, and kids eat free at Dave’s on Tuesday. AND, Dave’s offers BIG beers for just $3ish. It’s like the God of Bargains was smiling down on us from Mt. Olympus.

We ordered food. I got the Steak and Cheese (Dave’s has one of the best I’ve tried), and Ben and Brandy shared the Chicken Souvlaki and a house salad. We ate, drank, and merrily chatted.

At least once a day, Brandy looks at me, points to her hair, and says, “What’s going on here?” She’s convinced that some piece of hair is out of place or sticking out. I usually tell her, “Nothing. Looks fine.” Heh heh.

You know, sometimes, when you eat outside, you experience some challenges. Like wind, for instance. Or… bees. Now, let me say up front that I have a phobia of bees (and even more, moths – those things will just randomly fly right into your face/eye/ear/mouth). I’ve had several bizarre and scarring experiences with bees, like the time I was fishing with my brother and I sat right down on a hornet’s nest. Egads. So when something buzzed by me, I got a little nervous. My son, knowing my fear, said, “Don’t worry, Mom. It’s just a bumblebee. They have no power to hurt. Bumblebees are just big stuffed-animal bugs.”

Truth. So I relaxed and didn’t see another insect up there at all. But then Cal remembered his own frightening bee incident… when he was two. We were at the Wellness Center for Bree’s soccer game. Cal was sitting in his little chair, and I’d given him half of my egg and cheese bagel. A bee swooped in, landed on the hand that held the bagel, and stung him right on the finger. He promptly dropped the sandwich and howled. He was so mad at himself for dropping his breakfast…

On your visit to Dave’s, you can enjoy dollar pitchers of Natty Light, Virginia Wines, Mediterranean foods like Baklava, a Gyro, or pizza, and American favorites like a good ole burger and chocolate cake, plus a whole lot more. And you can help Dave get to four million served!

Dave’s is located downtown, between Shenandoah Bicycle and Oasis Fine Art & Craft, open 11am to 1am, every day.

Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.

it’s a beautiful morning.

Posted on May 12, 2013 by junebug

I just finished a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal prepared by my kids and (very carefully) delivered to me in bed :) Happy Mother’s Day to you all! If you’re a mom of any kind, love to you today. If you’re not, go find a mom — any mom — and hug her. Moms don’t mind.

Planning your week? Check this week’s Happynings!

double life: duo.

Posted on May 10, 2013 by junebug

Copyright © 2012 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers.This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.

something old, something new: duo.

Posted on May 9, 2013 by junebug

Sit. Good boy.

Copyright © 2012 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers.This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.

clothes-minded: duo.

Posted on May 8, 2013 by junebug

It’s human nature to want what’s commonly called “the best of both worlds” — that rare occurrence when two seemingly opposing phenomena merge in a most happy way, like dining at a French restaurant (in actual France) and getting a free refill. Or weight-loss beer. Or Nerf guns and pillow fights — you can shoot and hit people as much as you want, and all they’ll do is giggle.

There is a place in Harrisonburg where such magic happens. It’s not a place where you can “kill two birds with one stone.” No — that’s not happy, nor does it result in giggling. “Having your cake and eating it, too” is also not an appropriate description, because it suggests a level of deprivation: cake is meant to be eaten, not kept. (Yes, all you people with wedding cake in your freezer — you’re weird! And now I’m thinking of that Seinfeld episode where Elaine pilfers tiny slivers of her boss’s antique cake from King Edward VIII’s wedding in 1937…) No, this place is truly the best of both worlds. It’s called Duo, and it’s a very happy place.

It’s so simple, really: a clothing store that sells new AND carefully selected, gently used clothing. So every time you go, you can get something stylish AND well made AND inexpensive! Which saves you money, so you can splurge on a new item. I purchased two items for a whopping $13, and then found something else for $6. If there’d been cake in that store, it would have been the best of three worlds and more happiness than I could’ve handled.

They also sell jewelry, accessories, hand bags, even shoes. We tried on a whole bunch of items…And I reeeeaaallly want to go back for that dress on the left. Aaaand the one on the right. Ha.

Right at the register, in a matter of seconds, you can join their Customer Loyalty Program and receive updates, incentives, and coupons for your next visit! Even more cake!

Duo is located at 108 S. Main Street, Harrisonburg, and in their original location on Elliewood Avenue in Charlottesville.

Copyright © 2012 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.

local man “never played baseball.”

Posted on May 6, 2013 by junebug

Being the youngest child in a family has its ups and downs. On the one hand, the baby of the family gets cuddled a little more, excused a little farther, and pushed a little more gently. No one wants to see the baby grow up and move out, so he/she is encouraged to remain childlike and youthful. To the baby, this is fun! (I should know — I’m the baby in my family.) On the other hand, being the youngest is lonely. The baby gets dragged around to older siblings’ activities, is told, “Aw, honey, you’re too young,” and learns to occupy him- or herself at such uninteresting events. Then the siblings grow up and move out, leaving the baby alone in the nest. The youngest can be an outsider, but also… independent and resourceful.

This is what I thought when I saw the cover and read the preface of Chris Howdyshell’s new book (yes, you read that right) I Never Played Baseball. He goes on to discuss aging, ultimately explaining the reason people get grumpier with time is because our bodies slow down while life maintains its speed. In fact, he almost named the book Old People Are Pissed, but perhaps it wouldn’t have matched the photo on the cover, of his son watching a baseball game. Maybe he didn’t have a picture of pissed off old people at the time. And I guess baseball is more timely for spring, wouldn’t you agree?

The book is roughly divided into sections. If it had a table of contents, it would read something like this:

Contents

A Series of Positive Poems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pages 1 – 27
Jokes I Wrote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 29
<untitled section> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pages 31 – 50
The Last Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 51

And over the course of its fifty-couple pages, it goes way farther than baseball or childhood memories. Common themes include age, disillusionment, technology, love, war, God (I think), human interaction, and Elton John.

I must mention a few notable parts, like the part about Tuggs the bastard child of Lilly McCoy, raised by bears. “Jibber Jabber,” which reads either like a dream or like a situation involving too much Theraflu, contains Ralph Sampson, newspaper-eating creatures, Julia Child, a witch, leprechauns, ogres, unicorns, and a VW bus. All at Reddish Knob. And “What It’s All About” — a really sweet piece about… well, the meaning of life: “It’s about being thankful/it’s about being here.” Presence and gratitude.

But I have to say my favorite part is called “Attic,” a frame story-ish piece that starts with how he’s never been in his own attic either because a) there are bees up there, or b) he’s too lazy to get the ladder, and ends with the idea of finding a (small) treasure chest or even a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Sometimes you gotta fight your fear and/or laziness and haul yourself up in that stuffy space!

Things you will come to understand about Chris after reading the book, if you didn’t already know: Chris loves his home (except the attic) and he loves his family. He’s happy where he is, not because it’s “perfect,” but because he sees life as a gift. He hates bees and war, and he loves music and people. And, he never played baseball. Who knew?

You can find Chris’s book here on Lulu. It’s funny, it’s weird, it’s poignant and confusing, sentimental and sad. Download it, read it, and be inspired to share your story/poems/joke/anecdote/lyrics/musings/ramblings/weird dreams!

knick knack, who’s there? hess furniture.

Posted on April 12, 2013 by junebug

last legs…

bargaining table: hess furniture.

Posted on April 11, 2013 by junebug

So, here are some items you might not expect to find at a furniture store.
Or anywhere.

“Read a mat. Eat and learn.” Or, eat and vow never to enter the water again.

Some people eat on a plate; others eat on a state.

If you remember what these are, you’re old. You might also be old if you can’t remember.

Okay, someone, please. Come buy some golf clubs. Look at them, all squished together. They want to SWING again!

sit on it: hess furniture.

Posted on April 9, 2013 by junebug

take a seat.

top drawers: hess furniture.

Posted on April 8, 2013 by junebug

Think for a minute of something you want, or need, for your home. Maybe a lamp for an oddly-shaped space… maybe a vase for your mantle… maybe a piece of furniture you’ve been meaning to buy but you haven’t scraped together the cash just yet… or maybe a decanter for a nice bottle of scotch.

Got it?

Good. Now drive on down to Hess Furniture because they probably have it in stock. And chances are, you can afford it.

A few years ago, when the economy started to tank, my pay got frozen (five years now), and I became the sole breadwinner for my household of three, I had to radically change my spending habits. The ONE thing I absolutely won’t compromise on, despite steadily climbing prices, is fresh, quality food for my kids — in a few short years they’ll be spending their money on Doritos and Twinkies and I will have lost all control of their dietary intake. I’m going to control what they eat while I can. So rather than cut the food budget, I gave up cable, my gym membership, my land line phone. I stopped buying new books, opting now for thrift store finds and old fashioned borrowing. No more Netflix — now I check out movies from the library. I refuse to buy clothing that’s not on sale, and truthfully, I really don’t need more clothing. My 80’s clothes have come full circle and are back in style now. I frequently buy gently used clothes and toys, and gratefully accept hand-me-downs, for the kids — they’re still young enough not to care about brands, and we wouldn’t even have a LEGO room if someone hadn’t sold me a bathtub full for $75. In other words, I had to get creative. And Harrisonburg is a great town for creative spending.

This is where Hess Furniture comes in. Why go buy something new and (possibly) poorly made when you can buy something old and sturdy, dusty and weathered, and still spend your scraped-together cash locally?

Specifically on this day I was shopping for a buffet, sideboard, or some piece of furniture to hold my place mats, tablecloths, and such, which had been stuffed in a kitchen cabinet with fish tank supplies, a cooler, the Crock Pot I forgot I even owned, the cats’ food and water dishes I hid in there when they died because I didn’t want to upset the kids by callously throwing them away, and a bottle of Greek liquor shaped like a naked man. I swear, THAT was a gift. I’ve never been to Greece. Plus I had this big empty space beneath a painting in the dining room. It needed sompn.

Brandy, Danielle, and I entered the store, along with the four kids who instantly vanished amid hundreds of chairs and tables, stools and dressers, stacks of records and knickknacks. Before they were out of earshot, I managed to yell, “No running in the store! And don’t get lost! And don’t hurt yourselves! And come find us if you do!” And I might have mentioned running with scissors and playing with matches, too.

Right away I spotted this slick, mid-century modern piece with a couple cabinets and a couple drawers, looked to be the right size although maybe a tad long…. I couldn’t find the price tag on it, so I called over their furniture connoisseur. He explained that that particular piece had already sold (drat!), but then he said, “Now don’t follow me, because I’ll find you something faster if you don’t.” So I busied myself with a cute teapot set, and like some sort of blood hound, not thirty seconds later he’d unearthed buried treasure. Really buried. “Ma’am?” he called. I followed the sound of his voice and found him on the right side of the store, moving various items out of the way to reveal the prize. To my disbelief, he’d hit upon the PERFECT piece on his first try: a cherry-colored sideboard with a cabinet and four drawers, whose top opens up to reveal a black, leather bar top. Ka – ching! And it was the perfect size to go right under my painting and hold all my table linens.

In the meantime, Brandy had discovered their stockpile of albums, Danielle found one of those butlers/garment trees/suit hangers (please, someone comment and tell me what the heck this thing is called), and the kids were playing Ninja spies or some such hiding game.

We loved seeing all the other treasures of the store: lamps, vases, silverware, salt and pepper shakers, plates and platters, vintage appliances, sofas with the side table built in that remind me of family beach trips, even jewelry.

One might think that pouring over other people’s items is kind of… creepy or strange. For example, yard sales. I always feel like I’m just ransacking someone’s stuff, and that if I don’t buy anything, I’ve somehow rejected the person selling it. When I buy used items, I rarely know the story of the item — whom it belonged to first, what that person was like, the story of the life of the item. Of course I’m curious about it because I love stories. But it’s also romantic/sentimental to welcome an item into my home without knowing anything about it… other than it’s old, someone else once really liked it, and its life will continue.

Next time you’re in the market for something “new” for your home, instead of buying something perfectly pristine and shiny, consider rescuing an old treasure from Hess Furniture. And, trust the staff to help you find it. It’s a lot for a customer to sift through, but they are personally familiar with every gem in the place.

Got that thing in Danielle’s truck easy as pie!

Hess Furniture is located at 139 North Liberty Street, just north of the Union Station building. Open Monday – Saturday.

hometown homemade: l&s diner.

Posted on April 5, 2013 by junebug

snowy side up: l&s diner.

Posted on April 3, 2013 by junebug

brewed awakening: l&s diner.

Posted on April 1, 2013 by junebug

On March 18 it was freezing and snowy. I was in clunky boots and a sweater and my old gray coat AGAIN. This day, a Monday, was a snow day, and snow days are really nice for teachers, yes, but our children are SICK OF US. They are bored and antsy and we are becoming less cool by the second. I couldn’t imagine that four days from then it would be nice enough to do yard work, and two days after that it would snow again, turning the piles of leaves I had raked (but not hauled away) into frozen leaf cakes. Where they still sit, thawed now, and wet.

We had to get out. It just so happened that I needed a new (new to me anyway) piece of furniture for my dining room, and it happened that we were also hungry and in serious need of coffee. So we headed to L&S Diner, which is just a few snowy steps from Hess Furniture (post coming!!).

L&S is a Harrisonburg favorite. The boxcar diner has been downtown for decades serving up breakfast necessities like eggs, biscuits and gravy, grits, omelets, pancakes and French toast (and for all you early risers, they open at 5:30 am during the week). For lunch they’ve got choices like sandwiches, pan-fried chicken, salads, oysters, and salt fish.

We found six stools in a row and climbed up. Cal had a little trouble getting perched up there, and I realized that low-rise jeans have made diner stools awkward.

Our waitress poured steaming coffee in our cups and we started talking about summer. Dresses. Sandals. How good it feels to get in a hot car after you’ve been in the air conditioning all day. Pools. The river. Sitting on the deck with friends til midnight. The beach. How good it feels to shower off all that beach grime and then stuff yourself with lobster and shrimp. Meanwhile, our food sizzled on the flat-top grill and the kids wrote little notes to each other. It’s become a tradition of sorts… today the notes said, “I love your hair.” “I love your pancakes.” And this one:

As usual, we all shut up when the food came. We had French toast, pancakes, rye toast, and an egg/ham/cheese sandwich on white. All fresh and delicious. They’re no strangers to breakfast in there.

There’s a train track RIGHT behind the restaurant. A train went by and Bree asked, “Are we moving?” No, honey. We’re in a restaurant. She also had the sensation we were moving one day in the car wash. When the sprayer arm thing moved around the car, she suddenly yelled, “Mom! We’re moving backwards! Do something!” Sorta like when you stand on the beach and a wave crashes on your feet and washes back out… it feels like you’re rushing backwards… and there we are talking about summer again. Oh summer. We are soooo ready for you!

You can thaw out at L&S Diner at 255 North Liberty Street, about a block north of Hess Furniture and a block south of the Local Chop and Grill House. They’re open seven days a week.

what remains: hostetter museum of natural history.

Posted on January 17, 2013 by junebug

dead ahead: hostetter museum of natural history.

Posted on January 15, 2013 by junebug

weasel vs. starling. really??

the best dead show ever: hostetter museum of natural history.

Posted on January 14, 2013 by junebug

When afforded a precious sliver of free time, some people like to head to the local coffee house; some like to slip into a warm bath, Barry Manilow on the iPod; some like to take a solitary walk in the woods, peruse the shelves in a book store, or meet friends for cocktails.

Me? I like all those things… but not as much as looking at old, dead stuff.

Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t become some kind of scientist. Maybe it’s because I sucked at science in school. If it weren’t for my friends David and Austin, I never would have passed high school chemistry (with a D minus, mind you). And no, they didn’t let me copy their homework–they actually made me learn the material. Which I couldn’t do very well (obviously), even though I really wanted to because they made it sound so cool. I just couldn’t get the information to GO INTO my brain.

Or maybe I didn’t become a scientist because I didn’t need to know why a fossil is cool. It’s cool enough as it is. And a bit of mystery attached to it makes it even cooler.

Anyway, getting to the point now, Brandy and I took the kids to the Hostetter Museum of Natural History, located on the campus of Eastern Mennonite University. At $12 for the six of us, it’s a cheap, educational, fun activity for cold Sunday afternoons.

The museum boasts 6000 artifacts and specimens of the natural world, including a fluorescent rock room, a Kodiak bear, zillions of bugs and birds, a live ball python, live star fish, a massive elephant skull, and tons more. As long as EMU is in session, they’re open Sundays from 2 – 5.

We started in The Discovery Room, which used to be the Brackbill Planetarium. Visitors can touch and handle specimens in there, like the live ball python (Cal showed off his smarts by announcing that snakes are “cold bloody”) and various star fish.

Or dead small mammals like possums, skunks, bunnies, chipmunks, and shrews. Of course Cal thought it was “funny” to pick one of them up and brandish it at Ella, to which Bree responded, “Don’t chase people with dead animals. You’re never going to get a girlfriend if you do that.” Cal put it back on the table, but then mumbled, “Good thing I don’t want one.”

There’s also larger (dead) mammals on display, like a black bear, an elephant skull so large Cal could’ve climbed up in there, and a beaver. I was surprised how large the beaver was. It could probably pull a small plow. Or you could put a saddle on it.

You know that eerie feeling you get when you walk by a mannequin? Like it’s a person, and you expect it to breathe or sneeze or scratch its chin, but it doesn’t, and then its lack of life force becomes creepily obvious?

No? Come on… surely someone out there gets the heebie-jeebies from mannequins.

Well, anyway, when you get to the 12-foot Kodiak bear, it’s that sensation times 100.

Rounding out the Discovery Room is a really nice fossil table; some skulls, like the jaguarundi and the nutria; and birds, like a barn owl and various birds in tubes.

In the other area of the museum, most everything’s behind glass. The collection is immense and incredible. My favorite part is the insects — beautiful butterflies and moths, beetles, grasshoppers, and my favorite, the praying mantis. Brandy loved the birds, including the American Coot and the Blue Heron. They even have a lovely collection of bird nests and eggs.

Of course, the kids liked the Disco Rock Room — this room full of fluorescent rocks and minerals and a black light. When we emerged from all the exhibits, the kids were in the mood for a bit of hide and seek. So we let them hide. And we let them think we were seeking. And we let them think they were very good hiders because we had not found them yet. In all honesty, we were tired and sitting on our backsides. Then a random group of kids showed up outside, and they all played together. I love it when that happens.

Now that school’s back in session at EMU, the museum is once again open, every Sunday from 2 – 5. Even though its winter, life abounds at the Hostetter Museum of Natural History. It’s a great place to take your kids, your friends, your spouse, or even your first date. See you out and about!

you wish! : christmas shopping in the burg.

Posted on December 14, 2012 by junebug

In hindsight we’re not sure if it was a good idea to take four kids downtown last Saturday morning to show us what they want for Christmas.

Them: “You mean we’re not actually buying anything today??”
Us: “No.”
Them: “For real?”
Us: “Yes.”
Them: “Wait, you mean ‘yes, for real’ or ‘yes, we’re buying you something?'” (hopeful expressions)
Us: “We’re not buying anything today.”
Them: “For real?”
Us: “Ugh.”

But, we did take them window shopping. And now we’re going to tell you about it and show you what the kids picked out!! We met at Earth & Tea Cafe at 10ish to get some caffeine in our veins and map out a game plan. Man, that place is so niiiiiiice. The pretty tapestries on the wall… the cute lanterns everywhere… that little “lovers’ lair” in the corner–you know, the big square cushion with a curtain all the way around it? Rowl!

While the kids argued over where to go first, we gals started yammering about our hair… See, Danielle recently cut her bangs, Brandy’s are growing out, and I have a head full of bangs. Then Danielle showed us how she can’t stop shaking her head because she likes the way her bangs swish-swish against her forehead. She’s a bobble head. On the way to a brain injury.

We finally got our list together and headed to our first destination, the Explore More Children’s Museum, which is just down from Earth & Tea. Not only can you buy someone a year’s membership to the museum for $95, but they have a really great gift shop in the front with rare toys you don’t see at larger chain stores. Here are a few:

Next, a quick stop at Ten Thousand Villages. Personally, I wanted everything in there. Cal’s favorite was the giant stack of rugs. Blake’s favorite was this instrument:

Of course, everyone was excited to get to Dragonflies Toys. They’re by the parking deck, next to Downtown Books. Pretty much all the kids want all the toys in there. In fact, we should just see about moving in. Here are their Dragonflies wishes:

It’s a cell phone eraser (ha ha) and a pencil that smells like cinnamon.

for building thangs.

she’s a family gal.

To Cal, from Bree!

Danielle saw something she wishes for at Shenandoah Bicycle Company:

note the bangs :)

As we walked to Larkin Arts, we couldn’t help but go into James McHone Jewelry. The kids were a little antsy in there, so we couldn’t stay long, but he’s really got a spectacular selection of unique pins and brooches, pendant, bracelet charms, and much more. Danielle and I perused all his beautiful antique jewelry, pausing briefly at a shiny case of rings… and dreaming briefly about fairytale weddings… Well, maybe it was just me. Okay, this is getting awkward.

ornaments for humans.

Onto Larkin Arts. If you haven’t been in there, you have to go. There’s so much to see. I love the way art supplies look on the shelf. Rows and rows of paints. Boxes and boxes of oil pastels. Neatly stacked fresh, white canvases. Then down the hall is a gallery space, and further down is a classroom and several artist studios. Anyway, the kids found lots of cool gift ideas there…

… and I found one of my favorite things EVER: wooden boxes! Specifically, cigar boxes. And only $5 each! I don’t know why I have such an affinity for wooden boxes, but I bought four of them without any use in mind at all.

Our final stop of the day (and believe me, there were many other places we could have gone, but SOMEONE was getting cranky) (okay, it was me) was the always fun, always quirky Glen’s Fair Price Store. You can get your camera repaired there, or you can get a Halloween costume, or you can buy vintage candy or any kind of hat you can imagine or even a bag of rubber worms. They have everything. You can’t come out empty handed.

If you see her walking around with this thing, don’t touch it. It shocks your hand! Sorry we terrorized the other customers with it.

I mean, nothing beats the snake scepter.

how nice of them to offer a snack and drink!

well, this is embarrASSing.

And then we were tired and hungry. So we strolled on down to Jess’ Quick Lunch to stuff ourselves with chili dogs. With just ten shopping days left until Christmas, we hope this gives you some gift ideas for the people you love. And you give to everyone when you shop local. See you out and about!

Copyright © 2012 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.

in the spirit: our community place christmas concert.

Posted on December 12, 2012 by junebug

A few more images of our merriment!

it’s christmastime in the city: our community place christmas concert.

Posted on December 9, 2012 by junebug

It was warm that night, all the way around, starting with Melanie Copeland’s smiling face at the door. Warmth circled each dessert table, filled coffee mugs, and cushioned our seats. It danced on everyone’s bright faces, softened every handshake and hug hello, and floated on the air in music both delicate and boisterous.

To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect at Our Community Place’s 4th Annual Community Christmas Concert. Our Community Place is a non-profit organization that promotes personal growth and community well-being in Harrisonburg, and which specifically seeks to help those who struggle with poverty or difficult life circumstances. It opened in 2008 after seven years of fundraising and renovations to their location on E. Johnson Street, near The Little Grill. The Christmas concert is an annual fundraiser to help support OCP as well as Our Community Works and Our Community Farm. The invitation promised desserts and music, but it was way more than cookies and carols.

First, the desserts, provided by Dayton Mennonite Church. Cheesecake, pie, cobbler, cupcakes, cookies, breads, and brownies. And I had a Charlie Brown flashback when I saw the giant bowl of popcorn. And again when I saw the two Christmas trees flanking the stage in the sanctuary of Park View Mennonite Church–small and skinny, but alive and growing nonetheless. Anyway, the kids stuffed themselves with dessert while Brandy and I browsed. As part of the fundraiser, OCP was selling handmade boxwood wreaths, cookbooks, and two Christmas CD’s featuring local musicians. We made sure to purchase those.

Another thing offered that evening, which Ken Wettig explained during intermission, was membership in their Community Supported Agriculture program. In a nutshell, you pay to join the program, and in return you get fresh vegetables and eggs from OCF. I know $400 seems like a big chunk of change–it is for someone like me, too–but for that price, you get a large crate of veggies and eggs once a week for EIGHTEEN weeks (June to September). Some quick math’ll tell you that’s $22 a week, which I already EASILY blow on produce during the summer. Also, you have until April 1 to pay for it, so you don’t have to cough up the $400 all at once. If you’re not a big vegetable fan, consider giving this gift to a veggie-lover you know. Or pay the $400 to provide a local needy family with eighteen weeks of fresh food. Or, heck! Split your membership with a friend!

Anyway, all this eatin’ and drinkin’ and browsin’ went on from 6 to 7pm, and then we all packed into the sanctuary for the music. That’s when the goosebumps started.

We sat on the front row, which was good for Brandy and her camera. But then I realized it didn’t make for a discreet exit should one of my kids (okay, I’ll just say it–my SON) get unruly. AND I realized I left his notebook and markers in the car. UGH. So I mentally and emotionally prepared myself for being THAT MOM–you know her… that one who has to escort her noisy monster child out of there. Well, call it a Christmas miracle, but after I found an extra pen and surrendered my notebook to him, he was perfectly content until well past bed time. Shew.

The music began. First up was Scott Murray. He sang “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and one he wrote called “Joseph and Mary,” inspired by his realization that Mary traveled 25 miles to Bethlehem on a donkey, while she was nine months pregnant. You can add THAT to the many reasons that lady deserves a song.

Chris Howdyshell sang a couple of songs, including “Rudolph,” after apologizing that his songs “aren’t pretty” and predicting that “the a cappella thing’s gonna be gorgeous” and “the Yoders will do somethin’ outrageously fantastic.” He also told us how he recently received a letter from a guy in prison, and then he said something about the Bumble, which I missed because I was writing down all the other stuff he said, lol.

Heather Kropf held us all captive with her sweet voice, accompanied by the piano and Brad Yoder’s clarinet. Brad performed next, first playing a song called “As Easy As Birds” and then leading the audience in “Angels We Have Heard on High” from the hymn book. This sorta surprised me because I wasn’t expecting to stand and sing… but Chris Kniss and Heather helped lead the song vocally, and everyone behind me just suddenly broke out into spontaneous, beautiful harmonies with no instrumental guidance but Brad’s rogue clarinet. The sound filled the room and the kinship of it all made me start to cry a bit… It was really sweet, and it was my favorite moment of the night.

The beauty continued with Chris Kniss’ performance of “What Child Is This?” and “The Christmas Song,” followed by my old friend Bob Driver’s guitar-only rendition of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” (he and I worked at Clayborne’s, if you remember that far back…) His lovely wife Trudy Cole and John Hall got everyone’s feet tappin’ in a spirited duet before Shekinah blew everyone away with their a cappella performance of “Coventry Carol” and a traditional Spanish song. As my son is always mesmerized by groups of beautiful women with radiant voices, this was his favorite part of the night, and he gushed about the “purple ladies” all the way home.

We’d reached intermission and the kids were lookin’ a little limp. We steered them back out to the desserts, and they perked up in no time. The second half simply went too fast. Nick Melas and Nichole Ehlers sang a few numbers… not necessarily Christmas songs, but songs about the Prince of Peace at any rate, including one Nichole wrote from the book of Luke. Their voices together were perfectly stunning. The evening rounded out with Greg Ward, Jessie Trainum, and last, Trent Wagler… and then a full-on singalong that left everyone warm and fuzzy.

As Brandy put it, “Singing ‘Silent Night,’ with a hymnal in my hand, in a dim church with some of Harrisonburg’s finest was the coolest thing I’ve done all day.”

Yep.

I am so grateful I was able to attend this event. I know this sounds cheesy, but it’s something that will stay with me a long time. I think it was the warmest and loving-est group of people I’ve ever encountered… people who saw a need in Harrisonburg, who worked extremely hard for several years to make it happen, who compassionately and without hesitation serve members of our community who might otherwise be forgotten, and who do it all for very little in return… THEY are the miracle. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Where would we be without people like you??

Merry Christmas, Harrisonburg, and may you be warm all the way around this holiday season.

Copyright © 2012 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.

REDO: starry city nights no. 8: john c. wells planetarium

Posted on November 13, 2012 by junebug

UPDATED November 13, 2012

Last Saturday I had an opportunity to take all five children to the John C. Wells Planetarium. Three of them had not yet seen the presentation, and the two who had were happy to see it again. Kids love to watch things over and over. That’s why I know every line of Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, and that “Charlie Bit Me” video on YouTube.

And even though I’d seen the Orion video before, I’d not seen it on this day, with this group of people. The night sky looks different now than back in March when I originally posted this entry, and every day is unique, after all.

This time around I noticed the kids’ reactions: the audible gasps from little ones when they saw the purple Star Ball emerge from its case in the center of the room, blinking and beeping and rotating around.

The kid who, when the host asked if anyone had a question, said “I do! I do!” but never actually asked it, reminding me that wonder and mystery sometimes feel good–we don’t always need to know the answers.

The ooohs and aaaahs from spectators of all ages at the bright beauty of the night sky, all the faces collectively turned upwards, gazing at infinite possibilities and at hope itself. If we stare long enough, we might feel it: what matters is not that which is finite, but that infinite sliver we each contain that tethers us, forever, to the vast sky and to each other. Sitting there beneath the dome of the heavens made me want to gather my gaggle a little bit closer and feel small again.

Maybe sometime soon, now that the sun sets earlier, and before it gets bitter cold, find a dark corner of our friendly city, spread a blanket on the ground, and lie under the stars. Listen to what your kids say, laugh your butts off, and dream that night not of what seems impossible, but of sweet possibilities.

The JMU Planetarium offers free shows every Saturday.

You can read the original post from March 17 below…

When I sat down with my notes to write this entry, I couldn’t read a dang thing. Why? Because I took notes in the dark. I wrote words on top of words and am now relying on my memory for most of the details. HA. And Brandy. She quietly held her camera in her lap and snapped away at the dome, wishing upon one of those zillion stars that even one picture would turn out. A writer and a photographer in the dark. Whose idea was this?? Brandy’s totally paranoid about the photos you see here, but, God bless her, I think she did pretty darn well, and I expect to see LOTS of complimentary comments about her work, thankyouverymuch.

The John C. Wells Planetarium at JMU has FREE shows on Saturdays at 2:30 and 3:30. (Click here for details.) The 2:30 show is geared more toward younger kids, so the six of us attended that one. The planetarium has theater seats and, obviously, a domed ceiling that acts as a huge screen. The first half of the show we saw was a cartoon about Orion. Sweet (ultra-violent), romantic (obsessive) Orion, who has to slay beasts for his love, Merope, who is the daughter of the king of Chios. The king (who, by the way, in the cartoon, looks just like Ben Stein) gets sick of Orion’s constant attempts to “win” Merope’s favor (thankfully the cartoon glosses over all the violent stuff he did) and poisons him, causing Orion to go blind. Then he drifts, lost at sea, for miles and miles until he lands on Lemnos and is ultimately healed by Helios.

From there he goes to Crete, meets Artemis, and totally forgets Merope ever existed. Artemis is the Goddess of the Hunt and has no feet.

Does that sound strange?

I thought so, too, but none of the women in the cartoon have feet. Their legs just taper down to points. There’s gotta be symbolism somewhere in THAT.

Anyway, Orion and Artemis get along smashingly. The climax of the film occurs when Orion turns into a ninja. At least, that’s what I think my notes say. I also think I wrote the words “Matrix-style,” but I can’t be sure. And something about a scorpion. And Orion DIES! Artemis memorializes him in the heavens as the constellation you see today.

Oh, yes. I TOTALLY see it.

After the cartoon, the second half of the show started and this massive stellar projector with more than a hundred lenses and mirrors called the “GOTO Cronus Star Ball” rose up like a monolith in the middle of the floor.

The host, Dr. Shanil Varani, demonstrated several cool things. He showed us what’s currently visible in the night sky from the good ‘ole Burg, which includes Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury (!), and even Saturn. Wow! If you want a better view of the heavens while there’s so much to see, you can attend one of the FREE Public Star Parties held on the last Friday of each month in the meadow behind the Physics/Chemistry building. The next one is March 30, and you can like them on Facebook to get updates and make sure it hasn’t been called off for bad weather.

*As a side note, I have to confess that my spelling skills don’t work in the dark and I wrote “Pubic Star Party” in my notes. BAH!

Getting back on track, Shanil talked a lot about light pollution, which not only hurts one’s ability to see the constellations, but all that light at night is just a waste of electricity. Definitely an important point. The most meaningful part for me, however, was when he displayed the planets and talked about their size. We all know the sun is gigantic compared to the planets (a million Earths can fit inside the sun), even though the sun is not a huge star. And a thousand Earths can fit inside Jupiter–the largest planet.

But what really moved me, I admit, is that as large and looming and impressive and popular as Jupiter is, it’s commonly referred to as a “failed star” because of its size. Even JUPITER is too small… it doesn’t have the mass necessary for stardom. And so when I think of the failures in my own teeny tiny human life that I think are SO massive and so… irrevocable, I remember Jupiter… the laughing stock of the solar system.

Now that’s an ego check.

i love my burg.

happiness is harrisonburg shaped.

Category Archives: burg on a budget.

sun spot: dave’s taverna.

it’s a beautiful morning.

double life: duo.

something old, something new: duo.

clothes-minded: duo.

local man “never played baseball.”

knick knack, who’s there? hess furniture.

bargaining table: hess furniture.

sit on it: hess furniture.

top drawers: hess furniture.

hometown homemade: l&s diner.

snowy side up: l&s diner.

brewed awakening: l&s diner.

what remains: hostetter museum of natural history.

dead ahead: hostetter museum of natural history.

the best dead show ever: hostetter museum of natural history.

you wish! : christmas shopping in the burg.

in the spirit: our community place christmas concert.

it’s christmastime in the city: our community place christmas concert.

REDO: starry city nights no. 8: john c. wells planetarium

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