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.
This is the time of year I want chili and cider and all sorts of warm and spicy food. I get cold easily, and to stay warm, some days I’m in the bathtub three times. Brandy calls me her “clean friend.” Time to dig out those long johns, flannel pj’s, fuzzy slippers, and Snuggi’s. And if that doesn’t warm you up, our friendly city sure will! Here’s what’s happyning in the burg this week!
I love Halloween. Always have. I love the candy, the costumes, the spooky decorations, the TV specials. I remember, as a kid, sprinting from house to house through my neighborhood with a pillowcase full of candy. My neighborhood was HUGE, and it seemed like I stayed out trick-or-treating til the wee hours of the morning. Maybe my memory is exaggerating, but it seems like people were more “into” Halloween back then. I loved walking up on porch after creepy porch, greeted by smoldering cauldrons of eye balls and hay-stuffed zombies. Hundreds of disguised children clogged the streets. Doorbells rang incessantly. Homes lit so brightly you couldn’t even tell the sun had set. And I remember getting home, drenched in sweat (especially the year I dressed as a bag of jellybeans and was literally wearing a plastic bag from the dry cleaner), and sorting through the candy… throwing away the raisins and pencils and trading sweets with my friend Kathy. Now, as a mom, I love how excited my own kids get to don their costumes and get some goodies. They run around sweaty and delirious, while I shiver at the curb and take too-dark photos.
There is a place in Harrisonburg that shares our love and enthusiasm for Halloween and a whole lot more. That place is Glen’s Fair Price — a Harrisonburg classic — and no visit to our city is complete without a visit there.
Brandy and I took the kids recently because, well, Halloween’s right around the corner and we needed ideas. I could spend a whole day in that store. The staff is super-friendly and there is sooooo much to look at. So much, in fact, that we’ll have another post about gifts when we get closer to Christmas time. For now, Halloween.
That day, I was still struggling to get used to my new cell phone. It kept doing this thing where the screen suddenly became magnified and I couldn’t click or select anything. I still don’t know what magical combination of buttons creates that phenomenon, but at least I now know the two buttons I have to push simultaneously to shut it down and start over. So, of course, I got to Glen’s before it opened and before I could text Brandy that the store didn’t open for another hour and did she want to meet somewhere else first, the magnification thing happened and I was totally stuck unable to communicate. Then I finally managed to text her, and she didn’t respond because she was driving. So the kids and I just plopped in front of the store and waited for her.
Needless to say, the store opened and we all went in. Man, what fun we had in there!
If you need a costume for ANY reason, this is the place to go. You can buy thousands of costumes and accessories — guns, swords, wigs, hats, masks, handcuffs, even plastic chickens — or you can rent an elaborate, high-quality costume for a reasonable price. And if there’s something you need but can’t find it, just ask. They probably have it.
These photos tell the rest of the story. Enjoy!
Glen’s Fair Price is located at 227 North Main Street, just past the Blue Nile. You officially have two weeks til Halloween, so get yourself down there and get spooked up!
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.
Sorry for the lateness of this post. I have a good reason: it’s raining.
Just kidding. Today’s my son’s birthday and we were busy this weekend! Just look at him!
Hope you have a week where your wishes come true and you get some cake! Here are this week’s Happynings!
I have at least a hundred trees in my yard, and while I’ll be cursing them loud enough for the neighbors to hear in a few weeks because I’m wading shin-deep in fallen leaves, right now I love them and the golden-orange glow they cast over the whole property.
The prettiest tree I have is a hickory nut tree that sits right outside my large living room window. Right now its leaves are the color of French’s mustard and Buffalo wing sauce, and against the bright blue sky, it’s almost too beautiful to look at.
What makes the tree even more special is that it should be dead. Woodpeckers attacked it long ago, and now squirrels make their home inside the trunk. I can literally see a squirrel enter the tree through a hole at the bottom and then reemerge from a hole twenty feet up. The tree is completely hollow. It should be dead. It could crash on the house any second. Yet, it’s teeming with life, inside and out. Year after year, it continues to leaf out and produce nuts and shower my living room with warmth.
I just wanted to share that.
Take some time this week to gaze at your favorite tree. And here’s the rest of what’s happyning in the burg this week!
Life is about choices. Do I take this path or that? Do I buy this car or that? Do I attend this college or that? Do I order beef tacos or chicken?
This week, you all have some tough choices to make. Unless you figure out a way to clone yourself so you can attend everything. If you do, please tell me how. However, I would prefer if the real you tells me, not your clone, because that would be creepy.
First Friday is upon us again (yay!!), but also these fine events: the 47th Annual Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale, Dayton Autumn Celebration, JMU’s Fall Bulb Sale, the Collins Center Disco Gala, a Rocktown Rollers bout, the Latino Film Festival at Court Square Theater, and a ton of live music.
So, mull this over, and choose wisely, people. You won’t get a do-over til next October. Happy Happynings, H’burg!
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.
When I was growing up, golf was a pretty big deal in my family. My dad, who was semi-to-mostly retired when I was seven years old, played golf two or three times a week. At home, all that was ever on the television was golf or CNN. Except Knight Rider, which I watched with Daddy on Friday nights, and The Cosby Show/Golden Girls, which Mom and I watched on Thursdays. And our weekly dose of Solid Gold, which we all watched in the family room with tray tables and Salisbury steak. But other than that, golf occupied a good deal of Daddy’s recreational life. And he was good. And he never rode the cart. Hardcore, he was.
Mom played with him, too, of course, and while they never forced any of us to play, it was hard to live in that house without eventually picking up a club. Sure enough, my older brother and sister started playing and still do. But my brother uses a golf cart. As the joke goes in my family, eighteen holes is a long way to lug a cooler of beer.
Yet somehow, I didn’t get the golf chromosome. I’m also a red-headed, left-handed synesthete; I’m used to being the weird embodiment of my ancestors’ recessive traits. Dad died several years ago, but today I’m happy to report that he’s sure to be smiling somewhere, knowing that I’ve finally embraced the game of golf through my son (and Dad’s namesake) and First Tee of Harrisonburg.
Cal’s loved golf since he got that brightly colored Little Tykes golf set… and then graduated to Wii golf… and then got another set of toy clubs. So when I found The First Tee’s web site and saw that he was old enough to sign up, we were very excited!
The First Tee is a non-profit organization that “promotes character-development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.” They serve about a thousand kids, ages 5 – 17, every year in the Shenandoah Valley. They offer several programs for different ages and ability levels. Cal started in Little Legends, which is for 5- and 6-year-old kids. He’s about to turn seven, so his next program will be PLAYer, which he can take any number of times until he turns nine and can advance to the next level.
A typical Little Legends lesson was like this. First the kids (about seven of them) and the coaches (two of them) warmed up doing moves like washing machine and toe touches. Then the kids practiced hitting different targets with drivers and giant, over-sized golf balls. After that they headed to the driving range, where they were given standard-size golf balls and allowed to whack as many as they wanted as far as they could. Bree was perfectly happy watching all this, but the program director was kind enough to ask her if she’d like to hit some balls, so she did. And she loved it! Sometimes the kids also practice on the 5- or 6-hole putting green.
The instructors are excellent — patient, attentive, and knowledgeable, making sure to help each and every child individually. The First Tee is located at the Heritage Oaks Golf Course, which is ridickers beautiful. I still didn’t really have a desire to play, but I could sit and look at that scenery for hours, surrounded by mountains and rolling hills, warm sun and a refreshing breeze.
Their fall season is underway, but it’s not too late to sign up. We’ll be out there again in October. Each level is conveniently offered at several different times, usually twice a week for an hour, and it’s only fifty bucks for six sessions. They even provide clubs if you need to borrow some. Check out their site today and get the family signed up!
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.
Here we are at the edge of October, already! The weather’s cooling off, and before long, that gorgeous blue sky will stretch across the horizon, dotted by bright, crayon-box leaves. And then raking. Lots and lots of raking. But also football! And evenings around the fire pit! And the anticipation of the holidays :)
Hope you all have a lovely week as we welcome autumn to our fine city. Here’s what’s going on!
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.
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.
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.
Recently Brandy and I went to Spitzer Art Center for Howard Zehr’s opening of Pickups: A Valley Love Story.” (If you missed that post, you can get caught up to speed with one quick click.) That evening we were treated to a lovely crowd, lively music by Shenandoah Alley, savory snacks, and refreshing bevs. Not to mention, a whole lot of creativity.
As I moved through that light-filled building, people danced and tapped their feet and rocked their chairs to the twangs and plunks of bluegrass. They sipped sweating glasses and threw their heads back in peals of laughter. They spilled out onto the wide porch and the plush yard and flopped on soft blankets under the big tree. And I thought, what a lovely place to spend some time.
My friend Jewel, who used to teach art at my school, volunteers at the center. Having recently started back to school, I was glad to see her there and have a chance to catch up. Upstairs from the gallery are several artist studios — seven, I think. In fact, two or three of them are currently available for rent. The Pinwheel Collective works out of a studio at Spitzer, as do Barb Gautcher and Pat Augsburger.
Jewel has a studio at the back of the house — a beautiful, bright space colored with sunlight and supplies. Why is it weird to walk through an artist’s studio? Is it just me? It feels like walking into someone’s bedroom… because really, it is a sacred, intimate space, but it’s also a place for working, and I’m always nervous I’ll touch something or knock something down and mess up someone’s work.
I carefully and gratefully explored Jewel’s living, breathing studio. All the furniture mismatched and scuffed. Tubes of paint that have been squeezed to their absolute limits. Brushes that she’s washed a thousand times. The sloped roof and the siding and a wall of windows. So much history, so much potential. Jewel never stopped smiling the whole time she was in there, like she was lit from within.
You can bask in the light there, too, on Saturdays from 10 – 2pm, and on the first Friday of every month starting at 5pm. Or you can rent one of those gorgeous studios and sit in beauty every day. Visit them soon!
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.
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.
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.
When you live on a “fixed income” like I do (and I say “fixed” because as a teacher, you get paid the same exact amount every month, with no opportunity for a bonus or commission or that sort of thing), you have to look for creative ways to get stuff that you didn’t originally account for in your budget. Back-to-school supplies, for instance. It’s not that I forgot that school was starting and that we’d have to get those items… but I didn’t budget for it correctly and man, those things add up! We also had an unexpected bunny illness and a trip to the ER. Who includes “bunny illness” in their budget??
During summer break, I like to make little improvements to the house. This year I built lots and lots of cubbies and shelves and storage units. I painted the kitchen table and chairs. I decided I was tired of the colors in the family room, so I recovered all the big sofa pillows. Ready-made shelves and cubbies are pricey, and so are pillows. Have you shopped for pillows lately? You can blow thirty bucks on ONE decorative pillow. Screw that!
Yes, doing all this takes time and effort, but it’s worth it. And quite frankly, necessary. So recently, I tackled my final project of the summer: curtains. First, I priced ready-made curtains online. To dress the four windows in my family room would have cost about $225. Instead, I went to Ragtime Fabrics and bought plenty of fabric for about forty smacks! Cha-ching!
It was a good time for Brandy and me to go to Ragtime Fabrics because we were out of material — for curtains AND for this blog. My kids were along with us, and they quickly disappeared amid the rows and rows of colorful cloth. And all that fabric helped drown out whatever annoying noise they might have been making.
In talking to the ladies there, I learned that they’ve been in this location — on West Market adjacent to the Artful Dodger — for about 10 years, and as you can see from their Facebook photo albums, they’ve woven many memories. Some of those pictures will have you in stitches!
I vaguely remember thinking, as I pushed open the door, “I hope I find something I like in here…” But that thought quickly frayed and I had a new worry: how would I ever choose?? They have (literally, I’m sure) tons and tons of fabrics and material for any project you can conjure. You’ll find the usuals: cotton, twill, broadcloth, silk. They sell sturdy, hardy fabrics like corduroy and denim, canvas and burlap. Or maybe you’re after something gauzy and light and fluffier, like taffeta or lamé or muslin. And I spent a great deal of time petting the snuggly fabrics like wool, flannel, fleece, velvet, and thinking about snow days and Christmas. They even have leather and fur! Cal really liked that:
They also sell EVERYTHING else you need for your project, be it a machine or buttons, feathers or stuffing, thread or even a Muppets patch.
After far too long poring over hundreds of fabrics that I loved equally, my kids’ behavior was starting to unravel. Kids are great at forcing you to decide quickly. As they bolted hither and thither through the store, I gathered up two fabrics — one purple, one gray — and headed to the front. The employee gently cut several yards for me, I thanked her, and we left.
I left with more ideas than I have time for. Of course, you can’t be that close to the Dodger without stopping for a beverage. So we did. But fast, because I wanted to get home to my project!
Ragtime Fabrics also offers classes, lessons, and clubs, which you can find on their calendar. Whatever crafty idea you’ve got up your sleeve, even if it doesn’t involve sewing, you should swing by this place because, chances are, for a very reasonable price, they have that little rare craft item you’re looking for. And that’s no fabrication. Oh golly.
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.
Happy Labor Day! A day that celebrates the achievements of the American worker… a day to (hopefully!) stay home from work… and a day to hurry up and wear all your white clothes because tomorrow it’ll be too late (fashionably, at least).
It’s also a day to rest up, because next weekend, you’re gonna be SLAMMED. The Burg is jam packed with awesome events, including First Friday, The Rocktown Wine and Dine Festival (I’m praying for lots of bacon that day), the 31st Annual Century Ride at Hillandale Park, and a Rocktown Rollers bout.
Here are all the details of our lovely city’s happynings! Love to you all, and have a great week!
The students are here! The students are here! And once again, I FORGOT that when I went grocery shopping. However… I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get in and out of my local grocery store without a long wait and a big headache. So, welcome back, students! Hope you have a great semester and enjoy all that Harrisonburg has to offer! Here are this week’s Happynings!
Last week went by in a blur… late nights, early mornings, too much junky food, not enough coffee. And this week, Harrisonburg’s population’s going to explode as JMU and EMU students return. (Bridgewater students… probably NEXT week.) When school starts, there’s a new energy in town… summer is ending, fall is approaching, crisp mornings and evenings, bright blue, cloudless skies, football season, Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner. And while I’m bummed that my time at home with the kiddos is over, it’s an exciting time for each of us. Bree enters her last year as an elementary school student, I’m teaching a new class this year, and Cal… well, he’s always excited about everything.
May this be an exciting week for you all! Here’s what’s happyning in the burg this week!
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.
You remember that song? It’s one I sing to my kids frequently… at the first sign of whining or fighting… and sometimes it actually makes them stop.
It’s the week before school starts, and all through the city and county, siblings are bickering like crazy. The other day my kids fought over whether someone said “potty” or “party” for, like, an hour. Well, maybe not that long, but it felt like it, and I actually had to separate them. Of course, once they’re back in school they will miss each other. I remember last year, when Cal started kindergarten, he said something like, “Mom, sometimes during the day I don’t see Bree, and then I think I must be lost.”
May the week bring you sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, and lots of good eats during Taste of Downtown, starting tomorrow. Check out all the week’s events right here, at our Happynings page. See you out and about!
i love my burg. 