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!

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.

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.

this just in! we have a new page :)

Posted on April 1, 2013 by junebug

We’d like to show you our newest page on the site, Harrisonburg Happynings. Each Sunday we’ll tell you some of what’s going on in the burg in the upcoming week. We’ll do our best, but we’re sure to miss some things, so if you have an event you’d like included each week, please contact us through our Facebook page or email us at citygals@ilovemyburg.com. We’ll collect as much as we can through Friday of each week and do our best to promote ya!

Thanks! And now go check out what’s coming up this week (sorry, I know it’s Tuesday–I got a late start, lol)!

state of the art: larkin arts.

Posted on February 22, 2013 by junebug

where’s your cup, val??

frame of mind: larkin arts.

Posted on February 20, 2013 by junebug

fine print: larkin arts.

Posted on February 19, 2013 by junebug

major artery: larkin arts.

Posted on February 18, 2013 by junebug

Remember when Studio Art Shop was downtown? This was way back when Dave’s Taverna was on Water Street and Main, and Jokers (now the Blue Nile) was the hot spot for local music. Studio Art Shop was located where Oasis Gallery is now… I remember that art store fondly… the smell of paint and canvas, rows of colorful bottles, rainbows of oil pastels, stacks of naked sketch books, jars of never-used brushes with smooth wooden handles, neat paper bags of rabbit skin glue, Gesso, tubs of Gojo. Simply walking in there would inspire even the least artistic of us (like me) to create.

Needing more space, Studio Art Shop expanded to a larger store on Neff Avenue and became the place for art students to purchase supplies each semester. Lamentably, Studio Art Shop closed its doors for good a few years ago.

No doubt Valerie Smith remembers Studio Art Shop, too, and thanks to her, her hubby Scott, Lynda Bostrom, and many other local art supporters, Harrisonburg once again has a full-service art supply store on the Court Square… an apt location in the heart of a city that loves and values art of all kinds.

But Larkin Arts is not just a source of supplies; it’s also a gallery, a school, and a studio–a place for learning, creating, and displaying art. The store itself carries thousands of products for the new, developing, or veteran artist, and a cozy lounge area where one can sit and sketch or peruse hundreds of art books from their library, all the while listening to albums on the old-school stereo system, from Loggins and Messina to Talking Heads to Fugazi, the Beatles, or even “Latin for Lovers.” :) And, even if you’re not an “artist,” many of their items make lovely, unique gifts for people of all ages and for any occasion, really.

In the space adjacent to the store is the gallery and reception area. Two large, open, bright spaces regularly feature curated, juried, or group exhibitions.

Down the hall to the right are three (three!) classrooms hosting a variety of classes. Every Monday from 6:30 to 8:30pm the public is welcome to attend live figure drawing. Children ages 4 – 12 can attend classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, weaving, and art history. What a great way to spend dark, chilly afternoons, and when the weather is warm and school’s out, kids can attend week-long art classes — even one taught by our own Brandy Somers! — during the 2013 Youth Summer Art Program.

The left side of the hallway houses local artists’ studios. Large, bright, open rooms with closets and plenty of space to haul out your supplies and make a big ole mess.

In the last couple of months, Brandy and I have visited Larkin Arts a number of times. Back in December, we did some Christmas shopping there. More recently, we’ve gone to visit the gallery. Nathan Shearer’s simply framed photographs of LEGOs blew me away. One, I love LEGOs — I even have a LEGO room in my house. Two, the scenes he depicts in the photos are both realistic and imaginative. Three, his attention to detail, posing little LEGO figures in front of less playful backgrounds, getting the scale just right so that the photo is as believable as a portrait. And four, the colors! I wish I could have bought every one of them and hung them all together on a single wall in my house. You couldn’t be unhappy in that space. To see more of Nathan’s photos, please check out Katie Schmidt’s photos, here.

The other exhibit we attended was that of Jade Webber, an artist currently studying at JMU after completing a degree in Fine Art at New Mexico State University. Her large, heavily textured paintings depict the natural world, which is, as she describes it, a blend of “the metaphysical, the supernatural, and the ineffable.” Her work particularly reflects a love of animals, who “remind us that we, too, are animals. We are subject to forces beyond our control.” In this way she underscores how natural art is to the human experience: it springs organically from the artist herself; tools of wood and hair and metal push around hues of the outside world we see every day, resulting in a connection between artist and viewer that is not forced, but… ineffably genuine. You can see Jade’s work at Larkin Arts through the end of February.

The kids were with us, of course, and what would an ilovemyburg post be without the antics of children? Let’s see. Bree dropped her cupcake on the floor, icing side down (major tragedy). A couple of the Judy Chops were there to perform (because, let’s face it — all of ’em would have caused a sonic boom-ish catastrophe knocking the artwork right off the walls), and so lots of giggly, dizzying dancing ensued. Scott whipped out some brown Model Magic for the kids to “play with.”

And Cal left a note on Brandy’s car that said, “Your butt looks really good.” She laughed and acted like it was silly, but I bet she taped that thing to her bathroom mirror. Ha ha!! After she previewed this post, she clarified that it is NOT on her bathroom mirror. It’s on her fridge. :)

Congratulations to Valerie and Scott for opening this Harrisonburg gem. We hope you will visit soon and see why it’s so, so special. It’s yet another reason we love our burg.

happy blogiversary to us! celebrating one year of loving our city.

Posted on February 14, 2013 by junebug

Well, we’ve loved our city for far longer than “one year.” But one year ago today, we debuted this blog, highlighting a local store called Granny Longlegs. Click here to see that very first post. Now, 173 posts and more than 30,000 views later, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what Harrisonburg has to offer. In the last year, we’ve covered more than sixty local restaurants, events, and retail stores, and with new places opening and new events being created every month, we’ll never run out of material.

Last night Brandy and I celebrated with friends at the Indian American cafe and then at Clementine for the Steel Wheels (plus Red Molly) show. We’ll tell you the whole story in an upcoming post, but for now, for today, we’ll acknowledge our Burgth-day with these sneak peeks.

courtesy of shank’s bakery, downtown harrisonburg

And check out this video of the Steel Wheels!

We love you! Thank you for such a fantastic year! You help us get out of the house. Seriously.

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!

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.

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.

a woman’s place: it’s all about you, ladies.

Posted on October 3, 2012 by junebug

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

sugar and spice and everything nice: it’s all about you, ladies.

Posted on October 1, 2012 by junebug

I felt pampered before I even got through the door, and it only got better from there.

The lovely Sherrie Gordon (owner of Shenandoah Concierge), who greeted us at the door, informed us that once inside this year’s second It’s All About You, Ladies! event, we’d be treated to such niceties as a massage, a hair and skin consultation, food, wine, a gift bag, and raffle prizes! I was glad I decided to be stressed out, tangled, blemished, hungry, thirsty, and lucky that day.

Hosted by Wine on Water and All Things Virginia (the two shops are adjacent to each other on Water Street, downtown), the event was also sponsored by women-owned or -operated businesses like Merle Norman, Scrumptious Suppers, A-C Chiropractic, Vivian’s Designer Consignor, You’ve Got It Made, Polished, Inc., The Lady Jane, Miche Bags, Stella & Dot, and Shenandoah Concierge. The event allows local business women to get together about four times a year to mingle, socialize, network, and just keep in touch in general. It’s easy to lose touch with your peers when you’re managing the shop all day, after all. They keep the event intimate by only selling fifty tickets, so that all the women have a chance to talk to each other during the short three hours they’re together.

In we went. At the bar, I picked up a complimentary glass of Cave Ridge Traminette, recommended by Katrina. The next order of business was food. Brandy and I nibbled on Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce, olives, cheese, Sundried Tomato Pesto served on cute little toasts, Artichoke and Spinach Dip with chips, and these really yummy Turkey Pinwheels with Avocado and Cranberry Cream Cheese. I think I ate about twelve of those.

And look how cute dessert was!

Swedish Cream with Raspberry Sauce.

I signed up for a massage (there were two massage therapists from Dr. Cason’s office, set up in the front window of All Things Virginia), and while I waited my turn, Brandy and I perused the shop. They have a lot of nice items in there I never would have guessed–like walking sticks and hand made cards, and peanuts and condiments. They also sell Miche bags and local artwork, and they have an in-house framer if you need him. They also sell hand made jewelry, which I browsed for quite some time… and I somehow lost my plate of food, too. But that’s okay because they had more. Anyhow, between the selection at All Things Virginia and the wines at Wine on Water, it’s possible you could do all your Christmas shopping under one roof.

And then my turn came for a massage. My belly was full and the wine was speaking to me and now Betty was tenderizing my stone shoulders.

Stress was pouring out in all directions. It was coming out in laughter that echoed through the place, it was flowing in the wine, it was steaming off the food, it was evaporating through Betty’s hands, it was escaping through tiny refined pores and hair follicles. And when I emerged from the massage (with my “halo face” from having smushed my face into the cushion of the chair), everyone seemed relaxed and content.

And then I got it–this is exactly what ladies need at the end of their hectic weeks. Not a lot, not a two-week vacation in another country (although, that WOULD be nice…), but just a kind word, a soothing touch, some laughter, some time with friends, and don’t forget the wine. So, thanks to the lovely sponsors for making this evening possible, and thanks also to all the guys who stayed home with the kids and heated up frozen corn dogs. Yes, ketchup is a fruit. Oh, come on…. just kidding!

pictured here, the sponsors: Sara Christensen, Sherrie Gordon, Kristen Lucas, Katrina Hudy, Linda Denton, Shelley Boyers, Jennifer Matthai Cottrell, Vivian Myers, and Vicki Ruckman.

glass half full: rocktown wine and dine festival.

Posted on September 21, 2012 by junebug

The last scattered droplets…

barreling along: rocktown wine and dine festival.

Posted on September 19, 2012 by junebug

intertWINEd: rocktown wine and dine festival.

Posted on September 19, 2012 by junebug

some of the folks who made it happen…

uncorked: rocktown wine and dine festival.

Posted on September 18, 2012 by junebug

free spirits: rocktown wine and dine festival.

Posted on September 17, 2012 by junebug

It was a weeee bit rainy. A tad splashy. A tish bit damp, if you will. And as my hair erupted into its requisite rainy day Ronald McDonald wig of frizz, Brandy arrived with a floaty strapped to her back pack.

“What’s that for?” I asked.

“Duh, for FLOATING. Because it’s raining. A LOT.” <eye roll>

I guess I’m so accustomed to it raining at ALL our events that I don’t even think to prepare for it. But others did, too. Like these gals:

And this lady… sort of.

Umbrella casualty.

We might have actually needed that floaty. Not that the three of us could ride on it… but Brandy informed Michael and me that there was even a chance of tornadic activity. Good grief, Auntie Em. “Do you get some kind of alert for every weather situation?” I asked her. She answered, “I get that from my Nanny, okay? I used to call her for the weather.” Awwww… Nanny :)

Anyhoo, at three o’clock on the dot, one could hear a chorus of corks popping against the harmonious backdrop of rain and The Woodshedders, this old-time, bluegrass, jazz-country quintet who warmed things up for us quite cozily. The first Rocktown Wine and Dine Festival had commenced! And with neat-o wine sampling glasses in hand, we were off!

A note of clarification before I delve into all the deliciousness of that afternoon. The Wine and Dine Festival was different from the Beer and Music Festival of last April (and coming again April 20, 2013!!) in that the wine vendors served pairings–samples of a particular wine accompanied by a complementary dish. (Local chefs Alex Fitzgerald and Jon Alley created the appetizers and Brock Cappers from Robins Cellars picked perfect wines for each.) It wasn’t like the Beer and Music Festival where you filled up your mug and wandered around for a bit. It was more like an art exhibit, where you move through the gallery, stopping at each piece and eating/drinking the display. So the three of us, along with everyone else, were under the pavilion for quite some time, sampling the goods at all ELEVEN tables.

Also, as you perused the goods, if there were any (and believe me, there were) wines that you wanted to buy, you could go to the Downtown Wine and Gourmet table, place an order, and then pick up your wine the following Saturday at the shop. And Jay and Amanda offered substantial discounts if you ordered one, three, or five mix & match cases. A lot of people in my life are getting wine for Christmas this year.

Okay, Table One: World Premier Wines. Here we sampled the Paul Cluver Close Encounters Riesling from South Africa… and the Paul Cluver Gewurtztraminer paired with a southwestern chicken egg roll. The spicy egg roll with the crisp, apple-y sweet wine was a lovely start to the afternoon. Thumbs up.

Next was the Robert Kacher table, where we tried the Tariquet Classic–dry and fruity from France–paired with a traditional gazpacho. We also tried their Andre Brunel VDP Grenache, which was refreshing and really reasonably priced.

Frontier Wine Imports offered a grilled chorizo (sausage) with their Senda 66 Tempranillo 2008 from Spain–man was that a good combination. I ate a few of those little spicy things. And might I add, it was at this table that WE FOUND PORT. Aaaaggggghhhhhh <drool>. The Feist Madeira Full Rich Port AND the Feist Tawny Port. From PORTugal. Ha. I think I left that table about ten degrees warmer.

Danielle, servin’ it up.

The fourth table was also a favorite in our little group–Small Vineyards served their Palama Negroamaro with these yummy little shredded pork barbeque sliders. Yowee. It was one of those slow-motion moments: We saw the wine. We saw the sliders. We started over there. People would not get out of the way. And when at last we skidded to the table, the sliders were gone! No worries–we just stood there and waited, and soon another batch arrived, all warm and fresh. We also tried their Tre Donne La Perlina Moscato and their Bibbiani Chianti. At this point we were really digging the festival.

The Avery Quinn table had these shrimp things–money bags, spring rolls, and wontons, along with a very nice California chardonnay. That combo was so good I burned my mouth–twice. We liked that table.

Bluestone Vineyard, one of the hosts of the festival, along with Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and Downtown Wine and Gourmet, presented a reeeeallly good cabernet franc ($25-a-bottle good) and one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten in my life: bacon-wrapped sausage bites, rolled in aged chili peppers and sweet brown sugar. I admit that for the rest of the evening, I stalked that table for meat like Hannibal Lecter. I apologize for the creepiness of it. Anyway, Bluestone also debuted their new Moscato at the festival–a sweet, kinda fizzy fruity number. It’s a good thing there were no chairs under the pavilion or we may not have moved for days.

Around this time, the Woodshedders finished up and Chatham County Line took the stage. These guys have been around for thirteen-ish years, from Raleigh, and recently finished up a tour in Europe. Here they were in little old Harrisonburg, providing a warm and lively soundtrack to a now sunny evening.

B&L Brands was a fun table, not only because all their wines were great (and among the three of us, I think we tried them all), but because many of their wines have literary names–like “Foreshadow” and “Bookmark.” The nerd in me appreciates that. They offered Rooiberg Chenin Blanc (South Africa) with assorted cheese.

Vici Wine, our eighth stop, offered several South American wines (Chile and Argentina) including the Oveja Negra Chardonnay/Viognier and the Chilensis Chardonnay, and one from South Africa–the Obwika Moscato–paired with Bananas Foster Bites served with warm caramel sauce. Apparently I wasn’t the only food stalker there because we never did get a bite, and after all that meat I really needed some dessert :) Our friend Seth was working that table:

Cave Ridge and Cross Keys shared a table, which suited us just fine because we love those vineyards. Cave Ridge is the vineyard that runs Wine on Water, which offers tastings daily at its downtown location and houses Cuban Burger; Cross Keys Vineyard is a really great place to visit for a first date or an anniversary or a ladies’ nite out or an after-golf outing. The terrace is beautiful and the view is breathtaking, and if you get a chance to take the tour, you should. We sampled pretty much everything at that table and chatted it up with Katrina and Debbie. The pairing was the Cave Ridge Viognier with assorted fruit, but we also had their Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc. Cross Keys served their Joy White–one of my favorites of all time– and Joy Red, and the luxurious Meritage.

William Harrison Imports had several Argentinian selections and a few from France. And just before my sausage high wore off, they rescued me with a grilled kielbasa with mustard paired with the Don Manuel Malbec, a really hearty, spicy number that was a good end-of-festival selection.

And although we were “stuffed to the collarbone,” we couldn’t say no to the final table of the evening, Castle Rock Winery. Brandy and I sipped on the Mendocino Zinfandel and had gotten really mingle-y, wandering around, chatty and sorta unfocused. But they had a really good appetizer, too–chicken skewers with a tangy molasses barbeque sauce–and after an amount of time I’m just not sure of, Michael emerged from the crowd, marching toward us triumphantly, holding three chicken skewers high over head. We thanked him excitedly and then I, in my haste, stabbed my throat with the skewer.

Time for a break.

Having sampled all the pairings, and feeling quite satisfied, we moseyed to the lawn with our chairs to listen to the band play. We noticed the patch of earth that was torn apart by revelers at the Beer and Music Festival last spring–it was covered with hay to protect the tiny grasslings growing beneath. But it didn’t stay covered long, as an army of small human plows arrived and started making a hay pile. I mean, that’s what you do with hay–you gather it up into a pile. As the kids jumped on the hay pile and shouted and squished their feet in the mucky lawn, one of the band members asked them, “Which one of you is the Lord of the Flies?”

And so we watched the kids. And we listened to Chatham County Line. And Michael decided they needed a sample, too, so he commandeered four glasses and brought them a round. As the singer graciously accepted his wine, he said, “You know, I see a lot of signs that say ‘No bracelet, no wine,’ but… (brandishing his bare wrists)… come get me!” And they played on. Later he said, “Don’t discriminate, my brother. Integrate. That’s why God invented rosé.”

Amen. Let it all mingle–bacon and sausage and shrimp and bananas and cheese and cabernets and merlots and rieslings and zinfandels and mud and skin and hair and clothing and rain. Let it all mingle!