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.
Or maybe euphenized. Whatever. What I’m saying is, this blog is usually rated PG. And what I saw at the Rocky Horror Picture Show — on screen and in the audience — was NOT. So I’ll be putting some things mildly, if you know what I mean.
Gahd, I love this town!
Brandy and I planned for WEEKS to attend Court Square Theater‘s presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’d never actually seen it on the big screen… I’d only surreptitiously viewed bits and pieces of it long before I was old enough to, and the last time Brandy watched it was when she got it through the BMG video club. On VHS. Yes. Needless to say, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I knew it was “weird,” and racy, and interactive… but I did NOT expect the level of participation I witnessed that night.
When we arrived at the theater, I noticed people were dressed up. Not “dressed up” like fancy… but dressed in costumes. Everyone was feathered and painted, horned and sequined, glossy, ruffled, glittered, laced, fishnetted, fedora-ed, boa-ed, suspendered, party-hatted, and even slightly naked.
I was beige. Sitting in the middle of the theater with my glasses and notebook and clicky pen, wearing beige pants and a slightly darker beige sweater. BEIGE. I was immediately recognized as a first-timer by this gal…
… and promptly tagged with a big red V. I felt a little better when I had two Three Brothers Great Outdoors-es in my hands. I carried them and our baggie of props — assembled and sold by the theater for a totally-worth-it five bucks — to our seats. The baggie included rice, a rubber glove, a noisemaker, confetti, a page of newspaper, even a water gun (egads!), and I’m sure some items I’m forgetting, plus a set of instructions for when to use said items. The teacher in me was excited to organize our supplies while the emcees (Julian “J” Kline — the V lady — and Tony “Left Skate” Lopez) welcomed the ever-burgeoning crowd.
Before the show, everyone who dressed up (which was pretty much everyone, except Brandy and me) was invited to participate in the costume contest. First, the Magenta competition. All the Magentas filed onto the stage. Tony gushed, “So many French maids! I’ve never wanted my home cleaner than I do right now!” The audience cheered to indicate their favorite Magenta.
Next up were the other characters… the Brads, Frank-N-Furters, Rocky’s, Riff Raffs and such… and here are the winners!
Then all the newcomers, like me, had to stand up while everyone yelled “Virgin!” at us. I felt something reminiscent of middle school shame… Then, the giant lips appeared, and the ride had begun. Don’t worry. There are no spoilers here. While I was thoroughly entertained by the film and the audience, there were several times I didn’t know what the heck was going on. Plus I was so consumed by the baggie of props and being ready for the next activity that my attention was divided. I mean, I wore the rubber glove for like ten minutes because I didn’t want to fall behind.
AND, right at the moment I was supposed to squirt water all over people, I DROPPED my water gun and was completely defenseless. No worries. J came down the aisles and sprayed everyone. No one escaped. It sounded like a flock of geese in there when the noisemaker part happened, and Brandy and I were both nerdishly concerned about the mess after the confetti landed all over the wet floor.
Based on the colorful words everyone was screaming at Brad and Janet, I guess they weren’t the hero and heroine, but I kinda felt sorry for them. Innocently having car trouble, innocently approaching a house to ask for help, innocently having silhouetted encounters with others behind a sheet. Wait.
And right when I thought those two would never make it out of there alive, Meatloaf showed up. And I had to pee. Did I? Hell no. Meatloaf was on, singing his fat head off. And everyone was dancing in the aisles and it was AWESOME! Then the film took a violent turn, and Meatloaf, as Brandy said, became hamburger. Toward the end, the characters took a friendly dip in the pool and sang “Be It, Don’t Dream It,” which was rather touching, and all the frozen characters were electrically unfrozen. And after all he’d been through, being held there against his will and all, a forgiving Brad asked about Frank, “But what’s his crime?” Really, Brad? You’re soaking wet and wearing a corset. And then there’s a bizarre return to the home planet where everyone’s hair is awful. I still don’t know what the point was of that neckless narrator guy.
See? No spoilers!
When the film ended, the room exploded in applause. It’s weird to clap at a movie, because it’s not like the actors are going to come out on stage and take a bow. But we all clapped and clapped and clapped some more. The last time I clapped at a movie was at Rocky (the one with the Russian). Or maybe it was Return of the Jedi. Either way, I was a kid and my dad was sawing logs in the seat beside me.
Thanks to Court Square Theater for hosting the show and making those goodie bags. I’m sorry to the folks who had to clean that up, but thank you to them, too. And thanks to Tony and J for enthusiastically and energetically emceeing the event. And thanks to all the Burgers who dressed up and made us smile!! You ROCK!
Today and tomorrow at Court Square Theater, you can catch Enough Said at 5:30 or 7:35, and next week is the SuperGr8 Film Festival, Wednesday and Thursday! Yay! If you’re curious, here’s what happened at last year’s festival.
See you out and about!
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.
Some of the many business owners and volunteers who made this day fun for everyone! Thank you!
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.
My son was showing off his newly acquired Halloween jokes in the car.
“What’s a ghost’s favorite movie?”
“Ghostbusters?”
“No, BOOty and the Beast!” Silly giggles. Then, “What’s a ghost’s favorite movie?”
“Uh, BOOty and the Beast?”
“No, Black BOOty!” Sillier giggles. Then we noticed the people in the car next to us were also laughing… and looking at us… how did they hear our jokes? Oh wait, they were laughing at the slice of bacon in my back seat.
We met Brandy, Spongebob, and Ella UnDead downtown for Harrisonburg’s annual Halloween on the Square, a fun, family-friendly, and more-safe-than-scary tradition. It’s a great idea: get the trick-or-treating done early so everyone’s sugar high will be over by bedtime. And parents won’t be freezing their butts off trick-or-treating in the dark. And those die-hard Halloween fans can still go trick-or-treating on actual Halloween in their own neighborhoods. Plus, Halloween on the Square offers face painting, and arts and crafts, and music and dance performances, and carnival games, all from 10am to 2pm.
I have to say, I’ve never heard the word “bacon” so many times as I did that day. Someone a hundred yards behind us would scream, “Bacon!!!” just as someone passing us would say, “Hey, it’s bacon!” Bree whipped out her own joke: “Nice to MEAT you!” and to every shop owner handing out candy she said, “Trick or meat!” We even ran into the Bacon family–my friend Darcy and her girls–and felt compelled to say hello.
And then Bree found her soul mate — Deviled Egg. Dana’s actually a teacher from Bree’s former day care. Reunited!
Cal, feeling a little envious of all the attention she was getting, secretly wished his sister would get at least nibbled by all the many puppies and dogs strolling around town that day. And when we got to Blue Ridge Dog, our downtown dog boutique, Cal practically pushed her through the door with an evil laugh. They, by the way, were handing out Kit Kats. Ha!
We saw lots of awesome costumes that were not meat-related. Cal and Blake were easily recognized in their homemade Charlie Brown and Spongebob get-ups, and Ella was hands-down the prettiest zombie in the hood.
candy break.
And just get a load of these!!
Love this family!
Cutest. Scarecrow. EVER.
crime fighting team!
Many thanks to Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance for hosting the event and to all the businesses and volunteers who were so, so kind to so many monsters!
We have a whole lot more pictures, so stay tuned all week! You might see someone you know!
Copyright © 2012 – 2013 · 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.
We had planned to go the weekend of my son’s birthday. That was the week it started raining Wednesday and didn’t stop til Sunday. So to squeeze in one last visit to Back Home on the Farm, we scooted over there last Thursday after school.
It was cold outside, and I was already freezing because my classroom is a balmy 58 degrees (okay, maybe not quite that cold, but I’d be surprised if it were even 65). Thankfully, there’s so much to do at that place that I warmed up quick! Plus I was in cute company, which gave me the warm fuzzies.
Now, if you haven’t gone to this place and you still want to, you must do it this week or weekend, because Sunday is their last day of the 2013 season. Don’t worry; they open back up in the spring, but right now there are some pretty cool activities going on.
Corn Maze. It’s about 5 acres, it’s pleasantly challenging, and the staff will help you turn yourself around if you wave your flag in the air.
Pumpkin Patch. You can ride the tractor up to the pumpkin patch and pick out the perfect one for you. They also have a huge selection of beautiful pumpkins and gourds by the snack bar/gift shop.
You can ride an underground slide down to the barn yard, where you can play all sorts of fun games. Like giant hay bale volleyball. A garden maze. Rubber duck races.
The kids loved petting the animals and firing plastic pumpkins at targets with really big slingshots.
There’s even bowling, a Sound Garden, and tractor rides.
Back Home on the Farm also has a really nice Carousel, decorated with all sorts of things related to Virginia history. And in the barn that houses the carousel, you can see some impressive taxidermy specimens.
I think our favorite part this time was the Pig Race. Four pigs run around a small track, at the end of which is a favorite treat: slices of pumpkin. There are eight pigs total, so you get to see two races. The name of the track is Squealer Downs, and each pig has either a “gangster” name or a “fairytale” name, like Al Hambone, John Delilinks, and Porky Boy Floyd; Rumplepigskin, Pocahogtas, and sweet little Piglet.
Sweet Piglet is the littlest one. When he left the gate, he darted out like the rest of the pigs. Then he got distracted by something and muckmuckmucked around in the dirt until one of the staff came over and cheered him on. Then he seemed to snap out of it and trot on his little high-heel hooves til he reached the pumpkin treat. Precious!
Okay, enough reading. Get out to Back Home on the Farm as soon as possible. Remember, Sunday’s the last day of the season! To get there, take 42 N from Harrisonburg, and turn left on Willow Run Rd. It’s just a little ways down that road, on the right.
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.
I’m so grateful to live in a community that values kids and sees them as vital citizens. So, so many opportunities for kids to perform, to play sports, to create, to learn, and just to enjoy life. And Brandy and I have highlighted many of those right here, from The First Tee, Ragtime Fabrics, and Glen’s Fair Price, to Dragonflies Toys, Larkin Arts, and Ten Thousand Villages. Oh, and the Cupcake Company and Westover Pool. The John C. Wells Planetarium. Oooo and one of my favorites, the Hostetter Museum of Natural History. And even our library, one of our first posts ever.
There are some really great individuals involved in the lives of my children, and to them I am forever indebted, because such kindness can never be repaid. It can only be paid forward. Brandy is one of those people. She’s family, really. I trust her as much as anyone with the hearts and minds of my kids. They love her so.
And now she and Denise Allen have cooked up yet another way to enhance their lives: Wonderkittens! It’s an apt name; kids love baby animals, and it’s sort of a play on wunderkind (in German, it means, like, Superkid, prodigy, etc.). Mozart, for example, was a Wonderkitten. Harrisonburg kids can be Wonderkittens, too, by participating in this year’s Art Lotto for young’uns.
You remember Art Lotto. Local artists drew names of other local artists and then had to create a portrait of that artist. Portraits of artists by other artists. Wonderkittens is the same thing, except a child is paired with an already-established local adult artist. Each of them creates a portrait of the other. The biggest difference, though, is the level of collaboration. The artist must mentor the child: teach him or her how to budget time, meet deadlines, collaborate creatively, complement each other’s work, prepare the piece for display, promote the art opening… all the bits and pieces that go into being an actual artist.
My daughter has been meeting with her partner artist for a few weeks now. I take her to meet him once a week — same time, same place — where they check in with each other’s progress and continue to discuss all those things I mentioned above. The whole who-got-whom thing is still under wraps — you don’t get to find out until opening night — but Bree’s partner artist is… well, a gift. He is extremely patient and kind, very encouraging of her work and her ideas, and just open and willing to guide her in whatever way she needs it. So far it’s been an amazing experience, one she and I both feel truly thankful for. And those thanks extend to all the participating artists, to the supportive parents, to Brandy and Denise for organizing this whole thing, and to Larkin Arts for hosting the exhibit.
As for Cal, he’s not participating, but he tags along with us. And I think it’s good for him to understand that some things are for his sister, and some things are for him. He seems to accept that we all need our own endeavors.
Now for some details. Everyone who had expressed an interest completed a survey online. Brandy and Denise used this survey to match each child with an artist. Questions on the survey included things like, “What is your favorite color?” “Who is your favorite band/musician?” “If you could design a restaurant, what would its theme be and what would you serve?” and “If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?” After looking at all the answers, the gals determine who’d be most compatible and paired everyone up. Then we all met at Mr. J’s to find out who was paired with whom. And since then, we’ve been meeting and scheming.
Bree and her partner have to complete their work by the end of November. The exhibit will be part of December’s First Friday event (!!!!), and all the artwork will be on display that Friday at Larkin Arts!
Of course, there will be another, longer post when December 6 gets here, but for now I wanted to share all this good news and let you MARK YOUR CALENDAR to come see the artwork of my offspring! See you there. And don’t be late!
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.
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.
post-workout snack at Shanks Bakery :)
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!
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.
For me, and maybe for you, this is a stressful time of year. Work is busy, yes, but in addition to that, the holidays are approaching. Soon there will be costumes to make, turkeys to cook, and presents to wrap. Days and weeks barrel forward at breakneck speed, and I feel like I’ve turned into a hummingbird, crazily flitting from this to that at eighty beats per second, hovering only briefly at what’s beautiful and nourishing. I find I have to make a conscious effort to SLOW DOWN. To pause. To breathe.
A couple Saturdays ago, Brandy and I decided to push the pause button for an hour, long enough to enjoy a class at our local Pilates studio aptly named Breathe. Opened in January by Rebekah Budnikas, Breathe offers Reformer (machine-based), Mat, and Barre classes, plus private training. The class we took was a Barre class, meaning that many of the exercises are performed at the barre. Not the bar, the Barre. I like going to the bar, but I soon discovered I also like going to the Barre.
Brandy and I were both grumbly that morning, irritated by the residue of that week’s frustrations. Plus, Brandy had somehow managed to pull a muscle while sneezing, and my neck and shoulders were killing me because I’d spent an awful lot of time in my paper-grading posture. If it weren’t for her and our agreement to meet there, I might have been in a sour enough mood not to go at all. You know how that is… it’s all too easy to talk yourself out of doing something good when you’re feeling rotten. But you also know that’s the best time to do it because you’ll feel so much better afterward.
So, we went. The light-filled studio contains room for about ten participants. All the equipment — mats, hand weights, etc. — are provided by Breathe and were already neatly set up for us. Instead of long mirrors spanning the walls entirely, Breathe installed a series of framed mirrors of different shapes and sizes, and I noticed a familiar stained glass piece or two.
Our instructor, Alexi, greeted us warmly and eased her students into the class with her precise instructions and gentle voice. At first it seemed easy… place your hands lightly on the Barre and slowly bend and squat and dip this way and that, and Alexi spoke so nicely and innocuously… but the intensity increased and I found myself more and more challenged. Which is a euphemism for “my thighs are on fire.”
It’s not a cardio class (although they do have one on Monday evenings); you won’t be totally huffing and puffing and drenched, and that’s why you might be surprised at what a thorough workout it is. It’s a class of a thousand little movements… set to songs by Gloria Gaynor and Red Hot Chili Peppers and whoever it is who sings “Sexy and I Know It.” Alexi would instruct us to get into plié position and then lower ourselves until our knees were just over our toes. Then she would tell us to hold it there, and then when I thought I would finally be able to straighten out and rest my quivering muscles, she would tell us to go a tiny bit lower. It was that tiny bit… that tiny bit! that made all the difference.
Brandy was behind me doing the same thing, only with her 27-pound camera strapped to her torso. Several times we exchanged little panicky glances in the mirrors, but just when I thought, “That’s it. I’m gonna have to take a break,” Alexi would guide us to another move like shoulder raises with hand weights. The class glided along quite quickly… much faster and more enjoyable than a long hour on a treadmill in front of a TV. And the practice makes you really focus on getting specific body parts to do specific movements. There really was no room in my brain for worry. I was thinking only of my calves, my triceps, my knees, my belly. Focusing on the tiny movements, rather than seemingly massive obstacles.
It was a much-needed shift for me and my psyche that day… a necessary reminder to sweat the small stuff, because so much of the “big stuff” is out of my control anyway. Leaving there I felt like I had worked really hard, but lining that sense of accomplishment was… what’s it called? Oh, yeah, serenity. Peace. Calmness. I actually had to try to remember what I was supposed to be worrying about.
If you need a temporary respite from the suffocation of life, please visit Rebekah and her staff at Breathe. They’ll treat you to an out-of-mind experience and a body full of shaky muscles.
Breathe is located downtown in the Wine Brothers building, on the same block as You Made It! Pottery and Clementine. They offer morning and afternoon/evening classes, and for the month of October they’re offering a special. You can even register for classes online and they’ll be ready for you when you arrive. See you there!
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.
i love my burg. 