Stone Soup Theatre Company's Guys on Ice Is a Fun and Quirky Musical About ... Ice-Fishing
Stone Soup Theatre Company's production of Guys on Ice: An Ice Fishing Musical is a fun and quirky performance that brings together humor, catchy tunes, and a sense of community. Directed by Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, with music director Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis, the show presents a day in the life of a couple of guys from Wisconsin, combining ice fishing, friendship, and Green Bay Packers fandom in an intimate look at the upper Midwestern United States.
Howard L. Craft and Mike Wiley's The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones Is a Live, Local, Family-Friendly Holiday-Themed Entertainment
The story focuses on Hezekiah Jones, a Chapel Hill toymaker who is losing his joy in Christmas and just about everything else after the recent death of his wife. Hezekiah's daughter Harriet, who is studying at UNC to be an astrophysicist, is worried that her father is going to sell the store, due to rising costs, technology, and declining customers. Dizzle Jollyworth, a North Pole elf who has lost his sense of purpose, has been assigned to revive Hezekiah Jones' Christmas spirit.
Will the East Coast Learn Anything from Hurricane Florence?
In the wake of Hurricane Florence, one question plagues me (again): Are we going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA and other public emergency funds to rebuild homes along the hurricane-battered coast, only so we can do it all over again when the next hurricane/tornado hits? Or will we finally adopt the common-sense, economically sustainable long-term solution: Don't Build/Rebuild Along the East Coast?
Jesus takes back seat to Easter Bunny?
The pervasiveness of hypocrisy seems greatest at Christmas and Easter, when Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny vie for importance with Jesus Christ and the integrity of Christianity.
#My Ten Cents: Amazon’s Shipping Advantage
Our county’s shipping services should be in the hands of our federal government, not Amazon.
Zalman Raffael's Elegant Reinterpretation of The Nutcracker Sparkles
Not feeling that Christmas Spirit as much this year as in the past? Going to see the Carolina Ballet artistic director Zalman Raffael's reinterpretation of The Nutcracker, inspired by the Raleigh, NC-based ballet's previous productions by George Balanchine and Carolina Ballet's founding artistic director Robert Weiss, will change that. Last night, I saw The Nutcracker at the Durham Performing Arts Center, with my 12-year-old son, who had never seen the holiday staple and -- except for the melody of The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (which I couldn't stop humming since we got the tickets) -- knew very little about it…
After Seeing JTP's Black Nativity in Concert, All This Reviewer Can Say Is, "Wowwie Wow Wow!"
I had the privilege of going to The Justice Theater Project's 2022 production of Langston Hughes' Black Nativity: A Gospel Christmas Musical Experience in Concerton Sunday, Dec 11th, at the Mount Calvary United Church of Christ in Durham; and can I just say: Wowwie Wow Wow...
Hurricanes, (Re)Construction, Rip Tides, and Drowning- When Will We Learn?
In the wake of Hurricane Florence, one question plagues me (again): Are we going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA and other public emergency funds to rebuild homes along the hurricane-battered coast, only so we can do it all over again when the next hurricane/tornado hits? Or will we…
Florida Oceanographic Society’s Coastal Center: MUCH More than an Aquarium
As promised via post-it note on the Florida Oceanographic Society's "Pledge" board, I am sharing my article about their Coastal Center in Stuart, Florida, where my family (12-50 years) spent an entire day and still didn't venture along the ~50-acres of Nature Trails in this barrier island ecosystem. If you’re visiting the east coast of Florida, you must put this stop on your list. And those who work for nonprofit organizations could learn a lot from the level of very visible volunteerism created by the leaders of the Florida Oceanographic Society. Building community for a common cause is the epitome of public outreach.
Postcards from Ireland Featured Three Superb Singers and a Fiddle-Playing Sprite
For the Durham Performing Arts Center's Wednesday, March 16th, presentation of Celtic Woman: Postcards from Ireland, my fellow audience members -- who did not have to wear masks after showing vaccination cards and photo IDs at the door -- ranged from 8 to 80 years old and reflected not only the diversity of Durham, NC, but the diverse population that has come to appreciate traditional Irish music and its modern influence.
When it Snows in Dixie
We hesitantly scheduled a ski-trip to Wolf Ridge Lodge near UNC-Asheville, where my son is in school, and anxiously watched the weather as the date approached, knowing full well that snow in NC is always a toss up. Snow storm Izzy hit the night we arrived in Asheville; and, despite the driving calamities we encountered, the “country skiing” couldn’t have been better…
Give your kids the gift of practical STEM education while supporting a Community Public School
To help educate the students and school community about the “stormwater control measure” installed on the big playground at E.K. Powe Elementary School (in Durham, NC), I've created a picture book containing before, during, and after photographs with text explaining the reasons and mechanisms behind the changes. Best for grades 4-7, it educates readers of all ages about the importance of sustainable landscaping, collaboration, and grants.
Berkeley Springs and the Paw Paw Tunnel: A Worthwhile and Affordable Weekend Getaway
June 20 was my husband’s and my 23rd wedding anniversary; so last Friday my mother came to stay with the kids, and we went to The Country Inn of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, for the weekend. It was the first time we’d been alone for more than just a walk around the block since before the Covid quarantine started over a year ago, and the first time we’d gone away alone together for more than a night in years; so it would have to be horrible to be a disappointment. But our trip was filled with unexpected history and culture.
Cultural Appropriation and NPR's 2021 Tiny Desk Contest
While at a beach in Costa Rica where many local residents were soliciting business, I suggested to my teenage daughter that she get her hair beaded. She'd done it once when she was little, and we both loved it. We'd support local business, and it'd be fun. My daughter promptly told me that I was being racist and educated me about cultural appropriation…
Rain, Better Conversations, and 3-D Printed Edible Steaks
I had to take a few days hiatus to work on my entries to a Ghost, Fable and Fractured Fairy Tale contest. In the meantime, we've had rain, rain and more cold rain. This morning was no different, which is why my theme song today is Lady Gaga's Rain on Me (below). Here's a great article from TeenVogue regarding the song's 22-year-old co-writer Nija Charles's experience as a young black woman making pop music…
AJR, Snow, Certitude and Sludge
“We wrote ‘BANG!’ about the weird middle-ground between being a kid and becoming an adult; a time when we’re doing all the things adults are supposed to do, but we don’t yet feel grown up,” says AJR. "The fact is, adulthood is bound to hit us at some point, so the plan we made in the song is to ‘go out with a bang.’" I'm at least twenty years older than these boys, and the sentiment applies to all of us, just the same.
Sustainably 'Wrapping' Your Christmas Presents
Here's a great way to get rid of some stuff that’s accumulated in your house, while saving money and reducing your contribution to the 2020 load of Xmas wrapping paper that will soon be stuffing our landfills. It’s also a great craft project for kids of all ages, and you don't have to worry about what to do with your creations once they're finished…
Visit Pilot Mountain. Stay at Jomeokee Campground (even if it's just for the day).
Jomeokee Campground in Pinnacle, NC, is one of the most beautiful places I have ever spent the night (and I have camped throughout the US, Australia, and New Zealand). I encourage you to visit and camp (if you are up for it), particularly during the week when you may have the entire grounds to yourselves.
The Perils of Christmas
I love the Christmas decorations and songs that permeate offices, stores and homes. I love the legend of Santa Claus, who dedicates his life to the service of others. And I think it is important to remember and teach our kids about Jesus, if not as the Son of God, then as a most significant historical, political and spiritual figure and the cornerstone of the world's largest religion. But each year I have increasingly conflicted feelings about Christmas and the hypocritical way it's celebrated…
SCBWI BookStop: Educational and Inspirational Holiday Shopping
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators has posted their Holiday BookStop, and it features The Fate Of The Frog, which reinforces concepts (rhyme and meter, alliteration, camouflage, life-cycles) that your kids are learning in school, while also giving them the hands-on opportunity (and an easy one for their parents) to experience solar power and a "best stormwater management practice" (a tiny pond) right in their own backyard.