Local Colors Festival - Saturday, May 19, 2012

It has been a while since I have posted about any of the fun things that we have done in Roanoke. We went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Easter Egg Hunts all over Roanoke, and the Strawberry Festival. I feel horrible that I did not post about the fun and excitement we discovered during these events. This past weekend, however, we went to the Local Colors Festival. This is one of those festivals that I am a big fan of. I love to travel and with little ones, this is the closest I am going to get to go to another country for a while. Plus, I get to share this experience with the kids.

We enjoyed the parade of countries at the beginning of the festival. I even gave in and purchased (for $1.00 each) two passports so the kids could collect stamps from each country that we visited. They even had it set up so the kids could get free passport photos taken to put in their passports. I loved the countries that we stopped at where the people would share some of their culture with the kids before they earned their stamp.

Not only did we get to learn about other countries, but we could buy food from those countries too. We tried Thai food last year. The kids kept it simple and American with hot dogs. I decided Germany's Bratwurst sounded delicious and it was. I wanted to head over to France after lunch had a chance to digest and get a crepe, but by 3:00 the line was too long and I was more impatient than the kids.

They had a Kids Zone too, with a bounce house, free popcorn, face painting and our favorite caricature lady.

As usual, the kids had fun and so did I. We all got to see and do things that we enjoyed. Next weekend is Festival in the Park, which starts on Thursday and runs through Monday.

32nd Annual MDA Car Show - March 3, 2012

It has been an extremely busy last couple of weeks as I finished prepping for Consignment Sales. As a quick aside before I start talking about the car show, two wonderful week long consignment sales started yesterday (March 3rd). I love Lauren's Friends & Alex over at the CMT Building. I always find a season's worth of clothes for 2 kids for around $200.00. There is also Back-on-the-Rack at Tanglewood Mall. This also allows me to find great buys for the upcoming season for my kids. I took the kids with me to LFA on Saturday and actually let them pick out their clothes for the first time. They did really well - we only had to veto a few things, but they know what they will wear. I am going to hit up Back-on-the-Rack - but I probably won't make it there until Tuesday or Wednesday because life has a way of happening.

Okay, so my shameless plug that everyone with kids should check out those sales. Yesterday afternoon we took the boys to the MDA Car Show. We have gone to this for the past two or three years. The husband actually puts together model cars - it's a bit of a hobby - and he thinks about putting his cars in the show. He hasn't done it yet, but he loves to see what other people have been up to with the building. He has started building little models with the kids (I like the $1 wooden models from the craft store) with the kids and they are most likely going to share his love in building models. We spent a lot of time in that room alone.

There were also two rooms full of cars. This is an event that draws the entire Roanoke Valley. Well it feels that way because it is pretty crowded. My kids really focused on which cars had trophies this year. This was new this year, but it allowed the husband to tell them stories about the cars he used to drive growing up.

I had to throw this picture in - I have never seen a Corvette that was marked for Farm Use. Only I would appreciate the irony of that.

There are all sorts of vendors at the Car Show (it wouldn't be any type of show if there weren't a few people trying to sell something). The kids got stuck at the 3D television. They weren't even wearing the glasses - they just sat there watching Alice in Wonderland - the Johnny Depp version. I stayed with the kids while the husband checked out the rest of the cars. And yes, the movie was much better once I had the 3D glasses on and got to see the teacups come flying at my head.

The MDA Car Show is still going on today, in case you missed it yesterday. I highly recommend that if you appreciate classics, you check this out.

Around Downtown

Art in the Center in the Square Parking Garage

These ads painted on buildings are works of art too

This is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Bridge - Great place to watch trains

You can see Hotel Roanoke in the distance

The Roanoke Times Building

Virginia Museum of Transportation

Our Saturday Family Time continued after we left the Taubman Museum of Art. We walked through downtown, even though it was a little wet, to the Virginia Museum of Transportation. This museum has become a favorite for my family. The kids love to be around those big old trains - althought I must admit that we skipped the railyard today.

Jupiter Missile

We spent a lot of time looking at the Cars and the model train set. I love to watch my kids when they are exploring the world around them. Their reactions are the best and at times, I can feel the excitement as they are discovering how the world works.

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Saturday:

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday:

1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Admission Rates:

• $8.00 adults
• $7.00 seniors (age 60+)
• $6.00 children (ages 3-11)

Members and Kids under 3 visit for free! Group rates are available.

There is going to be a Train Lovers Day on Saturday, February 11th. The kids and I will probably make an appearance. It will depend on what else is going on that weekend. Also, there isn't much out there yet by way of information - so I will be keeping my eyes open on this one.

Taubman Art Museum

 

It was a rainy day today, so we decided to enjoy the things that you can do inside. Our first stop this morning was the Taubman Museum of Art. I love Spectacular Saturdays - it's free to go and the kids can sit there for hours with the arts & crafts alone. 

Arts and Crafts

 We actually stayed downstairs for about 30 minutes. They had plenty of paper available and the kids and I were having so much fun with the stencils. They also had these markers that make dots...as you can see from the picture above, this was a hit with us. I would love to find those somewhere - and I forgot to look when I was at the craft store.



The stairs up to the exhibits.

 After a while, we headed upstairs to check out the exhibits. I have been looking forward to checking out the "In the Moment: Light, Vision, and Memory" exhibition. It is celebrating photography in the 125th year of the Roanoke Times. It is amazing how history is caught on film - and we get to look back at it. I often wonder what it was truly like at that particular moment in time. I wonder if 100 years from now people will be doing the same thing with our lives. I was impressed with how well the boys behaved throughout the museum.


Gallery Hours

Closed Mondays
Tuesday - Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Sunday: Noon - 5pm
Open and free all day Saturday and first Fridays from 5pm - 8pm

Gallery Admission

Friends of the Taubman are always FREE!
General admission for ages 14 to 64: $7
Visitors 65 and over: $6
Children 5-13: $3.75
Children 4 and under are free
Groups of 10 or more: $2 off each admission feeGroups of 10 or more with tour guide pay general admission fees. To schedule a guided tour, call 540.342.5760.




Transportation Museum

I didn't get a chance to write about it last weekend, but I think we visited the best museum in Roanoke. We headed to the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The kids absolutely loved it. So much so that I am considering making this our Membership Museum (sorry we can't afford to have memberships to all the museums unfortunately...maybe next year we'll add a membership to another museum and so forth).

When you walk in, you are greeted by an awesome model train exhibit. My oldest thought this was the most amazing train exhibit ever. He watched it go all over the place. There were tracks right at his level so he didn't have to keep asking to be held. Of course my favorite view of this model train was from the Model Circus Exhibit that could be found upstairs. Being able to look down over the whole model train exhibit let me see everything much better.

My youngest LOVED the automotive gallery. Where else could you see the vehicles from the Dukes of Hazzard near the car from Ghostbusters. Totally worth the ticket price just to be amongst all the movie and television automobiles. There was even a Jeff Gordon race car. By the way, that was the car my youngest went running to yelling, "Look Mommy! It's Jeff Gordon!" You know your child was born in the heart of Nascar country when he knows the names and cars of all the drivers before he is 4.

Right now the Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery is closed for construction. They allow you to peak in the room and there are some planes there. I think once it is up and running it will be amazing too. For the record, we had spent 45 minutes in the automobile gallery, and the models areas before we hit the rest of the museum. There is a Main Street that shows scenes of the Roanoke Valley in the early 1900s. The Rail Gallery was full of excitement too. The boys loved climbing aboard the Norfolk Southern SD-40 Locomotive Cab.

Last but not least is the Railyard. The Railyard Collection had automobiles and locomotives. I enjoyed exploring this history filled railyard.

So sorry, I forgot my camera, but I will be sure to take my camera the next time. I can't wait to get some shots of the history between these walls.

Monday through Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 1pm-5pm

Can't wait to go back!

Touch A Truck - July 30, 2011

Even though we spent too much time in the ER this morning, we took a quick nap and headed off to Touch a Truck. We took the kids last year and they loved it so much that I couldn't wait for us to go again. Neither could they. My little one wouldn't dream of staying home and lying around when there were race cars and monster trucks and buses and all sorts of trucks to see.

This year was vastly different than last year. Last year, it was raining on the way there, but had subsided so it was only a little grey, but the temperature was pleasant. This year, the 90+ degree weather was stifling and we were all drenched in sweat within minutes of walking over to the field.

It's wonderful to see all the local businesses pulling out there vehicles for children and adults alike to explore. From the tractor trailers to the tractors, there were so many things to see. The city buses and school buses and a variety of police vehicles. My youngest was a big fan of all the race cars and was not timid about climbing in them this year (what a difference a year makes). This year, I noticed the VW bugs with the monster truck sized wheels. We see those driving down the road, so the boys were excited to climb inside.

The fire department pulls out the fireman's foam for this event too. We didn't take the kids over to it this year because in my extreme exhaustion I forgot a change of clothes. Truth be told, it was so hot, the kids would have dried off before we reached the car.

I can't wait for next year's Touch a Truck (and I hope the weather is just a bit more pleasurable). This is a great opportunity to see where my children's interests lie. Whether they are flocking to the Army vehicles, fire trucks, police vehicles, or race cars, I get to see what they are interested in. Not only is this a chance for the kids to learn about the vehicles that make the community go round, it's a great opportunity for businesses to make the community aware of them. I always see a business that I hadn't seen before when we go. I like to pick up the freebies that are given out (who doesn't enjoy getting free pens, paper, and fake bugs?). Those freebies given out by businesses help remind me of the company when I am in need of a service. It's a win-win situation for kids and parents alike. If you have not been, look for it the last weekend in July.

Getting to Know the Downtown Restaurants

Working downtown can be a positive or a negative. My waistline is telling me it is a negative because of all the restaurants downtown. You don't run into the chain restaurants that you see at the mall - instead you get to sample the culinary skills of the locals. There are a few restaurants that I enjoy eating at (and if I was made of money would frequent more often). Then there are others that I know of but have never tried anything they offer.

Last week I decided that I wanted to try out Cornerstone. Most people know this as one of the popular bars to hang out at on a Friday or Saturday night. However, I am downtown during the day (and not so much on the weekend nights). So, I went in last week to see if we could get a few to go menus for work. They were out (which to me speaks volumes in a good way). I came back this week to see if they had any. Unfortunately they were still out - so they told me to take one of their menus with me so we could check out the options. I was shocked - who would really do that? So at this point, I am fairly pleased by the service and I haven't even placed an order yet. Today a few of us placed our order - this could become one of my new favorite places. I got the Cobb Salad Wrap and the Buffalo Chips. Wow! The wrap was perfect - in my opinion - because it had the right amount of dressing. A co-worker tried one of the buffalo chips and said, "eh it tastes like seasoning salt." The tune quickly changed and the response was "oh there it is" We were absolutely delighted by our meal (reasonably priced and delicious).

So thank you to the crew at Cornerstone for your service and cuisine. I can't wait to come back and try some other options on the menu! On another note, if you do like to head out on the weekends, this is a great place to go. There is usually a good crowd on the dance floor (I used to go more frequently before the kids...now I get out maybe once a month). It's a nice atmosphere for a fun night out.

Salem Fair - June 30,2011 through July 10, 2011

We are lucky enough to have the Salem Fair in our area. Not every town has a fair so close (trust me - I have lived in towns that don't and towns that do). The fair is a 2-week gig that comes into town right around the end of June/beginning of July every year. I finally made it down there to check it out last night. I will be honest, I have never been one who loved the rides at fairs and amusement parks - well, I like some of them, but I am not a roller coaster girl by any means. That being said (and that I have been working hard to save money instead of spend a lot), I did not buy the unlimited ride pass. However, if you are going to ride more than 3 or 4 rides, this is the best deal. Here is the information for wristbands:

THURSDAY, JUNE 30: FOX 21/27 CW 5 OPENING NIGHT $10 RIDE WRISTBAND
MUST PURCHASE BEFORE 6 PM

FRIDAY, JULY 1 and 8
WSET 13 - $24.00 RIDE WRISTBAND MUST PURCHASE BEFORE 6 PM .

SATURDAY, JULY 2 & 9
PEPSI DAYS
AFTERNOON WRISTBAND $17 GOOD ONLY 12 NOON-5 PM MUST PURCHASE BEFORE 4:00 ALL DAY WRISTBAND $29.00 GOOD 12 NOON-11 PM
MUST PURCHASE BEFORE 6 PM SHARP

SUNDAY, JULY 3 & 10
ALL DAY WRISTBANDS 12 NOON-11 PM
$19.00 IF PURCHASED

BEFORE 6 PM; $24.00 AFTER 6

MONDAY, JULY 4
FAMILY FOUR PACK-4 WRISTBANDS FOR $50 MUST PURCHASE BY 5 PM SHARP
AFTER 5 PM ALL WRISTBANDS ARE $20 EACH

TUESDAY, JULY 5
SALEM FOOD PANTRY/SPIRIT FM NIGHT
$19 WRISTBAND WITH TWO ITEMS ON NON-PERISHABLE FOOD/$24 WITHOUT FOOD DONATION

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6
PEPSI NIGHT

$19 WRISTBAND WITH TWO PEPSI PROOF OF PURCHASE/$24 WITHOUT

THURSDAY, JULY 7
STELLAR ONE MERCHANTS NIGHT
$20.00 WRISTBAND NO COUPON REQUIRED

FRIDAY, JULY 8
SAME AS FRIDAY JULY 1

SATURDAY, JULY 9
SAME AS SATURDAY, JULY 2

SUNDAY, JULY 10
KROGER FINAL DAY BLAST AT THE FAIR
$17.00 WRISTBAND IF PURCHASED BEFORE 6 PM $24.00 AFTER 6

SALEM FAIR HOURS:

SATURDAY and SUNDAY 12 NOON-11 PM
WEEKDAYS 4PM-11 PM

It is free to get into the fair, if you can find parking. Sometimes the lots are closed as being full even though there are several open spots. I am not sure if there are limitations to how many spaces can be filled, but it would be nice if there was an open spot (or 20) that they allow some cars to park there. Some of the houses around the Salem Civic Center will allow you to park there (for a cost). When we walked through the gates, we immediately saw The Tiger Encounter.

The Bengal tigers were not doing much when we walked up. One of the tigers was just circling the cage and checking out the people staring at them. These are not the only live animals you will find there. One of the best attractions for the kids is the Petting Zoo. It can be found next to the Pony Rides. The Dairy Farm is a great option to check out cows up close. Aussie Adventure is a chance to see kangaroos and wallabies.

As you walk through the fair, you will find tons of Midway games and of course, fair food. I am shocked that Funnel Cake costs between $5.00 and $6.00 (depending on where you decide to get it). This is of course, my favorite fair food...I can overlook the fried Oreos, fried bologna sandwiches, and even cotton candy, but I can't call it a trip to the fair without a delicious piece of fried dough.

Rides have certainly changed since I was younger (and I don't think I am that old yet). Here is a picture of a ride that brought out all my phobias. You get put in this plastic ball and air is blown into it so it will float.

Then you walk around in the ball while it is floating on water. Okay, so the water is not deep at all...there was a ride attendant standing in it and the water was barely above his ankles. I have a slight fear of water (deep water when I can touch the bottom with my feet). I am also claustrophobic. So, although the line to this ride was extremely long and all the people doing it looked like they were having fun, it was not for me.

Bottom line with the Fair: It is a fun time if you enjoy rides, fair food, midway games, and exhibits. This is something that you can take the whole family to or just hang out with your friends. It is something that can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be. I haven't taken the kids yet because I feel like they would want to ride the rides. Right now they are too short for some of the rides and I can't justify spending $1.00 per ticket to ride a few of the kiddie rides. I think next year my oldest will be tall enough to start riding on some of the other rides and it would probably be worth getting the wristband. Another thing to note is that before the fair, they were selling tickets online at a discounted rate. You have to buy the wristbands for a specific date, but the plus side is that it is cheaper. For directions or more information, you can check out the fair's website: http://www.salemfair.com

Enjoy just one of the many events in the local area!!!

Festival in the Park

Today was a gorgeous day for the Festival in the Park. As my poor back can attest, the sun was shining bright. We headed to the festival at 11am and checked out the Auto Show. I was devastated to learn that a 1984 Ferrari was considered an antique. I am not sure what that makes me then. My youngest loves to look at cars. I was trying to teach my older son about compromise - if we look at cars for brother and daddy, then we can do something we enjoy too. We took a stroll through the park to see what was there. There wasn't anything scheduled for the Main Stage that early, so we wandered up Food Vendor Alley and checked out what was there. On a smaller stage, they had some performances going on. What a crowd - it was hard to see from the outskirts what was going on. We wandered through all the arts & crafts vendors. The boys picked out a few new animals (a dragon and a lizard - these are live critters by the way). My oldest had a blast going through the bouncy obstacle course - he did it twice. He also took a turn in the Fireman's Foam. We caught a few acts and I couldn't believe that it was 2:30 when the boys were starting to get worn out. My youngest told me he was going to do those crazy BMX tricks on his bike. I hope my children never lose that drive.

I doubt we will be able to catch any of the evening performances, but tonight, tomorrow night and Monday night have some great performances planned. I will definitely put volunteering for this festival on my list of things to do next year. Depending on how the rest of the weekend goes, we may take the kids back out to the festival tomorrow or Monday.

Green Ridge Rec Center - Splash Valley

Yesterday, the Splash Valley outdoor water park opened up. It was a free day - from 4pm to 7pm. I have to say, the water felt like it was FREEZING (at about 79 degrees) but it was gorgeous outside. We learned that for the huge water slide outside, you don't need to take a swim test, which I had heard someone say last year that was a requirement. All you need is to be 48 inches tall. Poor little A is not tall enough...he has about 10 inches to grow. He could use this smaller slide, that you have to be 36 inches to be eligible. He can even wear his life vest on it. T is still a little to short for that one, but he can use the little kids area, which has some smaller slides on it. I was lucky enough to be able to retain the Splash Valley Membership, which is no longer offered. This means we can go to Splash Valley as often as we want this year. I am very excited for this - I think we will probably use it a lot more than the 8-10 times we used it last year. There is a cost if you are not a founding member:

Non-Resident Rate
Adult (18-54) $9.00 ($7 after 4pm)

Child/Teen (1-17) $8.00 ($7 after 4pm)

Ages 55 and up $7.00 ($7 after 4pm)

Roanoke County Resident Rate
Adult (18-54) $7.00 ($5 after 4pm)

Child/Teen (1-17) $6.00 ($5 after 4pm)

Ages 55 and up $5.00 ($5 after 4pm)

There are going to be a few Summer Special Events at the Splash Valley this year. I am hoping that we will attend some of them. This is one of those things to do in which the price can vary. However, it's something that both adults and children can enjoy.

At the beginning of the season and at the end of the season, there are some days the park is running at a Reduced Schedule (hours are 4pm to 7pm). The dates for this are May 31 through June 3, June 6 through June 8, August 22 through August 26, and August 29 through September 2. Keep in mind, these periods are during the week (i.e. times that school might be in session).

The Regular Schedule begins today May 27 and runs through September 5. These hours are 12pm to 7pm. For those lucky enough to only have to work a half day today, this could be good for you. County Residents can enter the park at 11am.

For more information, you can visit the website: www.RoanokeCountyParks.com.

I know that we will be hanging out here a lot more this year. It's good family fun time for us. The only problem I have is that my kids can talk and boy do they think the Concession Stand food is better than anything else.

UpComing Fun

Just a glimpse at the schedule for the Festival in the Park this weekend:

Evening Concerts on the Amphitheater Stage Concert Ticket Required Beginning at 5:00 PM
Friday, May 27
6:30pm	Rutledge	Country
7:30pm	Steel Magnolia	Country
8:30pm	Emerson Drive	Country
Saturday, May 28
6:30pm	PolyChrome	Rock
7:30pm	Jordan Harmon Band	Rock
8:30pm	John Popper and the Duskray Troubadores	Rock
Sunday, May 29
6:30pm	The Sessions Band	Rock
7:30pm	1964: The Tribute	Rock
8:30pm	The Family Stone	Rock
Monday, May 30
6:30pm	Corey Hunley and Jeff Maiden
7:00pm	JaneDear Gilrls	Country
7:30pm	Brett Eldredge	Country
8:30pm	Eli Young Band	Country

(Schedule and times are subject to change)

Saturday, May 28
Amphitheater Stage	Group	Type of Entertainment
1:00	Southwestern Virginia Ballet	Dance
2:00	Micky and Taylor Nelson	Adult Contemporary
3:00	Cory Campbell and 4th Street Soul
4:00	Government Plant
5:00	Madrone
Festival Stage
12:00
1:00	Smoke N' Mirrors	Rock
2:00	The Dirt Road Travelers
3:00	Watershed Conspiracy
4:00	SideShow
5:00	Groovascape
Gazebo Stage
11:30am	ProTown BMX Bike Show- Jefferson St.
12:00	Mel Parker
1:00	Betsy Biesenbach and Marybeth Tochaconas	Folk
2:00	ProTown BMX Bike Show- Jefferson St.
3:00	AwesomeSauce
4:00	ProTown BMX Bike Show- Jefferson St.
5:00	Johnnie Barnett
Kaleidoscope Stage
11:00
12:00	Anna Jack	Family
1:00	Branan Thompson Magic Show	Family
2:00	Mill Mountain Zoo	Family
3:00	Anna Jack	Family
4:00	Kountry Kickers Cloggers	Family

(Schedule and times are subject to change)

Sunday, May 29
Amphitheater Stage	Group	Type of Entertainment
12:00	Tri-County Cloggers	Dance
1:00	Miss Mona's School of Dance	Family
2:00	The Ronald McDonald Show
2:45-3:00	Youth Art Show Awards	Announcements
3:00	Bebop Hoedown
4:30	Porch Party Mamas	Americana
5:30	Shaolin Dragons Kung-Fu	Martial Arts
Festival Stage
12:00	Human Infection
1:00	Phantom Zone
2:00	Savannah Shoulders	Classic Rock
3:00	My Friend Thomas
4:00	Save the Flame
5:00	Mohammad Bhana- formerly Electric Chameleon
Gazebo Stage
1:00	ProTown BMX Bike Show - Jefferson St.
2:00	Sharayah Spears	Folk/Indie
3:00	Andy Crawford
4:00	ProTown BMX Bike Show - Jefferson St.
5:00	AwesomeSauce
Kaleidoscope Stage
11:00	Dan the Piano Juggler	Family
12:00	Anna Jack	Family
1:00	Dan the Piano Juggler	Family
2:00
3:00	Dan the Piano Juggler	Family
4:00	Anna Jack	Family

Monday, May 30
Amphitheater Stage	Group	Type of Entertainment
1:00	Twelve O'Clock Knob
2:00	TouchPoint
3:00	The Materia Project
3:45-4:00	Festival Scholarship Awards and other announcements
4:00	Jamiel Allen and the J-Team
5:00	Young and the Rest of Us
Festival Stage
12:00	Poverty Level
1:00	Gabriel Morales
2:00	Manic Farm	Southern Rock
3:00	Back Again
4:00	Big Blind
5:00	Ballistic	Alternative Rock
Gazebo Stage
12:00
1:00	Mel Parker	Oldies
2:00	Trilogy
3:00	Johnnie Barnett
4:00	Jessilynn Kidd
5:00	Ross Flora
Kaleidoscope Stage
12:00	Antique Rockers
1:00	Roanoke Children's Theatre	Family
2:00	William Penn- Patrick Henry High School	Family
3:00	Micky and Taylor Nelson
4:00	Shaolin Dragons Kung-Fu	Martial Arts