Fun stuff this weekend

May 20, 2008

Christie Kulavich

‘Wizard of Oz’ at the Dothan Opera House
I went downtown to the Dothan Opera House on Saturday to see “The Wizard of Oz.” The massive cast did a great job. The sets were really neat, the actors were fun, the songs were fantastic, and I was particularly impressed with the orchestra. Dothan has some fantastic talent. I had never been to a production in Dothan, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for some more.

Dance lessons at Sashay
Saturday night after the play, I headed to the corner of Cherokee Avenue and West Main Street, where a new lounge/bar/dance club is taking shape. It’s called Sashay, and it was fun. The bar offers beer, wine and a really unique martini list. There’s also a snack menu with appetizers. But best of all, there’s a huge room covered in mirrors so you can take a spin around the floor. The owners offered us a free lesson and we had a blast dancing around. Grab your friends and check it out. Sashay has a ladies’ night on Wednesdays, which if I wasn’t stuck here I’d defintely be checking out.

Dothan Area Botanical Gardens spring garden tour

May 05, 2008

Christie Kulavich

Here’s a post from Whitney McHugh, our Web site guru. She went on the spring garden tour this weekend and wrote something for the blog:

This weekend the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens held its annual Spring Garden Tour. Eleven gardens were on display – nine in Dothan and two in Hartford.

It was my first time on the tour and it will be added to my list of must-attend Spring Events. The tour was well worth the cost of admission: $10 in advanance/$15 at the gardens.

Mother and I spent Sunday afternoon traipsing through 10 of the gardens – we skipped the DABG because it is open year round and time was limited. There were a wide variety of gardens on display – cottage, formal, large, small. There was even a whimsical fairy garden tucked away in the corner of the Johnston’s yard. Tiny succulents and herbs mingled with fairy houses, miniature garden furniture, sparkling stones, and fairies flying from nearby tree limbs.

My favorites were the cottage gardens brimming with poppies, Queen Anne’s lace, foxglove, larkspur and sweat peas.

I aspire to have a cottage garden but right now the only gardens that receive regular care at my house are the herb and vegetable. It was interesting to see how these gardeners worked a variety of herbs and vegetables into their plantings. I now have serious parsley envy. Who knew it would grow into lush clumps more than two feet tall?

The homeowners are in their gardens during the tour and are available to answer questions, identify plants and share their gardening experiences.

Mom learned some tips on combating the rattlesnake weed that infests one of her flower beds. And I learned about a nursery in Jemison, Ala. – Petals from the Past – that specializes in heirloom plants. We both fell in love with a zelkova tree in Teena Allen’s backyard. It looks perfect for climbing.

After touring the gardens in Dothan, we headed to Hartford to see the Guilford home which has about 700 rose plants and two acres of wildflowers. It was beautiful. And the best part was that the roses had the most wonderful fragrances. I walked from one bush to the next sniffing, and upset a couple of bees in the process. 

We made it back to Dothan just in time to revisit one of our favorite gardens on the tour and snap a few more photos.

The ticket was good for both days of the tour. Due to rain, we didn’t go on Saturday. Next year we plan to divide the gardens over both days so we’ll have more time at the homes.

Tips: Wear comfortable shoes. Take a camera. Bring sunscreen. Pack snacks and drinks.

Rain, rain, go away

Christie Kulavich

I headed out the the Festival of Murals (page 12 in case you’re following along) on Saturday afternoon, but the rain got there first. When I showed up, vendors were already taking their booths down for fear of the rain. I heard from several people earlier that they checked it out and had a good time. The food was still there, and I was starving, so I grabbed a corndog from the Corn Dog Man. As Kena and I were waiting for a funnel cake for her main man Jim, the sky opened up and dumped a whole lotta rain on the two of us. Boo hoo. On the bright side, I had my one corndog of the year. It was pretty awesome. Here’s Debbie Ingram’s story on the festival: Festival of Murals

After Kena dropped me off, I headed over to Vino Vino (page 17) to check it out. My friend Tim was helping out in the store today, and I hadn’t been to its new location. They’ve got a ton of neat gifts and other things for sale: cookbooks, gourmet food mixes, painted wine glasses, serving plates and utensils, funky magnets, and I can’t forget the tons of wine. I stared at the truffles in the case for so long that I finally gave in and bought four. the were huge and so decadent. I still have two hiding out in my fridge.

The weather was too yucky for me to go to the chitlin festival ... not that I really was excited about it. Guts are not for me.

I didn’t make it that night, but Erin Hitt from our copy desk went to the media basketball game. She said it was a hoot. Here’s a picture from the event:

It’s our very own Jay Hare, Michael Lowe and Lance Griffin.

Check it out

May 02, 2008

Christie Kulavich

Hey everyone.

Discover Wiregrass went out in today’s paper, so make sure to check it out! Didn’t get a copy? You can always stop by the Eagle and I’ll get you one, or shoot me an e-mail and I’ll make sure one finds its way to you.

Come heckle the media

May 01, 2008

Christie Kulavich

Here’s something fun this weekend: A media charity basketball game.

It’s Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Calvary Baptist Church gym.

There is an admission fee, but it’s only $5 and $3 for kids 6-12. The money benefits the March of Dimes so it’s all for a good cause.

Some of the Eagle people are playing (reporter Lance Griffin, designer Michael Lowe and photographer Jay Hare), as well as local TV and radio people.

Go out and cheer for the Eagle. Or heckle. Your choice.

Here’s our very own Lance Griffin, rocking it on the basketball court.