Speaking of Stuff Happening...

If you don't live under a rock, you probably know that I live a few blocks from the infamous Sandusky trial.  I'm not going to talk about the trial itself -- I don't know Sandusky or anything that anyone else wouldn't know who has general access to the media.  However, I am going to comment on what it's like living near the courthouse during an event like this.

In a phrase, kind of annoying.  I'm thrilled that the media is renting storefronts, drinking coffee, and eating in our restaurants.  I wish the borough had done a better job of staging the satellite trucks around the courthouse, though.  And each morning's commute is a little more challenging than is normal, due to the large number of people on the street. 

Also happening this week: The Bellefonte Cruise.  Which is a car show commemorating the tradition of cruising.  Honestly, please remind me next year, if I consider staying home during this event that I should leave town.  Again, I like the shot in the arm that it provides to the local economy.  Quite frankly, though, I hate the exhaust, the crowds, the people stomping my flowers, revving engines, you name it.  Next year I'm going away. Mark my words.

Nature Has Other Plans...

I have guests in town, my parents, who hate the cold. So when we planned their visit, we talked a fair amount about the potential for snowfall. "No problem," I assured them, "it'll be way before the first snow. It only snowed this early once before, and that was an anomaly."

Put simply: WRONG. Yes, it almost never snows so early. It hasn't since 1972, actually. But I woke this morning to blankets and blankets of flakes coming down, and it's only gotten worse since then.

And in fact yesterday was a great day to be outside. I rode my horse in the afternoon, and it was a fantastic day to have a panoramic view of the mountains with all the leaves changing. Then, later, my guests and I had dinner at the Nittany Lion Inn and participated in the Lantern Tours that are put on by the Lion Ambassadors. The highlight was climbing Old Main's tower, which isn't usually open.

But we're definitely not going out there today. So, now my parents and I are hunkered down in the basement watching college football. Which is pretty awesome, but very different from what I had planned this weekend.

Merry Victorian Christmas

What's that, you say? Isn't there some giant event associated with my town that happens around now?

Why, yes, there is. Victorian Christmas, which is one of Bellefonte's more major tourism events, happens the 2nd week of December each year. I attended a small part of it last year, which was a somewhat thwarted event due to really awful ice storms. Seriously, I live down the street from one of the craft fair venues, and I could hardly walk there -- I can't even imagine how someone from further afield could manage a visit.

So, this year I actually got to participate to some degree in the festivities. Specifically, I made it to a portion of the craft fair and the house tour. I meant to attend caroling, which last year was a lot of fun despite the weather, but schedules did not permit it.

First impressions:

1. The craft fair is pretty awesome. No, it's not "special" in the sense that it's not a place where you'll find a lot of high-style goods. But there are many, many wonderful small-scale crafts for sale. I particularly enjoyed buying a lot of locally-produced food, including some jam from The Piper's Peck and some awesome organic hand-milled soaps. Just generally: yum. I also saw some nice jewelry and a lot of textile art. Good stuff -- oh, and I only made it to one venue, so I only saw a small sampling of the available options.

2. The victorian house tour is, well, um...I would have preferred some tweaks. First, it's crucial that I note that of the 8 or so houses, 3 of them were worth the price of admission by themselves. The Reynolds Mansion is gorgeous and amazing, The Monsell home was every bit as well-situated as I would have imagined (having looked up at it while stuck in traffic at the light for months now), and the Forge House was not only amazing but very well interpreted. However, there was a ca. 1970 home on the tour (which is, um, not victorian) and there were several homes which were not particularly exemplary but seemed to be included as part of a sales strategy on the part of a local realtor. Note: It's kind of a cool idea to have an open house during Victorian Christmas. What's not cool is pretending that these open houses are part of a house tour which I would imagine most of us are undertaking because we want to see great architecture or learn about local history.

3. While I didn't get to participate, the horse buggy tours appeared to be a ton of fun.

Oh, most importantly, Victorian Christmas is put on by a large host of volunteers. And as far as I could tell it was a ton of fun, and very well executed.

H. Aaron Hequembourg

H. Aaron Hequembourg
Originally uploaded by Bryan Loar

Just wanted to highlight this -- Aaron Hequembourg's work was among that featured in the Central PA Arts Fest. 

Great stuff, and I'm not just saying this because it bridges the gap between my old home (Hequembourg is from Monticello, GA -- known pretty much only as the home of one Trisha Yearwood and, uh, that place where they filmed My Cousin Vinny, but also a place where I did a really interesting charrette) and my new one.  GA to PA Holla!

Gorgeous work, using reclaimed wood from sharecroppers' cabins and other otherwise wasted material, mostly from this farm. Good stuff.

His site is here, if you want to see more.