2009 Heritage Festival

Photos by Word on Main Street contributor
Hope Johnstone

Thank you, Hope, for your gorgeous photos and thorough coverage of the festival!

Fresh Farmer's Market Finds

by Word on Main Street contributor Karyn Elliott

Yesterday we headed down to the Farmer's Market with friends to purchase our weekly vegetables. There seems to be quite a few more vendors appearing as the summer heats up. We were happy to find a farmer with an e-mail notification list. Sign up and she'll send you an e-mail letting you know what she is bringing to market each week. I meant to remember her name, but I was distracted by the beets...and the cucumbers... Regardless, we're on the list!

This week we picked out quite a few vegetables. It's been a fun challenge figuring out how to creatively get them into our meals in such a way that my almost two-year-old will eat them. Last night I stir-fried zucchini, snow peas, green onions, and yellow squash (all from our local Farmer's Market). For color I threw in a few carrots and red peppers found in my fridge. In my before-children life I would have added sauce directly to the vegetables, however, these days I serve the sauce on the side. The boys ate their rice and veggies separately, and my husband and I layered our vegetables over rice and topped it off with some sauce. The sauce is sort of a "by feel" type recipe. I started with soy sauce and added the following until it tasted "right": brown sugar, finely chopped garlic, grated fresh ginger (or powdered), thinly sliced, fresh green onion, and sesame seeds. It's one of our favorite meals.


We also purchased some green tomatoes. I've never made fried green tomatoes before, but I'd watched a friend whip up a batch and was eager to give them try on my own. Tonight I mixed up some egg and milk in one bowl. In the another bowl I mixed equal parts cornmeal and flour before stirring in a little salt and pepper.


I sliced up the tomatoes and dredged them in the egg and flour mixtures. Then I fried them over medium heat in some canola oil until they were crunchy and golden. YUM! They turned out great! Those people out west (where I grew up) don't know what they're missing!


To go along with our dinner of tomatoes and baked chicken I made a salad using the beets we'd purchased at the Farmer's Market. Earlier today I had washed four beets and cut off the greens. Next I drizzled the beets with some olive oil and wrapped them in foil (like a packet) before roasting them in a 425 degrees oven for about 30 minutes. I popped the roasted beets in the fridge to cool them down before peeling them and chopping them into chunks. I added the cooled beets to a salad made of spinach, walnuts, and Gorgonzola cheese dressed with some homemade ranch and buttered croutons. Delicious!


We've still got cucumbers and more squash sitting in the fridge. I'm eager to come up with something yummy for tomorrow night's dinner. But for now I'm going to grab a book and a glass of ice water and relax!

Jolly Roger's Sweet Shoppe

I had the pleasure of visiting Jolly Roger's Sweet Shoppe this morning. It's under the new management of Tom Leadabrand and Scott Jones. The "shoppe" (don't you just love that?) has retained its old time candy store charm, while it has been revitalized with some new products. The one I'm most excited about is the gelato. There were numerous flavors, like Turkish Roast, Marscapone Caramel Pistachio, and Tahitian Vanilla. I tried the tart and sweet Blood Orange. Delightful! The gelato costs $2.50 for a small cup or cone, and $4 for a large. It's the perfect treat.

Jolly Roger's contains numerous delights- like truffles, amish jellies, gourmet bagged coffee, kids' books, 28 flavors of taffy, and penny candy. Yes, penny candy! You'll feel just like a kid again. There are also cold beverages available, including italian sodas, and bottled "Switch" soda (the apricot peach sounded particularly good.)
Store hours are Tuesday-Thursday 10-5 and Friday-Saturday 10-8. I can't wait to stroll downtown on a balmy summer evening for some more gelato very soon.

Farmer's Market Bounty

Don't miss out on the gorgeous produce, flowers, eggs, berries, crafts and more at the Farmer's Market every Tuesday and Thursday from 8-1. The Kids' Art Show and Sale at the Farmer's Market is next week, Tuesday, June 30th from 8-1. There will be face painting, snow cones, balloons, and gelato. Kids are invited to come display and sell their artwork. For more information, contact Main Street at 524-4556.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Photo by Hope Johnstone

The Sager Creek Arts Center is currently showing performances of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Janelle Sando and Jason Henson perform the title roles. Word on Main Street contributor Hope Johnstone attended Sunday's performance and said, "This talented cast not only filled their roles as each character but added an appropriate amount of whimsy."

Upcoming performances will take place on June 25, 26, and 27 at 7:00 pm, and Sunday, June 28 at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $12 for senior citizens, students and SCAC members. Tickets may be obtained by calling the Arts Center at 524-4000.

Story Time at Books on Broadway

With the arrival of summer, Books on Broadway has expanded their story time offerings- a welcome relief to those with little ones in need of entertainment. Miss Deborah is currently on hiatus, so the summer readings are being conducted by the delightful Miss Marybeth Benton.

Marybeth, a Siloam resident, is on a summer break from George Washington University where she is studying anthropology. In addition to sharing beloved stories with the smaller set, she also works at "Oh So Pretty!" and volunteers at the Dogwood Literacy Council. What a dynamo!

Today's story time selection was Tiny on the Farm, written by Carl Meister and illustrated by Siloam artist Rich Davis. It's a charming story about a little boy enlisting the help of his giant dog, Tiny, to find some kittens on a farm. Marybeth does a wonderful job of engaging her listeners in the story, asking them questions, and explaining the moral of the story at the end. Thanks, Books on Broadway for continuing to be a welcoming haven for book lovers, young and young-at-heart alike.

Story time takes place every Monday at 10:30 am, and the 2nd through last Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm.

Amandromeda

I think that if I could dream up the perfect downtown shopping destination for myself, it would be a store very much like Amandromeda. I remember seeing the tagline on the window front, months before the shop opened... "vintage modern stuff". Swoon! I am a lover of all things mid-century (the clothes, homes, appliances, cars, design, manners, etc.) The shop's motto conjured up wonderful images of furniture and home decor, and Amandromeda does not disappoint.


It isn't merely a store, it's a design space. It's a glimpse of what is possible when you combine interesting and character-filled pieces with a flair for creating artistic spaces. Amanda Orcutt, the owner of the store and a master at interior design, is a delight to chat with and she finds great joy in finding unique pieces and combining them in her store. She said that she only puts pieces in her shop that she would want in her own home, pieces that are exciting to her. Her unique and stylish home, featured here, is incredibly inspiring and Amanada says that its decor is continuously evolving.

In addition to finding great stuff for her shop, Amanda also reupholsters furniture, creating one-of-a-kind items. In the future, she may also start designing her own furniture. She has also recently added a clothing and accessories area to the store. Fun! In addition to staying busy with the shop (both in Siloam and in cyberspace), Amanda also writes a great blog that is full of amazing design and decor inspiration.