Hello everyone,
Since we will be finishing our Zine today and then converting it into HTML so that it can be uploaded to the web, it is time to discuss web hosting. At this time we do not have space on the WVSU servers, although it is something we hope to get. But there are a variety of webhosting servers that will fit our needs and are free. Check out the list below (some have ads that will be attached to free sites) and let me know what you think, or if you have a webhosting site you would like us to look at. Hopefully today we can launch the site- as soon as that happens I will put the link up here on the sidebar. Also I created a gmail account for this purpose.
Free Web Hosting:
Webs.com - ads
110mb.com - no ads
Bravenet.com - ads
Zymic.com
Xtreemhost.com
000webhost.com
Lastly I want to thank you all for taking part in this new experiment. I think we have learned a lot and given us a great basis for what we would like to do with this class in the future!
Jessica
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
I apologize for the tardiness of my article. I had problems of a personal nature that put me several days behind. However, I collected data to support the thesis of my article and even though that put me further behind, I feel that it was necessary to create a viable article.
"Tattoos" by Dana Menello
The art of tattooins is now a mainstream form of expression for an individual growing up in our nation. Our modern society, and the culture of our nation's youth, has come to accept the art of tattoo as a simple fact of life. Tattoos were once thought of as a taboo from of art. Even so much that tattooed women were showcased as freaks in traveling sideshows. Today, many people have tattoos. Even though having the entire body covered in tats is still an extreme form of this art.
It is commonly feared among older generations that tattoos are negative. It is feared that tattoos were indiciative of a certain type of individual; the deviant. But tattoos can be found on people of nearly walk of life; from the scholar to the athlete to the religious zealot. Opponents also claim that tattoos are addictive. However, the average tattooed individual only has one or two tattoos and they are often quite diminutive. A small but significant protion of the tattoo community does indeed become addicted, but that isn't necessarily a negative thing because tattoos are neither harmful nor illegal.
The rising generation, currently making up the significant portion of college students, has accepted tattooing as simply another form of expression. A tattooed college studen barely raises and eyebrow among their peers. Nearly every sudent of this generation has professed to have considered tattoos at one point or another. The common student does not often obtain a tattoo but does not mind tattoos on another person. The truth of these statements can be seen in the increase of tattoo parlors in the towns around colleges.
Twenty years ago only a handful of tattoo parlors could be found in the area between Charleston and Huntington where three colleges reside. Today, dozens of shops can be found. Most of the college students were knowledgeable of thier locations and many had personally visited one, either for a personal piece or in support of a friend.
After visiting the most often cited establishment as well as two other businesses in the local area around West Virginia State University it was found that nearly a donzen individuals receive tattoos every day. A significant portion of clientele was between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. The most common number of tattoos per individual was between one and three tattoos. And the most common price was under $100. The sex of the people receiving tattoos was fairly evenly divided between men and women.
As an interesting note, many tattoos purchased by customers were chosen in the shop and are quite commonly found. These tattoos were often tribal art, Chinese lettering, animals, and sports paraphernalia. For an art form grounded in individualism, it was surprisingly not individualistic. However, there was a significant portion of consumers that brought thier own artwork or requested unique takes on common themes.
Since tattoos are becoming widely accepted among rising students, several local business managers were asked during a local job fair about their willingness to accept tattooed applicants. In most cases, tattoos were widely accepted and often not even a consideration with the exception being facial tattoos and tattoos on the hands.
Oddly enough, the military recruiters had the strictest guidelines about tattoos. They did not accept recuits with tattoos below the knee, below the bicep, or above the neckline. A potential recuit with tattoos in those locations had to have a signed waiver by the military and had to undergo a rather in-depth process to obtain such a waiver. Those recruits with "acceptable" tatoos still had to have the artwork photographed and documented in order for the military to determine if the artwork was gang-related which would result in automatic denial of the applicant. This is very interesting since, traditionally, tatoos have been most often found among veteran soldiers in older generations.
The fact that area businesses accept tatooed applicants without reserve, numerous local tattoo parlors have sprung up to supply a rising demand, and local students (as well as individuals of that generation) have universally accepted tattooing as a common form of expression, tatoos have become mainstream. However, the individuality in this mainstream form of expression still has its extreme supporters; men and women who chose to cover entire parts of thier bodies in artwoek, individuals who chose to tattoo their faces, and the rare soul who chooses to dabble in a form that is considered bizarre even within the community who chooses to tatoo the whites of his or her eyes with colored ink.
Have you considered a tattoo?
Pho Vinh Long, A Taste of Vietnam (revised)
Pho Vinh Long, A Taste of Vietnam
While growing up, I was a cheeseburger, hot dog loving type of boy. My first experience with foreign food, as well as most peoples first experience, was Chinese food. I am an avid Chinese/Japanese food loving guy. I especially love South Charleston for its foreign food restaurants, including a Jamaican restaurant and (what I think) the best Chinese/Japanese restaurant in the state, Taste of Asia. While walking around, I noticed that a new Vietnamese restaurant was open, and I decided to give it a taste. I walked into the door without any expectations or anything to compare it to, but I know good food when I taste it.
Pho Vinh Long, perhaps the only Vietnamese restaurant in the state, is located at 610D Street in South Charleston. It is seconds away from the Indian Burial Mound in South Charleston, right on the corner of a lovely intersection with antique and small stores surrounding it. The front of the store is rather bland. It has a large white sign on top with “Pho Vinh Long” written on it, and the front is glass looking in to a dark restaurant. Parking is right in front of the restaurant, and finding a spot is never a hard thing to do when going to Pho Vinh Long.
Upon entering Pho Vinh long, it doesn’t seem like you are that far from home. The restaurant is adorned with simple linoleum flooring and matching tables and chairs. Palm plants are scattered throughout the restaurant and each table has one small plant to itself. The walls are littered with posters depicting Tapioca drinks and their descriptions. The back of the restaurant houses the cash register, a large flat screen TV that plays Vietnamese programs, and a large window with a view into their clean kitchen. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of the staff or cooks wearing gloves or hair nets, but I am not a picky guy so that didn’t bother me so much. The bathroom is a single stall room and extremely clean which is definitely a plus for all restaurants. The interior itself doesn’t portray the foreign ancestry present in the food, but once you get a taste of the food, you will realize this is in no way your typical West Virginian restaurant.
The menu presents entrees numbered and with traditional Vietnamese name, with ingredients posted on the side. All the ingredients are not listed unfortunately, but the menu covers the main ingredients, like what sort of protein is included. Aside from choosing which entrée you wish to eat, pronouncing the name of what you want is a task within itself, so thankfully the menu is numbered. Prices aren’t bad either, it is a range from 2-13$ -- not bad for a sit down restaurant.
Along with their great food, Pho Vinh Long offers some drinks not common to West Virginia. Tapioca Tea, or more commonly referred to as Boba Tea, is a drink native to Vietnam and is usually offered in fruit flavors. The difference between it and other frozen teas, is that it has things called boba at the bottom of the drink. Boba will probably take some getting used to for most people because it is a slimy, slightly chewy ball of tapioca that comes up through the thick straw. The tea’s are delicious many fruity flavors like honeydew, strawberry, and watermelon. But if you aren’t feeling adventurous, Pho Vinh Long offers the traditional sodas, tea, and other special drinks like flavored carbonated lemonade and coconut milk.
I know most of you are wondering: what ingredients are used in Vietnamese food? Vietnamese food offers many selections of food. They offer appetizers like spring rolls, which are rolled up cabbage, lettuce, pork, and shrimp and edamae which are soy beans salted and still in the pod. Along with appetizers they offer many soups, but the main ingredients in the soup are noodles, cilantro, leeks, licorice, lime juice, chicken or steak, and any vegetable they feel like adding. The soup doesn’t taste like any of the traditional food offered in West Virginia. It definitely has its own unique taste, and as a person who doesn’t even like soup, I enjoy their soup immensely. They even offer a beef tendon soup, which is exactly what you think it is. That was, unfortunately, the worst thing I tried there. The tendons were chewy and flavorless. But to have only one thing on the menu that I disliked is an accomplishment.
The main dishes are what I enjoy most. All of the dishes taste different, but feature some of the same items. Most main dishes include noodles, some sort of vegetable, and some sort of meat, but that’s where the similarities end. Each dish is expertly spiced with spices not found in typical American dishes. Three of my favorites are the lemon breaded chicken over rice with mixed vegetables, grilled pork over rice noodles served with leeks, lettuce, and cilantro, and beef served with a sweet crunchy brown rice and mixed vegetables. The issue with deciding on what to eat is that the menu is not very descriptive enough, so its really a random pick and choose situation.
The people who own the restaurant are great. It feels like a mom and pop establishment, but it is a little bigger than your average mom and pop store. Everyone in the restaurant is related (except for the cook) and their children are there to help you decide what you want. It’s a great atmosphere. You certainly feel welcomed when you go to Pho Vinh Long, and you definitely get a sense of the family atmosphere. Unfortunately they are a bit under staffed due to it being a family restaurant and how busy they can get, so the time between when you sit down and when you actually get your food and drink can be a bit long. But, I personally do not mind the wait because of the comfortable atmosphere, but I know some will.
Pho Vinh Long is an excellent addition to the selection of restaurants Charlestonians have to chose from. It is located nearby and offers food you probably won’t find in the rest of the state. It has a great atmosphere with a welcoming friendly staff and the food is some of the best foreign cuisine I have had. I definitely recommend you try Pho Vinh Long for your next dinner.
While growing up, I was a cheeseburger, hot dog loving type of boy. My first experience with foreign food, as well as most peoples first experience, was Chinese food. I am an avid Chinese/Japanese food loving guy. I especially love South Charleston for its foreign food restaurants, including a Jamaican restaurant and (what I think) the best Chinese/Japanese restaurant in the state, Taste of Asia. While walking around, I noticed that a new Vietnamese restaurant was open, and I decided to give it a taste. I walked into the door without any expectations or anything to compare it to, but I know good food when I taste it.
Pho Vinh Long, perhaps the only Vietnamese restaurant in the state, is located at 610D Street in South Charleston. It is seconds away from the Indian Burial Mound in South Charleston, right on the corner of a lovely intersection with antique and small stores surrounding it. The front of the store is rather bland. It has a large white sign on top with “Pho Vinh Long” written on it, and the front is glass looking in to a dark restaurant. Parking is right in front of the restaurant, and finding a spot is never a hard thing to do when going to Pho Vinh Long.
Upon entering Pho Vinh long, it doesn’t seem like you are that far from home. The restaurant is adorned with simple linoleum flooring and matching tables and chairs. Palm plants are scattered throughout the restaurant and each table has one small plant to itself. The walls are littered with posters depicting Tapioca drinks and their descriptions. The back of the restaurant houses the cash register, a large flat screen TV that plays Vietnamese programs, and a large window with a view into their clean kitchen. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of the staff or cooks wearing gloves or hair nets, but I am not a picky guy so that didn’t bother me so much. The bathroom is a single stall room and extremely clean which is definitely a plus for all restaurants. The interior itself doesn’t portray the foreign ancestry present in the food, but once you get a taste of the food, you will realize this is in no way your typical West Virginian restaurant.
The menu presents entrees numbered and with traditional Vietnamese name, with ingredients posted on the side. All the ingredients are not listed unfortunately, but the menu covers the main ingredients, like what sort of protein is included. Aside from choosing which entrée you wish to eat, pronouncing the name of what you want is a task within itself, so thankfully the menu is numbered. Prices aren’t bad either, it is a range from 2-13$ -- not bad for a sit down restaurant.
Along with their great food, Pho Vinh Long offers some drinks not common to West Virginia. Tapioca Tea, or more commonly referred to as Boba Tea, is a drink native to Vietnam and is usually offered in fruit flavors. The difference between it and other frozen teas, is that it has things called boba at the bottom of the drink. Boba will probably take some getting used to for most people because it is a slimy, slightly chewy ball of tapioca that comes up through the thick straw. The tea’s are delicious many fruity flavors like honeydew, strawberry, and watermelon. But if you aren’t feeling adventurous, Pho Vinh Long offers the traditional sodas, tea, and other special drinks like flavored carbonated lemonade and coconut milk.
I know most of you are wondering: what ingredients are used in Vietnamese food? Vietnamese food offers many selections of food. They offer appetizers like spring rolls, which are rolled up cabbage, lettuce, pork, and shrimp and edamae which are soy beans salted and still in the pod. Along with appetizers they offer many soups, but the main ingredients in the soup are noodles, cilantro, leeks, licorice, lime juice, chicken or steak, and any vegetable they feel like adding. The soup doesn’t taste like any of the traditional food offered in West Virginia. It definitely has its own unique taste, and as a person who doesn’t even like soup, I enjoy their soup immensely. They even offer a beef tendon soup, which is exactly what you think it is. That was, unfortunately, the worst thing I tried there. The tendons were chewy and flavorless. But to have only one thing on the menu that I disliked is an accomplishment.
The main dishes are what I enjoy most. All of the dishes taste different, but feature some of the same items. Most main dishes include noodles, some sort of vegetable, and some sort of meat, but that’s where the similarities end. Each dish is expertly spiced with spices not found in typical American dishes. Three of my favorites are the lemon breaded chicken over rice with mixed vegetables, grilled pork over rice noodles served with leeks, lettuce, and cilantro, and beef served with a sweet crunchy brown rice and mixed vegetables. The issue with deciding on what to eat is that the menu is not very descriptive enough, so its really a random pick and choose situation.
The people who own the restaurant are great. It feels like a mom and pop establishment, but it is a little bigger than your average mom and pop store. Everyone in the restaurant is related (except for the cook) and their children are there to help you decide what you want. It’s a great atmosphere. You certainly feel welcomed when you go to Pho Vinh Long, and you definitely get a sense of the family atmosphere. Unfortunately they are a bit under staffed due to it being a family restaurant and how busy they can get, so the time between when you sit down and when you actually get your food and drink can be a bit long. But, I personally do not mind the wait because of the comfortable atmosphere, but I know some will.
Pho Vinh Long is an excellent addition to the selection of restaurants Charlestonians have to chose from. It is located nearby and offers food you probably won’t find in the rest of the state. It has a great atmosphere with a welcoming friendly staff and the food is some of the best foreign cuisine I have had. I definitely recommend you try Pho Vinh Long for your next dinner.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Photography choices
Hey all, Stephanie and I decided on which pictures to use of the pictures you all sent in. There is a new album named "Editors Picks" with the selections edited.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Life and Music of Phil "The Thrill"
Take a walk through the Davis Fine Arts Building on any given day of the week and chances are you'll hear the subtle yet powerful melodies of a jazz chord-solo floating through an open office door. Take a look inside and you'll see the Charleston area's real "guitar hero," Phil Washington, his fingers nimbly jumping from fret to fret, string to string, like a nest of spiders turned loose on his unsuspecting guitar.
"What's happenin', bro-ski?"
That's Washington's favorite greeting, his fingers still running wild over the guitar neck even as he looks up from his music.
From his laid-back demeanor, you would never believe that Phil Washington is a highly regarded Charleston area guitarist, with a M.A. in Jazz Studies from Marshall University and his name on every theatre company's short list of musicians.
Washington performed with the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, recorded an album with local group The Esquires, and even performed with Grammy award-winning jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.
And it all grew from a desire to not show off.
"When I was going to State for my Bachelor's degree," Washington says, "the guitar teacher then had a bunch of guys who could play that widdly-widdly Van Halen stuff. Single note stuff, you know? But then a blues guy came in to play a clinic, and asked if he could play with some of the guitar students. The instructor had all those guys playing that single-note crap, and the blues guy just asked, 'Do you have anyone who can play a chord solo?'"
Washington was the only student at the time studying chord solos. His understated approach to the guitar, a complete contrast to his outstanding ability, led him down a different path than many guitarists at the time.
Washington sees this as a good thing.
"The rock stuff is boring and easy," he says. "Give me jazz any day, because it's more than the same old pentatonic crap over and over again."
One of Washington's early guitar heroes was the late Jimi Hendrix, a player who still influences him to this day.
"It was amazing, some of the stuff Jimi did," Washington says. "You think Stevie Ray Vaughan would have been famous without Hendrix? Look at everything he did, everything he wore. Just like Hendrix."
Even before Hendrix, though, Washington listened to the otherworldly guitar playing of jazz luminaries such as George Benson and Wes Montgomery. Their playing—possibly even more so than Hendrix—shaped the legend behind Phil "The Thrill" Washington.
"I was into Hendrix, yeah," Washington says, "but back before that I was into Wes and George, those jazz guys. I had been playing guitar for about a year, playing by ear, when I realized that I could play three Jimi Hendrix songs, but I couldn't even play one Wes Montgomery song."
It was at that point of his musical life that Washington decided he wanted to actually learn to read music—not just play along with recordings. Washington's friends didn't share his passion, but that didn't deter him for a second.
"There's just so much more you can do when you read," he says. "It opens up a whole new world of possibilities with improvisation and chord soloing. I don't know how I ever played without being able to read. Put a lead sheet on a stand in front of most of those rock and rollers, and they'll be like, 'You want me to play that? Show me how!'"
But jazz isn't Washington's only musical outlet. If you look at any four musical productions from the Charleston area in recent memory, Washington has probably played guitar on three of them. Some of these, believe it or not, have even pulled Washington into the world of rock and roll.
"The stuff for Rent was rock stuff, but it was tasty rock stuff," Washington says as he plays a chord progression he memorized from the challenging show music. "The guy who wrote it actually made it fun and interesting; it wasn't just a bunch of power chords."
Not that Washington never dabbled in rock and roll before. Until just recently he played bass with the Esquires, a local rock group whose roots go all the way back to the 1960s.
"We played the old standards," Washington says, "'I Feel Good,' 'Heard it Through the Grapevine,' you know, rock and some R&B stuff.”
Washington was an on-again, off-again member of the group until creative differences forced him to hang up his rock and roll hat to concentrate on what he loves to do: play jazz, and do his part in educating the next generation of guitarists.
That's how I met Washington two years ago, during my third year as a student at West Virginia State University. He is the resident guitar guru, and I was admittedly nervous preparing to completely reverse everything I'd taught myself about the guitar. I could read music, but could never apply it to the guitar
This was something that Washington used to his advantage.
"That's a good thing, man," Washington says, "because you're not obsessed with modes. All these people come to me and say, 'I know all my modes,' and I'm like, 'Congratulations, you can start a scale on a note other than the root.' It's like they want to be rewarded for being ignorant."
From that day on, I could always count on learning something new every time I went in for a lesson. And not once did Washington disappoint me, always coming in with something new and epic to work on, from jazz chord solos to single-note interpretations of songs by The Who. All this is interspersed by Washington playing excerpts from his favorite jazz pieces.
How can he play all these things from memory? Necessity.
"When I was at Marshall getting my Master's," Washington says, "I had to perform a solo recital of a bunch of different pieces from different genres. I practiced my butt off for weeks to get that down, but I went in there and nailed it. And my teacher, he was tough! Lesson was at noon, and if I showed up at one minute after he'd be packing his stuff to go, because lesson didn't start at one minute after."
Washington also recalls fond memories of playing with the faculty jazz ensemble, as he was a student teacher during his time at Marshall.
"That same guitar teacher," Washington says, "when he would play licks onstage, he'd turn his back to me so I couldn't cheat and steal his stuff. I'd be like, 'Come on, man!' Because really, that's where jazz guys get their best stuff. They hear or see something they like, and make it their own."
Washington's education paid off, landing him a number of gigs in musical theatre throughout the Charleston area. He played guitar for a number of shows in recent years, including Romeo and Juliet, Rent, and The Blob, and will take part in the upcoming Gypsy and Barnum.
Somehow he balances these performances with teaching, both at WVSU and at Kerr's Music, leading the WVSU Guitar Ensemble, and performing with the praise band at his church, which actually released an album.
"The album cost about six thousand dollars to make," Washington says, "and only five hundred copies were pressed. We didn't turn a profit, but the guy that financed it said he didn't want anything in return. It was a pretty positive experience."
"Positive" is the word that best sums up the man jokingly—but also lovingly—nicknamed "The Thrill". Washington never looks back on his past in anger, instead seeing every event in his life as something pushing him forward to where he is today.
"I was always mad when I was younger," Washington says, referring his days in Detroit. "Mad at this, mad at that...you never accomplish anything when you're mad, because you can't see where you're going through all the rage."
"And don't worry about making a bunch of money with your playing," Washington tells me. "That's where a lot of people get lost, because they're worried about money. I learned real early that all money does is let you buy stuff. If you really love to play, though, you've already got all the stuff you need, so why do you need any more?"
Washington's positive nature is emphasized during lessons. No matter what level of skill you may have attained prior to the start of your lessons, Washington always knows exactly what to say to keep you going.
Take for example one of my first lessons, a particularly frustrating run through a piece with complex (at the time) chord changes and a few single-note runs containing accidentals that I had yet to map out on the fret board.
Naturally, I struggled through it, but managed to finish it eventually. I expected Washington to be harsh with his criticism; it was a terrible effort, after all.
"I was playing for a show once," Washington ways, "and we were rehearsing, and I thought I was absolutely killin' the piece we were playing. After we were done, the conductor looked at me, and asked if I had a broom. When I asked why, he said, 'To sweep up all those notes you dropped.'"
In addition to his impressive guitar resumé, Washington is a singer—and believe it or not, an announcer. He sings at his church; did vocal work for the Esquires; and is a television announcer for the West Virginia Lottery.
That's right, folks: Phil Washington calls the lottery numbers. In his office there is a large picture of him in a gigantic, purple, spherical suit and a top hat.
"Yeah, that's me," he says when asked about its origin.
Of course, right next to that picture is one of him jamming on the bass with Wynton Marsalis, which reminds anyone who sees it that while Washington may not be the most serious man on the planet, he takes his music seriously.
"You can joke around and have fun and whatnot," Washington says, "but at the end of the day you've got to play to get anywhere in this business. And I don't mean get up there and play some pentatonic crap or the blues scale over and over. If you want people to notice you, you've got to play."
And whether it is the guitar or any other instrument that "The Thrill" is playing, rest assured that he will play from now until forever.
"What's happenin', bro-ski?"
That's Washington's favorite greeting, his fingers still running wild over the guitar neck even as he looks up from his music.
From his laid-back demeanor, you would never believe that Phil Washington is a highly regarded Charleston area guitarist, with a M.A. in Jazz Studies from Marshall University and his name on every theatre company's short list of musicians.
Washington performed with the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, recorded an album with local group The Esquires, and even performed with Grammy award-winning jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.
And it all grew from a desire to not show off.
"When I was going to State for my Bachelor's degree," Washington says, "the guitar teacher then had a bunch of guys who could play that widdly-widdly Van Halen stuff. Single note stuff, you know? But then a blues guy came in to play a clinic, and asked if he could play with some of the guitar students. The instructor had all those guys playing that single-note crap, and the blues guy just asked, 'Do you have anyone who can play a chord solo?'"
Washington was the only student at the time studying chord solos. His understated approach to the guitar, a complete contrast to his outstanding ability, led him down a different path than many guitarists at the time.
Washington sees this as a good thing.
"The rock stuff is boring and easy," he says. "Give me jazz any day, because it's more than the same old pentatonic crap over and over again."
One of Washington's early guitar heroes was the late Jimi Hendrix, a player who still influences him to this day.
"It was amazing, some of the stuff Jimi did," Washington says. "You think Stevie Ray Vaughan would have been famous without Hendrix? Look at everything he did, everything he wore. Just like Hendrix."
Even before Hendrix, though, Washington listened to the otherworldly guitar playing of jazz luminaries such as George Benson and Wes Montgomery. Their playing—possibly even more so than Hendrix—shaped the legend behind Phil "The Thrill" Washington.
"I was into Hendrix, yeah," Washington says, "but back before that I was into Wes and George, those jazz guys. I had been playing guitar for about a year, playing by ear, when I realized that I could play three Jimi Hendrix songs, but I couldn't even play one Wes Montgomery song."
It was at that point of his musical life that Washington decided he wanted to actually learn to read music—not just play along with recordings. Washington's friends didn't share his passion, but that didn't deter him for a second.
"There's just so much more you can do when you read," he says. "It opens up a whole new world of possibilities with improvisation and chord soloing. I don't know how I ever played without being able to read. Put a lead sheet on a stand in front of most of those rock and rollers, and they'll be like, 'You want me to play that? Show me how!'"
But jazz isn't Washington's only musical outlet. If you look at any four musical productions from the Charleston area in recent memory, Washington has probably played guitar on three of them. Some of these, believe it or not, have even pulled Washington into the world of rock and roll.
"The stuff for Rent was rock stuff, but it was tasty rock stuff," Washington says as he plays a chord progression he memorized from the challenging show music. "The guy who wrote it actually made it fun and interesting; it wasn't just a bunch of power chords."
Not that Washington never dabbled in rock and roll before. Until just recently he played bass with the Esquires, a local rock group whose roots go all the way back to the 1960s.
"We played the old standards," Washington says, "'I Feel Good,' 'Heard it Through the Grapevine,' you know, rock and some R&B stuff.”
Washington was an on-again, off-again member of the group until creative differences forced him to hang up his rock and roll hat to concentrate on what he loves to do: play jazz, and do his part in educating the next generation of guitarists.
That's how I met Washington two years ago, during my third year as a student at West Virginia State University. He is the resident guitar guru, and I was admittedly nervous preparing to completely reverse everything I'd taught myself about the guitar. I could read music, but could never apply it to the guitar
This was something that Washington used to his advantage.
"That's a good thing, man," Washington says, "because you're not obsessed with modes. All these people come to me and say, 'I know all my modes,' and I'm like, 'Congratulations, you can start a scale on a note other than the root.' It's like they want to be rewarded for being ignorant."
From that day on, I could always count on learning something new every time I went in for a lesson. And not once did Washington disappoint me, always coming in with something new and epic to work on, from jazz chord solos to single-note interpretations of songs by The Who. All this is interspersed by Washington playing excerpts from his favorite jazz pieces.
How can he play all these things from memory? Necessity.
"When I was at Marshall getting my Master's," Washington says, "I had to perform a solo recital of a bunch of different pieces from different genres. I practiced my butt off for weeks to get that down, but I went in there and nailed it. And my teacher, he was tough! Lesson was at noon, and if I showed up at one minute after he'd be packing his stuff to go, because lesson didn't start at one minute after."
Washington also recalls fond memories of playing with the faculty jazz ensemble, as he was a student teacher during his time at Marshall.
"That same guitar teacher," Washington says, "when he would play licks onstage, he'd turn his back to me so I couldn't cheat and steal his stuff. I'd be like, 'Come on, man!' Because really, that's where jazz guys get their best stuff. They hear or see something they like, and make it their own."
Washington's education paid off, landing him a number of gigs in musical theatre throughout the Charleston area. He played guitar for a number of shows in recent years, including Romeo and Juliet, Rent, and The Blob, and will take part in the upcoming Gypsy and Barnum.
Somehow he balances these performances with teaching, both at WVSU and at Kerr's Music, leading the WVSU Guitar Ensemble, and performing with the praise band at his church, which actually released an album.
"The album cost about six thousand dollars to make," Washington says, "and only five hundred copies were pressed. We didn't turn a profit, but the guy that financed it said he didn't want anything in return. It was a pretty positive experience."
"Positive" is the word that best sums up the man jokingly—but also lovingly—nicknamed "The Thrill". Washington never looks back on his past in anger, instead seeing every event in his life as something pushing him forward to where he is today.
"I was always mad when I was younger," Washington says, referring his days in Detroit. "Mad at this, mad at that...you never accomplish anything when you're mad, because you can't see where you're going through all the rage."
"And don't worry about making a bunch of money with your playing," Washington tells me. "That's where a lot of people get lost, because they're worried about money. I learned real early that all money does is let you buy stuff. If you really love to play, though, you've already got all the stuff you need, so why do you need any more?"
Washington's positive nature is emphasized during lessons. No matter what level of skill you may have attained prior to the start of your lessons, Washington always knows exactly what to say to keep you going.
Take for example one of my first lessons, a particularly frustrating run through a piece with complex (at the time) chord changes and a few single-note runs containing accidentals that I had yet to map out on the fret board.
Naturally, I struggled through it, but managed to finish it eventually. I expected Washington to be harsh with his criticism; it was a terrible effort, after all.
"I was playing for a show once," Washington ways, "and we were rehearsing, and I thought I was absolutely killin' the piece we were playing. After we were done, the conductor looked at me, and asked if I had a broom. When I asked why, he said, 'To sweep up all those notes you dropped.'"
In addition to his impressive guitar resumé, Washington is a singer—and believe it or not, an announcer. He sings at his church; did vocal work for the Esquires; and is a television announcer for the West Virginia Lottery.
That's right, folks: Phil Washington calls the lottery numbers. In his office there is a large picture of him in a gigantic, purple, spherical suit and a top hat.
"Yeah, that's me," he says when asked about its origin.
Of course, right next to that picture is one of him jamming on the bass with Wynton Marsalis, which reminds anyone who sees it that while Washington may not be the most serious man on the planet, he takes his music seriously.
"You can joke around and have fun and whatnot," Washington says, "but at the end of the day you've got to play to get anywhere in this business. And I don't mean get up there and play some pentatonic crap or the blues scale over and over. If you want people to notice you, you've got to play."
And whether it is the guitar or any other instrument that "The Thrill" is playing, rest assured that he will play from now until forever.
A Night in Ethiopia
(This is the revised edition.)
For the students lucky enough to attend The Taste of Ethiopia’s 3rd Annual Celebration at West Virginia State University, it was a memory they will always have and cherish. The night was filled with music, education, culture, and custom, and all around fun.
According to the students of ESA, there are about 80 tribes in Ethiopia, and each of these tribes have their own music, dancing, language, and food—and even fashion. The Amharic Dance was incredible. It involved a heavy concentration on the rhythm and towards the end of the music/dance; half the audience were at least tapping their foot to the beat.
Next was the Guargena Dance, which focused on rhythm and enticed the audience into joining the dancers on stage. At one point, Jack Morgan, a physics professor here at WVSU, was taken onstage by one of the performers of the evening to dance with them.
“It was great," Morgan told me. "I knew a lot about the food because my family and I have been attending this event since it started years ago but I learned a lot about the traditions and the dances as well as the culture of the people that brought us the incredible food."
Throughout the show, there were drawings with prizes for the audience to take home. One of the winners got a Blackwood candle stand to take home. I learned from the students that the candle-stand is very expensive.
The second winner got a drinking cup made from a very beautiful wood. It was said to be available in almost every home in Ethiopia and was expensive. It was also very pretty.
The third prize had me wishing I had won it. It was a silk scarf—very expensive looking—that can go with just about any outfit.
After the drawing, there was a fashion show during which the Ethiopian students explained to the audience that each of the tribes’ clothing is characterized by the length of the skirt, the accessory that goes with them, and many others. Some of the women wear braids in their hair whilst others just let their hair down.
I understood that they are very diverse and one could tell where someone is from by their way of dressing. I realized that during dancing, the women mostly put their hands behind their backs and I wondered if that was a symbol of humbleness.
During the last song, students, faculty were invited onstage to participate in a dance picked by the audience. After the events, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Ann Johnson, a woman who had just moved to the area with her newborn daughter Azalech.
“We are very excited to be here," Johnson said. "My daughter was born in Ethiopia and we just moved to West Virginia, so I was very happy to participate in this to show my daughter our appreciation for her culture."
Haley, a student I met during the event, called the night “incredible!"
"This was one of the most energy filled events that I have ever attended," she continued. "It was exciting, fun, and all around enjoyable. I recommend that everyone should come next year.”
One of the other students I met was Enda Smith. According to Enda, the event helped her know more about Ethiopia and appreciate the diversity here on campus as well as better understand her Ethiopian classmates.
I was pleased to learn that once people take part in this event their experiences does not end there. Many develop interests in learning more about the culture and even the continent of Africa.
One of the guests who had been coming for a couple of years stated that, after their first attendance, they also researched and found out about an Ethiopian camp in Virginia that teaches people about the cultures and customs of Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian students here on campus have formed close relationships with each other that worked well when it came to preparing for this event. They mentioned that they couldn’t have put anything together if they didn’t have each other.
Looking at their interactions with each other on- and off-stage, it is clear to see that they have become more than friends: they are a family. They want to show people about their traditions and customs and they did an incredible job of that.
Like most of the people who attended this program, I felt honored to be able to share such an incredible event with everyone that was present. Almost everyone couldn’t wait for next year so they can attend this event again.
At first, I was a little jealous and wished there was enough students here at WVSU from Ghana to be able to show people what our culture is about; but then I realized that regardless of what part of Africa the show was about, it was a representation of our people, and that I should be proud. That was exactly how I felt by the end of the program.
“It was awesome," Salem Mengetsu said. "Thank you for everyone who participated in the event. Amazingly, we had non-Ethiopian guests here on stage dancing; our cultural dance. This is what we call a mission accomplished!”
For the students lucky enough to attend The Taste of Ethiopia’s 3rd Annual Celebration at West Virginia State University, it was a memory they will always have and cherish. The night was filled with music, education, culture, and custom, and all around fun.
According to the students of ESA, there are about 80 tribes in Ethiopia, and each of these tribes have their own music, dancing, language, and food—and even fashion. The Amharic Dance was incredible. It involved a heavy concentration on the rhythm and towards the end of the music/dance; half the audience were at least tapping their foot to the beat.
Next was the Guargena Dance, which focused on rhythm and enticed the audience into joining the dancers on stage. At one point, Jack Morgan, a physics professor here at WVSU, was taken onstage by one of the performers of the evening to dance with them.
“It was great," Morgan told me. "I knew a lot about the food because my family and I have been attending this event since it started years ago but I learned a lot about the traditions and the dances as well as the culture of the people that brought us the incredible food."
Throughout the show, there were drawings with prizes for the audience to take home. One of the winners got a Blackwood candle stand to take home. I learned from the students that the candle-stand is very expensive.
The second winner got a drinking cup made from a very beautiful wood. It was said to be available in almost every home in Ethiopia and was expensive. It was also very pretty.
The third prize had me wishing I had won it. It was a silk scarf—very expensive looking—that can go with just about any outfit.
After the drawing, there was a fashion show during which the Ethiopian students explained to the audience that each of the tribes’ clothing is characterized by the length of the skirt, the accessory that goes with them, and many others. Some of the women wear braids in their hair whilst others just let their hair down.
I understood that they are very diverse and one could tell where someone is from by their way of dressing. I realized that during dancing, the women mostly put their hands behind their backs and I wondered if that was a symbol of humbleness.
During the last song, students, faculty were invited onstage to participate in a dance picked by the audience. After the events, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Ann Johnson, a woman who had just moved to the area with her newborn daughter Azalech.
“We are very excited to be here," Johnson said. "My daughter was born in Ethiopia and we just moved to West Virginia, so I was very happy to participate in this to show my daughter our appreciation for her culture."
Haley, a student I met during the event, called the night “incredible!"
"This was one of the most energy filled events that I have ever attended," she continued. "It was exciting, fun, and all around enjoyable. I recommend that everyone should come next year.”
One of the other students I met was Enda Smith. According to Enda, the event helped her know more about Ethiopia and appreciate the diversity here on campus as well as better understand her Ethiopian classmates.
I was pleased to learn that once people take part in this event their experiences does not end there. Many develop interests in learning more about the culture and even the continent of Africa.
One of the guests who had been coming for a couple of years stated that, after their first attendance, they also researched and found out about an Ethiopian camp in Virginia that teaches people about the cultures and customs of Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian students here on campus have formed close relationships with each other that worked well when it came to preparing for this event. They mentioned that they couldn’t have put anything together if they didn’t have each other.
Looking at their interactions with each other on- and off-stage, it is clear to see that they have become more than friends: they are a family. They want to show people about their traditions and customs and they did an incredible job of that.
Like most of the people who attended this program, I felt honored to be able to share such an incredible event with everyone that was present. Almost everyone couldn’t wait for next year so they can attend this event again.
At first, I was a little jealous and wished there was enough students here at WVSU from Ghana to be able to show people what our culture is about; but then I realized that regardless of what part of Africa the show was about, it was a representation of our people, and that I should be proud. That was exactly how I felt by the end of the program.
“It was awesome," Salem Mengetsu said. "Thank you for everyone who participated in the event. Amazingly, we had non-Ethiopian guests here on stage dancing; our cultural dance. This is what we call a mission accomplished!”
The Clay Center - for Kids of All Ages by Dawn Reed (revised)
This is for all of you parents out there.
You know that feeling you get when you're stuck indoors with kids for too long? When you are itching to find something for your kids to do? When you just have to find something to occupy them—and hopefully burn off some of that never-ending energy?
Why not try out the Clay Center? I did.
Walking up to an elegant looking building with several unique and fascinating sculptures before it, I thought that the four rambunctious laughing children behind me would surely terrorize the place. Not so.
As we entered the museum, we were greeted by no less than three employees wearing bright smiles and palpable excitement. As I paid our admission, the employees took the kids over to a snake (my worst enemy) display set up by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
My children eagerly stepped up to a man holding a snake, wanting to touch the creature. They learned about venomous and non-venomous snakes alike, and they got to hold a large snakeskin originally found in a West Virginia forest.
As a reward for their bravery, the kids received bright yellow stickers proclaiming I touched a snake today. I received no such sticker.
Straight back from the front doors is an area belonging to the Avampato Discovery Museum. This area contains Kidspace, which is designed specifically for children aged 5 and under.
Toddlers and preschoolers will delight in the huge indoor tree house where they can climb, slide, run, crawl, and jump to their hearts' content. There is also a giant "ball pond" filled with over 10,000 plastic balls that can be "shot" from the upper branches of the tree house.
I learned about this neat trick while searching for the origin of the small blue balls that were mysteriously bouncing off my head. The balls can also be tossed into buckets, or kids can simply jump into them from the edges of the pond.
Another fun area of Kidspace is the Spider Symphony, where kids can engage in physical and cognitive play by "playing" a number of instruments to hear their unique sounds.
Kidspace also caters to the needs of families with a special nursing room for moms with babies, and also a Big Kid Room designated for older siblings. The Big Kid Room contains a number of beanbag chairs, a couch, and a TV along with a variety of DVDs.
My eight year old [son/daughter] actually thought this room was boring and wanted to climb in the tree house, but the Clay Center employees are strict about the age limit.
Every Wednesday, preschoolers are invited to Wee Wednesdays to enjoy story time and crafts designed for children their age. The themes change weekly and are based on popular children's books. These activities are included in the cost of the gallery admission.
Beside Kidspace is Earth City, a unique indoor sand and water discovery area, which was a huge hit with my kids. Earth City is designed to teach children about West Virginia's geology.
There are many hands-on exhibits that teach kids about tornadoes, geysers, dams, waterfalls, and more. My eight year old daughter enjoyed the tornado and geyser exhibits, while my three year old twins just thought it was fun to get wet and dirty in the water and sand.
Either way, it was a great entertaining place for kids to play.
There is another area of Earth City, aptly named the Cavern of Time, in which live science demonstrations are held, and occasionally educational films are shown. The subject of the presentations changes monthly.
Outside of Earth City is Health Royale, an area designed to teach children about the workings of the human body in a fun and entertaining environment. There are several "games" including a mountain climber game in which the child has to select healthy, low-fat foods to keep the climber from falling off the mountain.
There is also an X-ray machine with X-rays of everything from the human body to snakes. The main attraction though is the large Hollywood Squares-inspired game show.
Players answer questions related to health, diet, exercise, drugs, alcohol use, and more. The game show "host" is Skully, and the guests include Funny Bone, Coach Heart, Queen Intestine, and others. This is a popular Clay Center attraction, recently winning the coveted Thea "Outstanding Achievement Award for Museum Attraction." Other recipients of this award include Universal Studios and Disney attractions.
After experiencing Health Royale, we headed downstairs to the Gizmo Factory, which features more than 30 exhibits teaching children about physical science. Gizmo Factory is a hands-on in which children are encouraged to try everything in order to learn more about science and engineering. The area is geared more towards school-age children, but my three year old twins enjoyed it nonetheless.
There is a full-body pin screen, which was a huge hit with kids and adults alike. Many adults—myself included—laughed loudly as they tried to out-do their kids with the most creative pin "design". There were also exhibits in which ceramic pots were digitally "thrown"; roller coasters were designed; and music created with a laser "string-less" harp.
In a small room near the Gizmo Factory, we discovered the Exploration Station, an area with many building activities that change often. This area teaches children how engineers design and build structures, and then encourages kids to attempt to build temples, pyramids, and other structures out of blocks.
Another amazing and exciting area of the Clay Center is the ElectricSky Theater, a massive 61-foot domed screen that features planetarium shows and large format (think IMAX) films. Featured at the time of our visit was the planetarium show Rocket Men: A Brief History of Rocketry, which looks at rocketry from ancient times into the future.
The planetarium also features a large star ball that displays over 10,000 different stars. Planetarium shows are approximately 45 minutes and are followed by live seasonal star talks, featuring the aforementioned star ball.
The Alps,—a film featuring spectacular views of the mountain range's natural beauty; a bungee jump off Switzerland's Verzasca Dam; and a climber traversing one of the steepest peaks in all of Europe—was running during our visit. The film runs approximately 45 minutes.
Aside from these staple Clay Center activities, there are many more ever-changing activities in which kids can participate. For example, on the second Saturday of each month, a "Fun Lab" is held in one of the Clay Center's classrooms. The theme is different each week.
On May 8, the Fun Lab will allow children to create their own masterpieces using pasta and beans. On June 12, a Critter Mini Zoo will be held, where children can meet the Clay Center’s animals including snakes, lizards, tarantulas, etc.
My kids would love that, but I think I will be waiting outside. The cost of these activities is included in the gallery admission.
There is also an After School Explorers Club, which takes place on Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 and is designed for children from grades 2 through 6. Activities include demonstrations, hands-on experiments, and crafts.
The next upcoming activity is called “Make It Work!” and will be geared around challenges dealing with magic carpets, warp speed, and a human knot. Cost for this workshop is $12 for members and $15 for non-members.
Of particular interest to school age children are the numerous summer activities planned. There are several Summer Discovery Day Camps and even a Camp-in. The Camp-in is named “Space Night at the Museum” and will run from 6:30 pm on Friday June 18 until 10 am on Saturday June 19.
Admission is $40 per person and will include a planetarium show, a giant screen film in the ElectricSky Theater, space themed workshops, and a dance party. Also included are snacks and breakfast. Imagine camping with your family under a sky of 10,000 stars—and in a comfortable, air-conditioned, bug-free room, no less.
There are several summer day-camps that are offered at the Clay Center. My daughter has signed up for the Vet Camp, which will be July 6-9 for two hours each day. Her goal is to one day become a veterinarian; and at this camp, she will be able to interact with live animals, learn how to help animals, and meet a real vet.
She is very excited about the camp, and I think this will be a wonderful opportunity for her or any other animal-loving child out there. There are also upcoming theater-themed workshops, film-making workshops, science workshops, and art workshops. The cost for these day camps is $45 per person for members and $55 per person for non-members.
If you (or, more likely, your child) decide that you must absolutely take home a piece of the Clay Center, luckily there is a gift shop available for your perusing. The BB&T Little Shop of Wonders has items that cannot be found anywhere else. Whether you would like chocolate covered crickets, crunchy salsa larvae, sea monkeys, or a simple super-high bouncy ball, this is the place for you.
Even if you choose not to purchase anything, the gift shop is a unique experience in itself with a selection of one-of-a-kind items. Also, each Saturday and Sunday, the Little Shop of Wonders holds an interactive event they call “The Finale”. At this event, children and gift shop staff rip open the packages and play with items from the gift shop. Kids can compete in a number of games, including slinky races, gyroscope battles, and bouncy ball contests.
If your child still hasn’t gotten enough science, the Clay Center also offers birthday party specials. You have your choice of the basic package or the deluxe package.
The basic package includes a private party room, gallery admission for up to 10 children (one parent per child is also included), a 10% discount at the BB&T Little Shop of Wonders, and a free gallery admission pass for each child to be used at a future visit. This package is $50 for members and $75 for non-members.
The deluxe birthday package includes everything in the basic package, plus a private (age-appropriate) science demonstration and a special Clay Center gift for the birthday child. The price for this package is $100 for members and $150 for non-members.
As you can see, the Clay Center has designed a good portion of their programs to entertain and teach children. It is rare to find an establishment that can offer so many activities to adults while at the same time, completely catering to children.
I would recommend a visit to anyone with children of any age who is looking for something different to do, whether they are just looking to get out of the house, expand their minds, or burn off some of that never-ending energy.
The Clay Center is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from noon to 5 pm. They are closed to the public on Monday and Tuesday. Smart pass admission, which includes access to the galleries, film, and planetarium is $13.50 for adults and $11 for children. Admission to the galleries only is $7 for adults and $5.50 for children. Annual memberships are available for individuals for $55 or for families for $75.
You know that feeling you get when you're stuck indoors with kids for too long? When you are itching to find something for your kids to do? When you just have to find something to occupy them—and hopefully burn off some of that never-ending energy?
Why not try out the Clay Center? I did.
Walking up to an elegant looking building with several unique and fascinating sculptures before it, I thought that the four rambunctious laughing children behind me would surely terrorize the place. Not so.
As we entered the museum, we were greeted by no less than three employees wearing bright smiles and palpable excitement. As I paid our admission, the employees took the kids over to a snake (my worst enemy) display set up by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
My children eagerly stepped up to a man holding a snake, wanting to touch the creature. They learned about venomous and non-venomous snakes alike, and they got to hold a large snakeskin originally found in a West Virginia forest.
As a reward for their bravery, the kids received bright yellow stickers proclaiming I touched a snake today. I received no such sticker.
Straight back from the front doors is an area belonging to the Avampato Discovery Museum. This area contains Kidspace, which is designed specifically for children aged 5 and under.
Toddlers and preschoolers will delight in the huge indoor tree house where they can climb, slide, run, crawl, and jump to their hearts' content. There is also a giant "ball pond" filled with over 10,000 plastic balls that can be "shot" from the upper branches of the tree house.
I learned about this neat trick while searching for the origin of the small blue balls that were mysteriously bouncing off my head. The balls can also be tossed into buckets, or kids can simply jump into them from the edges of the pond.
Another fun area of Kidspace is the Spider Symphony, where kids can engage in physical and cognitive play by "playing" a number of instruments to hear their unique sounds.
Kidspace also caters to the needs of families with a special nursing room for moms with babies, and also a Big Kid Room designated for older siblings. The Big Kid Room contains a number of beanbag chairs, a couch, and a TV along with a variety of DVDs.
My eight year old [son/daughter] actually thought this room was boring and wanted to climb in the tree house, but the Clay Center employees are strict about the age limit.
Every Wednesday, preschoolers are invited to Wee Wednesdays to enjoy story time and crafts designed for children their age. The themes change weekly and are based on popular children's books. These activities are included in the cost of the gallery admission.
Beside Kidspace is Earth City, a unique indoor sand and water discovery area, which was a huge hit with my kids. Earth City is designed to teach children about West Virginia's geology.
There are many hands-on exhibits that teach kids about tornadoes, geysers, dams, waterfalls, and more. My eight year old daughter enjoyed the tornado and geyser exhibits, while my three year old twins just thought it was fun to get wet and dirty in the water and sand.
Either way, it was a great entertaining place for kids to play.
There is another area of Earth City, aptly named the Cavern of Time, in which live science demonstrations are held, and occasionally educational films are shown. The subject of the presentations changes monthly.
Outside of Earth City is Health Royale, an area designed to teach children about the workings of the human body in a fun and entertaining environment. There are several "games" including a mountain climber game in which the child has to select healthy, low-fat foods to keep the climber from falling off the mountain.
There is also an X-ray machine with X-rays of everything from the human body to snakes. The main attraction though is the large Hollywood Squares-inspired game show.
Players answer questions related to health, diet, exercise, drugs, alcohol use, and more. The game show "host" is Skully, and the guests include Funny Bone, Coach Heart, Queen Intestine, and others. This is a popular Clay Center attraction, recently winning the coveted Thea "Outstanding Achievement Award for Museum Attraction." Other recipients of this award include Universal Studios and Disney attractions.
After experiencing Health Royale, we headed downstairs to the Gizmo Factory, which features more than 30 exhibits teaching children about physical science. Gizmo Factory is a hands-on in which children are encouraged to try everything in order to learn more about science and engineering. The area is geared more towards school-age children, but my three year old twins enjoyed it nonetheless.
There is a full-body pin screen, which was a huge hit with kids and adults alike. Many adults—myself included—laughed loudly as they tried to out-do their kids with the most creative pin "design". There were also exhibits in which ceramic pots were digitally "thrown"; roller coasters were designed; and music created with a laser "string-less" harp.
In a small room near the Gizmo Factory, we discovered the Exploration Station, an area with many building activities that change often. This area teaches children how engineers design and build structures, and then encourages kids to attempt to build temples, pyramids, and other structures out of blocks.
Another amazing and exciting area of the Clay Center is the ElectricSky Theater, a massive 61-foot domed screen that features planetarium shows and large format (think IMAX) films. Featured at the time of our visit was the planetarium show Rocket Men: A Brief History of Rocketry, which looks at rocketry from ancient times into the future.
The planetarium also features a large star ball that displays over 10,000 different stars. Planetarium shows are approximately 45 minutes and are followed by live seasonal star talks, featuring the aforementioned star ball.
The Alps,—a film featuring spectacular views of the mountain range's natural beauty; a bungee jump off Switzerland's Verzasca Dam; and a climber traversing one of the steepest peaks in all of Europe—was running during our visit. The film runs approximately 45 minutes.
Aside from these staple Clay Center activities, there are many more ever-changing activities in which kids can participate. For example, on the second Saturday of each month, a "Fun Lab" is held in one of the Clay Center's classrooms. The theme is different each week.
On May 8, the Fun Lab will allow children to create their own masterpieces using pasta and beans. On June 12, a Critter Mini Zoo will be held, where children can meet the Clay Center’s animals including snakes, lizards, tarantulas, etc.
My kids would love that, but I think I will be waiting outside. The cost of these activities is included in the gallery admission.
There is also an After School Explorers Club, which takes place on Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 and is designed for children from grades 2 through 6. Activities include demonstrations, hands-on experiments, and crafts.
The next upcoming activity is called “Make It Work!” and will be geared around challenges dealing with magic carpets, warp speed, and a human knot. Cost for this workshop is $12 for members and $15 for non-members.
Of particular interest to school age children are the numerous summer activities planned. There are several Summer Discovery Day Camps and even a Camp-in. The Camp-in is named “Space Night at the Museum” and will run from 6:30 pm on Friday June 18 until 10 am on Saturday June 19.
Admission is $40 per person and will include a planetarium show, a giant screen film in the ElectricSky Theater, space themed workshops, and a dance party. Also included are snacks and breakfast. Imagine camping with your family under a sky of 10,000 stars—and in a comfortable, air-conditioned, bug-free room, no less.
There are several summer day-camps that are offered at the Clay Center. My daughter has signed up for the Vet Camp, which will be July 6-9 for two hours each day. Her goal is to one day become a veterinarian; and at this camp, she will be able to interact with live animals, learn how to help animals, and meet a real vet.
She is very excited about the camp, and I think this will be a wonderful opportunity for her or any other animal-loving child out there. There are also upcoming theater-themed workshops, film-making workshops, science workshops, and art workshops. The cost for these day camps is $45 per person for members and $55 per person for non-members.
If you (or, more likely, your child) decide that you must absolutely take home a piece of the Clay Center, luckily there is a gift shop available for your perusing. The BB&T Little Shop of Wonders has items that cannot be found anywhere else. Whether you would like chocolate covered crickets, crunchy salsa larvae, sea monkeys, or a simple super-high bouncy ball, this is the place for you.
Even if you choose not to purchase anything, the gift shop is a unique experience in itself with a selection of one-of-a-kind items. Also, each Saturday and Sunday, the Little Shop of Wonders holds an interactive event they call “The Finale”. At this event, children and gift shop staff rip open the packages and play with items from the gift shop. Kids can compete in a number of games, including slinky races, gyroscope battles, and bouncy ball contests.
If your child still hasn’t gotten enough science, the Clay Center also offers birthday party specials. You have your choice of the basic package or the deluxe package.
The basic package includes a private party room, gallery admission for up to 10 children (one parent per child is also included), a 10% discount at the BB&T Little Shop of Wonders, and a free gallery admission pass for each child to be used at a future visit. This package is $50 for members and $75 for non-members.
The deluxe birthday package includes everything in the basic package, plus a private (age-appropriate) science demonstration and a special Clay Center gift for the birthday child. The price for this package is $100 for members and $150 for non-members.
As you can see, the Clay Center has designed a good portion of their programs to entertain and teach children. It is rare to find an establishment that can offer so many activities to adults while at the same time, completely catering to children.
I would recommend a visit to anyone with children of any age who is looking for something different to do, whether they are just looking to get out of the house, expand their minds, or burn off some of that never-ending energy.
The Clay Center is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from noon to 5 pm. They are closed to the public on Monday and Tuesday. Smart pass admission, which includes access to the galleries, film, and planetarium is $13.50 for adults and $11 for children. Admission to the galleries only is $7 for adults and $5.50 for children. Annual memberships are available for individuals for $55 or for families for $75.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Summer Theater Preview by Caitlin Stout- revised
Tired of fighting the crowds on Friday and Saturday nights at the movie theater? This May and June, why not try something new?
For around the same price as a trip to the movies, you can enjoy some live-action drama and laughs by attending one of the many theatrical events going on in and around the Kanawha Valley. Whether you fancy a magic show or a musical comedy, the theater groups in our area have something to offer for everyone, and can reasonably factor into anyone’s budget.
Charleston’s own Kanawha Players, one of the oldest amateur theater companies in the country, will perform Jeremy Eisler’s Courting Disaster on May 27, 28, and 29 at 8 P.M., and May 30 at 2 P.M. at the Kanawha Players Theater.
This musical comedy, directed by Kelly Strom, pokes fun at the judges, layers, and litigators of the law system. Tickets for adults are $16, while tickets for children ages 17 and under are $10.
The Players will also be perform The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by Jess Borgeson, Adam Long, and Daniel Singeron from June 4-6 and June 11-12 at 8 P.M. This parody of Shakespeare’s plays is widely popular among college campuses and has achieved worldwide success in a variety of languages.
For anyone who’s ever trudged through Hamlet or Macbeth wearing a grimace, this play is sure to make you smile. Tickets prices are also $16 for adults and $10 for children 17 and under.
The Charleston Light Opera Guild, known for its excellence in producing musicals for the Kanawha Valley, also has a couple of shows this summer. The ever-popular Gypsy will be performed on May 7-9, 14-15, and 21-22 at 7:30 P.M. at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theater.
Gypsy, referred to as “the greatest American musical” by critics and writers alike, is based on the 1957 memoirs of the famous striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee. The show features popular musical numbers such as “Let Me Entertain You” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”.
The original Broadway production starred Ethel Merman as Rose, the overbearing stage mother who pushes her daughter, Louise (based on Gypsy Rose Lee) to success. Other Broadway revivals starred Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, and Bernadette Peters. Tickets are available at the Civic Center Box Office.
The Guild will also be performing Barnum as a featured FestivALL event this June. The show follows the career of the famous showman from the year 1835 to when he joined James A. Bailey to form the "Greatest Show on Earth".
Cy Coleman wrote the music for the original Broadway production, and Nina Pasinetti is directing for the Light Opera Guild. Performances will be at the Civic Center Little Theater on June 19, 25, and 26 at 8 P.M., as well as June 20 and 27 at 3:00 P.M. And be sure to look for the Guild’s productions of the love-rock musical Hair this summer, as well as Dreamgirls scheduled for this fall.
The Clay Center’s "Broadway in Charleston" series also has a few shows to offer in the coming months. It will cost a little more money, but the entertainment will be well worth it.
David Copperfield will be in town performing David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion on Sunday, May 16 at 5:30 and 8 P.M. Prepare to be amazed, as this event will take the audience on a journey of wishes and dreams through the power of illusion.
Later in the month, on Sunday, May 23 at 2 P.M., the Clay Center will be presenting the musical Beauty and the Beast, based on the Academy-Award winning animated Disney film. Don’t miss this classic story, filled with enchantment and spectacle, and featuring beloved songs such as “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
Finally, if you don’t mind traveling a bit, The Jackson County Players will be performing Jan de Hartog’s The Fourposter on June 4-6 at the Alpine Theater in Ripley. This small heartfelt play focuses on a married couple’s milestones through 35 years of marriage, including the consummation of their marriage, the birth of their first child, their daughter’s wedding, moving out of their home and passing it on to another newlywed couple.
This Tony-award winning comedy first opened in 1951 starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, and was adapted in 1966 by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt for their musical I Do! I Do!
For tickets, or more information on any of these events, please visit these websites:
The Kanawha Players: http://www.kanawhaplayers.org/
The Charleston Light Opera Guild: http://www.charlestonlightoperaguild.org/
The Clay Center: http://www.theclaycenter.org/
The Jackson County Players: http://jacksoncountyplayers.com/
For around the same price as a trip to the movies, you can enjoy some live-action drama and laughs by attending one of the many theatrical events going on in and around the Kanawha Valley. Whether you fancy a magic show or a musical comedy, the theater groups in our area have something to offer for everyone, and can reasonably factor into anyone’s budget.
Charleston’s own Kanawha Players, one of the oldest amateur theater companies in the country, will perform Jeremy Eisler’s Courting Disaster on May 27, 28, and 29 at 8 P.M., and May 30 at 2 P.M. at the Kanawha Players Theater.
This musical comedy, directed by Kelly Strom, pokes fun at the judges, layers, and litigators of the law system. Tickets for adults are $16, while tickets for children ages 17 and under are $10.
The Players will also be perform The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by Jess Borgeson, Adam Long, and Daniel Singeron from June 4-6 and June 11-12 at 8 P.M. This parody of Shakespeare’s plays is widely popular among college campuses and has achieved worldwide success in a variety of languages.
For anyone who’s ever trudged through Hamlet or Macbeth wearing a grimace, this play is sure to make you smile. Tickets prices are also $16 for adults and $10 for children 17 and under.
The Charleston Light Opera Guild, known for its excellence in producing musicals for the Kanawha Valley, also has a couple of shows this summer. The ever-popular Gypsy will be performed on May 7-9, 14-15, and 21-22 at 7:30 P.M. at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theater.
Gypsy, referred to as “the greatest American musical” by critics and writers alike, is based on the 1957 memoirs of the famous striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee. The show features popular musical numbers such as “Let Me Entertain You” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”.
The original Broadway production starred Ethel Merman as Rose, the overbearing stage mother who pushes her daughter, Louise (based on Gypsy Rose Lee) to success. Other Broadway revivals starred Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, and Bernadette Peters. Tickets are available at the Civic Center Box Office.
The Guild will also be performing Barnum as a featured FestivALL event this June. The show follows the career of the famous showman from the year 1835 to when he joined James A. Bailey to form the "Greatest Show on Earth".
Cy Coleman wrote the music for the original Broadway production, and Nina Pasinetti is directing for the Light Opera Guild. Performances will be at the Civic Center Little Theater on June 19, 25, and 26 at 8 P.M., as well as June 20 and 27 at 3:00 P.M. And be sure to look for the Guild’s productions of the love-rock musical Hair this summer, as well as Dreamgirls scheduled for this fall.
The Clay Center’s "Broadway in Charleston" series also has a few shows to offer in the coming months. It will cost a little more money, but the entertainment will be well worth it.
David Copperfield will be in town performing David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion on Sunday, May 16 at 5:30 and 8 P.M. Prepare to be amazed, as this event will take the audience on a journey of wishes and dreams through the power of illusion.
Later in the month, on Sunday, May 23 at 2 P.M., the Clay Center will be presenting the musical Beauty and the Beast, based on the Academy-Award winning animated Disney film. Don’t miss this classic story, filled with enchantment and spectacle, and featuring beloved songs such as “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
Finally, if you don’t mind traveling a bit, The Jackson County Players will be performing Jan de Hartog’s The Fourposter on June 4-6 at the Alpine Theater in Ripley. This small heartfelt play focuses on a married couple’s milestones through 35 years of marriage, including the consummation of their marriage, the birth of their first child, their daughter’s wedding, moving out of their home and passing it on to another newlywed couple.
This Tony-award winning comedy first opened in 1951 starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, and was adapted in 1966 by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt for their musical I Do! I Do!
For tickets, or more information on any of these events, please visit these websites:
The Kanawha Players: http://www.kanawhaplayers.org/
The Charleston Light Opera Guild: http://www.charlestonlightoperaguild.org/
The Clay Center: http://www.theclaycenter.org/
The Jackson County Players: http://jacksoncountyplayers.com/
My Quest for the Holy (Rib) Grail by Cathy McAlister
My Quest for the Holy (Rib) Grail
My love affair with ribs began a few years ago when I was traveling on business in the northern panhandle of our state. Prior to that time, I was a complete rib virgin.
That changed the day I stumbled upon a little roadside rib joint in Weirton called DJ's Ribs. Located at 380 Three Springs Drive, DJ's is a local favorite.
The place looked and smelled like something wonderful waited on the other side of the door—and I was right. My taste buds exploded when I took my first bite of baby back ribs. I never tasted anything so delicious; so moist and tender.
I was hooked; but Weirton is a four hour drive from Charleston, so I began a quest to find a worthy equivalent closer to home. You are invited to follow me on my journey to find the best ribs in the Kanawha Valley.
Before we get started, there are a few things you must understand about ribs. When I speak of ribs, I'm typically referring to pork ribs, though beef ribs are in favor in some areas of WV. I'll stick with pork ribs for the time being.
There are three basic types of ribs. First there are spare ribs, which come from the underbelly and side of a pig. Next there are baby back ribs—my personal favorite—which are cut from the side of a pig's belly and will usually have a brisket bone attached.
Another good one is the loin back rib. This cut takes less time to cook and is generally the most expensive of the lot. Lastly, many people like a St. Louis-style spare rib, as well as a country-style spare rib. The latter are cut from pork shoulder and are delicious.
There are myriad ways to prepare good ribs. Slow smoking is the preferred method, and rubbing the ribs with spices and/or sauces is also popular.
Ribs are amenable to all kinds of seasoning. Here are a few of the more popular styles:
Texas Style: A rub with lots of black pepper and a jalapeno-flavored sauce.
Memphis Style: A rub containing garlic, onion powder, white pepper, seasoned pepper, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, and paprika. Also mopped with an apple cider glaze.
Southern Comfort Style: A rub with paprika, garlic powder, seasoned salt, dry mustard, oregano, and chili powder, finished with a mild sauce made with molasses and bourbon.
There are also many varieties of barbecue sauces. Most folks are familiar with the thick and sweet sauces that line the shelves of grocery stores. There is however much more to barbecue sauce than that.
From thin vinegar-based sauces, to thick tomato-based ones, and even mustard-based sauces, there is something for everyone. Sauce variety depends largely on which area of the country you live in.
For instance, Southerners tend to prefer vinegar-based sauces, but Texans prefer a thicker tomato-based sauce. I feel it is important for a rib lover to understand and experiment with the many types of ribs, sauces, and rubs.
Are you ready now? Let's find the best ribs the valley has to offer.
It is truly a shame that Joey's, a local rib joint, went out of business. Joey's, which used to be located next to the Charleston Civic Center in downtown Charleston, offered thick loin cuts cooked to perfection.
While Joey's served loin back cuts—and not my favorite, baby back ribs—it came in at a close second in my top ten favorite rib joints. Being that Joey's is no longer in the running, we must keep searching.
Ruby Tuesday's, located in Barboursville, has a pretty good offering. Their baby back ribs are tender, sweet, and moist. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that Ruby Tuesday's ribs are not always spot-on, so let's move on.
Famous Dave's, located in Charleston and Barboursville, is certainly in the running. With a name like "Famous Dave's," one is lead to believe the place is famous for their quality ribs. While they are OK, neither their St. Louis-style nor their baby back ribs hit my sweet spot.
My elusive dream continues.
Several local restaurants, including Chili's, Long Horn, and Fifth Quarter, dish up baby back ribs that aren't half bad, and all of them are similar in taste and texture.
Jen's BBQ, located directly across from West Virginia State University's campus, offers tasty vinegar-based baby back ribs, but they don't stack up to DJ's ribs—ribs that seemingly cannot be matched anywhere.
I'm about to give up. I'm kicking rocks.
I heard elaborate rumors about a rib shack up Interstate I79, just off the Clendenin exit, called Almost Heaven BBQ. Supposedly, this place serves ribs that are smoked to absolute perfection. I even heard that the pit master is a local boy who learned the technique while working in Texas.
A voice in my head said "head north," so I decided to check this place out. Located at 134 Spencer Road, about 2 miles off the interstate, is a small hole-in-the-wall I might have missed had I blinked. But there it was: a small gray building, sitting on top of a gravel lot packed with cars.
A large pink pig-shaped windsock blew in the wind. The joint was crowded, forcing me to drive past and turn around.
Once I pulled into the parking lot and made my way onto the tiny porch, I was greeted by strangers waiting on their own rib delight. I boldly walked up to the small window and placed my order.
An aroma hit me square in the face, causing my nose to twitch and my mouth to water. My heart pounded with anticipation.
A peek inside that tiny window revealed the cleanest work space I had ever seen. I patiently waited on my order, making small talk with strangers and even a few old acquaintances.
I could see smoke rise from huge smokers located behind the building, in which mouth-watering St. Louis-style ribs were slowly cooking. It was at that exact moment that a rainbow appeared.
I thought to myself, Could it be that I finally found my Holy Grail? The aroma was driving me crazy, and the anticipation made my knees quiver.
I could not wait one minute longer. When I tore into those baby back ribs, I knew my long search was over.
A full rack of baby back ribs at Almost Heaven BBQ will cost you $17. They are large, so be prepared for a challenge. The side dishes are all homemade and are equally delicious.
Almost Heaven only offers take-out, as there is no indoor seating available, although there are outdoor picnic tables.
Almost Heaven BBQ lives up to its name. Unfortunately, they are only open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. They also sell out quickly, so get there early.
One last tip: call ahead and ask them to save you a rack. Maybe I'll see you on the porch sometime. I'll be waiting beside the pink pig.
My love affair with ribs began a few years ago when I was traveling on business in the northern panhandle of our state. Prior to that time, I was a complete rib virgin.
That changed the day I stumbled upon a little roadside rib joint in Weirton called DJ's Ribs. Located at 380 Three Springs Drive, DJ's is a local favorite.
The place looked and smelled like something wonderful waited on the other side of the door—and I was right. My taste buds exploded when I took my first bite of baby back ribs. I never tasted anything so delicious; so moist and tender.
I was hooked; but Weirton is a four hour drive from Charleston, so I began a quest to find a worthy equivalent closer to home. You are invited to follow me on my journey to find the best ribs in the Kanawha Valley.
Before we get started, there are a few things you must understand about ribs. When I speak of ribs, I'm typically referring to pork ribs, though beef ribs are in favor in some areas of WV. I'll stick with pork ribs for the time being.
There are three basic types of ribs. First there are spare ribs, which come from the underbelly and side of a pig. Next there are baby back ribs—my personal favorite—which are cut from the side of a pig's belly and will usually have a brisket bone attached.
Another good one is the loin back rib. This cut takes less time to cook and is generally the most expensive of the lot. Lastly, many people like a St. Louis-style spare rib, as well as a country-style spare rib. The latter are cut from pork shoulder and are delicious.
There are myriad ways to prepare good ribs. Slow smoking is the preferred method, and rubbing the ribs with spices and/or sauces is also popular.
Ribs are amenable to all kinds of seasoning. Here are a few of the more popular styles:
Texas Style: A rub with lots of black pepper and a jalapeno-flavored sauce.
Memphis Style: A rub containing garlic, onion powder, white pepper, seasoned pepper, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, and paprika. Also mopped with an apple cider glaze.
Southern Comfort Style: A rub with paprika, garlic powder, seasoned salt, dry mustard, oregano, and chili powder, finished with a mild sauce made with molasses and bourbon.
There are also many varieties of barbecue sauces. Most folks are familiar with the thick and sweet sauces that line the shelves of grocery stores. There is however much more to barbecue sauce than that.
From thin vinegar-based sauces, to thick tomato-based ones, and even mustard-based sauces, there is something for everyone. Sauce variety depends largely on which area of the country you live in.
For instance, Southerners tend to prefer vinegar-based sauces, but Texans prefer a thicker tomato-based sauce. I feel it is important for a rib lover to understand and experiment with the many types of ribs, sauces, and rubs.
Are you ready now? Let's find the best ribs the valley has to offer.
It is truly a shame that Joey's, a local rib joint, went out of business. Joey's, which used to be located next to the Charleston Civic Center in downtown Charleston, offered thick loin cuts cooked to perfection.
While Joey's served loin back cuts—and not my favorite, baby back ribs—it came in at a close second in my top ten favorite rib joints. Being that Joey's is no longer in the running, we must keep searching.
Ruby Tuesday's, located in Barboursville, has a pretty good offering. Their baby back ribs are tender, sweet, and moist. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that Ruby Tuesday's ribs are not always spot-on, so let's move on.
Famous Dave's, located in Charleston and Barboursville, is certainly in the running. With a name like "Famous Dave's," one is lead to believe the place is famous for their quality ribs. While they are OK, neither their St. Louis-style nor their baby back ribs hit my sweet spot.
My elusive dream continues.
Several local restaurants, including Chili's, Long Horn, and Fifth Quarter, dish up baby back ribs that aren't half bad, and all of them are similar in taste and texture.
Jen's BBQ, located directly across from West Virginia State University's campus, offers tasty vinegar-based baby back ribs, but they don't stack up to DJ's ribs—ribs that seemingly cannot be matched anywhere.
I'm about to give up. I'm kicking rocks.
I heard elaborate rumors about a rib shack up Interstate I79, just off the Clendenin exit, called Almost Heaven BBQ. Supposedly, this place serves ribs that are smoked to absolute perfection. I even heard that the pit master is a local boy who learned the technique while working in Texas.
A voice in my head said "head north," so I decided to check this place out. Located at 134 Spencer Road, about 2 miles off the interstate, is a small hole-in-the-wall I might have missed had I blinked. But there it was: a small gray building, sitting on top of a gravel lot packed with cars.
A large pink pig-shaped windsock blew in the wind. The joint was crowded, forcing me to drive past and turn around.
Once I pulled into the parking lot and made my way onto the tiny porch, I was greeted by strangers waiting on their own rib delight. I boldly walked up to the small window and placed my order.
An aroma hit me square in the face, causing my nose to twitch and my mouth to water. My heart pounded with anticipation.
A peek inside that tiny window revealed the cleanest work space I had ever seen. I patiently waited on my order, making small talk with strangers and even a few old acquaintances.
I could see smoke rise from huge smokers located behind the building, in which mouth-watering St. Louis-style ribs were slowly cooking. It was at that exact moment that a rainbow appeared.
I thought to myself, Could it be that I finally found my Holy Grail? The aroma was driving me crazy, and the anticipation made my knees quiver.
I could not wait one minute longer. When I tore into those baby back ribs, I knew my long search was over.
A full rack of baby back ribs at Almost Heaven BBQ will cost you $17. They are large, so be prepared for a challenge. The side dishes are all homemade and are equally delicious.
Almost Heaven only offers take-out, as there is no indoor seating available, although there are outdoor picnic tables.
Almost Heaven BBQ lives up to its name. Unfortunately, they are only open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. They also sell out quickly, so get there early.
One last tip: call ahead and ask them to save you a rack. Maybe I'll see you on the porch sometime. I'll be waiting beside the pink pig.
Help
I can't find my revised article nor the suggestions that were made to the title...can you please help me.
Cathy
Cathy
A One Stop Shop: revision
Around the corner from downtown Charleston is a hidden treasure: The Liquor Company, a locally-owned liquor store that provides great service and quality products. This upscale liquor store features many new wine, spirits, and craft brews.
The Liquor Company is the one of the largest retailer of spirits in the valley. The store provides many great services that many of the other stores do not offer. There is usually an on-hand bartender that can assist you in creating the perfect drink. Also, a trained wine consultant can help you choose that wine for somebody special. And all employs are well rounded beer drinkers that can point you to the best brew. The liquor company also provides services to many of the local bars in Charleston. So, if you’re looking for place to let loose or hear some good music, they can send you in the right direction.
Here are a few fine examples that I enjoy.
Wine
The wine section is carefully categorized to be customer-friendly. Signs hang sown from the ceiling, labeling each type of wine, (i.e. Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc).
Located in the back of the store is a wine tasting bar. This section features an electronic wine pouring system from Napa Technology. A guest can buy a smart card and use it to taste several wines.
Every other weekend, a professional wine consultant comes to give a wine tasting. He goes over some basic facts about each wine and also explains what they taste. This will help the guest be more comfortable buying wine because they will understand the differences between wines.
The wine tasting also give wine lovers a chance to discuss what they like and have some responsible fun.
2006 Right Red Hand
One of the newest showcased wines is the 2006 Right Red Hand from Australia. This complex wine is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Tempernillo. The youthful hues of purple and savory flavors of dark fruit and spicy aromas make it a great wine. This wine will only cost the guest about $17.00. I really like the fact that this wine is very easy to drink. After a long day, it's relaxing and soothing to the palate. It's also goes well with steak and sautéed mushrooms.
Sebastiani Merlot
I am not much of a merlot person, partially because it is a difficult wine to enjoy. There are many flavors, with some strong tannins. But the Sebastiani Merlot is one varietal that I really enjoy. This merlot is quite drinkable due to its abundance of mixed dark berries from Sonoma County in California. There are soft notes of cinnamon and espresso, with a nose of dark chocolate. This bottle will run about $24.00 a bottle.
For more info, check out: www.Sebastiani.com
Spirits
The Liquor Company prides itself on carrying the best selection of spirits. If you find it difficult to choose a drink, there is an on-hand bartender to help make that decision.
There are wide varieties of vodka, whiskey, bourbon, scotch, tequila, and rum. If you can't handle the sting, then there are plenty of mixers to make the drink go down smooth.
Hennessy Black
The Liquor Company has finally welcomed Hennessy Black. This cognac has distinct tasting notes that contrast with the original Hennessy.
This fine cognac if made a lot like a wine. The best grapes of the Cognac region are selected. The grapes are then made into wine and distilled twice.
This method helps preserve the complex flavor of the grape. The "eaux-de-vie" is then aged in black oak barrels. Finally, the master blender chooses the best of the best for bottling.
This cognac presents a smooth flavor with notes of jasmine, daffodil, citrus, and fresh grapes. You can enjoy this drink, responsibly, by mixing:
-2 parts Hennessy Black
-1/4 simple syrup
-A dash of bitter
-Shake into a high ball glass over ice
For more info, check out: www.hennessyblack.com
Russian Standard
The guys down at the Liquor Company really know there vodkas. One of the vodkas they swear by is the Russian Standard Vodka. This is premium vodka of Russia. In the past ten years it has become of the fastest growing vodkas in the world. The mix between winter wheat and glacier water from Lake Ladoga, makes for a smooth vodka. This is an easy by because it is smoother and more affordable that Grey Goose, another popular vodka.
There are thousands of ways to enjoy vodka, but is one of my favorites:
Peach Bellini:
-2 parts Russian Standard
-1 part peach puree
-Fill glass with champagne
For more info, check out: www.russianstandard.com
Craft Brews
There are many new and exciting craft brews that are located in the store. Craft brew is a term used to describe brews made the traditional way, using barley malt, hops, and water. It can be argued that a craft beer can be made from other traditional ingredients.
Craft brews are also not just limited to "micro-breweries"; they can also be produced on a larger scale. For example, Rogue Ales is a large brewery in Oregon, featuring many great beers. This company prides itself on delivering beer that has no preservatives, additives, or chemicals.
John John Dead Guy
This beer is one of the newest brews of the Rogue family, made in collaboration with Rogue Spirits. The master brewer and distiller took the popular Dead Guy Ale and aged it inside whiskey oak barrels for one month. This creates a deep caramel color with hints of vanilla and oak finish.
This beer can be enjoyed with a mouth-watering pull-porked sandwich.
XS Imperial IPA
This brew is not for the faint at heart. This beer comes from the XS series of brews that carry a higher alcohol content.
Hearty cascade and northwest golden hops, along with barley, are used to make this big brew. It is intensely hopped and should be consumed responsibly.
For more info, check out: www.rogue.com
The Liquor Company is your one- stop shop for a good time and great drinks. They are located in the Patrick Street Plaza, in Charleston. If you have any question on the products, don't be afraid to call 304-346-6000. They are also on Facebook.
Remember: Drink Responsibly.
The Liquor Company is the one of the largest retailer of spirits in the valley. The store provides many great services that many of the other stores do not offer. There is usually an on-hand bartender that can assist you in creating the perfect drink. Also, a trained wine consultant can help you choose that wine for somebody special. And all employs are well rounded beer drinkers that can point you to the best brew. The liquor company also provides services to many of the local bars in Charleston. So, if you’re looking for place to let loose or hear some good music, they can send you in the right direction.
Here are a few fine examples that I enjoy.
Wine
The wine section is carefully categorized to be customer-friendly. Signs hang sown from the ceiling, labeling each type of wine, (i.e. Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc).
Located in the back of the store is a wine tasting bar. This section features an electronic wine pouring system from Napa Technology. A guest can buy a smart card and use it to taste several wines.
Every other weekend, a professional wine consultant comes to give a wine tasting. He goes over some basic facts about each wine and also explains what they taste. This will help the guest be more comfortable buying wine because they will understand the differences between wines.
The wine tasting also give wine lovers a chance to discuss what they like and have some responsible fun.
2006 Right Red Hand
One of the newest showcased wines is the 2006 Right Red Hand from Australia. This complex wine is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Tempernillo. The youthful hues of purple and savory flavors of dark fruit and spicy aromas make it a great wine. This wine will only cost the guest about $17.00. I really like the fact that this wine is very easy to drink. After a long day, it's relaxing and soothing to the palate. It's also goes well with steak and sautéed mushrooms.
Sebastiani Merlot
I am not much of a merlot person, partially because it is a difficult wine to enjoy. There are many flavors, with some strong tannins. But the Sebastiani Merlot is one varietal that I really enjoy. This merlot is quite drinkable due to its abundance of mixed dark berries from Sonoma County in California. There are soft notes of cinnamon and espresso, with a nose of dark chocolate. This bottle will run about $24.00 a bottle.
For more info, check out: www.Sebastiani.com
Spirits
The Liquor Company prides itself on carrying the best selection of spirits. If you find it difficult to choose a drink, there is an on-hand bartender to help make that decision.
There are wide varieties of vodka, whiskey, bourbon, scotch, tequila, and rum. If you can't handle the sting, then there are plenty of mixers to make the drink go down smooth.
Hennessy Black
The Liquor Company has finally welcomed Hennessy Black. This cognac has distinct tasting notes that contrast with the original Hennessy.
This fine cognac if made a lot like a wine. The best grapes of the Cognac region are selected. The grapes are then made into wine and distilled twice.
This method helps preserve the complex flavor of the grape. The "eaux-de-vie" is then aged in black oak barrels. Finally, the master blender chooses the best of the best for bottling.
This cognac presents a smooth flavor with notes of jasmine, daffodil, citrus, and fresh grapes. You can enjoy this drink, responsibly, by mixing:
-2 parts Hennessy Black
-1/4 simple syrup
-A dash of bitter
-Shake into a high ball glass over ice
For more info, check out: www.hennessyblack.com
Russian Standard
The guys down at the Liquor Company really know there vodkas. One of the vodkas they swear by is the Russian Standard Vodka. This is premium vodka of Russia. In the past ten years it has become of the fastest growing vodkas in the world. The mix between winter wheat and glacier water from Lake Ladoga, makes for a smooth vodka. This is an easy by because it is smoother and more affordable that Grey Goose, another popular vodka.
There are thousands of ways to enjoy vodka, but is one of my favorites:
Peach Bellini:
-2 parts Russian Standard
-1 part peach puree
-Fill glass with champagne
For more info, check out: www.russianstandard.com
Craft Brews
There are many new and exciting craft brews that are located in the store. Craft brew is a term used to describe brews made the traditional way, using barley malt, hops, and water. It can be argued that a craft beer can be made from other traditional ingredients.
Craft brews are also not just limited to "micro-breweries"; they can also be produced on a larger scale. For example, Rogue Ales is a large brewery in Oregon, featuring many great beers. This company prides itself on delivering beer that has no preservatives, additives, or chemicals.
John John Dead Guy
This beer is one of the newest brews of the Rogue family, made in collaboration with Rogue Spirits. The master brewer and distiller took the popular Dead Guy Ale and aged it inside whiskey oak barrels for one month. This creates a deep caramel color with hints of vanilla and oak finish.
This beer can be enjoyed with a mouth-watering pull-porked sandwich.
XS Imperial IPA
This brew is not for the faint at heart. This beer comes from the XS series of brews that carry a higher alcohol content.
Hearty cascade and northwest golden hops, along with barley, are used to make this big brew. It is intensely hopped and should be consumed responsibly.
For more info, check out: www.rogue.com
The Liquor Company is your one- stop shop for a good time and great drinks. They are located in the Patrick Street Plaza, in Charleston. If you have any question on the products, don't be afraid to call 304-346-6000. They are also on Facebook.
Remember: Drink Responsibly.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Editing: Complete
OK boils and ghouls, I'm finished. I sent out edits to everyone via WebCT (except the articles I edited in class on Thursday).
If you have trouble opening the attached files, let me know.
Be sure to get your final drafts ready to turn in this week--it is the last week of classes after all.
If you have trouble opening the attached files, let me know.
Be sure to get your final drafts ready to turn in this week--it is the last week of classes after all.
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