Deb's Monthly Review
bullet February 2003 bullet Editor: Deb Thompson
deb@lightpatch.com
Festivals for Travelers,
Sites of the Month,
Special Feature, Archives,
Opinions, Rants, Praises.

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Special Quote
"Work for something
because it is good,
not just because
it stands a
chance to succeed."
--Vaclav Havel
The Other Side Of The News: To parents, teachers,
and other
guardians of children:

The Review is a place where adults or kids should be
able to stop by and browse comfortably.
But, remember - I have no control over outside links.
For happiest results, please surf the Web with your kids!

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The Artsy Site
Of The Month:

Architecture For Sale.Com
Available homes with significant architectural interest.

Handy Site
Of The Month:

Steal It Back
Bid on confiscated police evidence online.

Just Fun Site
Of The Month:

SGI:Serious Fun
Silicon Graphics, Inc brings games, java applets, and more.

Scientific Site
Of The Month:

MasSciNet: The 24-hour exploding laboratory
A collective of scientists, and a collection of oddities.
(or is that an odd collective of scientists....?)

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Banner 10000028


Buy great spices at great prices
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February Events
Festivals For February Travelers

February 1-2, 2003
Chocolate & Coffee Lovers Festival
Seaside Civic & Convention Center,
Seaside, Oregon.
Pay a small tasting fee and enjoy ice creams, candies and other treats prepared by the chefs.
Further Details: Call 800-444-5740 or 503-738-6391.

February 1-2, 2003
Boston Wine Expo
World Trade Center Boston
and Seaport Hotel
Boston, Massachusetts.
This is a benefit for a summer camp program for children with disabilities. The event features wine-tasting, seminars, and celebrity chefs.
Tickets: Call 877-946-3976.

February 1-2, 2003
Willow Winter Carnival
various venues,
Yuma, Arizona.
Talent show, snowmobile racing, cross-country skiing, log chopping competition, dogsled racing, arts and crafts.
More: Call 907-495-6633.

February 1-2, 2003
Everglades City Seafood Festival
City Park,
Everglades City, Florida.
Over 150 exhibitors of arts and crafts, with food, music and entertainment.
Additional Information: Call 941-695-4100 or 941-695-3781.

February 1-2, 2003
Gasparilla Pirate Festival
various venues,
Tampa, Florida.
The Gasparilla is a fully-rigged pirate ship, and the ship storms into Hillsborough Bay with cannons blazing. After the ritual of capturing the city, trinkets are scattered along a parade route into downtown. There is music and other fun with costumed performers, and then a "Piratechnic" fireworks show.
Details: Call 813-251-4500.

February 1-2, 2003
Iola Winter Carnival
unknown venue(s),
Iola, Wisconsin.
snowmobile radar run, lutefisk supper, craft sale, raffle, Badger State Ski jumping.
Further Information: Call 715-445-4005.

February 1-2, 2003
Winter Festival
Downtown,
Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
Bed and barrel races, ice carving contest, dog weight pulls, pancake breakfast, chili cooking contest, kids games, hayrides.
Details: Call 800-237-2874.

February 1-2, 2003
Kites On Ice
Lake Monona,
Madison, Wisconsin.
Kite artists display kites in the air, plus there are indoor displays and workshops.
More: Call 608-850-4900.

February 1-9, 2003
Frost Fever
various venue(s),
Missoula, Montanta.
Snow volleyball, snow football, ice skating, dog sledding, ice fishing clinic, events for kids, Doggie Winter Olympics, Frozen 5K Frolic.
Additional Information: Call 406-523-2754.

February 6-17, 2003
Florida State Fair
State Fairgrounds,
Tampa, Florida.
You can enjoy the usual types of fair displays and carnival rides, plus attend concerts and get a glimpse of the "Cracker" lifestyle from Florida's past. Expect to share the fun with about a million other people.
More: Call 813-621-7821 or 800-345-FAIR.

February 7-9, 2003
Hudson Hot Air Affair
various venues,
Hudson, Wisconsin.
Cross country ski lessons, candlelight ski and hike, karaoke, dances, dog sled race, children's events, hot-air ballooning events, volleyball in the snow, pancake breakfast, chili cooking contest, kite flying, marketplace and craft fair, clown entertainers and more.
Additional Details: Call 888-247-2332.

February 7-8, 2003
Chocolate Festival
various venues,
Anaconda, Montana.
Any local merchant caught not giving away free chocolates to customers is fined (proceeds to charity). There is also a chocolate baking contest and events for kids.
Further Information: Call 406-563-2422.

February 8-9, 2003
Cabin Fever Festival
Frederick Fairgrounds,
Frederick, Maryland.
Juried arts and crafts (both traditional and contemporary works), demonstrations, food and entertainment.
More: Call 301-898-5466.

February 14-17, 2003
Cloverdale Citrus Fair
Citrus Fairgrounds,
Cloverdale, California.
Large-scale exhibits using oranges, fiddle contest, scarecrow contest. This event has been repeated since 1892.
Further Information: Call 707-894-3992.

February 14-17, 2003
Olmsted Winterfest
Delaware Park,
Buffalo, New York.
A winter celebration, featuring music, children's activities, fireworks and a chili cooking contest.
Further Details: Call 716-884-9660.

February 14-23, 2003
Riverside County Fair &
National Date Festival

Riverside County Fairgrounds,
Indio, California.
Arabian Nights Pageant, carnival, gem and mineral show, commercial exhibits, ostrich races, music, livestock auction, arts and crafts, camel races, food.
More: Call 760-863-8247 or 800-811-FAIR.

February 15-17, 2003
Bryce Canyon Winter Festival
Ruby's Inn,
Bryce, Utah.
Ski waxing clinics, archery clinic, kayaking demos, photography clinics, snowshoe tours and races, cross country ski tours and races, snow sculpture contest, entertainment, people-powered sled race and more.
Additional Details: Call 435-834-5341 or 800-468-8660.

February 21-23, 2003
Russian Festival
Russian Center,
San Francisco, California.
Russian food and drink, crafts, dancing and music, art.
More: Call 415-921-7631.

February 21-23, 2003
Yuma River Daze
Arts & Crafts Festival
various venues,
Yuma, Arizona.
The festival is in its 8th year, and features historic reenactments, plus artisans showing their wares on Main Street.
Further Information: Call 928-782-5712.

February 21-23, 2003
Almond Blossom Festival
various venues,
Ripon, California.
Parade, crafts, rides, food, maps to see blossoms in area.
More: Call 209-599-7519.

February 22-23, 2003
Grant Seafood Festival
Community Center, 1st Street,
Grant, Florida.
This event celebrates the local fishing industry, with seafood dishes (and other foods), a craft show, and plenty of entertainment.
Details: Call 321-723-8687.

February 27 - March 2, 2003
Smoky Mountains Storytelling Festival
various venues,
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Workshops, story swapping and more.
More: Call 856-429-7350.

February Somethings!
Brief, bare-boned last-minute festival listings:

Feb. 1-2 Vietnamese Tet Festival, Fairgrounds, San Jose, California, 408-223-3298
Feb. 2 Lowcountry Oyster Festival, Boon Hall Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina, 843-577-4030
Feb. 7 Frostbite Follies Winter Carnival, Littleton, New Hampshire, 603-444-6561
Feb. 8-9 San Marcos Art Festival, corner of Hendricks & San Marco, Jacksonville, Florida 954-472-3755
Feb. 15-16 Frontier Days, Preservation Park, Old Town Spring, Texas, 800-OLD-TOWN
Feb. 21-23 Merle Hay Mall Craft Festival, Des Moines, Iowa, 515-278-6200
Feb. 21-23 Indian Art Festival, Greenwood Cultural Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 918-838-3875
Feb. 23-27 Charro Days, Brownsville, Texas, 956-542-4245
Feb. 28-Mar. 2 Heritage Festival, High School, Danville, Kentucky, 859-238-6223


Other February 2003 Events You Might Enjoy
Feb. 1-2 Miniature & Dollhouse Show, Holiday Inn (Airport), Newark, New Jersey, 732-380-2135
Feb. 6-9 Orchid Show & Sale, Mall, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 610-608-3944
Feb. 7 Frostbite Follies Winter Carnival, Littleton, New Hampshire, 603-444-6561
Feb. 7-9 Antiquarian Book Fair, Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco, California, 415-962-2500
Feb. 15 UNH Chamber Singers Recital, Bratton Hall, Durham, New Hampshire, 603-862-2404
Feb. 15 Polar Bear Plunge, Sea Isle City, New Jersey, 609-263-8687
Feb. 20-23 Classic Car Auction, Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 856-768-6900
Feb. 22-23 Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, W. Idaho Fairgrounds, Boise, Idaho, 208-342-5339
Feb. 22-23 Depression Era Glass Show, State Fairgrounds, Little Rock, Arkansas, 501-375-0534
Feb. 22-23 Sand & Sage Collectors Show, Finney County Fairgrounds, Garden City, Kansas, 620-272-3844
Feb. 27-Mar. 2 Lawn & Garden Show, State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee, 615-876-7680


It's always best to call ahead to verify festival information.
Please tell them you saw the information in Deb's Monthly Review.

Please don't write and ask for personalized information on upcoming festivals,
(unless you want to hire me for personal research!)

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LightImpressionsDirect.com 17
Scrapbooking supplies & more
Looking for information on travel agents
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Car Comfort

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You know how to barter--all you do is trade
Something you have for something you want!
If your New Year's Resolution is to
Spend less cash,
Bartering is for you!

Check out Santa Cruz Barter!

www.santacruzbarter.com

bullet bullet bullet bullet bullet bullet bullet bullet

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Big Valentine Pink And Red Hearts
Go Ahead And Show Your Colors! divider

Love wears more than one hat. Sometimes love is standing on a hilltop and wishing on stars together. Sometimes love is waiting with a friend to hear about a biopsy, or patching a neighbor's roof--when you know how and they don't, or when you have good mobility and they have stiff joints. Sometimes love is running 5K to raise money for a cure, and sometimes love is walking across the room to talk to a shy stranger sitting alone at a big gathering.

Some people who have never met me showed love in the last few weeks. They had found an old photo album at an antique store in the Kansas City area, and they had looked off and on for years to find someone from the family who had owned that photo album. I read about it on a genealogy email list I belong to, and got in touch with them. The album had sat on their coffee table for years, and yet they sent it to me for the price of postage because the pictures had a personal meaning for me. John and Paula Gately in Florida showed love to a stranger. And now I can pass along the photos and the information and hopefully help other folks who are searching their family roots too. I can't thank them enough.

Love changes one's perspective. I love this quote attributed to Albert Einstein. "Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT'S relatively!" And then there was Charlie Brown's notion that went something like, "Nothing spoils the taste of peanut butter like unrequited love." Sir James Barrie said it this way: "If you have it, you don't need to have anything else. If you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have."

If you believe a Creator set our world in motion, you realize that the current state of our world is not perfect. Something got twisted along the way, and what was meant to be a great experiment in love, and a great overflowing of God for His children, got blindsided by some pretty nasty influences. We play this theme out over and over in our stories, our movies, even our own lives. Love and Hate put on the Good and Evil masks and fight it out to the death, time after time. And in our heart of hearts, we hope Good wins out.

At the recent Super Bowl, there was a lot of talk about colors and showing team colors. Some folks dressed up and wore make-up to show they supported their team. But we all show our colors in life everyday, by our acts of kindness and our expressions of love to one another. So if you want to send hearts or candy or flowers to people this Valentine's Day, go right ahead. It's one more fun way to show Whose team colors you really wear.

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Once upon a time there was a man with a gentle voice and quiet charm. He made several movies and worked in a TV show playing a character who rode a motorcycle from town to town, touching lives, and singing a little here and there. Then some of us didn't hear much of him for awhile.
We wondered if he would ever come to sing for us again.

Michael Parks is singing, and he recorded 17 songs for us to enjoy, including:

I'll Never Be Free
Basin Street Blues
Don't Go To Strangers
Easy Street

This CD was a long time
coming, but it was
worth waiting for.

Take a trip to
Listen Recordings
where you can order your copy.

Michael Parks - Coolin Soup' - Listen Recordings

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A Little Browsing...


Above: Metallic Choker Necklace

Left: Dreamcatcher Earrings

We're pleased to host the work of artisan Joan Garnand on our little patch of light on the web. Joan's creations are finally finding their way out of her Tennessee community and into the hearts of admirers everywhere.

Joan also spends much of her time doing hand-painted stationery and face painting at private events and at Tennessee festivals.


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The man in the banner below this text is not your average guy next door.
This man is Scott L. Schwartz.
If you ever get into trouble, you'll want him on your side.


This guy means business.
And his business is playing big and bad.
Big may come easy, because he's 6'10" and weighs about 300 pounds.
I'm not sure how he pulls off the bad part though, because he actually seems to be very...

Well, never mind. Just click on the banner and get ready for some action.

http://www.ultimatebadguy.com/

www.ultimatebadguy.com

Scott played a camouflage wrestler in the highly successful film Spiderman,
which is now out on DVD.

You'll see more of Scott's work in the upcoming CBS special
Return To The Bat Cave.


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If you read to children, I recommend Robert Munsch. A friend told me about "Purple, Yellow and Green". Munsch knows how to please kids' minds. And since we're on the topic of children's reading, and this is the time we think of Valentines and love, take time to read "The Very Quiet Cricket" by Eric Carle. Sometimes love is doing the right thing at the right time for the right one!
And if you want a grown-up book to read, try "Waking Up In America" by Dr. Pedro Jose Greer. Known also as Dr. Joe, this is a guy who walks the walk, working to change his corner of the world one life at a time. Rumor has it that Dr. Joe's life will be featured in a future film, with actor Andy Garcia in the main role.


If the term "Off Road" gets your blood moving, you'll enjoy Off-Road.com. Gear, parts, land use issues and other aspects of motorsports are all covered there.
If you really want to get off the road--as in off to an island somewhere, or to another country, sign up for a free subscription to the Offshore Real Estate Quarterly. Some of the properites are expensive, but some are true bargains!

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If you like the heavier metal side of rock or industrial music, or have a teen who listens to it, pay a wee bit more attention. If any of the discs bear the label "Resistance Records" you might want to investigate further.
I encourage freedom of speech, but I also encourage folks to know what they (or their kids) are actually listening to. If you don't want to promote racial hate and ethnic cleansing, you'll want to buy (and listen to) some other kind of music. Be informed.


  
It's almost time for spring cleaning. It might be too cold to open the doors and windows where you live, but you can make the cleaning easier by starting on clutter control now. I confess that I need lots of help in this area. I save too many things. One good site is Steps To A More Organized Home.

Here are more Clutter Control Rules from Jeff Campbell.

Here's a tip I happened upon almost by accident. This past fall I was cleaning bookcases and getting ready to decorate for the holiday season, and in my dusting and sorting I decided to pack about half the decorative items for the season so that I had room for holiday touches. Now I'm going to "rotate" display and collectible items and pack the others neatly in labeled boxes. I'll bring out fresh ones now and then, and if I don't put them out for a long time, I'll know it's time to sell them or give them away to charity. It looks neater, and it makes dusting go faster now too!

One more tip: Put favorite upbeat music on to play while you do any household chore!


Rotating Courses
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Gourmet Gifts @ Indian Harvest! Click to Shop!

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Graphics are original, excluding graphics linking to other sites, the Home graphic and the email graphic. If you want to use any, please ask first.
Note: Graphics linking to
www.ultimatebadguy.com and www.michaelparks.com
are owned by the respective artists/webmasters and are displayed here with their consent.
Deb's Monthly Review is copyrighted!
It is not in the public domain.
When in doubt about your use of someone's writings or graphics, ask!

Please don't link back to the graphics on the Review - copy them to your own server! Thanks!

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2003
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Note: The issue with the original Special Feature on clothing for people with special needs is here.
The updated article is here.

Note: Links on past Monthly Review Pages are NOT kept up-to-date!
If I have linked to your site in the past and you make a change, I will attempt to update
the link if you let me know about it.

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