Author: Connie

New Year’s Eve in the Midwest: Dropping the Carp or the Bridge or the Watermelon

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin , , , , , , 0 Comment

New_Years_Eve_photoMost everyone is familiar with the ball dropping at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve in New York’s Times Square.  I’ll bet you didn’t know that here in the Midwest, several cities have their own traditions of dropping quirky objects.  I didn’t either until I started researching New Year’s Eve events for the Midwest Festivals and Fairs page.  Here are some that I found:

In Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, the grand finale of the Carp Fest that runs for several days at the end of the year includes a pyrotechnic show, music, a bonfire and the Droppin’ of the Carp.  Kiss Lucky the Carp for a year of good fortune.

Another fish, a 20 foot, 600 pound walleye, drops in Port Clinton, Ohio, during Walleye Madness at Midnight following an evening of festivities with street vendors, raffles, and live entertainment.  An early, 6 p.m. edition of the fish drop entertains kids whose bedtime is well before midnight.

Traverse City, Michigan, known for tart cherries, drops an illuminated cherry, called a Cherry T Ball at midnight, with live music beginning at 9:30 p.m.  If weather permits, you’ll see fireworks, too.  The Cherry T Ball is a charity fundraising event.  Suggested admission is $3 or three non-perishable food items.

In Charlevoix, Michigan, the Memorial Draw Bridge will be raised at 11:45 p.m. and then lowered with the countdown to midnight, followed by fireworks and the lighting of the lighthouse.  Bridge Drop festivities begin in early afternoon and include a snowman building contest, food trucks and s’mores and hot cocoa.

Watermelon is the thing to drop in Vincennes, Indiana, fourteen of them!  Live music, food and spirits begin at 9 p.m.

There are more, too, like The Puck Drops Here celebration in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and like in Times Square, Ludington, Michigan drops a ball.

Do you know of a Midwest town that drops something on New Year’s Eve?  Tell us about it in the comments below.

Happy wandering in the New Year.

Thank you for reading Midwest Wanderer.  If you enjoyed this post, click on the Subscribe2 button to the left to be notified whenever another post is published.  (Be sure to click the link when you get the e-mail asking you to confirm.)  Visit the Midwest Wanderer Facebook Page, and check out my Examiner.com page, too, where I’ve had over 80 articles published.

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Martinsville Candy Kitchen, Martinsville IN: Candy Canes Made the Old Fashioned Way

Connie Indiana , , , 2 Comments
Martinsville Candy Kitchen, Martinsville IN: Candy Canes Made the Old Fashioned Way

Martinsville Candy Kitchen began making candy canes in 1919. Five owners and three locations later, candy canes are still made right in the store, using original equipment. If you’re lucky enough to be there during production, you can watch the process through the window at the back of the shop and smell the sweet aroma that permeates the air. Read more

American Harvest Eatery: Best Chef in Springfield

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois , 0 Comment
American Harvest Eatery: Best Chef in Springfield

The sea scallops almost melted in my mouth, they were done so perfectly, with a hint of the smoky pork belly that accompanied them offset by the sweet-savory of pear mostada and cider gastrique.  Plated on a bed of smoked carrot puree and garnished with miniature carrots and marcona almonds, the dish was as pleasing to the eye as it was to the palate.  It’s no wonder that Jordan Coffey, executive chef at American Harvest Eatery, was named the 2013 Best Chef in Springfield by the Illinois Times.

Coffey and his wife, sous chef Aurora, both began their careers at Augie’s Front Burner in downtown Springfield and learned the business from the ground up, starting as a dishwasher and cashier, respectively.  Today, at not even 30 years old, Jordan and Aurora partner in the food design and preparation at American Harvest Eatery, Augie’s second Springfield restaurant, a restaurant whose mission is to use only the freshest ingredients sourced from Illinois farmers.

The menu changes seasonally to showcase the seasonal ingredients.  For instance, the salad I chose was a beet salad with baby greens, raisins, pistachios and a ginger vinaigrette.  Other first course options included autumn ingredients like butternut squash, kale and brussel sprouts.

Beet_salad

Desserts are no exception to the goal of using seasonal local ingredients.  The dessert menu for fall includes Pumpkin Tiramisu, Pear Butter Sorbet, and Mike’s Caramel Apple Cake, never your ordinary desserts.  One dessert I tried was vanilla bean and goat cheesecake with salted caramel, apple compote and honey cashew bleu cheese ice cream.

Desserts

American Harvest Eatery, open six days a week for lunch and dinner (closed Sundays), is located about 15 minutes southwest of downtown Springfield at 3241 W Iles Avenue.  Its strip mall location may seem ordinary from the outside, but once you taste the extraordinary food, you’ll realize why Jacob Coffey was named best chef in Springfield.

Amer_Harvest_insideEnjoy this post?  Click the Subscribe2 button to the left to be notified whenever I publish another post on MidwestWanderer.com.  (Be sure to click the link when you get the e-mail asking you to confirm.)  Visit the Midwest Wanderer Facebook Page, and check out my Examiner.com page, too, where I’ve had over 80 articles published.

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Frank Lloyd Wright Dana-Thomas House: 12,000 Square Feet of Phenomenal

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Frank Lloyd Wright Dana-Thomas House, Springfield IL: 12,000 Square Feet of Phenomenal

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois , , , , 0 Comment
Frank Lloyd Wright Dana-Thomas House, Springfield IL: 12,000 Square Feet of Phenomenal

The year was 1902.  Susan Dana had inherited $3 million and wanted to renovate the Renaissance Italianate home she grew up in.  She heard of an up-and-coming architect named Frank Lloyd Wright and hired him to “renovate” the house.  What she ended up with two years later was one room left from the original structure within 12,000 square feet of a brand new Frank Lloyd Wright prairie style home, a home with elements unheard of at the time, a home that everyone wanted to be entertained in.  Today the home is owned by the State of Illinois, open to the public for tours, and guests are still awestruck by the architectural genius of this mansion.

Wright’s signature traits are all over the house:  horizontal lines; a lot of open space and windows, inviting nature into the home and the home into nature; and art glass everywhere—in doors, windows, light fixtures, even in ceiling panels.  The one Wright trait that is missing is an entry door hidden from plain view.  Susan Dana loved to entertain, and she insisted on a grand entrance for guests.  And grand it is.

Entrance

As you walk through the home, from one area to another, you’ll feel the various moods that Wright meant to evoke.  A low ceiling on one side of a room creates a comfortable alcove.  Move over a few feet, to where the ceiling is much higher, and you’ll feel the space open, a perfect party space.  A long dining table, when expanded to its full length could seat up to 40.  A little beyond, a small table in a nook could be curtained off for an intimate family meal.

Landings between levels become balconies, perfect spots from which musicians could entertain.  It seems everywhere you turn there are more architectural surprises, including three barrel vaulted ceilings and an extensive use of butterflies, a favorite of Ms. Dana.  The butterflies aren’t obvious, but you can detect them in some of the art glass and in the shape of the lamps.  Surprises even extend to the lower-level library, where Ms. Dana often entertained children on Saturday mornings.  A guest touring the home once said that as a child he had his first ice cream cone here and pointed out the spot of a secret cooler that kept the ice cream cold.  The lower level includes a duck pin bowling lane and a billiards room, too.

No photographs are allowed to be taken inside, so you’ll have to take the tour yourself to see the house, the Wright-designed furniture and original sculptures.  No doubt, you’ll be awestruck, too, as you walk through the Dana-Thomas House’s 12,000 square feet of phenomenal.

The Dana-Thomas House is located at 301 E. Lawrence Avenue in Springfield, Illinois.  Tours are conducted Wednesdays through Sundays.  Visit the web site for further details.

Enjoy this post?  Click the Subscribe2 button to the left to be notified whenever another post is published on MidwestWanderer.com.  (Be sure to click the link when you get the e-mail asking you to confirm.)  Visit the Midwest Wanderer Facebook Page, and check out my Examiner.com page, too, where I’ve had over 75 articles published.

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Visit Jelly Belly, Pleasant Prairie WI: Take the Tour, Taste the Candy

Connie Attractions & Events, Wisconsin , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
Visit Jelly Belly, Pleasant Prairie WI: Take the Tour, Taste the Candy

I tasted grass clippings, dirt and soap.  For fun, I added earwax, canned dog food and skunk spray.  I avoided the really gross flavors like vomit and barf.  What’s the difference between the two?  One is more acidic, I was told, but I wasn’t about to find out for myself.  These are all flavors from the Jelly Belly BeanBoozled® collection or the Harry PotterTM Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor BeansTM collection, but you can also taste regular Jelly Belly flavors like Very Cherry, the most popular, coconut, buttered popcorn, or any of the 50 original flavors, plus more, like chocolate dipped cherry or orange.  I’m getting ahead of myself, though.  When you visit the Jelly Belly visitor center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, you should first take the warehouse tour. Read more