Things to do in the Panhandle~ December 16-18

• Christmas at the Berkeley County Museum. Martinsburg, WV Fri 12/16 and Sat 12/17 noon-8pm.  Museum decorated in Civil War era decor.  Located at Belle Boyd House.  Visit www.bchs.org for more information.
• Lunch with Santa.  Jefferson County Community Center, Shenandoah Junction, WV.  Saturday 12/17.  11am-1pm.  $8/child includes picture, craft and lunch.  Visit www.jcprc.org for additional information.
  

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• Jingle Jam.  Berkeley Springs High School, Berkeley Springs, WV.  Sat 12/17 6pm.  Music, skits, performances and pictures.

What will be keeping you busy this last weekend before Christmas?

Frugal Decorating for Christmas

I love to decorate for the holidays!  I also love to save money!  So, I wanted to share a few frugal decorating ideas that have worked for me in past and would love for y’all to chime in with what works for you and your budget in the comment section.

• Tie thick ribbon around the stem of a pine cone.  Group two or three together and hang from a mantle or shelf.
• Get a big glass bowl or vase.  Layer unshelled nuts, cranberries and artificial greenery as a base for a festive candle holder.
• When I had a banister in our old house, I used artificial garland from the dollar store along with a box of ornaments from there that I tied red ribbon to and attached them to the garland at equal increments. I always loved how that looked!
• I saw this idea on Pinterest.  Get a shadow box and fill with dollar tree ornaments.  Adorable!


Source: veetje.be via Wendy on Pinterest

Things to do in the Panhandle~ The Thanksgiving Edition

I hope that you are planning a long weekend full of family, food and fun!

Here are some things happening in our area that you can incorporate in your holiday weekend:

• Christmas in Shepherdstown, Shepherdstown, WV. Friday 11/25- Sun 11/27.  Tree lighting and Santa’s arrival.  Bonfire and more!  Visit www.christmasinshepherdstown.com for more details.
• Christmas Tree Lighting, Charles Town, WV.  Friday 11/25 at 7pm.  The Christmas tree in the town square {at the courthouse} will be lit in a ceremony open to the public.
• Christmas Tree Lighting, Ranson, WV.  Saturday, 11/26 from 6pm-8pm.  Lancaster Circle in Ranson will be hosting a tree lighting complete with activities and Santa.  Public is welcome.
• Holiday Art and Craft Market, Martinsburg, WV.  Friday and Saturday 11/25-11/26 12:00pm-7:00pm, Sunday 11/27 from 12:00pm-4:00pm.  Located at 115 S. Queen Street in Martinsburg.  Support local artisans and get your Christmas shopping done.
• Berkeley Springs Book Festival. Berkeley Springs, WV.  10am-4pm.  Details at www.maicehouse.org.

May you have a blessed weekend!!

Things to do in the Panhandle~ November 11-13

I hope your family is well.  We had the upper respiratory bug go through our house a few weeks ago and now 3 out of the 5 of us at home have been down with the stomach bug   But, there is plenty to do in the Eastern Panhandle this weekend, especially since there is no school tomorrow!  Here’s hoping my house gets to feeling better so we can find something fun to do!

• Child Spirit Fall Consignment Sale, Berkeley County Youth Fairgrounds, Martinsburg, WV Friday-Sunday 11/11-11/13.  Sale of used children and infant clothing and equipment.
• Arts and Crafts Fair, Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Department, Hedgesville, WV.  Saturday, November 12.  10am-4pm.
• Antietam Recreation’s Cowboy Christmas Dinner Show, Antietam Recreation Center, Hagerstown, MD. Friday and Saturday, November 11/12. 6pm-9:30pm.  For ages 4 and over.  Call (301) 797-7999 for reservations and information.
• Holiday Extravaganza. Comfort Inn, Martinsburg, WV. Sunday, November 13 from 1pm-4pm.  Consultants from Tupperware, Premier Jewelry, Tastefully Simple and more will be selling cash and carry Christmas gifts.  Support local business owners.

What will you be doing to keep busy this weekend?

Things to do in the Panhandle~ October 8 & 9

It is supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, weather wise!  Let’s get out and enjoy the crisp fall weather while it lasts {I am sure winter will sneak up on us}.  Here are some things to do in the Eastern Panhandle this weekend:

• Apple Butter Festival, Berkeley Springs, WV.  October 8/9.  Apple-butter making, activities, vendors, parade and more.  For more information visit www.berkeleysprings.com.
• World War II and USO Weekend, Williamsport, MD.  October 8/9.  Re-enactments, USO dance and more.  Visit www.williamsportmd.gov.
• Hispanic Fest, Martinsburg, WV. October 8 {War Memorial Park}  noon-6pm.  Live music, Zumba dancing, chihuahua races and more.
• Middleway Day, Middleway, WV. October 8.  10am-3pm.  Silent auction, live entertainment, children’s activities and more.
• Heritage Day, Hedgesville, WV.  October 8.  8am-3pm.  Arts and crafts, house tour, puppet show and more.

So much to do!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Things to do in the Panhandle~ July 15-17

Another warm weekend is headed our way.  Here are some fun things going on in the Eastern Panhandle to keep you and your kiddos busy this weekend.  Please feel free to add any activities you are aware of in our comment section at the end of this article.

• Carnival at the Martinsburg Mall, July 15 and 16 (until 10pm).  For more information, call the mall at (304) 264-0017.
• Play dough Play Date, Sunday, July 17 (1:30pm-2:30pm).  Sam Michael’s Park, Shenandoah Junction, WV.  For ages 3-5 years old,price is $5.  For more information, call (304) 728-3207.
• Art in the Park, July 17 (10am-4pm). Berkeley Springs State Park, Berkeley Springs, WV.  Outdoor art fair.

What are your weekend plans?

Patriotic Recipe Round-Up

The 4th of July calls for delicious food and so many of the recipes can be adapted to be patriotic looking as well.

Here are a few recipes from around the internet to grace your Independence Day table {simply click on the title of the recipe to be taken to the host site}:

• Uncle Sam’s Crispy Treat Cake {courtesy of Taste of Home.com}- these are adorable hat shaped rice krispie treats.  The decorating will take longer than making the actual treats.
• Quick Lemon-Berry Trifle {courtesy of Kraft Recipes.com}- this is a no-bake dessert that looks refreshing and when topped with strawberries and blueberries it looks patriotic as well!

What are your favorite patriotic recipes?

Things to do in the Panhandle- June 10-12

Hot is an understatement for the weather in the Eastern Panhandle these past few days.  This weekend, the weather report is calling for temperatures in the mid to upper 80′s with a chance of scatter thunderstorms.

Here are a few fun things to do around the area this weekend:

• West Virginia Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival~ Sam Michael’s Park in Shenandoah Junction.  Friday 6/10-Sunday 6/12.  Hours are 10am-5pm all three days.  The entrance fee is $7/adult, $4/ ages 6-17 and under 6 get in free.  The entrance fee includes parking and entertainment.  Visit the festival’s website for more details.
• June Jubilee~ War Memorial Park, Martinsburg.  Sunday, June 12th from 11am-5pm.  No cost! Activities include a magic show and free balloon animals. Spongebob Squarepants will make a special appearance this year as well as Ronald McDonald. Other activities include a petting zoo, miniature horse rides, train rides, moonbounces, slides and other rides. There are plenty of activities for adults as well including live music at 1pm, a car show and vendors.

There will also be a spaghetti lunch, Sunday June 12th from 11:30am-2:30pm at James Rumsey Technical Institute in Hedgesville.  Proceeds from the event will benefit YoungLives, an organization that offers mentoring and support to teen moms. The group is raising money to send 25+ teen moms and their babies to summer camp in August.  All-you-can-eat spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, drink and dessert for $6/adult and $4/child (under 2 eat free). Come out after church, feed your family and help a worthy cause. To go meals available!! For more information, call Jill Bevins at (304) 919-1681.

What will you be doing this weekend?

Things to do in the Panhandle- May 13-15

Spring has sprung!  The weather in the Eastern Panhandle has been pleasant and I know that my children have been enjoying all the outdoor play.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast is not the best for the weekend (chance of showers and rain every day) so we have handpicked some indoor activities you can enjoy with your family.

• How to be an inventor workshop.  Saturday, May 14th at 2pm.  Discovery Station located at 101 W. Washington Street in Hagerstown.  Workshop is free with museum admission of up to $7.  Visit www.discoverystation.org for more information.
• Community Market and Expo.  Saturday, May 14th from 10am-4pm.  Valley Mall in Hagerstown.  Event includes entertainment, scavenger hunt, petting zoo and more.  Event is free and open to the public.  Call 301-739-2015 for more information.

Just in case the weather cooperates remember there is a carnival in the Martinsburg Mall parking lot until May 21st.

Do you know of any fun activities in the Panhandle this weekend? Leave a comment below or email here2therewv@yahoo.com to share!

Introducing new contributor, Kathy Shifflett

Hello… My name is Kathy Shifflett.  Originally from Texas, I have lived in beautiful Martinsburg, WV for four years now and am happy to call this area home.  My husband and I have four children ranging in ages 20 to 12 and one granddaughter.  We are very active in our community and have a local church home.  I work from home and hubby works out of town about 90% of the time.  I definitely relate to busy and demanding lives.

I love photos. I enjoy pouring over anyone’s pictures.  They help us celebrate our greatest moments and remind us of all the happy times of our lives.

If you’ve ever looked for a way to tell a child how much they’re loved, a spouse why they’re appreciated, or friends or family what they mean to you, I’ve got the products and advice to help.

I offer expertise, encouragement and the highest quality photo albums, scrapbook albums and digital photo books to help you express yourself and tell your stories, one meaningful page at a time.  I am a no pressure Creative Memories consultant and will do everything I can to help you find the methods that work best for your life.  If you haven’t seen CM products for a while, get ready for a whole new ball game.  The new easier products are amazing.  You can literally have an album done in just a couple of hours.

Don’t be discouraged by a partially finished album, I welcome you to come to a crop and use all my tools and let me help you finish using products you’ve already purchased whether it’s CM products or not.  My main objective is to help us all get out of the JPEG generation and create some little masterpieces to share with our families and friends.

I appreciate the opportunity to help you celebrate your photos and memories with our parties and workshops.  My personal website has lots of ideas and inspiration.  I’d love to hear from you!

Kathy will be writing a monthly article about Preserving Memories for Eastern Panhandle Moms.  Welcome to our team, Kathy!