Happy Holidays from the Sister Team!

Cookies with Santa!

Come visit SANTA CLAUS!   He will be making a special appearance at 3943 Chapman Place (the house with the train) in the heart of the “Wood Streets” on Saturday evening, December 13th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Santa’s helpers will be serving homemade cookies and hot chocolate.  Don’t forget to bring your camera!  Not only will there be photo opportunities with Santa, but a homemade train with wheels that turn, real smoke billowing from its stack, a flashing railroad crossing sign, and real train sounds!

Happy Holidays from “The Sister Team”! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Some fun facts about Thanksgiving:

• Though many competing claims exist, the most familiar story of the first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth Colony, in present-day Massachusetts, in 1621. More than 200 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust.
• Three towns in the U.S. take their name from the traditional Thanksgiving bird, including Turkey, Texas (pop. 465); Turkey Creek, Louisiana (pop. 363); and Turkey, North Carolina (pop. 270).
• The cranberry is one of only three fruits—the others are the blueberry and the Concord grape—that are entirely native to North American soil, according to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association.
• In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007.
• Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade.

“The Sister Team” wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving… may your ‘thankful’ holiday be overflowing with smiles, love, family and friends!

Festival of Lights

Each year thousands of people gather in the beautiful City of Riverside on Mission Inn Avenue the day after Thanksgiving to welcome the Christmas season by watching the amazing lighting of The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa.  This 16th annual Festival of Lights “switch on” ceremony begins after nightfall and features welcoming remarks from Mayor Ron Loveridge, as well as Keeper of the Inn, Duane Roberts, and even Santa Clause. 

With a collective countdown, the festivities begin and the sky becomes alight with fireworks as powerful holiday music plays in sync.  At the culmination of the fireworks display, all three million lights and hundreds of figurines on the Mission Inn come to life and illuminate the streets of Downtown Riverside.  To make sure all of Riverside can enjoy this amazing site, The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa remains lit nightly into the first week of January.

The festivities extend to the adjacent Main Street Pedestrian Mall where horse-drawn carriages and carolers stroll amongst one-of-a-kind shops, and even an ice skating rink.  This event, which began as a modest hotel-only event in 1993, has since grown into one of the premier holiday lights displays in the country, and has even been featured in People Magazine.

Interior Decorating with Pets in Mind

Pets have become more than just guard dogs or mouse-chasers to most of society; they have become friends and companions. It’s no wonder that you can find more and more ways to accommodate, accessorize, and modify your home to be pet-friendly.

Here are a few basic rules if you want the essentials for interior decorating:

1. Nothing touching the floor should be white; even white leather can become stained or scratched.
2. Use black sparingly. Getting light colored fur off of black furnishings and pillows is never fun.
3. Bold or bright colors will show more hair than softer neutrals.
4. Absolutely no velvet anywhere! If your animal sheds, this might as well be a hair magnet.

As for tables, try to find some that are sturdy or weighted, you never know when something may get bumped or run into. Put any accessories up where they are safe (mantles or high shelves will work).

For flooring, it’s preferable to use a hard surface like sealed stone (no slate!), hard wood, or engineered flooring. If you must have carpet, be sure to purchase cut pile, not loop pile. If loop pile gets snagged, the carpet will unravel, and this will surely entertain your cat or dog for hours and cost you hundreds to replace.

In a space not often seen, remove the doors to a larger cabinet and put your animal’s cage in it to free up valuable floor space (something many of us “Wood Street” homeowners are familiar with). This is a great idea for utility rooms that double as pet care centers. For a nicer look, you can have someone build the cage into the cabinet, but this could be a bit pricey. If you are re-doing cabinets, consider a multi-drawer cabinet in which the bottom drawer pulls out and houses the food and water bowls. If company comes over, simply slide the drawer into the cabinet and hide the mess. Think also of food storage, and get one cabinet with a built-in trash can or two, and store pet food in the cabinet next to the bowls.

You can modify your house plans to accommodate one of your pet’s most basic needs — needing to be let outside or into a room where they have food or a litter box. Usually there’s a trusty doggy door (which is also used for cats), but what was once a standard model with a soft plastic flap has now become more advanced with transmitters and automation. A transmitter can be applied to the pet’s collar which opens when the pet nears the door.  There are pros and cons to the transmitter: pro is that only your pet will gain access, thereby leaving those pesky raccoons outside; con is that some transmitters are too large for smaller pets and if the transmitter fails, your pet may be barricaded on one side or the other of the pet door.

So if you’re renovating or building a home from scratch, consult a design professional for some ideas on how to make your home really pet accessible and get the most out of your budget. Good luck!

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is usually observed on November 11.  However, if it occurs on a Sunday, then the following Monday is designated for holiday leave, and if it occurs Saturday then either Saturday or Friday may be so designated.

Veterans Day was first incorporated by President Wilson as Armistice Day in 1919.  Other countries today also still recognize November 11th as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in honor of the Armistice treaty which ended WWI.               

It was in 1938 that Armistice Day was enacted as an official American holiday.  But eventually after WWII, citizens felt that the veterans of all wars should be recognized, not just those of WWI.  So in 1954, Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.  In America, the holiday now celebrates the approximate 24.9 million veterans in the United States with parades and ceremonies among other events.

Honoring all who served…. and who are currently serving!  THANK YOU!

Trunk ‘n Treat vs. Trick-or-Treat

Trick-or-Treating is the time-honored tradition of children going door-to-door on Halloween evening while gathering candy and goodies from neighbors. 

We’ve recently heard the term Trunk ‘n Treat, and learned that it’s an event designed to provide a safe, free, one-stop alternative to trick-or-treating for children.  Participants park their vehicles in a large parking lot, decorate the trunk of their car or create themed booths that costumed children can walk around to, play games at, and receive prizes and candy.  

What a great idea for clubs, churches, schools and neighbors to consider for Halloween 2009!  Meanwhile, we’ve included the following safety tips for this Halloween.  These are always good reminders for all of us, especially children who are getting too independent to go trick-or-treating with their parents. 

• Plan your route and let someone know where you’ll be going, and when you’ll be home! Never trick-or-treat alone… go with a friend.
• Never go inside a house to accept treats.  Accept treats only in the doorway.
• Wait until you get home to eat your candy — and only eat it after your parents inspect your goodies.
• Visit houses only that have their lights on.
• Walk.  Do not run.  Walk on sidewalks and driveways.  Cross the street at the corner or in a crosswalk.
• Wear costumes with reflective markings, bright colors and flame-resistant materials.  Stay away from lit jack-o-lanterns.   
• Take a cell phone, a flashlight and a watch.

Most of all, have fun, stay safe…. and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

A Celebration to Die For…

Come join this multi-cultural event to benefit the restoration of the historic Riverside Evergreen Memorial Cemetery with a celebration that highlights the funerary traditions of many cultures featuring music, dancing, costumed characters, food, face painting, ghost hunters, and more!  Wear a costume and add to the fun for you and your whole family!

The festivities at the Evergreen Cemetery (corner of 14th and Pine Streets) begin at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 1, 2008 and end at 8:30 p.m.  Admission is $10 per person or $25 per family (tickets can be purchased at the gate). 

There will be a live ‘New Orleans jazz funeral procession’ by the Day St. Dixielanders.  In New Orleans, funerals are an occasion to celebrate life, and death is not seen as a loss but as a release from this life.  Jazz was born in New Orleans, so it’s only fitting that the music is used in a commemoration of life.  Jazz funerals are often held for musicians and members of social and pleasure clubs.  You don’t have to go to New Orleans to experience a jazz funeral — come to the Riverside Evergreen Cemetery!

Watch the Ballet Folklorico de Riverside celebrate with Aztec dances, have your photo taken in a vintage coffin, enjoy having your face painted by Oasis Arts (former Disneyland face painters), listen to old English Dance Macabre, delight in the Hearse club collection and ghost tours by Full Tech Paranormal, and finally, feast on refreshments by Phood on Main (hip and creative food so delicious that it dances in your mouth).

Come join us for an evening of fun to benefit a great cause – the restoration of the historic Riverside Evergreen Memorial Cemetery!

Downtown Riverside Ghostwalk

Returning for its 17th year, Friday October 24th and Saturday October 25th from 5:40 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., the California Riverside Ballet brings downtown Riverside alive with stories of horror, mystery and intrigue.  Tours occur at 20 minute intervals with guests being led through the historic district, in the shadows of the Mission Inn, where they will hear spine-tingling to comic renditions of tales “from beyond”.  In 2005, the Ghostwalk event received the recognition as “Best Event in Riverside” and continues to be a tradition gaining additional popularity every year.

The weekend before Halloween, the California Riverside Ballet (CRB) brings the downtown area alive and into its supernatural theme with stories of horror, mystery and intrigue along with the ever-anticipated performances of the CRB dancers adding to the theme of phantasm and illusion.

Beginning as the moon rises on both Friday and Saturday nights, guests are toured throughout the historic district.  The first stop takes you to the Riverside Ballet Arts Studio where you will witness the CRB dancers beckon the undead to dance.  Some of the tour locations that you may be brought to are: the Riverside Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, the Historic Aurea Vista Hotel, and the First Congregational Church.

The “Ghostly Meal Deal”
The California Riverside Ballet has created the “Ghostly Meal Deal” for your dining enjoyment during the Ghostwalk event.  The meal includes two slices of cheese or pepperoni pizza, a soda, juice bottle or small water, and a cookie for dessert for only $5.00.  Be sure to add the “Ghostly Meal Deal” to your order to get this special price!

Bring the whole family and don’t miss the CRB BOO-TIQUE, additional activities, music, and dancing at the boardwalk during this annual event.  Unfortunately, many tour location stops are not stroller or wheelchair accessible.

Ticket Information: Tickets will be available on the night of event for “cash only” at $10.00 each.  Children 2 and under are FREE!  $5.00 additional for the “Ghostly Meal Deal”.

Ghostwalk Writers: Have a story?  Each year the CRB accepts stories from well-known and up-and-coming writers to be told to our visitors.  If your story is about the Alive, the Dead or about Ghosts or Ghouls just hanging around or wandering the halls in Downtown Riverside, submit your story to be selected for next year’s Ghostwalk event.  Your story needs to be 10 minutes in length and must engage the audience.

Orange and Black = Green?

Halloween is one of the most exciting holidays of the year, and we have a few ideas to improve your ghoulish gatherings and candy collecting.  This year, why not try for an eco-friendly “green” holiday?

• The most important part of Halloween, at least for the kids and the kid-like adults…. candy!  Try to hand out organic chocolates and hard candy.  Fun non-food alternative treats include nontoxic crayons, coloring books, stickers, or even small change.
• Set a spooky mood with soy or beeswax candles, not those made from petroleum-based paraffin.
• Don’t forget a reusable shopping bag or even a pillowcase to carry your trick-or-treating haul!
• Invest creativity instead of cash in your costume.  Dig into the back of your closet or hit the thrift store to find wacky clothes and accessories.  Instead of throwing away an old outfit or a grandparent’s hat or shirt, stash it in the “Halloween costume” box!  How much fun to look at the old and goofy clothes the following year(s) and use them creatively as costumes!
• Avoid masks made of vinyl.  Latex ones are safer, unless you’re allergic to the material.
• Look up recipes for pumpkin pie, soup or curry so your decoration doesn’t go to waste after Halloween.  Not much of a chef?  Compost that jack-o-lantern, at least!

Have a safe holiday, and if you can ‘go green’ at the same time, what an additional ‘treat’ for your future and the environment! Happy Halloween!

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