Tag Archives: entertainment

Apr21

to the bat cave!

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Bat Bar in Lost Canyon Cave, Ridgedale, Missouri

 

If there’s another drive-through golf-cart bar in a bat-filled cave on top of a mountain, we don’t know about it.

IN THE MISSOURI OZARKS, THE Bat Bar gives new meaning to the term “watering hole.” It’s next to a waterfall within a mountaintop cave. The good thing is it’s never all that crowded, unless you count the bats.

Visitors park at the Top of the Rock welcome center and take golf carts through a 2.5-mile woodland path over streams and bridges, stopping at both a butterfly garden and a scenic overlook calledEagle Pass. Shortly into the trip, the trail dips into the Lost Canyon Cave, wherein lies the one-of-a-kind bar. Tipplers remain in their carts as they park next to the wood-built bar constructed in 2014. “Better Settle Your Nerves,” reads a paint-splashed board below the counter. They can choose from a number of cocktails, from John L’s Hoop-de-Hoo (vodka, tonic, and grapefruit), the Cannonball (amaretto, bourbon, and pineapple juice), or Bat’s Blood (vodka with strawberry and peach lemonade). Bottled beer and wine by the glass are also available.

Take your time rolling through the Lost Canyon Cave: It’s home to a natural waterfall, a live bat colony, and the skeletons of both a saber-tooth tiger and a short-faced bear. Visitors aren’t allowed to walk around the cave itself, but a railed pathway snakes around the waterfall pool at the heart of the lantern-lit cave.

If the bar does get the best of you, Big Cedar Lodge always has overnight housing available.

Carts are available for rentals from 8:00 a.m. until 45 minutes before sunset. Drivers are permitted alcohol, but not before signing a liability waiver.

“come on, robin, to the bat cave! there’s not a moment to lose!”

-batman

 

 

 

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credits: atlas obscura, trip advisor

Feb4

magic all around you.

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One hundred years ago this month, the magician P.T. Selbit ushered his assistant into an upright wooden box, sealed it, laid it flat, and got down to business, sawing the box right down the middle. The show, according to magic experts, was the first time a performer ever sawed someone in half. Why has this trick survived, when so many others haven’t? If you ask magicians, NYT writer Alex Marshall spoke with six — they eventually land on one answer. “It’s just the simplicity of it,” said Mike Caveney, a magician who’s writing a history of this trick. “Magicians say a good trick is one that can be described in a few words, and ‘sawing a lady in half’ is very few words,” he added. As for being the assistant, “When you’re doing it you’re not a passive person,” one magician said. “It’s claustrophobic, and quite noisy, but such fun!”

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” i believe your reality is what you make it, what you choose to see, and what you choose to allow yourself to do.

there are possibilities all around you – magic all around you – no matter what situation you’re in.”

-keke palmer

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Story credit: Alex Marshall, NYT- Image credit: Nolan Pellitier

 

Aug9

enthusiasm 2.

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free movie night at campus martius park in detroit

safe, distanced, well-planned

the little one soon had her own plan

 drawn in

she moved right up front by the screen

enthralled

 laughing, dancing, twirling

throwing spells along with elsa from ‘frozen 2’

until she became a part of the movie. 

—

 

“true enthusiasm is a fine feeling whose flash I admire wherever I see it.”

-charlotte bronte

Jul8

the circus arrives.

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to avoid crowds, montreal’s circus festival will pop up in random places

Over the course of this week, some lucky residents in Montreal will be entertained with surprise circus acts that will pop up around the city at undisclosed locations.

The outdoor performances are organized as part of Montreal’s annual circus festival and are taking place from July 6 to 12 at random locations around the city in order to avoid huge crowds from gathering and maintain physical distancing.

As artistic director of Montréal Complètement Cirque, Nadine Marchand explains, a truck called the “Bonheur Mobile” will roll up to alleys, parks, streets, and squares in Saint-Michel, Anjou, St. Henri and the Quartier des Spectacles (to name a few) over the next week.

Ten Quebec circus performers will come rolling out and put on an hour-and-a-half-long show for any unsuspecting Montrealers who happen to be passing by or looking out the window.

Apart from breathing life and joy into the city, the festival has also been organized with the goal of providing work for the artists, as many have been out of work and unable to perform or tour due to the pandemic and it’s not clear when their industry will be back up and running.

Those lucky enough to happen upon one of these surprise performances are asked to stay on their front steps and balconies to avoid getting too close to others.

—

“the circus arrives without warning.”

-erin morgenstern, the night circus

 

 

 

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story credits: marilla steuter- martin, cbc news, daily optimist magazine

Aug23

breakfast with elvis.

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as i walked in, i looked around and asked out loud,

“is this elvis day or something?”

i heard a deep voice following me in who answered,

“you better believe it baby.”

and that is how we found ourselves sharing a breakfast space.

luckily, elvis read the sign, waited to be seated

climbed up on the counter and belted out hits

elvis worked the crowd and met a tiny dancer

and changed costumes before my second cup of coffee

it was a full breakfast.

—

“to me, john lennon and elvis presley were punks,

because they made music that evoked those emotions in people. “

-joey ramone

 

 

Apr11

invisible to the eye.

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he was a ‘well-seasoned’ magic man

who came in

to entertain the youngest children

 while he wasn’t smooth

 his jokes and tricks and props and velvet

had been around a long time

the children loved every trick

opened their eyes wide with wonder

as doves and bunnies and coins and cards and wands and scarves

appeared and disappeared

in all kinds of unexpected places

 they eagerly

 volunteered to help him

 squealed and giggled and clapped with pure delight

until they lost their breath with laughter

he was a showstopper of the highest order

who had found the perfect audience.

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“it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. “

-antoine de saint-exupery

Feb13

marvelous.

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what a birthday for grandie j

on an afternoon spent with family and friends at

mmsign_an

imagine a mash-up of

barnum and bailey

music

guiness book of records memorabilia

carnivals, cotton candy, prize tickets

vintage

coin-operated animatronics, mechanical games

and

collections of very imaginable oddity

along with some 

you could never imagine. 

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it was a boy’s dream come true.

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“once a person has all the things they need to live, everything else is entertainment.”
-neal stephenson

Jul20

seisiún.

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it was

a lovely evening spent

in a warm and friendly house

filled with friends and family and neighbors

of all ages

and

performances

of all kinds

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with voices and instruments

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and improvs

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 and storytelling

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and fiddling
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and 

it was important for us,

the americans,

to proudly represent our country

with our own

unique

belly dance act.

it was truly

a night to remember.

—

“every performance is different. that’s the beauty of it.”

-van morrison

—

Rossnowlagh, Donegal, Ireland

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 (seisiún refers to sit-in performances in a relaxed social setting, in which the entertainment is intermingled with the consumption of ale, stout, beer and conversation.)

Aug10

the essential is to excite the spectators. If that means playing hamlet on a flying trapeze or in an aquarium, you do it. – orson welles

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‘l laughed, i cried, i peed.’ – b. k.

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had such a great night in the park

enjoying live theater

picnic-ing and laughing

while watching

 fellow wp blogger,

http://reelroyreviews.com

roy sexton (aka ‘officer lockstock’)

and his merry band of castmates

sing and dance their hearts out

in this fabulous and clever musical

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Urinetown is a satirical comedy musical from 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It makes fun of capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and musical theatre itself.

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help support local theater

and have a great night in the process

only one weekend left

 presented by our local non profit theater company

dedicated to bringing affordable quality entertainment to the community

get your tickets now

West Park, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Last Weekend Showtimes:
Thu Aug 13- Sat. Aug 15 | 7:00PM

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http://www.pennyseats.org

‘We believe no one should pass up live theater due to its cost. We rely on  donations–not ticket sales–to fund our seasons, so we can provide a first-rate live theater experience for the price of a movie ticket.’

—
once a person has all the things they need to live, everything else is entertainment.
– neal stephenson