Tidbits of the Tri-Cities - Issue 16

Issue 16

of the Tri-Cities

A TEMPTING TIDBITS THANKSGIVING TREAT:

TENDER TURKEY TRIVIAby Robyn Dawson

The bird is the word in this week’s edition of Tidbits. Take a break from your raking and shopping and baking and cleaning (oh no, the in-laws are coming!) while we “talk turkey.”

• You may have heard that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird, but that’s not entirely true. Rather, he thought that any bird – and then mentioned the turkey as an example – was a better choice than the eagle. In a letter to his daughter, he made reference to the eagle’s “bad moral character. It perches in a tree,” he continued, “then steals the prey caught by a fi shing hawk, because the eagle is too lazy to hunt for itself.”

• The slang use of the word “turkey” to indicate something as being inferior or a failure dates back to late 1920s show business. In vaudeville, an act that failed to sell tickets (or one that was lame enough to be booed off stage) was labeled a “turkey,” presumably due to the bird’s reputation for stupidity.

• The “Turkey Trot” was all the rage at dance halls during the very early 1900s. Performed to ragtime music, the dance was done with four sideways hopping steps on one foot, then four hops back on the other foot.

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Nov. 24-Nov. 30, 2008

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TENDER TURKEY TRIVIA (continued):• The Navajo were likely the fi rst Native

Americans to domesticate the turkey. They worked to keep wild turkeys away from their crops, but were losing that battle. So they turned the tables and fenced the birds in. By feeding and fattening them, they were easier to handle (and yielded more meat). Besides dinner, turkeys also provided decorative ornamental feathers for the Navajo.

• Butterball turkeys have been a holiday tradition in the United States for the past 50 years. Many home cooks are under the impression that the name means that the bird had been injected with butter, but this is not the case. Butterball is actually a specifi c breed of turkey. They have all-white feathers and have extra-broad breasts. A few weeks after sales peak in America, Butterball becomes the best-selling brand in Great Britain at Christmas. (Remember, our U.K. friends don’t celebrate America’s Thanksgiving!)

• Roasted turkey drumsticks are staple snacks at Renaissance Festivals across America. The turkey is native to North America, however, and it didn’t make its way across the Atlantic until the mid-16th century. The bottom line is that turkey is not authentic medieval food. Back in those days, kings and knaves and knights feasted on peacock and swan, neither of which is readily available in most American restaurant supply stores.

• Caruncle, Wattle & Snood… no, this isn’t the name of a law fi rm. Those are the proper terms for the bits of fl eshy skin that grow on a turkey’s head. The snood is the fl ap that fl ops over its beak. The caruncles are the colorful growths on the throat, and the wattle is the skin that hangs under its throat. When all three turn bright red, the turkey is either sexually excited or very angry. In either case, you’ll want to stay out of its way!

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DEAR PAWʼS CORNER: My neighborʼs puppy has a ton of toys that he chews on all the time. Is this healthy? -- Joe E., Atlanta

DEAR JOE: Yes, as long as the toys are specifi cally made for dogs. Chewing is an instinctive activity for dogs that keeps their teeth and jaws healthy and strong. For puppies, chewing not only helps them develop properly, but it also eases the discomfort of teething.A dog will chew on anything that looks chewable -- as many a dog owner has ruefully discovered after fi nding a favorite pair of shoes in shreds. So keeping many safe chew toys within the dogʼs reach, and featuring chew toys and tug ropes (thick, braided short ropes you can hang onto while the dog pulls at the other end) during play and training will

Send your tips, questions and comments to Paws Corner, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or e-mail them to [email protected].

help ease that urge to chew on everything.Safe chew toys do not shred or shatter when a dog sinks his teeth into them -- something you donʼt want to happen, as shards can cut a dogʼs gums, and swallowing debris can cause serious health problems. So owners should buy only approved toys that are appropriate for their dogʼs age and size. A Great Dane shouldnʼt be chewing on a toy sized for a Chihuahua, and likewise, a toy poodle might have trouble gnawing on a toy sized for a Doberman.Remember also that owners (and those who will have dogs coming over to visit) should put away any objects they donʼt want chewed. Shoes, childrenʼs toys, plants, newspapers -- you name it -- should be placed in a room or closet that canʼt be accessed by the dog. A fl oor clear of everything but a few strategically placed chew toys is ideal.

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Offering affordable, high quality medical, dental, vision, prescription drug and chiropractic pro-grams that save our members tens of millions of dollars each year. It is very hard to believe that AmeriPlan® as we know it began in 1992. In the early 90’s, identical twin brothers Dennis and Daniel Bloom saw the need for a value-oriented discount fee-for-service dental program, and founded AmeriPlan® Cor-poration. The business was an outgrowth of the demand for dental care services.

From the beginning, the demand for the services that AmeriPlan® provides strengthened steadily. Soon Dennis and Daniel expanded their vision to include a broad array of high quality, affordable supplemental healthcare plans. To provide great-er value to the consumer, they added prescription medication, vision, and chiropractic care to the program, at no additional charge.

Confi dent that they had assembled the right mix of programs, Dennis and Daniel looked for the most effi cient and effective system for bringing them to the public. Through research, trial and error and perseverance, the brothers decided that by using the best features of the network marketing model, they could provide fi nancial opportunity to thousands of people and bring these needed healthcare programs to the public. AmeriPlan’s Independent Business Owners (IBOs) market our programs to the public and teach oth-ers to do the same.

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We already know this, but now itʼs offi cial because a study was done: We seniors want meaningful work as we get older. Weʼre not ready to completely retire, and we want our work hours and days to matter.The MetLife Foundation, in collaboration with Civic Ventures, did a survey to determine just how many of us want to work, and what nonprofi t workplaces think of having older workers. They contacted groups in all fi elds, such as community agencies, environmental, social services, health care, youth and crisis intervention. The results are good: Weʼre wanted. Our experiences are valuable. Weʼre reliable and committed. In trade, employers offer fl exible hours, including part-time schedules.They even have a name for us now: Encore Workers. Thereʼs a Web site for those of us who need ideas on starting our own encore career: www.encore.org.Thereʼs a section on how to get started fi nding our next career, including knowing our goals, revamping our

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DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I had a triple coronary artery bypass in April 1998. The vessel used for the grafts was taken from my leg.A cardiologist tells me that the leg vessel graft needs replacement in eight years. It is not as good as grafts taken from arteries in the arm or the chest wall. I feel fi ne. It has been 10 years since my operation. Am I living on borrowed time? Why isnʼt the leg vessel as good as the others? -- W.P.

ANSWER: Hold on a minute. Predictions about the longevity of grafts for clogged arteries are hazardous. The source of the graft is not the sole factor in its life span. The general health of the person getting the graft is most important. Diabetes, for example, has a negative effect on all blood vessels, including grafts. If graft recipients make major changes in how they live -- watch their weight, keep their cholesterol low, get exercise, pay attention to blood pressure and donʼt smoke -- then their grafts are bound to stay healthy for a long time.The leg vessel you speak of is a long and large leg vein. Veins are not the same as arteries. Arteries have to stand up to pressure that is much higher than it is in veins, so arteries are tougher. At fi ve years, 75 percent of vein grafts are functioning well, and at 15 years, 50 percent are still in good shape. Some last much longer.The “chest wall” graft isnʼt from the chest wall. These grafts come from arteries within in the chest. They are directly hooked up to heart arteries, so they have long lives -- as long as arteries have. Most of these grafts stay open for 20 or more years.

Many heart surgeons use an arm artery as the source of their grafts. The arm does quite well with only one major artery. These grafts are better than vein grafts. Theyʼre arteries. They have a life span between that of a vein graft and that of the inner chest artery graft.The booklet on coronary artery disease discusses this common problem in depth. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue -- No. 101W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canada with the recipientʼs printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

***DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My question is brief. Has anyone ever had a heart attack or dropped dead while taking a stress test on a treadmill? -- R.W.

ANSWER: Somewhere around 1 in 2,500 have had a heart attack while undergoing a stress test. Deaths have been reported to be 1 in 10,000.Those numbers make it sound like stress tests are dangerous. They arenʼt. The heart-attack problem is actually not as great a problem as it sounds. The people who experienced a heart attack would have had one shortly and, most likely, in circumstances that might not have been favorable for treatment and recovery. A heart attack during a stress test occurs in a place where emergency treatment is readily available.The deaths are tragic and inexplicable.

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resume, acing the interview -- and fi guring out how to pay for it if we still need a healthy income.Donʼt miss the career-fi nder feature. Put in your ZIP code and your area of interest, and it lists positions. Just clicking through my ZIP code turned up some interesting jobs: history buff to put together a local history, nonprofi t fundraiser and seasonal retail help in a toy store. All are paid jobs.If you fi nd that you need a job again (or still) and doubt your skills, thereʼs a group that can help. Experience Works assists low-income seniors with training and links to local programs to get seniors into jobs. Learn about it at www.experienceworks.org or call 1-866-397-9757.

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to [email protected].


TENDER TURKEY TRIVIA (continued):• Only male turkeys – known as toms – make the

“gobble, gobble” noise we associate with the birds. Females (hens) make a clicking noise. Like chickens, domestic turkeys are bred for meat, so their weight and shape prevent them from having the ability to fl y more than a few feet. Even though they can’t fl y, however, turkey by-products are very well-traveled. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin tore into their fi rst meal on the surface of the Moon in July 1969, those foil packets offered roast turkey with all the trimmings.

• Unlike chicken and duck feathers, turkey feathers are too stiff for use as stuffi ng for pillows and duvets. Some larger, more colorful turkey feathers may be saved and sold for decorative purposes or craft projects, but most are ground up into compost.

• The classic “Turkeys Away” episode of the 1970s sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati was reportedly based on a real event. WKRP creator Hugh Wilson had a “friend” that worked for an Atlanta radio station. The station decided to toss live turkeys out of a helicopter for a Thanksgiving promotion. Just like the TV episode revealed, none of those involved with the stunt were aware that domestic turkeys couldn’t fl y. A local shopping center was bombarded with turkeys hitting the ground “like bags of wet cement.” (“As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fl y!”)

• Big Bird of Sesame Street fame is clad in a costume made of real turkey feathers – those plucked from the hind end of the birds, to be more specifi c. A company called American Plume and Fancy Feather selects the feathers for this use. The Children’s Television Workshop then inspects the feathers (nine out of 10 of them are rejected), and the chosen white feathers are dyed yellow and attached to Big Bird’s outfi t.

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To Your Good Health By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

1. In 2007, Magglio Ordonez became the second Detroit Tiger to homer twice in the same inning. Who was the fi rst to do it?

2. Who was the only player in Cincinnati Reds history to have 40 homers in four consecutive seasons?

3. Entering 2008, how many consecutive seasons of 11 or more wins has the Southern Cal football team had?

4. When was the last time the Portland Trail Blazers made the NBA playoffs?

5. Who held the NHL record for most goals by a left wing before Alexander Ovechkin broke it with 65 goals in 2007-08?

6. In the 26 races in 2008 before NASCAR’s 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, how many were won by drivers who did not make the Chase fi eld?

7. Who was the last male tennis player before Rafael Nadal in 2008 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year?

• It’s not just for cats anymore: Purina also makes dog litter.

• You’re probably aware of the much-publicized fact that the Great Wall of China is one of the only human constructions that is visible from outer space. You might not know, however, that the extensive network of dikes that keeps the ocean out of the Netherlands is another such construction.

• In the United States, about $8 billion is spent every year on dry cleaning.

• The electronics store Best Buy was originally called “Sound of Music.”

• There are more than 1,000 different species of bats in the world.

• In 1841, eyewitnesses in Derby, England, reported seeing frogs and fi sh fall from the sky. Some of the animals were even alive.

• Native Americans once used the herb Echinacea to treat snake bites.

(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

By Samantha Weaver

• If you’re like most people, the length of your footprint is approximately 15 percent of your height.

• Those who study such matters claim that Queen Elizabeth I was rather fond of playing practical jokes on her courtiers.

• It was American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Ellen Goodman who made the following sage observation: “Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffi c in a car that you are still paying for -- in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.”

• Hens don’t actually sit on their eggs; they squat on them, keeping their weight on their feet.

• In Texas, there’s a house that’s made entirely of Formica. It was designated a National Landmark in 1998.

“What this country needs is more free speech worth listening to.” -- Hansell B. Duckett

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TENDER TURKEY TRIVIA (continued):

• Even the most casual bowler knows that it’s called a “turkey” when a player bowls three strikes in a row. Back in the early 1900s, bowling alley proprietors offered live turkeys as an award to any player that scored three consecutive strikes. These contests were typically held around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but even during the times when a bird wasn’t presented as a trophy, the term was still used to congratulate a bowler for a job well done.

• It’s now a Thanksgiving tradition for a live turkey to be presented by the National Turkey Federation to the U.S. president (who grants it an offi cial pardon). Instead of being earmarked for Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey is then relegated to a farm or petting zoo to live out its life. Many reports state that Harry Truman was the fi rst president to grant the bird a pardon, but that is not true. John F. Kennedy was the fi rst president to declare that the gift gobbler would not appear on the White House dinner table.

• The classic folk melody called “Turkey in the Straw” fi rst gained popularity via minstrel shows in the mid-1800s. There is no copyright information available regarding the song, so the author of the tune remains a mystery. However, the song has earned at least one unusual place in pop history: in the United States, it is the tune most used by ice cream trucks to attract customers.

• Sources reveal that none of the hot oil turkey fryers available on the market have been approved by Underwriters Laboratories, for the simple reason that the gadgets are just too dangerous. Even when the consumer follows the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter, the units are unsteady and unpredictable. If you plan to deep fry your turkey, do not do it indoors and never leave the fryer unattended.

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Q: I have a 31-year-old raised ranch with cedar shake siding. The south side of the house gets all the sun and the shakes are dilapidated. To re-side with vinyl on all sides, the estimated cost is $10,000. Is it advisable to try and replace the shakes only on the one side? Will this reduce its resale value? -- Punyada B., Middlebury, Conn.

A: Thatʼs a tough call, because siding material is such a personal choice. I know for sure that the damaged and deteriorating siding is affecting the value of your home, and that a quality repair will maintain or raise that value.My question to you is this: If it will cost $10,000 to sheathe the entire house in vinyl siding, what will it cost to just redo the cedar shakes on the one side? If the cost is less or comparable, then consider going with new cedar shakes.

There are at least an equal number of benefi ts to cedar. Youʼre maintaining the house, which will maintain its value. Cedar is a “green” choice of material (itʼs renewable and has less environmental impact), and it lasts just as long as vinyl siding when properly cared for. New cedar will look strikingly different in color from the older shakes on your home, but there are methods to “weather” it so it will blend a bit better. Plus, there are homebuyers who will specifi cally want all-cedar siding, rather than a mix of siding materials. Learn more about cedar siding by visiting http://www.cedarbureau.org.If you decide to use vinyl siding on that one side, make sure the contractor knows his material and knows how to prevent deterioration at the corners where the vinyl meets the cedar siding on the rest of the house. Certain materials will speed up deterioration of the wood shakes, and colors leaching from the shakes could stain the edges of the siding. A good buffer material will be needed between the two.If you redo the entire house in vinyl, then read up on the care and maintenance of vinyl siding. While it does needs less maintenance than wood siding or shakes, vinyl siding is not repair- or maintenance-free. It must be protected from extreme heat (such as barbecue grills) and corrosive chemicals, and should still be cleaned on a regular basis.

HOME TIP: Moss growth on cedar shakes and shingles can be reduced by nailing copper or zinc strips along the ridge cap of the roof or above the shakes; rain runoff from these strips will retard fungal growth.

Cedar or Vinyl Siding?By Samantha Mazzotta


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• “My husband has a large family that lives quite a distance away. We are visiting them for the fi rst time with our two young children. To keep the kids from feeling overwhelmed (and to brush up myself), I created a photo look book of the family members we are likely to be around. The kids will be familiar with their faces, and they won’t seem as much like strangers.” -- U.L. in Washington

• “I have a tip about putting out candles. You can put a little water in the bottom of a glass vo-tive cup before you put in a votive candle. Then, when the candle burns and the wax goes down, it won’t stick to the cup. Thanks for the good tips.” -- A.D. in Georgia

• Have a leaky fridge door? Try this fi rst. Clean the seal gasket with a mild soap and water. Then ap-ply a very thin layer of petroleum jelly to all sides. If you can shut a dollar in the door and it slips right out, you might need to replace the gasket.

• “Everyone has had the experience of putting a pair of socks in the laundry, never to see them as a pair again. This is a winner. I join my socks together with a safety pin, and they always return to me as a pair.” -- J.P. in Maryland

• A great way to clean the shower naturally? Vinegar! Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray directly on shower walls after bathing. It’s great at beating bacteria and mold. And it’s a great natural alternative to chemical cleaners.

• How old is your fi re extinguisher? If you don’t know, fi nd out. If you can’t tell, replace it. Fire extinguishers lose pressure over time -- even if they’ve never been used -- so they need to be replaced or serviced every fi ve to 10 years. Yours might be marked with an expiration date. So be safe this holiday, and check it out.


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Tidbits® of the Tri-Cities Page 6 Page 7For Advertising Call 1.804.731.7504ANSWERS 1. Al Kaline in 1955.

2. Adam Dunn (2004-’07).3. Six consecutive seasons.4. It was the 2002-03 season.5. Los Angeles’ Luc Robitaille had 63 goals in 1992-93.6. Three. Ryan Newman (Daytona 500) and Kasey Kahne (Coca-Cola 600, Pocono 500).7. Bjorn Borg in 1980.

Stretching every dollar in the family budget isnʼt enough now. Finding spare change, a few cents at a time, among the household expenses has become a necessity for many folks.Here are some ways to fi nd that spare change in the kitchen:• Look for recipes that allow you to add less-costly ingredients to stretch meals further. Oatmeal fl akes, for example, can be added to hamburger to make a meatloaf. Use leftovers or rice to stretch soups into an additional serving or two.• If the menus at home have become a bit slim, reverse the day -- give the kids grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast and eggs for dinner.• Check grocery-store sales fl yers, and use coupons when planning your weekly menus. Donʼt let the coupons lead to impulse buying, however. • When you fi nd a good food bargain, make meals ahead and freeze them. Having a freezer full of meals will help avoid the temptation to eat out or

buy convenience food when youʼre short on time or energy. Be sure to package the meals well and label with the contents and date prepared.• Use up leftovers. Search for Internet food sites that let you list the ingredients you have on hand and then provide you with a recipe using those ingredients. Learn how to freeze vegetables or fruit before they go bad, or make casseroles, or bake bread.• Learn new ways to stretch common ingredients or make substitutions to use what you do have.Not all of your savings are to be found in the kitchen.Check the Internet for ways to create products you need out of inexpensive ingredients. Drain cleaner, laundry soap, oven cleaner, hand soap, window cleaner, bath and shower products, fabric softener and bath and tile cleaners can all be made with a few simple ingredients. Many of them consist of varying amounts of vinegar, baking powder and an inexpensive dishwashing detergent.Give up as many paper products as you can. Paper towels, diapers and dinner napkins all have cloth alternatives.Before you buy at all, sign up on sites such as Free Cycle [freecycle.net] to give away what you no longer need and ask for what you do. Check the Free section on Craigʼs List for your area [craigslist.org] for items being given away.


ALL THE PRESIDENTS’ TIDBITS:

MILLARD FILLMOREMillard Fillmore was the 13th president of the United States, and in his case, the number was truly unlucky. There’s a reason that you never hear very much about Fillmore’s presidency: he was disliked in a major way by most of the people he worked with, including members of Congress, members of his Cabinet, and even members of his own Party. So why was he elected? He wasn’t… but we’ll get to that.

• Millard Fillmore was born in a log cabin near upstate New York’s Finger Lakes on January 7, 1800. (He was the last president born in the 18th century, since the 19th century didn’t begin until 1801.) Instead of attending school, Millard worked on his father’s farm. He apprenticed with a tailor, but disliked the job. At 18, he decided to catch up on the education that he’d missed. His teacher, Abigail Powers, was only two years his elder. The two got along famously, and Fillmore proved a fast learner in more ways than one. (Powers later became Mrs. Millard Fillmore.)

• Despite his late start, in 1819, Millard made the study of law his chosen fi eld. Only four years later, he was admitted to the bar and opened a private practice in East Aurora, NY. At this point in his life, Fillmore was actually a well-liked individual. He was considered attractive and dressed sharply. He also proved his skills as an attorney, and moved his practice to Buffalo.

• With the support of colleagues, Millard Fillmore won a seat in the state legislature in 1828. After four years, he stepped up to the national ranks by becoming a U.S. representative. Fillmore joined the then-new Whig Party, which opposed the Democrats in the mid-1800s. (The Whigs were eventually absorbed into the Republican Party).

• In Congress, Fillmore joined Henry Clay in pushing for a solution to the growing divide between the North and South. Millard lost the New York gubernatorial race in 1844, but then took a job as state comptroller, placing his hands fi rmly on New York’s “purse strings.” Many expected Henry Clay to win the Whig presidential nomination in 1848, but it went to a man who opposed “backing down” to the South: Zachary Taylor. To maintain peace in party ranks, Clay’s friend Fillmore became Taylor’s running mate.

• The Whigs won the presidency, and Taylor took offi ce in 1849. While he entertained Clay’s idea of making slavery legal in selected

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BICYCLES (continued):• In the 1890s, the first “modern” bicycles

appeared: chain-driven vehicles with simi-larly-sized tires. These were safer than the high-wheel models (and were even called “safety bicycles” as a result), but proved a step backwards in comfort. While the long spokes of high-wheel bikes absorbed bumps and ruts, the smaller wheels on these new bikes, particularly when coupled with the hard-rubber tires of the era, made for jarring, unpleasant rides.

• More than a million bicycles were sold in the United States by the time 1895 rolled around, but one last improvement would propel the bicycle into the must-own category: the pneu-matic tire. Under the guidance of the Pope Manufacturing Company (which made bi-cycles), the Hartford Rubber Works produced America’s first pneumatic tires in 1895. Pro-viding a much softer ride, they soon became a standard feature on all bicycle models.

• Dozens of smaller-scale improvements boosted the speed, comfort, longevity and performance of bicycles during the 20th century. As women began to find them as necessary as men, two varieties of bicycle were made. Men’s bikes were built with an extra stabilizer bar across the top of the bike. Women’s bikes omitted the bar, providing for easier mounting and dismounting of the vehicle when wearing skirts.

• The 1970s saw the development of two bi-cycle extremes. First came bicycles that took you nowhere. Otherwise known as exercise bikes, these training aids first hit the home market at the beginning of the decade. Then, as time went on and the energy crisis sent fuel prices skyrocketing, mopeds appeared. These bicycle/motorcycle hybrids, most popular with city-centered business workers, could either be pedaled like a regular bike or powered using a small, low-powered gasoline engine.

AmeriPlan® is a discount medical program organization.

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Restaurant

Ad�on�Page

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DescriptionMeals�Served

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RangeMealPrice

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Children's�Menu

All�You�Can�Eat

Outside�Seating

Sen.�Citiz./Military�

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Reservations�Accepted

Don Jose Mexican Restaurant3609 BoulevardColonial Heights, VA(804) 520-8422

1 �Come�join�the�fun�and�tasauthentic�Mexican�food!��dishes�and�an�extensive�dare�sure�to�please.

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L/D$4.50 � ��$12.95

AllMajor

CO �The Mad Italian Pasta anSteak House2545 S. Crater Rd.Petersburg, VA(804) 732-9268

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V/M � � � SC/M CO/CT �Steven Kent Family Restaurant12205 South Crater Rd.Petersburg, VA(804) 733-0500

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City of Colonial Heights:

Interior Decorating Class

Dec. 9, 2008

This class will cover decorating basics of wall décor, furniture arrangements, color concepts, accessories, lighting window treat-ments, fl ooring, and greenery. Classes will be held at the Colonial Heights Public Library from 6:00-8:00pm. Cost is $40 per person. Instructor: Nikole Jiggetts. www.mycustomhomedesign.com

Scrap Booking

The Colonial Heights Recreation and Parks Department is pleased to announce several Scrap Booking classes for youth, adults, and seniors. All classes are $10.00 and include supplies for a two page 12x12 layout. Scrap booking topics vary by date, participant age and class however, topics range from genealogy, holiday hur-rah, resolutions, and friendships. Instructor: Deborah Malbone. www.mycraftivity.com/groovy/doodles/

Hopewell Community Center: Contact the center at (804) 541-2304 for more information

Annual Craft Bazaar

Dec. 3-5, 2008

The Craft Club is working hard to prepare for their annual bazaar. They are excited about selling the beautiful crafts that they have been creating throughout the year. They will be selling delicious baked goodies, as well. These crafts & baked goodies make excel-lent gifts and proceeds will benefi t the Hopewell Respite Group and senior projects & activities. 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Holiday Boat Parade and Fireworks

Dec. 6, 2008

Join us for our 4rd Annual City Boat Parade. Dress warmly and see some of the most beautiful decorated boats in Virginia. Located on the River between Jordan Point and Anchor Point. Parade begins at 5:30 p.m.

Christmas at the Jefferson and “Tacky Lights”Tour

Dec. 16, 2008

Includes Round trip motorcoach transportation, dinner at the elegant Jefferson Hotel, “Tacky Lights” tour, refreshments on bus, all tax & gratuities. Join us for a spectacular dinner at the beauti-fully decorated Jefferson Hotel and a “tacky lights” holiday tour of Richmond. This will be a special evening that you don’t want to miss! Register by Nov. 21, 2008. Cost $88.00

You are cordially invited toSteven Kent Restaurant’s Annual

THANKSGIVING DAY BUFFETThursday, Nov. 27, 2008 12pm-5pm

This year featuring “Tastes of Virginia”, a combination oflocal and state favorites with a touch of our own flare!

To get your appetite started pick one of our Delicious Soups. Choose from Chesapeake She Crab or Roasted Red Pepper and Sweet Corn Chowder.

Next, select one of our Fresh Salads. Choose from a Traditional Green Garden Salad, Caesar Salad or Fresh Picnic Potato Salad.

Our Entrees include Succulent Curry Smoked Ham, Slow Roasted Young Tom Turkey Breast and Country Dressing, Roast Beef, Whiting Fish and Baked Chicken. To accompany these

wonderful selctions we will be having an abundant array of Southern Style Vegetables.

Nice Warm Breads from our kitchen add a special touch to each meal. Our sinfullyDelicious Desserts will feature a Dark Chocolate Fountain complete with an assortment

of goodies to dip as well as pies and cakes.

12205 South Crater Rd • Petersburg, VA804-733-0500

Adults $19.99 • Children 6-10 $9.99 • Children 5 & under FREEReservations Strongly Recommended

City of Petersburg:8th Annual East Coast Bowl Game – North vs. South

Nov. 29, 2008

The East Coast Bowl Game is an annual college football All-Star game that features the most elite Division I-FCS, II, III and NAIA college football players from across the Mid-Atlantic region. The game starts at 12:00 noon at Cameron Field. Contact 722-0141 for additional information.

TIDBITS FACT:Contrary to popular folklore, turkeys do not drown from staring upwards

in the rain. Because of theplacement of their eyes on their

head, if they look skyward, they tilt their head sideways, not up.

Documents

Tidbits of the Tri-Cities - Issue 16