Saturday morning movie for two cans of food

November 17, 2009

By Whitney McHugh

This Saturday the Salvation Army is holding its annual canned food show at Northside Cinema II. Two cans of food get you a movie, soft drink and popcorn.

The event is geared toward families or those with a love of animation. The highest rated movie is PG. The movies aren’t new releases and you may have seen them all. But for less than $3 a person, it’s hard to pass up a morning at the movies.

The movies choices are Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Tales of Desperaux and Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs.

The doors open at 8:15 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 and the movies begin at 9 a.m.

Ladies Night at the festival ... oh what a night

November 06, 2009

By Whitney McHugh

Avery and her friends ride the freefall in Kiddie Land. I got a quick break before getting back on the rides. This ride is pretty fun and not stomach wrenching like the adult version. I rode with Avery three times.

It’s been two days since my annual pilgrimage to the National Peanut Festival. I’m starting to feel human again.

Waking up Thursday morning after our marathon session at Ladies Night, I felt like I’d been on a two-day bender. My brain was foggy. I was dizzy. The thought of food turned my stomach. All I wanted to do was crawl in a dark hole and sleep.

The cause? Whirling like a dervish for four hours.

Jon Johnson, the sports editor, warned me. He’d spent Tuesday evening as the designated rider with his two girls. Too bad I didn’t listen.

As I stumbled through yesterday, I discovered more parents with the same problem. Apparently, defying gravity while spinning like a top isn’t a good idea for most people over 30 .

It’s time to admit the truth. I belong in Kiddie Land.

Those rides are fun and easygoing. Most are a pared down version of the adult rides and they probably won’t make you sick. And if you are like me, the kiddie rides won’t cause you to imagine the all horrific ways you could be maimed or killed. 

Yep, another sign of getting old.

My 7-year-old daughter, Avery, still enjoys the kid rides. But she’s also fearless and wants to ride anything she’s tall enough for on the midway. If your children are content with Kiddie Land, keep them there as long as possible. Once you let them loose on the midway, you may not be able to drag them back.

My best advice is to find your child a friend to ride with —bring one or meet one. They’ll have a ride partner and you can skip anything that looks too wild. But if you do end up as the designated rider, here are a few tips:

Don’t miss the Rockin’ Tug in Kiddie Land. Year after year,  it’s one of our favorites.

Stay away from the big hang glider ride. Normally, I love it. But this year it’s on steroids. It is about twice as fast as normal and flies at a steeper angle. Hop on the kids’ version. It’s on the opposite side of the midway.

Skip the Crazy Mouse ride. Instead, head to the other end of the midway to the Indy 500 ride. It’s fantastic and the wait is shorter. Two people can ride per car on this mini-rollercoaster. There are twists, turns and a good bit of speed. Avery and I picked it as our favorite ride this year.

Curious about the World’s Smallest Horse but too cheap to fork out $1 to see it? Hop on the swings next to the booth. As you fly by, you can see down into the booth. There really is a small horse in there.

Oldies but goodies win every time. Hit the Scrambler and Tilt-A-Whirl. Both will make you dizzy, but if you plan ahead you’ll be OK. Don’t ride any spinning rides right before or after this ride.

If your kids aren’t hardcore riders, try fitting in the Star Family Circus, sea lion show or the petting zoo in between rides. This should give you a break from all the spinning madness.

We’re headed back to the festival Saturday. Thankfully, there won’t be any rides. We’re going to eat, watch the sea lion and circus shows, visit the petting zoo, look at the exhibits and take in the demolition derby.

Lost in the maze at CornDodgers Farm

October 27, 2009

By Whitney McHugh

Armed with glow sticks and three flashflights, our group of five headed out last Thursday evening in search of more fall fun at the 7-acre corn maze at CornDodgers Farm in Headland.

The farm is located off Highway 134 and the directions on the CornDodgers Web site were easy to follow. The trip took about 20 minutes from Dothan and we used the drive make our fabulous bracelets and necklaces from a tube of thin glow sticks.

Slideshow:

· View photos from our trip to the 7-acre corn mazes at CornDodgers Farm.

It was overkill. We looked a bit ridiculous. And yes, people in the maze made comments about our glowing accessories. Go Team Glow! (CornDodgers sells glowsticks and rents flashlights if you don’t want to bring your own.)

The maze opened at 5 p.m., but there were only a few cars in the lot when we arrived at 7. We paid our admission — $8 for adults, $6 for children — got a paper with clues and headed for the maze.

The 7-acre corn field is divided into two mazes. Rumor has it that the first maze is easier, but we wandered aimlessly in the first maze before an illegal cut-through maneuver by my mother landed us in the second maze.

Talk about being completely lost. There are numbered poles in the maze that correspond with clues on the paper handed out at the gate. If you answer the multiple-choice questions correctly, you get instructions on which direction to head next. Too bad we didn’t look at the paper before we started.

There are signs in the maze with texting instructions. With a quick text, you receive brief instructions like “head in the direction the sun sets.” Sure this is helpful, but only if you know which way is west. We searched for the Little Dipper and the North Star. And we had interesting discussions with other people in the maze about the direction of the moon.

We eventually stumbled out of the maze after about 1.5 hours – starting in the first and ending in the second. (We spent a lot of time taking photos and doing Blair Witch re-enactments.) Most people can complete both mazes in an hour.

Determined to make it through the mazes, we headed back into the field. A Corn Cop – yep, it’s printed right on the reflector vest – joined us for the second round. With a little help from him, we made it through the first maze. We’re so bad at this even the Corn Cop got lost with our group in the second maze. Backtracking and heading out the entrance, we never did complete the second maze.

There are other things to do at the farm besides the corn maze. For $1, you can shoot three ears of corn at targets for a chance to win $50. My 7-year-old, Avery, wasn’t interested in trying the cannon, but the rest of us had fun. She did like the mini-maze made out of hay bales and the corn box. There are also hay rides, but there weren’t any running the night of our visit.

Here are a couple tips for the maze:

It’s a lot of walking. Wear comfortable shoes. If you have little ones, bring a stroller or wagon. Avery’s legs were tired by the second round and we gave her piggy-back rides.

Do not touch the ears of corn. Mom wanted to look at the corn and started peeling back the husks. Within 30 seconds, corn cops were telling her to step away from the corn.

Do not cut through the corn. First, it is against the rules. Second, you have no idea where you’ll end up.

If you do get lost, look for people wearing reflector vests. They will give you clues.

Watch out for the tractor wheels. We walked in circles for a long time.

Relax. Take your time. Don’t worry about getting lost. It’s supposed to be fun.

The maze closes for the season at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. To learn more about the maze, visit the CornDodgers Farm Web site.

Pumpkin picking at Aplin Farms

October 20, 2009

By Whitney McHugh

The first snap of cool weather means a trip to the pumpkin patch for Avery and me. Normally, we stop by the pumpkin patch at First United Methodist Church in Dothan. There are a lot of pumpkins to choose from and the patch is great spot for photos.

Slideshow:

· View photos from our trip to Aplin Farms.

But Saturday city editor Kendall Clinton invited us to the “pumpkin patch in Slocomb.”

I pictured us traipsing through a field in the middle of nowhere – a new twist on our annual tradition – and being finished in about an hour. Yes, we did wander through a field but Aplin Farms is no mere pumpkin patch.

The farm is located on Geneva County Road 49 (Bay Springs Road). It connects to U.S. Highway 84 and the drive took about 15 minutes from Dothan. On weekends the farm is easy to spot, just look for all the cars parked on the side of the road.

Our group of four adults and two children bypassed the produce market and headed straight for the animal barn. Klie, 5, and Avery, 7, were able to pet goats, bunnies, sheep and a calf. The ducks huddled together far from the children’s fingers and a sign stated that the pigs bite. I think the kids would have been perfectly happy staying in the animal barn the entire time.

Next up was the corn maze. The maze costs $3 per person. I’d like to say we made it to the end, but we didn’t. We walked in circles. That may be because we followed the kids. Our group ended up going back out the entrance but no one seemed to mind. My sister, Meredith, loved the witch flying on a utility pole in the maze. Sadly, we didn’t get a picture of it.

The line for wagon rides to the pumpkin patch is at the produce market. While waiting for our turn, we explored the market. The farm sells its produce, baked goods and other items produced locally. I had my eye on the honey from Headland. Bins of pumpkins in a variety of sizes are in the market for those not wanting to venture into the patch. Pumpkins range from $1-$12 depending on their size.

The ride to the pumpkin patch was fun and well worth the $3 per person price. The patch is divided into big and small pumpkins and bordered by a sunflower field. With a few brief instructions on selecting and picking pumpkins, we headed into the field. Our group picked six pumpkins – small, medium and large.

In addition to pumpkins, most people came back from the fields with bouquets of sunflowers. The wagon driver cut flowers for anyone interested. Klie was determined to go home with a giant one.
We spent a bit more than two hours touring Aplin Farms. Avery is headed back next week with her school class. And I’m looking forward to making another visit to the pumpkin patch next fall.

Wiregrass Magazine

July 22, 2009

By Christie Kulavich

It’s back!

We used to publish Discover Wiregrass yearly, but took a different approach for 2009.

The Eagle combined a few special sections to create a really nice magazine product that features a slice of life in the Wiregrass. There’s things to do, people to meet, places to visit and lots of fun stuff you may not have known about the area. Copy desker Erin Hitt championed the project this year. She’s got a thing for ‘zines!

You can see the magazine here.

If you want a hard copy of the magazine, let me know. I’m sure we can round one up somewhere around here.

The best part is that we are about to kick off with the second edition of the magazine. Got an idea for something you’d like to see? Drop us an e-mail. We are always looking for a neat story.

Here’s hoping that one day it’s on magazine racks around the area. But for now, look in the Oct. 30 edition of the Dothan Eagle for a copy.