50 States in 50 Years
I just got through adding some states to my 50 states goal!
I had 10 states left in the 50 Nifty United States:
Alabama, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Alaska.
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I just drove to see my boys in Virginia, by way of Alabama and Mississippi! I also went through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. (But I’d been to all of those before.)
It was a fun trip! I got to see #RocketCityUSA - the US Space Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and I got to pay my respects at the gravesite of 4 girls in Jackson, Mississippi. I talked with a few locals there. One is Marcus, “The Street Professor.” He had a lot to share with me.
I definitely need to go back to Mississippi and Alabama some day. I’d like to see Selma and Montgomery. On my way through Mississippi, there were tornado warnings. It was a wild ride.
I had a great time visiting my kids in Northern Virginia. I ate at my older son’s restaurant (where he works, breaking gender barriers!) (he is the first male host at the restaurant group!) , and hung out a lot with my younger son, watching “Mandalorian” and chatting about stuff. We had a friend of his overs to bake and then we all went to see the new “Dungeons and Dragons” movie. We loved it!
I wish I could have stayed a lot longer, but I’m busy with a festival coming up …
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BELLE PLAINE FESTIVAL In BELLE PLAINE KANSAS
My partner bought a home in Belle Plaine, Kansas, and I have thrown myself onto the planning committee!
I am doing a LOT for the festival - especially since I don’t officially live here. 😅 (It’s my partner’s home, but I’m having a lot of fun and he is giving me lots of leeway to express my creativity.)
PORCH PARADE ENTRY - PLEASE VOTE FOR MY ENTRY!
The festival has a PORCH PARADE going on. I painted the windows with tulips (Belle Plaine, KS is known for their tulips). I put out solar tulips, sunflowers (Kansas is known for Sunflowers) and daisies (I just love daisies!). I hung up 2 colors of lights in every tree in the front yard & over the car port. The colors of lights are tulip colors - red, pink, purple, and yellow.
I put color changing lights inside and outside the windows. The ones outside look like colored raindrops when they turn on at night after sundown.
I hope you will please go to this website and vote for my entry in the contest! 200 N. Merchant Street.
I have named our Porch Parade entry, “April Showers.”
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PS: A PORCH PARADE came about during the Covid days - the festival couldn’t do their traditional parade, so folks signed up to decorate their porches. Other folks can drive around and see the pretty decorations and vote on their favorite front porch or front yard.
Vote for your favorite (Mine, please? ) here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxVdz3g79Qq2HcjSMdIegSyyH5yOITV1ee3U4jS7l4XF4Huw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
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TALENT SHOW
I will be yoyoing to my dad’s song, “It’s Yo-Yo Time” tonight at 7:30 at the Belle Plaine Festival Talent Show!
I bought a new pink dress for the occasion, and new yo-yos too! Because it’s hard to see yoyo string against a light pink dress, I also got myself a brand new black apron to wear during my yoyo tricks on stage. This way, it’s much easier to see the string tricks I love to do!
I was once cautioned by Mark Jaster, a mime at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, not to wear black as a children’s entertainer. But I’m breaking that rule tonight with the black apron & black shoes (It’s all I have with me) at the Talent Show.
I can’t wait to get the audience participation going with the “It’s Yo-Yo Time” song! That’s so much fun & it’s always a nice tribute to my zany dad, Stu Crump Jr., AKA “Professor Yo-Yo.” I miss him every day.
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STREET BUBBLES
I will be doing Street Bubbles tomorrow at the festival too! I’ll be on stage between acts doing ENORMOUS bubbles, and strolling the crowds when I’m up to it, doing medium sized bubbles. It’s going to be fun, interacting with the kids and families at the festival this weekend!
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SOCIAL MEDIA
I’m also running the social media platforms for Instagram and Twitter for the Belle Plaine Festival! Yikes! So many tweets and Instagram posts I need to write for this weekend! That trip to Virginia made me fall super duper behind, but my kids are my first priority, so I made the right choice.
Http://www.Twitter.com/BellePlaineFest
Http://www.Instagram.com/BellePlaineFestival
I hope everyone’s having a great April so far!!
Once again, I would LOVE it if you would please go vote for my entry to the PORCH PARADE contest (200 N Merchant Street) on this website:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxVdz3g79Qq2HcjSMdIegSyyH5yOITV1ee3U4jS7l4XF4Huw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
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VOTING is due Saturday at lunch time, I think. They announce the winner of the Porch Parade Contest at 6:00pm CST on Saturday. Yippeee !!!!
The Substack didn’t send the first time. Darn it. So it sent after I did my show already. HOWEVER - I got first place in the talent show for folks ages “high school and up.” SO - I will be doing my show again on Saturday, April 8, at 5:30pm!! Yay!! I get to yoyo for the crowd again !!!