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  • kateskornerofbucks 8:33 am on May 22, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Designer House, , Doylestown Hospital, Food Pantry, Housing Group   

    Bucks County Designer House and Garden 

    For anyone who has not been there yet, this year’s Designer House is The Clement Doyle House at 360 Old Dublin Pike. The tour with started April 28th will end May 26th.

    Hours are:    Monday – Wednesday – 10 am – 4 pm
    Thursday, Friday – 10 am – 7 pm
    Saturday – 10 am – 4 pm
    Sunday – Noon   - 4 pm

    Tickets are $25 at the Door and $20 for Seniors 62+.  Proceeds benefit V.I.A. Maternity Center at Doylestown Hospital. In addition to the work with the hospital The V.I.A. is supporting their 2013 neighbors – the Doylestown Food Pantry located at the Bucks County Housing Group. They invite you to help support their efforts by bringing a donation when you tour the 38th Bucks County Designer House & Gardens.

    To lean more log on to: http://buckscountydesignerhouse.org/

     

     

  • kateskornerofbucks 10:01 am on May 21, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Where is the time going? 

    I can’t believe it’s almost Memorial Day. I’ve been thinking, gee the flowers and plants are really doing well, the garden is early this year.  Where is my head?  The time has been flying by. Time used to go by slower, I’m sure of it. When I was a kid, I was always anxious for the next great thing, be that summer, a new school year, being a teenager, turning 21.  Ah, the joys of falling in love, getting married and having a family! Then we grow up. Life takes many unexpected turns. Time flies by. The kids grow up. Relationships fail and new relationships blossom.  We change, we grow and we blossom just like the flowers outside my window. Then one day we realize we have stopped waiting for the next great thing. Not because there is nothing to look forward to because there are so many wonderful things around the corner. But rather it’s the realization that the best things are right here, right now.  To coin a cliché, take time to smell the roses. They won’t be here forever.

     

  • kateskornerofbucks 10:14 am on May 15, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Community Theater, , Joe Perignat, , , Tom McFarland,   

    Interview with Tom McFarland and Joe Perignat 

    Everybody Loves Opal, at Town and Country Players opened this past weekend and got great reviews. Leslie Grigg of Stage Magazine said “Individually, each actor truly embodies their character, making it easy to believe this story. Once all characters start to interact we see the real talent of each actor playing off the other’s strengths. This cast works so well together, that all the audience has to do is get lost in their interactions, laugh at their plans as they backfire, and believe that good can conquer evil.” That’s pretty impressive praise!

    I had the opportunity to talk to two of the actors last week. I’ve known them for many years and enjoyed their antics on stage with State Street Players. Tom McFarland, who plays the grouchy doctor in Everybody Loves Opal didn’t start acting till he was 46 when a friend talked him into joining State Street Players. I can attest to the fact that Tom was ALWAYS funny. He soon found out that he was much more than a “kitchen comic”. It wasn’t long before Tom’s skills were paired with those of Joe Perignat in skits like: This is your Life, The Honeymooners and The Smothers Brothers, just to name a few. Joe built the set for the Everyboyd Loves Opal and plays the part of Solomon Bozo. Solomon is a very crude tough guy but can be charming when he needs to be. Joe was bitten by the acting bug over 40 years ago when he lived in New Jersey and participated in some community theater productions. One afternoon after moving to Bucks County, SSP was holding auditions for a show being directed by Barbara Brown. Joe was up in his attic laying in additional insulation when Jerry Lorenz popped his head up in and said “let’s go, auditions today”. Joe balked, but Jerry insisted and Joe wound up earning his first SSP role in a skit called The Drive up Confessional. That was 31 years ago! I asked Joe how he got involved with Town and Country. In Joe’s words: “I had been going to LAD for several years to get my hair trimmed. Lynne Anne knew I was very involved in SSP. One afternoon, she called me and said, T&C is doing a play called Clue- The Play and they just lost an actor. This was 2 weeks before they opened. It was a small role, not a lot of lines but they needed someone with stage experience. I trundled off to the theater that evening to speak with the director to a see if I could help him out. The director wanted to know if I could die on stage. I told him I was unfortunately very experienced at that. We hit it off, the director gave me the part, and yes I died on stage.” A few years ago Joe recruited Tom McFarland. Tom says “they needed an old guy for a show and Joe suggested me. I auditioned and got the part of the Father in a comedy called Stillmore, Georgia. Since then I’ve done 6 shows at T & C”.
    The play, Everybody Loves Opal, and the set are full of surprises. Guests are encouraged to bring a mid 50′s prop with them for display in the club room. It should be no bigger than a bread box. At the start of the show, the director will select one and it will be on stage for the performance. The owner will receive a free pass to another T&C show. So you may have the opportunity to see two great shows for the price of one!
    Performances are all follows:
    Friday/Saturday – May 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 at 8pm
    Sunday Matinees – May 12, 19 at 3pm

    There are still tickets available. You can order online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/284859

     

  • kateskornerofbucks 8:38 am on May 13, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , mothers day,   

    Thoughts on Mother’s Day 

    Yesterday was a long and tiring day but a really good day.  My Mom is almost 88. She has not been in good shape for a long time.  I decided that the best gift I could give her, in addition to her usual hanging basket of flowers, would be to get the family together so she could spend time with all her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.  Almost everyone was here. One nephew had to work and my brother and his family had other plans so they went to see her at her house in the morning.  Other than those two exceptions, everyone was at my house and Mom got to spend time with them.  That’s pretty good. On days like Mothers day everyone has multiple people to see and places to go. Honestly, in retrospect, it was as much a gift for me as for my Mom. There is nothing I like better than seeing my kids with their cousins and my grandkids playing with my sister’s grandson. And I love watching my baby sister with her husband and grandson.  The guys gather around the television watching a sporting event together, sometimes shouting at the screen. The kitchen table is alive with talk about kids, babies shopping and a host of other things. When the little guys get cranky, I take them to the play-room, pull out my guitar and some play instruments for them. We have our own little band.  It’s just perfect. The chatter of family fills the house with a joyful noise that really is the music of life.   

     

    • Cathy Trowbridge 10:54 pm on May 13, 2013 Permalink | Reply

      Nice. Took my mom out too, she’s 88 as well. You can read my comments at wwwempowernetwork(dot)com/skinnycat Hope you enjoy it!

  • kateskornerofbucks 7:48 am on May 10, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: comedy, , Heartwarming story, , ,   

    New Show Opening at Town and Country 

    Everybody Loves Opal, a Comedy by John Patrick opens this evening at Town and Country Players. It is directed by Ken Weigert.

    Performances are all follows:
    Friday/Saturday – May 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 at 8pm
    Sunday Matinees – May 12, 19 at 3pm

    The story is about Opal Kronkie, a middle-aged recluse. Opal lives in general disarray in her tumbledown mansion at the edge of the municipal dump. She collects things-anything that can be toted home in her little red wagon. Always an optimist, no matter how difficult life become or how badly her friends treat her, Opal responds with unfailing kindness. She possess an abiding faith in the goodness of human nature. Into her rather strange world come Gloria, Bradford and Solomon, three purveyors of bogus perfume, on the lam from the authorities. Opal’s home is the perfect hideout-and Opal, herself, might be the remedy for their shattered finances. They decide that what she needs is plenty of insurance, a rapid demise, and three beneficiaries named Gloria, Bradford and Solomon. Attempted murder wouldn’t seem to be funny, but in Mr. Patrick’s magic hands it is uproarious. The laughs ensue as the unsavory trio concoct elaborate schemes to ensure Opal’s demise and includes a surprise at the end.

    There are still tickets available for this weekend. You can order online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/284859

    Two State Street Players favorites, Tom McFarland and Joe Perignat are appearing in the production. Many of you will remember them as “The Smothers Brothers”. My personal favorite was always when they did “The Honeymooners”. Their chemistry is awesome!

    I am in the process of interviewing them both about acting, their years with State Street and of course about “Everybody Loves Opal”.

    Stay tuned for more info . . . in the meantime get your tickets for the show!

     

  • kateskornerofbucks 9:02 am on May 8, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

    Tina just found out that they won’t be at the Vineyard this Friday May 10 due to some technical difficulties. They will be back there next week Friday May 17. Hope to see you then!!

     

  • kateskornerofbucks 8:41 am on May 8, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Singer Songwriters, Tina Margot, Unionville Vineyards, Wine Tasting   

    I’ve been talking a lot about music and singer songwriters in particular. We are fortunate to live in an area that is rich in the arts. On a stroll through Doylestown you are bound to hear music flowing from many a restaurant. One of our local singer songwriters, Tina Margot, has been hosting an open mic night at M.O.M.s on Tuesday evenings. This Friday she will be taking her talents over the bridge to the Unionville Vineyards in New Jersey. The showcase features Tina and 3 to 5 other performers. Tina tells me it’s a sweet venue and the ambiance is great. The vineyard is hoping to have a fire pit outside by this weekend, weather permitting. In the meantime performances are upstairs in the wine tasting room from 6:30 to 9:30. Unionville Vineyards is located at 9 Rocktown Road in Ringoes, NJ. It’s about a half hour or so from Doylestown. People are welcome to bring snacks, buy some wine and listen to some great music. I hope you check it out.

     

    • Tina 8:57 am on May 8, 2013 Permalink | Reply

      Thank you SO much for the shout Kathy, but I just found out that we won’t be there this Friday May 10 due to some technical difficulties. We will be back next week Friday May 17. Hope to see you then!!

  • kateskornerofbucks 8:55 am on May 6, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

    Music from my Soundtrack 

    I love singer songwriters.  Carole King has always been a favorite. There were times when her music felt like it was putting the period at the end of my sentence. 

    As far back as grade school I was hearing her music.  I remember Steve Lawrence “Go Away Little Girl” playing on the radio when my Mom was ironing. Then there was “The Locomotion” sung by Little Eva always a bandstand favorite.  

    By the time high school rolled around a whole different Carole King appealed to me.  Teenagers are so overly dramatic and I was no exception. “It’s Too Late” was my soundtrack for breaking up with a boyfriend.  “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” would echo on the ride home from the dace when someone had acted like they “liked you” and you wondered if they would call. Oh the drama of it all!

    Back then, I was enthralled with her “Tapestry” album.  I loved hearing her sing the songs that I had heard others sing so often.  “Live at the Troubadour”,  a collaboration with James Taylor, is now one of my favorites.  I saw the live performance on PBS and loved it. The best part is the storytelling that goes on between songs.  James Taylor tells how he first heard Carole sing “You’ve got a Friend” and knew he had to record it.  Carole talks about writing “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” with her then husband at a time the relationship was falling apart.  The dialogue adds a lovely poignancy to music you have heard for years.

    More on James Taylor another time.

     

  • kateskornerofbucks 8:06 am on May 2, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: car, Four Seasons, Jersey Boys, , Peter Paul and Mary, playlist, , time machine   

    The Playlist 

    Last year we got a new car. It has this great feature. You can download all your CD’s to the car. I love this! My husband is an avid music collector so we have literally hundreds of CD’s to choose from. Now that there are a plethora of songs stored in the car to choose from I am setting up my playlists. There are the old standards. They are the songs I fondly remember my parents playing on the 78’s. Some of the songs my Dad would sing in the car. The same songs he taught me to slow dance to. Then there is the music of my youth. They are the songs that were on the radio and American Bandstand when I was 4 or 5. I remember my first 45. It was “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by the Four Seasons. Another favorite was “Puff the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul and Mary. I knew big girls were not supposed to cry but I wasn’t big yet and I felt so sorry for Puff that I cried every time I heard the song. What I love about music is that hearing a song can transport us to a different time and place. My playlist is my own little time machine.

    More on playlists and soundtracks of our lives another day.

    (If you don’t know what a 78 or a 45 are . . . they are records . . . that were played on a record machine . . . not a computer, I-pod or MP3 player)

     

  • kateskornerofbucks 1:40 pm on May 1, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , stream of consciousness   

    I have a discussion topic for us.
    If you had a soundtrack for your life, what would you want it to be?
    I’ve given this quite a bit of thought and will blog about it later in the week. Post your thoughts as a reply on the blog. Don’t over think just type. No need to include your name if you don’t want to. Think of this as a stream of consciousness . . . anything that comes to mind.

     

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