We work hard on our amateur photography when we go out—all for you! So make sure you check out some of the most recent additions to our Facebook albums!
2010 Art of Sand Event offical album: Be sure to check some photos of this event. You won't believe artist used sand to create these!
Check out pictures from our recent trip to the Florida Keys.
Marie Antoinette might have said “Let them eat cake”—but that’s only because she never went to the Great American Pie Festival! We found out about this event, ran annually by the American Pie Council, from some of our tweeps (twitter friends). Almost immediately there was a glimmer in my eye—there is a pie council?
It didn’t take too much research to decide that not only should we go to the event—it would be downright un-American not too! This large event actually has two parts—the championship, where some of the best pie-makers in the world compete for bragging rights and prizes, and the festival which is opened to the public.
The 2010 American Pie Festival was held in Celebration Florida. They couldn’t have picked a more perfect spot. As we drove up and down the streets aligned with large American-style baby mansions with perfectly edged yards, for some reason I started to crave apple pie and vanilla ice cream.
When we walked under the big red, white, and blue balloon arches, we got into the mood of the festival immediately—fun and full of sweet anticipation. As with most events, the vendors were right up front. There were some cool local sellers, with everything from homemade soap to kitchen accessories for the everyday Prima Donna. And the food choices were amazing. The smell of roasted corn, sausage, and gyros almost lifted me off the ground by my nose. Maybe, however, they seemed extra appetizing because I was so hungry; I had basically starved myself all day because I was going to try as much from the all-you-can-eat pie buffet that I could. That’s right, all you can eat pie! So I used all the self-control I could muster and kept walking past the food vendors.
However, to show we weren’t completely focused on our bellies, Jay and I headed to the stage that had live entertainment before the buffet. The stage was housed in spot that was built with kids in mind. The area was enclosed by kid-friendly activities—like large bouncing houses, giants slides, a kids-only pie-eating contest, a place to make mini-pies that could be baked at home later, and picture time with the Pillsbury Dough Boy—just to name a few. In the same area the stage was alive with performances that kept the parents happy with variety-show style acts, an Iron Pie Chef contest, and cooking demonstrations. One of the sponsors was even giving away goodie bags, one of which I was happy to snag.
We held off as long as we could before we weaved our way though the crowds and found the ticket counter. We paid our $10 entrance, received our wristbands and walked into dessert heaven: two rows of pie makers that were beckoning people to come over and have a slice. There were well-known and lesser-known companies. Just about every sort of pie you could think of was represented; apple, strawberry, pecan, raisin, you name it they had it. Jay went for the tried and true flavors, and I went to try something new. We both ended up having some great pie. Our favorite companies were:
- Rocky Mountain Pies, who had an amazing apple pie, with a fresh tasty filling, drizzled with caramel
- Publix Bakery, because they might be a large company but they sure can bake! Plus they had the free ice cream, and the Smucker’s was the next tent over so you could kick-up your pie al-mode. Ummm….
- Key Wet Key Lime Co. was an unexpected treat. There was constantly a long line of people waiting for something at their tent, and even though we didn’t know what it was we joined the line. Our reward? Frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate, served on a stick. I could have died of a diabetic coma, at least I would have went with a smile on my face.
We enjoyed our pie with a bit of live music by a great local band called RJ and Company. Jay, being a music hound, even went up and talked to the drummer. I sat under the shade and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the festival.
The event planners took their time in laying out the event, down to the music that was being played in every place that didn’t have live entertainment. (It didn’t take us long to realize that every song somehow mentioned pie.) While it may not be an all day event for most, even those who aren’t devoted foodies will agree that it’s a usually sweet treat out of the norm.
Learn more about this event on the American Pie Council’s website.
Tips For When You Go
1. Though it’s free, parking can be a bit dicey, since the event location is surrounded by a lot of residents. Be prepared to walk. Also, be careful where you park, avoiding mailboxes, driveways, and corners—the police were out in force giving out tickets.
2. Put on blinders and walk right by the vendors. The food looks delicious, but it’s definitely advisable to hit up the all you can eat pie buffet first so you can get your money’s worth!
3. When you arrive, check and see if you can enter and exit the buffet as much as you’d like for the day. If so, go in and have a slice or two, then take a break with some of the other activities at the festival while you let your pie settle; after all, you can always go back for more.
4. Since the event has so much going on at the same time, it’s good to have a game plan. Grab a schedule from the information counter so you don’t miss any of the interesting events or demonstrations.
See our pictures from the Great American Pie Festival in
Jay gives his take (in American Sign Language) on the Great American Pie Festival!
See the English Version of our take on the Great American Pie Fest on our You Tube video!
Check out our article about the Harmony Dark sky Festival on CheapOAir's blog!
Most people have heard of air pollution—but light pollution? The annual Dark Sky Festival in Harmony, Florida is a unique event dedicated to educating people on the effects of light pollution, the night sky, and advances in modern science....
Read the rest of the article on CheapOAir's site.
See more of our pictures from the Harmony Dark Sky Festival in our Facebook album.
See the
American Sign Language (ASL) version of this information!
Would you like us to write a guest blog article for you? Or would you like to write a guest blog article for us? Want to know why we love guest blogging? Then check out our post about it!
Brevard, Florida
Most of us can manage to form a lopsided sand castle… that we mistakenly built just a bit too close to the waves. Those poor little castles would be put to shame by the amazing creations made at the 2010 Art of Sand International Sand Sculpting event that was held in Brevard Florida throughout the month of April. This 30-day event pulled internationally praised artist to create sculptures that were up to 15 feet in size! The result of their hard work is simply amazing. It’s almost unbelievable that their creations are made of sand.
However the fun of making creations wasn’t just limited to professional artist. The event had corporate, amateur, and student competitions. There was also a little section for kids, big and small, to play around and make some creations of their own. Add in the live music, local vendors and art, you have one awesome experience. To top it off the event supports the Arts in Brevard Florida, a section in the local economy which provides over 600 full and part-time jobs on the Space Coast. Experiencing unique art from international artists at a reasonable price, and support the local art scene—it’s like having your cake and eating it too!
Be sure to check out
all of our pictures from the 2010 Art of Sand event!
