#241: Find a Christmas Tree

If Chevy Chase has taught us anything, it's that the best way to begin a Christmas Vacation is by cutting down the perfect tree for the living room.  If you haven't already found the best six-footer in Michiana, no worries.  There's still plenty of opportunities to find a nice tree in the area.  Plus, the forecast of light snow over the weekend will make it the ideal wintry conditions (but not too wintry) whether you're cutting it down yourself or just packing it into the trunk.

Here are a (few) suggestions -- please feel free to comment if you'd like to add your favorite spot!

For the convenience factor and everything but the tree: Buy a pre-cut tree at the Downtown South Bend Tree & Wreath Sale, outside the College Football Hall of Fame.  Keep kids entertained with the Holiday Train, screenings of holiday movies inside the Hall of Fame, and a visit with Santa (and/or the Grinch, if they're being particularly mischievous).  Visit downtownfortheholidays.com for more info.  Note: The sale was extended as of December 8, but selection may be limited.  Cash only.

For the 'out in the country' feel with all the convenience: Head to locally-owned and operated Matthys Farm Market at 57754 Crumstown Highway just west of town.  Fresh-cut Fraser and Douglas fir, Scotch and white pine, $25 and up.  Open from 8:30 - 6 PM weekdays; 8:30 - 5 PM Saturday; closed Sunday.  Call 574.287.1935 or visit matthysfarmmarket.com.

For the free hot chocolate and candy canes: Try Southern Plantation Christmas Tree Farm on 63727 Orange Road for precut and u-cut trees.  They offer a variety of tree types and wreaths, too... and of course, free sugary treats!  Open seven days a week at varying times until 5 PM .  Call 574.289.7485 for exact hours.

If you are willing to head toward Three Oaks, MI, Pinecrest Farms, 4403 Spring Creek Road, off US 12, offers free hot chocolate (and coffee for the grownups), as it does open at 9 AM.  Rides on the horse-drawn wagon are available in the afternoon.  Call 269.545.8125.

For the full woodsman effect: Trek to Gloria's Christmas Trees, 207 E. Bertrand Road (Niles).  You can have any blue spruce you like, from 6 feet to 20 feet (!!) for $25.  Open 9 AM - dark, Friday through Sunday.  Call 269.684.8632 and don't forget the hand saw and the Advil.

For the best swag: Roseland Garden Center on 25 Dixieway S. and Ginger Valley Garden Center off Route 23 in Granger offer a wide selection of fresh garlands, wreaths, and something called the "fancy mix." Probably named after Drake.  U fancy, huh?

#240: Holiday Wine Walk

Birds of a feather flock together, so the saying goes.  There is some truth to the enjoyment that comes from hanging out with people who enjoy the same things you do.  If you like wine, or supporting the downtown restaurant scene, or supporting innovative events for that matter, consider joining tonight's Holiday Wine Walk.

Starting at 5:00 PM, you can enjoy 3 wine tastings with complimentary appetizers at four restaurants:  Carmela's at Macri's, Ciao's, the Emporium, and Sunny Italy Cafe.  You can purchase a wristband at any of the restaurants, and this allows you to visit (and imbibe at) at all four.

While I doubt the weather permits, (weather permitting) there will be free carriage rides between the restaurants.  With or without the horses, you may prefer to walk (or drive, soberly of course!)-- Sunny Italy and Ciao's are practically next door, and Carmela's and Sunny Italy are a bit just farther down Niles Street.

This group of restaurants, especially on a rainy day, have cozy and welcoming atmospheres that will make this jolliest happy hour (or wine dinner!) in the 574.

When: 5:00 - 9:00 PM
Where: from 601 North Niles Ave - 121 South Niles Ave.; copious parking available at any of the restaurants
Website: http://www.eatdrinkdtsb.com/events_WW3.htm
Cost: $40, purchased from any of the participating restaurants

Really? On a Wednesday night in South Bend?  
Yes.  Listen: $10 from each ticket will be donated to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana.  When you factor in the donation, it's less than $8/restaurant for a lot of wine and food at top of the best Italian eateries around!

#239: A Christmas Carol

Have you changed your music to the unique mix Burl Ives and Mariah Carey, put up the Christmas tree, and decked the halls, and still don't feel in the holiday spirit?  Is the lack of snow around here keeping from feeling like the holidays are here?   Perhaps a different approach to the hap-hap-happiest season of exactly what you need to get your (holiday) swag on.

According to the recent review by the South Bend Tribune, the Civic Theater's production of "A Christmas Carol" is not your typical feel-good holiday theater.  This year, it's a bit more sinister, focusing on Scrooge and Marley, his deceased business partner.  Director Jewl Abram-Copenhaver has emphasized this element with sophisticated stage effects.  For those of you who miss Halloween, check this play out.

When you leave the theater, you will be all more grateful for the glowing lights that decorate Downtown South Bend this time of year.

When: Tuesday - Sunday shows through Dec. 18.  All shows begin at 7:30 PM, except for the weekends.

Where: 403 N. Main Street

Cost: Tickets start at $16/adult.  You can order tickets online here.

#238: Tippecanoe Place

It’s a funny thing how easy it can be to ignore the history of a place.  I’m afraid we live too casually, letting our harried selves set up impenetrable routines. For three and a half years when I lived in South Bend, there was never a reason for me to drive by the corner of Washington and Taylor, and so I never did.  It wasn’t until I was hunting for the closest parking space to downtown without a two-hour parking limit, which I found on those very streets, that I first physically stumbled upon Tippecanoe Place. I had heard of a fancy brunch place in an old mansion where you took your parents when they came into town, but I had never taken the time to go the necessary couple of blocks out my way.

And it wasn’t until several months after that initial, ignorant brush with South Bend history that I finally made it to the aforementioned brunch with two of my closest friends. For those of you in the know (I’m sure all of you), Tippecanoe Place represents the pinnacle of South Bend industry. It was the official and palatial Studebaker residence from 1889 to 1933, designed by a famous Chicago architect, and named, ostensibly, in honor of the family’s friendship with President Benjamin Harrison. Since then, the house has been transformed into a renowned restaurant and event space.

Even on a dreary Sunday morning in May, the house looked impressive. Inside, preserved Victorian remnants surrounded heaping trays of brunch food.  To give you some indication, we finished the made-to-order omelettes and then went back for Belgian waffles. After brunch, with the wait staff’s permission, we were able to explore the unused upstairs portion of the house filled with dusty velvet curtains, shiny wooden banisters, and small bits and pieces of a South Bend dynasty.

Since that morning in May, two of us have moved away from the city. So now, whenever I think of Tippecanoe Place, I think of them, and it’s always somewhat bittersweet. You see it’s a funny thing how even once you learn about the history of a place, the people you’re with while you’re there matter more.

For more about the fascinating history of Tippecanoe Place, go here.

Location and Contact:

620 West Washington Street

574.234.9077

www.tippe.com

#237: Beaux Arts Ball

Tuesday, South Bend elected a new mayor.  It was first race without an incumbent since 1987.  South Bend will get a fresh face starting January 1st.  Mayor-elect Pete Buttigieg claims he will give the city a face-lift by tackling abandoned houses, old infrastructure, and empty storefronts.

So perhaps is appropriate that this Saturday, the South Bend Musuem of Art is throwing a masquerade party, one that will honor outgoing Mayor Steve Luecke as well as sculptor Tuck Langland.  We can all try on a different face for the night.   The Beaux Arts Ball is marketed as a costume party, calling "revelers to dress to the nines and celebrate the spirit of the arts."  While I doubt all attendees will come looking like stepped out of Dali painting, the quality of prizes available might encourage you to break out your Halloween costume one more time.  (Hey, it's been a whole two weeks!)

There are two options to the night -- the full dinner and champagne reception or the after-party, when the costume prizes will be awarded and there will be a live band playing.  This event is the main fundraiser for the museum, so you can party hard knowing that you're supporting one of South Bend's arts institutions!

Where: Century Center, DTSB
Cost: $150 for dinner/champagne reception/afterparty; or $25/person for the after-party (tickets available at the door)....and I heard that Groupon is having a deal for buy tickets for half that!
When: Saturday, Nov. 12.  Schedule below....

6:00 p.m.: Champagne Reception
7:00 p.m.: Dinner (entree choices include beef medallions, salmon, or Portabello mushroom)
8:00 p.m. After Party — Help us get the Ball rolling! Strut on in at 8:00 p.m. for the evening's continuing festivities:
8:30 p.m.: Presentation of the Carlotta Banta Award to Mayor Steve Luecke and Sculptor Tuck Langland
9:00 p.m.: parade your costume in the Beaux Arts Grand Procession and vie for best costume prizes…(see below)or buy votes for your favorite! Delight in desserts and a cash bar as you cavort to tunes of The Marquis with Terry Austin. 

Inspiration?  Check out those 'staches and glasses.

#236: Freaky Flower Friday

What's scarier than this jack-o-lantern?

Nothing.  Honestly, I can't think of anything more menacing than that pumpkin's face, but the South Bend Potawatomi Conservatories' "Freaky Flower Friday" promises to feature some equally frightening flora and fauna.

Trick-or-treaters and boo-tanists of all ages are invited to visit the Potawatomi Conservatories for an evening of horrifying horticulture, vexing vegetation, and delicious Halloween candy.  If you're asking yourself "how scary could a plant be?" take another look at the creep-o-lantern above.  That image will haunt my dreams, and I bet the folks at the conservatories have some spookier botany planned for tomorrow night.


Location: Potawatomi Conservatories, 2105 Mishawaka Ave, SB
When: Tomorrow!  Friday, October 28th from 6 to 8 pm
A Fun Freaky Fact: These conservatories are heated by computers owned by the University of Notre Dame, which is an especially green use of that energy.  So tomorrow evening when you escape the cold for a little Halloween fun, it's thanks to an eco-friendly example of collaboration between the City of South Bend and Notre Dame.
Warning: Don't eat the plants, just the Halloween candy - unless instructed otherwise by Potawatomi Conservatories staff...

#235: Club LaSalle

I imagine even the most infrequent reader of this blog is aware of our fondness for dive bars.  Earlier this year, we even dedicated a week to our favorite Michiana watering holes (Ewing Cafe, Frank's Place, Midway, and more).  Personally, I'd be happy writing exclusively about dives for another 365 days.

That being said... every now and then, I think we all have a craving for the finer things in life.  There are moments when we want to indulge, but not be indulgent - treat or even pamper ourselves without extravagance.  For those evenings, I suggest Club LaSalle. (cue subtle jazz music, sound effects of soft laughter/conversation, aaand dim the lights)

Two floors above its dinning counterpart, LaSalle Grille, yet on the same level of quality, Club LaSalle is South Bend chic in all of the right ways.  If you can describe Fiddler's with a Guinness or Club 23 with a PBR, then perhaps a martini or even an old fashion would best characterize the atmosphere.  The low lighting, exposed brick, and upscale cocktails combine to make it classy, yet far short of stuffy.

Open at 5 pm and live music starting around 9:30 pm, Club LaSalle is great for that pre-dinner aperitif or post-dinner digestif, but not necessarily for a full night out because the music and service end before midnight.

Location: 115 West Colfax Ave, SB - 3rd floor
Hours: 5 pm to 12 am Monday - Saturday, closed Sunday
More info: www.clublasalle.com
Tip #1: Club LaSalle can be hard to find on your first visit.  Walk down that little alley way in between LaSalle Grille and The Vine, and go in the back door of the LaSalle Grille.  Take the staircase on your left up 2 flights of stairs, and enter through the glass door.
Tip #2: check out the website for a schedule of their live musical acts almost every day of the week
My drink of choice at Club LaSalle: Manhattan

#234: Brewfest

I have highlighted a slew of beer-related events recently, and oenophiles and die-hard Smirnoff icers: I am sorry.

But I will argue -- save the lone winery in Granger and tequila tasting at Agave -- that this is a beer town.  Between South Bend and Elkhart, four breweries have arisen in the past two years.  You can find dollar drafts, rare crafts, and everything in between.

This weekend features the inaugural South Bend Brewfest.  This Saturday, before the USC-ND game, thirty-six breweries from around the world will be offering samples of 120 beers.  South Bend's Four Horsemen and Evil Genius will be present, and Granger's Bare Hands, whose brewery doesn't open for another month, will offer advance tasting.  You can find familiar brews as well, such as Blue Moon, Sam Adams, Woodchuck Cider, and Three Floyds.  For the complete list, check out the blog The Beer is Good.

Tickets cost $30 at the door, and your ticket gets unlimited tasting, a pint glass, a ticket for a food item, and a chance to win a range of raffle items.

Where: Century Center (outside on Island Park if the weather is nice)
When: Noon - 4 PM
Cost: $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

Tip: Designated driver tickets are only $10, which includes unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, a food ticket, and a raffle ticket.  Otherwise, TRANSPO is advised.  And don't forget your ID because obviously 21 and up-only event.  (Sorry college kids!)

#233: Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In support of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, there are many, many events in the area.  Here's a few of the upcoming events that represent the range of ways you can support this cause:

• Pinkstock 2011: This third-annual night of music at Club Landing features six local bands (BLAMMO, Delusions of Granger, Stillshot, The Edge, Van Hamel, and Vyagra Falls).  ALL ticket proceeds (and a portion of the money earned from drinks!) go to the local Komen Northern Indiana office.  At Club Landing, 1717 Lincolnway East.  Friday Oct 14, 4:00-10:00 PM.
• 3 Blonde Moms: A nationally-touring comedy show comes to Three Oaks, Michigan for a Sunday afternoon show.  Think "Desparate Housewives" on-stage.  Portion of the ticket sales goes toward breast cancer research.  Acorn Theater, 107 Generations Dr.  Sunday Oct 16, 4:00 Pm.
• Breakthrough:  A free event at the Hilton Garden Inn that is geared to cancer patients, survivors, and their families.  There will be cancer support informational booths as well as a performance by Scott Burton, a cancer survivor and comedian.  Hilton Garden Inn, 53995 Route 933.  Thursday Oct 20, 6:00-8:00 PM.

#232: Get Historical II: House Detectives

Once upon a(nother) time, bog iron was discovered along the river in northwest Indiana.  A town was formed there, named after the Native American princess, Mishawaka, and it grew into a prosperous little town.  Not even a fire in 1872 that destroyed three-quarters of the businesses could wipe it off the map.  

As I was pontificating in my last post, I think architecture is great.  Why?  It's like a picture book, telling the story through icons.  If you are not able or willing or interested in walking around Downtown South Bend to learn about that city's history, perhaps I might interest you in this event.   This Saturday, at the Mishawaka Public Library (safe from the elements), Todd Zeiger of Indiana Landmarks will show participants how to research their home's history.  He will show you all the tools to delve into those dusty, dark corners of your home's past, to learn who has owned your house before and what's its role in the history of the city is.

While this seminar is free and open to anyone, pre-registration is required.  Contact Elicia D. Feasel at 574.235.9798 or edadlow@co.st-joseph.in.us.

Where: Mishawaka Public Library, 209 Lincoln Way East
When: Saturday, Oct. 16; 9:30-11:30 AM