On such a sunny daaaayyyyyy.....
It seems my blogs have been coming with their own soundtracks lately and I am NOT complaining! Hopefully I don't have to pay any royalties for absconding with and adapting the Mamas and the Papas hit as I have ensured its heavy rotation inside my head for at least the entirety of this Morehouse Monday.
So, Savas Beatie readers - tell me. Is it too early to start talking about November? **Spoiler Alert** No. No, it is not.
I'm a sucker for tradition and November has a couple, so I wanted you all to be sure to have these dates set aside on your calendar so you're sure to join in this year.
I bet the first date is already on your calendar as that is Remembrance Day. While the actual date is November 19, this year's events in Gettysburg will land on November 22 and 23. And yes... I am aware that the weather by then is a bit hit and miss. I always tell this story to combat those of you immediately touting that fact. My first year working here, I happened to stumble across a live feed of the festivities (yes, even Gettysburg has gone digital). While it definitely looked crisp out there, the skies were clear and LaVar Burton was the MC they managed to secure for the day. If you're a bit further away from Gettysburg to easily make a day trip, sure... don't make extensive and/or intricate plans to go (again, there is always the live feed). However, if you ARE located within a feasible driving distance, plan to go until you wake up to actual cats and dogs falling from the sky. You can't meet our authors and get copies of their books signed at the Visitor's Center on the live feed! There are honestly too many authors participating this year to list, so be sure to visit our calendar on the bottom of our main page here to see them all!
The other date and corresponding event can be done no matter where you live (yes, even us lame-oes on the West Coast) as it's a national movement! It's called Small Business Saturday and it's one of my favorite events of the year! For those of you who've so far missed my one woman performances on the Soap Box Stage (evening performances on Friday and Saturday / Matinees on Sunday):
Small Business Saturday is where you go to do your holiday shopping (or shopping in general) if hitting up the big box stores on Black Friday is not for you. Believe me, it is NOT for me. On top of avoiding the angry and pushy mobs of shoppers, I prefer to support my local shops with a stroll down Main Street, Placerville. The atmosphere is better, the folks are friendlier, the goods are of much better quality, and you can trust that you're doing something for your community or the community you happen to be visiting. It's a win no matter which way you slice it. So with that said, if you happen to be out in Pennsylvania and anywhere near the Mechanicsburg area, please be sure to take a stroll down their Main Street and stop on in to The Civil War and More Store where Jim Schmick will be opening up on a Saturday JUST for this event. This year will mark author Gene Barr's FOURTH YEAR participating in SBS at Jim's store. It will also be Cooper Wingert's SECOND YEAR there and first year since his and Scott Mingus's book, Targeted Tracks, has been out.
There are sure to be more Savas Beatie authors out and about this year on November 30, so keep an eye on our calendar for those as well! Also be sure to keep an eye on my blog as well as the Savas Beatie Facebook page for information on discounts to be had in exchange for participating in this worthwhile national event and sending along your photos to prove it!
Have a great week, everyone! Hopefully now that I've started the holiday talk, the weather will catch up. I need some cold days in front of a fire with a Savas Beatie title in hand STAT!