Šodiena atskanēs rīt!

Pašlaik Rīgā notiek XI Latvijas skolu jaunatnes dziesmu un deju svētki! Pilsēta uzposta, tāpat kā pirms gadiem diviem Dziesmu un deju svētkos… Varbūt tās ir tās pašas laiviņas no iepriekšējiem svētkiem (tikai ar jauniem karodziņiem), kuŗas par Daugavu atpeldējušas šurp?

Parkā pie Brīvības pieminekļa atradām šīs bērniem piemērotas nodarbības – milžiem piemēroti mūzikas instrumenti. Tomēr puišiem arī izdevās tos skandināt.

Kaut šoreiz neiznāk izbaudīt dziesmu un dejas svētkus līdz pēdejam, mūs tomēr ir atradusi svētku labsajūta. ŠODIENA ATSKANĒS RĪT!

Right now the XI Latvian youth song and dance festival is occurring in Rīga. Just as during the Latvian National Song and Dance Festival two years ago, the city is festively polished and adorned. It seems as if the same boats have made a return trip from the past to ornament the canal, only bearing new flags…

In the park next to the Freedom Monument we found this activity perfectly suited for the boys, although sized for giants. Laughter and excitement echoed through the gardens in addition to lyrical musical notes.

Although we aren’t attending as many events as we might like to, the festive mood has still found us. As the motto says, TODAY WILL REVERBERATE TOMORROW!

Laima Chocolate

We could smell the chocolate from several blocks away – immediate motivation for the kids to keep walking! Our visit to Latvia’s largest chocolate producer Laima’s museum was by chance, as we were on Miera Street on other business. However, once we caught a whiff of chocolate there was no passing by the Laima Chocolate Museum, a new addition to the Laima complex.

The Miera Street factory has been operating since 1939, with an adjacent shop and café having opened in 2014. We followed our noses through the museum’s doors, and after paying our entrance fee got our first taste of Laima…  a few chocolates later the boys were ready to roll.

We followed a guide into the museum where we were offered cups of liquid chocolate to sip while contemplating Laima’s history, which dates back to 1921 (although its roots are in Teodors Rigert’s confectionary which opened its doors on Zaļā Street in 1870). There is nothing like a cup of chocolate to make learning palatable…

An interactive exhibit allowed us to have personalized messages printed on a chocolate bar, and soon we proceeded into the next room where the story of the cocoa bean was relayed through videos and signage. Lauris and Mikus were fascinated with the video of how Laima’s marzipan, truffles and zephyr are made; the stretching and rolling process is quite long and complicated, completely different from what I had pictured.

The photo and video booths were a big hit, as you can have your photo taken and shown on an in-house Laima clock (and emailed to your personal email address) or create your own chocolate video with large chocolate props and even a Laimas pulkstenis, the famous meeting spot located in Vecrīga.

On display were a few national treasures: glass guards the first dark chocolate made in Latvia, and a 100-year-old doll made of chocolate. I can’t imagine how these pieces survived a day, not to mention a century! We stopped in the gift shop for a few more souvenirs before heading back towards the center of the city, Lauris and Mikus excitedly picking out a couple of new varieties to try. Although I’m always interesting in trying out new candy, the dark chocolate is still my favorite, and even he lacks a sweet tooth, Roberts consumed his share of chocolate today also. The Laima museum is truly a tour of the senses; a sweet experience for any chocolate lover!

G50

The summer of 2015 is a momentous time for Latvian-Americans, especially those living in the Midwest; this past weekend was the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Latvian Center Gaŗezers in Michigan. In 1965 a group of forward-thinking leaders found and purchased property near Three Rivers that used to be a YMCA camp, and therefore had some of the amenities in place to form the foundation of what would 50 years later be a summer camp, high school, cultural and spiritual center, a hub of sports activity including the infamous volleyball weekend, as well as the heart of Latvian activity in the Midwest. It was where I first met Roberts and where I married him. We were wed by one of the visionaries who founded Gaŗezers, Vilis Vārsbergs, who also christened me when I was a baby, and thirty years later christened Lauris (on the shore of Gaŗezers) and Mikus. There’s an interesting article on Gaŗezers from the perspective of a writer living in Latvia (Tatjana Žagare-Vītiņā) in this week’s edition of Ir – “Satikušies” – which features a picture of a much younger Roberts with a few of his summer co-conspirators as a centerfold!

From all the pictures and reports coming out of Mazā Latvija (Little Latvia) it seems to have been a successful event, complete with “Gaŗezers-palooza” featuring musical acts the like of which haven’t been heard from in over twenty years such as Frikadeļu Zupa & Bob and the Latvians, as well as ones still rocking in Latvia today, like Pērkons and Čikāgas Piecīši. With an art fair specially curated for the occasion, a golf tournament, 4^th of July fireworks, “Taste of Gaŗezers,” food trucks, a screening of Māra Pelēcis’ documentary on Gaŗezers and a variety of other events, this was a not-to-be missed once-in-a-lifetime affair.

Garezera 50 gadu jubilejai from Mara Pelecis on Vimeo.

Of course we missed it. It just so happened that we were in lielā (as opposed to little) Latvia, although I guess that’s a better excuse than many, and a story for another time…

5 things to do this summer in Greenville!

If you're looking for fun things to do with the kids this summer in Greenville, look no further; here are five things to put on your summer to-do list for kids (and budgets) of all sizes:

   

1.    Complete the 2015 Summer Reading All-Stars Program with the Greenville Library System. This free program has different requirements based on age (adults are welcome to sign up, too!), and although I feel the Taco Bell coupon isn’t the best prize for young children, the medal and Greenville Drive ticket are a nice reward for something we already do. Register at the branch you visit most, and don’t to forget to finish your reading by August 1^st, the last day to collect prizes!

  

2.    Visit a dozen new parks with LiveWell Greenville’s Park Hop. Now in its third year, the family-oriented scavenger hunt is an exploration and discovery of the multitude of parks in Greenville County. We checked off 18 out of the 19 different parks this year, revisiting some old favorites and discovering a few new spots. The nicest surprise was Georgia Street Park in Fountain Inn with its ¼ mile cycling “track,” allowing bicycle newbies and tricycles the chance to drive around a small town complete with fire station and general store. Park Hoppers are entered to win prizes in addition to earning TCMU passes, Greenville Drive vouchers, t-shirts and swag bags.

3.    Check out the newest exhibit at the Upcountry History Museum, Magic Tree House. Based on the children’s chapter books of the same name by Mary Pope Osborne, the exhibit allows visitors to join siblings Jack and Annie in their journey through American history via a magical, time-traveling tree house. With a visit to Plymouth Bay for the first Thanksgiving, a trip to a field hospital to help Clara Barton during the Civil War and a visit to a one-room school house as pioneers, this might have been our favorite Upcountry History Museum visit yet!

4.    Get your fortune read at Hello from Japan! at the Children’s Museum of the Upstate. The newest exhibit takes you on a journey across the Pacific, and in addition to karaoke, a photo booth, a Japanese meal station, building a bridge and crawling through a bamboo forest, the kids can have their fortunes told. The exhibit runs through September.

5.    Explore a creek ecosystem on a ranger-led program in Paris Mountain State Park. On the Creek Ranger Hike on Friday morning families are led on a nature hike to look for animals and learn about their habitats. The kids really get involved when they’re handed nets and allowed to catch aquatic insects and other creek inhabitants for an up close look under the park microscope. For more information and to register visit the Paris Mountain State Park website.

What are your favorite summer spots this year?

Musgrove Mill and Horseshoe Falls

Just west of the Enoree Ranger District of Sumter National Forest is a small state-owned tract of land that was the site of an important clash during the American Revolution. The Battle of Musgrove Mill was fought in August of 1780 when a group of 200 Patriot militiamen attacked a Loyalist camp on the Enoree River. The Loyalists numbered closer to 500, but were forced to retreat because of the Patriot’s superior ridge position. Leading up to the American victory at Kings Mountain, the battle was a turning point in the war after the defeat three days before at the Battle of Camden.

The Musgrove Mill battle site was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and today includes a visitor center with interpretive exhibits that tell the story of the battle and how it fit into the big picture of South Carolina's pivotal role in the outcome of the Revolutionary War. Located within the almost 400-acres is also a memorial to the legendary Mary Musgrove, 2.5 miles of interpretive trails, a picnic area, a fishing pond and a canoe launch.

With the approach of the Fourth of July a visit to Musgrove Mill State Historic Site is especially appropriate, however the boys' favorite summer destination in the park is Horseshoe Falls, the small waterfall on Cedar Shoals Creek. It’s a short 0.1 mile hike on a paved trail to the falls from the parking lot off of Horseshoe Falls Road (marked State Rd S-42-10 on maps). This is not a designated swimming area and there is no lifeguard on duty, but the shallow pool beneath the falls and the sandy creek are an ideal spot to cool down on a summer scorcher.

Edward Musgrove (whose colonial home still stands as today’s visitor center) allowed British Loyalists to use his property as a hospital during the war. Local legend has it that in spite of this allegiance, Musgrove’s daughter Mary helped an injured Patriot soldier (nicknamed “Horseshoe” because of his livelihood as a blacksmith) hide in a small cave near the falls, where he gathered intelligence to aid the Patriots while he healed. On our visit the cave to the left of the falls was empty, save for a snake living in the rocks above.

The rocks at the base of the falls and in the creek at the top of the falls are algae and moss covered, making them quite slippery and hazardous. Whether searching for that perfect photograph or taking a dip, please be very careful; a slip might have dangerous consequences. We exercised caution as we would with any waterfall, even though this one is only 10 feet tall.

On our recent visit quite a few other families were enjoying the waterfall, so this might not be the hike for you if you’re seeking midday solitude. However if what you are looking for is a natural setting for some summer splashing and exploration without the entry fee of a beach or waterpark, this might be just the spot!

So, an educational hike through the Piedmont forest learning about a pivotal war of the American Revolution, followed by lunch in the shade of a giant oak overlooking the pond, topped off by a dip in the creek by the waterfall – just the recipe for an Upstate day in July!

Showing off tadpoles and a waterbug