Two beloved American icons come to life in the interactive exhibit for children, Smokey Bear & Woodsy Owl: Home Sweet Home at the Virginia Living Museum Feb. 11 through April 29.

The exhibit encourages families to spend time together outdoors and inspires children to discover and care for the natural resources that sustain our world – our home sweet home, as well as highlighting ways to reduce, reuse and recycle resources.

Monday: Carolina Pork BBQ

Monday: Ultimate Grilled Cheese

RECENTLY, THE RICHMOND area was introduced to Devils Backbone Brewing Company. Several events were scheduled throughout the city so that beer lovers from the four corners of the city would have no trouble attending at least one. I wanted to attend them all, but my schedule only allowed me to enjoy one of them. Fortunately, the most convenient choice was a pub crawl. What better way to sample good food and good beer than to move from one place to another for a couple of hours with like-minded beer lovers?

Before we talk about the crawl, let's start with a little history. Devils Backbone Brewing Company was established in 2008 by Steve Crandall. In its short existence, the beers from Devils Backbone have garnered several awards, including the World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster Small Brewpub in 2010. According to myth, Mr. Crandall's passion for craft beer and brewing comes from spending an inordinate amount of time backpacking and skiing in the western part of the country. The success of the breweries he encountered left an indelible mark on him and were the reason that he chose a location at the base of the Wintergreen resort as the home for his brewpub. Apparently, he recognized that quite a few of those successful breweries were located in and around mountainous areas. These days, Devils Backbone is putting the finishing touches on an additional facility in Lexington that will dramatically increase its production giving us even more good beer in the months to come.

Ironclad Chef event for March 10^th at 6:30pm at The Mariners’ Museum.

Join us as we host the second annual Ironclad Chef competition.  Throughout the day, guests will witness demonstrations of two very unique cooking styles, that of a slave on a plantation and that of a Union cook on the deck of the USS Monitor.   The two competitors will discuss their menu choices, ingredients, and cooking styles, giving insight into a world of food preparation before refrigeration, electric ovens, and microwaves.  This portion of the Ironclad Chef competition is free for Members and included in Museum admission.

"Marriage Can Be Murder!"

Valentine's Day
Tuesday, February 14, 2012