Go ahead. Say it out loud. Sax-a-pa-haw.
Today, we ventured a few minutes (but less than an hour) out of the city - not knowing exactly what we would find, given the rainy conditions. Typically, Saturdays in Saxapahaw means music in the field. Given the rain, though, the event was moved to the ballroom.
Although it rained on the way up, and on the way back, while we were there - we didn't actually see or hear rain (although admittedly, we were inside most of the time, but we did not get wet going to our from our car - or on the brief walk to the general store- but more on that later).
It was like a family date night, and it was - in one word - awesome.
I guess, in some ways, I have become a "loca-vore" (which is probably a word that I am making up). Meaning that I have been embracing everything local lately. I even have a "Shop Raleigh" sticker on the back of my car. And I get a produce box every week of fruits and vegetables in season from local farms and such. Sometimes, I even get something different and exciting- such as local popcorn - but that's not really what I was intending to post about.
Back to... Saxapahaw. (You can say it out loud again if that's what you want to do. Because I'm happy...)
Our friends have been going fairly regularly (a few times each summer) to the Saturday at Saxapahaw event, and this time, we decided to join them. Here's what we found.
A lovely, quaint little town. About 45 miles or so from where we live, but not quite an hour drive away (and through some pretty beautiful countryside, I might add, and not on over-crowded highways). A fairly sizable hill, and an old building (beautiful!) that has been turned into a ballroom. As we entered, there were people selling local crafts (Soap, pottery... I bought both a coffee cup and a bar of "coffee" soap!). We got there fairly early (around 5pm) for a show that started around 6pm- and for a bit, we seemed to nearly have the place to ourselves! We ate a "picnic" dinner that we packed, supplemented with fresh soda (mint and cucumber), coffee, and spiced cider from the vendors.
After dinner, the kids danced and danced. We raced up and down stairs multiple times. We ventured outside to a "venue" of sorts that was perfect for taking pictures (can anyone say Wordless Wednesday?) And on the drive to and fro, I felt like I had some really great conversations with my husband (even if they were mostly one sided because I felt like talking or something... perhaps that is why I'm in such a blogging mood tonight- and why this post has become so long already!)
Anyhow, it was awesome. Most of the "dancers" were of the 6 and under crowd. We actually sat on the 2nd floor, where there was a coffee shop and a "pay what it's worth" bookshelf. The music was done around 8pm (which meant the kids didn't get too cranky, as they weren't up too late past bedtime!) We stopped at the general store before heading home- which had all kinds of local products - from soap to peanut butter to chocolate and more!
All the way around, an AMAZING night out with the family and some friends. Finding anything local - whether something to do out and about in the community, a new restaurant, a local class... is one of the things I truly enjoy! It makes me feel blessed. Blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends to share in the good times with me, and blessed to live in such a wonderful place.
I imagine we'll make it back to Saxapahaw one day. It's on the Haw river. On our next trip, we may just go kayaking....
Peas out!
