Map for Oct. 2 Museum and Gallery Walk

Time again for the Museum and Gallery Walk! The fall 2009 event will take place from  5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 2 and everyone is invited to enjoy free art, music, dance and more. Highlights of this fall’s walk include Block Party in the ‘Burg battle of the bands and several stops at new downtown establishments including Madison Interiors, The Gaines Group, Harrisonburg League of Therapists, and Zion Gate Center for Positive Living. Download the map here, or keep reading for the list of exhibits and links to artists.

Taste of Downtown Returns August 18-20

See why downtown has earned the nickname “Restaurant Row.” Come one day (or all three!) for amazing meals at wallet-friendly prices. View the menu and prices below.

Downtown’s All A-Twitter

Here’s a running list of downtown-related businesses and organizations now using Twitter:

Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance: DowntownHburg
HDR’s Twitter feed is the best way to stay informed or get reminders of events. Miss the antique milk truck exhibit? Got to Court Square Friday only to find out Fridays on the Square was moved to the Turner Pavilion? You wouldn’t have if you were following us on Twitter.

Arts Council of the Valley: HarrisonburgArt
Keep up-to-date on arts related news and events downtown, including gallery exhibits, movies and live concerts, and First Fridays.

Big Brothers Big Sisters: BBBSHR
The Harrisonburg branch of this non-profit located near on High Street is a great source for family-friendly events both downtown and beyond. Also interesting RTs on articles related to child development.

Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine: The_Blue_Nile
All locals in-the-know have Blue Nile near the top of the list of nighttime haunts, or at least they should. Unfortunately, their Twitter feed hasn’t had an update for months, but used more regularly, this would be a great place for finding info on upcoming shows.

Blue Ridge Design Studio: blueridgedesign
Randall Seitz, co-owner of this downtown architect firm, has a Twitter page that is a bit difficult to describe…much like Twitter itself. Find photos, interesting articles (some even related to architecture!) and a few random musings in the mix.

By the Side of the Road B&B: HburgVaBandB
By the Side of the Road is one of Harrisonburg’s three B&Bs, all located near downtown. Owner Janice Fitzgerald keeps her page fed with room specials tied to local events, but also tweets about the day to day trials and joys of owning a bed and breakfast.

Chaz Evans-Haywood: ClerkChaz
Follow the Rockingham County Clerk of Court as he tweets from his office in the Court House. It’s actually more interesting than it sounds; Chaz lives a busy life, from traveling to Peru to volunteer in an orphanage to kissing a cow in the name of cancer research.

Daily News-Record: DNRonline
Kudos for the local paper for joining Twitter! Though so far the DNR is only re-tweeting content from its web page, breaking news is also posted here, so there’s a possibility you may see breaking headlines first on Twitter before you check DNRonline.com.

DIGICO: ShootPostDesign
The owners of this video production company tweet about cool projects they are working on, downtown sights from their vantage point on E. Market Street, and construction updates on their future site on Water Street, next door to the Free Clinic.

The Gaines Group: G2Architecture
Architecture and design firm The Gaines Group “gets” Twitter in a way that 98% of other Twitter-ers don’t. RTs of downtown news, words of wisdom, articles on green building (the company’s specialty), and the occasional tweet on Twitter’s most fundamental question, “what are you doing?” are all there for you to follow.

hburgnews: hburgnews
The micro-blog of hburgnews, the forum for news and all things Harrisonburg, often features downtown happenings, observations, and recaps of business from the city municipal building (which is of course located downtown).

Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint: JackBrownsJoint
Downtown’s newest restaurant stays jam packed almost all the time, thanks to its intimate size, reasonable prices and good food. Its tweets are much like their burgers: meaty and to the point.

Joshua Wilton House: WiltonHouse
Chef Mark Newsome’s decision to tweet from the Wilton House kitchen is what inspired this blog post. Anyone who has ever wanted to get into the mind of a chef in an upscale restaurant, or anyone who loves gourmet food from fresh ingredients, should definitely become a follower.

Kai Degner: KaiDegner
Harrisonburg’s young major is undoubtedly the most plugged-in of all time. He ran on a pro-downtown platform, and his tweets show it.

Kline’s Dairy Bar: Klines_DairyBar
Never miss another weekly flavor forecast from Kline’s! Need we say more? I think not.

Rosetta Stone: rosettastone
Rosetta Stone is practically a household name in the US, so it follows that they get way more action on their Twitter page than anyone else on this list. The company stationed in downtown Harrisonburg uses their account to respond to fans and product users from around the nation (turns out #jason_mraz is using their software to learn Spanish).

Sancar Flats/Liskey Building: SJDonuts
SJDonuts is the business name of the developer working to restore the Sancar building on West Rock and the Liskey building on South Main (the red building that houses the Harrisonburg Beauty School). It’s a personal Twitter account, but one that includes construction pictures from inside the buildings and peaks of the completed rental units.

Travel Counsellors: TCItravel
Yes, that is an acceptable spelling variant of “counselors.” I think it’s British. The TCI folks (in a new location on West Market Street) are so well travelled, it makes sense they would bring some European flair to the party. Their Twitter updates include their latest special package deals and rates, travel advice, and general greetings to their followers.

WHSV-TV3: WHSVnews
Much easier to follow than TV-3’s web page, a tweet from an hour ago from the station located off Court Square involved the increasing popularity of farmers markets. We like that.

The Yellow Button: TheYellowButton
What happens when we say the following: Shoes! Designer Handbags! Sales! Did your heart just skip a beat? Do the words “Lucky” and “Free People” conjure up images of fabulous fabrics and stylish clothes rather than leprechauns and the Revolutionary War? If so, get thee to The Yellow Button, re-tweeting entries from their blog on a regular basis.

Downtown Happenings (10/1 – 10/5)

Happy first week of October! There is a lot going on in Harrisonburg this week and weekend so I hope your planning to enjoy some time in the ‘burg.

Wednesday, 10/1

9 pm – Eric Sommer plays at Clementine, $3

10/1-10/5, varying times – Latino Film Festival at Court Square Theater. Visit www.courtsquaretheater.com for film titles and show times.

Thursday, 10/4

7-9pm – Rock Band at Clementine – ends at 9pm for the VP debate.

9pm – Watch the Vice Presidential Debate at Clementine

Friday, 10/3

12 pm – Massanutten Regional Library kicks of the Tom Sawyer Big Read at Court Square. Live music, free copies of the book, and refreshments will be available wile supplies last.

4-8 pm – Come downtown for the Fall Museum and Gallery Walk, an evening of art openings, music, dance, and street theater hosted by downtown businesses, galleries, and museums.

7pm-2am – Music in the Blue Nile basement

9pm – Bombadil plays at Clementine, $3

Saturday, 10/4

7pm-2am – Music in the Blue Nile basement

Sunday, 10/5

3-5pm – Clementine lounge – Citizens for Equal Rights Meet & Greet w/ H’burg City Council candidates. All are welcome!

8pm – Salsa Night at Clementine. lessons are $5. Followed by DJ/dancing at 10pm.

“Taste of Downtown” Offers Major Discounts to Favorite Restaurants

THE week to eat out is next Tuesday through Thursday, August 12-14.  The first-ever “Taste of Downtown”  showcases Harrisonburg’s favorite restaurants with reduced prices on prix fixe dinners.  Complete menus are available at downtownharrisonburg.org.

All these great dinners are offered only in the evening and no reservations are required (unless otherwise noted). Please note that taxes and tips are not included.

The Artful Dodger
Choose one of three summer special entrées, dessert and signature cocktail. ($15)

Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine
Entrée, dessert, and one alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage. ($15)

Cally’s Restaurant and Brewing Co.
Sampler meal of appetizer, entrée items, desserts, and microbrews. ($25)

Clementine
“Chef select” appetizer, entrée, and glass of wine. ($20)

Dave’s Downtown Taverna
Salad, Greek sampler entrée, and dessert. ($14.75)

Downtown 56
Appetizer, entrée, and dessert. (Vegetarian option $27.56, regular menu $42.56)

Finnigan’s Cove
Seafood appetizer and entrée with dessert. ($19.99)

Joshua Wilton House
3-course meal featuring locally-grown produce and glass of wine. (reservations requested; $35)

Mrs. Hardesty’s Tea Room
(3:00 to 5:00pm only)
Afternoon Tea. ($10)

For more information, contact Alexis at 540.432.8922, or alexism@harrisonburgva.gov

New Restaurants for the New Year (January 2008)

Dear Eddie: I hear we’re getting several new restaurants downtown. How soon can we expect them to open?

EB: We are delighted to have three confirmed restaurants opening in 2008. Most likely the first to open will be Clementine in early February, located on South Main Street in the former Main Street Bar & Grill. The restaurant will offer everything from salads and sandwiches to gourmet dinner entrees. The chic, cosmopolitan atmostphere will be a great venue for live entertainment, with meeting space on the lower level. Expected to open shortly after Clementine is Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine. Located in the renovated Walton Hotel building on North Main Street, the restaurant will have a lower level lounge with live music. Finally, renovations should begin soon for Pennybackers on East Water Street (the former location of Laughing Dog). The restaurant hopes to open in Summer 2008, complete with rooftop dining. Those who miss the old Spanky’s will enjoy Pennybacker’s menu with a broad selection of sandwiches in a family-friendly atmosphere. (Update: Clementine and Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine are now open for business. Delays have pushed back renovations on Pennybackers, but check back soon for the latest news.)