THE BEER BEAT: One excellent afternoon spent pub crawling with beer on the periphery of the wine walk.

Not a single photo
was taken yesterday.

Like I was saying just the other day ...

It's entirely possible to begin a Saturday afternoon at Floyd County Brewing Company with a couple of locally brewed beers and a burger, then stroll over to Big Four Burgers + Beer for another local beer, before walking eastbound to Hull & High Water and having ... one more "craft" beer, prior to an end-of-pub-crawl night(afternoon)cap -- well, two -- at Gospel Bird, with the added bonus of a restorative dose of Fernet Angelico.

On the market for the last two years, Fernet Angelico is based on an old Italian recipe (purchased in 1930 from a defunct Italian distillery) that involves aloe, saffron, quinquina, gentian, anise, angelica, mint, and myrrh. This spicy, smokey, woodsy Fernet smells of citrus on the nose, and channels a unique savory flavor reminiscent of burning incense and wood. It's naturally-hued (some Fernets have added artificial color) and well-balanced between bitter and sweet.

Fernet is my new favorite beverage, at least until tomorrow. The uniformly excellent beers were Amber; Wit; Gose; Coffee Stout; Saison; and Lager. The participants were me, the missus, Scott and Joe.

What was my point?

It is this.

Nowadays there are so many options for dissipation in downtown New Albany that one can spend six hours roaming and visiting pubs, and still remain only barely cognizant of jingling walks, plasticized Christmas tree lightings and jolly elfesque visitations occurring a short distance away.

And, proceeding from this tableau of a glass half-full, such a state of affairs is a good thing indeed, leaving us with a dissonance-free path toward draining the receptacle's remaining drams. I was so enriched that heckling DNA's cadres didn't occur to me even once.

Big thanks to my co-drinkers, the hard-working folks who served us, and a suitable topography allowing differing points of view to co-exist without the necessity of building some sort of wall.

It will be even better in two years, when my city will revert from New Gahania to New Albania, but this is a story for another day -- right, Mr. Mugabe?

All Jingle Walk/Holiday Fest events are "on" today, except the tree lighting and ...

 ... the politicized street sweeper parade review and Oaf Oath of Office. These presumably will be conducted next Saturday.

Today's Jingle Walk (wine sampling) apparently is a go. Holiday Fest? It isn't yet clear.

It's 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, and I believe today's Jingle Walk is proceeding as scheduled at 1:00 p.m. However, signals remain somewhat mixed for today's Holiday Fest, which I'm taking to mean all events not pertaining to the wine sampling "jingle" walk.

As for this year's new twist of politicizing a Christmas festival with an "oath of office" ceremony, would you expect any different from the Genius of the Flood Plain?

Develop New Albany has done a good job with this day in recent years, and there always would have been a plan for rain or inclement weather, so it's hard to determine why this year's signals are so mixed.

A place to start is Facebook. If one were to search for "Jingle Walk," this is what comes up first: New Albany Jingle Walk EVENT page. I glanced at it on Thursday, and noticed a fair number of unanswered questions and some disgruntlement at the absence of stewardship.

But the city's Fb page consistently pointed the way to this COMMUNITY page, which actually has been regularly tended, and seems to be the "official" portal: New Albany's Annual Holiday Fest/Jingle Walk.

Note the difference: It's Holiday Fest first and Jingle Walk second. For the casual observer, the question is obvious: Which is which?

At around 7:00 p.m. on Friday, the city's Fb page further muddied this absence of clarity.

The city tries to delineate Jingle Walk and Holiday Fest by saying the former will proceed"rain or shine," but with the day's various branded components already confusing, the post's ambiguity is sending a message of uncertainty -- in short, sure death for the wine walk.

By 11:00 p.m. on Friday, DNA's president was on the event page belatedly answering unanswered questions (she may not have known it was there), and also sending this e-mail:

I feel badly for DNA. Uncertainty is the great killer of events, and the city hasn't helped their cause today by sending mixed social media signals.

Finally, in response to the questions I received: I know nothing about a beer component of the wine walk, so it's my ongoing assumption that sampling is confined to wine, only.

Another new propaganda twist: Santa Claus administers the oath of office at open air rally this Saturday.

City of New Albany Government sez:

Join us this Saturday, November 28th at 4:30 pm at Bicentennial Park for the official Oath of Office ceremony for New Albany Mayor, City Council, City Clerk, and Georgetown Town Board.

That's right: The same day as Jingle Walk. Who says these guys aren't reading their totalitarian history books?

Jingle Walk and Holiday Fest program for downtown NA, next Saturday, November 29.

NABC will release draft Naughty Claus at both locations on Wednesday, November 26. You can taste it during Jingle Walk,  when 22-0z "bomber" bottles will be on sale, too. 

(Not bad; only 3 unnecessary exclamation marks to edit)

Here's the program of activities in downtown New Albany for Saturday, November 29, as planned by Develop New Albany. I can't tell you how excited it makes me to know that in only a month, Christmas will be over.

However, for those of you who enjoy the holiday season, Jingle Walk and Holiday Fest have evolved into solid events.

Note that in Indiana, it is very easy for wineries to be a part of events like this. Breweries operate under an entirely different licensing mechanism, and it isn't as simple for us. This partially explains the absence of beer from the Jingle Walk. In addition, Keg Liquors -- NABC's Jungle Walk sampling station the last three years -- has relocated, and so that option was removed. Finally, Bank Street Brewhouse will be open and offering beer samples on the 29th, as well as brewery tours.

There may be another surprise in store at BSB during Thanksgiving weekend, but it can wait a bit longer.

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6th Annual Downtown Jingle Walk - November 29th

Develop New Albany invites you to our Annual Jingle Walk in our Historic Downtown. We will celebrate the beginning of the Holiday Season on November 29th.

Jingle Walk (1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.)

The day of fun begins with the Jingle Walk at 1:00 p.m. Sample local wines from area wineries while shopping in our Historic Downtown. If you haven't visited downtown recently you will see a downtown full of locally owned stores, boutiques, museums and art galleries.

Participating Wineries include: Cedar Creek Winery, Best Winery, Huber’s Winery, Mallow Run Winery, Winzerwald Winery, Indian Creek Winery, Quibbles Winery, Scout Mountain, Bottles Unlimited, and River City Winery.

The Jingle Walk begins at 1:00 p.m. near Bicentennial Park in Historic Downtown New Albany. (Near Intersection of Bank Street and Market Streets) If you purchase your tickets online we will have your tickets waiting for you in the Jingle Walk tent located near Bicentennial Park.

Jingle Walk Tickets are $20.00 each and if you pre-purchase your ticket you will get the choice of a souvenir wine bag or an around the neck wine holder.

Must be of legal drinking age to participate in the Jingle Walk.

HolidayFest - A New Holiday Family Tradition - Nov 29th

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will begin at approximately 6 p.m. in Bicentennial Park.

HolidayFest Schedule of Free Events:

• 3:00 - 5:30 PM at YMCA (Ages 0-12) - All children who participate will receive a Golden Ticket for a toy.
• Kids activities will include a Christmas obstacle course, face painting, crafts, and bouncy house.
• Photo opportunity with Santa Claus
• Scavenger hunt with prizes for ages 12 and up, registration begins at 1:00 p.m. in Bicentennial Park.
• There will be a Chili cook-off with the local firehouses
• Street food, Christmas trees and wreaths will be available for sale during the event.
• Tree Lighting Ceremony in the Bicentennial Park - 6:00 p.m.

Drinking Progressively: Let's make it Tuesday evenings, beginning on November 25.

The itinerary for NA's Jingle Walk and Holiday Fest, this Saturday (November 30).

Hasn't the calendar been kind to the Grinch this year?

When we drag ourselves all bloody, drunken and bloated back to work on Monday, December 2, it will be only a little more than three weeks before Christmas is over, too!

All I must do is avoid public places with insipid seasonal music playing too loudly, and it'll be a breeze  ... although some alcohol may be required, and results will vary from patient to patient.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is the city of New Albany's holiday kickoff, and let's hope it's the last one ever to be conducted in the shadow of Comrade Caesarescu's festishistic one-way arterial street grid. I will join the inimitable Tony Beard to represent NABC within the friendly confines of Keg Liquors, where I suspect we'll be pouring samples of Naughty Claus, Hoosier Daddy and Tunnel Vision.

Go here for Truth, Lies and Saturnalia (2012), including the only Christmas song that matters, by the Pogues. I hope to see some of you on Saturday, and remember: All I want for X-mas is the Indiana attorney general's advisory opinion v.v. PourGate, so c'mon, Santa -- drop that sheet of paper down the chimney, 'cuz I've got some accounts coming due, big time.

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HolidayFest / Jingle Walk & Light Up New Albany - November 30th
Develop New Albany invites you to our Annual JingleWalk and HolidayFest in our Historic Downtown! The weather forecast looks good on Saturday as we celebrate the beginning of the Holiday Season. 

Jingle Walk (1:00pm - 6:00pm)

The day of fun begins with the Jingle Walk at 1:00pm. Sample local wines from area wineries while shopping in our Historic Downtown. If you haven't visited downtown recently you will see a downtown full of locally owned stores, boutiques, museums and art galleries. Current participating wineries include Cedar Creek Winery, Best Winery, Huber’s Winery, Mallow Run Winery, Old 502 Winery, Winzerwald Winery, Indian Creek Winery and Keg Liquors. Must be of legal drinking age to participate on the Jingle Walk. Tickets can be purchased at the event.

Click here to Purchase JingleWalk Tickets and save $5 per ticket!

(Online ticket purchasing will end on Friday at Noon)

HolidayFest (2:30pm - 5:30pm)

HolidayFest is the family friendly activites for the celebration and will include performances from local dance troupes in the Main Source Parking Area and Craft/Gift Making, Toy Giveaways, Face Painting, Ornament Making activities will take place at the Floyd County YMCA.

Light Up New Albany (6:30pm)

A message from the Mayor of New Albany, announcement of Jingle Walk Prize winners, the arrival of Santa Claus and the lighting of the Downtown Christmas Tree will conclude the day of Holiday Fun.

Amanda Arnold's video for Jingle Walk 2012.

Notice how I push NABC's Tony Beard toward the camera. Shucks, I get enough attention already.

Saturday's festivities a great success to all save the embittered outlier.

Yesterday's weather was nippy, but the sun was shining, and by most measurements the Holiday Fest Jingle Walk should be judged a success. I was joined at the Keg by the inimitable Tony Beard, and we dispensed eleven growlers of NABC samples to the jingle walkers.

There were glitches (tree light-up timing being one), which generally occur when people are trying to accomplish something. It looked to me like Courtney, Jala and the other DNA volunteers were busting their buns to keep their show on the road, and they're to be commended for the effort.

When the Jingle Walk finished, the Holly Jolly Beer Trolley began circulating downtown. The trolley itself is owned by the city of Jeffersonville, which evidently acquired two and maybe more of them in an abortive effort to shuttle people from the Indiana shore to Yum Center for ballgames. Matt McMahan, owner of Irish Exit, Warehouse and Dillinger's, did the legwork, and the participating bars and restaurants pitched in on the cost of the trolley.

There were some glitches ... and these generally occur when people are trying to accomplish something.

Taken as a whole, Friday and Saturday were good days for downtown New Albany. Plaid Friday (which I favor) and Small Business Saturday (less so, owing to the AmEx connection) both provided opportunities to educate consumers about the importance of independent small business and the burgeoning Buy Local movement. Holiday Fest, Jungle Walk and the Holly Jolly Beer Trolley brought people downtown, and the pubs and eateries benefited.

In fact, negativity was confined almost entirely to a solitary newspaper reporter. But why permit one man's disgruntlement to spoil the party? After all, when people are trying to accomplish something, someone's always on the outside looking in.

Holiday Fest and Jingle Walk and Holly Jolly Trolley on a day that finally feels like winter.

The Trolley is somewhat self-explanatory, and will be running through downtown New Albany following the Jingle Walk today (Saturday, November 24).

As for the Jingle Walk itself, it is the entirely worthwhile, ambling/sampling component of the Holiday Fest, New Albany's quasi-official civic Christmas kickoff, which relies heavily on  municipal employee and fire department work hours, so enabling the otherwise stone busted Develop New Albany to take credit for all of it.

Start the Holiday Season in Downtown New Albany for the 2012 Jingle Walk! The Jingle Walk will be held on Saturday, November 24th from 1pm - 6 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance ($20 day of the event) and will include commemorative wine glass to be filled at designated stops in Downtown New Albany for wine samplings.

Keg Liquors New Albany will be a stop again on this year's jingle walk, and we'll be offering both beer and wine samples. We are partnering up with our friends from New Albanian Brewing Company as they do their launch of Naughty Claus, available for the first time in bottles. We'll also be sampling other great beers from them. We'll also have Luke from InVie wine on hand pouring wine samples as well.

I will join NABC graphics wizard Tony Beard in manning the sampling table at Keg Liquors from 1 - 6 p.m. today. In addition to Naughty Claus, we'll have samples of Black & Blue Grass and Hoosier Daddy.

The week to come.

It is the week of Thanksgiving (where did the year go?), and a burgeoning slate of activities. Following are NABC's choices. Remember that both NABC locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Naughty Claus is coming to New Albany on Thanksgiving week.

Black Friday is out: Indie shopping is in, and Plaid Friday is November 23.

Saturnalia Winter Solstice MMXII at the Pizzeria & Public House begins on Friday, November 23.

Holly Jolly Beer Trolley after Jingle Walk, and a Naughty Claus correction.

Holly Jolly Beer Trolley after Jingle Walk, and a Naughty Claus correction.

It's self-explanatory, and will be running through downtown New Albany following the Jingle Walk on Saturday, November 24.

In a related note, permit me to offer this correction. Previously, I'd previewed the plan for next week and observed that NABC's Naughty Claus is coming to New Albany on Thanksgiving week.

However, earlier today, I noticed the cat was out of the bag, and Naughty Claus is pouring at Feast BBQ, so if you'd like to beat the Thanksgiving rush, just visit Ryan and the crew at Feast.

NABC's Naughty Claus is coming to New Albany on Thanksgiving week.

The label and poster for NABC's Naughty Claus are finished. For the first time this year, we'll be releasing Naughty Claus in 22-oz bomber bottles. According to the strange strategy behind seasonal beer releases these days (pumpkin ales began appearing in early August), we're told by wholesalers that it's a rather late release. But to me, it fits the calendar and weather here in New Albany, and this is more important.

Consequently, NABC's Naughty Claus 2012 local release weekend will be November 21 – 24.

Wednesday, November 21
Naughty Claus draft and bomber release, both at the Pizzeria & Public House and Bank Street Brewhouse.

Plaid Friday, November 23
Saturnalia MMXII begins at the Pizzeria & Public House, with Naughty Claus and a full roster of festive seasonal beers. For those just tuning in, Each year NABC pays tribute to the ancient pagan origins of the holiday season with Saturnalia, a collection of themed seasonals on draft at the Pizzeria & Public House.

Saturday, November 24
It's the Jingle Walk in downtown New Albany. There'll be a Naughty Claus sample station (and bomber sales) at Keg Liquors on Pearl Street, and a special day’s program at Bank Street Brewhouse (TBA).

There's a dedicated Facebook page, too: Naughty Claus.

Kicking ass downtown.

Verily, there were hordes afoot in downtown New Albany yesterday for the various holiday kickoff activities, which generally were being referred to as the Jingle Walk.

Frankly, it was amazing.

I took no photos, because they all would turn out the same: Lots and lots of people milling around eateries and shops, few of which existed five years ago. One man lunching at Bank Street prior to setting off for the wine tastings with his wife asked me, “How has this happened? I grew up here and there wasn’t anything downtown, but now … ”

There are lengthy explanations, of course, but perhaps the most interesting single aspect of New Albany’s downtown regeneration is that it has occurred in spite of recession and international economic chaos, and it is proceeding apace during the transportation dislocations of the Sherman Minton Bridge closing.

A few days ago, The Keg Liquors officially opened its second location on Pearl Street. Early glimpses at the selection confirm that it will be a high-end kind of place, specializing in niche beverages.

That's the whole point of The Keg being there.

I’ve known the store’s owner, Todd Antz, for a while, and he is a promotional whirlwind whose presence in downtown’s epicenter stands to draw many people who wouldn’t ordinarily patronize the historic business district.

Just around the corner, the ongoing renovations at the former Fair Store have yielded spectacular results. Quill’s is about to open its coffee shop, with beans roasted on-site. A few feet away, an upscale cigar emporium called Billow also will be debuting within days. It includes a walk-in humidor and a fully ventilated smoking lounge. The sleek interior redesign accommodating both these new entities is jaw-dropping; Jenna and Thomas deserve plaudits for seeing the changes through.

All these collective investments and improvements, all these newcomers, and all this progress – and all of it mysteriously achieved without the presence of a single big box chain store and without the massive governmental subsidies that make the big-box exurb possible.

It has happened downtown, and it is working, precisely because the preferred ethos is different -- by design.

We must continue to find the ones who get it, reinforce their experience, and gradually wean them off the standard contemporary cookie-cutter fare. The process is difficult, and it takes time. It’s also rewarding as hell, and reminds me of why I love what I do. Yesterday was just such an affirming experience, and I’m feeling renewed enthusiasm. I hope you are, too.

Planned activities for Holiday Fest on Saturday, November 26.

As I've had a couple of requests asking what local activities would be occurring in New Albany during the weekend after Thanksgiving, I thought it useful to print the following. Although Stefanie intended it as a memo to merchants, it's a more comprehensive preview of "Holiday Fest" components than what currently is posted on DNA's site. None of this takes into account Plaid Friday, the direct indie response to the egregious excesses of Black Friday, and which is not part of the DNA/city event card.

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Hello Fellow Merchants!

Holiday Fest will be here in four short weeks! We hope each of you will be involved in the festivites of the day. Please take a few minutes to read through this email, and respond to me how you would like to participate in Holiday Fest 2011 - Thank you in advance!

What is Holiday Fest?
It is a community event sponsored by Develop New Albany and the City of New Albany designed to bring residents, friends, and guests to our home town to discover all our shops, restaurants and businesses by moving people through our downtown and uptown areas of New Albany. As darkness settles in everyone is invited to gather at the City Christmas Tree near State and Market streets to "Light Up" the tree, medians and surrounding buildings. There are many different activities offered throughout the day that we hope all ages will find appealing. The key activities are:

The Jingle Walk Wine, Shops and Hops is our fund raising activity which helps generate the money to help cover the costs of Holiday Fest along with the budgeted amount from our Develop New Albany members and the City's. We pair shops with wineries to promote tasting, shopping, and buying, all bringing traffic in to our local shops. This event is geared towards 21 year and older participants.

The Scavenger hunt is a free activity to promote traffic into local shops geared to any age.

The YMCA hosts Santa Clause, a free toy give a way, activities for kids and a secret shopping area for children to buy gifts by themselves for their families. This activity is geared towards our 12 and under guests.

The "light up" is located at MainSource bank parking lot on the corner of State and Market Streets. The City tree along with the outline of downtown buildings will be "turned on" that evening. This is where all activities gather at the end of the day for toys, prize winners and fun!

After light up, everyone is encouraged to check out the shops and restaurants that they missed during the day.

Now that you know a little more about Holiday Fest, what we would like from your business is:

Decorate your business! Matt Denison, Micky Thompson, Dave Barksdale and the Fire Department (when available) will be outlining the tops of buildings with holiday lights and will be happy to coordinate hanging extra lights at your business if you would like. Please contact Matt at mdenison@cityofnewalbany.com to schedule a time.

Volunteer to help test lights (week of November 1st), hang lights or help out the day of the event!

Donate a prize for the Jingle Walk or Scavenger Hunt! Each donor will be listed in the Tribune insert for Holiday Fest for donated prizes, if you let us know what you are giving by November 5th - thank you!

Jingle Walk shops have been coordinated, however we need more locations for the Scavenger Hunt. Each business is asked to provide a small item to give away to each person. The item should relate to your business (ex: Strandz Salon is giving away bobby pins), we ask that your business is open from 2-5:00 pm. If you are not a Develop New Albany member, there will be a small charge to participate but you can apply that towards your membership if you would like! (If it was not for our Develop New Albany members we would not be able to budget the money to buy lights and put on this event - thank you members!)

SAVE the date - Saturday November 26th 2-6:30 pm

Please contact Stefanie Griffith with any questions 502.645.6256

Thanks again for your help and have a Happy Halloween!

Yesterday: More tales from the grow room as New Albany celebrates with Holiday Fest, Jingle Walk.

There's much good Sunday press for the Holiday Fest and Jingle Walk, which took place in downtown New Albany yesterday.

Tribune: New Albany's Holiday Fest included scavenger hunt, jingle walk

C-J: Holiday Fest serves to showcase downtown New Albany

On a brisk November day, there were plenty of people out and about, some shopping, others tippling, and still more riding the shuttles back and forth between downtown and uptown

Of course, there's always at least one Grinch-like dissenter. Check the comments on the piece in the Courier:

NADemocrat wrote ...

Look what happens when you give out free beer. You get your name and picture in the C/J. Boycott downtown New Albany.

Tsk, tsk. Free beer to get photographed? How incredibly gauche.

As for her rallying cry to boycott downtown, here's a question: What if the troglodytes boycott downtown New Albany and no one notices?

Ah, the joys of disgruntled wannabeens.

New Albany's 2010 Holiday Fest is Noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 27.

Submitted. The 27th also is Small Business Saturday, a marvelous counterpoint to the megachainbox driven Black Friday.

New Albany's 2010 Holiday Fest will be held on November 27th from Noon - 6:00pm. The event will take place on the Main Source Bank Stage on the corner of State and Market Street in Historic Downtown New Albany. This event is brought to you by Develop New Albany, The City of New Albany and Mayor Doug England.

Downtown Events Include:

At Parking Lot (Spring/State St) 11:30 - 6:30pm

*Registration for the Jingle Walk and Scavenger Hunt

*Entertainment Coordinated by Jimmy's Music starting at 4pm

*Turn In location for Jingle Walk Golden Tickets and Scavenger Hunt Tickets (Drawing at 6:30pm)

*Pick Up location for items purchased on walks

*"Light Up New Albany" after winners are announced

*Trolleys available for free transportation

At Floyd County YMCA (State/Main Street) 3pm - 6pm

*First 50 kids receive a free toy from Endris Jewelers

*Pictures with Santa (small fee)

*Secret Santa's Workshop (Let your children buy your Christmas presents and wrap them all by themselves) (Great gifts available for a $1 wrapping charge)

*Craftmaking & Facepainting

*Bouncers

*Free carriage rides at the YMCA parking lot

Prizes for Scavenger Hunt Winners:

*Ipod - Donated by Matt Ricke with Ricke & Associates

*$150.00 Gift Certificate to Book & Music Exchange

*$100.00 Gift Certificate to Book & Music Exchange Compliments of Endris Jewelry and Schmitt Furniture

Prizes for Jinglewalk Participants:

*One Nights stay at the Mansion Row Inn

*2-30 Minute Massages from Standz Salon & Threadz Boutique

*$50.00 Gift Certificate to Endris Jewelry

*Gift Card to River City Winery

*$50.00 Gift Certificate to Thorpe Woodworks

If you would like to volunteer/assist with this event please contact Stefanie at 502-645-6256.

Today: Reading aloud before proceeding to the Jingle Walk.

The day-long marathon of Christmas story readings at Destinations Booksellers is under way as I type. The correct time for my oratory is 10:00 a.m., so if you're out and about, stop in.

Of course, today is New Albany's Holiday Fest, and all week long the congenitally disaffected have valiantly sought to locate conspiracies in the use of fire trucks to string lights. Bah, Erika, even though we managed to agree on the idiocy of Black Friday. Stopped clocks, and all that.

NABC's gig on this beautiful 60-degree day is the wine and beer "Jingle Walk," in which downtown retailers will be hosting wine samplings. We're the sole brewery, and can be found in Kaiser Tobacco's shop from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. There may be a cigar in it for me.

Here's more information, as sent by Jala Miller yesterday.

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Subject: Jingle Walk Ticket Pick-up Locations

Thanks again for supporting this holiday event in downtown New Albany! Please take the time to observe all of the new businesses (including stores and restaurants) that have moved to the area sometime during your visit. We are excited about the new developments and we are confident you will be impressed as well.

Below are the ticket pick-up locations. If you pre-ordered your tickets online, just bring your confirmation number or printed confirmation email with you to one of the locations. If you purchased a ticket at Strandz and Threadz, please bring that ticket with you as proof of purchase.

Extra tickets will be available for purchase at each location, but scarves are in limited supply so make sure to arrive early if you have not pre-ordered.

The Gallery on Pearl
222 Pearl Street
New Albany, IN 47150

The YMCA
33 State Street
New Albany, IN 47150

Destinations Booksellers
604 E Spring Street
New Albany, IN 47150

We look forward you seeing you all there -- and thanks again for supporting downtown New Albany!

The week to come: Clay pot catfish, GOP knee jerks, Chinese trade balance, Holiday Fest, Jingle Walk and a reading relay.

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, and the Vietnam Kitchen awaits the Confidentials. There may be a George Clooney movie, too. I also have a column slot on Thanksgiving Day, and it's been filed, sealed and delivered to Coach K. Dave Matthews will appeciate my compassion in defining the words he can't understand. He isn't going to like it much, anyway.

Friday is Black, and best ignored by sane people.

New Albany's Holiday Fest is on Saturday, and this year it is accompanied by a nifty wine and beer "Jingle Walk," in which retailers host wine samplings (just one brewery).

Also on Saturday, there's a marathon X-mas story reading at Destinations Booksellers. As enticement for those readers who enjoy counter-intuitive playing against type, well, I believe my slot starts at 11:00 a.m. Here's the pitch:

Destinations Booksellers, 604 East Spring Street, will host a marathon reading relay of Christmas stories as part of the downtown New Albany "Holiday Fest" on Saturday, Nov. 28, beginning at 7 a.m. and running throughout the day until midnight.

Volunteer readers from throughout the community are being recruited to sign up and read from selected novels for 30 minutes and to solicit pledge donations to benefit the Community Alliance to Promote Education (CAPE).

A Christmas Story, by Indiana's Jean Shepherd, will kick off the reading relay. Everyone knows this story from repeated airings of the 1983 film starring Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, and Melinda Dillon.

When readers conclude that one, the reading team will begin reading from Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory, followed by Wally Lamb's new Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story. Finally, after dark, readers will pick up with Charles Dickens' immortal A Christmas Carol, reading on until midnight.

CAPE is an Indiana program whose administrative operations are funded by The Lilly Foundation and operated by the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated Schools Corporation, but additional funds help the initiative to purchase books for pre-schoolers. All pledged donations will be used to further the distribution of books into the homes of targeted families in order to foster literacy.

Eager volunteers are encouraged to contact Randy Smith at Destinations Booksellers, in person, by e-mail, or by phone, as listed below.

Destinations Booksellers
604 E. Spring St.
New Albany, IN 47150
(812) 944-5116