New Ultimate Santa Package Debuts at Red Jacket’s NH Resort
 
The Red Jacket Mountain View Resort in North Conway, NH, has created the Ultimate Santa Package for families who want to immerse themselves in the Santa experience leading up to Christmas. Guests will start each day having breakfast with the elves and end each day with story time and cookies with Santa himself. Also included are tickets to nearby Santa’s Village, where every day is Christmas with 23 themed rides including “Rudy’s Rapid Transit Coaster” and “The Great Humbug Adventure” as well as three theaters and a chance to visit Santa in his home and even sit in his rocking chair. Guests will have a designated area of the resort’s lobby to write letters to Santa and drop them in a special priority access mailbox. The two-night package also includes accommodations and passes to the resort’s 84-degree on-site indoor water park, Kahuna Laguna.
 
Jon Sallinen, General Manager of Red Jacket Mountain View Resort, is looking forward to hosting guests with this new themed getaway. “Our entire team is getting into the holiday spirit and they are excited to welcome our Ultimate Santa guests. Seeing the wonder in the eyes of children of all ages as they’re surrounded by everything Santa from morning until night will make the holidays at the resort even more special,” he said.  For more stress free holiday planning tips check out this post.
 
Red Jacket Mountain View Resort is a great mountain escape for families. In addition to the on-site Kahuna Laguna indoor water park featuring 3-story slides, a wave pool, water basketball court and adventure tower, there are also walking trails and a playground to explore. Family activities including wagon rides, Wii tournaments, crafts and movie nights keep guests entertained. And there are many dining options along with a full range of accommodations from traditional guest rooms to family rooms with lofts or bunkbeds, 2-bedroom townhomes and 4-bedroom custom “Presidential” homes. Red Jacket Mountain View Resort is located in North Conway, NH close to skiing, outlet shopping, Santa’s Village and many other family attractions. The Ultimate Santa Package is available weekends from November 23 through December 22, 2018 and may be booked online at www.redjacketresorts.com or by calling 1-800-RJACKET.
 
 
Red Jacket Resorts are a group of seven resorts in New England owned and operated by The Davenport Companies of South Yarmouth, MA. For more information, please contact Beth Patkoske at (508) 760-9293 or visit www.redjacketresorts.com                          

Canvas Factory Turns Photographs Into Great Gifts
By: Sarah R

​“Say cheese!” Like many other parents, I am always trying to capture the precious moments with my young son. Where I struggle is finding the best way to display my photographs beyond my smartphone and computer screen. I am often overwhelmed by all the photo gift websites with their near-constant emails, difficult to navigate websites, and sub-par quality products.

Therefore, when I looked at the Canvas Factory web site (http://www.canvasfactory.com/ if you are from USA and http://www.canvasfactory.com/ca if you are from Canada), I was impressed by its clean graphics, the easy to navigate photo tools, and quick check-out process.

My son and I worked together to select a photo memory that he wanted to display on a canvas in his “big boy” bedroom. This very special photo shows us spraying my husband with a fire hose after his last military flight, a once in a lifetime honored tradition in his unit. The site provides a variety of sizes, shapes, and styles to fit the photo you select. I decided to lighten the photo as it appeared a little dark on my computer screen. One of my favorite options was selected what the sides of the canvas would look like – you can wrap the photograph around the sides, you can mirror the boundaries of the photo, or the tool can help you pick the “best match” color based on your photograph. I chose the latter and appreciated that I did not have to “eyeball” the correct shade of sky blue!

A few clicks and we were ready to check out. This process was super easy as well. I do a lot of online shopping and can get frustrated at the seemingly never-ending check out process. One area of improvement is the communication of production and shipping times. It was not apparent to me when I checked out how long it would take until the canvas arrived. I received a confirmation and shipping email which provided this information, but I think users would benefit from a more prominent reminder prior to check out.

When I received the package, my son and I opened excitedly together. The canvas itself is a good quality and nicer than others I have ordered in the past. My husband commented that he liked how they framed the back of it in black instead of leaving it open (and susceptible to damage). The vividness of the colors also stood out and made me regret lightening the photo based on the computer screen image. Lesson learned for the next one I order from the Canvas Factory, which will be soon since my son is now obsessed with decorating his other walls! The pricing does seem a little higher than other sites; however, I am so happy with the quality of the product that I think Canvas Factory will be my new “go to” site for transforming my digital images into great visuals for our home or for gifts.

Woods Hole Child Center Clothing Sale: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
An Event of Shared Community and Cooperation

On Saturday October 20th, the Woods Hole Child Center will be hosting its 32nd annual clothing sale at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church Hall on the Falmouth Village Green. The selection of clothing is enormous and includes outerwear, women’s and men’s casuals and professional attire, children’s clothing, shoes, some children’s equipment, and Halloween costumes.

Doors open at 9am. Clothing is priced very reasonably, most items priced between $1-$5. The sale ends with a “$5-a-bag” blitz from 2-3pm. This is a very popular part of the event and many who shop earlier in the day return for this bargain bonanza. Proceeds from the clothing sale will help cover the Center’s operational expenses.

The Woods Hole Child Center Clothing Sale has been a staple in the lives of many Falmouth and greater Cape Cod residents. Many hands pitch in to make light work of this event and clothing donations are always welcome. The Child Center accepts gently used clothing and equipment, and they are happy to sell items on consignment with a 50/50 split. Interested donors are encouraged to visit the website (www.woodsholechildcenterorg) and click on the tab labeled “clothing sale” or contact the Child Center at 508-548-1773 for more information. Clothing drop off is scheduled for Friday, October 19th from 9am-12pm, at St. Barnabas Hall.

The quality of clothing should be mentioned too. Year after year, shoppers are astounded at the bargains that are available. In a time of increasing awareness of our responsibility to reduce our impact on the environment, recycling clothing in this manner makes this truly a “green” event!
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In order to further benefit the community, the WHCC would like to work with other local charitable entities by offering them the opportunity to come pick up the clothing at the end of the sale. This must be pre-arranged through the Child Center.

Bremner & the Party And Sharkee & the Teddy Bear Book Review
By Molly

Bremner & the Party and Sharkee & the Teddy Bear Book are both new Ripley's Believe It Or Not!  These books were sent to me for an unbiased review.

Bremner & the Party is a cute book best suit for preschool and kindergartens. The main character Bremner is a pufferfish who gets invited to a party but he is nervous to go to the party. He is worried he will puff up and ruin the party. The story uses very few words and lets the pictures do most of the “talking”. This book is a great way to start a dialogue with a young child about being nervous as well as for pre readers to start engaging with a story and text.

Sharkee & the Teddy Bear is the story of a shark who along with his fish friend witness a teddy bear falling overboard and they go on an adventure to find the bear. Along the way they encounter other sea creatures who are silly but not very helpful in locating the bear. This story also has very few words and lets the pictures do most of the “talking”.

The Cape Cod holiday classic, The Sea Captain's Nutcracker, makes its return to the stage with three performances over Thanksgiving weekend! Directed by Laura Sciortino,  Artistic Director of Falmouth’s Turning Pointe Dance Studio, the shows are held at the Tilden Arts Center at the Cape Cod Community College on Saturday, November 24 at 2pm and 6pm and Sunday, November 25 at 2pm.  
 
This lovely production is an excellent way to kick off your holiday season and is perfect for all ages.  The Sea Captain’s Nutcracker, set to the original Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker score, opens in a Chatham Sea Captain’s home in the mid-1800’s.  Local authors Donna Smith & Anne LeClaire’s script transports the audience on an enchanting journey through local history and folklore invoking elements of the natural environs of Cape Cod. The heroic battle scene takes place aboard a sailing ship as it is attacked by mooncussers off the coast of Eastham; a swift and violent storm off Monomoy Point then threatens the voyage.  The salty old Sea Captain, who replaces the traditional Drosselmeyer character, returns home to Chatham bearing exotic gifts from his voyages for Clara.  Audiences will be charmed by the Waltz of the Sea Grass and will be thrilled by the Dance of the Icy Winds.
 
You need not go to Boston or New York City to see a high quality Nutcracker!  The Sea Captain’s Nutcracker, not only includes 125 local dance students and actors but features professional guest dancers from Omaha and Chicago. Kristen Evans and Alex Luntz from the Festival Ballet Providence star as the Beach Castle Princess and her Cavalier. The enchanting choreography is a collaboration by professional and world renowned dancers including Laura Sciortino, Catherine Batcheller and Joseph Cipolla. This year’s production features exciting additional choreography by Yves de Bouteiller, recently relocated from Paris and now on faculty at Turning Pointe Dance Studio. Mr.de Bouteiller along with Falmouth local, Brett Baird, play the role of the salty old Sea Captain.  
 
The Sea Captain's original set and costume designs are by London stage designer Jean Marc Puissant but watch for elegant and imaginative new costumes and sets added this year.  A special newcomer to the cast is Sandwich school teacher Cathy Lemay who opens the production as the adult Clara reminiscing to John Lennon's So This is Christmas.  Tickets sell quickly so reserve your seats today!
 
For tickets to this production visit the studio's website at www.turningpointedancestudio.org or call (508) 444-0278.
Adults: $26; children and seniors: $16. Group discounts are available.
 
 
Guest Performer Bios:
 
Kristen Evans, Beach Castle Princess
Born in Providence, Ms. Evans began training in the Festival Ballet Providence School at age 11. She performed as a member of FBP’s Junior Company for 5 years before joining the main company as a trainee in 2010. Ms. Evans has attended summer intensives with Bolshoi Ballet Academy, The Nutmeg Conservatory, and was a member of the Jacob’s Pillow Summer Dance Festival in 2009. Ms. Evans was a two-time finalist in the Youth America Grand Prix in New York City, where she was awarded several scholarships as well as a traineeship with Ballet West in Utah. Previous roles with FBP include Wendy in Jorden Morris’ Peter Pan, the title role in Winthrop Corey’s Cinderella, Pas de Trois, Big Swans, and Cygnets in Swan Lake, Princess Tsarevna in Mihailo Djuric’s The Firebird, the roles of Sugarplum Fairy, Dew Drop Fairy, Clara, Spanish, and Marzipan in The Nutcracker, and the principal in Etudes, as well as principal roles in George Balanchine’s Apollo, Allegro Brillante, Agon, Rubies, and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, in addition to the principal role in Christopher Wheeldon’s The American. Kirsten has also been featured in contemporary works by Viktor Plotnikov, Dominic Walsh, Ilya Kozadayev, Joseph Morrissey, and others. Kirsten works as the PR and Communications Assistant for FBP and is also pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts/Journalism at Providence College. This is Kirsten’s ninth season with the company.
 
 
Alex Lantz,  Cavalier
 
Alex Lantz began his dance training at age seven at the Rockford Dance Company in his home town of Rockford, Illinois. In 2006, he was accepted into the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division. Mr. Lantz joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet company as an apprentice in 2010. He performed with the company in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Moulin Rouge – The Ballet, Dracula, Wonderland, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, Svengali and Giselle. Mr. Lantz also joined the company in 2010 on a three-city tour of Israel, part of the RWB’s 70th Anniversary tour. Lantz came to Festival Ballet Providence in 2012. He has performed the roles of Spanish, Snow King and Sugarplum Cavalier in The Nutcracker, has been featured in Dominic Walsh’s Afternoon of the Faun, Ilya Kozadayev’s Moonlight Pas De Deux, and has also performed leading roles in Viktor Plotnikov’s Orchis and Coma as well as principal roles in George Balanchine’s Agon and Tchaikovky Pas de Deux. Mr. Lantz also has performed a number of character roles including Von Rothbart in Swan Lake, The Witch in Hansel & Gretel, Kastchai in The Firebird, Smee in Jordan Morris’ Peter Pan and Herr Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker. This is his sixth year with Festival Ballet Providence.