Monthly Newsletter: January 2024 (No.24)

Welcome to Our Technicolor Life Monthly Newsletter!

Welcome back to another exciting edition of Our Technicolor Life's monthly newsletter! We're thrilled to have you join us on our colorful journey through the many facets of our adventurous lives. As always, we're Jeff and Carrie Ketterman, a dynamic husband and wife duo who are passionate about embracing a vintage lifestyle in the most vibrant way possible.

A Glimpse into Our Lives

In case you're new here, let us introduce ourselves once again. Jeff spends his days immersed in the bustling world of rail transportation as the General Manager at Kasgro Rail Corporation Management Division. With a fleet of over 500 heavy-duty railcars, Jeff is at the forefront of providing innovative solutions for the ever-evolving rail industry.

Meanwhile, Carrie's days are filled with creativity and artistic expression. As a painter, illustrator, and author, she breathes life into murals and paintings that tell stories with every brushstroke.

Adventures Await

After our workday concludes, the real excitement begins! Our historic home, known as The Old Capitol Tea Room, transforms into a hub of themed tea parties that transport us and our guests to different eras and worlds. From the glitz and glamour of the 1920s to the groovy vibes of the 1960s, we've hosted an array of captivating events this past month that ignite the senses and spark joy.

Speaking of our musical passions, our bands are another cornerstone of Our Technicolor Life. Rosie & the Rockabillies, a vivacious 1950s-style band, and The Tin Pan Alley Cats, a toe-tapping 1920s-style ensemble, allow us to spread our love for music and nostalgia far and wide.

Happy New Year from Our Technicolor Life! My goodness 2024! Here we go! Thank you all for being here, we've been catching up, celebrating the holidays, and looking forward to sharing more of our technicolor life with you this year.

TEA

There are no teas currently. There are just a few short months out the year when we put all of the tea room away and reset the house back to "normal". We have been pretty much living in our living room as this area is primarily set up for tea parties during the tea season. It's been so nice to reflect on all of the events we hosted last year and to discuss new themes and set up. We have some exciting new themes and extra bits that we will be unveiling this tea season. Jeff and I are still in the planning stages for events so nothing has been posted as of yet. This is the time of year we take into account camping trips, music and entertainment requests, tea events, and specialty projects and work schedules. There are a lot of moving pieces outside of the tea room but my goal is to announce some of the spring tea events in late February/early March on the website. Stay tuned!

We did however, host quite a few events in December! We saw many fan favorites return with Grinch Story Time and Tea, our Christmas Carol Radio Show presented by The Old Capitol Player, and our White Christmas Sing Along Tea Party.

Grinch Story Time Tea

Christmas Carol Radio Show & Tea

White Christmas Sing Along

TRAVEL

A few years ago Jeff and I had a conversation about how we really don't need anything for the holidays and what we enjoy most is adventures, traveling, and creating experiences. So in the past couple of years we've sort of created the tradition of going on a trip for New Years. We both agreed we're not too big on the big New Years galas and party type thing because they always seem like kind of a bust not to mention expensive. We also love to head South so this year we decided we'd like to spend New Year's Eve in one of our favorite places, New Orleans.

There is just something about this town that gets in our blood. It's the history, the vibe, the music, the architecture, the food, the overall celebration and we cannot get enough of it. We also love to find unique places to stay using Air BnB which gives us so many more options and pricing to work with especially when going for a typically pricey time of year. We primarily start our trips that don't involve our camper by looking at Air BnB. On our last NOLA visit we stayed in an adorable shot gun house in Algiers Point that we would've never explored before. This time we knew we wanted to be more in town and not rely on the ferry, although, it was incredibly easy and cheap to use last time. This year we found a charming spot called the Ravenwood Manor in the Bywater neighborhood. It was just a 15 minute walk to Jackson Square and had soo many wonderful cafes and curiosities to explore in our immediate area. We visited the Bywater Bakery, The Country Club, Elizabeth's Restaurant, Dr. Bobs Art Studio, JamNola, Silk Road, and the lovely Crescent City Park, all in the Bywater area.

We also made time to explore and shop around some of our favorite places in the Quarter and along Magazine in the Garden District. Most people ask us how we can eat the things we do and still stay somewhat fit - the answer is we walk just about everywhere. In New Orleans, you are supposed to slow down and enjoy the Big Easy. You just can't take it all in and explore the city unless you are on foot so that's what we did. I also love that we didn't go down to NOLA with any really specific plans. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to get us a table at Commander's Palace for Sunday New Year's Eve Jazz brunch! And I did! I watched their website like a hawk all year and grabbed a reservation back in October! It was a delightful way to kick off New Year's Eve and in the near 70 degree weather we made our way to City Park before hitting the town in our Gatsby wear to ring in 2024.

Other highlights included Cafe Brulot at Antoines, I'm obsessed with the tableside coffee experience and those cups! We watched the firework show from the comfort of Crescent City Park on the wharf with a third of the crowd around Jackson Square and simply walked the block back to our house.

We loved it so much we realized we needed to plan a return trip. Having talked about it again for several years but never actually doing it - we are going back for Mardi Gras. I thought Jeff was joking but he said why not its right up our alley with the costumes, pageantry, and celebration. I am for one tickled to use our bit of time off to go back to New Orleans and especially to pack strictly for Mardi Gras!

Carmel Christkindlmarkt

But before we made it to NOLA, we wanted to really get in the Christmas spirit by heading back to Carmel, Indiana for their stunning Christkindlmarkt. We went to this event last year and were blown away by how spectacular it was. I even showed my brother photos aka the brother who lives in Switzerland and he concurred that Carmel was very authentic.

This very authentic German market is well worth the road trip! We truly felt like we were transported to Europe in many ways. We visited Switzerland to visit my brother and it truly had a very Swiss feel about it. With favorite holiday foods from Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, and other European countries, the smells are glorious. The craftsmanship on display is amazing. And, they have a huge outdoor ice rink for skaters. The Market is free to attend, and parking is free as well. This festival was voted at the #1 Best Holiday Market in the USA Today "10Best" competition for the fourth time. The raclette and mulled wine made for a scrumptious lunch as we explored all of the vendors surrounding the park and rink.

The Glitz

If you’re looking for a colorful, festive, “glitzy” outing, let me suggest The Glitz in Versailles, KY. It has become a holiday tradition with me during the Christmas season. It’s located a little off the beaten path, just north of Nonesuch, KY. Yup. Nonesuch. 😁

To be a little more helpful on the location, it is located about 20 miles southwest of Lexington, KY in Woodford County (you can make a whole day of it and visit the Woodford Reserve Distillery as well).

The Glitz operates out the lower level of the Irish Acres Gallery of Antiques. The one-of-a-kind antiques are amazing! Just walking the glittery, ornate rooms of this gallery will have you wishing you could win the lottery and purchase more than a few things.

The Glitz is not nearly as pricey, however. The three-course lunch is just $35 per person, and the food is amazing! I realize this is not a stop that everyone will enjoy, but if, like me, you enjoy the glitzy, glamorous, and glittery, this will not disappoint. I never pass up an opportunity to dress up for an occasion, and The Glitz provides the perfect opportunity!

Brown County & Story

We love to visit Brown County so we made a special reservation and made a day at of it. We spent the day in lovely and historic Nashville, Indiana, followed by dinner at The Story Inn, where we donned a Victorian look for the occasion.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Old Capitol Players headed back to the lovely Magnolia Venue for an evening of A Christmas Carol Radio Show performed live. We are so excited to be partnering with Matt, Brian, and all of the staff at The Magnolia in Clarksville, IN. We have many more exciting shows lined up for the 2024 season.

A Christmas Carol at The Magnolia

Polar Express in Santa Claus, IN.

It’s not the Christmas season until you make a trip to Santa Claus, Indiana! We had an invitation to bring our Polar Express Storytime to the old Santa Claus church next to the museum, amd had a great afternoon enjoying the quaint surroundings! After Jeff, I mean Mr Conductor, read and entertained the filled little church with the story of the Polar Express, we visited the museum, wrote a letter to Santa and visited Santa’s Candy Castle! We also got to visit with Santa himself! Jeff apooogized for being so bad this year, and vowed to do better next year!

The Tin Pan Alley Cats have been busy at work these past few months expanding our repertoire and we danced the night away at the University of Louisville Women's Club Holiday party. If you have an event or celebration, don't forget about the music. Its such an important ingredient for any party and The Tin Pan Alley Cats is a great bang for your buck. We work really well in mid-size venues and for a smaller budget.

Tin Pan Alley Cats Play a Holiday Party

Of course, we can't talk music and not talk about Rosie. We're super excited to be expanding our music with the gang. We are undergoing a bit of rebranding to bring you even more fun and dance music for the 2024 season. If you'd like to book the full 5-piece band, don't hesitate to reach out. Our spring and summer are already starting to fill up with requests. If you are interested in booking the band, just shoot us an email with the date, location, and any event details at ourtechnicolorlife@gmail.com.

Rosie and the gang are heading to Nashville this January to play for our friends with US Bus Tours! We have played for this fantastic group of people and are excited to see them again. Plus a little time in NashVegas never hurt anyone!

ART

Last year I finally picked up a book that had been on my shelf for more time than I care to admit but I finally read it. The Artist's Way by Juila Cameron has reallly transformed my thinking. She teaches an idea called morning pages and every morning you must write 3 pages and it can be anything - stream of concious, something thats bothering you, a daily observance, anything but it must be 3 pages. It was a habit I had to really make time for starting out but it is so rewarding in working out problems, clearing headspace, and for me just a great place to get my ideas written down.

I published 4 books last year - Camping Critters Lucy and Ricky Raccoon Buy a Camper, The Lucy Coloring Book, The Grey Gardens Coloring Book, and Witch Hazel's Moonlit Tea Party. They are all online for purchase and I cannot tell you how reqwarding it is to see these sketches and ideas from my morning pages actually become real and phsical items on my book shelf. I always fancied the idea of being a writer/illustratorsh for kids books and with an emphais on the illustration part. I decided no more excuses, with the technology and bits of learning i did via youtube and other such resources I found I could take these book ideas and see them through.

So I'm super excited to announce more ideas are coming to fruition in 2024. This January I am so thrilled to announce the official Old Capitol Tea Room inspired coloring book called "It's Tea Time." It is available now for pre-order and features over 40 illustrations and soothing tea quotes.

My sketchbook is overflowing with ideas for books so I am extremely grateful for this time during the dreary cold winter months to be able to work on these. My next book is one I have been wanted to do for the longest time, an illustrated love letter and sort of preserving of history for my hometown, Louisville. I've always loved collecting little memories or bits of history in illustration of pen and ink drawings so I'm pairing the two together in my latest book, "Only in Louisville" coming out later this spring.

Pet Portraits

The winds have howling and the rain has been coming down. It's the perfect stay indoors and get some work completed. I am thankful for a fresh stack of canvas, an organzied cart of paint, and plenty of cute pets to paint. I open up slots of 10 for pet portraits a few times throughout the year. This was the lastest round of pet portraits.

This concludes our December as we move into the New Year! Hello 2024! Thank you for stopping by and exploring Our Technicolor Life! Please check out all the features of the website from our Tea, Travel, Entertainment, Art, and Podcast Channels. This is our one stop shop website for all events and information. Don't forget to subscribe so you stay in the loop and check out our upcoming events section right on the home page.

Yea...did you catch that?!? We've started a podcast so stay tuned!!!

Yours truly,

Carrie & Jeff

AT A GLANCE - JANUARY EVENTS

Monday January 1st - New Year's Day

Saturday January 13th - Rosie & the Rockabillies Private Booking

Nashville, TN.

Monthly Newsletter: December 2023 (No. 23)

Welcome to Our Technicolor Life Monthly Newsletter!

Welcome back to another exciting edition of Our Technicolor Life's monthly newsletter! We're thrilled to have you join us on our colorful journey through the many facets of our adventurous lives. As always, we're Jeff and Carrie Ketterman, a dynamic husband and wife duo who are passionate about embracing a vintage lifestyle in the most vibrant way possible.

A Glimpse into Our Lives

In case you're new here, let us introduce ourselves once again. Jeff spends his days immersed in the bustling world of rail transportation as the General Manager at Kasgro Rail Corporation Management Division. With a fleet of over 500 heavy-duty railcars, Jeff is at the forefront of providing innovative solutions for the ever-evolving rail industry.

Meanwhile, Carrie's days are filled with creativity and artistic expression. As a painter, illustrator, and author, she breathes life into murals and paintings that tell stories with every brushstroke.

Adventures Await

After our workday concludes, the real excitement begins! Our historic home, known as The Old Capitol Tea Room, transforms into a hub of themed tea parties that transport us and our guests to different eras and worlds. From the glitz and glamour of the 1920s to the groovy vibes of the 1960s, we've hosted an array of captivating events this past month that ignite the senses and spark joy.

Speaking of our musical passions, our bands are another cornerstone of Our Technicolor Life. Rosie & the Rockabillies, a vivacious 1950s-style band, and The Tin Pan Alley Cats, a toe-tapping 1920s-style ensemble, allow us to spread our love for music and nostalgia far and wide.

TEA

It was a much quieter tea month compared to November's past because of a bit of travel, more about that below. We took a doozie of a trip, one for the books for our 10th anniversary. But it wouldn't be November if we didn't kick off the holiday season with fan favorite, the Polar Express Story Time & Tea.

I might be a bit bias but I think Jeff makes the perfect Conductor, maybe its because he really does work with trains, but I think he's just lovely bringing this tale to life.

We head into the last month of tea parties in December and we are looking forward to our Grinch Story Time, Christmas Carol Radio Show, and of course, our White Christmas Sing Along. The tea room will close up for the season after our White Christmas Sing Along on December 17th and be closed January, February, and March. Look for upcoming events for our 9th season towards the end of February/early March 2024.

TRAVEL

For years and years and years we have been talking about going on the Turner Classic Movies Cruise. We basically watch one channel when it comes down to it and we pretty much only watch Turner Classic Movies. We've never been on a cruise at all and thought since we are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this year, we decided to book it! So...we traveled all the way out to San Diego, CA. via The Not So Long Trailer and then boarded the Disney Magic for the TCM Cruise to Cabo and Ensenada. It was FABUOUS!

It seriously was better than we had even imagined. I mean we don't have a ton of cruise experiences to compare them to but we had an absolute ball, the trip of a lifetime! We started out November 1st and made our way cross country through Missouri, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. You can read our day-by-day excursions and even more photos on The Not So Long Trailer Facebook page. The cruise was just magical all the way around - from the staff to meeting the TCS hosts, to hearing the celebrities talk about their movies and experiences, to the stunning sites we visited along the way. We met Kim Novak, George Chakiris, Elliot Gould, Wynn Thomas, Ernest Dickerson, Andy Marx and Lorna Luft.

I also quite enjoyed packing for this trip. Jeff had the brilliant idea to pack separately for our two trips, the camping portion and the cruise portion. I was able to at least give myself a starting point as a notorious over packer. I also had these visions in my head of what to pack and wear on a cruise, again, we watch way too many old movies. This photo below is of us boarding! But I managed to wear just about everything I packed, and it was safe to say the luggage and outfits made for a great conversation starter once on board.

Again, there is extensive day by day details and pictures on The Not So Long Trailer Facebook page so you can follow along!

ENTERTAINMENT

Light Up Corydon was one for the books and honestly could not have been better weatherwise. This year the Grinch had the honor of being the Grand Marshall of the parade accompanied by Martha May. It was quite the highlight I must say and I cannot believe the sea of people that were downtown to celebrate the holidays! It was one of the best parades and Light Ups I think we have experienced in quite some time. Thank you to Main Street Corydon and all of the volunteers and local businesses that made it such a lovely event! Jeff and I started the afternoon with a Polar Express Story Time followed by our Christmas Carol Radio Show, Grinch Story Time and Pictures and then the parade.

In December we have quite a few holiday booking and one very special public story time in the most perfect town for this time of year. Join Mr. Conductor in a live story time of The Polar Express in charming Santa Claus, IN. Storytime is 3pm CST on Saturday December 16th. This favorite Christmas tale comes to life as the Conductor presents the story of The Polar Express in the 1880 Historic Santa Claus Church.

Admission is free; donations are accepted. While visiting the Santa Claus Museum & Village for the event, guests are invited to tour the museum and Santa's Office, take a photo with the historic 22-foot-tall Santa statue, write a letter to Santa, and more.

Santa Claus Museum & Village

69 State Road 245 Santa Claus, IN 47579

ART

Murals don't just have to be for walls! The last couple of holiday seasons, I've started painting windows. If you have a business and you want to jazz up your window display or maybe you don't have the wall space to commit to a mural, painting your windows is the next best thing. This year I returned to the Cat Clinic in Louisville, KY to create a little Catmas and I also painted the Chestnut Market windows in downtown Corydon with a little nostalgia vintage collection of Christmas images.

I also returned to local gym, Spirit Elite Athletics to paint their logo. Last year I painted their windows and now with their brand new wall in place and ready to go, it needed their logo.

If you'd like more information about murals or window paintings, just send me an email at ourtechnnicolorlife@gmail.com subject murals.

This concludes our December as we move into the New Year! Please explore the website and share with friends and family! This website is our one stop shop for all of our events and information. Don't forget to subscribe so you stay in the loop and check out our upcoming events section right on the home page. In the meantime, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Yours truly,

Carrie & Jeff

AT A GLANCE - DECEMBER EVENTS

Friday December 1st Grinch Story Time Tea Party - SOLD OUT

Corydon, IN

Sunday December 3rd Grinch Story Time Tea Party - SOLD OUT

Corydon, IN

Thursday December 7th A Christmas Carol Radio Show & Dinner at The Magnolia

Clarksville, IN

Friday December 8th A Christmas Carol Radio Show Tea Party - SOLD OUT

Corydon, IN

Sunday December 9th A Christmas Carol Radio Show Tea Party - SOLD OUT

Corydon, IN

Monday December 11th The Tin Pan Alley Cats Holiday Party

Private Booking

Friday December 15th White Christmas Sing Along Tea Party - SOLD OUT

Corydon, IN

Sunday December 17th White Christmas Sing Along Tea Party - SOLD OUT

Corydon, IN

Tuesday December 19th Grinch Booking

Wednesday December 20th Grinch Booking

Sunday December 24th Christmas Eve

Monday December 25th Merry Christmas

Monthly Newsletter: November 2023 (No.22)

Welcome to Our Technicolor Life Monthly Newsletter!

Welcome back to another exciting edition of Our Technicolor Life's monthly newsletter! We're thrilled to have you join us on our colorful journey through the many facets of our adventurous lives. As always, we're Jeff and Carrie Ketterman, a dynamic husband and wife duo who are passionate about embracing a vintage lifestyle in the most vibrant way possible.

A Glimpse into Our Lives

In case you're new here, let us introduce ourselves once again. Jeff spends his days immersed in the bustling world of rail transportation as the General Manager at Kasgro Rail Corporation Management Division. With a fleet of over 500 heavy-duty railcars, Jeff is at the forefront of providing innovative solutions for the ever-evolving rail industry.

Meanwhile, Carrie's days are filled with creativity and artistic expression. As a painter, illustrator, and author, she breathes life into murals and paintings that tell stories with every brushstroke.

Adventures Await

After our workday concludes, the real excitement begins! Our historic home, known as The Old Capitol Tea Room, transforms into a hub of themed tea parties that transport us and our guests to different eras and worlds. From the glitz and glamour of the 1920s to the groovy vibes of the 1960s, we've hosted an array of captivating events this past month that ignite the senses and spark joy.

Speaking of our musical passions, our bands are another cornerstone of Our Technicolor Life. Rosie & the Rockabillies, a vivacious 1950s-style band, and The Tin Pan Alley Cats, a toe-tapping 1920s-style ensemble, allow us to spread our love for music and nostalgia far and wide.

TEA

Halloween is our absolute favorite holiday, and every October is always, so jam packed of delightful spooky tea events! We've often joked that we should just become the holiday tearoom because we have so many themes between October - December and especially some of our favorites during the month of October. We hosted fan favorite Hocus Pocus, actually 4 Hocus Pocus tea parties! We also hosted Beetlejuice Tea & Trivia. I'm not going to lie, I quite like that most people in town call us The Beetlejuice house. We hosted a Haunted Mansion tea with live spooky tunes by The Tin Pan Alley Cats, a Nightmare Before Christmas story time with Jack and Sally, and several radio dramas. We love to visit Sleepy Hollow whenever we travel the East coast and there's just something about this classic tale. I look forward to any of the old-time radio dramas we perform but I especially enjoy our Sleepy Hollow and Dracula radio dramas that we perform with our fantastic cast, The Old Capitol Players.

Hocus Pocus Tea Party

Beetlejuice Tea & Trivia

Sleepy Hollow Radio Show

Haunted Mansion Tea Party

Dracula Radio Show

Nightmare Before Christmas Storytime Tea

TRAVEL

It can't be all work and no play. It's incredibly important to make time for a little adventure even if you're just exploring, your own backyard. This past month we headed to the circus, Harvest Homecoming, a murder mystery, the St. James Art Show, Chautauqua in Madison, and the Covered Bridge Festival.

Chautauqua - Madison, IN.

Fall is definitely our season! We do much of our traveling - short trips and long - during the months of September through November.

In between two Halloween tea events at The Old Capitol Tea Room, we made it up to one of Indiana’s great, historic river towns, Madison, for their Chautauqua Arts Festival. We have always talked about eventually moving to a little historic river town like Madison, or maybe Parkersburg, WV or Natchez, MS or…so many others that we have once visited. Madison is an Indiana jewel, for sure. Throw in an autumn arts festival weekend, and it is a must-do on the fall calendar!

We took the long way home for a stop at the annual Persimmon Festival in Mitchell, IN! We have probably 2 gallons of persimmon pulp in our freezer from collecting and pulping persimmons over the last few years. I’ve got my persimmon cookbook back out and I’m ready to make some true fall desserts!

Harvest Homecoming

We had a great time at Harvest Homecoming in New Albany. It had been several years since we had a chance to visit. This is one of southern Indiana’s biggest annual festivals - going strong now for 55 years and is listed as the fifth highest-attended yearly festival in Indiana! Put it on your calendar for 2024 as dates will be October 5-13, with the booth weekend set for the 10-13. I also got to bust out my new Frankenstein classic monster skirt!

Covered Bridge Festival

Another great Indiana fall festival that we had the chance to visit - The Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County, Indiana!

The 10-day festival begins on the second Friday in October every year and celebrates the 31 historic covered bridges in Central Indiana’s Parke County. YES, 31! This is Indiana’s largest festival, and it is truly huge!! Ten towns participate in the festival and we only had a day to explore, so obviously we only saw a small part of the festival.  Bridgeton is a town that you should absolutely include if you ever plan to attend this festival. The town itself is charming, and during the festival it us transformed into Mecca of food, arts, crafts and music. Be prepared to join thousands that attend this festival, which makes traffic move at a crawl sometimes as you approach the various towns. We’re talking Hoosier backroads, so there is not much you can do but join the “crawl”, but it is worth it!!  

We were SO glad we had our friend Julie and her husband, Michael, as our tour guides. Julie has family in Parke County and grew up visiting them quite often and has been to this festival many times, so she knew ways to avoid some of the traffic congestion. Thank you, Julie and Michael!

Vernardos Circus

If you have time to catch the Vernardos Circus, please do yourself a favor and visit when they are in town (Louisville). These talented people are amazing and such a joy to watch. Their passion for what they do filters straight down from their gregarious owner/ringmaster, Kevin Venardos. This man’s dream to start a traveling circus years ago began with what little money he had in his pockets (he was living out of his car), a few acts that he could coerce into joining him, no tents, no promises, BUT a HUGE heart. He fostered that dream into beautiful traveling circus that now spends 40 weeks a year on the road, moving from town to town, and bringing smiles and memories to new generations of “circus” fanatics and families alike. (Kevin shares his “dream” story before each performance. If you have a heart, you will be moved and will root for this little circus from that point on.) The Venardos Circus deserves to have every show sold out wherever they go.

Support their BIG dream and be inspired in the process.

#LiveYourCircusDream 

Bloomfield Apple Festival

We checked out another great Indiana fall festival - the Bloomfield Apple Festival. We ate all the apple goodies we could muster, AND brought a goldfish home.

The festival runs through today, so you can still check it out! Bloomfield is located 38 miles southwest of Bloomington in Greene County.

I have to admit, our favorite apple treat was the “walking apple pie”. They took a small bag of Golden Grahams, cut the top off the bag, put a scoop of warm apple pie filling in the bag, added a little whip cream & caramel sauce, and handed you a spoon. Ingenious and SO good.

Whodunnit Murder Mystery

I FINALLY got to wear a dress that she found in a vintage clothing shop in Cincinnati last year. When I tried it on for the first time, it was like it had been tailor-made for me. I figured that a murder mystery set in 1899 Savannah would be perfect for the debut of this dress. Of course, people thought I was a character in the show. It was great to see a couple of theatre friends on stage and doing their thing! Rita Hight and John Lina, so good to see you both and wonderful job!

100th Birthday at the Brown

We grabbed last-minute tickets for The Brown Hotel’s 100 Year Gala last night, celebrating their opening date of October 25, 1923. It was, of course, a Roaring Twenties theme, so we didn’t have to dig too far into the closet to come up with something appropriate for that.

Great event! Great hotel! We learned some interesting things about the hotel’s history.

Did you know that James Graham Brown (original owner of The Brown Hotel) was born a Hoosier?! Yup! Born in Madison, IN. Later in life and after becoming the wealthiest man in Kentucky, philanthropy became his legacy. His entire estate, valued at over $100 million, was donated to various schools, hospitals, and organizations upon his death in 1969. To date the James Graham Brown Foundation claims nearly half a billion dollars in donations that have benefited Louisville and Kentucky! An amazing man and a tremendous legacy!

ENTERTAINMENT

This past month also saw a few opportunities to take our show on the road. We spent a lunch hour bringing a bit of Wonderland to our local library and packed up our murder mystery to perform at the gorgeous, Magnolia.

Alice In Wonderland Story Time

Alice and Hatter took a bit of Wonderland to the Floyd County Library for a very special story time.

Murder at the Magnolia

A fun, frightening, murder mystery night with The Old Capitol Players at The Magnolia! There were many suspicious characters and Madame Leora was…well…let’s just say she is a handsome woman.

Thank you Brian and Matt for creating such a wonderful venue, and inviting us to come play!

-The Edgar Allan Poe Murder Mystery-

ART

October means pumpkins! It was my third year creating pumpkins at the Iroquois Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular. I ended up drawing and carving 21 pumpkins this season which was more than I have ever done. We start work on pumpkins in September by drawing and then when we get the go ahead later in the season, closer to opening day, we then begin to carve. There are a bunch of artists working in the studio and a whole team in charge of actually gutting and placing the pumpkins on the trail. Once the trail is open, thousands of people stroll the path and see the spectacular. This year's theme was Wanderlust and all about the adventures of getting someplace.

Since Halloween is my favorite holiday, I had an idea to create a children's story about Hazel, a witch who hosts tea parties. Just in time for the spooky season, I wrote and illustrated Witch Hazel's Moonlit Tea Party. Join Witch Hazel on a whimsical journey as she brews up a magical night of delight! In this enchanting rhyming children's book, Witch Hazel plans a tea party like no other in her magical garden on Halloween night.

With charming illustrations that bring the story to life, little ghouls will be captivated by the spellbinding scenes as Witch Hazel prepares her garden for a moonlit celebration.

From pumpkin tea cups to ghostly treats. the garden transforms into a whimsical wonderland for all creatures of the night. As the moon rises high, Witch Hazel welcomes a delightful cast of spooky friends to her tea party. The rhythmic verses make it the perfect bedtime story, weaving a tale of friendship, laughter, and the magic that unfolds when witches and ghouls gather under the moon.

Witch Hazel's Moonlit Tea Party is a spirited tale that will leave little ones dreaming of magical garden and moonlit adventures. Share this enchanting story with your little ghosts and ghouls, and let the magic of Halloween come alive in every bedtime tale.

Order a copy of Witch Hazel's Moonlit Tea Party:

🛍️📚 https://www.ourtechnicolorlife.com/product-page/witch-hazel-s-moonlit-tea-party

This concludes our October as we move into November in Our Technicolor Life! Please explore the website and share with friends and family! This website is our stop shop for all of our events and information. Don't forget to subscribe so you stay in the loop and check out our upcoming events section right on the home page!

Yours truly,

Carrie & Jeff

AT A GLANCE - NOVEMBER EVENTS

Thursday November 23rd - Happy Thanksgiving

Friday November 24th - Polar Express Tea Party - SOLD OUT

Corydon, IN

Saturday November 25th - Light Up Corydon

Corydon, IN

Sunday November 26th - Polar Express Tea Party - SOLD OUT

Corydon, IN