Monthly Newsletter: November 2022 (No. 10)
This is the tenth newsletter and monthly feature highlighting events, happenings, and general news of all channels of Our Technicolor Life.
TV PIC
Welcome to Our Technicolor Life! We are a husband and wife team that lives a vintage lifestyle in full color through our many adventures in our tea room, travel, entertainment, and art. Follow along each channel that makes up Our Technicolor Life.
We are Jeff and Carrie Ketterman. During the day, Jeff is a General Manager with Kasgro Rail Corporation Management Division. With a fleet of over 500 heavy-duty cars, Jeff works daily to provide solutions to various needs of the multi-dimensional rail transportation industry. By day, Carrie is a painter, illustrator, and author creating murals, portraits, prints, wearable art, and children's book illustrations.
After closing up shop for the day. Jeff and Carrie host themed tea parties out of their historic home at The Old Capitol Tea Room, travel to festivals and vacation in The Not So Long Trailer, and have two bands, a 1950s style band, Rosie & the Rockabillies, and a 1920s style band, The Tin Pan Alley Cats. Each of these channels makes up our Technicolor Life.
TEA
Jeff and I absolutely love the month of October. There really is something in the air when the ghosts and goblins come out to play. October is our most action-packed month at the tea room. I wish October had even more days because there is just too much we want to do and enjoy during this month. In addition to hosting 8 public events, and 1 private party, we hosted a 3 new events - the Curious Corydon Ghost Walk. Curious Corydon is a Historic Walking Tour Through Downtown Corydon Every small town has its own curious and unusual past. Corydon is no exception. We have uncovered some unscrupulous and dastardly happenings from the past that are sure to give you a chill and open your eyes to Corydon's dark past.
Halloween Tea Parties
We kicked off the Halloween season with a visit from Beetlejuice followed by our Sleepy Hollow Radio Show. We also added a new event we'd talked about doing for far too long - a Dracula Radio Show. It wouldn't be the spooky season if we didn't see the Sanderson Sisters, so we had multiple Hocus Pocus tea parties, and we added one new theme at the end of the month with Addams Family Tea & Trivia.
This year was without a doubt, THE Hocus Pocus year with the release of the new movie, Hocus Pocus 2. For the occasion, the Sisters decided to finally record their vocals and have a music video made of their hit, "I Put A Spell on You." Huge thank you to Billy Butcherson aka Jeff for filming and editing this music video as well as a few others. With so many great new tunes in the second movie, we decided to go ahead and record a few more music videos for the special occasion.
"One Way or Another" Hocus Pocus 2 Cover
Vocals by: Carrie Cooke Ketterman, Carrie Chastain, and Julie Luna
Filmed & edited by: Jeff Ketterman
We are absolutely thrilled how well these turned out. That is 100% our vocals and every scene was filmed right here in Corydon. That's also our local Walgreens who really made our night when the staff allowed us to come in and film a few scenes.
TRAVEL
With so many events and commitments on the schedule for this month, travel stayed a little closer to home but there were still many fun adventures.
St. James Art Show
The first weekend of October is an annual event with my family. You can always find us roaming the booths of the St. James Art Show in early October. The weather this year was spectacular and it was nice to see the art show back in full swing.
Keeneland
I also managed to sneak away one day to catch some races at Keeneland in Lexington, KY. The Fall meet in the thoroughbred capital of the world is a sight to see and the trees were at peak that week. We didn't cash to many tickets, but it was a great afternoon spent in one of the most gorgeous tracks we have around.
Vernardos Circus
Back in 2019, I came across an advertisement for a circus that was coming to town. The Vernardos circus advertised as the little circus that could was coming to Louisville and after a quick look through their social media I knew we had to check it out. The Vernardos Circus is known as the little circus that could. The Venardos Circus held its first performance in 2014 at the LA County Fair. Created by former Ringling Bros. Ringmaster Kevin Venardos, the show featured a cast of 6 artists in a kind of Broadway/Circus Musical. It was just a little Circus... but it had great BIG dreams.
In the years since, Venardos Circus has grown into a living example of the power of dreams, reinventing the American Circus tradition for a new generation, and bringing joy to people everywhere.
This year was the third trip the Vernardos Circus came to Louisville and our third time seeing them. I hope they always come to town! It's become a great date night that we look forward to each year. We make an evening of heading to our favorite, El Mundo on Frankfort Avenue for margaritas and dinner before heading to the circus. This circus has so much heart and so much talent from the aerialist to the juggler and clown, to the ring master himself. The red and white tent tucked in under the walking bridge with the Ohio River just feet ahead make for a gorgeous setting in addition to a wonderful show.
There are no animals in this amazing little circus, only amazingly talented people who have a passion for circus life and a thirst to entertain. At the opening of every show, Kevin Venardos tells the heartwarming story of how his little circus came to be - it is quite touching. And, over the next hour and half, you are sure to be thrilled and amazed by the talents of his troupe of performers. We love this circus, for many reasons. Most of all, you can’t help but love the people who perform. They have such a passion for what they do. For 40 weeks out of the year they travel the US performing nightly and three times a day on weekends. Yet, you would think they are putting on their show for the very first time when you see them. The joy and pride that shows on each of their faces is palpable.
Headliners with Squirrel Nut Zipper
You may remember a music video we made back in 2020 called "Blue Angel" originally performed by Squirrel Nut Zipper. I first heard this song when I was a teenager at the Coney Island Side Show in Coney Island, NY. Performer Insectivora used this song during her fire eating act and I just fell in love with the tune. Well it turns out Squirrel Nut Zipper was heading out on tour and one of the stops in October was at Headliners in Louisville. I immediately blocked that night and inquired about tickets. What a great group of high energy and very talented musicians. I'm so glad we got to see them perform and just to be out at a concert again. It has been too many years since our last concert outing and it felt really great to be out hearing live music again.
(HEADLIERS)
Brown County
If Fall means pumpkins, sweaters, and falling leaves, it also means a day trip to Brown County in Indiana with my Mom. It's a true girl's trip outing with lunch, art, and of course a little shopping. We love making the road trip to Brown County during the Fall to see the leaves, decorations, grab lunch at the Nashville House, and roam the shops downtown. There is so much to do, see, and shop in Brown County. Check it out and plan a visit.
Brown County Visitors Center - Brown County, Indiana
Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Louisville Palace
“It’s just a jump to the left! And, a step to the riiiiight!” - The Time Warp
Jeff here! OK, this girl can basically talk me into anything. It’s true. A night out for some Halloween fun at the Louisville Palace for their showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This was a different experience than when I first saw it in the late ‘70s. Carrie’s friend Celena had some extra tickets, and she was wanting to go. I said, go! Have fun! Afterall, Carrie told me stories of going every month to see it when she was in high school and college. It was a ritual for her and her girlfriends. Now, since I had first seen it, it has become a cultural phenomenon and it is a pretty bizarre experience. Well, at the last minute she talked me into going, so I whipped up a “Riff Raff” look in about 15 minutes and we were off.
Let me reiterate, this is a totally different experience than when I first saw it. Now, you bring (or they provide you with) props, and honestly hearing the dialogue in the movie is at times impossible because of all the comments that are being shouted out by the audience. Again, a little bizarre. The “bag of props” that the Palace provided was fun, and Eddie’s entrance on his motorcycle was pretty cool, so it was indeed a fun and interesting evening. Needless to say, Carrie (as Magenta) thoroughly enjoyed it. To complete the walk down memory lane, we ended the night at La Bamba’s Mexican Restaurant for a quick bite before returning to reality. The Halloween fun continues!!
ART
Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular was started in Oxford, Massachusetts in 1988 by a handful of families and their kids as a fundraiser for the public school system. After they grew up, some of those high-schoolers and one of the dads eventually took the show to the Providence Zoo. From those humble beginnings, Passion for Pumpkins, Inc., a multimedia production company was formed. The event came to Louisville in 2013 and is held annually in Iroquois Park with more than 5,000 artistically carved pumpkins illuminated at night as an “organic art show”.
I started working at the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular last October as one of the artists and I absolutely loved it. Now don't get me wrong, painting is very soothing but there is something so satisfying and fun about using regular household tools like a sharpie pen and peeler to create works of art on the surface of a pumpkin.
Entertainment
Lucy & Desi Tribute Show
In October we headed to Tunnel Hill Christian Church to perform our Lucy & Desi Tribute Show for their Community Tea event. Our Lucy & Desi Tribute Show includes video & sound clips, live skits and songs fully costumed in multiple iconic "I Love Lucy" outfits. It was so fitting that we performed on October 15, which is the date that "I Love Lucy" premiered on TV in 1951. Lucy fans celebrate this day as I Love Lucy Day!
We had the honor of performing our Lucy & Desi Tribute Show today at Tunnel Hill Christian Church in Georgetown, IN. They had asked us to perform a few months ago, not even knowing this was a special day for Lucy fans. The ladies of the church were having a tea event with a theme that honored classic TV shows of the past. They had SO many cute tables! There were tables decorated for I Dream of Jeannie, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Golden Girls and so many others. The creativity was amazing!
We had a great time visiting with them and performing! After our performance we had so many come up to us and say they were going home to watch Lucy tonight, that they had forgotten how funny and innovative the show was! I guess we won over a few more fans in Lucy’s and Desi’s memory.
We came home a spent a little time in the trailer just to keep ourselves immersed in all things Lucy.
Lost River Cave
Some very good friends of ours got married in October and they did so in the most wonderful way! Their wedding was hosted in a cave! Congratulations to these two kids - Francis and Megg! And, thank you for making us a part of your special day. It was an honor to sing at your wedding and reception. It was our first wedding at a cave, and it was beautiful. Check out Lost River Cave in Bowling Green, Kentucky. These two remind me so much of Jeff and I. How they met. How they fell in love. How they support each other. How they radiate with love for the other. Their vows that each wrote to the other were the epitome of love. I told them maybe they should consider being wedding planners because not only did they pick one of the coolest locations we've ever been to, but there were also food trucks, beer tastings, flower making station, and tarot card readings!
Lost River Cave
2818 Nashville Rd.
Bowling Green, KY 42101
1920s Gatsby Party
We also performed one evening of entertainment for the fine folks at the Harrison Springs Health Campus. Always a lovely and appreciative group to play for! They love chatting with us and recalling memories of their youth. We caught many of them singing along with us at their Gatsby Ball event.
Lifestyle
Jeff here! Who would’ve thought that this girl would get such a kick out of hunting for persimmons in the fall.
I introduced Carrie to my mom’s persimmon pudding not long after we met. She asked where she got them and I told her you had to go out out find them in the fall. Or at least, that was my history with them. Our first fall together came and I took her to the forestry to hunt for persimmons. Or, that’s what we called it. After all, you don’t pick them. Picking persimmons is a little difficult at the height they grow and you really have to wait until they drop to know they are fully ripe. (There are few things worse than eating an unripe persimmon.)
So, now, every fall she anxiously awaits persimmon season. We probably still have 4 gallons of pulp in our freezer from previous years. This Fall she picked and pulped another half gallon - WITH the promise that she is going to make fresh persimmon donuts.
Carrie here! I did! I totally made us persimmon donuts and they were delicious! Check out the recipe below!
Persimmon Donut Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups persimmon pulp
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Topping:
3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 35o degrees.
2. Whisk the flour, spices, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. Beat the persimmon pulp, sugar, vegetable oil, butter, vanilla, and eggs together in another large bowl until smooth.
Add the flour mixture to the persimmon mixture and beat until just combined.
Fill a 6-cup nonstick doughnut pan with the batter so that each mold is almost full.
Bake the doughnuts until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
For the topping: Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl. Working one at a time, brush the doughnuts all over with butter, then dip them in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This concludes our October as we move into November in Our Technicolor Life! Please explore the website and share with friends & family! This website 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!
Yours truly,
Carrie & Jeff
AT A GLANCE - NOVEMBER EVENTS
November 8th Private Party
The Old Capitol Tea Room
November 11th 1940s Music That Helped Win the War Tea Party
The Old Capitol Tea Room (SOLD OUT)
November 13th Private Party
The Old Capitol Tea Room
November 14th 1940s Music That Helped Win the War Private Booking
Madison, Indiana
November 16th Lucy & Desi Tribute Show Private Booking
Louisville Women's Club
November 18th Not A Clue Murder Mystery
The Old Capitol Tea Room (Sold Out)
November 19th Grinch and Ice Princess Tree Lighting Ceremony
French Lick Resorts, French Lick, Indiana
November 25th Polar Express Story Time & Tea
The Old Capitol Tea Room (Sold Out)
November 26th Light Up Corydon
Corydon, Indiana
November 27th Polar Express Story Time & Tea
The Old Capitol Tea Room (Sold Out)
November 30th Private Party
The Old Capitol Tea Room