Event - Golden Gala TMH

Mark your calendars, the biggest event of the year has just announced it's entertainment.... Lady Antebellum! The gala will be held on April 30, 2014 so save the date. Here is the video TMH released as the announcement:

http://youtu.be/cDz-BU5pcno

Events - Tallahassee Winter Festival

http://www.talgov.com/parks/parks-winter.aspx

Schedule of Activities
3:00 - 10:00pm:

• Five stages of entertainment
• Food vendors
• Arts, crafts and a variety of exhibitors
• New and Improved Children's activity area featuring hands-on craft activities and bounce houses - now at 
• Kleman Plaza
• Tallahassee On Ice - Ice skating at Kleman Plaza - opening session

6:00pm: Lighting ceremony
6:15pm: Jingle Bell Run, sponsored by Capital Health Plan - Please Note: New Race Route!
7:15pm: Nighttime Holiday Parade, sponsored by City of Tallahassee Your Own Utilities


Most things in Tallahassee have changed since 1987, but one tradition remains in amplified glory to ring in the holiday season. This Saturday, Dec. 7, from 3 to 10 p.m., Winter Festival - a Celebration of Lights, Music and Arts will celebrate 27 years of providing the Capital City with one of its most endearing events. The annual holiday extravaganza transforms downtown into a sparkling winter wonderland.

The Winter Festival is sponsored by the City of Tallahassee and free to the public.

"Tallahassee is a charming place during the holidays. We celebrate the season in style, from the festive lights in our downtown parks to the cozy vignettes that dot windows on an evening walk," said Mayor John Marks. "Winter Festival kicks off the holiday season and is part of that charm. More importantly, it's our opportunity to thank citizens for being part of this wonderful community. It's truly a family-friendly event, so I'd like to invite citizens of all ages to join us downtown this Saturday night!"

The 27th anniversary Winter Festival includes the usual crowd-pleasing elements of the lighting ceremony (6 p.m.), Jingle Bell Run (6:15 p.m.), Nighttime Holiday Parade (7:15 p.m.) and lots more. The festival also features five stages of local live entertainment, a Candy Cane Lane exhibit with special live candy making demonstrations by Lofty Pursuits, an expanded children's activity area on Kleman Plaza, food vendors, arts and crafts merchants and holiday illumination displays. This year's theme is "A Taste of the Season."

As a reminder, you can still sign up for the Jingle Bell Run for a $15 registration fee at the following locations/times:

Tuesday, Dec. 3, at The Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers, 1641 West Pensacola Street, from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 4, at Skate World, 2563 Capital Circle NE, from 6-9 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 5, at The Red Elephant, 2910 Kerry Forrest Parkway, from 6-9 p.m.
After Thursday, registration will resume at the Capital City Bank parking lot located at Monroe and Tennessee streets on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 3-6 p.m. The fee will be $20 on race day.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities and the general festival, please contact Jan Bubsey at 891-3860.

Events - Network of Young Professionals - Santa Shuffle

https://www.wepay.com/events/nyp-santa-shuffle_1
NYP is excited to bring back the Third Annual Santa Shuffle: A Pub Crawl on a Mission, set for Saturday, December 14th. NYP is collaborating with local bars and sponsors to raise money for Dare to Dream Young Girls, INC. Dare to Dream is a local non-profit founded in 2004. Their mission is to mentor, motivate, and empower young girls. This organization serves local girls ages 5-17 offering a myriad of programs including, weekday afterschool enrichment programs. For more info visit www.daretodreamyoungirls.com 

Registration will begin at 6:30pm and opening ceremony will begin 7:00-7:30pm. We will be starting at Krewe De Gras, then travel to College Town and end the night at Midtown Filling Station. 

Santa Shuffle Specials will be available for our Santa Shufflers at participating bars. You must have a Santa Shuffle lanyard & cup to receive discounts and be eligible for raffle drawings throughout the night.

Ticket prices during the month of November are $25 for NYP members and $35 for Non-NYP members.

Events - Festival of Trees - Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity hosted a lovely Christmas scene this past weekend. Although I'm against celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving takes place, I volunteered at this event and had a great time. Trees are sponsored by companies who decorate and donate them for a silent auction with the proceeds benefiting the charity. The auction and tree decorating competition take place over the course of the weekend along with live music and a Santa siting. This is a great event to get out of the house, have a cup of coffee and a cookie, and listen to some talented musicians. I would suggest making a small donation, but otherwise the event is free and open to the public.

http://www.bigbendhabitat.org/

Ginza - Restaurant Review

Ginza is the new sushi restaurant in College Town on FSU campus and had been only open a couple of weeks before I tried it out. I've become very familiar with College Town, frequenting Madison Social more than any other business there. Ginza looks hip and is well decorated, but the food could use some help. Their signature sushi rolls were quite bland and the chocolate wonton is a good idea but poorly executed. I was underwhelmed. The decor of the restaurant was well thought out and almost outweighs the poor performing food.

Suggestions to the owner:
Creative raw sushi rolls
Dim lighting at sushi bar
Warm your cheesecake
Use glass at the bar
Serve the chocolate wontons with cream and a better presentation