YMCA

 

     Oh yes we did! We saw the Village People at Epcot! April was quite the month for me, the Doobie Brothers and the Village People within a few days of each other! Talk about blasting back to my past!

 

 

     For those of you who are too young to remember the Village People (I really think everyone knows their music), they are a disco group that formed in 1977. They were  known for their on-stage wardrobe that copied American cultural stereotypes, as well as their sexy dance music.

 

     Speaking as someone who was in my early 20's, living in the Midwest, I was very aware of the group and had no idea that they were originally created to target disco's gay audience by featuring popular gay fantasy personas. The name "Village People" comes from New York City's Greenwich Village, which had a large gay population in the 70's. I was clueless at the time, I just knew that the music was fun, good and easy to dance to!

 

 

     During Epcot's Flower and Garden show, they offer free "flower power" concerts on the weekends. We actually picked our week to visit because we thought this concert would be so good and we weren't disappointed. The group retains two original members, Felipe Rose (the Native American) and Alex Briley (the soldier). Ray Simpson (brother of Ashford and Simpson's Valerie Simpson) is almost an original, first joining the group in 1980. He is the lead singer and portrays the Cop and the Navy Officer for In the Navy. Glenn Hughes, the original biker, died of lung cancer at age 50 in 2001 and Mark Mussler, the original construction worker for the first year, died of AIDS at age 33 in 1987.

 

 

     The guys range in age from 47 to 66. We weren't exactly sure what to expect considering we remembered the costumes and the dances of the 70's. To quote my daughter, "these guys can really move for old men"! They certainly could. For those of you that remember their moves...and all the things they did with those microphone stands...they can still do them! They also sounded exactly the way I remembered. My only complaint is that the show was too short as Disney has them do 3 shows a night. What I appreciated seeing as we were leaving was that they stayed out in the audience giving autographs, shaking hands and talking to the super fans. It also should be said that they had one of the largest audiences my daughter has seen at one of these concerts and it was a very interesting and colorful audience!

 

 

      In case you have forgotten what made this group famous, click and listen to: Macho Man, In The Navy or a current version of YMCA. A Good time was had by all!

 

 

There are times when I am doing something that

I just can't quite believe I am doing it...

this was one of those times!

 

Food, Glorious Food

 

     This year, Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival added some food and beverage booths. Unlike the Food and Wine Festival in the fall, the foods were made with "garden" ingredients to go along with the festival theme. There were less booths than in the fall, but a few of the things we tried are worth mentioning.

 

     The picture above of Watermelon Salad was one of my two favorites. I have already made this at home and it will be a staple at our house this summer. It is light, fresh and good for you...plus delicious. The ingredients are watermelon cubes, baby arugula, feta cheese and balsamic vinegar. It is very simple to prepare-cube the watermelon, top with arugula. Reduce the balsamic vinegar (boil it until it thickens, then cool) and drizzle it over the top. Sprinkle with the feta cheese. It was really good.

 

 

      My dad tried the shrimp, grits and sausage and loved it. It looked very good and had a bit of a bite to it.

 

     I love mushrooms, so I opted to try the savory Mushroom and Spring Pea Bread Pudding. My first bite what I noticed was how salty it was. I was hungry and I ate it, but it was one of those foods that I never want to see again. Too much salt, too heavy and just not my thing at all. 

 

     Baked Goat's Brie with Kumquat Chutney-to die for! This was a crispy pastry with a creamy filling that tasted both like goat cheese and brie. This is one of those things that I could have gone back for a second...or third, but I restrained myself.

 

     My daughter and I had to try the "Frushi". It looks like Sushi, but is actually fruit with a coconut rice around it. Tasty but nothing I would crave.

 

 

This little bit was very good. Limoncello Panna Cotta,

wish I had one of these right now!

 

     We also tried the Brisket with Cornbread and the Pulled Pig Sandwich with Coleslaw on the night we went back to Epcot for the concert. Both were excellent. What concert? I guess you will just have to wait for another blog post. It certainly was fun, I must say!

 

 

I am joining Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm

for Foodie Friday

 

 

Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival (part 2)

 

If you missed part one of the Flower and Garden Festival,

 you can see the pictures by clicking here.

 

     New this year because of the film Oz: The Great and Powerful, was this clever children's play area complete with a yellow "brick" road and a field of glass poppies.

 

Who knew? I'm not doing it.

 

     We have been in the butterfly house at prior festivals, but the fairies were all around this year and I fell in love with them!

 

 

We always have to stock up on our Twining's teas

 and the Tea Garden has such sweet things in it.

 

Gardenia was my mom's favorite flower.

I had to stop, smell and take a picture for her.

Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival (part 1)

     The nice thing about writing a blog post about the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, is that I really don't have to write much. The pictures do the talking. We actually went to Epcot the day after the Boston bombings. I will admit to feeling guilty going to a theme park when so many people were suffering. It was also very eye-opening that as we entered the park, we immediately saw an officer with a security dog. In our many, many trips to Walt Disney World, we have never seen them sweeping the parks with dogs before. It is one more reminder of how much our country has changed and how it truly feels as if nowhere is safe anymore. How sad for all of us.

     Now that I have you depressed, I think I'll let the pictures make you smile. Some things were new this year, some are old favorites and all of them are simply amazing!

 

More to come.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!