Now I Really Feel Bad....

After not posting here for awhile, I just posted that last article about my life as a shopkeeper.  After posting, I looked at the blog stats and saw that nearly 1200 people viewed the blog last month, and it makes me think I am doing them (you?) a disservice by not writing more about METAMORA!

We just finished the Canal Days weekend a week ago.  The number of vendors was down, but it seemed the number of visitors was as good or better than past years.  During last year's Canal Days, Sunday was a total washout with heavy rain and flooded vendor spots- some even lost some product to the wet.  We think that probably kept many of them away this year, since rain was again forecast (though fortunately, mostly a no-show.)

The village is looking better this year, as several of the historic buildings have received facelifts or fresh paint- the Masonic Lodge, the Martindale Hotel, and the Jonathan Banes House to name a few.  The Thorpe House is in the middle of receiving a complete exterior paint job.

Several new shops this year, noteably the one named Mosaic, on Main Street in the building that once housed the Pizza place.  The have regional fine art, music instruments, provide music lessons on several instruments including fiddle, dulcimer and guitar, and serve snacks to boot (to pay the rent?)  Holly and Rick Garrett run the place, and provide live entertainment on many weekends at their shop, as well as weekend evening comedy and music shows.

The Cat and Fiddle, run by the charismatic Catrina Campbell, has moved her facility into two locations- her bed-N-breakfast into the former Whitewater Inn in Duck Creek Crossing in the west end of the village, and her music venue and gift shop into the old Blacksmith Shop on Columbia Street (the main entrance road to the village.)  As she once did at the Thorpe House, she has thoroughly transformed the Blacksmith Shop interior appearance into a visually pleasing, comfortable dining and music venue.

Last weekend was the first of two for the "Haunted Village of Metamora", a guided evening tour of the village past/through spooky haunting vignettes in keeping with the Halloween season. This weekend is the final weekend for the event, Friday and Saturday, Oct 17/18, starting at 7:30 pm at the entrance to town.  Cost is $5 to benefit the advertising efforts of the Merchant Association.

Most shopkeepers are making plans for the upcoming Christmas Walk season, typically the most beautiful time of year in Metamora, with the canal lit by lanterns, shops open until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturday all decorated and lit in holiday beauty. (That is Thanksgiving weekend and the next three weekends following.)