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Chattanooga, Tennessee – 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival
October 2011 – CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE
Peter Rowan
Who likes bluegrass ??? If you’re a bluegrass music fan, then you have to attend the 3 Sisters Bluegrass festival in Chattanooga.
We attended the festival in October 2011 and heard some fantastic bluegrass music from The Dismembered Tennesseans, The Travelin’ McCourys, and Peter Rowan! Everyone who attended had a great time watching the bands and enjoying the local cocktails. The best part of the festival is that it’s free! Just show up and enjoy some great music.
The Pennie Tour was lucky enough to catch a backstage interview with bluegrass legend, Peter Rowan. Check it out!
Can you dance to bluegrass ? Watch this episode of The Pennie Tour to see if anyone does interpretive bluegrass dancing.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – Memorial Day 2012 – Slightly NSFW!
Be advised. There’s some naughty words and songs in this one!
May 27, 2012 – MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA
The Pennie Tour visited Myrtle Beach, South Carolina during Memorial Day weekend 2012. Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States. Named after the locally abundant shrub, the Southern Wax Myrtle, Myrtle Beach is a top beach destination!
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is situated on the center of a long stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand. It’s a major tourist destination, attracting an estimated 14 million visitors each summer. Pennie Tour visited Myrtle Beach to up that number to1 4 million and 1!
Sunny Ledfurd
Pennie Tour was excited to spend Memorial Day Weekend listening to music by Sunny Ledford at TheBoathouse Bar and Grill. The Boathouse is located right on the Intracoastal Waterway and offers a fantastic summer concert series. You can drive your boat up and listen to live music!
Black Bike Week, founded in 1980, takes place around Memorial Day Weekend and is the largest African American motorcycle rally in the US and attracts as many as 400,000 visitors. The event was created in response to a history of discrimination against African-American visitors and riders.
Myrtle Beach has been called the “Golf Capital of the World” but there are lots of other attractions from shopping, music, amusement parks, seafood and of course … the beach!
We’re back! All new episodes!
All new episodes of The Pennie Tour are coming soon!
A whole new series of episodes will be coming soon…starting with our Memorial Day episode from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina!
Chattanooga, Tennessee – Wine Over Water
October 2011 – CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE
The Pennie Tour attended Wine Over Water in Chattanooga, TN in October 2011. Wine Over Water is a wine tasting on the Walnut Street Bridge – over the Tennessee River! The scenery is unbelievable as the sun set while walking down the bridge and drinking some fantastic wines!
We’ve been to other wine tastings, but none have the quality of wine that WOW has. To top it off, there is music such as Blue Mother Tupelo performing along the way. It’s an unbelievable evening of wine, food, and fun.
And it’s all for a good cause. Proceeds go to Cornerstones, Inc – Chattanooga’s only non-profit historic preservation organization.
Little 5 Points Halloween Parade – Slightly NSFW!
Cover the kiddies’ ears for this one…there’s a bit of naughty language!
OCTOBER 22, 2011 – ATLANTA, GEORGIA
October means Halloween and the best way to kick it off in Atlanta is with the Little 5 Points Halloween Festival & Parade. This free celebration is one of the biggest in the southeast and one of the top ten Halloween events in the country!
The 11th annual Little 5 Points Halloween Celebration is a festival and parade located in the L5P community along Moreland and Euclid Avenues. Along with the parade, several stages are set up throughout the community with music from local bands…… and of course drinks and food are also available to keep the party festive!
Little 5 Points is well-known for being an eccentric and diverse neighborhood. The whole community comes
together to experience counter culture, mainstream and obscure costumes, scary, funny, the unexpected – but always memorable!
Not sure which is more fun to watch – the parade OR the people attending the parade. What do you think??
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Coming soon….The Little 5 Points Halloween Parade!
The Pennie Tour attended The Little 5 Points Halloween Parade and met so many interesting people! In order to show it before Halloween it’s leapfrogging all others currently in production and will be available online tomorrow! Look for it! It’s going to be slightly NSFW for a little bit of language…but don’t be scared, it’s like no other parade you’ve ever seen.
Asheville, NC – Bele Chere 2011
July 31, 2011 – ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
Bele Chere 2011 – Asheville North Carolina’s largest street partyl! Over 30,000 people attended the 33rd annual festival in downtown Asheville. The Pennie Tour visited the festival once again and found lots of fun people, interesting sites, and some great bands!
Bele Chere comes from the old Scottish dialect meaning “beautiful living”. Pennie Tour once again enjoyed beautiful living by experiencing Bele Chere’s art, food, drum circle, street performers, street vendors and our favorite – the bands! The hard part was picking which music venue. There were 4 stages to choose from – situated throughout downtown Asheville and all within walking distance! Over 40 Bands played continuously throughout the day and into the night!
A Pennie Tour favorite – The Whigs – put on a fantastic show! The Whigs are a trio of artists that tout themselves as being an American garage rock band. The 
Whigs, from Athens, Georgia were named one of the 10 artists to watch by Rolling Stone in 2006.
Bele Chere offers a unique opportunity to see, taste, hear and experience the finest that Asheville, North Carolina has to offer. The local restaurants offer a “Foodtopia” farm to table experience. No time for sitting – choose from the many food booths – several from surrounding Asheville restaurants.
Where’s the beer? Once you purchase a $2 wristband, you can walk around with your beer on the streets that are designated for Bele Chere. FYI – Asheville holds the title for the“Beer City” award – with many different top-notch craft beers to enjoy! No two Aheville beers are the same – My personal favorite – Highland Gaelic Ale.
A popular Asheville slogan is a perfect way to enjoy Bele Chere – “any way you like it”
Atlanta Tennis Championships
Atlanta Tennis Championships
July 2011 – Norcross, Georgia
Racquet Club of the South was the premier tennis host for the 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships held July 18 through the 24th. The change of venue from the Atlanta Athletic Club, kicked off the first tournament of the annual men’s tennis as part of the ATP World Tour and also launch of the Olympus US Open Series Season.
Racquet Club of the South is the home club of Georgia’s tennis sweetheart and US top player Melanie Oudin. RCS offers
a USTA Regional Training Center, eight indoor courts, 26 outdoor courts and two platform courts. RCS also had an extensive air-conditioned indoor area to escape the sweltering July heat.
2010 ATC singles winner, Mardy Fish, John Isner, James Blake and many other tennis players returned to compete in Atlanta. Isner , a 2010 finalist AND a Georgia Bulldawg, was a local favorite but in the end, Mardy Fish retained his title. It was like dejavu from last year’s 2010 ATC match, as Fish once again defeated Isner, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 to repeat his championship title. The title was Fish’s first time to successfully defend a championship. Fish is also the first repeat winner since Andy Roddick’s repeat win in 2004. Unfortunately Roddick did not make it to Atlanta this year for the ATC – we miss you Andy!!!
Along with onsite VIP parking and extra practice courts, RCS hosted many vendors and even a fun, family area! Live music was provided by Wesley Cook, and guess what ladies, he’s available and a Jezebel magazine Most Eligible Atlanta Bachelor. An outside bar, concessions and the air-conditioned International Food Court made this event enjoyable for the whole family! Or, for the avid tennis fan – they also served cold beverages like BEER! Who knew beer and tennis went so well together! Hey, it is July in Georgia!
You couldn’t help but notice that Georgia hero John Isner was a bit tall. At 6’9”, Isner towered over many of the attendees. We thought we would have some fun and ask people their thoughts on height requirements….
Thanks for joining us at the Atlanta Tennis Championships. Tennis Balls for everyone!
The Warrior Dash in Mountain City, Georgia
If you are a fan of extreme sports – Warrior Dash is definitely the event for you! Warrior Dash races are held all over North America, with most of the events in the United States. Pennie Tour traveled to Mountain City, Georgia for a peek at the 2011 Warrior Dash.
Hosted by Red Frog events, Warriors conquer extreme obstacles, push their limits and celebrate with live music, beer and warrior helmets!
Warrior Dash is a 6K run that involves climbing, sliding, crawling through mud under barbed wire and leaping through flames just to name a few! Needless to say, it is not for the faint of heart!
Participants have to register in advance for the specific location where they will compete. Runners get Warrior Dash
gear and a medal for completing the race. A small electronic devise is worn on each runner’s foot to keep track of the time to complete the race. The race is run in waves, with new waves starting every half hour in order to eliminate crowding on the courses.
The Mountain City, Georgia race was held over a weekend and offered runners two different days to race. Anyone who is 14 years old or older at the date of the race is allowed to participate.
The best part of Warrior Dash was the people! Most participants dress up, some come in groups, many have themes and everyone is prepared to unleash their inner warrior! Any costume is acceptable according to the rule that no costume can “harm other participants”. Pennie Tour encounterd Fred Flinstone, Smurfs, Brides, Cougars and even the Incredible Hulk!
Touted as “The Craziest Frickin’ Day of Your Life” Warrior Dash is definitely a race like no other. The event itself states that Warrior Dash is not most races. Warrior Dash does what Warrior Dash wants to do.
The Georgia Renaissance Festival in Fairburn, Georgia
FAIRBURN, GEORGIA - 
The Pennie Tour visited The Georgia Renaissance Festival during pirate weekend on May 22nd, 2011. The Georgia Renaissance Festival recreates a fun and inviting 16th century European faire. The Fairburn, Georgia location offers 10 stages of music and comedy shows, a cast of nearly 1,000 costumed characters, all against a permanent backdrop of Tudor homes and cottages.
Come early to take in all that the faire has to offer. Shopping at the artists market is like being in a real European faire. 
Our favorites include Heirloom Jewelers and the many bath and candle shops. Over 150 master artisans demonstrate daily the art of weaving, spinning, glass blowing, sculpting, and leather crafting just to name a few.
Shopping of course, works up an appetite. Of course there are turkey legs, but the food at the Renaissance Festival is not your ordinary faire food. One can indulge on Steak on a Stake, Pork Loin on a Stick, The King;s Weinie, and our favorite – fryed pickles. Followed by fabulous desserts such as chocolate covered strawberries, apple dumpling Sunday, or peach cobbler for those Georgia Peach lovers. The Festival offers hundreds of items to choose from!
Staying hydrated is very important when exploring the European village. Mead, ale, domestic and imported beer and wine seemed to be the adult drinks of choice, with many sporting their own souvenier half-yards and mugs.
The highlight of the faire was The Joust – where knights in shining armour, guide their steeds and joust with authentic weapons. This event gets the crowds cheering and waving colorful pennants all rooting for their favorite knight! Other shows include the unconventional Hey Nunnie! Nunnie!, The Mud Show, the hilarious Tortuga Twins (offering G and Mature Adults Only show versions – choose wisely), The Ded Bob Sho and many others to enjoy!
The Renaissance festival offers many different themed weekends. Pennie Tour enjoyed Pirate’s Weekend……what do you a call a group of Pirates? A parcel of pirates? A pack of pirates? A crew of pirates? Whatever the case, Pennie Tour enjoyed Pirates, shows, food, shopping, sipping, playtrons, pub sing – we had so much fun experiencing all the many aspects that the Georgia Renaissance Festival had to offer!
