It’s 85 degrees… A perfect day for Cold Stone!

Cold Stone Creamery is hosting a proceeds night for JMU SafeRides tonight from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.  You don’t need to bring a flyer – just bring your friends and your appetite for ice cream!

Cold Stone Creamery

245 Burgess Road

Harrisonburg, VA

Best Spring Hotspot:

Purcell Park! If you’ve never been, now is the time to go. Whether it’s for running or walking the 1.5 mile trail, tanning or just enjoying the weather, this hotspot deserves recognition. Check out the full post from our fellow bloggers, WellnessU, for a great review of the park, pictures and more info (and cool health tips and recipes since bathing suit season is almost here). It’s too nice to be inside, those 67 acres are calling your name!

Back to the 90’s

Red Rover, Freeze Tag and Kickball…it’s time to go back in time! This Thursday, April 21st,  UPB is hosting 2 events on the Festival Lawn which are sure to bring back great childhood memories and give us all another chance to act like kids. Kayla Fleming of UPB’s Film Committee wrote about some of her experiences as a kid and has more details about these events on UPB’s blog…go check it out! The events are:

9:30 p.m.- movie: The Little Rascals

10:00 p.m.- Dr. Seuss Late Night Breakfast

There will be FREE FOOD so go have a Thursday night that will bring back memories while you’re making new ones. Sometimes we all miss being kids…what was your favorite thing to do as a kid? Let us know! 

Student Ambassadors and UPB Present Take the Pulse

If you’re looking for some fun and entertainment on a tuesday, come out to Take The Pulse tonight in the Festival Ballroom. This event, sponsored by UPB and Student Ambassadors,  “is a fun entertaining event where students can come enjoy music, be entertained, and be empowered,” according to the event’s Facebook page.

The event is set to start at  5:30 with a speaker who is seeking “to motivate students to take action and make a sustainable change on the global level.”

At 6:45 the musical entertainment will start. The entertainment line up includes James Orrigo, Lights in the Fog, and Midnight Spaghetti and the Chocolate G-Strings. Tickets to this event are $5 and can be purchased in advance for $5, or $7 at the door. For advanced ticketing and more information regarding this event, E-mail jmutakethepulse@gmail.com

This week at JMU…

…there’s something for everyone!

Art lovers: Tomorrow (April 19) is the opening ceremony for the “Drawing Peace” exhibit at the Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence, Cardinal House. The big event, themed “What Would a World Without Borders Look Like?,” is free from 5-6:30 p.m. and refreshments will be served. If art is your thing, check it out!

Music Fans: Take a break from your traditional ipod soundtrack and hear the Prestige Clarinet Quartet tomorrow (April 19) at 8 p.m. in the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts Recital Hall. For tickets call (540) 568-7000 for tickets or check the website.

Dance Enthusiasts: The Spring Student Dance Concert at 8 p.m. from April 19-22 (Tuesday-Friday) in the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, is a showcase of student-choreographed dances. Tickets, which can be purchased at the Forbes Center’s box office or by calling (540) 568-7000, are $6 for students and $10  for general admission. As a former dancer, I’m definitely considering going to see this!

Theater Buffs: “Bright Lights, Big City,” a play about a man forced to make a life-altering decision, is showing at the Forbes Center Tuesday-Friday (19th-22nd) at 8 p.m. and Saturday (23rd) at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling (540) 568-7000 or visiting www.jmu.edu/JMUarts. (Warning: mature language and sexual content)

Check out one or all of these cool events and let us know what you thought!

Comedian Lisa Lampanelli at Wilson Hall TONIGHT!

Looking for a laugh and a break from all that end of semester work? Then come out to see comedian Lisa Lampanelli tonight! The event, sponsored by UPB and FIJI, takes place in Wilson Hall auditorium, and begins at 8 PM. Tickets are only $5 and all proceeds go to Autism Awareness. Tickets can be purchased prior to the event, either at the Warren box office, or online at the UPB website. Don’t miss this opportunity for some laughs, and to sponsor a great cause!

 

 

Co-ed A Cappella Group Low Key Proceeds Night at Qdoba

Need another reason to eat at Qdoba tonight? JMU’s co-ed acapella group Low Key is hosting a proceeds night at Qdoba on April 11, 2011 from 4pm-9pm in order to raise money for their new EP “Self-Titled”. Low Key really needs your help! Check out Qdoba’s menu so you can grab an entree and drink tonight because it’s the perfect place to go if you’re craving budget-friendly Mexican food! Also, don’t forget to grab a flier to hand (you can print them out or get one from one of the members of the organization at Qdoba) to the cashier when you make your purchase. See you there!

Need more information on the event? Check out the Facebook page for it.

Want to learn more about Low Key? Visit their Facebook page and Youtube channel to check out some of their awesome music. If you like what you hear be sure to come out to their final concert on Saturday April 16 from 3pm-6pm in Memorial Hall where Low Key will present “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Key”. Come by to see them perform songs by artists such as Sara Bareilles, Lady Gaga, Temper Trap, Michael Buble, and many more!

Calling All Indian Food Lovers to Tandori’s Kitchen

Looking for a great new place to eat? Only a couple months ago, Harrisonburg welcomed Tandori’s Kitchen which specializes in fine Indian and American cuisine. It’s located on 1588 South Main Street (where Bourbon Street used to be located).  Coming from a Pakistani home, I’ve had my fair share of Indian food so I was ready to take on the challenge of checking this place out. I went with my best friend Emily, who had never even tried Indian food before. The turnout? From an self proclaimed expert in the field, it was one of the best Indian restaurants I’ve ever been to. Even Emily, someone not accustomed to the different spices Indian food even loved it. We tried some of their most popular dishes. Here’s a preview:

As an appetizer we got an order of Samosas which are pastries filled with potato seasoned with Indian herbs and spices. Deep fried and served with sweet and sour chutney

2/$3.95
 

 

For our main course, Emily got the Chicken Tikka Masala which is chicken breast roasted in the Tandoori clay oven simmered in a tomato and cream sauce. On the side she got rice and the Garlic Naan which is Indian braed baked with fresh garlic.

$11.95

I chose the Shrimp Biryani, which is flavoreed rice cooked with shrimp in a delicate blend of spices.

$13.95

And for dessert we shared Mango Kulfi, an Indian ice cream

$2.50

 

Want to hear the best part about this place? All JMU students get a 50% discount on their food on Tuesdays from 5pm-8pm!!

To find out more about their menu items and special deals check out their Facebook page

Tandori’s Kitchen
1588 South Main St.
544-442-7166
Open Daily 11:30 am- 11:00 pm
Lunch Buffet 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
Closed on Mondays

Before You Graduate…

The other day I was driving a freshman back to her dorm, and we were talking about the things you’re supposed to do before you graduate JMU. She asked me if I had done any of those things and then made me feel pretty lame when I told her I haven’t…yet. After talking to her about it, it got me thinking about what those things actually are. We’ve all heard of streaking the Quad, trying to get into the tunnels under the Quad and (my least favorite) swimming in Newman Lake. Those were the only three things I could think of, and decided to do a little research. Most of us only have four years to spend in Harrisonburg, so I came up with a list (with the help of another blog by ’08 graduate Elvin) of some things I think everyone should do before graduation!

1. Take your picture with the James Madison statue. Easy! Usually accomplished by the end of your first semester at JMU. In the words of our fellow blogger, Elvin, “If you haven’t yet, well, then you need to molest Jimmy the status in some way or another.”
2. Along the lines of getting up close and personal with J. Mad, take a picture with the Duke Dog statue! He’s forgotten about sometimes…go visit our favorite mascot.
3. Submit a dart or pat to The Breeze. My favorite part of our newspaper, why not submit my own?
4. Play on an intramural sports team! After high school I thought I’d never play soccer again, but JMU let me give it another shot.
5. Call SafeRides for a ride home! I’ve taken it once, by miracle. If you’re patient enough for the ridiculous wait, then do it! (540-JMU-RIDE)
6. Take a nap on the Quad. It’s that time of year, and the Quad is my favorite place to be when it gets warm…everyone needs to do this!
7. Go to a UPB concert at the Convo…still on my list of things to do, but again…patience is a must.
8. Take a group fitness class at UREC. I’ve done World Beat Dance and Kickboxing…both really fun and great workouts. (Check out WellnessU for more college student health tips)
9. Get into the football stadium at night. This is a little more difficult now that it’s a war zone over there, but hopefully once it’s finished it’ll be possible again. I’m not saying I’ve done this, but I’m not saying I haven’t….
10. Go to Trivia Night at Clementine Cafe! This is definitely on my list of things to do next year; I hear it’s a ton of fun.

These are just 10 of the things I think everyone should do before graduating and leaving Harrisonburg! If you know of some more, let us know! Make sure you’re up-to-date with vaccines if you attempt to swim in Newman Lake, more power to you if you actually get into the tunnels, and of course, don’t forget to streak the Quad!

Madipalooza

Ok so everyone has probably heard about this event called Madipalooza or have seen the strange word flashed across many of the Harrisonburg buses but do you really know what it is?  Madipalooza is a music festival hosted by JMU’s University Program Board that will occur on Festival lawn at James Madison University Saturday from 1pm-7pm.  There will be tons of food, great musicians including American singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson, and tons of food.  The best part….IT’S ALL FREE!  Who can pass up free food AND free music.  So JMU students come out and show your JMU spirit and if you are in the Harrisonburg area come check out the event.  It should be a fun time and maybe you will even get to talk to Eric Hutchinson!

Performers (schedule subject to change):
1pm Casey Cavanagh Band
2pm Eric Hutchinson (come early for a chance to win a meet & greet pass!)
3pm Bandits & Beggars
3:45pm DJ Yanzee
4:30pm The Movement
5:30pm Lights in the Fog
6pm Brenton Duvall

Don’t know who Eric Hutchinson is?  Check out this video and decide what you think!