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Gletschergarten Lowendenkmal is massive heartrending stone relief which was carved to remember the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution when defending Louis XVI. Swiss Guards were and are famous as brave sentries. Today, they still surround the Pope. When the revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris, more than 800 were killed during the fighting, after surrender, or died in prison of their wounds. 300 lucky survived because they were with the detachment which King Louis XVI had sent to Normandy to escort grain convoys. Two surviving Swiss officers went on to become senior ranked guards for Napoleon.

In 1880, Mark Twain had this to say about it ” His size is colossal, his attitude is noble. His head is bowed, the broken spear is sticking in his shoulder, his protecting paw rests upon the lilies of France. Vines hang down the cliff and wave in the wind, and a clear stream trickles from above and empties into a pond at the base, and in the smooth surface of the pond the lion is mirrored, among the water-lilies.

Around about are green trees and grass. The place is a sheltered, reposeful woodland nook, remote from noise and stir and confusion ­and all this is fitting, for lions do die in such places, and not on granite pedestals in public squares fenced with fancy iron railings. The Lion of Lucerne would be impressive anywhere, but nowhere so impressive as where he is.”

Many of us enjoy a light read to while away a lazy summer afternoon. At the Hudson Village Theatre, you don’t even have to read to have fun – you can just listen and watch as four women meet, mingle and moan – and become a family of friends.

The director, Ellen David, takes this (Jessie) Jones (Nicholas) Hope (Jamie) Wooten delightful script and gently guides the dynamic quattro of actors as they learn “what is holding you back from one’s past and self-imposed limitations towards a compelling future”.  This could be any one of us.

The performers David chose are as well cast and strong as the four sides of a square. Randa Covington (Jane Wheeler) has defined herself by her work, and doesn’t know how to re-define herself beyond that. She tries to hold on to her safe proper business countenance, but is weighed down by feeling second best in her family. Marlafaye (Lisa Bronwyn Moore) gets the classic “dumped for a younger woman” part, so feelings of anger and rejection are keeping her from moving forward. “I swear the older you get the harder it is to jump start a new life”, she says.

Dot (Kathleen Fee), the oldest of the bunch, has just lost her husband, the only man she has known, and with whom she had planned to retire. She has no idea how to figure out what comes next. Her subtle acting is deliciously wonderful as she delivers many funny zinger lines. Paula Costain as Jinx moves and talks with the right zippy attitude to convince them, as their new “life coach”, to go (as David says)” beyond their comfort zone to a brave new world where they eventually find themselves”. Jinx reminds us that her older sister (now incapacitated with dementia) taught her that “it’s the happy in life that counts”.

The set by Jean-Claude Olivier is a comfortable porch, so the women have an informal place to gently and liquidly reveal their sagas. As this is a “Sipping Society”, drinking props (by Lea Robertson) were a fun challenge due to the many iterations of serving different kinds of alcohol. Marlafaye once toasted, “Girls, here’s to living single and drinking doubles”.

There were more costume changes than you would expect (by Elisabeth De Medeiros), creating a fashion show which helped define the scenes and the forward movement of their lives.

Jamie Wooten, one of the playwrights, was a writer for The Golden Girls, so the quality of their patter and the giggly one-liners is in the same genre of that hysterical show.  When Marlafaye sees Randa’s house for the first time she opines, “Yeah, sure is a pretty place. Everything’s so neat and clean. I’m not like that. Instead of cleaning my house, I just turn off the lights”.  When Randa comments on drinking mead, “This really isn’t so horrible”, Marlafaye responds, “The very words I said on my wedding night”.  Marlafaye also says,  “Sex is like a brownie – when it’s good it’s really good. And when it’s bad….it’s still pretty good!”.

Andrea Romaldi, the artistic director writes, “friendships are our lifelines and support structures. Good friends cheer us, challenge us, bewilder us and irritate us, but ultimately they support and help us grow into our best selves”. Head out to Hudson and lift a glass to friendship.

Location: 28 Rue Wharf, Hudson, QC J0P 1H0
Phone: 450- 458-5361
Dates: til July 22
https://villagetheatre.ca/

Running into the chilly Atlantic might not be the typical way to celebrate New Year’s Day, but for the last 18 years, the Tybee Polar Plunge has done just that.

The annual Tybee Polar Plunge, is a tradition held every New Year’s Day at the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion. Join thousands of hearty and brave souls as they take a group  plunge into the into the icy Atlantic Ocean at noon or just come out and see who’s crazy enough to take the plunge and cheer them on.

The fun kicks off with the legendary Gang of Goofs costume contest and parade on the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion at 11 am before the plunge. So gather up your gang of goofy friends and family, dream up your wackiest costumes and compete for great cash prizes before a panel of celebrity judges.

So don’t hesitate, take the leap…Funds raised support the renovation of the historic Tybee Post Theater.

AVOID LONG LINES AND REGISTER IN ADVANCE!  Click Here

Location: Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion – Tybee Island, GA 31328
Date: Sunday,  January 1, 2018
Time: 10am
Tel: 912-472-4790, 912-786-5444
tybeepolarplunge.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visittybee.com, visitsavannah.com

Presented by Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, the first museum exhibit devoted to the image of the World War I pilot-hero, Knights of the Air honors the daredevil pilots who risked everything for the cause at the dawn of aviation.

Imbued with a sense of adventure and fierce patriotism, aviators became the face of the War efforts back home. Works of art, souvenirs, postcards, and newspapers celebrated their valiant efforts. After the War, the romance of flight was embodied in new types of daring aviators, such as barnstorming aerial acrobats, air mail pilots, and bootleggers.

Popular pulp magazines such as George Bruce’s Squadron and Hollywood films like Wings (1927) capitalized on the appeal of the brave World War I aviator, inspiring many future pilots who would serve America in commercial aviation and future military conflicts.

Organized by the Flagler Museum in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into World War I in 1917, Knights of the Air features works of art, artifacts, and printed materials on loan from the private collection of Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf, and other private and public collections.

Guided exhibition tours will be offered Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., beginning October 25. The exhibition and tours are free with Museum admission. The Flagler Museum will offer free Museum admission to active duty, reserve, and retired U.S. Military each Wednesday for the duration of the exhibition (proper identification required).

Illustrated Lecture
11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 11, 2017
Free with Museum Admission
Space is limited, reservations are required.

Join exhibition curator Janel Trull on Veteran’s Day for an illustrated lecture about Knights of the Air: Aviator Heroes of World War I, to learn about these heroic pilots and their lasting legacy.

Image: Collection of Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf

Location: Henry Morrison Flagler Museum,One Whitehall Way
Palm Beach, FL 33480
Dates: until Dec 31, 2017
Hours: Sun – 12pm – 5pm, Tues – Sat – 10am – 5pm
Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Tel: 561- 655-2833
flaglermuseum.us
For Regional accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: thepalmbeaches.com

National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force – Wow, right in the middle of their combat gallery you can watch volunteers restore the fuselage of a WWII B-17 bomber. It was unnerving to find out that the aluminum is so thin that your finger can make it wiggle.

Hear first-hand stories of brave men and women who were not only pilots, but navigators, ground crew, radio operators or even POW’s from 1942-1945. You can set the stage watching a 20 min. movie depicting the perils of a World War II strategic bombing mission over Nazi Germany, where at times 60% of the flights were one way (now that’s bravery).

Find the story about Tyre C. Weaver, who was so badly wounded that he asked to be thrown from his plane to parachute into enemy territory hoping to receive medical
treatment, and of the 10-year old girl who found him.

Learn about Jacqueline Cochran who founded the women’s air force and flew every plane, and Nancy Harkness Love, who delivered planes, tested them and towed targets, and Ann Baumgartner Carl, the first woman to pilot a jet.

Peer into a MIG 21 nose section. See if you can find the dollar bill signed by Clark Gable or what tora tora tora means. There’s a museum store, and outside you can view an F-4C Phantom, MiG-17A and B47 bomber.

Location: National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force,
175 Bourne Ave, Pooler, GA 31322
Hours: Opened Daily 9am–5pm
Tel: 912-748-8888
mightyeighth.org
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: poolerchamber.com