Blog, Blog, Blog

Terrible Tarot Allard at CLAW photo by Bud Branchmore photos

Welcome to Blog, Blog, Blog! I’ve been told I’m a little chatty (aka: gabby, loquacious, garrulous, babbling, blathering, windy), so the name is quite fitting, don’t you think?

Here’s where we’re going to have a little fun each week. We’ll go behind the scenes of our Charlottesville Inside-Out shoots, check out CVille’s music and cultural scene, and bother people around town in general.

I’ll be toting my son’s Flip Camera to help document my adventures (wouldn’t you know, just when I decide to keep up with the electronic world, they discontinue the item I’ve purchased!). I’ll also be armed with my very first Smart Phone (which, thus far, has managed to make me feel quite stupid actually). If I don’t accidentally delete everything while trying to figure out my new gadgets, I’ll be posting pictures and videos of CVIO guests, events around town, and whatever seems interesting at the moment. I’ll even be Tweeting and Facebooking. (If that’s even a verb.) 

Yes, it’s true, friends. I have joined the 21st century. Wish me luck!

Me

My husband, Dwayne, says I need to tell you a little bit about myself. (And I always do what he says…right.) Let's humor him. What would you like to know? I host a PBS television show (you already know that.) I sing. I write songs. I make CDs. I call it Americana music. My 10 year old son says it’s hippie music, but the kids I work with in the Kid Pan Alley songwriting program are a little more forgiving. 

Dig, dig…let’s see… some other bits of trivia you might find interesting; I held the record in the two mile at Orange High until about five years ago. Bet you didn’t know that. Or how about this: I can balance three plates of food on one arm!  While you might not be overly impressed by this skill, I’m pretty sure it was my years of experience as a waitress at Random Row that gave me an edge -- an arm up, shall we say – wrestling as Terrible Tarot Allard while covering CLAW (Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers) for a recent CVIO shoot. See…you knew I could roller skate, but did you know I could arm wrestle?

CLAW 

I gotta say, this organization brings together the most brilliant combination of ideas, entertainment and volunteerism ever to help raise funds for small charities around Charlottesville. One part sports, two parts theater – add in community service – and everybody wins! And it’s all wrapped up in a very colorful and bawdy Saturday night bow. 

CLAW’s carnival-like competitions take place every three months or so under the big tent behind the Blue Moon Diner with a house band, two emcees, bribable judges and an other worldly referee. To show that I’m not a weenie, and because it makes for good television, I participated as Terrible Tarot Allard (the theme was CLAWney Island) and faced the likes of former hog wrestling champ Serpentine Slammer, Deb Bea 4arms, Pit Bull (yikes!), Strawberry Tallcake, Siren-a Shockwave, Miss Coney Island and Ady Dee (A-D-D). Yup – I risked my health and my dignity for charity and good TV.  

Needless to say, one should never take on an event like this without an entourage. So, for support, added flair, and, more importantly, to stir up the crowd and collect CLAWbucks for the benefiting charity, A Fertile Foundation, I brought in my sister, Chris; my son, Will; my best friend, Julie; and, a true Charlottesville icon, infamous singer Bob Girard. As you can see by the pictures, they all took very naturally to their new roles.

How did I fare, you might wonder? Did Pit Bull chew me up and spit me out? Was I swallowed whole by the Serpentine Slammer?  You’ll have to tune in to CVIO Season 5 this fall to find out…

Other great reasons not to miss the new season of CVIO airing this November: LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph (what’s not to like?); Edison 2 with Oliver Kutner and his very light and very fast cars (he told me I drive like an old lady) and belly dancing (it’s all in the glutes). 

That’s all I’m saying for this week. As the original creator of CVIO, D.J. Crotteau, always said, “Don’t give it away in the green room!” Stayed tuned to Blog, Blog, Blog, Facebook and Twitter for more behind the scenes fun. You can also catch our shows from the past four seasons online. 

See you out and about!