Recently in Nicki Lefever Category

The FlipSide ladies scare up some fun with with the skeletons and monsters at Halloween Park in Strinestown. Can they make it out of the haunted mill without screaming?

Irish music, song and dance extravaganza Riverdance comes to York for five farwell performances: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 and 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, 50 N. George St. in York.

Tickets cost $48, $58 or $68. They go on sale Friday to the public. Watch a performance clip above. Talk about fast feet.

Join YorkArts at the You Are The Art in Motion event 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 30 at Buchart Horn, 445 W. Philadelphia St. in York. The masquerade ball features a fashion show presented by students from The Art Institute of York, live auctions, music and art exhibits.

Visitors are encouraged to dress up as their favorite piece of art, celebrity or cartoon character. Prizes will be awarded for best costumes. Hors d'oeuvres, desserts, wine and beer will be served. Tickets are $40 and $35 for those in costume. All proceeds benefit York County youth art programs. For details and tickets, call 848-3200. (Photo: YDR File)

The Free Mary Jane Festival runs noon Sept. 12 to 8 p.m. Sept. 13 at Elicker's Grove, 511 Roth's Church Road in Spring Grove.

More than 18 musical acts will play and magicians, clowns, jugglers and fire breathers will perform during the two-day event. Overnight camping is available Saturday. Chuck Homan will speak about the Medical Marijuana Movement in Pennsylvania, Ryan Grim will talk about the war on drugs and Les Stark will educate people about the history of hemp in Lancaster and York.

A $15 donation is suggested for admission. The event benefits local farmers in their fight to deregulate industrial hemp as a crop. No RV hookups , glass bottles, firearms, illegal drugs, underage drinking or pets are allowed at the event. Check the jump for a full list of performers.
(Photo: Patrick Hooker will perform at the event; submitted.)

We need great stories about what you remember about modern technology.

Here are the details about contributing to our remember series:

What do you remember about the first time you used a new gadget? Over the years, inventors have given us dozens of doodads, including the color TV, microwave, cell phone and computer.

To share your stories, call 771-2008 and follow the instructions.

We had one reader call in and share a great story about the first Walkman he had and how fascinated the stewardess and pilot where with the item when he was on a flight in the 1980s.

The rest of the clan was out playing football on Thanksgiving when my sister-in-law Hannah and I decided to play a game. We couldn't find playing cards so we decided to open Mad Gab. You would probably recognize the game best by its commercial where the person reads a card (it probably says ima luv mush een). What he is really trying to say is "I'm a Love Machine."

Hannah and I just took turns reading the cards to see who get the most right before the timer ran out. Little did we know how freakin' hilarious this game would turn out to be. I was laughing so hard, I was crying. My cheeks hurt and my stomach ached. It's great because when you know the answer and you can hear the person saying it and they have no idea what they are saying, it's ridiculous.

*Warning, this is a pretty long rant on a restaurant experience. This is only told from two people's experiences on a recent Friday night.

Almost a year ago, visited Bogey Macaws at Springwood Golf Course for a Cheap Eats outing. It was out of this world. Read here if you missed it.

It took a while to find time to go, but Nate, my husband, and I decided to go back on Friday. What a mistake. I should have known when I called earlier that morning and asked for the chef that it was bad. They told me Chef Jackie Pestka wasn't there anymore.

Still, we loved it the last time and hoped for a similar experience. We arrived a little before 7 p.m. We were there on a Monday on our last visit, so it was a bit different atmosphere, more of a bar than that of an intimate restaurant. We waited at the hostess podium and there seemed to be a little misunderstanding about where to put us. I guess they got it all figured out and sent us down to a booth near the window. And there we sat for at least (and I am being generous) 15 minutes.

Yeah, it sounds a little odd to have a church be a brew works, but it's true. I was there Friday.
Nate, my husband, and I were visiting friends in Pittsburgh for the weekend. We camped all week, so we were ready for a nice dinner. They took us to The Church Brew Works above the strip in Pittsburgh at 3525 Liberty Ave. Check here to learn more.

We arrived at about 7 p.m. and there was an hour wait on the dining side (the right side of the photo). We took a little pager and were told that if we could find a seat on the left side of the aisle (the bar area), we could eat there. Fortunately for us, we only had to stand at the crowded bar for a bit. A table opened up for six and we quickly grabbed it.

From 5:30 to 9 p.m. today at the Yorktowne Hotel Ballroom, 22 area chefs converged to raise money for the local food bank. I enlisted one of my favorite dining companions Erin Marsicano to accompany me to the event.

Hear about our amazing evening....and read after the jump for more!

You have to see this! Food is always good, but when it looks cool, it's even better. Check out these recipes and how-to-videos as you start planning your holiday menus.

If you like what you see, click here for more recipes.