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WFHB's annual Acoustic Roots Festival conveniently falls on National Tourism Week - and we are (also conveniently) a sponsor of the event... so, we've put those two things together and will be giving away tickets to the show throughout the week of May 7-11, leading up to the Acoustic Roots Festival on May 12. One lucky person will win our grand prize, which includes an overnight stay at the Grant Street Inn and $50 in gift certificates to Grazie! Italian Eatery!

Tourism is a driving force for economic development in Bloomington and throughout much of the country and even the world! Our local tourism industry encompasses not only hotels and traditional attractions such as museums and wineries, but also the many unique restaurants in town, our vibrant downtown area, Indiana University, Lake Monroe, local shops, art galleries and more! To everyone involved in Bloomington's tourism industry - we salute you and thank you for helping to make Bloomington a fabulous place to visit! 

So, some of you are saying "Free tickets are awesome, but what the heck is the Acoustic Roots Festival?" This annual live music event is held outdoors at Upland Brewing Company and features some of the area's very best musicians in the Americana, Roots and Folk genres. This family-friendly, laid-back musical celebration is a great way to experience live music in Bloomington and sample some great food and drink from one of our local brew pubs. Here, let me show you what I mean...

The WFHB Acoustic Roots Festival, 2011

My family attended the Acoustic Roots Festival last year and had a great time.
We played with some hay...

 We made some new friends...

We listened to some great music from
Davy Jay Sparrow and His Well-Known Famous Drovers, and others...

We watched the sun go down and snuggled in to enjoy the evening.

The Ticket Giveaway

Looks like fun, right? So, what do you have to do to get those free tickets? Simple - just leave us a comment on this blog post and tell us about your experience with tourism in Bloomington.

If you're a visitor, what's your favorite reason to visit?

If you're a local resident, what do you always recommend to people when they visit?

Good luck! Hope to see you at this year's Acoustic Roots Festival! 

No matter the style of quilt you prefer, the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show has you covered. From traditional patterns to the very modern of designs, one of the largest shows in the Midwest is proud to have some of the very best quilters from around the country submit their entries.

Not only are there wonderful quilts on display, but workshops taught by some of the most sought after instructors around, from Edyta Sitar to Karen Eckmeier.

The community gets involved too with several museums and galleries throughout the downtown offering exhibits of their own, with free transportation from the show. In 2012, the Everchanging River exhibit will be on display and over 30 vendors will be on hand at the Convention Center with quilting notions. The show is held March 1-3, for more information visit www.ihqs.org.

Here are a few photos from last year's show to give you an idea of what to expect. Hope to see you there!

It's November! As we say goodbye to ghosts, ghouls and goblins for another year, it's time to look forward to this year's upcoming holiday art and craft shows! What a great way to get the jump on your holiday shopping with locally made one-of-a-kind items, or just enjoy browsing through unique handmade items. From fiber arts to glass to holiday wreaths, you'll find it all at one of these great events.

26th Annual Fiber Art Show & Sale 
Nov. 11, 5 - 9 pm & Nov. 12, 10 am - 5 pm
First United Church, 2420 E. 3rd Street

Bloomington Glass Guild Holiday Show
Nov. 11, 5-8 pm & Nov. 12, 10 am - 5 pm
University Baptist Church, 3740 E. 3rd Street

Local Clay Potters Guild Holiday Pottery Show & Sale
Nov. 11, 5-9 pm & Nov. 12, 9 am - 5 pm
St. Mark's Methodist Church, 100 N. Hwy 46 Bypass

Quilts from the Heartland
Nov. 11, 9 am - 7 pm & Nov. 12, 9 am - 5 pm
Bloomington Convention Center, 302 S. College Ave.

Bloomington Handmade Market
Nov. 12, 10 am - 5 pm
Bloomington Convention Center, 302 S. College Ave.

Holiday Extravaganza
Nov. 12, 9 am - 5 pm
Monroe County Fairgrounds, 5700 W. Airport Road

Marlin Elementary PTO Art & Craft Show
Nov. 12, 9 am - 3 pm
Marlin Elementary School, 1655 E. Bethel Lane

Holiday House Craft & Gift Show
Nov. 17, 11 am - 7 pm; Nov. 18, 10 am - 6 pm; Nov. 19, 10 am - 3 pm
Bloomington Convention Center, 302 S. College Ave.

Holiday Market
Nov. 26, 10 am - 3 pm
Showers City Hall, 401 N. Morton St.

Be sure to hit up some of the unique locally owned shops and boutiques in downtown Bloomington while you're in town as well. Happy holiday gift shopping!

'Tis the season..for shrieks and spooks, ghosts and goblins... and candy, lots and lots of candy! We've compiled a handy list of all the fun Halloween related events happening in the Bloomington area throughout the month of October.

Pick your favorite Spooky B-town event and make your plans now!
Come on, you're not scared, are you? 

Haunted Houses: open throughout October

Baker's Junction Haunted Train
Fri. & Sat., 7-10 pm

Barn of Terror
Fri. & Sat., 8 pm - 12 am

Harrodsburg Haunted House
Fri. & Sat., 8 pm - 12 am

Family-Friendly Events

Great Glass Pumpkin Patch
Courthouse Square, Oct. 15, 10 am - 3pm

Little Monsters Gallery Art Show
Blueline Gallery, Oct. 16-31

Trick or Treat Trail
RCA Park, Oct. 22, 1-4 pm

Dennis James hosts Halloween
IU Auditorium, Oct. 27, 7:30 pm

Festival of Ghost Stories
Bryan Park, Oct. 28

Halloween at Lake Monroe
Paynetown Campground, Oct. 29

Safe Halloween
College Mall, Oct. 29, 6-8 pm

Skate & Scare
Frank Southern Ice Arena, Oct. 29, 7 - 9 pm

Spooky Paper-Making
Twisted Limb Paperworks, Oct. 30 & 31

Halloween Family Fun Fest
Mathers Museum, Oct. 31

Pumpkins!

Freeman Family Farms
Fri. 4 - 7 pm; Sat. 10 am - 8 pm; Sun. 12-5 pm

Oliver Winery
Mon. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm; Sun. 12-6 pm

Musgrave Orchard
Wed. - Sun., 10:30 am - 6:30 pm

Great Bloomington Pumpkin Launch
Hilltop Garden & Nature Center, Nov. 5, 12-4 pm

Adults Only

Dark Carnival Film Festival
Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Oct. 21-23

Haunted Hoosier History Overnight
(Kids 12 and up welcome on the tour portion of the event only with a parent.)
Please RSVP by Oct. 7th.
Monroe Co. History Center, Oct. 22, 6 pm

Halloween Horror Burlesque
Jake's Nightclub, Oct. 29, 10 pm & 12 am

Rocky Horror Picture Show
Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Oct. 29, 7:30 & 11:30 pm

It's a "Winning Wednesday" on the B-town Blog. We've got come complimentary tickets to the Taste of Bloomington on June 18th and you may be our luck winner!

The Taste of Bloomington is one of B-town's favorite summer festivals, combining great food from over 50 of the area's best restaurants, live music on two stages, local wine and micro-brews and children's activities from Bloomington Parks and Recreation and WonderLab! The Taste of Bloomington is held at Showers Common, next to City Hall, from 3-11 pm.

While you're in town for the Taste, be sure to stop by the Arts Fair on the Square, where you can mingle with local and regional artists and pick up some wonderful gifts for friends and family (or yourself!). The Arts Fair on the Square is held on the courthouse lawn from 10 am to 6 pm.  

Now, how do you get those tickets? Leave us a comment on this blog post and share your favorite summer festival experience in Bloomington and you're entered to win! Yep, it's that easy - we'll contact the winners via email.

It's been a cold and snowy winter so far in Bloomington. Despite the weather, or maybe because of it, some of my favorite annual events will take place in the coming weeks. Let's face it, this time of year can be tough! It's a few weeks after the holidays, so that excitement is all gone and you're starting to wonder whether spring (and warmer temps) will ever arrive. 

That's exactly what makes this the perfect time of year to head to Bloomington for one of our fun annual winter celebrations. What better way to get in out of the cold and out of the house all at the same time? Here's my short list of great winter events in B-town that will help get you through to springtime:

Week of Chocolate, Jan. 29 - Feb. 5
Who doesn't love chocoate? In Bloomington, we don't just have a one or two day festival...no, we celebrate chocolate for an entire week! Everyone knows that chocolate can make you feel good, but this great event can make you feel even better because you're not just eating incredible desserts... you're also helping seven different local non-profit organizations at the same time! Check their website for the low-down on specific events and times.  

Eagle Watch Weekend, Feb. 4-6
Okay, you may get a little chilly during this event, but it's worth it! That's because you may be able to spot a bald eagle or other rare bird species during one of the outdoor viewing sessions at Lake Monroe during this great birding event! Don't worry though, there are also plenty of indoor presentations that teach you about birds and other animals while you stay warm and cozy! This a great family-friendly event, too!

Soup Bowl Benefit, Feb. 20
This is another great feel-good event. Get out of the cold and enjoy the warm, yummy goodness of a variety of soups in your handmade souvenir soup bowl! This is the 17th year for this event, which brings together local artisans, local restaurants and live music, all for a worthy cause! Proceeds from this event go to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.

ArtsWeek, Feb. 17-27
An annual event in Bloomington, ArtsWeek celebrates the unique richness of artistic expression in Bloomington and on the IU campus. Actually a bit longer than a week, the 10-day event features dozens of performances, exhibitions and family-friendly events, including music, theatre, visual art and more! Check the schedule on their website to see what interest you! If you've got kids, I suggest checking out of the Forged by Fire events at WonderLab - and I'd be willing to bet that the adults will enjoy it too!

The best cure for the winter blues is right here in B-town! These are just a few of my favorites, so don't forget to check our online calendar for even more great events coming up in Bloomington!

June is Limestone Month, and that means lots of great exhibits, events and activities throughout Monroe and Lawrence Counties. Log on to www.limestonemonth.com for a complete calendar of things happening this month.  

Last year, as part of the first ever Limestone Month, I was lucky enough to go on a tour of an active limestone quarry operated by the Elliott Stome Company in northern Lawrence County, courtesy of Elite Tours. It was an incredible experience. 

A family-owned business, the Elliott Stone Company quarries limestone in a large underground cavern rather than the more traditional quarrying technique of blasting a large hole in the ground.

The stone is quarried by large, specially designed saws that cut horizontally into the cavern walls. Bags inflated with air are then used to break the stone from the wall.

The equivalent of three stories of stone can be quarried underground without disrupting wildlife and vegetation on the surface.

So, what do antiques and basketball have in common? 

They're both on my to do list this weekend in Bloomington, along with a trip to one of B-town's favorite restaurants, Malibu Grill!

I'll be at the Theta Antiques & Decorative Arts Sale on Saturday with my parents. Did you know the Theta Antique Show has been a Bloomington tradition since 1961? Held at the Bloomington Convention Center each year, the Theta Antique Show packs an additional punch this year with the addition of decorative arts to the mix. The event is open Saturday from 10 am - 6 pm and Sunday from 11 am - 4 pm.  After checking out all the great antiques and such, we'll be headed over to Malibu Grill on the downtown square (one of my faves!)  for a family dinner.

On Sunday afternoon, my son and I will meet up with my sister's family at Assembly Hall for the IU Women's Basketball game. The Lady Hoosiers are taking on Penn State in their last home game of the season and celebrating National Girls and Women in Sport Day. Pre-game activities on Sunday will include exhibits and kids activities highlighting opportunties and experiences available in sports and fitness. 

Can't get to B-town this week?  No worries - there's always something happening in Bloomington. Next weekend, the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show takes over the Convention Center from Thursday through Saturday and all of downtown will celebrate First Friday and GalleryWalk on Friday from 5-8 pm.

For more on what's happening in B-town, see the complete calendar of events.

Went to the Upland Brewing Company's 2009 Oktoberfest on Sept. 19 here in Bloomington.  This local brewery (www.uplandbeer.com) is as good as it gets.  They run topnotch events and have fabulous beer and food.  Their Oktoberfest beer this year is out of this world.  We were with several people on Saturday and sampled potato pancakes, chicken schnitzel, smoked salmon, beer brats, brussel sprouts and hot pretzels in spicy mustard.  All quite delicious.  We saw Better Bidness Bureau and Jazzy Grass play excellent sets.  Didn't stay to see King Bee & The Stingers but I'm sure they were great.  Check out this brewery next time you make it to B-town.  The Upland Wheat beer they make is the #1 selling Indiana beer for good reason -- it rocks!

Summer is in full swing in B-town! Check out the great upcoming events and activities listed below:

IU Summer Music Festival

Summer Performing Arts Series

Bloomington Community Farmers' Market

Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls

Jazz in July

Tunes on the Terrace

For even more great events, go to www.visitbloomington.com/calendar, follow VisitBtown on Twitter or join the Visit Bloomington fan page on Facebook!