9 posts tagged “brunswick coolness files”

So today I found what has to be Brunswick's best dessert: the $5 chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream at Beans in the Belfry. Imagine a petite moist chocolate cupcake with gooey fuge sauce inside, heated up until the chocolate lava bursts forth to mingle with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Even on a hot day, this combination of warm and cool elements works. I have yet to find a better, fresher dessert in Brunswick. And as barista Amy pointed out, you can go to chain restaurants and pay more for the same dessert, or you can just walk down to Beans and shell out a mere $5.

I also finally had a chance to poke into Newberry's Antiques on Potomac Street, which is run by the kind folks who used to run Ekster Scandinavian antiques in Leesburg, VA. Their Newberry's space in Brunswick is much larger and filled with beautiful decor items both new and old. I especially love the large mercury glass sconces that can be placed on the floor or on large dining room tables. I didn't have enough money to buy much there today, but I recommend you take a peek inside if you live in Brunswick. I especially recommend all of the lavender products: candles, lotions, sachets, sprigs, lip balm, etc. And then, my favorite item at Newberry's: Lavender Moon bath tea sachets, which I blogged about earlier. Lavender Moon had to close its Leesburg retail location but it still exists online, and I recommend its affordable, clean rinsing bath teas in honeysuckle, ginger lime, and milk and honey. They make your bath smell fresh and yummy without turning it funky colors or leaving you with a sticky film on your skin like some bath salts do.

As noted in the blog post below, we also went to the Brunswick Farmer's Market, to be held every Sunday afternoon from 1 PM until 4 PM (so you can sleep in late and still come down to do your shopping). We walked to the market and bought local goods including honey and zucchini, and it felt nice to buy fresh produce without using a drop of gasoline in the process. Tomato season starts in about 2 weeks so get ready for the market to have tomatoes and more as June turns into July. The market location, however, is moving from the city hall parking lot to the train station parking lot, so check it out one of these upcoming Sundays.

Brunswick High School  participated in  the Frederick County Public High School Wrestling Championships held at Tuscarora High School this weekend. According to the Frederick News Post, "Brunswick finished second in the team standings with 172.5 points. The Railroaders had more finalists than any other team with seven, but did not crown a champion."

Several promising wrestlers like Zach M. and T.J. look like they might make it to the State level, too, so things are getting pretty exciting as the wrestling season wraps up.

By the way, Tuscarora High School has to be the prettiest, most cheerful and light filled public school I have ever seen! If I had gone to a high school like Tuscarora instead of the pit of gloom and doom I went to back in the 1990s, I would be an entirely different person today, I am sure of it.

Brunswick's own CPL Youth Center is hosting its second annual observation of the Chinese Lunar New Year on Saturday, February 9, 2008, at Brunswick High School. Admission is $5.00 per person.

2008 is the Year of the Rat, or, if you prefer, the Year of the Mouse.

Watch cultural and martial arts performances (including some by the kids who use the youth center), browse the wares of local vendors and sponsors, and take a chance at the Instant Raffle at this popular fundraiser event. All proceeds benefit the youth center and its programs.

5 to 9 PM            $5 per person

Brunswick High School Auditorium

For more information, go to the CPL Youth Center website.

On Saturday, December 15, after two days of intense one-on-one matches, Brunswick High School's Railroader wrestling team came out on top at the Joppatowne Duels held north of Baltimore. Eight regional schools competed at the duels and Brunswick bested all of their opponents to capture the top trophy. This win represents a lot of dedication and devotion to the sport, a lot of discipline and hard work conditioning their bodies and minds to compete, and a lot of blood and sweat (and perhaps a few tears) along the way. Coaches Trey Coates and Scott Tillis deserve a lot of the credit, too, for training these kids into the winners they showed themselves to be at Joppatowne. Good job, Railroaders!

DSCN2790

Arcadia Publishing and author Mary H. Rubin have come out with a new Images of America historical photography book for Brunswick as well as a companion Postcards of America edition that reproduces select photographs from the Images book as tear-out cards for scrapbooking or mailing. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Rubin and her mother/research assistant over at Book Crossing last night, where she graciously signed our family's copy of the Images book.

I am having such fun looking through the books, seeking recognizable Brunswick landmarks and marveling over how particular buildings have changed--or not changed--through the decades. There's several (partial) images of my 1910 house in the book, and it looks much the same to me, which I find to be quite amazing (but then again, my home still has many of its original doors and doorknobs intact, so I guess its past residents have tried to preserve it).

For those of you who have other Brunswick books in your collections, there's still a reason to get these: many of the images have never been published before, and most of the photographs are remarkably clear and sharp. In addition to shots of the city itself, historic images from the Civil War and the C&O Canal are also included.

Although I am a relative newcomer to this town (having lived here only 5 years), paging through the book makes me proud to be a Brunswick resident, and I feel like a part of its ongoing history. I'm excited to have these books to remind me of all the hard work and community spirit that went into building this little railroad town.

If you would like your own copies of these books, head on down to Book Crossing, where the Images of America book is about $20 and the postcard set is about $10.

If you Google "Brunswick, Maryland," one of the links leads to a compendium page showing all of my Vox posts that I tagged with my town's name. Unfortunately, near the very top of that page is a negative blog entry I had to make about my one neighbor who is a mean person--the exception rather than the rule in this town. I don't want that negative post to color newcomers' images of Brunswick, so, I decided to publish a huge, long list of reasons why Brunswick, Maryland is a wonderful place to live. Here it is, with items listed in no particular order:

1. Housing is still relatively affordable in Brunswick and if you don't mind putting in a little work and renovation, you can buy a historic single family home from the 1910s for $200K or less here.

2. Brunswick is conveniently located on the MARC train line to Washington, DC, and you can reach the train station on foot from most homes in town.

3. The social center of Brunswick has to be the Beans in the Belfry coffee shop and cafe, a beautifully renovated former church that hosts everything from local club meetings and New Years' Eve murder mystery parties to musical performances by local jazz and folk artists.

4. The best place in Brunswick to pick up your daily newspaper or a magazine for your daily commute by train is the newly-expanded Book Crossing book store. This is also a great spot for gifts such as candles and gourmet hot chocolate.

5. If you are furnishing your new home and you need some affordable yet solid vintage furniture, spin by Antiques 'n' Ole Stuff once a week to see what great pieces turn up there. (Antiques 'n' Ole Stuff, 27 Potomac Street in Brunswick; 301-834-6795.)

6. Thinking about antiques, historic downtown Brunswick has its own antiques district. Cripple Creek Antiques (where I once scored a vintage designer Scandinavian bowl for under $20) has a good list of Brunswick antiques shops on its website.

7. If antiques aren't your thing and you much more prefer to hunt for surprises and scores in thrift stores, try one of Brunswick's consignment stores. Phoebe's Travel Trunk specializes in clothing, accessories and gifts for girls and women, and the newly opened Pixie Dust has both new and used items available for little ones. (Pixie Dust also has an online eBay store so you don't have to live in Brunswick to peruse the treats they have for sale.)

8. There's lots of good food to be found in Brunswick. The Emerald Garden Chinese Cookhouse specializes in using fresh veggies to make its tasty Chinese dishes. King's is locally famous for its pizza and garlic knots (read reviews of their pizza and pasta and find their address and phone number by clicking here.)  Brunswick Meat and Deli serves more than 24 flavors of yummy soft serve ice cream.

9.  In the autumn and winter, when you walk the streets of Brunswick you can smell wood burning stoves and fireplaces and hear the sounds of the trains.

10. The parents, teachers, and students at Brunswick High School comprise a fairly close knit community that is extremely supportive of its sports teams. Go Railroaders!  

11. Every night there is a beautiful sunset or twilight view available from the bridge that connects Brunswick to Lovettsville, Virginia, making the commute home a little more bearable for us all.

12. The best part about the changing seasons is seeing what's in bloom and ready for eating over at Lowry's Farm Market--currently showcasing fall mums and asters, fresh picked apples, pumpkins, gourds, and mini-hay bales for your autumn decorating, and more. (800 Petersville Road; 301-834-8303).

13. Brunswick is a very giving community full of citizens who support various charities and rescue stray animals.

14. Get your Brunswick pet groomed over at Muddy Paws Pet Grooming, which is owned and operated by animal lovers who have engaged in animal rescues (721 East Potomac Street, 301-834-6631). 

15. Check out some of the front yard gardens on the 300 block of Brunswick street, including one with a gorgeous pink hibiscus in full bloom now. These are just a few of the beautiful little gardens sprinkled all over town.

16. The new CPL Youth Center is dedicated to educating, mentoring, and inspiring our children and teens. Underprivileged kids are able to participate in youth center activities for free or at reduced cost.

17. If you visit our town you should take a few minutes to get some exercise on the historic C&O Canal Towpath, which follows the contours of the Potomac River. Historic Harper's Ferry, West Virginia is just a short 4 mile bike ride away via the towpath.

18. The Brunswick Citizen is a great, affordable community newspaper that will keep you updated on all the important goings on about town. The newspaper encourages community participation, so go ahead and submit a letter to the editor or one of your photographs of local events.

19. Brunswick is a hot spot for train enthusiasts, who can learn about railroad history at our Brunswick Railroad Museum, the "Home of the Iron Horse." Brunswick's biggest street party of the year, Railroad Days, is happening soon: the weekend of October 6-7, 2007. Come on down and get your funnel cakes! 

20.The first Friday of every month is also a street party in historic Brunswick; each month there is a different theme. Click here to see what the theme is for the current month.

OK, so I hope that these 20 items equals a "huge, long" list in everyone's book, because I am running out of writing time! I hope this post demonstrates that the good things in Brunswick, Maryland far outweigh the negatives. For every crochety old man in town who will yell at you to get off of his lawn, there's about 10 more good people here who are more likely to welcome you with a big smile or a hug.  

Fellow Brunswickian Vox blogger Al brought this Frederick News Post article to my attention about all of the fun new shops and events in historic old town Brunswick:

Brunswick Revitalization Article

Brunswick has a new consignment store for the ladies where you can find everything from punky studded belts to Ann Taylor Loft-brand business jackets to dichroic glass earrings, all at reasonable prices: Phoebe's Travel Trunk. They also carry a fun mix of pottery, candles, bath and body products, light switch covers, and more. I picked up a set of Bliss bath and body product samples in a cute cosmetics case for a mere $10 today. (If you hurry, you can get their Aveda sampler set of popular rosemary and mint bath products now at the same hot price.) Click on the link below for contact information, hours of operation, and the story behind the curious name:

Phoebe's Travel Trunk

Artist Tom Engeman of Brunswick, Maryland, is the creative genius behind the USA's new Liberty Bell-themed "Forever" stamp (buy them up now while you still can):

Liberty bell stamp