Every summer the Smithsonian Institute throws a festival right in the heart of the nations' capital. People come from all over the world to taste exotic culture from far-flung corners of the globe.
Spread out in the shadow of the Washington monument the DC Folklife Festival celebrates the music, food, trade, crafts and language of the lands or regions it chooses to represent.
Mr. Thrift and I have pootled about this festival a few times over the years, but never before have I felt a compulsion to attend as strongly as now. For this year, which nation did the auspicious Institute deem worthy of the world's attention? Wales.
As you'll have heard before, at least half of Lulu is from Wales, a small country to the left of England peopled by those hardiest of souls used to enduring harsh winters, mountainous terrain and a peculiar lack of plumbing.
So when I found out that Cardiff was coming to the Capitol, I knew that I had to be there. One sunny morning last week saw me up unusually bright and early, throwing thrifty homemade sandwiches into a cooler and bundling Mr. and Little Miss Thrift (LMT) into the Thriftmobile.
Forty minutes later we'd found what my sister calls "Rock-Star Parking". Now, for a parking spot to qualify as rock-star it needs to be within rolling distance of your target. Our spot peered directly up the barrel of what LMT calls "The Washument". And astonishingly it was free. Not a bad start. Or as they say in Wales - "tidy".
I'd promised LMT Welsh cakes. There were none. But you can find my recipe for them here. Thanks to some political nonsense about food licensing (well, we were within verbal suing distance of the Capitol building) the food stand was run by a local Irish pub (don't get me started) and the Welsh cookery demonstration stand could show you how to make local treats, but you weren't allowed to actually taste them. Huh?
But we did find a brilliant Welsh music stall where we learned the Scots don't have a monopoly over bagpipes. We enjoyed an instructive discussion in the culture tent about a typical Welsh day (apparently they eat cereal and toast for breakfast! How novel!). We even found out how coracles (an ancient Welsh single-person boat loved by my riverside dwelling sister) are made.
It was fun. Honestly. And the best part? The whole thing was free. Not a dime to get in to the festival, free parking and we avoided the Irish-Welsh food by eating the lunch we'd brought. Which at least had been made by a person with some Welsh blood.
A while back, one of our intrepid CheapToday bloggers wrote about the phenomenon known as the "Staycation". This years hottest place to go for your family fun is - right on your own doorstep. I like to think this movement is as much about our green leanings as it is about saving money. Find some close-by family fun this summer and keep your carbon footprint small, and cash in your wallet.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
If you're heading to the Big Apple you can see mermaids on Coney Island, watch movies under the stars and enjoy Shakespeare in the park. How about a free pole dancing class in San Diego? Or West African dance demonstrations in Seattle? For those in the nation's heartland perhaps a free bellydance performance will tempt you into Iowa City.
Outdoor parties and rock concerts in Atlanta make for a warm welcome southern welcome. Meanwhile back here in the nation's capital we can offer you not only the entire wealth of the Smithsonian museums (rockets, space ships, dinosaurs and Van Gogh to name but a few), the mall and all its monuments, but also the magnificent and spacious National Zoo. All free entry.
Please let me know if you find more free events around the country, you can post them in the comments section below and share the wealth. And let me know how you get on with your close-to-home free fun this summer.
Enjoy!
