Joy Makin’ Mamas

This short walking tour is intended as a “boots on the ground” companion to “A Street Guide to Civil War Alexandria,” which is a pamphlet published by Fort Ward Museum.  I’m also working on a longer distance version and hope to add present day photos to this one.

1.33 miles walking distance.

Short self-guided walking tour of Alexandria Civil War sites

1. Start at 321 S Fairfax St.  First Presbyterian Church Hospital
Proceed North on Fairfax St to Duke St.  Turn right on Duke then Right on S. Lee St.  Turn right on King St.
2. Commissary Depot, Wharves, Storehouses
Buildings are no longer standing, but in Civil War times, they were all along Union St.
Turn Left on Cameron St.
3. Route of Col. Elmer Ellsworth to the Marshall House, May 24 1861
This was the date that Virginia seceeded from the Union.  It’s also the day that Union Forces (Col Elmer Ellsworth, to be exact) moved to secure “strategic locations” in Alexandria.  We’ll be following his route until we reach the corner of King & Pitt in just a few minutes.
4. 119-133 N Fairfax St; Only Northern portion of original building remains:  Mansion House General Hospital
5. City Hall and Market
Turn Left on N. Royal St.
6. 138 N Royal St, now Gadsby’s Tavern, was City Hotel
Turn right on King St.
7. Site of Marshall House. (Corner of King & Pitt.  Building no longer stands.)
Turn left on S. Pitt St.  Turn right on Prince St.
8. 504 Prince St. Birthplace of General MD Corse (building is gone.)
9. 520 Prince St:  Headquarters, 6th Battalion, Virginia Volunteers
Turn left on St. Asaph.
10. 201 S. St Asaph:  Customs House/ Post Office/Telegraph Office, Headquarters of the Military Governor.
11. 209 S. St Asaph St:  Military Governor’s residence
12. Intersection of Wolfe & St. Asaph
Friends Meeting House Hospital (SW corner of intersection, no longer stands)
Turn Left on Wolfe St.
13. 510 Wolfe St, Wolfe St Hospital (Francis Smith House)
14. Tuscan Villa Hospital (Pitt & S. Wolfe, next to Wolfe St. Hospital, no longer stands.)
15. Turn Left on S. Fairfax St and return to start.

Links for further reading:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria,_Virginia
• http://oha.alexandriava.gov/oha-main/oha-tftp.html
• http://www.alexandria.lib.va.us/lhsc_online_exhibits/cwpix/cwpix.html
• http://www.historicmapsrestored.com/civilwar/virginia-seat-of-war.html
• http://www.gmu.edu/library/specialcollections/vaprints.html

Other civil war sites in Northern VA:

Fort Ward Museum and historic site

http://oha.alexandriava.gov/fortward/

Fort Williams Park

Park Location: 501 Fort Williams Parkway
Park Area: 7.80 acres
Park Usage: Fort Williams Park is a passive nature area. It includes a wooded nature preserve with a walking path, used by dog walkers and nature lovers.

This Park is located at 501 Fort Williams Parkway on the east side of the Parkway. It is a heavily wooded site that has a minor foot path. There is also a small run or stream that runs through the park that feeds into Lake Cook. There is some signage on each end and a footbridge that crosses over the run.

The park is named for an earthen Civil War Fort that once existed here, (Fort Williams) one of 68 forts built in the defense of the Washington Area. No trace of the fort exists today.

Civil War Trails
http://www.civilwartrails.org/

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The Top

Washington D.C. Show dates: March 19 through March 22
Washington D.C. location: http://www.verizoncenter.com/

Fairfax, VA Show dates: April 8 through April 19
Fairfax, VA location: http://www.patriotcenter.com/

Baltimore show dates: March 25 through April 5
Baltimore location: 1st Mariner Arena http://www.baltimorearena.com/

Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code “MOM” at select ticketing channels** including http://www.ticketmaster.com . Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Gold Circle Seating, Circus Celebrity Seating, Front Row and VIP seating or combinable with other offers. Other Restrictions May Apply.

The tickets can be purchased from http://www.ticketmaster.com and by entering the MOM code in the “MC Promotion box” when purchasing tickets.

Offer #2: A select amount of Front Row and VIP seats have been reserved for you to buy before they go on sale to the public - just enter the code “MOM” when purchasing those seats.

One of the toughest obstacles for a new SAHM to surmount is lack of transportation. Whether your second car is in the shop, the family has only one car, or mama is not allowed to drive for a while after baby comes, the inability to get out and join friends can seem very isolating at a time when you most want to share your experiences. I have a few suggestions for our members without wheels.

The first step is to appoint yourself the Minister of No Transportation for your area. Information is our tool, and you are the best source of that info! Now that the responsibilities of the office are weighing heavily upon you, let’s outline a rudimentary course of action.

1. Invite, invite, invite.

Perhaps you are not blessed with a home that serves the purpose of entertaining. That’s okay! You know better than anyone what is within walking distance of your home. If there is a local library, coffee shop, or park that is close by, invite others to join you there. You’ll get the most response if you announce your plans at least one week in advance- most of our Joy Troupe groups have members who are only too happy to hop in and have fun. Library meeting rooms can be reserved during open times without charge- there are other public spaces like this too. Or arrange a meeting point for a stroller walk or jog, weather permitting.

2. Rail & Bus

You’d be surprised how well developed the public transportation system is in the area. If you’ve got no wheels, scope out the WMATA and use their trip planner. Once you’ve plotted a course, send the info to the event coordinator and ask her to add it to the event for the benefit of other car-free folks.

3. Hitchhike.

Okay, not really- but do RSVP “maybe” and say you’d love to come if anyone is going your way. There’s no guarantee that you can catch a ride, but it’s worth a shot!

4. ZIP Car

Zipcar is a “car sharing” service. For those who only need a car (or a second car) occasionally, this service can save the day. Although there is a fee to join the service, hourly rental rates on weekdays start just above $9/hour for no commitment plans. You can get a lower rate if you know you’ll use the car more often by opting for an “extra value plan.”

5. Network

New to the area? Put a post on the forum for our local chapter titled “fun things to do in {Neighborhood Name}.” But don’t just wait for others to post… Go out and walk. Do a little web surfing. Add your best finds to the thread and soon others will want to check out the cool spots you’ve seen, which brings us back to option 1: Invite, invite, invite…

You already know that the Joy Troupe is FUN for you and your little ones.

What you may not realize is that being part of our community of families can help you fatten your savings account! Everyone wants a good nest egg in uncertain economic times. Check out all the ways our members are using our group to save, save, save! Got your own ways you’re using our community to save money? Be sure to add them in our “comments” section.

1. We have a sitter exchange so our members can swap child care. You sit for her kids, she sits for yours, and you pocket the money you’d have spent on a sitter.
2. Our Classifieds are free- no ebay fees! and you know everyone who sees them is a local parent or caregiver- no Nigerian Princes here!
3. Our recipe swap group is a great place to find economical solutions for meal planning. (And share your own!)
4. Our calendar is packed with FREE events and activities every day of the week. Not spending doesn’t have to mean sitting at home!
5. We have a pre-school coop, which is going to save some families over $8,000 apiece in 2009.
6. Special Joy Troupe only discount offers from local businesses
7. Swap Meet events: Swap stuff you don’t need for stuff you do… leftovers donated to a local charity
8. Find and share deals and tips on our “green and thrifty” forum
9. Weight loss support group starting soon- much more fun than commercial plans, and SO much less expensive!
10. Check our Community Events calendar for consignment and garage sales near you- don’t buy new when used will do!

So, you are just starting out on your own in a business that appeals to families or women and you’d like to approach the Joy Troupe about promoting your product or services.  We’d love to get in on the ground floor of your business! We frequently enter into partner arrangements with small businesses for the good of all concerned.

My best suggestions for a project that will have good results, based on my experience and feedback from previous joint ventures, would be as follows:

1.  Set aside some time to do some (say, three, depending on your location) Joy Troupe events.  If there will be any waiting, combine them with a social activity, so the families will be having fun even while they are waiting for you.  (We have lots of playdate and Mom Time ideas that would work for this- just talk to one of our organizers for help.)

2. It’s tempting if you are just getting started to give away your time in an effort to promote your business.  However, if you have a familiar product or service, people are more likely to take you seriously if you do charge something for your time, however modest. (If people have probably not tried your service before, by all means offer a free trial to make it more approachable.)

For us to post a group event which has a fee, we do require that you give a portion of the money back to the group, but on the whole, it’s a win-win.  A 20% commission is typical for our fundraisers.  Choose a price that’s within most families budgets, and you’ll find that people love a bargain.  I’m the last to complain about anything that’s free!  But this is your time away from your kid/home/dog/other job, whatever- you should walk away with something in your pocket.

3.  Set up your website, even if it is very simple, so we can link to it when we promote these events.  Establishing your web presence now will pay off down the road.  (Check out the Joy Troupe package.  You can download free templates and design software, too.)

4.  Once you create your introductory offer, offer a coupon toward future services to all members, whether they participate or not.  We normally do an after-event email with pictures, etc- be sure to ask the photographer if you can use some of the nicest ones on your site!  Once you have some nice looking pictures to post, as we do for many of our events, people will be interested, and a coupon will help “close the deal.”

5.  Once we post the events, let us offer one or two free spots in the events as prizes.  We’ll tie them in with something else we are promoting to build awareness and excitement for your events.

6.  Last but not least, if you are charging for your event, require each RSVP to pay a non-refundable deposit up front to hold their spot.  This will cut down on no-shows.  I suggest 50%. If your event is posted to the Joy Troupe calendar, we will collect the deposits and forward them to you at the time of your event.

The suggestions I’ve outlined above would offer value to both you and the JT members, and help you take the next step toward starting your own business.  For further reading and more ideas, I highly reccommend the books by Jeff Gitomer for anyone who is considering self-employment- they are easy and fun to read, and very insightful about marketing and sales.

To get started on your partnership with the Joy Troupe, be sure to contact us.

To expand a bit upon our general call for volunteers:

Please feel free to forward this post to other area groups and any contacts
you think might be interested.

The Joy Troupe is partnering with the MVUC to create a fun baby dance party
event (Rock and Roll Baby!) in February. We will get to boogie away the winter
Blahs in a safe, clean environment, share a love of music with our kids, and
have fun with other parents and kids, too!

There’s one teeny, tiny catch: We need volunteers and sponsors to make
this event happen!

We plan to create a fully-featured event that allows some of our area
family-friendly businesses to promote themselves by sponsoring activities at
this event. If you (or someone you know) would like to be a part of this event,
please have them contact me to work out the details. Our primary target is
families with children ages 0-5, but we hope to attract families with older sibs
up to age 7, too.

So far we have lined up sponsors for:

• Story Reading (Usborne Books)
• Muscal Play Area (Music Together)

Other, similar events have had sponsors provide:

• Bounce House (might not work since it’s February)
• On site photography (a photographer could take pix during the event, upload
• them, and have a digital viewing station in the lobby where they could take
• orders)
• DJ*
• Bubble machine*
• Food & Beverages- some combination of “included” and “for sale”*
• “Discovery” educational learning area sponsored by a toy company

*These are high priority items for us! If you know someone who may be interested, please pass this info along to them.

We’re open to ideas, so if you have a child-focused business and an
activity you’d like to sponsor, please speak up! We’ll also need
volunteers for setup, cleanup, ticket taking, etc. Volunteers and sponsors will
be eligible for discounted tickets, and sponsors will be mentioned in our PR
materials.

If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please visit http://www.rockandroll.joytroupe.com for more information.

Learn more about the MVUC.
www.joytroupe.com

Proceeds from the ticket sales will benefit the MVUC Natural Playground Project.

I’ll make one for you in exchange for a link back from your group! I’ll provide code not only for the banner, but for a copy/paste box like the one in the post below. Email me at joytroupe @ gmail.com when you’ve posted mine, and I’ll send you yours! (Please post my linkback on a top page, not on a page of links. Be sure to include the URL when you email me. Thanks.)

I can use your image or make one for you. Max size is 25×200px for created images. If I’m using your image, please send a photobucket link, not a copy of the image itself.

This is my linkback banner and is 25×200px.

My linkback code is here. Select the right code for your type of site.

Copy and paste this to your Yahoo Group intro page or website:

BBCode for Meetup.com and other non HTML sites:

Image linkback doesn’t work for your site? No sweat. Sample of text only link:
Joy Makin Mamas: www.joytroupe.com

Text Only Link Code:

PS- Bigtent Group organizers. Create your own signup widget to distribute to your members like the one shown at left by visiting www.widgetbox.com. It’s easy! Just copy your BT widget code to a custom HTML widget.

Get your own Joy Troupe Email Banner for Yahoo, Hotmail or Microsoft Outlook email. To see this at the bottom of your email:

Copy and paste this to your email sig file:
<font size="8" color="#ffffff">Got kids? Get out and get friends: www.joytroupe.com</font><br /><a href="http://www.joytroupe.com"><img src="http://www.alexandriaplaygroup.com/emailbanner.gif" alt="Got kids? Get out and get friends: www.joytroupe.com" align="center" /></a><br />

Want a smaller one? To display this:
Got kids? Get out and get friends: www.joytroupe.com
Use this: