Tag Archives: Mity Nice

Events, Kerrytown news

Second Sunday: Books are Beautiful

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Anyone who knows Vickie knows she adores books and reading. She considered becoming a librarian (and chose another wordsmith occupation – journalist / freelance writer – instead). And she started the Mity Nice Stories on the Steps near our cart, and hopes to continue it for a long time.

So our next Second Sunday event, held in conjunction with the Kerrytown Book Festival, is special, even though it also is considerably smaller than our recent Fairies & Fairy Door Festival or Mity Nice Street Fair.

We are celebrating books, especially books for children and books about fairies and friendship, at the Books are Beautiful Second Sunday.  (We have a couple of new books that we think you’ll really love!) We will read and share our favorite titles – and create a book-related craft project or two, including a custom bookmark.

Then we’ll encourage you to spend time at the wonderful activities in the Book Festival. (We’re supporting the festival by giving all its volunteers a Mity Nice Italian ice sometime in the afternoon.)

What: Children’s arts and crafts table, poet’s corner and story time

When: Sunday, Sept. 9, 12 – 3 p.m.

Where: At the Mity Nice cart, on the sidewalk at 303 Detroit Street

Who: Mity Nice staffers and you

Why: Because we love books and poetry — and celebrating with friends!

How:  Get ready by re-reading your favorite books – we’ll be asking you about them! Then invite along a friend to this lovely afternoon.

What else: At the Kerytown Book Festival make a book with our friends from FLY Art Center, who created the moustaches and wands during our Fairy Festival. There’s also a 3 p.m. session for kids called “Stories about Stories” with a local librarian.

 

Events, Mity Nice news

Our new fairy door

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Shhhhhhh.

Today, we’re giving you sneak peak at our second fairy door, which was created for us by Master Tinkerer Bob Simmons, of Fairy Hill Woodworksin Ann Arbor. (He’s at the Sunday Artisan Market, one of a handful of vendors with fairy items for children and adults and fairies to take home).

Ours is one of only a tiny number of mobile fairy doors in Michigan. Here’s what it looks like:

The second Mity Nice fairy door, made in Ann Arbor

Our first fairy door, installed last summer, is on hiatus for a while, so we’re excited to have a new one to share with children and adults who visit our cart. (Hint: It’s on the white cart, the one that holds our sink and your lemonade.)

We also  are creating a map of fairy doors in Kerrytown, which will be available Sunday at the Mity Nice Fairies & Fairy Door Festival. We believe we’re one of only three doors that are in or adjacent to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

Of course, this weekend, more than a dozen artisans will unveil their own fairy doors during our festival too, which is another reason to visit on Sunday.

For those who don’t know, fairy doors can only be opened by fairies or their cousins, pixies and brownies. Humans are not able to pry them open, even for a minute. Instead, you may want to leave a penny, a charm or another gift to stay in the fairies good graces, and to encourage them to show up.

Our fairy friends already have been selling Mity Nice Fairy Ice for more than a year in Ann Arbor.  This door gives them a mobile shop,  a place to come and savor the sweetness and joy of a Michigan-made treat.  They, like so many, are fans of both the Italian ice and the kindness and whimsey, joy and charitable support we dish up regularly.

 

 

Events, Mity Nice news

Fairy games, crafts and fun coming Aug. 12

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Fairy Photo

If you’ve never seen a fairy in Ann Arbor, perhaps it’s time you started hanging out at the Mity Nice cart. They like to stop by around dusk, and play a few games and pick up an itty bitty Italian ice to take home to their brothers and sisters.

Or better yet, come by on Sunday, Aug. 12 for the Fairies & Fairy Door Festival, when fairies and humans will mix and mingle and enjoy an afternoon of fun and games, arts and crafts.

We have some surprised planned, so we can’t tell you everything. But here’s some highlights of our fairy and pirate event:

  • The folks at FLY Art Center will provide some wonderful craft activities. Fairy fans will be able to make a wand and a tiara and pirates and their pals can create their own villainous mustache and a hook from tin foil and a cup.  (They also are our non-profit partner, so a percent of all Italian ice and food sales from Mity Nice will go directly to this great group.)
  • Children and adults are encouraged to dress up as fairies or pirates, and join the costume contest at 1:30 p.m.  (No sharp swords please.)

    Fairy Photo

  • The folks from BrickBash, the cool Lego-building festival, are bringing out some of their favorites to share with our guests.
  • A face painter will be available to give you a flower or some fairy dust or perhaps a patch over your eye or a terrifying scar, if you’re a pirate. Thanks to the kind support of LilyGrace, the luxury cosmetics boutique on Main Street, we will offer free face painting for most of the event.
  • We will offer an array of fairy games and dances – some of them will be magical. (Yes, you can play even if you have no wings or magical powers.)
  • Hear stories of fairies and fairy adventures, listen to fairy tales in some storytimes on the steps.
  • See some new fairy doors that are popping up, both at the Mity Nice cart and throughout the Artisan Market.
  • Try some treats made by local fairies and their cousins, the sprites and brownies.
  • Buy some amazing fairy items – including some locally made fairy doors and wands and some postcards, crowns and books from the Mity Nice Fairie Shop.  We appreciate Nicola’s Books for handing over most of the fairy books that will available.
The event starts at 11 a.m., though mosf the children’s activities and crafts will commence at noon, at the Sunday Artisan Market in Kerrytown, and at the Mity Nice cart. If you flit by early enough, though, creep by and spy on the fairy circle just a little after dawn at Wheeler Park.
This event is organized by Mity Nice and Integrity Shows in partnership with the Fairy Council #3 and the Sunday Artisan Market.
Thanks to our sponsors LilyGrace Cosmetics and Tea Haus of Ann Arbor for their support.
Copyright Mity Nice LLC

 

Mity Nice news, Photos

Almost a circus at the Mity Nice Street Fair

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We’re sharing some photos of the fun we had Sunday at the Mity Nice Street Fair:

And we want to give thanks to Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Tea Haus of Ann Arbor and Found Gallery for their support of this event, and to the food carts, the performers and everyone who came to play and juggle with us. It was Mity Mity Nice!

Events, Mity Nice news, Photos

What a parade! What a lot of free ice!

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This is our third year in the Jaycees 4th of July Parade in Ann Arbor, and our second year to give away free Italian ice to everyone in it.

This year, we promoted the Mity Nice Street Fair — this Sunday – throughout the parade.

The parade loops around downtown, and it ends on Thompson Street, where Mity Nice surprises and delights everyone with a free little Italian ice in red, white or blue. (Flavors: raspberry, lemon or Go Blue!)  We pre-scoop much of this and serve it in pizza boxes so we can hand it to the groups going by.

Such smiles and delight on their tired hot faces when they see us!

We gave away 863 portions of Italian ice, with Mark scooping as fast as he could and our juggler friend, Dave, helping to pass out the pizza trays full of icy vegan sweetness.

Here’s a few photos from the start of the parade, as Shelley, Mark and Dannie, our brown mascot, were waiting to walk a mile amid politicians, pre-schools and prancing twirlers.