It’s National Strawberry Month!
 
The berries are ripe and May is a great time to go strawberry picking at farms around the area. Savor the berries, but making Biscuit Blossoms, a fun take on strawberry shortcake. The recipe fromes from Snacktivities: 50 Edible Activities for Parents and Children by MaryAnn F. Kohl.
 
Ingredients:
Spinach leaves
Refrigerator biscuits (or your favorite biscuit recipe)
1 pint fresh strawberries, tops removed and berries sliced

Wash the spinach leaves under water and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
Open the package of biscuits and separate from the roll. Snip tiny cuts around the edge of each biscuit to form flower petals.
Place the biscuit blossoms about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Us a finger to press a dent in the center of each; arrange strawberry slices in dent.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until biscuits are light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.
Arrange on serving tray with spinach leaves.
 Serves 4-6.
 
 
Fill out your family
Is fostering a child in need right for you? What about adopting a child from the foster care system? “Foster Care and Adoption: Is It for Me?,” a program about foster care and adoption, will begin at 6:30 p.m. May 18 at the Tuckahoe Area Library, 1901 Starling Dr..
Representatives from Children’s Home Society of Virginia and the Foster Care Division of the Henrico County Department of Social Services will be on hand to present information and answer questions.
Registration is not required; the event is free. For details, call Pat Muller with the County of Henrico Public Library at 652-3227.
 
The art of the six-string
Several Henrico County schools, in conjunction with Sam Ash Music Store, held a Visual Arts Guitar Auction last month.
Eighteen guitars were decorated by teachers and students. Themes ranged from wildlife designs to portraits of famous artists.
All proceeds from the silent auction benefited students in Henrico schools.  The guitars were displayed at libraries and other locations throughout the area.

King of the seas
Paul DiPasquale’s imposing sculpture of Neptune has delighted visitors to Virginia Beach in recent years. Now, Richmonders have a scaled-down version of the work much closer to home.
DiPasquale recently donated on permanent loan a bronze model of Neptune to the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen.  
Neptune sits near the front entrance of the building in the crepe myrtle garden. This version is 9 feet tall and weighs in at 900 pounds. By contrast, the full-size version on the Virginia Beach boardwalk measures 34 feet high and weighs 12 and a half tons. DePasquale completed the smaller model in 2004 to help plan proportions for the full-scale version.
The base for the statue was donated by the Charles Luck Stone Center.
Should a patron wish to purchase the sculpture, proceeds will be donated to the Cultural Arts Center.

Most beautiful
For the 20th consecutive year, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg has been named Most Beautiful Amusement Park by the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA).
Walt Disney World came in second.
NAPHA was founded in 1978 to preserve and document the heritage of the amusement park industry.
 

Author, author

Ever wanted to write a children’s book? In some cases, that’s the easy part; getting it widely distributed is the toughie.
But winners of the Cheerios New Author contest are guaranteed printing by Simon & Schuster Books and a 2.2 million distribution. The caveat: the book comes inside a box of cereal.
This year’s winner was Lori Degman of Vernon Hills, Ill., for her story “1 Zany Zoo.”
Want to take your chances? Entries will be accepted though July 15. They can be written in English or in Spanish. For details, visit www.spoonfulofstoriescontest.com.

Virginia is for families

Love is at the heart of every Virginia vacation, says Virginia Tourism Corp. president and CEO Alisa Bailey. “The best way to learn about love is to go on vacation with your parents.”
And so, Virginia has kicked off its latest promotion to make the state an attractive destination for families. Tourism is one of Virginia’s most powerful industries, generating $19.2 billion each year, supporting 210,000 jobs and providing $1.28 billion in state and local taxes.
Through Aug. 3, families can enter to win one of four all-expenses-paid vacations. Each features a different theme and regional focus. A random sampling of kids at the Science Museum of Virginia said their favorite place in the state ranges from Kings Dominion to Great Wolf Lodge to Colonial Williamsburg, included in one of the prize packages.
To enter the contest, visit www.Virginia.org/family. And tell your friends; word of mouth is an important way to attract more visitors, say tourism officials.