Dixie is like no Tupperware lady I remember! Dixie Longate, the fast-talking Tupperware Lady, packed up her plastic, left her kids in an Alabama trailer park, and took to the stage by storm. Dixie's making a living traveling the country, throwing good old fashioned Tupperware parties filled with outrageous tales, heartfelt stories, giveaways, and the most fabulous assortment of Tupperware ever sold on a theater stage. Dixie will try to sell you her bowls Nov. 13-15, at the Bushnell in Hartford. Tickets are $32. May contain adult subject matter; appropriate for ages 16 and older. For information call 860-987-5900 or visit online.

Put on your explorer’s hat and head to New England’s “Last Green Valley” for the 19th annual “Walktober ’09,” a series of 106 events, walks, and excursions. The daily programs throughout October provide enticing ways to learn about history and nature in the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor stretching from northeastern Connecticut into south-central Massachusetts. Under the auspices of The Last Green Valley, Inc., there’s something for all ages and abilities, among them birding walks, forest hikes, river sightseeing, children’s programs, and talks at historic sites in and around 35 towns. Visit TLGV.org for full brochure or call 866-363-7226.

Megabus, which guarantees at least one $1 seat per bus trip, says that it will free up an additional 50,000 $1 seats for travel Sept. 14 to Nov. 19.

What does that mean to you?

Amanda Mullin, a company spokeswoman, said in an e-mail that "the added seats will make it so there is upwards of 10 $1 seats per bus.'' To improve your chances of getting a $1 seat you'll need to use the promo code HOTDEAL when booking your trip online.

Megabus currently provides service between Boston and Hartford and New York City. On the run to New York, Mega faces heavy competition from Boltbus and the so-called Chinatown lines, Fung Wah and Lucky Star.

Currently, Megabus fares to New York run from $1 to $18 and from $1 to $14 to Hartford.

The company announced in May that it was rolling out double-decker buses on the Boston-New York route. Besides offering 25 more seats than a regular buses, the double-deckers offer amenities such as free WiFi, electric outlets, and TVs.

Photo by Jennifer Taylor for The Boston Globe

Before even getting off the ground, JetAmerica, which promised fares as low as $9, said that is suspending operations and plans to refund passengers who have bought tickets.

This is the explanation offered on the company website by CEO John Weikle, who was the founder of now-defunct discount airline Skybus:

"We are reluctantly suspending our public charter operations effective today," said John Weikle, CEO, who has been with the company since April. "Finalizing the slots required to support our charter program at Newark has taken longer than expected and we have decided to suspend our operations in order to refocus on different markets. We still strongly believe that there is an unmet need for affordable air service to secondary markets and we look forward to offering this option again in the near future.

JetAmerica, which had delayed its launch to Aug. 14, planned to initially serve five other cities beside Newark: Toledo, Ohio, Lansing, Mich., South Bend, Ind., Melbourne, Fla., and Minneapolis.

I wrote in May that JetAmerica officials had suggested that they wanted eventually to go to Hartford and that folks at the Portsmouth International Airport were in talks to bring the carrier there.

JetAmerica's business plan mirrored that of Skybus, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in April of last year after a 10-month run. It called for discounted seats, flights out of lower-cost secondary cities, and abundant fees for a variety of extras.

There's more to Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods than gambling and their star-studded calendar for summer is a reminder of that. Coming to Mashantucket, Conn., are:

-- Keyshia Cole (June 5) with special guest Keri Hilson
-- Gladys Knight (June 6)
-- Crosby, Stills & Nash (June 13)
-- Comedienne Kathy Griffin (June 26)
-- Smokey Robinson (July 10)
-- Sting (July 19)
-- Tom Jones (July 24)
-- John Legend (Aug. 18) with special guest India Arie
-- The Steve Miller Band (Aug. 22)
-- Donna Summer (Aug. 28)

Other highlights include Cirque Illumination, a fantastical journey of the imagination, (July-September in the MGM Theater) and “Bodies: The Exhibition” (July-September on the Mezzanine level of the Grand Pequot Tower).

The Phantom Gourmet Summer Beach BBQ Party (June 19-21) will feature food from some of the world’s best barbecue teams, beer gardens, live music, and free mechanical bull and surf board rides.

And if gambling is your sole focus, there are 24 new table games in the Great Cedar Casino.

The complete entertainmnt schedule is available here.

A new carrier announced plans this week to launch service out of six US cities in the next few months. The start-up said that it would offer discount fares, beginning at $9 a seat, and keep prices down by flying out of secondary cities, with most of the profit expected to come from fees for a variety of extras (think checked bags, pillows, etc,) and food and merchandise sales.
Sound familiar? It should. The man behind JetAmerica, John Weikle, was the founder of Skybus -- they of the $10 seats and abundant fees -- which went under in April of last year. Weikle left Skybus in 2007.
JetAmerica says its initial cities will be Newark, N.J., Toledo, Ohio, Lansing, Mich., South Bend, Ind., Melbourne, Fla., and Minneapolis.
Even though JetAmerica, which technically is running as a charter with planes from Miami Air International, has yet to make a single flight, it already seems to have expansion plans, which could involve New England. Weikel told his hometown paper, The Charleson Gazette, that he hopes to add Charleston and seven other "focus cities'' in the next 18 months. And JetAmerica officials told The Toledo Blade that in the next couple of years the carrier may head to Hartford, Conn., Baltimore, and Chicago's Midway Airport.
The Portsmouth Herald has reported Pease Development Authority officials are in talks to bring JetAmerica to Portsmouth International Airport, which hasn't had any regular passenger service since Skybus filed for bankruptcy.
The folks in New Hampshire aren't the only ones in the region eyeing up JetAmerica. Officials at Burlington International in Vermont say they haven't had any talks with the start-up but are keeping tabs on the the carrier's progress.
The airport is looking to make sales pitches to a dozen carriers next week in an attempt to lure more routes in the wake of a decision by AirTran to scale back service there, according to the Burlington Free Press.
It's no surprise that as the bigger airlines are trimming schedules that smaller and medium-size airports, which are losing flights, should be scrambling to bring in more business.
While the JetAmerica launch has drawn significant interest from airports, it has also turned the spotlight on the project's major investor. The Columbus Dispatch has reported that Steven Schoen, chairman of Sun America, "left [Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport] on the hook for more than $50,000 from a previous airline venture and alienated the major area casinos that help subsidize air service to Gulfport.''
Schoen was an investor in Casino Airlink and Southeast Airlines, both of which flew to Gulfport, Miss. JetAmerica spokesman Bryan Glazer told the Dispatch:

Schoen "became a victim of the abrupt financial difficulties incurred by Southeast." He said Schoen's situation "is not unlike the financial problems of many Americans who have lost their life savings and retirement funds in the stock market and independent investments."

Expectant mothers deserve a treat. At Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., the Pregnant Pause package features a one-night stay, a 50-minute massage for the mother-to-be at the Elemis Spa, and gifts for mom and baby. The price begins at $189 per person.
Visit www.mohegansun.com or call 888-777-7922. Use code PTBAB when booking.

Posted by Richard P. Carpenter, Globe correspondent

You may not think of the Nutmeg State as wine country, but the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton would like to prove you wrong. In addition to a deluxe room, the Connecticut Wine Country Experience includes tastings and tours at the Jonathan Edwards Winery and Stonington Vineyards and a bottle of wine at each place; a wine-themed amenity; dinner for two at Octagon, a steak house, paired with Jonathan Edwards wines; a $100 Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa gift card; and a breakfast buffet for two. Prices start at $575, and the offer is valid through Dec. 12.
Visit www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/gonmm-mystic-marriott-hotel-and-spa or call 860-446-2600. Use promotional code CUE.

Who needs to go all the way to Florida to swim with the dolphins when you can meet and greet a beluga whale in Mystic, Conn.? The Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration is offering guests an opportunity to get in waist-deep water and participate in a 15-minute training session with a juvenile beluga whale. This came about because seven whales and four dolphins from Shedd Aquarium are staying in Mystic while their home in Chicago undergoes renovations. Participants will learn about the history and physiology of beluga whales, don waterproof waders, and hang out alongside Shedd's trainers, who closely monitor the animals' health. Training sessions will occur twice a day through April 20, with a limit of four people per session. Cost is $79 plus aquarium admission per person. Participants must be at least 5 feet tall and 16 years old. Call (860) 572-5955 ext. 520 for a reservation.

Photo courtesy of the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration

If you've got money to travel this summer, things are looking good.
Southwest has just launched an online summer fare sale with one-way fares as low as $49 between cities across the nation for travel through Aug. 14 and the move nearly immediately rippled through the industry on competing routes.
The Southwest sale is good through April 6, and a 14-day advance purchase is required. Travel on Fridays and Sundays is excluded, and there are blackout dates. Here is the fine print.
The discount carrier, which will launch service at Logan in fall, offers daily nonstop service to eight cities on 27 flights out of Manchester, N.H., and to nine on 31 flights out of Providence. It also offers connecting service to dozens of other destinations from both cities.
Some sample one-way sale fares: From either Manchester or Providence to Baltimore or Philly $49, to Orlando or Fort Lauderdale $79, Chicago $89, and Vegas $99.
Bloomberg News has now reported that American, Continental, and US Airways say they matched the reductions.
This is, I think, just the beginning. The airlines are still facing tremendous softness in business and many are planning further cuts in schedules, but it doesn't appear as if many of those will fully be in place till fall so expect to see competitive fares for this summer.

If you’re looking for just a wee bit more St. Patrick’s Day festivities, head to Mystic, Conn., this weekend.
The Dublin City Ramblers kick off the celebration Friday with an 8 p.m. concert. After more than 35 years, Ramblers founder Sean McGuinness is still going strong on vocals, banjo, and mandolin. The concert will take place at the Seamen’s Inne Restaurant & Pub at Mystic Seaport, 105 Greenmanville Ave. Tickets are $25.
Early Sunday morning people will start setting up their lawn chairs and blankets for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people line the mile-long route, which starts on Route 27, continues down Main Street, over the Mystic drawbridge, and ends at the Mystic Art Center.
Just after noon, the Providence-based band Fishing With Finnegan plays a set at the review stand at the corner of West Main and Water streets. The parade starts at 1 p.m., with 1,200 marchers, including high school marching bands, bagpipe and drum bands, fife and drum bands, and Irish step dancers.
The parade lasts about 90 minutes, but the party goes on. Many of the bands keep playing on the streets and in restaurants near the end of the parade route. If you’ve never seen a hundred bagpipes playing in unison, here’s your chance.
For more information on the concert or parade, go to www.mysticirishparade.org or call 860-608-4883.

Posted by Kathy Shorr, Globe correspondent

Winvian, an upscale resort in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, is featuring a Puddle Jumper package through April 30, which includes accommodations for two in a cozy cottage, all meals and snacks, all open bars (excluding wines) and an in-cottage wet bar; one spa treatment per person, a Winvian umbrella; and two tickets to a show at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. Rates per couple for a two-night minimum stay are from $2,200 midweek (a Sunday-Wednesday arrival) and $2,700 weekends (Thursday-Saturday).
Visit the website or call 860-567-9600.

Posted by Richard P. Carpenter, Globe correspondent

Come ready to dance and belt out ‘‘Chim Chim Cher-ee,’’ ‘‘A Spoonful of Sugar,’’ and ‘‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’’ Saturday at Garde Arts Center’s ‘‘Sing-Along Mary Poppins.’’
The New London, Conn., event will feature a viewing of a restored 35mm film Dolby Stereo print copy of the 1964 classic, film, 1964 film, customized with on-screen lyrics. Visitors will not only be encouraged to croon, but they also will get a free complimentary bag of ‘‘props’’ so they can act out their favorite parts.
There are shows planned for 3 p.m. show (tickets $10) and 7 p.m. ($12). Let the creativity loose one hour before the afternoon show, and join the many free, family-friendly activities offered to ticket holders.
Patrons are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite character from the film. Dig out the long, coat and flowered hat to play the practically perfect Mary Poppins, dab a bit of charcoal on the face to portray the charismatic chimney sweep Bert, or fasten your belt too tight as the stuffy Mr. Banks.
Posted by Kimberly Sherman, Globe Correspondent

Head on down to the Haight-Brown Vineyard [HBV] in Litchfield, Conn., this weekend for an everything-you-can-think-of-French celebration of wine, food, music and culture.
A Beaujolais style wine is the closest to a white wine that a red can get...which yes, makes Beaujolais a light bodied, easy-to-drink red. This Saturday and Sunday, at 1,2 or 3 p.m., HBV welcomes visitors into their wine cellar to learn about their 2009 Beaujolais debut. With the lesson fini, you can head upstairs to the winery to taste other HBV wines, French foods, bask in the French music, and have a glass of the new Beaujolais named, Nouveau Foch. Limited release HBV wine glass, hot cocoa and hot cider included in $20 admission cost. Call to reserve your preferred cellar tour and tasting time. Take a look online for directions and information.

In yet one more reflection of the soft leisure travel market (read good for those who can afford to travel), Alamo Rent A Car has announced a new airport promotion offering $10-per-day rates Thursday through Monday through Memorial Day weekend.
To take advantage of the deal and for all the details, customers should go to the website and click the $10 A Day Weekend Rentals button.
There is a four-day limit on rentals, which range from economy to premium-size cars. You can commence your rental as early as 9 a.m. on Thursdays and the terms of the discount require an overnight Saturday rental. Nonparticipating locations include, but are not limited to, Denver, Aspen, and the New York Metro area.

Having wished for some time that this country were in a different shape – that is, its political intelligence, its health insurance system, its educational structure, its leaders, its women, its Congress, its media (reading this with Fox News on in the background, eh?), its infrastructure, its nuclear waste sites, its polar bears and wolves (the four-legged kind, though now we all have to worry about the Wall Street species, too), oh, I could go on – here next to me is a book to inspire the perfect question for our so-called presidential debaters (so-called because in an actual authentic genuine real debate, you are expected to provide an actual authentic genuine real answer to the question) this week: How did the states get their shapes? And when both of them say, uhhh, well, uhhh, gee, that’s not on my playlist, they would be allowed to answer the variation: How have the states gotten into the shapes they are in: suffering from divisions along class lines, unemployment, ill health, mediocre education, alienation from the above-named anointed estates, but thrilled to see the band put the dot on O h i o on any given Saturday.

“How the States Got Their Shapes” by Mark Stein (Collins, 332 pp., illustrated, hardcover, $22.95) might be just the tranquilizer one needs when trying to comprehend US history, be it in the making or made already. Take Ohio. Imagine it before coal mines and marching bands.

My pal Sam loves to talk about how much money he's saved by buying a Honda Civic hybrid. So I plan to turn my boy onto Cost2Drive, a new webapp that estimates the fuel cost of any given trip. This is the way it works:

Say, you're planning a drive to P-town this weekend and you live in JP. You go to the site; enter your starting point and destination, the year of your car, along with make and model.
Cost2Drive uses your car's MPG, gleaned from the EPA. They then grab the average price of gas in your area from Oil Price Information Service, and bang it all up against and the distance, which comes via Google map technology, to "galculate" your cost.
After plugging my data into Cost2Drive I learn that getting to P-town in my 1999 Subaru Forester (stop laughing; it's a cool ride) will set me back $15.04; Sam, on the other hand, will only have to pony up $8.60.
Obviously, this calculation isn't high-level math so you could easily do it yourself. But if your car's EPA isn't tattooed to your forearm and if you aren't fully conversant in the current average price of a gallon of petrol in your hood and you want to know whether it makes the most financial sense to drive, take the train or just Fung Wah (or just be green and stay home), this app is worth a try. Besides it's fun.
Thanks to Riverwired for pointing us to this one.

In the race to see the colors, a lot of us have been heading up-country to the White and Green Mountains, but we noted two dramatic patches of foliage on a weekend trip to, of all places, Connecticut. The first is along the Massachusetts Turnpike, especially as it rises into the state’s central plateau just east of Worcester. The other is along Route 6 in Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner,” where the birches and beeches are adding their strident yellow hues to the sugar maples’ reds and oranges and the gum trees’ brownish reds. Both areas still far from peak (maybe 25 percent), but it certainly looks like a colorful year is in store.

It’s never too early to plan for next year, especially if a tour of the Philip Johnson Glass House in Connecticut is on your wish list. When the late architect’s iconic estate in New Canaan (opened in 200, the guided tours quickly sold out, a phenomenon that was repeated before the seasonal tours began this year.
For 2009 tours, May 1-Oct. 31, the National Trust for Historic Preservation property begins selling tickets Sept. 23 online or by phone at 866-811-4111. Prices are $30 (90-minute tour) and $45 (2-hour tour). Tour vans leave from the Glass House Visitor Cener at 199 Elm St. in downtown New Canaan.
At the rural property, a guide leads visitors to the stunning Glass House and 14 other Johnson-designed structures, among them an underground art gallery, a sculpture gallery modeled on a Mediterranean village, and a guest house. Before his death, the American modernism leader donated the 47-acre estate to the National Trust, so furnishings and art that belonged to him and his late life partner David Whitney are still in place.
Posted by Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

Southwest says that it will trim three flights each at Manchester Boston in New Hampshire, Bradley International outside Hartford, and two at T.F. Green near Providence.
The carrier says the cuts are part of a plan to trim its schedule by 190 flights, or 6 percent of its 3,400 daily total, starting Jan. 11.
Southwest slowed growth this year to 4 percent because of record fuel prices and a softening economy, but it has been able to remain profitable because it had locked in fuel-purchase contracts far in advance.
At Manchester, Southwest will cut one of ten daily flights to Baltimore and one of four to both Chicago and Orlando, according to Whitney Eichinger, a company spokeswoman. Bradley will lose one of eight to Baltimore, one of three to Chicago, and one of two to Tampa. Providence loses one of four to Chicago and one of six to Orlando.
Eichinger points out air traffic tends to slow in the winter months and that some of the cuts may be restored in spring.

Just saying the word makes my teeth hurt. And ‘‘nocation’’ or the ridiculous ‘‘holistay’’ are no better. But my family and I took the staycation challenge last week and lived. We covered a fair amount of ground: camping at Nickerson State Park and a beach day in Brewster, an afternoon swimming at a local pond, two cookouts with family and friends in Rhode Island, a trip to the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration in Connecticut, and a movie and dinner out in Cambridge. We were in no rush. In between we had time to play board games, ride bikes, read, relax, and recharge.

In the road trip department, here’s an interesting challenge: Drive your family cross-country on $250 a day. At first blush that seems easy, but when you factor in a hotel stay, gas, and food, it adds up fast. And what to do on the cheap to keep the kids entertained? Travel blogger Amy Graff from On the Go with Amy traveled from Santa Monica, Calif., to Chicago did it and stayed (barely) below her budget of $3,750 over 15 days. (Her trip was sponsored by Best Western, for whom she blogs, which I’m sure didn’t exactly hurt.) Her tips for a budget road trip? Drive a fuel-efficient car, carry refillable water bottles, avoid big-name destinations (sorry kids, no Grand Canyon or Disneyland), split entrees, and opt for cheap souvenirs. (It helps if your child likes to collect rocks.)

And it doesn’t hurt to have a sense of humor. Bon voyage.

It makes my head hurt. As if keeping the shifting terms for frequent-flier programs straight wasn't hard enough already (how many miles do I now need and when do they turn into pumpkins?).
Delta plans to become the first major carrier to revamp from a two-tier plan to a three-tier, and the whole thing will go into effect in early September.
I'll let Micheline Maynard of The New York Times explain it:
"Previously, Delta offered frequent-flier tickets for domestic coach travel at either 25,000 or 50,000 miles. Under the new system, travelers will need 25,000, 40,000 or 60,000 miles, depending on when they book their ticket, and where they are traveling.
"Delta reinstated a feature called 'last seat,' which allows a frequent flier to book any remaining seat on a plane, whether or not it is designated for a member of its mileage program.
"These seats require 60,000 miles for domestic coach travel, and 100,000 miles in first class, the airline said. Delta first offered the feature in the early 1990s, but discontinued it in December.''
So the bottom line would seem to be that you likely will have to pony up more miles to get a seat. To being with, seats at the upper end have gone up from 50,000 miles to 60,000 and at the lower end you have to ask yourself: How many 25,000-mile seats will there really be? And how hard will it be to get one? If they are tough to snag, then for many the range will be more like 40,000-60,000 instead of 25,000-50,000.
To make us feel better Delta says for a premium price it'll now let you redeem miles for any available seat instead of limiting it to those designated for the program. Big deal. That's the way it was until December anyway.
For those interested in the terms of the international program, we return to Ms. Maynard:

It wasn't all that long ago that it seemed as if fare and fee hikes were raining down daily. And then it stopped. But it looks like it could be starting up again.
On Tuesday, Delta doubled fees for a second checked bag to $50. A big deal, yes, but for consumers not huge since the first is still free.
Today, airfare guru Rick Seaney, who has access to fare databases, is reporting on his website that Wednesday night Northwest jacked up domestic round-trip prices by $80 on more than 4,000 city pairs, less than two-thirds of its route system. This is apparently the first time Northwest has initiated an airfare hike this year.
Bloomberg News is quote Seaney as saying many of the affected routes are to and from Detroit, one of Northwest's three domestic hubs and that "hardly any'' are for flights its Minneapolis and Memphis hubs.
But the big question is: Will there be more?
It's tough to say. Seaney says part of the reason we haven't had any for a while is due to the fact that oil prices have fallen back below $130 a barrel. But a good part of the reason may be that the airlines feared customers might've been reaching a tipping point. Or as Gary Kelly, Southwest chief executive, put it last week: "We have some evidence … in the industry with our competitors where they feel like they’ve pushed fares too fast.''
So we'll see what happens next.

East Lyme, Ct. gives you three good reasons to spend your long holiday weekend within its town lines. First and second, is the Niantic Lions Club 30th Annual Lobsterfest and Chicken BBQ which is held in the same location as the 48th Annual Niantic Outdoor Arts & Crafts show. Anyone cooking lobsters in mass quantities for nearly 3 decades is surely to have it down pat, and if you couple that with over 100 artists and crafters spread over vast green lawns, you've got the makings for a wonderful summer tradition. Both events will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6, on the East Lyme Town Hall grounds.

Those same days, not far from all the lobster and art, the East Lyme Historical Society will host their Annual Flea Market, Crafts and Collectibles Sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Thomas Lee House on West Main in Niantic. These kinds of markets where donations are collected randomly, sometimes provide the most rich shopping experiences. And all of the above benefits some of Niantic's best charitable organizations.

Vincent's here! Vincent van Gogh that is. The Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Conn., is hosting the painter's iconic "The Starry Night" and "Cypresses" from June 14- Sept. 7. The gallery says this is the first time these masterpieces have traveled to New England. Completed in 1889 during his yearlong confinement at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, in southern France, these two paintings are the epitome of van Gogh's work at the height of his creativity. The exhibit, called "Van Gogh's Cypresses and The Starry Night: Visions of Saint-Rémy," is free, but reservations (check the website) for timed tickets are required.