• Mika Belle

Just out of earshot of the Treefort Music Fest, another event took Boise by storm Sunday, March 25.

The monthly Boise Urban Market opened its doors to a frenzy of activity, which quickly left vendors and attendees dumbfounded and dazed.

"Most of the food vendors sold out within an hour and a half," said Adriana White, owner and creator of Begin Vegan. "People seemed very excited; they just jumped in and wanted what we were selling."

BUM is a bi-monthly event hosted at rotating locations by a group of food enthusiasts that offers "homemade products made with loving and thoughtful hands," according to the website. Food items include a variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free choices, but the vendors often change, which makes each market unique.

Some things are winter essentials—warm coats, defrosting your car in the morning and cursing the cold. Ice skating fits in that category as well—just think of all the postcards, movie scenes and paintings of earmuff-clad people sliding around an ice rink.

If you'd like to partake in this classic winter activity, but don't want to break the bank, head to Idaho IceWorld today at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesdays are Family Nights at the rink, and that means skating only costs $5, which includes the rental of those awesome shoes with blades on the bottom. Bring the little ones, grandparents, third cousins, neighbors—whoever—have some fun, get a bit of a workout and imagine you're gliding through Central Park.

OK, here's a harsh reality: Thanksgiving is one week away.

Here's a slightly harsher reality: Christmas and Hanukkah are roughly five weeks away.

If that thought just made you twitch at the prospect of finding gifts for all your family and friends, and the possibility of heading to the mall with 500,000 other people all fighting over the last black cashmere sweater that would be great for your mom, but at this point, you'll take whatever you can find so you don't show up with a popcicle stick birdhouse wrapped in old newspaper—don't worry, there is still time.

In fact, mark your calendars for Saturday, Dec. 3, and be ready to head to Canyon County for a couple of holiday gift markets stacked with unusual and handmade items.

First up, the Fair Trade Market and Holiday Gift Sale will fill the Evergreen Heights Mennonite Church in Caldwell (701 N. Indiana Ave.) from 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Dunia Marketplace and other fair trade vendors will offer a wide array of gift items from handmade ornaments to jewelry, to home decor to rugs and even food. Several nonprofit and local refugee groups will also be on hand with items for sale.

If you need even more reason to head to the west end of the valley, Flying M Coffeegarage in downtown Nampa will host its sixth annual Hip Holiday Craft Market Extravaganza, featuring the work of numerous area crafters and artists. This year, the event will also include a DIY Design Loft hosted by The White Pine and Brass Razoo, as well as a kids crafting area hosted by Puffy Mondaes.

The Hip Holiday Market will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and always offers the distinct advantage of easy access to caffeine.

If all these shopping opportunities have you curious about life in the good old 2C, be sure to check out tomorrow's edition of Boise Weekly, with our own primer to life in Canyon County. And if you're still stuck for gift ideas, watch for our annual BW Gift Guide inside the Wednesday, Nov. 23, edition of the paper.

• Talyn Brumley

Soda fountains are making a big comeback across the country. And Boise is no exception.

The Soda Works, a new shop located at 3017 W. State St., is chocked full of sodas in every color of the rainbow. It's a small space, but with a smiling face behind the cash register and neatly arranged shelves, it doesn't feel crowded. Soda flavors range from the mundane, like cola and root beer, to the exotic, like pineapple, grapefruit, raspberry and cucumber.

Gabrielle Krake, who founded The Soda Works with her husband, mother and aunt, said the store currently stocks 108 flavors and will likely get more, including sodas from other countries.

What says "thank you for serving our country" better than a shiny car? While no one is pulling an Oprah and giving away free cars, Metro Express Car Wash is giving away free car washes to veterans all day to mark Veterans Day.

Just mention that you're a veteran to the attendant at any of the three Treasure Valley Metro Express locations and claim your free car wash (the super-powered vacuums are always free). Where to you find such car-cleaning wonder? Head to the Boise location at 1300 Front St., the Meridian location at 3296 E. Pine St., or the Nampa location at 1701 Caldwell Blvd.

October just isn't complete without elevating your heart rate. But don't do it at the gym, you wuss. Scare the crap out of yourself instead.

You can watch scary movies, go see one of the spooky stage productions around Boise or drive out to The Haunted World north of Nampa.

The haunted house/corn maize is frighteningly good fun and it won't cost you much, especially if you're a BW card holder: you'll get 40 percent off the $18 admission. For all the deets on how that works, visit our promo page.

You can use the dough you save to buy a nerve-calming beverage after your trip through Haunted World's Skullvania, a hostel asylum gone wrong.

Know that bummed-out feeling when you go to slip those designer leggings (for which you sacrificed two weeks worth of lattes) on your little princess, only to discover that you can't even pull them past her knees because she outgrew them yesterday? You berate yourself because you knew better than to spend more on one item of clothing for her than you do on a whole outfit for yourself, but they were just so cute, you couldn't help yourself.

It's a fact that most parents want the best for their kids—and that includes clothes and toys—even if it means we deny ourselves the caffeinated life force we so desperately need.

Well, this is your lucky day. Go ahead and grab that cappuccino and make your way to St. Michael's at 518 N. Eighth St. for the Boise Kidsignments super sale. Dozens of consigners will have gently used clothes, coats, toys, book and anything your little ones could want or need for sale at bargain prices.

This huge, fancy event starts at 8 a.m. We recommend getting there early.

The name Boise Fry Company conjures images of deep-fat fried deliciousness made from Idaho’s most-notorious vegetable. While a trip to BFC delivers tasty varieties of fries (and notable burgers “on the side”), it also has a surprisingly awesome happy hour.

The City of Trees has a number of places that offer discount libations and snack foods during the late afternoon/early evening hours (which are, ahem, easy to locate with Boise Weekly’s Cocktail Compass application), and a burger/fry joint doesn't seem an obvious happy hour destination as, say, a bar. But BFC delivers—with two-for-one small baskets of fries (of any variety) and draft beers. And don’t expect the standard watery macro-brews: Currently, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Deschutes Jubelale and Highland Hollows Spoon Tongue make up the draft list. Two small baskets of fries purple and Red Lady—a Celebration and a Spoon Tongue satisfy snack and beer cravings for under $7 from 4-6 p.m., leaving wallets and guts a little fuller.

It’s no wonder that at 4:45 p.m. on a weekday afternoon, the smallish establishment on Broadway Avenue is packed. After a trip to the sauce bar, which contains unique dips like blackberry ketchup and marshmallow sauce, my friend swirls a purple fry into the sweet mustard sauce. He contemplates the pairing of flavors and selects his words wisely: “The incomprehensible amount of detail and variety dedicated to the sculpting of the American classic is a wonder to behold.”

Aside from delivering tasty late afternoon treats at delicious prices, BFC gives back to Boise and the environment. Displays on the napkin dispensers detail the ways that BFC is eco-friendly, and Think Boise First coupon books are available for purchase at the counter.

After polishing off the rest of his happy hour snack, my pal reflects on his first happy hour trip to BFC, saything that overall, BFC “is pretty bombass.”

Wait. A. Second. How is a vacation to the other side of the world going to save you any money? According to this weekend's Wall Street Journal, the best-performing currency against the U.S. dollar in 2010 is the tugrik, which is Mongolia's money unit. Thanks to its strong exports to China, Mongolia has seen its currency rise 16.7 percent against the dollar this year.

Unfortunately, most financial strategists in the country probably haven't even heard of the tugrik, much less traded it. That's why you pretty much have to go to Mongolia, find a bank and do the exchange transaction there in order to benefit from this financial situation. However, if a trip to Mongolia doesn't float your boat, how about Costa Rica or Thailand? The colon and the baht are the second- and third-best performers of 2010, both boasting gains in the double digits.