Week of 2/3 – 2/9

Wasabi Celebrates Setsubun!

As spring draws near, a festival called Setsubun is celebrated in Wasabi to bring in good luck for the new year.  On 2/3, Mayor Neko wore a blue ogre mask and all of the villagers gleefully threw soybeans at her to symbolize purifying the town.  Fortune beans were on sale at the Nook-N-Go in the strip mall leading up to the event.  Rumors report that the townies were very happy to participate; it is said that good luck and health come to those who throw beans during Setsubun.

PUBLIC HEALTH NOTICE – WENDY’S DINER CLOSED

 As Mayor Neko was doing a health inspection at Wendy’s Diner on 2/4, it was apparent that the restaurant’s owner and head chef Wendy had fallen very ill.  She was caught sneezing under the sneeze guards of her food cases, and Mayor Neko decided that the establishment should be shut down temporarily.  For several days Wendy was sick, and occasionally Mayor Neko was seen hand delivering special medicine to aid in her recovery.  It may be worth noting that Wendy was not seen participating in Setsubun.

GRAND OPENING OF SHAMPOODLE’S

Wasabi is about to become a lot more stylish!  As of 2/3, a new salon has opened in the Wasabi Strip Mall.  For a small fee of ฿3,000, anyone can have their hair styled by professional stylist Harriet.  Her technique is one of a kind, involving a personality quiz and a giant hair-cutting contraption, and her hair dye is second to none.  Even the boldest shades won’t fade!

NOOKMART NOW OPEN

After a quick construction, the Nook sons store has re-opened as Nookmart.  This new upgraded shopping experience has a supermarket aesthetic, including shopping carts, aisles and a larger store inventory!  Two fortune cookies are now available per day, and the catalog machine has been moved to a convenient location near the entrance.

Community Project Completed:

The Dream House

The latest Community Project was completed on 2/7.  The price was pretty high but worth it to bring this very therapeutic Dream House to the Mall.  An Aardvark named ゆめみ (Yumemi) runs the high-class establishment.  She is a highly skilled hypnotherapist, and can send her customers off to sleep in less than a minute.  Patrons of the Dream House report that their dreams are extremely vivid, and Mayor Neko told the Wasabi News that, “I met a Walrus named Wendell several times in my dreams at the Dream House, and he always gave me a pattern during my dream… and I noticed I still had the pattern saved even after I woke up!”

Mayor Neko Wins Fishing Tournament

After her embarrassing loss last month, Mayor Neko vowed to win first place in the February Fishing Tournament.  “I am NOT going to stop until I get gold!” she was heard saying to Ri-Rii on the beach on 2/9.  Mayor Neko started early, just after 10 AM.  The Fishing Master proclaimed that this tournament was for any fish – biggest fish wins!  Mayor Neko was seen fishing at the river first, then moved down to the beach, catching a 102 cm Sea Bass.  Later in the afternoon, Wendy submitted a 108 cm Sea Bass to compete for first place.  Not long after that, Mayor Neko reportedly boarded onto a boat to the Resort Island, where locals say she caught several extra large fish, including a Napoleonfish and a Great White Shark.  While those fish were not entered into the Tournament, Mayor Neko did submit a Ray that measured 119.9 cm which ultimately took first place.  Elated, Mayor Neko accepted her gold trophy graciously.  Nobody has questioned the Mayor’s decision to import fish from the Resort Island, and the Fishing Master confirmed that there is nothing in the rule book forbidding the option of fishing in that location.

STALK MARKET FALLS FOR SECOND WEEK

In fiscal news, the Stalk Market has been a Bear Market for the second week in a row.  With prices dropping as low as ฿47 per turnip, investors are getting very nervous and losing their faith.  Smart financiers have taken to Twitter and Facebook to compare prices from village to village, and Mayors Neko and Yumi have teamed up (with the addition of Jisune Village under the supervision of Mayor Yumi) and are reporting the prices in their Stalk Markets.  With a strike of luck on Saturday, 2/9, Kasen Village had an afternoon turnip price of ฿116.  Mayor Neko had bought this week’s turnips at ฿108 each, so she was happy to make any profit she could get, after the terrible week Wasabi endured.

Side Note:  While selling turnips in Kasen Village on 2/9, Mayor Neko was allowed to attend the Kasen Village Fishing Tournament Awards Ceremony.  She cheered on Mayor Yumi as she too received a gold fish trophy.  The rare photo-op was deemed extra adorable by the fact that both Mayors were wearing the seasonal Festivale dress, feather headdress, and had their hair dyed light green.  As they say, great minds think alike…

NEW ART AT WASABI MUSEUM

After another visit from Crazy Redd, the traveling art dealer, Mayor Neko is proud to announce that she has donated another legitimate piece of artwork to the Wasabi Museum.  This new acquisition is a gold statue of a Hawaiian king.  “I knew it was real because the statue’s hand was facing up,” Mayor Neko told the Wasabi News on 2/7.  “I had posted photos before of the fake version of this statue, and was told that it was fake because the hand was facing down.  When I saw this statue, I knew it had to be real!”  The new addition is on display in the Art Wing of the Wasabi Museum.  Blathers would like the News to remind all readers that the Museum is open to any and all donations!

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

• 2/11/13 – Festivale
  • Time:  6AM to 6PM
  • Special Guest:  Pavé
  • Mayor Neko has issued a formal complaint to Shizue that it is unfair for this holiday to occur on a Monday during regular business hours.  She regrets to inform her Wasabi neighbors that her time to participate in this holiday may be limited, due to the important office work that she has to do during the festival hours.
• 2/14/13 – Valentine’s Day
  • Send letters to your “special someone” leading up to this holiday!
  • If you have a secret admirer, they might give you a special chocolate cake to show you how they feel!
• 3/3/13 – Girl’s Day (?)
  • Shizue gives out special puppet doll display furniture
  • Dainty treats for sale!