VOLUME 04 ISSUE 08 OCTOBER 2016
WHISKY. BEEF. ‘NUFF SAID.
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
I’D FOLLOW YOU ANYWHERE
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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OCTOBER 2016
OCTOBER 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
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WE WALKED UP THE STAIRS, AND AS I REACHED THE TOP, THAT UNEASY, TROUBLING FEELING DOUBLED. GHOST HUNTERS OF THE SOUTHERN TERRITORIES, P13
LETTER
FROM THE EDITOR
CONTRIBUTORS LET’S HEAR IT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
INSTAMONEY SOCIAL MEDIA MERCHANTS SHAKE UP THE SHOALS. . . . . . . . . . 6-7
IT’S FALL Y’ALL! October, finally. This is my absolute favorite time of the year. The weather is changing, the leaves are changing, apple and pumpkin spiced everything runneth over. For someone as self-deprecatingly basic as me (part of my charm, I think), it’s heaven. It’s also the month of Halloween, which is related to the feature of this month’s issue. Wesley Hopkins, bless him, decided to go ghost hunting with G.H.O.S.T., or Ghost Hunters of the Southern Territories, at the Sweetwater Mansion. I typically try to stay away from ghosts, apparitions, and spirits, but sometimes they just want to be heard or felt or seen. He definitely heard something in that mansion. If ghosts aren’t your thing, and food is, newcomer Marc Anderson explores the phenomena that is whiskey beef, a sort of underground, pop up food event happening in the Shoals. In his interview, he sits down with creators Josh Quick and John Cartwright, two Florence familiars, and all the mystery behind whiskey beef is unveiled. Continuing the innovation happening in the Shoals, Derrick Flynn talks with Milly Baine, owner of Southern Trash, and Lucas Wassner, owner of Dixie Garage, about how social media has influenced their businesses and brought a new feel to the Shoals. Traveling further South, Allie Sockwell helps you prepare for the Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Tuscaloosa, entering its forty-fifth year! She visits with the executive
GENE WILDER REMEMBERED WANT TO BE A DREAMER? BE ONE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
GHOST HUNTERS OF THE SOUTHERN TERRITORIES A LOOK INSIDE THE HUNT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
THE DREAM TEAM A TRULY MAGICAL SANDWICH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
PUMPKIN CARVING 101 SMASHING HITS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17
A FAIRE OF A DIFFERENT KIND ALABAMA RENAISSANCE FAIRE TURNS 30!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 director, Amy Echols, to talk about the festival along with a few presenting artists. I also reminisce on Gene Wilder and his accomplishments. I, of course, talk about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Young Frankenstein, Gilda Radner, and his Emmy award winning performance in his 2003 appearance in Will & Grace. All this and more for October! As always, if any of you want to see your name in print, head on over to SET’s website and sign up to contribute, or shoot me an email to editor@ getsetmag.com! I’m constantly looking for new voices. See ya next month!
BY ISAAC RAY NORRIS, EDITOR
SET is a publication by and for local young people dedicated to lifestyle, finance, technology and community. It is published by Listerhill Credit Union as
part of its ongoing mission to promote the credit union philosophy of cooperation and financial literacy. It is a platform for 15-20 somethings in the community and it is free.
CALENDAR WHAT’S GOING ON HERE? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21
ART-FALL, GET IT? KENTUCK FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS CELEBRATES 45 YEARS . . . . . 23
SPOTLIGHT SET READERS IN ACTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-27
THROWIN’ IT BACK SET REVISITS AN OLD FAVORITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29
FREESTYLE ONE FINAL THOUGHT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
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4 CONTRIBUTORS
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SET CONTRIBUTORS DERRICK FLYNN Madison, AL
ALLIE SOCKWELL
Lawrenceburg, TN
WESLEY HOPKINS Florence, AL
DUSTIN COAN
Ford City, AL
MARC ANDERSON Florence, AL
WILL COREY
Florence, AL
ABBY LEE HOOD
Lawrenceburg, TN
DANIEL PEREZ
Mons, Belgium
OCTOBER 2016
OCTOBER 2016
CONTRIBUTORS 5
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Nick Walton
Miracle Osborne
Member since 2015
Member since 2013
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6 MONEY
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Instagram has about 500 million monthly users.
Nike is still the most popular brand on instagram.
OCTOBER 2016
95 percent of adults follow a brand via social media.
INSTAMONEY
MILLY BAINE OF SOUTHERN TRASH
SOCIAL MEDIA MERCHANTS SHAKE UP THE SHOALS An unusual blend of nominal yet palpable value is sweeping throughout the streets of Florence in the form of social media commerce. The ability to purchase content from a brand through a physical store just isn’t enough for today’s fast-paced world. Companies that leave out options on the medium for the consumer to buy a product could cause severe damage to their business and also the relationship they currently have with their user base. Where does this leave those that are between the gray area of a small business and a trendsetter looking to make that next killer brand? They turn to social media to promote and
even sell their merchandise with all this heavy competition in the market. Meet Milly Baine, owner of Southern Trash located in Muscle Shoals. Her store sells a mix of wistful and retro-inspired apparel catered toward women living in the South, with occasional simple items for men. “I really loved thrift shopping and collecting all these clothes,” said Milly. “What I started out with was simply what I had. As I began to shop more I looked at other Instagram brands and benchmarked from there.” Since March of last year, Milly was one of the few business owners around the Shoals that started out by selling all of her products just
through Instagram and making a sizable profit from it. “I started an account on Instagram and then gave it a brand,” said Milly. “I went through a few options. At first it was just named Trash Vintage. Then I decided to give it a little more sarcasm, so I went with Southern Trash.” Being a full-time student at the University of North Alabama works hand in hand with her business. “Another thing that’s helped me is taking up photography that I do myself. With my photography on the side I can make some money from a shoot and reinvest it into the business,” said Milly. Selecting an online payment
service to use for logistics can be a hit or miss as well. Services like PayPal that keep track of customer invoices weren’t entirely as helpful for Milly as advertised. “PayPal was definitely a tool and a resource. But it wasn’t the best because someone would comment ‘sold’ and ended up never paying for it. An impulse buy.” Southern Trash’s market has greatly increased now that Milly has begun selling all of her content through an actual online store. For her, it’s a been a better outcome as opposed to strictly selling content from Instagram. “It’s a lot better now. There’s no canceling an order really. In the year that I’ve had my website
OCTOBER 2016
MONEY 7
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Bitcoin is a digital currency regulated by encryption tech.
Popular photo editing app, VSCOCAM, has been proven to drive consumers to shop their Instagram feeds.
Instagram Stories created a drop in Snapchat users.
HOLDIN’ IT DOWN, FAM. I’ve yet to have one canceled order,” said Milly. Milly currently has over ninethousand followers on Instagram and is currently closing in on tenthousand. “Building an Instagram following isn’t easy. But I’m stoked, really, because I’ve been working on it for so long.” Milly doesn’t just wish to stop at ten-thousand followers, either. “I want to get to around 50,000 followers by the end of next year. It really just works as hard as I work.” While Milly surely left an insightful impression on how the world of social media commerce works, I was still left to wonder where all these changes to shopping online left men like myself that were living in the Shoals area. Eventually I found a company located on East Mobile Street avidly named Dixie Garage. Dixie Garage is home to Muscle Shoals native and University of North Alabama alumnus Lucas Wassner. His store is full of a complex assortment of curated grooming and lifestyle products targeted toward to men. The store floor is planned well - and even brilliant to look at. What’s more is that the prices for his products
are very competitive in comparison to shopping either online or in-store at a high-end men’s boutique. “Whenever I get a new product in, the first thing I do is post it on Instagram. Especially if I know people have been waiting on that item to come in,” said Lucas. “Soon as that item is in stock I’ll post it on Facebook and Instagram so people know that they can come in and get it, or message me or comment, and I’ll get it shipped out to them.” In addition to his Instagram, Lucas also keeps an online site for Dixie Garage. “Some people will look at the website, but I get tons of more views on Instagram,” said Lucas. “I don’t really do e-commerce on my website. For a website you have to enter a link and then press enter. With Instagram you’ll look at it without even wanting to.” When asked about the use of hashtags to generate more customers Wassner found a new perspective on how to attract more customers just through social media. “I think they’re a vital part in selling my products,” said Lucas. “At first I was like ‘It doesn’t hurt
to do it, so I might as well.’ Then I had people coming from out of town that had just searched the Florence hashtag. They saw my shop, thought it was pretty cool, and wanted to come check it out.” Another big appeal Dixie Garage has had is the inclusion of contact payment services like Apple Pay. “Not many people utilize it, but it’s so easy and fast,” said Lucas. His statement held up when I used it for the first time ever to buy an item in his store within a few seconds. Lucas is now totaling at about over two-thousand followers on Instagram. This was not the case when he started his business in August 2015. “I shared a space with Turbo Coffee and Greasy Hands Barbershop. That brought in a lot of traffic immediately. Different people every day. The hardest thing is getting people in the door when you first open. That helped out a lot. Then I moved downtown about six months ago to this location and it’s been great.” The final words of insight from Lucas are fixed on sound advice for other small businesses or individuals looking to enter into the market by selling their
brand in unconventional ways via social media: “A lot of people post way too much and end up losing followers that way. My rule is between three times a week and three times a day. If you post more than three times a day people get tired of just constantly seeing it. If you post less than every other day then people forget about you,” said Lucas. “It’s also good to not just post product shots. Do some lifestyle shots and let people know what your brand is. Not just the products that you carry. I’ll post motorcycles or pictures of people hanging out to kind of let on the inside of our brand and not just our products. To me that keeps people intrigued and interested. It builds more of a relationship with the consumer.” For more info about Southern Trash and Dixie Garage, you can hit their follow or like button on their respective Instagram and Facebook pages.
STORY BY DERRICK FLYNN
8 SPECIAL FEATURE
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Gene Wilder’s real name was Jerome Silberman.
OCTOBER 2016
He was an aide in Valley Forge Army Hospital psychiatric unit.
GENE WILDER REMEMBERED WANT TO BE A DREAMER? BE ONE Life has a funny way of throwing random and inexplicable connections at you. The only way you catch them is if you slow down, connect the dots, and revel in the full circle moments that so easily pass us by. On Aug. 29, 2016, Gene Wilder left us in a whirlwind of Throwback Thursdays and meme filled memorials of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Stir Crazy,” and ravishing stories of his romance with the famed Gilda Radner. In a 2002 interview with Larry King, Wilder said of his marriage with Radner, who died of cancer in 1989, “We were temperamentally wrong for each other, and divinely right.” The most recent ironic connection in my life with respect to Wilder is the 2016 edition of the Pride of Dixie Marching Band at the University of North Alabama. The show’s theme is “My Favorite Things,” and features the song “Pure Imagination,” from the cinematic classic, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” To say that Wilder’s death is opportunistic or morbidly perfect timing is an understatement, as the show brings its audience into a time of reflection and excitement over what is happening on the field. But also, in a stranger turn of events, who would have ever imagined that the song could be turned into a blazingly joyous experience formed by the marching arts. The auxiliary spin their flags, making the field burst into color while the sound of Wilder’s famed solo blares throughout the air and into the sky. The show is a booming celebration of Wilder’s life and his most famous work. Another masterpiece of cinematic history that Wilder so graciously touched was “Young Frankenstein.” In this film, he stepped away from his Technicolor life and delved into comedy in combination with science fiction. I was first introduced to this film by my uncle, and it quickly
WILDER IN ALL HIS WONKA REALNESS. became a formative favorite. Like the first time I watched “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the lines of “Young Frankenstein” seared into my memory and became the base for my sense of humor. Dark, sometimes dirty, but full of grit and tenacity. Gene Wilder made his film debut in 1967, in Arthur Penn’s crime drama “Bonnie and Clyde,” in which he played an undertaker kidnapped by the bank robbers, who were played by Faye
Dunaway and Warren Beatty. A year later, he partnered with Mel Brooks in “The Producers,” which was later turned into a Broadway hit. His role as Leo Bloom in “The Producers” led him to an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. Within a few years after that, he had become a surprisingly popular and prolific movie star. His role in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory earned him a
Golden Globe nomination, though the film was a box-office disappointment. This was due in part to the concern of parents over the message of the Ronald Dahl story - that greedy, gluttonous children should be punished - because it was “too dark” in the way it was told. However, Willy Wonka remains his most famed role. In “Blazing Saddles,” a parody of western films that holds surprisingly well as a western itself, Wilder played the role of the Waco Kid, a boozy exgunfighter who helps a random AfricanAmerican sheriff save a town from railroad barons and venal politicians. After these two films, Wilder and Mel Brooks, created Young Frankenstein (pronounced Frahnkahn-STEEN), which became a cult classic. Wilder plays and American scientist, the grandson of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein, who tries to turn away from his ancestry, but is drawn to Transylvania to copy his grandfather’s work in the creation of a monster in a castle laboratory. The film garnered both Mel Brooks and Wilder an Oscar nomination for their screenplay. Young Frankenstein became a spring board for the careers of the actors involved: Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, and Marty Feldman all found success after the film’s premiere and nomination. After a life of acting and show business, Wilder began to tire of it. He turned to writing novels and painting in his last decades, though he made an appearance on Will and Grace in 2003 that earned him an Emmy. After that, he declared his was retiring from acting. “I don’t like show business,” he said in a 2008 interview. “I like show, but I don’t like the business.” Wilder was a true theatrical talent, an actor of the stage whose comedy translated into firm reality with a base in truth. He once said “I’m an actor, not a clown.” Along with his almost neon blue eyes, his truthful acting and realistic sense of human comedy will remain throughout film history.
STORY BY ISAAC RAY NORRIS
OCTOBER 2016
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SPECIAL FEATURE 9
10 FEATURE
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GHOST HUNTERS OF SOUTHERN TERRITORIES written by WESLEY HOPKINS
OCTOBER 2016
OCTOBER 2016
FEATURE 11
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There are about 2,000 ghost hunting groups in the U.S.
It is believed that the White House is haunted with various ghosts like Abigail Adams.
Desire for control leads to belief in the paranormal.
A
s a beginning writer, I’m nervous on every assignment. The field work. The word count. The interviews. The deadlines. Actually writing and trying to write well. Writing six sentence fragments in a row and choosing to leave them there. It’s all stressful. But none of that comes close to the apprehension and unquantifiable terror that I felt on assignment with Robert Simone and his band of southern ghost hunters at Sweetwater Mansion in Florence, Alabama. Robert’s crew is called GHOST, an unmatched acronym that abbreviates Ghost Hunters of Southern Territories. As a child growing up in the South, I developed an interest in the supernatural. Whether it was due the abundance of paranormal mythology in the South or to my parents’ and grandparents’ natural, seemingly mechanical tendency to use haunting folklore—accounts of children being carried away by the bogeyman— to frighten us into good behavior, I learned to love ghost stories, even if they kept me up at night. But Robert Simone had a relationship with the spirit realm. Very early in his life, Robert had a harmony with those who had given up the ghost. “As a child, I saw apparitions and shadow people and all kinds of things. I was scared half to death. I used to go sleep at the foot of my parents’ bed. And they never really believed me. They thought I was just having a nightmare, but I was actually seeing stuff,” he said. “At that time, I didn’t know I was a draw to spirits.” When I got to Robert’s house to ask him questions about his paranormal investigation crew and his experiences with and beliefs about the supernatural, I was first greeted by his dogs, a boxer-pit bull mix named Spirit and a Golden Retriever named Magic. He took the dogs to a separate room and led me down a short hallway to an office crowded with electronics. The walls were lined with racks and shelves housing a variety of cameras, microphones, electromagnetic field detectors, barometers and an array of things I had never seen before. Robert is a wounded veteran. He was hit by an ammunitions trailer in Germany, breaking his wrists and dislocating his shoulder two weeks before he was scheduled to be
ROBERT AND KAREN WITH THEIR DAUGHTER deployed in Vietnam. He believes that if he had gone to Vietnam, he would’ve died there. He receives compensation from our government and, with that money, he’s able to support his passion and maintain the highest level of professionalism by using top-of-the-line equipment. Like Fox Mulder, Robert Simone is dedicated to the truth. He studies his findings intensely, tenaciously trying to “debunk” himself. Not everything is what it seems, but most of the time it is. When someone reaches out to Robert, they do so because they have seen, heard or felt something in their house that they can’t explain. They are afraid to be in their own homes. Robert wants to help these people to feel comfortable in their houses again and determine whether their experiences have been supernatural or just plain old boring, not-so-scary natural. Helping Robert achieve his preferred level of precision, he created a client information form. The form is used to collect data that will help Robert and his crew be efficient in their investigation. They use the
form to determine many things: type of building, number of residents, their ages, if children and animals react to the strange occurrences, how old the residence is, how big the residence is, how long the clients have lived there, the average time of the occurrences, if new renovations have been made, if anyone had died in the building, if family or friends of the residents had died shortly before the occurrences, which rooms are affected and what type of phenomena the clients have witnessed. The client information form even asks if the residents are smokers. I’m not sure if that is used to help the investigation, or if it’s there to let Robert know that his health may be threatened by more than the supernatural. He leaves cameras in rooms in which the clients believe they have witnessed unexplainable events. The cameras stay there for three to five hours while Robert and his crew are off-site. He leaves the cameras there so that he can see any possible phenomena that may occur without an outside influence.
Then, he comes back with the crew. They suit up in device-riddled harnesses and grab homemade boxes equipped with a video camera, an infrared video camera, and an audio recorder. They set up more infrared cameras, inside and outside the house; highly sensitive audio recorders; and nine still cameras that take a still photograph every five seconds until it detects motion, at which time it takes three photographs in one second. They strategically place electromagnetic field detectors and barometers throughout the building—and they turn off the lights. He leads the clients through their home; it’s usually the first time the residents have walked through their homes in complete darkness. Robert said that just walking through in the dark makes some clients more comfortable in their homes. With the knowledge gained from investigating a worried client’s domicile, he’s able to comfort them. He may tell them that there is a spirit clinging to their home, and, if he does, he will tell them if they’re
12 FEATURE
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Ghosts have feelings but do not have senses.
Ghostbusters original title was Ghost Smashers.
SWEETWATER MANSION
WESLEY IN HARNESS
in danger, and he will explain ways that he believes may dispel the spirit. Because spirits feed off of negativity, Robert encourages the distressed to practice positivity. While Robert and GHOST do visit others’ homes and investigate on call, they love to bring their equipment to Sweetwater Mansion and turn off the lights. Before Robert founded GHOST in 2000, he knew about the historical plantation. He knew about the reported supernatural sightings. He knew about the mansion’s previous owners and their unsettling passings. And, somehow, like some unknown member of the Addam’s Family, he just knew he had to visit. Now, Robert and his wife Karen are so devoted to the property that they have taken on the responsibility of being the caretakers of the 182-yearold mansion. Robert said that Sweetwater Mansion is the site where he’s witnessed the most accounts of unexplainable activity. He believes the ex-inhabitants of the property may have come home to Sweetwater because they felt a deep connection with and affection for their home.
OCTOBER 2016
The mansion was designed by John Brahan, a general in the Alabama Militia during the Civil War. But the general died before the house was completed, and his son-inlaw Robert Patton had the mansion finished in 1835, 30 years before becoming governor of Alabama and 50 years before he died inside that very mansion. My interview with Robert was going well. I was learning and having laughs with Robert and Karen. We were connecting, and I was enjoying the positivity and the company of these recent acquaintances. The nervousness that comes during an interview had almost gone away. Then, he asked me when my deadline was. I told him. And he said, “Well, I thought about doing something where you’re actually part of the team and actually join us. And we’ll use Sweetwater.” He was going to keep talking, but I immediately got nervous at the thought of walking through that mansion in the dark, so I started rambling off excuses: “this is a short article,” etc. I’ve viewed more than ten hours of footage and countless photographs
captured by GHOST’s equipment. In that footage, I saw things that I can’t explain: objects being moved by an unseeable force, a flashlight being turned on with no one near it, unexplainable puffs of smoke or mist. In one photograph, I saw a semitransparent child leaning against a tree, wearing clothes that appear to be from the 1800s. Robert said he was just taking a picture of a tree. I’ve heard EVP (electronic voice phenomena) that can’t be explained. Some seem to address the investigators personally, by name. EVP stands for electronic voice phenomena. It’s an idea that’s been around since the ‘70s. EVP are highly controversial and still not explained definitively. It happens when an event is documented with an audio recorder and upon playback reveals a sound that was not detected by the naked ear during the recording. I’ve heard some of these EVP, and they are quite spooky. Most of the time, EVP come in the form of a human voice, almost out of breath, speaking a word or short phrase. Robert believes that the brevity of EVP can be attributed to the way spirits acquire and use energy; spirits feed off of negative energy to become stronger, but they must expel energy in order to manifest themselves in a way that is noticeable to the living. After seeing those videos and photos and hearing those EVP recordings, I wanted to believe. But I couldn’t. Without seeing it with my own eyes or hearing it with my own ears, I couldn’t entirely trust it. I knew I had to go to Sweetwater with Robert. Approaching the gate, Robert was ahead of me in a pick-up with a trailer hitched to it sporting a sign that read “Ghost Hunters of Southern Territories.” He stepped out of the truck wearing baggy black pants and a dark gray t-shirt and he walked up to the gate and unlocked it. He got back into his truck and we drove confidently through. After he closed and locked the gate, we headed down a surprisingly short driveway that curved around two trees that stood in the front yard, hanging over Sweetwater Mansion. We parked our vehicles near a side entrance to the mansion made of 182-year-old bricks. The area was dimly lit by streetlights, although there were no streets. Under one light was a rusted horse-drawn tiller that had lost its seat. Another shined
OCTOBER 2016
FEATURE 13
WWW.GETSETMAG.COM Whatcha cookin’?
Spirits retain their O.G. personalities. down on the kitchen, a separate building that was demolished by a falling tree. Vandals had broken windows and vines clung to the mansion’s walls. We started unraveling spools of cable to carry to chosen locations in the house. When I first disobeyed the “no trespassing” sign and stepped through the side entrance, I felt weak. I got lightheaded and felt uneasy. I took a deep breath and tried to relax, and I carried the ends of the cables to the places where we would set up the six infrared cameras. We walked around, contemplating where to place the electromagnetic field detectors and audio recorders, and we placed them. The ceilings and walls were falling apart. We swept pieces of the mansion off the floor. Big chunks were taken out of the wooden handrails. It was time to turn off the lights. We walked outside, turning off the lights as we left the mansion. And as we walked around the building, discussing the history of the property and the people who lived there, I saw two trails, now overrun with vegetation, that lead through the woods behind the mansion to a creek and to a graveyard. Robert said the mansion was built out of mud from the basement and materials from that creek. After we walked around long enough for the dust we had brought back to life to settle, we entered the house for the second time, it was dark—pitch black. The infrared camera on my chest had a small monitor, but I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. My little notebook was useless. Robert told me to turn on my headlamp and switch it to its dim, red setting and point it downward so that I could see where I was stepping. I thanked him as we turned left and into the parlor. I was in front, and I could have chosen to turn right into a room I recognized from Robert’s videos. It was what I saw in that video that influenced my decision to turn left; in the video, I saw mantle ornaments violently swept from the mantle followed by a terrified team of ghost hunters. In the parlor, we stopped. Robert said they had witnessed a considerable amount of activity in this room. I stood in a corner for two reasons: nothing could attack me from behind, and the cameras attached to my chest could capture the entire room. I stood there for about ten minutes, wearing this
Many believe that Ghosts have great sense of smell and are attracted to a good scent.
heavy equipment on my chest, listening to Robert and Karen ask potentially present spirits to make their presence known. They spoke in a very diplomatic way, asking them questions about their feelings. When the question was asked, “Are you okay with someone new buying and living in this house?” we heard a noise that sounded like a rock dropping to the wooden floor. My fear grew. We searched the area where we thought the noise originated and eventually found a piece of a brick. We considered this to be the cause of the sound, but where did it come from? We swept the floors of debris less than an hour before for our safety. We walked up the stairs, and as I reached the top, that uneasy, troubling feeling doubled. I admitted that I couldn’t stay in the mansion much longer. Karen led me through three rooms and a hallway until both of our audio recorders were drained of battery. Robert is very thorough, and he replaces every battery in every piece of equipment before each investigation. Because of the age of the battery, and the coincidence that our recorders died at the same time, the crew deemed this a possible paranormal occurrence. It was enough for me. I politely asked if we could end the investigation. The reactions of the investigators to the things they find are undeniably genuine. When they’re reviewing the large amounts of data gathered by their extensive collection of equipment and discover an anomaly, they light up. They aren’t afraid. They are ecstatic because their hard work has paid off. And, trust me, it’s hard work, especially for a wounded veteran. I’m 27 years young; my back still hurts from setting up equipment and wearing that harness for 45 minutes, and they usually spend several hours on a site. I believe that they believe. They don’t make money by investigating the paranormal, and they don’t seem to have some sick desire to misinform. That makes them trustworthy. The only gain these people have to show for seventeen years of investigating the unexplained is knowledge, and it’s important to them to educate others on their findings, not to persuade or force a belief but to comfort, because there is comfort in knowledge. There’s always that foreboding feeling when we just can’t make sense of something.
Animals sense paranormal activity around them.
MAN OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN HOME
BACK OF SWEETWATER MANSION
believe vowels take away from drinking time. 14 FOOD
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Pop up eateries offer more freedom for chefs.
OCTOBER 2016
“Sandwich” first referred to “bits of cold meat.”
THE DREAM TEAM A TRULY MAGICAL SANDWICH Batman and Robin. Thelma and Louise. Han Solo and Chewbacca. Throughout our lives, we have seen and heard unbelievable (and oftentimes hilarious) stories of so many dynamic duos. The examples listed above prove just how prevalent in our culture these characters are. Whether they are based on facts or are works of fiction, two person teams have been getting things done for years. One team that you may or may not have heard about exists a little closer to home. Never in the history of dynamic duos has one of this magnitude ever existed. Josh Quick, the executive chef at Odette, and John Cartwright, the owner of Rivertown Coffee Company, have joined together in an effort to stifle our hunger and challenge our taste buds. Together, they have formed Whiskey Beef. This new business venture has been making random appearances at city events for quite some time now. Its presence has created a lot of buzz and has sparked many inquiries. I was fortunate enough to sit down with the two of them and get the answers to some of those burning questions.
know about food I’ve learned through Rivertown; just by troubleshooting and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. That being said, I’ve always loved food and I always have ideas that don’t really fit in here at the coffee shop. I’m constantly looking for a ways to present those ideas. I also love the idea of having one menu item that’s so good that it doesn’t matter that you don’t have anything else to offer.
It is beef that has been braised with whiskey and a bunch of vegetables and tomato. It is pressure cooked until it is super tender. Then, we take those juices that the meat was cooked with and make gravy out of it. After that, we started brainstorming what to put on it. We decided to go with smoked cheddar cheese and a cauliflower pickle.
different styles. One is $15 and the other is $20.
All right, what is Whiskey Beef exactly?
What’s that exactly?
JC: I just wanted to brand something
So, it’s just the one sandwich?
JQ: Yes. We’ve served it with barbecue
potato chips and we even did barbecue popcorn at one time as a side for it.
JQ:
JQ: Whiskey Beef is an idea that John JQ: That is fresh cauliflower with some came up with. He approached me and said, “Hey, we keep talking about cooking something together. Let’s do this pop-up thing. I’ve got this idea for a whiskey beef sandwich.” I said, “All right.” JC: I had read about other people doing pop-up restaurants that are somewhat unrelated to their restaurant that they have. The more I thought about it, I knew that I wanted to get Josh involved. He and I had worked alongside each other at different events and we had talked about doing a variety of things together but, we had not collaborated yet. What was the inspiration behind it?
QUICK, CARTWRIGHT, AND THEIR INFAMOUS LOGO.
How do you two make whiskey beef?
beets, vinegar, chilies and garlic. We make a giardiniera which is a spicy Italian pickle. We then asked Erin Wittscheck to create whole wheat buns with the caraway seeds and kosher salt on top. The whole look of the sandwich is a spin on a beef on weck which is a Northeastern sandwich.
You both are very busy men. Josh, you’ve been with Odette for almost three years now and John, you’ve been running the shop for 12 years. Why take on something else?
JQ: It’s something fun to do with low stress and tasty food.
that was not Rivertown and just do it as its own thing. JQ: John and I get to hang out together. How many events has Whiskey Beef been a part of?
JC: Four. The very first time was at
JC: Cullen Stewart. JQ: Yeah, one of John’s guys designed
the Seven Points Art Crawl. They approached me back then and I was already thinking about doing some sort of pop-up. JQ: We were at the “penny beer garden” during the Craft Beer Festival, Shindig No. 8, and I can’t remember the second time.
Can people buy those shirts?
Who or what determines when Whisky Beef will setup and do business?
There is a photo of the two of you in last month’s issue. Who designed the t-shirts?
the logo and shirt. We’ve even got a big sign now.
JC: Unlike Josh, I don’t really have JC: a culinary background. Everything I
We’ve got them here and people can purchase them. There are two
JC: For the most part, talk to either me or Josh. Most people contact me
then I give Josh a call. JQ: Yeah, it’s really through John’s connections and people who know that he’s been doing it. Obviously, this idea is working perfectly. The sandwich is growing in popularity. Your most recent event was on Sept 23, correct?
JQ: We were asked to provide food at
a fundraising event for the Florence Public Library at 116 on Mobile. JC: It was a ticketed event; the sandwich and side were included in the price. We just setup in the alley and served those who were in attendance. What’s the plan for Whiskey Beef now?
JQ: We just want to keep it as a pop-up
that we do together. Keep it underground and for specific events just to try and keep it special. JC: I’m always thinking of ideas. Most of the events we’ve been at take place within a certain radius but, I don’t see why we can’t take it further. There’s always a possibility.
STORY BY MARC ANDERSON
OCTOBER 2016
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FOOD 15
STEP 1: PREP YOUR PUMPKIN
Cut a circular lid into the pumpkin by carving a wide circle around the stem. Make sure it’s at least big enough to put your fist through. Pull out as many seeds and stringy goo that you can by hand, and then use a pumpkin or ice cream scoop to scrape the inside clean. 
STEP 2: PLACE PATTERN
Tape or pin your pattern onto your pumpkin. Use a pumpkin poking tool to poke small, shallow holes through the paper, following the lines of the pattern. When all lines have been traced, remove pattern and save it for reference later.
STEP 3: CARVING TIME
Insert your carving saw (never use a knife!) into a poked line. Begin sawing out each section. Remember, saws don’t twist and pumpkins don’t give! To prevent your saw from breaking, saw curved areas carefully, gently turning the saw the direction you wish to go while you continue to saw.
STEP 4: LIGHT IT UP!
Battery lights are great for pumpkin lighting. However, if you really love candles, use these to light your pumpkins. Light your candle and then, about a minute or two later, blow it out and observe the inside top of your pumpkin. You’ll see a dark area singed by the candle’s flame. Carve a chimney hole into this area, just over an inch wide, to allow the flame’s heat to escape. Now, relight the candle and watch your pumpkin glow!
18 ENTERTAINMENT
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OCTOBER 2016
OCTOBER 2016
ENTERTAINMENT 19
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Some faires include a joust as the main attraction.
RPFS attracts a quarter of a million visitors annually.
A FAIRE OF A DIFFERENT KIND ALABAMA RENAISSANCE FAIRE TURNS 30!
FESTIVAL GOERS SHOWING OFF THEIR COSTUMES.
A FEW OF THE LOCAL BARDS. When I was growing up, Florence was known to me through five things: UNA, the W. C. Handy Festival, the Tennessee River and the summers I spent there, and the Alabama Renaissance Faire. These things shaped my view of Florence, and as we all know, when I moved to Florence, my view of the city began to grow and change as I experienced more that it had to offer. In respect to the Renaissance Faire, when one thinks of that magical era, and by one I mean me, I typically think of the summer I spent playing Assassin’s Creed two. Jumping between buildings in an engineered environment playing a character that was bent on avenging his family, I would run past figures on my screen begging for money, playing lutes, or luring me into those pesky side quests. As it turns out, the actual Renaissance era was a time in human history wherein an interest in knowledge exploded. Of course, there was Leonardo da Vinci, the Medici’s,
and a resurgence in the conflict between the church and science. The history of the Renaissance era crosses various subjects. But that’s only half of the reason as to why the Alabama Renaissance Faire exists. The other is to educate the public on the progressive change that came out of the era. The Alabama Renaissance Faire is entering its 30th year, and it’s still going strong. Way back in 1987, Billy Warren, the current city historian of Florence, was the curriculum director for Florence City Schools. He and his colleagues wanted to create a festival during the school year that benefited the county and surrounding area through education. Thusly, the Alabama Renaissance Faire was born. In 1988, Florence’s Renaissance Faire became the only state recognized faire of its kind. “We wanted to create a festival that broke the barriers between different subjects, like art, math, science, music, literature, food, and philosophy. The most obvious choice was with the
Renaissance,” Warren said. “We’re just so fortunate that Florence, Alabama is named after Florence, Italy, and that the connection is there between the sister cities.” Florence is the literal English translation of Firenze, the Italian city. In 1996, the vice-mayor of Firenze, Alberto Terrelli, and his wife Christina were invited to Florence, Alabama to take part in the Renaissance Faire that year. “We had limos, flags - everything to make them feel at home and special. And Florence has adopted a new motto, ‘The Renaissance City,’ so its very fitting that the whole event has built upon itself and wrapped up into a nice package that is so easily understood and appreciated.” The Alabama Renaissance Faire is also recognized by the Online Encyclopedia of Alabama through the State Department of Archives. There are an annual 30,000 to 35,000 visitors each year. According to the faire’s website, other events which surround it during Renaissance Month, as October has been officially designated by the local government, have grown. Among the Renaissance-related events held during October are musical programs, public lectures, dramatic performances, art exhibits and dance programs. All of these are of the highest quality, and they set the stage perfectly for the Faire. Planning a festival for so long, 30
years long in fact, has become part of Warren’s DNA. “To be involved with something this long, it has become part of my DNA and something I am very proud of. Our volunteers work very hard and are always helpful,” he said. “We plan months ahead, with breaks here and there. Of course, we can burn out on planning, so we have worked it to a fine art. It takes the majority of the year, but we have paced out the planning so that it doesn’t become tiresome.” Again, the goal of the festival has always been education. “We don’t give winners money, we give them books,” Warren said. “I had a young person recognize me just recently that remembered the book we awarded him and he pointed me out and thanked me for giving him those books. That’s something, as an educator, that I always keep with me. They won’t throw those books away. Those are memories and thoughts that shape and stay with someone forever.” The Alabama Renaissance Faire is Oct. 22 through the 23rd. October has been deemed “Renaissance month,” and features various events. Check out our calendar for event dates and goings on, and for more information, visit alrenfaire.org
STORY BY ISAAC RAY NORRIS
20 CALENDAR
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EVENTS
OCTOBER 2016
OCTOBER 1 - OCTOBER 31 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
OCTOBER 1
UNA FOOTBALL VS. WEST GEORGIA @ Braly Stadium, Florence, AL, 6pm 2016 MULETOWN MUSICFEST @ Historic Downtown Columbia, TN, 10am 4TH ANNNUAL SHOALS DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL @ McFarland Park, Florence, AL, 9am PATRICK SWEANY & K PHILIPS @ 116 E Mobile, Florence, AL, 7pm
OCTOBER 2
BEYONCÉ @ Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN, 6pm
OCTOBER 3
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB WITH JACK GARRATT @ Marathon Music Works, Nashville, TN, 8pm BILLIARDS @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ Odette, Florence, AL, 8pm
OCTOBER 4
YOUNG THE GIANT @ Iron City, Birmingham, AL, 8pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ La Fuente, Columbia, TN, 7pm
OCTOBER 5
BLUE OCTOBER @ Iron City, Birmingham, AL, 8pm POKER NIGHT @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm WAFFLE HOUSE WEDNESDAY @ 1104 Nashville Hwy, Columbia, TN, 10pm
OCTOBER 6
A SOUTHERN BELLE PRIMER PRESENTED BY THE ZODIAC PLAYERS @ Shoals Theatre, Florence, AL, 7:30pm KINGS OF LEON @ Ascend Amphitheatre, Nashville, TN, 8pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ La Fuente, Columbia, TN, 7pm KARAOKE @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 8pm
OCTOBER 29, 2016 - ADELE @ PHILIPS ARENA, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 7:30 P.M.
OCTOBER 7
FIRST FRIDAYS @ Downtown Florence, AL, 5pm A SOUTHERN BELLE PRIMER PRESENTED BY THE ZODIAC PLAYERS @ Shoals Theatre, Florence, AL, 7:30pm KORN & BREAKING BENJAMIN @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, Birmingham, AL, 6pm THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN @ Your local theater MIDDLE SCHOOL: THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE @ Your local theater FRIEND REQUEST @ Your local theater THE BIRTH OF A NATION @ Your local theater POKER NIGHT @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm LIVE MUSIC @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 9:30pm
OCTOBER 8
A SOUTHERN BELLE PRIMER PRESENTED BY THE ZODIAC PLAYERS @ Shoals Theatre, Florence, AL, 7:30pm WILL JOHNSON W/ ANDREW BRYANT @ 116 E Mobile, Florence, AL, 7pm
KANSAS @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 8pm
OCTOBER 9
A SOUTHERN BELLE PRIMER PRESENTED BY THE ZODIAC PLAYERS @ Shoals Theatre, Florence, AL, 2pm SWITCHFOOT & RELIENT K @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 7:30pm
OCTOBER 10
NIYKEE HEATON @ Marathon Music Works, Nashville, TN, 8pm BILLIARDS @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ Odette, Florence, AL, 8pm
OCTOBER 11
LOCAL NATIVES @ Iron City, Birmingham, AL, 8pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ La Fuente, Columbia, TN, 7pm
OCTOBER 12
UNA SOCCER VS. DELTA STATE @ Bill Jones Athletic Complex, Florence, AL, 7pm
POKER NIGHT @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm WAFFLE HOUSE WEDNESDAY @ 1104 Nashville Hwy, Columbia, TN, 10pm
OCTOBER 13
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE @ Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, 7pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ La Fuente, Columbia, TN, 7pm KARAOKE @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 8pm
OCTOBER 14
LOCAL NATIVES @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 8pm MAX STEEL @ Your local theater THE ACCOUNTANT @ Your local theater KEVIN HART: WHAT NOW? @ Your local theater DESIERTO @ Your local theater POKER NIGHT @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm OLDSPORT WITH WEST MEANS HOME AND KROWE @ 116 E Mobile, 8PM LIVE MUSIC @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 9:30pm
IF YOU HAVE ANY EVENTS YOU WOULD LIKE LISTED, EMAIL CALENDAR@GETSETMAG.COM
OCTOBER 15
UNA FOOTBALL VS. SHORTER @ Braly Stadium, Florence, AL, 6pm ADELE @ Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, 7:30pm THE HEAD AND THE HEART @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 7:30pm AMY SCHUMER @ Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA, 9pm
OCTOBER 16
UNA SOCCER VS. MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE @ Bill Jones Athletic Complex, Florence, AL, 1pm DAISYHEAD AND WORDS LIKE DAGGERS WITH WEST MEANS HOME, XY SPACES, AND BACKYARD CAMPING @ Prototype Multimedia at Lowe Mill, Huntsville, AL, 6PM ADELE @ Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, 7:30pm THE HEAD AND THE HEART @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 7:30pm
OCTOBER 17
ELVIS COSTELLO DETOUR @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 7:30pm
OCTOBER 2016
BILLIARDS @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ Odette, Florence, AL, 8pm
OCTOBER 18
UNA VOLLEYBALL VS. WEST GEORGIA @ Flowers Hall, Florence, AL, 7pm MAC MILLER @ Iron City, Birmingham, AL, 8pm ZZ TOP @ Von Braun Center, Huntsville, AL, 8pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ La Fuente, Columbia, TN, 7pm
OCTOBER 19
CALENDAR 21
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UNA SOCCER VS. WEST GEORGIA @ Bill Jones Athletic Complex, Florence, AL, 7pm ZZ TOP @ Legacy Arena at the BJCC, Birmingham, AL, 8pm POKER NIGHT @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm WAFFLE HOUSE WEDNESDAY @ 1104 Nashville Hwy, Columbia, TN, 10pm
OCTOBER 20
TRIVIA NIGHT @ La Fuente, Columbia, TN, 7pm KARAOKE @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 8pm
OCTOBER 21
UNA VOLLEYBALL VS. LEE @ Flowers Hall, Florence, AL, 6pm ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES @ Boutwell Auditorium, Birmingham, AL, 8pm 31 @ Your local theater JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK @ Your local theater KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES @ Your local theater OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL @ Your local theater TYLER PERRY’S BOO! A MADEA HALLOWEEN @ Your local theater POKER NIGHT @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm LIVE MUSIC @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 9:30pm
OCTOBER 22
GHOST FEST @ Dekalb Theatre, Fort Payne, AL, 4PM UNA FOOTBALL VS. NORTH GREENVILLE @ Braly Stadium, Florence, AL, 6pm UNA VOLLEYBALL VS. SHORTER @ Flowers Hall, Florence, AL, 1pm MAC MILLER @ War Memorial Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 7pm
OCTOBER 23
UNA SOCCER VS. VALDOSTA STATE @ Bill Jones Athletic Complex, Florence, AL, 1pm CHARLIE PUTH @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 7:30pm
OCTOBER 24
ALESSIA CARA @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 7:30pm BILLIARDS @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ Odette, Florence, AL, 8pm
OCTOBER 25
TRIVIA NIGHT @ La Fuente, Columbia, TN, 7pm
OCTOBER 26
GRIZ @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 7:30pm BIG GIGANTIC @ Iron City, Birmingham, AL, 8:30pm POKER NIGHT @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm WAFFLE HOUSE WEDNESDAY @ 1104 Nashville Hwy, Columbia, TN, 10pm
OCTOBER 27
TRIVIA NIGHT @ La Fuente, Columbia, TN, 7pm KARAOKE @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 8pm
OCTOBER 28
ADELE @ Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA, 7:30pm MARTINA MCBRIDE @ Von Braun Center, Huntsville, AL, 8pm RINGS @ Your local theater
IF YOU HAVE ANY EVENTS YOU WOULD LIKE LISTED, EMAIL CALENDAR@GETSETMAG.COM
INFERNO @ Your local theater AMERICAN PASTORAL @ Your local theater POKER NIGHT @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm LIVE MUSIC @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 9:30pm
OCTOBER 29
ADELE @ Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA, 7:30pm THE CHAINSMOKERS @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 7pm
OCTOBER 31
HALLOWEEN NIGHT SET’S HALLOWEEN NIGHT LIVE @ Singing River Brewery, 7pm SWITCHFOOL & RELIENT K @ Iron City, Birmingham, AL, 7:30pm BILLIARDS @ Dolan’s Deli and Bar, Spring Hill, TN, 7pm TRIVIA NIGHT @ Odette, Florence, AL, 8pm
22 ART
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Kahri Member Since 2013 Abby Member Since 2013
Drew Member Since 2013
Rebecca Member Since 2013
OCTOBER 2016
OCTOBER 2016
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Kentuck’s art gallery is a wifi free zone.
$1,100,000 The museum building has just recently undergone a $1.1 million renovation.
ART 23
More than 270 artists will be in attendance in 2016.
ART-FALL, GET IT? KENTUCK FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS CELEBRATES 45 YEARS
FESTIVAL GOERS AND ARTISTS ARE FREE TO INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER. Like most people our age, I love a good festival. Seeing the culmination of work by a large group of people, enjoying music and performances, and then there’s the food - what’s not to love? The Kentuck Festival of the Arts, held in Northport, Alabama, is in its 45th year! This Oct. 15 and 16, from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., you can find a wide variety of artistic fun at Kentuck Park, right outside of Tuscaloosa. The festival’s goal is to “educate young people and adults about the culture of the South and to perpetuate traditional arts, such as quilting, weaving, fiber art and more,” explained Amy Echols, Executive Director of Kentuck Art Center and Festival. Echols highlighted the foundation of Kentuck, “Kentuck’s roots are grounded in Southern folk art, a founding principle, but there are a variety of genres, too.” Artists go through a process in order
to represent at the festival. They must submit their work online, and a team of four different jurors selects the artists at the festival every year. Seventeen artists come a day early and go into county and city elementary schools to do art demonstrations. Some art you will find at the festival ranges from handmade brooms, to wooden furniture, paintings, textiles and fiber art. Additionally, there are 23 demonstrating artists on hand showing how they produce art, ranging from woodworking to throwing clay on the wheel. In total, the festival showcases more than 280 artists! One of the artists attending is Erika Mock, textile artist from Wisconsin. “Kentuck is like no other show in the country. For a weekend the community and artists from across the country come together to celebrate the power of imagination,” Mock said. “I’m inspired by, and looking
forward to, the exceptional voices of the visionary, folk, and contemporary artists that are selected to show and offer art. I’m excited to bring my art to wear to Northport and connect with the fabulous community in a world of curious wonders once again.” Kentuck brings about artists who are passionate about their work and about engaging with those around them. The festival features a hands-on children’s area, with free activities such as tie-dying, molding clay, building birdhouses, and more projects that allow children to take home their creations and show their artist sides. The festival also features a Spoken Word area, with a speaker from the University of Alabama curating. Pieces range from Shakespeare readings to Theatre Tuscaloosa providing snapshot performances. There’s also a musical stage with a variety of headers. Saturday features acts like
Spookhouse Saints, Jesse Kramer, and American gospel quartet, the McCrary sisters, while Sunday highlights bands such as SHEL and traditional old-time string band, Hogslop. No need to bring your own chair; there are bleachers and hay bales provided! If that’s not enough to get you going, the food at Kentuck will. Concessions include barbecue, catfish, Mexican dishes, boiled peanuts, candied and caramel apples, Local Roots food truck, and Tea Town Alabama, and for the first time this year, craft beer will be sold. Also new this year, sponsored by Auto Max, there will be one car primed down and artists will paint it during the course of the festival, right before your eyes! Kentuck festival’s life span is kind of a big deal. Echols explains, “The average life span of a festival is 10 years, but Kentuck is entering its forty-fifth. We also have the stamp of approval from the State Arts Council, recognizing how Kentuck engages with the community and provides enriching cultural experiences.” 80 percent of the festival artists are from out of the state of Alabama, but local artists are present as well. At Kentuck, festivalgoers young and old can witness the creation of art from artists across the country. As Echols explains, “You can fall in love with something once seeing how it’s made.” Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased in advance online or at the door. There is also a VIP program available where you attend the rooftop kick-off party at Hotel Indigo, meet guest artists, and enjoy catering at the festival grounds. Additionally, you are provided with a patron’s ribbon to award to your favorite artists. For more information, visit kentuck.org.
STORY BY ALLIE SOCKWELL
28 THROWBACK FEATURE
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THROWIN’ IT BACK
OCTOBER 2016
SET REVISITS AN OLD FAVORITE
INVESTIGATING GHOSTLY SIGHTINGS IN OUR OWN BACKYARD
Do you remember those sleepovers you used to have in grade school, when every sound was something sneaking in through the window? Every movement in the dark was a ghost, and you just knew your house was haunted? I certainly had plenty of nights like those with my friends, but they all just turned out to be the imagination of giggly little girls in the night. However, plenty of people have experienced real hauntings, and more importantly, they’re happening all around us right now. Maybe you’ve never thought of the South as a hot spot for ghostly encounters, but there are certainly some creepy spots in Tennessee and Alabama, and luckily for me, I got to do some real ghost hunting! If you’re looking to do a little ghost hunting of your own, here’s a small list of some of the haunted places in the local area.
1. NORTON AUDITORIUM It’s supposedly the single most haunted place on the University of North Alabama’s (UNA) campus, and I needed to find out for myself. So Jared McCoy and I set out together on what turned out to be a pretty creepy adventure. We opened the door to the theater at 9 p.m. and the first thing that greeted
us was a completely dark stage. There was absolutely no light on anywhere. The only thing we had with us was a small flashlight! So we said a few words — call it a ghost hunter’s prayer — about getting out of the theatre safely and not meaning to cause any harm. Almost immediately, we started to hear strange noises. Jared and I both heard a door close somewhere downstairs, and at various times he’d look at me and say, “Did you hear that?” In the audio we recorded from Norton, I specifically heard unexplained groaning noises and something that sounded like a small laugh. Of course, you don’t have to just take my word for it. Several other students have had weird things happen to them as well. Adam St. John, a theatre student at UNA, told me the ghost of Norton is George, a construction worker who fell to his death while helping to build the auditorium. He said he’s seen unexplainable things like “chairs moving” and “doors slamming behind” him. Though thankfully, Adam thinks George “just likes the attention” and that he isn’t harmful. Overall, I would say that because of the frequent activity there, and from my own experience while “hunting,” Norton Auditorium is definitely haunted.
CONTINUE READING... IF YOU DARE.
THROWBACK FEATURE 29
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OCTOBER 2016
2. CARNTON PLANTATION A spooky place you may find interesting is the
Carnton Plantation located in Franklin, Tenn. This plantation and the house that sits on the land is the subject for the book “Widow of the South,” which is the true story of Carrie McGavok and her family. The Battle of Franklin happened very close to the house and the surrounding property, so the house was turned into a makeshift hospital for the injured soldiers. On the upper floor you can still see bloodstains that have soaked into the hardwood floor. According to the Battle of Franklin Trust website, over 9,500 soldiers were wounded, killed or taken prisoner when the Confederates engaged the Union army. Around 7,000 of those were Confederate soldiers. After the battle was over, the McGavok family had the remains of almost 1,500 Confederate men moved onto the 2 acres of land they had allotted to be a cemetery. Carrie remained a caretaker of the cemetery for the rest of her life. Whether the plantation, now part of the Battle of Franklin Trust museum, is really haunted or not, we may never know. Spokespeople offer no comment on paranormal activity or on whether the house is plagued with ghosts. However, quite a few people have claimed to see several different ghosts while visiting, including a Confederate General and a young girl.
3. MT. ZION CHURCH OF CHRIST Still another haunted area is the Mt. Zion Church of Christ in Lawrence County, Tenn. It’s a small church in a very outof-way area and has always been rumored to be haunted. I grew up in Tennessee and this was always the popular place to go to get creeped out, or just to kill some time (not a lot of options for entertainment in a small town). As the story goes, a little girl hid under a small bridge that goes across the creek and watched as some of her family members were murdered on the property. It is said that the bridge is the most haunted place there. Apart from that, some of the tombstones in the church’s cemetery glow, which no one has ever been able to really explain. Personally, I have never really felt creeped out or saw any activity while I was there, but other people have had some unexplainable experiences while visiting (sounds of someone running through the creek and occasional sightings of apparitions). 4. FLORENCE CITY CEMETERY Another paranormal place in the area is the Florence City Cemetery. Jared and I arrived there after dark on the same night we ghost hunted at Norton, but it was a completely different type of feeling. After saying the same sort of prayer at the beginning, we wandered through the graves, asking if anyone had anything to show or tell us. While not as much happened in
the audio recordings from this spot, we did hear what sounded like a man yelling. Of course, this could easily be explained by saying that someone else was outside at the time, but it sounded as if it was coming from the cemetery itself. A lot of the graves here are older and date back to pre-Civil War times. Because many of the people are of Celtic descent, there are a lot of Celtic-themed headstones and markers. In fact, a news article published by WAAY –TV online states that over 70 percent of people buried there prior to the Civil War were of Celtic ancestry. As we made our way toward the back of the cemetery and closer to the older graves, the feeling we got became a little more sinister. It was in this spot that we heard the man yelling. We came upon a child’s vault that had broken completely in two but neither of us was brave enough to see what was underneath. So even though the upper and newer parts of the cemetery did not seem to be haunted, we heard and felt a bit more activity toward the back. My verdict is that this cemetery certainly seems haunted, but the activity accumulates around the older graves. If you decide to investigate for yourself, be prepared! Our amateur ghost hunting kit included: • A flashlight • A cellphone • A notebook • A camera and tripod I’ve seen too many scary movies not to want to take some precautions, so here’s what we did. Even if you are a skeptic, what do you have to lose? • If you’re visiting a public place, call ahead and ask for permission. • If you’re visiting a cemetery, call the police and let them know what you’re up to (and bring your ID). • Ask for some kind of blessing from whatever may be lurking. • Make it clear that no spirits are allowed to follow you when you leave. I hope you have a better idea of the hauntings that occur in your area. As long as you are being safe and smart, I encourage you to do a little investigating of you own! Happy ghost hunting.
STORY BY ABBY LEE HOOD
30 FREESTYLE
OCTOBER 2016
ONE FINAL THOUGHT
PHOTO BY ISAAC RAY NORRIS
FREESTYLE
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IT’S FALL Y’ALL!
OCTOBER 2016
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FREESTYLE 31