Lee Magazine - Aug/Sep 2014

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Native Son

Blends Medley of Muses

By Rheta Grimsley Johnson

August/September 2014 FREE

VOLUME 7• NUMBER 4

Davis Raines

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

M

aybe it’s something in the water around here, but it sure appears that this little edge of Alabama is a breeding ground for exceptional music and music makers.

Not only can we lay claim to some über-famous musicians — Lionel Richey, Toni Tennille and Taylor Hicks among them — but there are also many remarkably talented and successful musicians from our neck of the woods who, while not exactly household names, are eminent and revered in their respective genres, be that classical, jazz, gospel, rock, pop, blues, soul, rap or most any other style you can name.

One such musician, Davis Raines, is this issue’s cover story.

The feature on Raines was written by the award-winning and much-beloved syndicated columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson, and we are beyond ecstatic to have her story in our magazine!

Raines, a native son of Lee County, is a highly respected and sought-after country/roots songwriter and performer.

He may not be as well known as, say, country mega-stars Kenny Rogers or Pam Tillis, but he is far from unsung. After all, his song “Someone Somewhere Tonight” was a hit for Rogers, Tillis, and, more recently, for Kellie Pickler.

In addition to having his songs covered by chart-topping performers, Raines also has a successful (and Grammy-nominated) recording career of his own. And he frequently takes the stage to perform his songs live at such famed Nashville music venues as the legendary Bluebird Café.

Just last year, I was privileged to hear Raines and several other Alabama songwriters (Auburn’s own Pamela Jackson among them) at the Bluebird, and it was a reminder of something I have known for years but don’t always allow myself to get out and enjoy: There is nothing like hearing live music. Sitting in the same room with performers, hearing the stories behind their songs, watching them become immersed in their music; this all combines to truly connect us with the music we love.

Lucky for us, we don’t have to go to Nashville (or any other big city for that matter) to find that kind of musical connection. Lee County is not only a source of exceptional music makers, it is rife with opportunities to hear all kinds of live music in all kinds of settings — from concert halls and arenas to coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bookstores, churches and museums to living rooms, lawns and even on street corners.

What’s more, thanks to astute music supporters and promoters such as Standard Deluxe in Waverly, Cottonseed Studios in Opelika and the Sundilla Concert Series and War Eagle Supper Cub in Auburn, East Alabama has become regionally, if not nationally, known for its vibrant and very hip music scene.

Just look at this issue’s calendar of events to find something that will fit your musical taste or mood, and I think you’ll discover (or, as in my case, rediscover) that music is not just in the water around here, it’s in the air.

LEE

The Place to Find

Your Healthy Balance

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A division of Pickwick Papers Publishing PUBLISHER: EDITORS:

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Contributors FOOD:

Heida Olin Serena Cosmo Dr. Lee Sharma Lisa Gallagher Patti Householder Jacquelyn Dixon Dr. Glen Puckett

HEALTH: BRAWN: GARDEN: HOME: PETS

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Published by Pickwick Papers Publishing, LLC. Copyright ©2008 Lee Magazine. All rights reserved.

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LEE MAGAZINE 5

contents

August/September 2014

8 Cooking With Heida Cooking for the Whole Family

10 Cooking With Cosmo Oo La La... CRĂŠPES!

12 Garden

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Squash Your Garden

14 Home Create a Hotel Vibe at Home

Photo by Mark MacKenzie

16 Brawn

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Need to Exercise? Jump In!

18 Health Warm Weather RX : Drink Up

19

19 Pets Pet Allergies?

Keep Itchy and Scratchy at Bay

20 Show Time!

AU's Telfair Peet Theatre Is on the Grow

22 Our Cover Story

10 ON THE COVER Cover Photo by Travis Begay Illustration by Beth Snipes

6 LEE MAGAZINE

Auburn's Davis Raines Shines in Nashville

By Rheta Grimsley Johnson

28 Calendar What's Up in Lee County?

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COLUMBUS LEE MAGAZINE

7

By Heida Olin

W

e just hosted the annual Olin Family Reunion. With family travelling here from Texas, Colorado, Missouri and Kansas, I couldn’t wait to give them some Southern Hospitality. Of course, for me, that meant the food had to be the best ever. I made plenty of tea, barbeque sauce and fresh salads.

The meat was pork tenderloin and smoked chicken from the AU Poultry Science Club, which was pulled from the bone. I made Alabama White Barbeque Sauce — a really good Spicy Mustard Barbeque Sauce — which also paired nicely with the pork.

We lucked out on the timing of the reunion, because the fresh tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers and sweet onions were at their peak. With both the pork and chicken, I served a chopped slaw, adding a touch of barbeque sauce to the ranch dressing.

Broccoli salad is a great go-to salad for a crowd, and carrot salad is so refreshing with just a touch of sweet from the golden raisins. Grilled new potatoes and a plate of crudités completed the meal, and everyone seemed satisfied.

For dessert, I made a chocolate cake with ganache filling and chocolate cream-cheese icing. The children watched with great anticipation as I drizzled the ganache over the cake.

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN I used the same rub from my son’s rehearsal dinner last year for the pork tenderloin at the reunion, but I decided to grill the tenderloins instead of roasting them.

2 – one-square-foot sheets of aluminum foil 2 – two-pound pork tenderloins (one per sheet of foil) Olive oil Peppercorn dry rub

Peppercorn Dry Rub Stir together the following ingredients: 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons dry minced garlic 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves 2 teaspoons sweet paprika 2 teaspoons course ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Preheat your grill to a medium heat. Trim away any fat, and pat the pork tenderloins dry. Rub each tenderloin with olive oil, so the dry rub will adhere to the meat. Generously sprinkle the peppercorn dry rub over the pork, coating each tenderloin thoroughly. Place each tenderloin into a square of foil that has been sprayed with cooking oil, gather edges and seal. Grill for 30 minutes, until the center temperature registers 150F degrees. Remove from grill, keeping the tenderloins in a warm oven or atop a warm grill until ready to slice and serve.

ALABAMA WHITE BARBECUE SAUCE I wasn’t sure how folks who come from regions where Barbecue gets national acclaim would critique our tasty white barbecue sauce.

No worries. They tasted, and they did like! You can double, even triple this recipe.

8 LEE MAGAZINE

A Family Reunion Dinner 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper Pinch of salt Pinch of sugar

Whisk all together and serve cold with pork or chicken.

Keeps in the refrigerator about 2 weeks.

SPICY MUSTARD BARBECUE SAUCE The German in me makes me love to pair this mustard sauce with any kind of pork. The spiciness of Plochman’s yellow and Gulden’s spicy brown mustards, plus the sweetness of the honey and molasses, taste just right together. You can experiment with other yellow and brown mustards for the taste that your family likes.

1/2 cup Plochman’s yellow mustard 1/2 cup Gulden’s spicy brown mustard 6 tablespoons molasses 2 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and pour into a jar with a

C O O K I N G tight lid. This can be stored up to a week in the refrigerator.

EXTRAORDINARY CAPRICE SALAD Eating tomatoes fresh from the garden is a heavenly experience.

Making a caprice salad with these delicacies — which the crowd devoured — was very satisfying. I showed our cousin Tammy from Colorado how to put this salad together, and then showed her how to dress it. I’m pretty sure she’ll be making it again.

Fresh tomatoes, sliced Fresh cucumbers, sliced Chopped green onion (optional) Havarti cheese, sliced and cut into triangles Olive Oil Seasoned rice vinegar, red pepper and balsamic blend Basil leaves, chopped or use globe basil leaves

Layer the tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese slices on a large platter. Sprinkle with chopped green onions, if using. Drizzle olive oil, then red pepper vinegar, then balsamic vinegar over the cheese layer. I shake the platter a bit so the dressing goes thru the layers. Evenly distribute the basil leaves, and garnish with a bunch of basil on the side. Serve at room temperature.

OMA’S OHMAZING CHOCOLATE CAKE Many have asked for this recipe, but I have been reluctant to give it out — mostly because it is several recipes I have melded together to make into one recipe, which is mostly in my head. The recipe makes several large layers, and whittling that down to a familysize recipe was a little tedious. But here it is: I asked the kids at the family reunion to come up with a name for it so it wouldn’t be just “Chocolate Cake,” hence Oma’s Ohmazing Chocolate Cake.

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups cake flour 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon fine kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 cup coffee (or water) 1/2 cup refined coconut oil (not virgin) 1 cup sour cream 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 recipe chocolate ganache 1 recipe cream cheese chocolate icing Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray two – 9-inch round pans with a baking spray, such as Baker’s Joy. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together (on low!) cocoa powder, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda, in that order; add the coffee or water, coconut oil, sour cream and eggs. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 to 3 minutes

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more. This is a thick batter and should be well combined.

Distribute the batter evenly between the two pans (I like to weigh them to keep them even.), and bake for about 30 minutes.

I start checking at 25 minutes, because chocolate burns easily.

The cakes should have started pulling away from the sides of the pan and spring back when touched lightly in the center. Let the cake cool in the pan about 15 minutes, and cool completely before icing. I wrap my cakes individually in plastic wrap then in foil and freeze them before I ice them. This keeps the crumbs to a minimum, and it means I can bake the cakes in advance.

Place one cake layer on a cake plate and spread with a layer of ganache, as thick as you prefer. Top with second layer and ice with cream-cheese icing. Drizzle with enough ganache for a nice decoration.

Chocolate Ganache

This is very thin when you finish cooking it, but don’t try to thicken as it will thicken when it cools! If you let it set too long in the refrigerator, it will make a soft truffle center and not spread well, so be aware of how long it takes to thicken, but also know that you can place it over a pan of warm water and stir it every few minutes to bring it back down to spreading consistency. Also, to drizzle, place a small amount in a measuring cup and heat in the microwave.

1 1/2 cups cream 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips 1 teaspoon white corn syrup

Melt chocolate chips in the cream over a very low heat, stirring constantly. Raise the heat to medium and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and add the corn syrup. Transfer to a pyrex (heat proof) dish to cool slightly, then refrigerate until it gets to spreading consistency.

Chocolate Cream-Cheese Icing

Trying to sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar together is messy work, so I found adding the sugar and cocoa to the bowl of a stand mixer and mixing on low until combined works wonderfully. I cut my soft cream cheese and butter into several pieces before adding to the sugar mixture, and it mixes beautifully.

2 cups powdered sugar 2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder 1/2 stick butter, softened 1 – 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla

Place powdered sugar and cocoa powder in the bowl of a stand mixer and combined on low.

Cut the butter and the cream cheese into several pieces and add to the sugar mixture starting on low and, after the sugar mixes into the cheese and butter, add the vanilla. Bring this to a medium speed and beat until fluffy. Spread on the cake.

Heida Olin is a local caterer and educator. You can reach her at heida@lee-magazine.com.. Please visit her blog at www.leemagazine.com

LEE MAGAZINE 9

They Are Easier to Make Than You Think

By Serena Cosmo

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used to think making crêpes — those very thin pancakes containing an assortment of sweet or savory fillings — was an activity best left to the expert cook.

Or the adventurous cook. Or, at the very least, for the slightly masochistic cook eager to spend hours on one’s feet negotiating batter consistency and disc thickness in the ultimate quest for creating something that could easily be purchased from a street vendor in Paris.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered they were a breeze to make! I learned this rather abruptly one day from my sister Elena, who is by far the most accomplished cook in my family.

As we sat in my kitchen drinking coffee, I broached the topic.

“Oh, Crêpes?” She said, flipping her hand in front of her dismissingly. “They require no brain activity at ALL… Just throw everything in a food processor, mix, and that’s that.” What, no perfect whisking required? I almost felt a little deflated upon hearing this. To tell you the truth, it definitely took a little of the mystique out of it for me.

Even so, I spent the following day in the kitchen, alone with my food processor. Using equipment no more exotic than a nonstick skillet, my trusty KitchenAid and toothpicks to flip the crêpes over, I made many, many crêpes. I quickly learned that the batter is actually rather sturdy and flips over, with one's help, quite eagerly. I had envisioned the discs being much more fragile, and feared they would disintegrate when I attempted to flip them, but they ended up being real team players.

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Encouraged, I made so many crêpes that my family and I ended up eating them, with different combinations of fillings, for what seemed like eternity. Even so, no one tired of them.

How could we? It’s almost impossible to tire of crêpes, because the choice of fillings is as boundless as grains of sand on a beach.

Spinach and ricotta, meat and mushrooms are among the most popular savory fillings, though why not consider using goat cheese, roasted red pepper slivers and fresh thyme or basil? The chocolate spread Nutella and fresh fruit tend to dominate the sweet versions, though personally, I would devour one filled with sweetened, lemon-zested ricotta and doused with powdered sugar.

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rêpes also offer tremendous variety in the visual department. You can serve them folded over once or twice, like a half moon or a dinner napkin, and rolled up — either evenly like a cigar or unevenly like an ice cream cone.

Or, you can use them flat and layered, in place of sheets of pasta.

That’s a whole lotta range for a little disc.

Finally, crêpes are particularly outstanding when entertaining.

They can be prepared up to three days ahead and can be thrown in the oven while chatting with friends and negotiating a slightly dirty martini in one hand. Within minutes, an exquisite aroma permeates your kitchen and dining room, romancing your guests to the table by titillating their appetites. You will also get to enjoy their adoring ooohs...and ahhhs…when you present the dish at the dinner table. Crêpes do have cachet, after all.

Photo by Serena Cosmo

Holy Crêpe!

C O O K I N G CRÊPES WITH SWEETENED RICOTTA FILLING AND BLUEBERRY COMPOTE This surprisingly light, delicious and visually arresting dessert makes a not-too-shabby breakfast! While it does require us to make several things before uniting them into sweet perfection, it is worth every second of our time. Plus, the filling and the compote are super easy and quick to make.

10–12 crêpes Sweetened Ricotta filling, at room temperature Blueberry compote, warm Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Lay out each crêpe on a flat surface and spoon on a generous amount of the ricotta filling. Create a line of filling that bisects each crêpe. Then roll it up, flipping one side over the filling and then the other.

Assemble two crêpes on a dessert plate, then add the blueberry compote and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes five to six servings.

JULIA’S DESSERT CRÊPE FORMULA I discovered this recipe years ago in Julia Child’s ‘The Way To Cook.’ It produces a lighter and more delicate disc, and I have been using her suggested ingredients ever since for my sweet crêpes.

I do not follow her whisking instructions, however. I just throw everything in my food processor and mix it up for a few seconds. It works beautifully every time.

1 cup unbleached white flour 2 large eggs 2 egg yolks 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup water 3 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for brushing skillet 2 tablespoon kirsch, orange liqueur, bourbon whiskey or rum (optional) 2 tablespoon sugar Pinch of salt

Add the eggs, milk, water, melted butter and salt to a food processor. Add the flour last, as adding it on top of the liquids will prevent it from accumulating on the bottom of the mixer and not mixing well with the other ingredients. Mix until well blended — about 10 seconds should suffice — and allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes. Heat a 6-inch nonstick skillet until a drop of water dances on it, and then brush it lightly with melted butter. Pour a little less than a 1/4 cup of crepe batter (about a 1/3 inch less) into the center of the hot skillet while tilting the skillet in all directions. Doing both things simultaneously is very important, because it helps to spread the batter evenly throughout the skillet and also creates a

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perfect circle. The batter should cover the entire skillet in a light coating. Let it cook for 30 seconds or so until it is lightly browned. Gently lift an edge with a spatula to assess the color.

Shake and jerk the pan by its handle to dislodge the crêpe, then turn it over either with your fingers, spatula or toothpick.

You can also flip it over by tossing the pan. Cook the crêpe for another 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer to a baking rack. When thoroughly cool, you can stack them with no fear of their sticking. Refrigerate for up to two days or freeze for several weeks. Makes 10–12 crêpes (5.5 inches across).

SWEETENED RICOTTA FILLING WITH LEMON ZEST This is my favorite filling hands down. It’s light, not-too-sweet and has a subtle fresh, lemony taste. My only challenge is not eating all of it as I’m preparing it to fill the crêpes.

4 cups Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese 3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar, depending on desired sweetness 1 teaspoon vanilla Zest of 1 lemon

To make the filling, first let the ricotta sit in a strainer over a small bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to remove excess water. Mix the ricotta with the rest of the ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Makes enough to fill 12 crêpes generously (unless you eat a lot of it first).

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE This delicious and runny blueberry marmalade is not just for dousing on ricotta-filled crêpes. It’s perfect over pancakes, waffles, French vanilla ice cream or just by itself on a spoon. You can spend some wonderful time figuring out how to indulge.

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen and unthawed blueberries 3 tablespoons of sugar 3 tablespoons of water 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional)

Pour 1 1/2 cups of blueberries into a medium sauce pan, and set aside the remaining 1 cup. Add the water and sugar and cook over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the remaining blueberries and cook for an additional 5–6 minutes to heat through. Add the optional lemon juice, which brightens the sauce with its acidity and also helps the blueberry flavor to pop even more. Mix well.

Serve warm. -lm Serena Cosmo is a writer, food educator and blogger on www.rusticplate.com. A native of the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, she lives in Auburn with her husband, two daughters, a dog, a cat, four goldfish, and 27 wooden cooking spoons.

LEE MAGAZINE 11

G A R D E N

By Patti Householder

Grow to Love Squash!

Straightneck yellow squash

By Patti Householder

A

s I was contemplating what to write for this issue, I began to pick the first of my summer squash. I am using a slightly different growing method this year, but more on that later.

There are two kinds of squash, summer and winter. Summer squash grows fast and will produce early summer until frost, although subsequent plantings may be necessary. This group includes crookneck and straightneck yellow squash, zucchini and pattypan squash — also known as scallop squash. Winter squash includes butternut, acorn, spaghetti and pumpkin, to name a few of the more common types. While summer squash will produce from seed in 60-70 days, winter squash will take 75–120 days to mature.

Summer squash blooms are a delicacy to some, although I admit I have not tried them. They produce male and female flowers, but only the female flowers produce fruit. Do not fret if some of your blooms fall off and don’t produce, as they are most likely male

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flowers. Summer squash do not last long once they’re picked.

They need to be cooked within a week, as they deteriorate quickly. I love to sauté both yellow squash and zucchini with some onions in a little olive oil and a taste of salt, yum! And, of course, zucchini bread is always delicious!

Winter squash tend to have a thicker skin and flesh and the vines can grow to 20 feet in length unless you get a bushtype variety. Most winter squash and pumpkins have large seeds, which are great when dried and roasted. These can be stored longer – from one to six months — depending on the variety. Many people have converted from traditional flour pasta to using spaghetti squash. It is more nutritious and has FAR fewer calories! You can Google the type of squash you have and find hundreds of ways to prepare them. But I will say I love to cut acorn squash in half, scoop out the seeds, put a little butter and brown sugar in the “cup” of the fruit

Many people have converted from traditional flour pasta to using spaghetti squash. It is more nutritious and has FAR fewer calories! and microwave it until soft, which may take five to 10 minutes depending on the size. I also put them in a dish and bake them in the oven until they are fork tender. Be sure to leave winter squash on the vine until it is completely ripe. Make sure the skin is hard (difficult or impossible to penetrate with your fingernail); some people let the vines die before harvesting, but I do not do this with acorn squash. I use the fingernail test and make sure its dark green; since that is the variety I plant.

Summer and winter squash can be planted by direct seeding in the garden. One method is to dig a hole and put a one-gallon pot (from the garden center) into the ground, leaving the top one inch above soil line, as this is a way to get water at the roots by filling the pot and letting it slow release. Plant several seeds, thinning to three of the strongest plants. Squash are heavy feeders, so be sure to use compost and/or fertilizer (such as slow release) twice as often as it says, due to heavy watering (If it says it lasts four months, then re-fertilize in two months).

This year, I put planted seeds in an old “six pack” plant container and transplanted one to three plants (one each for summer squash and two to three for my acorn squash). Then I placed a 5-foot-by-2.5-foot-diameter tomato cage around them. I read somewhere that this helps keep the stems off the ground. Hopefully I can more easily control such pests as squash vine borers (if you see a sawdust substance on the stem of your plant you have a squash vine borer who's laid larvae in the hollow stem). They cause the plant to wilt and die. Go to www.aces.com and find other ways to deal with this pest. I am not totally organic, since I put some Sevin dust around the base at the ground to prevent them from boring into my vines and killing the whole plant. I am hoping that it will also help keep the squash bugs away. Squash bugs feed on the plants, causing them to wilt and turn black. Another way to get rid of these varmints, since they are easily detected, is to “squash” them between two bricks, step on them or use your hands (yuck).

I hope you try planting squash, since they are easy to grow and delicious to eat in the endless ways they can be prepared. -lm

Master Gardener Patti Householder is on the State Advisory Council for Alabama Master Gardeners and a past president of the Lee County Master Gardener program. She lives in Waverly.

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H O M E

Get Your Hotel Vibe On

Change Your Bath From Lackluster to Lux

By Jacquelyn Dixon

V

acation time means a weekend here and another weekend there, staying in many different accommodations. Hotel bathrooms intrigue me, especially public restrooms off of the lobby or bar areas — always a very unique use of materials. Once I’m in the room, the bathroom is the first thing I check out. You know, on most websites you can never find photos of the bathroom, so it’s always a surprise.

In a recent hotel bathroom, there was a television mounted behind the mirror, and, boy, did I love it! I always go home thinking, “Now, how am I going to create that look?” The TV won’t work for me, but I know there will be someone one day who will want it, and I’m going to be ready.

“Polished,open and have a hotel vibe” are often the aesthetic criteria on the lists from clients. Whether it’s a small hall bathroom or the master bath, having that “vibe” is easier to achieve than you think.

14 LEE MAGAZINE

It’s all about the materials you select. Lighter walls and tile create a contrast with the cabinets. Crisp white tubs, sinks and toilets. Glass panels for separation. Polished chrome fixtures (yes, polished chrome). All the fancy hotels and multi-milliondollar homes across the country use polished chrome. All your leading plumbing companies have unbelievable selections today. It’s easy to keep clean, and it always looks new. Go for the heavier chunky looking pieces. And best of all, polished chrome is always less expensive, because it is the number one finish that is sold.

Throw away those shower curtains. I highly recommend you have fixed glass panels installed on your tub by a professional, then there’s no more sprays of water all over your bathroom because your curtain wasn’t pulled all the way. Open is the feel you’ll have, the bathroom will appear much larger. If it’s only a shower you have, the glass panels can be fixed in place or, even way cooler, have them put on a sliding rail. The glass

for the look you want. When you’re on vacation, take pics of those things you just love and wish you could have in your bathroom. Doing your homework before you meet with a professional will result in a positive experience. Feel free to reach out to me for any advice or questions you may have. I’m only a click away. -lm Jacquelyn Dixon is a licensed contractor with 15 years of experience, who builds custom homes and reinvents existing ones in the Auburn/ Opelika area. Jacquelyn can be reached at: reallifebuilders@gmail.com

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CABINET COLORS — use dark stains like a Pottery Barn feel. Use really light-colored quartz or granite tops, it’s a fabulous look. This combination is always beautiful with light-colored tile of any shade. If you only like white cabinets, I recommend using dark quartz or granite.

Contrast is key when creating that “hotel vibe.” Floating shelves matching the cabinets are great above the toilet.

TILE SELECTIONS — go for the latest looks and shapes. Arrange rectangle 12” x 24” tiles on the floor or shower/tub walls in a brick pattern. Mosaic glass accent tiles create a great visual interest when used. Niches for shampoo and soap within the shower wall is another easy detail to install if you’re renovating. You can buy pre made niches that are the perfect size for your needs.

DIY TIP — You can change out your cabinet knobs/pulls along with the faucet for a big effect. This may be all you need to start the vibe.

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You Can Do It!

Tips to Meet Your Fitness Goals

By Lisa Gallagher

C

arol played a little Rec basketball when she was 13, but that was the extent of her athletic endeavors. She loved to read, excelled in school and eventually ended up a successful divorce lawyer. She has helped many people through very stressful times in their lives and had unavoidably absorbed some of that stress. If you met Carol, you would be impressed by her intelligence, competence and empathy. Some of the above is hindering her now.

Carol decided that she really needed to join a gym. She has read (of course) all the studies and knows that she should strength train twice at least a week. She also needs to do five days of cardiovascular exercise to regain the level of fitness she knows she can have — even at 54. She would like to lose 35 16 LEE MAGAZINE

pounds, and she is terrified.

“I don’t want anyone to see me in shorts.”

“I hate to sweat!”

“I don’t have the time.”

Her excuse list was as long as her well-developed intellect and imagination. She discussed her vision and goals with a wellness coach, and she realized that she was very uncomfortable being uncomfortable. She was so smart and able in her work life that not knowing what to do at a gym was extremely daunting. She always had the answers.

That is who she is. The gym-inspired unsureness put her far out of her element.

If you are hesitant to jump in and join a fitness center, maybe these tried-and-true tips will help.

Take advantage of the fitness center orientation — and go alone. An hour with a personal trainer costs upwards of fifty dollars. If your fitness center, like most, offers this free to new members you should do it! I know it’s more comfortable to go with your spouse or family member, but that is cutting the service in half! You need an exercise prescription that takes into account the meniscus tear in your left knee…not one that will trim your 15-year-old daughter down for the kick line at high school.

Wear comfortable sneakers, dry-wicking fitness shorts and shirt, and a sports bra. TJ Max and Target, among other places, have discount prices on quality fitness wear. You won’t break the bank.

If your fitness center has a pool, BUY A BATHING SUIT. Trying on a suit won’t kill you, even if you haven’t been in one in a decade. When you get to the pool, you will find welcoming coexercisers, friendly young lifeguards and you will feel comfortable.

The pool will make your back and knees feel so good that you will be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner. Don’t worry if you can’t swim, because water walking and aqua aerobics take place in the shallow end. Your feet will stay firmly planted.

Pack a bag one time, and done. So many members think that they live close enough to go back home and change after a morning workout. The routine gets too time-consuming, and they give it up. If your bag is packed, and it’s gym, work, then done for the day the excuses don’t come up. Morning exercisers are very consistent.

Search out a workout buddy or favorite fitness class. If people are expecting you, it will nudge you just enough to get you there.

You will ALWAYS be glad you went.

Carol is consistently exercising now, and she is the one welcoming the new girl in the group. She knows how it feels to be uncomfortable in a new environment. She has also felt the rewards of learning new exercises, meeting new people and losing 20 pounds. She feels more energetic and has actually lowered her stress while helping as many, if not more, divorcing couples achieve happiness in their lives. -lm Lisa Gallagher, director of the Fitness Center at the Opelika Sportsplex is a wellness coach, personal trainer and group fitness instructor. You can contact her at lisa@lee-magazine.com

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Are You Living With Pain?

L

isa had been suffering from chronic pain for more than five years and did everything she knew to do at home prior to seeking medical help. Lisa reported to her primary physician that she was still experiencing constant pain

in her lower back that also traveled down her thigh. Her doctor referred her for several treatments, without any lasting relief, and her pain was slowly worsening. One of those previous treatments even included back surgery, which provided only temporary relief.

However, things began to turn around when Lisa’s primary physician referred her to Dr. Eric Robinson at Auburn Pain Specialists for a consultation.

When Lisa first arrived at Auburn Pain Specialists, she noticed the relaxing and calming atmosphere of the practice. The professional staff obviously enjoyed working there and admired Dr. Robinson. When Lisa spoke with him regarding her pain, Dr. Robinson took the time to explain her condition and discuss his treatment plan to alleviate her pain.

Dr. Robinson is a fellowship-trained, interventional spine and pain management physician. He is board certified in both Anesthesiology and Pain Management and, thus, has both the education and strong knowledge base required to evaluate individuals who suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain.

As the only fellowship-trained pain medicine physician in Lee County, Dr. Robinson possesses the solid clinical and procedural skills necessary to help his patients achieve relief through fluoroscopic-guided (X-ray) epidural steroid injections, nerve root blocks, facet joint medial branch nerve blocks, radio-frequency ablation, sympathetic blocks, spinal cord stimulators and intrathecal pump implants. Fluoroscopy and contrast dye are used to ensure that medication gets to the site of pain, and that the procedure is done as safely and accurately as possible.

These procedures are performed with precision every day in the comfort and convenience of the Auburn Pain Specialists office.

Lisa was so relieved to know that there was another option in the Auburn/Opelika area for her to receive treatment for her pain. She could make an appointment with Dr. Robinson, with or without a referral, and find pain relief. Lisa considered it an added bonus that there were no high outpatient facility copayments attached. She received the safe and effective procedures she needed for her usual office copayment.

If you are experiencing chronic pain, make an appointment for a consultation at Auburn Pain Specialists. Dr. Robinson’s solid clinical and procedural skills are only outmatched by his integrity and ethics. We in Lee County are lucky to have him.

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Pinch Yourself Know the Signs and Dangers of Dehydration

By Lee Sharma, M.D.

H

ot summers in the South stretch on into the fall. And the warm weather is great for enjoying outdoor activities, from athletic events to sitting out by the pool or beach. Because we spend so much active time outside, dehydration — which is defined as the loss of water and fluids by the body to the point that it can no longer function normally — commonly occurs.

Recognizing the signs of dehydration, as well as being mindful to drink plenty of fluids (especially water), is extremely important this time of year.

When we are losing more fluids (through perspiration, evaporation, urination, etc.) than we are taking in, dehydration occurs. This loss may be mild or severe, depending on the percentage of fluid loss. Mild fluid loss, in which 3–4 percent of our body’s water may be lost, usually has moderate symptoms and can be easily corrected by increasing the intake of water and sports drinks. The symptoms of dehydration can include thirst, fatigue and headache. Urine may be more concentrated and dark in color due to the body’s attempt to retain as much fluid as possible.

Blood pressure may drop because of the lack of fluid in the circulation, which in turn may lead to dizziness and fainting. Loss of more than 10 percent may produce such severe symptoms as

mental disturbances and severe thirst. In extreme cases, loss can only be corrected by intravenous fluids and hospitalization, and may even prove to be fatal.

For people engaged in physical activity with high levels of exertion, dehydration may cause a higher heart rate, flushing of skin, elevated body temperature and decreased athletic performance. With extreme dehydration, the skin may lose its elasticity, such that when the skin on the back of the hand or the lower arm is raised or pinched upward, it does not snap back to its original position (the “pinch test” for dehydration).

In a positive pinch test, the skin remains elevated for a few seconds or longer when pinched due to the loss of fluid in the skin. While it would be assumed that athletes spending large amounts of time in direct sun, such as distance runners, may be at the highest risk for sports-related dehydration. Body builders and swimmers are among the most commonly affected.

Drinking lots of water and other fluids is strongly encouraged, as it is still possible to sweat even in the pool or ocean.

It is important to note that while most adults are able to correct even moderate dehydration with increased intake of fluids, children and seniors are less able to tolerate even mild dehydration. In these age groups, if there are signs of fluid loss — such as decreased urine output — constipation or fatigue, active hydration and medical attention are essential.

Prevention of dehydration is the best strategy. Drinking plenty of water and fluids, especially if outdoor activity or exercise is planned, is very helpful. Increasing intake of fruits and vegetables that naturally contain water is also good. Thirst is a useful guide to preventing dangerous fluid loss; athletes may need to drink more water prior to activity, however, to prevent dehydration. Drinking fluids one hour prior to activity is beneficial to prevent feeling bloated.

Awareness of the signs of dehydration for yourself and your loved ones can prevent a dangerous and potentially lifethreatening situation. Remember that our bodies are 70 percent water; drinking fluids regularly keeps the level appropriate and our bodily functions running smoothly. -lm Lee Sharma, M.D. is a board-certified gynecologist in private practice.

Trained at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, she lives in Opelika with her husband Shash, children Sam and Rachel, and her puppy Ryker.

18 LEE MAGAZINE

P E T S

Itch Relief Scratch Out Allergies

By Glen Puckett, DVM

S

easonal allergies tend to wreak havoc on our sinuses and nasal passageways, but did you know that your dog may also suffer from the effects of allergies? The same pollens, grasses and molds that affect us can also create skin problems for our canine compadres. Dogs with allergies exhibit many clinical signs, most commonly intense itching and discomfort.

Allergies can be frustrating for pets, vets and owners alike, as it must be managed throughout the pet’s life. The severe pruritus (itching) that accompanies allergies will drive pets into a frantic state of incessant scratching and chewing, which only makes matters worse and can send even the most patient owner over the edge. For veterinarians, allergies present a constant battle with secondary problems and infections.

Allergies are caused by the immune system’s overzealous response to pollens or molds. Special immune cells release histamine in response to the offending allergens. In humans, the histamine binds to receptors and increases local inflammation, including sinus pressure and watery eyes.

For dogs, histamines cause skin irritation and itching, and intense scratching often mutilates the skin's protective surface, leading to secondary bacterial infections and yeast overgrowth on the skin.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY DOG HAS ALLERGIES? Allergic dogs can suffer a wide array

of dermatologic and gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition to intense itching, ear infections (Otitis Externa) are a very common symptom of food allergy and seasonal environmental allergies. Ear infections cause the ears to have a foul smell (like old dirty socks), or the dog will shake his head and paw at the inflamed ear canal.

Many pets have bumps or scabs covering their bellies or other parts of their skin, which are mistaken for bug bites by many owners. They are usually indications of a secondary bacterial or yeast infection from all the scratching and chewing the pet has been doing. If your your pet is scratching excessively, visit your veterinarian. Many skin conditions often look the same to the naked eye, but they may require very different treatment regimens.

WHAT IS MY DOG ALLERGIC TO? Pets may be allergic to many things in the environment, including pollens, grasses and molds, which tend to be seasonal (at least early in your dog’s life), occurring from early spring to late fall.

Seasonal allergies may range from a mild flare up of pink skin to severe and intense dermatologic infections that are difficult to manage even with modern medicine.

Using serum (blood) or intradermal (skin) samples, dogs can be tested to find out which allergens affect them.

Fleas and other arthropods can also cause our canines’ allergic reactions. Fleas are more prevalent in the warmer months,

but flea-preventive medications should be used year round in our climate. Flea saliva causes an intense reaction in allergic pets, generally producing hair loss inside the rear legs and over the base of the tail. Recent advances in flea prevention products help control flea allergy, and your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate product to prevent and control fleas.

Food allergies are less common in pets than environmental allergens, but they can create similar dermatologic issues. We often distinguish food allergies, because they are not seasonal in nature and may be accompanied by abnormal gastrointestinal signs, including flatulence, diarrhea and vomiting. There is no effective blood test for food allergies, and your veterinarian may place your dog on a six- to- eightweek dietary trial of hypoallergenic food.

If the trial results in a significant clinical improvement, then the diagnosis of food allergy is made.

HOW DO YOU TREAT ALLERGIES? Very mild allergic conditions are managed by regular administration of antihistamines, such as Benadryl or Zyrtec.

More severe allergies require allergy shots (Hyposensitization injections), new designer pharmaceuticals (including Apoquel and Atopica) and occasionally short-acting oral steroids (Prednisone). Many times secondary skin and ear infections are present and must be treated with oral antibiotics or topical ear preparations. Flea and food allergies should be treated by avoidance. If you can eliminate flea issues and feed hypoallergenic diets to affected dogs, then you can minimize flare ups associated with these conditions.

If you suspect that your pet may suffer from allergies, you should consult your vet.

Reviewing the evidence from your pet’s physical exam, taking a thorough history and getting answers to some pertinent questions — combined with a few quick skin tests — will allow your veterinarian to determine the appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan for your pet. -lm Glen Puckett, DVM graduated from Auburn's School of Veterinary Medicine in 2008 and has been in practice at Moores Mill Animal hospital ever since. He lives in Auburn with his wife Heather, two children, and three dogs.

LEE MAGAZINE 19

A Black Box Affair AU's Theatre Boasts a Unique New Venue

By Karen Hunley

F

or the past 40 years, many Auburn University theatre students claim to have seen and heard things they cannot logically explain – the faint sound of rattling of chains, lights flickering when no one else is in the room and candy mysteriously disappearing.

They say that the Telfair Peet Theatre on campus is haunted by the

“We are well set to go into the next part of the 21st century with this new facility,” Phillips added.

The black box theatre is called “experimental” because, simply, you can do anything you want in there, Phillips said. It’s smaller and more intimate than the main stage — known as a proscenium — and allows for a variety of seating arrangements.

small, intimate space.

This is in stark contrast to the light, airy proscenium, with its stage commanding the attention of patrons seated at a distance — in front and slightly below the stage — as well as the traditional catwalks above and heavy curtains that add another layer of separation between the actors and the audience.

While smaller, the black box also

ghost of Sydney Grimmlet, a Civil War Confederate soldier who was treated for war wounds and later died at a makeshift hospital, which is now known as the Auburn University Chapel on College Street. Many years later, once the building was converted into a nondenominational church, Auburn theatre students used the chapel for rehearsals and performances until they had their own space.

As the story goes, Sydney never really left the building after he died and eventually followed the theatre students to Telfair Peet after it opened in 1973.

It remains to be seen whether Sydney, who seems to be a harmless ghost, will take up residence in the theatre’s exciting new addition, which was completed just in time for the start of fall semester. The nearly $4 million project includes a much needed experimental theatre (or “black box”), a dance studio and new office space.

These additions were needed mainly to keep up with the department’s growing program and the evolving expectations of the live arts industry which students will enter after graduation, said Scott Phillips, associate professor and chair of Auburn University’s Department of Theatre.

You could set up the audience seats like an arena, with patrons feeling that they are almost part of the show, or there can be up to 150 seats placed in a more traditional three-quarter arrangement with the performers in front.

offers the possibility of two-level seating with an elevated, 6-foot-wide platform, or gallery, with guard rails that wraps around the box. Performers can weave through audience members or stand on the gallery alone, projecting to the audience below.

“You want to do plays as the material invites you to do them,” Phillips said. “If you are doing ‘Les Miserables,’ that calls for a big proscenium theatre … but if you are doing a small intimate play like ‘Nunsense,’ with only five women in the show, the audience is able to be much closer to the actors.”

In fact, “Nunsense” will be the inaugural production in the black box, with show dates starting in October. The off-Broadway comedy follows the “Little Sisters of Hoboken,” as they try to raise money for the burials of fellow members of their order, whom Sister Julia accidentally poisoned with tainted potato soup.

The black box also has technical elements not available in the main theatre, Jaffe said. Instead of the catwalks that are above the main stage, the new theatre has a tension grid suspended about seven feet from the ceiling, where all the lighting for shows is controlled. It

20 LEE MAGAZINE

“you can be more truthful” in this

The black box ceiling is much lower than in the proscenium (22 feet high compared to about 57 feet), which means better acoustics because sound does not travel so far “up,” said Robin Jaffe, production manager and faculty technology director for the theatre department.

While also called a studio theatre, there’s hardly a better description than “black box” for the 51’ x 40’ space. It is definitely black, from the floor and walls to the rails on the gallery, putting all the emphasis on the actors and a few carefully chosen props. No distractions. This makes it difficult to hide anything from the audience. As Phillips says,

looks and feels like a net when you step onto it, but it is strong and actually safer than the catwalks for the shows’ lighting directors since it is completely enclosed.

Jaffe and Phillips said the tension grid is an asset not only because it’s technologically advanced, but it also because it allows technical students to cross-train with two different lighting systems. It’s important to know how to work in both older and newer spaces, they said. “(The black box) will be a really good recruiting tool for us, which will change how we do shows,” Jaffe said.

Although the black box is referred to as an experimental theatre, Phillips assured that there will be shows that everyone can relate to and enjoy.

“The term ‘experimental’ doesn’t mean that everything we’ll do in there will be some strange, avant garde thing,” he said.

“But we will try to offer an eclectic mix of shows that serves our students well and also appeals to the community.”

Having two theatres at Telfair Peet also means less concern about doublebooking the main stage or being unable to set up for one production while another is still in progress. For the department’s fall production — there is typically a fall and spring show — students previously used a room that was never meant for performances. Telfair Peet building designers originally intended this space to be a costume shop, but it was ultimately separated by retractable curtains and used as classrooms and a studio theatre.

As a performance space, it was too small and too warm when filled with audience members, and, overall, it was a difficult place to produce a musical, Phillips said.

The National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST), the agency that accredits AU’s theatre program, agreed that it was not suitable for performances and told the department it needed a viable studio theatre. “(NAST) said we needed a dance studio and a studio space, and now we have one,” Phillips said proudly.

Without a doubt, the new dance studio is another bright spot of the new addition, quite literally. Entering the studio, you are greeted by sunlight pouring in from the windows above, high enough so passersby can’t see in as dancers rehearse; a honey-colored plywood floor suspended on rubber, so it offers the safe elasticity dancers need when they come down from jumps; and a 14-foot-high ceiling that

ceiling during lifts,” Phillips said.

The Auburn University Provost’s Office helped fund the dance studio, and the President’s Office and the College of Liberal Arts also contributed to the new additions, Phillips added.

“The President’s Office is very supportive of the (theatre) program and the arts in general,” he said.

“Nunsense” will run Oct. 23-Nov. 2

The newly renovated Telfair Peet Theatre

seems to reach to the heavens compared with the old 8-foot-tall studio.

At 51 feet by 30 feet, the entire room is much larger, lighter and more appropriate for dance than the former space, which is only 25 square feet and was not originally intended to be a dance studio. The original building was supposed to have a legitimate dance studio, but it ultimately had to be eliminated from the plan due to budget constraints.

Until now, theatre department dancers often borrowed the School of Kinesiology’s large space in the AU coliseum. Phillips said they were grateful for this, but it’s a good feeling to have their own studio now.

It will give the department’s 30 current dance minor students a proper place to learn choreography and rehearse, Phillips said.

“There are certain combinations for which you need more space, especially in modern dance. It’s very problematic in ballet, where dancers are probably going to hit their head on the (8-foot-high)

in the black box theatre, and “Hedda Gabler” will be the season’s first show on the main stage, running Sept. 25-Oct. 3.

No one knows for sure which of the season’s performances Sydney will grace, or if he will visit the black box theatre at all. But one thing is certain, the stage managers will leave out a bowl of candy before each show to keep Sydney happy and quiet — a tradition since those days in the chapel.

“My feeling about Sydney is that he’s welcome to be here, and he’s generally a theatre fan,” said Phillips, who admits he has never seen the ghost himself but does say the candy is always gone after the shows.

And who else would eat Reese’s Pieces?

For an entire listing of show dates for the 2014-15 Auburn University Theatre season, visit www.cla.auburn.edu/theatre/ productions. -lm Karen Hunley is a freelance writer and a communications specialist for the the Auburn University Food Systems Institute. She lives in Auburn with her husband and son.

Davis Raines

Death Row Guard to Music Row Star

By Rheta Grimsley Johnson

Y

“I’m all about Hank. I used to stand behind a carpet sweeper’s ou can’t recruit talent like this off the Mickey upright handle with a badminton racket and lip-sync his Greatest Mouse Club. It’s the most organic form of singing Hits and 14 More Greatest Hits when I was 9 or 10,” Raines and songwriting there is, from the bruised, beenrecalls. “He was like Jesus where I grew up, especially amongst there, why-I-wear-black mind of a man who takes my parents’ generation. If somebody offered me $20 for every nothing for granted but the dawning of another by-god work Hank song I could play at a sitting, I’d knock a hole in their day. From this kind of mind, you get informed writing. Powerful wallet.” writing.

Don’t think big hats, spangles and white suits when you think Lee County native Davis Raines, 56, has a strong chin, selfof this performer, however. Raines dresses deprecating humor, liberal leanings and more like Rip Torn in the movie “Cross an appreciation for the Romantic poets.

Creek,” loose black shirt and faded black He has the kind of honest, world-weary jeans, hobo hip, if you will. eyes you’d trust to watch your knapsack Davis Raines has had a good run in in a Greyhound bus station. He’s serene Nashville — publishing deals, songs on somehow, despite urgent puffs on a the charts — a town he didn’t tackle till ubiquitous cigarette.

1993 when he was an “elderly” 35. He hit Raines is artistically confident, as that hard ground running, writing “all the comfortable writing about walking with time, on fire, singing-hungry,” as he puts Martin Luther King as he is watching the it. There’s the School of Hard Knocks, Iron Bowl. He turns philosopher when and the School of Knocking Hard. He’s a explaining his long and successful country Photo by Alex McCollough graduate of both. music career: “I see it as a calling, one Before his music career, Raines had been a prison guard on that allows/requires me to be a preacher, a scoundrel, a warrior, a death row unit in Birmingham, following the career example a wanderer — whatever the song calls for — to make us poor of his stepfather, Clifford Ward, a legendary shift commander in sinners feel good, or think, or cry.”

Kristofferson’s Pilgrim comes to mind. Partly truth, partly the Alabama Department of Corrections.

“Clifford Ward was one of 13 kids born to a sharecropper fiction. Kris Kristofferson, in fact and in evidence, is one of Davis Raines’ top song-writing heroes, along with Guy Clark, Roger father and homemaker mother in Reeltown,” Raines recounts.

Miller, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Merle Haggard and “Joni “He grew up rough, was a great athlete, too poor to go to college, and was, by all accounts, wild…. He was like John Wayne, loved freaking Mitchell,” as Raines puts it.

And we shouldn’t leave out the influence of Harlan “Three to work … big, 6-2, 200 pounds, fearless, loved women and sour mash liquor….”

Chords and the Truth” Howard and, of course, Hank.

22 LEE MAGAZINE

Photo by Travis Begay

And so a young Davis Raines, when it came time to get serious and choose a professional path, switched his physical education major at Auburn University Montgomery to Criminal Justice.

“I was ambitious and idealistic, and young degree-holders were moving up the ladder quickly in law enforcement agencies then….”

Thus began a life in law at which Raines, raised in the 1960s and the Baptist church, was surprisingly good. He began as a deputy sheriff and soon became the youngest lieutenant in the Alabama Department of Corrections. He was a captain at age 29. He learned quickly and listened hard and didn’t leave until a dispute with his supervisor forced him to take stock. “I thought I knew more about ‘convickin’ than anyone else, and my philosophy didn’t coincide with the Company Line at the time, so I sabotaged myself…. And, by leaving that ‘honest’ job, I was free to pursue the call of the muse, and after a long season in the wilderness and some good therapy, I found that positive thoughts bring positive results, and my whole life changed for the better, in spite of myself….”

Still, he didn’t brave Nashville before taking a turn with the

Romantic poets, studying graduate-level literature mostly to reassure himself it was possible to reinvent his life as a creative one. “I took a year to go to grad school and justify to my own psyche that I could pursue the contemplative life.”

All of which has made Davis Raines, for my money, the Larry Brown of songwriters. The late Brown, an Oxford, Miss., firefighter, on his off days single-mindedly devoted himself to fiction. Something about Brown’s amazing writing reeked of smoke. It was sparse, tough, gritty. Flickering flame fiction. So it is with a Davis Raines song. It’s reality on a stick. It sounds the way we live and feel. Not smooth and pretty, but rough and real.

When he sings about working in the slaughterhouse, he’s seen it. When he talks about drinking, he’s done it. When he composes a song about To Kill a Mockingbird, he’s read it. When he writes about Big Bam radio and Elvis and Hank, he’s heard them. And when he sings his Iron Bowl song — like hero Hank, he’s not above writing a novelty song or two — he’s writing about more than football fanaticism, he’s writing about his Lee County roots.

For Raines is the son of the late Hurshel John “Pop” Raines, LEE MAGAZINE 23

owner of the aptly-named Raines Beverage Shack, the legendary and shabby house once located in a field on the outskirts of Auburn and respectability. The Shack’s cheap beer probably lubed more Auburn students than Valvoline has cars. Davis Raines lived in that famous dwelling for his first and formative eight years, along with Pop, who was 53 when Davis was born, his much younger and beautiful mother, Virginia Brantley, and his sister Deanna.

“I thought we were normal, I guess, although we lived in the back of the joint, used an outhouse, well water, etcetera.

Being beer-joint owners, the folks were outside of Auburn’s polite society, but knew everybody in town, and everyone knew them…. I hung out every day in the shack, a place whose outward appearance justified its name – and inside: Spartan, metaltop tables and cane-bottom chairs, one long beer cooler in front of the door that led to our home quarters, over which a sign read, “No Profanity Please,” a juke box, and a door in back that opened into the “Colored” section. And I was hearing some educated people talking about interesting things, and I think that environment encouraged my imagination. Then, in November of 1964, my dad died and everything changed on a dime.

Though Raines describes his late stepfather as “charismatic and wise in a practical way” and gives him his due as “the best shift commander ever, anywhere,” he says the tough Clifford Ward could also be violent. He drank a lot. Maybe because 24 LEE MAGAZINE

Raines “wasn’t his blood,” there were frustrations when the stepson seemed more of a random shaving than a chip off the old block That aside, it was Ward who paid what grants and scholarships didn’t for Davis’ education. And it was Ward who bought Davis his first guitar — a Truetone cherry-sunburst archtop — from the Western Auto.

But life in Autauga County was no longer the gentle, laidback atmosphere Raines had known as a small child in Auburn. No longer was the scene bucolic and free, vet students and frat boys pulling up to The Shack for a half case to go, little Davis chatting up their waiting dates through the car windows. It was less Photo by Winkler With an Eye academic and more real. “Instead of professors and engineers around our table, it wound up being prison guards. I learned from them, too.”

C

lifford and Virginia Ward also ran a country grocery store, so Raines encountered every type of person imaginable, all grist for his creative mill. If ever a man cut his literary teeth on hard wood, it’s Davis Raines. Let’s face it. You don’t work Death Row and not come away with something. His disillusionment over the warehousing of human beings still haunts him — and his music.

“I got to know some of those guys a little, and I can’t remember one that I would have wanted to have a drink nor a prayer meeting with. For the most part, they were just bad guys. Heinous killers. Yet, I recall Jesus’ circumstance and wonder what gives us the right, all of us being children of God and needing shoes. They had to zap John Louis Evans three times in the electric chair before they finally killed him. That made me think about things.”

So there’s that tough-guy, Larry Brown-ish and sad side of the Davis Raines oeuvre, so obviously sourced. The young, blond mega star Kellie Pickler recently has made a hit of one such song, “Someone Somewhere Tonight”, which Raines co-wrote with his friend Walt Wilkins. Someone somewhere tonight is stuck in a prison/ they’re breathing but just barely living/behind their own walls….

“She’s bought me a lot of guitar strings,” Raines jokes about the Kellie Pickler version of his song. (There have been other

renditions, by Wilkins, Kenny Rogers, Pam Tillis.) Pickler might be known best lately for winning “Dancing with the Stars.” With characteristic humor, Raines says he still has to scrap for an audience but that Pickler “helped me vault from anonymity to relative obscurity….”

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aines’ own recording of his song on his latest CD “Mockingbird,” not surprisingly, hits closer to its essence, same as the raw-voiced Kristofferson can sing “Sunday Morning Coming Down” better than the most golden-throated songbird. Rolling Stone praised the Raines song as “steeped in down-home philosophizin’.” And nobody’s better at that.

There’s another important Raines dimension — the humor, irrepressible and smart, in evidence during live performances. Whether he’s introducing “The Truck Driver from Mars” or joking as a stall while tuning his Martin, Raines keeps even the most uninitiated audience

laughing and wanting more of his occasionally ribald joking.

But it’s the flip side to the humor — his sensitive, literate side — that makes you remember Raines and wonder for the nine-millionth time why mostly morons program modern country music. In 2013, a former English professor of Raines’ at

MockingbirdCover Painting by Michael Becker.

AUM, Nancy Anderson, asked him to write a song for a conference she was hosting on To Kill a Mockingbird. He co-wrote the commissioned piece with Frye Gaillard, a respected journalist and

author in Mobile who lately has tried his hand at writing country music.

“At first we were stumped,” Gaillard admits. “The novel speaks pretty well for itself. But then I started thinking about how great songwriters like Woody Guthrie, Merle Haggard, Bruce Springsteen and Kris Kristofferson all wrote songs about, or inspired by, The Grapes of Wrath. Pretty soon, we had a song about the time and the place that the book represented, and then Davis sat down and wrote a whole album of songs around it….

“Davis Raines was probably a fine prison guard, but I sure am glad he changed careers,” Gaillard says. “He writes with deep Southern, blue collar sensibilities, toughened by his time as a prison guard. But he’s also a man full of empathy and heart.”

Gaillard, who interviewed Raines for a book called The Quilt, asked his subject about that rare empathy. Raines answered that “anything that’s good about me” came from his mother, “my best friend ever.” Virginia Brantley, he

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and lyrics,” Anderson says. And of his most recent release, “Mockingbird,” she praises its “content, universality, tone and mood. There is a power about it that moves me every time I hear it….”

A

Photo by Travis Begay

says, “was a tall, beautiful (and I mean it), dark auburn-haired, green-eyed girl from Tallassee, the daughter of Mount Vernon Mills lintheads, who loved to dance and share a joke.”

I

t’s back to Larry Brown Country, however, to decipher Raines’ maternal roots. “She swore she received a beating every day from her mother until she was 16, when she finally stood up and told both her parents she’d stand it no more. She married my dad at 17 to get out of the house, had my sister at 19, and settled in to being ‘Pop’s young wife.’ Probably not what she’d envisioned….”.

Raines' empathetic nature, especially when it comes to women, evidently extends to his wife of 22 years, Kathey Hunter, a Nashville health care professional whom the songwriter calls “a fount of support for me, always, and the sweetest person I know.” He helped raise her daughter, Jaime, since Jaime was 13 years old.

And his frequent song-writing partner, Pamela Jackson, also an Auburn native, gets unbridled praise from Raines. “Roger Miller said, ‘Picasso didn’t co-paint.’ I get it. But … I’ve written so many quality songs with Pamela. Writing with Pamela is so easy because we’re from the same woods, 26 LEE MAGAZINE

watched the same TV stations, same Top 40 radio. And we push each other, gently, because we both want to do something that’ll knock `em in the head….”

Jackson gets co-credit on what has become Raines’ signature song and the title cut of his third CD, “Going to Montgomery,” a ballad that Gaillard says addresses the ambivalence “many of us feel about a place we love.” Rock me in the cradle/Where the moss hangs off the trees/ Where it’s hard and hot and hateful/Where it’s soft and cool and sweet.

In that song Raines and Jackson write of Martin Luther King and Hank Williams in the same breath, both spirits balms for bloodied souls. Our region is one of poetry and pain, beauty and beasts. It is, in other words, a fertile field for writers.

And Raines has sampled lots of the turf.

Gaillard isn’t the only intellectual that sees Davis Raines writing as a cut above. Nancy Anderson says she became speechless while reading the liner notes Raines wrote for Pamela Jackson’s most recent CD. “His honesty and sincerity sing through in all of his writing, prose

nderson recognized Davis Raines’ exceptional writing ability when he was a student, but even that wasn’t the first time his way with words captured someone’s attention.

When he was 14, his beloved Auburn Tigers beat Alabama 17-16 by running back two blocked punts for touchdowns in the final minutes. Young Davis wrote a poem about the Punt Bama Punt Iron Bowl that was published in nationally syndicated L.M. Boyd’s trivia column.

Raines admits to having “an unreasonable passion” for Auburn football, which he calls his only hobby.

Maybe the gauzy memories of that innocent time at The Shack fuel the passion. Auburn was the scene of Raines’ first romance, after all, and that kind of thing stays with a sensitive soul.

“I was somewhat prodigious, and only spent six weeks in the first grade at Wright’s Mill Road Elementary before they took me from my first crush, Mrs. Ethel Purcell Morris, and promoted me into the second grade with the drop-dead gorgeous Cora Ann Aycock. Lovely as she was, I cried every day, until my mom had me put back….”

That, in a nutshell, may explain the essence of one of Nashville’s best and most lyrical songwriters. Davis Raines. Smart, romantic, seasoned, and determined to have his way. -lm

Rheta Grimsley Johnson, a graduate of AU Journalism Department, is a syndicat ed columnist for King Features of New York. She is the author of Enchanted Evening Barbie, The Second Coming, Hank Hung the Moon and Warmed Our Cold, Cold Hearts.

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AUBURN PUBLIC LIBRARY, 749 East Thach

Ave., Auburn. Open Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 2–6 p.m. Information: 5013190; www.auburnalabama.org/Library/.

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Open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Information: 501-2963; www.auburnalabama.org/ arts/.

JULE COLLINS SMITH MUSEUM OF FINE ARt,

901 South College St., Auburn. Open Tuesday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; Sunday, 1–4 p.m. Information: 844-1484; www.jcsm.auburn.edu.

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6500 Stage Rd. (Hwy. 14), Loachapoka.

LEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,

Open second Saturdays, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Information: 887-3007; www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org.

LOUISE KREHER FOREST ECOLOGY PRESERVE,

3100 Hwy. 147 N., Auburn. Open daily from sunup to sundown. Information: 7076512; http://wp.auburn.edu/preserve/.

OPELIKA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, 601

Avenue A, Opelika. Information: 745-4861; www.opelika.com.

28 LEE MAGAZINE

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calendar WHEN

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June/July

ONGOING Weekly in October: Fall Movie Series. The Auburn Parks and Recreation Department will host a fall movie series during October. Information: 5012930 or webparksrec@auburnalabama.org.

produce, canned and baked goods and much more. The market is open from 3 to 6 p.m. at Courthouse Square in Opelika. Information: www.facebook.com/ OpelikaMainStreetFarmersMarket.

ONGOING Monthly: First Fridays with Satin Soul. Satin Soul, a smooth jazz and R&B band, plays at The Event Center Downtown in Opelika. Doors open at 8 p.m.; show starts at 9 p.m. Admission is $5. Information: 705-5466 or www. eventcenterdowntown.net.

ONGOING Wednesdays: Toddler Time.

The Auburn Public Library hosts this event each Wednesday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for toddlers ages 18–36 months and their favorite adults to enjoy stories, songs, movement rhymes and a fun craft.

Information: 501-3190.

ONGOING Monthly: Second Saturdays.

Visit the Lee County Historical Museum on the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a day of historical fun and education featuring metal and fiber/textile arts demonstrations, open hearth cooking, food, old time music and more. Information: 887-3007 or www. leecountyhistoricalsociety.org.

ONGOING Tuesdays: Baby Time. Bring your 0–24-month-old little ones to the Auburn Public Library on Tuesdays to Baby Time, held at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m., to enjoy 20 minutes of stories, songs, bounces and tickles. Information: 501-3190.

ONGOING Through October: Football, Fans, and Feathers. Join the Southeastern Raptor Center at the Edgar B. Carter Amphitheater located at the Auburn University Veterinary College campus at 4 p.m. before each home football game. Information: www. auburntigers.com or 887-8747.

ONGOING Mondays: Brown Bag Lunch and Learn. Join the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. for its Lunch and Learn sessions held at the Clarion Inn & Suites in Auburn. Information: 844-3105 or www.olliatauburn.org.

ONGOING Second Mondays: Pajama Time. Put on your pajamas, grab a blanket and a favorite bedtime “lovey” and join us for cozy stories, music and family fun during our special Monday evenings at the Auburn Public Library, held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 8 and Oct. 13. Information: 501-3190.

ONGOING Tuesdays Through Sept. 30: Opelika Main Street Farmers Market.

This weekly, seasonal market offers fresh

ONGOING Wednesdays: A Little Art Talk. Take your lunch break at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art each Wednesday and hear a short (15-minute) talk focused on a single piece of art in the JCSM collection.

You’ll still have ample time to drop by the café for lunch. Information: 844-1484 or www.jcsm.auburn.edu.

ONGOING Wednesdays: Wine Down Wednesday. Held every Wednesday at 5 p.m., this event offers half-price house wines, full bar and free snacks. Information: 7055466 or www.eventcenterdowntown.net.

ONGOING Thursdays: Preschool Time.

Bring your preschoolers (ages 3–5 years) to the Auburn Public Library on Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for stories, songs, movement rhymes and a fun craft during Preschool Time. Information: 501-3190.

ONGOING Thursdays Through October: Fall Concert Series at Kiesel Park. Bring the family from 6–7:30 p.m. for concerts at Kiesel Park in Auburn. Admission: free.

Information: www.auburnalabama.org/ parks/ or 501-2930.

Find out what's going on this week !

City of Auburn auburnalabama.org/parks Parks and Recreation

ONGOING Thursdays: Live Jazz at the Museum. Hear live jazz, tour exhibits and enjoy food from the café each Thursday from 6–8 p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Information: 844-1484 or www.jcsm. auburn.edu.

ONGOING Thursdays: A Little Lunch Music. From noon–1 p.m., enjoy lunch in our café while listening to a casual performance presented by Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and musician Patrick McCurry. Information: 844-1484 or www.jcsm.auburn.edu.

ONGOING Monthly. First Fridays. “Shop Late, Eat Local” in downtown Opelika the first Friday of each month. Specialty stores stay open until 8 p.m. or later so come eat, shop and enjoy live music on the streets.

Information: www.opelikamainstreet.org or 745-0466.: www.aualum.org/5k.

AUG. 29: AUsome Amphibians & Reptiles.

Join the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve staff at 4 p.m. for a one-hour presentation on the AUsome amphibians and reptiles found in our state and beyond. Admission: $5; children 3 and under free. Information: preserve@ auburn.edu or 707-6512.

AUG. 29: PlainsFest. Join us for a downtown concert featuring Ben Rector and Switchfoot at 7 p.m. in Auburn in the Gay Street Municipal Parking Lot. Admission: free.

Aug. 31: Hispanic Film Festival: This event featuring the film “Quien es Dayani Cristal (Who is Dayani Cristal?)” at 2 p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Information: 844-4345 or forlang@auburn.edu.

SEPT. 5. Art π Gallery Opening. Join the members of Art π Creative Circle from 5–8 p.m. for a reception kicking off their new exhibit space in Heritage Gifts and Gourmet and the Gnu’s Room in Opelika. Information: www.facebook.com/groups/ArtPi/.

SEPT. 8: The Imaginative World of Yeon Jin Kim. Join us for the opening of this exhibition of video works, shown together with the sculptural sets and drawings used in their production, and hear Kim’s lecture at 5 p.m. in Biggin Hall on the Auburn University campus; public reception to follow. Information: www. cla.auburn.edu/art/.

SEPT. 8. “Diptychs.” The Jan Dempsey Art Center presents “Diptychs,” an invitational exhibit featuring selected works by area artists and craftspeople.

The show runs through Oct. 8.

Information: www.auburnalabama.org/ arts/ or 501-2963.

SEPT. 9: Book Talk by Claire Feild. Join us for a book talk by local author Claire Feild at 4 p.m. at the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities (Pebble Hill). Information: meb0015@auburn.edu or 844-4946.

SEPT. 11: Naked Blue. The Sundilla Concert Series hosts folk/pop duo Naked Blue at 7:30 p.m. at the Auburn Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, 450 Thach Ave. in Auburn. Information: 7417169 or www.sundilla.org.

SEPT. 11–18: “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” The Opelika High Theatre Society presents the musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at the Opelika Performing Arts Center at Opelika High School. Evening performances will be held Sept. 11, 13, 16–18 at 7 p.m. A special afternoon of fun for all ages will be held Sept. 14 featuring a Snoopy and Charlie Brown Picnic at 1 p.m. at OHS, where children and adults can meet and be photographed with the Peanuts characters then attend a matinee performance of the musical at 3 p.m. Tickets for the picnic should be

purchased in advance at the OHS office or at www.opelikaschools.org/ohts/. Tickets for the performances can be purchased in advance or at the door. Information: 7459745.

SEPT. 13: The Yellowhammer War: A Civil War Symposium. This one-day symposium, to be held at Langdon Hall on the Auburn University campus beginning at 9 a.m., marks the Civil War sesquicentennial and addresses Alabama’s role in, and experience of, the Civil War and its aftermath. Information: meb0015@auburn. edu or 844-4946.

SEPT. 13: Hummingbirds at the Forest Ecology Preserve. The Hummingbird program will be offered at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve. Admission is $4 for members; $5 for non-members; children under 3 free. Information: preserve@auburn. edu or 707-6512.

SEPT. 13: Waverly Fall Boogie. Join us for music, food, art and so much more at Standard Deluxe’s annual Fall Boogie, 11 a.m. until. Information: www. standarddeluxe.com.

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LEE MAGAZINE 29

SEPT. 14: Songs in the Woods. Bring a picnic and enjoy an afternoon of music at the Forest Ecology Preserve from 3:30–5 p.m. Admission: $5 per person. Cancelled, in the event of rain. Information: 707-6512 or preserve@auburn.edu.

SEPT. 19: AU Music Faculty Showcase.

Join us for a special joint performance by Auburn University’s music faculty members at 7:30 p.m. in Goodwin Recital Hall on the Auburn University campus. Admission: $10 for adults; $5 for students. Information: www.cla.auburn.edu/music.

SEPT. 28.

Auburn Community Orchestra Concert. Join the Auburn Community Orchestra for a free concert at Kiesel Park beginning at 4 p.m. In the event of rain, the concert will be held in the band room of Goodwin Hall on the Auburn University campus. Information: 501-2963 or webparksrec@auburnalabama.org.

SEPT. 20: Oktoberfest-Homebrew Alley. The fifth annual Oktoberfest at The Hotel and Dixon Conference Center in Auburn features “Homebrew Alley,” where home brewers are given the opportunity to showcase their craft. Information: 321-3165 or adam.keeshan@auhcc.com.

SEPT. 24: Paul Taylor Dance Company.

The Arts Association of East Alabama celebrates its 50th anniversary and kicks off its 2014–15 performance series with the national tour of the Paul Taylor Dance Company beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Opelika Center for the Performing Arts in Opelika. Information: www.eastalabamaarts. org or 749-8105.

SEPT. 26: Blue Jeans Ball. The 14th Annual Blue Jean Ball returns to Coach Pat Dye’s Crooked Oaks Hunting Lodge in Notasulga.

The event, which starts at 5 p.m. and features entertainment, food, drink and live and silent auctions, benefits the Auburn University and Auburn University-Montgomery Schools of Nursing. Information: gridesw@auburn.edu or 844-6753.

SEPT. 27: Johnny Ray Century for Parkinson’s Disease. A USAC-sanctioned non-competitive event, this event offers a variety of ride options for cyclists of all

30 LEE MAGAZINE

endurance levels. Registration at 7 a.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church in Opelika; ride starts 8 a.m. Information: www. eastalabamacyclingclub.com.

SEPT. 25–OCT. 3: “Hedda Gabler.” The Auburn University Department of Theatre presents the play “Hedda Gabler” at the Telfair Peet Theatre on the Auburn campus.

Show times are 7:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sundays. Information: www.cla. auburn.edu/theatre.

OCT. 2: Wine, Women & Shoes. This event, to be held at the Moores Mill Club in Auburn, features a wine tasting, shopping, Shoe Guys, models showcasing the latest fashion trends, live and silent auctions, food bites and more! Proceeds benefit the East Alabama Medical Center Foundation.

Information: http://winewomenandshoes. com/eamcf.

OCT. 10: On the Tracks. Come to Historic Downtown Opelika to enjoy a fun night on the town wandering from shop to shop, tasting wine and other spirits, sampling food and listening to live music. The event starts at 6 p.m. Information: 745-0466 or www. onthetracks.org.

OCT. 11: Creepy Wonderful CrittersBats! Join us at 10 a.m. for a program featuring one of our creepiest, and most beneficial, winged creatures, the eerie bat. Admission: $4 for members; $5 for non-members; children 3 and under free. Information: 707-6512 or preserve@ auburn.edu.

OCT. 11: Waverly Bar-B-Q. This

23rd annual event features Barnyard Bingo, greased pig contests, lots of food, entertainment and “more fun than we deserve.” It will be held at the Waverly Community Center from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Information: JaneMurphy@ pinegroveministorage.com.

OCT. 2: Moors & McCumber. The Sundilla Concert Series hosts acoustic duo Moors & McCumber at 7:30 p.m. at the Auburn Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, 450 Thach Ave. in Auburn. Information: 741-7169 or www.sundilla.org.

OCT.

OCT. 3: Cary Hudson and Sylvia Rose Novak. Musicians Cary Hudson and Sylvia Rose Novak perform at Standard Deluxe’s The Little House venue in Waverly beginning at 7 p.m. Information: www. standarddeluxe.com.

OCT. 18: 10th Annual Think Pink Walk. The 10th Annual Think Pink Walk will be held at the Courthouse Square in downtown Opelika. Funds raised benefit women in our community through the East Alabama Medical Center Breast Health for Underserved Women program. Registration begins at 8 a.m.; walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Pre-registration is $15; $20 day of event. The deadline for pre-registration and guaranteed t-shirt size is Oct. 10. Information: 528-4370.

OCT. 3 AND 24: AUsome Amphibians & Reptiles. Join the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve staff at 4 p.m. for a one-hour presentation on the AUsome amphibians and reptiles found in our state and beyond. Admission: $5/person; children 3 and under free. Information: 707-6512 or preserve@auburn.edu.

OCT. 9: Eliza Gilkyson. The Sundilla Concert Series hosts songwriter Eliza Gilkyson at 7:30 p.m. at the Auburn Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, 450 Thach Ave. in Auburn. Information: 741-7169 or www.sundilla.org.

17–18: Auburn Writers Conference. “The Inspired South” is the theme for the 5th annual Auburn Writers at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center in Auburn.

Information: www.cla.auburn.edu/awc/.

OCT. 18: Syrup Sopping Day at Loachopka. Join the Loachapoka Ruritan Club, Ladies Improvement Club and Lee County Historical Society for their 42nd annual syrup sopping and historical fair featuring food, arts, crafts and historic displays and demonstrations. Information: www.syrupsopping.org.

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