Mobile Bay Magazine - October 2022

/ PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN

 Coco Chanel’s trendsetting Little Black Dress, which debuted on the cover of Vogue in October 1926, took inspiration from Henry Ford’s Model T. The top of the dress had a “T” shape and, like the car throughout most of its production, came only in black. To read more about cars and fall fashion, turn to page 40.

GRILLED SWORDFISH AT PEARL / PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU CELEBRATING THE PIG ROAST / PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE PAINTED BY ARY SCHEFFER IN 1822 / COURTESY NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Mobile Bay

VOLUME XXXVIII

No10

PUBLISHER T. J. Potts

OCT 2022

ASSISTANT PUBLISHER Stephen Potts

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Maggie Lacey

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Judy Culbreth

MANAGING EDITOR/WEB Mattie Naman

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT Amanda White

ART DIRECTOR Laurie Kilpatrick

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Amelia Rose Zimlich

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Marissa Deal

EDITORIAL INTERN Keylee Fillingim Brianna Grady

ADVERTISING

SALES DIRECTOR Walker Sorrell

SR. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Joseph A. Hyland

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jennifer Ray

PRODUCTION Melissa Heath

ADMINISTRATION

CIRCULATION Anita Miller

ACCOUNTING Keith Crabtree

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Steve Ascik, Audrey McDonald Atkins, David Bagwell, Emily Blejwas, Emmett Burnett, Paul Gibson, Tom McGehee

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Matthew Coughlin, Elizabeth Gelineau, Meggan Haller/Keyhole Photo, Chad Riley, Anna ornton

ADVERTISING AND EDITORIAL OFFICES

166 Government Street, Suite 208 Mobile, AL 36602-3108 251-473-6269

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PRESIDENT & CEO T. J. Potts

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Please note: U.S. Postal Service will not forward magazines mailed through their bulk mail unit. Please send old label along with your new address four to six weeks prior to moving.

Mobile Bay is published 12 times per year for the Gulf Coast area. All contents © 2022 by PMT Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Comments written in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily re ect the opinion of the ownership or the management of Mobile Bay. is magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. All submissions will be edited for length, clarity and style.

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

Grill Master

Iam terrible on the grill. While I will attempt most any culinary project in the kitchen, to master the open flame seems a bit daunting. Then again, to paraphrase Elizabeth Bennett from “Pride and Prejudice,” I do not grill so well as I should like, but that is because I have not practiced. There are always too many men around who are so much more excited about standing over smoke and flames than I am, and it is one place I will happily relinquish. However, when the time comes for a grilling photoshoot, and I can’t get one of the trusty men in my life to bail me out of a work pickle, I have been known to give it a go. Once I attempted to grill lettuce on the wharf in the rain, but all I managed to create was smoke. There wasn’t a lick of char on that romaine. Another time I made barbecue shrimp over a grill at the public beach beside the Fairhope Pier. The wind was blowing so hard I had to serve as a human wind shield and occasionally drizzle olive oil on the coals to get them to flame up for pictures. It was a total waste of good olive oil, to be sure, sure, but it was all that was available, and I wanted the photographer to get the money shot!

Despite my inabilities working the coals, I certainly love what they produce! Maybe a little too much. Each of us has experienced the moment when you smell a neighbor’s grill and you start salivating thinking of the burgers you are missing. Once, when that very thing happened, I took a deep inhale of the glorious smell and exclaimed to my husband, “Oh, those burgers smell so good!” He literally stopped walking and turned to me, saying, “That smell is just lighter fluid.” My inner Pavlov’s dog might not know the difference between the smell of lighter fluid and cooking meat, but it knows that after that smell comes the good stuff. That’s all I really need to know about grilling, I think.

Who’s ready for some cool weather and barbecue? I’m salivating just thinking about it.

Maggie Lacey EXECUTIVE EDITOR maggie@pmtpublishing.com

I SAW MY FIRST MG CONVERTIBLE IN THE PARKING LOT AT WIDEMIRE’S WHEN I WAS A KID AND SWORE I’D HAVE ONE SOME DAY! CHECK OUT SEVERAL MORE ANTIQUE BRITISH RIDES IN THIS ISSUE. PAGE 40

LOVE THIS ISSUE

GETTIN’ SAUCY AS IF THE BBQ AT MEAT BOSS NEEDED IMPROVEMENT, THEIR HOMEMADE SAUCE TAKES IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL! NOW YOU CAN TAKE IT HOME, TOO. MEAT BOSS BBQ SAUCE, $6

HOT, HOT, HOT IT’S NOT A GIANT CURLING IRON! THIS HOT ROD PRODUCES 1200°F SUPERHEATED AIR TO LIGHT YOUR CHARCOAL IN SECONDS. LOOFT LIGHTER, EASTERN SHORE ACE HARDWARE, $100

TAKE OUT WRITER AUDREY MCDONALD ATKINS PERFECTLY CAPTURES THE FEEL OF A GREASY BBQ JOINT IN THIS ISSUE AND HAS ME HANKERING FOR THAT WOODSMOKED TASTE!

Tell us how you really feel ...

HISTORAMA MEMORIES

On August’s Endpiece, featuring the Alabama Historama that opened May 15, 1966, alongside the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

“I begged my folks to take me not long after the Alabama Historama came to Mobile. It was a work in progress, but I loved every minute. I sent grass-cutting money and shoeshine money to the fund to get it moved a long time ago. I visit the park every year on the way to the coast.”

- Randy Routt

“I remember staying at that motel [located on the property] with my nephew and my parents when I was a kid in the late 70s and early 80s when we would go visit my family. We also ate at the restaurant, and my nephew ordered frog legs and ate them! I had wondered for a long time what happened to the motel and restaurant.”

- Denise Benson

“I wonder if the train tracks are still there...”

- Josh Johnson

KUDOS TO THE KIDS

On August’s feature, “Wonder Kids,” profiling 13 of the Bay area’s most talented teens

“I already want to be friends with all of them. What rad kids we have these days!”

- Courtney Matthews

“Impressive. Keep working hard and enjoy the results.”

- Katrina Yarbrough Catlin

“I love this article! So glad you do this for these amazing students.”

- Brenda Ferguson

“Congratulations. Your hard work is being recognized! Great job.”

- Bonnie Gregory

“It’s good to see people doing great things in this city.”

- Gable Brown

“Sounds like consistency, diligence and perseverance.”

REIMAGINING WEEKNIGHTS

On August Bay Tables, “Weeknight Rush,” featuring four families’ go-to weeknight recipes

“All of these meals look incredible.”

- Deborah Hoffman Smith

REMEMBERING MOBILE’S “RENAISSANCE WOMAN”

On August’s Ask McGehee, featuring Emma Roche

“She lived across the street from me when I was a very young child. She was a very sweet lady and I remember they had a home on Mon Louis Island and spent time there painting some of the Creoles. Beautiful pictures.”

- John Adams  Want to share your thoughts and reactions to this issue? Email maggie@pmtpublishing.com.

-Ann Largay Torbert

THE

More Ways to Connect

text by MATTIE NAMAN

mobilebaymag.com

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

As the air gets colder, the social scene gets hotter. Go online for our list of the Top 10 Things to Do in October, including local Oktoberfest celebrations, comedy shows, spooky Halloween festivities, fundraisers and plenty of fall-inspired activities for the whole family. Get out and enjoy October!

HAUNTED HALLS

To get in the Halloween spirit, we’re sharing some of Mobile Bay’s spookiest locations and a few reallife ghost stories.

SAVORY SOUPS

Fall weather calls for comfort foods. Go online for a compilation of exquisite soup recipes to keep you warm until spring rolls back around.

MARRIED IN MOBILE

In honor of our 2022 Bridal Issue, we’re sharing a list of 10 tell-tale signs you are at a South Alabama wedding. Spoiler – SEC football schedules may be involved.

PUT A RING ON IT

Just engaged? Share your proposal story, and we’ll feature your engagement online.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Connect with us on Instagram to see exclusive behind the scenes footage of our October feature photoshoots.

A CLASSIC BAY-AREA WEDDING

// PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

CREEPY HAUNTS IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SWEET

POTATO SOUP // PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

SHOP MOBILE BAY

Shop local products on our ecommerce store!

Visit mobilebayshop.com (or scan the QR code at right) to explore the editors’ curated collection of local books, specialty gifts, home goods and decor inspired by the pages of Mobile Bay Magazine.

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October Ghost Stories

text by MARISSA DEAL

[OCTOBER 26, 1955]

Elvis Presley played an assembly at Vigor High School. The performance lasted for only 30 minutes, at which point school administrators shut it down for being “too scandalous.” Later that night, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll played the Greater Gulf State Fair in Mobile to a rocking crowd.

- L. M. Montgomery, “Anne of Green Gables”

6,000

AVERAGE NUMBER OF POUNDS OF SAUSAGE SOLD AT THE GERMAN SAUSAGE FESTIVAL IN ELBERTA

Since 1979, Robertsdaleís Farm Fresh Meats has made all the sausage from scratch. The fall festival will be held October 29.

But some of YOU may be!

46 percent of Americans believe in ghosts. Will our ghost story make you a believer? Turn to page 70 to find out.

WHAT A TREAT! 1899

In an old Finnish tradition, brides went knocking door to door throughout the town, collecting their wedding gifts in a pillowcase.

To see some of the best weddings on both sides of the Bay, turn to page 47.

VEIN OF LOVE

Wedding rings are often placed on the third finger of the left hand because ancient Egyptians believed the vein in that hand (which the Romans called the ìvein of loveî) ran directly to the heart.

On October 13, 1899, Mobile became an official Salvation Army Corps, providing a physical place for the Salvation Army to worship and work. The first Salvation Army officers arrived in Mobile in 1887, preaching at the corner of Conception and St. Francis streets.

[OCTOBER 12]

NATIONAL GUMBO DAY

Weíre praying for cooler temps so we can finally pull out those stockpots.

“I’M SO GLAD I LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THERE ARE OCTOBERS.”

Bite of the Bay

MB’s contributing food fanatics share their go-to local dishes.

HEN HOUSE BURRITO

AT ROOSTERS LATIN AMERICAN FOOD

“Roosters is a fan favorite in Mobile, and they now have a new fan in me after eating their Hen House Burrito. Burritos are usually too heavy for me, but the roasted chicken and Spanish rice, along with chipotle cream, was the perfect mix. If you are looking for fresh and fast tacos or burritos in downtown Mobile, this is your stop!”

ROOSTERS LATIN AMERICAN FOOD 211 DAUPHIN ST. • 375-1076 ROOSTERSDOWNTOWN.COM

FERUS

SUMMER

SALAD

AT FERUS BY THE BAY

“The Ferus Summer Salad topped with seared chicken was a perfect lunch for these still-hot days. Strawberries and goat cheese with the tang of pickled red onions, sherry vinaigrette and balsamic glaze made for a delicious combination. I wish this salad was on the menu year-round. The cool vibe of an updated historical building in downtown Fairhope made it a great spot to enjoy time with friends!”

FERUS BY THE BAY • 51 S CHURCH ST., FAIRHOPE • 928-9014 • FERUSBYTHEBAY.COM

BRAISED SHORT RIB RAVIOLI AT BUSTER’S BRICK OVEN

“This downtown Daphne eatery is known for its brick oven pizza, but it was this delectable starter that had my wife and I wanting more. With a perfect balance of rosemary marsala cream, parmesan-drizzled pasta and the complement of mushrooms to the short rib, this ravioli and I will undoubtedly be friends for years to come.”

BUSTER’S BRICK OVEN • 1715 MAIN ST. 4495, DAPHNE • 264-2520 •MANCISANTIQUECLUB. COM/BUSTERS

SHRIMP AND GRITS AT THE NOBLE SOUTH

“If you’re looking for a new twist on an old Southern dish, order the shrimp and grits from the Noble South. Chef Rainoseck combines creamy yellow grits and bacon topped with large fresh gulf shrimp. All of this is swimming in tomato broth that has the perfect kick, with a poached egg and sprinkling of chives in the middle. Just order it. You can thank me later.”

THE NOBLE SOUTH • 203 DAUPHIN ST. 690-6824 • THENOBLESOUTHRESTAURANT.COM

TYLER FLOWERS, Attorney Cunningham Bounds, LLC

MOLLY SPAIN, President, Baldwin County Trailblazers

PHILIP MARTIN, Theology teacher, St. Michael Catholic High School

LINDA JENSEN, Juvenile Court Referee, Mobile County

SHRIMP AND GRITS AT THE NOBLE SOUTH

Searching for Connection

Mobile native and winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize Ramona Reeves talks about her debut collection of short stories, “It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories.”

interview by AUDREY MCDONALD ATKINS

Congratulations on winning the University of Pittsburgh Press 2022 Drue Heinz Literature Prize. Part of that prize was the publication of your short stories. Tell us about it. I’m still in disbelief that it’s happening. I worked on “It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories” for many years, and I almost didn’t submit it to the contest. But, I thought, “It can’t hurt.” And, lo and behold, a few months later they called and said I had won. It’s really an amazing prize that Drue Heinz started for emerging writers. She is part of the Heinz Ketchup family so needless to say we only do Heinz in my household now.

The book is composed of 11 linked short stories that follow the lives of the main characters, Donnie and Babbie, for 10 years. Why did you choose the format of linked short stories as opposed to a novel with chapters?

This book started as part of a fiction-writing class I was taking in graduate school at New Mexico State in Las Cruces. I didn’t finish the entire draft by the time I left but then, a few years later, I got interested again and decided to pick it up. Short stories need to stand alone, but there’s a novel-like feel to collections in the way that you get to see the characters again.

Who or what was your inspiration for writing the story of Donnie and Babbie and the community of characters that surround them?

All these characters are just composites of people that I’ve either heard or run into

or read about. I live in Texas, but I’m in Mobile quite a bit because most of my family’s still there, and I always wanted to write a book set in Mobile. But I also wanted distance from the people that I actually knew to create original characters that those who are reading the stories for the first time, who live in the area, maybe won’t recognize. And maybe they will see the area in some new way.

The characters in “It Falls Gently All Around” seem to be searching for success, forgiveness, approval and redemption. Why did you choose those as the central themes for your book and what does redemption mean to you?

At the heart of the short stories, they are all trying to connect and are searching for connection. But I really feel it’s that human thing that everyone wants – to be accepted for who they are and loved for who they are almost unconditionally. I think that the book is about looking for that acceptance.

It seems like some of the characters in the book just can’t ever catch a break. Do you believe in happy endings?

I do believe in happy endings. I left it to the reader’s imagination in that way. But for me, there’s hope, and hope is a happy ending.

One of the stories that I found the most poignant was “The Right Side of the Dash” –the story about Faye.

That was a really tough story to write, but I love her as a character. I felt as if she’s the

mother of so many people in the book. At the time that I was writing it, I had two friends who were either losing or had lost their mothers to Alzheimer’s so I was trying to find a way to write about what that would feel like. I think that’s actually my favorite story in the book.

The stories are all set in and around Mobile. And, in the book, you say, “The beauty of Mobile was not found in its midtown or downtown high-ceilinged homes with their historic nameplates, prim azaleas, and impressive oaks. The beauty swelled from the dirty bay, the muck of oyster beds and oil rigs, and the fume-scarred Bankhead Tunnel…The cracked and

broken parts of the city, if taken as a whole, amounted to shapes, color and light that made Babbie want to live. That was her beautiful city.” Can you tell us more about that and how Mobile is essentially its own character in the book?

Mobile is a gorgeous city and people do always think about the houses and the trees that overlap Government Street or Dauphin Street. And it is gorgeous that way. But to me, part of the beauty is the juxtaposition of the things that people may not find as beautiful. That’s what makes the city interesting as a whole. It’s that balance. I really wanted to infuse the book with a lot of the sense of Mobile without actually naming specific places, which goes back to wanting to see it in a new way. Growing up, I loved Mobile so much, and I still do.

“It Falls Gently All Around” takes on the issues of race and prejudice and calls it out with characters that show us what’s not acceptable or appropriate behavior. Why did you decide to tackle these things?

I’ve come to believe that if I’m going to put characters in the South and write about the South, to leave out that aspect seems as if I’m turning my back on it or being disingenuous. It just feels like it’s there and that it’s something that has to be looked at or addressed…especially if it’s uncomfortable. I think Mobile has come a long way in the last few years. I mean, I’ve seen a lot of changes visiting museums and other things when I’m there. And I think it’s an important thing to have a dialogue about. So, if [this book] creates dialogue, then I’m really happy about that.

In the book, there are clear lines drawn between the classes too, and many of your characters are struggling with being “have nots” in a world of “haves.” For instance, you say, “Babbie coaxed herself to smile. This husband was better than she deserved. If she could hold her breath inside Rowan’s world a little bit longer, she told herself, everything would be okay…Every-

thing would be the way it should be.” Tell us more about that.

Class was the first thing I really wanted to explore when I was writing these stories. Years ago, Don Noble interviewed Mary Ward Brown, and he asked about class. She said that class is everywhere in the South, and she wrote a lot about that. It got me thinking as I was writing these stories, and it was something I wanted to explore specifically in Mobile because I think that whether or not there still is, there definitely used to be a feeling of people belonging to certain classes in the city. And also the way I grew up – we were lower middle class. My mother married again, and then we kind of moved up. So I saw both sides of that coin as a child and an adolescent.

There’s also a good bit of humor in your stories as well.

Thank goodness, because talking about race and class and all those things, you’ve got to have it. There’s actually a lot of dark humor in most of my work. I think when you’re delving into these kinds of issues, humor helps.

Do you ever think about moving back to Mobile?

I do sometimes. I’ve been in Texas for quite a while now, and I am actually planning on spending the summer at my mother’s in Mobile next year. So we’ll see. You never know what can happen. That’s what the pandemic taught me – you never know. MB

Excerpt from “It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories”

The woods called to him – which was better than the bottle – and he jumped over a gully on the other side of the car and stepped around two brown anthills the size of army helmets. With one step. He flattened a discarded paper cup and continued moving up a hill into a thick stand of pines, cedars, and firs that bridged the land and sky. He felt fragile when he turned and looked downhill at the car. He could no longer hear the protest of his niece – his daughter – but felt his own protest hollowing out his chest and kidnapping his breath. He picked up a freshly minted pine cone and hurled it farther into the woods. He repeated this until he heard the faint voice of his mother calling. Her voice was a blow to his pride, and he knelt and slid his back against the scabby bark of a pine tree. His eyes overflowed and he swore at his brother before swearing at himself and rocking against the indifferent bark. When he grew silent again, he listened. His mother had stopped calling. He wiped his face and raised it toward the sun. “Heads up,” Michael used to say when they practiced fielding ground balls in Little League. Before bending and scooping a pinecone from the ground, he tried to stand as the trees stood. He soaked up the sun and allowed the sky, the chatter of birds, and the smell of pine needles to seep into him as far as they would go. He wound one arm in a circle and pitched the cone toward home.

Excerpted from IT FALLS GENTLY ALL AROUND AND OTHER STORIES © 2022 by Ramona Reeves. Reprinted with the permission of the publisher, University of Pittsburgh Press. All rights reserved.

Reeves’ book signing on October 9 from 6 - 8 p.m.

for Ramona

GELINEAU

Chef Will Sams always dreamed of owning a restaurant. He started in a deli, working his way up through some of the most esteemed dining establishments along the Gulf Coast and attending The Culinary Institute of America in New York. The Gulfport, Mississippi native knew his vision for an upscale coastal menu would find a niche, so when the space that used to house R Bistro & Pastry became available in downtown Fairhope, he and his wife Erin Bell acquired it. After an extensive 11-month renovation, they opened Pearl, a seafood and raw bar.

“We are straight out of the Gulf,” says Sams, who also serves as executive chef, as he carries out a two-tiered seafood tower heaped with fresh oysters, gulf shrimp, crab claws and other delicacies. The pickled mussels, though not local to the region, are also a point of pride for him and he loves to introduce patrons to the dish. “People are always pleasantly surprised. It’s not something that they are as familiar with, but when people try it, they love it.”

Pearl is a family affair, with Erin, a native of the Gulf Coast as well, serving as general manager. The décor, realized by Studio Marché, is an interpretation of the couple’s personal style. The

interior has a coastal-contemporary feel with nautical elements featuring deep blues, a light wood ceiling, and custom wallpaper designed to fit the Gulf Coast vibe. Brass elements and salmoncolored accents complement the modern aesthetic. The walls are lined with local art, much of it purveyed by Lyons Share in Fairhope. And the cozy, yet stylish, dining room is an inspired setting for a date night or an intimate dinner with family or friends.

Pearl’s menu changes seasonally. All sauces and pickled items on the menu are made from scratch. Most of their fish and meat are from local suppliers, and ingredients are locally sourced whenever possible. In keeping with their predecessor’s legacy, the restaurant offers a large wine list paired with an inventive cocktail menu to go along with its dishes.

The community has already embraced Pearl’s fresh flavors and contemporary menu. Each evening, diners pour in and can be found enjoying multicourse dinners, chatting and sipping on cocktails and wine. Despite the fact that Pearl doesn’t take reservations, it’s worth the effort to snag a table in this tiny jewel box of a restaurant. MB

text by MARISSA DEAL • photos by ELIZABETH

SEAFOOD TOWER

This double-decker delight is a great way to taste it all! Creative renditions of smoked tuna dip, marinated crab claws and pickled mussels are paired with Gulf favorites: raw oysters and giant peel-and-eat shrimp.

BAKED MANCHEGO

You will be transported to Spain when this sizzling hot skillet arrives at the table. This decadent dish features buttery Manchego cheese, chorizo, salsa verde, and arugula accompanied by warm, toasted bread.

SEARED SWORDFISH

Traditional Southern cuisine with a modern twist! Flavorful swordfish with a crispy crust and a tender center is served over Hoppin’ John. The pickled turnips elegantly layered on the fish add a vinegary tang that complements the dish.

ROASTED OYSTERS

These have a little bit of a kick! Five jumbo Gulf oysters are roasted in a chili garlic butter sauce. Sop your toasted bread in the sauce to get every last bite.

FRIED OYSTER BLT

This sandwich is packed with juicy cornmeal-battered oysters that topple out the sides of the buttery toast. Then add crispy bacon, ripe tomatoes, fresh lettuce and homemade tartar sauce. Don’t mess with the classics.

THE SEAFOOD TOWER

Pig Roast

A neighborhood party goes whole hog on pulled pork, all the fixings and a heavy load of fun.

text by EMILY BLEJWAS photos by CHAD RILEY

When Courtney and Teddy Williams were shopping for their first home in Midtown Mobile, they stumbled upon the foundation of a former backyard chicken coop. Something clicked in Teddy’s mind, but it wasn’t about chickens. He told Courtney, “If we buy this house, I’m turning that into a pig pit.” When she asked if he’d ever cooked a pig, Teddy replied, “No. But I’m going to.”

Less than a year later, with help from friend Martin DeVaney and crucial support from Courtney, who gamely weathered three days of a 90-pound pig soaking in a cooler in the house, which she called “mildly unsettling,” Teddy did just that.

To the chicken coop foundation, Teddy and Martin added cinder blocks, bricks, corrugated tin and a rack welded by a friend to fashion the smoker and flue. The pig was procured from Farm Fresh Meats in Robertsdale and brined in several ingredients, including a secret one, which “may or may not be Sunny Delight,” Teddy says, laughing.

Around 9:00 p.m., they lit the fire, and an hour later, set the pig stuffed with pineapple, onions and garlic on the smoker, toasting it with rum. They strung two hammocks in the yard so they could tend the pig all night, adding more coals and checking the smoker’s temperature regularly to maintain the ideal 250 degrees.

It was rough. “We may have slept for thirty minutes because we were so terrified that if we went to sleep everything was going to go wrong and we’d have a 90-pound pig that no one could eat,” Teddy recalls. “Like, we might be ordering a couple dozen pizzas” to feed the scores of guests already invited.

Now, after five annual pig roasts, they’ve streamlined the process, setting alarms and sleeping the majority of every hour. They also gave up making their own coals, a time-consuming process that involved “burning a ridiculous amount of firewood for an entire day” because Teddy was “determined to do everything from scratch” that first year.

No one taught Teddy how to smoke a pig. He’d never done it before or even seen it done, aside from a murky childhood memory of a family friend smoking one underground. He just wanted to try it. He liked the challenge of figuring it out and the excitement of doing something new. “It’s not a championship pig smoker,” he says. “It’s very pieced-together. But we made it ourselves, we figured it out.”

This inventive drive has always existed in Teddy, who helped his mother in the kitchen from a young age. His earliest cooking memory features a little blue stepstool he stood on to reach the counter, where he’d act as sous chef, especially at holidays, executing small tasks such as cleaning cranberries and mixing pumpkin pie filling. At the annual neighborhood Christmas party hosted by his parents, it was Teddy’s job to circulate among the guests grating fresh nutmeg over their cups of eggnog, made from his grandmother’s signature recipe.

Teddy has many Christmas and Thanksgiving memories of everyone together at the table, but his family finds plenty of ways to commune around food: through crawfish boils, oyster parties and

The Pit

Most pits are lined with stones or bricks to even out and hold in the heat, which leads to the best result. Pits need to be about a foot wider than the pig on each side to accommodate it.

“I’VE ALWAYS LOVED THE GATHERING ASPECT OF COOKING. YOU MAKE A MEAL AND GATHER WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND A PIG ROAST IS A PRETTY GREAT WAY TO DO THAT.”

– Teddy Williams

birthday celebrations. “I’ve always loved the gathering aspect of cooking,” Teddy says. “You make a meal and gather with family and friends and a pig roast is a pretty great way to do that.”

This sense of community is the heart of the pig roast. From the moment the idea ignited, Teddy knew roasting the pig would be the center of a party. Just like when he graduated from the University of Alabama and knew he would move to Mobile, home of “the most fitting motto of any city in the world,” according to Teddy: “‘Born to Celebrate.’ We make just about any excuse to have a gathering, have a party, enjoy each other, enjoy the neighborhood, enjoy the city. It’s in the DNA of living here.”

Teddy and Courtney’s street does function like an extended family. “On our street, everyone is so friendly. We love getting together with our neighbors,” Courtney says. In fact, after our conversation, they’re headed to a neighbor’s baby shower. “It’s as close to an old-fashioned neighborhood as you can find,” Teddy explains. “People go out of their way to make it a neighborhood, to make it welcoming.” It’s this spirit of camaraderie that made Teddy and Courtney want to host a gathering themselves.

So, for five years, Teddy and Courtney, along with Martin, have held an annual pig roast in their Midtown backyard: a come-one-come-all, casual gathering of family and friends (and friends of friends) that is kid-friendly and dog-friendly and open all day and into the night. “We love hosting,” Teddy says. “It’s just a good excuse to get a lot of

good people together and have fun.”

They chose November, taking advantage of football games (projected on huge outdoor screens) and the cool, crisp weather. They set up lawn games: corn hole and darts. And Courtney, a preschool teacher, covers a table in paper and sets out crayons and markers for the kids. “Thanks to her, there’s more than just a pig and a table,” Teddy says. “Like the brutish men that we are, all we think of is ‘cook pig, put on table.’ We have her to thank for making the party more welcoming.”

Courtney ensures there are sides: mac and cheese, baked beans, and coleslaw from Meat Boss in Mobile to accompany the pulled pork, which is served alongside buns and a variety of sauces. Teddy makes a white barbecue sauce with a garlic-citrus

The Pig

A good rule of thumb for which size pig to purchase for your roast is to figure about 2 pounds of raw butchered pig per person, which should yield a little less than 1 pound of meat. Roasting time should be approximately one hour for every 10 pounds.

“WE MAKE JUST ABOUT ANY EXCUSE TO HAVE A PARTY, ENJOY EACH OTHER, ENJOY THE NEIGHBORHOOD, ENJOY THE CITY.”

– Teddy Williams

Cuban edge and Martin brings a few sauces made by friends at Blue Oak BBQ in New Orleans. There are tortillas and red onions to make pork tacos, as well as chips and dips, drinks and simple desserts to round out the meal.

The crowd has grown annually, reaching 150 people last year. “It’s taken on a life of its own, for sure,” Courtney says. The atmosphere is happy and relaxed, with people coming in and out, stopping by anytime, bringing their own friends, mingling and enjoying each other’s company and staying as long as they like.

However, the atmosphere builds a charge in the late afternoon, when the smoke takes on a fragrant tinge and the sun dips low and gold. The pig is almost ready. “There’s definitely some anticipation,” Teddy says. “The goal is to have the pig ready around halftime of the afternoon game, so around 4 or 5 p.m.” But, he emphasizes, “The pig’s ready when the pig’s ready.” The meat has to reach 195 degrees, and there’s no rushing the process.

When it’s done, the pig is laid on a table, and everyone grabs some tongs and pulls pork to their hearts’ content. Teddy’s favorite piece is the cheek, a morsel so rich and delicious it’s like “pork butter,” he says. (One year, it was gone before he got to it, so Teddy now hides a piece for himself so he won’t miss out).

Once the pig is out, Teddy can finally relax. This was especially true that first year, when he had a jolt of panic in the middle of the night that maybe it would all go terribly wrong. He hadn’t even tried the smoker before procuring a pig and setting a whole party around it.

But that’s part of what makes the pig roast special. From the start, it was a creative process. A chance to try to something new, to make something with his own hands, to do something no one else was doing. That instinct has always been part of Teddy’s life, partly through music (he plays piano, cello and sings), and through the culinary arts. He relishes experimenting in the kitchen.

“It’s a way of expressing yourself. And I’m always up for a challenge,” Teddy says, taking after his mother, Trisha Williams, a Little Rock native whose pound cake was featured in Mobile Bay

Magazine in 2018. Trisha instilled a love of making things from scratch. “My mom and I have the same rule in the grocery store: avoid the middle aisles,” Teddy says. “You can make everything you need from the stuff on the perimeter.”

Courtney recalls a time they were searching for a new cocktail recipe and passed over one that called for a whole vanilla bean, thinking surely they didn’t have that, until Trisha breezily produced one. “She’s like Mary Poppins,” Courtney says. “She has everything and she’s always coming up with something

The Process

Planning is key to a successful pig roast. The amount of time your meat will take to cook depends on the weight of the pig. For the juiciest meat, the pig needs to marinate before roasting. Temperature checks after a few hours of roasting are important.

new.” When the kids were small, Trisha made birthday cakes in any shape they desired, including a battleship and a hamburger.

The pig roast radiates that spirit of ingenuity and newness and wonder. “The whole experience is a welcome departure from the norm,” Teddy says. “Piecing things together, figuring things out. Building a process, making it better.” There just aren’t many opportunities in adult life, Martin adds, “where you get to do things like that, in anything else you do.” Teddy agrees. “It’s an adventure,” he says. “Kind of like when you’re a kid and you build a pillow fort and sleep in it. It’s a different world.” MB

The Party

Not everyone enjoys the sight of the whole animal on the table, so go ahead and shred some meat into a serving dish for the squeamish. It’s not too much to ask guests to bring a side to share. After all, you’ve been up all night cooking the pig!

Teddy Williams’ Mojo Style White Barbeque Sauce

MAKES 2 CUPS

3 heads (30-35 cloves) of garlic, peeled *

Extra virgin olive oil (enough to fully cover the garlic)

1 red Fresno chili pepper or Serrano pepper, stem removed

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Zest and juice of 2 navel oranges

Zest and juice of 3-4 limes

1 1/4 cups Duke’s Mayonnaise

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 6-8 dashes fish sauce

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. In a small, oven-safe pot, combine the peeled garlic cloves and enough olive oil to fully cover the garlic and cover with lid.

3. Roast for 2 hours or until brown and completely soft. Remove the cloves from oil using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels. Reserve oil.

“THANKS TO COURTNEY, THERE’S MORE THAN JUST A PIG AND A TABLE. LIKE THE BRUTISH MEN THAT WE ARE, ALL WE THINK OF IS ‘COOK PIG, PUT ON TABLE.’ WE HAVE HER TO THANK FOR MAKING THE PARTY MORE WELCOMING.” – Teddy Williams

4. In a blender, combine the garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of the reserved garlic oil, chili pepper, oregano, cumin, coriander, citrus zest and juice. Blend on high until completely smooth. Set aside.

5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and whisk until fully combined. Add the contents of the blender to the mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

*Pre-peeled/bottled cloves are fine if you don’t feel like putting in the work to peel that much garlic.

The Cadillac Quail Dogs

A few cocktails, a Coupe de Ville and two high-bred retrievers make for unexpected adventures.

text by PAUL “BUTCH” GIBSON • illustration by ANNA THORNTON

If you’ve never hunted quail out of a 1974 Cadillac Coupe de Ville with a sunroof, you’ve missed out on a sweet adventure. When I was an oil broker for a major truck stop company in the early 80s, my brother-in-law, Garry Emery, was an insurance broker for a major casualty company. Our days started at about 5 a.m. to work the East Coast and were practically over by 11:30 a.m. By then, everything that could be bought and sold at a profit, or a volume worthy of attention, had been, and, naturally, we needed to celebrate the day’s activity. That required bloody marys, a 1974 Cadillac Coupe de Ville with a sunroof, and Sadie and Lulu Belle. Sadie and Lulu Belle were Garry’s dad’s top-notch English Pointer quail dogs, and he en-

couraged us to hunt with them as much as possible because that is the best training they could have. So, we did.

We had access to a quail hunting lease. Our lease was located between two plantations. We had quail hanging from the trees. Not really, but you get the drift. We both learned to hunt at daddys’ knee and understood that hunting was a gift not to be abused. We always brought our game home, cleaned it, cooked it and shared it with family and friends. But on this one day, we improvised a little to match the mood.

On that day, after our bloody marys, we headed out for an afternoon hunt and chose an area behind an old church. Sadie and Lulu Belle were in the back seat. They never rode in the trunk or a

box. To get behind the church property, we had to enter a narrow dirt rut about 50 yards long, with mounds and bumps all the way. The Cadillac rocked and rolled over the mounds and bumps like a 40foot Carver in rolling Gulf seas. I asked Garry if he wanted to load up and stand through the sunroof. There was always a covey at the end of the road, and they always flew when we stopped the car. This car weighed 4,600 pounds with a full tank of gas. I know because I weighed it one day at the truck stop.

Garry was in position. I stopped the car, and about 30 or so bobwhites exploded 25 yards to our left. Garry shot three times out of the sunroof and never touched a feather. He fell back into the seat and we both laughed till we cried until we looked in the back seat. Sadie and Lulu Belle had both peed in the seat and were staring at Garry as if to say, “How about a little heads-up next time, buddy?” We hunted the singles for a while before dusk and ended up with nine. The girls did their part and retrieved like champs, and one time gave me a withering look when I missed a double that Sadie pointed right in front of me. We took the quail home to Garry’s mom, Ms. Maxie, and she cooked them that night for Garry’s dad Doyne.

As they say, those were the days. And that’s what hunting dogs and pals do: they make memories. Garry always said we were retired then and too dumb to know it. We were blessed with that time. Garry was a Vietnam vet, 101st Airborne, my brother-in-law and my best friend for 41 years. We lost him in 2017 due to Agent Orange complications. God Bless you, Garry. Thanks for the memories. We shall hunt again. MB

Paul “Butch” Gibson is a published author, poet, researcher and songwriter, with a gold record and a Grammy nomination (“Wooly Bully”). He lives in Foley with his wife, Melissa, and their two cats that he is trying to teach to point quail.

GEAR UP FOR GRILLING

‘Tis the season for an open flame, wafting smoke and a football game on the radio. For the novice grill master, it can be intimidating to light that first briquette. Let MB help you get started or perfect your technique.

text by MARISSA DEAL

Ameal cooked over a fire doesn’t just taste delicious, it reminds us of gathering with those we care about to share an experience. The sizzle of the flame, the whirl of smoke and the delectable smell of searing meat conjures images of tailgating before the game, inviting friends over to enjoy the cooler weather or sharing an alfresco family dinner.

As fall weather arrives, it’s an ideal time to get outside and grill.

Yet, with so many types of grills, gadgets, and tools available today, it can be overwhelming to choose the best options for your goals. Do you want a simple, portable grill? Do you want to stand by the grill or smoker, embracing the experience or do you want a “set it and forget it” techie approach? And how do you pick the best tools? Our experts are here to guide you in making your fall grilling hassle-free.

GRILLS 101

!"#$#%&'()*+%",#%-./#0%-1%23'"#0/%!,-0#%&(#%4305.30#+%3/5%3%63'')-/3"#%373"#80%90)::#0+%;0#3*'% 5-./%#$#0<",)/9%<-8%/##5%"-%*/-.%3;-8"%90)::'+%)/(:85)/9%,-.%"-%'#:#("%",#%-/#%",3"='%0)9,"%1-0%<-8>%

GAS GRILLS

A-B9-6$4#"4&',$&'6$'&*9#&/$.&0$.#-//0$ are easy to use and make searing meats and vegetables a snap. To slow-cook just lower the heat, turn off a burner and move meat away from direct flame. And although it’s not charcoal cooking, you can incorporate a smoker box for woodfire flavor.

Gas choices range from inexpensive to extravagant. Those in the midrange 4#-1,$%&($:,$1+,&4,#$-'$*+,$/"'.$#9'2$$ The inexpensive ones, made of lightly painted steel or low-grade stainless steel, last only one or two years. Find beter brands on display in hardware and appliance stores. Look for 100 percent stainless steel working components and a specific replacement warranty. Great optons are stainless, cast iron and even griddles (think pancakes or eggs &'6$:&1"'C2

!"#$%&'(&@,>(1*(,1@71A(B7/2/@1A(@+C6,1( 12/(1/-B/7@167/(@3+(49/@3:

%;)<#$%&' Refilling botles or tanks, 7/B9@4038(?673/7,(@3+(08301/7,A(9/,,(-*0,D ture retenton than covered charcoal.

PELLETS GRILLS

What was once a newcomer to barbecuing is now widely accepted. Traeger invented these in 1985 and since then new features and improvements have followed. Wood pellets are fed to a firepot in the botom of the grill to create heat and smoke which is controlled and circulated with a thermostat-blower device. There are many kinds of wood and blends available to use with this grill. Frankly, it’s hard to fail with these if you follow directons and keep the hop4,#$89//$"8$4,//,*02$<"9$1&'$"4,#&*,$*+,$ premium models via Wi-Fi using your 0%&#*4+"',2$

As with the other grill categories, if *+,$4#-1,$0,,%0$*""$.""6$*"$:,$*#9,)$ you will need to research to make sure you are making a wise purchase. And purchase from a dealer who can explain and support the warranty.

!"#$%&' Great flavor and simple to 6,/:(=2/(87099(6,/,()0DE0(@3+(0,(-/D 42@304@9(,*(1/420/,A(/3803//7,A(@3+( the like gravitate to this one. If you’ve ever bombed as an outdoor chef, redempton is here.

%;)<#$%&' Must have A/C power 49*,/(?>:(;3/(263+7/+(B/74/31(03+07/41( cooking (in most cases). A flame never @416@99>(1*642/,(>*67(5**+A(?61(,/@7038( 0,(B*,,0?9/(@1(2082/7(1/-B/7@167/,:(

SEAR-IOUSLY GOOD STEAKS

CHARCOAL GRILLS

!"#$%&'()$*+,$"#-.-'&/$-0$*+,$1+"-1,2$ 3+&#1"&/$.#-//0$1"%,$-'$&//$0+&4,0)$0-5,0$ &'6$4#-1,$#&'.,02$78$("9$"'/($:&#:,19,$ a couple of tmes per year, limit the investment. Simple open-face grills work well for burgers, steaks and food you 1&'$0,&#$&'6$0,#;,2$<"9$1&'$&/0"$&66$ wood chips for enhanced smoke flavor.

To take it up a notch, try a covered charcoal grill with indirect cooking capability. Ribs, roasts, fish and fowl all benefit from covered, indirect cooking as *+,$1";,#$0,&/0$-'$%"-0*9#,$4#"691,6$:($ the meat. A built-in temperature gauge helps regulate heat like your kitchen oven. Grills, such as the Weber Ketle, control cooking through the adjustable air intake and exhaust vents. A litle practce produces great results.

The ultmate tool in charcoal cooking is a ceramic Kamado-style cooker, 091+$&0$*+,$=-.$>#,,'$?..2$@+,0,$.#-//0$ cost more but last a lifetme and retain heat and moisture beter than their metal counterparts. Make sure you buy a reputable brand with a lifetme warranty on the ceramics. If you are new to this type of grill, don’t be intmidated — they are as simple to use as any covered charcoal grill and produce remark&:/,$#,09/*02$

“I love to do a reverse sear on my Big Green Egg. I start a steak at 200 degrees for around 20 minutes, then take it off, place in a cast iron skillet back on the grill at the highest temperature, and sear each side for 1 to 2 minutes while basting in unsalted butter and rosemary. When I bring the sizzling steak into the house on that skillet, it gets everyone’s attention!”

– Steve Ascik - Owner, Eastern Shore Ace Hardware

GETTING FIRED UP

!"#$%"&'%(&)$&*+)#$(,$-(.'$)(%&)$ /'(%#'-$('$"&'01&'#$+2('#$%&3$4#$ (5#'1"#)6*3/7$8#2$9:$4'#&;$*2$ 0(13$,('$-(.7

CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES

!"#$%&"'(&)'*%+)(,$%+-**%.)(% camping, tailgatng or when you need a portable opton. These briquetes heat up /0#&,*1%'23%3)%2)4%(-/0#(-% extra lighter fluid. They are the most inexpensive opton.

LUMP CHARCOAL

This charcoal has no additves )(%&"-5#&'*$%'23%#4%6()30&-$% less ash. But is more expensive than conventonal charcoal. It heats up quickly and '**)+$%.)(%'%3--6%$-'(%'23% intense flavor, depending on the type of wood used.

PELLETS

7-**-4$%'(-%5'3-%.()5%'%8'(#-41% of hardwoods and are manu.'&40(-3%4)%'%02#.)(5%$#9-% '23%$"'6-:%'**)+#2;%4"-5%4)% burn hoter and more evenly than other fuels. They can <-%#2%$)5-%;(#**$%'$%4"-%$)*-% $)0(&-%).%.0-*:%'23%#2%)4"-($% as a smoke-producer. They are more expensive and less widely available than charcoal.

WOOD CHIPS

Used to add a smoky flavor to .))3:%+))3%&"#6$%$")0*3%<-% $)',-3%#2%+'4-(%6(#)(%4)%'33#2;% to your fire to prevent them from burning too quickly.

LOCAL PECAN COOKING WOOD

HARDWOOD LUMP CHARCOAL MESQUITE WOOD CHIPS

HARDWOOD PELLETS

CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES

CHERRY

TOOLS FOR GRILLING

!"#$$%&'(&")*%+"&%+%(+**#,-+)&% ./-012%+-3%4,"%&+01%,-&%51,% *5&+"*%.6%,-&%7&)1,32%)1&"&8*% +-,)1&"%51,%5,/$3%-&9&"%

0,-*#3&"%3,#-:%#)%)1+)%5+6;%<&*(#)&% )1#*2%&'(&")*%3,%*&&7%),%1+9&% *,7&%0,-*&-*/*%,-%1,5%),%*&$&0)% )1&%.&*)%),,$*%,4%)1&%)"+3&; (clockwise from top lef:)

CHEF’S KNIFE

!"#$%&'%$()*+'%,)*-.#/*%0*1'.2)* -11,*/%0,')*,)3.(0),*-.,)* enough to ft your grip for accuracy ROUTE83 • CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION • $330

BONING TRIMMING KNIFE A versatle sized knife that can +)*43),*#1*+10)5*#$.6*%0,*3'.7)* ROUTE83 • CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION • $129

CAST IRON SAUCE POT AND BASTING BRUSH Minimizes mess and perfectly sized for marinades and BBQ 3%47)*BIG GREEN EGG • EASTERN SHORE ACE HARDWARE • $40

WIRELESS MEAT THERMOMETER

No more guesswork! Communi cates with your smartphone for exact meat temperatures and ideal cooking tmes MASTER PLUS • EASTERN SHORE ACE HARDWARE • $100

SCRUBBER

Barbecuing is a dirty job, and before you eat it’s tme to clean up ANDREE JARDIN BRUSH CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION • $25

XXL BBQ SPATULA

Big enough for all your fipping needs, from large cuts of meat #1*3'.,)$3*TRAEGER • EASTERN SHORE ACE HARDWARE • $50

STEEL TUBE SMOKER

Add some wood pellets to this stainless steel tube and place in your grill to add smoky favor.

A-MAZE-N SMOKIN’ PRODUCTS EASTERN SHORE ACE HARDWARE • $30

WOOD GRILL SCRAPER

A safe and efectve opton for keeping your grill clean TRAEGER • SPRING HILL ACE HARDWARE • $30

CLASSIC TENDER KNIFE SET

Four handcrafed knives with 8)$6%0*3#))'*+'%,)3*ROUTE83 •

CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION • $319

THE WIRE BRISTLES ON GRILL BRUSHES CAN BREAK OFF AND RISK WINDING UP IN YOUR FOOD. SAFETY EXPERTS RECOMMEND WOODEN SCRAPERS INSTEAD.

GRILLING HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER WITH THERMOMETERS THAT SEND THE EXACT TEMPERATURE OF YOUR MEAT TO YOUR SMARTPHONE!

THE LOCALS KNOW

!"#$"#%&'&(##)#*+&('%%,-%&-%&'*&#./#%$&0#'$& man, everyone who cooks over fre has their own 0#$"-+1&'*+&/%#2#%#*3#14&!#&'1)#+&'&2#(&5-3'5& 6%,55&0'1$#%1&$-&1"'%#&$"#,%&2'7-%,$#14

!"#$%&'#$%

“I love to grill NY strips. They are definitely underrated. Most places don’t sell USDA Prime Strips like we do and that makes a huge difference. They are so buttery and tender.”

Manager and Head Meatcutter at Mosley’s Meat Market

(&)*+,"-&."/01

“Flank steak is one of my favorite pieces of meat to cook, especially for a big crowd. I jokingly call it the poor man’s filet because I can typically make it taste better and melt in your mouth just as a filet would, but for so much less money. I marinate it for a minimum of six hours in a mix of spices, soy sauce, lemon juice and vinegar.”

– Justin Bullen - Major Accounts Manager, DEX Imaging .2%(+#+,&/*'

“This time of year I like to cook venison roll-ups with backstrap, cream cheese, jalapenos and bacon— I’m trying to make room for this year’s hunting season in my freezer. Typically, I use one to two chunks of pecan wood for flavor.”

– John Vulevich - Owner Big John’s Cooking Wood

FOR

NEW LIFE OLD WOOD

WOOD SALVAGER AND CRAFTSMAN ADAM SCARDAMALIA RECLAIMS THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF TREES.

text by EMMETT BURNETT photos by MEGGAN HALLER

The term “old-school joinery” is not often spoken these days, nor is it practiced. It is defined as physically joining pieces of wood together with precise notches rather than screws and bolts. The practice is best reserved for master woodworkers such as Adam Scardamalia.

Actually, “woodworker” is just the beginning when describing Scardamalia, a resident of Spanish Fort. He is a sculptor of wood. His work is hewed from trees. Each piece has a story. Each piece has a history. Each piece has roots, or at least used to. His supply derives from many sources, including fallen trees, storms, construction crews, builders and referrals. Finished products are functional legacies. His mill yields tables, mantels, bar tops, doors and more. Fortunately, southern Alabama has an abundance of raw material. “I’m friends with all of the local tree service companies, linemen and road crews,” says Scardamalia. “They all know me and know what I like. When a big tree comes down, the crews give me a ring.”

The Baldwin County craftsman notes that people have a natural affinity for — and, quite often, a history with — sentimental trees. Perhaps as a child, you climbed and played on what is now a towering oak. Maybe you and a backyard pine grew up together. Or maybe you just love trees. “And then a storm takes it down and breaks your heart,” Scardamalia interjects. That’s why people call him. “We can do something to make that tree live on.” And he does, transforming trunks into art, memories preserved and nostalgia blended with functionality. “When I get the tree, the hard part is over,” Scardamalia notes. “The beauty of the wood is already there. I just find it, respect it, polish it up and tweak it a little bit.”

Starting out with a slab of white oak, Scardamalia crafted a white oak kitchen counter/bar with matching shelves, multi-

wooded butcher’s block, and fireplace mantel for Fairhope resident, Sarah Olsen. “You can tell he loves his work,” she admires.

Many do not realize how beautiful almost any tree can be even in its afterlife. “I had no idea of the incredible depth found in magnolia wood,” notes Fairhope’s Jeffrey Zimmer. Scardamalia saw the artistic protentional in a slab of magnolia that would have otherwise been discarded. The wood, 9 feet by 5 feet hewed from a single tree, has found a second life, suspended from Zimmer’s home entryway. “Walk in and look up,” Zimmer says. “The piece is over your head.” It is striking.

“Actually, magnolia is one of my favorites,” says Scardamalia, as he thumbs through cellphone photos of recent woodland acquisitions. He pauses on a pictured magnolia chunk, a wooden wonder, about 400 pounds, with tones of grays and whites in intricate patterns, painted by nature and 100-plus years in the making. He smiles. “That’s a big ole piece of magnolia.”

Scardamalia’s history is reflected in his creations. His father, Richard, was a renowned photographer and environmental activist. His mom, Cynthia Scardamalia-Nelson, strongly supports local artisans. Brother Ely is an artist/craftsman, and stepfather David

above Scardamalia’s workshop, down a gravel road in Montrose, has been his creative home for the last nine years. He is moving his operations to Spanish Fort early next year.

Nelson, Ph.D., is a herpetologist and retired professor of the University of South Alabama.

The young Scardamalia’s first experience with wood was in his early years, assisting a neighbor’s contracting/constructing business. In 2004, he graduated from the University of South Alabama with degrees in Biology and Chemistry. “But I did not have a clear vision of what I wanted to do,” he says. He got into homebuilding, honed carpentry and woodworking skills and enjoyed working with customers.His interest grew in working with wood, especially creatively. “I don’t think I fell into this,” he says about his career. “I think it found me. Working with wood and turning customers’ ideas into reality just felt right. I was finding my way.”

A few years after college, he started Scardamalia Builders, LLC. “It was a labor of love,” he remembers the early days. He and his wife Haley married in 2010. In 2012, with their newborn first son, the couple drove to Missouri and purchased a hydraulic bandsaw mill. “We didn’t have a place to put it,” he recalls. “For the first few weeks, we parked it in my grandfather’s driveway.” Word spread through Baldwin County; a new sawmill is in town. “Potential clients asked, ‘could I make this, could I make that.’ My answer

was then, and is now, ‘yes, I can.’”

Scardamalia’s work is mostly produced from stock he has on hand. About 20 percent is from people with their own fallen trees. “If necessary, I will mill it on site and take it to the shop,” he says. Returned to the workplace, the piece is dried — for at least a year — before work continues. Customers also request pieces already in stock that are already dried. It saves a lot of time in the process. His stock or home stock, the methods are the same. “With every customer, we look at photos, examine wood samples together, and I ask what they want, what they like, what is their style and how can this former tree live up to it?” Scardamalia says. “I tell the customer, ‘this is what I can offer from my skill set. Hopefully, we will meet in the middle.’”

“I HAD NO IDEA OF THE INCREDIBLE DEPTH FOUND IN MAGNOLIA WOOD.”

–Adam Scardamalia

But it is more than work. For Scardamalia, his vocation is his mission. “Though wood is plentiful down here, trees are being taken down faster than they can grow,” he says. “It hurts to see these large trees that have stood here 300 years being cut and tossed out.” His goal is to transform fallen giants of wood into legacies. “I love to see one milled and turned into heirloom pieces. A three century-year-old tree turned into a fine table or mantel can be saved, andhanded down for future generations.” Every piece is different. Wood has personality, grain structures and rings. No two pieces are alike. “I especially like working with live edges,” he explains. “Live edges define wood that has the curvature of the tree in the

finished product.” If the wood slab has curves, so does the finished product. He has done many trunk transformations and learned from each, starting on day one. “My first big live edge table was quite a task,” Scardamalia recalls. “It was 12 feet long, and 55 inches wide. We had to build a custom table to sit that piece on just to work on it. The reward of my work is making something beautiful from something that would have been tossed out, burned, or left to decay,” he continues. The craftsman notes the joy he experiences seeing someone’s face when their idea becomes a wooded reality.

Scardamalia summarizes his work with a smile. “I speak for the trees, man.” His projects exemplify good stewardship of natural resources. The message is projected through live edge slabs, old-school joinery and heirloom keepsakes. Each piece may be handed down from family to family, parents to children, generations to descendants, in the family tree. MB

left Piles of boards and tree trunks await Scardamalia’s creative eye.

“I ESPECIALLY LIKE WORKING WITH LIVE EDGES. LIVE EDGES DEFINE WOOD THAT HAS THE CURVATURE OF THE TREE IN THE FINISHED PRODUCT.”

– Adam Scardamalia

Badgley Mischka Natasha Coat in Cinnamon / $695. DX Collection White Feather Sweater / $218. Joseph Ribkoff Plaid Pant with Leather Detail / $161. Golden Stella Equestrian Theme Silky Bandana in Black / $28.

The South Alabama Britsh Car Club brings a bit of Britain to Baldwin County.

British CLASSICS

Autumn in Britain entails vibrant leaves scattered on city streets, chilly mornings veiled in mist, cozy cardigans and, naturally, a warm cuppa. As October adds a crisp nip to Bay-area air, the South Alabama British Car Club is revving up for its biggest event of the year: the annual British Car Festival.

On its 32nd anniversary, the festival will display a variety of vintage automobiles for a panel to judge and attendees to admire. The enduring European flair of the boots and bonnets is inspiration enough to don your favorite scarf and sweater for a ride with the top down.

MG MGA

Year: 1962

Owned by: Robb Ogletree

clothes & styling by THE HOLIDAY text by AMELIA ROSE ZIMLICH photos by MATTHEW COUGHLIN model KAYLIN BRANNING, BAREFOOT MODELS shot on location in DETONTI SQUARE HISTORIC DISTRICT special thanks to INNOVATION PORTAL

This MG MGA, shown lef, was manufactured in England in April 1962 and bought by Robb Ogletree in 2008. The light steering sports car sits low and comes without exterior door handles, which is an ant-thef measure for the model. The MGA frst hit the market in 1956 and contnued to be produced untl 1962, when it was replaced by the MGB. The MGA is one of the most exported Britsh cars, with many fnding home in the United States. It won many regional championships and raced in NASCAR.

MG Midget Year: 1971 Owned by: Fletcher Thompson

!"#$%&$%'()#*+$,')"*$-.($/#012+$2-3$4,1(56#($ /#*2##.$7897$-.($78:8$-3$-.$54),-(#($;#,< sion of the Austn-Healey Sprite. The Midget "-'03$=,1>$-$0'.#$1=$*21<3#-*#,$341,*3$6-,3$1=$ the same name going back to the 1920s. While they were briefy discontnued in the 1950s due to the popularity of larger designs, MG ,#;';#($*"#$%'()#*$-3$4#140#$315)"*$-$341,*3$ car that was safe, sporty and fun. Described as the “smallest real sports car” by MG, this *21<(11,$,1-(3*#,$,#-6"#3$9?$>'0#3$4#,$"15,$ in 14.7 seconds and tops out at a speed at 94 miles per hour.

ABOVE Badgley Mischka Natasha Coat in Cinnamon, $695 • DX Collection White Feather Sweater, $218 • Joseph Ribkoff Plaid Pant with Leather Detail, $161 • Golden Stella Equestrian Theme Silky Bandana in Black, $28.

RIGHT DX Collection Mixed Pattern Skirt, $204 • Halston Makenna Liquid Satin Top in Amber, $345 • Ink + Alloy Four Half Circle Twisted Drop Earrings, $40.

THE BRITISH CAR FESTIVAL

Saturday, October 22, 2022 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Entry is free Fairhope United Methodist Church Celebratng the Triumph TR6 and showcasing over 120 vintage cars

Sunbeam Tiger Year: 1965

Afer being purchased in 1966, while its only owner was in France in the army, this blue Mediterranean Sunbeam Tiger traveled 45,000 miles throughout Europe. With design help from Carroll Shelby, known for producing the AC Cobra, the 1965 Britsh sports car had a reputa ton of a “baby Cobra.” Producton for this iconic car lasted from 1964 untl 1967 when Chrysler purchased Rootes Group and found they could not ft the small V8 in the car.

ABOVE Nanushka Evira Half-Zip Collar Knit Pullover in Creme, $935 • DX Collection Mixed Pattern Skirt, $204 • Halston Makenna Liquid Satin Top in Amber, $345 • Ink + Alloy Four Half Circle Twisted Drop Earrings, $40 • Blenders Eyewear Golden GG Sunglasses in Polarized Amber, $49.

Marie Oliver Kimber Blouse in Foliage, $298

• Nanushka Cleo HighRise Faux Leather Pants in Plum Chutney, $438

• Narratives The Line Organic Lucite Bangle in Warm Brown, $25

• Ink + Alloy Olive Lucite Geometric Bangle, $28.

To see more of the weddings featured in this month’s Mobile Bay Bride, open your smartphone’s camera and hover over the QR code at the right. Tap the link that pops up to be taken directly to MB’s website, where you can browse photo galleries of all the stunning weddings!

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

Caroline and Vincent already had a long history before their classic and colorful spring wedding. The bride, a former Mardi Gras queen, and the groom, an avid golfer, were lifelong friends and even dated briefly in high school before getting back together in 2020. Following a church ceremony, the couple had their first dance under an array of colorful flowers hanging from the pergola at the country club, and guests soon joined them on the dance floor. After celebrating with close friends and family, the couple made their exit to the music of the Excelsior Band.

AND RECEPTION AT FORT CONDE

Macey and Brantley were married on a sunny fall day under a canopy of oaks at Fort Conde. The couple, who met at the University of Alabama, chose to include many unique touches at their wedding. The bride and groom exchanged personal vows on a Persian carpet that has been in the bride’s family for generations while their chocolate lab Annie laid at their feet. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a night of cocktails, dinner and dancing. The couple then made their exit through a tunnel of crimson and white shakers.

Taylor says that after just one date with Crawford, she knew he was the man she was going to marry. The couple met when Crawford was in medical school at the University of South Alabama. They married at their church just a few blocks from home. In a nod to family, the bride wore her grandmother’s earrings. The reception mirrored an outdoor garden party, complete with bright, bold floral arrangements in ginger jars, which the bride and her mother collect. After cake, dinner and dancing, the couple made their exit through a tunnel of glittering sparklers.

APRIL 29, 2022 CEREMONY AND RECEPTION AT THE HOME OF A FAMILY FRIEND

When Mary Frances and Bailey got engaged, they knew exactly how they wanted to celebrate their wedding. A relaxed, intimate ceremony and reception attended by family, friends and their golden retriever on the Bay in Fairhope was the ideal setting for tying the knot. The home of a family friend provided a perfect backdrop for the day and rain during the ceremony gave way to a stunning sunset just in time for the reception. Guests, many coming from out of town for the occasion, enjoyed a low country boil and fresh oysters as a highlight of local cuisine, followed by cake cutting, music and dancing.

APRIL 2, 2022

ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH, RECEPTION AT COTTON HALL

Sarah Frances and Jacob’s wedding day was full of lively fun and celebration, just as they intended it to be. The couple married in a small, intimate ceremony with just their family and the wedding party present. After the ceremony, the guests followed the Excelsior Band to the reception, where signature drinks were passed out and an array of dishes, from lamb and beef tenderloin to the classic Southern shrimp and grits, were served. As hours of dancing came to a close, the newlyweds left the festivities in a decorated pedicab.

JUNE 4, 2022

SACRED HEART CHAPEL, RECEPTION AT THE HOME OF THE BRIDE’S PARENTS

Ebie and Gaines celebrated their special day in true Southern style, getting married in a white waterfront chapel just as the sun began to set over Mobile Bay. The bride, who was the reigning queen of Mardi Gras in 2019, based her wedding flowers on those at her queen’s luncheon. The newlyweds arrived at their reception by boat, and guests enjoyed a blue bar and wedding cake, both coordinated to match the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses. The evening concluded as guests showered the newlyweds in streamers and confetti as they made their boat exit in quintessential Bay fashion.

MARCH 12, 2022

CEREMONY AND RECEPTION AT THE LOCALE

Carmen says her and Brandon’s relationship is built on love and laughter, and it was important to the couple that their wedding day encapsulate both core qualities. The pair was married by the bride’s father in front of all their family and friends. Guests were then led into the reception by the wedding band in a Mardi Gras-style second line, setting the tone for the rest of the evening. The wedding colors — blush, gold, black and ivory — were incorporated into the lighting and decor as guests enjoyed an elegant cocktail hour, extravagant dinner and dancing well into the night.

Kristy and Stephen’s wedding was a vibrant celebration of their relationship interwoven with details of their combined Vietnamese and Jewish-American cultures. Family flew in from around the country to celebrate, with Stephen’s brother officiating the wedding. Special reverence was given to the matriarchs of both families, with the groom’s aunt and mother leading the processional and the bride’s mother walking her down the aisle to the chuppah. The couple changed into traditional Vietnamese wedding garments called áo dài for the reception and shared a special wedding tea with guests. The evening culminated in a celebratory dance to the Jewish folk song “Hava Nagila.”

OCTOBER 16, 2021

CEREMONY AND RECEPTION AT THE HOME OF THE BRIDE’S PARENTS

Nostalgia and family were key elements of Caroline and Grant’s whimsical fall wedding. The ceremony and reception were held at the bride’s parents’ house, and she got ready in her childhood bedroom. Caroline chose blue, the color of her Azalea Trail Maid dress and her groom’s eyes, for her wedding color, and her father’s old band reunited to play for the occasion. The couple, who met at church one Sunday in Saraland, built handmade Mr. and Mrs. letters together to display as guests enjoyed dancing and wedding cake at the reception. The night ended with the band’s rendition of “Blessed Assurance” and the couple’s farewell.

Claire and Keenan’s winter wedding was nothing short of enchanting. The bride, groom and wedding party got ready at the Battle House Hotel, arriving at the church by trolley for the ceremony. At the reception, the bride and groom had their first dance to “At Last” by Etta James. Guests, decked out in Mardi Gras masks, celebrated on the dance floor. The day held an additional celebration as participants sang happy birthday, ate cake and passed out cigars for father of the bride’s 80th birthday.

FEBRUARY 19, 2022

ST. FRANCIS AT THE POINT CHURCH, RECEPTION

AT THE VENUE

Madison met Hunter the first day of freshman year at Auburn University and the two began dating a year later. After an engagement in Belize, the couple returned to Point Clear to celebrate their nuptials in an intimate ceremony with family and friends in the midst of the Mardi Gras season. All-white flowers and the bridesmaids’ black satin gowns created a modern yet timeless theme for their evening wedding. After the ceremony, the couple arrived at the reception by trolley, and guests ate cake, popped champagne and danced well into the evening, a perfect ending to the special day.

JUNE 25, 2022

SACRED HEART CHAPEL, RECEPTION AT THE HOPE FARM

When Margaret looks back on her wedding day, she says she wouldn’t change a single thing. Many friends and family members traveled to Point Clear for the couple’s evening ceremony by the Bay. A cloudy overcast sky alleviated the Gulf Coast heat typically accompanying June weddings, making way for an enjoyable outdoor reception. Guests happily took to the dance floor and enjoyed food, drinks and wedding cake. Celebrating continued well into the night before the couple made their getaway through a cascade of flower petals.

Cheers to October

THURSDAYS IN OCTOBER

OUTDOOR FALL FARMERS’ MARKET

2 - 5 p.m. Shop for locally-grown produce, plants, baked goods and more.

FAIRHOPE PUBLIC LIBRARY FAIRHOPEAL.GOV

OCTOBER 1

24TH ANNUAL DAUPHIN STREET BEER FESTIVAL

6 - 9 p.m. Walk to 13 establishments Downtown to sample brews from around the world. Tickets $35. Participants must be 21+ with a valid ID.

DOWNTOWN MOBILE BEERFESTMOBILE.COM

OCTOBER 1

OWA OKTOBERFEST

2 - 8:30 p.m. Enjoy live music, dancing, food and beer specials at this free celebration. And be sure to showcase your unique talents in the stein holding, thumb wrestling and pretzel eating competitions.

OWA, FOLEY VISITOWA.COM

OCTOBER 6 - 9

ANNUAL NATIONAL SHRIMP FESTIVAL

More than 50 local vendors selling shrimp, of course, but so much more. Come experience live music, children’s entertainment, a 5K race and a sand sculpture contest.

GULF SHORES

GULFSHORES.COM/SHRIMP-FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 7 - 23

“THE CRUCIBLE”

7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 2 p.m. Sundays. Watch this Arthur Miller classic play. Ticket prices vary.

JOE JEFFERSON PLAYERS JOEJEFFERSONPLAYERS.COM

OCTOBER 9

MOBILE BALLET 35TH ANNIVERSARY

2:30 p.m. Alumni of the dance school return to their hometown stage with the Mobile Ballet Company in a one-time-only performance. Cocktail reception to follow. Ticket prices vary.

MOBILE CIVIC CENTER THEATER MOBILEBALLET.ORG

OCTOBER 9

FLORA-BAMA OCTOBERFEST

4 p.m. This free annual party will have complimentary German food and live music. Those who are over 21 will receive a free drink.

FLORA-BAMA FLORABAMA.COM

OCTOBER 9

THE CONCERT: A TRIBUTE TO ABBA

7:30 p.m. Bring your favorite dancing queens for a night of hits from the iconic pop group. Ticket prices vary.

SAENGER THEATER ASMGLOBALMOBILE.COM

OCTOBER 11 - 13

SCARECROWS IN THE GARDENS

See one-of-a-kind scarecrows designed by local organizations, high schools, clubs, and businesses.

BELLINGRATH GARDENS & HOME

BELLINGRATH.ORG

DAUPHIN ST. BEER FESTIVAL /

PHOTO BY CITY OF MOBILE

OCTOBER 14

THE BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY PRESENTS “1984”

8 p.m. The Black Jacket Symphony recreates Van Halen’s “1984” album as a symphonic piece. Ticket prices vary.

SAENGER THEATRE

ASMGLOBALMOBILE.COM

OCTOBER 14

MOBILE LATIN FEST

4 - 10 p.m. Experience Latin culture with food, arts and craft vendors, live music and dancing at this free event.

CATHEDRAL SQUARE HABAGC.COM/MOBILE-LATIN-FEST-2022

OCTOBER 14

LODA ART WALK

6 - 9 p.m. Celebrate Halloween and Mobile Latin Fest at this free downtown gathering. Grab your skates and join Roll Mobile in Bienville Square for their last skate night of the year.

LODA ARTS DISTRICT

CITYOFMOBILE.ORG

OCTOBER 15 AND 16

34TH ANNUAL JUBILEE FESTIVAL OF ART

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Stroll through Old Towne Daphne to view the art of more than 130 regional artists. Enjoy live music and cuisine prepared by local dining establishments.

OLD TOWN DAPHNE THEJUBILEEFESTIVAL.COM

OCTOBER 15

TAYLOR TOMLINSON

7 p.m. Laugh along with this American stand-up comedian and Netflix star. Ticket prices vary.

SAENGER THEATRE

ASMGLOBALMOBILE.COM

OCTOBER 21

BLUES TRAVELER

5 p.m. “Jam out” with this blues-based rock band at Live at Five. Ticket prices vary.

HALSTEAD AMIPHITHEATER, FAIRHOPE LIVEATFIVEFAIRHOPE.COM

OCTOBER 21

CHICAGO STREET SUPPER CLUB

6 - 10 p.m. Enjoy a by a four-course meal prepared by top local chefs. Tickets: $100.

NORTH CHICAGO STREET, FOLEY VISITFOLEY.COM

OCTOBER 21 AND 23

“THE ELIXIR OF LOVE”

7:30 p.m. Fri., 2:30 p.m. Sat. Watch this fall performance put on by Mobile Opera.

THE TEMPLE DOWNTOWN MOBILEOPERA.ORG

OCTOBER 22

13TH ANNUAL SHIRLEY LOONEY MEMORIAL CAR SHOW

8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. View this large collection of antique, new and classic cars, trucks and hot rods.

DAUPHIN WAY BAPTIST CHURCH DWBC.ORG

OCTOBER 22

SABCC BRITISH CAR FESTIVAL

9 a.m - 4 p.m. Join other British car enthusiasts for viewing, racing, door prizes, a food truck and more at this event put on by the South Alabama British Car Club.

FAIRHOPE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH SABCC.COM

OCTOBER 25

CHICAGO

8 p.m. Rock out to favorites from this American band. Ticket prices start at $55.50.

MOBILE CIVIC CENTER

ASMGLOBALMOBILE.COM

OCTOBER 28 AND 29

FALL PLANT SALE

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Shop for a variety of plants that grow best in the Gulf Coast region.

MOBILE BOTANICAL GARDENS MOBILEBOTANICALGARDENS.ORG

OCTOBER 28 - NOVEMBER 6

GREATER GULF STATE FAIR

Explore roller coasters, thrill rides, fair food, a petting zoo, rodeo and more at this annual attraction.

THE GROUNDS

GREATERGULFSTATEFAIR.COM

OCTOBER 29

WILD THINGS BALL

7 - 11 p.m. Wear your best costume to this party put on for members of the ACAC. Celebrate with food, drinks, music and art. Tickets prices vary.

ALABAMA CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER ALABAMACONTEMPORARY.ORG

GREATER GULF STATE FAIR

OCTOBER 29

BOO AT BELLINGRATH

1 p.m. Bring the kids in costume for a day of trick-or-treating, pumpkin patches, spooky story time, food trucks and a movie. Ticket prices vary.

BELLINGRATH GARDENS & HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG

OCTOBER 29

ELBERTA GERMAN SAUSAGE FESTIVAL

8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Come for the German sausage and stay for the carnival rides, dancing, music and arts and crafts booths, in this free festival.

ELBERTA TOWN PARK GULFSHORES.COM

OCTOBER 29

DOWNTOWN TRICK-OR-TREAT

10 a.m. Enjoy a day out with your little ones as you trick-or-treat through historic downtown Fairhope. Look for the orange pumpkins in the windows to see which businesses are participating in the fun.

FAIRHOPE WELCOME CENTER

FAIRHOPEAL.GOV

OCTOBER 30

CHUKKERS FOR CHARITY

12 - 5 p.m. A lively day of polo, tailgating, family fun and philanthropy. Food trucks, kids’ activities and a tailgate contest will add to the excitement of the sport of kings. Tickets at gate for $30.

FAIRHOPE COMMUNITYFOUNDATIONSA.ORG

CHUKKERS FOR CHARITY

[NOVEMBER

HIGHLIGHTS]

NOVEMBER 3 - 14

37TH ANNUAL FRANK BROWN SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL

Listen to songs by more than 200 acclaimed songwriters from all over the world. Showtimes and locations vary.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

FRANKBROWNSONGWRITERS.COM

NOVEMBER 10

- 13

10TH ANNUAL FAIRHOPE FILM FESTIVAL

Film lovers will be able to view short and feature films, foreign and domestic. Showtimes and ticket prices vary.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

FAIRHOPEFILMFESTIVAL.ORG

NOVEMBER 11 - 13

CHRISTMAS JUBLIEE

9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Fri., 9 a.m - 6 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m Sun. Shop til’ you drop at this fundraiser for the Junior League of Mobile featuring merchants from around the country. Ticket prices vary.

MOBILE CONVENTION CENTER

JUNIORLEAGUEMOBILE.ORG/CHRISTMASJUBILEE

NOVEMBER 13

PUBLIX BATTLESHIP 12K

8 - 10:30 a.m. Lace up your tennis shoes and join this patriotic run that honors veterans.

BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK

BATTLESHIP12K.COM

* Check event websites for most current status.

PUBLIX BATTLESHIP 12K

Lafayette, We Are Here. Y’all Come!

text by DAVID BAGWELL

Just shy of two hundred years ago, in 1825, Lafayette visited Alabama. A hundred years later, in 1925, Mobile put on a big commemoration and parade on the Centennial of the visit. While the city may not revisit the occasion in three years, it is worth remembering the original visit.

Lafayette was a smart young Frenchman who believed in the idea of the American Revolution and decided to come here to help. Benjamin Franklin, our Ambassador in Paris, wrote George Washington to introduce the two, and urged Washington to treat Lafayette like a son. Washington, who had no children of his own [his wife Martha did from a former marriage], became quite close to Lafayette. The marquis was a general in our Revolutionary Army and a wounded war hero to boot.

Fast forward almost half a century. Lafayette, by 1824 the only still-living U.S. Revolutionary War general, was invited by President James Monroe to visit the United States as a guest of the nation, and he accepted. America sent a new frigate, The Brandywine, to France to bring Lafayette to the United States. He came with his son, named Georges Washington, and his secretary Auguste Levasseur, who arrived in the U.S. in August of 1824, spending seven months or so on the East coast.

Back in Alabama, Governor Israel Pickens and the legislature decided to invite the general to Alabama as our guest. Senator William Rufus DeVane King, later vice president, invited the revered soldier and he accepted.

But Lafayette was the guest of the Creek Indians as much as of Alabama. The Creeks still owned most of the land from the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers in the East of Alabama, to Line Creek near Montgomery. On February 12, 1825, the Creeks had signed The Treaty of Indian Springs, selling those lands for

$200,000, the unwritten details making clear the money was to be paid in installments to the main Creek Chief, William McIntosh, commonly called simply “McIntosh.” The most nativist of the Creeks, the “Upper Creeks,” concluded that McIntosh had sold their birthright and pocketed the money. Shortly after Lafayette’s visit, the Upper Creeks murdered McIntosh to get even. But that had not happened yet when Lafayette arrived.

Lafayette and his secretary and son, traveling in a light horsedrawn buggy called a sulky, arrived on the Georgia banks of the Chattahoochee River about where Fort Benning is today. He crossed the river on a ferry and was in Alabama, or more accurately Creek Indian Country.

Lafayette’s sulky was met in the river flats by 200 Creek Indians, dressed and feathered, who attached ropes to the Sulky and pulled the visitors up to the riverbank, where they were also met by Alabama state troops under the command of Gen. Thomas Woodward, a hero of the Creek Indian War and part Indian himself. The main show, however, was the Indians, who were led by Chilli McIntosh, the son of Chief William McIntosh. Every Indian grabbed Lafayette’s arm in the full-armed Indian handshake.

American Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette was as beloved by Mobilians upon his visit to the area as he was one-hundred years later.

Above Portrait of Gilbert Motier, the Marquis De Lafayette as painted by Joseph-Désiré Court. IMAGE COURTESY WIKICOMMONS

Chilli McIntosh in his twenties was in the prime of life; handsome and strong, and completely at home in both the Indian and white worlds. He told the visitors that the Creeks would not go to war against the whites again. The closest thing they had to a real war, he said, was an Indian ball game, and they put one on for Lafayette. These Creek ball games were very rough, and it was not unusual for men to die. Chilli stole the show. As Levasseur wrote in his journals of the trip:

“AN INDIAN DETACHED HIMSELF FROM THE GROUP TO SOME DISTANCE, RETURNED ON A RUN, SPRING INTO THE AIR, AND AFTER MAKING SEVERAL SOMERSAULTS, THREW HIMSELF ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE OTHER PLAYERS, LEAPED INTO THE CIRCLE, SEIZED THE BALL, AND FOR THE 7TH TIME, CAST IT BEYOND THE MARK. THIS PLAYER WAS MCINTOSH.”

But Levasseur was even more impressed by Chilli’s archery skills; “he had the arm and eye of William Tell.” Levasseur said, “if I didn’t tell you, you wouldn’t believe it,” but Chilli showed him how Indians would lie on the ground and shoot an arrow in a sort of “bank shot,” ricocheting off the ground and upward to the target. Chilli explained that was how Creeks could shoot whites without the whites’ knowing where the arrow came from.

Chilli and about 200 Alabamians then led Lafayette over land toward Montgomery along the “Federal Road”

roughly where I-85 goes westward from Lanett, staying a night or two in taverns en route.

A few days later, they were in Montgomery and at the end of the land-based trail. From there on to Mobile, and later on to New Orleans, would be by steamboat. In Montgomery some 3,000 people and a New Orleans’ band led Lafayette to the festivities. He went to church and stayed in the best house there, that of John Edmondson.

There was a dance at Freeney’s Tavern in Montgomery and, as always, the young ladies loved to be kissed by Lafayette, who was glad to return the favor. Levasseur said there was a “ball, at which we had the pleasure of seeing Chilli M’Intosh dance with several beautiful women, who certainly had little idea that they were dancing with a savage.”

The French group really liked Chilli, who left them in Montgomery. Levasseur said “the parting of M’intosh with the general was a melancholy one.”

Late the next night, the group got on the Mobile Steamboats Henderson and Balize and headed downriver, with Montgomerians following by steamboat, all headed down the Alabama River toward Mobile.

The next day, they made an unscheduled stop at Claiborne. Most likely two people engineered the stop. Sam Dale had for years operated a ferry on the Alabama just below Claiborne, and also a store just below Purdue Hill, which he said lost him a fortune

Clockwise from top left William McIntosh from “History of the Indian Tribes of North America.” IMAGE COURTESY WIKICOMMONS

The Masonic Lodge #3 at Perdue Hill (c. 1824). IMAGE COURTESY THE WRITER

Portrait of William Chillicothe McIntosh. COURTESY OF THE OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

The Lafayette Hotel on the corner of St. Michael and Royal. IMAGE FROM “FROM FORT TO PORT: AN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF MOBILE, ALABAMA, 1711-1918” BY ELIZABETH BARRETT GOULD

because he could not refuse credit to the hungry traveling families. And, James Dellett of Claiborne was the First Speaker of the House in Alabama. Details of this visit are sketchy, but supposedly Lafayette visited the building, which was then the local courthouse and Masonic Hall, moved in 1860 to Purdue Hill, just up the road. Dellett’s plantation — the oldest continuous farm in Alabama, according to legend—on the west side of the Alabama River is now owned by Ann Bedsole. Interestingly, although the Alabama River is a natural boundary between Monroe and Clarke counties there on US Highway 84, Dellett got the legislature to extend Monroe County over the river some six miles or so to include his lands. Dellett made a speech and Levasseur said that Dellett “acquitted himself with an eloquence we were astonished to meet in a spot which, but a short time before, only resounded with the save cry of the Indian hunter.”

Levasseur loved the trip down the Alabama. The steamboats arrived in Mobile on Thursday to cannon fire from Fort Condé. The city threw a big parade, and the worn-out Lafayette took a nap in an old bed in Spanish Government House. Lafayette signed the register at the Masonic Lodge.

Mayor Garrow sent a carriage to take him to a grand ball at the Lafayette Hotel, as it came to be called, on the corner of St. Michael and Royal, supposedly built in 1809 by Louis DeMouy.

An incident from that event not recorded by historians was noted by Mobile’s wonderful amateur historian Erwin Craighead, who wrote of it in his book “From Mobile’s Past.” Mobile had a French expatriate named Charles de Lage. Lafayette on his visit gave de Lage a book on a blank page of which de Lage wrote:

“Took Virginia to reception given in Marquis’ honor. Enjoyed it immensely. Some person played joke on assembly and shouted ‘fire’ through the building, and Marquis, frightened very much, jumped out window in Michael Street.

Assembly dispersed. Virginia too frightened to play, returned home — Charles L. DeLage.”

The next day, Mayor Samuel Garrow hosted a reception at his home on Government Street. A historic sign there is the only outward indication in Mobile that Lafayette visited.

The next day Lafayette, his son and his secretary left on a steamboat for New Orleans, taking the Gulf route, almost sinking en route in the rough waters

Three tragedies shortly followed the Lafayette visit.

First, remember that they viewed the parting with Chilli McIntosh to be “a melancholy one. He appeared overwhelmed with sinister presentiments.” As well he should have been. Just three weeks later, 200 upper Creek warriors angered over the Treaty of Indian Springs attacked the home of Chief McIntosh and burned him out and murdered him, stripping the clothes off the women of the home. Chilli, in an outbuilding, escaped, and a little later moved with the tribe to Oklahoma. During the Civil War, he fought for the Confederate states in an Indian unit.

Second, in another post-visit calamity, the two steamboats, the Henderson and the Balize collided at Claiborne — where they had taken the Lafayette party — three weeks later, the Henderson carrying many barrels of fine whiskey. In 1829, the water went down enough to see the boat. Thomas Gaillard and Richebourg Gaillard, ancestors of most anybody in Mobile named “Gaillard,” tried to salvage the whiskey but could not. It’s still there if you can find it, but a little free maritime legal advice: The wreck and the whiskey are nearly surely owned by the State of Alabama by now. And they seem to cherish their monopoly on whiskey.

Third, it was said that the state was almost bankrupted by all the costs of Lafayette’s trip, but that seems to have been an exaggeration. The cost was onefifth of the state’s budget that year, and the bills have survived.

A hundred years after the visit, Mobile threw a grand ceremony wellcovered by The Register, with a parade of more than thirty floats, and “thousands lined the sidewalks of the business section.” Mobile can throw a parade. The float of the Convent of Mercy was judged best. Mary Johanna Hatcher dressed like Liberty holding the reins of an eagle “perched regally on the radiator of the car.” There was a French flag made from 300 roses. Lafayette (Miss Rella Glennon) sat back regally, with George Washington (Miss Louise Norris) and Martha (Miss Ethel Miller) and nine maids to escort them. The UMS cadets marched, along with the girls of the Wright School for Girls, “150 strong,” while four “flying machines” from the Navy in Pensacola circled overhead. There was a French vocal solo by C.M.A. Rogers, namesake of later generations. The judges were lawyer Matt Mahorner (a founder of the Mobile Rotary Club in the category “Breeder of Blooded Bulls”), Mrs. D.T. McCall, Mrs. Clara Simms, and Mrs. Marshall Turner.

Be sure to volunteer for the committee if you think we should do that again in three years, on the 200th Anniversary. I’ll come to the parade, but I won’t be on the committee. MB

Above The home of Mayor Samuel Garrow on Government Street, where a reception was held in honor of Lafayette. IMAGE FROM “FROM FORT TO PORT: AN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF MOBILE, ALABAMA, 1711-1918” BY ELIZABETH BARRETT GOULD

Last Man on State Street

The Search for Mobile’s Pipe-Smoking Sea Captain

text by EMILY BLEJWAS

In 2021, Halloween fell on a Sunday, bestowing a perfect lazy afternoon to finally read the iconic 1969 book, “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey” by Kathryn Tucker Windham and Margaret Gillis Figh. It was then I first encountered the story of “Mobile’s Pipe-Smoking Sea Captain.”

As Windham and Figh tell it, the old sea captain was a loner who often walked from his home on State Street to the Downtown docks, always smoking his pipe and wearing his cap. He was “silent and withdrawn,” avoided his neighbors, and found happiness only at the water’s edge. His life ended in suicide when he shot himself at the top of the stairs in his two-story house. Years later, Charles Smallwood bought the property, and his son, William, moved into the house with his wife and children. Mrs. William Smallwood reported smelling tobacco from the

captain’s pipe, hearing the echo of his body tumbling down the stairs and even seeing his image appear on the grounds.

But the captain is unnamed in the story and the address unspecified. So, which house on State Street? Who lives there now? Is the property still haunted? Is the captain’s story still told? Where are the Smallwood descendants? And who was this sea captain?

This last question feels the most pressing, for though the captain “bears a look of trapped agony in his eyes,” and grows increasingly “gaunt” in the story, his neighbors snub him for being unfriendly. So the captain is alone, blamed for his discontent, finding solace solely in the ships on the water, until he just can’t do it anymore. I want to be able to call his name. To say into the sweet, weighty air on State Street: “I see you.”

Start with Deeds and Property

If I can figure out the State Street property address, and who lived there before the Smallwoods, then confirm he was a sea captain, I figure I’ll have my ghost. A search at the probate court turns up a single paragraph from a 1919 deed when the property passed from William and Eugenia Smallwood to Union Savings Bank. Though it lacks an address, the property lines are described down to feet and inches: “That certain lot of land in the city of Mobile, commencing at a point on the south side of State Street 110 feet west from the southwest corner of…” until it ends “140 feet more or less to the place of beginning.” So I can follow it. Like a treasure map.

Under blue skies and through empty midmorning streets, I drive to the right block, where four small houses now sit on a quiet, tucked-away stretch of State Street less than a mile from Downtown. The Smallwood property could be under any of these. I race home to print out a map zoomed to 20 feet, make hash marks along a paper’s edge, then read the deed’s directions aloud, measuring and tracing out a rectangle that perfectly surrounds the corner house. I have the address. There is no doubt. With help from Sam Winter and Surety Land Title, I get a list of all the property owners dating back to 1814. So now all I have to do is figure out which one (before the Smallwoods) was a sea captain. Easy, right?

Find The Family

In the meantime, I want to find a Smallwood descendant to see if there are other stories about the captain and whether the story was passed down through the Smallwood generations. After a tedious genealogical search, I locate William and Eugenia’s great-granddaughter, Mimi, and am delighted (and shocked) when she messages back: “I would love to talk to you about my great-grandparents! My grandmother shared many stories about

growing up in a haunted house on State Street.” So, the story of the sea captain has a life beyond Windham and Figh. It has legs. Or, rather, sea legs.

By the time I sit down with Mimi and her daughter, Beth, I’ve spent several mornings deep in city directories at the Mobile Public Library. I know that William Smallwood lived at the State Street house from 1883 until roughly 1916, beginning with his first wife, Sallie, until she died in 1894, then with his second wife, Eugenia.

It was Eugenia who told the haunting captain story to Ila B. Prine, a Works Progress Administration interviewer, in 1936. Prine’s write-up, entitled “The Haunted House of State Street,” consists of a single typed and yellowed page, housed at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery and included in Alan Brown’s book, “The Face in the Window and other Alabama Ghostlore.”

The account gives the property address as 1055 State Street (though that is not the address today) and contains the main elements of Windham and Figh’s 1969 version, but in less detail. Perhaps Windham and Figh heard a more complete version from Mobilians or simply embellished it, as Southern storytellers tend to do.

Regardless, in “The Haunted House of State Street,” Eugenia Smallwood recounts the story of the captain’s suicide and fall down the stairs. She reports having seen him “many times” walking the grounds, often “in the late afternoons or on a dreary, dismal day” and “always wearing a cap and smoking a small pipe.” On several occasions, she smelled tobacco and thought it was her sons smoking, but when she went to catch them, found no one there. Also, “a number of times, her cook would come running into the house badly frightened” after seeing the captain at the kitchen door.

Mimi heard about the smoke and the stairs from her grandmother, Pansey, Eugenia’s daughter, who grew up in the State Street house alongside her siblings. The cook in the story, Mimi says, is undoubtedly, “Aunt Emma,” a Black woman who

cared for the Smallwood children. Beth shows me a stunning photograph of Emma with the children and, later, I try desperately to learn more about her, but fail. It’s a harsh reminder of how sparsely Black lives were documented. Emma’s gaze still holds me; I’m still restless to do better by her.

Mimi tells me Pansey was a naturalborn storyteller and singer who loved to take her grandchildren soft-shelling and floundering, with lanterns and gigs and a basket in an inner tube. She lived to be 100 and Mimi loved her fiercely. Of the many stories Pansey told, Mimi recalls only one that adds to the captain’s lore:

“A horse got loose one day and went bolting down State Street,” she begins. “My grandmother was real little and she was playing in the street. Everybody was running for safety and she just stood there. After the horse went by, she was on the other side of the fence. And bystanders asked her, ‘Pansey, how did you get here?’ And she said, ‘The captain.’ They believed that the captain picked her up and saved her and put her over the fence ‘cause she was too young to open it or run or anything.”

It seems the captain was a protective force, though Mimi recalls he was always described as sad, longing or maybe heartbroken. He was said to stand by the window and gaze out, she says. He was connected to ships somehow. But who was he?

One by one, I check the State Street property owners and discover attorneys, cotton merchants, a judge, a clerk, a secretary, a teacher. No sea captain. These were men wealthy enough to own land as an investment; none appear to have lived on it. And each time an owner sells, his name appears on the deed. The property is never sold by a widow or son or cousin, as it would be following a death. That is, until Richard Wildman, who bought the property in 1870 and is the first owner to live on it. Twelve years later, Wildman’s widow sells it to Charles Smallwood. But, Wildman was a pharmacist, not a sea captain. What am I missing?

Backyard Mystery

In the meantime, I’ve sent an undeniably weird letter to the current owner of the State Street property and am certain I will never hear back.

But then I do.

He agrees to meet me at Walgreens, a busy, public place, in case I am a “crackpot” he tells me later. Understandable.

George is a short, strapping Black man in his mid-60s who walks with a cane since being injured on the job. He spent a career working on the state docks. He and his late wife raised 12 children in the house on State Street. He has kind eyes, an open, friendly face and a calm demeanor. We find two empty chairs near the pharmacy and settle in. He lets me record but says he’s hesitant to talk about this stuff since he still lives in the haunted house. Then he launches right in.

George was born in 1955 and raised by his grandparents across from the State Street house. At that time, it was inhabited by Ms. Nancy and her late husband’s brother, Mr. Joe, who resembled the captain in his gruff attitude, preference for solitude and shock of white hair. According to George, Nancy and Joe were Creole, originally from Mon Louis Island. (I did verify their names in the property records). They kept a tall fence around the backyard that prevented anyone from seeing in. The neighbors could glimpse the tops of pecan trees, mulberries, figs and pears, “but all of that stuff would rot because she wouldn’t let nobody back there to pick it,” George says. “If your ball went over that fence, that was it.”

As a child, George heard the story of the smoking captain from the old folks on the block. “The talk in the neighborhood was ‘watch the man with the pipe in his mouth,’” he says. “‘Watch the man with the white hair.’ But you’re a child, you think old people are just telling you stuff to keep you off their property. People in the neighborhood used to say, ‘Don’t go in that yard. Don’t go over there after dark.’ They just told me to stay away from there. There was something weird about that backyard ‘cause we questioned it: ‘Why we can’t get our ball?’”

George doesn’t know whether Nancy’s protection of the yard had to do with the captain, but he does know the stories about the captain appearing back there. There was a beautiful old pecan tree in the yard with a chair beneath it, where the old folks said the captain liked to sit and drink coffee. George recalls the captain was said to be grumpy. He doesn’t remember stories about smelling tobacco but points out there was always smoke in the air anyway: burning trash or burning rags to keep mosquitoes at bay. But George did have a strange feeling about the yard. And sometimes, especially in the early morning when he watched his grandfather leave for his job at Smith Bakery, something near the yard would catch the corner of his eye.

The captain’s staying power surprised me. The Smallwoods left in 1916 and, in the ensuing decades, this section of State Street transformed from a wealthy white block to a working-class Black neighborhood, yet the tale of the captain remained. The talk in the next generation, however, was clipped and vague, in deference to their Christian faith. “They would give you a warning” about the ghost, George says, but that was it. “If Grandmama and Granddaddy did know something or saw something, they wouldn’t just say it out. They were very conservative people. My grandmother slept with the Bible. Shew, Lord.”

After Nancy died and Joe moved to a nursing home in the late 1960s, George’s family bought the State Street house and moved in. And when they finally saw the backyard, they were shocked. Despite Nancy and Joe’s old age, and never seeing a yard man there, it was perfectly kept. “You wouldn’t believe it. We never saw the yard mowed. Never heard nobody cutting that backyard,” George says. “But that backyard was immaculate. It was like somebody kept it up every day. It was just beautiful.” And at the foot of the back steps, in a neat little pile: 12 baseballs.

Now that George has lived in the State Street house for over 50 years, he has experienced the captain for himself. “I hear stuff all night long. All night long. And

that’s God’s truth. Clickin’, bumpin’.” There’s been lots of wind blowing through the house, doors banging. In particular, the door from the kitchen to the backyard blows open even when locked. When George’s children were small, they would ask why he came through their room at night, why he’d left the door open, when he hadn’t. “It’s those kinds of things,” he tells me. “No one walked up to me or offered me a cup of coffee or wrote their name or nothing like that. But it’s strange. You know how old folks drags their foots when they walk? I hear that kind of stuff all night long. I mean, I really can’t sleep some nights. It’s just strange.”

And then there’s the backyard, especially the site of the pecan tree and the old chair, which rendered George quiet and pensive in his youth. “There was something about that little spot there. Even as a child I used to sit back there and just think,” he says, adding, “No squirrels would build their nests in that tree. Even though they’d build them in every other tree in the yard, and birds, too. They wouldn’t build in that tree.” George bred dogs for many years and “those dogs would just go completely crazy” in that spot. “There would be nothing there, but they would be carrying on.” It reminded him of how his grandmama used to say that dogs can see spirits. “That would come into my mind. They must be seeing spirits.” And George saw the captain back there himself. “I’m telling you the truth. I know in my lifetime, I’ve seen this man in the backyard. It wasn’t no flower like a ghost. It was just like somebody runnin’ in the backyard. And I see things out of the corner of my eye, too. That happens a lot.”

After our talk at Walgreens, George invites me for a visit. So the next week, I pull up to the house I’ve wondered so much about. It’s midday in mid-December and the temperature has dropped; we both wear winter hats. George unlocks the gate and we step into the backyard. It’s abundantly green and overgrown, quiet. Remnants of the dogs’ houses sit along the edges. Even without the tall fence of Nancy and Joe’s

day, the yard feels cut off, but not in a creepy way. It feels pleasant. George points out the site of the pecan tree, which weathered Hurricane Frederic in 1979 (though the storm destroyed every other tree in the yard) but was felled by Hurricane Georges in 1998. With his cane, George traces the trail that used to run from the tree to the kitchen door, though no one in his family ever walked that path.

He shows me the kitchen, the site of the window where he’d catch Ms. Nancy talking to nobody when he’d come to run an errand for her (usually buying snuff for a nickel) and the door that kept blowing open. After George’s family moved in, his grandfather lowered the roof twice to make the house warmer. “There’s stuff up in that attic I’ve never seen,” George says, and we both look up, wondering.

Clues at the Library

One last time, back to the captain. Back to the library, where I learn that although Richard Wildman bought the State Street property in 1870, he only lived there until 1872 when he moved Downtown to run the pharmacy and

live above it. After Charles Smallwood bought the property in 1882, his son, William, lived there beginning in 1883. So who lived in the house from 1872 to 1882? Could Wildman have rented it to the captain? I plug those years into ancestry.com along with the strange format of the address at that time (comprised of numbers and letters referring to intersections and cardinal directions).

And. There he is.

Henry Taylor.

Lived at the State Street address in 1873. And his occupation: Captain Steamboat.

Henry Taylor!

Mystifying Mobile

To be honest, there is no way to know for sure whether Henry Taylor is the pipe-smoking sea captain. I’m not able to verify his death or anything else about him. He appears just that once, in the Mobile City Directory in 1873, then vanishes. By 1876, Robert Warner (a carpenter) lives at the State Street address. And what to make (if anything)

of Taylor being a steamboat captain instead of a sea captain?

As thrilling as it was to discover Henry Taylor, the real treasure was finding George, the last man in Mobile who remembers how the sea captain story was told on State Street. None of his neighbors from that time still live on the block; most of the houses are rentals now. “Who else would know this stuff?” I asked at the end of our interview, but he shook his head. “Nobody. Everything was left to me.”

Before I leave, George and I walk the block and he talks of how the area was once used as a camp for Confederate soldiers. How locals still call a nearby cross street “Elephant Road” because it was used to unload elephants on their way to the circus. Standing on State Street with George is both ordinary and extraordinary at once. To see him is to be reminded of what I love most about Mobile: teeming with history still very much alive; reveling in the unexplored and unexplained lurking in regular places; multidimensional, laid back, generous.

And as for you, Captain Henry Taylor, or whatever your name may be, I see you, too. MB

Left William and Eugenia Smallwood, circa 1896. Above The Smallwoods with Aunt Emma, circa 1901. PHOTOS COURTESY THE SMALLWOOD FAMILY

Saturdays Down South

For writer Audrey McDonald Atkins, football and barbeque spell fall.

There is little that will spirit my husband away from the television on a football Saturday, but this one particular Saturday, being a slow one in terms of great gridiron challenges, we decide to venture out into the day. We are driven by hunger pangs and a deep hollow feeling that can only be filled by one thing – swine flesh. Not just any old piece of baloney on a cracker can fill a void like that. The only cure is barbecue, preferably pulled with chunks of charred bark and a sauce that makes your mouth fill up with more spit than is ladylike just from the thought of it. There must be dill pickle slices and a white bread bun that goes to mush as it becomes one with the grease. There must be white Styrofoam and a roll of paper towels.

We go to the gittin’ place, which today was Saw’s Soul Kitchen. I make a U-turn to score a parking place right across the street. While many of Saw’s neighbors have slicked up the old buildings with chrome, wood, and bright paint, Saw’s has done little to improve the outside of its building, and even less on the inside. I like it that way. We approach the building as the sun plays hide-andseek with the clouds and a humid breeze with just a scant tease of fall spreads the smoky goodwill of ‘cue throughout the neighborhood. A man washes the front window with something that looks like watery Yoo-hoo. Squeeeee-geeee. Squeeee-geeee. He wipes it clean with his onomatopoetic tool.

We duck past him under the dingy, once-white metal awning.

There is a sign on the entry. “Please close door. AC on.” We enter. We shut the door behind us. We are in a place now that can only be described as close. There are about seven tables with mismatched chairs. A couple of them are occupied, one by the front window and one by the wall. A television hangs above the corner table. Most eyes in the place are on it. The University of Alabama is playing. The announcers’ voices are muffled, but you can tell when something is happening, even if you aren’t watching. The room gets a little quiet, the announcers speak a little faster, a little louder. A man in a white apron hollers, “Go, baby, go!” from the kitchen. One lady answers his call with the only appropriate response there is: “Roll Tide!” There is cheering, both on the television and in the restaurant. Then a commercial.

The back wall is the menu, chalked main items and sides. Smoked Chicken. Pork. Catfish. All the usual things one expects when one ventures into this sort of establishment. They have banana pudding. The bathroom is to the right of the menu. You order to the left. There is a young woman who is standing near the cash register talking on a cell phone. She’s staring at the menu, but engrossed in her conversation. She’s close enough to the counter that we think she’s in line. We hang back, giving her an appropriate amount of space even though we are all in a very small one. I catch her eye. She motions us to go ahead. She keeps talking. And staring. We go ahead.

 Born and raised in Citronelle, Atkins shares stories about growing up and living in the South in her book, “They Call Me Orange Juice,” and at her blog folkwaysnowadays.com.

excerpt from the book THEY CALL ME ORANGE JUICE by AUDREY MCDONALD ATKINS

There is no one at the register. The man in the white apron stands at a prep station with a row of white Styrofoam in front of him. With his right hand, he scoops up a big spoonful of greens, and with two quick jerks of his wrist, sends the potlikker back into the pot before the greens get sent to the go-box. His left hand grabs several buns that get set out . . . one, two, three . . . down the line, waiting for their pickles, which are soon to come. His eyes still on the television, his hands and arms seem to have a mind of their own, filling the orders while he follows the game. A harried woman comes to the register. She has a tattoo on her neck. It is in all fancy script, part black, part bright red. I have to resist the urge to lean across the counter to read it. Her eyebrows have been plucked razor thin. Black eyeliner, smeared from a day in the sweaty kitchen, settles into lines that could be called laugh, but probably aren’t. She looks at the television.

“Hep ya, baby?” For those of you not familiar with the vernacular of the South, she means “May I please take your order?” We order and get a ticket and two Styrofoam cups. Our number is 166. Drinks are on the same counter. We opt for tea, unsweet with a splash of sweet. Now there is sweet tea, and there is sweet tea. The latter seems to run from the spigot a little slower. It will make your teeth ache. You might have to wash it down with a glass of water because sugar syrup will make you feel good, but it won’t quench a thirst. I know this sweet tea is that sweet tea from the few drops I mixed with the dastardly unsweet. The combination is perfect.

We sit at a table by the window. “Roll Tide” is behind my husband. She’s licking her fingers. The door is behind me. I know the sign works because everyone who comes in slams the door. Not in a rude way. In the way you have to slam a door swollen by humidity. We sit and wait. Wait for 166. The referee’s whistle is shrill. “Pork up!” “Drop some catfish?” “Roll Tide!” The window washer is now taking out the trash, a big sackful of greasy napkins, melted ice, Styrofoam. The smell of garbage mixes with the other scents in these cramped quarters

– vinegar, smoke, Clorox. He maneuvers through the tables, past the line, which now snakes almost to the door.

There is a man in camel-colored wingtips. He is tall and slim. The creases in his pants could cut you. His shirt is starched with heavy starch. Niagara. He is alone. His eyes are on the television. There is another couple who are approaching middle age. They order and sit by the drink fountain. She stares one way, he another. They don’t speak. They don’t smile. They don’t look at one another or at anyone else. They don’t even look at the television. The girl on the cell phone has ordered and is waiting near me. She’s still talking. “I told her he was sorry, but she wouldn’t listen.” She seems filled with righteous indignation, exasperated. I understand. Some people are just sorry. Some people never listen.

A young woman with two little children sits at the next table down. The little girl is probably three, the little boy not quite a year. She lays the little boy across her lap and starts to take his pants off. I’m a mother. I know what’s coming. She shimmies his little pants off, glances around the room, and gives them a quick sniff. Unsatisfied, she puts them on the table. She takes him by the ankle and holds one leg up and takes a tentative peek into the diaper. She looks momentarily relieved, until the little boy reaches out and grabs a handful of his sister’s hair. The little girl shrieks. The little boy hangs on. The mother tries to pry his fingers loose. Babies are stronger than you think. She looks tired.

I look at my husband. He’s watching the game too. Engrossed like most everyone else. The referee’s whistle shrills in short staccatos. “Order up!” says the man in the apron. “One sixty-six, one sixty-six!” sings the lady from behind the counter. “One sixty-six to go!”

My husband holds our cups while I claim our white plastic sack filled with white Styrofoam containers. We pick our way back through the tables, through the line, and out the door. We close it firmly behind us. As we walk across the street, I can still hear the whistles, the cheering. I hear a train in the distance. And I know for sure that it’s finally fall in the deep South. MB

What are the details of the marker concerning a lynching in Mobile?

text by TOM MCGEHEE

At roughly 1:15 a.m. on the morning of January 23, 1909, a group of two dozen armed, masked men strolled into what was then called the New Jail at 104 Church Street and held a gun on a deputy to obtain the keys to the cells. A prisoner was taken by force out onto the street and dragged west. He was then shot three times and his corpse was left hanging from a tree opposite the city’s oldest Episcopal church.

The jail was barely a year old and had been considered quite an improvement over its ancient predecessor, which stood on Congress Street between Jefferson and Broad streets. In 1906, that facility had twice been attacked by mobs of some 500 men looking for an inmate to lynch. On nights in August, and again in October, surging masses had stormed through the wooden portals into the jail’s forecourt.

During the October incident, the news account stated that the armed mob “shot a fusillade of shots,” hitting Alderman Sidney Lyons in the hand and killing one policeman. On both of those nights, the men finally left without their intended targets for the same reason: the suspects had been whisked to a train headed north and deposited in the Jefferson County jail for safekeeping.

The New Jail

Mobile County’s new jail was built with these assaults fresh on everyone’s minds. Architect Rudolph Benz designed the 1889 Mobile County Courthouse on Government Street in a style termed “German Renaissance.” By 1907, an expansion was needed, and Benz was called on to create an annex facing Royal Street with a new jail fronting Church

Street in a much more classical style. Besides being equipped with a set of heavy wooden doors, Benz added an additional set made of steel. Security would not be an issue here as it had over on Congress Street. Another benefit was that the sheriffs would no longer need to transport the defendants some two miles through busy city streets for trials. One upstate newspaper termed it “the most modern and impregnable jail in the South.”

How It Began

On the morning of January 21, two sheriff’s deputies approached a house under construction on Warren Street near Eslava Street. The day before, a carpenter named Richard Robertson had gotten into a fight with two plumbers on the job

site, reportedly when they refused to share a plug of tobacco with him. Robertson got the better of them, and they filed a warrant on charges of assault and battery and “abusive language.”

As the two sheriff deputies routinely stepped out of their wagon, warrants in hand, Robertson appeared in the open doorway, pulled a pistol from inside his jacket and fired. Philip Fatch, a seasoned member of the force, was mortally shot in the stomach before firing back, while his partner was slightly injured. Robertson escaped despite suffering from the return fire. He was soon captured and taken to the county jail where the prison doctor tended to him.

Ironically, it had been Fatch who had saved one of the men from the 1906 lynch mob by getting him out of the jail just ten

Above A postcard image of the new annex to the Mobile County Courthouse facing Royal Street. The entrance to the new jail on Church Street is just visible to the left. At its completion, it had been termed “the most modern and impregnable jail in the South.”

PHOTO COURTESY TOM MCGEHEE

minutes before their arrival and putting him on a northbound train. Fatch had recently lost his wife, and his three children between ages 2 and 10 were placed in an orphanage.

Rumors Fly

Word quickly spread about the death of a white sheriff deputy by a Black man and grumblings of a lynching began to be heard. Former district attorney James H. Webb went to the jail and spoke with county Sheriff Frank Cazalas, Sr. Webb told him point blank that the rumors of a lynching were rampant and that he should take precautions.

Instead, Cazalas left for home early that evening and made no attempt to secure the jail. The massive doors were not locked. Early the next morning, the mob simply walked in and found one deputy seated with his back to the door while his partner was engrossed in the pages of a book. They handed over Robertson’s cell key and were told to keep their seats as the man was dragged outside.

The lynching occurred on the southeast corner of St. Emanuel and Church streets. Today, the once-residential neighborhood has been replaced by a parking lot and the eastern approach to the Wallace Tunnels. That such lawlessness could occur in Mobile outraged a growing number of citizens.

A Resolution to the Governor

On Sunday morning, churchgoers heard their pastors condemn the incident. And that afternoon, a group of prominent men with names like Armbrecht, Whiting, Danner and Harrison, met in the office of former mayor Joseph C. Rich. They drafted one resolution condemning the

lynching and wrote another to gather evidence and prosecute the men who were responsible. They also sent a resolution to Governor B. B. Comer in Montgomery, demanding that he determine if the sheriff had properly protected the life of his prisoner, as he was sworn to do.

The news of the incident hit every newspaper in the state, with different results. Montgomery’s Alabama Times sniffed, “The Times is not surprised. Mobile’s shameless disregard of state laws against Sunday ball playing or their stating that the prohibition of alcohol would not be treated with respect” obviously led to the lawlessness prevailing in the port city.

An Expression of Anarchy

The Birmingham News declared the lynching to be “one of the worst crimes ever committed in this state,” terming it “an expression of anarchy. It is the duty of every law-abiding citizen of Mobile to assist in the apprehension and punishment of the men who brought this stigma upon the fair name of Mobile.”

In yet another Birmingham editorial — under the heading of “STOP THIS LAWLESSNESS!” — a writer observed, “Lynchings are no way to attract desirable people” to our state. “Bring the guilty parties to justice!”

The Mobile Register weighed in: “The man had been wounded by the pistol of the deputy he killed with the gallows awaiting him. Men should be made to know that they cannot take the law into their own hands whenever they feel so inclined.”

Not everyone agreed with this line of thought. A letter signed “the Lynchers” appeared in the Mobile Register claiming they were just helping to keep the peace.

On March 1, 1909, a Mobile County Grand Jury concluded that “knowledge of a rumored lynching had been given

to the sheriff by a reputable citizen and, despite this knowledge, he went to his home four miles away.” On the following day, Governor Comer commenced impeachment proceedings via the state supreme court.

State Supreme Court Decision

In May, that court was in session and one reporter observed, “With logic and careful determination [Mobile attorney Palmer Pillans] went after the scalp of the defendant.” He began by declaring, “The fair name of Alabama has too often been blotted by deliberate chains of homicides wrongfully called lynchings.”

Mr. Webb’s testimony of having warned the sheriff was heard and far outweighed the defense counsel’s claim that Cazalas was “deaf” and may not have heard the warning. Pillans went on to remind Cazalas that those steel reinforced doors of the jail were “not for ornamental purposes.” Pillans also brought to light the incompetence of the two men Cazalas had left in charge that night and the fact that they were still in his employ.

The Cazalas defense team, in turn, made the claim that the sheriff had witnessed the 1906 mob attacks on the jail and this incident in no way resembled it. Therefore, he had every right to go home and turn in for the night.

The state’s highest justices ruled 5-2 for impeachment.

The Selma Times declared, “a blow for the observance of law in all its majesty has been struck by the findings of the state supreme court.”

Unfortunately, none of the members of the group that lynched Richard Robertson were identified or brought to justice. However, no mob ever broke into the county jail again.

By the 1940s, the jail and courthouse facilities were beyond repair and were replaced in the next decade. Today, the entire block tells a very different story as home to Mobile’s Mardi Gras Park. MB

The Loop Theatre

IN 1941, THE LOOP THEATRE opened on 2050 Government Street. Designed by architect J.T. Knight Jr. and operated by Paramount-Richards, the theatre cost $76,708 to construct at the time. The theatre (pictured below in 1958) was a one-story building designed in a streamline moderne style, a popular architectural look for commercial establishments in the 40s. It sported a distinctive pink exterior with a single screen inside. Young couples sometimes claimed sections — typically the right section in the front of the theatre — for themselves and ushers paced the aisles to ensure patrons behaved. The theatre eventually closed in the mid-70s, and the building has since been demolished. A Walgreens now operates at the location.

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The appeal of the theater wasn't just driven by film. Movie theaters were one of the first to install air conditoning, which was a partcularly big draw in the 3-++#'$*.$9(7*0#6

!"#$.-+7#'$(8$/##G05$+(?*#:(#'3$&#%G#1$*.$,"#$ 1940s, reaching 90 million natonwide. By the 1970s, that number had decreased to just 18 million.

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Photo courtesy Julius E. Marx Collection, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama