Mobile Bay Magazine - June 2018

Mobile Bay THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES

June 2018

BALDWIN COUNTY ISSUE

GOOD EARTH OLD FARMS EMBRACE THE LATEST TECH

COASTAL COTTAGE REBORN

BIG

TIME

3 local music & film superstars

BAY FEAST

Beverly & Prentiss Smith’s easy style

DANIEL PENRY

THIRD-GENERATION FARMER

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FEATURES JUNE 2018

TRINA SHOEMAKER SITS AT HER CONSOLE AT DAUPHIN STREET SOUND, SURROUNDED BY HER GRAMMYS AND LOTS OF TALENTED ARTISTS. PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN

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VOLUME XXXIV / ISSUE 6

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Gulf Coast Sound and Screen Three entertainment industry professionals work from Baldwin County but are recognized in their fields nationally.

46

Bounty of Baldwin Work is never done on the farms of Baldwin County, but for the people that operate them, there’s nowhere they’d rather be.

57

A New Life with Deep Roots A Fruit and Nut cottage with a storied family history gets a makeover for resident and artist Judy Oxford.

ON OUR COVER

Daniel Penry, third-generation Baldwin County farmer, takes a quick break between fixing tractors and planting sweet potato seedlings to show MB his fields.

PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN

 Some offices have all the fun! Amongst the original artwork, movie props, quirky lighting and vintage furniture at Skate Mountain Records in Daphne lies a half-pipe to de-stress on a skateboard. Visit Scott Lumpkin’s paraphernalia-laden office on page 41.

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DEPARTMENTS JUNE 2018

VOLUME XXXIV / ISSUE 6

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16 23

LEFT Flavorful garnishes and a Texas flag top the brisket sandwich at TexarBama BBQ. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU RIGHT Beverly Smith and Frank Lott toast to good friends and supper on the wharf at SweetBay. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

28 GUMBO Judge Roy Bean A Judge’s reunion for a good cause

9 EDITOR’S NOTE 10 REACTION 13 ODDS & ENDS 14 THE DISH 16 TASTINGS TexarBama BBQ Smoky Texas bites on the Eastern Shore 18 BAY TABLES Amazing Grace Beverly and Prentiss Smith’s wharf supper

30 SPOTLIGHT Yael Girard A conversation with the conservationist

66 JUNE CALENDAR 72 ARCHIVES Mobile’s Borrowing Habit Tales of Mobile’s most annoying neighbors

33 GUMBO Clay City Tile A Baldwin terra-cotta namesake

76 ASK MCGEHEE Was a Mobile bookstore closed for selling a copy of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin?”

The bitter end of Strickland and Co.

38 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD The President is on the Line Bookend stories of Rep. Edwards’ career

78 IN LIVING COLOR Special Delivery, 1919 Hammel’s’ airborne shipping strategy

 In its heyday, both Mobile and Baldwin County residents frequented Judge Roy Bean, a bar that had a little bit of everything — a goat, chicken drops, crawfish, bushwackers and even a polo cage! Reminisce with us on page 28.

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Mobile Bay VOLUME XXXIV

No6

JUNE 2018

PUBLISHER T. J. Potts

ASSISTANT PUBLISHER

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

EXECUTIVE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR/WEB

SENIOR WRITER

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

ART DIRECTOR

EDITORIAL INTERN

Stephen Potts Judy Culbreth Maggie Lacey Abby Parrott Breck Pappas Hallie King Gin Mathers Laurie Kilpatrick John Robertson

ADVERTISING

SALES MANAGER

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Joseph A. Hyland Adelaide McAleer Anna Pavao

ADMINISTRATION CIRCULATION Anita Miller ACCOUNTING Keith Crabtree

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Frances Beverly, Mallory Boykin, Emmett Burnett, Mark Calametti, Representative Jack Edwards, Jill Clair Gentry, Tom McGehee CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Joe Bielawa, Colleen Comer, Justin Cordova, Matthew Coughlin, David Dittman, Summer Ennis, Elizabeth Gelineau ADVERTISING AND EDITORIAL OFFICES

3729 Cottage Hill Road, Suite H Mobile, AL 36609-6500 251-473-6269 Subscription rate is $21.95 per year.

Subscription inquiries and all remittances should be sent to: Mobile Bay P.O. Box 923773 Norcross, GA 30010-3773 1-855-357-3137 MOVING? 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 © 2018 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 reflect the opinion of the ownership or the management of Mobile Bay. This magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. All submissions will be edited for length, clarity and style.

PUBLISHED BY PMT PUBLISHING INC .

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EXTRAS | EDITOR’S NOTE

Bi-Coastal Life

TUNE IN MOBILE NATIVE W. KAMAU BELL FEATURES OUR BELOVED CITY ON HIS EMMY-AWARD WINNING SHOW, “UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA,” JUNE 17 ON CNN.

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

I

have always had one foot in Baldwin County and the other in Mobile, and I love both places. I have lived, gone to school and passed my time on both sides of Mobile Bay. I feel part of the community in both places. MB’s June issue focusing on all things Baldwin County, however, gives me the opportunity to wax poetically about one of my two homes.

There is something magical about having the daily proximity to the crashing waves of the Bay. Riding horses as a kid down dusty clay roads and building bonfires in old farm fields is in my blood. I am grateful for those experiences, so unique to Baldwin County.

Many Mobilians never venture beyond the Spanish moss-lined Eastern Shore, or veer off Highway 59 while en route to the beaches. And yet as the largest county in the state of Alabama, there is plenty of room for distinct communities to thrive. There is no one Baldwin County, but instead dozens of wonderful little towns and picturesque stretches of back roads just waiting to be explored. And the county is growing. Fast.

There is lots to see and experience.

I also find it interesting that Baldwin County is at once its own unique place, but at the same time intrinsically tied to Mobile. Are the two lands inseparable best friends or dysfunctional conjoined twins? I don’t know, but it seems that the fate and success of these two places is somehow forever intertwined.

This issue covers just a small pindrop of the people and places in this beautiful land. Nevertheless, we have farmers, musicians and filmmakers, grande dame hostesses and laid-back barbecue pit masters, all with endless stories to tell. Join MB as we travel through Baldwin County.

[LOVE THIS ISSUE]

AND THE GRAMMY GOES TO...

THE RECORDING ACADEMY NOMINATED NINE MUSICIANS FROM ALABAMA FOR THE 2018 GRAMMY AWARDS. NOT TOO SHABBY! I GOT TO PUT MY MITTS ON A REAL ONE WHILE VISITING WITH LOCAL SOUND ENGINEER (AND THREE-TIME AWARD WINNER) TRINA SHOEMAKER. GET TO KNOW HER ON PAGE 44.

THE BEAN MANY LOCALS FONDLY REMEMBER JUDGE ROY BEAN AND ITS FOUNDER, JACK WEST, SHOWN HERE IN HAVANA, CUBA, IN 1998.

REMINISCE WITH US ON PAGE 28.

Maggie Lacey EXECUTIVE EDITOR

maggie@pmtpublishing.com

 MB is honored to share some of the stories from

Congressman Jack Edwards, who represented Alabama’s First Congressional District for 20 years.

Check out our third and final installment on page 38.

DIG IN WE LOVED CHECKING OUT JUDY OXFORD’S EXTENSIVE VINTAGE TIN SAND PAIL COLLECTION, PAGE 57. SHE SAYS THE BEST EXAMPLES COME FROM SNOW BIRDS WHO KEPT THEIR PAILS AWAY FROM THE HUMIDITY AND RUST OF THE GULF COAST UNTIL RETIREMENT.

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EXTRAS | REACTION

Tell us how you really feel...

[MORE ONLINE]

Find additional local stories on mobilebaymag.com.

Here’s what’s new on the website!

Father’s Day Finds Whether your dad is master of the grill or a self-proclaimed history buff, he will be delighted with the gift you find at shoppmtpub.com.

Baldwin County Trivia

SPREADING THE LOVE

NEW CHEESE ON THE BLOCK

On April’s “Curated Charcuterie”

On April’s “Tastings” about The Cheese Cottage

Started reading the magazine and came to the charcuterie article. Put aside the magazine. Drove to the grocery store.

Loaded up on charcuterie items. Drove home. Assembled beautiful charcuterie board of my own. Ate divine meal! Bliss!

Returned to magazine. Thanks, Mobile Bay Magazine! This article was truly inspirational!

- SherriLea Gering Michaels

A RELATIVE SURPRISE On April’s “In Living Color” of the R.O. Harris Grocery on Dauphin Street I just finished reading the April issue and was so excited to see a picture of my great-grandfather and his grocery on one of the last pages. I never knew him but visited my great-grandmother every Sunday afternoon and always wondered what he looked like!

Oh, my daddy would have been so proud to see this in Mobile Bay Magazine. Thank you!

- Betty Harris Hope

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PHOTO BY ELISE POCHÉ

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

So you think you know everything Baldwin? Go online to test your knowledge on settlements, countrymen, wars and more.

This place is wonderful!

- Jennifer Adams So proud of one of our Market vendors for following her dreams! If you haven’t visited Kristi at The Cheese Cottage yet, go soon! We guarantee you will love it! #meetmeatthemarket #thecheesecottage #shoplocal#themarketatthepillars - The Market at The Pillars I need to try it!

- Amy Lunceford Driskell

FASHION FORWARD On April’s “An Eye for Design” Omg. I love this!

- Nonie McInnis Taul Great write-up! These ladies are indeed talented.

- Blakely Sullivan Herndon

No-Fuss Food Summer and casual dining go hand in hand. We’ve created a list of some of our favorite easy eats (think tacos, pizza, nachos, etc.) from local restaurants. Bon appetit!

Join Our List Get the latest in fashion, food, art and events delivered right to your inbox. Visit mobilebaymag.com to sign up for our email list.

Party Pics Share your event! Just fill out the Party Pics registration form on the MB website and submit your event photos to be featured in a gallery on the Web.

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EXTRAS | ODDS & ENDS

Rolling in the Heat text by HALLIE KING

BREAKING NEWS:

WATERMELON IS A VEGETABLE Watermelon is part of the cucumber, pumpkin and squash family, so scientifically it is a vegetable. The average American consumes 15 pounds of the sweet veggie each year. Coming into season, along with watermelon, this month: blackberries, okra and tomatoes.

[ JUNE 1ST ]

REMEMBERING

HELEN KELLER

June 1 marks 50 years since the Tuscumbia native’s death in 1968. In 2003, the Alabama state quarter featuring Keller’s likeness began circulation and is the only U.S. state quarter that features braille.

650 MILLION

long-distance summer trips are made in the United States each year.

“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows / where oxlips and the nodding violet grows / quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine / with sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.”

– William Shakespeare, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” The midsummer night setting, or summer solstice, takes place June 21.

DOLBEAR’S CRICKETS The frequency of a cricket’s chirps fluctuates with the temperature. If you count a cricket’s chirps for 15 seconds and add 40, you will have the approximate outdoor temperature in Fahrenheit.

Dolbear’s Law, formulated by Amos Dolbear, states that the chemical reactions in a cricket’s body are higher in warmer temperatures, increasing muscle contraction frequency and, therefore, chirps.

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#

BALDWIN COUNTY WAS CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE TOP 50 SMALL PLACES TO GROW A BUSINESS

BY FORBES MAGAZINE IN 2017.

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FOOD | THE DISH

Bite of the Bay MB’s newest crop of food fanatics share the local dishes that made them hungry for more.

BLUEBERRY BRIE TOASTIE FROM THE CHEESE COTTAGE. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

LUCY ROUSE WRIGHT, Volunteer, Christ Church Cathedral

TOASTIES AT THE CHEESE COTTAGE “Mobile’s newest culinary addition to St. Louis Street downtown, The Cheese Cottage, should definitely be on your list! On my recent trip, we tried the blueberry brie toastie. ‘More savory than sweet,’ as they say, this panini has blueberry jam and divine melty brie served on fresh toasted bread with a touch of cinnamon. Yum, y’all! The pimento cheese with Gouda bacon jam is a close second. I love the interesting sides such as cranberry pecan Gouda coleslaw. Convenient parking, outdoor seating and across from the new Olde Mobile Antiques, The Cheese Cottage is a great downtown destination.”

THE CHEESE COTTAGE • 650 ST. LOUIS ST. • 308-8488 THECHEESECOTTAGELLC.COM

MICHON TRENT, Senior Director, Civic Engagement, The City of Mobile

MEXICAN TACOS AT EL MARIACHI “El Mariachi has the look and feel of a place straight out of La Puente, California. My new go-to on a lazy Saturday, my favorite on the menu is the Mexican tacos. The carnitas, steak and chicken are fabulous varieties, but if you feel adventurous try the lengua, pastor or chorizo.

They’re all done just the way you would expect: a perfect portion of seasoned meat, onions and cilantro piled in a tortilla. I always add a dollop of spicy hot sauce, which makes them even tastier.”

NOAH THOMPSON, Musician, Roman Street

SHRIMP PO’BOY AT ED’S “I love to stop in before gigs at Ed’s on the Causeway! Chef Pete Blohme has a shrimp po’boy on the menu that is quintessential Mobile Bay comfort food. Gulf shrimp, fresh French bread and a side of gumbo keep me feeling close to home no matter where I’m heading that week, and it’s enough to get me through a performance even if I don’t have time to stop for dinner after sound check. The view from the deck brings back memories from when Josh and I used to play some of our early compositions out there.”

EL MARIACHI MEXICAN • 763 HOLCOMBE AVE.

ED’S SEAFOOD SHED • 3382 BATTLESHIP

473-0413 • ELMARIACHIMEXICANRESTAU-

PARKWAY, SPANISH FORT • 625-1947

RANT3.EAT24HOUR.COM

EDSSHED.COM

 What dishes made you drool and left you hungry for more? Share them on our Facebook page!

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FOOD | TASTINGS

TexarBama BBQ text by MAGGIE LACEY • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU

I

f you drive through the newly-burgeoning warehouse district in Fairhope, home to Fairhope Brewing Company among other hot spots, the smell of smoke lingers in the air. The aroma emanates not from just any old fire, but from quality Baldwin County oak burning inside the two enormous black smokers — nicknamed Black Betty and Merle Hoggard — at TexarBama BBQ. Bradley Parmer and Casey Carrigan serve up traditional Texas barbecue with top-notch ingredients, bold flavors and simple sides that always please at their newly opened food truck, parked on Nichols Avenue just south of town on Thursday through Sunday in the late afternoon.

“Barbecue in Texas is this whole other thing, like a religion,” says Parmer, who moved to Fairhope from Austin, Texas, in pursuit of a slower paced life. After taking a hiatus from a grueling job in Austin to tackle a 2,500-mile motorcycle tour around the U.S., Parmer decided that life was too short and he was working way too hard. He moved to Fairhope and quickly bonded with Carrigan over a love of good food. The duo began hosting backyard barbecues that spread by word of mouth and grew exponentially. “I looked right at Bradley and said, ‘There is something here,’” Carrigan adds. They began construction on a barbecue food truck, which, before they knew it, was a central

fixture at District Hall, a new Fairhope space that offers quality spirits, good eats from several small businesses and fun outdoor dining built for camaraderie.

They describe their barbecue as traditional to the max, taking 15 hours to slow-cook their briskets and butts. “Good seasoned oak wood gives more of a mellow taste with a vanilla, nutty flavor,” explains Parmer, “whereas pecan or mesquite is real heavy. The smoke shouldn’t hang with you, but you should taste it while you’re here.”

The menu is simple and satisfying. Choose from pork, chopped beef, brisket or ribs, served on plates, sandwiches or tacos. Then ask for advice on the flavorful toppings, which really round out the dishes, and save room for dessert prepared next-door at Warehouse Bakery. A bloody mary with a smoky rib sticking out is never a bad idea, either.

The outdoor tables are set up family style, so you meet your neighbor alongside never-ending games of cornhole and ring toss. A small stage welcomes local bands on weekends, and if rain moves in, diners can take cover under the canopy or in District Hall’s indoor dining room. “We want to be creating community here as we grow with the community,” Parmer says about the open, friendly atmosphere. “We are Alabama’s little piece of Texas heaven.” MB

 TexarBama BBQ • 4 p.m. ‘til sold out (usually 8:30 p.m.) Th - Su • 761 Nichols Ave., Fairhope texarbama.com • average entree price: $12

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CLOCKWISE: RIBS, LOADED BAKED POTATO SALAD, BRISKET, TEXICAN CORN, PULLED PORK, CHOPPED BEEF

[ ON THE MENU ]

BRISKET SANDWICH

CHOPPED BEEF TACO

PULLED PORK TACO

TEXICAN CORN

A half-pound of glorious brisket is topped with tangy pickled red onions, Cotija cheese, cilantro and fresh slices of jalapeño. The buns are made from scratch daily next-door.

An overflowing pile of chopped smoked beef is perfectly complemented by a crunchy seasonal slaw made with cabbage, apple, radish, cilantro, jalapeño, lime and more.

Slow-cooked to perfection, the pork is topped with traditional coleslaw and inhouse candied bacon. Add bright green jalapeño sauce, with a gentle heat that’ll sneak up on you.

One of four sides to choose from, this twist on Mexican street corn takes the slightly charred kernels off the cob.

It’s garnished with Cotija, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.

FOOD | BAY TABLES

Amazing Grace Beverly and Prentiss Smith build lasting friendships over sunset suppers on the wharf. text by MAGGIE LACEY photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU

B

y the time most couples reach retirement age, they are set in their ways and in their group of friends. But Beverly and Prentiss Smith were ready for a change in a big way at that stage in life. They raised their family on a farm in Brookhaven, Mississippi, but vacationed at Perdido Key. The couple decided it was time to retire on the water. All their children had graduated from college, and Prentiss was wrapping up a career in radiology. They poked around every town on the Gulf Coast, looking for that perfect spot, but they kept coming back to Fairhope. Finally, in 2004, the pair made the leap.

“I found this lot with a run-down old house on it,” Beverly remembers.

“Prentiss told me, ‘If you quit buying shoes for a year, I’ll buy it for you.’ With my fingers crossed behind my back, we did it!” The existing structure was donated to Sister Julie at Catholic Charities, and the couple began work on their dream retirement home with architect Clay Adams of Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects. In the end, the team created a magnificent home with sweeping bay views and all the privacy you could want, all with a decidedly comfortable coastal feel. Prentiss and Beverly set out to make it not just a house but a home.

Starting fresh in a new community requires a lot of work, and Beverly vowed not to turn down any invitation for two years until they built a network of friends and neighbors. “I just had to put myself out there,” she says, after joining countless organizations, volunteer groups and clubs, hosting nonprofit fundraisers and Page and Palette book signings at her new home. What might be work for some just

comes naturally to Beverly. “I enjoy people, and I love getting to know their stories and their accomplishments. It’s fun for me.”

Since they moved to town, the Smiths have acquired a wonderful group of friends who attend several weekly dinners and lunches, and Beverly still lives by her “don’t turn down an invitation” rule. New acquaintances have turned into dear friends, and it’s hard for many to remember a time when the Smiths weren’t a part of their closest circle of friends.

Geography and kinship aren’t the only things that changed for the Smiths. Beverly’s entertaining style certainly evolved, as well. Back in Brookhaven, in her younger days, entertaining was often about making an impression. These days, she says, she’s not trying to impress anyone. A recent birthday party for her and two close friends involved countless boxes of Domino’s pizza, though styled beautifully with wooden pizza pans and brown craft paper, of course. Beverly’s casual dinners have style and flair, and she has an impressive inventory of serving pieces and accessories to draw upon. But she swears that isn’t important. “My friends have traveled the world and eaten great meals.

I can’t cook anything to knock their socks off. I just want to give them a chance to spend time together. That’s what it’s all about.” MB TOP LEFT Prentiss Smith and wife Beverly, known as Jingles to the grandkids for her endless array of bangle bracelets and big earrings, welcome guests for a sunset supper on their Fairhope wharf. TOP RIGHT A sparkling hibiscus cocktail awaits the first guest. OPPOSITE The Smiths created a tradition of playing “Amazing Grace,” sung by Judy Collins, on the stereo and toasting the dwindling sun over Mobile Bay.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Beverly welcomes good pals Lynn and Johnny Roberts. Craig Key and Jolane Edwards serve up dinner. Caprese skewers, with a hit of olive oil right in the pipette, make the perfect conversation piece. Ann Miller enjoys the camaraderie and cocktails while Frank and Marianne Lott visit with partygoers.

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GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH CITRUS YOGURT, CRISPY QUINOA AND HERBS recipe page 30

OPPOSITE TOP RIGHT Chef Rainosek offers lamb ribs to his wife Lesley and supper club member Courtney Murphy.

BOTTOM LEFT Christopher Watkins and Brian Murphy throw a fewBEVERLY’S bocce balls in the sand while the chef prepares SWEETBAYdinner.

SHRIMP recipe page 25 23 mobilebaymag.com | april 2018

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Louis Braswell enjoys a store-bought ice cream cone, part of Beverly’s plan to keep it simple but delightfully unexpected.

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FOOD | BAY TABLES

SPARKLING FLOWERING HIBISCUS COCKTAIL

MEDITERRANEAN HUMMUS

SERVES 1

SERVES 10

The wild hibiscus flowers in syrup can be purchased at The Garage Studio in Point Clear. Each preserved hibiscus actually blooms before your eyes when placed in the bubbling cocktail!

3 ounces prosecco or Champagne 1/2 ounce St-Germain liqueur 1 wild hibiscus flower

1. Combine prosecco and St-Germain in a Champagne flute. Gently place wild hibiscus flower in the bottom of the glass.

Serve immediately and watch the hibiscus “bloom”!

BEVERLY’S TOMATO BASIL JAM MAKES 5 HALF-PINTS

This jam is delicious on cheese but can be used a thousand ways in the kitchen!

2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes 1/4 cup lemon juice 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 3 cups sugar, divided 1 [1-3/4-ounce] package powdered fruit pectin for lower sugar recipes

1. Peel, seed, core and finely chop tomatoes. Place 3 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes in an 8-quart saucepan. Save any remaining tomatoes for another use. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

2. Add lemon juice and basil and stir.

3. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and the pectin. Stir into the tomatoes.

Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the remaining sugar. Return to a full rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and quickly skim off the foam with a metal spoon.

4. Ladle hot jam into hot sterilized halfpint jars, leaving 1/4-inch of space at the top of jar. Wipe the jars clean and add lids.

Screw on tight.

5. Process jars in boiling water for 5 minutes. Start the timer when water comes back to a boil. Remove jars and cool.

2 containers store-bought hummus olive oil, to taste 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes 1/2 pint pitted black olives 4 ounces crumbled feta 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1. Spread hummus evenly across the bottom of a serving dish with 1-inch sides.

On one diagonal half of the hummus, use the back of a spoon to create swirls.

Drizzle this side with a generous amount of olive oil to taste.

2. Slice the tomatoes longways into quarters. Top the plain side of the hummus with tomatoes, olives and feta.

Drizzle this half with a little more olive oil and then sprinkle with the fresh chopped parsley.

3. Serve with plain pita chips. *To make ahead, assemble without parsley and refrigerate. Add parsley just before serving.

CAPRESE SHOOTERS SERVES 12

Beverly first had these caprese shooters while traveling with Lynn and Johnny Roberts.

She loved the idea so much, she searched the Internet until she found the right thing. The disposable medical pipettes can be purchased online through Amazon and other retailers.

They have tons of fun culinary uses!

24 (1-milliliter) disposable medical pipettes olive oil 1 pint grape tomatoes 24 basil leaves 24 pearl mozzarella cheese balls arugula, for serving Maldon salt, to taste

1. Fill droppers with olive oil. Use dropper as a skewer and put 1 tomato, then 1 basil leaf, then 1 mozzarella pearl on each dropper. Do not poke all the way through cheese, allowing cheese to act as stopper for dropper.

2. Serve over a bed of arugula. Sprinkle with Maldon salt just before serving.

ARUGULA SALAD SERVES 10

Beverly purees any leftover salad in the food processor, adding a little extra olive oil and cheese as needed, to make a delicious pesto!

2 (5-ounce) containers of arugula 2 Meyer lemons 4 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese Maldon salt, to taste

1. Place arugula in a large serving bowl.

Zest the Meyer lemon over arugula. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice over the arugula. Drizzle olive oil across the top and add shaved Parmesan cheese.

Finish with a sprinkling of the Maldon salt to taste and toss gently. Serve immediately.

SWEETBAY SHRIMP SERVES 8 - 10 5 pounds headed shrimp, peel on salt and pepper, to taste 5 bay leaves 1/4 cup oregano 1 ounce Reese garlic juice 1 teaspoon Crystal hot sauce 2 pounds salted butter 8 lemons New Orleans French bread, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place shrimp in a 4-quart Pyrex baking dish.

Completely cover shrimp with salt and pepper until you think that you have ruined them. Spread bay leaves over shrimp. Sprinkle oregano, garlic juice and hot sauce on top of seasoned shrimp.

2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cut lemons in half, squeeze juice into butter and stir to combine. Add squeezed lemon halves to butter. Pour lemon butter over shrimp.

3. Cover and bake 40 to 50 minutes.

Serve with New Orleans French bread for dipping and lots of napkins.

According to Cooks Info, Maldon salt is an English sea salt. It comes in large, thin, uneven, crunchy flakes that have a very clean, pure salt taste. It is meant to be a finishing salt. Beverly buys hers at The Happy Olive in Fairhope.

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GUMBO | TRADITIONS

Judge Roy Bean Locals gather to reminisce about the beloved Daphne watering hole, with its bushwackers, great live music and a goat named Billy. Founder Jack West would be proud. text by MARK CALAMETTI • photo by DAVID DITTMAN

J

ack West told me once, “If I had a nickel for every time somebody asked me if I was going to reopen Judge Roy Bean, I’d be paying somebody to take me fishing instead of the other way around.” I guess it’s just human nature for us to want to rebuild and relive those places and times that meant so much to us.

Not too long ago, I was guilty of the same crime. “It’s like trying to catch lightnin’ in a bottle — wouldn’t be the same thing” he would say. He was right. Funny how the place burned down and he never looked back, and the rest of us were left with a gaping hole where the Bean — and Billy, the resident goat — once defiantly stood.

He went on, “But maybe we could get all the people who met up and got married out of that place together for a reunion — wouldn’t that be wild.” He thought about it for a minute and then laughed.

“A lot of those people probably haven’t seen each other in a while — that place caused a few divorces, too!”

The Good Times Richie Havens, the opening act at Woodstock, played inside. I was three feet away from him when he belted out “freedom.... freedom...... FREEEEDOM!” Mac MacAnally, who has written songs that Jimmy Buffett’s made famous, played several times there. It got to the point that Jack had to hire a bouncer to manage the door — well, Randy Niemeyer. Randy kept the peace and had a way of smoothing out the drunk wrinkles.

And it didn’t hurt that Jimmy himself showed up from time to time for an impromptu concert. Jimmy’s folks lived right up the road and every now and then the rumor mill would start churning and the bar phone would start ringing. “Is Jimmy Buffett coming to the Bean tonight?” We always had the same answer. “We don’t know, but maybe?” And we never did know, but on those nights, the place would be packed! Buffett showed up just often enough to make people believers. I’m not sure Jack and Phillip didn’t start the rumors themselves on more than one occasion. Buffett did play one actual concert there, inside the Bean to a small fortunate crowd.

Jack called it, The “I Heard I Was in Town” Show. Naturally.

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ABOVE The front entrance of Judge Roy Bean had the character of a western saloon, inspired by a real judge who called himself “The Law West of the Pecos” in Texas in the 1800s. The bar and music venue burned to the ground in 2005. Fans are planning a reunion and fundrasier.

The “Judge Roy Bean Amphitheatre” was built out back because the Bean was getting quite a reputation for musical talent and it was time to take the events to the next level. Being able to accommodate a larger crowd, Jerry Jeff Walker, John Prine, Delbert McClinton and so many more took the stage. Wet Willie kept us smilin’ and George Thorogood was bad to the bone. Emmy Lou Harris was less than thrilled at her first impression of the Bean as she stepped out of her limo with some less-than-ladylike words to say about it. But that night when the crowds showed up and the lights came on, she felt the magic and put on a great show.

There I was, working the bar, the place was hopping and my ears were ringing. The concert on the backyard stage of Judge Roy Bean was over and it had been spectacular. Jack found me. “Hey, you got a minute? I got somebody you need to meet.” We made our way through the crowd, across the volleyball court and along the side of the stage into the darkness. Jack had moved an old Winnebago into the woods behind the stage. It became the “stars” dressing room and was strictly off limits to the unwashed masses like myself. This

was my first, maybe only, visit inside the sanctity of the bus, but by all accounts (that we can’t get into here), that thing completely redefined the term “recreational vehicle.”

We go inside and sitting there are my brother Phillip and the Creole King of Cool himself, The Night Tripper, Dr. John, kicked back and drinking a Heineken. “This is the guy who did your poster,” Jack said pointing to me. “Aw man, it’s beoootiful, I really dig it,” the Dr. said. Phillip had a way and it was like he and the Dr. were lifelong friends.

I, on the other hand, was starstruck and dumbfounded. I’m sure I said something stupid; I blacked out in the moment. But I did manage to ask him to sign a poster for me. It was quite obvious to everyone that I wasn’t going to add much to the party and was quickly shooed away from the bus, but I didn’t care. I stumbled back to the bar and showed off my prize.

Reunion As Jack’s health faded last year, there was lots of talk about a reunion. Some of the biggest events at the Bean back in the day were to benefit charities. We never needed an excuse to throw a party, but Jack always had a cause in mind when we did.

So now, what better way is there for us to remember Jack than to give to causes that helped him in his hour of need and ones that will continue to help save lives? Pilots for Christ gets them where they need to be and Anchor Cross takes care of them when they get back — good stuff.

And while we can’t fill the hole that the Bean left, we will auction off some momentos that might just bring back some memories for you to take home and fill your wall. As Phillip would say, “Its only a silent auction ‘til the fight breaks out!” Just try not to get any Piggy Park sauce on the merchandise. MB  Judge Roy Bean Reunion Saturday, June 9, 2018, 3-9 PM Daphne City Hall and Grounds Tickets $50 (includes 4 drink tickets) Benefiting Pilots for Christ and Anchor Cross More info at jrbreunion.com.

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PEOPLE | SPOTLIGHT

Yael Girard MB talks coastal conservation and public awareness with the endlessly energetic director of the Weeks Bay Foundation. text by JILL CLAIR GENTRY

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onservation is often a tricky topic to discuss in a conservative state like Alabama, but Yael Girard, director of the Weeks Bay Foundation, says it matters to the people of Alabama — whether they realize it or not.

“Even if ‘conservation’ is a bad word to you, if you enjoy being outside ... then you are a conservationist,” Girard says. “Everyone in coastal Alabama lives here partly because of the incredible natural resources in the area.”

MB had the chance to catch up with Girard during her four-hour drive to a Forever Wild Land Trust Board Meeting, where she would advocate for the state agency to purchase a 100-acre piece of land on the Eastern Shore.

Girard, 34, moved to the Bay area in 2015 after spending several years working with land conservation organizations in Asheville, North Carolina. Her accomplishments there include developing and maintaining a multi-day paddle trail system along the French Broad River and securing grant funding for a farmer incubator program.

“When I moved to south Alabama, it was for personal reasons, so I didn’t have a job lined up,” Girard says. “Positions in the conservation community here are few and far between, so one of the only positions I found was an AmeriCorps VISTA position at the Weeks Bay Foundation.”

At the time, well-known environmental journalist Ben Raines served as director of the foundation. Raines decided to return to journalism not long after Girard was hired, and, less than a year later, the board of directors approved Girard as executive director.

“She gets the mission on every level,” says Ellis Allen, Weeks Bay Foundation board president. “She’s able to communicate our

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vision to children and turn around and give the complexities of how we are able to help acquire and maintain properties to potential donors. She’s not afraid to get her feet wet and her hands dirty, and, as such, is a great leader when it comes to motivating interns and volunteers.” Although the Weeks Bay Foundation was created in 1990 as a way to support the Weeks Bay Reserve, the organization became a land trust in 2009 and has since protected over 7,000 acres of wetlands in Mobile and Baldwin counties.

“We’ve continued to try to grow our presence on both sides of the Bay. We’re protecting land as far north as Bay Minette and as far west as Dauphin Island and Theodore, and people need to know that,” Girard says. “People don’t necessarily know who we are and what we do, and we want to change that.”

To achieve that goal, Girard says it’s essential for the Weeks Bay Foundation to be an active part of conservation community.

For example, she and her team spearheaded a recycling initiative as part of the 2017 Coastal Cleanup, resulting in over 2,000 pounds of plastic recycling. The foundation is also partnering with Weeks Bay Reserve to pursue a grant that will enable the organizations to clean up sunken boats in the area as well as educate boat owners about the importance of preparing for hurricanes. In addition to being involved in collaborative conservation efforts, the public, Girard says, needs to be able to access and enjoy protected properties.

“Although the Weeks Bay Reserve has a visitor center and public trails, [Weeks Bay Foundation] doesn’t currently have any land open to the public, and that is unfortunate,” she says. “I feel strongly that people only protect something they understand, and they

ABOVE During a shoreline planting project with the Weeks Bay Reserve, Girard and a team of volunteers installed 2,500 black needle rush plants on the state-owned Swift Tract.

can only understand something they can experience. If they can’t enjoy our properties, there’s no motivation to protect them.”

In the past, Girard says, the foundation lacked the funding to open properties to the public. However, through several grants and matching funding, two properties — one in Baldwin County and one in Mobile County — are slated to be opened to the public. “We’ll be restoring habitats, installing walking trails and creating educational signage,” she says.

“There will be lots of volunteer opportunities for both of these projects.”

“Yael is an incredible asset to coastal Alabama and is a fountain of knowledge committed to improving our community and our natural resources,” says Casi Callaway, executive director of Mobile Baykeeper. “I love getting to work by her side.” MB

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TRADITIONS | GUMBO

Clay City Tile The orange-red tiles stand out on structures across Baldwin County. Their history is just as colorful. text by JOHN ROBERTSON • photos by SUMMER ENNIS

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n 1896, two years after the town of Fairhope was established, the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation (then known as the Fairhope Industrial Association) wanted to launch a tile-making business. There was a tremendous history of clay industry and pottery-making dating back to colonial days in Baldwin County, and the Fairhope leaders felt much could be made of this natural resource.

They invited “Fantastic” Frank Brown, a jewelry store owner in Iowa, to run the enterprise. So, like any good businessman would, Brown purchased a sawmill and made his way down to Fairhope. This isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds: Fairhope’s founders were themselves from

Iowa and must have known that Brown’s father operated a brick and tile mill in Denmark, Ohio, near the largest clay vein in America.

Clearly, clay was in the family’s blood.

Brown’s first brickyard was located on Fairhope Avenue, just off Greeno Road. His company eventually outgrew this spot, and it ABOVE A barn made entirely of Clay City tile proudly stands on the edge of Highway 181 in Daphne. Local farmer Jay Corte’s father built the barn to store corn to feed his cattle through the winter. The building is a fine example of the local tile still in good working use today, and is one of the largest tile-made buildings in Baldwin County.

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ABOVE Several small Clay City tile structures are clustered together on the Bertolas’ farmland just off Highway 181 in Daphne. The diminutive structures are no longer in use today, but you can imagine them as farm worker housing units in years gone by. When windows and roofs give way to time and decrepitude, the bricks stand strong.

moved to its second and final home. This location, between County Roads 9 and 33, is what we now know as Clay City. Clay was already an industrial and cultural staple on the banks of Fish River between 1850 and 1900 but, before Brown’s arrival, no one referred to it as Clay City. That’s how big and important his business became to the local area.

Brown’s story of success is a textbook example of right place, right time. There was an abundance of naturally-occurring building material in Baldwin County at the moment it was experiencing a period of growth. The iconic orange-red tiles are still apparent throughout Baldwin County.

The manufacturer also built Fairhope’s first people’s railroad car and its first steamer, appropriately named Fairhope. What he may have lacked in creative boat-naming talents, he more than made up for with business savvy and contributions to his community. Both he and his wife, Minnie Brown, held positions with the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation and the Marietta Johnson Organic School. His wife, Minnie, was also the first woman to become a member of the Fairhope City Council.

All Over Town The focus is on the clay tile, “because that’s kind of the unique thing, 34 mobilebaymag.com | june 2018

but they made brick like there was no tomorrow, of course,” says local librarian and Fairhope historian Alan Samry. “Chances are, when you see the tile, they supplied the brick as well.” Rather than traditional flat tiles, they better resemble modern-day cinder blocks, although they did make traditional tiles as well (Brown’s “structural clay tiles” are considered a precursor to the cinder block). The tiles were sought after for the clay’s natural fire resistance and, luckily for Brown, the city of Fairhope passed an ordinance requiring all city buildings to be constructed of fireproof masonry construction. As a result, builders essentially had to buy Brown’s product.

We Didn’t Start the Fire The best example of Clay City Tile’s fireproof prowess was in the remains of the old Point Clear School. The school was only partially built using the tiles; the rest was constructed of timber and other materials. In 2014, after the school burned down, the only parts that remained standing amid the ashes were the walls made of the clay brick and tiles.

Undoubtedly, you’ve seen a dozen different structures in the area comprised of original Clay City tile. Dotting County Road 64 are many recognizable terra-cotta-colored, bare-tile constructions. Some are homes, and others once served as grain silos and chicken brooders.

On State Highway 181, orange-red — and very small — structures are

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real head-turners. The tiny places were built in the 1930s to house transient farm workers. (“Think about the pickers in ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’” says Alan Samry.)

Exterior Clay City tile walls are often disguised under plaster or stucco, however.

These cover-ups provide the exterior facade with a fresh face and prevent moisture from seeping into the tiles (clay is, by nature, a porous, moisture-susceptible material, and the humidity in Baldwin County is so high it could make a volcano sweat). Covered-up tile buildings in downtown Fairhope include Fairhope Pharmacy, Fantasy Island Toys, the Bank of Fairhope and the Fairhope Museum of History.

One Last Batch The very last run of Clay City Tile production was in 1994, and was used to build Bay-area native Dean Mosher’s iconic castle, right near the heart of downtown Fairhope. It was modeled after the circa 1950s Clay City tile and Mobile Bay stone castle next-door — his father-in-law Craig Sheldon’s home. In typical Fairhope style, this tile that was so often being used to build utilitarian structures was now being used to

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create something so completely unique, now a fixture of downtown Fairhope.

Clay City Neighbor Just across the road from Brown’s old manufacturing site is another building of Clay City tile and brick, but this one still churns out items made of clay. Well-known local potter Tom Jones moved his pottery studio here. Across the street from the studio stand the large, now-dormant kilns of Clay City Tile. Covered in grass, they almost look like hills. It’s hard to believe that this field, occupied by a few derelict half-structures of the past, used to be home to anything, let alone the booming manufacturing center that was Clay City Tile.

Even as the site fades away, its brick and tile stand tall and strong in the walls of many of the buildings throughout Baldwin County.

While a new business thrives nearby, the old one fades away — from earth to earth. MB ABOVE The former Masonic Lodge on Young Street in Fairhope is a picture-perfect example of a Clay City tile building. The structure underwent a complete renovation in 2004 and was the headquarters of the local Outward Bound program before welcoming its new tenant, Kudzu Aerial, in 2015.

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HISTORY | CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

The President is on the Line Jack Edwards, representative for Alabama’s First Congressional District from 1965 to 1985, relates two stories that bookend his political career. as told to BRECK PAPPAS

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hinking back on my 20 years of Congressional service, I thought it might be fun to tell two more stories — one from the very beginning of my political career and one from the tail end.

In 1964, I was a 36-year-old attorney in Mobile campaigning for the Congressional seat previously held by Rep. Frank Boykin. Back in those days, TV time was mostly live and mostly cheap. One day, I had this crazy notion that, for the last night of the campaign, I would buy 15 minutes of airtime on a Mobile station to make one final pitch to voters.

For the broadcast, I was placed in a Masters chair, and next to me on a sofa was my wife Jolane, our 9-year-old daughter Lane and our 5-year-old son Richard. Now, Jolane was so nervous about being on live television that she had taken a tranquilizer.

So as I fidgeted and prepared for showtime, she looked straight at the camera, with an unfazed smile and glazed eyes.

Finally, the red light came on, and I began speaking into that little doohickey camera, careful to focus my attention straight into the lens and thereby into the hearts of my potential constituents. Out of the corner of my eye, in that moment of the utmost importance, I could see that my son had half his finger jammed up his nose. I knew something had to be done, so I cut my eyes at Jolane, but that tranquilizer had done its job. She didn’t bat an eye.

My son picked his nose for 15 minutes.

When it was all over, my daughter fell on the floor and screamed, “Mama, we’re ruined!” Again, Jolane didn’t bat an eye.

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ABOVE The Edwards family poses for a portrait in their Mobile living room during the 1964 campaign.

From left to right: a 5-year-old Richard, Jolane, Jack and a 9-year-old Lane.

to the house that night. Jolane answered and found our friend Bocky Lyons on the line.

“Jolane,” he said, “y’all are the smartest politicians I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“What do you mean, Bocky?” she asked.

“Do you know that there are 35,000 nose pickers in Mobile County alone?” he asked.

In the end, I guess he was right. I was elected to the United States Congress, thanks to my son Richard.

Eighteen years later, in 1982, I decided it was time to retire. That year, while I was on a visit to China fulfilling my duties as the senior Republican on the Defense Appropriations Committee, a writer for the Press-Register caught wind of my intentions

and broke the story. When I returned to D.C., there were some 3,000 letters and telegrams on my desk imploring me to seek re-election. I even got a call from President Reagan saying, “I’ll never ask you again, but please stay one more term.”

I was eventually swayed to serve one last term, and I’m glad I did. But two years later, just about everybody knew I was finally retiring. I had recruited my replacement: Sonny Callahan. I had helped him run his campaign, and he was in the process of winning. Therefore, I had fulfilled my commitment to the president and to the Republican leader of the House that I would get a Republican to take my place.

With that in motion, I started getting calls from Mobile law firms wanting to talk about hiring me. Most of these firms wanted to know how soon I could bone up on trial procedure to be a trial attorney in the courts.

It seemed to me that was not my strong suit, having spent almost 20 years in Washington, and I kept thinking every time I talked to one of these firms that it wasn’t what I ought to be coming home to do. I never was a great trial lawyer to begin with!

One day, I was visiting with a big firm in Mobile, sitting across from the two senior partners. We talked for about an hour, and they were going through this same line of questioning: “How soon can you prepare to be doing trial work?”

I said to them, in all seriousness, “You know, I just don’t know what I’m worth to a law firm like yours.” At that very moment, tap tap tap, a secretary opens the door and says, “I hate to interrupt y’all, but President Reagan wants to speak to Mr. Edwards.”

Those two guys almost stood at attention.

Remember, this was a long time ago, so there were no cell phones or anything like that.

So I picked up the phone off their desk and talked to the president for about 10 minutes.

There was still one more Defense Appropriations bill to get through the House before I officially retired.

I finished my conversation with the president, sat back down, and I picked up the conversation where we left off. I wasn’t trying to be smart or anything. “I just don’t know what I’m worth to you guys,” I said.

Without missing a beat, the senior partner looked me straight in the eye and said, “You’re worth twice as much as you were 10 minutes ago.”

I didn’t end up going with that firm, although those two fellas remain my good friends. I eventually went to work with Hand Arendall, and they understood from day one what kind of strengths I might bring to the practice. But that’s a true story. Somebody once asked, “How in the world did you get the president to call during a job interview?”

I laughed and said, “Listen, if I could have gotten the president to do that, I’d be worth 10 times as much.” MB june 2018 | mobilebaymag.com 39

[ GULF COAST ]

SOUND and

SCREEN THREE MUSIC AND FILM PROFESSIONALS WORK THE ROPES OF THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FROM THE HEART OF BALDWIN COUNTY. text by HALLIE KING • photos by MATTHEW COUGHLIN

South Alabama is establishing a reputation in show business that is recognizable not only to locals but to prominent figures in the music and film industries as well. Meet Scott Lumpkin, Anthony Crawford and

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Trina Shoemaker, three entertainment maestros who developed their skills amongst the country’s best and brought their passion and know-how back to the Sweet Home to stand out alongside the greats.

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ringing Hollywood to the Gulf Coast is a thrilling adventure for Fairhope-native film producer Scott Lumpkin. He spends his days shuffling between shooting films, reading scripts, meeting clients in his Daphne studio and transporting out-of-town crew to and from the airport — and that’s just on a normal day. His schedule is hectic, with four hours of sleep on the floor or the loft in his studio on a typical day, but it fits his work style and keeps his ever-active mind alert and at the ready.

Lumpkin spent his early career on location in Los Angeles, New York and other big-name movie cities — with big-name clips to prove it. He’s credited in films such as “Safe Haven,” “Before I Wake,” “Oculus” and “The Foreigner,” the latter making him the first American to release a film in the U.S. and China at the same time. Now, he produces films from Fairhope to Gulf Shores and within Mobile’s city limits.

The charm of the Alabama coast attracts filmmakers and audiences alike, which brings excitement to the area and leaves an impression on those who work here.

Lumpkin credits local filmmaking success to civic leaders and official outreach initiatives that advance the industry.

“I find thrill in the buzz of the town,” he says about the feedback he receives when a movie is in town.

“Not overly starstruck, because it’s not. [People are] pretty courteous and cool and they get it.” His favorite result is when producers, directors or other movie crew experience the area and then want to come back. “There are quite a few people that we’ve brought ... that have bought houses and stayed.”

Lumpkin’s wife, Kate, also kick-started her career in film, with her background focused in sound operation and his in production. Working together in their hometown of Fairhope was a natural progression of their careers and love of place, which led them to their Daphne film office and music production company, Skate Mountain Records.

Autographed skateboards, personalized film paraphernalia, props and high-quality equipment decorate the space. A half-pipe in the dead center of the building provides a relaxing atmosphere to have fun in the midst of handling business, recording and filming. “It’s kind of a mix of our worlds together,” says Lumpkin, who combined “Scott” and “Kate” for a deeper personal meaning. “And it’s a play on skateboarding. It just seemed to work.”

ABOVE Scott Lumpkin perches in front of an authentic traveling banner painted for P.T. Barnum that hangs on the prop room wall, one of innumerable prized pieces found in the building at Skate Mountain Records.

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Skateboarding is his favorite escape. Just as he skated around Fairhope as a child, he now rolls the streets with his five children, ranging from ages 19 to 8, in tow. He wants to raise them in the community that built him, while simultaneously developing that community to realize its full potential. He believes that the community that he was raised in is malleable enough to accommodate the industry he thrives in. “Let’s not talk about being a big fish in a small pond,” he says, “let’s grow the dang pond.”

The treasure of the opportunity to do the job that you love in the home that you never want to leave is not lost on Lumpkin. Friends that surrounded him growing up now work alongside him in the film industry, as small-town kids from Alabama making a living in the big leagues. He hopes to leave a legacy in music and film that resonates with larger audiences, but he remains humbled that the life he lives is his reality, even away from the bright lights of Hollywood.

“I’m sitting here with a guy who just won an Oscar, laughing and telling jokes and talking about our kids and other projects that we want to do, in south Alabama,” says Lumpkin. “That’s cool!”

For him, the process of realizing his visions is like solving one giant puzzle. Reading a script is only the beginning — coming up with the big idea, putting it together, finding funding and creating the production are steps that culminate in the final product. His ideas and creations are never-ending, and they must be produced in the moment before they’re lost with the wind. Because of that diligence, luckily for us, he perseveres.

ABOVE Lumpkin prefers to unwind by skateboarding on the small ramp situated at Skate Mountain. Jimmy Lumpkin and the Red Clay Strays are two of the many musicians that work with the label.

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THERE’S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS AREA, SOMETHING COOL ABOUT WHAT MOBILE IS TRYING TO DO. – Scott Lumpkin, Film Producer and Record Maker

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ouring as a backing musician, producing solo records and reaching for success with hit-makers defined Anthony Crawford’s past, but his life passion of being a father of three defines his future. He spent years touring with the likes of Neil Young, Dwight Yoakum and Steve Winwood. Now recording, producing and performing with wife Savana Lee as duo Sugarcane Jane, his new focus is raising his children —

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“

Loretta, 7; Levon, 5; and Dusty, 2 — in the heart of the South.

“Success to me is not making a lot of money or having everybody in the world know about me. I don’t think that that’s any part of what we’re doing,” says Crawford. “Success, to me, starts with those children.”

Crawford has found that success in the most unconventional of ways. A jack-of-all-trades instrumentalist, music is within him, whether he’s on stage or plucking guitar strings in his

Loxley living room. The Crawfords’ personal studio, the Admiral Bean, disguises itself as a small shed on their home’s 2,400 acre plot of family land; however, hidden inside is a mystically colorful full-production studio. Crawford and Lee offer a full range of services to music clients: designing graphics, developing websites and creating media attention. They also produce their personal records there, right in their own backyard.

Crawford and Lee choose not to attach themselves to a genre, because they enjoy incorporating multiple styles into their music. Most label them as Americana, but they feel that their music and lyric choices are too positive for the genre. “Our name Sugarcane Jane alone suggests that we’re lighthearted,” says Crawford, and that attitude is reflected in their down-home harmonic sound with lyrics of hope and feel-good positivity. It also emanates in their tracks with Willie Sugarcapps, a dynamic group comprised of members Will Kimbrough, Corky Hughes, Sugarcane Jane and Grayson Capps.

Getting to that point of making music from home is no small feat. Summer months of festivals and gigs, coupled with creating records and shooting videos, generally transition into slow winter months that make the career a gamble. A life in the music business is one of hardship, trial and error, and the effort that takes is not lost on the couple.

“I thought that success was this thing that would just come find me,” says Crawford. “I didn’t know that you have to work for success. I thought that because I worked for successful people, the osmosis of that would make me famous. I think that having fame as a goal is just not good. That’s what I’ve learned.”

Lee agrees. “People ask us all the time, how do you do it? Because they see our schedule and we have the kids. I’ll tell you what, it’s nothing more than hard work. It’s not easy. We work our butts off. There’s no way around it.”

Breaking into the industry with a good product is an important step in developing a music career, but building relationships within the industry is crucial for establishing a place and a name in the community. Buzz Cason is a crucial partner and friend for the duo who brought their music to the forefront. The renowned artist and producer is known for his songwriting, backing work with Elvis Presley and Kenny Rogers, and recording with Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and Olivia Newton-John, among countless other accolades. His guidance brought prestige to Sugarcane Jane and taught

ABOVE Anthony Crawford plays in the Admiral Bean, the colorful private studio that Sugarcane Jane records in tucked away in a small shack on the family’s property.

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them skills essential to the work that they do in their home studio.

“I think that in the music business, if you find one really good friend that is truly a believer in you, you are a very fortunate person,” says Crawford. “I even have a lyric in one of my songs that says, ‘If you have one good friend who has your back, then you have more than most, and that’s a fact, Jack.’”

Supporters of the group can usually find them playing in venues throughout the Gulf Coast. Their down-home, up-tempo style attracts audiences from all walks of life, and they prefer it that way.

They would choose an early show at the beach over a midnight show in Europe, because at heart, the two are homebodies raising their family with love.

“In a way, I could try to make stuff up to make it sound fantastic, but it’s kind of a boring life when it comes to making some kind of flashy statement,” says Crawford. “Ultimately, we have what we have and we’re known for being a family-first group.”

RIGHT Crawford and youngest daugther Dusty at their home in Loxley.

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I’VE BEEN IN BIG STUDIOS AND HIP PLACES, AND I’VE REALIZED THAT IT’S NOT WHERE YOU ARE, IT’S HOW YOU’RE DOING IT. – Anthony Crawford, Sugarcane Jane’s Family Man

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abeling herself a Gulf Coast resident despite her upbringing in Illinois, producer and sound designer Trina Shoemaker resonates with the swampy, hot humidity of the coastal landscape. Indeed, humidity is a primal element of Shoemaker’s approach to music: The languid speed with which it fills the air; the all-encompassing way it surrounds the city; the unavoidable effect that it has on everything it touches.

“Out of all the other enchanted places,” she says about the sultry locale she now calls home, “I’m most enchanted by the Gulf.”

The allure of the Alabama coast drew Shoemaker in just as it draws artists whom she records. She regularly works with songwriters at the Frog Pond Sunday Social and brings hitmakers such as Rodney Crowell to the Gulf Coast, but it wasn’t always that way. Her original production roots were transplanted from big city to small town.

Shoemaker’s career sprouted in New Orleans, under the guidance of Daniel Lanois at Kingsway Studio. She emphasizes

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that he taught her everything that she knows about mixing, and she credits her success to his ongoing mentoring and friendship. The same city where she built her career is also where here life changed when she met and married singersongwriter Grayson Capps. When Hurricane Katrina hit their New Orleans home, they evacuated for good to his hometown.

Now, her home studio is tucked away in Fairhope, with a secondary mixing studio located in downtown Mobile at Jake and Luke Peavy’s Dauphin Street Sound. Industry professionals discovering a mix room in Fairhope, Alabama, turns heads and draws attention from big cities to the small town.

“That is one small spark that goes out into the world, that music happens here,” says Shoemaker. “I’m part of the thrum of activity and that attracts more people,” contributing to the industry and advancing the area.

Shoemaker balances business with her personal life. She and Capps have a 13-year-old son, Waylon, the one constant that brings them back to Fairhope by the end of the day no matter

what’s going on in their work lives. She gives back to the community through her love of horses and philanthropy. These are the things that keep her grounded when her mind is constantly racing through song. But her commitment to the craft also gives her peace and purpose.

“Thirty-two years I’ve been in the music business; I’ve been recording music for 28 of them. It’s my constant, it’s what I know how to do,” she says. “I love consoles, I love gear, when I’m lonely or hurt all I want is the console.

When I can’t talk, I have to just go to the console.”

Her Grammy awards sit on her mixing table as a reminder of her accomplishments she takes pride in — two as an engineer for Sheryl Crow and a third as a mixer for Steven Curtis Chapman. But as it turns out, mixing demos and packaging music, even for illustrious stars, does not ensure wealth and fame.

“I’ve worked on records that have sold millions of copies,” she says. “I’ve worked on records that have made many people very wealthy, and I have made a good living but I have never been in the position where I was able to make millions, too. It’s just the reality.”

Even without the life of luxury of other people in her position, in other places, Shoemaker favors the Gulf Coast over anywhere else she could reside.

“There’s an enchantment going on here,” she repeats for emphasis. “It needs to be nurtured and it also needs to be respected. We need our community and we need this community here to never feel left out. We are going to make it our business to nurture what we have and then send that out into the world so people then want to come here and get some of that on them and in them in their record. That’s it in a nutshell.” MB

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THE FEELING OF BEING NEAR THE GULF OF MEXICO … IS WORKED INTO MUSIC NATURALLY. IT HAS A SOUND. – Trina Shoemaker, Master of Mixes

“

ABOVE When Trina Shoemaker isn’t working from home, she mixes offsite at Dauphin Street Sound in Mobile. Her T-shirt shows off her love of horses.

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CODY RHODES OF SIRMON FARMS

BOUNTY OF BALDWIN

Farming is a tough way to make a living, but for these folks working the land — many of them fourth- or fifth-generation farmers — the fields of Baldwin County are the only places they want to be. text by EMMETT BURNETT • photos by MATTHEW COUGHLIN

DANIEL PENRY OF PENRY FARMS

T

hey till the fields, harvest from the earth and provide us with food. They’re in the business of growing. They are Baldwin County farmers, working thousands of acres and producing tons of crops. Here are their stories, a sampling of the trials and triumphs down on the farm.

GREEN ACRES “This was a lot easier when I was a lot younger,” laughs Joel Sirmon, discussing the farmer’s life. He and his brother, James, manage Sirmon Farms in Daphne, 4,000 acres of abundant crops — especially sweet potatoes. Like most Baldwin County farms, Sirmon’s has been handed down through the generations. Family ties, it seems, are almost a prerequisite.

“It’s difficult for someone to start a farm from scratch today,” Sirmon notes. “Costs are prohibitive.”

Actually, the costs are jaw-dropping. A tractor is upward of $300,000, a cotton picker goes for about $800,000 and seed can cost $700 a bag. Unfortunately, you need lots of bags.

“It is a difficult job,” says Cody Rhodes, Sirmon’s assistant farm manager. “You can’t run this business from an office.” It is the ultimate in fieldwork, but in a good way. “There’s just something about putting seeds in the ground, working the soil and seeing crops sprout,” Rhodes adds. “You know immediately if you did it right.”

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PLANTING MONEY — AND HOPING IT SPROUTS Just down the road from the Sirmons’ place stands Daphne’s Penry Farms. Decades earlier, it was made up of only 80 acres. Today, that number has grown to about 2,000. Cotton, peanuts, sweet potatoes and other crops call it home.

Daniel Penry followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

He grew up working the fields and learning the business hands-on.

Today, Penry is co-owner with his father, Steve.

“I love farming,” says the younger Penry, an Auburn University graduate in agricultural economics, who has national and state recognition for leadership in the farming community. “But I don’t want to say I do this solely out of love. You can make a decent living at farming. If not, I wouldn’t be doing it.”

The key to “decent living” is watching every dime. As Penry notes, “Prices for what we sell our crops for have not changed much in 15 years, but production costs have increased at least two-and-a-half times or more. We squeeze every dollar.”

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND — VIA TRACTOR Technology is part of the squeeze — expensive, necessary and downright amazing. Most don’t notice while driving through Baldwin County, but those roadside amber waves of grain are being watched by spacecraft.

JOEL SIRMON OF SIRMON FARMS

DOUG AND CARTER LIPSCOMB OF JAMES E. LIPSCOMB AND SONS FARM

That’s not all. Soil spraying? Calculated by computers. Crop irrigation? There’s an app for that.

Tractors? Oh, they’re just piloted from outer space.

“I wish Dad was alive to see a tractor drive itself,” says Doug Lipscomb, owner of Foley’s James E. Lipscomb & Sons Farm. “Today’s tractors are auto-steered by GPS satellite. Every row is as straight as a .22 shot from one end of the field to the other. Press a ‘tractor’ button and satellites drive it, plowing perfect, straight rows.”

Baldwin County farmers rave about satellitedirected tractors, but are quick to note that there’s a human onboard, too. Tractors are not totally unmanned — yet.

Lipscomb’s farm is about 3,000 acres. Crops include peanuts, soybeans, field corn and sweet corn. He is also an owner of Riverview Turf, which produces lawn grass turf for residential and business properties, including four Super Bowl fields.

“I farm because I love being outdoors and caring 50 mobilebaymag.com | june 2018

for what the good Lord gave us,” Lipscomb says.

One of the biggest problems Baldwin County farmers face? Lipscomb and others agree — traffic.

COMBINES MEET SPRING BREAKERS “Many of Baldwin County’s thoroughfares were built in the 1940s and ’50s, designed as farm-tomarket roads,” Lipscomb says. “But traffic has increased, and our machinery, tractors and trucks are much bigger and wider. Our roads are not.”

It doesn’t help that planting season often coincides with spring break, when thousands of vacationers convene in Gulf Shores. There are many things on a beach-bound, college-aged spring breaker’s mind.

Soybean production is not one of them.

“It wasn’t that long ago when I was a college student trying to get to the beach,” recalls John Bitto, the 36-year-old owner of Elberta’s Bitto Farms. He acknowledges that, on occasion, the Baldwin County farmers’ equipment slows traffic which, at times,

“FARMERS DON’T HAVE TO LAY A MILLION DOLLARS ON A CASINO TABLE AND ROLL THE DICE. WE DO, BASICALLY, THE SAME THING, EVERY YEAR, GAMBLING ON THE WEATHER.” – John Bitto of Bitto Farms

JOHN BITTO OF BITTO FARMS

JAY CORTE OF CORTE FARMS

PRESTON RYALS, BRANDON LOVELL AND JIM LOVELL OF LOVELL AND RYALS FARMS

causes certain agitated motorists to salute with gestures not requiring all fingers. “Please remember, we don’t like being in the way any more than you do,” Bitto says. “However, we have to. This is our livelihood and your food.”

Despite being reared on an Elberta farm, handed down from German ancestors who settled there originally, Bitto did not always want to be a farmer. “In fact, at first I hated it,” he recalls.

“But I worked high school summer jobs as a crop consultant. I learned to love the process, from growing to market.” He still does.

“The job is fun, challenging and rewarding,” Bitto says, but he cautions that it’s a gamble.

“Farmers don’t have to lay a million dollars on a casino table and roll the dice. We do, basically, the same thing, every year, gambling on the weather.”

FOR LAND’S SAKE Weather is a factor, but hell and high water are not the biggest challenges for Baldwin County farmers. Land is — or rather, the lack thereof.

Ironically, Alabama’s largest county in physical size

is developing residentially and commercially, while shrinking agriculturally.

Corte Farms in Daphne is one of the oldest and most respected names in Alabama agriculture. But Jay Corte worries about how much longer Baldwin County’s agricultural industry and rich farming heritage will last.

“Landowners make much more money selling their property to commercial developers or residential subdivision builders than they can make from leasing it to farmers,” Corte notes. Baldwin County is booming and is one of the fastest growing areas of Alabama, “But unless something changes, I don’t see farming — as it is done today — being here in the next 50 years,” Corte says. “Land is just too valuable to farm.”

Corte has seen many changes in farming over the years. A half-century ago, Baldwin County was synonymous with Irish potatoes. Not anymore.

Peanuts, cotton and sod grass have largely replaced the spuds of Ireland.

Though he worries about the future of the land his ancestors settled over 100 years ago, Corte has

“FARMING GETS IN YOUR BLOOD. YOU’RE BORN WITH IT AND ENJOY IT. YOU HAVE TO OR YOU WON’T PUT IN THE 60 TO 80 HOURS A WEEK REQUIRED TO DO IT.” – Jay Corte of Corte Farms

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CELESTE LAZZARI OF LAZZARI FARMS

few regrets. “Farming gets in your blood,” he says. “You’re born with it and enjoy it.

You have to or you won’t put in the 60 to 80 hours a week required to do it.”

TWELVE MONTHS A YEAR In 2000, Preston Ryals’ agricultural endeavors included 50 acres of crops. Today, with business partner James Lovell, Loxley’s Lovell and Ryals Farms includes about 1,700 acres of peanuts, corn, soybeans and more. He relates to the long hours of farming and, contrary to the perception, there is no off-season.

Although farm crops aren’t as active in the winter, a farmer’s work never stops.

“We plant corn in March and finish up cotton around Christmas,” Ryals says. “About January, we start getting ready for the new season — maintenance work on equipment, preparing the soil and getting fertilizer in the ground.” The circle of life continues.

“You learn quickly to be good managers,”

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he continues. “This is a low-margin business.

It takes years to develop the land, huge financial investments to make it work and years to learn not just farming but the business of farming.”

This hard work yields the true fruits of their labor. “I think farmers feel good knowing that, in this business we love, we contribute to society,” says Ryals. “It’s a good feeling knowing we help make a difference.”

A LEGACY WITH THE GOOD EARTH Celeste Lazzari, a third-generation, 400-plusacre farmer based in Daphne, agrees with Ryals. “Planting a seed, watching it grow and tending it — that’s what it’s all about,” he says.

In Lazzari’s case, genetics contributed to the family business in more ways than one. “My grandfather farmed before me and now my sons, Trent and Tyler, are doing it.” Like others, Lazzari marvels at

the changes in technology in farming over the past few decades. “Seed genetics have greatly increased harvests,” he says. “Seeds are yielding much more than what we saw 40 years ago.”

It’s all in a day’s work for Lazzari and others in Baldwin County. Most don’t see themselves as competitors but rather as fellow stewards of the soil — providing food for the people, in a clean environment for terra firma.

“No one cares more about the environment than farmers,” says Rhodes. “Clean air, water and earth are not just good environmental practices; our livelihood depends on it.”

Lazzari perhaps sums up Baldwin County’s farmers by offering a composite view of the vocation: “At the end of the day, the reward is your peace of mind. You plant your crop, tend it, harvest it, sell it and feed people. It’s what we do every day, and it’s a good feeling.” MB

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A NEW LIFE with

DEEP ROOTS A cottage in the Fruit and Nut district finds new life with the next generation. text by HALLIE KING • photos by JUSTIN CORDOVA

A

n old adage says that a house is not a home until the residents make it their own. But Judy Oxford felt at home the minute she stepped foot on Fig Avenue.

Oxford and her late husband lived in Selma for years and later in a lofty home on Ono Island. The waterfront dwelling served as the perfect space for Oxford to paint, a passion that guided her throughout life. With an upbringing as the daughter of Fairhope-famous artist Rae Jackson and with a visual design degree from Auburn University, creativity courses through her veins. The Ono home provided inspiration and countless expanses to display her work, but Oxford felt she rattled around in it, as they say, when residing as a widow.

Roots in the Fruit and Nut neighborhood made Fairhope the natural next step, but many of the new homes on the market proved to be just as sizable as the one she was leaving behind. An online posting that was incorrectly listed at a different address, though, brought her to a doorstep that was all too familiar.

TOP Oxford poses near one of her favorite original pieces, a painting of the Excelsior Band that hangs in her den.

BOTTOM Joe Comer’s landscaping beautifies the home’s approach.

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“I bought [the house] the next day,” Oxford says, “because I knew that once they fixed the address, it wouldn’t stay on the market.”

The cottage, built in the early ’80s, was forged by the hands of her aunt, uncle and immediate family, who spent years using it as a vacation home. Its next owners attempted renovation on various occasions, but the home ultimately remained in an arrested development stage. Exposed ceilings and other unappealing building hazards made the structure a contender for demolition and reconstruction, but the sentimental value was too great.

“There never was a question that I would tear it down — it was recommended, but I couldn’t do that,” Oxford says. A family connection is one thing.

A family-built home is another. A family home with abundant memories, countless stories and physical remnants is unmatched. Oxford found all three in the home on Fig Avenue.

In the 1970s, Oxford’s parents bought a home on Orange Avenue, one block from the future home on Fig. When the new home was built 10 years later, an alley in the backyard nearly connected the LEFT The cozy living room is a less-prominent space in the home that beautifully reflects Oxford’s interests. Old decor mixed with new pieces accentuate her art and collections. The white mantle, hand-crafted by her brother, is a family treasure passed down a generation.

ABOVE The screened-in front porch leading from the landscaped drive into the interior of the home is decorated in cozy cottage style. A painted green ceiling inspires the colors of the accent pieces.

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two properties, so a family visit to the home was only a few steps away. It wasn’t unusual for Oxford and her parents to stop in for a visit, and in the garage nearly 40 years later, treasures from that time awaited.

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just stood up,” says Oxford, still getting chills at the memory to this day. “I thought, ‘I’m home!’

I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

Downsizing to Fit The Fairhope-style cottage was sturdy in its foundation but needed some construction and design TLC. The nearly 2,000 square foot footprint remained, but the space was

reconfigured. The sleeping porch, bedrooms and galley kitchen made way for a new kitchen, dining room, den, guest suite and special bedroom for Oxford’s five-year-old granddaughter — all in the original home’s place. A master bedroom and bath wing were added to the original property. The renovation encompasses some of the style and character of her Ono Island house on a significantly

LEFT The kitchen is Oxford’s most-used room, so Mills prioritized it and made it the largest space in the house. An open floor plan offers ample space for guests to mingle and the unadorned window brings the outdoors in.

ABOVE One of Oxford’s special collections is a group of vintage sand buckets gathered over the years, eye-catchingly displayed in glassed storage cabinets by Coastal Woodworks, Inc. Antique family photos from historic Fairhope form a collage on the wall nearby.

smaller scale.

Residential designer Coleman Mills executed the interior renovation, and his plan for the interior was to maintain the home’s original framework and elevate it to fit Oxford’s style. A mix of timeless and modern, old and new, collected and created stylizes the home’s fixtures and decorations. “This house has a lot of patina that, rather than scrape away and start new, we wanted to work with,” says Mills. “The layers of the house fall closely in line with the layers of the narrative that everything just seems to belong together.

Like finding the painting in the storage room, that’s just part of it.”

High ceilings, wide door frames and open walkways complement the home in a practical way. The familiar old-cottage style inspired the open floor plan, light paint colors and materials both inside and outside the home.

Oxford enjoys entertaining and cooking, so she chose an expansive kitchen and smaller living area. She needed a space to paint, so they converted the outdoor storage room into june 2018 | mobilebaymag.com 61

a studio. To bring the outdoors in, they enclosed an all-wood-and-glass patio and installed un-curtained windows in the kitchen for maximum sunlight. To display art in a more practical way, they hung shiplap walls with the intention of putting nails between the cracks. Every move was both intentional and practical for the size of the space.

“That’s the fun challenge in a smaller home,” says Mills. “The square footage isn’t here, but nothing feels too small. It feels perfectly cozy.”

Crafting a Collection

To create the ideal living space for Oxford, an essential component was her collection of art and trinkets accumulated over the years: her own paintings, as well as those by her mother and other local artists.

“The easiest thing in the world is to make a house look good on the outside,” says Mills. “The greater challenge is getting it right on the interior, focusing on how you live.” Oxford lives in harmony with her collections, displaying them front and center throughout the home.

“I don’t like when you go in and interiors are too serious and too design-y. I like fun and comfortable, and that’s kind of the mix I wanted,” says Oxford.

“My focus is on the art, so that’s where I like to get my color from.” A mix of color and muted monochromatic style allow her collections to stand on their own. She tends to flock to a particular color palette of earthy hues and vibrant jewel tones, so no two pieces seem haphazard when paired together.

The old and the new flow seamlessly to create a space as put together as an original work of art.

Lasting Friendships Four months after the renovation that wrapped up in February — just in time for a charity event she hosted at home — contractor Jimmy Dukes, designer Coleman Mills and landscaper Joe Comer are only a phone call away. Their contributions materialized from a team effort and are ongoing.

“In some ways, it becomes authorless,” says Mills.

“If everybody contributed parts to the story, no one person can claim complete ownership of it except the homeowner. ” RIGHT “As you can see, I don’t like to buy modern toys,” says Oxford, who decorated her granddaughter’s room with charming oddities like a vintage game board and quirky art. “I’m always on the look for treasures.” The enclosed porch, more minimalist by comparison, is connected by a glass door, bringing the outdoors in.

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LEFT The enclosed back porch is a comfortable resting area tucked between the decorated interior and the updated backyard that it leads you to. Local accents give the quaint room a coastal feel.

ABOVE The outdoor shower, so handy for a place in walking distance from the Bay, features a driftwood knob that Oxford found at the beach. It’s just the right place to show it off in her new home.

Oxford and the design crew, however, were not the only contributors to the home’s charm. An unconventional family heirloom found a permanent place in the home thanks to a Fairhope connection from years past.

A high school friend and his wife purchased Oxford’s parents’ Orange Avenue home, and they noted that the craftsmanship on the mantle made it an especially prominent piece. They offered the mantle to her, and she enthusiastically accepted it because of its intrinsic family value.

“It is really special to me because my brother built the mantle for my mother,” says Oxford.

Oxford’s brother was not a carpenter by trade, but he picked up woodwork as a hobby and pursued it passionately. He previously built a mantle for Oxford’s Ono home as well, and parting with it was a particularly upsetting sacrifice of the move. The family

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connection makes the transplanted mantle a favored centerpiece in the living room that remains well-adorned at all times of the year.

Continuing the Story The charm of the home branches from the interior to the outdoors. Landscaper Joe Comer of Espalier Design created the design while Andrew Robinson of Father Nature Landscapes turned it into a reality.

“My porch is my foyer,” says Oxford, whose home entrance begins with a lush array of greenery that leads to the welcoming screened-in front porch. The yard requires minimal upkeep, creating a permanently beautiful greeting space.

“Most plant varieties were selected to stay low and compact,” says Comer, “requiring little pruning. There is no turf in the garden, reducing the weekly upkeep.” The nearby

pier, Bay and quaint Fairhope streets position Oxford’s home in the optimal walking path — an easy commute for her and for guests.

In the backyard, an often-used outdoor shower, cozy seating areas and a roofed pergola over a dining table create a serene sanctuary reminiscent of a secret garden. If her front yard is the first room you enter, the backyard serves as the room you want to hang out in, tucked away from tight-knit streets of the Fruit and Nut. The reimagined space serves as a blank canvas for Oxford to inhabit and for future owners to build upon for years to come.

“When you rework an older home and give it new life, it’s also a way of hopefully assuring that it’s going to have another owner that’s going to do the same thing,” says Mills. “They add their lines to the story, which Judy has done beautifully. It has that richness to it, and the story keeps on being told.” MB

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JUNE / JULY 2018 ON STAGE & EXHIBITS PG. 68 • JULY HIGHLIGHTS PG. 70

HARVEST NIGHT SERIES AT WEEKS BAY PLANTATION

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

[ JUNE HIGHLIGHTS]

june 1 - 3

june 2, 9 & 16

june 8

The Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo

Harvest Night Series

Crawfish Bash

Categories range from catfish to billfish and everything in between at this everyman’s rodeo. Catch will be weighed in daily. Stick around for the beach party and live music.

4 p.m. - 8 p.m. Pick fresh blueberries and listen to live music at this familyfriendly event with food trucks and farmers market stalls. Admission: $5 for non-pickers; 12 and under, free.

5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Enjoy all-you-caneat crawfish, locally-brewed beer from Fairhope Brewing Co., live music, kids’ activities and more. Admission: $20; 10 and under, $5; 2 and under, free.

FLORA-BAMA YACHT CLUB FLORABAMA.COM/FISHING-RODEO.HTML

WEEKS BAY PLANTATION WEEKSBAYPLANTATION.COM

BLACKBURN PARK, BAY MINETTE NORTHBALDWINCHAMBER.COM

 To have your event included in the online or print edition of Mobile Bay Magazine, email calendar@pmtpublishing.com.

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june 3 Explore Mobile 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Celebrate Alabama’s bicentennial with music, food and activities, as well as free or discounted admission to the city’s tourist attractions.

MARDI GRAS PARK • EXPLOREMOBILE.ORG

june 6 - july 25 Wonderful Wednesdays 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. On Wednesdays, brush up on various summer gardening and horticultural production techniques at Bellingrath Gardens.

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME 973-2217 • BELLINGRATH.ORG

june 9 Dragon Boat Festival 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. Whether as a team member or a spectator, come out and enjoy the Fuse Project’s Dragon Boat Festival. In addition to the races, don’t miss the food trucks, fashion trucks, petting zoo, trackless train, gyro gym, jumpies, pony rides and all of the wonderful exhibits at The Battleship.

Admission: $5.

USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK FUSEPROJECT.ORG

june 9 Kyser Miree Tournament 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fish for red snapper, speckled trout and other catch at this tournament honoring Kyser Miree. All proceeds benefit Wilmer Hall.

THE WHARF • KYSERTOURNAMENT.COM

june 13 Kids Gulf Discovery Day at Bellingrath Gardens and Home 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Learn about local ecology and wildlife from various local experts such as the Environmental Studies Center and Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Admission: $13 for adults; $7.50 for ages 5 - 12; free to members and to ages 4 and under.

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME 973-2217 • BELLINGRATH.ORG

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MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART, “DO IT”

[ON STAGE & EXHIBITS]

through june 1 Back to Havana Explore the relationship between Mobile and its sister city Havana, Cuba, in this exhibit featuring multimedia projects from 15 of Cuba’s contemporary artists.

ALABAMA CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER ALABAMACONTEMPORARY.ORG

through july 1 “do it” The Mobile Museum of Art is giving local artists, individuals and community groups the opportunity to participate in the “do it” competition that originated in Paris in 1993. As a part of the competition, participants interpret and complete selected works from more than 250 possible instructions.

MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART MOBILEMUSEUMOFART.COM

through july 8 Alabama / Texas Art Exchange This Mobile Museum of Art exhibit features the work of artists from their respective states, presented concurrently at each venue. The event was originally scheduled for October 2017 but was postponed due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston.

MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART MOBILEMUSEUMOFART.COM

june 1 - 3, 8 - 10, 15 - 17 “Ragtime” 7:30 p.m. F / Sa. 2 p.m. Su. Follow three diverse families as they pursue the American dream in turn-of-the-century New York. Tickets: $10, $15, $20.

JOE JEFFERSON PLAYERS JOEJEFFERSONPLAYERS.COM

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ALAN JACKSON / PHOTO BY JOE BIELAWA

june 3 Joseph Crespino 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. The author’s latest novel, “Atticus Finch: The Biography,” explores the influence that Harper Lee’s father A.C. Lee had over her beloved character, as well as Finch’s transformation from “To Kill a Mockingbird” to “Go Set a Watchman.”

PAGE AND PALETTE • PAGEANDPALETTE.COM

june 8 - 10, 15 - 17 “Closed Session” 7:30 p.m. F / Sa. 2 p.m. Su. The Mobile Theatre Guild presents their interpretation of Milton L. Brown’s play. Tickets: $15 - $20.

MOBILE THEATRE GUILD MOBILETHEATREGUILD.ORG

june 15 The Fab Four 7 p.m. Doors open. 8 p.m. Show starts.

The best Beatles cover band ever performs their renditions of “Twist and Shout,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and more. Tickets: $22 - $52.

MOBILE SAENGER • MOBILESAENGER.COM

june 23 Alan Jackson 7:30 p.m. The legendary country star comes to The Wharf with special guest Randy Houser. Tickets: $20 - $72.

THE WHARF • ALWHARF.COM

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[JULY HIGHLIGHTS]

july 3 - 4 Grand Bay Watermelon Festival 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. July 3. 8 a.m - 4 p.m. July 4. Salute the nation’s birthday in one of the best ways possible: by eating free watermelon. Admission to the festival: free on July 3; $5 per vehicle on July 4.

ODD FELLOWS FESTIVAL PARK GRANDBAYWATERMELONFESTIVAL.ORG

july 3 Independence Day Street Party 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Get the red, white and blue party started early with fireworks, live entertainment, kids’ activities and more at The Wharf.

THE WHARF • ALWHARF.COM

july 4 Fireworks on the Fantail 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Celebrate independence with the Mighty A. The festivities include a fireworks show at 9 p.m.

USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK USSALABAMA.COM

july 4 July 4th Celebration Wish the USA a happy birthday in the sun with an infamous bikini contest and fireworks from the Flora-Bama.

FLORA-BAMA LOUNGE, PACKAGE AND OYSTER BAR • FLORABAMA.COM

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GRAND BAY WATERMELON FESTIVAL

july 10 - 15 Blue Marlin Grand Championship Watch spectacular fish come in at weigh-ins on Friday and Saturday after a week’s worth of fishing festivities.

THE WHARF • BLUEMARLINGRANDCHAMPIONSHIP.COM

july 20 - 22 Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo It’s time again for the world’s largest fishing tournament. Head to Dauphin Island to see the big ones come in off the boats. Categories include tarpon, king mackerel and speckled trout.

DAUPHIN ISLAND • ADSFR.COM

july 26 Jason Aldean 7:30 p.m. The entertainer brings his unique brand of country music to The Wharf. Tickets: $32 - $92.

THE WHARF • ALWHARF.COM

through september 9 Common Ground This exhibition celebrates the cultures of sister cities Mobile and Havana, as seen through the lenses of Alabama photographer Chip Cooper and Cuban photographer Julio Larramendi.

MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART MOBILEMUSEUMOFART.COM

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HISTORY | ARCHIVES

Mobile’s Borrowing Habit Writer Frances Beverly recounts some of the most egregious borrowers of 19th-century Mobile. text by FR ANCES V. BEVERLY • illustration by COLLEEN COMER Frances Beverly Papers, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama

Born in 1865, Frances V. Beverly toiled away at her home on Government Street throughout the 1930s and ‘40s, writing what she hoped would become the almanac of Mobile. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Beverly died in Mobile in 1954, leaving behind piles of manuscripts hidden from the very audience whose lore and customs she so tirelessly documented for posterity — that is, until now. In this series, MB presents the Frances Beverly Papers.

N

o one really knows exactly when the “borrowing habit” originated in Mobile, but it is quite safe to conjecture that it started when the French colonists arrived. Remember that at the beginning of the 18th century, when the settlement was new, there were no stores within a radius of hundreds of miles, and the only source of supplies was across the ocean. So, when groceries became scarce and a ship failed to arrive, conditions were deplorable. That was a good time to start almost anything, and the women of Bienville’s expedition had to depend upon each other for assistance in feeding their families.

In the year 1880, the custom was well established; a century of practice had made the habit perfect. Nobody escaped. It was like an epidemic, likely to strike anywhere, unless a person was of a very positive nature and refused to be imposed on. By that time, “corner grocery stores” were everywhere and there was no excuse to depend upon neighbors.

The writer’s mother was a person who did not know how to refuse, so she was a constant victim, and her children learned a lesson which they have never forgotten. Never borrow.

There was one neighbor who lived in a large and very imposing house, and whose family of nine adults dressed well, had all of the comforts and had many luxuries, whose custom was to send a large 12-quart dish pan over to us, on the 27th of every month, (and she never failed) to borrow enough groceries to last until the 1st, which was the date when the head of the house ordered the month’s supply. She would borrow sugar, butter, lard, flour, grits, coffee, baking powder and salt. This happened regu-

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larly for about 10 years. Sometimes a few of the articles would be returned, but never the full amount, and never any butter, coffee or sugar.

The climax to this orgy of borrowing came one February, when a member of the family died and, as was the custom at that time, every one of the women had to wear a black dress to the funeral. A sister of the writer had just bought a very lovely black dress, which the neighbor sent over to borrow to wear to the funeral. It was returned at Easter, completely worn out, with no word of apology for its condition nor thanks for its use.

Another neighbor who was wealthy and affected many airs, but was as close as the bark on a tree, had a most alarming habit.

If unexpected company came, she was never prepared, but would make a wild dash for our kitchen and off would go our dinner.

The most lasting memories of such an occasion was when the daughter came dashing in one day and, almost before we realized it, she had a pan of pocketbook rolls, a glorious lemon pie and half of a fruitcake and was on her way to feed the unexpected guests.

If one had a garden of beautiful flowers, somebody was sure to die, and a neighbor would come with tearful eyes and ask you to lend her some flowers, saying that she would give you some of hers when they were in bloom. It always happened that your friends never died when her flowers were in bloom.

If you had a cherished potted plant with only two leaves on it, someone would surely ask

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you to give them one of the leaves.

Shoes, hats, gloves and umbrellas were considered legitimate prey to a chronic borrower, and you could never be sure that you had any. Eyeglasses or spectacles, as they called them in those days, were an article which was never safe from the family or neighbors. A person perhaps would be very busy writing a letter when a neighbor’s child would come and say, “Ma says to send her your spectacles, she just got a letter from Aunt Mary and wants to read it.” You would be lucky if the spectacles were returned at all — nine times out of 10 you had to send and borrow them back.

Borrowing money in small sums was the most reprehensible habit, because the majority of women had very little to spend, and every dime had its allotted place in the scheme of things. Perhaps you would meet a friend downtown, and she would gushingly invite you to go into a drug store to have an ice cream soda with her. She would order the most expensive one, and when the check was given to her, she would begin to dig frantically into her purse, in search of the money which she knew had never been there. After diligently uprooting its contents, she would beam at you, and say, “It is too bad, but I will have to borrow the money from you. I must have left my change on the dresser. I just haven’t a cent with me.”

Of course there was nothing else to do but pay the check and vow, as you parted with your 40 or 50 cents, that you would never be caught again. It was a very common trick, and some women boasted that they never paid for an ice cream soda, a car fare nor a dinner.

The most audacious attempt to borrow was when a social-climbing young woman on Spring Hill Avenue tried to borrow a house for a weekend. It was in the summer of 1880, and the young lady lived in a small cottage next door to a very pretentious home.

She had been on a visit to Louisville, Kentucky, where she had met some very prominent wealthy people. In an effort to impress them, she had bragged extensively about her home and her family and had invited them to come to Mobile and pay her a visit, never

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dreaming that the invitation would ever be accepted. She was horrified when, one fine morning, she received a letter from these friends telling her that they would be in Mobile the following week to spend a few days with her. If the entire earth had opened up, she could not have been more horrified.

She had posed as a society leader, with a beautiful home and money in abundance.

She was desperate — her home was small and shabby, and there was no money except the very small salary made by a young brother and her mother’s small income. In desperation, she rushed to her neighbor and demanded the use of her house for the duration of her friends’ visit. She had it all planned: The lady could move out on the back porch and keep out of sight during their stay. It would not be hard to do that, and it would save the situation. The neighbor told her that while she might be able to move out on the porch and keep out of sight, she could not ask her husband, father, three half-grown children, and a visiting niece and her husband, to move out and keep out of sight as well.

The girl was in a rage, and said, “But Mrs. M----, don’t you see that you have just got to do this for me. I cannot face those people, nor have them see what kind of a home I have. I can arrange it so that you can stay and I will introduce you as a relative and the children can go and stay with my mother and the men can stay downtown. It just has to be fixed in some way.” She talked until she was in a perfect fury and, finding that she could not borrow the house, left in a rage, declaring that she never expected to speak to the family again.

No one knew exactly what she did in the matter, but the guests did not come.

Her neighbor was of the opinion that she either killed some member of her family or rendered them dangerously ill of some malignant disease. Whatever she did, the friendship of three families was disrupted, because a woman had so little consideration for another’s trouble that she refused to let her home and its contents be borrowed. This is the most wholesale example of borrowing that was ever attempted in Mobile. MB

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HISTORY | ASK MCGEHEE

Was a Mobile bookstore closed for selling a copy of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin?” text by TOM MCGEHEE

Actually, in the fall of 1856, two men lost their bookstore over the dispute. A Northern newspaper account exaggerated the situation when it reported that “their place of business was broken up by violence and they were compelled to leave the state.” The incident made newspapers across the nation, including The New York Times.

The passage by Congress of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, which required that all escaped slaves be returned to their masters, enraged many and led to a growing abolitionist movement. The majority of Americans had never encountered a slave, however, and had no set opinion on the matter until a popular book was published in 1852. Based on a series of newspaper articles appearing in 1851, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” would become the top-selling book for the remainder of the century.

As the novel’s popularity soared, so did anti-slavery views. Critics argued that the book was pure fiction and that its Connecticut-born author had never set foot in a Southern state. By the middle of the decade, tempers were flaring and efforts were underway to ban the book across the South.

Strickland & Co. — Printers, Bookbinders & Stationers Located in Mobile, Strickland & Company was the largest bookstore south of Baltimore.

It stood on the northeast corner of Dauphin and Water Streets and catered to local readers as well as residents up and down the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers. Its owners were British-born William Strickland and his partner Edwin Upson, a native of Connecticut whose wife was born in Tuscaloosa.

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An organization known as the “Vigilance Committee” was set up in Mobile to keep an eye out for anyone espousing an abolitionist point of view. Alabama’s port city was full of northern-born residents, and those opposed to “the peculiar institution” had learned to keep their mouths shut and hire Irish immigrants. Rumors abounded that there were individuals who were assisting runaway slaves to board northern-bound vessels in the harbor.

In the summer of 1856, a stranger entered the busy Dauphin Street bookstore and browsed the shelves. He picked up a copy of former slave Frederick Douglass’ “Autographs of Freedom” and asked a sales clerk about it.

The harried salesman said he was unfamiliar with the book, and his customer responded, “Well, in New Orleans such books are not permitted.”

A day or so later, another man walked into the shop and headed straight to the shelf holding the Douglass book and, after paying cash for his purchase, departed.

The Vigilance Committee It was not long before Mr. Strickland and his partner found themselves being interrogated by members of the Vigilance Committee, who suspected them of being abolitionists or speculators ready to make a quick dime with no regard as to what they were letting loose on the public.

The store’s records had been seized, and when Mr. Strickland responded that he had never sold a copy of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, his interrogators pounced. He was shown a receipt, showing Strickland & Co. had purchased 50 copies of the novel. The bookseller responded that he had purchased

them as gifts for many of his up-river customers who were curious and wanted to read the best-seller. He vigorously denied being an abolitionist and said that the books were never sold from his shop.

And the Douglass book? Strickland had ordered it for a customer who never picked it up. He said he had forgotten it was even in the store. From the looks of their accusers, it was obvious their minds were already made up.

ABOVE “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and published in 1852, was one of the books that got Strickland & Co. in hot water with Mobile’s Vigilance Committee.

The shop owners left the room in a state of shock. Strickland was soon visited by three men who explained that the committee found him and Upson to be “dangerous to the community” and that, unless they and their families left within five days, their safety could not be guaranteed.

Banished Upson and his family left first. Mr. Strickland stayed a day or two longer.

One morning, he casually walked from his Government Street home and headed to his shop, well aware that he was being watched.

He passed his bookstore and headed to the waterfront, where a boat took him to Point Clear where his family had been summering.

They quickly packed and ultimately ended up in Wisconsin.

A $40,000 Loss With the discovery that both men were gone, the Mobile Register praised the work of the committee, noting that a painter down on Dauphin Street was at work “erasing the very name of the abolitionist agents from the sign boards hanging over the elegant store.”

William Strickland returned to Mobile several months later to try and salvage his investment and was told he “could not remain in the city” and “had better leave.”

Soon, a $250 price had been placed on his head, and no hotel would allow him to register for fear of arson.

Strickland returned to his new home of Milwaukee and estimated that his loss had been in excess of $40,000 (about $1.1 million today). He and Edwin Upson began a new bookstore in Wisconsin and would deny the charges lodged against them until their dying days. MB

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END PIECE | IN LIVING COLOR

Special Delivery, 1919 Photo courtesy of Hammel’s, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama • colorization by Dynamichrome Limited

In the early days of aviation, seaplanes were especially popular on the smooth waters of Mobile Bay, which made for easy landings. With no bridge across the Bay, Hammel’s Department Store in Mobile used a hydroplane to make special deliveries to customers on the Eastern Shore. According to MB contributor Michael Thomason, “There is no record of how long this service lasted, but when the Cochrane Bridge opened in 1927, it was no longer necessary.”

Founded in 1885 by Leopold Hammel, Hammel’s Department Store occupied an impressive building on Royal Street beginning in 1902. “I have always heard they were a step above Gayfer’s, in that customers were often seated as they made their purchases,” says MB contributor Tom McGehee.

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