Y'all Magazine – March 2007 by Yall Magazine

Art Is Just The Start…

o a great visit in Tuscaloosa. Besides our award winning arts community, we are also proud to

offer unique shopping, great dining, fabulous festivals and exciting sporting events. Tuscaloosa is also a great place to plan your next meeting, convention, reunion or wedding. To learn more about Tuscaloosa, go to visittuscaloosa.com to view our 64-page visitors guide online. Tuscaloosa… America’s one and only!

1. 8 0 0 . 53 8 . 8 6 9 6 w w w. v i s i t t u s c a l o o s a . c o m

ʼall

THE M AGA ZINE OF

SOUTHERN PEOPLE Volume 5 | Number 2

this-n-that 9 Where Y’all?

Capturing hot Southern stars, from Dollywood to Hollywood.

26 Cranky Yankee

This ain’t New York City! Laurie Stieber shares her new life Down South.

27 On the Money

Money man Dave Ramsey gets you prepared for a Total Money Makeover.

28 Max’d Out

Football season’s only six months away. Are you ready?

Country music newcomer Eric Church stormed onto the scene last year with “How ‘Bout You.” The Tar Heel State native is full of hits, and great times.

22 4

daughter is the Bing Crosby’s dau one who shot “J.R. Ewing” in on the famous Dallas cliffhanger. The Texas actress continues to stun audiences.

Cover Story: Dixie Carter From West Tennessee to West We Hollywood, Dixie Carter has delighted TV viewers for more than 25 years with her accent and good looks. With a ﬁrst name like Dixie, Southern ac what did you expect? We’ve got an exclusive chat for y’all. w

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

Margaret Mitchell penned the all-time classic, Gone With The Wind.

Mary Crosby

65 Lewis Grizzard COVER & LEFT: SMITH: CHAD MILLS, EARNHARDT: KAREN WILL ROGERS, FANNING: COURTESY OF FANNING PUBLICIST, HOGAN: COURTESY OF VHI, WINFREY: CARIE THOMPSON

Eric Church

42 Dixie Destination Cumberland Gap, Ky. 57 Y’all of Fame

Legendary Southern columnist Lewis Grizzard may be gone, but his words will live forever in his column for Y’all Magazine.

66 Wine Down South

Doc Lawrence breaks out the good wines for Y’all.

67 Blue Collar

Larry The Cable Guy is Southern by the Grace of God.

68 What Southern Women Know Ronda Rich’s dose of Dixie wisdom.

69 Star Gazing

Southern boy Joe LoCicero reports from Hollywood.

70 Y’all Books

Deborah Ford, founder of GRITS, has a new book for Southern men.

72 GRITS

“Ms. Grits” Deborah Ford has a great column for “y’all” to enjoy.

76 In Memoriam

Remembering Southerners who have passed to the Great Beyond.

78 Festive South

We’ve got the lineup of seasonal events to check out.

inside

Maya Angelou This Southern scribe has a unique story.

features

Jim Parkman

Alabama legal mind Jim Parkman has won his fair share of big cases. We’ll tell you how.

39 P. Allen Smith

Pilgrimages in the South

53 Love Affair of Temple Heights

A house is more than a home.

Why old homes matter. We’ll tell you.

Scotty Moore

62 Boutiques of Dixie

74 The Waltons

Elvis Presley’s guitarist is still picking. 6

Catfish

Bottom feeders rule! Folks travel to Belzoni, Miss., each year for a good taste.

37 Nancy Pelosi

Come on in. We’ve got pretty homes!

From Baltimore’s Little Italy to U.S. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi does it her way.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

Go ahead, you’ve earned it.

A Southern greenthumb is helping Americans cultivate excitement.

Historic Homes

Southern writer Earl Hamner penned the TV classic, The Waltons.

MONTANA: GETTY IMAGES, WOODCOCK: D WALD

20 Pistol Pete

Pete Maravich was a scoring machine in basketball. Read all about this sports icon.

yʼall

Pounding The Pavement

®™

Like many of you, I made a resolution for 2007. The ole scale is saying Iʼm 20 lbs. heavier than I ought to be. Years of good Southern food like fried chicken, collards, pecan pie (I pronounce it pee-can pie – and no Iʼm not a Yankee), Moon Pies, and millions of gallons of sweet tea have ﬁnally caught up with me.

THE M AGA ZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE ™

President & Publisher Jon Rawl jon@yall.com Managing Editor Tabatha Hunter

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VP & Associate Publisher Keith Sisson keith@yall.com

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Photographer Chad Mills

Kentucky Bureau Colleen Cassity kentucky@yall.com

New Media Andy Young andy@yall.com

Louisiana Bureau Clay Reynolds louisiana@yall.com

Copy Editor Lauren M. Young Interns Holly Hall Elizabeth Davis Illustrators Don Maters Contributing Writers Lewis Grizzard Deborah Ford Ronda Rich Paula Dabbs Tommy Joe Breaux Larry The Cable Guy Doc Lawrence Hadley Hickman Sarah Jo Gardner Laurie Stieber Dave Ramsey Joe LoCicero Max Howell Laura Leigh Shull Katie Floyd Todd Childs Keith Sisson Mark Cook Nikki Neely Elizabeth Davis Alabama Bureau Paula Sullivan Dabbs alabama@yall.com Arkansas Bureau Jason Nall arkansas@yall.com Florida Bureau Mark Cook ﬂorida@yall.com

Maryland Bureau Renee Wells maryland@yall.com Mississippi Bureau Rufﬁn Smith mississippi@yall.com Missouri Bureau Matthew Bandermann missouri@yall.com North Carolina Bureau Jason “Pig” Thompson northcarolina@yall.com Oklahoma Bureau Lee Cartwright oklahoma@yall.com South Carolina Bureau C.T. “Redd” Reynolds southcarolina@yall.com Tennessee Bureau Brian Ferguson tennessee@yall.com Texas Bureau Matthew Heermans texas@yall.com Virginia Bureau Sally Summerson virginia@yall.com

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Georgia Bureau Laurie Stieber georgia@yall.com Y’ALL (ISSN 1557-2331), February/March 2007, Volume 5, Number 2. Published bimonthly by General Rawl Media, LLC. Editorial and advertising offices at 7 County Road 305, Oxford, MS 38655-9302. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1217, Oxford, MS 38655. Telephone: 662-236-1928. Basic subscription rate: 6 issues, U.S. $19.95; Canada $32.69. 12 issues, U.S. $34.95; Canada $45.80. Entire contents copyright 2007, General Rawl Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Products named in these pages are tradenames or trademarks of their respective companies. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect that of the publisher. For subscriptions, queries, and customer service, please visit www. yall.com Y’all Magazine Business phone: 662-236-1928. E-mail us at: mail@yall.com Subscriptions: Toll-Free 1-800-935-5185 Application to mail at Periodical Postage Rates is Pending at Oxford, Mississippi and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Y’all, c/o Magazine Processing Center, P.O. Box 0567, Selmer, TN 38375-9908. Printed in the USA.

So, what do I do? I buy a new pair of running shoes and hit the pavement. Starting out walking two miles, I hope to progress to four before Easter. Small steps, literally. Maybe I can get my old supermodel form back for Easter pictures, complete with a new seersucker suit–that ﬁts. Southerners are blessed to live in this great land of plenty. While our seasons are livable, and our food is tasty, we’ve got to look out. The South tops the country’s list of highest cardiovascular disease fatality rate. The Top Four states, as recently surveyed by the American Heart Association, were: 1. Mississippi: 405.9 deaths per 100,000, 2. Oklahoma: 400.7 deaths per 100,000, 3. Alabama: 378.4 deaths per 100,000, 4. Tennessee: 373.6 deaths per 100,000. Yikes! Heart disease accounts for one-third of all American deaths. Walking, jogging, eating healthy, etc., can all help change our region’s bad standing. Come on, we need y’all. Let’s shape up, so we can enjoy Dixie a lot longer. Speaking of Dixie, we’re excited to feature McLemoreville, Tennessee’s own Dixie Carter on this latest cover of Y’all Magazine. With such a Southern name, you can’t help but like this veteran actress. Carter splits her time between Los Angeles and her West Tennessee hometown. She tells us in an exclusive feature (pg. 23) about her new role on TV’s biggest story, Desperate Housewives. Also, in this issue you can read all about new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore, country music newcomer Eric Church, and Southern garden designer P. Allen Smith. There’s something for everybody, as usual, in Y’all. Enjoy. Southernly yours,

Jon Rawl

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

where y’all?

Madison Thompson (9), Lauren Thompson (14) and Gabby Taylor (12) – all of Ponchatoula, La. – show off their “I Love Y’all” shirts for the camera. See pg. 11 to get your Y’all Shirt!

GATOR BAIT!: Florida Gator QB Chris Leak, of Charlotte, N.C., celebrates after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes at the 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Gators defeated the Buckeyes 41-14. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Floridian Sarah Paulson, of NBC’s hit drama Studio 60, attends the Weinstein Company’s 2007 Golden Globes After Party held at the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 15, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

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EASY E by Hadley Hickman

While Eric Church may have an easy-going persona, his schedule has been anything but easy. Still, somehow amidst all the radio shows, concerts, and late nights, this 28-year-old Nashville upand-comer found the time to share with Yʼall a little bit about just about everything.

ERIC

CHURCH 14

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAPITOL RECORDS

hree things you probably don’t yet know about Eric Church: His nickname is “Old Soul,” his favorite band is The Band, and he’s a chronic late sleeper. And what you may already know about him is simple: his love for music and where he comes from. Born in Granite Falls, to a self-proclaimed “musically diverse” family, the first words the public heard Church sing were “I know where I come from, how ‘bout you.” That single, which climbed to number seven on the Billboard charts, and the other 11 songs on his debut album, Sinners Like Me, speak mounds about the artist, his roots, and his Southern-ness. “Throughout the whole record you can hear traces of my small-town influences. I’ve had some part of every song, and being a guy from a small Southern town, I’ve lived ‘em all,” Church says in his deep and raspy Southern accent. Inspired by the bluegrass music native to those parts of North Carolina, Church began his song-writing career at age 13 with a song called “Doesn’t He Know.” “It was cheesy and not very good,” he says laughing. “I think I had just had my heart broken… or something like that.” Regardless, he discovered his passion and talent for singing and songwriting at a young age, due in large part to his parents’ enthusiasm for music. “My dad was a Motown guy and my mom was a bluegrass woman,” he remembers, “and so I had this huge umbrella under which to work. [Plus], the cool thing about North Carolina is its musical heritage—the bluegrass and mountain music” that you can hear just about anywhere. Fifteen years have passed since writing that first song and Church has had plenty to brag about. But when we read him a few raving reviews of his recent concerts and album, he shies away from boasting. “I think it’s too dangerous to pay too much attention to all that stuff, and I really just don’t read much of it. The best thing for me is to control what I can control. You’re best bet is just to come in and make a great record” he notes stoically. But what about all the recent comparisons to Garth Brooks by fans and the media, we ask? “I think that’s because we both finished college and majored in marketing,” he says

modestly. “I’ve also gotten Springsteen and Cash,” he adds, but he doesn’t seem to let those complimentary comparisons get to him. Indeed, keeping his eye on the goal seems to be precisely what Church has done, but not without detours, stops, and hard work along the way. For one thing, music wasn’t the only hobby that caught Church’s attention growing up. He excelled in baseball, golf, and basketball in high school and then finished all four years of college at Appalachian State with a degree in marketing before heading to Nashville. “My musical evolution sort of went backwards. When everybody else was going through the Garth Brooks craze, I was going through a Woodstock phase,” he remembers. “But I think I’m better off for that now.” Upon arriving in Nashville in 2001, Church took a night job at the Shop at Home Network answering phones so that he could write songs and meet with Music Row executives during the day. He recalls those first months as extremely challenging and wearing, but his determination and passion paid off a year later when he signed a publishing deal with Sony Tree. And when he wrote the hit song “The World Needs a Drink” for Terri Clark in 2003, his songwriting talents became apparent to many in the country music industry, but most especially to those at Capitol Records. “I went to Nashville to be a songwriter,” he says, “and that’s still what I want to do. At first I had to knock on doors and everybody told me to go back home, but now I have a great label (Capitol) and I have a lot of say in my music.” Currently, he has two radio singles—“How ‘Bout You” and “Two Pink Lines”—and he’s already thinking ahead to the next one. “I’m kind of torn between ‘Sinners Like Me,’ ‘Guys Like Me’ and ‘What I Almost Was’,” he says. “I just want to make sure the atmosphere is right.” Although the guys of Rascal Flatts didn’t think Church provided the right “atmosphere” as the opener for their concerts and therefore recently dropped Church’s opening act, he landed a perfect gig with classic rocker Bob Seger. “We’re going on tour with Bob Seger in December, which is really cool,” Church says excitedly. “I would count him as one FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

of my major [musical] inﬂuences.” Clearly, Church has been a busy man lately. A California tour dominated much of his time in November, and with Texas as the next stop, he says he won’t get to go home until mid-December. And by his tone, he seems to miss the South. “There is just something about the South that sets us apart from others. I’ve been all over the country and there are nice people everywhere, but as far as Southerners go, there is something different in our welcoming nature and pride in our history. I don’t know if you get that anywhere else,” Church says. Based on his reviews and successes thus far, we’re sure to see and hear more of this North Carolina native. And we’re conﬁdent he’ll remain true to his roots. When asked if he considers himself a mama’s boy, he answers rather coyly, “Yeah I am. I’m from the South so I kind of have to be.”

The Arts Culture Of

Meridian Meridian/Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau

1-888-868-7720 • www.visitmeridian.com

Meridian Little Theatre

For 74 years, actors have taken to the stage at the Meridian Little Theatre. One of the South’s oldest subscription-based community theatres, the Meridian Little Theatre welcomes over 22,000 patrons annually. The theatre plays host to musicals, children’s plays and other acts utilizing local volunteer actors from Meridian and the surrounding areas.

MSU Riley Center

Performing arts come to life on the stage of the MSU Riley Center. Featuring the largest performing arts lineup in the state of Mississippi, the MSU Riley Center has something for everyone. From singing to dancing to dramatic plays to comedies, it’s not hard to find a performance worth watching.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

Meridian Museum of Art

Housed in the historic Old Carnegie Library building built in the early 1900s, the Meridian Museum of Art is committed to promoting and supporting the art, artists and art programs of the region. The museum consistently hosts intriguing exhibits featuring the finest artists in Mississippi and Alabama. The Meridian Museum of Art also continuously gives back to the community through community outreach programs designed to expand artistry throughout the region.

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Mary Crosby Shot J.R.

Crosby as “Kristin Shepard”

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

The year was 1980, and the question buzzing in households, ‘round the water cooler, and in little cafés everywhere was, “Who shot J.R.?”

where y’all now?

he answer to the question was one that Dallas viewers would have to wait almost an entire year for. Finally on Nov. 21, 1980, America got its answer to the burning question. “Kristin Shepard,” “Sue Ellen’s” scheming sister who had an affair with “J.R.” shot him in a fit of jealous rage. The woman behind one of television’s most famous scenes: Mary Crosby. Today, 26 years later, Bing Crosby’s daughter reminisces about her time on the TV classic, saying, “I am a trivia question. Everyone in life ends up being known for something, whether it is whose child you are or what you did on a TV show 25 years ago, so I am very proud of both of them in terms of how the outside world knows me.” Crosby, 47, says the thing she is most proud of today, though, is being mom to her two sons, Benjamin, 7, and Christopher, 4. Her life has been a little magical, as she grew up with one of the greatest singers and actors, Bing, for a father; and Houston, Texas, actress Kathryn Grant for a mother. For Mary, though, her father was much less of an unreachable star than what he was to others; for Crosby, he was simply, “Dad.” (Bing is the famous voice behind “White Christmas,” and sometimes is referred to as the third most popular actor of all time, just behind Clark Gable and John Wayne. He died in 1977 at the age of 74) “I knew that there was something quite different about him and it was incredible fun every November to do the Christmas shows because I figured everybody in the world got one Christmas and we got two. Basically it was much more about who we were as a family and we were a really connected family,” says Crosby. Each year, the young family would live for a couple of months in Mexico with no phones and no TV, with Crosby’s mom home schooling her. It was a time filled with some of Crosby’s fondest memories of her father - fishing, swimming, snorkeling and taking long walks. This was also when, Crosby says, her parents instilled in her moral values. Her parents made sure their children knew what was right, wrong and what was expected of them. “It wasn’t sort of this glitzy Hollywood upbringing that people think,” says Crosby. All of her parents’ hard work paid off as Crosby grew up to attend the University of Texas and become a successful actress and doting mother, doing her best to raise her children the way her mother raised her. Crosby and husband, Mark Brodka, are very hands-on with their children and live on a small ranch with chickens, cats, dogs, and horses. It is the same ranch where Bing took her as a child. “It is really a gift when you can grow up in a place and then raise your children in that same place and be able to teach

them all the secret places that you loved and watch them grow and embrace the environment the way you did,” says Crosby. Her beloved ranch even comes equipped with a horse, “Moko” (Spanish for booger), who walks up to her front door each morning and neighs for something good to eat. “Moko” is a bit of a cookie monster and Crosby cannot help but give him a little treat each day. She comes off the ranch for occasional acting duties, including a role in The Legend of Zorro (2005). Acting is, as they say, in Crosby’s blood. She is, after all, the daughter of Bing Crosby and Kathryn Grant. She has known she would act since age four when she took to the stage in Peter Pan with her mother. “I played ‘Wendy’s’ little girl and I got to ﬂy literally with a harness. Let’s see, you put a 4-year-old girl ﬂying through the air and what is she going to do? Grow up to be something nice and normal? Not a chance. I was lost forever after that,” says Crosby. She eventually found herself working on the set of Dallas. The part of “Kristin” is one that Crosby says she was lucky to get because the show’s producers were taking a huge chance on casting her to play a villain because they did not know how well the public would handle Bing’s daughter in the role. With a little help from Larry Hagman though, Crosby became one of TV’s greatest bad girls and a great villain. “I tease Larry. I say he ruined my reputation and then he made me an honorable woman because he walked me down the aisle in the place of my dad when I got married,” says Crosby who has since become life-long friends with Hagman and his wife, Maj. In fact, the Hagmans are godparents to Crosby’s two boys. And in the end, Crosby says it is not what she has done that has been her greatest gift; it has been those she knows and can call friends.

It was a time ﬁlled with some of Crosby’s fondest memories of her father - ﬁshing, swimming, snorkeling and taking long walks.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

Pistol Pete by Elizabeth Davis

L TO R: SPORTS COLLECTION, FAR RIGHT: GETTY IMAGES

ew basketball players could mesmerize fans quite like “Pistol Pete” Maravich could. Characterized by most as a tall, lanky white man with mop-topped hair and floppy socks, the late Southern star was a legend in the game and a talent to be reckoned with. “He was unstoppable. It’s as if they melted down all 12 Harlem Globetrotters and then filled up this skinny 6-6 white frame with everything they had,” said Ralph Wiley, of ESPN. The Clemson, S.C., native learned to perfect his technique growing up with a coach at his side that most would die for. That coach was Maravich’s father, Press, a former professional basketball player turned head coach for the Clemson Tigers. He grew up being taught that with hours of practice and Press’ teaching he could possibly earn a scholarship that would pay for his education. Maravich earned more than a scholarship to college; he earned a career. He garnered a scholarship to Louisiana State University in the fall of 1966 to play basketball for his father, LSU’s new head coach. This is where he, along with his gray floppy socks, became a legend. While at LSU, he scored more points in college than any other player in history, totaling 3,667 points in 83 games. The Tiger hoopster set 11 NCAA records and 34 Southeastern Conference records, including every conceivable record in LSU history from scoring to field goals to free throws attempted and made. He averaged 44.2 points a game and was named three-time All-American. In 1970, Maravich won the Naismith Award and was named player of the year. After graduating from LSU, Maravich was picked third in the NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks where he was signed for $1.9 million (the highest paid salary of the time). It was in the NBA that he shined. Miami Heat coach Pat Riley once said, “Maravich was the original. He was the best ball handler I ever saw. Ever.” He continued his professional career with New Orleans Jazz, the Utah Jazz and finished up in 1980 with the Boston Celtics. In ten years of professional basketball he scored 15, 948 points in 658 games. He is presently one of the top six NBA guards scored of all time. Maravich was inducted into the Basketball

Hall of Fame in May 1987 at the age of 39, the youngest player ever. In January of 1988, while playing a pick up game of basketball with friends at church, Maravich collapsed and died of what was later found to be a congenital heart defect. At

age 40, his death stunned both the sports and medical world. Pistol died leaving behind his wife Jackie of 12 years and two sons, Joshua and Jaeson, along with a legacy that remains untouchable. Son Jaeson once said, “I didn’t look at him as a legend. I looked at him as my dad.” Today, nearly two decades after Maravich’s death, what is considered to be the definitive biography of his life has been released. In collaboration with wife Jackie Maravich, Wayne Federman and Marshall Terrill have written the book Maravich (Sport Classic Books). This biography takes a look into a world of the star that most did not even know existed. Another brand new biography, Pistol: The Life Of Pete Maravich (Free Press), also delves into the athlete’s nothing-but-net life. Maravich himself seemed to sum up his life in a speech at a Billy Graham Crusade. “Seek pleasure and happiness and you’ll never, never find it. Have the wisdom to seek obedience in Christ and happiness will find you.”

“He was unstoppable. It’s as if they melted down all 12 Harlem Globetrotters and then ﬁlled up this skinny 6-6 white frame with everything they had,” said Ralph Wiley, of ESPN. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

PHOTO BY VINCE BUCCI/NEWSMAKERS

Dixie by Tabatha Hunter

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

ike the characters she plays, actress Dixie Carter is graceful, ﬁlled with Southern pride and simply amazing both inside and out. She loves her parents and always strives to make her mama proud. Despite all of the success she has gained in television, theatre and ﬁlm, the actress remains humble and down to earth. Perhaps most importantly though, Carter knows her food - especially when it comes to homemade fried chicken. In short, the McLemoresville, Tennessee (the West Tennessee town where she recently renovated her family home, and divides time with Los Angeles) native embodies everything we love about Southerners. Carter has a presence that’s been everywhere from big screen hits like The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, to theatre, to TV, with Family Law, and, perhaps most memorably, Designing Women, on which she played “Julia Sugarbaker,” from 1986-1993.

Surprisingly, the 67-year old actress and mother of two grown daughters (with ﬁrst husband Arthur Carter [no relation]) did not always want to act. Carter says her heart lies with singing and as early as the age of four, she felt she was born to sing. “From the time I was able to walk, literally, I was singing in church and from the time I was 4, I had become acquainted with the Metropolitan Opera broadcast on the radio. I knew from the time I was 4 years old that, that was my destiny to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, which I thought, at that time, was in the radio,” says Carter. One of the main problems, of course, was that at the age of four, Carter was unsure about how to sign up for the opera or how to get herself into the radio. Disaster struck Carter at seven when she had a tonsillectomy that ruined her chances of becoming a professional singer, so she did the next best thing and decided to become an actress. After graduating from Memphis State University, Carter traveled to New York and she has been delighting audiences with her talent as a thespian ever since. And with her new role on ABC’s Desperate Housewives, she has once again proven herself as one Southerner not to be missed. An interesting tidbit about the No. 1 show on Sunday nights is that its creator, Marc Cherry, got his start with Carter.

FEBRUARY/MARCH FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 2007 •• Y’ALL Y’ALL

23 23

PHOTO BY EVAN AGOSTINI/GETTY IMAGES

“Carter is married to an actor as remarkable as herself. For the past 22 years, she has been Mrs. Hal Holbrook”

“He [Cherry] had his ﬁrst job in Los Angeles with me. He was my assistant. He turned around 18 years later and called me himself and he said that for the two years that Desperate Housewives had been on he had been thinking about me and how he could use me,” says Carter. “So when this part came along he called me up and said I think I have a wonderful part for you. The question would be would you be willing to deglam so of course I said yes and happily got into my grey wig and it’s been simply delightful in every way.” With that phone call, Carter was able to join Texan Eva Longoria and the rest of the cast of Desperate, playing the villainous “Gloria Hodge.” Carter’s time on Desperate Housewives sadly comes to a close when Marcia Cross takes time off to 24

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

have her twin boys, says Carter. Hopefully her character can be written back into the show as it is delightful to hear a little bit of a Southern drawl on Wisteria Lane. One of the most remarkable things about the Tennessean is that she gives everything her all—she does not believe in giving anything less than 100 percent. And the mother of two, Ginna and Mary Dixie, has not just been content with acting. She has written a best-selling book, Trying to Get to Heaven, and is a national spokesperson for the Salvation Army. Carter, by the by, is married to an actor as remarkable as herself. For the past 22 years, she has been Mrs. Hal Holbrook— the man famous for bringing Mark Twain to life.

Dixie’s Homemade Fried Chicken

“Roll your chicken in bread crumbs, cornmeal and ﬂour mixed together in a brown paper bag. You do not ever use bread crumbs that are purchased at the store. You make it out of corn meal and ﬂour. Then you put it in an old-timey brown paper sack. You put in salt and pepper. Lots and lots of pepper and you shake that through a sifter so when it goes in, it’s all together. Then piece by piece after you have washed and dried it, you put the piece in the sack and shake it around. Then you lay it gently in this hot, hot grease. Although I am a health nut, the best thing to fry chicken in is Crisco. You know, lard. This is important: a big huge black, iron skillet and then you brown it thoroughly. You get all your chicken pieces browned thoroughly. You have to cut the chicken up at home so you can get the wishbone. If you get it from the store, you don’t get the wishbone. After you brown thoroughly each piece, you put this big huge black iron skillet in the oven on 250 degrees and you cover it with a big old iron skillet lid and you let it stay in there for 2 hours and it steams and it gets tender. Then you take it out of the oven, remove the big iron lid and carefully turn it so that the stuff doesn’t fall off of it. You take a colander or something and get the brown pieces out of the skillet and put them on the tray with the fried chicken and that, my dear, is fried chicken that will, as Meshach Taylor always said, make you slap your Mama.”

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

cranky yankee LET’S START DIGGING

by Laurie Stieber

The frequently bizarre, often despicable and always morbidly fascinating contents of the Time Capsule for 2006, make it feel like a crying shame to have buried it. Isn’t it unforgivingly selfish of us to deprive the year 2007 of any decent incentive to be even more revolting than its predecessor? I say we dig it up now. Human decency has eroded so efficiently all by itself; it would be silly to wait for Mother Nature to decide when the Capsule resurfaces. Besides, who died and left her king? Grab your shovels America, and let’s start digging. Reminiscing is much more fun when what you’re reminiscing about hasn’t had the chance to age. It takes a lot of patience and willpower to allow incredibly vile behavior to become a memory. That’s why we’d be perfectly justified to stroll down memory lane prematurely – and, for its entertainment value of course. What do we have here, at the very top of the Capsule’s contents? It’s a press clipping announcing the probability of Barry Bonds’ induction into The Baseball Hall of Fame. So, bad boy Barry was able, after all, to convince the Commission that he truly believed it was Ben Gay in the syringe. Human growth hormones couldn’t do squat to ease the pain of arthritis. In fact, human growth hormones and other creams, like waterbased testosterone, are such worthless warriors in the battle against a super slugger’s aches and pains, they don’t even have the courtesy of showing up in random drug tests for steroids. The nerve of those undetectable, designer phonies! They are no friends of Barry Bonds’. But Greg Anderson ... he’s a true, blue, Barry buddy. It’s a rare privilege to come across a former weight trainer who is so loyal to his client that he’ll gladly go to jail

“

Laurie Stieber is an Atlanta-based entertainment attorney and freelance columnist. The New York City native can be reached at yankee@yall.com 26

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

– twice - for him. A friendship as pure and beautiful as the bond between Bonds and Anderson couldn’t possibly have anything to do with a measly old bank account that could set Greg up for life if he can just swallow that yummy prison cuisine for another year or 10, could it? And what is this piece of paper beneath the press clipping? It’s a blue print of sorts. Maybe an architectural design. Yes, it is. Right there, in black and white, it says, “Project Annex.” An annex to The Baseball Hall of Fame! But it’s hard to read the … Uh oh. I can see clearly now. The annex is The Baseball Hall of Shame, and guess who’s coming to dinner, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa? His initials are B.B and it isn’t B.B. King, Mr. Bonds. I guess Columnist Thomas Boswell wasn’t kidding when he wrote, “Cheating is the oldest profession in baseball.” There’s a brothel, disguised as an Annex, to prove it. There’s more memorabilia in Time Capsule 2006 competing for top prize in the despicable human being category. It’s a counterfeit copy of If I Did It, by O.J. “Slasher” Simpson. There are no ifs about it, you homicidal Heisman hoarder! It’s little comfort to any of us that you can add The World’s Most Despicable Human Being trophy to your Punitive Damages Evasion collection. Actually, I must stand corrected. Your taking home the most despicable prize is of great comfort to one man: Ted Kennedy. If it weren’t for the publicity nightmare and subsequent banning of your garbage, the Aquatic Senator Kennedy might have gone ahead with plans to pen a manuscript of his own: Water Under The Bridge. Thanks to your ﬁasco, it’s just that. Shalom, y’all.

Reminiscing is much more fun when what you’re reminiscing about hasn’t had the chance to age.

on the money Strengthen Your Marriage While Strengthening Your Finances

by Dave Ramsey Dave Ramsey is a ﬁnancial counselor, host of the popular syndicated radio show “The Dave Ramsey Show,” and author of the New York Times best-seller The Total Money Makeover. His columns appear regularly in Y’all.

Successfully married couples learn that the “you” in “unity” is silent. You win at marriage by losing your selfish need to get your way in every battle. I am not saying that you must be a doormat, but I am saying most of the turf that couples battle over isn’t nearly as important as the damage the battle brings to the relationship. You get happy marriages by giving up selfish desires in order to win together – winning at creating your visions and goals that flow out of your shared values. In the next few issues of Y’all I’m going to cover some principles that will help improve your marriage and your finances. If you and your spouse haven’t yet sat down to discuss and write out your shared visions and the goals you must achieve to realize them, make it a priority to do so NOW. Why? Because despite the fact that the preacher may have pronounced that “now you are one,” you are not. A lady once called my radio show to tell me that in thirty-nine years of marriage, she and her husband had never had a fight. Sure – and all the politicians in Washington are honest. I had to wonder if they lived in the same state! When we enter this brain-damaged state of mind called love, we think that if we just get married we can fix our mates and their habits. Wrong. The truth is we come to marriage with our own value systems and ways of doing things; those values won’t ever match our partner’s without some work. And part of that work is learning how very different we are. The challenge in a marriage is to work through the different identities, ideals and values you each bring to the relationship. It starts out innocently enough. At first you think, “Isn’t it cute that he doesn’t feel he has to be on time while I am so uptight.” Later you are ready to kill him because he is always late for dinner. One of you is hot and the other is freezing. One of you enjoys crowds and the other wants a lonely walk on a deserted beach. One of you organizes and the other has never folded

a sock in his life. The very things that attract us to each other become the things that, if carried too far, can drive a wedge between us. Yet while our differences can frustrate us, we need each other because those differences are also strengths and allow us to cover each other’s weaknesses. The late Larry Burkett had a great saying which goes: “If two people just alike get married, one of you is unnecessary.” While our differences can sometimes be overlooked, money always tends to bring those differences to the surface. When I tell audiences across America to have an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses saved in a simple money market account just for a rainy day, I see these differences pop up. The relationship-oriented spouse (usually the woman) understands the need for an emergency fund not just in her head, but deep inside her instincts to protect the nest. The man, on the other hand, can understand the emergency fund in his brain, but his task-oriented nature won’t let him leave it alone. Men say things like, “You want me to put $10,000 in a 5 percent account and just let it sit there when it could be in an investment at 12 percent? Are you crazy?” Men want to maximize the return, be efﬁcient, leave the cave, kill something and drag it home. Nevertheless, both sides have to realize that the best investment you will ever make is an investment in your marriage. By funding an emergency fund you will have the need for security met. Men, do this as a gift to your marriage, to your wife because she is wired differently than you. Men and women aren’t equal, they are complementary. Identifying your differences and working with each person’s strengths and weaknesses will make your journey on the road called marriage much smoother. Once you’re on the same page, the management of your money becomes easier as well. In the next issue I’ll explain how the two of you can come together to make a family budget.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

SPORTS and LIFE

DOUG BENC/GETTY

by Max Howell

MAX’d OUT can be heard on many radio stations across the South and on www.maxhowell.com, HookedonDestin.com, and Kickoffzone.com. The show is streamed live daily M-F, 9-12 Noon CT

Winter is about over and spring is just around the corner. College football recruiting has ﬁnished and many teams are preparing for their spring football workouts and looking forward to the 2007 season. Will it be Auburn, LSU and Arkansas in the hunt for the SEC West? Will it be Florida, Georgia, Tennessee or even South Carolina looking to win the SEC East in football? College basketball is at full pace, college baseball is just beginning to take shape and those college juniors and seniors who will have a chance to play in the NFL will go into the draft in April. Not only are college sports gaining momentum in the spring seasons, but major league baseball players are in spring training; the NBA will begin their playoffs in a few weeks; and don’t forget all my NASCAR friends who are watching every Sunday for their favorite driver to bring home the cash. I am now in my ﬁfth decade of playing, coaching and reporting

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on sports. I believe the passion is as strong now as it was when I played in my first high school game. There are lessons in life to be learned on the playing field that can only come from those encounters. Today’s youth need these lessons more than at anytime in recent history. Let’s hope the administration of youth, middle and high school programs never see fit to cancel the opportunity to compete. We adults must ensure that the citizens of the future (our kids) have every opportunity to maintain a competitive and fair society so that the lifestyle we have become accustomed will be preserved. Growing older is no fun, but ensuring this legacy by giving back to society certainly eases the pain. I can count my blessings as to what life’s opportunities have provided me; I know I am counting on many more years to enjoy and help create opportunities for others. See y’all next time…Max

Catﬁsh

A True Southern Favorite: I

f you are a fan of catfish, then we have good news for you: Its the annual Belzoni, Miss., catfish festival. Full of food and fun, this festival attracts people from all over the nation. Never mind the old pie eating contest; in Belzoni, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a catfish-eating contest. Starting around 9 a.m. every year, people begin signing up for this tradition. Contestants must eat three pounds of catfish in 10 minutes to win. The contestants may drink anything they want during the contest to wash it down, but what goes down must stay down in order to win. The plates are weighed at the end to see who has the least left and then a winner is announced. But the eating contest is just the start. Humphreys County also offers a Catfish Capitol open, live music and the crowning of Miss Catfish. The festival began in 1976 as a part of the Belzoni Bicentennial Celebration. This tradition has carried on for 31 years with the 31st Annual Catfish Festival being held on April 14, 2007. The first festival housed around 3000 people and has grown so much over the years that it now takes up the entire downtown. The festival offers plenty of catfish to eat, arts and crafts and many other family oriented activities. Former Governor Cliff Finch dubbed Humphreys County the “Catfish Capitol.” In 1976, total catfish production in the United States was 55,000 acres. Now, in Humphreys County alone, there are 30,000

by Katie Floyd

acres of underwater production. So what is the history behind the fish that is causing such a fuss? According to Southern Pride Catfish, owners of the famous “Pride Ride” (a Volkswagon Beetle adapted to look like a catfish), catfish produce 3,000 to 4,000 eggs annually per pound of body weight. The eggs are then taken to hatcheries where they hatch into “sac fry.” These sac fry grow into “fingerlings” and are then old enough to be taken to catfish farms. The pond at the farm will take 5,000 to 10,000 fingerlings per surface acre and they will be ready for harvest in 18-24 months. After being tested for flavor and quality, the fish are then taken in for processing before being sold. The concept of aquaculture, or the cultivating of plants and animals for human use, is not new. It started over 1,000 years ago and is now the fastest growing segment of agriculture in the U.S. So, with that history in mind, it is no surprise that the Annual World Catfish Festival is such a big attraction. In fact, some of the biggest country music stars got their start performing at this festival, including Garth Brooks, LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride and Tim McGraw. If you are interested in being a part of the festival, more information is available at www. catfishcapitalonline.com or call 1-800408-4838.

Blackened Catﬁsh

Be sure to use exhaust fan or cook outdoors when preparing this dish. 2 tablespoons paprika 2 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons lemon pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 6 farm-raised catﬁsh ﬁllets 2 lemon wedges

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted

Heat a large cast iron skillet or heavy aluminum skillet over high heat for 10 minutes. In a small bowl stir together paprika, salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, ground red pepper, basil, onion powder and thyme. Dip catfish fillets into melted butter or margarine. Coat both sides of catfish with spice mixture, using about 1 tablespoon spice mixture for each fillet. Place coated fillets on waxed paper. Place three fillets at a time in hot skillet (watch out for the smoke). Drizzle each fillet with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter or margarine. Cook over high heat about 2 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves about 6. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

Classic Fried Catﬁsh

Spicy Grilled Catﬁsh

4 catfish fillets 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper Vegetable oil

6 catﬁsh ﬁllets 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 cup chardonnay wine 1 tablespoon pepper 1 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 2 tablespoon lime juice 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon dry mustard

Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Coat catfish with mixture, shaking off excess. Fill a deep pot or 12-inch skillet half full with vegetable oil. Heat to 350 degrees. Add catfish and fry until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes, depending on size. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serves four.

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Mix ingredients together in medium bowl. Add catfish to bowl; marinate for 15 minutes. Drain fillets; place on lightly oiled grill four inches above hot coals. Grill about five minutes per side or until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Baste with marinade while cooking. Serves four.

Rising Southerner

L.A. Lawyer Head-to-Head with Attorney Jim Parkman by Jonathan Craig

Perry Mason might have left the courtroom decades ago, but a modern-day Southern trial lawyer is racking up his own record of victories in federal court.

ttorney Jim Parkman of Dothan, Ala., has successfully represented several high-profile cases recently, including the 36 counts of “not guilty” in 2005 for Birmingham millionaire Richard Scrushy, founder and ex-chairman of HealthSouth. In one of the country’s top corporate cases, three-dozen fraud and money laundering charges in a massive $2.7 billion earnings overstatement were brought against Scrushy. Parkman, 56, and his legal team were the first and only team to successfully represent a defendant under the SarbanesOxley Act (a 5-year-old law that makes it a crime to knowingly sign false financial statements), which was an uphill battle against the strong-arm tactics employed by the government in handling high-profile corporate fraud cases, most notably WorldCom and Enron. Now the lead criminal attorney for The Cochran Firm, this lawyer from L.A. – Lower Alabama – gets to spend time in the other L.A., Los Angeles. After the successful Scrushy decision, Parkman was approached by Johnnie Cochran’s widow, Dale, to lead the criminal cases of the firm. This relationship will give Parkman more national exposure. He will continue to be based in Birmingham. Raised in a family that owned an ice cream company in the Wiregrass, Parkman failed his freshman year of college and subsequently spent six years in the Army. He squared himself away and earned his B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Alabama in

1974. Parkman then went to work as a “Super Bunny” at a Dothan bank. This duty involved giving away Easter eggs to local children in a marketing effort for the bank. It didn’t take long for him to put his eggs in another basket and go to law school. Parkman graduated from Cumberland Law School in 1979, Cum Laude to boot. From small-town lawyer trying DUI cases back home in Dothan, to the national stage, Parkman has retained his Southern identity and gained the respect of national analysts along the way. Fox News’ Neil Cavuto has called him “The Greatest Lawyer on the Planet,” and “One hell of an attorney.” Y’all recently had the chance to sit down with this Rising Southerner: 1. How does being a Southerner help/hurt your professional career? Nationally, the perception of Southerners is that we are less educated and less sophisticated than those in other parts of the country, especially the big metropolitan cities. But, we’ve been very well-received in all the areas outside the South in which we’ve handled cases. I was most recently in Los Angeles handling a case for Stefan Eriksson, a Swedish businessman who allegedly crashed a rare Ferrari Enzo along the Malibu coast earlier this year. It was widely media-covered, and the news hit everywhere. I was on the news every night in L.A. and wondered what everyone was thinking–this guy with a loud drawl. But everyone was very nice to me and very receptive. I even had Los Angeles FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

attorneys tell me that they planned to steal a story that I told in court about my grandma’s pancakes. 2. What has propelled you to the front of legal defense? Twenty-eight years of dedicating my life to representing those accused. Twenty-eight continuous years of hard work and when the opportunity of larger cases arose, my legal team and myself seized the opportunity. 3. Advice for future lawyers? As the great Alabama football coach Bear Bryant quoted: “The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards.” Ultimately, when you have a dream...work hard to fulfill it. 4. What were highlights or memorable moment(s) from the Scrushy case and/or other high-profile cases? During the Scrushy case, on Valentine’s Day 2005, instead of taking my wife on a date, I spent the entire night searching for a receipt from a Mexican restaurant that the government’s primary witness denied existed. When I was able to produce the receipt the next morning, I could see in the jury’s eyes it completed discredited the witness! In Los Angeles for Stefan Eriksson’s case, during the middle of the trial, my co-counsel’s cell phone broke and he took half a day off to go get it fixed. During a court break, I asked the judge (who presided over several celebrity trials) to pretend like she was mad at him. She played it perfectly, and when we all returned from lunch, she called him to the bench and began questioning him about his whereabouts during the morning session. My co-counsel turned 12 shades of crimson, and the judge along with the entire courtroom belted out in laughter at his stuttering explanation. 5. Out of the courtroom, what can we find Jim Parkman doing/enjoying? I enjoy playing with my son, Finn, who is four. And I used to like to hunt and play golf, though my schedule has not permitted these hobbies recently.

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6. What are your favorite things about Lower Alabama and the South? It’s a great place to raise your kids. I really like the fact that Alabama offers everything from a small-scale metropolitan city like Birmingham, to full-on country living. It’s a great environment to teach your children and to foster their development. 7. Please comment on the current state of legal affairs in the U.S. In 2005, my legal team and I were the first and only team to successfully represent a defendant under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which was an uphill battle against the strong-arm tactics recently used by the government in handling high-profile corporate fraud cases. These tactics used by the Justice Department were written by Larry Thompson while acting as a deputy attorney general, and have recently been referred to as the “Thompson Memo.” Some of these recent ‘memo developments’ may be a step in the right direction in the government’s fight on corporate crime. Notably, the current tactics used by the Justice Department include encouraging companies under investigation to avoid indictment by denying the payment of attorney’s fees to employees that are also subjects of the investigation. In many instances, this amounts to the government effectively forcing the corporation to breach its contract with the subject employee; as many corporate officers have contracts

that provide the corporation will pay their legal fees. The government also entices companies to reveal information that is subject to attorney-client privilege and would otherwise be undiscoverable in exchange for leniency. In HealthSouth’s case, though never confirmed, I believe the company signed an agreement, which made prosecutors privy to privileged information and corporate finances during the accounting-fraud probe, and also agreeing to deny Scrushy legal fees. These methods are unconscionable uses of government force to deny unindicted and presumptively innocent individuals their right to counsel under the 6th Amendment to the United States Constitution. I don’t believe that the changes have been initiated by lawmakers seeking to protect constitutional rights. The driving force behind the changes is the investors that have complained about the expense of compliance by the companies, which hurts the stock price. Also, when the companies breach their contract with their executives to pay for legal costs, it opens the company to civil liability. I saw it firsthand with HealthSouth, which originally denied paying Richard Scrushy his attorney’s fees as guaranteed under his contract, and was ordered by the court to pay nearly $20 million in reimbursement fees. I believe many of the changes are designed to prevent damage to the investors and you will see the government begin to concentrate on the individual wrongdoers. The bottom line is: when investors speak, politicians listen.

The James W. Parkman, III Case File FEDERAL CASES

CHARGES

VERDICT

USA v. Scrushy

Not Guilty all counts

USA v. Casper USA v. Grimes USA v. Nemish USA v. Phillips USA v. Merritt USA v. Bond and B

36 Counts. Conspiracy. Wire Fraud. Sarbanes-Oxley. Money Laundering Armed Career Criminal Fraud Bank Fraud Bank Fraud Gun Charge Gambling, Consp. Defraud Govt.

USA v. White

Drug Conspiracy

USA v. Johnson USA v. Mershon USA v. Johnson USA v. Oakley USA v. Williams USA v. Luther USA v. Connell

Theft Charges dismissed Theft of Govt Property Poss. of forged Postal Money Order Distribution Marijuana/ Conspiracy Theft of Explosives Convicted Felon in Possession of Firearm/ Possession of Unregistered Firearm DUI-Federal Property Government Motion

USA v. Lee

Not Guilty Not Guilty Not Guilty Reduced Dismissed 1 year Probation. Dismissed on Government Motion Dismissed (illegal search) Not Guilty Not guilty Guilty Dismissed Dismissed Acquitted on both counts Dismissed on FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

PHOTO BY SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

PHOTO BY JASON REED-POOL/GETTY IMAGES

Maya Angelou Southern Scribe

by Katie Floyd

orn Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Mo., Maya Angelou is a name that should not go unrecognized. After attending public schools in Stamps, Ark., and San Francisco, Calif., Angelou went on to receive honorary degrees from over a dozen colleges and universities

throughout the United States. Dr. Angelou continues to make the South proud with her lifetime appointment in 1982 at the ﬁrst Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. Most famous for her 12 best-selling books such as I Know Why

Above: Maya Angelou speaks during the funeral services for Coretta Scott King at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church February 7, 2006 in Lithonia, Georgia. Coretta Scott King, the wife of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., died January 30 at the age of 78. Seated behind Angelou is U.S. President George W. Bush and ﬁrst lady Laura Bush. Left: Poet and activist Maya Angelou speaks to delegates at the Democratic National Convention July 27, 2004 at FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

“This extraordinary Southerner is ﬂuent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and West African Fanti.”

PHOTO BY FREDERICK M. BROWN/GETTY IMAGES

the Caged Bird Sings and A Song Flung Up To Heaven, Angelou received a Pulitzer Prize Nomination in 1972 for her work Just Give Me A Cool Drink Of Water ‘Fore I Diiie. This extraordinary Southerner is ﬂuent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and West African Fanti. She received a Mother Theresa Award in Aug. 2006 for her “untiring devotion and service to humanity.” Angelou received the Presidential Medal of Arts from President Clinton in 2000 and has had many other presidential involvements dating back to the days of Gerald Ford. She shared her work at a presidential inauguration in 2003; she is only the second poet in history to have the honor of reading at a presidential inauguration. Angelou is no stranger to TV appearances, radio recordings, book signings, and readings and lectures at various academic levels and in many other countries abroad. This bird has sung her word ‘round the world and continues to contribute tirelessly to both her homeland and to other countries that are in need of her soulful contributions.

Dr. Maya Angelou and actor Billy Crystal share a moment after signing an exhibit entitled “Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves” at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, Calif.

Maya Angelou

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The Distinguished Gentlewoman from Baltimore SHOULD READ BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

U.S. House Speaker

Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi

by Jonathan Craig

hen the gavel went down to start the 110th Congress on Jan. 4, 2007, history was made. For the ﬁrst time in American history, a female was Speaker of the House. And not only that, it was a Southerner at the helm, Maryland native Nancy Pelosi (a border state, Maryland has historically skewed more South than North). FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

PHOTO CREDIT SHOULD READ MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

The longtime legislator grew up in the shadow of our nation’s capital, in Baltimore. The youngest of seven children, Pelosi’s father was former U.S. Congressman and Baltimore Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr. “I was the only daughter of a devout Italian Catholic family. Like many ethnic Americans, we were raised to take great pride in our heritage and we have a great love for America,” Pelosi says. “That patriotism led my father and then my brother [Thomas, also a former Baltimore mayor] to public service, which we considered a noble calling.” Pelosi, 66, graduated from Trinity College, an all-female Roman Catholic school in Washington, D.C., in 1962. It was during her college years that she met future husband Paul Pelosi, and the couple would ultimately move to his hometown of San Francisco. Mr. Pelosi is a successful investment-banker, and the Pelosis have amassed an estimated $16 million in assets. She became directly involved with the world of politics when she volunteered in the Democratic Party in Northern California. “Before responding to the call, my husband and I had five children in six years,” she says. “Our children, and now our [six] grandchildren, are the center of our lives. Though I had been Chair of the California Democratic Party, involved in national political campaigns, and deeply committed to public service, I never intended to seek public office.” “When the opportunity presented itself to run for Congress in 1987, four of my five children were in college, and one, Alexandra, was entering her senior year in high school. When I asked her whether she would mind my leaving home and going to Congress, she responded: ‘Mom, get a life.’ What she 38

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meant was ‘get your own life.’ And so I did.” And Pelosi has kept her congressional seat for 20 years, winning at least 76 percent of the vote in each of her 10 elections. In the House, she has served on the Appropriations and Intelligence Committees, and spent much time raising funds for other members. The demands of office require a lot of time and energy, and the fiery politico’s got a unique way of staying on go. Her diet consists mostly of chocolate and chocolate ice cream, and with so much energy, she rarely sleeps. Ghirardelli chocolates are found throughout her office. Pelosi was elected House Minority Whip in 2001. She was the first woman in U.S. history to reach that position. In 2002, after Dick Gephardt resigned as minority leader to seek the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election, Pelosi was elected to replace him, becoming the first woman to lead a major party in the House. The Democratic landslide in the 2006 mid-term elections put the rising star at the head of the House. With her new position, watch for the groundbreaker to stir up Capitol Hill. She’s repeatedly called out President Bush, calling him everything from “incompetent” to “in denial and dangerous.” Pelosi also has repeatedly threatened that since the Democrats have taken the House helm, “the president will have to have a different attitude now that he won’t have a rubber-stamp Congress.” Democrats have signed on to the Marylander’s leadership, and if Pelosi keeps after both sides of the aisle, Washington and the White House could be in for quite a ride the next two years.

The

Naturalist

erhaps you’ve seen a charming Southerner with one heckuva green thumb appearing on The Today Show – or maybe on one of his own TV shows – P. Allen Smith’s Garden Homes, on PBS, or The Weather Channel’s P. Allen Smith Gardens. Or just maybe you’ve read one of his many books on gardening and design. Regardless, Arkansas horticulturalist and garden designer

by Meredith Dabbs

P. Allen Smith has emerged as an authority on gardening techniques and tips. Smith, 46, has compiled generations of knowledge into simple, user-friendly techniques for those of us out there who might have been born without the talent to grow pretty things. He believes it is a “gift to have gardening in my blood and to have family both past and present who have encouraged me to make use of this gift.” FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

“Smith earned a biology degree from Hendrix College and studied garden history and design at the University of Manchester in England on a Rotary Scholarship. He is a Certiﬁed Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society.”

Many members of his family are nursery growers in McMinnville, Tenn., where he traveled from his hometown of Little Rock to spend summers under their guidance. “[My mission is] to help people create beautiful living spaces that blur the lines between indoors and outdoors,” he says, which is most notable in his love of container gardening, bringing the outdoors inside as well as adding a variety of plants inside your home. Smith earned a biology degree from Hendrix College and studied garden history and design at the University of Manchester in England on a Rotary Scholarship. He is a Certiﬁed Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society. In recent years, he has developed a curriculum for teaching horticulture to Little Rock’s third and fourth graders through the Partners in Education Program. The Natural State’s capital city is where Smith is putting the ﬁnishing touches on his new Garden Home Retreat, which will serve as the primary set and shooting location for his future TV programs and magazine features. This Southern greenthumb has always been a voice for 40

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composting and recycling, and has received much recognition for his work, even being awarded the Garden Communicators Award for increasing awareness of America’s “green” industry by the American Nursery and Landscape Association. “My [2007] resolution is to not only become more aware of my impact on the environment, but to also seek solutions,” he says. “Things are not looking good for the old gal [Mother Earth] and I think it is high time to start really focusing my thoughts and deeds toward her well being.” P.Allen Smith Tip No. 1 Amaryllis have the largest ﬂowers that you can produce indoors. In the fall I try to stock up with as many as I can and I keep them in a cool dark place. But every once in a while I ﬁnd an after-Christmas sale and can pick up some then. With all of the seasonal decorations put away, there’s really not much going on in my house this time of year to delight the eye, so amaryllis are nice to have around.

“Gardening tools can be expensive. And if you’re like me, you’re so busy during the spring and summer, you really can’t take care of them properly.“

P.Allen Smith Tip No. 2 Gardening tools can be expensive. And if you’re like me, you’re so busy during the spring and summer, you really can’t take care of them properly. And it’s not until fall when things slow down that you can give them the attention they deserve. Recently, I’ve discovered a way that makes taking care of them much easier; there’s really nothing to it. It involves three basic ingredients: a bucket, some cooking oil and sand. Tools like my pruners always seem to be pitted and covered in rust. It’s because a lot of times I leave them out in the garden. Now by keeping them well oiled, I can keep them rust free and the mechanisms in good working order. I do this by storing them in a bucket of sand and vegetable oil. It’s easy.

Start by ﬁlling a bucket with dry sand and then pour about a half a gallon of vegetable oil evenly over the top, let it sift through and then push your tools in. One of the great things about this idea is that the coarseness of the sand serves like sand paper, it keeps debris off of the tools. And of course, the oil keeps water from damaging the metal. Now, an easy way to take care of larger tools is to take vegetable oil in a can and just spray it on a tool. What I like about the bucket is that it’s become a permanent home for my hand tools; I always know where they are as long as I put them back. And the other thing is by using mineral oil, it’s easy on the environment. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

Dixie Destination: The Cumberland Gap

The Cumberland Gap in Kentucky may very well be one of the biggest hidden jewels of history in the South.

t is the “gap” in the Cumberland Mountains where Daniel Boone crossed, opening up the western frontier for exploration. He fought the Indians at Fort Boonesboro (in Richmond, Ky.), which has been rebuilt for tourists who want to travel back in time to get a glimpse of how the pioneers lived. While there, visitors can learn how the settlers farmed, made soap and clothing, and protected themselves from the outside elements. At Fort Boonesboro, tourists can walk in the footsteps of Daniel Boone - and learn that he did not actually wear a coon skin cap. A few years later, as Civil War battles were being fought all over the country, the state of Kentucky made history with the

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Union Army’s Supply Depot at Camp Nelson in Nicholasville. Today, travelers can see re-enactors replaying the battles of the war, view historical artifacts and tour a plantation home. Camp Nelson sits nestled in beautiful Jessamine County, the gateway to the Cumberland Mountains. Kentucky was the home of President Abraham Lincoln (and also the birthplace of Confederate President Jefferson Davis), and just to the east of the Cumberland Gap you will ﬁnd the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum. While you’re in the area, be sure to visit Middlesboro, where The Lost Squadron Museum houses “Glacier Girl,” a P-38 Tomcat. Looking for a place to stay while visiting Southeast Kentucky?

Dixie Destination continued Try the beautiful and majestic Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. Nestled in the heart of the Cumberland Mountains, every room comes with a view of the mountains and the Kentucky wildlife. The resort has many walking trails, and visitors can take a 20-minute walk to see waterfalls like Honeymoon Falls and the unforgettable Cumberland Falls. Cumberland Falls, called the Niagara of the South, is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Western Hemisphere and it is the only one with a “moonbow,” a rainbow that is visible under the light of a full moon. The 125-foot wide falls drop an astounding 68 feet into the Cumberland River and enthusiasts can take the “Rainbow Mist” raft into the falls themselves to get a closer look. Not far from the falls, outdoorsmen can take a walk through Gap Cave. The cave offers one of the most magical experiences of Kentucky, allowing visitors to explore the “living cave” and get close to many of its creatures, including bats and salamanders. A living cave is a cave that is still being carved out by the water running through it, and visitors can hear the water trickle down the walls (forming stalactites and stalagmites) and running in the cavern’s chambers beneath them. Stearns, just off US 27, offers visitors an opportunity to travel back to a time when coal was king. While there, be sure to take the Big South Fork Scenic Railway to many of the old coalmines and mining camps. The train ride proves to be a spectacular one, winding through the Cumberland Mountains and giving passengers an unforgettable tour. Southeastern Kentucky also offers some great shopping experiences. Many of the crafts you will ﬁnd there are handmade by the area’s expert craftsmen. While you are there you can also visit the very ﬁrst Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Corbin (you didn’t think they just happened by that name did you?). And be sure to try the rich and fabulous Kentucky hot brown sandwich. It is simply amazing. For more information on the intriguing, fascinating and historical world that is Southeastern Kentucky, please visit www. tourseky.com, or give them a shout at 877TOUR-SEKY.

FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

�� PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARY ROSE CARTER

Pilgrimage of the South As springtime approaches, many of the historic homes throughout Dixie open their doors and welcome visitors to experience a taste of the Old South. Spring pilgrimages and historic home tours attract visitors of all ages and from all over the world. by Keith Sisson

here are different types of historic homes available for tourists. One is basically a museum-style tour, where the unoccupied historic home is open year-round, like George and Martha Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia. The second tour is also available yearround, but has one big difference from the museum-style tour. These homes have current residents, and while they have been adapted to include modern conveniences for day-to-day life, the homeowners have made extraordinary sacriﬁces to routinely share their homes with the public. An example of this type of home is Waverly Plantation in West Point, Miss. The third type is a home that operates as a normal house the entire year – with the exception of a few days when it participates in a pilgrimage with other homes in the area, allowing visitors a rare opportunity to tour what is normally a closed-off, private home. When touring a historic home, it is not only a tour of architecture, furniture and heirlooms; it is also a history lesson that lends further understanding to the unique past of this region. Y’all is pleased to showcase some of the opportunities to enjoy this look into the past by exploring a few of the historic homes spread across the South.

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Pilgrimage of the South MISSISSIPPI

Although historic home tours in the South can be Victorian, antebellum or colonial, the Mecca of historic home tours begins and ends in Mississippi. From Natchez to Columbus, Vicksburg to Holly Springs, the Magnolia State is in a category all its own. Natchez The story of how the Natchez Pilgrimage Tours began is quite remarkable. In the spring of 1931, the Mississippi Federation of Garden Clubs met in Natchez. A tour of the gardens and landscaping was planned, but unseasonably low temperatures pushed the guests inside. The décor and original beauty of the homes amazed the visitors. Plans were then made to have a pilgrimage week the following year. The ladies greeted visitors from all over in dresses worn by their grandmothers, while using their ancestral stories to give life to the furnishings. The result was an economic success for the Depression-depraved Natchez community. This year will mark Natchez’s 75th pilgrimage. Due to Natchez’s location on the Mississippi River (and locals ability to befriend Union soldiers during the War Between

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the States), the historic homes of Natchez were not burnt during the city’s 1863 surrender. Mixed in with the 600plus antebellum properties are some 30 properties that participate in the town’s annual spring pilgrimage. Although some can be toured year-round, most are only available during the pilgrimage. Accompanying festivities include Historic Natchez pageants and balls, a tribute to the Black heritage of the region and a local play that is a spoof of the whole pilgrimage experience. Participating in the Natchez Pilgrimage can be a one-day or a one-month affair. The historic Eola Hotel or Dunleith Plantation both offer luxury guest accommodations, along with the many bed and breakfasts that this special city has to offer. Dates: March 10 – April 14, 2007 Major attractions: Stanton Hall, Longwood, Monmouth, Linden and Dunleith Plantation. For more information visit www.natchezpilgrimage.com, or call (601) 446-6631. Vicksburg Vicksburg shares many similarities with Natchez. One of those similarities is the Mississippi River; and it was the river that cost Vicksburg many of its historic homes. The Union Army thought that by controlling the river at Vicksburg it could control commerce to Confederate ports. After a 47day siege led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Vicksburg ﬁnally surrendered, after losing many homes and artifacts. Today, most homes that are available for tours are open year-round and are also bed and breakfasts. Vicksburg was the largest Mississippi City at the time of the War Between the States. Founded in 1698, the city offers Greek Revival, antebellum and turn of the century architecture, making the Vicksburg Spring Pilgrimage one of the most diverse tours in the state. Dates: March 24-April 14, 2007 Major attractions: Cedar Grove, Vicksburg National Military Park, Old Court House Museum, McRaven and Duff Green. For more information visit www.vicksburgpilgrimage , or call 601-636-9421.

Meridian’s Pages Out of Time

Merrehope Pages out of time come alive at Merrehope and F.W. Williams — both historic Victorian homes in Meridian, Mississippi. Each survived the perils of the past and has been restored by the Meridian Restorations Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving the area’s history. Merrehope, despite General William T. Sherman’s Civil War claim that “Meridian no longer exists,” stands resolutely as an elegant Meridian historical treasure. Victorian F.W. Williams Home, circa 1886, evokes an era of the fashionably rich. Lavish interior decorating details reflect how no expense was spared.

TOURS BY APPOINTMENT

F.W. Williams Home Meridian/Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau 1-888-868-7720 www.visitmeridian.com

�� Each home on the Vicksburg Pilgrimage tour is privately owned and occupied, with most listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many offer bed and breakfast accomodations by prior arrangement. The homes are impeccably maintained, furnished with period antiques and still as resplendent as ever. Join us for Vicksburg’s Spring and Fall Pilgrimages and enjoy a visit you will long remember.

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Pilgrimage of the South Columbus Columbus, like Natchez, didn’t host a major battle, the result of which is a large number of original antebellum homes remain intact. An eclectic style of architecture ranging from Greek Revival, Gothic and Italianate make the Columbus Pilgrimage one of unique diversity. While only a few homes are open year-round, most of the homes on the spring pilgrimage tour are open for guided tours on a limited basis. Expect for homeowners to greet you with period costumes and elaborate activities of the 1800s. Even people who are not interested in the homes will ﬁnd enjoyment on the highly personable tours. The Columbus Historic Foundation is the operating body of the Columbus Pilgrimage, and is located on Main Street in a Victorian that was the ﬁrst house of Pulitzer award-winning playwright Tennessee Williams. Accompanying events include Tales From The Crypt, where local students from the Mississippi School for Math and Science research and portray the lives of some of the original Columbus residents buried at Friendship Cemetery. Garden tours are popular in the mornings, while candlelight tours of select homes in the evening give visitors an idea of what an average night was like in the 1800s. Church tours, cemetery tours, carriage rides and period musical concerts make this pilgrimage a hit. Dates: March 26-April 7, 2007 Major Attractions: Temple Heights, Twelve Gables, White Arches, Rosedale and Colonnade Garden. For more information visit www.historic-columbus.org or call 662-329-3533. Also, historic Waverly Plantation is open yearround in nearby West Point, Miss.

LOUISIANA St. Francisville Louisianans are used to Kings: The King of France, the Kings of Mardi Gras balls, The King’s Highway and “The Kingﬁsh.” Well, the King of Louisiana pilgrimages is St. Francisville. Located on the Old River Road (US 61) 30 minutes north of Baton Rouge, St. Francisville is the must-see plantation country for all people wishing to gain an appreciation for yesteryear. This year the community will host its 36th annual pilgrimage. Seven of the homes on the pilgrimage are open year-round, ﬁve of them operating as existing residences. The rest of the homes on tour are only open for that one weekend. The Pilgrimage is dedicated to artist James Audubon, who arrived in the area in 1821 with the goal of painting every bird in America. In his short time in the area, Audubon painted 80 different species. Other activities include hymn singings, graveyard tales, The Saturday Soiree (featuring dancing and dinner in the historic downtown), historic garden tours and a wine and cheese party at the museum. Dates: March 16-18, 2007

attractions: Main Rosedown, Wakeﬁeld, Oakley, and the West Feliciana Historical Society Museum. For more information visit www.audubonpilgrimage.com, or call (225) 635-6330.

ALABAMA Eufaula Eufaula, located on the west bank of Chattahoochee River (30 minutes south of Columbus, Ga.), celebrates its 42nd Pilgrimage in 2007. Offering visitors the opportunity to tour the homes built by Alabama’s planter class, this pilgrimage will open private homes during this return to the Old South. Architecture ranges from Greek Revival cottages to Italianate showplaces. A Pilgrimage King and Queen, along with the Queen’s Court and other volunteers, will tour visitors through the homes. Other festivities include an open-air art exhibit, afternoon teas, candlelight tours, musical entertainment and an antiques show. Dates: March 30-April 1, 2007 For More information visit www.eufaulapilgrimage.com, or call 1-888-EUFAULA. Selma Belles in hoop skirts serve as a backdrop for the Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society’s Annual Pilgrimage. Selma, located an hour west of Montgomery on US 80, is known for its Civil War and Civil Rights history. The pilgrimage offers tours of privately owned historic homes, a church tour, an antique show, a bus tour of Old Town, and a twilight living history tour at Old Live Oak cemetery, where a statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan B. Forrest is located. Forrest’s last engagement was the Battle of Selma, held on April 2, 1865. Dates: March 16-18, 2007 Main attractions include Vaughn-Smitherman Building, The Oaks, Mills House, Sturdivant Hall, Edmund Pettus Bridge and the St. James Hotel. For more information visit http://pilgrimage.selmaalabama. com/, or 1-800-45-SELMA. FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

Pilgrimage of the South GEORGIA Thomasville Thomasville does not have a traditional spring pilgrimage. What the Southwest Georgia city has is a driving tour of historic homes, and a few homes that are open year-round for tours. One of the most unique homes of the late 1800s is the Lapham-Patterson house museum. It displays some of the most creative architecture and craftsmanship of the Victorian era. One of the other homes is Pebble Hill Plantation. The 40-room main house sits among 3,000 acres and is one of the South’s premier plantations, and is open year-round. Several of Thomasville’s Victorian-era homes have been converted to bed and breakfasts. The new B&Bs fall right in line with Thomasville’s unique past as a resort destination. During the Resort Era, which occurred between 1870 and 1900, around 15 hotels, 25 boarding houses and 50 winter cottages were built. During that time, the fall and winter population of Thomasville almost tripled from people wishing to escape harsh winters to enjoy the recreation and active social scene. People wishing to visit Thomasville in the spring may want to do so the weekend of March 2-4, 2007. Thomasville’s famous antique auction and sale attracts dealers from all over the world. For more information visit www.thomasvillega.com, or call 229-228-7977.

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Dates: March 30-April 1, 2007 For more information visit www.wwtourofhome.com, or call 706-678-2013.

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Where History meets Hospitality.

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Washington Washington, Georgia’s annual spring pilgrimage is more than a historic home tour. Churches, museums and B&Bs round out the red carpet options that are rolled out every year for pilgrimage visitors in this lovely town, nestled between Athens and Augusta. Some 16 buildings participate in this one-weekend pilgrimage. Home tours take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, with candlelight tours on Friday and Saturday night. The candlelight tours also offer a champagne dessert soiree each night. Limited seating is available at the annual seated luncheon at noon on Saturday at the historic Women’s Clubhouse. Also, the Washington Little Theatre hosts evening performances during the weekend. Major attractions: LaFayette Manor Inn, Holly Court Inn, Wisteria Hall, and The Mary Willis Library

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Come see a variety of architectural styles and tour homes rarely open to the public. Take an engaging twilight tour of Selma’s historic cemetery. Discover why our hospitality is as legendary as our history.

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1 800 45 SELMA www.SelmaAlabama.com

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March 16-18 Historic Selma Pilgrimage & Antique Show

TENNESSEE Mount Pleasant/Columbia/Spring Hill/Franklin/Nashville Unlike mountainous East Tennessee, the middle part of the state was plantation country. Before the Civil War, the fertile lands of Middle Tennessee were home to many magniﬁcent and grand plantations. The Tennessee Antebellum trail features a 78mile driving trail looping through Davidson, Williamson and Maury Counties. While this is mostly a driving tour, where the insides of the houses are not open for tours, there are a few estate homes and museums that offer guided tours. Everything from antebellum mansions to horse farms combines to make this a unique experience. The area is also rich in Civil War history. Carnton Plantation in Franklin still has bloodstains on the ﬂoor from the nearly 300 men wounded during the Battle of Franklin. Attractions include Belmont Mansion in Nashville, McGavock Cemetery in Franklin, The Carter House in Franklin, The McLemore House (which serves as the area’s Black History Museum) in Franklin, Rippavilla in Spring Hill, and the James K. Polk Home in Columbia. For more information call 1-888-852-1860.

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A Love Affair: The Rebirth of Temple Heights by Keith Sisson

If every home has a story, then most homes on a pilgrimage tour could have a best-selling novel. If These Walls Could Talk would be the name of our hypothetical novel. Some homes have had the same family living in them for over six, seven, even eight generations. Those homes were most likely always cared for, always kept in great shape and were never far away from their original luster. Other homes didn’t have such a grand story of passed-down aristocracy through family dynasties. One such house is Temple Heights in Columbus, Miss. Temple Heights was built in 1837 by planter Richard Thomas Brownrigg (1793-1846). Brownrigg had relocated 52

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to Mississippi from Edenton, N.C., with his wife, Mary. Upon reaching the area, the Brownriggs lived in a 12-room log house on the Tombigbee River that had belonged to a Choctaw Indian chief. Mrs. Brownrigg wanted to live closer to Columbus so that she could entertain friends, and her husband responded with an exact replica of the floor plan from their North Carolina home. Following the Brownriggs was a series of owners throughout the century following the Civil War. Thomas Harris only had it for a few years, followed by the Fontaine family for 20 years (their

daughter Anne Fontaine carved her name on the glass that is still visible from the front walk), and then the Kennebrew family from 1887-1960. The house was then purchased by a Columbus native, who would only sell the house to someone who would restore it. That is where Carl and Dixie Butler came in. Carl was in graduate school at Vanderbilt in Nashville when personal business took him to Columbus for the first time. According to future wife Dixie, Carl liked the town and liked Temple Heights. He first thought of renting it for a summer. Instead, he went back to

Nashville with the floor plan and asked Dixie, then in graduate school herself at Peabody College, if she would like to live in the house. “I said, ‘Do you mean do I want to live in the house with you?’ and he said ‘yes,’ and I said ‘yes,’ so we bought the house and got married and moved from Nashville a year later and got jobs in Columbus,” Mrs. Butler recalls. When they first started to restore the then 130-year-old home, the Butlers did so with little money and little knowledge of what exactly to do. Perhaps it was because the house was visibly in such bad shape that only Dixie and Carl noticed how structurally sound Temple Heights was. “The real estate people told us to bulldoze the house, that the real value was the land,” says Mrs. Butler. The Butlers attribute the poor condition of the house to the 80 years of the Kennebrew family’s tenure. It was stated in the Kennebrew will that the house could not be sold as long as there was an unwed daughter. They had three. The girls didn’t mistreat the house, but instead neglected it because they didn’t have the money for upkeep. According to Mrs. Butler, that was a blessing in disguise. “Because they didn’t have a lot of money, they were forced to keep the house close to its original form, which made it easier to restore.” One of the first things the Butlers did was install a new bathroom and new kitchen. “We got married in September ’68, and went back to Nashville for our last year of graduate school. We thought if we had a kitchen and a bathroom then we could ‘rough-it’ in other areas.” During that first year of marriage, Dixie said they traveled from Nashville on the weekends to Columbus to work on the house. “The outside of the house had not been painted in many years. After repainting it, the house looked very much like it does today.”

room at a time. The house had been wired for electricity but they opted to replace all the wiring and add new plumbing. Thus began a long process of restoring everything – floor to ceiling, room to room – that sometimes forced Dixie and Carl out of the house and into the Holiday Inn. Eagar to share the raw beauty of their home and their recent accomplishments with the community, the Butlers placed Temple Heights on the Columbus Spring Pilgrimage in the spring of 1970, their first year in the house. “We didn’t show all the rooms the first few years, plus it was a candlelight tour and everything and everyone looked better in the candlelight,” Mrs. Butler laughs. It took six to eight years of constant work to put fresh sheetrock on all the walls and restore the floors. Although, like any home, there is always work to be done. Just a few years ago the Butlers redid the kitchen and added a second bathroom: “The first 39 years we had to use the bathroom on the third floor.” The furnishings of Temple Heights are equally impressive as the home itself. The only piece of furniture they had when they started was a piano made in 1870 that Dixie’s grandparents gave her when she graduated from Dixie Butler holding “Victoria” inside Temple Heights Blue Mountain College. They decided to go with they would come back later and redo it furniture that would be representative to correctly. Because they were just starting the period of the original owners. They out and had little money, they had to studied American classic furniture and be resourceful. “We figured out that we according to Dixie, it was a good thing could paint each side of a newspaper and they didn’t have a lot of money when stick it over a hole in the wall and then they started out. “We learned a lot as we paint over it, that it looked pretty good— went, which prevented us from making a until someone stuck a hand through it,” lot of mistakes. It got to the point that Mrs. Butler says. we knew what we were looking for better They tried to do one room a weekend than the dealers.” getting ready for the summer of ’69, As one could imagine, furnishing a when the couple would make Temple large home with antique furniture and Heights their permanent residence. doing so on two teachers’ salaries was After making the house livable, the challenging. Dixie has been known to Butlers began correctly restoring one say that they were often lucky to find the This prompted one local boy to tell Carl, “Golly, Coach Butler. Now when people drive by they won’t know how horrible it looks on the inside!” (Mr. Butler worked part-time as a local swim coach while finishing his degree.) To freshen the house up and prepare it for more than just weekend living, the Butlers would bestow a temporary (cheap) fix on each room knowing that

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‘right thing at the wrong place, which made it affordable.” Meaning that oftentimes, they would find a piece that meant more to them than the seller. Dixie recalls the early days when she and Carl would wake early on a Saturday morning to make round-trip, day-long excursions to New Orleans for antique auctions, not staying in hotel rooms in an effort to have more money to spend on antique pieces for their home. Temple Heights continues its tradition of candlelight tours with the 2007 Columbus Spring Pilgrimage. Ten actors dressed in period clothing will represent members of each of the families that have called the mansion home since 1837. They await you in each room of the house telling you about the home, the furnishings, and about the lives of the former residents. Mrs. Butler says that the dramatic representation was an idea that she

and Carl developed to make the tour more interesting. “We tried hard to give correct information about the house, then we learned we were competing for the entertainment dollar, so Carl wrote the scripts and it has grown from

former slave of the original owners. Butler says that through Henderson they have learned more about the Brownrigg family. Henderson and his family often visit Temple Heights, and he has sat on the front steps of the old slave quarters and kitchen to tell the story of his ancestors to pilgrimage attendees. “It’s awful special. He has more right to tell the story of the house than anyone else,” Mrs. Butler explains. When the slaves were freed they took the Brownrigg family name. Today, the restoration of Temple Heights is complete. Carl Butler died in 2003, and Dixie has since retired from being a local school principal. Temple Heights is one of the few homes that are open year-round for tours. “I enjoy showing the house. Carl and I early on felt like we were blessed to live here, but we knew this was everyone’s heritage and that we were obligated to share it with the public.”

Temple Heights continues its tradition of candlelight tours with the 2007 Columbus Spring Pilgrimage. Ten actors dressed in period clothing will represent members of each of the families that have called the mansion home since 1837. one actor to whole house full of folks.” One person who has been one of the actors is Dr. Lawrence Henderson, a descendent of Greg Brownrigg, a

Temple Heights 515 Ninth Street North Columbus, Miss. 39701 Phone 662-328-0599, 1-800920-3533 Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., or by appointment. Admission is $7.50.

Temple Heights Fact: When the house was built, it had just one porch and one set of columns that were located on the south side of the house. Other columns were added in the 1850s to surround the house. The original columns were solid trees that were carved and slightly tapered. The later columns were not solid trees and not tapered. It is hard to tell the difference by looking at them, but a knock on the columns will produce a uniquely different sound.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

Historic Homes: Why We Care for todd childs, the fact that they’re old is just the beginning. He can’t get enough of the creaky floors, tall ceilings and the legacies these southern treasures hold. by Todd Childs Southerners, by nature, are houseproud people. There is no self-respecting Southerner’s domicile so removed from personal vanity that it won’t at least bear a bottle tree or whirling plastic daisy purposefully arranged in the front yard as a signal to the world that this is their own spot. Like Gary Cooper yearning for a piece of Tennessee bottom land in Sgt. York, we all need a place of our own that we can be proud of. It is our nature. We have a historic fascination with buildings and architecture. In the brief conflagration of prosperity that illuminated the South in the late-18th and early-19th centuries, some of the finest residential structures in the United States were being built here. Houses, for us, regardless of size or grandeur, do more than house our bodies. They are the vessels of our lives and our families’ legacies. Our family homes are a kind of third parent and are imbued with all the powers of comfort and reassurance associated with their human counterparts. As with the rest of the country, the 1930s in the American South were depression years. The Depression for the South added insult to injury. We were not strangers to poverty. Reconstruction had assured that acquaintance, but the deficit of morale was a bitter taste on the Southern tongue. The early twentieth century, from a preservationist standpoint, was arguably an infinitely more tenuous time for the South’s ante-bellum structures than the War Between the States had ever been. Lack of interest, enthusiasm and income doomed plantation houses across

the South. Scores of important buildings were dismantled, taken over by tenants, burned by vagrants or simply left to die. To those of us who consider ourselves old house people, the mere mention of names like Belle Grove, Woodlawn and Uncle Sam are inextricably fused with pangs of regret. All of those and countless others have disappeared… some leaving behind remnants of footings or gardens turning feral but most only leaving faint traces in cloudy memory. It was a fortuitous alignment of stars in the dense cosmos of cultural renaissance the South had begun to experience in the ‘30s that would begin to turn the tide for architectural preservation. And, naturally, it was largely a constellation of women. It’s little wonder that necessity is called the mother of invention. It was, after all, necessity and mothers that would give rise to the notion of house tours in the South. In response to spiraling costs of

“These days you can’t turn around down here without knocking over a Yankee who’s standing around waiting for you to do something eccentric.”

Todd Childs is a Mississippi-born writer living in Birmingham, Ala. He has served as resident director of Waverley Plantation Mansion since 1996 and is an outspoken advocate for historic preservation.

up-keep, English country houses for centuries had opened their gardens and homes to interested parties for tours. It was for that precise reason that the ladies of Natchez, Miss., decided to open the gardens of their homes in the early ‘30s. An untimely frost on the eve of their inaugural venture ruined the gardens and the reluctant decision was made to open the doors. It must have seemed a gamble. Would anyone pay to see their houses? Was it presumptuous to think that they might? Their concerns were unfounded and the tours found success. Natchez’s Pilgrimage is now the second oldest home tour in the United States. However, it may not have found the level of significance it now enjoys had it not been for the story of a remarkable woman that never existed. Gone with the Wind was published by Margaret Mitchell in 1936. This book brought to the literary world an impression of the South that would eventually become one of its more favorable stereotypes. But, it wasn’t until Vivien Leigh solidified the tangible image of a kind of magnolia Madonna that the sacredness of history raised the collective FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

Waverly Plantation

Visit this 1852 mansion featuring twin, circular, selfsupporting stairways leading to a 65 foot-high, octagonal observation cupola. Also, featuring original gold-leaf mirrors and Italian marble mantels. Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Everyday except Christmas. $7.50 per person. Children under 6 free. West Point, Mississippi • 662-494-1399 chin of the South’s battered pride. These two events, while not creating the move for historic preservation in the South, helped to make it the people’s cause. “Scarlett’s” epic story, against the backdrop of a world most Southerners knew only from stories past from elderly relatives, became their story and these houses were their houses. The world-wide interest in the book and subsequent movie had drawn the attention of curious and uncharacteristically benign eyes from the North and beyond. Over the many years since, it has proven to be outsider interest in us and our ways that have enabled us to preserve, for many reasons, our past. These days you can’t turn around down here without knocking over a Yankee who’s standing around waiting for you to do something eccentric. They don’t realize that we have to work up to full-blown nuts sometimes. Regardless, we are grateful for the interest and do our best to accommodate by offering a nice tour while we plan our next kooky antic. As I said, I am an old house person. The creak of a floorboard or the sound of laughter under high-ceilings is, to me, auditory bourbon. It warms me. It relaxes me. It soothes me. And it is my addiction to and love of these vanishing vestiges that have led me and my brother over every wallowed-out back road we could find that hinted at the promise of glimpsing some undiscovered structure. It is as intoxicating to find an old place in the raw as it is to see a full-out restoration, but certain intangibilities remain constant and all serve to feed that part of me. The last decade and a full one-third of my life have been spent in the architectural equivalent of an opium den.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

“Like, Scarlett? Um, I totally don’t give a damn or whatever.” Doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?

Waverley Mansion is one of the most historic and architecturally significant pre-war structures in Dixie. Robert Snow, the home’s savior, is, consequently, arguably one of the region’s most important historic preservationists. I have the remarkable good fortune to know them both well. It is the relationship I have enjoyed with these two regional icons that has led me to my own truth of the often-misunderstood significance these structures hold for Southern people… my people. In an increasingly globalized society that pays great lip-service to the virtues of cultural diversity, diversity is getting increasingly harder to find. The subtleties of societal idiosyncrasies are being lost in the infinite ethos that exists within our televisions, computers and iPods. When a kid from Atlanta sounds like the kids on The O.C., somethin’ ain’t right, as my grandfather would say. “Like, Scarlett? Um, I totally don’t give a damn or whatever.” Doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it? (Thank God I watched Andy Griffith.) Though antebellum structures of all sizes and styles exist across the eastern U.S., it is our columns, cupolas, porches and porticoes that are the best known and most evocative. Like drawls and dogwoods, it’s one of the things that makes us us. And so, for me anyway, the conservation of these structures is not the preservation of a well-executed amalgam of materials (though it is that) or a pining lament for an extinct way of life (as is, unfortunately, sometimes believed). It is, simply, a preservation of one more of those invaluable little quirks that makes us so different, and everyone else so curious.

yʼall

of fame

Margaret Mitchell

(1990-1949)

The creator of Gone With the Wind, “Rhett Butler” and “Scarlett OʼHara” was a Southern Belle.

orn in Atlanta in 1900, Margaret Mitchell was a bit of a rebel growing up. She returned home from school one day to tell her mother, Maybelle, that she simply did not understand math and was quitting school. Her mother, always cunning, took the young Mitchell down a rural Georgia street where the burned plantation homes could still be seen. There, Mitchellʼs mama informed her of the ways of the world while pointing at the ruins and ghosts of the Civil War. Maybelle told her young daughter, “It has happened before and it will happen again. And when it does happen, everyone loses everything and everyone is equal. They all start again with nothing at all except the cunning of their own brain and the strength of their hands.” Armed with those words, Mitchell returned to

grade school and went on to enter Smith College in 1918. Her college career was cut short, though, when her fiancé, Clifford Henry, was killed in France while fighting World War I, and her mother died of the flu in 1919. Mitchell returned to Georgia to run the family home. Always a bit of a free spirit, Mitchell did not get along with the debutantes of her day. She became a reporter in the 1920s and soon after married Berrien Upshaw, editor of The Atlanta Journal, and Mitchellʼs own boss. The young couple divorced in 1924, with Mitchell remarrying John Marsh, another newspaperman, in 1925. It was after she wed Marsh and left The Atlanta Journal that Mitchell went to work on Gone with the Wind, the epic novel that would make the writer worldfamous and win her the Pulitzer Prize. Published in 1936, the novel is one of the most popular books of

FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

all time, selling more copies than any other hard-cover book, apart from the Bible, and is reputed to be still selling at 200,000 copies a year. When the movie adaptation of the book arrived on Dec. 15, 1939, Mitchell was in the audience with stars Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. The ﬁlm became the highest-grossing ﬁlm in the history of Hollywood, and received a record-breaking number of Academy Awards. Mitchell was killed in 1949, at age 48, as a car hit her as she crossed Peachtree Street. She is buried in Atlantaʼs Oakland Cemetery. Today, Mitchellʼs fans can tour her home on Peachtree Street in historic Atlanta, where Gone with the Wind was written.

Gone with the Wind Trivia The movie premiered at Loew’s Grand Theater in Atlanta, Ga., on December 15, 1939.

In the novel, “Scarlett” had three children - one boy and two girls - while in the movie, she only had one daughter.

Clark Gable, always the prankster, put real Scotch in the decanter instead of tea while he and Hattie McDaniel were ﬁlming the scene in which “Rhett” and “Mammy” were toasting the arrival of “Bonnie Blue.”

When she started writing Gone with the Wind, Mitchell began by calling Tara Fountenoy Hall.

“Rhett Butler” was from Charleston, S.C.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

CBS paid $35,000,000 to broadcast Gone with the Wind on television. The novel has now been published in 28 languages world wide. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” was the famous last line said by Clark Gable at the end of the ﬁlm.

Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Joe Ely, & Guy Clark Fri., Feb. 16th • 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 17th • 8 p.m.

Willy Wonka

Presented by the Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration on Tour

Lost in Yonkers Presented by Montana Repertory Theatre

Leahy

Tues., March 13th • 8 p.m.

Fri., March 2nd • 8 p.m.

Vicki Lawrence Sat., April 14th 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Kathy Mattea

Sat., April 28th • 8 p.m.

Fri., March 30th • 8 p.m.

The Temptations Review Featuring Dennis Edwards

Sat., May 12th • 8 p.m.

Imagine enjoying a premiere performing arts event in a stunning Victorian Grand Opera House theatre that dates back to 1889. That’s just the beginning of what you’ll experience when you visit the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian, located on the Mississippi-Alabama border. For a complete listing of our performing arts season, to purchase tickets or to learn more about the conference and special event space, visit www.msurileycenter.com. 2200 Fifth Street • Meridian, MS 39301 601-696-2200

PHOTO BY MIKE BROWN/GETTY IMAGES

Elvis Presley, What Kind Of Damn Name Is That?

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer

SCOTTY MOORE by Laura Leigh Shull

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

“When I heard Heartbreak Hotel, I knew what I wanted to do in life. It was as plain as day. All I wanted to do in the world was to be able to play and sound like that. Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty.” - Keith Richards

orn Winfield Scott Moore III near the West Tennessee town of Humboldt on Dec. 27, 1931, Scotty Moore is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and one of the men responsible for creating and discovering the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Growing up in a family with a musical background, Moore has been involved with music since he was a young child. Little did he know when he picked up a guitar for the first time, at age 14, he’d ultimately be the guitarist for one of the greatest legends ever known. Moore tells his story and how the word “accident” sums up much of the King’s beginnings. In the early 1950s, Moore served in the Navy before moving to Memphis to clean and make hats at his brother’s factory. But hats weren’t the only things on Moore’s mind. Moore started a band and played gigs on the weekends. He started out playing on a 15-minute radio show, but needed more publicity. This is when he met Sam Phillips, the owner of Memphis Recording Service and the man who would sign Presley to his label, Sun. Moore’s band, Doug Poindexter and the Starlite Wranglers, worked with Phillips and “sold maybe eight albums,” Moore recalls from his house in Goodlettsville, Tenn., where he’s called the Nashville area home for the past 40 years. As Moore and Phillips continued working together, they became great friends. They frequently had coffee and talked in the afternoons when Moore was finished working at the hat factory. It was one afternoon in 1954 when the two of them and another friend, Bill Black, along with Phillip’s secretary, Marion Keisker, first brought up the “kid who was in the studio sometime ago, that had a good voice.” Phillips acknowledged the remark, but that was all that was said. No name or specifics were mentioned. Two weeks later the three were having coffee again. Moore once again asked Phillips if he had ever called “that kid who’d been in here.” The producer hadn’t. Phillips then told Keisker to go get his number, but still no name was brought up. When she handed the number to Moore, he looked at it and with a laugh said, “Elvis Presley, what kind of damn name is that?” That was the first time, but definitely not the last, that they would hear that name. Moore called Presley that night, and asked him if he would come over for an audition on Sunday, July 4, 1954. When he came to the house to sing, it was if he knew every song in the world. “He may have not known how to play it, but he’d just stop playing and keep right on singing. It always amazed me the talent he had with his voice,” Moore says. Phillips then scheduled another audition for the next night. Presley sang just as the previous night, and everyone had the same thing to say, “He had a good voice,” but that was it. Just as Moore and Black were about to leave, the door to the control room was opened and Elvis just burst out singing “That’s Alright,” a song that had been on one of Phillips’ earlier records. “So Bill picked up his bass and I got my guitar, and we started singing with him.” Phillips overheard this, and was impressed.

“He wanted to know what we were doing, and we said we were just goofing around. He said, well goof around some more, that sounds pretty good,” Moore recalls. They had been doing it all night long, but no one had been impressed until that moment. “And that was it, that song was the first record, and it was all an accident! What I didn’t know at this time was that Elvis had previously been in the studio and recorded his own little record, but it was never mentioned. This fact has been amazing to me that it was never mentioned. He never mentioned it. Sam never mentioned it.” The next day Phillips took “That’s Alright” to a late night radio show and asked them to “listen” to it. Instead of only listening, the deejay ended up playing it over and over again on-air, and got an enormous response. “After this, all hell broke loose,” Moore says. Moore continued to work with Elvis, managing and playing for him, and then only playing for him because of the strenuous responsibilities. Much of the success of hits such as “Jailhouse Rock,” “Heartbreak Hotel” and “My Baby Left Me,” can be attributed to Moore’s unique playing style. Phillips would sell Presley’s rights to RCA and begin to work with other artists such as Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. Colonel Tom Parker took managerial control, and never wanted anything to do with Moore and the band. “He tried his best to get us fired. We were there before him, and that bothered him [Parker]. But Elvis wouldn’t do that,” Moore says. Moore released a solo album called The Guitar That Changed the World in 1964. He played with Elvis during the 1960s and also played with him during the comeback special in 1968. He also played in a few of Presley’s movies. The last time Moore saw Presley was during the ’68 special. They didn’t correspond during his last years because he was not able to get in touch with Presley because of the “new people,” aka The Memphis Mafia. Moore also continued to work with Phillips on different projects. He produced Thomas Wayne’s 1959 hit, “Tragedy.” He then used his engineering expertise to help outfit the new Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, built in the early ‘70s. He has played and produced on many albums during the past half-century. Moore’s guitars are scattered between Tennessee and California. His most famous guitar, a 63 Gibson Super 400 Sunburst (the one Elvis switched with him during the comeback special), is displayed at the Hard Rock Café in Memphis. At 75, the father of five and grandfather of “many” is currently working on various classic blues projects, produced in his own home studio. The living legend is still active, playing guitar at occasional gigs around the world and enjoying the time he spends on his tractor back home in Tennessee. *Many of the stories of Scotty Moore’s years with Presley are found in the recent memoir That’s Alright, Elvis (Schirmer Trade Books), which Moore authored with James Dickerson. FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

Southern Comfort-able:

The Best Boutiques in Dixie by Nikkie Neely

ravel today, whether for business or pleasure, can prove to be overwhelming. After dealing with roadmaps, flight arrangements, what to pack, and what to do once one arrives, choosing a place to stay from the neverending list of hotels and motels proves a challenge that usually results in a quick and convenient call to the nearest Holiday Inn. While one can’t deny the efficiency of a standard hotel chain, it can be hard to resist the temptation of a hip, modern boutique hotel. Boutique hotels are a great alternative to mainstay hotels and offer a more personal stay influenced by history, design, and culture. From Texas to Virginia, Southern hospitality is making its mark in this up-and-coming trend. Full of style, unbeatable service, and individuality, our list below 62

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

will satisfy the pickiest of travelers and keep them coming back for more. 1. Austin, Texas: Do you know the way to San Jose? This question was once belted out by Dionnne Warwick, who obviously hadn’t been to Austin’s eclectic San Jose Hotel, or she would have most deﬁnitely known her way back. Located on South Congress Avenue less than a mile from downtown Austin, the San Jose resides alongside antique and vintage shops, folk art and nightclubs. It embodies the neighborhood’s history and Austin’s present, urban-western culture. A self-proclaimed “hotel with soul,” it is sure to

become a favorite hotspot for travelers of all trades. Originally built in 1936, it was once billed as an “ultra modern motor court” and was briefly home to a church Bible school. Luckily for Austin travelers, the building was resurrected into a funky, two-story stucco hotel with 40 rooms and suites. The hotel’s décor is modern characterized by polished concrete floors, clean white walls and a mix of modern and vintage furniture. Gravel walkways outside lead to the courtyard where visitors can relax by the pool in vintage lawn furniture, get a drink from the lounge and enjoy a night under the big Texas sky. For those who prefer a night in, the hotel also offers $2 rentals from their movie collection. If you feel like music without the scene of a crowd, choose from their extensive CD collection, free of charge. In the morning, guests are offered a complimentary breakfast, and can also indulge at Jo’s Hot Coffee, conveniently located in the hotel parking lot. Choose from European-style rooms with shared baths, standard rooms, or suites. Rates start at $90 and $370 for a courtyard suite. www.sanjosehotel.com (512) 444-7322 (800) 574-8897 1316 South Congress 2. Charleston, S.C.: Historic Charleston offers a plethora of small inns to choose from, but the petite charm and elegance of Planters Inn sets it above the rest. Planters Inn offers 56 rooms and 6 suites and is located in the heart of downtown Charleston on the corner of Market and East Bay Streets. Visitors are located exactly where they want to be with the historic Waterfront Park and Battery an easy five blocks away. The bustling Old Market, located just outside the hotel entrance, is filled with arts and crafts, street vendors, antique shops, art galleries and horse and carriage tours. Of course, when the act of being a tourist proves too tiring, feel confident in knowing that the Inn’s Parlor is but a few steps away, where guests can enjoy a glass of iced tea or a cocktail. What would an elegant inn be without a critically-acclaimed, four-star restaurant? Planters Inn could offer no answer because they are the proud parents of Peninsula Grill, which is a must. Among Chef Robert Carter’s signature creations is their renowned Ultimate Coconut Cake that the New York Times dubbed “A little slice of heaven…” And if the coconut cake isn’t reason enough to return, their praised hospitality is. 112 North Market Street (843) 722-2345 or (800) 845-7082 www.plantersinn.com 3. Greenwood, Miss.: Follow rural Highway 82, lined with catfish ponds and cotton fields, to the most indulgent spot in the culturally rich Delta. The Alluvian Spa and Hotel, located in Greenwood, is an unexpected hotspot for all travelers who come to experience the heritage and culture of the Delta and prefer to do it in firstclass style. The Alluvian offers 40 luxurious rooms and five suites that combine metropolitan atmosphere with Southern charm. Dine

at Giardina’s, one of the Delta’s most historic restaurants, conveniently located in the hotel lobby. Started by Joseph Giardina in Greenwood in 1936, the restaurant features steak, seafood and Italian cuisine. Downtown Greenwood seems to offer enough to do without ever leaving Howard Street. Just outside the hotel, one can browse antique shops and bookstores or indulge in personal pampering at the Alluvian Spa, which offers a variety of services from basic to extravagant packages. Step inside the Viking Kitchen Center and browse all the gadgets and professional culinary tools Viking has to offer. If you consider yourself a chef at heart or just love to entertain, be sure to sign up for one of the many cooking classes that the Viking Cooking School has to offer every month. Rates begin at $185. www.thealluvian.com (866) 600-5201 (662) 453-2114 4. Savannah, Ga.: After touring historic Savannah all day, visitors can look forward to returning to The Mansion on Forsyth Park, a refreshingly chic hotel as contrasted by the city’s muchcelebrated heritage. The Mansion is situated on Forsyth Park at the south end of the historic district in an 18,000 –square-foot Victorian Georgian mansion. The lobby is lavishly decorated in black and gold and Versace furnishings, and is home to three Viennese Bosendorfer pianos. The Mansion is also home to more than 400 original artworks handpicked by owner Richard C. Kessler. The Mansion boasts 126 guest rooms and six suites. Luxury is enhanced by the Italian marble baths, plush white-on-white linens, crystal wall sconces, and pewter candelabras featured in each room. A ﬂat screen TV, wireless Internet access and 24-hour room service do not hurt the posh setting either. Each room is unique, and the Bohemian Floor, located on the second level, is a popular choice that offers an innovative, open-air bath design. The Mansion is also home to the 700 Drayton Restaurant, Casimir’s Cocktail Lounge, 700 Kitchen Cooking School, Carriage Wine Cellar, and Poseidon Spa. Rates start at $199. www.mansiononforsythpark.com 700 Drayton St. (912) 238-5158 (888) 711-5114 5. Washington, Va.: Fully equipped with a chef referred to as a Pope and a Dalmatian mascot so popular it was covered by the Washington Post, visitors will not want to stay anywhere but The Inn at Little Washington. Located 67 miles from Washington, D.C., in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in historic Washington, Va., the Inn opened in 1978 in a converted garage. The Inn offers 15 rooms and suites designed by acclaimed London stage and set designer, Joyce Evans. Visitors can choose from a variety of rooms, ranging from a traditional guest room to such suites as the Mayor House, which features two ﬁreplaces and a private FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2007 2007 // MARCH MARCH 2007 2007 •• Y’ALL Y’ALL

63 63

courtyard. The luxurious design will be a treat, as will the self-taught culinary genius of Chef Patrick O’Connell, often referred to as the Pope of American Cuisine. Reservations are accepted up to one year in advance, so prior planning is a must. Visit the Inn’s Tavern Shops and pick up their homemade treats or their popular Dalmatian-patterned chef ’s pants and aprons. Although the word “small” describes the town, rest assured that visitors’ memories of the Inn at Little Washington will be nothing but grand. Rates range from $395 (for a traditional room) to $2400 (Presidential Suite). www.theinnatlittlewashington.com (540) 675-3800 Middle and Main St 6. New Orleans, La.: When visiting New Orleans, a cookie-cutter efﬁciency room will not do justice to what the city has to offer. Among all of the hotels in New Orleans, Associate Manager Richard Thompson assures visitors that the Soniat House is the only place where one can step behind their gates and experience old New Orleans. Rodney and Frances Smith created the Soniat House over 20 years ago by combining three Creole townhouses. Their renovation won many local awards and national attention for their exterior and interior design. Located in the historic French Quarter, the hotel offers 21 rooms and 12 suites, each decorated in antique furnishings, Egyptian cotton bed linens and rich European fabrics. Wake up and start the morning with their famous homemade buttermilk biscuits and Ponchatoula strawberry preserves. After strolling through the energetic streets of the French Quarter, visitors can leave the boisterous Quarter behind and enjoy the lush courtyards of the Soniat House. It’s inarguable that one’s stay here will entrench them in the laidback lifestyle of the locals, capturing and returning to their homes personiﬁed with the spirit of New Orleans. Rates range from $240-$295 for a standard room and $425-$625 for a suite. www.soniathouse.com 1133 Chartres St. For reservations, call 1-800-544-8808. 7. Miami, Fla.: Should your travels take you as far south as Miami, let the rhythm guide you all the way to Latin singing sensation Gloria Estefan and husband Emilio’s Cardozo Hotel, a tropical boutique hotel located on the world-famous Ocean Drive in the hip Art Deco District. The 1939 Art Deco, white stucco building was revamped into a 44-room hotel (including seven suites). Exotic vibes 64

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

are played against terra cotta walls and cherry hardwood ﬂoors with touches of leopard and ethnic printed fabrics and rugs, custom wrought iron furnishings, and canopied beds. Rumor has it that celebrities are often spotted at the Cardozo’s Café Oriente when they are visiting, so while sipping a cocktail in the outdoor café, keep an eye out. Rates begin at $215 in the high season (Nov.-May), but are lower during the hotel’s off season (begin at $170, June-Oct.). www.cardozohotel.com 1300 Ocean Drive (305) 535-6500 8. Memphis, Tenn.: Want the convenience and location of the Peabody Memphis, but a different kind of stay? Then look no further than the funky hidden jewel of downtown Memphis, Talbot Heirs Guesthouse. Owned by Tom and Sandy Franck, Talbot Heirs is a quirky hotel that offers seven suites that look much less like a hotel room and more like a jazzy studio apartment, each equipped with kitchen and a dining nook. The seven suites are full of individual character and personality such as the posh setting of Suite One’s bright purple walls and black-and-white checkered ﬂoor. The hallways are like an art gallery boasting original works from a variety of artists. The low-key atmosphere of Talbot Heirs attracts celebrities like Matt Damon, Kathy Bates, and Val Kilmer. So if you prefer an off-beat stay at an affordable price in a prime location, look no further than Talbot Heirs.

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grizzard

Saying Grace

by Lewis Grizzard

Lewis Grizzard (1946-1994) penned thousands of columns during his journalism career. Y’all Magazine is proud to showcase the late legend’s work in each issue. For more on Grizzard, log on to www. LewisGrizzard.com

The 5-year-old boy who lives in my house is learning to say the blessing. “LET ME SAY THE BLESSING” he bellows as we sit down to the table. “GOD IS GOOD! “GOD IS NEAT! “LET US THANK HIM! “FOR ALL WE CAN EAT! “YEA, GOD” My stepson is the only person I know who prays in a primal scream. Not only does God get the message, but so does everybody else within six blocks of our kitchen. The “Yea, God!” blessing is his favorite because it is more a cheer than a blessing, and the child is a human megaphone. But tolerance is very important here because it is a big deal to learn to say the blessing before the family meal. And it’s not that easy, either. First, you have to think of something to say. I remember when my parents ﬁrst asked me to say the blessing: MY FATHER: “Say the blessing, son.” MY MOTHER: “And don’t mumble.” ME: “ThankyouGodforthemashed po—” MY MOTHER: “You’re mumbling.” ME: “—tatoesandthegreenbeansan dtheporkchopsandthe—” MY FATHER: “Amen. That was very good, son, but you don’t have to thank God for EVERYTHING on the table.” I wasn’t going to mention the rutabagas. After mastering a nice little blessing your mother thinks is “cute,” and doesn’t hold your old man away form the grub too long, you move into the

“

“clever” blessings stage. Everybody knew this one: “Son, would you please say grace” your mother would ask, bowing her head. “Grace,” you would reply, howling at your genius. “Whaack!” would be the sound of the back of your father’s hand across your face. Then there was the old favorite: Good bread, Good meat. Good Lord, Let’s eat! That was good for the backhand across the face AND getting sent to your room without any dinner. If you got really brave, you could use this one: Bless the meat, Damn the skins, Back your ears, And cram it in! That could get you reform school. When it came to smart-aleck blessings, my boyhood friend and idol, Weyman C. Wannamaker, Jr. a great American, had no peer. His all-time classic was the following: Thank you, Lord, for this meal, We know you are the giver. But thank you, Lord, most of all, That we ain’t havin’ liver. Weyman’s father tried to send him to reform school, but the warden was afraid he would be a bad inﬂuence on the other “students.” Soon, my stepson will be in the stage of saying “clever” blessings, but I am not going to whack him across the face. I am going to make him eat liver, smothered in rutabagas.

Thank you, Lord, for this meal, We know you are the giver. But thank you, Lord, most of all, That we ain’t havin’ liver.

”

FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

wine

down south Old World Wines and Country Ham

This Southern Staple Served with Champagne could become Americaʼs Prosciutto

by Doc Lawrence

Dinner at the Oakroom restaurant in Louisville’s stately Seelbach Hotel is as far removed from Grandma Stella’s supper table as you could get. But, I discovered there was more than a little common ground. My grandmother, who produced miracle meals from a woodburning stove in her Northwest Georgia home, always offered guests something good to eat before dinner, and likewise the chef at the nationally acclaimed Oakroom presented a platter of amazing appetizers made from country ham. During my childhood, country ham was accompanied by delicious red-eye gravy, fresh-baked biscuits and stoneground grits, but the Oakroom served it like Italian prosciutto, with artisanal Kentucky condiments like homemade chutney and refreshing glasses of regal Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Champagne. Both experiences have enriched me. Just like wine, country ham can be deﬁned. It’s pork, salted and dry cured for months and in some cases years, using traditional methods as time-hallowed as the written word. Historians say that early European settlers learned this style of curing from Native Americans who preserved venison this way, calling it pemmican. This preservation method worked beautifully with domestic pork, and good folks like Thomas Jefferson, one of the earliest promoters of country ham as a major item for the dinner table, started bringing the wines of Europe into Virginia and serving them to his guests at Monticello. A genuine New World culinary culture with a Southern accent was born. Champagne and many other sparkling wines are all-purpose beverages: they seem to pair with almost every dish imaginable. Country ham, per my Louisville experience, proved this to a certainty, but the magic made when wine meets country ham extends beyond bubbly. Armed with an array of slices from different small Southern farms noted for producing hand-crafted country hams, I conducted a noble experiment pairing these delights with wines of the

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

world. One that jumped to the forefront is the rather obscure Gruner-Veltliner, a fabulous white wine from Austria that has gotten some play recently on restaurant menus throughout the South as is becoming more available in wine shops and larger stores like Whole Foods. Serve a favorite slice of country ham with Sweet Grass Dairy goat cheese and my neighbor’s fig preserves, and the GrunerVeltliner takes on some impressive Deep South character. Louisiana native Chef Joe Truex, owner of Atlanta’s Repast restaurant, produces a great dish with Tennessee’s Benton’s Country Ham salt cured and cold smoked slices. Truex wraps the slices around oysters with wild ramps, coats these in corn meal and deep fries briefly. Each portion, he advises, requires a flute of high-grade Champagne, but confesses that a glass of chilled Alsatian Riesling also elevates his truly tasty creation. Gaffney, S. C., native Callie White provides an easy introduction to country ham and fine wine. Callie’s Charleston Biscuits are stuffed with artisan Edwards Virginia Ham. Callie has served these with fine Champagne to the likes of CNN founder Ted Turner and celebrity couple Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe at their wedding reception. You can order Callie’s Biscuits online and they are ready to eat after a short oven warm-up. Callie, a renowned caterer who knows how superbly we entertain down South, will tell you that her feather-light country ham biscuits go better with bubbly. I asked Atlanta’s Karen Bremer, one of the South’s gourmet pioneers, when red eye gravy, the legendary by-product of fried Country ham, was going to start appearing on her fine dining menu at her heralded restaurant City Grill, and what wines she would select to enhance the experience? The wheels started turning and a response will come in due course. Stay tuned for a new adventure in the fascinating world of Deep South wine and food. Life is good down here around dinner time.

collar

Iʼm Funnier Than That

by Larry the Cable Guy

Working with Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall has been the best experience ever. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Ron White and I are both making way more money doing our own shows, but I tell Jeff all the time that if he ever wants to tour again, I’m right back on board. I’ll take a cut in pay to do that again. We’ve just been friends forever; it’s just fun. We have a blast. We’ve got really good loyal fans and they give us solid ratings. We all know our parameters so we can do two different shows. When we do TV, we keep it to where the whole family can watch it, and that’s the cool thing about it. Now that my wife, Cara, and I have a son (Wyatt, born Aug. 2, 2006), there’s going to be a bunch of new material for me. It might change my act around a little. Everybody sees me as Jeff ’s little brother and I always tell everybody Jeff and I have the same exact crowds. The only difference is Jeff ’s fans were my fans before they started going to church more and had kids. You take away the kids and that’s my fans. When you get kids, you kind of tone it down a little. When the stage lights are off, I work around the house. I really haven’t had a lot of days off. I ride my horse. I love to go ﬁshing. I got a big lake right over by my house that’s just stocked full of bass. I live in the middle of nowhere right by the swamp (in Sanford, Fla.). When I’m home, I’m pretty much home. I want to stay home on the couch. I’m pretty much a homebody. I was a homebody before I got started in comedy. My career just kind of happened. I remember when I started out I took a boom box up there with me that had nothing but applause and laughter, so

“

every time I did a joke I’d press the play button. After going to the Baptist University of America in Decatur, Ga., I started being a bellhop at the Hyatt Hotel and started making some pretty good money. Everybody thought I was funny. I was always a goofy kind of kid. I was always cracking jokes. This is when the comedy clubs were just starting to get big. Some of my friends told me that I ought to compete at a club, so I went down and appeared at a comedy night, and I got hooked. I tell everybody I owe my whole career to a guy named Todd. When I first went down there, I had a cowboy hat on and a T-shirt and pair of shorts. There were these three comics out front in suits and ties and had clip boards and they were going over notes, and it freaked me out and I told my buddy, “Man, there’s professionals here.” I didn’t know there was going to be professionals. I thought it was open to anybody, so I almost backed out. And if I would have backed out, if I would have never went on stage that night, then I would not be a comedian today because I would never have tried it again. My buddy goes, “Wait and see how that first guy is, and if the first guy is funny, then it’s agreed, you can go ahead and go another time.” So I agreed, knowing I’d never do it again. So I’m trying to get the courage to go on stage and the first guy on stage was Todd, and he’s one of the guys in suits that I thought was a professional. He ate it hard. I was like, man I’m funnier than that. I went on stage and I got hooked on it. I never went back to what I was doing.

Everybody thought I was funny. I was always a goofy kind of kid. I was always cracking jokes. FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

what southern women

know

Nary A Wrinkle, Spot or Blemish

by Ronda Rich

Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of What Southern Women Know (That Every Woman Should) and The Town That Came A-Courtin’.

Later, I realized that I must have walked right past her, this old high school acquaintance of mine, without recognizing her. There I was in the drugstore on the aisle ﬁlled with beautifying ointments such as facial masks, eye creams and those magical potions that offer “look years younger” claims. And, of course, I’m all about that. Engrossed in studying the labels, I didn’t notice someone standing beside me until she tapped me on the shoulder and said softly, “Hi Ronda.” Expecting to see someone I knew, I turned around smiling but was suddenly caught short. I didn’t recognize the tall woman with thick, silver hair yet there was something vaguely familiar about her face. “Hi!” I replied cheerfully, trying to buy time until it hit me who she was. She smiled indulgently. “You don’t know who I am, do you?” Thank the heavens above that at that very moment, it dawned on me that it was Rose Lynn, a girl who had graduated a year ahead of me in high school. Then horror set in. She looked so, well, old. How on earth could someone my age be that old? Unsettled by it, I recounted the encounter later to a friend who was quick to reassure me. “Oh, she grayed prematurely. Her hair started turning not long after she got out of college.” “Why on earth wouldn’t she color it?” I asked, incredulous that anyone who could, wouldn’t. My friend shrugged. “Not every woman is vain.” He raised an accusing eyebrow in my direction. Well, I can’t help it. I’m a typical Southern woman and we do care. I can remember clearly as a young girl that there was always a bottle of Clairol Loving Care in Warm Brown in our medicine chest. Every few weeks, Mama would step out of the bathroom after a shower, draped in a towel with dark liquid oozing down her face. It is a scene of life that I have personally enacted many times. As Dolly Parton has quipped, “I’ve been dying my hair so long that I don’t know what my natural color is anymore.”

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

I am happy to have been born in the era where there are so many remedies and solutions for looking as good as possible for as long as possible. I believe the good Lord sent it so we can use it. He even sent along a scripture to back it up: “A glorious church, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without a blemish.” If the good Lord said it, I believe we should do it. It’s clear what he commands: Do away with the wrinkles, spots and blemishes. In my hometown, I pioneered Botox. Long before it was approved by the FDA for cosmetic use – it cost a lot less then – I stepped up and did my part for medical research and my sisterhood. I have a tiny expression line between my brows. When I was in college, I remember a friend saying, “Stop furrowing your brow like that. You’re going to have a line.” I didn’t listen so now I have that line. I ﬁnally convinced a friend, who is a cosmetic surgeon, to inject Botox in that area. “Convinced” is a nice word. It was more like I badgered him until I wore him down. Wearily, he said, “Okay. I’ll order it and you pick it at the pharmacy. Bring it in and I’ll inject it.” The entire episode was comical. He didn’t understand the instructions, called the 800 line and asked, “Hey, how do you reconstitute this stuff ?” As he approached me with a needle, I held up my hand. “I would just like to say that never in the history of mankind has one woman had more faith in one man. You don’t even know what you’re doing and I’m letting you inject poison into my forehead!” “Will you shut up and lay down?” He did a ﬁne job though. For three months, I had an unlined, perfect brow and I loved it. Too bad it didn’t last. But, of course, neither does hair color. Every six or eight weeks, it’s to be done all over again. Now, to all the women, my age, who have known me somewhere along this journey – brief journey – of life, I have a request. Please keep your hair colored. If not for your sake, please do it for mine. Besides, it’s Biblical.

star gazing PRACTICAL WHIMSY southern hospitality hollywood style

by Joe LoCicero

Family lifestyle expert Joe LoCicero pursued his career as a Hollywood writer while simultaneously establishing himself as an entertaining guru. The Georgia native’s credits include writing series for NBC, Telemundo, and Fox, and his next book is Cake Decorating for Dummies, out this April. You can reach him at joe@practicalwhimsy.com

Slow Cooking This Winter When I first arrived in Los Angeles, I lived in a little guesthouse in Toluca Lake, a celebrity-friendly enclave sandwiched in between Universal Studios and Warner Bros. At various times, it’s been home to Bob Hope, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Andy Garcia, the very first IHOP restaurant, and a memorable hideout scene in Pulp Fiction. My beginnings there were much less auspicious (or starry). Coming from the expansive Atlanta suburbs, I was shoehorned into a few hundred square feet, and lucky to have a kitchen that had a counter. Instead of succumbing to the take-out syndrome that’s so prevalent here, I simply decided to take my aspirations for cooking and entertaining in a new direction. Luckily, one appliance that (of course) made it on the Ryder truck headed from Atlanta to L.A. was a Crock-Pot®. Initially, new Hollywood acquaintances marveled at this, and at my zeal in cooking with it. What was it? Did food actually get cooked? Or was it like ceviche, and some chemical reaction was responsible for making a dish edible? If you left it on all day, would your house blow up? Clearly, many of these friends didn’t come from families that enjoyed routine home-cooked meals. And, they certainly weren’t from the South, where I’ve never been in a house that didn’t have at least one Crock-Pot (and often many more). But it was on a movie set — of all places — that I truly realized the power of the slow-cooking Crock-Pot. On film and television sets, you’ll almost always find — no matter what the budget — a craft service table. Contrary to its name, “craft service” doesn’t refer to a location that offers show people glue guns, construction paper, and glitter to pursue decorating projects. Instead, craft service is a buffet-style array of snacks and heartier fare to provide sustenance for crewmembers during shoots and inbetween meals. On one of the first productions I was working on, I found the craft service

table mobbed – like someone’s giving away free money-mobbed. I ﬁgured they must have been serving steak and lobster, or caramel cappuccinos, or foie gras sandwiches encased in easy-peel sheets of 24K gold. But on this blustery day on the Paramount lot, it was none of those. A stream of happy, slurping production people were devoted to steamy cups of chili, smothered with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, fried onions, chopped tomatoes, and toasted pumpkin seeds. After a little snooping, I found out the secret behind the chili’s appeal: a recipe that owed its success to long, savory hours simmering in a CrockPot. According to the craft service connoisseur, you couldn’t duplicate the taste without that handy appliance… and he always had repeat requests for it (from A-list stars, studio execs, and gaffers alike). Of course, all this slow-cooker talk just further fueled my passion for the Crock-Pot. (And I admit, even I had too many at one point, having even collected ‘70s models — a Bicentennial, a Sears Merry Mushroom, and a retro green one with a pantry motif). But for any home cook, it can make a starring role for covered dishes, buffets anywhere, and is perfect for your party artillery… particularly when your oven’s probably already serving double-duty. Of course, I’ve felt even further validated since I found out a few months ago that slow cooking with a Crock-Pot is one of Reese Witherspoon’s obsessions. In these wintry days, pull out that Crock-Pot; it’s like your own personal chef. Sure, you have to pile a few ingredients in it in the morning, but when you come home from work, supper’s done. And if you work at or from home, you get to smell the delicious progress of your meal all day long. And it’s absolutely safe; follow recipes and the food will be cooked through and to the proper temperature, clean-up’s a snap and, much to my L.A. friends’ amazement… nothing will catch ﬁre. For some of this Winter’s best Crock-Pot recipes, click on the Snappy Recipes link on www.practicalwhimsy. com.

FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

h t u o S e h t Raised in

GIRL

Deborah Ford, leading lady of the multimillion-dollar business commonly known as GRITS, is livin’ large. Sure, she made Dunn & Bradstreet’s and Entrepreneur Magazine’s list of the fastest growing companies in America in 1998, and yes, she is a New York Times best-selling author, but hey, this Southern woman’s on a roll and isn’t ready to slow down anytime soon.

ruth be told, cotton picking is not a term that comes to mind when talking to Deborah Ford. In fact, with her inherent politeness and beautiful southern drawl, it’s practically the opposite. But in reality, this mother of two and successful businesswoman has a rich history and many pastimes—one of which she learned from her cotton-picking days on a farm in rural Alabama in the 1960s. “My daddy was a sharecropper before he died, and we helped picked cotton. We made three cents a pound, and chopping cotton gave us four dollars a day, and so in elementary school I literally bought my own clothes,” shares Ford. The early days of cotton picking and clothes buying turned out not so bad for Ford, 54, who says it was during those hard-working years growing up that she developed her passion for education, for reading, for writing, for sewing, and, especially

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

kman

ic by Hadley H

important to a Southern woman, for clothes. “My mother was a beautiful seamstress and was very creative,” Ford gloats in her typical southern charm. “And so as she was making clothes, I would make doll clothes with her… I would sit at her sewing machine for hours and hours watching her sew.” Sewing and designing clothes would continue to be a passion for Ford, but education came ﬁrst. And to prove it: She has a master’s in education, a master’s in education with an emphasis on exercise physiology, a master’s in special education, hours towards a master’s in criminology, and she has almost completed her master’s in interior design. “So you see,” she excitedly says, “education is like food for me.” Ironically, Ford’s welleducated background all started at the traveling book-mobile in Athens, Ala. “My mother and father made sure we were always in school and always had books, [because] education was the light at the end of the tunnel for us. So even though we didn’t have a lot and we were poor, there was a lot of richness growing up the way we did.” Emblematic of her enthusiastic and go-get-em manner, Ford says she believes in making the best of what you have. And that she unquestionably did. As a single mother raising two young daughters in the 1980s and early ‘90s, Ford taught school, coached volleyball, and stayed up all night sewing and designing clothing, which she later packaged and called “Memory-Wear by Deborah.” “I would stay up at night, I would sew, and I would sell out of my house or from the trunk of my car. Eventually I would sell my clothes in Seaside, Fla., or different shops in Birmingham,” Ford remembers. But surprisingly, Memory-Wear by Deborah, with all its local success and personal glory for Ford, was not the seed from which GRITS was sewn. Instead, the GRITS concept was born simply out of Ford’s generous attempt to come up with unique presents to give her volleyball team. “One day, I was with my girlfriends and we were talking about girls raised in the South, and I thought ‘Gosh, Grits!’ That’s a great present for my volleyball team’” she explained. As her volleyball girls sported their new GRITS Tshirts, the concept took off. But as a busy mother,

schoolteacher, and coach, “the only time I had to talk [about my idea] to lawyers, screen printers, or artists was during lunch. So I basically had to sneak off from school!” Sacrifice was crucial and success didn’t come easy. But by gosh it came quickly. Looking back, it’s almost as if Southern women were waiting for someone like Deborah Ford to come along and praise their unique, charming Southern culture that many women had worked so hard to maintain. Although she first began marketing a few items like T-shirts, hats, and bags, her attention soon turned to writing. And by the time one of her daughters was going through rush at the University of Alabama, Ford’s first book, The GRITS Guide to Life, was already sitting on the tables at sorority houses. She says of her instant success: “I’ve had some great years in business, and some horrible years in business. But I learned that if you follow your gut instinct, love and respect yourself as well as others, and always cross your T’s and dot your I’s,” then success is just around the corner. Her fourth book, Bless His Heart: The GRITS Guide to Loving (or Just Living with) Southern Men was released in October. In it, she defines the Southern gentleman— and she seems to be dead on….again. How could a Southern lady, or gentleman for that matter, not laugh at Ford’s humor throughout the book, especially when she says things like, “ If life is like a big pan of cornbread, Southern men are the molasses that make it taste so sweet (even if they do mess up the dishes)”? When asked about this book tour and how it’s faring with audiences, she replies in her typical enthusiastic but humble tone, “Very well, thank you.” Based on Ford’s extraordinary track record, it wouldn’t be surprising if she continued to find ways to grow personally as well as professionally—either by adding more books to her already growing collection, or who knows, maybe even opening up a school for Southern etiquette. After all, she’s come this far, and as her publicist Beth Parker of Dutton Publicity says, “Deborah is so full of life and is a real business woman, and I know she will continue to do well in the future.”

“I’ve had some great years in business, and some horrible years in business. But I learned that if you follow your gut instinct, love and respect yourself as well as others…then success is just around the corner.”

FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

ms. ms. grits grits A Tradition of Southern Kindness

by Deborah Ford

Deborah Ford is the founder of Grits® Inc. (Girls Raised in the South), a multi-million dollar merchandising company. Ford is the author of the best-selling GRITS Guide To Life, Puttin’ On The GRITS: A Southern Guide to Entertaining, GRITS Friends Are Forevah, and her newest, Bless His Heart. Contact “Ms. Grits” via email at msgrits@yall.com 72

“People in the South are just so friendly.” It’s the one thing my more Northerly friends never fail to comment on when they visit. “This person started talking to me at the gas station, and they didn’t even know me,” they say. To us Southerners, it’s second nature to reach out to people, to give freely of our lovely smiles, to connect with those around us. But what our sweet non-Southern counterparts may miss is that it’s not simply “being friendly” that is happening here. I think that term fails to capture our Southern sincerity. It is being kind. Many of us remember our mothers and grandmothers teaching us by example to treat others as we’d like to be treated. They showed us that true kindness had no limits or boundaries. Everyone from the milkman to the preacher got the same acknowledgement and gentle words from my mother growing up. And if my sisters or I would forget our Southern upbringing for a moment, we would hear about it. “Now don’t be ugly, dear,” she’d remind us when we would misplace our manners, and we knew full well she wasn’t criticizing our good looks. Kindness was to be respected as an important value. Many of us have learned that kind words and a smile win more friends and open more doors than a set jaw and a hard-driving deal do any day. Not to mention a tight face can cause wrinkles, honey, and who needs that? As Southerners, we pride ourselves on showing kindness to those around us. We help arrange ﬂowers for a friend’s wedding, we pull a neighbor’s truck out of the mud when his sense of truck-man power turns out to be bigger than his horsepower. We grow

up becoming accustomed to offering a hand to those who need it, and we get comfortable showing kindness to our friends, colleagues and yes, even our families at times. But what about kindness to strangers? Sure, Southerners are known for being as charitable as they are kind. There’s not many a stingy hand when that collection plate gets passed. But how often do we take the time to go out of our way to really show kindness to a stranger? To those people we often see, but never really notice? And I don’t mean paper kindness with a bank’s name stamped on it. I’m talking about real human kindness, where you take your own time and thoughtfulness to try and make someone else’s day. Here are some thoughts that just one Southern Belle can rattle off the top of her head, and just think how many more ideas are out there. It might be as simple as bringing the newspaper to the porch for that older gentleman down the street on a cold morning. Or how about grabbing an extra latte for the bank teller who seemed to be having a long day last time you were in? What about a hello and an introduction to the couple that walks their dog past you each evening and even a surprise dog treat for their little Fido? If most people can easily see us Southerners as “friendly,” and many, with a closer look, can recognize our niceties as a more meaningful brand of kindness, then let’s challenge ourselves to go even one step further. Let’s step out of our comfort zone, get out there and start practicing Random Acts of Southern Kindness. Shoot, dahling, there’s no time like the present to start another Southern tradition.

“Iʼm talking about real human kindness, where you take your own time and thoughtfulness to try and make someone elseʼs day.”

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

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Earl Hamner and The Waltons by Mark Cook

My people were drawn to mountains. They came when the country was young and they settled in the upland country of Virginia that is still misted with a haze of blue, which gives those mountains their name. They endured and they prevailed; through ﬂood and famine, drought and forest ﬁre, whooping cough and loneliness, through Indian wars, a civil war, a world war, and through the Great Depression they endured and prevailed. In my time, I have come to know them” Earl Hamner, 1979 ”I think of the southern language as music. You don’t talk it, you sing it.” Earl Hamner, 2006

uring the 1970s the United States was going through turmoil. The Vietnam War had divided the country. A president was impeached and resigned from ofﬁce. Gas shortages and an energy crisis were creating headaches throughout the land. But once a week, on Thursday nights, American families by the millions gathered around their televisions to watch Earl Hamner’s The Waltons and escape their daily problems, if for only one hour. The story of the Waltons began in 1923 when Earl Hamner Jr. was born in the small Virginia town of Schuyler. The oldest of eight red-headed children born to Doris Gianinni Hamner and Earl Hamner Sr., Hamner began writing when he was six years old. A poem he wrote about puppies and a red wagon was published by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. As a published writer before the second grade, Hamner knew what career Earl Hammer path he wanted. By 1930 the Great Depression was setting in, and the 10-year struggle Americans faced became the central focus of the Waltons television series years later. “As country folks, we never realized how poor we were,’’ Hamner said. “We always had our basic needs provided for. A cow for milk, all the ﬁsh we could catch and the mountains provided us all the wild game we needed.” After graduating from high school in 1939, Hamner earned a scholarship to the University of Richmond and enrolled in 1940. A year later the United States was bombed at Pearl Harbor, and in 1943 Hamner was called to duty where he 74

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

served in Europe until the end of World War Two. With the GI Bill, Hamner enrolled at the College of Music of Cincinnati where he studied radio writing. Upon graduation Hamner moved to New York City and, while working for NBC as a radio writer in 1954, met and married Jane Martin. Since graduating from high school Hamner had begun working on novels, and in 1953 his first book, Fifty Roads to Town, was published. More novels came soon after, including You can’t Get There From Here and Spencer’s Mountain. In 1961, Hamner and family moved to California, and a career of writing for television and movies evolved. Hamner soon began writing for friend Rod Serling’s CBS television series The Twilight Zone. He was selected by E.B. White to write the film adaptation of “Charlotte’s Web,” and other film credits include “Where the Lilies Bloom” and “ Pa l m Springs Weekend.” In 1963, Hamner’s Spencer’s Mountain was made into a feature film starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O’Hara. Hamner’s next book turned out to be a life-changing one. Intended to be sequel to Spencer’s Mountain, The Homecoming was inspired by a1933 Christmas Eve event involving his father Earl Sr., who, during the Depression, was forced to work out of town during the week,

returning on weekends. The book was published by Random House and was soon selected as a Reader’s Digest Condensed Book. Hamner’s agent sent copies of the book to a Hollywood colleague who then submitted to a new production company, Lorimar. Lee Rich at Lorimar loved the story and sent it to CBS. It was commissioned to become a television movie and Hamner began adapting it for a two-hour movie. The film aired on CBS on Christmas Eve 1971and was a huge ratings hit, catching the eye of CBS network executives. After watching the movie, CBS CEO William Pauley made the decision to develop it into a series. “We’ve been taking from the barrel too long,” Pauley said. “It’s time we put something back.” And so on Thursday Sept. 14, 1972, The Waltons debuted. Unfortunately, CBS placed The Waltons up against two highly rated series - The Mod Squad and The Flip Wilson Show. While it was warmly received by many critics, many were afraid the show couldn’t survive its Thursday night competition. Dallas Times Herald television critic Bob Brock, who liked the show, wrote the following: Easily the most creative and brilliantly executed series of the new season is The Waltons. It may be one of the most short-lived because of the suicidal slotting by the network. For the next few weeks, it appeared that Brock’s prediction may come true. Ratings were dismal after the first few episodes, but CBS stood behind the series and even went as far as take out adds for the show encouraging people to watch. TV critics from around the country continued to heap praise on the series and word slowly spread. CBS was receiving huge amounts of fan mail after each weekly episode and ratings were improving. Eric Scott, who played “Ben Walton” on the show, remembered that first season. “Each week on Tuesday the ratings came out and we all waited to hear,” Scott said. “At first we were concerned but we kept growing and growing. By February we were top 20 and by the final episode we had made it to number one.” After one season The Waltons received numerous Emmy nominations and took home five, quite an accomplishment for a first year series. Joe Conley, who portrayed “Ike Godsey” on the series, gives the credit to Earl Hamner. “Complete credit goes to Earl and his writers,” Conley said. “His ability to keep all the characters involved helped the show grow. It wasn’t just about one actor as you see today. Episodes were developed around all the characters and we all felt we were doing something quality and meaningful.” Rarely today do you see a show with as many different characters. While Richard Thomas, who played “John-Boy,” may have received the most acclaim, each actor or actress

helped the show succeed. Hamner deﬂects much of the credit and instead points to the cast and writers as what made The Waltons so successful. “Every person involved on the show believed in its integrity,” Hamner said. “From the writers to directors to the actors, everyone believed we had something special and the viewers responded.Much credit belongs to the writers who came up with the story ideas. We dealt with births, deaths, illnesses, racism, war, poverty and numerous other topics. Our audience could relate and feel the genuine care we gave each story line.” Mary Beth McDonough, who played “Erin Walton” on the series, agreed. ”The viewers really felt a connection to the show. Earl and his writer’s characters were believable because they wellwritten. Everyone knows a person like Cora Beth Godsey in his or her community. Earl molded and guided the genuineness of each character.’’ During The Waltons’ 9-year run, the show maintained its top ten ratings and at times was seen by as many as 50 million viewers a week. The series continued to take home awards and accolades throughout the 1970s and the show ended its network run in 1981. During the height of the show’s popularity, strangers from all over the world visited tiny Schuyler, Va., looking for the Hamner home. More times than not, Hamner’s mother Doris, who was still living at the house, would invite fans inside or to sit on the porch for coffee or tea. In 1992, The Waltons museum was opened in the old school house in Schuyler. The Museum includes reproductions of John Boy’s bedroom, the Walton’s kitchen, the family living room, Ike Godsey’s store, a resource room containing Earl Hamner’s papers and a hall of memories housing memorabilia from the TV show and Earl Hamner’s personal and public life. Hamner, while much past retirement age, continues to write and work. His most recent book, “Generous Women,” was recently published by Cumberland House and has received excellent reviews. Today Hamner and wife Jane live in the same California home they purchased in 1961. And although he is across the entire country, he has never forgotten his Southern roots and returns to Virginia as often as possible. While it has been said that you can’t go home again, Hamner dispelled that notion in a speech give in Baltimore in 1998. “A.E. Houseman says we can’t go back again, but I think we can. I think we go home again each time we watch The Waltons. And I think there is something unchanging and reliable and warm and welcoming that we ﬁnd each time we go home to Virginia, to those blue remembered hills, those spires, those farms. We are once more able to visit that land of lost content, and travel again those highways that our hearts remember.” FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

in memoriam

Scott Mateer (46) Grammy-nominated songwriter and longtime Mississippi disk jockey. Mateer worked in the ’80s and ’90s at several Jackson radio stations. He got a Grammy nomination for cowriting “Dear Me,’’ Lorrie Morgan’s first hit. Mateer suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure and died in Flowood, Mississippi on December 17, 2006. Verne Smith (81) former South Carolina state senator whose 2001 party switch to the Grand Old Party gave Republicans control of the state Senate for the first time since Reconstruction. Smith was known as an advocate for the frail, elderly, and children and worked to expand the state’s Medicaid programs to help them. He resigned in July and died of a bone and “Goodbye Earl’’ for the Dixie Chicks. Linde also wrote “Callin’ Baton Rouge,’’ a Garth Brooks hit in 1993. He died of a rare lung disease in Nashville, Tennessee on December 22, 2006. Phyllis Brown (52) widow of former DeKalb County, Georgia sheriff-elect Derwin Brown who launched a lengthy legal battle against his assassins. Derwin Brown was gunned down in his driveway on December 15, 2000—three days before he was to have taken office. Suspicion immediately fell on unseated Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, later convicted of plotting the murder and now serving a life sentence. Phyllis Brown was hospitalized with flulike symptoms and died of complications from a previous stroke in Decatur, Georgia on December 24, 2006. Isabel Crow (100) one of the oldest survivors of the powerful 1936 Gainesville (Ga.) tornado that killed 203 people, injured 1,600, and pretty much destroyed 750 buildings. It became the 25th deadliest tornado in US history. Crow died of pneumonia in Gainesville, Georgia on December 23, 2006. Kenny Davern (71) radically traditional jazz clarinetist and soprano saxophonist whose liquid tones linked him to the classical sound of New Orleans. A professional on several instruments since his teens, Davern became nationally known in the ’70s when, with pianist Dick Wellstood and 76

marrow disease in Columbia, South Carolina on December 17, 2006. Brittanie Montgomery (19) aspiring Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Montgomery was a former dance team member at the University of Central Oklahoma and with the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz. This season she was named to the Honeybees, the Hornets’ dance team. She was killed in a car accident in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on December 21, 2006. Cecil Travis (93) Washington Senators inﬁelder, one of baseball’s leading hitters of the ’30s and early ’40s. A left-handed line-drive hitter, Travis batted over .300 in seven of his ﬁrst eight full seasons and was a three-time

another soprano saxophonist, Bob Wilber, he formed the Soprano Summit. The band toured the world and recorded several well-received albums. Davern died of a heart attack in Sandia Park, New Mexico on December 12, 2006. Mike Evans (57) actor best known as Lionel Jefferson on the TV sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons. With Eric Monte, Evans also created and wrote for Good Times, one of the ﬁrst TV sitcoms that featured a primarily black cast. He died of throat cancer in Twentynine Palms, California on December 14, 2006. *born in salsbury NC Homer Ledford (79) bluegrass musician, an Appalachian bandleader who crafted hundreds of banjos and guitars. Ledford completed an estimated 5,776 dulcimers, 475 banjos, 26 mandolins, 26 guitars, 18 ukuleles, and four violins, among other instruments. After battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which causes progressive paralysis, he died of an apparent stroke in Winchester, Kentucky on December 11, 2006. Elizabeth (“Lizzie’’) Bolden (116) recognized as the world’s oldest person. Bolden was born on Aug. 15, 1890, the daughter of freed slaves. She married Lewis Bolden in 1908 and bore the ﬁrst of seven children in ’09. She outlived

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

her husband by more than 50 years and all but two of her children. She died in Memphis, Tennessee on December 11, 2006. Lamar Hunt (74) pro sports visionary who owned the Kansas City Chiefs and came up with the term “Super Bowl.’’ The son of Texas oilman H. L. Hunt, Lamar Hunt was a founder of the American Football League and one of the driving forces behind the AFL-NFL merger. He died of prostate cancer in Dallas, Texas on December 13, 2006. Flint (“Scotty’’) Schulhofer (80) Hall of Fame horse trainer who saddled two Belmont Stakes winners during a 40-year career. Schulhofer won the 1993 Belmont with Colonial Affair and sent out Lemon Drop Kid to win the ’99 Belmont. He retired in 2001 with 1,119 victories from 7,157 starters, and his horses earned purses totaling more than $52 million. Schulhofer died of cancer in Miami, Florida on December 14, 2006. Herbert Gursky (76) leading space researcher for the Navy who in the ’60s guided investigations that discovered the sources of X-rays arriving from outside the solar system. In 1971, Gursky and others used an X-ray scanning satellite to discover Cygnus, considered the ﬁrst recorded example of a black hole. He died of stomach cancer in Fairfax, Virginia on December 1, 2006.

All-Star. World War II interrupted his career, and he never regained his pre-war form. He died of congestive heart failure in Riverdale, Georgia on December 16, 2006. Wilma Dykeman (86) author who chronicled the people of Appalachia and the land that shaped them in 18 novels and nonfiction books. Dykeman was considered a literary bridge between the era of fellow Asheville native Thomas Wolfe and the current generation of Appalachian writers. She had been in failing Johnnie B. Hunt Sr. (79) former truck driver who built a nationwide freight-hauling empire, J. B. Hunt Transport Services, after calculating that driving a single transport truck was less profitable than owning and managing thousands of them. Hunt had been hospitalized since December 2, when he slipped on ice at his home in Goshen, Arkansas and fell, striking his head. He died in Springdale, Arkansas on December 7, 2006. Benjamin S. Ruffin (64) one-time aide to North Carolina governor Jim Hunt and the first black chairman of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, which oversees the school’s 16-campus system. Ruffin died of an apparent heart attack in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on December 7, 2006. George B. Tindall (85) noted historian of the American South. A professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina, where he had taught for more than 30 years, Tindall was known in particular for his work on the rise of the New South in the first half of the 20th century. He died of diabetes in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on December 2, 2006. Pat Holshouser (67) wife of former North Carolina governor Jim Holshouser. Pat Holshouser became the state’s first lady at age 33 after her husband, a Watauga County state House member, upset Democrat Hargrove (“Skipper’’) Bowles in 1972. Jim Holshouser was

health since fracturing a hip in October, suffering a staph infection after a hip replacement. She died in Asheville, North Carolina on December 22, 2006. James Brown (73) legendary singer known as the “Godfather of Soul,’’ whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk, and disco as well. Brown’s frenetic singing style and bold rhythms brought funk into the mainstream and influenced a new the state’s first Republican governor of the 20th century. Pat Holshouser died of cancer in Southern Pines, North Carolina on December 6, 2006. Jeane Kirkpatrick (80) unabashed apostle of Reagan-era conservatism and the first woman US ambassador to the United Nations. Originally a liberal Democrat, Kirkpatrick championed human rights, opposed Soviet Union communism, and supported Israel. Named to the UN post by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, she was known as a blunt advocate. She died of congestive heart failure in Bethesda, Maryland on December 7, 2006. William Diehl (81) best-selling author of Primal Fear and other novels. Diehl started on his first novel, Sharky’s Machine (1978), while serving as a juror in a Fulton County courtroom. The book became a best-seller and later a movie starring Burt Reynolds. Diehl was writing his 10th novel when he died of an aortic embolism in Atlanta, Georgia on November 24, 2006. Frank Madla (69) former Texas legislator (DSan Antonio) who served 20 years in the Texas House and another 13 in the

generation of black music. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson, among others. With his tight pants, shimmering feet, eye makeup, and outrageous hair, Brown set the stage for younger stars such as Jackson and Prince. He was hospitalized with pneumonia and died the next day in Atlanta, Georgia on December 25, 2006. Dennis Linde (63) prolific songwriter who wrote Elvis Presley’s last major hit, “Burning Love,’’ Senate. Madla represented the state’s largest Senate district, which stretches from El Paso to San Antonio and includes two-thirds of the TexasMexico border. Although his wife Helen and 5-year-old granddaughter, Aleena Jimenez, were initially saved, Madla and his mother-in-law, Mary Cruz, died when his house went up in flames after a holiday celebration that included a large candle display, in San Antonio, Texas on November 24, 2006. The child died in the hospital the next day. Robert Lockwood Jr. (91) pioneering Mississippi Delta blues guitarist and singer who forged a career in Cleveland. Lockwood was born in Arkansas. At 11, he started guitar lessons with legendary bluesman Robert Johnson and later became a musical mentor to B. B. King, who listened to Lockwood in the ’40s on the King Biscuit Time radio show. Lockwood suffered a stroke on November 3 and died of respiratory failure in Cleveland, Ohio on November 21, 2006. Beau Tucker (79) retired construction worker and father of country music singer Tanya Tucker who was successful in landing his daughter a small role in Robert Redford’s film Jeremiah Johnson FEBRUARY 2007 / MARCH 2007 • Y’ALL

festive south Feb. 1–3, 2007 16th Annual Smoky Mountains Storytelling Festival Experience rich stories of Southern Appalachian upbringing and the unique storytelling style of a variety of storytellers. Don’t miss the youth and adult concerts and workshops and campﬁre stories. Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 800-WINTERFEST, mypigeonforge.com

Feb. 23–25 21st Annual Hot Springs, Boat Tackle & RV Show Held at the Hot Springs Convention Center & Summit Arena, this event showcases hundreds of boats and RVs. The newest in bass boats, ski boats, deck boats, party barges and personal watercraft will be on display as well as travel trailers, ﬁfth wheels, pop-ups and motor homes. Hot Springs, Ark. 501-225-6177

Feb. 1–3 North Carolina Jazz Festival Cabaret-style seating and all-star musicians separate this event from the rest, as the only traditional jazz festival of its size on the coast from Virginia to Atlanta. Wilmington, N.C.910-793-1111, www.capefearjazz.com

Feb. 23–Feb. 25 Big Cypress Shootout This reenactment of the Second Seminole War at the Big Cypress Shootout honors the Seminole’s struggle and sacriﬁce in this three day event including music, Seminole food, storytelling and history . Clewiston, Fla. 800-949-6101 or 863-983-6101, www.semtribe.com/calendar

Feb. 1–25 Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration Join native historians, authors, storytellers and the like in honor and preservation of the traditions of the native Gullah population. Arts and crafts of Gullah artists, dramatic and musical performances, cultural arts and crafts exhibit - all in celebration of the Gullah tradition! Hilton Head Island, S.C. 877-650-0676, www.gullahcelebration.com February 9-20 Mardi Gras Galveston The largest Mardi Gras celebration in Texas has more than 75 events, including an entertainment district, colorful parades and processions, elaborate balls and parties, plus exciting exhibits and sporting events. This pre-Lenten celebration draws an estimated 500,000 revelers to beautiful Galveston Island each year. Galveston, Texas. 888-425-4753, www.mardigrasgalveston.com Feb. 10– March 11 Florida Renaissance Festival Witness 16th century village life through period trade and craft demonstrations along with costumed performers. Interactive shows provide entertainment and education of the lifestyles and history of the 16th century in a festival for the whole family. Deerfield Beach, Fla. 800-3-REN-FES www.ren-fest.com Feb. 15–18 13th Annual Black Diaspora Film Festival The black artistic tradition in film is celebrated through film selections chosen to represent the richness of black culture, as well as to recognize universal themes and similarities among all cultures. Durham, N.C. 919-683-1709, www.hayti.org/film/index.phb Feb. 17 Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade A family-oriented Mardi Gras parade in the historical downtown area with crowd participation through goodies thrown from the passing floats. Pensacola, Fla. 850-436-6638, www.pensacolamardigras.com Feb. 22–24 Georgia National Rodeo Riders compete to qualify for the National Finals rodeo in Las Vegas in six major rodeo events include saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, bull riding and more. Perry, Ga. 478-987-3247, www.gnfa.com

Feb. 23–April 20 McNeese University’s BANNERS Series This arts and humanities series, sponsored by the university, brings excellent educational opportunities and entertainment through this wonderful cultural event featuring musical acts, magic shows, renowned musicians and more. Lake Charles, La. 800-456-7952, www.banners.org Feb. 24 Casanova Hunt Point to Point Races The excitement and thrill of steeplechase racing highlight this kick-off race of the season with eight races over hurdles, timber and more. The tailgate competition has become a new favorite among visitors. Gainesville, Va. 540-788-4806 March 2–4 MTSU American Indian Festival A celebration of the culture and heritage of the American Indians featuring musicians, working craftsmen, traditional Native foods and games, as well as the Indian Traders Market offering everything from fine art to traditional crafts. This is the largest arts market in the area. Murfreesboro, Tenn. 615-898-5645, www.mtsu.edu/powwow March 2–12 Florida Strawberry Festival Your favorite country music entertainers live, on stage, the crowning of the new Florida Strawberry Festival Queen, agriculture, fine arts, livestock and craft exhibits, and of course, strawberries, make this a fun family event. Plant City, Fla. 813-52-9194, www.flstrawberryfestival.com March 3–4 Kentucky Crafted: The Market 2007 The 25th anniversary of the Market is celebrated this year through many special events promoting Kentucky’s rich cultural heritage through traditional, folk and contemporary crafts, twodimensional visual art and more. Louisville, Ky. 888-592-7238, www.kycraft.ky.gov March 15–18 Mal’s St. Paddy’s Parade and Festival What began as an impromptu event to celebrate spring 25 years ago has become the fourth largest St. Paddy’s parade in the nation. Events include a pet parade, children’s parade and festival, adult street festival and much more. Jackson, Miss. 601-948-0888 or 601-984-1972, halandmals.com

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

March 16–18 Amite Oyster Festival Local participation, a chili cook-off and great entertainment are among the festivities here. This tribute to the local oyster industry has become a very popular, family-oriented event. Amite, La. 985-748-7156 March 16–25 Macon, Georgia’s International Cherry Blossom Festival The event, held at the time of year when the town’s 300,000 Yashino cherry trees are in bloom, features activities including parades, concerts, arts and crafts and amusement rides. Macon, Ga. 478-751-7429, www.cherryblossom.com March 17 Warrenton Hunt Point to Point Races A family equestrian event featuring Timber races, steeplechases and hunting hounds, as well as the thoroughbreds, all in the wonderful Warrenton at springtime climate. Warrenton, Va. 540-219-1400 March 17–19 54th Annual Fairhope Arts & Craft Festival This event features more than 245 exhibitors from throughout the U.S., Canada and Great Britain. Featured live, local entertainment and classic festival foods make this event one of the top ten activities held in the State of Alabama. Fairhope, Ala. 251-621-8222, www.eschamber.com March 22–25 Robert Osborne’s Classic Film Festival Robert Osborne will introduce nine classic feature films to be seen the way they were meant to be seen. The films, projected on a 60-foot screen in 35 mm, will bring viewers back to days gone by. A special children’s matinee will take place on Saturday. Guests include film critics, directors, producers and more. Athens, Ga. 706-542-5038, www.grady.uga.edu/osbornefest March 24–April 29 Spring Celebration at Callaway Gardens The breathtaking sight of 40 acres of azaleas blooming in the world’s largest azalea garden make springtime at Callaway Gardens a special event. Many activities are planned, including a Plant Fair, Easter Eggstravaganza Egg Hunts and more each weekend. Pine Mountain, Ga. 800-255-5292, www.callawaygardens.com March 26–April 7 Columbus (Miss.) Annual Spring Pilgrimage Antebellum homes bring thousands of visitors to historic Columbus each year. Many pre-civil war homes, gardens and churches will be featured this year, along with a “Tales from the Crypt” graveyard tour and a series of vignettes featuring local citizens who have contributed to the history of the area. Columbus, Miss. 1-800-920-3533 March 30–April 1 Summerville Family YMCA Flowertown Festival Stretching over a mile on Main Street, this threeday event offers more than 200 craft vendors and artisans, specialty gourmet vendors, a golf classic, 10K, 5K and 1 mile Fun Run and more. Summerville, S.C. 843-871-9622 x 100, www.flowertownfestival.com

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