Notice anything unusual about this basket?Look into the very center. There is a deer antler woven in.Betty Bain of Selma is a master at her trade and has some of the most beautiful and unique baskets that I have seen anywhere. She displayed her craft at Artisans' Day recently.
"Alabama, they say, is like one big front porch where folks gather on summer nights to tell tales and to talk family."That's how the intro begins to Selma author Kathryn Tucker Windham's book, "Alabama: One Big Front Porch," and boy, does my well-worn copy bring back memories!I miss my old front porch...the one I grew up on...a wrap-around with gingerbread trim, a swing beneath a cupola and a hammock on the side screen porch. We even had electric lights and fans out there, and it was where we gathered at night to cool off, play dominoes, drink lemonade, eat homemade ice cream and tell tales. On hot days, I would spend the afternoon in the hammock reading "Nancy Drew" or sitting on the porch shelling butterbeans with my brothers as we told jokes. During summers of the 60s, we could sit on the porch behind the giant azaleas and not be noticed as we watched Civil Rights demonstrations across the street at the courthouse. It's where we sat on election night waiting results of the vote and where we watched hometown parades and state campaign rallies. Oh, the stories I could write from my front porch education!Did you grow up on a porch?
More pasta art from Vernon Spicer!This depiction of the Edmund Pettus Bridge was on display last weekend at the Children's Rehabilitation Center art fair. It looks like a painting, but it is made entirely of painted pasta.The bright spots near the top are just a reflection of the ceiling lights.
How 'bout painted skies for Skywatch Friday?This painting is such a good depiction of the four seasons of the Old South Black Belt...a light dusting of snow in winter, cotton picking in the fall, baptisms in the creek during summer and moss-laden oak trees in spring. The artist, Don Coley of Marion, grew up on a Perry County farm and later spent some years with carnivals and the circus. He's a self-taught folk artist who now owns Roselane Antiques and Gardens where he sells antiques, art and flowers. His biography says, "Stop by sometime, and he will tell you the rest of the story."Coley was among artists from the Marion Art Guild who displayed their works at Artisans' Day in Selma.
Check the other Skywatch photos at Wiggers' World.
(Thanks, Tom!)
There aren't many structures left in the ghost town of Cahawba, but this old chimney is among them. The marker shows an engraving of the former Cahaba Federal Prison, which shows a chimney. Since the prison was located here, experts have wondered if the chimney was part of it. However, some believe it was built at a much later date.
The prison was an unfinished warehouse intended for cotton and housed hundreds of Union prisoners during the War Between the States. Among vermin and other unpleasantries, they also endured a flood.
Finally, in March 1865, many were freed through a prisoner exchange, and they boarded steamboats headed north toward home. But on April 27, almost 700 of these former prisoners perished in the Mississippi River near Memphis when a boiler exploded on the steamship Sultana. That explosion remains the worst domestic maritime disaster in U.S. history.
Shall we gather at the Beloit Community Center for a history lesson about the first Christian school for African Americans in Dallas County?
It was here...formerly founded as the Beloit Industrial Institute in 1888. A Presbyterian missionary from Wisconsin established the school and founded Beloit, named for his alma mater, Beloit College, in his home state.
The historic marker in front of this building states that "from 1888 to 1923, the Beloit school functioned as the intellectual, social and religious hub for the thriving Beloit community. The school was the first in Dallas County to combine agribusiness training with strong Christian teachings. In 1923, the Dallas County School Board gained legal possession of the school which they retained until 1963 when desegregation and zoning forced the closing of the school's doors. For a period of ten years, the school building was owned by a private business. In 1974 the building was purchased by the Beloit Community Organization. It now functions as a multi-purpose, community center and exists as a shining example of progress, self-reliance and community service for generations of past, present and future Alabamians. (Erected 1994 by the Beloit Community Organization) Location: Dallas County Beloit Community."
Today, there is still a relationship between the northern Beloit and the southern Beloit. Ten years ago, The Beloit Daily News reported that "A delegation of Beloiters will take a 13-hour drive to a Beloit sister city, Beloit, Alabama; Wayne Showers will lead the excursion; he's invited the Alabama city twice and has been to some other cities named Beloit."
Joe Lightsey has prime property for sale for the birds! The Marion Junction resident says if he builds the houses, the birds will come wherever you dig a hole for the pole. There's the Big Red Barn for the country-minded, a steeple-topped church for the faithful and a primitive log cabin for old timers. Some of the tin he uses for roofs is from an old wheelwright shop near Orrville, and some of the wood is from an old catchpen that was located at the Black Belt Agricultural Experiment Station at Marion Junction. This creative carpenter also boards horses at Lightsey Stables and is in the horse- and tack- trading business. His wood creations include some really cute music boxes, one of which I own. These birdhouses were for sale at Artisans' Day last weekend.
What's in a fingerprint?Flowers and trees,
Birds and bees.
Peeping chicks
and doggie tricks.
Big-eyed frogs,
Alligator "logs."
Friendly fish
and cats that swish!These colorful birdhouses were fingerprint-painted by children enrolled in the Special Preschool Education Center (SPEC) at the Easter Seals' rehabilitation center in Selma. They were for sale at the Artisans' Day fundraiser.
You're never too young, too modern or too high-tech to learn an old technique!
The famous Quilters of Gees Bend graciously shared their quilting knowledge with this young Selmian at Artisans' Day on Saturday. The event was sponsored by Easter Seals West Central Alabama Rehabilitation Center, and proceeds helped fund SPEC (Special Education Preschool Center). Numerous arts and crafts were for show and sale, and along with the quilters, other demonstrations included pasta art, basket weaving, percussion techniques, wire art and pottery. There was a silent auction and plenty of hamburgers and hot dogs enjoyed beneath the shade trees.
(These are the same quilters who recently were visited by presidential candidate John McCain during his Time for Action Tour. You can view that video HERE.)
The folk art sculptures of TheTin Man (Charlie Lucas) can be found all over Selma. Guest photographer Lucy Battle, formerly of Selma, found these at Everyman Bookstore on Martin Luther King Street. I'm trying to figure out what the different scrap materials are. Of course, the hair is made of barbed wire, but do I see pieces of vinyl siding? Since I haven't checked out this bookstore yet, it is now on my list!
Notice anything unusual about this basket?
"Alabama, they say, is like one big front porch where folks gather on summer nights to tell tales and to talk family."
More pasta art from Vernon Spicer!
How 'bout painted skies for Skywatch Friday?
There aren't many structures left in the ghost town of Cahawba, but this old chimney is among them. The marker shows an engraving of the former Cahaba Federal Prison, which shows a chimney. Since the prison was located here, experts have wondered if the chimney was part of it. However, some believe it was built at a much later date. 
Shall we gather at the Beloit Community Center for a history lesson about the first Christian school for African Americans in Dallas County? 
Joe Lightsey has prime property for sale for the birds! 
What's in a fingerprint?
You're never too young, too modern or too high-tech to learn an old technique!
The folk art sculptures of TheTin Man (Charlie Lucas) can be found all over Selma. Guest photographer Lucy Battle, formerly of Selma, found these at Everyman Bookstore on Martin Luther King Street. I'm trying to figure out what the different scrap materials are. Of course, the hair is made of barbed wire, but do I see pieces of vinyl siding? Since I haven't checked out this bookstore yet, it is now on my list!
