The jungle comes alive in "The Circle of Life" butterfly sculpture in front of Brown Chapel AME Church. Painted by artist Nate Brown along with fifth graders and Knox and Payne Elementary schools,tigers and panthers, parrots and butterflies share a lush landscape. Oh...and I believe this butterfly is looking right at you! To see closeups of this butterfly, click HERE.
The sun turned the sky into a brilliant turquoise above the antebellum Summerfield Methodist Church.The church was organized in 1837, and this structure was completed in 1845.
There are lots more photographers out watching the skies around the world. Check them out HERE.
Barber poles seem to be a rarity these days with so many men opting for "styled hair" at salons. But, here at Dixie Barber Shop, two brothers still cut hair for $10. You get to sit in a regular barber chair, and you can read area newspapers and catch up on man talk while you wait.
There's still a lot to be said for a barbershop haircut. I know men who have moved to the big metros...yet still return to Selma for a haircut, because they can't find anyone else who knows how to cut hair right!
All that said, this barber pole symbolizes a whole lot more than a haircut. It seems barbers once performed tooth extractions and bloodletting! Read all about it HERE! Oh, yes that's my self portrait in the bottom of the pole.
We're getting a Spring Preview this week with daffodils and 70-degree weather!
These early bloomers hide under a hill in our yard and are determined to keep spreading their cheer despite weather that changes drastically daily.
Can a lovely, dainty butterfly be macho?
You bet!
Fuller Building Supply's "Fun with a Nail Gun" butterfly sculpture is the creation of artist Teresa Cammack and is ready to go to work downtown with a hammer and pliers.
I'm told by folks who work on Broad Street that this butterfly seems to gather lots of attention from passersby.
The worker butterfly in overalls is one of 45 butterfly sculptures sponsored by businesses and individuals for The Butterfly Project.
Ahhhhh...there'll be a Mystery at the Museum the night of Friday, January 30!
The antebellum Sturdivant Hall Museum over in Old Town will be the scene of a Mardi Gras Revelry, and Encore Little Theater actors will interact with guests for a "Who Done It?" at the costume party. Guests must obtain clues to solve the mystery, and the first person to solve it gets a prize and the title of Selma's Top Amateur Sleuth!
According to publicity, "Rhett Beauregard Butler and his lovely wife Hortensia Hufflemeyer Butler" will host the revelry. Their "actor" guests include Gethan and Merrygold Rutgers, Cliff and Maybell Snodgrass, Archibald and Vesta Willingham, all long time friends of Hortensia, and a mysterious guest. Before the evening is over, one of these people "meets an unfortunate end."
So, buy a ticket, don a costume and bring along your best detective skills.
Mystery Night is sponsored by Arts Revive, and proceeds go toward restoration of the Carneal building on Water Avenue that will become an art gallery and workshop.
At the Old Depot Museum:
"Selma was home to three ironworks, or foundries, prior to the Civil War and continuing until recently. Located near the Alabama River, adjacent to River Road, the ironworks used wooden patterns to create the molds from which hundreds of machine and locomotive parts and architectural and decorate designs were made. The process was similar to play with sandbox toys: a wooden pattern was pressed into a special sand, molten metal poured into the impression and allowed to cool and harden. The process was repeated with each of the pieces of the pattern until the mold was complete. These molds were used over and over. A large sifter was used to salvage bits of hardened material from the sand. The metal was then melted and re-used. Because fine hardwoods were used in the patterns, they are decorative as well as a link to the historic past."
Most through traffic along U.S. Highway 80 skips downtown and travels the Selma Bypass. The bypass, which crosses the Alabama River via the John Tyler Morgan Bridge, connects U.S. Highway 80 East and Alabama Highway 41 near the Craig Industrial Park to Alabama Highway 14. Turn left and you are soon back on U.S. 80 headed west.
Above is the Water Avenue exit off the bypass which leads straight to Henry Brick Company.
At 7 a.m., a mixture of rising sun and hanging fog gave an ethereal feeling to the beginning of a weekend that promises a touch of spring...warm temperatures and rain. More skies abound. Too see them, click HERE.
The Battle of Selma Reenactment is returning after all!
Last fall, organizers announced that there were too many conflicts to continue this popular April event that serves as a living history lesson of the April 1865 Civil War battle.
But an article in today's Selma Times-Journal states that the battle will be back, although scaled back from previous years. School tours will be limited to one day, and more details will be available soon.
Above a unit from Mississippi fires a cannon at the invading Yankees during the 2008 battle.
