2024 Apr 27, Car & Tractor Show, Tee-Ball Game, Art Museum and Sisters

Hubby and I rode to Killen Park for the Killen Log 877 Classic Car Show which featured bikes, jeeps, classic cars, and new cars.

Cahaba Shrine Hillbillies truck at Car show 

We parked along the side of the park. Lots of cars and people there. The farmers market, Scoccer Games, Vendors, Car and Tractor Shows.

It has been several months since I have visited the park. Lots of new construction of new buildings and Disk Golf is now installed.

There was also a tractor show featuring several, old and new John Deer and other tractors.

1929 John Deer Tractor 

We strolled through the farmers market stopping to buy stone ground cornmeal and some fresh strawberries. 

Ripe home-grown strawberries

We stopped at home so hubby could grill steaks and I fixed creamed potatoes and corn on the cob for lunch. 

After lunch, we rode to Lexington Park to watch our great grandson Atlas play Tee-ball. 

After the tee-ball game, we rode to TVAM where a display and crafts were set up for bird lovers. We talked through the Tennessee Valley Art Museum (which was free today). 

On display was the art of the print 500 years of printmaking.

What the Night Tells the Day by Douglas Baulos.

We rode back home where I took a short nap. My daughter called while I was getting ready to go to my sister's house for dinner.

I ended the day by going to my sisters to play cards (spades and various UNO games). I liked the reverse UNO game.

Sisters Vicki, Becky, Teresia, great niece Emmalee, and her friend all played these games.

Teresia had cooked a nice meal of Black-eyed peas, cornbread, a broccoli casserole with chicken, brats with kraut, sweet potatoes, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies. 

My sister loaded me down with leftovers for hubby.

She also gave me a bouquet of Peony from her garden.

Pink Peony 

It was after 10 when I got home last night.

2023 May 6, The Moulton and Cullman Strawberry Festivals

 

Artist paintings at Cullman Strawberry Festival 

Farmers Market in Cullman 

a gallon of Sweet Strawberries

Saturday we rode to Cullman to the Strawberry Festival and arrived around 9AM at the Warehouse District where the Farmers Market is located. There were already lots of people and more pouring in. We walked to the Farmers Market where we bought a gallon of Strawberries. 

We had been at the Farmers Market a few weeks before and they had sold out of Strawberries.

We bought a gallon of strawberries first thing and Hubby took the strawberries to the car. 

After that, we walked around looking at what the vendors had to offer. We listened to several bands. There were vendors selling clothing, food, household items, handmade items, etc. (Burger Boys, Funnel Cakes, Icee, burgers, Lemonade, Kettle Corn, etc.

There was a small train ride and several children's rides. (berry-go-round, Ferries wheel, etc)

We bought a cup of chocolate-covered strawberries in one of the shops in the Warehouse district. (Sweets by T Chocolate Shop).

Miss Piggy was walking around advertising Barbecue. 

A petting zoo with a sign that said Feed me

Tractor Show 

Car Show 

We then rode to the Strawberry Festival in Moulton. They had a tractor show, a car show, rides for the kids, and a Petting Zoo. 

There were several food vendors. They even brought in a Chick-fil-A. There were different vendors with items to win from a spinning wheel. We bought a bird feeder from a school group that they had made. The day started out cool but by the time we left Moulton it was up to 80. 

Grilled Chicken Fingers with baked sweet potato, toast, and dipping sauce at OH!Bryan's 

We rode to Hartselle to eat lunch at Oh! Bryan's. One of our favorite places to eat when were are in the area. It was getting late but we did stop at Wheeler Dam where we saw lots of Great Blue Herons, a few snake birds, and several Great White Pelicans (most of them were on the islands far away). We had a great day but were worn out from all our adventures. 

Great Blue Heron with his catch a fish 

2022 Sep 3, Sugerfest & Historic Buildings Arab, Alabama

 Today we rode to Arab to stroll through the park filled with over 100 vendors. Tents were lined up as far as the eye could see selling items from A to Z. 

Vendor Tents

The sweet aroma of baked goods filled the air making my mouth water. You could almost taste the barbeque, hamburgers, and hotdogs that were being cooked. Lines of people at every food truck.

Funnel Cake, Ribbon Fries, and freshly squeezed lemonade were just a few of the food items sold.

Santa Fe Food Truck

There was a petting zoo with two large lazy cows, a goat trying to climb out of his pen, a miniature long-haired goat that kids just loved to pet, and many other animals.

Petting Zoo

Pony Rides

There was a long line for the pony rides. Kids were climbing walls, playing games, swinging, and sliding.

The splash was opened for those who wanted to cool off.

There was music playing in the concert area.

People play cornhole and other games.

But we were more interested in the Historic Village area where we saw. 

1. The Boyd Homestead
Boyd Homestead 1890-2006

Lola Boyd lived her entire 99 years in the Boyd Homestead.
Her dad, Matthew Boyd built the home in 1890 on 160 acres of land in Arab. Ms. Lola was born in 1906 and was the youngest of 11 siblings. She graduated high school in 1929 from Arab and went to college and received her teaching degree from George C. Peabody College in Nashville, TN. 
This home was not built with indoor bathrooms or closets. An 
outhouse served as the bathroom and a well was located outside the home that provided water for the family. The home also did not have electricity until the 1940s. 
Ms. Lola taught school and never married nor had children She helped take care of her parents and was given the Homestead after they passed. The home was then willed to the Historic Society after she died in 2006. The society moved and restored the home to mimic the 1940s era.

The Stage Coach INN @Elvin Light Museum 

2. The Elvin Light Museum

Inside were cubicles filled with different items from:

Hyatt's Boarding House

Dr. Ellis Porch and Dr. Braxton Smith's Office

Arab Infirmary Dr. Ellis Porch and Dr. Braxton Smith

The Thompson Family

Russell Rice, General Mdse Est. 1897

Peoples Drug Store

Reed Pring Shop 

Fleming Barber Shop 

The Stage Coach INN

3. The Ruth Homemaker's Clubhouse
Belongs to the Homemakers of Arab who hold demonstrations, and enjoy canning, quilting, knitting, and mattress making. 

4. The Phillips Blacksmith

George C. Phillips Blacksmith Shop

Another very important business to the Farmers was the Blacksmith Shop where he could get his tools sharpened and mules shod. Mr. George Phillips had owned his own blacksmith shop in Scottsboro, Al, and was a resident blacksmith for the Georg C.  Phillips Blacksmith shop. Mr. Phillips has since passed away, but his legacy lives on. The Blacksmith Ship is built from vintage wood to mimic a structure from the 1940s era. 

The farmer looked forward to carrying his animals to the Blacksmith shop to be shooed. This was important to the well-being of the animals, but it also gave the farm a break from the farm and an opportunity to socialize with fellow farmers.

Horseshoeing is done today by a farrier who goes out to the farm every 4 to 6 weeks in a truck equipped with a forge.

Tractors have replaced the Mule, therefore the need for local blacksmith shops has diminished.

5. The Winslett Barn - used for weddings and events

6. The Rice Church 
The Rice Church 1910-1950s

This Church building, originally known as Liberty Primitive Baptist Church, was once located in the Rice Community near Arab. It was donated to the Historical Society in 1993 and restored to a manner representing rural churches from the early 1900s. Today, it is used for small weddings, memorial services, and spiritual needs. The Church would hold services, baptisms, weddings, and Christenings, sometimes all on the same day. Farmers that traveled far for Church would bring their own lunch and typically stay all day. 
They really took advantage of Sundays since this was the only day they would have time to attend.

Inside sat a woman playing old-time gospel music on the piano. She said the church where I now attend had a piano player but got sick and could not play so the church asked her if she would fill in that was over 20 years ago. She was a retired teacher and had taught music. Her talent was far beyond the previous piano player and the other players didn't want to come back. She played beautifully.

7. The Hunt School House
The Hunt School 1935-1952

This two-room school is very typical of the schools in Alabama built during the Great Depression era: high ceilings, a"cloakroom, " for each classroom, and architectural details in the true Colonial Revival design. The Hunt School operated in a small community south of Arab from 1835-1952. When school buses became popular in 1952, students were bused into larger schools. The school year revolved around spring planting and fall harvesting since most students lived on a farm. The school went without electricity for the first ten years. There was no water, cafeteria, indoor bathrooms, or library. Children walked to school and washed their hands in a pan filled with water.

9. The Smith Country Store 

 Inside was filled with items of a different era. In the very back behind the coal, heater sat a group singing and playing Bluegrass music. We listened to a couple of songs that I had never heard before.

10. The Smalley Grist Mill 

When a farmer and his family would move to a new area, there were two businesses he would immediately look for.

One was a grist mill where he could get this corn ground into cornmeal. Since cornbread was such an important food staple at the Great Depression supper table, the Historic Village needed to have a Grist Mill. Mr. Jerrell Smally bought the Grist Mill from Arab's old Farmers Ex change and donated it to the Arab Historical Society. The building was built from vintage lumber to mimic a structure from the 1940s era. 

During the Great Depression, everyone grew corn. A large family would consume as much as 300 pounds of corn a year. 
The farmers would gather a portion of their dried corn during harvest and take it to the local Grist Mill to get shucked, shelled, and ground for cornbread. They would pay for this service by leaving a portion of their corn with the miller.

2017 June 17, Saturday, RC Moon Pie Festival Bell Buckle, Tenessee🌝🍰

Cooked waffles for breakfast topped with walnuts and cool whip.
Loaded the van, programmed the GPS, and began our trip.
We traveled north on hwy 43 turning right onto hwy 64 East traveling through Giles County Pulaski, TN crossing I-65
to 244 northeast traveling through Lincoln and Marshall counties Petersburg, & Bedford County Shelbyville.

Town of Petersburg Library

Town of Petersburg in Lincoln and Marshall Counties with a population of 580.

Our next stop was Bedford County, Shelbyville, TN, home to the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.

Walking Horse National Celebration (Horse farms)
The historic Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Grounds in Shelbyville, TN is home to the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration which takes place each year in late summer for 11 days ending on the Saturday night before Labor Day.

Veterans Memorial Plaza in front of Bedford County Courthouse

Shelbyville is the county seat of Bedford County "Courthouse"

Arrived at Bell Buckle around 10:00AM.
We found a close park, walked up to the stage, and found seats on bales of hay. Where we sat and listened to music and watched a group of young girls and women clogging.

Cloggers (stepping high)

Milking Machine

Railroad Town (several trains came through while we were in Bell Buckle)

We walked around checking out the vendors, where we saw giant corn dogs, funnel cakes, deep-fried Oreos, snickers, and Twinkles.
We visited Everybody's Antiques and More, Bluebirds Antiques, and Ice Cream Parlor.
We visited the Livery Stable now an Antique shop with many rooms of antiques.

Livery Stable is now an Antique Shop. 

We saw boxes of strawberry, banana, chocolate, mint, & salted caramel moon pies.
There were moon pies and RC colas for sale everywhere we looked and prices varied.

Ice Cold RC Colas 

Boxes of Fresh Moon Pies

Uncle Sam greeting the crowd at the  Parade

We met a couple from North Carolina, who had been to softball tournaments in Birmingham.
We met an older couple that had visited the festival many times.
There were people from everywhere who were still coming when we left.

We ate lunch at Bell Buckle Cafe where we both ordered a barbecue sandwich and a glass of iced tea.
It was almost time for the parade so we gobbled down our lunch.
It was the only cafe in the whole area so it was a long wait just to eat lunch.

Standing in front of the Mural of Moon Pies and RC Colas 

We came outside to watch the parade and after the parade, we started home.

Moon Pie Girl in the parade

We took a different route home, we rode through Tullahoma, Lynchburg, & Pulaski.
We stopped in Lawrenceburg for gas and to-go meals from Long John Silvers.
We stopped at the fruit stand in Lawrenceburg for vegetables and we were home by 5:00PM.
We were home about an hour when hubby got a call out from work so we loaded into the van and headed to Huntsville.
As we were entering the gate we were in a Jurassic Park jeep with a dinosaur in the back.

When the Jeep moved so did the dinosaur
Jurassic is relating to or denotes the second period of the Mesozoic era, between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods.

The sun was setting as we traveled home. (around 8:30PM)

2017 May 6, Strawberry Festival Moulton, Alabama 🍓🍓🍓🍓

I took highway 101 crossing Wheeler Dam over into Lawrence County and traveling through Town Creek. At the red light, I crossed Highway 20 traveling staying on 101 until I reached Hwy 157 turning left, and traveling east until I reached hwy 33 which took me to Courthouse Square.
I parked on Big Nance Street and walked a block crossing highway 33 onto Courthouse Square.
The Courthouse sits on a hill so all my walking was up and down the hill which is very hard on the knees.

People filled the streets looking for gifts for mother's day

I saw a yellow and green board called Plinko but never played the game.
It was sponsored by the Moulton Middle School PTO.

The sign read:

Fidget Spinners $7.00 

Score 6 candy 

Score 4 Stuffed Toy

Score 3

Fidget Spinner   

Step up to the board, once you have all of your chips.

Lay a Plinko chip flat against the top of the Plinko board.

Take aim at the prize you want to win by lining up the chip within an area where it can bounce around the board until it lands in the slot.

Release the clip and watch it bounce and travel through the maze until it reaches one of the bottom slots.

If you win a prize and the chip doesn't land on zero, then you can add the amount of the prize to the grand total of winnings.

Repeat Steps 3 through 6 until you've played all of your Plinko chips.

The smell of food filled the air, Little Jimmy's was selling  Italian Ice, Cheese Chaos, Deep Fried Oreos, soft pretzels, Ice tea, Lemonade, & Cheese Nachos

Loud music filled the air with the band that was playing near the courthouse. 

Mosquito Control!
The Neon color should attract the Mosquitos if it doesn't blind them first.
 LOL
I love this neon Green & Yellow color. I
wear this color often
Guess I want to attract mosquitos.  

"Coke Cola Mural" There is nothing more refreshing than a cold Coke Cola in a bottle.

I guess the Hillsboro Fire Fighters were here to help keep the peace, Just in case the crowd got rowdy

Class of 1933  White Buick 

A Johnnie Cash and Elvis Presley Fan was walking near the Fairlane's

This Chevrolet had a sign in the window.
 Look but Please don't Touch it!!

Kool car tag "OLDSKOOL"

This bright orange-trimmed black car had wings. I bet it can fly!!

Nice ride!! SS 350

I stopped to talk to this young man. I said you have some beautiful flowers.
I said that I did not need any more right now, I had just bought several.
He was selling them for The FFA Agricultural Education
Learning to Do, Doing to Learn,
Serving to Live, Living to Serve. 

I had a great time walking around talking to people, smelling the food, and listen to music, and watching the line dancer and tap dancers. 

The Hillbilly's Helping Children Shriners Hospital
RC, Moon Pie, Mountain Dew, and See Rock City were just a few of the signs attached to the Shriner's outhouse. I stopped to talk and donate. I loved their display and told them they should be upfront and not the end of the line.