Ahhh, the Caribbean. Creating Caribbean party themes is a pleasure. Anyone who has ever been to any of the Islands knows what I mean. Turquoise blue water, white beaches, rum drinks, and the Island beat give this theme all the ideas needed to create an awesome party. Find out about  Caribbean Rum Cakes From Jamaica And Tortuga

Where

As with most theme parties, you’ll need a decent-sized room or backyard, or you can rent a party room. The Caribbean party themes, weather permitting, definitely would be great in an outdoor setting (especially if you have a pool). Or, in the winter, Caribbean party themes are just what is needed for an escape from the cold weather.

Invitations

One creative idea for Caribbean party themes is to make fake flight tickets, arrival destination at one of the the Islands on the date and time of the party. Another idea is to create a flyer for a “Caribbean Festival” (or Jamacian Reggae Jam, San Juan Latin Dance Contest, Bermuda Triangle Party, etc.).

Other options are to get tropical looking blank invitations or paper and print them on your computer, or to buy fill-in-the-blank invitations.

Costumes

Caribbean party themes call for grass skirts, beach hats, rasta wigs, reggae hats, dreadlock wigs, coconut bikini tops, bright prints, etc. Be sure to note on the invitation if you expect your guests to dress up!

Favors

Caribbean party themes favors (or game/door prizes) for your guests can include palm tree shaped votive candles, shell necklaces, reggae CDs, small bottles of hot sauce, sunglasses, sun visors, sunscreen, small bottles of Bacardi, a gift bag with several of these things, or any other gifts that have a Caribbean flair.

Decorations

Decorations and favors for the Caribbean party themes abound, but you have to be careful to include only stuff that you’d find in the Caribbean. In other words, you aren’t having a luau, so no tiki masks or other uniquely Hawaiian decor. You can, however, use many of the luau or Hawaiian labeled decorations for your Caribbean party. Here are some ideas for decorating:

* Cover a wall with a tropical photo mural

* Scatter tan and shades of blue balloons around (beach colors) or bright tropical floral colors like yellow, pink, purple, green. There are even balloons shaped like flamingos, shells, and palm trees! Or, get white and blue round paper lanterns.

* Use any of several kinds of palm trees, flamingos, parrots, tropical fish, and suns (inflatable, metallic, paper, tissue, lighted strings or otherwise) for Caribbean party themes.

* Exotic flowers (real or silk) or tropical candle holders or luminaries can be table centerpieces or accents anywhere in your party area.

* Grass skirting on the tables is a neat touch too. If you really want to go all out, you can get a grass tiki “hut” and use it as the bar or other serving area.

* Don’t forget to have Caribbean party themes tableware and napkins in a bright floral or flamingo pattern, mix and match bright tropical solid colors, or even shell-shaped plates and coconut cups!

Food

The Caribbean’s unique flavors will be sure to delight your guests! Be sure to use Caribbean sauces and spices like Jerk sauce, Jamacian hot sauce, tabasco, and a host of pepper sauces and spices when creating your food. Some menu ideas are: Jerk Chicken (or Pork Chops, Beef, Lamb), Fried Plantains, Banana Bread, Jamacian Rice and Beans, Fishcakes, Seafood Patties, Coconut Shrimp, Any kind of Kabobs (with Island style spices), Conch Fritters, Spicy Pasta Salad, Crab Souffle, and for those who aren’t that adventurous, regular barbequed chicken.

Have some Caribbean sweets and desserts on hand too! Try Bermuda Triangle cookies, coconut cookies/cake, pineapple cake with rum sauce, rum bananas, pineapple tarts, fruit pies, fruit salad with pina colada sauce. Be sure to have stuff on hand for non-fruit lovers, like chocolate cake, chocolate souffle (remember the French influence on some of the islands), etc.

Drinks

Don’t forget tropical drinks! Serve daiquiris, pina coladas, rum punch, Bahama Mamas, and a whole host of other tropical drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Caribbean party themes wouldn’t be complete without Bacardi-based rum drinks!

Cake

If it’s a birthday or other celebration, you’ll need a cake. Or you might just want a cake as a dessert item. With a tropical theme, I’d go with coconut or pineapple upside down cake!  or Caribbean rum cake Or you might want a round or sheet cake decorated as Bob Marley or with the Bemuda Triangle. Other ideas could be a palm tree, Jamacian flag, turquoise ocean with tropical fish, steel drum instruments, etc.

Games

Anyone up for a conga line or limbo? How low can YOU go? Other than those games, I wouldn’t “clutter” the party with any scheduled games. Let the music and the guests entertain themselves. Dancing and rum make for great fun!

Entertainment

Reggae, steel drum, calypso, and other Caribbean sounds are mandatory. You can also play an Ocean Sounds CD (This would be nice during a sit-down dinner.) Or, hire a band or DJ and let them worry about keeping the sounds coming!

The history of the fruitcake dates back to medieval times when sweet breads were first developed. Cooks all over the Old World saved their most expensive ingredients, then baked them together for a special holiday treat. The basic ingredients include the finest wheat flour, white sugar, eggs, sweet butter, and exotic dried fruits. But variations of the bread might include rich filling such as marzipan (almond paste).

In Germany, the fruitcake is known as Stollen, and is credited to the city of Dresden. A traditional Stollen is oblong in shape, with each end tapered and a ridge running down the middle. It contains raisins, currants, rum or brandy, candied peels and almonds. After it is baked, the Stollen is painted with butter and sprinkled with sugar and more candied fruits are added to the top.

A variation of the fruitcake is known as three kings cake (or King Cake in New Orleans) and is associated with Mardi Gras and Twelfth Night. Although similar in its ingredients to the traditional Christmas fruitcake, the Twelfth Night cake originated before Christian times and was developed from ancient Arab recipes. It contains a basic yeast-based brioche and fruits and nuts. It often contains a bean or token hidden inside the cake.

Called by any name, the fruitcake remains a hearty symbol of Christmas tradition. It has been said that the fruitcake lives forever, and there are a number of anecdotal stories of fruit cakes being passed on from one generation to the next. A story published in the New York Times, 1983, tells of a man who received the family fruitcake that had been baked in 1794 as a Christmas gift for George Washington, but the President sent it back with a note of refusal. Some families have a “traveling fruitcake” that is passed from one family member to another each season.

With such a rich and varied history, it is apparent that the fruitcake will be a part of the holiday tradition for many generations to come.

The author writes frequently on family-oriented topics. She loves the Christmas season and collects nativity scenes and Santa costumes. She also has a special Mrs. Santa costume that she wears to serve Christmas dinner.

Caribbean Rum Cakes From Jamaica And Tortuga

Guests will enjoy lite hor d’oeuvres and beverages courtesy of The Furniture Factory. Featured guests will be conceptual fashion designer, LeJeune, who will debut her winter collection for ladies, fashion preview by 5 Point’s Mes Amis Boutique, Jennifer Searles - poetry writer and performer, Rodney of Xuiite Photography Studio. Live entertainment will also be part of the evening’s festivities.

Invitations can be picked up from Attitudes Day Spa & Salon or Mes Amis Boutique, or by sending an e-mail to lejeune111@lejeunestyle.com. For additional information, call 256.534.7001 or 256.837.3938.
About Attitudes Day Spa & Salon

Providing an atmosphere of encouragement, the experienced staff at Attitudes Day Spa &Salon provides the customer with a unique selection of services including Hair and Hair Extensions, Skin, Body & Nail Care, Make-up/Cosmetics and Massage Therapy. Attitudes Day Spa has been in business for over 10 years.

www.creativebusinessalliance.com
www.lejeunestyle.com

Public Relations Contact: Ellena LeJeune
256.837.3938 or info@lejeunestyle.com

Jamaica Veteran Performer Freddie Mc Gregor Headline this years Event Internationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer, Freddie McGregor, has been moving people with his conscious lyrics for over 40 years. Equally at home in lovers rock or roots & culture, this unstoppable wonder boasts many hits like Push Come to Shove, Africa Here I Come, Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely, I Was Born A Winner, Guantanamera, his signature Big Ship and his latest Lock Dem’ Down and Bangarang - both chart topping #1 hits from his 2005 album - Comin’ in Tough.

Influenced by the sounds of Stevie Wonder, the legendary Bob Marley, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Bob Andy and many others, Freddie finessed his talent with early tracks like Why Did You Do It and Do Good and Good Will Follow You. In the mid-sixties he teamed up with Ernest “Fitzroy” Wilson to form the duo Freddie and Fitzroy while he continued to develop his craft. In 1975, Freddie’s musical and lyrical content changed with a strong slant towards lyrics of social consciousness with tunes like Mark of the Beast, I Am A Rasta and reggae classic Bobby Babylon. In 1977 Freddie released his long awaited album Mr. McGregor, which contained reggae mainstays such as Zion Chant, Rastaman Chant and Walls of Jericho. This album marked a major milestone in his stellar career and in 1981 his tune Big Ship became one of reggae’s biggest hits, earning him a permanent place in reggae music history.

In 1989, Freddie launched his own record label, Big Ship, featuring Jamaica Classics Volume One as the first major release. Part of this compilation included popular tunes like Little Roy’s Prophecy and Derrick Harriot’s The Loser. Today, Big Ship is the largest and most recognized reggae label in Japan handling its own production, manufacturing, distribution and promotions. To date, Big Ship has produced several reggae artists including General Degree, Cutty Ranks, Mikey Spice, Benjy Myaz and Freddie’s daughter Yeshemabeth. His album entitled Anything For You featuring the songs Uncle Sam, I See It In You and Anything for You, was nominated for a Grammy. Recently Freddie produced the historic Super Stars Extravaganza DVD, highlighting rare concert footage from the 1989 Denbigh Show Ground (May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica). The DVD features live performances by the great Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Cocoa Tea, Barrington Levy, Frankie Paul, Carlene Davis and the legendary Tamlins.

Over the years, Freddie has consistently “given back” to the community in many ways. He produces his own concert entitled RockSteady Meets Reggae, which promotes unity within the reggae fraternity. He also donates to charities throughout the world and manages his own US and England based children’s organizations; Big Ship Foundation Inc. and the Freddie McGregor Children’s Fund, both of which provides services and funding to renovate schools. Recently, Jamaican artist Paul Napier (Vice Principal and teacher at Tivoli Gardens High School, Jamaica) honored Freddie with a life-like sculpture in commemoration of his music - proceeds are being donated to various community/charitable organizations in Jamaica.

Freddie McGregor continues to please reggae fans and music lovers throughout the world headlining international concerts and venues including Poland’s Blue Note, Japan’s Jumping Splash, Reggae Sunsplash (Clapham Common), the Cartegena Festival (Colombia), Midem (France), the Jamaican Expo (performing for Nelson Mandela and Prince Charles), the London Hammersmith Apollo - performing with John Holt and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, the Annual Caribbean Tourism Week (NYC) and many others. On August 8, 2003, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson, honored Freddie with the prestigious Jamaican Order of Distinction in recognition of his contribution to Jamaica’s music and culture. His popular tune, Lovers Rock, was featured in the critically acclaimed HBO exclusive Disappearing Acts and Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater saluted Freddie with the honor of being an Apollo Living Legend. Currently Freddie is completing his first film project entitled Freddie’s First – Where Reggae meets Soca! produced by FUNSATION4 and DAHYA PIX.

CONTACT: 876-925-2409/718-355-8402/655-0141

email: bigshipmusic@gmail.com

Sprite Step Off is the largest national step competition EVER. With 30 events in 20 cities, undergraduate Greek teams from all over will be able compete for a share of a $1.5 million scholarship prize pool. Competing teams will also be participating in service activities throughout the competition to help the community – all with the overall objective to inspire the youth to attend college.

At Saturday’s event, competition starts at 10am and as the prize pool wasn’t enough — winning fraternity and sorority teams from each of the qualifying round events may have a possible a part in the upcoming “Stomp the Yard” sequel, “Stomp the Yard: Homecoming”. The day is still going to be lots of fun for those not competing — step fans are more than welcome to bring their families to watch the competing teams, the McDonald’s Flavor Battle with the hottest DJs and a special musical performance (but I can’t say who it is yet!) Folks can also participate in the Sprite Step Off Service Challenge, a collaboration between the National Pan-Hellenic Council and The Boys & Girls Club of America to activate the youth to give back to the community through service.

Here’s one of the official flyers for the Montgomery event: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1022353/SSO%20Montgomery%20Sept%2026.jpg

Check out our videos on our YouTube channel – here’s a link to my fav: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPkOU0LNTLY

The Eighteenth Annual Irondale Whistle Stop Festival will be held on Saturday, September 26th. This year the festival will be celebrating Irondale’s history and rich artistic community. The Festival is going to “step back in time” with- historic costumes and demonstrations. Also new this year, we are working with Studio By the Tracks to return fine art to the festival. In the spirit of “stepping back in time” we are adding “old time” children’s activities like checkers, hopscotch and cake walk on Irondale’s historic North side, as well and more kids activities the South side.

For applications, please click here. Be sure to check back frequently for Entertainment and Vendor updates!

If you have any questions about The Whistle Stop Festival 2009, please contact Christopher Crews at (205) 297-9897.

Jamaica Veteran Performer Freddie Mc Gregor Headline this years Event

The Caribbean Heritgage Reggae Festival is a family celebration of Caribbean Culture and music. The event will feature diverse multi-culture talent on one main stage. Talent will include national and local upcoming artist, community dance and college steppers will be featured, other attractions will include arts and crafts, story telling, and book reading. Souvenir vendors will display their goods. Please join in and support this family event that is being developed to expand cultural awareness and encourage our community to come together and appreciate the Caribbean people’s culture, food and music.

The festival is sponsored by SLS Productions and Phase 11 Production, Caribbean Shipping Services, Brand Energy and Infrastructure Service, R&M, Equipment Rental Inc. The festival is held annually downtown in Author Shores Park, between 11 ave North and 12th Ave. North and Shuttlesworth Drive. Attractions includes Jamaica Dance Contest, the crowning of the Festival King and Queen, and Saturday Morning Health Fair and Walk-a-thon.

A weekend pass is $25 in advance and $35 at the gage. For more information call 205-520-0668

Children 12 and under $2.00

Gates open Friday 6:00 PM; Saturday 3:00 PM

visit Caribbean Heritage Reggae Festival

Visit www.shelbyhumane.org for more information or to register your pet for the Bark in the Park photo contest!

Children must be accompanied by an adult and all dogs must be on-leash. Come have fun with your dog! For more information call  256-534-7640 or visit www.hotc.org

The musical event
The Big Spring Jam 2009 is a grand 3 day outdoor musical festival that has plenty to offer for the music fans either young or old. A number of downtown streets would be closed down for vehicle traffic as it would be used as the pedestrian walkway. Hundreds and thousands of music fans come out to stroll around the park while making their way through the tactically placed stage to listen and watch their favorite bands perform on their favorite tracks. For most of the music fans and even the casual performance watchers it is like a weekend dream come true. The popularity of the show is confirmed by the increasing attendance number of fans every year. it is quite common for a 3 day long event to find attendance number reaching to nearly 200,000 to 300,000 people. Apart for just music performances this event also provides a variety of drinks, food, conversation and music.

If you have ever visited the Big Spring Jam musical festival, then you would have surely enjoyed watching your favorite bands perform live in concert for the first time. You would love the opportunities of choices that Big Spring Jam 2009 offers. Every year it has constantly offered an astral line of top performance names and among those performers are Sara Evan, Akon, Bradley Walker, Cage the Elephant. However these are just a few of the top classic rock genre performers as there are several other music genres historically performed at the Big Spring Jam which include Alternative Rock, Country, Hip-Hop and Contemporary Christian.

There is also a mesmerizing food stand that offers a huge variety of tastes and they are lined up all through the park. Radio stations, televisions and local businesses have also set up booths where you can find all sorts of freebie stuffs such as bumper stickers, pencils, pens, beverage holders and lots other stuffs are available free for taking. You can even find plenty of Tee Shirt stands while the beverage stands range from alcoholic to carbonated any everything in between. This three day Big Spring Jam 2009 Huntsville Annual Festival is surly worth the trip and the admission prices are also affordable. As there are all kinds of music genres available and represented it would surely be worth going the distance to avail your favorite music fix. Therefore you can just log on to the official Big Spring Jam 2009 website and find out information about your ticket booking and getting there.

Big Spring Jam 3 Day Pass Tickets

Big Spring Line Up
Akon
Bradley Walker
Cage the Elephant
Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers
Framing Hanley
Heidi Newfield
Honor Society
Huey Lewis & The News
Jason D. Williams
John Anderson
Jonathan Singleton & the Grove
Manchester Orchestra
Moon Taxi
Nash Street
Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Cha’s
Paul Thorn
Pop Evil
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Sara Evans
Saving Abel
Silversun Pickups
The Black Crowes
The Carter Twins
The Fray
The Kentucky Headhunters
The Lost Trailers
Tonic
Trace Adkins

Big Spring Jam 3 Day Pass Tickets

Huntsville’s Big Spring Jam 2009 will feature Sara Evans, Silversun Pickups, Cage the Elephant, and The Carter Twins.
News keeps trickling in about the City Stages bankruptcy, but in the meantime, news about Huntsville’s Big Spring Jam keeps looking better and better as more acts are named to this year’s lineup.

The most recent additions to the Big Spring Jam schedule include eye-catching names such as Sara Evans, Silversun Pickups, The Kentucky Headhunters, Cage the Elephant, Saving Abel, and Manchester Orchestra.

Also announced last week were John Anderson, The Carter Twins, Moon Taxi, Nash Street, Jonathan Singleton & the Groove, Framing Hanley, Pop Evil, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Cha’s, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, and The Wheel.

Could this turn out to be the best Big Spring Jam lineup yet? It’s certainly shaping up to be a strong contender with a well-rounded list of old and new names. Other performers already on the docket include The Black Crowes, The Fray, Trace Adkins, Akon, Huey Lewis & the News, Village People, Tonic, WAR, and The Lost Trailers, among others.

At least 15 acts remain to be scheduled for the music festival running September 25-27 in and around Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville. Considering the way things are going so far, I’m eagerly anticipating learning who will be added to the lineup next. However, I don’t need further convincing — I’m already sold.

Big Spring Jam 3 Day Pass Tickets

Here are 10 of the Hottest Caribbean Events / Festivals Happening this Summer in the South

1. Caribbean Family Fun Day Memphis TN
When: Sat August 8th
Time:11am-8pm
Where: The HicKoryHill Park & Community Center
3810 Ridgeway Rd,Memphis Tn 38115
Bring your Flags and Wave ,lots of games,Soccer Tournament,Domino Tournament,Cultural Presentation,Monologs Dancers,Caribbean music ,food and more!!!
Contact: Wayne-901-844-3245/Kenneth 901-573-3019/ Donavon 901-268-7643.

2. First Time in Nashville Tarrus Riley
When: Tuesday August 11th
Where: Cafe Bella
609 9th ave south
Time : Door open @ 8pm ,Showtime @ 9pm ,$15.00 Tix or $25.00 @ Door .Contact Nate 615-481-7372.Tixs Location
Lennox @ Caribbean Shipping 615-262-5021 /615-500-1106 / Majesty Auto 615-356-9362.

3. Come out and help celebrate our 10 yrs Wedding Anniversary!!
Joe and Angela from Clarkville Tn Will be celebrating their 10yrs Wedding Anniversary and everyone are Welcome.
When: Sat August 15th
Where:Club Riviera
1601 Ft .Campbell Blvd ,Clarksville Tn 37042
Time: 9pm-until
Music by Brooklyn International DJ Slim
Drinks and Foods is Free (Gift Accepted)
Contact : Lennox 500-1106 / Joe -931-538-2361

4. Reggae Nite
When: Thursday August 20th
Where: 312 9th ave south in the Molyneux Building
Doors open @ 8pm, Contact : 586-0512 see flyer

5. Caribbean Shipping Services/Majesty Auto 4th Annual Customer Appreciation day
When : Sat August 22nd
Where: Majesty Auto Shop
6007 Neigbourly ave,Nashville Tn 37209
Time: 4pm-Until
Foods and drinks free ,Gift giveaway and more .Contact Lennox 615-500-1106/Shawn 917-405-9296 or 356-9362
Come out and be Appreciated !!

6. 2nd Annual Tennessee Dancehall Queen Competition & Fashion Show
When: Sat August 22nd
Where: The Molynuex
312 9th ave south ,Nashville Tn 37203
Tickets $20.00 Doors open @ 8pm ,Showtime 9pm see flyer .Contact 615-506-8729/615-497-6566

7. Taste of the Caribbean
When: Sat August 29
Where: LR Williams Hall
424 16TH ST. North Birmingham
Admission: $10 Doors open @ 10pm
Contact 205-402-2472 OR 678-687-6659

8 . Ist Annual Nashville /Huntsville Linkup / Dance
When :Sat Sept 5th
Where: Casa Montego
2117 Jonathon Drive ,Huntsville Al 35810
Contact : Lennox 615-500-1106 / Roger from Huntsville

9. Caribbean Day At The Park Huntsville Alabama
When : Sun Sept 6th
Time: 12pm -6pm
Where: Brahan Spring Park
3770 Ivy Ave Huntsville Al
Contact : Lennox 615-500-1106 / Neal 256-429-8145 /  Marcia 256-457-8858

10. Festival Of The Nations
When : Sat Sept 12th
Time : 11am-8pm
Where : Tennessee State Fairground
2368 Bransford Ave ,Nashville Tn 37203
Tickets on sale $8.00 Adults & $5.00 Seniors and children 3-12yrs
Tickets Location : Lennox @ Caribbean Corner 615-500-1106 / Caribbean Connection Jersen 615-293-3208 / Marlon 615-589-0634 / Bruce 718-812-7692

Visit Nashville Reggae Vibes - The pulsating sound of the South

The 3rd Annual 2009 North Alabama Domino Tournament, hosted by the Caribbean Association of North Alabama (CANA) will take place at CASA MONTEGO, with groovy Caribbean sounds and delicious Caribbean cuisine, attracting some 200 participants.

For two consecutive years Huntsville has brought home the coveted title. Team members, Maxson Myler and Mclean Philadelphia, captured first place at the last championship.

“People from throughout the South are attracted to our tournament not only because of the competition and coveted title, but because they know this is a charity event,” said one CANA member. For over five years the association has been instrumental in promoting Caribbean culture, promoting local businesses, and issuing scholarship to and supporting students.

This year’s events is on, Saturday, June 27 with special Caribbean foods served to participants. Some participants come for as much for the delicious Caribbean meal as they do for the chance to win the coveted cup.

Participants are urged to register early. For further information and entry forms, contact the CANA by calling 256-520-0483 / 714-0155 / 429-8145 or visit www.canaonline

Organizers hope the 20th annual festival, to be held Saturday downtown at The Lily Center on Main Street, will do the same thing.

“We have a wonderful community, but we are down economically,” said Myrtle Jones, a member of the West Blocton City Council. “The festival is a bright spot in our year.”

Jones, a founding member of the West Blocton Improvement Committee, said the group organized twenty years ago and cleaned up trash, planted flowers and planned events, such as the Wild West Blocton Day and the Cahaba Lily Festival.

Begun as a small-scale local party, the lily festival has blossomed into a day-long event welcoming visitors from Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and surrounding communities. Various organizations offer presentations on wildflowers and preserving the Cahaba River. Artists and craftspeople display their work. This year, the Red Mountain Chamber Orchestra will perform in the morning and The Cahaba Olde Tyme Music Society, a dulcimer group from Centreville, will play that evening.

There will be presentations from groups ranging from the Cahaba River Wildlife Refuge, Friends of the CRWR, the George Wood chapter of the Alabama Wildflower Society, Bibb County Citizens for Wildflowers, the Bibb County Cahaba River Authority and the Nature Conservancy, among others.

The luncheon served will rival the best family reunion spreads. “It’s a smorgasbord of food,” Jones said. “We have a large group of ladies who all will cook a dish for us.” The menu varies from year to year but usually includes fried chicken, ham, turkey and dressing and lots of casseroles. The dessert table will overflow with sweets such as coconut cake, blackberry cobbler and lemon icebox pie.

And of course, the star of the show is the Cahaba lily (Hymenocallis coronaria), which is in bloom from about mid-May until the middle of June.

“After the luncheon we have shuttle buses to take people to the river. It’s about four miles,” Jones said. The viewing is good from the river banks, or visitors can rent canoes for $10.

There are only a handful of places in Alabama where this rare flower blooms, and one of the best spots for viewing the stunning white lily is along the rocky shoals of the Cahaba River as it flows through Bibb County.

“I’m always enthralled by the beauty of looking out in the river and seeing these lilies grow in moving water,” said Charles Allen, a member of the West Blocton Improvement Committee. “Some seeds float, but these fall to the bottom and catch in the rocks there.”

The lily also grows in Georgia and South Carolina but is known as the “shoal lily” or the “shoal spider lily” outside of Alabama. The stand of lilies found in Bibb County is one of the largest anywhere, attracting photographers each year trying to capture the short-lived beauty.

The Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge was dedicated in 2004, making the removal of the plants from their natural habitat here illegal. “We were pleased to have the refuge established because in years past people would dig them out and put them in their yards,” Allen said. “And that’s not the variety that will grow in yards. It’s only in water where you’ll find these.”
After the viewing of the lilies, storytelling will take place at 4 p.m. at the Lily Center. “Last year was the first time we had it and it was extremely interesting with people telling about old times and the history of the area,” Allen said.

The dulcimer concert inside the center will start at 6 p.m., and by 7 p.m., everybody will move outside where the streets will be rocking with bluegrass.

Throughout the day locals will have yard sales in full swing, native plants will be for sale, and artists will display their works on downtown streets. “Earnest T. Williams and Don Coley will have their folk art,” said Judy Stewart who is in charge of street activities.

Peggy Hubbard will sell her Cahaba lily soap and artist LaRue Burt will have paintings as well as note cards featuring the lily. Local artist Betty Tillery will also display paintings for sale.

“Brian Cunningham will be selling cornmeal ground at his West Blocton grist mill,” Stewart said. “And his daughter Lindsay will have jewelry that she makes out of shells and rocks that she has found on the banks of the Cahaba River.”

During the late 1800s the coal industry was responsible for huge growth in the West Blocton area. But by 1928 all the mines had closed and the town foundered with most businesses moving away. During the Great Depression, hobos used the abandoned coke ovens as shelters. There will be someone on hand in the afternoon at the historic Beehive Coke Ovens to tell the story of the ovens and answer questions.

FREE admission. 

For detailed information, please visit our website @ www.buckcreekfestival.com or contact 205-296-6153,

It is sponored by the Auburn University Multicultural Center/Access And Community Initiatives , units of the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

The festival will be on the grounds of the Jules Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and will be 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day.

The free event wil celebrate the history and culture of southeastern indigenous peoples with traditional singers, musicians, dancers and storytellers from Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

Living campsites will be set up on the grounds and traditional Native American food, artifacts and souveniers will be available for purchase.

To find out more, call 334-844-1484.

Take that to mean “taste all the barbecue you want,” says Neal Porter of Huntsville, an organizer of the event, which he describes as “a day of good food, music, fellowship and fundraising.”

Set up much like the WhistleStop Festival held each spring in downtown Huntsville, the Unity Festival features grilling stations from which ticketholders can browse and sample.

Last year’s Unity Festival, with eight grillers, offered pork barbecue, whole chickens, Cajun dishes, chicken wings and smoked bologna. This year’s event promises even more with almost twice as many grillers.

Porter, himself a weekend grill master, will cook Boston butt and sausages on Saturday. Homemade desserts, courtesy of Latham Church members, are also on the menu.

Adding to the festival atmosphere will be three bands - two contemporary rock and one bluegrass - and children’s activities. A silent auction will offer chances to bid for items such as quilts and antiques.

Money raised from the festival goes to the Latham United Methodist Church Hands of Christ Fund, a ministry that helps people who need financial assistance during catastrophic illness.

Last year’s festival was organized in just six weeks to help the family of a man suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. With about 200 people attending the festival, the Hands of Christ ministry raised $15,000.

“The fund doesn’t just help our church members,” Porter says. “It’s a community thing.”

Last year’s beneficiary wasn’t originally from Alabama, although his wife and children still live in Huntsville.

“He died the day after the festival,” Porter says. “The money helped move him back home.”

Right now, the ministry is helping four local families. “It’s strictly for families who have a terminal illness,” Porter says.

Festival organizers hope to recreate the success of last year’s event. At $10 per person or $30 for a family, Porter adds that participants can count on eating their money’s worth - and then some.

“You get enough variety that you leave full.” And, he reiterates, “We don’t want to take any home with us.”

Featured presentations during BirdFest will include a slide show by ornithologist and photographer Greg Harber and a lecture by University of Southern Mississippi researcher Frank Moore.

Saturday’s Bird and Conservation Expo at Faulkner State Community College in Fairhope features the screening of a new Discovering Alabama episode by Alabama Public Television host Doug Phillips, and demonstrations with live owls, raptors, snakes and other critters.

At Thursday’s opening reception, at the Five Rivers Delta Resource Center on the Causeway in Spanish Fort, Harber will make a large-screen presentation of photos set to music called “Through the Delta and Beyond.”

The photos follow a variety of birds and their annual migrations, beginning in the farthest reaches of north Alabama and following through to the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and the Gulf of Mexico.

Harber said he hopes the exhibition will convey “the magic and wonder of Alabama’s birds and their incredible journeys.”

Hundreds of bird species move through coastal Alabama each fall, traveling along the Dauphin Island Trans Gulf Migration Flyway, one of the most important bird migration corridors in the world, Harber said.

Since 2004, the BirdFest has raised more than $40,000 toward the purchase and protection of bird and wildlife habitat in Baldwin and Mobile counties.

Eighteen guided bird-watching trips during this year’s Bird Fest required advance registration and pre-payment. Registration for those trips is now closed.

Moore is set to speak at a barbecue and seafood dinner Friday at the James P. Nix Center in Fairhope. Moore, an ornithologist, said that he and his USM team have spent years documenting and studying migration.

“Some biologists speculate that long-distance, land-bird migrants experience the best of two worlds, breeding in food-rich, competitor-poor areas in the summer in North America and spending the winter in the tropics,” Moore said.

But migration is also an exhausting, high-risk event, he said, taking a toll on the bird population and killing many younger birds.

www.alabamacoastalbirdfest.com.

Date: October 18, 2008

The 2008 Hoover Invitational Marching Band Festival will feature the University of North Alabama Pride of Dixie Marching Band in exhibition at 7:45 pm following an exhibition performance by the award winning Hoover High School Marching Band at the close of competition.

The competition will feature school bands from AL, MS, FL, and TN. Regions Park provides a great venue for an enjoyable day of band entertainment. Competition will begin at 11:30 am and conclude with the awards ceremony at 8:00 pm. Tickets available at the entrance. Concessions will be available during the event.

Phone Number: 205 439-1228
Other Event Features: Kid-Friendly; Outdoor Event; Handicap Accessible
Location: Regions Park
Stadium Trace Parkway
Hoover, AL