Selma NOW

Butterflies and Bridges Run (April 16)

2011-03-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Take part in the Selma City Schools' 8k Competitive Race and 2-mile Fun Run/Walk on April 16.

The course runs through Selma's historic district and along Broad Street. All events start and finish at Selma High School. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 7:30 a.m. Race begins at 8 a.m. Online registration and more information is available at www.selmacitysports.com. Runners can also pre-register at Vaughan Wellness & Fitness Center, 630 Medical Center Parkway and at the YMCA, 1 YMCA Drive or at any of the Selma city schools.

Courtyard Cafe at the Library

2011-03-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Celebrate National Library Week April 11-16 at the Courtyard Cafe, Selma & Dallas County Public Library. Lunch will be served Monday-Thursday from noon til 12:30 with merchants' shows from 12:30 - 1. Cost is $8. Call 874-1725 for reservations.

Monday, April 11: Roger Butler Jewelers - latest trends in pottery, jewelry and other gift items

Tuesday, April 12: Cheryl King - vintage clothing and "How to Turn the Old in to New"

Wednesday, April 13: Lisa Pettway and the "Party Box", Gray's Furniture & Fuller Building with "Everything for Your Home."

Thursday, April 14: Truax & Company, monogrammed and specialty items and the latest trends

Casting Call for Off Broad Street Play - March 28

2011-03-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

A Casting Call for a new play performed by Off Broad Street Productions and sponsored by ArtsRevive will be Monday, March 28 at 6 p.m. in the Carneal Building (Church Street at Water Avenue). The comic mystery, “Don’t Try to Wake Him, Hand Me the Shovel,” by Pat Cook has parts for 20 actors (teens to adults). Parts include ghost hunters, TV reporters, cheerleaders, a sheriff, haunted house owners and more. The play will be presented Aug. 6, 7 and 8. For more information, call Cindy Stoudenmire, director, at 875-3500.

Historic Selma Pilgrimage 2011 Press Release

2011-03-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

Sturdivant Hall

SELMA, Ala. (Feb. 28, 2011) — Take a Spring break the weekend of March 18-19 and enjoy the history and hospitality of one of Alabama oldest towns. Six homes dating from the 1840s will open to the public during Selma’s 36^th annual Historic Pilgrimage.

The event also features the moss-draped Old Live Oak Cemetery “ghost” tour, paranormal investigation of Kenan’s Mill, three museums including Sturdivant Hall, 1860’s gristmill, foundry, two art shows and an antique car show. The Alabama Plein Air Artists will “paint the town” at Pilgrimage venues and other sites, then offer their paintings for sale.

“Selma loves company, and in spring, the state’s largest historic district revives with mild weather and beautiful blossoms,” said Pilgrimage Chairman Nancy Smith. “We cater to our guests with warm welcomes, period dress and guided tours, and we want them to savor their stay in one of the most historic places in the country.”

In addition to volunteer guides, junior hostesses from area schools and Miss Central Alabama will wear antebellum gowns and assist visitors at homes and other venues.

This year’s lineup includes homes representing Greek Revival, Italianate, Neoclassical, Colonial Revival, Queen Anne and late-Victorian Cottage architecture. Two homes are new to Pilgrimage and one has not been shown since the first Pilgrimage in 1976. All homes will be open both days with three scheduled for morning tours and three for afternoon.

Homes on tour are:

* The Burns Home, a Pilgrimage newcomer that is a late Victorian cottage with a fanlight doorway apparently rescued from a house in Cahawba, Alabama’s first permanent capital. This home is also an “Antiques Road Show meets American Picker” treasure trove of memorabilia.

* Brownstone Manor, a Neo-Classical mansion that is both a private residence and reception hall. Its staircase bandstand, ornate Corinthian capitals and sparkling chandeliers are a treat to see as well as the decorating talents of owner Sam Golson, an interior designer.

* McPhillips Home, a Colonial Revival with a grand entry porch, columns both inside and outside and a mahogany coffered ceiling in the dining room. The house is notable as one of the locations where the movie Body Snatchers III was filmed.

*Platt-Gayle-Linden Home, an antebellum Italianate with an octagonal Victorian addition. It is furnished with family heirlooms and a touch of Oriental decor. Thanks to a Masonic pin, a Union lieutenant decided to spare this house during the Civil War, but the story doesn’t end until 100 years later!

*Ullman-Kornegay-Wait Home, a Pilgrimage newcomer that was purchased by a New Orleans artist who moved to Selma after Hurricane Katrina. A work-in-progress, this Queen Anne- style house was built by the German-born William Ullman, who established a business in what is now known as the Tepper Building downtown.

* Voeglin-Barker-Smitherman Home, an 1840 Greek Revival that was last on Pilgrimage in 1976. The daughter of its builder became the wife of the owner of Sturdivant Hall. This house once belonged to three churches that inherited it with instructions not to tear it down. It is a work-in-progress under renovation for a private residence.

Tickets (adult and children’s package or individual venue) can be purchased from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days at Pilgrimage Headquarters (Vaughan-Smitherman Museum, 109 Union St. at Alabama Avenue). Morning tours are from 9-1, and afternoon tours are from 1-5.

For more information and to download a brochure, visit the website at www.selmapilgrimage.org. The email address is info@selmapilgrimage.org. Facebook updates are listed under Selma’s Historic Pilgrimage. You may also call 334-412-8550 or 800-45-SELMA (800-457-3562).

Sponsored by the Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society, Pilgrimage began in 1976 as a way to share the city’s variety of architectural styles and rich history. Selma’s historic district features more than 1200 structures. Selma is located 50 miles west of Montgomery and 50 miles east of Demopolis on U.S. 80 and 90 miles south of Birmingham on Alabama 22. It can also be reached via Alabama 14 just a 45-minute drive west of Prattville.

Historic Selma Pilgrimage March 18-19

2011-03-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Brownstone Manor

FRIDAY, MARCH 18

36th Historic Selma Pilgrimage - Tour six historic homes in downtown Selma. Visit three museums, Selma Art Guild, ArtsRevive members’ reception and Old Live Oak Cemetery “Ghost Tour. Package tickets and single-house tickets available during Pilgrimage at the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum. For more information, call 334-412-8550 or 1-800-45-SELMA. Website: SelmaPilgrimage.org

SATURDAY, MARCH 19
36th Historic Selma Pilgrimage - Tour six historic homes in downtown Selma. Visit three museums, Kenan's Mill, The Foundry, Antique Car Show, Selma Art Guild Show and Plein Air Artists’ “Wet Paint” Sale, ArtsRevive Juried Art Exhibition and paranormal investigation of Kenan’s Mill. Package tickets and single-house tickets available during Pilgrimage at the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum. For more information, call 334-412-8550 or 1-800-45-SELMA. Website: SelmaPilgrimage.org

Kenan's Mill Fall Festival 2009

2009-11-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

The Kenan's Mill Fall Festival and Bluegrass concert kicks off at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7.

Get ready for bluegrass music with 8-year-old fiddler Caleb Bryant and the Hurricane Creek Bluegrass Band from North Alabama. Music starts at 10 a.m.

Kids will enjoy tractor-pulled wagon rides down the dirt road, party inflatables, hands-on pottery and face painting.

Watch the wheels turns as the mill grinds corn, and purchase a few bags of cornmeal to take home. You'll also enjoy a trek across the swinging bridge to the old beehive charcoal kiln and a tour of the mill house. "Libba's Barn," the newest mill structure, is located just behind the house, and be sure an check out the kitchen garden as well.

Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the whole day. Food vendors will be ready with your lunch!

Open House Art at the Library

2009-06-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

Above, children make 3-D butterflies at the Selma-Dallas County Public Library Open House Art workshop. Below, several children turn paper plates into faces. The next Open House Art will be July 6 from 10 a.m. til noon. So come on and join the fun!

Alabama Tale Tellin' Festival 2009

2009-05-13T07:22:00.001-07:00

(Click the brochures to view larger images.)

The Alabama Tale-Tellin' Festival is an annual event that you won't want to miss! Soooo...since the brochure is here, I'm posting it well ahead of the October 9 & 10 dates.

Bill Harley, Tersi Agra Bendiburg and The Dill Pickers will entertain the evenings away along with Selma's own world-famous storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham.

Bill Harley is a well-known, family-friendly entertainer, and if you have children and/or would like to remember what it's like to be a child, come listen! From stories about swamp monsters to songs about "There's a Pea on My Plate," Harley brings the early years back to life with his unique sense of humor. Oh yes, he's a regular on NPR's "All Things Considered" and has been nominated for a Grammy award.

Tersi Agra Bendiburg will add a Latin American flavor to this year's program. Her stories come from her native Cuba and her travels to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. A naturalized American citizen, she has lived in Georgia since age 10, and at the 22nd Tale-Tellin' Festival, her "Red Clay, Scarlett & Fried-Green Tomatoes" story about coming to America received a standing ovation.

The Dill Pickers from Birmingham is a music group that plays and sings a variety of tunes from bluegrass to show songs and old-time string band numbers. The group played last year and will return by popular demand.

And of course, our own Kathryn Tucker Windham will be there, and I bet she'll share a ghost story and more!

There's even more to do in town that weekend. Riverfront Market Day features arts and crafts along Water Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Jesus Day Event

2009-05-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

Clowns, choirs and drama fill the streets on the first Sunday evening in May as Selmians of various denominations gather in unity to praise their Savior and Lord. These photos are from previous Jesus Day events. (You can see a larger view by clicking on the photo.)

Battle of Selma 2009

2009-04-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

Headquarters Alabama Division

Union troops set fire to a Selma funeral parlor before approaching the breastworks.

Definitely a Confederate

The breastworks are topped by federal troops.

The littlest Rebel or Yankee?

Last Stop on the Bike Route

2009-04-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

The parking lot of Selma's First Baptist Church was the final rest stop of the Old Howard Bike Ride on Saturday. The "Ride through Alabama History" included Selma this year on a tour that began in Marion.

Thanks to Elaine Stewart for sending the pictures! The ride benefits Sowing Seeds of Hope, an effort to improve the quality of life in Perry County.

Arts Revive Acrylics Workshop

2009-04-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

Arts Revive brought Fairhope's Bill Harrison to Selma this week, and local artists created four paintings in three days. He emphasizes bright, sunny colors such as in the painting above and likes broad strokes (BIO).

Selma artist Kim Cogle "brushes up" the background.

Artist/Instructor Bill Harrison of Fairhope, Ala., has works in homes, fine art galleries and businesses throughout the United States. He also paints exterior murals.

Egg Hunts, Banquets & a Be Ready Drive

2009-04-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung in Selma and Dallas County, and the weekends are full with activities!

Tonight is the annual Elkdale Baptist Church Ladies' Banquet at the Carl Morgan Convention Center, and I have posted a photo from last year's banquet that fits this Easter time of year. Our speaker from the Nashville area will be talking to us from the "Girlville Diner," and the stage decor is Retro 1950s. I've seen it, and it's cute!

The Hunt is ON this afternoon amid the charms of Heritage Village as children in the Old Town Neighborhood gather Easter eggs.

This evening, the Parrish High School Class of 1967 gets together to reminisce at a local restaurant. I bet they can't believe it's been 42 years since graduation!

This morning, my neighbor who is the Interim EMS Director, headed out to Lion's Club Park for The Citizens' Corps Council of Selma-Dallas County and its First Be Ready Volunteer Drive. It's all about training citizens to be ready to lead in the event of a community emergency or disaster. Ah, no I didn't make it to that, but I've got a banquet tonight! Anyhow, it amazes me the way she and other staffers have stayed up nights down at the EMA center to man the radar, radios and storm warning sirens. We've had a bunch of storm systems this spring and another one tomorrow!

I also hear that Concordia College alumni are having a big to-do today! they have a Spring Blast going on with a yard sale, barbecue, music and games. Sounds like fun!

Old Cahawba was busy this morning too, with hopefully a lot of volunteers who helped clean up the park. The annual cleanup day is sponsored by the Civil War Preservation Trust and History (formerly the History Channel).

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Clean Up Old Cahawba

2009-03-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Get out your gloves and bring some rakes and shovels. It's National "Park Day," an annual historic preservation event to clean up our Civil War parks.

Cleanup begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 4 at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, 9518 Cahaba Road, Orrville. The park is located 12 miles west of Selma, and volunteers are needed to clear brush and remove invasive plants from historic sites. For more information call 334-872-8058.
In case of rain, the cleanup day will be April 11.

Old Cahawba, Alabama's first permanent capital, was the site of a Confederate prison during the Civil War. The chimney in the above photo may be have been a chimney in the structure.

Selma Pilgrimage 2009, Day 3

2009-03-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Balsora Plantation attracted large crowds this weekend, and although this photo was taken on Day 1, the 1820's Federal-style house was open all three days. I thought it especially interesting that all the owners of this home took precautions to preserve not only the structure but the natural wildlife habitats surrounding it.

The Foundry tour took visitors along a timeline of Selma's industrial ironwork history since 1869. I was surprised at how many women took the tour and asked questions that I never would have thought about!

This breathtaking photo of a wooded autumn scene won first place in the photography division of the Arts Revive Art Show. Its photographer/artist
is Gena Clements.

Look closely, and you can spot a young girl peering out the window of Kenan's Mill, a gristmill that once supplied area grocery stores and on special occasions such as Pilgrimage, becomes operational once again.

The red barn is the newest structure on the Kenan's Mill property and houses restrooms that are handicapped accessible. In the foreground is a kitchen garden, and I believe there might be greens over in the corner.

Here's the beautifully restored mill house, where the Kenan's Mill miller lived.

Visitors who toured the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum were delighted to listen as Steve Smitherman shared a son's view of his famous father, Joe T. Smitherman, who served as Selma's mayor for more than three decades. "Joe T" was the newly elected, young mayor when the Civil Rights Movement became active here. His original office furniture and accessories now fill a room in the museum.

The weather and spring flowers could not
have been more beautiful for Pilgrimage Weekend.
Please come back next year! Selma enjoyed having you!

The Historic Selma Pilgrimage is sponsored by
the Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society.

Selma Pilgrimage, Day 2

2009-03-22T04:38:00.000-07:00

When George W. Gayle of Cahaba jokingly placed an ad in the Selma Dispatch calling for "peace by the First of March" 1865, he had no idea how much trouble he would soon be in!

Gayle called for $1 million to secure peace through taking the lives of President Lincoln, Vice President Johnson and Secretary Seward. The Washington Republican saw the ad and republished it, and when Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in April 1865, the U.S. Infantry arrested Gayle for conspiracy.

Selmian Dusty Brown recounted the saga at Saturday's Old Live Oak Cemetery Ghost Tour. Although he was eventually released, Gayle's health declined while in "Yankee" custody, and he died soon after returning home. Disgusted, the "ghost" of Gayle rebuked, "Yankees never COULD take a joke!"

Other Saturday ghosts included Benjamin Sterling Turner, the first black congressman from Alabama and once the wealthiest black man in the state; two young girls who died in a yellow fever epidemic, U.S. Vice President William Rufus King and others.

Gardens of the Mabry-Jones Home bloom with dogwood and azalea.

Interior of the 1900 Siegel Servants' Quarters in Heritage Village

The Antique Car Show featured cars from every decade, beginning with this 100-year-old Hupmobile.

For more Pilgrimage photographs, visit Selma, Ala. Daily Photo.

Antique Show, The Silver Room

2009-03-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

All that glitters in not gold; it might be silver! The Silver Room at this year's Pilgrimage Antique Show & Sale sparkles with treasures brought from Atlanta. The show is located at Southern Antiques & Collectibles, 710 Dallas Ave.

Selma Pilgrimage, Day 1

2009-03-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Balsora Plantation, one of the oldest homes in Alabama, welcomes its first guests of Pilgrimage on Friday. Notice the "Bonnie Blue" flag hanging from the balcony. The flag became the first unofficial flag of the Confederacy but was never adopted by its government. Read more about the origins of the flag HERE.

Hostesses at the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum admire furnishings from the former Wilby Theatre/Academy of Music.

A gentleman dressed in 1860's attire greets visitors at Gillman Hall.

A "Plein Aire" artist creates works on the grounds
of Balsora Plantation.

This year, Selma's Pilgrimage features antebellum homes, although most of its historic houses are Victorian. The event annually focuses on homes as well as churches, museums, industrial heritage, art and antiques. Past pilgrimages have included structures with historic roots from pre-Civil War to 1960's Civil Rights. Selma's earliest civil rights legacy was its leadership in the struggle for women's right to vote.

To see a photo of Friday evening's Old Live Oak Cemetery "Ghost Tour,"
visit Selma, Ala., Daily Photo.

Historic Selma Pilgrimage 2009

2009-03-19T01:04:00.000-07:00

The weather's fine, so come on over and enjoy the 34th annual Historic Selma Pilgrimage this weekend!

Begin here at the circa 1848 Joseph T. Smitherman Historic Building (Vaughan-Smitherman Museum) at 109 Union St. It's Ticket Headquarters, and you can tour its many collections from hospital equipment to military uniforms and Civil War memorabilia.

Selma's spring blossoms intertwine with Spanish Moss more often than not!

Gillman Hall, above, was built in 1860 and is on the morning tour Friday and Saturday, then open 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

Antique lovers can head on over to Dallas Avenue where Southern Antiques hosts the Antique Show & Sale.

Yes, we are pretty positive that azaleas will be near peak for Pilgrimage this year, thanks to rain and warm weather!

Old Live Oak Cemetery is an outdoor museum and gardens in its own right and offers visits with famous, now-deceased Selma residents at twilight! These friendly "ghosts" just love to tell their stories.Count on encounters with former Confederate leaders, former flamboyant Mayor Joe T. Smitherman, Selma's first black lawyer and a short-lived U.S. vice president.

The Mabry Jones Home (circa 1850) has been beautifully preserved with original furnishings, and its tour offers the history of one of its former residents, Capt. Catesby ap Roger Jones, who commanded the Merrimac (C.S.S. Virginia) in a naval battle between ironclads of the Civil War. This home in on the 1-5 p.m. afternoon tour.

On Saturday and Sunday, Kenan's Mill will be open and operating. Outside the 1860's gristmill is a swinging bridge across Valley Creek, a charcoal kiln and mill house.

Two art shows are open, including the Arts Revive annual juried show at The Harmony Club on Water Avenue.

This year's Pilgrimage church, above, is First Presbyterian. One of Selma's Butterfly Project butterflies adorns the courtyard. The church is famous for its clock tower and carillon.

You will notice butterflies all over downtown. This one points toward the First Presbyterian clock tower.

Sturdivant hall is among the best of the best when it comes to Neo-Classical Greek Revival architecture! The furnishings and collections within as well as its several outbuildings provide a unique look at plantation life.

Selma's industrial heritage is preserved in the 1860's Foundry. A special event will be the Alabama Art Casting workshop and demonstration with an iron pour on Saturday afternoon. You can even etch your own cast-iron art!

The Old Depot Museum is full of history from Civil War to Civil Rights and beyond. Plan plenty of time to browse through its many rooms and its train cars and fire museum out back.

Here's The Harmony Club, site of the Arts Revive Alabama Art Show. It's also a private residence and once was a Jewish social club. More art can be viewed at the Selma Art Guild Gallery at 508 Selma Ave.

I haven't even mentioned the 1821 Balsora Plantation or the Antique Car Show or Heritage Village! The car show on Saturday includes vehicles from every decade, and over at the Village, there are 1800's doctor's and law offices, a tenant house and pigeoncote!

Pilgrimage is sponsored by the Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society.