If you go to hell, it's your fault

     Southerners have a love affair with the lord. They don't call it the Bible Belt for nothing. And it's not enough to go to church every Sunday, you have to share it with the world.
     Take Henry Harrison Mayes, a thin Kentucky native whose nickname was High Weed but who entered the coal mines at the young age of 15. Only a few years later a runaway coal car nearly crushed Mayes, slamming him against the mine wall and breaking numerous bones in his chest.
     This brush with death changed young Mayes' life; he swore to God that if he spared him, he would dedicated his life to returning the favor. And spare him God did.
     Mayes kept the bargain, building signs that he erected all over roadsides, on trees, the sides of barns and even on coal cars. Later, Mayes turned to large concrete signs weighing hundreds of pounds each with messages such as "Prepare to Meet God" and "Jesus is Coming Soon." He worked double shifts to pay for the signs, one shift to support his family and the other for the Lord, never asking for donations but receiving assistance from all kinds of places.

     In Mayes' lifetime, he placed signs throughout the country and overseas and spiritual messages in 56,000 bottles that he threw in rivers and creeks.
     "Harrison Mayes didn't believe in belonging to one church," wrote Fred Brown in a 1998 article in The Knoxville News-Sentinel. "He was non-denominational and never hesitated to attend any church of any denomination, including Catholic, black and Jewish synagogues.
      "After all, Harrison Mayes was God's own messenger. The way he figured it, he would fit in just about anywhere."
      Many of Mayes's signs are on display at the Museum of Appalachia outside Oak Ridge, Tenn., which also features an impressive collection of pioneer buildings and artifacts on 65 acres.

Leprechauns in Alabama?

Hey Y'all!

     Happy St. Patrick's Day folks. A little chilly and rainy here in the South, so we hope your spring garden is as green as your beer.
     Question of the day: Are Southerners as crazy as we think they (we) are?
     Or do we know something the rest of the world is missing?
     You be the judge. Check out the sighting of a "Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama."

If you can't go to Greece, try Nashville instead

            People were thinking big during the Tennessee Centennial Exposition that occurred in Nashville in 1897. Many buildings that went up during the Exposition followed an ancient theme — the Southern city had been called the “Athens of the South” for its highfalutin universities such as Vanderbilt — so it was only natural for them to recreate the Parthenon. This massive building in the heart of Nashville is an exact reproduction.

            The original building was meant to be a temporary display — yeah, let’s build the Parthenon but don’t worry about making it permanent! Nashville residents were so enthralled with having a slice of Greece in their midst, their mouths watering for grape leaves daily, that they insisted the towering building remain. The plaster, wood and brick building was then rebuilt using concrete. The Nashville Parthenon got an even more thorough facelift in 2002.

            Today, the Southern Parthenon is used as an art museum in the middle of Centennial Park, just outside downtown Nashville. Inside the icon lies another re-creation, that of Athena Parthenos, standing at 42 feet high and covered with more than eight pounds of gold leaf. In case you’ve forgotten your Greek history, the Parthenon was dedicated to the goddess Athena.
            So save your money if you’re thinking of heading to Greece. Nashville, Tenn., might just do the trick.

Get out of Mardi Gras free card

            People throw parties continuously during the Carnival season, especially if they live on a parade route. Nothing attracts partygoers like free food and beer and a place to pee!

            In Lafayette, Cajun Bail Bonds sits on prized parade real estate, at the corner of Vermilion and Lafayette streets, where all of Lafayette’s parades roll down and turn. This choice corner attracts hoards of people, and to keep them all happy on Mardi Gras Day Cajun Bail Bonds provides them with lunch.

            “Come out, grab a burger and get you some Cajun Bail Bonds swag,” they announced on their Facebook page for their 14th Annual Mardi Gras Cookout. “T-shirts, coozies, pens...and as always everything is free.”

            What’s the catch, to use a Mardi Gras pun?
            The year we stood in front of Cajun Bail Bonds — and enjoyed a really good hamburger — we also received their business card. Maybe those free burgers pay off in the end — with clients!

Will Pierre see his Shadeaux?

Note: We've heard that this year's event has been cancelled because it falls on a Sunday. Does that mean winter has been cancelled too?          

    You’ve heard of the groundhog emerging every Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to look for his shadow and proclaim whether or not we will have six more weeks of winter. How about New Iberia, Louisiana?

            Not to be outdone by northern rodents, Pierre C. Shadeaux, the Cajun groundhog, will emerge from wherever he is hiding at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 2 in Bouligny Plaza of New Iberia and gives us a meteorological forecast.

            The fact that Pierre is actually a nutria shouldn’t be reason to not believe if he sees his shadow, winter will continue and if he doesn’t, Mardi Gras should be warm and sunny.

            The Cajun Ground Hog Day celebration this year will include student essay contest winners presented with awards, performances by children’s choirs, proclamations and more. For more information, call (337) 365-6773 or visit http://iberiatravel.com/.

Take plunge if you dare: Winterfest in Blowing Rock

Polar Plunge in Chetola Lake

            It’s fricking cold out there. I’m sitting here writing this blog with a cup of hot coffee and thick slippers on my feet. But if you’re like many people who embrace winter and all that it entails, check out Winterfest Jan. 23-26 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. (Even the name makes me shiver!)

            The town voted one of America’s Prettiest Winter Towns by Travel and Leisure Magazine (and I can second that accolade) offers a Chilly Chili Cook-Off, WinterFeast, bonfires, WinterPaws Dog Show, Winter Fashion Show, ice carving demonstrations, The King Bees in Concert and so much more. There’s even a Polar Plunge in Chetola Lake, which is just plum insane!

            Here’s some winter trivia for you — North Carolina owns the highest ski areas and the largest snow tubing on the East Coast, plenty of fun winter activities such as Winterfest and the French-Swiss Ski College at Appalachian Ski Mountain. There are several ski options around the Blowing Rock area, surrounded by a range of accommodations, from hotels to rustic cabins.

Chetola Lake in winter

            We’d suggest the quaint Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock with its hiking trails, pond (where insane people plunge into its icy waters), spa, heated indoor pool (for the more reasonable) and fine dining at Timberlake’s Restaurant in the Manor House Estate (named for North Carolina artist Bob Timberlake not Justin). Charming Blowing Rock with its quaint shops and restaurants is within walking distance.
            For more information on Winterfest and its list of fun activities, visit http://www.blowingrockwinterfest.com/. For more information on North Carolina skiing, visit the North Carolina Ski Areas Association at http://goskinc.com.

Bilbo drank beer from a Go-Cup

            So you thought that lovely old Hobbit in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books was from Middle Earth, eh?

            Think again.

            Recent evidence reveals Bilbo Baggins, the star of “The Hobbit” and a minor character in “The Lord of the Rings” hailed from the Bayou State. Now, where exactly in Louisiana Bilbo lived is still unclear.

            We’re found a Bilbo Street in Lake Charles, in Louisiana’s southwest corner. Even more shocking — but perhaps appropo — is the Bilbo Baggins Pub in Bossier City, just east of Shreveport.

            When you think about it, hobbits hailing from Louisiana makes sense. Usually peace-loving people who only want to eat, drink and tell funny stories. Yeah, I can see Bilbo and Frodo strolling through the Shire with a go-cup alright. They probably even have little parades as well, throwing useless crap made in China from tiny ponies.