ART STATION'S DIXIE SWIM CLUB

Laughs and Tears on Demand in this Delightful Play

By Doc Lawrence

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA-College friendships change with graduation, careers, marriage and children. The delightfully all-too-human girls in The Dixie Swim Club cover over 30 years of joy, heartbreak, and martinis at their beloved Outer Banks vacation beach cottage. The play, a popular production, closes out the current season at Stone Mountain’s acclaimed Art Station Theatre with enough bang to sell out every performance.

Best-selling author and Decatur, Georgia native Roy Blount, Jr. said that “the South is a place, the north is a direction.” The Swim Club not only entertains for two hours, but in the best tradition of Steel Magnolias, repudiates the stereotypical Southern woman. There are ties that bind us down here that include friendship, love, family and the unconditional support that surfaces with hardship and death.

And, yes. these former athletes laugh at themselves.

Southern cuisine today occupies an exalted status, surviving relentless attacks from outsiders whose gratuitous claims that fried chicken, hog jowl-seasoned fresh garden vegetables, brewed sweet tea and homemade peach cobbler have no place on the modern dinner table. The plays funniest scenes involve the revulsion prompted by weird snacks served in a failed effort to guide the girls to an imagined better lifestyle.

A Southern Classic

The Dixie Swim Club provides a peek into the very special relationship of these five charming women, each with her own needs, wants and dreams. Sheree manages the group with irritating schedules, disgustingly healthy snacks, but soothed by a perky attitude. Dinah is the no-nonsense, career girl Atlanta lawyer who is never far from her Martini shaker. Lexie has a long history of failed marriages and cosmetic surgeries and Jeri Neal is the lapsed nun turned wife and mother. Vernadette has a rocky marriage, incarcerated children, with poverty one step away.

The dialogue recalls Designing Women, but never falls into the abyss of offensive characterizations that diminish many faux comedies about the South. The show contains perhaps the longest monologue about biscuits in the history of theater, an audience-pleasing scene that would make Scarlett O’Hara proud.
Almost on demand, we laugh and cry as these friends through the vehicle of quick, witty dialogue, good running jokes and self-deprecating humor, cope with marriage, children, love, sex, disease and death in this utterly delightful play.

Written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, The Dixie Swim Club starring Aretta Baumgartner, Kara Cantrell, Suzanne Roush, Dina Shadwell and Karen Whitaker runs through July 26.

More information and tickets: (770) 469.1105; www.artstation.org

JEFFERSON IN JULY-

LIBERTY AND WINE

By Doc Lawrence

Since 1776, American’s have gathered to celebrate the birth of America. The soirees mirror in many ways the hospitality extended by Thomas Jefferson: family and friends feasting on food, wines surrounded by lots of good will.

Thanks to the professional expertise of the esteemed wine authority Harry Constantinescu, President & CEO of The Knights of Wine Society, I am delighted to share with those hosting a gathering this Saturday one of Jefferson’s favorite wines, a sparkling white that compares to fine Champagne at a fraction of the price.

With flavors of ripe pear, fresh ginger, almond skin and candied lemon zest, Saint-Hilaire Brut Blanquette de Limoux is a lively wine from Limoux where monks were making sparkling wine long before Champagne. Like its expensive relative, it is incredibly food-friendly. Chef Lara Lyn Carter, star of Georgia Public Television’s hit cooking show, “Thyme for Sharing,” says it is “almost perfect with barbecue or anything from the grill. There’s no guesswork with this refreshing wine.”

Robert Parker lauds Saint-Hilaire as “probably the least-known well-made sparkling wine of France.” It was a Wine Spectator 100 top values wine last year, selected from more than 18,000 wine reviews.

What is now the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire began as a primitive chapel in the 6th century
It was in the Abbey's historic cellars where in 1531 Benedictine Monks created the world’s first sparkling wine more than a century before Champagne. It’s France’s oldest sparkling wine. 
It’s said that Thomas Jefferson loved this wine and brought it to America. At the time of his death, there were 49 bottles of Saint-Hilaire in his cellar. While enjoying a glass of this wonderful wine this weekend, close your eyes. You should be able to imagine Jefferson at his writing desk composing the Declaration of Independence.

NOTE: Lara Lyn Carter’s visit to Monticello and her discussions about Jefferson’s cellar, food preferences and wines is a very rare treat for television viewers. It is highly entertaining:
http://www.gpb.org/thyme-for-sharing/episodes/1

Lara Lyn Carter at Monticello

FATHER'S DAY 2015

A LIFETIME OF LEADERSHIP

"The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him."
                                       Proverbs 20:7

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA-It’s not a big day for the fresh flower industry and restaurants don’t count on massive crowds, but Father’s Day has more importance than window dressing of festivities. Not to discount tributes-they are important-but fatherhood carries many elements that merit pondering on the day set aside for remembering.

I’m the fortunate son. Dad, at 96, is, by threads, hanging on. He challenges the end by whispering that he will live until he reaches 100. Doubt him at your peril.

His youth mirrored millions of other men of the era. Leaving the farm during the depression, he came to Atlanta and was a team member at Bell Aircraft that built the legendary B-29. One became the Enola Gay. Drafted during World War II, he fought across Europe under George Patton as a foot soldier in the Third Army, later assigned to a legendary army called the Thunderbirds and mustered out while serving as an MP in New Orleans after a spell with General Jonathan Wainwright.

My mother had a boy’s army dress uniform made for me to greet him at the station when he got off the train named The Crescent in Atlanta.

He was movie star handsome.

Atlanta's  "Baseball Magnolia"

Education and home ownership came through the GI Bill of Rights. Dad had a high opinion of FDR and Harry Truman and accomplished everything possible during my baby days. The early years were tranquil where the only interruption was his determination to get a college education which he did at night and for a while in Indiana.

Food was always on the table, we dressed well for school and church, and he only wanted one thing for his three children: a good education. We went to college where we chose and honored his wish.

He takes pride in outliving almost everyone he knew or worked with except for one overbearing tragedy: the loss of his youngest son, an event that almost did what the Nazi’s could not.

My childhood memories include many fishing trips. Carrabelle, Florida where, at about 10 miles out, I got seasick and prayed I would die. Freshwater fishing in Alabama on the Tennessee River. The pier in Lake Worth Florida. Big game fishing in the Atlantic and a boatload of trout caught on the Indian River. My preference for fresh fish has never lessened.

Baseball, whether I played or we went to see the greatest minor league team in history, the beloved Atlanta Crackers, was primary entertainment. His favorites (and mine) were Ralph “Country” Brown, a speedy centerfielder who never made it to the big leagues and Eddie Mathews who did and joined Babe Ruth as the only player to hit a home over the centerfield Magnolia tree in Atlanta’s Ponce de Leon ballpark.

The old tree still stands and I visit it occasionally, always thinking of the farm boy who survived war, worked hard, served his community quite well and gave me a jump start in life.

We lead best by example. My father is a composite of Robert E. Lee and Billy Graham. A ferocious warrior, a Southern gentleman and devoted Christian. A good and decent man who laughs at the stories from Jerry Clower and Lewis Grizzard.

Happy Father’s Day big guy. Thanks for a wonderful life.

"Thyme for Sharing with Lara Lyn Carter" Debuts Saturday

TV’s New Food and Wine Journey begins at Jefferson’s Monticello

By Doc Lawrence

Enjoying wine with Gabriele Rausse

Her professional career began on Albany, Georgia’s WALB-TV with a popular cooking show. Then came the acclaimed cookbook Southern Thymes Shared. Loaded with recipes, wine pairings and fascinating stories. Everything was practice, a warm-up for a vast new audience. This Saturday, June 13, Lara Lyn Carter goes statewide on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s new TV series, “Thymes Shared with Lara Lyn Carter.”

Insider buzz already applauds the production as original and refreshing. Ms. Carter says that the series incorporates her desire “to show the diversity of Southern foods, and pair dishes with wine, which has not been done before.”

The inaugural show begins at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia, an indicator that Ms. Carter, already an established TV celebrity, is a genuine force, perhaps the South’s fastest rising star chef.

Georgia Public Television (GPB) in announcing the show’s premiere says that Ms. Carter is “regarded as the go-to authority on Southern entertaining,” and that “each episode features chef Lara Lyn Carter as she travels to a different locale and introduces viewers to its local fare and signature dishes.”

Welcome to Monticello

With her trademark enthusiasm, Lara Lyn says that Thyme for Sharing is not just a cooking show: “Food is about more than preparation and eating. When I travel, one of the first things I do is plan the food itinerary. I like the idea of exploring locations and making people feel like they’ve actually experienced a place through the food.”

In the first episode of Thyme for Sharing, host Lara Lyn Carter explores an American shrine, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, where wine with Southern cuisine was a regular dining experience. From Jefferson’s extensive notes, television viewers learn how America’s third president and author of the Declaration of Independence set the table and entertained guests with fresh foods from his gardens and orchards. Chef Lara Lyn then enjoys a glass of something wonderful with Gabriele Rausse, Monticello’s esteemed director of gardens and grounds and discusses Jefferson’s passion for wine. During the show, Lara Lyn resolves a historic debate: did Jefferson introduce ice cream to America? Enriched with knowledge, the show heads back to Lara Lyn’s home kitchen where she prepares an all-American dinner featuring herbed pork tenderloin, cornbread salad, and grown-up ice cream. Not surprisingly, wine that would please Thomas Jefferson is served.

Future episodes take chef Lara Lyn to Georgia’s Jekyll Island, Music City in Nashville and Gray Moss Plantation in Leslie, Georgia featuring her exploration of local fare and a return to her South Georgia home where she puts her own twist on signature dishes. In the end,  “thyme for sharing” is a well-appointed table, an exciting meal, and perfectly paired wines enjoyed with the good company of family and friends.

NOTE: For Father’s Day: Southern Thymes Shared showcases Lara Lyn Carter’s Southern recipes paired with appropriate wines. The beautiful book is available at Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere.

SACRED HARP SINGING

Balm for the Spirit

"Sacred Harp just grabbed me, and I thought, this is the music I've been waiting for all my life.” -- Andrew Albers

By Doc Lawrence

DECATUR, GA-The songs are hauntingly beautiful and more than one observer has confessed feeling surrounded by peace. Sacred Harp, often called shaped-note music, is an ancient but living art form. Always performed a cappella, it has deep roots extending back to the 18th century. While it is categorized as a folk music form, be aware that it doesn’t come easy: You have to be taught the techniques to sing it properly.

No lessons are needed to attend a singing and listen. That alone is a wonderful experience.

Singing friends Carol Buche (L) and Laura Densmore

Memorial Day wasn’t a holiday for lessons. Historic Oakhurst Baptist Church (where three visionary men conceived of Habitat for Humanity which was soon born at Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia) provided the venue for spirited harmonies to work wondrous things for the mind, body and spirit. In the middle of the four hours of singing, participants took time to enjoy another Deep South tradition, a covered dish dinner.

Sacred Harp has a unifying quality. Almost magnetically, people come together, often from far away places. Laura Densmore lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania and joined her friend Carol Buche from St, Paul, not to see a Braves game or visit the Georgia Aquarium, but “to sing for a few hours.” They are well schooled in the techniques and warned me that this music can become addictive.

I hope so.

Atlanta Sacred Harp Singers

The first time as an adult I heard Sacred Harp singing was on a Saturday spring morning when the Georgia Sacred Harp Convention was singing en masse at the old courthouse in Decatur. The huge windows were open allowing the songs to soar out. The music worked magic, triggering childhood memories of attending the funeral at an old country church outside Rockmart, Georgia of my great-grandmother who lived during the Civil War. The  ancient uplifting harmonies seemed to defy death.

The origins of Sacred Harp are well documented. With nothing but archetypes to back me, I’ve always felt that it predated the Roman conquest of Western Europe. Go to a local sing, close your eyes and absorb. Something within will stir.

John Plunkett said that everyone is welcome to attend and try singing, but you can just listen which is a terrific experience. Everything is relaxed. and religious or political affiliation is irrelevant. Historically, Sacred Harp singing has been interdenominational.

If you are looking for an experience that lessens the exigencies of daily living, Sacred Harp delivers.

Interested? The Atlanta Sacred Harp Association embraces you with lots of warmth. More information:
www.atlantasacredharp.org

NOTE: A vacation idea:
https://www.glozine.com/lifestyle/health/frank-lloyd-wright-journey.html

A PSYCHEDELIC BREAKFAST

Celebrating with Rusty Hamby and Olivia Thomason

Stone Mountain’s Colorful Race
By Doc Lawrence  

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA-It had all the bright colors of a Grateful Dead concert decades ago. Men, women and children-“well over 5,000,” estimated Kim Cumbie who manages the historic city’s Visitor Center-came to run and walk for the annual Color Vibe 5K, and get themselves doused in harmless powder making them look like images from the Beatle’s Sgt. Peppers album cover.

Let the Race Begin!

What to do on a lovely mid-spring Saturday morning? Delightful Ann Hamby and her son Rusty invited friends and neighbors over for breakfast al fresco to watch the contest just about at the starting point. Positioned on a hill beside their Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home barely beyond the reach of the neon-bright blue, fuchsia, and chartreuse spray, hot coffee and juices were served accompanied by eggs, sausage biscuits, rich pastries and ample amounts of good cheer and contagious laughter.

Nobody does hospitality better than the Hamby’s.

The 5K route traversed the showcase village adjacent to the mighty granite mountain, crossing Indian trails and the area where “The March to the Sea” began. Everything was fun. Grandparents and grandchildren from the region gathered to dance to the pulsating sounds from the event stage. There was magic in the air, a prelude for the Memorial Day weekend and the fun that summer always brings.

It’s one of the ways we enjoy a Saturday down South.

A Deep South Saturday Morning

ITALIAN WINES DOWN SOUTH

Food Friendly and Affordable

By Doc Lawrence

Carolina Stupino Pours Barbaresco

ATLANTA- Italy grows more grape varieties than any country in the world.  I attended and thoroughly enjoyed a high-level introduction to these great wines produced by the Leonardo LoCascio Collection and themed as Vini d' Italia held at the prestigious Studio C at King Plow Arts Center

More than 1200 grape varieties are grown in Italy producing more than 3000 specific wines. For Southern enthusiasts, the most familiar Italian reds include Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Primitivo, Nero d’Avola, and Negroamaro. Well-known Italian whites are Pinot Gris, Glera, Trebbiano, Cortese, and Garganega. Italian white wines are generally easy to drink and seafood-friendly, while the reds are hugely varied. 

Italy is surrounded on three sides by bodies of water. These help regulate temperature and water supply. This is important in southern Italy, where it would otherwise be too hot to grow grapes.

Almost like a spine, the Apennine Mountains run through the length of Italy, creating valleys with thousands of microclimates to grow grapes. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia are hot and dry with plentiful sunshine. In northern Italy, cool, dry winds blow down from the Alps. The rivers that course through the Alps are used to irrigate northern Italy’s plains.

I became particularly interested in Castello Di Neive’s vast portfolio. After wine and conversation, I decided that a trip there is necessary to enjoy the astonishing beauty of the Castle, the friendliness of its owner and  staff and, of course, for all of its remarkable wines, particularly its famous Barbarescos.

King Plow Arts Center is located in an old plow factory not far from CNN Center.. Here, you’ll find the nationally acclaimed theatrical company Actor’s Express, along with dozens of studios and offices representing everything from Hollywood  movies to high end catering.

The wine event introduced exceptional wines from Italy.. Many of the wines pair beautifully with the cuisine of the Deep South and the future here for such glorious products is endless: Seafood, delights from the grill and our own interpretations of dishes from Italy.