This weekend: Kentuck!
—
In Newport News, from the Virginian-Pilot:
Friends and fans of Anderson Johnson congregated on Saturday in his honor to witness a miracle: The nick-of-time rescue of his Faith Mission folk art environment so many years ago had finally resulted in a bona fide art gallery.
……….
The gallery contains much of Johnson’s Ivy Avenue home, which was scheduled to be torn down in 1995 to make way for a recreation center.
……….
His family’s longtime home was a key part of Johnson’s art output. The self-taught artist painted pictures of Jesus, angels and scripture on boards and other materials and nailed them to his home’s exterior. Besides covering holes, his point was to lure people to his makeshift church, and to God.
Those works are incorporated into re-creations of the home’s facade. He painted the walls throughout his home, and most of those are on display, too. His entire bedroom was reassembled, including a startlingly lifelike sculpture of the artist seated on the side of his bed, painting.
The sanctuary also was re-created, from the worn wooden pews to his Hawaiian guitar and keyboards. Besides preaching, Johnson sang and played passionately for the tiny congregation that showed up for his Sunday services. His self-taught blend of blues and gospel was so appealing that recordings were made of him, including some by the BBC.
—
The AJC gives The Colonnade a little love (I love it for having aspic, and chicken livers).
I made the mistake of reading the comments — but did find that in response to someone complaining about the price of the fried chicken plate ($14, half a chicken, with sides) someone else correctly asserted, “You’ve also clearly never been to The Colonnade…their platter of chicken would easily feed Scarlett, Rhett and Miss Melly.”
—
Delta State, the W, and some other colleges in Mississippi are waiving or otherwise reducing out-of-state fees for students from elsewhere.
—
‘A Trip to Oxford‘ (slideshow) in the WSJ, article here.
…But with a country band playing for tips and produce—you might see carrot greens spilling out the top of the tip jar—it’s a scene you won’t want to miss.
—
(used with permission for publications)
Sidon Plantation in Leflore County (2600+ acres) is now in the hands of Mississippi State after a graduate left it to the university in his will.
—
The Onward Store (Onward, Miss. — it commemorates the famous 1902 Teddy Roosevelt bear hunt which took place nearby) has reopened after a renovation; …the dining room of the store has been refinished with wood from the iconic Red Barn in Rolling Fork that collapsed in 2011. The dining room also features artwork and photos depicting Roosevelt’s bear hunt.
—
Three Blount County covered bridges are set to reopen soon (two open to traffic this coming week).