LOTS TO DO

I've got this coming weekend off and for once there's going to be plenty to do!!

Decatur is having it's 10th annual Bar-B-Que cook off during the Riverfest celebration, held in September. The two-day event is free to the public and features the only barbecue cook off in Alabama sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society and will be held at Rhodes Ferry Park on the south bank of the mighty Tennessee River. It's even going to be on Alabama Public TV! I went last year and had a ball. There's live music, arts and crafts, and vendors of all sorts along with cooks from all over the USA grilling everything from elk to buffalo to emu along with the standard beef , pork, and chicken. You can eat and drink to your heart's content while listening to the jams and watching the boats cruise the river.

This weekend also is the Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride that begins in Chattanooga, TN and ends in Waterloo, AL and honors those poor American Indian souls who were forced to walk the trail during The Indian Removal Act of 1830. On October 8, 1994, eight motorcycles began the ride at Ross' Landing and by 2001 there were a reported 90,000 motorcycles pulling into Waterloo at ride's end, making this event the largest organized motorcycle ride in history.

The TOT ride also features the OFFICIAL 1st Annual Trail of Tears Concert features the music of "EASY RIDER" played by Nashville's best session musicians, The Long Players:

Steve Allen-new wave 20/20
John Deaderick - The Dixie Chicks
Steve Ebe, Human Radio
Bill Lloyd, Foster and Lloyd and The Sky Kings
Garry Tallent-Bruce Springsteen's E. Street Band,
Jimmy Hall
& Prisoners of Love - Wet Willie

Shelly Fairchild - "Ride" - Sony Music Nashville Artist & Harley Davidson Model.
Gary Nichols - Nashville Dreamworks Artist & Florence's own.
Also featured is the "CAPTAIN AMERICA" bike replica (soon to be featured in the upcoming motion picture "EASY RIDER: THE SEARCH CONTINUES").

Then there's the concert that I'm going to at Alabama Music Hall of Fame where I'll listen to Confederate Railroad & David Allan Coe.

If that's not enough for you we also have Hartselle's 25th anniversary of Depot Days (once known as Mule Days), a week long event where the streets downtown are blocked off and lined with vendors and exhibits. The festival starts at Railroad Street, with The Station and its gazebo and minipark on one side, beautiful old buildings on the other. Here's a sample of what you can enjoy: Silent Auction, Antique Car & Truck Show , 5K & Fun Run, Children's Art Show, Story Telling , Train & Erector Set Exhibits, Antique Tractor Exhibit, Lots of Entertainment, Lots of Food. Typical small town stuff, but fun anyway. Who said there's anything wrong with small towns, Hartselle was recently named one of the 100 Best Small Towns in America by a nationwide guide.

Y'all come on down and we'll have us some fun! Summer's almost over and we need to get in all the outdoor stuff we can before old man Winter makes us drag out the heavy coats!!