April/May 2009 | 

Below the Line, April and May 2009

Goings-on in the South and Beyond

Alabama
THE WRITE STUFF

Compiling a list of notable Alabama authors would take, well, a book. And three names at the top of the list would have to be Harper Lee, Truman Capote, and, more recently, Mark Childress. Strangely enough, all three hail from the little town of Monroeville. (Okay, Capote moved there when he was four, but still.) So what’s a town like Monroeville to do? Host one of the finest literary events in the South, of course. From April 30 through May 2, book lovers and writers alike will converge for the Alabama Writers Symposium. This year features a whodunit theme with mystery writers Carolyn Haines and Frank Turner Hollon giving the keynote address. Also on hand will be Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize winner and G&G contributor, to accept the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s distinguished writer of the year. Bravo, Mr. Bragg. writerssymposium.org
 

Arkansas
THE GUMBO WARS

These might be fighting words in Louisiana, but Pine Bluff, Arkansas, is making a play for its own bit of gumbo cred these days with the Harbor City Festival & Gumbo Cook-Off. Turns out the Natural State’s teeming with fans of the Creole stew. After all, what’s not to like? Last year, 5,000 hungry visitors descended upon Saracen Landing during the inaugural cook-off, which means at this year’s event, April 25, you can bet the gumbo groupies will be out in full force. Of course, there’s also live music, dancing, and fireworks blasting from the pier to round out the festivities. Next thing you know, they’ll be eating étouffée! pinebluffcvb.org

Florida
POLO WITHOUT DIVOTS

Polo on the beach? Only in Miami. Now in its fifth year, the Miami Beach Polo World Cup (May 1-–3) attracts eight teams of world-class players who compete for the coveted La Martina Cup. It goes something like this: polo match, cocktail party, dinner, cocktail party. Rinse, and repeat. And it wouldn’t be Miami Beach without a celebrity-packed VIP tent (Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have been known to show up), not to mention the fashion show. The sport of kings has never been so, um, beachy. miamipolo.com

Georgia
MODERN CLASSICS

Visitors to Savannah line up to tour the mostly antique-filled Georgian, Greek Revival, or Gothic mansions. But the stately city has style extending beyond the traditional. For a firsthand glimpse into the living spaces of some of the town’s most creative minds, check out the Savannah College of Art and Design’s “Artists in Residence” Alumni Tour of Homes, May 8–9. Scattered around the Historic District, Victorian District, Thomas Square, and Baldwin Park, the tour includes twelve SCAD graduates’ abodes showcasing innovative design techniques, space planning, and restoration. scad.edu

Kentucky
HELP THE HOUNDS

This time of year, horses tend to hog the spotlight in the Bluegrass State, but there’s a group in Lexington that knows hounds deserve some attention, too. To ensure its diligent dogs enjoy their golden years, the Iroquois Hunt Club started the nonprofit Hound Welfare Fund, with an annual charity auction and dinner May 8. Proceeds go to food and veterinary care for injured or retired hounds while they live out their days romping around twenty acres of fenced pasture and woods on a farm in western Clark County (yes, a real farm, not that one in the sky). In the auction’s ten years, the single highest bid came in at $38,000 for an Andre Pater pastel portrait, featuring none other than Iroquois Captain, one of the program’s first retirees. iroquoishunt.com

Louisiana
BONA FIDE FARE

Blame it on Paul Prudhomme. The Cajun chef inadvertently created a monster in the 1980s when his blackened redfish became a national craze. Blackened—and usually overly seasoned—this and that began showing up on menus everywhere, bottled Cajun spice hit grocery store shelves, and a lot of people thought that was pretty much it as far as Cajun cuisine went. Thankfully, today we have Donald Link, chef/owner of New Orleans restaurants Herbsaint and Cochon (pig in French), and the 2007 James Beard Award winner for best chef in the South. Link grew up along the bayous of southwest Louisiana, and despite his culinary degree and stints in some high-end California restaurants as a young chef, it was the food of his childhood, handed down through generations of his family, that remained closest to his heart, and his stomach. Out in April, Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link’s Louisiana (Clarkson Potter) is, indeed, the real deal. Each recipe in the book is accompanied by a short introduction to give a taste of the dish’s significance, as well as life, in Cajun country. Not that you’ll need any convincing to give these recipes a try. Breaux Bridge crawfish pies, fried chicken and andouille gumbo, catfish fried in bacon fat? More, please.

Maryland
WANNA SEE MY GARDEN?

For history, architecture, and garden enthusiasts, the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, founded in 1930, is a much-anticipated springtime rite. Running four consecutive weekends beginning April 25, the tour covers five counties plus Baltimore City—more than fifty private homes and gardens in total. There’s a bit of everything here, from the 1,000-acre 350-year-old Hermitage Farm in Queen Anne’s County (one of the oldest working farms in the country) to an early nineteenth-century Quaker stone farmhouse in the Western Run Valley that has been updated with a rock garden and a Japanese-style teahouse. Best of all, the tour supports preservation and restoration projects in each county. mhgp.org