The Southern Agenda: Oct/Nov 2012

Ladies Who Launch
Burge Plantation, Mansfield, Georgia, November 5
Like their namesake, Atlanta’s Annie Oakley Shooters
 are deadeyes who draw a crowd. Each month, the all-female club, 
which formed in 2004, gets together to break clays. They also sponsor the annual Annie Oakley Tournament (November 5) to benefit the Trust for Public Land, an organization that creates city parks and supports conservation. The site of this year’s charity sporting-clays tournament is the 930-acre Burge Plantation in Newton County, a spread that includes both a private shooting club and an organic farm. Participants—men can join in, too—can choose a scoring or nonscoring option for the hundred-clay tournament, or sign up for an instructional clinic with one of the certified instructors. If you’re really lucky, you might even get to shoot alongside one of the Annies. annieoakleyshooters.com

Alabama
HORSING AROUND
Hard to say for sure, but Polo at the Point (October 19–21) in Point Clear just might be the only charity event that features both the majestic sport of kings and a kickoff party at which revelers wager twenty dollars on the exact spot where a chicken will relieve itself. “It’s for sure the only one in Alabama,” event cochair Jamie Leather-bury says. Founded in 1988, the event has attracted support from a range of polo-loving ’Bama natives, from author Winston Groom to chef Frank Stitt. With its festival-
worthy vibe and extra-polo attractions, including a fancy hat parade, live music, and a silent auction, Polo at the Point has become a highlight of the Gulf Coast’s sporting calendar. Proceeds benefit local medical charities for children, so if you do win the chicken-poop lottery, consider a donation. poloatthepoint.com

Arkansas
GET REEL

If you’re strolling around Hot Springs between October 12 and 21 and get the feeling you’re being watched, it’s probably not paranoia. The town will be flooded with filmmakers participating in the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, and those folks are trained observers of…everything. Turn the tables (and catch some possible Oscar nominees) by attending the screenings, panels, and forums presented by the oldest showcase of documentary films in the country. And don’t miss this year’s Prohibition Party, inspired by the town’s reputation as a onetime bootlegging hot spot. (Al Capone was a regular visitor.) You may even be inspired to make a movie about the whole affair. hsdfi.org

Florida
MIAMI EATS
The SoBe Tour des Forks, which kicks off its season with daily tours beginning October 15, shows a different side of South Beach, relying on cultural and historical points of interest to lead you to tastings at five favorite local eateries. Included are a mix of off-the-map spots that represent the area’s diverse culinary landscape—from an authentic Cuban joint to a French café to a kosher ice cream factory—all conveniently located along a manageable 1.5-mile route that also takes you past plenty of Miami’s signature art deco architecture. Another plus is that tour groups are limited to twelve people—perfect for meeting some new friends to join for dinner later. miamifoodtours.com

Kentucky
GOOD SPIRITS

Last year, after three decades as one of Louisville’s premier parties, the formal Bourbon Ball whipped off its black tie and morphed into the cocktail-casual Bourbon Bash. This year’s fete (October 20) continues that shift, relocating from the usual hotel ballroom to a refurbished warehouse in hip NuLu, the city’s leading arts district (fitting since the beneficiary is the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft). The night features a preview of new artworks that reimagine the traditional bourbon bottle, a live auction, and a seated dinner. Oh, and the whole occasion begins with tastings of fine bourbons from several Kentucky distilleries (Woodford Reserve, Maker’s Mark, Four Roses, Michter’s, and others). Because Kentucki-ans understand better than anyone that making good bourbon is an art form, too. kentuckyarts.org

Louisiana 
ART AND ABOUT 

Once temperatures finally dip in early fall, Louisianans wander around outdoors just for the pleasure of doing so without melting. Shreveport shrewdly provides a vibrant focal point for all that meandering with the Red River Revel Arts Festival (October 6–13), a sprawling riverfront fair. Now in its thirty-seventh year, the Revel draws more
than 180,000 people to experience the works
of more than 140 local and national visual artists, from watercolorists to sculptors to metalworkers. When you need a break from perusing, two dozen vendors will be on hand to dish up seafood gumbo, jambalaya, and a true local masterpiece—Natchitoches meat pies. redriverrevel.com