Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Goodbye to Kai's Koffee in Pelham

Our favorite coffee shop in Pelham, or anywhere really, closed on July 19. We started going to Kai's Koffee at it's first location in the city and followed them to the new one on US 31 across from the post office. We've spent many pleasant hours there since then downing excellent coffee and other drinks and eating scones, muffins or wraps. 

 All things must pass, but we'll miss the place....a few photos and more comments are below. The photos, taken between November 2014 and July 2019 are in roughly reverse chronological order.

 Buck Creek Coffee opened in the location on July 23. We'll be giving them a try and wish them success! Stacie Mullins will remain as manager of the shop.  


UPDATE: The Shelby County Reporter published an article 2 Sept 2021 noting that the shop had moved to another location in that same retail strip in Pelham.





In July 2015 I posted a piece on "Ghostly Signs of Pelham's Video Past"  that included the image below. That slot was eventually covered up by the sign shown above. 

















Dianne brought one of her coffee plants to the shop; it's even produced a few beans!



The coffee plant will have a new home at KTL Insurance next door. 



Here's the coffee plant in November 2016. 



Part of the decor of the shop included many humorous signs related to coffee. 






















Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , ,

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Alabama History & Culture News: July 20 edition



For a number of years I've been posting links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles to the "alabamahistory" group at Yahoo!Groups. Most of the articles are from newspapers, with others from magazines and tv and radio websites. You can subscribe to the emails there if you wish; I send out two or three a week along with relevant meeting announcements and so forth. 

Here's the latest batch:
Alabama author to write second book on Neil Armstrong
The Alabama author who wrote the biography of Neil Armstrong adapted last year into a major motion picture is wrapping up a second book about the ...


On this day in Alabama history: Apollo 11 lands on moon with Alabama boost
In a voyage that began with rockets developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, man landed on the moon. The Saturn V booster ...

ASU Celebrates Anniversary at Historical Birthplace in Marion
From the West Alabama Newsroom–. Alabama State University commemorates its 152nd birthday — with a pilgrimage to it's historical birthplace in ...


Apollo's legacy: A quiet corner of Alabama that is forever Germany
Apollo's legacy: A quiet corner of Alabama that is forever Germany ... Local NASA historian Brain Odom calls it the "Huntsville school of history."



On this day in Alabama history: Businessman John Harbert III was born
John Murdoch Harbert III was born in Greenville, Mississippi, and his family moved to Birmingham when he was a child. After serving in World War II, ...


NEW BOOK DETAILS HISTORY OF AMERICA'S BLACK BANKS AMID CURRENT DECLINE OF ...
Three banks are prominently featured, the True Reformers Bank (Virginia), Capital Savings Bank (Washington, D.C.) and the Alabama Penny Savings ...

Before Chappaquiddick, Mary Jo Kopechne inspired students in Alabama
Author and historian William Kashatus, who is writing a book about Kopechne, said she drew inspiration from John F. Kennedy's message of “ask what ..

UAH made Alabama more 'attractive' nationally, von Braun said
John Patterson, who was Alabama's governor in 1961, said it was a ... Von Braun's speech in Montgomery is a legendary part of Huntsville's history.

'Very stern and very fair:' Former Alabama State coach Houston Markham Jr. left clear legacy
Markham, the winningest coach in Alabama State football history, died Wednesday morning with loved ones by his side. He coached the Hornets from ...

Former Alabama State football coach Houston Markham passes away
Houston Markham Jr., the winningest head coach in Alabama State football history died Wednesday with loved ones by his side, according to an ...

Centuries-old Alabama cave on the Trail of Tears may contain secrets of Cherokee tribe
Manitou Cave contains recorded history history people first hear about in classrooms. We learn about the Trail of Tears, and that President Andrew ...

On this day in Alabama history: Camp McClellan was established in east Alabama
More than 27,000 men were training at the east Alabama base by the end of 1917. Camp McClellan was originally named in honor of U.S. Army Maj.


University of Alabama in Huntsville restoring historic audio recordings of Apollo program
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is restoring old recordings from the Apollo program that were starting to deteriorate. The restoration is part of ...

URL : https://www.familysearch.org/w iki/en/Bullock_County,_Alabama _Genealogy
TITLE : FamilySearch Wiki - Bullock County, Alabama Genealogy
DESCRIPTION : Free online genealogical research guide for Bullock County, Alabama.

URL : https://www.familysearch.org/w iki/en/Butler_County,_Alabama_ Genealogy
TITLE : FamilySearch Wiki - Butler County, Alabama Genealogy
DESCRIPTION : Free online genealogical research guide for Butler County, Alabama.

Category Summary (Cyndi's List - United States/Alabama/Counties/Bullock - General Resources)
http://cyndislist.com/us/al/co unties/bullock/general/
* New Links :       0
* Updated Links : 1
* Total Links :      11

Category Summary (Cyndi's List - United States/Alabama/Counties/Butler - General Resources)
http://cyndislist.com/us/al/co unties/butler/general/
* New Links :       0
* Updated Links : 1
* Total Links :      10
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Friday, July 19, 2019

That Time Andy Warhol Came to Birmingham

Andy Warhol was one of the best known and most controversial artists of the 20th century. His influence on both the art world and popular culture has been extensive; we can thank him for the Velvet Underground if nothing else. 

 In 1979 Warhol was commissioned to paint four portraits of city residents Charles Ireland and his wife Caroline. He worked from Polaroids taken some months earlier. In March of that year Warhol came to the Birmingham Museum of Art for the presentation of Charles Ireland's portrait seen below.

 That event took place on March 9. The BMA's web site has this further note about the visit: 

 The artist was treated to a barbecue lunch during his interview for The Birmingham News. Eating his sandwich, Warhol quietly remarked, “It’s very good…No, we can’t get good barbecue in New York.”

Some further comments are below.


Source: BhamWiki.com 


Ireland joined the family business, the Birmingham Slag Company, in 1939. By 1951 he was president and steered the firm's merger with a New Jersey company to form Vulcan Materials. Ireland was named chairman of the board and remained in that position until his retirement in 1983. He died in 1987 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. 






Warhol and the portrait at the BMA on 9 March 1979

 Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History





Warhol at the BMA 9 March 1979

 Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History






Warhol with Caroline and Charles Ireland 9 March 1979

 Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History







Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Alabama History & Culture News: July 17 edition



For a number of years I've been posting links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles to the "alabamahistory" group at Yahoo!Groups. Most of the articles are from newspapers, with others from magazines and tv and radio websites. You can subscribe to the emails there if you wish; I send out two or three a week along with relevant meeting announcements and so forth. 

 Here's the latest batch:

ASU celebrates 152nd birthday party
On Thursday, Alabama State University is celebrating the 152nd ... A State of Alabama historical marker stands in front of ASU's William Harper ...


2019 Musicians Hall fo Fame inductees announced; ALABAMA to receive first-ever Lifetime ...
(WTVF) — The Musicians Hall of Fame announced their 2019 inductees today with some big names and musicians responsible for some of history's ...



Historic marker dedicated in Elsanor
After Campbell spoke about the upcoming culmination of Celebrating an Alabama 200 event in December, Merchant and Bedsole read the history of ...


Alabama's 'Father Goose' is as prolific a poet as ever
He celebrates the state's 200-year history with “Alabama, My Home Sweet Home,” which was chosen by the Alabama Chapter of the American ...

The Cherokee writings in northern Alabama have been transcribed after more then 150 years
Manitou Cave holds history that many learn about early on in life. We learn about the Trail of Tears and that President Andrew Jackson forced the ...

Alabama's Elephant Mascot: The History of Big Al's Birth in Tuscaloosa
Only University of Alabama Crimson Tide football super fans know everything about their program's history. They damn sure know how legendary ...


On this day in Alabama history: Boaz Seminary opened
In December 1898, the Alabama Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church took control of a college preparatory high school in Boaz, and on July ...

'Sword of Trust' review: In an Alabama pawn shop, a Civil War artifact attracts a confederacy of ...
A letter from Cynthia's grandfather explains the historical significance of the sword. It's surviving proof of the secret history of the Confederacy winning ...




Alabama NewsCenter
Prieur Jay Higginbotham, who wrote books on local and world history and founded the Mobile Municipal Archives, was born in Pascagoula, ...

On this day in Alabama history: Gov. Reuben Chapman was born
At the age of 25, he traveled to Huntsville, where his older brother lived, and Alabama became home for the rest of his life. Chapman entered politics in ...

Local history and archaeology conference to begin Thursday
A conference focused on local history and archaeology will be held over the course of two days this week at the University of Alabama's Gadsden ...



TUSCALOOSA 200 MOMENT IN HISTORY: Central Foundry reopens before Pearl Harbor
TUSCALOOSA 200 MOMENT IN HISTORY: Central Foundry reopens .... When demand dropped, a University of Alabama professor suggested that ...


Why there aren't concerts in Bryant-Denny Stadium, the brief history of shows there
The 101,821-seat home of Alabama football has thin history of hosting concerts and a list of hurdles explain why there aren't plans for one anytime ...


Ashley Chestnut getting students up to speed with history in 'Down in the Ham' series
She moved to Alabama to attend ministerial school and after completing ... The notion to write a book about Birmingham, combined with a coloring ...


TUSCALOOSA 200 MOMENT IN HISTORY: Millions of volts
Born in the Jemison Mansion, Robert Van de Graaff earned two degrees from the University of Alabamabefore going to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

Cotton, once king in Alabama, still rules on these family farms
Of course, any discussion of Alabama's early history of cotton production must include slavery. Planting, cultivating and picking cotton on a large scale ...


Photographic historian's work preserves moments from AL'searly history
Her book Shot in Alabama showcases Alabama's photographic history from 1839 to 1941. She hopes folks who flip through these pages get a glimpse ...


On this day in Alabama history: Olympic star died
Olympic Hall of Fame member Alice Coachman died on July 14, 2014, in her hometown of Albany, Georgia. She moved to Tuskegee at the age of 16, ...




... the last remaining courthouse Sacred Harp gathering in Alabama. ... are Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Bethsadia Baptist Church Cemetery.




Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Birmingham Photo of the Day (71): Fannie Flagg & a Model



Wandering around the Alabama Mosaic database recently, I came across the 1966 photo below showing actress, comedian and author Fannie Flagg with a model of Birmingham. The photo was taken at the city's airport. 


By 1966 the Birmingham native was well-known locally and beginning her climb to much wider fame. She had appeared in productions at the Town and Gown Theatre before graduating from Ramsay High School. She entered the Miss Alabama pageant seven times and appeared in local commercials. By the early 1960's she was co-host of a morning show on WBRC-TV. 

 In 1964 she stepped onto the national stage as a staff writer for Allen Funt's popular Candid Camera program. The following year she moved to New York and developed a stand-up comedy act. Flagg soon started appearing  as a regular on television game shows like The Match Game and Password. She recorded two comedy albums as well. 

 Her greatest success came after this photograph. She appeared in her first movie role in 1970 in Bob Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson. Her first novel Coming Attractions was published in 1981. Since then she has concentrated on her writing career. 

 The current two-story terminal at the Birmingham airport opened in 1973, so this photo was taken at the previous two-story terminal which opened in 1962. The facility was known as Birmingham Municipal Airport until the name was changed in October 1993 to Birmingham International Airport. 

 Various questions arise from this photograph. I guess Flagg was making a hometown visit after moving to the Big Apple. Who constructed the model? Why was it in the airport? Perhaps to introduce people new to the city to Birmingham? And what happened to the model??? 





"Fannie Flagg looking at a model of the city of Birmingham at the Birmingham Municipal Airport." 

June 23, 1966

Source: Alabama Dept of Archives & History Digital Collections





Birmingham Municipal Airport terminal which opened in 1962. When the 1973 terminal opened this one became office space until demolished in 2011. 

 Source: BhamWiki

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)