Deep-fried barbecue makes debut at Exit 56 Blues Fest

Do you love barbecue? Have you tried it deep-fried? Attendees to this year's Exit 56 Blues Fest will get an opportunity to try the bite-sized, deep-fried barbecue nuggets and even compete to see who can eat the most. The Deep-Fried BBQ Eating Championship will take place at 4 p.m., Saturday, May 25, at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville.

Contestants must be at least 18 years of age and will have 10 minutes to eat as many deep-fried barbecue bites as possible. Water and sauce will be plentiful to help wash it down. There is a $5 entry fee and the lucky winner will receive a trophy, t-shirt and prize package. Interested parties are asked to pre-register for the competition by May 23. Complete rules and registration can be found at www.westtnheritage.com/exit56.

Along with great barbecue, festival attendees can spend the afternoon and evening listening to the Blues. Concerts will be performed from the porch of the Sleepy John Estes home and features performers such as Sean "Bad" Apple, Bluesberry Jam Band, Little Boys Blue and headliner TeeDee Young.

Car enthusiasts can cruise-in from 1-3 p.m., to compete for titles such as "Cool Chrome" "Most Likely to Get a Ticket" and 12 other fun titles. There is no entry fee and motorcycles are welcome, too.

Arts and crafts vendors will also be on site throughout the afternoon for those wanting to add a little shopping to the Blues mix. Jewelry, woodwork and paintings are just a few of the items you'll find.

Admission to the festival is free and open to the public. A complete schedule is available online, or by calling the Delta Heritage Center at 731-779-9000.

Brownsville-Haywood County to host Hatchie BirdFest

The first Hatchie BirdFest will be held at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center on Friday May 31, Saturday June 1, and Sunday June 2, 2013.  The free event will offer a variety of activities for all ages to see and learn about the 200+ species of birds that occur in Brownsville and Haywood County, Tenn.

Bird watching hikes on Saturday  and Sunday will be geared for both beginner and expert birdwatchers and will visit Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge and other areas in Haywood County.

Bob Ford

The BirdFest will begin Friday evening with a presentation by noted ornithologist and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife biologist, Bob Ford.  Saturday’s speakers will include Scott Somershoe  (State Ornithologist, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency), Carol Reese (Ornamental Horticulture Specialist, University of Tennessee Extension Service) and David Haggard (West Tennessee Regional Interpretive Specialist, Tennessee State Parks). Friday evening event will be held at College Hill Center in Brownsville.  All Saturday presentations will be at the Delta Heritage Center.

Carol Reese

Photographs by Haywood County native and acclaimed nature photographer Joe B. Guinn will be on display at the Center throughout the weekend.  Winning entries from 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd graders in the HatcheBirdFest Coloring Contest will also be displayed.

Exhibitors will include Tennessee Ornithological Society, Willow Oaks Farm, Memphis WildBird Unlimited, Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s Great Outdoors University, Tennessee Watchable Wildlife and Raisin’ Cain BBQ.

West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center is located at Interstate 40’s Exit 56.   For more information visit www.HatchieBirdFest.com.

Memorial Day Weekend means Exit 56 Blues

  

Brownsville will celebrate its blues heritage Memorial Day weekend with the Exit 56 Blues Fest Saturday, May 25, at the Delta Heritage Center. The annual event will include an arts and crafts show, car cruise-in and live Blues music from the porch of the Sleepy John Estes home. The first performers will take the stage at noon and headliners Little Boys Blue and TeeDee Young hit the stage at 7 p.m.

Dylan Whitney performs at 1 p.m.

There will be several newcomers to the Exit 56 stage this year. Fifteen year old Dylan Whitney of Bixby, Ok., known as the "Whiz Kid of Blues" may be young but he is a very mature guitar player. Tyler Goodson of Jackson, Tenn., has been playing guitar most of his life, but didn't start "giggin" until he was 21. Now the 26-year-old plays regularly in Jackson and on Beale Street. Bluesberry Jam Band is a group of West Tennessee natives working to preserve the blues and roots tradition of the region. Pep Rally Losers, a duo with a West Tennessee connection, prides itself on playing the raw blues with a sprinkle of rock.

Sean "Bad" Apple performs at 3 p.m.

Clarksdale, Miss., performer Sean "Bad" Apple has studied at the feet of many historical bluesmen for more than two decades and is a regular performer at Ground Zero Blues Club. He'll reach back and draw from inspiration of blues past to deliver another high energy, driving performance at this year's festival. Northwest Tennessee band Blind Red Rooster is back for a repeat performance on the porch. They'll deliver their unique blend of Texas and Delta Blues.

Opening for the evening's headliner is Little Boys Blue, featuring the award-winning duo of Brownsville's own Jimmy D. Taylor and Jackson's Steve Patterson. Traveling and playing with some of the industry's finest has helped this duo hone their skills and develop a unique style that pays homage to the country blues tradition of the region.

Little Boys Blue - Steve Patterson and Jimmy D. Taylor
will perform at 7 p.m.

Headlining the Exit 56 Blues Fest is TeeDee Young. Young's dynamic stage presence and energy will put you in the mood for dancing. A native of Lexington, Ky., he has been performing since he was 14. By the time Young was 20, he was performing in such venues as The Cotton Club and later at B.B. King's. He maintains an authentic Blues style while writing and performing his own music, and is known for his command of the guitar, using it like a weapon to "fire down" the blues.

TeeDee Young
takes the stage at 8 p.m.

Select arts and crafts vendors will be onsite during the event and car and motorcycle enthusiasts are invited to cruise-in for the music from 1-3 p.m., and compete for some unique titles. Registration is free and can be made online or day of the event. You'll also find favorite festival foods and of course barbecue!

Admission is free and open to the public. A complete schedule can be found by visiting the Center's website, www.westtnheritage.com/exit56, or by calling 731-779-9000.

Tina Turner graces the cover of German Vogue

 Haywood County's most famous native, Anna Mae Bullock, known worldwide as Tina Turner, is the oldest woman to grace the cover of Vogue Magazine.  Turner, who turned 73 in November, is featured on the cover of the April 2013 issue of German Vogue.

According to the magazine's interview, Turner talks about her hometown of Nutbush and the Flagg Grove School project.

"We are so excited that Ms. Turner mentions her involvement with the Flagg Grove School project," said West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center Director Sonia Outlaw-Clark. "She speaks of the beauty of the farmland around Nutbush and remembers walking to Flagg Grove School with her sister and classmates."

The school's restoration project began in June 2012 when the school was donated and moved to the Delta Heritage Center. According to Clark, the project could take up to three years to complete.

Once completed, the school will highlight African-American early education and the legacy of students who attended there.  The school was built in 1889 on land donated by Benjamin Flagg, Turner's great-uncle, making Flagg Grove school not only the school she attended but a part of her family's legacy.  Turner's involvement with the project will include memorabilia and displays once the building has been restored.

As the project moves forward, it will be dependent on public fundraising efforts. Since the Vogue article appeared, fans have begun making donations through a link on the Center's website.

Director earns TMP, FEP certifications

Southeast Tourism Society President Bill Hardman presents Sonia Outlaw-Clark with her Travel Marketing Professional diploma Tuesday,  March 19, at the Southeast Tourism Society Spring Symposium in Atlanta, Ga. Also pictured is Angie Briggs, vice-president of Miles Media, presenting sponsors of STS Marketing College.

Sonia Outlaw-Clark, director of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center, has earned certification as a “Travel Marketing Professional” (TMP) after completing the three-year program of the Southeast Tourism Society (STS) Marketing College.

Clark was one of 47 new TMPs recognized at the STS spring meeting in Atlanta, Ga., Tuesday, March 19.  STS Marketing College started in 1992, and 749 people have earned TMP certification. Clark was also recognized and presented a certification in festival and event planning.

Sonia Outlaw-Clark (pictured second from left) is among seven Travel Marketing Professionals who also earned certification as Festival and Events Planner during the spring meeting of the Southeast Tourism Society in Atlanta, Ga., March 19.

The STS Marketing College is a professional development program that for one week each summer turns the facilities of North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, Ga., into a laboratory to teach tourism marketing.

Instructors are working professionals in the travel industry such as convention and visitors bureau executives, public relations practitioners, sales and marketing consultants and research experts.

Center donates books to local libraries

In honor of Black History Month, the Advisory Board of the Delta Heritage Center has donated two Blues books by music historian Dr. David Evans to the Haywood High School library. The books, Ramblin' On My Mind and Big Road Blues give new perspectives on the Blues culture and the old traditions and include mentions of Brownsville Bluesmen "Sleepy" John Estes, Hammie Nixon and Yank Rachel. Librarian Julie Dahlhauser attended the Center's Advisory Board meeting February 13, to accept the donation. Pictured in front of the Blues mural of the Music Museum are (from left) Carolyn Flagg, Joey Conner, Becky Booth, Dahlhauser, Jerry Wilson and Sonia Outlaw-Clark. Not pictured is Sandra Silverstein.

Librarian Katherine Horn of the Elm Ross Public Library recently accepted the donation of four books from the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center. In honor of Black History Month, the Center donated books that document influential Black people in our community. Among the books are Women of Haywood by Dr. Cynthia Bond Hopson; I, Tina by Kurt Loder; and Ramblin' On My Mind and Big Road Blues by Dr. David Evans. Pictured are (from left) Center Director Sonia Outlaw-Clark, Center Advisory Board members Carolyn Flagg, Becky Booth and Horn.

"Two Sides to Every Story" art exhibition opens March 1

John Sadowski

John Sadowski has been painting for over 40 years. His work has found its way into private and corporate collections throughout the United States. Beginning March 1, for a limited time, his work will be on display at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville. A special preview and opening reception for "Two Sides to Every Story" will be held Friday evening, March 1, at 6 p.m.

Sadowski, a Memphis artist, has for many years painted representational art, in particular local landmarks. In his collection, viewers will recognize buildings and street scenes from places such as New Orleans, Oxford, Miss., Jackson, Tenn., and of course Memphis. Sadowski has also painted many scenes of Brownsville that will also be included in the exhibition. His painting style reflects on the character and personality of these places more than serves as an architectural rendering.

Halfway Station

Sadowski also experiments with nonrepresentational art. He begins this art process with hand selected wood for the stretchers he builds himself. His inspiration comes while stretching the canvas and priming the surfaces. These abstracts are formed from layers of paint that has been added and subtracted and carefully placed until he can proclaim the work complete.

Romanticism Interrupted

Whether realism or abstract, Sadowski's art reflects the lifelong experience of a seasoned artist with the enthusiasm of one who has just begun his pursuit to artistic expression. "Two Sides to Every Story" combines these two distinct styles in a unique show available to the public through April 20.

For more information about the artist, visit www.sadowskiart.com. 

To learn more about the show, contact the Center at 731-779-9000.