Cornbread, People Watching and Big Daddy's Represent

Whew! I have worn myself out....Yesterday I got up at 6:15 AM and headed myself in the direction of the Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburgh, Tennessee. We arrived shortly after 9 (opening time) and immediately got into the first line....prizes from Martha White. Thank goodness for some sweet little girls who walked by with a plate full of cornbread who took pity on poor hungry souls like me that forgoed breakfast to scamper to get to the festival at opening. They gave me a sample of some cornbread cakes that they had made.

The long line wrapped around a building and for a brief moment I wondered out loud why I was standing in this stupid line? I was put in my place rather quickly by the crowd I drove up with..."WOODEN SPOONS! Spatula's! Stuff like that..." Oh yeah! That. So, about 30 minutes later we were handed a bag full of cookbooks, Martha white muffin mix, pens, pads of paper and then, as a bonus, allowed to spin a prize wheel.... "Wheel-Of-Fortune Cornbread.."



I won an apron, that I gave to my Aunt Wanda. Last Christmas she gave all the women an apron, so today I gave her one. She was thrilled.

I didn't need it, in the rare occurrence that I wear the one I wear the one she gave me...






or this other number that I have (LOL)....



My Uncle David had dismissed himself from the Martha White line to go and watch the hit and miss engines, earlier, so we found him exactly where he said he would be.
We continued to walk around and later came up on this....Do you remember drink Machines that looked like this? I recall opening the door to pull out a bottle and it being so cold and good in the glass bottle the drink was in. Today in the plastic and in the machines they are in, it seems to be lukewarm. My mother recalled a drink tub that had water and ice flowing throughout the tub to cool the drinks. We didn't see one like she spoke of.








I must say here, that the Cornbread Festival drew a very large crowd of thousands of people, making it the perfect place to people watch. This little old man had just plum tuckered himself out and found peace and comfort in a rocking chair on the street, outside a store. I just love this picture. My cousin said her friend Gwen will probably like to paint it...

And then I spotted these two women who by all accounts were trying desperately to bring the mullet back. It was a vain attempt...and one that I am glad continues to be a failure. If you will recall I sported and retired that look myself back in the early 80's. It is something that I am not proud of. It is rather embarrassing, but if we forget our past mistakes we are prone to make them again. I, however, will not.


I like almost all kinds of music, the exception being rap. There was alot of musical moments at the festival, non of which were rap-TG, with people just stopping along the streets with guitar case opened preforming. I heard some rather dreadful attempts that would provoke Simon Cowell to throw money into their case with an agreement to stop singing and then there were those that were a delight to the crowd, Like these guys...




Ye-Haw! Do take note of the guy in the middle. Do you see what he is playing...a washtub! I was quite fascinated by it. I have always iced my drinks down on my deck in mine, but never thought of playing it. So consider the Cornbread an educational experience too. (Smile) But lets focus on what the festival is really about......FOOD!
I was certain to get myself a big bag of kettle cooked popcorn. This man comes every year and I always enjoy watching him prepare it in the large kettle. As the corn begins to pop he shouts something that is inaudible, but yet it strikes me as funny every time.





As we made our way to cornbread alley I also spotted food signs such as this one...




It speaks to a southern person's heart, er, stomach. But my mind was completely of getting into the lOOOOOOng line of Cornbread alley. And here we finally were....


Cornbread alley is where you go to sample all of the prize winning recipes of the festival, all for a price of $2.00. Here was this years winners:


But as we were served some delicious samples of cornbread,



I became *little bit*more tolerable of yet another line of people to contend with.




Finally our plates were filled with the samples and we sought out a shady spot to partake of the cornbread delights.


After tasting, I cast my vote...

My vote went to the Mexican Cornbread, as it does every year. I just love something with some heat in it. If you want this recipe, or any of the winning recipes from the festival, click here.
Speaking of Heat (LOL) there were some supporters of Big Daddy on the way to and in the crowd of the Cornbread Festival ....



I hated that I failed to get a pic of the Big Daddy sign that read "Big Daddy's-more bang for your buck!".
By this time, the crowd of thousands had swelled to what seemed millions of both cultured country folk (which I like to class myself ) and four tooth,gun packing rednecks, who by the way are very nice people-if you don't cross them. Me, with my eccentric Howard Hughes tendencies, needed to get out of here and fast. I headed through the mass sea of people, riding the current back to the festival entrance, stopping only to get myself a t-shirt to commemorate my visit....
And so I bid ado to the South Pittsburgh, Tennessee Cornbread Festival 2008. We had only eaten a plate of nibblers (cornbread) and were all quite ready for some real eating, so we headed due west to Bell Buckle, to eat at the Bell Buckle Cafe. It definitely hit the spot! From there we headed back home, but first we stopped at the small town of Cowan, Tennessee. In Cowan there is an old train depot.

Pusher trains give help to the big trains to give them a boost up the mountain (Cumberland Plateau). See the pusher giving a boost to the train?I think I have mentioned the fascination of trains to those on my mother's side of the family. These pictures are for them and anyone else with an appreciation...

After my Uncle David and my mother got to watch a couple trains pass through we headed up the mountain towards Sewanee. Unfortunately it was getting late and we didn't get to stop by the campus, but we did manage to stop and get a glimpse of the sun setting into the cloudy overcast sky at this overlook-up atop of this rock that hang off the side of the mountain.
My cousin Gina and her Dad David had the courage to climb atop. I only made it to the top of the steps to take the pic before my knees became week and I became dizzy and as quickly as I could climb down.
Gina captured these picturesque views:


And then it was south of I-59 ,in the direction of Home, it provided some great views...

And so it was, with my belly full of cornbread, I finally got home and retired to bed about midnight only to dream about more mullets, trains, cornbread and all things Big Daddy.

"A good time was had by all."