We heard the music while I was pulling the lawn chairs from the truck. And by the time I clicked the button locking the car doors, we smelled the aroma of hickory smoked BBQ.
It was the Foothills Festival by the courthouse square in the county seat of Jasper. We went late to hear John Paul White. He is a songwriter/musician from Florence, Alabama. He was half of the duo The Civil Wars. He's won Grammys. This young man is an incredible talent.
We found a place in the shade away from the main stage. Though it was 4:30 p.m. The temp on the asphalt was hot as a welding rod tip. A gentle breeze out of the west kept it pleasant there on the corner.
I know they had snow cones there because I saw several kids with blue tongues and teeth. One kid carried a disco dinosaur. It was a small dinosaur with a battery-powered disco ball in its stomach. I didn't see that coming.
After we sat, we began seeing friends we haven't seen in too long. As we sat there I got a text saying that some of our friends were eating at a restaurant a few steps down the street.
We hadn't seen our friends in forever. He's struggling right now with cancer. Seeing him and his lovely wife was a gift.
I love small town festivals. They make me feel more connected. Alive. Grateful.
My nephew was there with his family. They have a new baby that's younger than the apples on our table.
The baby was the hit. People weren't interested in the music or the popcorn, but everybody wanted to pinch that baby's jaws. Her name is Zuzu Petals. Yes, that's not a mistake. Zuzu Petals. Any of you that are a fan of It's A Wonderful Life might recognize this name. Jimmy Stewart's daughter's name was Zuzu. And Zuzu had given Jimmy Stewart some rose petals that he carried around in his watch pocket. When he came back from his encounter with the angel, he looked for the Zuzu's Petals in his pocket to make sure he was really back.
It's been a delightful Saturday.
It was the Foothills Festival by the courthouse square in the county seat of Jasper. We went late to hear John Paul White. He is a songwriter/musician from Florence, Alabama. He was half of the duo The Civil Wars. He's won Grammys. This young man is an incredible talent.
We found a place in the shade away from the main stage. Though it was 4:30 p.m. The temp on the asphalt was hot as a welding rod tip. A gentle breeze out of the west kept it pleasant there on the corner.
I know they had snow cones there because I saw several kids with blue tongues and teeth. One kid carried a disco dinosaur. It was a small dinosaur with a battery-powered disco ball in its stomach. I didn't see that coming.
After we sat, we began seeing friends we haven't seen in too long. As we sat there I got a text saying that some of our friends were eating at a restaurant a few steps down the street.
We hadn't seen our friends in forever. He's struggling right now with cancer. Seeing him and his lovely wife was a gift.
I love small town festivals. They make me feel more connected. Alive. Grateful.
My nephew was there with his family. They have a new baby that's younger than the apples on our table.
The baby was the hit. People weren't interested in the music or the popcorn, but everybody wanted to pinch that baby's jaws. Her name is Zuzu Petals. Yes, that's not a mistake. Zuzu Petals. Any of you that are a fan of It's A Wonderful Life might recognize this name. Jimmy Stewart's daughter's name was Zuzu. And Zuzu had given Jimmy Stewart some rose petals that he carried around in his watch pocket. When he came back from his encounter with the angel, he looked for the Zuzu's Petals in his pocket to make sure he was really back.
It's been a delightful Saturday.
What a fun way to spend the day. I love festivals too and next weekend starts many of them around here. We have to get through the county fair first. Not sure if we're hitting that up this week. It's a wonderful life is one of my very favorite movies and I love the name ZuZu! On vaca one of our son's friends has a little girl named Scout and of course that's from one of my other fav movies! Hope the rest of the weekend is as fun as today was!
ReplyDeleteZuzu Petals! What a name. I love the story attached to this little girl's name. Maybe I need to watch It's a Wonderful Life again sometime - there's a film nearly as old as I am.......
ReplyDeleteAlphie
Word pictures, loved your Small Town post.
ReplyDeleteJoy
Fun day. His guitar looks just like mine, except I have slotted pegs.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds absolutely delightful. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
ReplyDelete"Zuzu Petals".....I like it! Now where is the photo of the cheeks?
ReplyDeleteLisa
What a great way to spend some time having great entertainment and meeting some old friends.
ReplyDeleteZuzu Petals, I like it.... Yes, where's the photo of that cute baby.
Hugs, Julia
I love small town festivals too. The atmosphere is one of camaraderie.
ReplyDeleteOkay, you struck a cord. Small town festivals are great even if you are a stranger. WE consider it a plus when we wander into a community having a festival. we go around like we belong. Whether it is NY, AZ or CO. We see friends talking with friends and we know some are family. It is a good feeling to be amongst GOOD folk.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the visit.
You had me at hickory-smoked BBQ!
ReplyDeleteBig city life and I are so incompatible ... I can't wait to attend a small-town festival.
I WISH we had small town festivals around this big city!!
ReplyDeleteSmall town festivals serve up the best of America.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a bloody good time
ReplyDeleteaww, such a sweet little Zulu Petals. She's lucky to have such a nice family to care for her. Thanks for posting this photo.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Julia