Corn Bread and Butter Beans

"Bread baking is one of the great wonders of life. I learned the basics of it in an afternoon, and I can tell that I will spend the rest of my life learning the art." --Geek Knitter said this in the comments, and you know? You're right! Wise woman!....but swap in "making music" or "spinning" or "knitting" for "bread baking"....it might be just as true, you think?

Every year, the university sponsors a Cultural Enhancement Series. It's usually right on campus, so we climb up up up the hill and check it out. It's an attempt to bring the world to a corner of Kentucky and help expose students to what's out there. It's also a lifesaver for those of us who come from bigger cities and need the stimulation. A friend of mine organizes the series and it's free. Yes, free....so no matter what the topic, we make every effort to attend. There are things we might not have heard or seen otherwise, but if it's happening, we go.

This year, the big campus auditorium is being refurbished, so instead of campus, we strolled down to our historic square and our old fashioned theater, Capitol Arts. The marquee is in Art Deco neon and you can read who's performing a block away. (click on the link to see what I mean there...)

This time, it was like we bumped into a friend of a friend from home. The performers were the Carolina Chocolate Drops, from Durham, North Carolina. We lived in Durham for several years and it's still close to our heart. This African-American old-time string band reminded us of the North Carolina Piedmont...but it was also a riproaring good show. Why?
The students have to be convinced into attending this cultural enhancement series. If the topic is something they can relate to; the room rocks. Gloria Steinem and Barbara Ehrenreich were both, of course, a success. If not? An empty auditorium faces a group of famous musicians, or a scholar who travelled hundreds of miles here, and it's an embarrassment! This time, the old-time dance tunes carried right across the Appalachians. Students were two stepping, clogging (the official state dance of Kentucky) and square dancing. Whooping and hollering and singing along were part of the show.

This morning I was still singing as I made my breakfast tea. Need a smile? I dare you not to when you listen to this! Check out my first ever video clip..(I hunted until I found one that was decent...but it's not like the clogging crowd last night!) on the blog...and sing along:
Corn bread and butter beans
And you across the table
Eating them beans and making love
As long as I am able

Enjoy!