FESTIVAL OF SPRINGS

This was my third stop of the day on  April 14th. My earlier visits covered in a previous post included student jazz band performances at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Also during the band's lunch time, I went for a juice break at Yeh Man's a Jamaican restaurant.

Festival of the Springs has been held yearly ever since the city of Center Point commissioned and built a huge park on a sparcely wooded tract of land.  The park is named after some of the city's founding members.  There is a family cemetery on Old Springville Road that serves as these founder's final resting place. The park is located on Polly Reed Road which intersects with Reed Road.  

As with most festivals there were the usual vendors of jewelry, cosmetics, clothing, food and etc.

Political candidates took advantage of the crowds and beautiful day by campaigning.



Proud mothers wait to showcase their toddlers in the Little Miss Center Point Beauty Contest. I prefer to call them "Cutie Contests" since small children are usually cute anyway.

Thankfully, none of the children resembled those on Toddlers and Tiaras. Although some of them were a little cranky probably from standing out in the sun and not being allowed to play in their pageant outfits.



Horse and pony rides aren't an everyday thing. Some of the children got to ride.



This is a photo of one of the springs which meanders into various tributaries



Close up of the water wheel in the previous picture

This is also a part of Reed-Harvey Park. It is located across the street from the original phase.

I've been to the park a few times but have never crossed the street to this side.



This is a historic home that has been through many hands of which the city of Center Point is in the process of remodeling and using as an event center.



I was being whimsical when I took the picture of the ACME truck. The first thing I thought of was Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. If you're familiar with the Looney Tunes cartoon you'll remember that Wile E. Coyote was always ordering gadgets from ACME to aid him in his pursuit of Road Runner. Coyote's dream was to have Road Runner as a meal which he never got to do. Maybe the Coyote should have become a vegetarian. I don't know of any vegetables that run. 

Later in life I learned that the word "acme" means pinnacle, highest point or perfection. This makes the company name even funnier since none of the gadgets ever worked.

Another source states that ACME stands for  A Company that Makes Everything

My last stop after the park was to a dedication ceremony for a friend being licensed as a minister. It was a Jazz and Jamaica,  Parks and Preaching.

A very satisfying  day.

THAT'S ALL FOLKS***

HOT WATER PIE CRUST???

Before I go any further I want to thank Shelia-CTK  for her comment and letting me know my comment button has been turned off. I was wondering why no one would play with me. My bad. Thanks Shelia.

I've never made a pie crust from scratch . From what I've been told many of the ingredients should be used cold, such as cold water. Pet Ritz and other store brands come to my aid when baking .So when I saw this recipe on the back of Clabber Girl baking powder that called for HOT water, I was intrigued. There might be hope for me in the homemade pie crust department.







I'm pretty sure you can't see the microscopic writing on the back of the can so here is the recipe.

HOT WATER PIE CRUST
1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups unbleached sifted flour
1/2 tsp Clabber Girl Baking Powder
1/2 tsp salt

Gather the crew as usual.

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small saucepan pour boiling water over the shortening and beat until creamy.
NOTE: Though the shortening had softened, it was still in brick form. Cut up the shortening before trying to whip it on low with your mixer. Otherwise you'll get scalded by the hot water and Crisco. Trust me. I DID IT!. Ouch! HOT! And, it also got on the floor. Did I stop and clean it up? Oh no. I would wait until after I'd finished everything. That thought was changed after skating around on the floor for a few rounds and almost doing splits. James Brown I ain't.




Ready to be incorporated

 2. Stir in sifted flour, Clabber Girl Baking Powder and salt.















Right here is where I should have had a clue of the outcome



















Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to the freezer we go

 3.Form into a ball and chill about two hours.















The highlighted directions  deal with use of the dough in recipes. I didn't get this far.
4.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

5.Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured board.

6. Place in two 9-inch pie pans and bake at 450 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Note: Prick with a fork before baking to make pie shells for filling later.

No badge for me in the pie crust Hall of Fame. As I was  writing this and read # 3, the directions said to chill not put it in the freezer! (duh!)   Again Pet Ritz  to the rescue of this baking challenged woman. No, I won't be trying it again but it was fun experimenting. I'll probably end up feeding the other dough to the water fowl at a nearby park.

THAT'S IT ***

Jazz and Jamaica

Last Saturday there was an annual jazz band fest held at Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. The fest began on Thursday and ended on Saturday. I attended on Saturday. There were bands from elementary school all the

way up to college. 

These are the performances I caught.  

I misplaced my program so I'm going on memory as to the identity of each of the bands.




During the bands' lunch break, I went next door to  Yeh Man Jamaican restaurant and picked up a mango and carrot juice. Since it was hot outside, I opted to stay inside the establishment drinking my beverage and listening to the reggae music that was playing. This is not a fancy place but it was clean and the owner was friendly. I'd had a large breakfast and so I didn't order from the menu. I do plan to try it out at a later date.



I'm assuming the flags have been turned this was to serve as wall hangings.




Reggae posters as well as a neighborhood bulletin board





The menu and a few aside notes for the public.



THAT'S IT for 10am until 12:30 pm for the day

Musings

EVAPORATED MILK should have another name

If milk is EVAPORATED why is there milk in the can? Who would buy an empty can of milk ?








Is it me or do the people heads on the FACEBOOK logo look like a group of baby bottle nipples?  Squint and look at it.

What does the BATHTUB represent in the Cialis commercial?

Trendy Top

You wear this underneath your top so that when you sit down or stoop over, your butt crack won't show. Why not GET A TOP THAT FITS when you buy it so that you won't need trendy top. White and black isn't going to match everything you wear.