47 - Valley Planet

Transcription

47 - Valley Planet

READ THE PLANET, IT’S FREE!
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
WWW.VALLEYPLANET.
February
February 99 -- March
March 1,
1,2006
2006
Valley Planet / Olde Towne Brewing
FAT TUESDAY PARTY
Humphreys FEB 28
“Best” Bartenders
Theatre Huntsville presents Shakespeare
Letter from the Publisher
203 Grove Ave., Huntsville Al, 35801, phone 256.533-4613
Publishers
Frankie Glassco
Jill Wood
Graphics & Layout
Frances Damian
Contributors
Billy Joe Cooley
SHE-SHE
Ricky Thomason
Tina Leach
Roy Thomas
Leslie Parks
Liv Lanier
Jennifer Roberts
Steve Moulton
Fifi Bordeaux
Allison Gregg
Laura Watson
Donna Oftedahl
Rachel Lackey
The Valley Planet is printed for you by the good
folks at Pulaski Web
in beautiful & sunny Pulaski, Tennessee.
Thank you for reading the fine print of
the Valley Planet. The Valley Planet
and valleyplanet.com are published
every three weeks by J W Publications
in Huntsville, AL. You can pick up the
paper free all over the place or get it free
on the web. Copyright 2003 by the Valley
Planet, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction or use without our
permission is strictly prohibited. The
views and opinions expressed within
these pages and on the web site are not
necessarily those of the Valley Planet
or its staff. The Valley Planet is not
responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or
art. Back issues are available for viewing
on our web site www.valleyplanet.com
in the archives section. You may reach
the Valley Planet office @ 256.533.4613.
Email us at jill@valleyplanet.com or
frankie@valleyplanet.com
For you guys who live near, work near
or drive through 5 points/Olde Towne
area, how many times can the train
come through?? Several of us call it
the happy train because of the incessant
blowing, loud and long. Surely the
conductor/driver is getting a big kick
out of that, especially at midnight and at
3am. Talk about a stress relief.
I must admit to being one of the many
who broke down and “rented” a new
trashcan from our great city. Yes, I
now have two big green trash bins
and a recycling bin for a mere $3
extra per month. I will admit to a little
excitement when, after faxing in the
order, within a couple of hours my new
army green trashcan was delivered.
Maybe it was just the excitement and
anticipation of not having every can
in the house overflowing (and it being
only Thursday!)
I had the pleasure of spending a
little time at a few of Huntsville’s
“entertainment” establishments in the
last three weeks. Between wings,
jalapeno poppers, baked ziti, lasagna, a
hero sandwich, a pasta/scallop/shrimp/
veggie something dish, an All-American
Cheeseburger Meal, pork loin, fried
okra, macaroni and cheese shells, baked
beans, fried green beans, garlic mashed
potatoes, spicy chicken, red beans and
rice, mashed potatoes with Cajun gravy,
chips and salsa, a cheeseburger and
onion rings, a chili releeno, a burrito,
and yes, a fried bologna sandwich, I
would like to thank: Little Deb’s, Tony’s
Little Italy, the Thirsty Turtle, Duffy’s
Deli, the Furniture Factory, Mexican
In The Planet
THE VALLEY PLANET
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030103
February 9 - March 1, 2006
Express, Freddy’s, 801 Franklin, the
Kaffee Klatch, McDonald’s, Sammy’s
Live, Blackwater Hattie’s, Popeye’s,
the Heritage Club, my friends and
my Mom for making sure that I never
go hungry…or thirsty! New Year’s
Resolutions…Ha! I did order a diet
coke, ice water, or a light beer.
With all of this nice weather, I also
bought snapdragons and grass seed at
Home Depot, read a book in the Jacuzzi,
burned limbs in the fire pit and grilled
out with friends, celebrated a friend’s
birthday, searched for arrowheads, had
Sunday Dinner at my Mom and Dad’s,
and resigned from my job and started a
new one. Life is Grand!
If you cannot or do not want to make
it down South for Mardi Gras, The
Valley Planet and Olde Towne Brewing
Company are headed downtown to
Humphrey’s for our 3rd Annual Fat
Tuesday Party on Tuesday, February
28th. Join us for beads, t-shirts,
Hurricanes, beer specials and some
New Orleans sounds. Bryan Lee and
his band will be rocking the house. We
will start early and stay late, so come
when you can! No cover.
Finally, we have been saving the best
for last, the Best Bartenders, that is!
You, the Valley Planet Readers have
voted…the votes are in… and the
winners are:
1st,B.J. of Blackwater Hattie’s
2nd, A Tie: Jen of The Corner and The
Klatsch, Brian of 801 Franklin’s and
Kevin of Rugby’s
3rd: Jennifer of Freddy’s
Check out the interviews with the
bartenders in the next few pages and
see if you learn anything that you did
not already know!
NEXT ISSUE March 2, 2006
Page 3
Page 4
Gossip, On the Cover
Page 5
Bonefish Grill, Humphrey’s
Page 6
“Best” Bartenders
Page 8
Nothing to Do??
Page 9
Page 10
Take out the Papers and the Trash, Word on the
Street, Music Calendar
Reddletters, Crash. Boom. Bang.
Page 11
Freddie Hubbard, Green Lemon
Thank you for the calls, the votes, the
emails, the letters and the “Hellos.”
Jill E. Wood
Junk food Junkie or an Easy Influence?
Page 12
Regional Concerts
P.S. Check out the peanut butter fudge
at Fudgey-Nut
Page 17
Arousal, art, and sex industry education
Page 18
Calendar of Events
Page 19
Dr. Anarcho’s
Page 20
When you wish upon THE STARS
Page 21
Single & Fabulous
Page 22
Party of One
Page 23
Confessions of a Nutritionist
Page 24
Listings
Page 26
News of the Weird
Unchained Maladies, Boondocks
256-533-4613
2
WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
THE VALLEY PLANET
Gossip
By Billy Joe Cooley
bunch load our Valley Planet rack
the other day.
This is “Be Nice to Howard
Johnson Day.”He is a retired
telephone man and a real pleasant
sort.
We finally found a super fine radio
station while passing through
Birmingham. WDXB-FM “The
Bull” (102.5) has the legendary
hosts Dollar Bill and his Patti.
Most entertaining.
H
ats off this week to
Timothy Edward Jones
of Scottsboro. He sells
radio time for WWIC, celebrated
his 34th birthday last week and
writes books in the evenings. He is
currently writing a novel, inspired
by pretty wife Sonja.
It’s always nice to cross paths
with banjoist Curtis J. Hall. He
is a regular at Mullin’s Restaurant
these mornings, before going to his
USA car sales lot on U.S. 72 near
Jeff Road.
Our deepest sympathies to Dr.
Bryce Davis and kids Ron and
astronaut Jan on the death of
their beloved Dolly. We were all
breakfast pals for many years at
Eunice’s Country Kitchen.
We salute young Matt Miller of
Scottsboro Meats. He helped our
Farewell to jazz bassist Travis
Wimberly, who died a few days
ago. His duties at Jazz Factory are
now handled by the great Devere
Pride.
Our friend Ann Gravlee Is
recuperating at home after
breaking her hand.
Arnold Hornbuckle is among the
Sunday School greeters these days
at First Baptist.
This is “Be Nice to George Pruett
Week.” He knows all there is to
know about country music.
Our former news buddy Winford
Turner died last week in Decatur.
One of the most effective
investigative reporters I have
ever known. While attending his
services we crossed paths with our
former Huntsville News staffers
Shirley Reed Granado and
Doris McCormick Stewart. Even
Scottsboro’s legendary freelance
writer Hollice Smith was there.
And whatever happened to Julie
Terrell?
We joined in the ninth wedding
anniversary dinner last Sunday for
Madelyn and Carver Bussey.
We also salute the staff at Royal
Buffet, corner Drake and the
Parkway, who made Vivacious
Jeune
Blackmon’s
birthday
dinner such a success last week.
We crossed paths last week with
out longtime pal Jim Morgan,
who with wife Dana have often
kept our lives interesting.
Gospel tenor Calvin Newton
and wife Joyce drove down from
Chattanooga last week to have
lunch at the popular Blue Plate
Café. Calvin is part of those
Gaither TV Homecomings.
Sympathies to our longtime
photographer pal Jim Taylor,
whose wife Judy died last week.
On the Cover
By SHE-SHE
L
iving my early childhood in the
city, then moving to the country
as a teen, I was able to see both
sides of life.
“Let the Good Times Roll”
I started writing around eleven years
old. Songs, poetry, or just whatever
my mind saw. My artwork has always
been done in a similar fashion, first I
have an idea, then I make a sketch and
then I begin the work. But, sometimes
the brush takes off into a different
realm and ends up as something totally
different. This used to scare me, but not
anymore. It does not happen with each
painting, but it does happen. You will
probably know it when you see it.
I often put my words into art, especially
childhood memories, life’s lessons, and
Bible versus as a theme. I also like
using metaphors in my art.
I appreciate my past, the good and
the bad, the happy and the sad. It all
helps to inspire much of my artwork.
Sometimes it is a challenge. Just like
life. Either way, maybe we can still
look back upon it and smile. I hope
some of my art can help others to do the
same – smile, that is. I have a simple
mission. God gave it to me in a vision.
He told me to speak to others through
my art and that my paintbrush was to be
my Trumpet.
THE VALLEY PLANET
#020906030106
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
For art information call 205 422-6861
SHE-SHE will be showing some of
her artwork at the 13th Annual Antique
and Collectable Show and Sale in
Huntsville on February 11th and 12th.
It will be held at the Jaycees Building at
John Hunt Park.
3
Unchained
Maladies
Ricky Thomason
VD Day
God forbid anyone depict Jesus as halfhuman, someone who’d hang around
drug addicts, adulterers and assorted
other sinners. NBC’s Jesus didn’t hate
homosexuals and never encouraged
followers to vote exactly like he said,
so you know He wasn’t real. Do they
really expect us to believe He’d actually
be there when a troubled sinner asked?   
Writes
“The Book of Daniel” was blasphemous
enough to portray Jesus laughing. The
Bible say’s Jesus wept, loved, and had
table-tumping,
money-changers-inthe-temple temper tantrums. Did His
emotions include laughter? Maybe
some Biblical scholar will enlighten
me, but insofar as my Bible Belt raising
went, I don’t recall scriptural evidence
that Jesus had a sense of humor. With
Jesus’ winemaking prowess - there’s a
recipe I’d like to have -- you’d think
laughter and high spirits would have
been as close as the nearest watering
hole, literally.    
L
et me beat Bill O’Reilly to the
punch; those sexular humanists
are ruining things once more;
they’ve taken Christ out of Valentine’s
Day. With the aid of activist judges, the
ACLU, Pro-choicers, and that liberal
media, they have again attacked the
poor, besieged Christians and their
holiday traditions. It’s just a hop, skip
and jump from this to feeding them to
the lions you know.
Once a day to honor Saint Valentine,
VD merchant-morphed into a holiday
on which children exchanged cute cards
and ate chalky, heart-shaped Rolaidlike candy. That’s been twisted left into
something sexual, and sex is totally
repugnant to most of our far right
victims, except Bill O’Reilly.
Mr. Right -- Wild Bill Oh Really -- as
the young girls affectionately called
him -- never admitted wrongdoing of
any sort. He just paid that sexual Miss
Conduct to shut up and go away. It’s a
lot like the Rush Limbaugh deal – do as
I say – not as I do. There’s a difference
in medicine and dope you know.
Absolute power, even media power,
corrupts absolutely, just as they say.
Remember when Valentine’s Day was
pure of heart? You had to give everyone
in the class a valentine, whether you
artwork by Debbie West
liked them or not. That special crush got
the best one, of course. Then your best
friends and acquaintances received the
rest of the pack in condescending order.
The poor kids with the dirty clothes
runny noses got the smallest, crummiest
you had. Don’t lie. You did it too.
The innocence of VD is gone. Now you
have to buy candy, flowers and lingerie.
The drawers on a stick are an insult
to granny-panty wearers everywhere.
You’ve seen them: red bloomers
cleverly wadded up to look like a rose.
Caution: make sure you buy the right
size. Doing the wrong thong here can
cost you. If you buy them too small,
your girl will accuse you of using the
gift as wishful thinking. That will soon
be twisted into a “you think my butt is
fat” issue.
Speaking of righteous anger, add my
barbaric yawp to the din of those who
thought the NBC series “The Book of
Daniel” should be yanked from the
airwaves. Apparently, there are some
people in America whose TVs lack
channel changers and off buttons. There
are also others who simply want to
control everything according to their
own myopic set of rules.   
Unlike most of the detractors, I’ve
actually watched the show, and my
complaint was that it’s boring and poorly
written. Others said they crucified Jesus
again, that the show was too trashy for
Jesus to appear in. (Yet he’s supposedly
on the Pat Robertson charade?) There
goes a bandwagon, let’s hop on it.   
Maybe Pat Robertson, a.k.a. God’s
mouthpiece, will reveal the fate of
both Valentine’s Day and “The Book
of Daniel.” Now, since Robertson said
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s
recent stroke was punishment from
God because Sharon was giving part of
God’s land away, the children of Israel
won’t have anything to do with the
doddering old fool.
One can only hope that the children of
America wise up as well. They might,
but I doubt it. History will teach us
nothing.
Ricky Thomason is a freelance writer from
Huntsville. Email Rick at
ricky.thomason@valleyplanet.com.
Let Ricky know what you think at our forums at
www.valleyplanet.com.
BOONDOCKS
Worse than buying them too small
is buying them way too large. Then
you’re really going to catch hell. If her
rose unfolds to the size of a car cover,
you’re done for. At that point, you may
as well go ahead and say, “I figured I’d
buy something your tail would fit in
after you gorge yourself on that huge
box of candy I gave you.”
Apparently, the modern Jesus is a sternfaced dude found only in megachurches
where He has spent most of His time
anointing ultra-conservative political
candidates. How unfortunate that most
of these holier-than-thou neoconazis
are being found in bed with tainted
gambling lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Nay
Ney Delay. This mean-faced Savior
won’t even venture to the church
parking lot to bless donor’s SUVs
smaller than Navigators and Escalades.
4
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
THE VALLEY PLANET
Bonefish Grill
Gee…it’s February
By: Roy Thomas
By Tina Leach
T
he winner of the best restaurant
in town according to your votes
is one of Huntsville’s newest
restaurants. Bonefish Grill. Located
in south Huntsville on Whitesburg
Drive (in the shopping mall on the
corner of Airport Road). It is a seafood
restaurant. Not surprising with a name
like Bonefish huh?
in a creamy, spicy sauce.” Everyone I
know who’s had it absolutely loves it
and usually gets it every time they go.
It’s a moderately-priced restaurant, but
you get what you pay for. The food is
excellent, the wait-staff is helpful, and
there’s a good atmosphere, which starts
at the door. You rarely see a revolving
door in Huntsville.
Actually, I’ve talked to several people,
and everyone who’s been there
absolutely loved it. Which explains the
fact that it won best restaurant.
They serve all sorts of grilled fish:
Atlantic Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Gulf
Grouper, Ahi Tuna...the list goes on.
And nightly specials. The waiter will of
course inform you of those. They have
a great selection of appetizers: crab
cakes, calamari, and sashimi. But the
main one (and everyone I’ve talked to
always has to get this one) is the Bang
Bang Shrimp. It’s described on their
menu as “tender, crispy shrimp tossed
For those of you that don’t dig seafood,
they have an excellent selection of
non-seafood items like Filet Mignon,
Tenderloin Portabella Piccata, Chicken
Marsala, and several others.
They have a large wine selection, and
about 12 specialty martinis on their
menu. For more menu items and such,
go to www.bonefishgrill.com.
W
ow…January came and went
awfully fast.
Now, it’s February and we all have
several things in mind that go along
with this month…such as Valentines
Day…taxes…and, for most of us, there
is the thought of paying off those credit
cards from the holidays. It’s not too
bad though.
So…I’m thinking about what am I
going to get my special loved one for
Valentines Day this year. I used my
Redstone Federal Credit Union Credit
Card on all of my Christmas purchases
back in December…including a
wonderful gift for my wife that will
take a while to pay off.
Now I’m thinking…what would she
like that she doesn’t already have?
Should I use my credit card again and
go with a nice box of chocolates, along
with a favorite DVD and a pretty vase
of filled with red roses?
Or is that too practical and boring?
Maybe a gift certificate to one of those
day spas…I could use that myself.
I’m already looking ahead to this
summer…along the lines of a trip to
the beach, which, for us, has been a
long time since we’ve seen any sand.
But that sounds like a lot of fun.
Everyone needs to get away now and
then.
We’re also getting ready to pay off our
car. That is a huge accomplishment
for us. But, my car…I call her “Old
Faithful”…is showing her age, so, I’m
thinking about getting a new one this
year. I give her a little encouragement
each morning when I get inside and put
the key in the ignition…just one more
day…just one more day. Please start.
I’ve had this car for many years…and
I’m the kind of person who will drive
a car until it’s finally had enough. I
did that with the last car I had…which
literally gave out in the middle of the
highway after a long drive.
I’m going to have to talk with a loan
officer here at Redstone and see what
kind of rate I can get on an auto loan.
We’ll have a special auto rate event
coming up soon, so I’ll probably take
advantage of that.
That’s a lot of things to think about in
one month…but these thoughts aren’t
too bad. It’s the way it is in life. We
can’t forget about Valentines Day…or
we’d never hear the end of it if we
did. We’ve got bills to pay, which
we’ll always have…and we can think
about fun and exciting places to go on
vacation…and maybe go there in new
car.
If I do all of this during the month of
February, what will I do in the month
of March? I’ll think about that when it
gets here.
Whatever I do, I’ve got Redstone
Federal Credit Union to help me out.
They’ve always been reliable and
helpful…especially when it comes to
making big financial decisions. Check
Redstone out and see the difference for
yourself.
And the best bar is:
Humphrey’s
By Tina Leach
W
ell, you voted. And this is
the winner. Humphrey’s Bar
and Grill. Restaurant by day,
bar by night. (Actually it is also a bar
during the day, and you can order food
at night…….but you get my drift). It’s
one of those places that most everyone
knows of or has been to at some point.
(And some people are regulars.) Why
is it so popular you ask? Oh I don’t
know. Possibly maybe the beer (they
have locally brewed Olde Towne on
draft), the music (live bands nightly),
or just the chance to meet others.
THE VALLEY PLANET
It seems to be the bar of choice for the
young professional about town. Not to
say that it’s only a young professional’s
bar, but that’s basically what it has
been known for really. (In other
words, they don’t check business cards
at the door).
There are bands every night, and they
generally draw a fair crowd. However,
once it hits around 10 or so on a Friday
or Saturday, it’s pretty much standing
room only. There’s a decent amount
of seating, inside or on the patio, but
#020906030106
those go fast. Everyone else just
stands/mingles/watches the bands.
Another reason for Humphrey’s
popularity can be summed up in two
words: NO COVER.
Humphrey’s is located on Washington
Street in downtown Huntsville. For an
event calendar, hours of operation, and
a menu (and they do have really good
food), consult their web site: www.wa
shingtonsq.com.
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
5
B
Bartenders
.J. Carlin, bartender at Blackwater
Hattie’s on South Parkway, has been
bartending for long enough to know
that when she started, the babies being born are
now of legal age to drink alcohol. Originally
from Tulsa, B.J. is into Motown, 70’s music
and rock and roll. She has met several
famous people including Leon Russell, the
Snake Doctors, Charles Barkley, Hootie and
the Blowfish, Drivin’ and Cryin’, and Edwin
McCain.
B.J. feels that taking the time to get to
know people, learning customers names and
introducing them to others is what makes a good
bartender and turns a stranger into a “regular”.
In fact, her favorite thing about bartending is
that ninety-five of the people she has gotten to
know are good people, worth knowing. B.J.’s
least favorite thing about bartending is dealing
with the other five percent.
When asked if bartenders have to be good
counselors to their customers, B.J. (with a very
serious look and no hesitation) replied, “No,
most bartenders need counseling.”
Though Barbara Jean’s favorite personal drink is
a white Russian with water, her favorite drink to
make is a martini. She said, “It is a more precise
drink to make and that people who drink martinis
know what they want, and if it’s good, they will
let you know.”
J
ennifer is employed at Freddy’s, the
new bar at the corner of Golf Rd
and South Parkway. According to
Jennifer, she has worked eight years in
the service industry, doing everything
from being a waitress to bartending.
Originally from Nashville, Jennifer
grew up locally in Hazel Green. She
says that her number one hobby is
Margarita Mondays. Her favorite drink
to make is a drink called Wild Sex, one
of her own concoctions.
B
6
by J. Wood
B.J. works from 6pm until closing Wednesday
through Saturday.
11%
Brian
Beck
by J. Wood
Bartending for the last nine years, Brian
is from Center Point and enjoys playing
disc golf, reading and playing regular
golf. The Beatles and Nirvana are his
picks for favorite music. He has met
Peter Jennings, in the pit at NASCAR,
Hal Holbrook at 801 Franklin (filming
the Mark Twain movie) and Bo Bice,
playing at the Tavern.
B.J. Carlin
Thanking the Valley Planet readers for voting
for her, B.J. also wanted to tell readers to
support this publication because of the “need
to know information” it contains. “Thank you
Valley Planet for acknowledging the service
industry!  You did a professional job of giving
credit to a group of special people that don’t get
recognized enough. It is our job to host, feed and
entertain every night, all of us work very hard to
please our customers, it’s just the good ones that
make it look easy!” And finally, she says, “ If you
are happy in your job, it will make you do a great
job.” It is easy to see that B.J. is very content at
her job. She speaks appreciatively of the staff
she works with and of Margaret Poole and Danny
George, owners of Blackwater Hattie’s.
2nd Place
rian Beck, tying
for second place as
the best bartender
in our recent Best of the
Valley Readers Poll, was
always the “class clown”
and still loves to be the
center of attention. If you
have had the pleasure
of meeting Brian, it is
easy to see why. After a
comment we made about
his healthy long brown
hair, he told us his plans were to donate
it to Locks of Love. “You must have
at least ten inches of hair to donate, but
I am trying to grow mine thirty inches
so someone can have a fabulous wig.”
Locks of Love is an organization that
provides cancer patients with hairpieces
and wigs. With that big, beautiful smile
on his face, he says that being the
center of attention “helps support his
neurosis.”
First Place 12%
3rd Place 9%
As far as “juicy gossip” goes, Brian
decided it was best not to spill the beans
because it would be too transparent
and everyone would know who it was
about. He hears a lot as a bartender and
says that most definitely you must be a
good listener and a counselor.
Jennifer
Bradley
When asked, “What is the best thing
about being a bartender?” Jennifer
replied, “getting to know new people,
having a good time and making good
money doing it! “ She thinks that
personality, knowledge of mixing
drinks and knowing what the customer
wants is what makes a good bartender.
In asking Jennifer what she would
like to tell the Valley Planet readers,
she replied “thank you very much for
voting for me and please continue to
support the Valley Planet.” The thing
she wanted to leave the readers with
was a little of her own philosophy. She
said, “Just because you think you can’t
do it, always remember that you can if
you believe in yourself.”
by F. Glassco
Brian’s
advice
for
perspective
bartenders is, “be organized, have fun
and stay focused.”
He thanked the Valley Planet Readers
for voting and wanted to make sure that
people knew that they are lucky to have
the Valley Planet.
Brian works at 801 Franklin most
evenings and weekends from 4pm until
closing.
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
THE VALLEY PLANET
Bartenders
Jen Martin
2nd Place 11%
by J. Wood
J
en Martin, who tied for second
place as Best Bartender, laughed
and said she refused to “relinquish
any gossip, because it would break the
bartenders code.” I guess bar goers
who frequent The Corner at Hampton
Cove and the Kaffee Klatsch at Night
can breathe a sigh of relief.
Anyone who knows Jennifer, Jay
Mar, Jen (all the same person) knows
that she has a definite preference for
drinking Jaegermeister. Being a master
of mixers, Jen’s favorite drinks to
make for her customers are B 52s and
Cosmopolitans. Can she shake it up
like Tom Cruise in Cocktail, we don’t
know, we didn’t ask.
Starting out at Applebee’s, Jen has
been bartending for ten years. Her most
memorable experience as a bartender
was when Puddle O’ Mudd came into
the Tavern and played prior to them
opening up for Kid Rock at the VBCC.
She also has met Barbara Mandell and
Randy Owens. She said the best thing
about bartending is “getting to know
people from all walks of life.” “The
worst thing,” she said, “is making
sure that everyone gets home okay.”
Jen feels that ten percent of her job
is bartending and the other ninety
percent is “underpaid therapy.” She is
a Huntsville native. She loves theatre,
musicals, traveling, good food and good
booze.
Jen thanked her customers and the
Valley Planet Readers for voting. She
also wanted to say to our readers to
“keep on reading the VP, it keeps us
working and helps to promote our
businesses.”
2nd Place 11%
Kevin Wesley
by F. Glassco
F
irst of all, I want to say thanks
to Kevin for the great hospitality
I received at Ruggby’s. I had a
great time sitting around the bar with
some of the regulars, really finding out
that everyone there comes to Ruggby’s
because of Kevin and his great
personality. Kevin came to Huntsville
from a little town outside of Savannah,
Georgia called Wilmington. When he
gets a chance, Kevin likes to play disc
golf and to take out the four-wheeler. It
seems as if disc golf is pretty popular
among the service industry workers. I
would play it myself but I think I would
need a lot of training.
Asked about his bartending, Kevin
said that in the fourteen years he has
bartended that he has found that being
alert and friendly to your customers is
what makes a good bartender. Although
sometimes he feels like an eighth grade
THE VALLEY PLANET
#020906030106
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
counselor, he still finds it
important to cater to his guests’
problems and needs; but the best thing
to him is when he comes into work,
has a bar full of people and knows all
of their names, kind of like Cheers.
A kind of “home away from home”
atmosphere. That is definitely the way
Ruggby’s is too.
When I asked Kevin what if anything he
would he like to say to the Valley Planet
readers, he said; “Thanks everyone for
the votes and support through out the
year” and that we are truly lucky to
have a paper like the Valley Planet in
Huntsville.
You can find Kevin at Ruggby’s on
Monday through Friday from 8pm till
close.
7
Nothing To Do???
by Leslie Parks
Tradition: A mode of thought or behavior followed by a people; a custom.
See Also: Friday nights at The Corner Grill and Pub.
S
ome things in life are given,
or so the saying goes. Mostly
when we think of the givens we
key in on the negatives, like rain, or
death, or taxes. But there are also some
good givens and one of them here in
Huntsville is that you can always get
a good meal and have a good time at
The Corner Grill and Pub on Bailey
Cove… especially on a Friday night.
For starters, their food is awesome – it
always has been! From sandwiches to
salmon and the best cheeseburgers
in town, there’s something on the
menu for everyone and none of it will
disappoint. Not only that… you can get
appetizers and sandwiches up until 1:
00am. Where else can you do that? The
Corner has Happy Hour from 3-7pm
with $2 margaritas and those margaritas
are served up by Tess; Bartendress
Extraordinaire and a Huntsville legend
in her own right. This woman singlehandedly covers the bar on Friday
nights and takes care of everyone
with amazing speed and accuracy…
awesome drinks and she never spills a
drop. (She also happens to be one of the
smartest and kindest women you’ll ever
have the pleasure of talking to. When
you tip her, tip her BIG! She’s worth
every dollar and then some.) And then
there’s the man that owns Friday nights
at The Corner, Huntsville’s Favorite
Son and a fine Grissom High School
graduate, David Anderson. There’s a
reason why he consistently wins the
“Best Musician” category in the Best of
the Valley poll. He is, quite simply, the
best around. He happily sings covers
and takes requests, but his originals
are what set him apart and what I enjoy
the most. (Well, that and “Picture”, by
Filter, which he will usually sing for
me right away just so I’ll shut up and
stop heckling him.) Dave does much
to promote local artists and is great to
invite them up to sing a song or play
along. You never know who you might
see or hear with him but it will definitely
be entertaining and you’ll always have a
good time with your friends. Don’t have
any friends to take with you? Doesn’t
matter. Just go, you’ll have new friends
when you leave. The Corner: come for
the food or the trivia, stay for Tess and
Dave. It’s a tradition, after all.
Ever been to the rodeo? I did, once,
10 years ago. I can remember thinking
at the time that it was easier than it
looked. That’s been my thought until
last November when I actually sat on
a horse for the first time in my life and
realized I never really had a clue what
8
rodeos were all about. Now that I look
at horses through different eyes I’m
excited about going back and seeing a
rodeo from a different perspective when
The Longhorn World Championship
Rodeo returns to the Von Braun Center
on March 3rd – 5th. Little known fact
about Longhorn… did you know that
it was created by Mooney Lynn back
in 1964 as the Loretta Lynn Rodeo
Company?
The Huntsville Havoc will be back
on the ice at the Von Braun Center for
five more games in February. On the
16th they’ll take on the Florida Seals
followed by the Fayetteville Fire Antz
on the 17th and the Pee Dee Cyclones
on the 18th. (Just what is a PeeDee
Cyclone, anyway?) The Antz return
on the 23rd and then the Knoxville
Ice Bears finish out the month on the
26th. If you ask me, Havoc Hockey is a
good time waiting to happen. Beer, the
Zamboni, and Chaos who is without a
doubt the best mascot in the league.
Splurge and get an Ice Suite with your
friends, it’s a great way to spend a night
looking for a fight.
I got turned on to a local band in
January and I can’t stop talking about
them. (Yeah, I wrote an article about
them that you’ll find on another page
if you go looking for it. So what? I can
do whatever I want as long as Jill and
Frankie say it’s ok!) The Reddletters
are awesome! I caught their show
at Crossroads in January with Stars
Below and I can’t wait to see them
when they return to Crossroads again
on March 3rd. Thank
God for Crossroads!
Where else can you
go in this town and
find a place that
embraces ORIGINAL
music? Go check
out these folks from
Ireland and prepare to
get hooked – if their
music doesn’t do it
their accents surely
will.
that cute little gazebo in the front. Maybe
it’s because they have that private little
outdoor patio in the back. Maybe it’s
because they have killer bagels and
sun-dried tomato cream cheese. Maybe
it’s because they embrace yellow packs
of Splenda in a world that seems to be
dominated by pink and blue. Maybe it’s
because David Gray is my barista and
if I could have sideburns I would want
them to look just like his. (Get your
“David Gray is my Barista” t-shirts for
only $10 before they sell out, they’re
going fast!) Maybe it’s all the cool
people who hang out there and the fact
that they distribute a ton of Valley Planet
copies for us. When I think about it I
guess that it might just be a combination
of all these things and more. All I know
is it’s cool place to go in Five Points and
it’s a really good cup of coffee. It’s a
great way to pass some time if you think
there’s nothing to do…
To know me is to
know I love my
coffee and I’ve got
my haunts in this
town, that’s for sure.
Lately I love going
down to Olde Towne
Coffee in Five Points
to get my fix. Maybe
it’s because they have
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
THE VALLEY PLANET
Take Out the Papers and the Trash,
or They Don’t Get No Spendin’ Cash
Liv Lanier
S
o how are all of you faring with
the once a week trash pick up?
Are you like me, living single,
therefore not really affected by it
much? Or do you feel the same as one
gentleman that wrote a letter to the
editor at The Huntsville Times, and I kid
you not, accusing the city of Huntsville
of being anti-Catholic? That’s right. He
stated that since most Catholics do not
believe in birth control, they have a
good amount of kids, generating a good
amount of trash, therefore as logic tells
us, are discriminated against with the
new trash schedule. Or, maybe you do
not give a rat’s booty when and if the
trash comes. Whether you are Catholic
or apathetic, here are a few tidbits of
information to do with what you will.
I’m broke, yo. There is not a whole
helluva lot you can do with that info, but
agree. Nevertheless, just so you know,
the city of Huntsville was toying around
with the idea of increasing the sanitation
charge as opposed to decreasing the
days. I, for one, am willing to squeeze
a few more things into my generic trash
bags if it saves me from paying more.
But, dear Huntsvillian, if your garbage
bin indeed doth overflow and you also
have a few more dollars to spare, you
do have the option of getting a second
trash bin in the oh-so-lovely shade of
hunter green, for an extra three dollars
a month. Simply contact the Sanitation
department of Huntsville at 883-3964.
Some have even wondered if this is
the city’s way of telling its citizen to
recycle. No, no it’s not. Huntsville has
never strongly advertised or advocated
recycling. If you have a
recycling bin, you know
that they do not even
accept glass. Waddup
with that? I have also
tried to implement a
recycling program at
my school. That bombed
because my school was
too poor to recycle. We
can discuss the poverty
of Alabama schools at
a later date. As for
now, dear reader,
if the prospect
of a recycling
bin interests you,
simply dial 830BINS.
If you have been banging your head
against the wall trying to discern why,
oh why, trash has gone to a one-day
pick up, bang no further, I have the
answer for you. (Drum roll, please).
Money. That’s right, cold hard cash. We
all know the familiar song and dance
of gas prices. Actually, the only ones
dancing and singing are the executives
of Exxon Mobil. They reported some of
the highest quarter earnings in history.
Do not be fooled by the excuses of war
or Katrina. Gas prices do not have to be
that high. But, I digress, dear citizens.
Where were we? Oh, yes, money.
It is estimated that going to once-aweek garbage collection will save the
city of Huntsville $835,000 in 2006. A
whopping $100,000 of that is savings
in fuel alone. Where does she get the
numbers, you ask? Did she pull it
out of the proverbial rat’s booty that
I did not give? And, that, my sweet
Huntsvillians, brings us to the lesson
of the day: Getting to know your city.
This can be done via that sweet thang
called the world wide web. Go ahead,
snoop around.
The estimated savings that I just listed
can be found at www.hsvcity.com.
along with the adopted budget for the
fiscal year of 2006. Want a sneak peek?
I thought you might. Four out of the
seven budget priorities‚ are raises for
the employees of the city of Huntsville.
Get this. “Cost-of-living raises.” It just
has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? “Costof-living raises.” Man, that sounds nice.
So, when you are stuffing your glad bag
into the already too tight
hunter green bin, and
the glad bag (which
is supposed to be in
lieu of getting mad,
but you are pretty
pissed, because it’s
cold, your garbage bin
is overflowing and there
are still 3 days left until
the next pick up) rips open
and your hand goes into the
leftover lasagna, don’t fret.
Take a deep breath, gather
your chi and remember
what you are helping to
support. Stand out in the
cold and let it roll off your
tongue:
Cost-of-living
raises.
music calendar
February 9 - March 1 2006
WORD ON THE STREET
BY JAMES SPAGNOLA of SWOOP
Some time a little while back I
mentioned that I had this dream that the
Mayor of Huntsville announced that she
wanted to end homelessness. It looks as
if an initiative has come through to do
so.
Homelessness is being again redefined
by the feds so I have heard. Why?
What is so ever changing about the
state of homelessness in this country?
What is the definition of homelessness
in my opinion? Frankly it is just the
lack of a consistent living space with
adequate necessities and an absence
of a permanent residential address. My
question to you is can this really be
eliminated? Eliminated? No. Prevented?
Now we are getting somewhere!
In dealing with runaway and homeless
teens I have noticed that it is usually
a choice to be homeless, sometimes
the choices are jaded by slight mental
disorders or substance abuse, but still it
is a choice. Why would anyone choose
the streets over a cozy bed and a roof
over their head? That is a long and highly
complex psychological discussion, but
it basically comes down on “bucking
the system”. It is understandable why
one would not want to conform to a
predominately consumer and material
driven society, so therefore why not opt
out of it? The choice is there.
Let’s talk about the “system”. Meaning:
“establishment” which includes any
MUSIC
Thursday,
February 9, 2006
3rd Base Grill, Edgar
Benchwarmer, Karaoke W/
Craig
Benchwarmer Too, Karaoke
Contest
Black Water Hattie’s,
Karaoke
Bobby G’s, Karaoke
Crossroads, Perpetual Groove
Freddy’s, Ladie’s Night
Karaoke
Goal Post, Chaos
Hopper’s, Rudy Mockabee And
The Music Factory
THE VALLEY PLANET
#020906030106
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
group of “professional adults” setting
systematic expectations of “adult life”.
I put a lot of that stuff in quotes because
most of those terms are mutable by
my standards. We all know kids have
disputes with adult-led facilities
such as school, the government and
organized religion. When dealing with
“rebellious” youth and these issues
it is easy to see why they would shy
away from church youth groups, DHR,
the police, social services ect…Kids
need community programs that keep
them creative and that aren’t run by
disciplinary or coercive adults, and no
matter how positive the message, kids
just need to relate to their own kind.
They want an environment where they
can make their own choices and ones
that benefit them, not some grand
scheme, not some big establishment,
just them, really… that is all.
As adults, we need to give youth access
to more positive choices that do not
have an ulterior “adult” motive attached.
We need to encourage kids to use their
energy creatively and for positive
purposes…and with a gentle nudge
here and there they’re completely able
to make their life exciting…without
hurting anyone!
For exciting and cutting edge
community programs for youth please
contact me at 256-348-5189, or
swoopptl@hiwaay.net
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill,
Green Lemon
Judge Crater’s, Tom Nieman
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Dave
Anderson
Philby’s Pourhouse, Toy
Shop
Sammy’s Live, Karaoke W/
Anita Palmer
Sports Page, 5 O’clock Charlie
The Corner (Bailey Cove),
Marge Loveday
If you have a venue with Live Music or
Karaoke that you would like for us to
list please email to
calendar@valleyplanet.com
Continued on Page 10
9
Reddletters
by Leslie Parks
T
here was a name on this years’
“Best of the Valley: Best Band
Overall” category… a band that
scored 3rd place not only this year,
but last year, too. You might not have
heard of them yet, but it’s inevitable
that you’ll be exposed to their music
because they’re definitely destined for
greatness. That band? The Reddletters.
Their music has been described by
some as alternative melodic rock. Their
sound is anything but ordinary. Their
shows are anything but boring.
Formed in late 2003 in Dublin, Ireland,
The Reddletters consist of a brother/
sister duo, Adam and Rachel Merriman.
Rachel is the singer, songwriter, and
rhythm guitarist; Adam owns the
lead guitar. Graeme McKenna plays
bass and does backing vocals while
Nigel Reilly rounds out the group on
drums. This close foursome live and
work together, all of them making a
full time career out of music. Their
current home is in Cullman which is
perfectly situated between Huntsville
and Birmingham and has allowed
them to establish themselves as local
bands in both cities while gathering a
loyal following in each. But who are
The Reddletters, really? If you dig
below the surface, past the names and
the instruments they play, you’ll find a
tight knit group of diverse individuals
who are all so equally talented you’d be
MUSIC
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Lacey Atchison
The Warehouse, Tom
Cremeens
Madison
Half Time Bar & Grill, “NotA-Star” Karaoke
Decatur
The Brick, Wes Loper
Guntersville
Adrian’s, Jerry Fordham
Sandy’s Roadhouse, Karaoke
10
hard pressed to name another band of
the same depth and caliber on the local
music scene today.
Rachel is the only sister in a family
full of 4 boys, all of them destined to
be musicians. Their father owned the
largest private music school in Ireland
so they grew up being constantly
exposed to music. Brothers Judah and
David play together in another popular
local band, Stars Below, while brother
Jonathan owns a music school and
plays with a band in Ireland. Rachel
was actually trained as a classical
singer who swore in her youth that she
wasn’t going to be a musician when she
grew up. (Luckily she couldn’t escape
her born calling and decided to stick
with her passion.) She and Adam began
playing together about 12 years ago
and have always combined their efforts
since then. One of their earlier bands,
Sucker Punch, was a 3-piece group that
actually toured a bit in the US in early
2001. After that stint they returned to
Ireland with more of a feel for how
they wanted their music to develop
and the goal of moving here with a
larger group and a more focused sound.
Once back home they recruited Graeme
from their father’s music school to join
them on bass. Drummer Nigel had
actually tried out to play with the Judah
and David in their band but Rachel
and Adam snatched him up and The
Reddletters were born. After extensive
and impressive club performances in
the Irish music scene, the band made
their strategic move to the US.
The Reddletters performed over 200
shows throughout the Southeast last
year. Of course they do some cover
shows around town (Freddys on
February 17th, for example) and they’re
unusual in that aspect because they
travel with copies of their play list
which they invite everyone to check
it out and request songs they’d like to
hear. (I don’t know of another band
around that is so actively involved
with their audience.) But what really
makes The Reddletters special is their
original music, which is nothing short
of outstanding. Obviously they would
much prefer to be playing their originals
all the time and if I had my choice it
would be all I’d ever listen to them do.
Their songs range from rock ballads
like Sometimes Cats Die and Rain to
Moviestar and Tonight which just flat
out rock. (You can listen to Moviestar,
Mirrors, The Defeated and the Dead
and my favorite, The People You Know,
on their website: www.myspace.com/
reddletters. Their best shows are at
Crossroads because they do nothing
but the originals and you can just totally
immerse yourself in their sound. Once
you hear them you’ll be hooked. I
know… it happened to me last month!
Your next chance to get acquainted with
the Letters is at Crossroads on March
3rd. Make it a point to be there… you
will not be disappointed!
Crash.
Boom. Bang.
Gearing Up
for
3rd Season
by Rachel Lackey
F
orget those post-V-Day blues
when you check out this comedy
theater troupe’s new season—just
be warned: these folks are about to put
the “Boom” in Crash.Boom.Bang.
In No Time Flat is an original dark
comedy produced completely in
black-and-white. It’s 1884, and New
Splattburg remains entrenched in
civil war. Romance, treachery and
bizarreness abound when members
of the Zetetic Society arrive. Out
of the confusion emerges a cannontoting serial murderess, quite literally
bringing the recent inhabitants of
this tiny town to their knees. Expect
hilarity, pyrotechnics, and, in what’s
becoming trademark CBB style, blood
and gore—lots of it.
If you managed to miss the past two
seasons, now is a great time to get
hooked. This independent comedy
theater troupe is based out of the Flying
Monkey Arts Center at Lowe Mill,
and has been cooperatively writing,
producing and performing original
works on a monthly basis since 2004.
Past shows include Heads Up, Robbie!,
the Silence of the Deer trilogy, and
Stephan’s Piano Lesson. The troupe’s
audience has grown steadily over the
past two years, and with recent plans
to take the show on the road, things are
only looking up.
So this Valentine’s Day weekend, grab
your sweetie (if you’ve got one) or
your favorite bottle (ID, and designated
driver), and let Crash.Boom.Bang.
Theater sweep you off your feet. Show
times are February 17 & 18 at 9pm and
Feb.19 at 7pm at the Flying Monkey
Arts Center. For more information,
visit FlyingMonkeyArts.org.
Scottsboro
The Docks, Trey, Kenny &
Coach
Friday,
February 10, 2006
801 Franklin, Dave Mcconnell
“The Sinatra Guy”
American Legion Post 176,
Square One
Craig
Black Water Hattie’s, The
Scratch Band
Bobby G’s, Voodoo Dogz
Club Ozz, Enchanted Illusion
Coffeetree Books & Brew,
Karen Newsum
Crossroads, Spoonfed Tribe
Freddy’s, Black Label
Furniture Factory, Anita
Palmer
Goal Post, Chaos
Hipocratease Retro Lounge,
Tom Neiman
The Music Factory
Buckler/Under Shade
Judge Crater’s, Counter
Clockwise
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Eric
Rhodes Blues Band
Moody Mondays, Hdk
Karaoke
Nikko’s, Edgar
Olde Towne Coffee Shoppe,
Carmaneta
Shop
Sammy T’s Music Hall, Cover
Girls
Sammy’s Live, Mix Master
Donnie J
Sammy’s Sports Bar &
Steakhouse, Mike Roberts
Sports Page, Lipstick
Dave Anderson
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
THE VALLEY PLANET
Anniversary of the TVJS’ Jazz History
Celebration. Jazz History Celebration
(JHC) is a unique and special project that
accentuates the relationship between
Jazz History and American History.
This History Celebration continues to
be one of the most entertaining and
important educational programs during
the school year particularly during the
month of February. JHC is a series of
educational programs, mini-concerts
and concerts held in a variety of public
locations. “Jazz Education-in-theSchools” is an outreach program that
presents educational concerts to public
school students, both musicians and
non-musicians.
NEA JAZZ MASTER
Freddie
Hubbard
TO APPEAR
“Jazz History Celebration” AT Early Works
Museum ON February 24, 2006
H
untsville, Alabama, Thursday,
January 05, 2006. A recipient
of the nation’s highest honor in
jazz, the National Endowment for the
Arts Jazz Masters Award, the legendary
Freddie Hubbard will bring his music
to Early Works Museum downtown
Huntsville, 404 Williams and Madison
Street, February 24, 2006 at 7PM,
through the NEA Jazz Masters On Tour
program.
Tennessee Valley Jazz SocietyHuntsville joins the program’s
nationwide circle of participants
helping to bring greater knowledge and
appreciation of this uniquely American
art form by presenting Freddie
Hubbard in both a concert and a special
workshop on Thursday, February 23,
2006, on the campus of Alabama A&M
University in Huntsville, Alabama.
Organized by the NEA and Arts
Midwest, NEA Jazz Masters On Tour,
which is being supported by Verizon,
is bringing its roster of distinguished
American musicians to audiences in all
50 states. The program provides funds
to non-profit presenting organizations
to feature NEA Jazz Masters, with
educational activities included in each
engagement.
Support for the tour is also provided by
the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
through a grant to Chamber Music
America. Under another component
of the NEA Jazz Masters Initiative,
NEA Jazz in the Schools, the Verizon
Foundation is supporting the creation
and distribution of curriculum materials
that will be available for use in the
educational activities.
“The Tennessee Valley Jazz SocietyHuntsville is proud to represent the
State of Alabama as a NEA Jazz Master
Presenter,” said Howard Bankhead,
Program Director for the Tennessee
Valley Jazz Society-Huntsville. “We’re
MUSIC
Continued From Page 10
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Lisa Malone & Donnie
Cox
The Warehouse, Lacey
Atchison(5-7pm) Happy Hour
The Warehouse, Marge
Loveday
Upscale, Ultimate Cabaret
Madison
11th Frame Bar, Karaoke W/
Jim Nelson
Half Time Bar & Grill, Tony
Joe Scott Band
THE VALLEY PLANET
excited that our partnership with the
NEA is allowing a wider audience
to see, hear, and learn from the great
Freddie Hubbard”.
.
In the 70’s, Hubbard became a member
of the band VSOP, lead by Herbie
Hancock. This band pioneered a style
known as free-bop, which combined
40’s bop, 50’s modality and 60’s free
jazz. Many of Hubbards greatest
recordings resulted in collaborations
with members of VSOP.
By
1970,
his
fiery,
melodic
improvisation
and
phenomenal
technique established him as perhaps
the leading trumpeter of his day, but
a series of commercially oriented
“Smooth Jazz” albums spawned some
negative criticism.
Hubbard is again playing regularly and
making recordings after a long setback
of health problems and a serious lip
injury in 1992.
Perhaps his best-known work is the
California Concert album, with the hit
single “Red Clay,” recorded live at the
Palladium in 1971.
On Thursday, February 23, 2006,
Freddie Hubbard will kick-off the 20th
Athens
Coffee Creations, Barry Kay
Decatur
Hard Dock Café, Peacemaker
The Brick, Trinity Mountain
Boys Traditional Bluegrass
Music
Guntersville
Adrian’s, Halfdown Thomas
Blue Parrot, Big Nose Roy
Scottsboro
Coach
#020906030106
Jazz Education programs are also
designed to help students and the
general population gain knowledge
of and appreciation for the priceless
contributions of Jazz and its musicians
to American society and world culture.
Through these programs, we aim to
provide a basis for understanding
racial and cultural differences and
similarities.
Established in 1982, the NEA Jazz
Masters program honors living legends
for their exceptional contributions to
jazz and helps to connect them, and their
music, to the American people through
broadcasts, publications, educational
initiatives, and NEA Jazz Masters On
Tour. The NEA Jazz Masters Initiative
is sponsored by Verizon. For more
information on NEA Jazz Masters, the
public is invited to visit the web site, at
www.jazzmaster.org.
The Tennessee Valley Jazz SocietyHuntsville in Alabama is Host Presenter
for NEA Jazz Masters on Tour initiative.
The Tennessee Valley Jazz Society
(TVJS) purpose is to present culture
and jazz music through educational and
entertaining programs and activities.
TVJS sponsors and encourages artistic
creativity, cultural awareness and
educational
excellence,
primarily
targeting youth ages 6-18. TVJS will
be celebrating its 26th Anniversary
with a NEA jazz master as featured
artist for Jazz History. This project will
benefit Jazz Education in the schools
programs.
Saturday,
February 11, 2006
801 Franklin, Greg Chambers
& Keith Taylor
Square One
Benchwarmer, Haven
Benchwarmer Too, Push
Bobby G’s, Voodoo Dogz
Club Ozz, Surprise
Entertainment!
Open Mic Night
Coppertop, 4 Door Ramblers
Crossroads, Tennessee
Rounders/Counterclockwise
Green Lemon
Performs at Humphrey’s
February 9th
G
reen
Lemon’s
2006
Winter Tour is set to
stop in Huntsville for a
show at Humphrey’s on Thursday
February 9th.  The Winter Tour is
expected to propel the band into
what many believe will be a break
out year, building on the successes
of 2005.  The Colorado-based
band had an outstanding year
during 2005.  The band toured the
country from coast to coast playing
over 150 shows, was featured in
renowned festivals and received
numerous accolades.  
Catch the show on Thursday night
and see what Hittin’ The Note
Magazine says “happens when five
guys from Oklahoma are pinned
down in a collision of futuristic
electronic music and the historic
roots of dub reggae.”  Humphrey’s
is located at 109 Washington
Street NE.  Call 256-704-5555
for more show information.  
For more information about the
Green Lemon band, visit
www.greenlemonband.com where
you’ll find the full tour schedule,
fan forums and audio samples.  
Flying Monkey Arts Center,
The Heist, The Stock Market
Crash
Freddy’s, Blood River
Furniture Factory, Jerry
Fordham
Goal Post, Chaos
Live Music
The Music Factory
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Toy
Shop-Arguably Huntsville’s
Hardest Working, Most
Talented And Coolest Band
Judge Crater’s, Dan Hardin
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
11
Regional Concerts
February - March 2006
Huntsville
Birmingham
February 14
Keith Urban, Pat
Green
VBC
February 18
George Strait
BJCC
March 19
Brian Regan
Alabama Theatre
March 8
Sheryl Crow
VBC Arena
Atlanta
March 16
Gladys Night
VBC Arena
February 9
Staind
The Tabernacle
March 18
Nickelback, Trapt,
Chevelle
VBC Arena
February 12
Ricky Martin
The Tabernacle
March 26
Merle Haggard
VBC Concert Hall
March 26
Switchfoot
UAH Rec. Ctr.
March 28
Motley Crue
VBC
March 9
Sheryl Crow
Fox Theatre
Nashville
February 9
Lynyrd Skynrd
Ryman Auditorium
February 14
Sigur Ros
Ryman Auditorium
February 14
Bon Jovi
Gaylord Ent. Ctr.
February 24
Kid Rock
Gaylord Ent. Ctr.
March 2
David Gray
Ryman Auditorium
Memphis
February 18
Toby Keith
FedEx Forum
March 3
Third Day
FedEx Forum
12
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
THE VALLEY PLANET
MUSIC
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Larry
Lynch And Denny Cannon
Nikko’s, Live Jazz Music
Philby’s Pourhouse, 5
O’clock Charlie
Sammy T’s Music Hall,
Theory Of A Deadman, Year
And A Day & Goldilocks
Sammy’s Live, Heartland
Sports Page, Third Person
Adonis Blue
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Dave Anderson
Atchison
Kaffeeklatsch @Night,
Acoustic Showcase Hosted By
Greg Rowwell
Sports Page, Tunes Karaoke
Dave Anderson
The Warehouse, Tim’s Krazy
Karaoke
Guntersville
Tuesday,
February 14, 2006
Adrian’s, Wasted Mason
Anniversary Party
3rd Base Grill, Dj W/Live
Trivia
Craig
Coppertop, Hdk “Jackpot”
Karaoke
Crossroads, Toy Shop
Valentine’s Day Acoustic
Cabaret With Felicity And Phil
Weaver
Hopper’s, Janice’s Karaoke
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Live
Music
Nikko’s, Buddy Chambers &
Emerson Scott Jazz Duo
Philby’s Pourhouse, Samuel
James
Scott Morgan
The Corner (Hampton
Scottsboro
Guntersville
Madison
Jim Nelson
Half Time Bar & Grill, Tony
Joe Scott Band
Athens
Sassy’s Fraz, Barry Kay
Decatur
Hard Dock Café, Big Daddy
Kingfish
The Brick, Roosevelt Franklin
Guntersville
The Docks, Dave Anderson
Sunday,
February 12, 2006
Coppertop, The Crawlers
Crossroads, Five Star Iris
Freddy’s, Karaoke
Goal Post, Dj Butch
Hopper’s, Brunch W/Edgar
And Evening With Janice’s
Karaoke
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Blues
Jam
Sunday Evening Jam Sessions
With Scott Morgan
Monday, February
13, 2006
Crossroads, Open Mic Night
Freddy’s, Donnie Cox Acoustic
Showcase
Goal Post, Open Mic Night W/
Steve Soto
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Jim
Cavender
THE VALLEY PLANET
Contest
Wednesday,
February 15, 2006
Hdk “Jackpot” Karaoke
Songwriter’s Open Mic Night
Crossroads, Dave Anderson
Freddy’s, Dan Hardin And Ron
Jefferies
Mcallister
Goal Post, Dj Butch
The Music Factory
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Yo’
Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band
Nikko’s, Edgar
Philby’s Pourhouse, James
Johnson
Steakhouse, Jason Albert
Band
Sports Page, Pla’ Station
Noel Webster
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Marge Loveday
The Station, Kozmic Mama
Decatur
The Brick, Tim Tucker
Guntersville
Contest
Thursday,
February 16, 2006
Craig
Contest
Karaoke
Coppertop, Open Mic Night
Crossroads, Old Union
Karaoke
Goal Post, Chaos
The Music Factory
Freeworld
Anderson
Shop
Anita Palmer
Jim Cavender
The Corner (Hampton
The Warehouse, Tom
Cremeens
Madison
Decatur
The Brick, Anderain
Guntersville
Adrian’s, Josh & Ben
#020906030106
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
13
MUSIC
Scottsboro
Coach
Friday,
February 17, 2006
& Keith Taylor
Square One
Craig
Black Water Hattie’s, Bama
Babz
Bobby G’s, The Deltones
Pete’s Corner
Crossroads, The Codetalkers,
Featuring Col. Bruce Hampton
Crash.Boom.Bang
Freddy’s, Redd Letters
Furniture Factory, The
Scratch Band
Goal Post, Chaos
Tom Neiman
The Music Factory
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, The
Fiddleworms
14
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
Judge Crater’s, Live Music
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Marge
Loveday
Moody Mondays, HDK
Karaoke
Nikko’s, Edgar
Live Music
Philby’s Pourhouse, Booga
Funk
Sammy T’s Music Hall, Afro
Man
Donnie J
Sports Page, Big Daddy
Kingfish
Dave Anderson
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Live Music
The Warehouse, Marsha
Morgan
Madison
Jim Nelson
Half Time Bar & Grill, Big
Dan And Black Cat Moan
THE VALLEY PLANET
Decatur
Hard Dock Café, Blue Flame
The Brick, Tim Tucker And
The Uh-Huhs Cd Release Party
Guntersville
Adrian’s, Sister Luck
Blue Parrot, Live Music
Scottsboro
Coach
Saturday,
February 18, 2006
801 Franklin, Jazzanova Duo
Square One
Benchwarmer, Bonedry And
Paone
Benchwarmer Too,
Government Warning
Bobby G’s, Blue Flame
Club Ozz, Surprise
Entertainment!
Open Mic Night
Coppertop, Tony Joe Scott
Band
Crossroads, Mile 8
Crash.Boom.Bang
Freddy’s, Blackland
Furniture Factory, Brian
Cagle & Jeff Goebel
Goal Post, Chaos
Live Music
The Music Factory
Chris Janson
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Live
Music
Judge Crater’s, Marsha
Morgan
Philby’s Pourhouse, 4 Door
Ramblers
Appetite For Destruction
Sammy’s Live, Roger Dale
Sports Page, Push
Larry Lynch And Denny Cannon
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Live Music
The Warehouse, Dan Hardin
& Ron Jefferies
Madison
Jim Nelson
Decatur
Hard Dock Café, Hot Mixx
The Brick, Highliy Kind
Guntersville
Adrian’s, Duane Walker Band
Blue Parrot, Live Music
Scottsboro
The Docks, Big Nose Roy
Sunday,
February 19, 2006
Crossroads, Marty Stuart
Crash.Boom.Bang
Freddy’s, Karaoke
Goal Post, Dj Butch
Karaoke
Jam
With Scott Morgan
Monday,
February 20, 2006
5
0
20
Showcase
Steve Soto
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Jim
Cavender
Greg Rowwell
Dave Anderson
Karaoke
Decatur
Princess Theatre, Arlo
Guthrie
THE VALLEY PLANET
#020906030106
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
15
New Art Exhibition
at the Museum
Huntsville, AL – The Museum will
present its first new exhibition for 2006
with Views of the Collection: Art Tells
a Story on view February 5 through
July 23.
Using works from the Museum’s
permanent collection, this exhibition
will concentrate on visual artists whose
works spin tales without using words.
Various artists using a range of mediums
and techniques will represent stories,
both real and imaginary. By exploring
these works through interactive
components, the visitor, young and old
alike, will discover the visual story that
each work has to tell.
MUSIC
Guntersville
Tuesday,
February 21, 2006
Trivia
Craig
Karaoke
Motor City Josh
Philby’s Pourhouse, Mike
Roberts
Scott Morgan
The Corner (Hampton
Guntersville
Contest
Wednesday,
February 22, 2006
Jefferies
Fordham
Goal Post, Dj Butch
The Music Factory
Motor City Josh
Nikko’s, Edgar
Philby’s Pourhouse, Live
Music
Sammy’s Live, Kozmic Mama
Band
Noel Webster
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Reese Rushton
Decatur
The Brick, Open Mic Night
Guntersville
Contest
16
Thursday,
February 23, 2006
Craig
Contest
Karaoke
Crossroads, Br549 And The
Avette Brothers
Karaoke
Goal Post, Chaos
The Music Factory
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, The
Dempsey’s
Anderson
Shop
Anita Palmer
Marge Loveday
The Corner (Hampton
The Warehouse, Tom
Cremeens
Madison
Freeworld
Judge Crater’s, 80’s Party
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Glen
& Libba
Kenny Mango’s, The Hot Club
Of Huntsville
Moody Mondays, Hdk
Karaoke
Nikko’s, Edgar
Live Music
Philby’s Pourhouse, Space
Wagon
Blackeyed Susan
Donnie J
Sports Page, Live Music
Dave Anderson
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Jim Cavender
Atchison
Madison
Jim Nelson
Half Time Bar & Grill, Sly
Groove
Decatur
Decatur
The Brick, Chad Reeves
Hard Dock Café, Lipstick
The Brick, Fiddleworms
Guntersville
Guntersville
Adrian’s, Jerry Fordham
Scottsboro
Coach
Friday,
February 24, 2006
Square One
Craig
Black Water Hattie’s, Electric
Voodoo
Bobby G’s, Live Music
Larry Woelhart
Crossroads, Lasalle
Freddy’s, The Crawlers
Mcallister
Goal Post, Chaos
Tom Neiman
The Music Factory
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
Adrian’s, Runaway Coletrain
Blue Parrot, Mark Barrett
Scottsboro
The Docks, Big Nose Roy
Saturday,
February 25, 2006
& Keith Taylor
Square One
Benchwarmer, Voodoo
Sledge And Hi-9
Benchwarmer Too, Jason
Albert Band
Club Ozz, Surprise
Entertainment!
Open Mic Night
Coppertop, Big Dan And Black
Cat Moan
Crossroads, That 1 Guy With
Daikaiju
Freddy’s, The Crawlers
Furniture Factory, Anita
Palmer
Goal Post, Chaos
THE VALLEY PLANET
Live Music
The Music Factory
Microwave Dave And The
Nukes
Judge Crater’s, Dan Hardin
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Alan
Rhody
Philby’s Pourhouse, 5
O’clock Charlie
Bishop Black
Sammy’s Live, Juice
Ben Trussell
The Corner (Hampton
The Warehouse, Marge
Loveday
Madison
Jim Nelson
Half Time Bar & Grill, Sly
Groove
Decatur
Hard Dock Café, Hot Rod Otis
The Brick, Black Label
Guntersville
Adrian’s, Browns Creek
Blue Parrot, Mark Barrett
Scottsboro
The Docks, Dave Anderson
Sunday,
February 26, 2006
Crossroads, Drums And Tuba
Taylor/Chambers Group
Freddy’s, Karaoke
Goal Post, Dj Butch
Karaoke
Jam
With Scott Morgan
Monday,
February 27, 2006
Showcase
Steve Soto
Microwave Dave Goes Solo!
THE VALLEY PLANET
Greg Rowwell
Dave Anderson
Karaoke
Arousal,
art, and sex
industry
education is
coming
By Jennifer Roberts
Decatur
Princess Theatre, Chris Botti
Guntersville
Contest
Tuesday,
February 28, 2006
Trivia
Craig
Karaoke
Valley Planet/Olde
Towne Fat Tuesday Party
Featuring Bryan Lee From
New Orleans
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Fat
Tuesday With Microwave Dave
Philby’s Pourhouse, Mike
Roberts
Scott Morgan
The Corner (Hampton
Guntersville
Contest
G
et ready for a night of sinful
indulgence. The Sex Workers’
Art Show: National Tour
2006 is just around the corner, and
it’s coming to the Flying Monkey on
Saturday, February 25.
Smart and sexy, this cabaret-style show
will feature multimedia performance
art, music, videos, burlesque shows,
poetry, and spoken word, all of which
will be brought to you by a troupe of
sex workers who have made sex into
an art.
The sex workers come from all
areas of the sex industry, including
strippers, prostitutes, film stars, phone
sex operators, and internet models.
Stunning performers include Annie
Oakley, the founder, director, emcee,
and road manager of the Sex Workers’
Art Show. She founded the project
in Olympia, Washington nine years
ago and has led it to national success.
Oakley has performed and exhibited
her artwork nationwide. She also
co-produced Olympia’s semi-annual
queer cultural festival, Homo-A-Gogo,
in 2004. Then there is Teresa Dulce,
a filmmaker and founder/director of
Portland’s sex worker organization,
Danzine, which produced a magazine,
a date line, a needle exchange program,
and a resource center to improve
safety in Portland’s sex trade. She
is currently pursuing an education in
public health at Johns Hopkins and
Columbia University. Simone de
la Getto, named one of the “Sexiest
People in the Bay Area” by the San
Francisco Bay Guardian in 2001,
will be offering a burlesque act.
Miss de la Getto is the founder and
artistic director of the single-existing
black burlesque troupe, Harlem
Shake Burlesque. When she’s not
performing, she gives lectures about
her experiences as a sex worker,
teaches medical students how to give
pelvic and breast exams, and works as
a real estate consultant.
Theatre Journal hails the show as
being “not simply a display of those
in the sex industry…but an active
force in articulating, shaping, and
contesting the meaning of the identity
‘sex worker’ in the public sphere.”
According to the web site, “The Sex
Workers’ art show entertains, arouses,
and amazes while simultaneously
offering scathing and insightful
commentary on notions of class,
gender, labor, and sexuality.”
For more bios, pictures, reviews, and
information about the show, visit www.
sexworkersartshow.com.
The show starts at 8 pm. Tickets are
$10 at the door. To ensure yourself a
place in the audience, purchase your
ticket online by following the calendar
link at www.flyingmonkeyarts.org. You
can also purchase advanced tickets at
other Flying Monkey events. You must
be at least 18 to attend.
The Flying Monkey is located at Lowe
Mill, 2211 Seminole Drive.
Wednesday,
March 1, 2006
Jefferies
Furniture Factory, The
Scratch Band
Goal Post, Dj Butch
The Music Factory
Bryan Lee
Nikko’s, Edgar
Philby’s Pourhouse, Donnie
Cox
Band
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VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
17
Noel Webster
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Marge Loveday
Decatur
The Brick, Live Music
Guntersville
Thursday,
March 2, 2006
Craig
Contest
Karaoke
Crossroads, Paul Thorn
Jenn Adams Trio
Karaoke
Goal Post, Chaos
The Music Factory
Music
Anderson
Nikko’s, Larry Woellhart
Shop
Anita Palmer
Jim Cavender
The Corner (Hampton
The Warehouse, Tom
Cremeens
Madison
Decatur
Guntersville
Adrian’s, Live Music
Scottsboro
Coach
Friday, March 3,
2006
Square One
Craig
Black Water Hattie’s, Big
Daddy Kingfish
Live Music
Calendar of Events
February 9 - March 1, 2006
Crossroads, Redd Letters,
Stars Below & Tyler Cain
Freddy’s, Redd Letters
Furniture Factory, Live Music
Goal Post, Chaos
Tom Neiman
The Music Factory
Music
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Live
Music
Moody Mondays, Hdk
Karaoke
Nikko’s, Edgar
Live Music
Philby’s Pourhouse, Donnie
& Lisa
Sammy T’s Music Hall, U.S.
Sammy’s Live, Live Music
Sports Page, Duane Walker
Dave Anderson
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Lisa Busler
The Warehouse, Dan Hardin
& Ron Jefferies
Madison
Jim Nelson
February 9-11
The Renaissance Theatre presents: “The
Last Five Years”. Love is in the air with
Romantic Valentine production for you
and your sweetheart. Show begins 8pm.
For more information, please contact the
Renaissance Theatre at 536-3117.
February 10
The Guntersville Public Library along
with the F4 Film committee presents
“Japanese Story”. This film won the
2003 Australian Film Institute AFI Award
for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best
Cinematography, Best Direction and Best
Film. Film begins at 7pm at the library.
Through February 12
Maxfield Parrish: Master of Make
Believe on view now at the Huntsville
Museum of Art. Enter the colorful,
fantasy world of that will fascinate both
children and
adults. 535-4350 - www.hsvmuseum.org
February 4-March 31
Exhibit: 381 Days “The Montgomery
Bus Boycott Story” is on loan from
the Smithsonian Institution Traveling
Exhibition Service. The exhibit is
located on the Alabama A&M University,
State Black Archives Research Center,
James Wilson Building. For more
18
information contact 372-5846.
February 5 through July 23
The Huntsville Museum of Art’s “View
of the Collection: Art Tells a Story. The
HMA is located on Church St. For more
information contact the Museum at 5354350.
February 9
Mah Jong Players Society beginning at
9:30am at Coffeetree Books and Brew on
Bailey Cove across from Grissom High
School. Ladies play Mah Jong, have
lunch and play some more. Interested?
Come, meet and learn.
February 10
Are you ready for a night out?  Sure
you are, and you deserve it!  Sci-Quest
understands that sometimes parents need
a break, too! Sign up your children,
ages 4 – 12, for Sci-Quest’s Parents’
Night Out on December 9th, from 6:
00 – 9:00 p.m. and spend a Friday
night on your terms.  Children enjoyed
Domino’s Pizza, time with more than
125 interactive exhibits, hands-on
activities, and making new friends.  The
parents enjoyed a night out on the town,
or a quiet evening at home. The cost
of Parents’ Night Out is $22 for the
first child and $16 for each additional
child in the same family.  Sci-Quest
Members receive a 10% discount.  If
you have questions or would like to
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
Decatur
Hard Dock Café, Short Bus
Guntersville
Scottsboro
Coach
Saturday,
March 4, 2006
& Keith Taylor
Square One
Benchwarmer, The Crawlers
Benchwarmer Too, Push
Club Ozz, Surprise
Entertainment!
Open Mic Night
Coppertop, Live Music
Crossroads, Live Music
Freddy’s, Voodoo Dogz
Furniture Factory, Live Music
Goal Post, Chaos
Live Music
The Music Factory
make reservation for Parents’ Night Out,
contact Cortney Hardiman at 837-0606,
ext. 272 or chardiman@sci-quest.org.
February 11
Dog Days in the Garden- Attention all
Pooch Parents. Most of the Garden will
be a “Leash Zone,” but for those bouncy
bounders there will be a leash-free
zone at the back of the Garden by the
columns. Of course, owners are asked
to bring bags to clean up after their pet.
From 9am-5pm and an admission will
be charged. For more info contact the
Huntsville Botanical Gardens at 8304447.
February 11
Pleasures 1st annual Kissing Contest
will be held at Pleasures on University
Dr in the Chili’s plaze from 2pm till
Midnight. They will be awarding
$6,900 in prizes. Category include the
longest kiss, funniest kiss, Best Group
Kiss, Most Seductive Kiss, Creative
Kiss, etc. Grand Prize is a trip for two
to the Bahamas. Call 830-0069 for
information.
February 11-12
The Antique & Collectible Show & Sale
will be held at the Jaycee Bldg at the
John Hunt Park on Airport Rd. More than
60 vendors will have toys, dolls, books,
glassware, military & sports memorabilia
& much more for sale. Sponsored by
Continued Page 20
THE VALLEY PLANET
Humphrey’s Bar & Grill, Yes,
No, Maybe
Kaffeeklatsch @Night, Larry
Lynch And Denny Cannon
Philby’s Pourhouse, Live
Music
Velcro Pygmies
Sammy’s Live, Live Music
Lisa Busler
The Corner (Hampton
Cove), Live Music
The Warehouse, Tom
Cremeens & Jeff Everett
Madison
Jim Nelson
Decatur
Hard Dock Café, Booty
Shakers Aka Y, T & T
Guntersville
Scottsboro
Coach
the Huntsville Rehabilitation & Family
Service Center. Show will be fro
9am-5pm and Sun 11am-4pm. Free
admission. For more info contact 8800680.
February 12
Burritt on the Mountain will feature
Michael Poulos in Concert at 3pm.
The concert will be in the Old Country
Church on the Burritt Grounds. Tickets
are $7.50 and will be available at
the door on a first come first served
basis.  Information at 536-2882 or
www.burrittmuseum.com
February 13
Huntsville Chess Club meets at
Coffeetree Books and Brew across from
Grissom on Bailey Cove. Academic club,
teaches and sponsors chess tournaments
in area schools. Open to all ages, come
and play, learn from experts every
Monday from 6-10pm.
February 14
The Renaissance Theatre presents: “The
Last Five Years”. Love is in the air with
Romantic Valentine production for you
and your sweetheart. Show begins 6:
30pm. For more information, please
contact the Renaissance Theatre at 5363117.
February 14
The Yesterdays Event Center be holding
a Valentines Dinner Theatre. The
THE VALLEY PLANET
S P O TL I G HT O N MU S I C
O’s
H
C
R
A
DR AN
Rx for Old Stuff That Don’t Suck
There are a lot of women out there.
There are women without men; there
are women with cheatin’ men. There
are women with cheatin’ women. There
are women who don’t get enough. There
are women with bad attitudes. There are
women who have lots of love to give, who want
love, women who want to be rid of love, or to
simply ditch the sorry couch potato they used to
love.
Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women are all of the
women above and then some, set to music.
These “mature “ women have a voice, three in
fact, powerful voices with more than enough
attitude to go around. The New York Times has
called Saffire’s music “Post Feminist Traditional
Blues,” and note that it is “played and sung with
gorgeous abandon.”
I know many of you reading this have never
heard of Saffire. I was first aware of them about
six years ago when they played a concert at UAH.
I left that night with three of their CDs.
If you like down and dirty barrelhouse blues and
women with moxey you’ll love Saffire. If you used
to like music but they “don’t make it like that
anymore,” you’ll love Saffire. Saffire is good music
for blues lovers of all ages, but is particularly
popular among the 50’s plus set. They address a
lot of the issues that women face, and do it with
humor and feeling. You are sure to find a tune for
every mood - and lover,“ex” or current - you have!
These ladies hold NOTHING back in playing or
writing their tunes.
Saffire’s driving force is the BBW blueslady extraordinaire, Ann Rabson.
Rabson rivals Big Mama Thornton and the other big ol’ gals of bluesraunch. Few of them can match Rabson’s fire on vocals and blues-boogie
piano. Pinetop Perkins would be proud of Rabson.
Rounding out the acoustic trio is guitarist Gaye Adegbalola and doghouse
bassist Andra Faye.   
This issue, Dr. A’s pick for Old Stuff That Don’t Suck is: Saffire: The Uppity
Blues Women, “Live and Uppity.” Dr. A has a fondness for well done live
albums, and this Saffire classic, recorded at Wolf Trap, Virginia, captures
and holds about as much of Saffire as may be held. Saffire’s live shows are
spontaneous, funny, and very “live.”
You gotta love a blues CD that opens with a morning-after anthem called
“Cold Pizza and Warm Beer.”
“You’ll Never Get Me Out Of Your Mind” written and sung by Anne Rabson.
“Mr. Insurance Man” sung by Andra Faye might renew your interest in
policies. Gaye Adegoalola wrote and sings “Silver Beaver,” which is just
exactly what you think it is.Rounding out the acoustic trio is guitarist Gaye
Adegbalola and doghouse bassist Andra Faye. Faye’s rendition of “Crazy”
will make your hair stand on end, and shouldn’t be played near Patsy
Cline’s grave lest she stand up and applaud.
Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women are sure to put a tap in your toe and a
smile on your face. Run, don’t walk to your favorite full-service CD store,
and get you some Saffire. By itself, “Bitch With a Bad Attitude” justifies the
purchase price.
dranarcho@valleyplanet.com
#020906030106
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
The tracks on Live and
Uppity” are:
1. Introduction
2. Cold Pizza and Warm
Beer
3. You’ll Never Get Me Out
Of Your Mind
4. One Good Man
5. Hold Me Close
6. Silver Beaver
7. Mr. Insurance Man
8. The Thing That You Need
9. 1-800-799-7233
10. You Can Have My
Husband
11. Hopin’ It’ll Be Alright
12. Bitch With A Bad
Attitude
13. Dump That Chump
14. Lonely Nights
15. Middle Aged Blues
Boogie
16. Crazy
17. Some Cold and Rainy
Day
19
When you wish upon
The Stars
numbers of tickets the Channel Cats are
going bye bye. And sure enough they
went bye bye. Then Art Clarkson the
original owner of the Tennessee Valley
Vipers. The first year and a half as an
owner he was fantastic. Then it’s almost
like he came down with amnesia. He
was a different owner. He turned into
one of those doctors from Knoxville.
L
iving in the Tennessee Valley now
for six years there has been one
theme that has reoccurred over
and over like a bad rash. And frankly
I’m sick of talking about it on my show
and sick of hearing about it. But it’s
the truth. We are a bad sports town. Or
are we? My wife disagrees with me.
She thinks it’s been bad owners who
just expect people to show up if you
stick a sign in the front yard. I’m not
in complete disagreement with her. The
doctors from Knoxville, TN that owned
the Huntsville Channel Cats were idiots
for lack of a better term. Basically
holding a gun to the heads of hockey
fans saying that if we don’t buy x
EVENTS
doors open at 6:30pm and dinner from 6:
30-7:30pm. Entertainment provided by
Holly Hines and Kevin Adams and
ending with Hott Mixx. Admission is
$20 per
person which includes dinner. RSVP to
http://www.yesterdaysevents.com
February 15
North Alabama Woodcarvers Association
will be meeting at Coffeetree Books
and Brew every Wednesday at 6:30pm.
Come whittle with us!
February 15 –16
Theater Huntsville announces auditions
for their upcoming Huntsville favorite
“Dearly Departed”.  The hilarious
comedy tells the story of a southern
dysfunctional family who is trying to
bury their loved one and all the problems
they encounter.  In the comedy there
are 10 roles available for males and 10
roles available for females and both
speaking and non-speaking roles are
available.  The auditions will be held
Wednesday, February 15th and Thursday,
February 16th at 7:00 p.m. at the Fantasy
Arts Center located at 3312 Long Ave.
S.W. The production will be directed
by Lee Deal with Gayl Alexander as his
assistant.  For more info call 881-5387.
20
But over the six years I’ve been here
we’ve had The Huntsville Flight come
and go. The Huntsville Tornado, The
Huntsville Channel Cats, The Tennessee
Valley Vipers, and The Tennessee
Valley Raptors. Now we have The
Tennessee Valley Vipers (Under New
Management) The Huntsville Havoc
and New Owners of the Huntsville
Speedway. Through it all we have had
the Huntsville Stars. I don’t know if
that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
The Huntsville Stars have won a truelife game of survivor in a city that has
seen plenty of teams fail. Why? The
Stars do have the benefit of the Majors
to help out. From the Oakland Athletics
to the Milwaukee Brewers, it is nice to
have help, really enhancing the bottom
line. The Stars have been here for over
twenty years. They reside in the worst
stadium in The Southern League.
February 16
The Huntsville Havoc vs Florida at the
VBC Arena. The puck drops at 7:05.
February 17
The Huntsville Havoc vs Fayetteville
Fire Antz at the VBC Arena. The puck
drops at 7:35.
February 17
February 17-19
The Renaissance Theatre present The
Piano Lesson beginning at 8pm and Sun
at 5pm. Be sure to not miss this Pulitzer
Prize winning play in honor of Black
History Month. The Renaissance Theatre
is located at 1214 Meridian St. For more
info contact 536-3117.
February 18
The Huntsville Havoc vs Columbus
Cottonmouths at the VBC Arena. The
puck drops at 7:35pm.
February 18
Dog Days in the Garden- Attention all
Pooch Parents. Most of the Garden will
be a “Leash Zone,” but for those bouncy
bounders there will be a leash-free
There is some word on the street that
this could be the Stars last season in
Huntsville. The agreement between
the Stars and the Brewers runs out at
the end of this season. The agreement
between the team and the city has yet to
be signed it’s almost as if they are now
playing on the field of dreams. Even
if this is just hearsay, think about it,
Huntsville without the Stars. It would
confirm what I’ve known from the very
beginning.
Huntsville is not a sports town because
Huntsville is not a real town. Here
me out. Number one we can’t keep
a sports team. Number two we are a
family town. Number three (mostly
from those living in Madison) I’ve
heard this over and over, “Once I’m
home I don’t want to go out again.”
Number four this is a college town. If it
ain’t Alabama or Auburn or Tennessee
just don’t bother. Number five is our
facilities or lack there of. They are
less than desirable for these teams. The
VBC was constructed in the 70’s and
doesn’t look like anything has changed
since the last day of construction. And
putting a new hotel next to it just makes
it worse. It’s like putting parsley next to
a charbroiled burnt steak. The steak still
sucks! I would say something about the
concrete eye sore that is Joe Davis, but
let’s just move on.
I hope for Keith Jefferies sake that we
can over come this lack of attendance
and support of our local sports teams.
He’s a good man and I’d hate to see
another owner succumb to the Huntsville
Sports Owners Graveyard. Our local
sports teams deserve our attendance and
support because it enhances our life and
our local economy. Let’s do our part to
change this trend. I’ll see you at that
asbestos VBC and at that God awful
Joe Davis place.
By the way Happy Valentines Day!
Steve Moulton hosts The Pressbox every
weekday afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. on
ESPN 1400 in Decatur, Ala. You can email
him at steve.moulton@valleyplanet.com.
zone at the back of the Garden by the
columns. Of course, owners are asked
to bring bags to clean up after their pet.
From 9am-5pm and an admission will
be charged. For more info contact the
Huntsville Botanical Gardens at 8304447
February 18
Burritt on the Mountain is celebrating Dr.
William Henry Burritt’s birthday with a
Free Admission Day.  Come to Burritt on
the Mountain from 10:00 until 4:00 and
admission is free to all.  
February 18
“A Mid-Winter’s Night of Jazz” at the
Ledges will be sponsored by  
Huntsville High Band Parents from 6-10:
00 pm. Local musicians performing are:
the Gene Swanner Trio,  Keith Taylor,
the Huntsville Jazz Orchestra, Jean-Yves
Jung, Jeff Koenitzer and Mike Thomas.
Elegant dining, silent auction, and
door prizes will complete the evening.
Proceeds go to Huntsville High School
Band. For tickets or information call
883-3669 or Robbins Music Center at
2810 Bob Wallace Av., 539-2474.
February 18
The Contra Dance will be held at the
gym of the Faith Presbyterian church
at the corner of Airport Rd. and
Whitesburg Dr. Live music by Maple
Hill with Calling by Harry Delugach. 
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
All ages welcome. 7:00-7:30 pm
Introductory Workshop, 7:30-10:30 pm
Dance. Admission $7.00/$4.00 students/
Free for ages 12 & under. For More info
call 837-0656.
February 23
The Art Krewe hosts Chocolate and
Champagne Event from 6-8pm in the
Great Hall of the Museum. Those
wanting to attend please RSVP, to
gchapman@hsvmuseum.org.
February 20
Monday from 6-10pm.
February 22
February 23
Please join us at Meridian Arts Gallery
for an informal gathering to
discuss the value of Conservation
Framing beginning at 6pm.  Our
If you have an event that you would
like for us to list, send information to
info@valleyplanet.com
THE VALLEY PLANET
SINGLE & FABULOUS
In the Rocket City
bag, now wears a long black robe and
totes a gavel, ready to judge your every
dating move? Bang! Guilty of dating
a loser once again! You are hereby
sentenced to a lifetime of pity, where
old ladies in your church pray that
you’ll find a husband, and married
friends peer down at you through the
glow of their Cartier wedding bands.
Fifi, and you- we the fabulous, should
think not!
By Fifi Bordeaux
Friendship Recess
R
ed Rover, Red Rover send a
single friend who will not act
like a patronizing fool when
she’s married right over! What is up
with the friends who go through the
wars of being single with you, only
to break through the other side and
get married, then treat singles as if
they are pathetic wads of neediness
on the way to Glamour Shots for
their Old Maid deck of cards photo
shoot? These friends were supposed
to be members of the VFS (Veterans
of Foreign Singles) with you. They
should know the secret handshake,
wear Leopard skin fezzes (well, maybe
berets), and hang out in swanky bars
and reminisce the memories of former
single fun over trendy cocktails. But
nooooooooooooooooo- once married,
they morph into something almost
unrecognizable. They often change
appearance, cars, and most definitely:
vocabulary. Vocabulary once filled
with words like: shoe sale, In-Style
magazine, and martini, horrifically
replaced in matrimony by: meat
department sale at Kroger, Better
Homes and Garden, and virgin pina
coladas.
You grieve the single friend you once
had. Before, she was the Great Swami,
who you could whine to about the
EVENTS
professional picture framers will discuss
the use of materials that best protect and
maintain art, collectable or sentimental,
from damage. If it is worth framing, it is
worth protecting.  There will also be an
open forum for questions. Please RSVP–
seating will be limited. The Gallery is
located at 305 Jefferson St. 534-7475.
February 24
Come join the Tennessee Valley Jazz
Society with the Jazz History Celebration
featureing the legendary Freddie
Hubbard. The concert begins at 7pm at
the Earlyworks Museum’s Grand Hall on
Madison St. Contact 851-7402 for more
information.
February 24
February 24-25
The Renaissance Theatre present The
Piano Lesson beginning at 8pm. Be sure
to not miss this Pulitzer Prize winning
play in honor of Black History Month.
The Renaissance Theatre is located at
1214 Meridian St. For more info contact
536-3117.
THE VALLEY PLANET
latest P.O.I. (Person of Interest) who
stopped calling. Comforted by such
instant wisdom as, “He wasn’t all that
and a bucket of chicken, you found him
when you weren’t looking, just think
what you’ll find when you make an
effort, you’re fabulous!” Now, you are
mortified to hear Married Barbie say,
“He doesn’t sound right for you. You
will have a fulfilling life even if you
never find anyone, few can be as lucky
as Ken and I”. Barf, puke, barf. That’s
my simple seating pattern if I ever
invite her for dinner again.
Has this been scientifically proven,
that once married, ones single years
become afflicted with some type of
Alzheimer’s? Completely forgotten
are the struggles of being single, from
carrying the trash and groceries alone
365 days a year, to the heart burn of bad
dates and disappointments.
And how is it that your once stylish
friend in Versace accented by a Chanel
February 25
Sex Workers Art Show will begin at 9pm
at the Flying Monkey Art Center in the
Lowe Mill on Seminole Dr. Admission
is $6. *For Mature Audiences.
February 25
The Rotary Club of Greater Huntsville
2006 Gala Dinner, Show, and Dance
will be held in the Von Braun Center
North Hall. The theme for this year is
“A Night in Atlantis – Paradise Found”
and it promises to be a journey. The
entertainment will be provided by “Band
in Demand”. The Silent Auction will
offer a magnificent array of items and
the delicious meal will be accompanied
by a variety of fine wines at each table.
Cocktails and the Silent Auction will
begin at 5:30 pm and dinner at 7:00 pm.
Entertainment will begin at 7:00 pm
provided by professional actors. They
will perform a grand show of “A Night
in Atlantis – Paradise Found” featuring
dancers, visual splendor, and glorious
song. The ticket price is $100 per person
and you may contactRachel Caudle at
772-4646 oremail her at rachel.caudle@r
aymondjames.com to purchase tickets.
February 26
The Huntsville Havoc vs Knoxville Ice
Bears at the VBC Arena. The puck drops
at 4pm.
February 26-April 9
Sea to Shining Sea: A Reflection of
#020906030106
Perhaps Betrothed Barbie isn’t as happy
as she thought she’d be. Perhaps no
matter how many times she says “my
husband” in a day, she cannot program
herself to make it feel comfortable.
(Someone please put dirt in her back so
when the string is pulled she can’t talk.)
Perhaps she misses herself most of all,
and wants to guise this all to fabricate
the glamour that is not there once the
Modern Bride issues have been thrown
out, the gown stored and the bouquet is
dried, and all that’s left is predictability
with the same person???
Dear Reader, if ever tempted to abandon
your crusade for all single-kind, or to
feel the least morsel of commiseration
for your solitary soul, be inspired by the
words of Louisa May Alcott, who wrote
Little Women, and deserves to be quoted
by big girls: “Liberty is a better husband
than love to many of us”. And if that
doesn’t do it for you, then consider
these words from a plaque that hangs in
fabulous Tallulah’s Salon in 5 Points: “
A woman that wants a husband is one
who never had one!”
If ever called over to the married side of
life, exhilarated that you broke through
America- The Huntsville Museum of
Art is proud to showcase the work
of outstanding realist and impressionist
painters who have collaborated for
two years to create 94 paintings that
celebrate the grandeur and diversity of
the American landscape. On view will be
images inspired by the nation’s majestic
mountains and rugged coast, its more
subtle rural countryside and even scenes
from industrial and urban sites.
February 27
The Nashville Songwriters Workshop
will be holding is monthly meeting at 6:
30pm at the Rec Room of Country Club
Apt. on Airport Road. The workshops
are designed to further the knowledge
and craft of songwriting; to provide
songwriters who live outside Nashville
with a network of other songwriters,
lyricists and composers; to keep
songwriters informed about issues and
changes in the music industry; and
to establish unity among songwriters
everywhere. For more info, email info@
northalabamasongwriters.com
February 27
Monday from 6-10pm.
on the relationship playground, never
forget where you were before; play nice
with your single friends, and remember
that the teeter-totter goes up,…….. and
it will always come down.
Look for Fifi’s next article on
fabulousness, exclusively in The Valley
Planet.
February 28
February 28-March 17
Winterfest Junior is a Fine Arts Exhibit
& Competition, for young artists in the
Marshall County area from ages 6-19.
The winners of the competition will be
exhibited at the Guntersville Museum &
Cultural Center.  For more details please
contact the Arts Council at 256-582-1454
e-mail, artscoun cil@mindspring.com or
visit
www.mountainvalleyartscouncil.org.
March 3
The Huntsville Museum of Art’s Free
First Friday.
March 3
March 3-5
The Longhorn Rodeo will be at the VBC
Arena beginning at 8pm and 2pm on
Sunday. Come enjoy the bareback bronc
Continued Page 22
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
21
“The Resolvers and the
Believers”
T
EVENTS
riding, steer wrestling, cowgirl barrel
racing, calf roping & bonus bull riding.
America’s best cowboys & cowgirls will
compete for prize money.
March 3
Monkey Speak is spoken word open mic.
Readers of poetry, short stories and more
are invited to participate. Admission is
$5 and will be at the Flying Monkey Art
Center in the Lowe Mill on Seminole Dr.
*For Mature Audiences
March 4-5
The Vagina Monologues at the Flying
Monkey Art Center in the Lowe Mill on
Seminole. Saturday show will begin at
8pm and matinee on Sunday at 2:30pm.
March 4
CZC TARDI GRAS DANCE with Roux
du Bayou at Knights of Columbus Hall
3053 Leeman Ferry, $10 members,
$12 non-members, 8-11 pm, free dance
lesson 7:15 pm. There will be beginning
Cajun Dance Intensive workshop from
1:30-4:30pm. Rebecca Zurn and Jim
Pierce will teach and review the basics
of the Cajun Waltz, Jig and Mamou
Jitterbug. Price for lessons is $15.
March 4
The Contra Dance will be held at the
gym of the Faith Presbyterian church
at the corner of Airport Rd. and
Whitesburg Dr. Live music by Crosstown
Traffic with calling by Adina Gordon. 
All ages welcome. 7:00-7:30 pm
Introductory Workshop, 7:30-10:30 pm
Dance. Admission $7.00/$4.00 students/
Free for ages 12 & under. For More info
call 837-0656.
March 4
15th Annual Huntsville Museum of Art
Gala to be held at the VBC North Hall
beginning at 6pm. La Dolce Vita in
Tuscany, “An Evening of the Good Life”,
will be the theme for this year’s Gala.
The VBC North Hall will be transformed
into an Italian countryside with music
from the Craig Duncan Orchestra. Call
the Museum for more info - 535-4350 
he New Year! Here we are more
than a month in to 2006 and many
Americans are working hard on
the resolutions set just six weeks ago.
They’ve pledged to lose weight, to
exercise more, and get healthy. They
promised themselves this year would
be the year. This year, they really will
stick with it.
As an avid gym-goer, I can’t wait
for them to fall off the wagon. Come
5:30 p.m., my tiny gym is packed
with new faces. The Resolvers, as I
refer to them, come in pairs mostly,
sometimes they travel as trios. Some
dress appropriately; others show up
in jeans and Keds®. The Resolvers
are bound and determined to walk off
those extra pounds that have crept onto
their posteriors. Mostly the Resolvers
talk. They talk about how good they’re
doing, how they’ve modified their diets,
how this is truly the year. Sometimes, a
Resolver will break a sweat.
Come March, you will all be back to
your old ways – heading to the places
you went before the New Year came
calling. Eventually, the gym regulars
will reappear and we will settle back
into our schedules. Fights for the
machines won’t occur. The aerobics
room will have space for all. No matter
how much you believe this is the year,
chances are your New Years Resolution
will be a distant memory before the
Easter Bunny hops into town. I’ve seen
it year after year. I know you’re likely to
fail. And I know why.
In order to stick with whatever
resolution you’ve made, on whatever
date you made it, there’s something you
must believe. You must not believe this
is the year. You must not believe that it’s
the right thing to do. You must believe
in yourself. You must believe that you’re
worth it. You must understand that no
matter how hard it is, you have to stick
with it day in and day out because you
are worth it.
I rarely see this in Resolvers. While
they’re dressed up and ready to fight
like soldiers, they’re missing their basic
training – they’re missing the passion.
When it’s time for the battle, no warrior
shows up unprepared. Soldiers don’t
stand around and talk about the war
and how to attack. They fight. Bringing
your passion with you to the battlefield
means that you know who and what
you’re fighting for. Eventually, you’ll
figure out how to win. Only then will
you have what it takes to stick it out for
the long haul.
....they’re
missing
the
passion.
and countless steps climbed, some days
I would rather throw in the towel than
lace up my shoes. This past Monday
is the perfect example: the gym was
packed, it was cold outside, and I was
grumpy. I pulled into the fitness center’s
parking lot only to find no space for my
car. I decided this was the universe’s
way of telling me it was time to enjoy a
day away from the gym. I opted to listen
and headed home, planning to go on a
run through the neighborhood. After
bundling up, I headed out and enjoyed
the fresh air. I made it to the end of
the street before returning home. The
passion had waned.
Tuesday came and the passion returned.
By Wednesday it was back in full force.
As was I. Yes, I believe in myself. I
believe that sometimes working out
sucks. I believe there are some days
when I’d rather meet friends for drinks
to drown the day’s frustrations rather
than sweating them out. But no matter
how hard it is, I am worth it.
If I could teach the Resolvers anything,
that would be it - you’re worth it. Once
you swallow and digest that, you will
never again believe in the day or the
goal. You’ll believe in something
greater and more rewarding: yourself.
Allison Gregg is an eternal optimist who has never
had it so good. Email Allison at
allison.gregg@valleyplanet.com.
I will be the first to tell you that passion
comes and goes. After four halfmarathons, hundreds of aerobics classes,
22
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
THE VALLEY PLANET
Confessions of a Nutritionist
Laura Watson, Registered Dietitian
J
ust a few year’s ago my sole New
Year’s Resolution was a low fat
body percentage. Now at 51 years
of age I am now more concerned about
my health, feeling strong, having energy
and feeling good. The lack of physical
activity or poor eating habits at this age
or any age can catch up with you. We
can all improve our health habits at the
beginning of the year or anytime.
Here are my “Top Ten” 2006 health
resolutions:
1. Drink more water
According to The Institute of Medicine
of the National Academies our body
needs 2 liters of fluid a day…or the
equivalent of 11 (eight ounces) glasses
of fluid. Why does our body need water?
Our body is at least 65% water. Without
water we become dehydrated, and our
metabolism can become impaired.
2. Eat/drink 3-4 servings of calcium
rich foods a day.
Women over 50 years of age on hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) need 1,200
mg calcium daily; those not on HRT
need even more or 1,500 mg calcium
per day. Are you aware that a major
risk of menopause is osteoporosis, as a
result of the steady decline of estrogen
at this time? Another health reason for
calcium is that it may reduce high blood
pressure. In addition to good sources
of calcium (dairy, fortified calcium
foods) taking a calcium/magnesium
supplement with Vitamin D is a smart
move.
3. Cut down on caffeine and limit to
the am.
I’m already drinking two-three cups
coffee or in total 300 mg caffeine
per day. Although the research is
controversial it has generally been
thought that “a lot” of caffeine will aid
in leaching calcium from my 50+-yearold bones.
4. Mindful eating and less clean plate
club
Mindful eating is being aware of your
physical hunger versus emotional
hunger. A lot of emotions prompt us
to eat when we aren’t really hungry.
We eat when we are happy, sad, bored,
angry, etc. One needs to ask, “Am I
really hungry to eat _______? You can
also rate your hunger on a scale from 1
to 10, with 0 being absolutely starved,
5 being satisfied and 9-10 stuffed and
THE VALLEY PLANET
in pain. Asking that question will help
determine if it is a true hunger or just a
craving or desire.
5. Increase foods with Omega 3
essential fatty acids
Why the Omega 3 craze? They are the
“good fats” and have been shown to
lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading
cause of death for both men and women.
One of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans is the recommendation of
eating “two servings of fish a week”
principally for this protective reason.
Sources of Omega 3 are fish, nuts (in
particular walnuts), canola oil, green
vegetables such as broccoli, spinach,
and wheat germ.
6. Increase foods rich in potassium
and magnesium
Heard of the DASH diet? No not
Ms. Dash, but Dietary Approach to
Stop Hypertension. It is a diet high in
potassium, magnesium and calcium and
low in sodium. It can aid in preventing
high blood pressure. The three minerals
are thought to assist in dilating the
vessels whereas sodium constricts
them. Some great sources of potassium
are: potatoes, orange juice, banana,
tomatoes, yogurt, collards and broccoli,
to name a few. Magnesium is plentiful
in nuts and legumes or beans.
9. Less protein from meat sources
I talk to clients about limiting animal
protein to two-three servings of meat
a day, which is the equivalent of about
6-9 ounces of meat. Think of a deck of
cards approximating 3 ounces of meat.
For my budget, meat costs are high.
Other negatives are: meat can be
injected with extra sodium (Tyson
chicken fingers), heavily breaded,
or high saturated fat (McDonald’s
McNuggets). What are my protein
alternatives? Other good sources of
protein are milk, yogurt, peanut butter,
low fat cheese, eggs, fish (all are great
sources), garbanzo beans, pinto beans,
lima beans, northern beans, black beans,
pinto beans, almost all beans except
green beans or in short starchy beans.
I’m getting upwards of 5-7 grams fiber
per half cup of beans, folate, Vitamins
B1, B3, B6, iron, magnesium and zinc.
10. Begin a Healthy Supper Club
I’ve begun quite a few supper clubs,
all very different. My quest is meeting
others here in the Huntsville area
that enjoy cooking healthy, being
with and learning from others….just
fully engaging with FOOD and all its
goodness. Go ahead and be impulsive,
do something different, do something
good for yourself, or ask a friend who
you think needs to eat more healthy
food choices to join with you.
Call me at 551-0624 or email
fitnessrd@bellsouth.net to sign up or
if you want one-on-one nutritional
guidance to follow your health goals.
7. Five to nine servings of vegetables
and fruits…..did you know it is no
longer 3 to 5 servings a day!
Fruits are easy enough to get into the
day, but vegetables (and I mean the nonstarchy veggies) are a little bit trickier.
I preach constantly about non-starchy
veggies these…..due to their low
calories (only 25 calories per half cup
cooked or half cup raw), high fiber, no
sodium, great suppliers of vitamins and
minerals and many antioxidants. If half
your plate has the non-starchy veggies
you are assisting with reducing the risk
of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart
disease, certain cancers and obesity.
8. More good fat
Nuts, nuts, nuts!!! Almonds, walnuts,
sunflower seeds…..throughout the
day, in small portions is my motto.
Remember they are excellent sources
of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids,
and a good source of fiber, magnesium,
folate, vitamins E and B3, B6, iron and
zinc!
#020906030106
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
23
LISTINGS
HIGHLANDER COFFEE SHOPPE
Bob Wallace Ave
Huntsville, AL 35805
listings@valleyplanet.com
3RD BASE GRILL
7904 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville, 256-882-9500.
801 FRANKLIN
801 Franklin Street, Huntsville (Downtown by
Medical Center), 256-519-8019. Lunch: M-F 11-2,
Dinner: M-W 5-10 pm & Th-Sa 5 pm-1 am. Lounge
opens 4 pm M-F. Full Bar & Extensive Wine List.
www.801franklin.com
BEAUREGARD’S (3 Huntsville locations)
1851 University Dr. , 256-512-0074
511 Jordan Lane, 256-837-2433
975 Airport Rd. SW, 256-880-2131
BENNIGAN’S
1009 Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-534-6141
www.bennigans.com
BISTRO LA LUNA
Covenant Cove Lodge & Marina, 7001 ValMonte Drive, Guntersville, 256-582-0930.
www.covenantcove.com
BONEFISH GRILL
4800 Whitesburg Dr. , 256-883-0643
BUFFALO WILD WINGS
2750 Carl T. Jones Dr.
256-650-4115
CAHOOTS
114 West Market Street, Fayetteville, TN.
931-433-1173. Dine in old jail cells.
CHEF GREEN’S ON THE FOUNTAIN
Fountain Row
Huntsville, Al 35801
CHILI’S (2 Huntsville locations)
4925 University Drive, 256-722-9620
2740 Carl T. Jones, 256-882-1230
CRAWMAMMA’S
5000 Webb Villa, Guntersville, 256-582-0484
D&L BISTRO
7500 SW Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville,
256-881-7244, located in Main St. South
THE DOCKS
Goosepond Colony, 417 Ed Hembree, Scottsboro,
256-574-3071.
EDEN’S EAST
2413-B Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-721-9491
Vegetarian fare, M-Thu: 11am-6 pm; Fri: 11am-3pm
FURNITURE FACTORY BAR & GRILL
619 Meridian Street N, Huntsville (just north of
Downtown), 256-539-8001.
GREEN HILLS GRILLE
5100 Sanderson Street NW, Huntsville (corner of
Wynn and University), 256-837-8282.
HUMPHREY’S BAR & GRILL
109 Washington Street, Huntsville (Downtown,
corner of Washington and Clinton), 256-704-5555.
11 am – 2 am everyday.
www.downtownhuntsville.com
Live music almost every night – SEE CALENDAR
JAZZ FACTORY
109 North Side Square, Huntsville (Downtown on
the Square), 256-539-1919.
K C’s COYOTE CAFE
410 Old Town St., Guntersville, 256-582-1676
LE BISTRO DU SOLEIL
300 Franklin Street, Huntsville (Downtown on the
Square), 256-539-7777
24
JAMO’S CAFÉ
413 Jordan Lane NW, Huntsville, 256-837-7880.
LOGAN’S ROADHOUSE (2 Huntsville locations)
4249 Balmoral Drive, Huntsville, 256-881-0584
University Drive NW, Huntsvile
2315 Beltline SW, Decatur, 256-432-2746
JAVA JAAY CAFE
1713 6th Ave. SE, Decatur, 256-351-8555.
MAIN STREET CAFE
101Main Street, Madison, 461-8096
KENNY MANGO’S COFFEE SHOP & GALLERY
119 N Side Square, Huntsville, 256-755-6559.
LAGNIAPPES COFFEE CAFE
119 East Moulton, Decatur
Coffee, Espresso, Bakery & Deli.
OLDE TOWNE COFFEE SHOPPE
511 Pratt Ave NE, Huntsville, 256-539-5399
SEATTLE SOUTH
2113 Whitesburg Drive S, Huntsville,(Whitesburg
Medical District), 256-534-0513
WEST SIDE COFFEE PLACE & CAFE
2699B Sandlin Rd., SW, Decatur, 256-353-2025
WILD ROSE CAFE
121 North Side Square, Huntsville, 256-539-3658
MAMA ANNIE’S
4550 Meridian Street N, 489-3275
THE PALATTE’ CAFÉ
Huntsville Museum of Art
300 Church St.
PAULI’S BAR & GRILL
7143-C Hwy 72 W, Huntsville (corner of Slaughter
Road & Hwy 72), 256-722-2080.
PAULI’S CHOPHOUSE
109 Washington Street, Huntsville (Downtown,
corner of Clinton and Washington), 256-704-5555.
M-Th 5 – 10 pm, F-Sat 5 – 11 pm, Sun 11 am – 2
pm. www.downtownhuntsville.com
PILOT HOUSE RESTAURANT
200 South Main St., Tuscumbia, 256-389-9551
Sun-Thur: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Fri-Sat: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
PRINCETON’S CEDAR MILL GRILLE
1208 Beltline SW, Decatur, 256-351-6247
SILVER POINT RESTAURANT
7840 Hwy 72 Madison, 856-895-3343
STARFISH
Corner of Pratt & Russell, Huntsville, 256-327-5555
TGI FRIDAY’S
4935 University Drive NW, Huntsville
256-830-2793, www.tgifridays.com
TOP O’ THE RIVER
7004 Val-Monte, Guntersville, 256-582-4567
WEST END GRILL
6610 Old Madison Pike, Huntsville, 256-722-8040.
WILD FLOUR BISTRO
600 Jordan Lane NW, Huntsville (shopping center,
corner of Holmes and Jordan). 256-536-0939.
WINGS SPORTS GRILLE
4250 Balmoral Dr. SW, Huntsville, 256-881-8878.
www.wingssportsgrille.com
ALABAMA BREAD COMPANY
975 Airport Rd., Huntsville, 256-882-2010.
CAFE BABA
5000 Whitesburg, Huntsville, 256-519-2323.
CAFE DOMAIN
6585 Hwy 431 S, Ste. C, Huntsville, 256-882-6747
COFFEE CREATIONS
616 HWY 31, S ATHENS, AL 35611
COFFEE AND TEA COMPANY
Madison Square Mall University Dr.
Huntsville 256-837-7085
COFFEE TREE BOOKS & BREW, THE
7900 Bailey Cove Rd., Huntsville, 256-880-6464
COTTON ROW MARKET
109 Washington Street, Huntsville, 256-704-5555.
(breakfast & lunch). www.washingtonsq.com/
cottonrow.htm
TERRY’S PIZZA (3 Huntsville locations)
9034 Memorial Pkwy S, 256-881-5987
3612 Governors Dr, 256-536-3389 and
2514 Memorial Pkwy N, 256-539-3467
KAFFEEKLATSCH
103 Jefferson Street, Huntsville, 256-536-7993.
CAJUN CAFE
704 Hwy 231 Lacey’s Spring 256-650-5586
PO BOY FACTORY
815 Andrew Jackson Way, Huntsville (in Five
Points) 256-539-3616.
TIM’S CAJUN KITCHEN
114 Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-533-7589.
PAPOU’S
110 South Side Square, Huntsville, 256-534-5553
Greek Restaurant, Lunch & Dinner, Full Bar.
SAZIO
Corner of Pratt & Russell, Huntsville, 256-327-5555
Mediterranean Cuisine, Full Bar, Patio Dining
BELLACINO’S PIZZA & GRINDERS (3 locations)
4851 Whitesburg Dr, 256-880-8656
8572 Madison Blvd, Madison, 256-774-1918
11700 N So Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-6504648
BIG ED’S PIZZERIA
721 Clinton Avenue, Huntsville, 256-536-2872
CHEEBURGER, CHEEBURGER (3 locations)
5000 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, 256-885-3700
300 Hughes Rd, Madison, 256-464-9990
Providence Main, Huntsville
DUFFY’S DELI
2324 Whitesburg, Huntsville, 256-533-4179
McALLISTER’S DELI (2 Huntsville locations)
4800 Whitesburg Drive S, 256-880-1557 and
1480 Perimeter Pkwy, 256-425-0034. Appetizers,
Salads, Sandwiches, Spuds & Desserts. Kid’s Menu.
TONY’S ITALIAN DELI
119 James Madison Drive SW
Huntsville, 256-772-4448
SCHLOTZSKY’S DELI (2 Huntsville locations)
4319 University Drive NW, 256-830-6400
11120 Memorial Pkwy SW, 256-650-6300
8969 Hwy. 20, Madison, 256-464-5300
SOUL BURGER
2900 Triana Blvd. SW, Huntsville, 256-534-8585
STANLIEO’S SUB VILLA (2 Huntsville locations)
605 Jordan Lane, 256-837-7220
602 Governors Drive, 256-536-6585
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
BB PERRINS
608 Holly St, NE, Decatur, 256-355-0980
CLEM’S BBQ & FISHERY
3700 Blue Spring Road NW
DREAMLAND
3855 University Dr., Huntsville 256-539-7427
GIBSON BARBECUE (3 Huntsville locations)
3319 Memorial Pkwy., Huntsville, 256-881-4851
8412 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, 256-882-0841
735 Hwy 72 E, Huntsville, 256-852-9882
1715 6th Ave., SE, Decatur, 256-350-6969
MERIDIANVILLE BAR-B-QUE
11537 Hwy. 231N., Meridianville, 256-828-3725
OLE HICKORY PIT BBQ
5061 Maysville Road
New Market, 256-859-2824
ROCKABILLY’S SMOKEHOUSE GRILL
255 Pratt Ave., Huntsville, 256-489-1831
Smokey’s Barbeque
8073 Hwy 72, W, Madison
256-721-0300
Thomas Pit BBQ
Hwy 72 ,W, Madison
256-837-4900
BLUE PLATE CAFE
3210 Governors Drive, Huntsville, 256-533-8808
ERNEY’S
1605 Pulaski Pike NW
Huntsville, (256) 533-5734
G’S COUNTRY KITCHEN
2501 Oakwood Dr., Huntsville, 256-533-3034
MULLIN’S
607 Andrew Jackson, Huntsville, 256-539-2826
ROLO’S CAFE
505 Airport Rd., Huntsville, 256-883-7656
TROTTER’S
3021 Thornton Taylor Pkwy., Fayetteville, TN
(inside Best Western Hotel) 931-433-3871
BANDITO BURRITO (2 locations)
3017 Governors Dr SW, Huntsville, 256-534-0866
208 Main St., Madison, 256-461-8999
CASA BLANCA MEXICAN RESTAURANT
(4 locations)
7830 Hwy 72 W, Ste 230, Madison 256-864-0360
140 Browns Ferry Rd, Madison 256-464-6044
7900 Bailey Cove Rd, Huntsville 256-883-4447
1802 Hwy 72 E, Ste D, Athens 256-771-0130
EL MARIACHI (3 locations)
14450 Hwy 231/431 N Hazel Green, 256-828-1466
1836 Winchester Road, Huntsville 256-851-7255
7193 Hwy 72 W, Madison, 256-890-0900
EL PALACIO
2008 Memorial Pkwy SW, Huntsville 256-539-6075
GARIBALDI’S
2107 Old Blue Spring Rd. Hsv 256-851-7394
GUADALAJARA MEXICAN RESTAURANTS
11208 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville
256-882-7311 &
8572 Madison Blvd, 256-774-1401
Continued On Page 25
#020906030106
THE VALLEY PLANET
LISTINGS
LA ALAMEDA
3807 University Drive NW
LITTLE ROSIE’S TAQUERIA
4781 Whitesburg Dr S, Huntsville, 256-882-0014
PEPITO’S
3508 Mem. Pkwy. S, Hsv
256-858-0059
QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL
4800 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville 256-489-1367
ROSIE’S MEXICAN CANTINA
(2 Huntsville locations)
6125 University Drive, 256-922-1001
7540 S. Memorial Pkwy, 256-382-3232
CARRABAS
Parkway Place Mall
ITALIAN PIE
5000 Whitesburg Dr, Huntsville, 256-883-9112
LA STRADA
12824 Hwy 431, Guntersville. European cuisine.
256-582-2250. www.lastradabama.com
LUCIANO
964 Airport Road SW, Huntsville, 256-885-0505
RICATONI’S ITALIAN GRILL
107 N. Court St., Florence, 256-718-1002
ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL
5901 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-722-4770
TELLINI’S CAFE & GRILL
4855 Whitesburg Dr. Hsv
256-881-9155
EDO JAPANESE RESTAURANT
104 N. Intercom Drive, Madison, 256-772-0360
MIKATO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE & LOUNGE
4061 Independence Dr. NW, Huntsville, (one block
N. of University on Jordan Ln.), 256-830-1700.
MIKAWA RESTAURANT
1010 Heathland Dr, Huntsville, 256-837-7440.
MIWON JAPANESE RESTAURANT
404 Jordan Lane NW
MIYAKO
10013 South Parkway
256-880-9879
NIKKO JAPANESE RESTAURANT
6565 Hwy. 431, Hampton Cove, 256-536-3690
SHO GUN JAPANESE STEAK & SUSHI BAR
3991 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-534-3000.
TOKYO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE & SUSHI BAR
1105 Wayne Road, Huntsville, 256-217-1719
MAMA FU’S ASIAN HOUSE
6920 University Dr. Huntsville, 256-830-4433
SURIN OF THAILAND
975 Airport Rd SW, Huntsville, 256-213-9866
THAI GARDEN RESTAURANT
800 Wellman Ave. NE, Huntsville, 256-534-0122
CHINA MOON
11700 S Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-880-2626
DING HOW II
4800 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, 256-880-8883
JADE PALACE
4925 University Drive NW, Huntsville,
256-830-2458
TAI PAN PALACE
2012 Mem. Pkwy, S, Hsv
256-539-5797
DEUTSCHE KUCHE
418 Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-534-4807.
Authentic
HILDEGARD’S
2357 Whitesburg Dr., Hsv
256-512-9776
OL HEIDELBERG CAFÉ
6125 University Drive NW E14, Huntsville,
(shopping center next to Rosie’s), 256-992-0556.
THE VALLEY PLANET
TASTE OF D’ISLANDS
2105 Mastin Lake Road, Huntsville, 256-851-9262.
CASA MONTEGO INTERNATIONAL LOUNGE
2117 Jonathan Drive, Huntsville, 256-858-9187.
2ND STREET MUSIC HALL
208 2nd Street, Gadsden 256-547-0010
3RD BASE GRILL
ADRIAN’S
1405 Sunset Drive, Guntersville, 256-582-3106
ALABAMA ROADHOUSE
7908 Memorial Parkway S.
256-880-2525
ALLEN’S GRILLE & GROG
9076 Madison Blvd, Madison, 256-772-8514.
THE BARN
2510 Ready Section Road, corner of Pulaski Pike,
Toney
BENCHWARMER FOOD & SPIRITS
2998 University Drive, Huntsville 256-539-6268.
www.benchwarmersportsbar.com.
BENCHWARMER, TOO!
BILLIARD STREET CAFE
BLACK WATER HATTIE’S
10000 S. Memorial Pkwy. 256-489-3333.
BLUE PARROT MARTINI & CIGAR LOUNGE
7001 Val-Monte Drive, Covenant Cove Resort,
Guntersville, 256-582-0930.
www.covenantcove.com/parrot.htm
BOBBY G’S PLACE
1009 Henderson Road, 256-837-4728
BRICK DELI & TAVERN, THE
209-A 2nd Ave. SE, Decatur
256-355-8318.
CHARLOTTE’S PLACE
1117 Jordan Ln.
CHIPS & SALSA CANTINA
10300 Bailey Cove Rd SE Huntsville, 256-880-1202.
CLUB MIRAGE
4701 Meridian Street, Huntsville, 256-851-2920.
COPPER TOP BAR & GRILL
200 Q Oakwood Ave., Huntsville, 256-536-1150
Formerly Zesto’s in Five Points. Appetizers,
sandwiches & more. Karaoke & Live Music
CORNER GRILL & PUB, THE
(2 Huntsville locations)
10300 Bailey Cove Road SE, 256-880-2103.
129-A Old Highway 431,Hampton Cove
CROSSROADS, THE
721 Clinton Ave, Huntsville, 256-533-3393. Live
Music 7 nights. www.crossroadsmusic.biz
EMBER CLUB
Live Music.
END ZONE, THE
FINNEGAN’S PUB
3310 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville, 256-881-9732
FREDDY’S
4070 Mem. Pkwy South Huntsville 35802
256-880-2590
Corner of Golf Rd. & The Paekway
New Restaurant with a New Attitude!
FURNITURE FACTORY BAR & GRILL
619 Meridian Street N, Huntsville (just north of
Downtown), 256-539-8001.
GOAL POST, THE
3305 Bob Wallace Ave, Huntsville, 256-489-0055.
11am-2am daily.
HARD DOCK CAFE
3755 U.S. Hwy. 31, Decatur, 256-340-9234
HALF TIME BAR AND GRILL
8873 Highway 72 W, Madison, 256-430-0266
HOG WILD SALOON
2407 Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-533-7446
HOOTERS
HOPPER’S
Holiday Inn-Research Park, 5903 University Drive,
256-830-0600
HUMPHREY’S BAR & GRILL
109 Washington Square, Huntsville, 256-704-5555.
Beef, seafood, sandwiches. Come for the food
– Stay for the Fun. Best Patio in Huntsville. Happy
Hour every day 11 am – 6 pm. Live music every
night, no cover. Open 11 am – 2 am everyday.
#020906030106
INSOMNIA
6402 Hwy 72, W
JEMISON’S EATERY & PUB
350-A Market St. NE, Decatur, 256-351-0300.
JUDGE CRATER’S PUB & GRILL
110 Southside Square, Huntsville 256-534-6116
KAFFEEKLATSCH @NIGHT
Live Music nightly.
LICK SKILLET MUSIC BARN
1801 Charity Lane, Hazel Green, 256-828-5666.
Alcohol-free environment. www.lickskilletmusic
barn.com
THE MAIN OFFICE
Hwy 231/431, Hazel Green, 256-829-9100
MARTINI’S OF MADISON
Ramada Inn, 8716 Madison Blvd, Madison,
256-772-0701.
MOODY MONDAYS
718 Church St, Huntsville, 256-533-4005
NIKKO JAPANESE RESTAURANT
6565 Hwy. 431, Hampton Cove, 256-536-3690
OTTER’S
Marriott Hotel, 5 Tranquility Base, Huntsville
256-830-2222.
PEANUT FACTORY BAR & GRILL
903 Memorial Pkwy NW, Huntsville, 256-534-7092.
PHILBY’S POURHOUSE
PINHOOK CREEK YACHT CLUB
2704 Johnson Road, Huntsville, 256-880-3714.
ROCKABILLY’S SMOKEHOUSE GRILL
255 Pratt Avenue, Huntsville, 256-489-1831.
BBQ, ribs, chicken & burgers. Full Bar & LIve Music
ROSEBERRY PUB & GRILL
Hwy 67 Scottsboro
256-574-4231
RUGGBY’S
SAMMY’S LIVE
2322 Memorial Parkway, S
SAMMY T’S MUSIC HALL
116 Washington Street, 256-539-9974.
www.sammytsplace.com
SANDY’S ROADHOUSE
12740 Hwy. 431 S, Guntersville, 256-571-0450.
THE SHACK
105 Swancott Road, Triana 256-461-0227. The bar
that never closes!
SPORTS PAGE LOUNGE & DELI
THE STATION
8694 Madison Blvd., Madison, 256-325-1333.
STEVE’S BILLIARDS & LOUNGE
2322 Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-539-8919.
TABU & THE VIP ROOM
7200 Governors West, Huntsville, 256-830-1233.
www.theentertainmentcomplexhsv.com
T-BIRDS CAFE
1792 Hwy. 72 East, Huntsville, 256-852-9191.
TWILIGHT ZONE
2140 Gunter Ave. in the Holiday Inn,Guntersville,
256-582-2220
UPSCALE
2021 Golf Rd, Huntsville, 256-881-8820
www.clubupscale.com
VISIONS
6404 University Dr. NW, Huntsville, 256-722-8247
WINGS SPORTS GRILLE
4250 Balmoral Dr. SW, Huntsville, 256-881-8878.
www.wingssportsgrille.com
5 POINTS GALLERY
401 Pratt Ave. NE, 256-539-9658
801 FRANKLIN
801 Franklin Street, Huntsville, (Downtown by
Medical Center), 256-519-8019. Dine with fine art.
www.801franklin.com.
ATHENS ST. STUDENT UNION ART GALLERY
300 N. Beaty St., Athens, Athens State University,
800-522-0272
ARTISTIC IMAGES
2115 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, 256-534-3968.
www.artisticimagesgallery.com
CAROLE FORET FINE ART
206 West Market St., Downtown Square, Athens
256-232-2521. www.caroleforet.com
DRAGONFLY GALLERY & DESIGN
125 Main Ave. S., Fayetteville, TN, 931-433-3024
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
25
April Fool’s Day.) (3) The Washington
Post found in December that the D.C.
medical examiner’s backlog of autopsies
stood at 1,038, including 84 homicides
more than a year old.
Chuck Shepherd, photo Bob
Baggett Photography
Dave “The Dragon” Lockwood and
his tournament-tested sons, Max, 16,
Jon, 13, and Ben, 10, of Silver Spring,
Md., might become to competitive
tiddlywinks what the Manning family of
quarterbacks is to football, according to a
January Washington Post story. Dave was
previously ranked No. 1 in the English
Tiddlywinks Association (and is currently
No. 8, with Max No. 52). “Tiddlywinks
doesn’t sound very serious,” said Max,
but “(t)here’s so much strategy.” (For the
uninformed: You mash a “squidger” down
on a “wink” to propel it either into the
“pot” or to “squop” it onto an opponent’s
wink to temporarily disable it.) Dave said
he plans to get Britain’s Prince Philip,
a winker, to suggest tiddlywinks as a
demonstration “sport” at London’s 2012
Summer Olympics.
Cultural Diversity
In November, the military ruler of
Myanmar, Gen. Than Shwe, ordered his
entire government to immediately pack
up and move from Rangoon to a new
capital 200 miles away in the small town
of Pyinmana, based on dire warnings from
his astrologer (though the move had been
long-rumored). (Myanmar/Burma has a
history with astrology and numerology,
and in fact, democracy activists purposely
commenced their most propitious
demonstrations on Aug. 8, 1988, at 8:08
a.m.) Shwe was just named the world’s
third-worst dictator by Parade magazine.
Catholic Monsignor Isidore Rozycki,
attending a gala opening, blessed the
city’s new Hooters restaurant.
Evangelical Christian minister Rob
Schenck and two colleagues entered a
U.S. Senate hearing room the day before
the January confirmation hearings for
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and
daubed each seat with “holy oil” to bless
the proceedings, saying that things had
gone well when they had done the same
thing for Chief Justice Roberts’ hearings.
“God ... is interested in what goes on”
there, Rev. Schenck told a Wall Street
Journal reporter.
Questionable Judgments
Illinois Sentencing Guidelines: (1) Judges
in Springfield, Ill., twice failed to order
jail time in November for Jason Holman,
27, for the two latest of his 185 traffic
tickets, opting merely for what amounted
to probation. (2) After a Jacksonville,
Ill., judge, in September, gave Oscar
Cushionberry, 49, three years in jail for a
probation violation, the prosecutor praised
the judge for finally sending Cushionberry
“a message that, at some point in time,
you run out of options,” that one only
gets “so many chances at probation.”
In the past 10 years, Cushionberry has
93 arrests and 29 convictions (including
some felonies).
Recent News About the Scottish Meal
That Melts on the Tongue: In September
in Bethlehem, Pa., the annual haggiseating contest was won by Darren Lucey
of Brooklyn, N.Y. (1-1/2 pounds in 2
minutes), but the only female entrant,
slow-eating Joanne Shaver, said she
competed only to get the free haggis,
which she loves. (Haggis is sheep stomach
stuffed with tongue, heart, liver, oats and
onions, best served at the enticing color
of gray.)
The University of Florida announced
in January it would provide health care
and other benefits to domestic partners of
their employees, provided the employee
certifies that the pair are having sex
(specifically, having a “non-platonic”
relationship). A University human
resources official said such a pledge is
“increasingly standard” in domesticpartner programs, even though married
couples are not required to certify that
they actually have sex.
Oops!
(1) Hunter Raybon E. Upton was tracked
down and rescued by his worried wife
near Mount Holly, Ark., in December,
after he spent almost nine hours hanging
upside down from branches following
his entanglement in his tree stand. He
was hospitalized with hypothermia and
required surgery. (2) A fire rescue officer
had to pull Australian Robin Toom, 38,
out of a commercial washing machine in
Townsville, Queensland, in January after
he got stuck while playing hide-and-seek
with his kids.
Latest Religious Messages
In January, an Anglican church vicar
in Cambridge, England, commenced
twice-monthly services for goths (with
black garments and rock music) at his St.
Edward King and Martyr church. Vicar
Martin Ramshaw, 34, said he is a goth
himself and reports that his dozen or so
worshippers go straight from services
to a goth nightclub. (He will soon issue
goth T-shirts with Jesus speaking, “If the
world hates you, remember, it hated me
first.”) And in Waco, Texas, in January,
in another congregation-building move,
The District of Calamity
(1) In a Washington, D.C., pedestrian
tragedy in December, prominent urban
designer Charles Atherton, 73, was fatally
struck down by a driver, but then when
paramedics arrived, they discovered that
D.C. police had already been there and
had issued Atherton a $5 jaywalking
ticket. (2) In December, a special
committee of the D.C. Council, seeking to
move the annual Martin Luther King Day
parade from January to a warmer date,
chose “April 1.” (Committee members
later said they never realized that that was
The traditional Norwegian dish of
smalahove is smoked sheep’s head with
all parts except the skull itself counted as
delicacies. Especially tasty are the eyes,
said a restaurateur quoted in a November
Agence France-Presse dispatch from
Voss, Norway, since they are the
most-used muscles in the face: “(Eye)
just melts on the tongue.” A visiting
Englishman, served eyes, lips, tongue and
ears, remarked that it is “a bit of a visual
challenge, but the meat is very good.”
26
Least Competent Criminals
Techno Wizards: (1) Boris Alvarado, 31,
was arrested in September and charged
with violating his Texas probation for
a 2004 conviction for soliciting an
underage girl online for sex. Alvarado
made it easy for investigators because
he was still using the same screen name
he had used in 2004. (2) Ten people were
arrested on counterfeiting charges in
Phoenix in November, helped along when
two of them brought a computer printer to
a shop for repair, and technicians found
it clogged with counterfeit money. [Press
release of Attorney General of Texas, 920-05] [Arizona Republic, 11-15-05]
Update on Fetishes
(1) The bestiality count News of the Weird
reported in October against mortgage
broker Brendan McMahon in Sydney,
Australia, was dropped in November, but
McMahon is still charged with abusing
rabbits in other ways. A court psychiatrist
said McMahon probably genuinely
believed he was helping the rabbits.
(2) Former Oklahoma district judge
Donald Thompson was finally scheduled
for arraignment in January, 12 months
after he was charged with indecency for
allegedly using a noisy masturbation aid
under his robes during trials and other
court business. An additional count was
recently filed based on a court reporter’s
statement that she saw him shaving his
pubic hair during a trial.
The Only Way Out
Twice recently came news reports of
people attempting suicide by sticking their
heads in toilets: a 23-year-old woman
being held in Chicago for three murders
and using her cell’s toilet (unsuccessful),
and a man being held on a murder
charge in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., in
December (successful, in that his head
lodged in the toilet during flushing). And
in Belmont, N.H., in January, a suicidal
man was successful with his elaborate,
homemade guillotine, although the blade
merely left a gash in his neck, causing
him to slowly bleed to death. (He also had
wired fire bombs to burn down the house
as he died, but he apparently forgot to flip
the electrical trigger before the guillotine
came down.)
Ms. Sierra Stiles, age 8, was credited
with the first bear kill in Maryland in the
limited October hunting season, downing
a 211-pounder from 50 yards away with
her .243-caliber rifle. (She had won one of
the lottery-awarded permits and then aced
the safety test.) And according to a Seattle
Post-Intelligencer profile in January,
Aidan Gold, age 8, of Bothell, Wash.,
recently climbed a 20,300-foot peak on
Mount Everest in the Himalayas with his
dad, adding to his previous climbs in the
Cascades and the Alps. Aidan said the last
part of the Everest climb (a 45-degree
stretch of rock and ice) was “the (hardest)
3,000 feet I’ve ever done.”
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
Katie’s Pet Depot in La Verne, Calif.,
is one of the few grooming salons in
the country for rats, according to an
October Associated Press report. A
special $10 treatment includes lustrouscoat shampooing, claw-clipping and flea
and mite treatment, and employee Karri
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
#020906030106
Garrison said the claw-clipping is the
hardest: “They have very small feet.”
Opportunities in Toilet Paper: (1) Rev.
Rick Oliver of the First Church of God
in Pendleton, Ore., decided last fall that
the church’s new fund-raising campaign
would involve sales of toilet paper,
specifically the upscale brand Angel
Soft. (2) The Portuguese paper producer
Renova introduced black toilet paper in
France last fall (and expect to introduce
it in the U.S. soon). A Renova statement
called the tissue “elegant, rebellious,
alternative and eternally fashionable.”
Animals With Issues
In October in Louisburg, Kan., and
January in Eau Claire, Wis., cats went
missing after hiding behind drywall being
installed in houses, eventually getting
sealed in. The unnamed Kansas cat was in
for three weeks before workers returned
and heard an intrawall shuffling noise,
and “Mary Poppins” in Wisconsin moved
between walls and ceiling for five days
before homeowners tracked her down
with thermal imaging equipment.
China’s Xinhua news agency reported
in October that Ai Ai, the veteran chimp
at the safari park in Shaanxi province,
who is 27 years old and who started
smoking cigarette butts at age 11 when
her first mate died, has finally kicked her
nicotine habit. Zoo officials attributed her
success to distractions such as exercise,
music (via a Walkman “borrowed” from
a keeper), and better food, such as fried
dishes and dumplings.
Pigs Fighting for Respect: Pigs’
personalities are distributed much like
humans’, according to patiently observant
British researcher Niamh O’Connell
(interviewed for a November story in
London’s Daily Telegraph). Except for
the largest ones, pigs are of two types:
pushy ones that always fight for food and
choice sleeping space, and meek ones
that avoid confrontations. According
to O’Connell, the aggressive ones have
higher stress levels and make poorer
parents, and besides, they ultimately lose
out when they challenge the alpha pigs.
Oops!
(1) Mike Bolognue opened what he
believes is the only alcohol-free “sports
bar” in America, in Plain Township,
Ohio, near Akron. It was unintentional.
He had already invested $560,000 in the
bar before he realized that it was located
in a dry district. (However, voters can
un-dry the district on a ballot question in
May.) (2) And in December, a typist for
the Japanese bank Mizuho Securities hit
the wrong keys and sold about 600,000
shares of an expensive stock that Mizuho
owned only 1 share of, making the firm
liable for the equivalent of more than
$225 million. (The Tokyo Stock Exchange
pressured some company buyers to cancel
their purchases, but individuals got to sell
their purchases back to Mizuho at a huge
profit.)
Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd
P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679
or WeirdNews@earthlink.net
or go to www.NewsoftheWeird.com.)
COPYRIGHT 2004 CHUCK SHEPHERD
DISTRIBUTED BY
UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111;
(816) 932-6600
THE VALLEY PLANET
The Valley Planet Music Exchange is FREE to any individual looking to buy, sell, trade or find bandmates. You get a headline and 3 lines of text for the low, low price of
nothing. If you wish to embellish your ad further, say, with a small photo (add $5) or more words (add $1 per line), it’s up to you. Now, if you are a business, you gotta
pay a little something, $12 per column inch. Please call Jill Wood at (256) 533-4613 if you would like to put your business in the Exchange. Email your ads to classifieds
@valleyplanet.com or send them by snail mail to Music Exchange,203 Grove Ave. Huntsville AL, 35801. NO AD WILL RUN UNTIL PAYMENT HAS BEEN RECEIVED!
MUSIC EXCHANGE
Wanted, exp. lead guitarist
Call George @ 337-9856
Professional Drummer
Versatile Styles
Chris @ 227-6490
Torin Asunder
Death Metal Band
Jay @ 783-3176
Wanted, members for a
Christian Band
Contact 256-716-3731 or
hidmuzac1@yahoo.com
CLASSICAL GUITAR
AND LUTE New to
Huntsville; exp teacher/
performer
Michael Poulos, BM, MM
539.6838
DRUMMER
Looking to start or join open
minded musicians to play
prog. Alt-rock 232-7505 &
Voyage2Infinity@aol.com
Bassist & drummer for
accoustic/electric band
Rod @ 759-1919
Wanted, free ads to put here,
send to
classifieds@valleyplanet.com
Guitarist
Looking For A Band Classic
Rock From A-Z
New Music Too
call Mike@603-7937 or
Leave Message@776-9749
For sale
Audio-Technica Headset Mic,
Model ATM 75-$125, 881-0755
1983 Tama Imperialstar
drumkit Contact Adam Jackson
@ 256-233-2118/431-5130
adam_jackson80@yahoo.com
WANTED: Upright bass player
for Rockabilly Trio. I have the
bass if you can play it. Slapping
a must. We already have gigs
waiting. Call Matt @ 256-5666330.
Hampton Cove Golf Course
has openings for restaurant
servers/. Apply in person at 450
Old Hwy. 431 S. in Hampton
Cove or call
551-1818.
LISTINGS
HUNTSVILLE ART LEAGUE GALLERY
3005 L&N Drive, Suite 2, Huntsville, 256-534-3860.
Monday-Saturday 10 am - 6 pm; Sunday 1-4 pm.
www.huntsvilleartleague.org.
HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART
300 Church Street So. in Big Spring International
Park, Huntsville. Gen. admission fee is $7 for nonmembers. Discounts for seniors over 60, military,
students with a valid ID, and groups of 10 or more.
Admission is half-price for non-members on Thurs
nights. Members & children <6 free. Hours 1-5pm.
HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART (cont’d)
Sunday; 10am-5pm. Mon-Sat; extended hours on
Th 5-8 pm. Call 256-535-4350 or
1-800-786-9095, or visit www.hsvmuseum.org.
KP ARTS(Co-op Gallery)
100 North Main, Fayetteville, TN (on the square).
LADAGE ARTISTRY
321 S. Jefferson, Athens,256-216-0039.
http://ladage.dews.net.
MERIDIAN ARTS (2 locations)
305-A Jefferson Street, Huntsville, 256-534-7475.
M-F: 10 am – 6 pm, Sat: 10 am – 4pm; and
370 Little Cove Road, Gurley, AL, 256-7764300. Tu-F: 10 am – 6 pm, Sat: 10 am – 4 pm.
www.Meridianarts.net.
MONDO DE TATUAGE GALLERY
Corner of 6th Ave. and 7th St., Decatur
256-306-9099.
MVAC FINE ARTS GALLERY
300 Gunter Ave.,Guntersville, 256-582-1454.
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-4, Sat 10-3.
http://mountainvalleyartscouncil.org
SIGNATURE GALLERY
2364 Whitesburg Drive S, Huntsville,
256-536-1960.
TWO FEATHERS NATIVE AMERICAN GALLERY
7529-A S. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-8820078.
THE VALLEY PLANET
Billy Joe Cooley
Call Now:
(256) 534-8888
Email:
bilco@hiwaay.net
America’s Storyteller
Dates Available for
Banquet Speaker, Humorist
Church Groups, Civic Clubs
Billy Joe Cooley, 115 W. Clinton Ave., Suite 405, Huntsville, AL 35801
BROADWAY THEATRE LEAGUE
700 Monroe St. Suite 410, Huntsville
(all performances held at Von Braun Center)
256-518-6155. www.btleague.org
HARRISON BROTHERS HARDWARE
124 Southside Square, Huntsville, 256-536-3631.
UNIVERSITY CENTER ART GALLERY
University of Alabama in Huntsville, 256-824-1000
UPTOWN GALLERY
1220 South Memorial Parkway, Huntsville 256880-2044. www.uptowngallery.com
WHITNEY DAVIDSON GALLERY
501 Church Street NW, Huntsville, 256-539-0063
WILLIS GRAY GALLERY
211 B Second Ave. SE, Decatur, 256-355-7616
ALABAMA CONSTITUTION VILLAGE
109 Gates Ave., Huntsville, 256-564-8100. Open
daily, 9 am - 5 pm, except Sundays.
AMERICAN INDIAN MUSEUM
2003 Poole Drive NW, Huntsville, 256-852-4524.
www.american-indian-museum.com
BURRITT ON THE MOUNTAIN:
A LIVING MUSEUM
3101 Burritt Drive SE, Huntsville, 256-536-2882.
Summer Hours (April - Oct): Tues- Sat 9am to 5pm
Sun noon to 5 pm. Regular Adm. fee is $5 adult,
$4 senior, military & students, $3 child (children
under 2, free). www.burrittmuseum.com
CATHEDRAL CAVERNS STATE PARK
637 Cave Road, Woodville. 256-728-8193 Open
daily at 10 am.
CLAY HOUSE MUSEUM
16 Main Street, Madison 256-325-1018. Tour this
antebellum home with “A Walk Through Time”, 100
years of decorative style from 1850 - 1950 featuring Noritake Porcelain.
COVENANT COVE RESORT & MARINA
7001 Val-Monte Drive, Guntersville
256-582-1000 or 888-288-COVE.
www.covenantcove.com
EARLYWORKS MUSEUM COMPLEX
404 Madison Street SE, Huntsville, 256-564-8100.
GORHAM’S BLUFF
Pisgah, 256-451-ARTS. The Gorham’s Bluff
Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to
providing arts and cultural activities to Jackson
County and Northeast Alabama.
HARMONY PARK SAFARI
431 Clouds Cove Road, New Hope. 1-8777ANIMAL. Drive through animal exhibits. Open
March through November.
#020906030106
ARS NOVA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
7908C Charlotte Drive, Huntsville, 256-883-1105.
www.arsnovahsv.com
Alabama’s oldest hardware store.
FANTASY PLAYHOUSE CHILDREN’S THEATRE
3312 Long Avenue SW, Huntsville, 256-539-6829
HUNTSVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN
4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville,
256-830-4447. The 110-acre garden is open yearround. Summer Hours, Memorial Day through
Labor Day: M-Sat, 9am-8pm; Sun, 1–8pm. $8
Adults, $6 Senior or Military, $3 Children ages 318.www.hsvbg.org.
FLYING MONKEY ARTS CENTER
2211 Seminole Drive, Huntsville, 256-489-7000
Flying Monkey Arts Center is a not for profit
community arts collective that encourages,
supports and promotes the arts. www.flyingmon
keyarts.org
HUNTSVILLE STARS
Joe W. Davis Stadium, 3125 Leeman Ferry Rd,
Huntsville, 256-882-2562.
FOOTLIGHTS COMMUNITY THEATER
302 Hoffman St. Athens, 256-216-0903
www.footlightstheater.org
Footlights@footlightstheater.org
HUNTSVILLE HAVOC
Professional Hockey, Eastern Hockey League. 700
Monroe Street. Huntsville, AL 35801 (256) 5186160.
HUNTSVILLE BALLET COMPANY
800 Regal Drive SW, Huntsville, 256-539-0961
THE LAND TRUST TRAILS
Bankhead Pkwy., Huntsville, 256-534-LAND
Year-round hiking on 547 acres of Monte Sano
preserve. www.landtrust-hsv.org
MONTE SANO STATE PARK
5015 Nolen Ave., Huntsville, 256-534-3757
SCI-QUEST
102-D Wynn Drive, Huntsville, 256-837-0606.
An exciting hands-on science center.
www.sci-quest.org
TENNESSEE VALLEY RAPTORS
Arena Football, American Conference Southern
Division. 700 Monroe St, Huntsville, VBC, 256-5513240. www.vipersaf2.com
THREE CAVES
Directions: Off California St., turn onto Hermitage,
left onto Kennemer Dr. Call The Land Trust at (256)
534-5263 to reserve your spot on a public cave
tour or to arrange a private tour for your group.
US SPACE & ROCKET CENTER
1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, 256-837-3400. Open
9am-5pm year round except for Thanksgiving,
Christmas Eve and Day, and New Year’s Eve and
Day. Admissions: Museum only – Adults $12 &
Child 3-12 $8, www.spacecamp.com
VON BRAUN CENTER
700 Monroe St. Huntsville, 256-533-1953. Check
calendar for events. www.vonbrauncenter.com
THE WEEDEN HOUSE
300 Gates Avenue SE, Huntsville, 256-536-7718
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2
HUNTSVILLE COMMUNITY CHORUS
3312 Long Avenue, Fantasy Arts Center, Huntsville,
256-533-6606
HUNTSVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
North Side Von Braun Center, Huntsville 256-5394818.
LOWE MILL
2211 Seminole Dr., Huntsville, Art, Music, Film and
Poetry. See Calendar for Event Dates
RENAISSANCE THEATRE AT LINCOLN CENTER
1214 Meridian Street N, Huntsville, 256-536-3434.
www.renaissancetheatre.net
THEATRE HUNTSVILLE
Business Office. 1701 University Dr, Suite 1,
Huntsville, 256-536-0807. www.theatrehsv.org.
CARMIKE CINEMAS
1359 Old Monrovia Road, Huntsville,
256-430-0770.
607 Fourteenth Street, Decatur, 256-350-0935
www.carmike.com.
FUNTASIA FAMILY FUN CTR.
2016 N. Mem. Pkwy Huntsville
256-536-0676
MADISON BOWLING CENTER
8661 Hwy 72 W, Madison, 256-722-0015.
MONARCH LANES
2009 Bob Wallace, Huntsville, 256-534-9439.
PLAMOR LANES
2404 Leeman Ferry Rd., Huntsville, 256-539-2785
27
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47 - Valley Planet

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