37 - Valley Planet
Transcription
37 - Valley Planet
VALLEY PLANET READ THE PLANET IT’S FREE! #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM JULY 14 - AUGUST 4, 2005 40,000 Readers Inside This Issue Pulling Teeth Argh! Great Expectations They’re Here! Letter from the Publisher By Jill Wood Publishers Frankie Glassco Jill Wood Editor Calling all Valley Planet Readers. We need your voice, your time, your wisdom and your opinions. The Valley Planet is back. To keep this publication, website and our forums going, we need you to take a minute and make a difference. If you are a writer, please write. If you are an artist, please submit your art to us. If you have extra time, volunteer. If you have an opinion, voice it on our forums. You are all invited to join us on our birthday (The Valley Planet’s second) at Crossroads on July 24. Live music begins at 4 p.m. with local musicians like Marge Loveday, Dave Anderson, Marsha Morgan, Lacey Atchison, her husband Patrick Hogan, Bytchwater and others.. There are now 245 terrific locations that carry the Valley Planet. Let them know that you are glad they carry it. On the back page of this issue is a complete list of those locations. Let the venues know that you read about them in our publication. We need the advertisers. Your opinions are important, 40,000 readers can’t be wrong. Billy Joe Cooley Graphics & Layout Tommy Hodge Contributors Millie Dempsey Gabrielle Dempsey Ricky Thomason Linda Haynes Dr. Anarcho Steve Moulton Jim Sandoval Gary Adams Julie Blair Randy Shepherd Billy Joe Cooley Holly Dawn Hunter Milton A. Lamb, Jr. Allison Gregg Gray James Bridge Peter Abbott Susan Martinello Catherine Shearer Brandy Dean Genung Sam Sanderson The Valley Planet is printed for you by the good folks at Pulaski Web In Pulaski, TN. 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. OntheCover Gabrielle Dempsey has been painting and drawing since an early age, when her parents, Jack and Allyson Dempsey, both artists themselves, began teaching her. She currently teaches Classic Oil Painting at the Huntsville Art League. She can be reached at mariad@ipener.net Inside the Planet 3 Gossip 4 Unchained Maladies Music Calendar 5 Part 1: How to Download Content to your Cell Phone BOONDOCKS 6 DR. ANARCHO Journalist Goodman to Speak in Huntsville 7 Pulling Teeth 8 Vinny Rottino, A Huntsville Star 9 A Rememberance Holy Cow! Batman Begins 10 Spotlight on Music The Great Van Cliburn Concert Atlanta Percussionist 11 The Alabama Blues Brothers 12 Book Review, “Party of One: The Loner’s Manifesto” BOONDOCKS 17 Rockabilly’s becomes a full-scale bar and grill 18 They’re Here! The Deep End 22 Party of One: Great Expectations The Deep End 23 My Introduction to Huntsville Listings 25 BOONDOCKS 26 News of the Weird 27 Valley Planet Music Exchange BOONDOCKS 2 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET Millie Dempsey like her sister Gabrielle also began drawing and painting at an early age, when her parents, Jack and Allyson Dempsey, both artists themselves, began teaching her. Her approach is to render subjects in a realistic, yet expressive way. She can be reached at jdempart@hiwaay.net Gossip By Billy Joe Cooley I joined my Texas banker pal Louis Boatright, of La Marque, in terrorizing Nashville for a few days since I last wrote. We were in the army (ours) together a jillion years ago. Farewell to Dr. Gus Prosch, who died last month in Guntersville. We had been neighbors some years ago in Bridgeport. Minor Street auto mechanic Dehaan Gates was among the visitors this week at Floyd Hardin’s barber shop. And in walked pretty Brenda Burkett Elders with her hubby Buddy. Our galpal Helen Holmes Sockwell, who deals in real estate these days, had as holiday guests her kin from D.C., Diane Sockwell and daughter Tegan (who plays high school soccer). Talk about holiday hosts, some of the finest Fourth of July events we have attended were right here in the area, starting Saturday night when Willis and Charlene Deerman drove us up to a New Ground concert in the fancy Mountain Lakes Resort. Just the scenic ride alone would have been worth the trip. Meanwhile, our neighbor Gail Gallagher joined her friend Err Clowdell and zipped off to Birmingham for the fireworks and stuff. And Gail’s mama Jeanette is sporting around in a snazzy new car. Then on Sunday came a concert by the popular New Vision quartet at First Nazarene Church, followed by a picnic in Sharon Johnston Park. Vicky and Jimmy Jackson are among the event’s big motivators. And our publishers Jill Wood and Frankie Glassco, along with friends and kin, have returned from an exotic vacation away down south. Our teacher friends John and Joan Allen of Monte Sano have just returned from a Philadelphia seminar the exciting way. Their plane was delayed in Raleigh, so they rented the last car in town and drove home to Huntsville in 10 hours through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, including the great Ocoee National Forest. One problem, though, said John: “It was night and we couldn’t see a thing.” Our crowd gathered on the She was just a kid on Halsey Avenue when I last saw her (some 50 years ago). Guitar great Billy Lee still makes music around town when he’s not cutting hair in his barbershop at 805 Regal Dr, (next to Parkway City. He an his pretty wife Donna show up at some interesting functions. evening of the 4th at the impressive Madison farm of Jack and Barbara Vandiver, where some 200 of their neighbors and friends celebrate each Independence Day with an oldfashioned to-do that is second to none. State Rep. Ray Garner, County Commissioner Dale Strong and their families were amongst us. The fine baritone voice of Gaines Gravlee delivered The Star Spangled Banner, David Langley’s dad Dr. Ralph turned thanks and the good food was available in abundance. Happy trails! -----My current email address: bilco@hiwaay.net To read fun stories by Billy Joe Cooley and other southern writers go to www.DownHomeMagazine. com and still more at www. OldSouthernTimes.com THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 3 Unchained Maladies Ricky Thomason Writes Okay folks, once again it’s time for your tri-weekly ration of good ol’ homespun “humor” and small-town newspaper tattletale tidbits about - uh wait… what would we need with that? Let’s move on to whine about why no one wants to date my neurotic, hootchie-Gucci ass… Oh hell. Somebody’s done there and been that, too. C’mon, guys… have we been reduced to this? Paging Reverend Slim. Jeremy, dude -- where is the Liquid Meat when we need it? Guess I’ll have to do something else. I’ll just rant and rave for a while. You may read along if you want. This is an alternative rag, so we can make fun of you, and ourselves, and we can write whatever we damned well please until we’re fired, or can’t take it anymore. Yes, it usually is fun. A couple of months ago, with the price of crude oil headed for alltime highs, I predicted the extinction of gasoline for less than two bucks per gallon. It turned out that the price dipped one last time, so I was wrong – sort of – and readers wasted no time in telling me about it, as they should. But, just like the last time I thought I was wrong, it turned out I was right at the time – or at least “prematurely correct. The record price of crude has people, who really know what they’re talking about, proclaiming the two-dollar gasoline barrier is shattered forever. One didn’t need a little burning Bush to see that coming. What effects will that have on the economy and American life in general? Well, my fellow VP writers told me that since crude is at an alltime high, I would be worth much more, and should get a big raise. Not so, not yet, anyway. As for the effects on the rest of things, let me look into my Crystal bowl. (That would be a bowl of veinna sausages -- “Vi-ainees” for southerners -- completely dowsed with Crystal hot-sauce.) I see a day coming when the price of gasoline will make the Thursday July 14 Benchwarmer College Night w/Haven & Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) Benchwarmer too! College Night All you can drink draft! Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Coppertop Dan Harding Crossroads mina-mina Goodsong price of monster SUVs drop. I mean “drop” as in you’ll be able to buy one for 39 cents. Suits me. I don’t like the obnoxious things anyway. There is a psychological factor that will play a big part in this price drop; one gas passes $2.50 per gallon (and some say it will hit $3 per in the next twelve months) it will cost a crisp $100 bill to fill up the 40 gallon tank that some of those things sport. That’s going to hurt, no matter who you are. Shortly after that day, the car commercials will scream “Buy any new full size SUV by this weekend, and we’ll give you a free, prefattened, bon-bon eating soccer mom When it comes to any real leadership among Alabama politicians, if balls were dynamite, they wouldn’t have enough to blow off their own wieners. The hot sauce bowl tells me that these issues will start out being hotly debated in the next elections. Then the usual suspects will divert the usual simpletons with things cheap and shiny like constitutional amendments over burning flags, stopping marriages among those queers that God hates so much, and those fool-proven dingdong magnets: religious rocks and creationism. The earth isn’t but 6000 with cell phone already permanently attached to her head!” If you take the optional towing package, they’ll throw in a couple of those little curtain climbers, too. I see a day when the few thinking Americans we have left will once again raise a cry for a move toward renewable, alternative fuels like ethanol, and bio-diesel. I also see an oil industry that will tell their pocket president and personal politicians to tell the people who “elected” them to eff-off again -- and continue with bidness as usual. years old you know. The bowl tells me that creationists will get clever and offer themselves as proof positive that man has not and will never evolve beyond superstitious-savage level. I have to admit, when examined in the faint shadow of their own dim light, they are convincing, upright-walking arguments that the more things change, the more they stay the same, particularly here in Alabubba. I told one creationist that what came out of his mouth was fallacious. He turned red and said he might have known I’d have to bring Flying Monkey Arts Rockabilly’s Summer Nights and Waterfights Tour Open Mic Blues Jam Goal Post Ladie’s Night with Reckless Hog Wild Jim Cavender King Karaoke Hustle & Swing Dance Lessons Hopper’s Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Humphrey’s Kenny Acosta Jazz Factory Toy Shop Philby’s Pourhouse Andy & Sven sexual perversion into things. I replied that I was simply a cunning linguist. He fainted at that point -- but while he was out, his wife asked for my phone number. 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. Guntersville Boondock’s Sammy T’s Music Hall Live Music The Corner Karaoke The Corner (Hampton Cove) Lacey Atchison Friday July 15 Athens 801 Franklin Lake Ida Pub & Grill Frog Mountain Symphony Cheers Pub & Grill Greg Chambers & Keith Taylor Alabama Roadhouse Decatur Karaoke w/Joel Mullins Iguana Party Bama Babez Hard Dock The Brick Bo & Will American Legion Post 176 Benchwarmer 5 O’Clock Charlie 4 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET Part 1: How to download content to your cell phone Most people don¹t know how to download content to their cell phones. Nowthey can know. Depending on your cell phone service and handset, there are different ways of getting content to your phone. We will use the GSM carriers in this area Cingular, T-Mobile, and Corr Wireless as examples. These carriers offer internet service that allows you to browse the web and download content. You must first subscribe to your carrier’s internet service. Most carriers have content available that is specifically provided by them. If you download their content, a corresponding charge will show up on your monthly bill. On Nokia Series 40 phones, click on the menu button then scroll down to services and select your “carrier service.” Next, click on the options button and select “bookmarks.” Then click on the options button, scroll down to “new bookmark,” select it, add the address, and click “ok.” Finally, enter a title and click “ok,” and your bookmark is added. On the Sony Ericsson phone, click on the features button then, select your carrier service button. Next, click on the more button, select “bookmarks,” select “new bookmark” and click on add. Finally, enter a title and click “ok,” then enter an address and click “ok,” and your bookmark is saved. Werd Interactive is a locally based cell phone content provider. You can bookmark on your cell phone http://bango.net/!9373662453 to download games from Werd Interactive. For further information on this topic please visit http://www. werdinteractive.com/howto.html. On Nokia Series 60 phones, click on the carrier service button, then click on the ‘options’ button and select “bookmarks.” Next, click on the options button and scroll down to “add bookmark,” select it, then add the name and address. Finally, click on “options,” then “save,” and your bookmark is added. BOONDOCKS Now let us talk about getting content from other companies that might not be available on your carrier. When downloading content from sites that aren¹t specifically tied to your carrier, you will need to pay at the time of download. For this article we will talk about how to bookmark an address on various cell phones making it easy for you to download content from companies other than your carrier. The following are phone handsets used by the local GSM carriers: Benchwarmer too! Karaoke Hopper’s Philby’s Pourhouse Donnie Cox & Company Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Half Brass Lacey Atchison Coppertop Humphrey’s Rocket Scientist/The Swing Shift Fly By Radio Crossroads Jazz Factory Dance Here TBA Kaffeklatsch @ Night Halfdown Thomas & Witchdoctor’s Opera Flying Monkey Arts LickSkillet Music Barn Country Gold Express Band The Corner Dave Anderson Moody Monday’s The Corner (Hampton Cove) Big Daddy Kingfish Chocolate-Tini Night TOY SHOP DJ Grab Ass Charlestons, The Soviettes, Magazine Love Furniture Factory Short Bus Goal Post John Mitchell & Square One HDK Karaoke Olde Towne CoffeE Shoppe Alan Backer Rockabilly’s Sammy T’s Music Hall Sports Page Athens Greendoor Books Barry Kay Lake Ida Pub & Grill Richie & Deemer Decatur Hard Dock Iguana Party The Brick Roosevelt Franklin Guntersville Adrian’s Marsha Morgan Lynam Blackeyed Susan Russell Gulley The Station Blue Parrot Continued on Next Page THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 5 Dr. anarcho I guess this old stuff still sucks. Music has, or had the power to change the world. We all know that, and have known it for a long time. It’s my hope that this is still true.The recent “Live8” concerts held simultaneously around the world gave small hope to the belief that rock as a vehicle for social and political change didn¹t die completely after the 60s.. In a redeux of his “Live Aid” concerts of twenty years ago Bob Geldof managed to bring together many of the world¹s top acts to perform to raise awareness of needed debt relief for third world countries. Note that these concerts weren¹t telethons to raise money, you aren¹t asked to donate anything. They just want to make you aware of some hard, cold facts. The hope is that if African nations were forgiven the staggering debt load owed to the G-8 powers the world¹s leading economic powers of the world that they could use the money saved to fight famine, poverty and diseases that ravage so many countries in that part of the world. Here’s something for you to ponder. Due to civil wars, and AIDs, 50% of the population of many Africa nations are now under the age of 16, and most of them go to bed hungry every night. Let me repeat that, in case you think it is a mis-print. 50% of the population is under age 16. Child labor is rampant because there aren’t enough healthy adults to work to support a family. Education for those children is practically unheard of, so the vicious cycle continues. How much good will it do? Who knows. When it comes to the jack, Floyd had it right when they sang “keep your hands off of my stack.” Maybe the top governments of the world can find a heart somewhere among them and do something besides pour money into the military-industrial complex and start wars. A growing number of people - Republicans and Democrats alike - are now realizing the more than $80 Billion per year the Bush administration is spending to start a civil war in Iraq would go a long way toward relieving famine and disease worldwide not to mention relieving suffering here at home. Call me cynical, but I have little hope that the world’s G8 economic powers give a damn about anything but more, more, more. Again, I want to reiterate that the purpose of this entire thing is not to shame you into sending money. No one asks you to donate anything other than a few moments of your attention. Sally Struthers’ elephantine ass did little to diminish famine in Africa. No one wants your money for this, they simply want your awareness of the problem. America, as usual, will be called upon to spearhead the help effort. Maybe one day, African countries can be prosperous, and can stand on their own feet and hate us like everyone else we¹ve helped throughout the world. Hats off to Bob Geldoff and everyone involved in the “Live8” project. The effort reached an estimated 5.5 billion people throughout the world. 5.5 billion is a lot of people. We could give them all a dollar apiece and still have $75 billion bucks left over to spend in Iraq in the year 2005 alone. Conservative Christians have a ready-made issue to practice what they preach here, plus it might divert them out of people¹s bedrooms for a while. For this issue, Dr. Anarcho has no recommendation for you to listen to anything other than your heart and conscience. Be aware of what’s happening in this world. Be aware of what your country and government is doing. That would be priceless music to my ears. Journalist Goodman to speak in Huntsville Submitted By Linda Haynes Amy Goodman, internationally acclaimed journalist and host of the nationally broadcast daily radio/TV news hour Democracy Now! will speak in Huntsville the evening of Friday, Sept. 16. The time and location is to be announced. Her subject will be on “the lies of politicians and the corruption of media monopolies.” These are also the topics of her best-selling book, “The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media that Love Them.” The editors of Publishers Weekly chose the book as one of the Top 50 Nonfiction books of 2004, and www. Booksense.com chose it as the top non-fiction book of the 2004 election season. Goodman, a frequent guest on MSNBC’s Hardball and on CNN, has struck a nerve with the American public. Last year, she spoke to sold-out crowds during her 100-city tour. Her talk in Huntsville will be her first Alabama appearance. On the following evening, she will speak in Birmingham. She will discuss the role of the media during war and compare corporate-owned media with the work of independent media. She presents a compelling argument for the importance of independent media in fostering dialogue that is Friday (Cont’d) Saturday July 16 DJ naught & DJ SullenChoirBoi with special guest DJ Valis Minivan Blues Band The Crawlers Open Delta/Charlie Lyle Quintet Boondock’s 801 Franklin Coppertop Crossroads Cletus Puckett Experience Live Music Sandy’s Roadhouse Karaoke Madison 11th Frame Bar Karaoke Contest Marsha Morgan Alabama Roadhouse Karaoke w/Joel Mullins American Legion Post 176 Crossfire Benchwarmer Second Hand Lincoln Benchwarmer too! Club Ozz Shawn Mullins, Lacey Atchison & Tim Tucker Flying Monkey Arts Crash Boom Bang Furniture Factory After Hours w/Mike Mitchell Goal Post 7th Annual CZC Krewe Shrimp Boil/Blame Johnny John Mitchell & Square One Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Big Daddy Kingfish Hopper’s vital to a healthy democracy. Democracy Now! is an awardwinning, national, daily news hour, pioneering the largest public media collaboration in North America. It is broadcast nationally on more than 300 radio and TV stations in North America, including Free Speech TV, channel 9415 of the DISH network (satellite TV), Link TV, channel 375 Direct TV and channel 9410 DISH network. The show also can be viewed at www.democracynow.org. For more information about Goodman’s upcoming appearance here contact Linda Haynes at lahaynes@knology.net or 256-4893884. Humphrey’s Jazz Factory Kaffeklatsch @ Night LickSkillet Music Barn Country Gold Express Band Philby’s Pourhouse Aephobic Rockabilly’s Marge Loveday Roller Coasters Duane Walker & the Desperado Band Sammy T’s Music Hall Heartland 6 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET Pulling Teeth Baseball. We all know it’s called America’s Pastime because it passes time till football season. And we wait and wait and wait. It feels like the waiting is as long as reading War and Peace. Once we get to the middle of July there is and responds by putting on that baby bib on like that is going to somehow prevent all that is wrong with my mouth and me. Then they lean you back and you can’t help praying with that standard ‘I’m scared’ prayer. “Please God, help me! I promise God. If you get me out of here I promise I’ll be a better person. I’ll enjoy watching cycling on TV whatever By STEVE MOULTON It’s summer time again. To most people it’s a time of vacations, beaches, and fun, but it’s also the worst time of the year if you are a football fan..And something tells me that there are a couple of football fans out there. The Summer just seems to brag on and on seemly lasting forever. You count down the days. . . literally. All you can do is dream about College Gameday visiting your campus and of course getting set for kick off. To Football fans summer time is like going to the dentist. We all know we have to go through it, but we really don’t want to. The waiting seemly lasts forever, like a pain I had in my mouth about a month ago. Summer to the football fan is where your imagination is really worse than reality. The waiting is the hardest part. Just like in the dentist’s office. You wait. And wait. And as you wait you imagine in your head screams coming from the back of the dentist’s office like in a horror movie by Wes Craven. You just want it to go away as soon as possible, but pain is persistent. It just won’t go away. The anxiety. As football fans, we suffer through the basketball playoffs with the National Basketball Association better known as the NBA. Then comes America’s Pastime; Sports Page Pla’ Station The Coffee Tree open mic night nothing on TV. We suffer through countless hours of baseball and baseball, and more baseball. After all, when one baseball game seems to last forever, just imagine one game after another, after another. It’s as if we as football fans are made to suffer. Yea, mini camps are starting in the National Football League, but it’s not enough. It’s maddening. This part of the summer is like sitting in the chair of the dentist, the calm before the storm. You sit back in the dentist chair. You admit the anxiety to the assistant. The assistant smiles Decatur Hard Dock Short Bus The Brick you want.” Then my dentist walks in. He tries to calm me down, just like sportscenter does with those in depth “behind the scene” stories about rehabbing some free agents’ knee. Clearly I must have a comedian for a dentist because when I, always interviewing, ask, “So how many of these have you done?” He replies, “At least two or three.” As I’m about to be some crazy guy with a numb mouth running out of dentist office in Jones Valley, he remarks, “I’m kidding,really about two of three hundred.” Madison Scottsboro The Crawlers Karaoke Contest Roseberry’s Pub & Grill The Corner (Hampton Cove) Guntersville Wasted Mason Adrian’s The Loft Shelly Williams, saxophonist TBA Sunday july 17, 2005 Boondock’s Alabama Roadhouse Hal Reed/Browns Creek Blue Parrot Athens Live Music Lake Ida Pub & Grill Sandy’s Roadhouse Richie & Deemer Karaoke Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke SoulShine TBA The Pressbox with Steve Moulton 3-6pm on ESPN 1400/ 11th Frame Bar The Corner TBA Whew, moving on. Then the dentist begins putting these metal things in my mouth. “Just knock me out Doc,” is all I’m thinking. When my dentist then begins working on you, he also likes to talk to you at the same time, which I’m sure looks and sound like a bad Improv act on open mic night. And before you know it your mouth is numb, and he’s about to take that tooth out. In ten minutes time and you’re stitched up and leaving. You get up and begin to leave and all your thinking is, “Wow, that wasn’t that bad.” Dentists clearly have made getting a tooth pulled a much less painful event. I can only wish that they could do the same thing to the summertime as we all count down the days till football season. Pulling teeth is one of those old sayings that needs to be changed because clearly pulling teeth today isn’t nearly as painful as the heat and humidity of the summer and the waiting. Now we are waiting on football season coming..It just seems to last forever. It won’t go away. Hazy, Hot, and Humid. The waiting is the hardest part. We all know we have to go through it, but we really don’t want to. Now, when is football season? Oh, we need a little help here please. After all if my dentist can make pulling teeth less painful I’m willing to give him a try during the NBA and Major League Baseball seasons. Marge Loveday Benchwarmer Freestyle Face Off Benchwarmer too! Naughty Girl Contest Coppertop Crossroads Willie Heath Neal Goal Post King Karaoke Hopper’s Karaoke Jazz Factory Jazz Jam Session/The Swing Shift Kaffeklatsch @ Night Blues Jam hosted by Freddie Earle continued on Next Page THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 7 Vinny Rottino, a Huntsville Star By JIM SANDOVAL Come and have a nice chat with us. Sunday cont’d Moody Mondays Race Day Cookout Rockabilly’s Jammin’ Blues on the Patio Sports Page Ben Trussel The Corner Open Mic Night w/Scott Morgan Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines UTILITY as capable of serving as a substitute in various roles or positions. Huntsville Stars player Vinny Rottino has often been called a utility player, but he is much more than that. He is a starter with the rare ability to play 5 different positions on the field, left and right field, first and third base and catcher. His versatility may be his ticket to the major leagues. Rottino was born April 7, 1980 in Racine, Wisconsin. He graduated from St. Catherine¹s High School in Racine and then attended the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. He was named an All American, hitting .410 as a senior. Rottino finished third in the 2002 voting for National Player of the Year for NCAA Division III. A Chemistry major Vinny was also named an Academic All American. Each year in June major league baseball holds its first year player draft. About 1,500 players are selected. Monday July 18 Vinny was not one of them and chose to atend pharmacy school. Not giving up the dream he continued to play baseball in the semi-pro Land of Lakes league. His coach Jack Schiestle wanted to give major-league teams one more chance to sign Rottino. Schiestle help arrange for Rottino to attend tryouts in Arizona in February of 2003. Vinny, already enrolled in his second semester of pharmacy school, gave it a shot. Making a strong impression he signed a professional contract with the Brewers scouts Harvey Kuenn Jr. (Midwest area scout) and Brian Johnson (Arizona area scout). Vinny began his professional career in 2003 with Helena of the rookie level Pioneer league, hitting for a .311 average. 2004 saw him promoted to Low A level Beloit, where he played for current Stars manager Don Money. He hit .304 with 17 hrs and a Beloit record 124 runs batted in. He was named as a starter in the Midwest league all-star game. At the end of the season he was selected as Beloit¹s most valuable player. The Milwaukee Brewers recognized Vinny in 2004 as the Robin Yount Award winner, their minor league player of the year. A shortstop in college Vinny played a variety of positions throughout the season in Beloit. In the last game of the 2004 season Vinny demonstrated his versatility playing all nine positions on the field in a single game. He has no preference defensively, feeling very comfortable at the corner positions (left and right field, first and third base). Having caught only a few games he finds that is the Hopper’s Karaoke Humphrey’s Scott Morgan Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Boga Funk Welcome to Margaritaville! Crossroads open mic night Goal Post open mic night Free Pool Beef O’Brady’s Tuesday July 19 Steak Night Coppertop Madison 11th Frame Bar Moody Mondays Benchwarmer too! Karaoke Tickets can be purchased in advance of games on that site or by phone at 882-2562 ---Mr. Sandoval is a history teacher and freelance baseball writer. He is the Co-Chairman of the Society for American Baseball Research’s (SABR) Scouts committee. He can be reached at casandman@aol.com Barry Kay Acoustic Showcase Karaoke The Huntsville Stars website can be found at www.huntsvillestars.com <http://www.huntsvillestars.com/> Kaffeklatsch @ Night Benchwarmer Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) toughest transition to make. The ability to catch is a valuable skill that could speed his progress towards the major leagues. His biggest adjustment to the pro game is adapting to the increased speed of the game, needing to react quicker than he had to at lower levels of play. Vinny credits Brewers roving catching instructor Charlie Greene with help in the mental part of the game. Rottino quoted Greene as saying “baseball is not just about being successful but how you deal with the failures.” Handling the mental challenges in baseball is often tougher than the physical ones. Rottino sees Brewers center fielder Brady Clark as a baseball role model, someone to use as a guide on his path to the majors. Clark was also a non-drafted free agent whose perseverance and work ethic brought him to the major leagues over players more physically talented. Vinny is an intelligent young man with a strong work ethic. He has kept a book on opposing pitchers to be better prepared to face them. In workouts he is constantly trying to improve, often spending time with Stars skipper Don Money getting tips on how to improve his infield play. Rottino has spent an off season as a substitute teacher. Asked his favorites Vinny chose Italian food, the book The Godfather, The Seinfeld show, and the movie Field of Dreams. His musical choice is rather unusual compared to his teammates. Players choose the song to be played as they prepare to hit. The most popular style of player music is rap. As he comes to home plate to bat, U2’s song Vertigo rings out. On July 31st he will be honored by his former club the Beloit Snappers with Vinny Rottino Bobble Head day. Sports Page The Corner Dave Anderson 3rd Base Grill Live Trivia Benchwarmer Guntersville Karaoke w/Craig Texas Holdem Tournament Karaoke Cheers Pub & Grill Sandy’s Roadhouse Benchwarmer too! Karaoke 8 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET A Rememberance Harrison Brothers Hardware 124 South Side ‘Just as I was told, this is one fine city with fun traditions’ By Gary Adams, Madison My wife Becky, our two sons, Matt and Preston, and I came through Huntsville once prior to moving here. We were passing through because a friend of mine, with whom I had worked when we lived in Orlando, had told us he moved here and thought it to be a great place to raise a family. We were on vacation at the time and thought we would drive by and chat with my old friend. On our way through town we stopped at the Chamber of Commerce to pick up some information about the city, the sights, any activities that might be going on and such. We received a list of places to see and visit. Number One on the list was the Space Center, but since we lived in Orlando and had gone to Kennedy Space Center numerous times, we decided to forego that one. As I recall, Number Two was Harrison’s Hardware Store. We got a big charge out of a hardware store being an attraction. Then we really got excited when we saw Maple Hill Cemetery on the list of attractions. At that point, we just called my friend, chatted a bit and drove on our merry way to wherever it was we had been heading on vacation. We look back now and say, “First impressions are not always good indicators.” Since moving to this area, we have Holy Cow! When Bruce eventually finds himself back in Gotham City to fight crime, the plot pits him against the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) whose weapon is a hallucinogenic drug. This weapon seems weak and too based in reality even for a story about humans that take on alternate identities. Thus, the film must find larger guns, as it were, in the form of samurais. The story of how a hero becomes one is of paramount interest to the film and to me. The threat of impending danger seems an afterthought that gives personas to the attributes of evil, fear, and hate. All in all, “Batman Begins” delivers your typical summer fare, easily digestible and forgettable. Wednesday July 20 Dave Anderson Lake Ida Pub & Grill 3rd Base Grill DJ Butch Mefford Guntersville 801 Franklin Country Dance Lessons Sattelite Poker Benchwarmer Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory By Julie Blair Batman has always been my favorite superhero. So, watching the most recent Batman movies was sometimes painful for me. I sometimes cringed, sometimes laughed at the terrible one-liners produced by Mr. Freeze and had a hard time accepting Val Kilmer as anything other than a polished actor. Finally, I have a Batman I can accept and a premise that pleases me: how Batman came to be. Without superpowers, the story of what Coppertop Crossroads TOY SHOP Goal Post King Karaoke Hog Wild Country Dance Lessons Hopper’s DJ Humphrey’s Absylom Rising Jazz Factory Jim Cavender Rockabilly’s Acoustic Open Mic w/Katherine Harris The people are friendly, kind and helpful. And the Old South is alive and well in Huntsville. I love the family atmosphere, the traditions, the belief in God, motherhood and apple pie. I have told many of my relatives from the far north that rednecks may not always be right, but they are entertaining and they know how to watch your back. Yep, all things considered, Huntsville is a great place to live and I am happy to be here! With any luck coupled with the blessings of the Lord, I may live long enough to see some grandkids raised here, too. In the meantime, I will just have to keep on enjoying the people, places and peculiarities that make up this great city and surrounding areas. Long live Harrison’s Hardware Store and Maple Hill Cemetery! processes Bruce Wayne, a grown rich man, to fight crime while dressed in a bat suit interests me. Yet, even with a pleasing plot and acceptable actors, “Batman Begins” still fell short. There is very little chemistry between Batman (Christian Bale) and his co-star the idealistic district attorney he’s known since childhood played by Katie Holmes. Eventually the film admits this failure in less than satisfactory terms. Michael Caine is steller as Alfred. Morgan Freeman plays a scientist peon at Wayne industries in his typical convincing and playful manner. Liam Neeson plays a sword wielding sage, his increasingly tired role. Another Batman Movie-- ‘Batman Begins’ HDK “Jackpot” Karaoke found that my friend was right when he said that Huntsville is a great place to raise a family. We have been here for more than 16 years and plan to retire here, God willing. Sports Page Chad Reeves The Corner Scott Morgan Athens Fat Tuesday Night Adrian’s 5 O’Clock Charlie Mid Summer Nights Patio Party Blue Parrot Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) Sandy’s Roadhouse Karaoke Marsha Morgan Karaoke Benchwarmer too! Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Coppertop Texas Holdem Tournament Crossroads Furniture Factory The Scratch Band Goal Post Hog Wild Hopper’s Humphrey’s Kenny Acosta Jazz Factory Microwave Dave Continued on Next page THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 9 Atlanta Percussionist to Perform at Flying Monkey’s Acoustic Cabaret Spotlight On Music The Great Van Cliburn Concert The concert that never was! By Billy Joe Cooley A serious thunderstorm was headed our way, said the man on the 5 o’clock news, but I bravely joined about a thousand others in Big Spring Park for the regular Monday night concert. At starting time sprinkles started and the sky was stormy black, the stage manager announced that there would be a delay. We didn’t mind a delay, because acoustic guitar work by bluesman Jerry McAllister would be worth the wait. He would be followed by another of my favorites, the Huntsville Concert Band playing classical and pop. But the rainclouds turned nasty and started shooting lightning bolts and thunder, followed by a downpour. We all scuttled back to our cars and trucks and made a hasty retreat. As I sat in my vehicle, I remembered another concert that was weathered out. I was 25 and was editor of the Weatherford (Texas) Daily Herald. I had bought tickets to Van Cliburn’s big hometown concert at Will Rogers Auditorium in nearby Fort Worth. On performance day the weather was awful. Sleet and snow hit Texas as if there was nothing between there and Alaska except a barbed-wire fence. I attended the concert, despite Wednesday (Con’td) Philby’s Pourhouse TBA Rockabilly’s Jim Cavender Sammy’s Sports Bar & Steakhouse WZYP Patio Party Sports Page Pla’ Station The Corner Tim Tucker treacherous road conditions. I’m glad I did, because for one instant that evening I gained a lifetime of laughter. Van Cliburn, as you may know, was celebrated worldwide as the most colorful and youthful classical pianist in the business. He won all major competitions back then. Arriving at the auditorium an hour before showtime, it was clear that the concert would be canceled. Only a dozen people were there and the weather continued to worsen. Finally, the dapper Van Cliburn strolled onstage and reported that the concert would be postponed until spring, and that our money would be refunded. As he turned to walk behind the curtain, a well-dressed gentleman seated behind me stood up and hollered: “Mr. Van Cliburn, sir!” at which the great pianist stopped and turned around. “What is it, sir?” asked Van Cliburn. Having overheard bits of conversation between the man and his wife, I deduced that she was the classical music fan and that he was probably more comfortable with the Grand Ole Opry. The Corner (Hampton Cove) Marge Loveday Athens Lake Ida Pub & Grill All You Can Eat Crab Legs! Decatur The Brick Mike Johnson Guntersville Boondock’s Karaoke Sandy’s Roadhouse Karaoke By Catherine Shearer “Me and my wife Carolyn here have slid all the way here from LaMarque, down Galveston way, on a sheet of ice,so before you leave the stage, sir, would you please sang at least one song?” Here is a complete list of this summer’s remaining Monday night concerts in Big Spring Park. All concerts are free and start at 6:30. They end at 8. July 18 -- Buckler (original rock) and West Virginia National Guard Band (followed by fireworks). July 25 -- Rocket City Chorus (barbershop harmony) and Olde Towne Brass (historic American). Aug. 1 -- The Songbirds (bluegrass/country) and Madison Mountain Top Band (bluegrass). Aug. 8 -- Assurance (Southern gospel) and Onward (Christian). Aug. 15 -- Island Soundrz Carribbean Band (latin) and The Ms Johnie Blues Band (blues). Aug. 22 -- Juice (dance and funk) and Heart & Soul Blues Brothers Showband (R&B)., Aug. 29 -- Abstract Band (jazz) and The Valley Cats (variety cover songs). Sept 5 -- (Labor Day finale is from 6 to 9) -- Margie Cumbie (Patsy Cline tribute), Tina Turner Revue (rock ‘n’ roll, Rocket City Brass (contemporary brass), Charlie Lyle’s Orchestra (big band). Scottsboro Scooter’s Trey, KB, & Coach Thursday July 21 3rd Base Grill Edgar & All you can eat spaghetti!!!!! Benchwarmer College Night w/Haven & Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) Benchwarmer too! College Night All you can drink draft! Master percussionist Jerry Fields will team up with guitarist Phil Weaver for the Flying Monkey Arts Center’s (Lowe Mill, 2211 Seminole Dr.) popular Acoustic Cabaret on Friday, July 29 at 8 p.m. Admission to the show is $7 for adults and $5 for students. Audience members can bring wine and their own hors’douvres or soft drinks and snacks will be available at the Monkey. Fields, of Atlanta, has a wide range of performance experience. He toured the United States in the early 70’s as a member of the Hampton Grease Band. They had a release on Columbia Records and shared the stage with Frank Zappa, Dave Brubeck, the Grateful Dead, Captain Beefheart, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He went on to recieve a Bachelor of Music degree, Summa Cum Laude, from Kennesaw State University. His orchestral and chamber music work includes performances with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, the Cobb Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Chamber Players, Consonare, and Thamyris. Currently Fields is music director and timbalero for the critically acclaimed Latin band Vecinos del Mundo (they opened the City Lights Series at Burritt this season). He also works with the group Passion Flamenca, and was the drummer for jazz pianist Ted Howe’s CD on Summit Records, which was just released nationally. The show at the Flying Monkey will team Fields with local guitarist Phil Weaver, the originator of the Acoustic Cabaret and founder and artistic director of the City Lights and Stars Concert Series at Burritt. The concert will feature Latin American and Spanish music and will be their first performance one-on-one. Both of these musicians are virtuoso performers and both have ‘wacky’ senses of humor, so this show is not to be missed! Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Coppertop Dan Harding Crossroads Family Groove Company Goal Post King Karaoke Hog Wild Hustle & Swing Dance Lessons Hopper’s Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Humphrey’s The Nighthawks Jazz Factory The Crackerjacks 10 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET When the Crisler Brothers (Jamey and Justin), a.k.a. The Alabama Brothers, claim they’re the only Blues impersonators in the state and, to their knowledge, the only impersonators nationwide who are actual brothers, its hard to dispute it -- especially when it’s said with a stern expression topped with nightblack Ray-Bans. Unlike the characters musicians/ actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd made famous by the 1980 movie that sets the record for most cars wrecked in one film, the Crislers never spent time behind bars. Justin Crisler, 25, has an associate degree in criminal justice and now performs the Blues full time. He is in charge of marketing and is co-founder of J. Crisler Productions. Jamey Crisler, 33, is a Psychiatric Nurse at Decatur General Hospital. He is a webdesigner and commercial graphic artist when not promoting “The Band”. Jamey is also Co-Founder and is the booking agent for the act and handles the contracts and details. Once in their Blues outfits, all that changes. Jamey had an idea to show-off their look. He bought a 1976 Dodge Coronet from a junkyard, slapped on black-and-white paint to make it look like the movie’s worn police car, and convinced Justin to join him on a visit to the Hard Rock Café in Nashville in 1998. “We were just going to walk in and see what kind of reaction we’d get, just for fun,” Jamey said. “The manager ran to the back, threw on ‘Soul Man,’ and announced that the Brothers were there. Next thing we know, we’re standing on top of the tables dancing to it. The place went wild.” Then, in Courtland, where Jamey lives, they entered the town’s Christmas parade. This had no holiday ring to it, but after all, who could turn down two big guys Kaffeklatsch @ Night Dave Anderson Philby’s Pourhouse Andy & Sven Rockabilly’s Open Mic Blues Jam Sammy T’s Music Hall Ladie’s Night Sports Page 5 O’Clock Charlie The Corner Donnie Cox The Corner (Hampton Cove) Lacey Atchison in dark suits and sunglasses? They practiced some moves by watching the movie and old episodes of “Saturday Night Live” in which the musicians appeared, put together a sound system with backup tracks of Blues tunes, and printed some business cards in black-andwhite. “One venue would lead to two or three others,” Jamey said. Now The Alabama Brothers have performed to over 600 audiences and have been reviewed as two of the most realistic Blues Impersonators in The Nation. Where did all this showmanship spring from? Justin was involved in theater in high school and Jamey sang in Church choir. That’s it. “The odd thing was we were both raised real conservative and had never done anything edgy, just straight down the road kind of guys,” Jamey said. “This was a new kind of thing.” Dressed in their suits, the brothers do the same thing as their movie heroes, riding the streets, barking out about their show in shameless self-promotion. And wherever their shows take them, they drive the newly restored 1974 Dodge Monaco, and exact replica from the movie. For larger shows, the brothers are able to book their six-piece band to accompany them. “For some of the smaller parties, we couldn’t afford to split the pay eight ways, so we wanted to do those just ourselves.” Justin said. In 2000, they found saxophonist Jim Nelson, who has since been part of their act. Jim has performed with The Artists of The Decade, Alabama and appeared on multiple albums with them. When needed, members of his band, Soul Society, join the group. Riding in the back seat of the “Bluesmobile,” surrounded by speakers and other Athens sound equipment, staring at the silhouettes of the Crislers is like watching one long extended scene from the movie, Nelson said. On the road, he said he sometimes feels he’s experiencing things that might have ended up on the movie’s cuttingroom floor. Jamey has the lead vocals and Justin usually croons low in the background. Their show staples include “Soul Man,” “Hey, Bartender,” “Stand By Your Man”, “Give Me Some Lovin” and “Rawhide.” The Alabama Brothers have performed around the Nation. Some of their clients have included Jeff Cook of The Group Alabama, The United States Army, Beale St. in Memphis, multiple Corporate events from Florida to Baltimore, and many festivals including The Big Spring Jam, Huntsville, Alabama, The South Carolina Tobacco Festival, The Gopher Hill Festival, Ridgeland, South Carolina, Blue Hill Maine, Boston Massachusetts just this year. They’ve also performed for fundraisers including campaigns for the national World War II memorial, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross and the Children’s Miracle Network to name a few. “When we perform, it’s a clean act that all ages can enjoy.” Saying that, while wearing the suits and dark sunglasses, you have to believe them. Taken from The 2001 Feature Story in The Decatur Daily -by Jim Lawley Reprinted with permission from Justin Crisler of the Alabama Blues Brothers. Announcing The Only concert with the full showband in North Alabama this year!!! The Brothers are returning from their 2005 World Tour in August to the Princess Theater in Decatur, Alabama to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Blues Brothers Movie and Soundtrack. The night will feature many of the performers that you have seen over the years with the Brothers and many special guests. Tickets are on sale as of June 20, 2005 and can be ordered by calling the phone number above on the flier. Also, tickets may be purchased via email at TheBluesBrothers@aol.com This will be a power packed show in one of the southeast’s finest music halls, The Princess. Sponsors include Bramlett Automotive Group, WAAY TV, and the ARC of Morgan County. Some proceeds from the event will benefit Children’s charities of North Alabama. Don’t wait, get your tickets now, as the seating is limited to this exclusive, one night performance. Full Moon Party sponsored by Miller Friday July 22 Short Bus Decatur 801 Franklin Apple-tini Night Alabama Roadhouse 5ive o’Clock Charlie American Legion Post 176 DJ Benchwarmer Push Benchwarmer too! John Mitchell & Square One Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Lake Ida Pub & Grill The Brick Tom Cremeens Guntersville Boondock’s Live Music Cheers Pub & Grill Karaoke Anita Lynn Palmer Karaoke w/Joel Mullins Bama Babez DV8 Madison Short Bus Bookem Dano Peacemaker The Station Buffalo’s Café Coppertop Crossroads Dance Here Furniture Factory Goal Post Hopper’s Continued on Next Page THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 11 ‘Party of One: The Loners’ Manifesto’ is ‘four star’ Written by Anneli S. Rufus By HOLLY DAWN HUNTER BOONDOCKS I had spent the morning shopping for a small gift (for myself ), gone to lunch (alone), and was enjoying a pensive, quiet afternoon in the bookstore (by myself ) when I spotted The Loners’ Manifesto. Like Rufus, I regularly get grief from friends and relatives about the breadth of activities I undertake by myself, from eating out to going on vacation (not that I’ve ever been able to afford more than a day trip to Birmingham, Mobile, or Nashville, but the point is the same.) In her Manifesto, Rufus takes on the entrenched cultural notion of the loner as halfcrazed and dangerous. The notion seems to be that someone comfortable enough in his own company to engage in a “social” activity like eating out while deliberately alone is probably comfortable enough in his own company to kill you in order to avoid yours. It sounds ludicrous when phrased that way, but the looks and comments that a loner gets from a more social person upon stating that, for example, she lives alone, without a television, and likes it, seem to indicate that being relatively comfortable alone is a very, very, very odd thing. Odd, and possibly dangerous. The Loners’ Manifesto takes on all of the cultural junk that casts aspersions on loners and offers a verification reassurance is too strong of a word - for loners that there is nothing wrong with them or their temperament. Rufus can strike a tone of defensiveness at times and borders on snobbery at others, something that has been seized upon by her critics to argue that being a loner is conducive to unhealthy levels of introspection and arrogance. This argument (found on a number of book review sites on the web, in particular) rings hollow - people write 2,000 words insinuating that you’re unhinged because you like your own company, and then cite your defensive on the subject as proof that you are unhinged? Whatever. The recent coverage of Wichita serial killer Dennis Rader’s confession and plea of guilty in the BTK murders has poked a number of holes in the serial-killer-as-crazed-loner image. Rader was a Boy Scout leader, married father of two, municipal employee and President of his church congregation. Will congregation presidents or Boy Scout leaders come under suspicion for the next unsolved set of serial murders? No. The veneer of normalcy Rader maintained for the world is too palatable for that. I will think of Rader the next time I get the evil eye from some Perfect Family while sitting alone at The Olive Garden, and I will remember the profilers who insisted BTK would be an unhappy, unmarried, isolated “loner,” and I will laugh. If you are a “loner,” you’ll love the Manifesto. If you’re not, it’ll leave you feeling somewhere between creeped-out and picked-on, but you may understand a bit more the next time the table across from you is occupied by someone whose only dinner company is a novel, and who seems to like it. Four stars. Philby’s Pourhouse Decatur Friday (Cont’d) Toy Shop Hard Dock Rockabilly’s Big Daddy Kingfish Humphrey’s Sports Page Adrian’s Eric Rhodes Band Jazz Factory Marge Loveday/Swing Shift Kaffeklatsch @ Night TBA LickSkillet Music Barn Country Gold Express Band Moody Monday’s HDK Karaoke Ollde Towne CoffeE Shoppe Rita Maya Lacey Atchison Black Label The Corner Dave Anderson The Corner (Hampton Cove) Jim Cavender Guntersville Redletters Blue Parrot Lipstick Boondock’s Live Music Sandy’s Roadhouse Athens Karaoke Barry Kay 11th Frame Bar Greendoor Books Lake Ida Pub & Grill Tim Daley Madison Karaoke Contest Scottsboro Scooter’s Big Nose Roy Saturday July 23 801 Franklin Marsha Morgan Alabama Roadhouse Karaoke w/Joel Mullins American Legion Post 176 Crossfire Benchwarmer Lonesome Moe Benchwarmer too! Karaoke 12 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Peacemaker Coppertop Mike & Lee Crossroads Absylom Rising Flying Monkey Arts Benchwarmer too! Naughty Girl Contest Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Coppertop The Crawlers Crossroads Coppertop HDK “Jackpot” Karaoke Crossroads TOY SHOP Goal Post King Karaoke Hog Wild Cue, Whitey Herzogs, Bytchwater VALLEY PLANET 2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY Country Dance Lessons Furniture Factory 4 Door Ramblers Goal Post King Karaoke DJ Goal Post John Mitchell & Square One Hopper’s Karaoke Eric Rhodes Band Hog Wild Pla’ Station Jazz Factory Jazz Jam Session “Frank Sinatra” Hopper’s Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Kaffeklatsch @ Night Blues Jam hosted by Freddie Earle Acoustic Open Mic w/Katherine Harris Humphrey’s Muddy King Moody Mondays Race Day Cookout Chad Reeves Jazz Factory Rockabilly’s Lake Ida Pub & Grill Sports Page Fat Tuesday Night JazzTronic/Charlie Lyle Quintet Kaffeklatsch @ Night Glenn & Libba LickSkillet Music Barn Jammin’ Blues on the Patio Ben Trussell Hopper’s Humphrey’s Jazz Factory Rockabilly’s Sports Page Athens Guntersville Adrian’s Sattelite Poker Philby’s Pourhouse Monday July 25 Rockabilly’s Benchwarmer Sandy’s Roadhouse Country Gold Express Band Jerry Fordham Marge Loveday Roller Coasters Blame Johnny Sports Page 5 O’Clock Charlie The Coffee Tree open mic night The Corner Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) Benchwarmer too! Karaoke Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Coppertop Welcome to Margaritaville! Crossroads TBA open mic night The Corner (Hampton Cove) open mic night Athens Karaoke Free Crab Boil 3pm/Tim Daley 8pm Lacey Atchison Dave Anderson Lake Ida Pub & Grill Decatur Hard Dock Blue Flame Goal Post Hopper’s Humphrey’s Kaffeklatsch @ Night Acoustic Showcase Moody Mondays Steak Night Sports Page Guntersville Boga Funk Moon Pocket Dave Anderson Adrian’s The Corner Blue Parrot Jerry Fordham Karaoke Wednesday July 27 3rd Base Grill 5 O’Clock Charlie 801 Franklin 501 @ 801 Franklin Benchwarmer Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) Benchwarmer too! Cajun/Zydeco Night Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Coppertop Texas Holdem Tournament Crossroads Dave Anderson Furniture Factory T.A. Miller Goal Post Guntersville DJ Butch Mefford Boondock’s Texas Holdem Tournament Country Dance Lessons Sandy’s Roadhouse Karaoke Blue Parrot Lipstick Live Music Karaoke Cheers Pub & Grill Sandy’s Roadhouse Madison Madison 11th Frame Bar Karaoke Contest Beef O’Brady’s Scottsboro Barry Kay Big Nose Roy Tuesday July 26 11th Frame Bar Scooter’s Sunday July 24 Alabama Roadhouse Marge Loveday Benchwarmer Freestyle Face Off Free Pool 3rd Base Grill Live Trivia Benchwarmer Karaoke w/Craig Benchwarmer too! Karaoke Hog Wild Hopper’s Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Humphrey’s 4 - Door Ramblers Jazz Factory Microwave Dave Philby’s Pourhouse TBA Rockabilly’s Jim Cavender Sammy’s Sports Bar & Steakhouse WZYP Patio Party Sports Page Pla’ Station Continued on Next Page THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 13 Wednesday (Cont’d) The Corner (Hampton Cove) Reese Rushton athens Lake Ida Pub & Grill All You Can Eat Crab Legs! Decatur The Brick open mic night Guntersville Humphrey’s Li’l Brian & The Zydeco Travelers Jazz Factory Toy Shop Sammy T’s Music Hall Sports Page 5ive O’Clock Charlie Trey, KB, & Coach Scooter’s The Corner (Hampton Cove) Thursday July 28 Lacey Atchison College Night w/Haven & Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) Benchwarmer too! College Night All you can drink draft! Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Coppertop Dan Harding Crossroads Billy Joe Shaver/Kevin Kinny Goal Post King Karaoke Athens Lake Ida Pub & Grill Frog Mountain Symphony Guntersville Adrian’s Browns Creek Boondock’s Live Music Cheers Pub & Grill Karaoke Sandy’s Roadhouse Karaoke Friday July 29 801 Franklin “Frank Sinatra” Alabama Roadhouse Hog Wild Karaoke w/Joel Mullins Hopper’s Bama Babez Hustle & Swing Dance Lessons Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Olde Towne CoffeE Shoppe Rockabilly’s Scottsboro Benchwarmer Coppertop Philby’s Pourhouse Ladie’s Night Edgar & All you can eat spaghetti!!!!! HDK Karaoke Andy & Sven Sandy’s Roadhouse 3rd Base Grill Moody Monday’s Gryphon Kaffeklatsch @ Night Open Mic Blues Jam Karaoke Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) LickSkillet Music Barn Country Gold Express Band Dave Anderson Boondock’s Karaoke Benchwarmer too! Karaoke American Legion Post 176 Benchwarmer Absolute Zero Chocolate-Tini Night Crossroads Robert LaSalle Dance Here Mojo Rising Flying Monkey Arts Lacey Atchison Furniture Factory Blackeyed Susan Goal Post Blood River Hog Wild Dave Anderson Hopper’s TBA Boneponey DJ Phil Weaver & Jerry Fields The Scratch Band John Mitchell & Square One Duane Walker & the Desperado Band Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Humphrey’s Li’l Brian & The Zydeco Travelers Jazz Factory Dog & Pony Show/The Swing Shift Kaffeklatsch @ Night The Victrolas Philby’s Pourhouse Rockabilly’s Sammy T’s Music Hall Sports Page The Corner The Corner (Hampton Cove) Athens Greendoor Books Barry Kay Lake Ida Pub & Grill Richie & Deemer Decatur Hard Dock Juice 14 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Coppertop The Crawlers Crossroads Movie Night The Brick Mike Roberts/Miller Girls American Legion Post 176 Crossfire Hopper’s Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Humphrey’s Tim & The Trutones Jazz Factory Jim Cavender/Charlie Lyle Quintet Kaffeklatsch @ Night Marsha Morgan LickSkillet Music Barn Country Gold Express Band Philby’s Pourhouse TBA Rockabilly’s Marge Loveday Roller Coasters Blackeyed Susan Sports Page Lonesome Moe/Witchdoctor Opera The Coffee Tree Goal Post King Karaoke Hopper’s Karaoke Jazz Factory Jazz Jam Session Kaffeklatsch @ Night Blues Jam hosted by Freddie Earle Moody Mondays Race Day Cookout Rockabilly’s Jammin’ Blues on the Patio Sports Page Ben Trussell Monday August 1 Benchwarmer Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) Benchwarmer too! open mic night Karaoke The Corner (Hampton Cove) Welcome to Margaritaville! Dave Anderson Athens Lake Ida Pub & Grill Coppertop Crossroads open mic night Continued on next page Richie & Deemer Decatur Hard Dock Push The Brick Tim Tucker and The Uh-Huhs Guntersville Adrian’s Wasted Mason Blue Parrot Guntersville Adrian’s Stranded Blue Parrot J. Hawkins Boondock’s Live Music Sandy’s Roadhouse Karaoke madison 11th Frame Bar Karaoke Contest Scottsboro Scooter’s Southern Flight Saturday July 30 801 Franklin Lindsey Hinkle Alabama Roadhouse Karaoke w/Joel Mullins Benchwarmer Karaoke & Soft-Tip Dart Tournament Benchwarmer too! Government Warning Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Gryphon Club Ozz DJ Naught & DJ SullenChoirBoi with Special Guest DJ Geisha & DJ Panzer Soldat Coppertop The Crawlers Crossroads This is Goodbye/My Vulpine Flying Monkey Arts VocanoVulture,MyAbraham,Capt ainPerry,RitaMayaBurkholder Furniture Factory Anita Palmer Goal Post John Mitchell & Square One Hog Wild Electric Voodoo “CD Release Party” Boondock’s Live Music Sandy’s Roadhouse Karaoke Madison 11th Frame Bar Karaoke Contest Scottsboro Scooter’s Southern Flight Sunday july 31 Alabama Roadhouse Marge Loveday Benchwarmer Freestyle Face Off Benchwarmer too! Naughty Girl Contest Duane Walker & the Desperado Band THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 15 Monday (Cont’D) Goal Post open mic night Hopper’s Karaoke Kaffeklatsch @ Night Acoustic Showcase Moody Mondays Steak Night Sports Page Benchwarmer Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) Benchwarmer too! Karaoke Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Coppertop The Corner (Hampton Cove) Goal Post Lacey Atchison Hog Wild Boondock’s DJ Butch Mefford Dave Anderson Texas Holdem Tournament Sandy’s Roadhouse Karaoke Madison 11th Frame Bar Free Pool Beef O’Bradys Sports Page Crossroads Dave Anderson Hopper’s Cheers Pub & Grill Sammy T’s Music Hall Ladie’s Night 5ive O’Clock Charlie Country Dance Lessons GuntersvillE Rockabilly’s Open Mic Blues Jam Texas Holdem Tournament Boga Funk The Corner Philby’s Pourhouse Andy & Sven Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Guntersville Live Music Cheers Pub & Grill Karaoke Sandy’s Roadhouse Jazz Factory Karaoke Philby’s Pourhouse Friday August 5 Microwave Dave Donnie Cox & Company Rockabilly’s Jim Cavender Sammy’s Sports Bar & Steakhouse 801 Franklin “Frank Sinatra” Alabama Roadhouse Barry Kay WZYP Patio Party Tuesday August 2 Pla’ Station Bama Babez Nickel Band 3rd Base Grill The Corner (Hampton Cove) Marge Loveday Benchwarmer Athens Karaoke Lake Ida Pub & Grill Live Trivia Karaoke w/Craig Benchwarmer too! Karaoke Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Sports Page All You Can Eat Crab Legs! Guntersville Boondock’s Karaoke Sandy’s Roadhouse Coppertop Karaoke Crossroads Scooter’s HDK “Jackpot” Karaoke TOY SHOP Goal Post King Karaoke Hog Wild Country Dance Lessons Hopper’s DJ Jazz Factory Jim Cavender Rockabilly’s Acoustic Open Mic w/Katherine Harris Sports Page Chad Reeves Athens Lake Ida Pub & Grill Fat Tuesday Night Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Mojo Rising Buffalo’s Café Short Bus Dance Here DJ Flying Monkey Arts John Mitchell & Square One Thursday August 4 Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory 3rd Base Grill Edgar & All you can eat spaghetti!!!!! Benchwarmer College Night w/Haven & Poker Tourn. (Free to Play) Benchwarmer too! College Night All you can drink draft! Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Karaoke Crossroads King Karaoke Goal Post Hog Wild Karaoke Hustle & Swing Dance Lessons Wednesday August 3 Hopper’s Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory 3rd Base Grill The Crackerjacks 801 Franklin Dave Anderson 501 @ 801 Franklin Benchwarmer too! Trey, KB, & Coach Sattelite Poker 5 O’Clock Charlie Benchwarmer Scottsboro St. Somewhere Sandy’s Roadhouse American Legion Post 176 Poetry Open Mic Night guntersville Adrian’s Karaoke w/Joel Mullins Jazz Factory Kaffeklatsch @ Night Goal Post Hopper’s Jazz Factory Ganz & the Geezers/The Swing Shift Kaffeklatsch @ Night Adam Hood LickSkillet Music Barn Country Gold Express Band Moody Monday’s HDK Karaoke Olde Towne CoffeE Shoppe Drum Circle (open to the public) Philby’s Pourhouse TBA Rockabilly’s Lacey Atchison Sports Page Redd Letters The Coffee Tree open mic night The Corner Dave Anderson The Corner (Hampton Cove) Lisa Busler 16 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET Athens Blue Parrot Greendoor Books Tattoo Da Baby Lake Ida Pub & Grill Live Music Barry Kay Live Music Boondock’s Sandy’s Roadhouse Decatur Karaoke Hot Mixx 11th Frame Bar Hard Dock madison guntersville Karaoke Contest Tattoo Da Baby Scooter’s Blue Parrot Boondock’s Live Music Sandy’s Roadhouse Karaoke Madison 11th Frame Bar Karaoke Contest Scottsboro Scooter’s Big Nose Roy Scottsboro Big Nose Roy Open Mic Jam at Rockabilly’s Rockabilly’s becomes full-scale bar and grill By PETER ABBOTT Saturday August 6 801 Franklin Lacey Atchison Alabama Roadhouse Karaoke w/Joel Mullins American Legion Post 176 Crossfire Benchwarmer DCX Benchwarmer too! Sister Luck Bobby G’s (Henderson Rd.) Mojo Rising Flying Monkey Arts Midsummer Night Event Goal Post John Mitchell & Square One Hopper’s Rudy Mockabee and the Music Factory Jazz Factory Jerry McAllister/Charlie Lyle Quintet LickSkillet Music Barn Country Gold Express Band Philby’s Pourhouse TBA Rockabilly’s Marge Loveday Roller Coasters Short Bus Sports Page Black Label The Corner (Hampton Cove) Dave Anderson Athens Lake Ida Pub & Grill Live Music Decatur Hard Dock Y,T & T Guntersville Adrian’s 3rd Annual Birthday Party, Reddletters, Browns Creek & Hal Reed A motorcycle and pinball machine hang overhead as you sip and dine in the city’s newest full-service restaurant/bar with liquor and beeron-tap. It is a new bistro concept in Five Points and it’s called Rockabilly’s Smokehouse Bar and Grill -- it originally opened in 1996 -- and is situated in that ultra-mod structure near the corner of Pratt and Meridian in Five Points. Owner Jonathan Giles, a native Huntsvillian, opened Rockabilly’s in 1996, but has been in the restaraunt business for 18 years. He also heads up a rock band called The Crackerjacks. “We have the potential to be a landmark, from a different angle,” he says, “sort of a Hard Rock Cafe changed to roots music and vintage pop culture. I think it is the only one of its kind.” The guitar-shaped bar is in keeping with it’s music motif. The overhead hangings, explains bartender Jeff English, are a 1949 Hungarian racing bike and a 1960’s Strike Zone pinball machine. Also from the ceiling are other vintage decor. “And we boast the coolest juke box in town,” says Giles, who is a Lee High grad. He notes that the outdoor patio is always open and has live music on Sundays, weather permitting. Otherwise, they have an ample indoor stage. Rockabilly’s Schedule Includes: The indoor stage accomodates local bands on most nights. And Thursdays are “open mike” nights for those who want to display their talents. Thursday nights Giles is proud of the establishment’s food, which is served as long as the bar is open. He prepares “Real Southern BBQ, Texas style brisket, a variety of wing flavors, veggie burgers and salads, and a large appetizer menu, in addition to sandwiches and chicken. Jim Cavender Wed nights Open Mic Lacey Atchison Fri nights Marge Loveday Sat. nights Blues Jammin on the patio Sun nights “Tell them that catering is always available,” he says, “and to call in orders (489-1831) for fast take-out service or the drive-thru window.” He adds that full service is offered after 4:30 in bar area. Quick service at counter is always available A Look inside Rockabilly’s THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 17 They’re Here! The Deep End To Her by: Sam Sanderson Wanting every thing there is to know about you wanting to feel everything you have to touch I draw near my lips leading me toward yours Leading me as we become one one entity one being one soul. I did not search for you hard nor did i find you easy it was easy enough in the end and i am happy once again the good the bad the tough the unberable are all in the past yet in the present the hindsight makes us strong as we march one inch by inch learning touching kissing laughing breathing breathing breathing breathing deeply and drinking each other through your eyes and mine through the plastic straws we’ve collected In our minds only the road north is ahead of us and a tank of gas is below us along with the pavement as we look ahead neither to the side or behind but ahead ahead to the joy the trials and success. The setting sun casts a beautiful aura around you and you ask if we are there. We have been there and we will always be there as we are here as sure as we breathe we will be there. My lips near closer to yours but they do not touch, instead our minds embrace sharing what we already know in an embrace stronger than anything of this world or any other. And the tires spin and the traffic thickens and thins and i remain and you reamain we remain in silence. Knowing that nething that can be said is understood. By Milton A. Lamb Jr. I was driving up the parkway a couple of weeks ago and I saw it. A weird little creature has moved into our neighborhood. A brand new species of road kill for these parts. They weren’t here a few years ago, but now the armadillo calls the Tennessee Valley home. The phenomenally rapid expansion of this creature’s range has amazed biologists and is just plain weird. The nine-banded armadillo has expanded its range at a rate 10 times faster than would normally be expected by a mammal of its size. There are 20 species of armadillo still alive today, living in Central and South America, but the nine-banded is the only one present north of Mexico. The first time I saw the nine-banded armadillo, other than in a zoo, was in Texas in the 70s’. A smashed carcass lying beside the highway, this is the way most of us will experience an armadillo. They are slow and have poor eyesight, so highways are especially lethal for these guys. They also tend to jump, amazingly high, when threatened to scare off the intruder, but this doesn’t even faze a Honda. In 1994 we were living in Marion, Arkansas, (shut up) when I noticed my garden and flowerbed were being destroyed each night. So, I got my flashlight, went out the front door, snuck around back, waited, listened and shined the light. Armadillos are almost blind, but a bright light in the dark must have reminded him of his aunt’s bedtime story about his uncle’s demise out on route 43 and the strange creature began to run, well, not really run, more like a waddling, hopping scuttle. He barreled straight into the fence, recovered and finally found his way out of my yard. This was when I started keeping tabs on this fascinating animal. In 1849, there were no armadillos north of the Rio Grande, which borders Mexico and Texas. By 1905, they had made it into New Mexico and most of Texas. But they kept marching on. By the early 1900s’ they had crossed the Mississippi on their own and had become established in Florida through human introduction. By the 80s’, far earlier down south, armadillos had made it as far north as Birmingham. The first one I saw was road kill west of Florence on 72 in 2000. And, now, having made it across the Tennessee River, they are surely all over the state. It is estimated that in the next several years they will be found as far north as Nebraska in the west and possibly all the way to New York along the milder Atlantic Seaboard. There are several theories about the armadillo’s remarkable expansion. More than likely, several of these factors contributed to its recent wanderings. First of all, as Europeans settled this country, they cleared the forests (nearly every tree east of the Mississippi). This opened up millions of square miles of prime armadillo habitat. Also, we built a lot of bridges. Rivers, like the Rio Grande and Mississippi, that had once made quite a swim for the little guys, were now easily crossed. A third explanation is the bobcat, cougar, wolf and alligator all enjoyed eating armadillos, and we had hunted most of these predators to the brink of extinction by the mid 1900s’. And finally, dare I say it? Global warming. Armadillos can’t survive prolonged periods of below freezing temperatures, can’t find food in the snow and do not hibernate. known to do so. This makes the armadillo very important for leprosy research. The only proven way to contract leprosy from an armadillo, however, is to eat undercooked, infected armadillo meat. So don’t. Armadillos almost always have four babies, each identical to the other. They are the only mammals known to do so. Armadillos are not related to opossums and are not marsupials, nor are they rodents. Their closest relatives are anteaters, and armadillos do like eating ants and termites. And they do munch on fireants! So, keep your eyes open while driving down the road and you will see, mixed in amongst the cats, dogs, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, opossums, wood chucks and rats, a brand new type of road kill. Welcome our newest neighbor, the ninebanded, or, all to often, the flattened armadillo. Come and have a nice chat with us. Post topics and get responses from people totally unquallified, but opinionated. Armadillos have gotten a bad reputation, some deserved, some not. One of the armadillo’s nicknames is gravedigger. I t has been said that armadillos dig up human graves and eat the corpses. It is true that armadillos dig for food and it is true they will eat carrion, but, more than likely, they were digging fresh graves for bugs, not human remains, in the loosened soil. It is true that armadillos carry the bacterium responsible for leprosy and armadillos are the only creatures 18 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET Valley Planet Calendar of Events July 14 - Aug 5 June 5 - January 16, 2006 Huntsville Museum of Art From Red Clay to Rockets: A Bicentennial Look at Huntsville’s Artistic Legacy The Huntsville Museum of Art is pleased to be part of the citywide bicentennial celebration. This exhibition presents a selection of work by artists from various periods of our City’s history. July – August WATERWORKS II at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens bring the family and the towels to enjoy the water displays. FUN! FUN! FUN! July - August To celebrate Huntsville’s Bicentennial, a collection of Alabama Constitution Village paintings by HAL exhibiting artist Ed Starnes will be on display this summer. The exhibit, “The Village – Window to the Past”, will be at the Village through August 6. Many collectors who own Mr. Starnes paintings of the Alabama Constitution Village are allowing their artwork to be exhibited along with new pieces that will be for sale. A portion of the sales will go to benefit the Village and the Huntsville Art League. For more information, call Constitution Hall Park at 5648100. July 11- August 30 “The Huntsville Seven” The MVAC Gallery 300 Gunter Ave in Guntersville. Gallery hours are Tues-Friday, 10 - 4 p.m. Saturday: 10 - 3 p.m. Seven Huntsville Artists display their work Call 256-582-1454 for more information. July 14 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd Wellness Group Meeting; 6pm Fri Jul 15 - Jul 17 “The Foreigner” VBC Playhouse Join us for the first of two back-toback hilarious comedies by the late playwright, Larry Shue! Tickets $14 - Adults; $12 - Students, Seniors, Active Military with I.D. Group Rates available! Information: (256) 536-0807 and www.theatrehsv.org. July 16 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd The Mah Jong Players; 10am-2pm July 16 Pauli’s Gourmet Food and Wine Co. Wine Tasting 3pm-5pm. For more information please call 722-0071 JulY 16 Tennessee Valley Raptors – arena football Von Braun Center Arena For ticket info contact the VBC ticket office. July 16 Contra Dance Live music by Steve Nix & Chip Gulbro with Calling by Vicki Herndon of Chattanooga. All ages welcome. 7:00-7:30 pm Admission $7.00/$4.00 students/12 & under free. In gym of Faith Presbyterian, corner of Airport Rd. & Whitesburg Dr. For more info. visit http://secontra.com/ NACDS.html or call 837-0656. July 17 – July 23 Alabama Ballet Summer Residency –on Gorham’s Bluff in Pisgah, AL. Gorham’s Bluff is proud to be the second home to the Alabama Ballet. Breathtaking performances and fantastic dinners are planned that will include the Heart of the Lake District as the natural stage. Admission charged. For more information, call 256-451-ARTS (2787). Also see www.gorhamsbluff. com. July 17 Burritt On the Mountain On Sunday July 17th, Burritt on the Mountain will be open FREE to the Public. Burritt on the Mountain is Huntsville’s first museum and will be sharing its exhibits, mansion, barnyard, historic park and featuring a Folk Music Concert from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Held in and around the Gazebo area. Musicians play and sing folk, traditional and old time songs. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and a picnic lunch and enjoy an afternoon of music on the mountain. Snack and drink machines available. July 17 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd. Chess Club; 6pm Continued on Next Page THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 19 July 17 July 19 Huntsville Museum of Art Exhibition closes: John James Audubon and the Birds of America, Huntsville Museum of Art, 5 p.m. Don’t miss your last chance to see works by revered artist and naturalist John James Audubon. General admission charged to non-members. 2005 LAKESIDE SUMMER CONCERT River Choir & W.A.T.C.H. - Gospel & Christian drama & song The concerts will be held on Tuesday nights, 6:30 p.m., at the Civitan Park in Guntersville, Alabama. July 17-22 July 19 The Huntsville Art League is sponsoring a juried art exhibit entitled “Unique Views of Huntsville” to be shown at the Huntsville Museum of Art. This event will be held in connection with the celebration of the Huntsville Bicentennial. The Huntsville Art League’s Plein-air group is painting in each of the Huntsville districts prior to the exhibit and the artwork will be on display as well. For more information, call the Huntsville Art League at 534-3860. Jul 18 - Jul 24 Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion Von Braun Center West Hall For more information contact the VBC ticket office. Armed Forces WeekVon Braun Center East & West Hall CombinedFor more information contact the Von Braun Center. July 19 - Jul 20 US Army Soldier Show Von Braun Center Concert Hall For more information contact the Von Braun Center. July 20 Soldiers Breakfast Von Braun Center North Hall 1, 2 & 3 Combined July 20 July 18 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd. North Alabama Woodcarvers Association; 7pm July 18 “The Foreigner” Join us for the first of two back-toback hilarious comedies by the late playwright, Larry Shue! Tickets $14 - Adults; $12 - Students, Seniors, Active Military with I.D. Group Rates available! Information: (256) 536-0807 and www.theatrehsv.org. Concert in the Park @ Big Spring Park, downtown starting at 6:30 bring a chair or a blanket to enjoy the concerts. This week is Buckler, original rock and the 249th Army Band of the W. Virginia National Guard with Fireworks to follow the concert! The Art League of Madison will meet to paint during concerts in the park at the Gazebo in Downtown Madison, every Monday night !!! Anyone interested in painting with the Art League during the concerts is welcome to join us!!! Please look for the tent with the Art League Banner in the park! July 21 - July 23 July 21 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd Wellness Group Meeting; 6pm July 22 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd The Mah Jong Players; 10am-2pm July 22 Classic Movies in the Park, Huntsville Museum of Art, 8 p.m. Join The Art Krewe of the Huntsville Museum of Art under the stars to see Some Like it Hot. The film will be shown on the back wall of the Museum at sundown. Free to all; donations accepted. July 22 The Filmaker Co-op presents “Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin” at 8pm at the Flying Monkeys Arts Center. Admission is $5 and $3 for co-op members. This documentary is about a pioneer of non-violent protest in the pursuit of justice. A hero of the Civil Rights movement, Bayard Rustin coordinated the Journey of Reconciliation in 1947, advised the leaders of the 1956 Montgomery Boycott, helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and was the chief organizer for the 1963 March on Washington. So why haven’t you heard of him? Because he was gay. Soulforce will lead an open discussion following the film. July 22 The Burritt Museum hosts the City Lights and Stars series with the Ken Watters Group Advance tickets for the City Lights and Stars Concerts are $10 for adults and $6 for students; at the gate all tickets are $12. Tickets may be purchased at the Burritt Museum Store, AB Stephens Music, the Fret Shop, and the Market Place. To order tickets by phone, call Burritt on the Mountain at (256) 536-2882. Concertgoers may also order an elegant picnic supper. July 23 Pauli’s Gourmet Food and Wine Co. Wine Tasting 3pm-5pm. For more information please call 722-0071 July 24 Denise Schiber Exhibit at the Clay House Museum The Clay House Museum is hosting Denise Schiber‚s art exhibit for the month of July. You may come meet the Artist at a reception for Denise Schiber on Sunday July 24th at 1 - 3 PM in the Clay House Museum, 16 Main Street Madison, AL. Schiber‚s vivid watercolors of garden gates, windows and unique homes are brilliant renderings. Come enjoy her beautiful paintings and meet the Artist herself. For more information please call Robin Hall Brewer 3251018. July 25 Nashville Songwriters Workshop Country Club Apartments Rec Rm. 1000 Airport Road 6:30 p.m. The North Alabama NSAI workshop is an official Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) regional workshop. 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. Workshops are the 4th Monday night of each month. July 25 Coffee Tree & Brew Chess Club 6:00 PM July 25 Concert in the Park @ Big Spring Park, downtown starting at 6:30 bring a chair or a blanket to enjoy the concerts. This week is the Rocket City Chorus, barbershop harmony and the Olde Towne Brass, historic American. Come join the Huntsville Bicentennial Celebration! 20 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET July 25 The Art League of Madison will meet to paint during concerts in the park at the Gazebo in Downtown Madison, every Monday night !!! Anyone interested in painting with the Art League during the concerts is welcome to join us!!! Please look for the tent with the Art League Banner in the park! July 26 2005 LAKESIDE SUMMER CONCERT Jim Parker & Company -Songwriters Showcase The concerts will be held on Tuesday nights, 6:30 p.m., at the Civitan Park in Guntersville, Alabama. July 25 - July 26 Stores Online Internet Marketing Conference Von Braun Center North Hall 1 & 2 Combined For more information contact the Von Braun Center July 26 Hsv. Rotary Club Luncheon Von Braun Center West Hall July 26 Spoken word open mic at PB’S in the Green Room on Jordan Ln. These events are hosted by the artist Award author of Paradox Lost and Lost Dayz. Starting at 7pm with a $5 charge, this is open to the public so bring it on. July 27 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd. North Alabama Woodcarvers Association; 7pm July 28 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd Wellness Group Meeting; 6pm July 29 - July 31 Grease Von Braun Center Playhouse For more information contact the VBC ticket office. July 29 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd The Mah Jong Players; 10am-2pm July 30 Wiggles Showtimes are 1:30pm & 5pm in the VBC arena. Tickets are available at the local box office or through Ticketmaster by calling 800-277-1700. Tickets range from $30-$15. Special “Hot Potato” seats are available which include a gift bag from The Wiggles! July 30 Pauli’s Gourmet Food and Wine Co. Wine Tasting 3pm-5pm. For more information please call 722-0071 July 30 2nd Annual Summer Latino Festival – On the lawn at North Alabama Community College from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m., Powell, AL. Featuring Live Entertainment, Arts & Crafts, many children’s activities, delicious Latino food, free soft drinks & ice crème, piñatas, and much, much more. Free admission. For more info in English or Spanish: (256) 996-9825, (256) 6382957, or (256) 228-0021. July 30 Huntsville Botantical Gardens Federated Flower Show July 30 - July 31 Bodyart Convention Von Braun Center East & West Hall Combined For more information contact the Von Braun Center. July 31 – October 23 Huntsville Museum of Art Local Color Come see what local artists are creating! This exhibition presents a selection of works by more than 10 artists who call North Alabama home. By visiting this show, visitors will get look at new talent and discover which artists to watch in the coming years. August 1 Coffee Tree & Brew Chess Club 6:00 PM August 1 Concert in the Park @ Big Spring Park, downtown starting at 6:30 bring a chair or a blanket to enjoy the concerts. This week is The Songbyrds, bluegrass/country and the Madison Mountain Top Band, bluegrass. August 1 The Art League of Madison will meet to paint during concerts in the park at the Gazebo in Downtown Madison, every Monday night !!! Anyone interested in painting with the Art League during the concerts is welcome to join us!!! Please look for the tent with the Art League Banner in the park! August 2 Hsv. Rotary Club Luncheon Von Braun Center West Hall August 3 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd. North Alabama Woodcarvers Association; 7pm August 4 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd Wellness Group Meeting; 6pm August 4 Rison-Dallas Reunion The annual Rison-Dallas school reunion will be Saturday, Aug. 7 in dining hall at Jackson Way Baptist Church. Attendees are asked to bring a covered dish. Honored guests will be the 1948-49 baseball team. Registration begins at 10 a.m., lunch will be at noon and the program starts at 1:15. Persons are asked to bring their recipes for the cookbook, A pre-reunion party will be at Mullin’s Restaurant at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 4. explored. For more information , contact Meridian Arts Center at 256534-7475 or go to www.MeridianArts. net. August 6 Pauli’s Gourmet Food and Wine Co. Wine Tasting 3pm-5pm. For more information please call 722-0071 August 6 August 4 - August 6 Contra Dance Live music by Jim & Inge Wood & Tabitha Mowen with Calling by Chrissy Davis-Camp of Nashville. 7:00-7:30 pm Beginner’s Lesson, 7:30-10:30 pm Dance. Admission $7.00/$4.00 students/12 & under free. In the gym of Faith Presbyterian, corner of Airport Rd. & Whitesburg Dr. For more info. visit http:// secontra.com/NACDS.html or call 837-0656. August 5 - August 7 Bicentennial Celebration Von Braun Center Concert Hall For more information contact the VBC ticket office. Grease Von Braun Center Playhouse For ticket info contact the VBC ticket Office Beledi Club Von Braun Center, Salon 3 The Beledi Club, north Alabama’s premier Middle Easter dance organization, is sponsoring their annual dance seminar with Margo Abdo O’Dell. Ms O’Dell is an exceptional dance teacher, performer and motivational speaker. There are vendors bringing wonderful costumes, jewelry, and music. August 5 Coffee Tree & Brew 7900 Bailey Cove Rd The Mah Jong Players; 10am-2pm August 5 Burritt on the Mountain Sacred Harp Singing,6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Held in the Madison Baptist Church on the Museum grounds. No admission fee. August 5 Free First Friday: Huntsville Museum of Art, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission waived to all visitors on the first Friday of every month. Please visit www.hsvmuseum.org to see which exhibitions are on view. August 5-7 The Figure in Pastel A 3-day workshop with Margaret Dyer, PSA. The workshop will be held at the Meridian Arts Studio, 370 Little Cove Rd., Gurley, AL 35748. The fee for the workshop is $275. Learn the traditional technique of pastel painting. Work from a live model. Drawing, anatomy, proportion, value and color will be August 6 August 6 18th Annual Sand Mountain Gospel Music Festival – 6:30 p.m. – Tom Bevill Lyceum, Powell, AL (On the campus of Northeast Alabama Community College) – Featuring the best gospel music groups in the South. Admission $ charged. For Info: 256-228-6001 August 6 2005 LAKESIDE SUMMER CONCERT Special Romance & Dance Season Finale Local Jazz legend, Lee Cox & Friends, Barbeque dinner and more! The concerts will be held, 6:30 p.m., at the Civitan Park in Guntersville, Alabama. Tickets required for this concert. August 7 Twickenham Winds in concert Aug. 7, tour of Italy is set The Twickenham Winds will perform a pops concert on Sunday, Aug. 7, at 6 p.m. at Good Shepherd Church, corner Chaney Thompson and Hobbs roads. The band is also preparing for a musical tour of north Italy next June (2006). They will perform in Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice. Director of Twickenham Winds is Dr. David Spencer and Marsha Asquith is associate. She is also director of the Huntsville Concert Band. THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 21 Great Expectations- The Deep End Backpacking Subject: my way Down the sidewalk a spot of purple bobs,distinctive marking on the dull plumage of a woman, gray like the morning itself, plodding along in a heavy fog of purpose. Life is full of turmoil few of whom are spared. Experiance a virtue, but so willingly is shared. For a crazy moment, she’s my grandmother– she must be someone’s grandmother– who culled my backpack from the trash when I grew too old for purple. Circumstance indifferant who am I to judge? Making it aint easy, Yet theres those who will begrudge. Lumbering along on her morning’s journey, she wears the backpack like a carapace, stooped against the thickening of years, the cargo of a lifetime. The pack will tire her well before the end of day. Already she sags, her mouth droops. From time to time she will sink down onto a bench or even a curb, but never long enough. Fellow day-trippers advise her to put it down, but she worries she will lose it or worse: some stranger looking for a clue to her could stare into its emptiness, turn it upside down, shake out her secrets. Then his knowing eyes would meet her indignant ones, and she’d have to push him back, zip away the phantoms. No, she won’t put it down; she’s grown one with carrying. As we pass, she looks directly at me. Can she see herself in the plate glass of my eye, how the backpack is wearing her out, how, like her shoes battered by restless feet, she is creased and cracked and down-at-the-heels? Her nod is blunt. She sees right through me, knows the dark cache of my own backpack. Susan Martinello I do not know the answers to the questions that remain I search from top to bottom and I really wrack my brain. How quickly “they” are to think me of bein quite neive but looking from the outside, they are easily decieved. My path has not been sheltered, My way not paved of gold, Allthough most memories are painful they are all that I hold. I may not have seniority when it comes to years, But I exceed by gallons when it comes to tears. Theres moments I’ve been happy, times I’ve had the blues, many of times I been known to walk in someone elses shoes. On a grey day in our nation’s capital, I sat on the concrete steps in front of the National Gallery of Art and listened to a friend recite the This isn’t Where I Expected I’d be at 30 speech. Silently I thought, “That’s the problem with expectations.” The more friends I welcome across the bridge into 30Land, the more I believe that the price of admission is the What I Expected speech. They lament over their jobs, their singleness, their weight, their finances, and so the list goes. It seems at some point in their youth they thought by the time they turned 30, life would be simple: good job with great pay, loving spouse (or significant other), a child, an active metabolism, and a stable bank account. These things would make their lives complete. However, as they hit 30, life isn’t what they expected, and they feel let down. I remember when I was 21, I recited the How My Life is Going to Be speech to several older co-workers. They all laughed and said don’t bet on it. By the time I was 30 (which was so old), my life would be dull and I’d be married and probably have a kid. During my 20s, my life was filled with adventure and the “ marriage with kids” expectation didn’t become a reality. As 30 crept up, I looked at my life and recalled that speech from nine years ago. Instead of lamenting over unmet expectations, I simply laughed and thought, “Man, I was dumb.” When I turned 30, I threw a big party. Eighteen months later, people are still talking about it! I don’t remember wasting time worrying about the conflict between expectations and reality. I remember laughter, friends, and a few too many strong cosmopolitan martinis. I certainly didn’t expect that to happen. While some people use expectations as a way to guide their lives, the majority of expectations we set on our lives rarely happen. It doesn’t even have to be where you expect to be when you hit a certain age. It could be a job offer, a night out on the town, your car’s reliability, your pet’s undying love, etc. When we expect to be offered a job, and we’re not, we are disappointed. When you and your friends head out for a night on the town and you secretly expect to meet a new potential but don’t, you’re let down. When your treasured car starts sputtering or dripping oil, you feel betrayed. When your dog has found a bone that he’d rather play with than meet you at the door, you feel a sense of loneliness. While we might be in control of our lives, the truth is, we have very little control over the world around us. You can’t expect the world to change to better suit your wishes. Your life isn’t what you expect it to be, it is what you make it to be. Stop being let down by the fact that reality isn’t living up to your expectations. Start enjoying the life you lead. Realize that by setting high expectations, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. But remember that giving up high expectations doesn’t mean lowering your standards. Use your expectations as a motivator for you to take steps to create the life you’d like to lead. If you expect to get married, go out and find someone to marry. If you expect to find a better job, go apply for one. Don’t stop fighting until your expectations become a reality. When it comes time for you to cross the bridge into a new decade, the acknowledgement that you’re responsible for your life’s station will get you much further than the What I Expected speech. So stop lamenting and enjoy the walk over, the view is much better on this side. I am only human therefore I must cope, and hang on to the knot in the end of my own rope. Now I am a survivor, the victem in me died And when my life is finished They will say that I’ve tried. Brandy Dean Genung Allison Gregg is an eternal optimist who has never had it so good. E-mail Allison at allison.gregg@valleyplanet.com. 22 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET My introduction to Huntsville By GARY JAMES BRIDGE It may have taken me 31 years to ‘brain hit’ with what my first thoughts of Huntsville were. Stepping off the airliner from Washington, D.C., I experienced a version of Rod Serling’s incredibe “Twilight Zone” in living color. Huntsville was so very high technology it was almost scary. And yet, 5 or 6 miles away - in downtown - are encompassed dozens of marvelous Ante Bellum homes and newer architecture. I learned that John Hunt, who settled the town, had Huntsville and Huntland, Tenn., named for him. There were more nightclubs here than I had ever experienced in a city of this size. And my dear father and mother, Charles & Louise Bridge, and my brother Wayne Bridge, were all involved in the entertainment field. I, too, soon had my little share of Huntsville nightlife, operating a couple of bars geared for ‘alternative’ lifestyles. Our town had some of the best restaurants in the country. Then came the 1974 tornadoes and how phenomenol it was to see all of Huntsville and the surrounding areas instantly become ‘family.’ ________ D&L BISTRO 7500 SW Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-881-7244, located in Main St. South Mon-Sat. Lunch & Dinner. THE DOCKS Goosepond Colony, 417 Ed Hembree, Scottsboro, 256-574-3071. Casual Fine Dining Restaurant & Bar on the banks of the Tennessee River. Free live entertainment on weekends. 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. Live music on the patio. SEE CALENDAR for details. 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 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. Live music every night – SEE CALENDAR PO BOY FACTORY 815 Andrew Jackson Way, Huntsville (in Five Points) 256539-3616. TIM’S CAJUN KITCHEN 114 Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-533-7589. JAZZ FACTORY 109 North Side Square, Huntsville (Downtown on the Square), 256-539-1919. Live Music, Full Bar & Extensive Wine List. 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 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 LOGAN’S ROADHOUSE (2 Huntsville locations) 4249 Balmoral Drive, Huntsville, 256-881-0584 University Drive NW, Huntsvile 2315 Beltline SW, Decatur, 256-432-2746 PAULI’S BAR & GRILL Note - Mr. Bridge now lives in West Virginia entertainment. 7:30am-5pm M-Th. Til midnight F&S. Closed Sundays. 7143-C Hwy 72 W, Huntsville (corner of Slaughter Road & Hwy 72), 256-722-2080. Full Bar & Extensive Wine List. Reservations Suggested. www.paulisbarandgrill.com 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. Full Bar & Extensive Wine Selection. www.washingtonsq.com/chophouse.htm 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 Alabama Famous Chicken Tenders, Hickory Smoked Baby Back Ribs. In the Lounge, LIVE MUSIC Tu-Fr night, Monday Night Football. STARFISH Corner of Pratt & Russell, Huntsville, 256-327-5555 Fresh Seafood , Full Bar TGI FRIDAY’S 4935 University Drive NW, Huntsville 256-830-2793, www.tgifridays.com BELLACINO’S PIZZA & GRINDERS (2 locations) 4851 Whitesburg Dr, 256-880-8656 8572 Madison Blvd, Madison, 256-774-1918 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 TOP O’ THE RIVER 2900 Triana Blvd. SW, Huntsville, 256-534-8585 WEST END GRILL 605 Jordan Lane, 256-837-7220 602 Governors Drive, 256-536-6585 7004 Val-Monte, Guntersville, 256-582-4567 6610 Old Madison Pike, Huntsville, 256-722-8040. Steaks, chicken and seafood. WILD FLOUR BISTRO 600 Jordan Lane NW, Huntsville (shopping center, corner of Holmes and Jordan). 256-536-0939. STANLIEO’S SUB VILLA (2 Huntsville locations) 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 WINGS SPORTS GRILLE 4250 Balmoral Dr. SW, Huntsville, 256-881-8878. www.wingssportsgrille.com BB PERRINS 608 Holly St, NE, Decatur, 256-355-0980 CLEM’S BBQ & FISHERY 3700 Blue Spring Road NW Huntsville, 256-852-6661 Listings ALABAMA BREAD COMPANY DREAMLAND 975 Airport Rd., Huntsville, 256-882-2010. 3855 University Dr., Huntsville 256-539-7427 CAFE BABA GIBSON BARBECUE (3 Huntsville locations) 5000 Whitesburg, Huntsville, 256-519-2323. Coffee Hotspot. Specialty coffees, sandwiches, salads, desserts. CAFE DOMAIN 6585 Hwy 431 S, Ste. C, Huntsville, 256-882-6747 Creperie & Patisserie COFFEE CREATIONS 616 HWY 31, S ATHENS, AL 35611 COFFEE TREE BOOKS & BREW, THE 7900 Bailey Cove Rd., Huntsville, 256-880-6464 BISTRO LA LUNA 3RD BASE GRILL 7904 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville, 256-882-9500. Great Food for Lunch and Dinner. Mondays $0.35 Wings, Family Atmosphere, Live Music on Wednesday & Thursday. NFL Ticket on Sunday. Open 11 pm – 2 am, Mon–Sat, open at noon - 2 am on Sundays. 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 Every day is St. Patrick’s Day at Bennigan’s www.bennigans.com Covenant Cove Lodge & Marina, 7001 Val-Monte Drive, Guntersville, 256-582-0930. Lunch & Dinner www. covenantcove.com 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. CHILI’S (2 Huntsville locations) 4925 University Drive, 256-722-9620 2740 Carl T. Jones, 256-882-1230 COTTON ROW MARKET 109 Washington Street, Huntsville, 256-704-5555. (breakfast & lunch). www.washingtonsq.com/cottonrow. htm GREEN DOOR BOOKS 121 S. Marion St, Athens, 256-216-1005, Books, Coffee, Music and More. The coolest little book store in Athens. Live music Friday nights. JAMO’S CAFÉ 413 Jordan Lane NW, Huntsville, 256-837-7880. Mediterranean Fare, Sandwiches & Specialty Coffees. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. JAVA JAAY CAFE 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 COPELAND’S 2004 Airport Road SW, Huntsville 256-650-3131 1713 6th Ave. SE, Decatur, 256-351-8555. Espresso, Mocha, Coffee, Freezes, Smoothies, Sandwiches & Baked goods. M-Th: 6am-6pm. Fri: 6am-7pm. Sat: 8am2pm. CRAWMAMMA’S KAFFEEKLATSCH G’S COUNTRY KITCHEN KENNY MANGO’S COFFEE SHOP & GALLERY MULLIN’S 5000 Webb Villa, Guntersville, 256-582-0484 Seafood & Steak 103 Jefferson Street, Huntsville, 256-536-7993. 119 N Side Square, Huntsville, 256-755-6559. Featuring coffee drinks, smoothies & desserts. Live music & ERNEY’S 1605 Pulaski Pike NW Huntsville, (256) 533-5734 2501 Oakwood Dr., Huntsville, 256-533-3034 607 Andrew Jackson, Huntsville, 256-539-2826 THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 23 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. JEMISON’S EATERY & PUB 350-A Market St. NE, Decatur, 256-351-0300. Open from 10:30 am Mon-Sat. Sandwiches, Pizza, Salads, Happy Hour: Mon - Fri, 3 pm - 6:30 pm. JUDGE CRATER’S PUB & GRILL 110 Southside Square, Huntsville 256-534-6116 KAFFEEKLATSCH @NIGHT 103 Jefferson Street, Huntsville, 256-536-7993. Live Music nightly. LAKE IDA PUB &GRILl 101 Lindsay Lane S., Athens, 256-232-2330. A quaint restaurant on the edge of a beautiful, small lake. LICK SKILLET MUSIC BARN 1801 Charity Lane, Hazel Green, 256-828-5666. Live music Fri. and Sat. Alcohol-free environment. Concessions available. www.lickskilletmusicbarn.com THE MAIN OFFICE Hwy 231/431, Hazel Green, 256-829-9100 MARTINI’S OF MADISON MIWON JAPANESE RESTAURANT CONTINUED 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 404 Jordan Lane NW Huntsville, 256-533-7771 MIYAKO Restaurant & Sushi Bar 10013 South Parkway 256-880-9879 NIKKO JAPANESE 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 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 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 ITALIAN PIE 5000 Whitesburg Dr, Huntsville, 256-883-9112 LA STRADA 12824 Hwy 431, Guntersville. European cuisine. 256-5822250. www.lastradabama.com LUCIANO 964 Airport Road SW, Huntsville, 256-885-0505 RICATONI’S ITALIAN GRILL PHILBY’S POURHOUSE BLUE PARROT MARTINI & CIGAR LOUNGE ROCKABILLY’S SMOKEHOUSE GRILL SURIN OF THAILAND 975 Airport Rd SW, Huntsville, 256-213-9866 THAI GARDEN RESTAURANT 800 Wellman Ave. NE, Huntsville, 256-534-0122 CHINA MOON 10000 S. Memorial Pkwy. 256-489-3333. Lunch & Dinner, full bar,great atmosphere. 7001 Val-Monte Drive, Covenant Cove Resort, Guntersville, 256-582-0930. Happy Hour, Tu-Thr 4-7pm. Great drinks and a walk-in humidor! Live Music, see calendar for details. www.covenantcove.com/parrot.htm BOBBY G’S PLACE (2 Huntsville locations) 1009 Henderson Road, 256-837-4728 and 4070 Memorial Pkwy S, 256-880-2590. Steaks, seafood, chicken and wings. Live music & Karaoke. BRICK DELI & TAVERN, THE DING HOW II BROILER STEAK & SEAFOOD 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 209-A 2nd Ave. SE, Decatur 256-355-8318. Live Music 2322 Memorial Parkway S. 256-536-2121. CHARLOTTE’S PLACE 1117 Jordan Ln. Huntsville, AL 35816 CHIPS & SALSA CANTINA 10300 Bailey Cove Rd SE Huntsville, 256-880-1202. Full Mexican menu, dart tournaments. CLUB MIRAGE DEUTSCHE KUCHE 418 Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-534-4807. Authentic German Foods & Beverages. 4701 Meridian Street, Huntsville, 256-851-2920. Chicken, steak, pasta and seafood. COPPER TOP BAR & GRILL 2357 Whitesburg Dr., Hsv 256-512-9776 200 Q Oakwood Ave., Huntsville, 256-536-1150 Formerly Zesto’s in Five Points. Appetizers, sandwiches & more. Karaoke & Live Music OL HEIDELBERG CAFÉ CORNER GRILL & PUB, THE HILDEGARD’S 6125 University Drive NW E14, Huntsville, (shopping center next to Rosie’s), 256-992-0556. TASTE OF D’ISLANDS 2105 Mastin Lake Road, Huntsville, 256-851-9262. Authentic Caribbean Cuisine CASA MONTEGO INTERNATIONAL LOUNGE 2117 Jonathan Drive, Huntsville, 256-858-9187. Your source for Authentic Caribbean & American Food. Salsa, Rock, Reggae, Hip-Hop, R&B, Soul, Merengue. HEAVEN’S FARMACY 2413B Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-721-5949 (2 Huntsville locations) 10300 Bailey Cove Road SE, 256-880-2103. 129-A Old Highway 431,Hampton Cove Burgers, steaks & sandwiches. Great food, live entertainment nightly. Great neighborhood atmosphere. CROSSROADS, THE 721 Clinton Ave, Huntsville, 256-533-3393. Live Music 7 nights. www.crossroadsmusic.biz DUGOUT SPORTS BAR, THE 1550 6th Ave., Decatur,256-350-7390. Karaoke, Live Music, NTN Trivia. EMBER CLUB 903 Memorial Pkwy NW, Huntsville, 256-534-7092. Burgers, sandwiches and steaks. 111 Jefferson Street, Huntsville, 256-512-5858. Live entertainment. 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 4820 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-895-0795. Deli sandwiches, TVs, darts. SAMMY T’S MUSIC HALL 116 Washington Street, 256-539-9974. Best Live Music in Huntsville Thu – Sat. Open 6 pm – 2 am. www.sammytsplace.com SANDY’S ROADHOUSE (formerly Manhattans) Keep reading the Planet for grand opening news.12740 Hwy. 431 S, Guntersville, 256571-0450. Happy Hour 10am-7pm. Patio for the bikers, karaoke, jams. THE SHACK 105 Swancott Road, Triana 256-461-0227. The bar that never closes! Live music Friday & Saturday. SPORTS PAGE LOUNGE & DELI 9009 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville, 256-880-9471. Plate lunches, deli sandwiches. Live entertainment THE STATION 8694 Madison Blvd., Madison, 256-325-1333. Live entertainment. Lunch specials. Happy Hour 3 – 8 pm. Open 7 days a week 11 am – 2 am. 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, 256582-2220 UPSCALE 10131 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville, 256-882-1670. Live Music. 2021 Golf Rd, Huntsville, 256-881-8820 Dining & entertainment complex. Huntsville’s only openminded night spot. www.clubupscale.com END ZONE, THE WINGS SPORTS GRILLE 1909 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-536-2234. Sandwiches, steaks, and ribs. 22 TVs, 8 Satellites. Lunch & Dinner every day. FINNEGAN’S PUB 3310 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville, 256-881-9732 4250 Balmoral Dr. SW, Huntsville, 256-881-8878. www.wingssportsgrille.com VISIONS 6404 University Dr. NW, Huntsville, 256-722-8247 FURNITURE FACTORY BAR & GRILL 3RD BASE GRILL 7904 Memorial Pkwy S, Huntsville, 256-882-9500. Great Food for Lunch and Dinner. Mondays $0.35 Wings, Family Atmosphere, Live Music on Wednesday & Thursday. NFL Ticket on Sunday. Open 11 pm – 2 am, Mon–Sat, open at noon - 2 am on Sundays. 619 Meridian Street N, Huntsville (just north of Downtown), 256-539-8001. Live music on the patio. SEE CALENDAR for details. GOAL POST, THE 3305 Bob Wallace Ave, Huntsville, 256-489-0055. 11am2am daily. ADRIAN’S HARD DOCK CAFE ALABAMA ROADHOUSE HALF TIME BAR AND GRILL 1405 Sunset Drive, Guntersville, 256-582-3106 EDO JAPANESE RESTAURANT 7908 Memorial Parkway S. 256-880-2525 MIKATO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE & LOUNGE ALLEN’S GRILLE & GROG 4061 Independence Dr. NW, Huntsville, (one block N. of University on Jordan Ln.), 256-830-1700. 9076 Madison Blvd, Madison, 256-772-8514. MIKAWA RESTAURANT 2510 Ready Section Road, corner of Pulaski Pike, Toney 1010 Heathland Dr, Huntsville, 256-837-7440. Authentic Japanese Restaurant. 2703 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-539-6268. Pool tables, full menu. 11700 S Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-880-2626 Take Out or Eat In. Open 7 days. Lunch Buffet Mon - Sat. 5901 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-722-4770 104 N. Intercom Drive, Madison, 256-772-0360 OTTER’S BLACK WATER HATTIE’S 1105 Wayne Road, Huntsville, 256-217-1719 ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL Authentic Gourmet Italian Cuisine. 11505 S. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-881-7746 2704 Johnson Road, Huntsville, 256-880-3714. Live entertainment. Sunday is NFL & Race Day. TOKYO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE & SUSHI BAR 107 N. Court St., Florence, 256-718-1002 TELLINI’S CAFE & GRILL 4855 Whitesburg Dr. Hsv 256-881-9155 VILLA FIORE OL’ BREWTAHN TAVERN PEANUT FACTORY BAR & GRILL ROSIE’S MEXICAN CANTINA (2 Huntsville locations) 6125 University Drive, 256-922-1001 7540 S. Memorial Pkwy, 256-382-3232 Mon–Sat. Lunch & Dinner. 718 Church St, Huntsville, 256-533-4005 BILLIARD STREET CAFE LA ALAMEDA 3807 University Drive NW Huntsville, 256-539-6244 BENCHWARMER, TOO! MOODY MONDAYS SHO GUN JAPANESE STEAK & SUSHI BAR 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 2998 University Drive, Huntsville 256-539-6268. Lunch buffet, steaks, sandwiches. Live music, 12 ft. TV screen, 7 big screens, 22 TVs. NASCAR Sundays, Dart Tourneys (plastic & steel), Thursdays College Night w/DJ. Open 7 days 10 am to 2 am. Dinner nightly. www.benchwarmersportsbar.com. Marriott Hotel, 5 Tranquility Base, Huntsville 256-830-2222. 3017 Governors Dr SW, Huntsville, 256-534-0866 208 Main St., Madison, 256-461-8999 CASA BLANCA MEXICAN RESTAURANT BENCHWARMER FOOD & SPIRITS 3000 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-489-9600. 6565 Hwy. 431, Hampton Cove, 256-536-3690 3991 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-534-3000. Hibachi Tables & Sushi Bar. BANDITO BURRITO (2 locations) Ramada Inn, 8716 Madison Blvd, Madison, 256-772-0701. THE BARN 3755 U.S. Hwy. 31, Decatur, 256-340-9234 8873 Highway 72 W, Madison, 256-430-0266 5 POINTS GALLERY 401 Pratt Ave. NE, 256-539-9658 Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm. Featuring original art by local/regional artists, handmade jewelry, antiques, prints and custom framing. 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 2407 Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-533-7446 300 N. Beaty St., Athens, Athens State University, 800-522-0272 HOOTERS ARTISTIC IMAGES 4730 University Drive, Huntsville, 256-722-0166. Wings, seafood and sandwiches. 2115 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, 256-534-3968. www.artisticimagesgallery.com HOPPER’S Holiday Inn-Research Park, 5903 University Drive, 256-830-0600, Karaoke and Live Music. CAROLE FORET FINE ART HOG WILD SALOON 206 West Market St., Downtown Square, Athens 256-232-2521. www.caroleforet.com 24 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET DRAGONFLY GALLERY & DESIGN 125 Main Ave. S., Fayetteville, TN, 931-433-3024 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 non-members. 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. 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 100 North Main, Fayetteville, TN (on the square). This gallery is a co-op. The showing artists work at the gallery once or twice a month. Come in, check out some great art and meet an artist. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm. LADAGE ARTISTRY 321 S. Jefferson, Athens,256-216-0039. Original artwork by national artisits. Tue-Sat, 9 am-7 pm. 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, 256-776-4300. 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. Fine art with a lowbrow twist. Submission inquiries welcome. Open Noon till 10 p.m., Tue-Sat. Located inside Ink City Tattoo. MVAC FINE ARTS GALLERY 300 Gunter Ave.,Guntersville, 256-582-1454. Hours: Mon-Fri 9-4, Sat 10-3. http://mountainvalleyartscouncil.org HUNTSVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, 256-830-4447. The 110-acre garden is open year-round. Summer Hours, Memorial Day through Labor Day: M-Sat, 9am-8pm; Sun, 1–8pm. $8 Adults, $6 Senior or Military, $3 Children ages 3-18.www.hsvbg.org. HUNTSVILLE STARS HUNTSVILLE HAVOC Professional Hockey, Eastern Hockey League. 700 Monroe Street. Huntsville, AL 35801 (256) 518-6160. 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, 256-551-3240. 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 9am5pm 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 2364 Whitesburg Drive S, Huntsville, 256-536-1960. 700 Monroe St. Huntsville, 256-533-1953. Check calendar for events. www.vonbrauncenter.com TWO FEATHERS NATIVE AMERICAN GALLERY THE WEEDEN HOUSE UNIVERSITY CENTER ART GALLERY University of Alabama in Huntsville, 256-824-1000 UPTOWN GALLERY 1220 South Memorial Parkway, Huntsville 256-880-2044. Custom framing, fine art, digital imaging & photography. 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 300 Gates Avenue SE, Huntsville, 256-536-7718 ARS NOVA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS 7908C Charlotte Drive, Huntsville, 256-883-1105. www. arsnovahsv.com BROADWAY THEATRE LEAGUE 700 Monroe St. Suite 410, Huntsville (all performances held at Von Braun Center) 256-518-6155. www.btleague.org FANTASY PLAYHOUSE CHILDREN’S THEATRE 3312 Long Avenue SW, Huntsville, 256-539-6829 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.flyingmonkeyarts.org FOOTLIGHTS COMMUNITY THEATER 302 Hoffman St. Athens, 256-216-0903 www.footlightstheater.org Footlights@footlightstheater.org HUNTSVILLE BALLET COMPANY 800 Regal Drive SW, Huntsville, 256-539-0961 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 HUNTSVILLE COMMUNITY CHORUS CATHEDRAL CAVERNS STATE PARK LOWE MILL 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 3312 Long Avenue, Fantasy Arts Center, Huntsville, 256533-6606 HUNTSVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA North Side Von Braun Center, Huntsville 256-539-4818. 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 7001 Val-Monte Drive, Guntersville 256-582-1000 or 888-288-COVE. Home of Blue Parrot Martini & Cigar Lounge, Bistro La Luna & Wake Factory. www.covenantcove.com Business Office. 1701 University Dr, Suite 1, Huntsville, 256-536-0807. www.theatrehsv.org. EARLYWORKS MUSEUM COMPLEX GORHAM’S BLUFF CARMIKE CINEMAS 1359 Old Monrovia Road, Huntsville, 256-430-0770. 607 Fourteenth Street, Decatur, 256-350-0935 www.carmike.com. HARMONY PARK SAFARI Funtasia Family Fun Ctr. 2016 N. Mem. Pkwy Huntsville 256-536-0676 HARRISON BROTHERS HARDWARE MADISON BOWLING CENTER 8661 Hwy 72 W, Madison, 256-722-0015. 404 Madison Street SE, Huntsville, 256-564-8100. 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. 431 Clouds Cove Road, New Hope. 1-877-7ANIMAL. Drive through animal exhibits. Open March through November. MONARCH LANES 2009 Bob Wallace, Huntsville, 256-534-9439. MADISON BOWLING CENTER 8661 Hwy 72 W, Madison, 256-722-0015. Joe W. Davis Stadium, 3125 Leeman Ferry Rd, Huntsville, 256-882-2562. SIGNATURE GALLERY 7529-A S. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-882-0078. Native American Arts & Gifts. “Walking the Path of our People” PLAMOR LANES 2404 Leeman Ferry Rd., Huntsville, 256-539-2785 DR. EDDIE’S STEREO OUTLET 6777 Highway 431 S, Hampton Cove, 256-539-5554 www.dreddies.com THE DREAM MAKER 11220 S. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-883-8446. Promoting Harmony & Health through Nature. THE FRET SHOP 309 Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-430-4729. Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Sales, Instruction and Repair. www.thefretshop.com. GREEN DOOR BOOKS 121 South Marion Street, Athens, 256-216-1005 Books, Coffee, Music & More. HAVEN: COMICS, ETC. 7185-H Highway 72 W., Madison, 256-430-0505 www.havencomics.com HDK ENTERTAINMENT North Alabama & Southern TN Premier Mobile DJ/ Karaoke Service. 256-509-2498 HIT VIDEOS & COLLECTIBLES 515 Jordan Lane, Huntsville, 256-830-6654 HUMIDOR PIPE SHOP 2502 S. Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-539-6431 Cigars, Pipes, Pipe Tobacco, Lighters, Accessories, Pipe Repair. M-F 10-6. www.humidorpipeshop.com WERD INTERACTIVE www.werdinteractive.com Games for your cell phone INTERIOR MARKETPLACE Hwy. 431, Hampton Cove, Huntsville, 256-539-9113 LADAGE ARTISTRY 321 S. Jefferson, Athens,256-216-0039. Hair Salon, Day Spa & Art Boutique. Tue-Sat, 9 am-7 pm. http://ladage.dews.net MAIN STREET SOUTH 7500 Memorial Pkwy SW, Huntsville. Pick up the Valley Planet inside, under the clock tower. NAUGHTY & SPICE 7914 S. Memorial Pkwy, Ste E-14, Huntsville (The Village Center), 256-880-4884. We cater to all your romance needs. NONESUCH GIFTS 804 Wellman in 5 Points, Huntsville. A gift shop for openminded people. Celebrating the diversity of cultures and lifestyles. www.nonesuchgifts.com OLDE TOWNE BREWRY 214 Holmes Ave. Huntsville 256-564-7404 PEACE PIPE 585 Hwy 231, S Lacey’s Spring, AL PEARLY GATES NATURAL FOODS 2308 Memorial Pkwy., Huntsville, 256-534-6233 RAILROAD BAZAAR (5 locations) 200 Oakwood Ave., Huntsville,256-536-1222 11203 Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, 256-880-3430 7950 Hwy. 72 W, Madison, 256-721-9303 936 US Hwy. 72, Athens, 256-216-9383 1801 Beltline, Decatur, 256-353-8121 RED JASPER SPA 211 A 2nd Ave. SE, Decatur, 256-584-0027 www.redjasperspa.com RED LIGHT VIDEO 2900-E Triana Blvd. Huntsville. Huntsville’s newest “All Ratings” Superstore. VHS, DVD, Novelties, Magazines. 256-536-0482 SHAVER’S BOOK STORE 2362 Whitesburg Dr, Huntsville, 256-536-1604 SOUND ON WHEELS 2807 University Dr. NW Huntsville 256-533-9422 STRINGS ‘N’ BRASS 409 Pratt Ave, Huntsville, (across from Sonic) 256-533-9088. www.stringsnbrass.com SUNBURST RECORDS 4001 Holmes Ave., Huntsville 256-830-8079 T SHEPARD’S DISCOUNT MUSIC 1900 S. Memorial Pkwy, 256-533-7944. Buy-Sell-TradeConsignment BOONDOCKS 124 Southside Square, Huntsville, 256-536-3631. Alabama’s oldest hardware store. THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 25 Lead Story The Jordan River, considered by believers to have been the gateway to the Garden of Eden (and by Christians to have been where Jesus was baptized), is now more than 50 percent raw sewage and agricultural runoff, according to a Middle East conservation group spokesman interviewed by Reuters in June. Together, Israel, Jordan and Syria have diverted away from the river (and then treated) about 90 percent of the water flow over the years for their own uses, though part of Jordan’s diversion was to create a clean-water baptismal site for pilgrims (some of whom, nonetheless, still bathe in the greenish, polluted part). Chuck Shepherd, Photo Bob Baggett Photography Police Blotter -- In an early-morning shootout on June 4 in the Homewood housing complex in Pittsburgh, two undercover officers and suspect Keith Carter, 19, exchanged a total of at least 103 gunshots and missed every single time. (On the other hand, in March, Regina Jones-Peoples, 30, of Warren, Ohio, survived 18 gunshots, from her neck to her legs, allegedly by her estranged husband, Marcus Jones, 29, on whom police issued an arrest warrant.) -- In the course of a traffic stop on Interstate 70 in Kingdom City, Mo., in June, Missouri Highway Patrol officers found a 3-foot-long rocket with an electric launcher, attached to an elaborate system of pulleys in the trunk of the car of two men, Michael Ray Sullivan, 41, and Joseph C. Seidl, 39. The rocket, which could probably be triggered from the driver’s seat, was found stuffed with methamphetamine, with more (totaling about $145,000 worth) in pipes alongside. The patrolmen who arrested the pair believe the contraption was for quick disposal of their inventory if they got cornered. Government in Action -- Ireland’s justice ministry proposed rules changes for its prison system in June, banning such “inhumane” treatments as restricted diets and corporal punishment. On the other hand, among the current practices that would soon be prohibited are inmates’ bringing in their own furniture, hiring maids, and ordering food and alcoholic beverages, according to a dispatch from Dublin published in The Australian. -- Officials in Montgomery County, Md., regard the feathery green plant called the mugwort as a weed, an “alien invasive plant,” and periodically lament its presence in the county’s parks, according to a June Washington Post report. However, local Koreans, who call the plant “souk,” consider it a delicacy in seafood soup and rice cakes, and have eagerly been digging it out of the parks for free, except that it is illegal to remove anything, even weeds, from the parks. Consequently, according to the Post, county officials have simultaneously undertaken (a) a pilot program to see if goats could be trained to root out unwanted flora and (b) a stepped-up program to convince the Koreans to obey the law against removing mugwort. -- In May, Councilman Manfred Juraczka in Vienna, Austria, proposed, in order to alleviate the city’s growing problem with pet droppings, to collect DNA samples from all registered dogs so that the soilers can be identified and their owners fined. According to an Associated Press report, a similar proposal was made in Dresden, Germany, in March, and News of the Weird reported another, in 1996, in the English village of Bruntingthorpe, which at the time had a population of 200 people and 30 dogs. (Vienna has about 50,000 registered dogs.) News That Sounds Like a Joke (1) The support group for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Nelson, New Zealand, announced that it would support in principle the illness-publicizing International Awareness Day on May 12 even though its members would probably not participate in the commemorative activities because they are often too tired for such things. (2) The Rotary Club of Chatham, New Brunswick, announced in May that the grand prize in its raffle to help build a new environmental awareness center would be a Hummer. (3) Federal agents who were interviewing Gerald T. Williams, 34, about possible child pornography at his home in St. Louis, said that in the course of the interview, a screen saver featuring child-sex images happened to appear on Williams’s computer. (Williams pleaded guilty in June.) First Things First Juan M. Puliddo-Castaneda, 24, was arrested just as he was preparing to play a round at the Anchorage (Alaska) Golf Course on June 11. Police said he had just moments before caused a two-car collision that sent five people to the hospital (but not Puliddo-Castaneda, who walked away). Puliddo-Castaneda’s passengers said he was speeding because he said he had to make his tee time. And, in June, describing the moments immediately after a serious auto collision the month before on Interstate 4 near Plant City, Fla., victim Tracy Palmer (ankle shattered, lip impaled on her teeth, according to a Tampa Tribune story) said she could hear tires rolling inches from her head as other motorists crept through the four-car wreck in order to be on their way. “People were actually driving between us (victims),” she said. Questionable Judgments -- An 82-year-old man who had locked himself out of his stillrunning car in Glen Burnie, Md., in June, was hospitalized with first- and second-degree burns after attempting to siphon gasoline from the car using an electric vacuum cleaner (a spark from which ignited gasoline vapors). He told police that he wanted to force the engine to stop by removing the rest of the gasoline. -- In June, community leaders in a largely gay neighborhood in Toronto unveiled a 13-foot-high statue of Alexander Wood, one of their historical heroes, who according to legend had been pressured out of town in the early 1800s over a sex scandal. As the story goes, magistrate Wood, investigating a heterosexual rape in which the victim claimed to have scratched her attacker’s genitals, rounded up numerous suspects and zealously examined each for such a scratch. Hence, the statue features a 5-foot-tall image of Wood, seated, “inspecting” a standing man with his trousers down. Names in the News A Springfield, Ill., lawyer was unsuccessful in his petition to the judge to have his client tried for DUI-reckless homicide under a false name (in that the jury just could not be fair if it knew her real name, which is Doris Lush, and in fact, she was convicted) (May). Another woman who might have a similar problem: Denise Coke, 25, charged with possession of 33 pounds of cocaine (Roseville, Mich., May). Not so troubled: Mr. Emmanuel Innocent, charged with attempted murder in a bar fight (Ottawa, Ontario, May). charge in Columbus, Ohio, was found not guilty by a jury in May (though the judge sentenced him to five years in prison for being a felon in possession of a gun). (News of the Weird reported in 2003 that Jonathan Harris, representing himself, not only beat a murder rap in Philadelphia, but also prevailed as his own counsel in two felony trials, and then taunted the prosecutor for threatening to bring additional charges.) Fetishes on Parade (1) In the course of accusing her estranged boyfriend of killing her miniature collie in New York City in March, according to the New York Post, a woman said the man was fond of having the dog watch while the couple had sex. (2) In the course of investigating sex-crime charges against former Citrus County, Fla., judge Gary Graham, investigators said a former girlfriend reported that Graham was fond of having her dress as a little girl, with hair in pigtails and freckles painted on her face, according to a May Tampa Tribune story. Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679 or WeirdNewsTips@yahoo.com or go to www.NewsoftheWeird.com. COPYRIGHT 2005 CHUCK SHEPHERD Come and have a nice chat with us. Post topics and get responses. Recurring Themes “Fool for a client” Timothy Daniel, 25, who had fired his lawyer and defended himself on a murder 26 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 #071405080405 THE VALLEY PLANET The Valley Planet Music Exchange is FREE to any individual looking to buy, sell, trade or find band mates. 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 @ 256-533-4613 if you would like to put your business in the Exchange. E-mail your ads to classifieds@valleyplanet.com NO AD WILL RUN UNTIL PAYMENT HAS BEEN RECEIVED! AT STRING’S N BRASS you get internet pricing AND home town service EVERYDAY 30% off or more on Amps and Guitars with great technical support 409 Pratt ave. 533-9088 12-6 daily Exp. Lead guitarist wanted Call George @ 337-9856 Professional Drummer Versatile Styles Chris @ 227-6490 Torin Asunder Death Metal Band Jay @ 783-3176 CLASSICAL GUITAR AND LUTE New to Huntsville; exp teacher/performer Michael Poulos, BM, MM 539.6838 BOONDOCKS Reggae Band needs Exp. Female Or Male Backup Singer with equip. Contact-cdphil@otelco.net Help Wanted: Person with good phone and organization skills needed 16 hours every three weeks. Duties would include calling and emailing local establishments to get their upcoming calendar information. Also, includes putting calendar information on website. Must have good sense of humor. Great Company with Great people. (The Valley Planet) Pay is not commensurate with experience. Only those willing to work hard for no pay need apply. Will Train Call 479-9463 if interested or email jill@valleyplanet.com. THE VALLEY PLANET #071405080405 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.VALLEYPLANET.COM 27 Where Do I Get the Planet? Huntsville Alabama. A&M Library Drake Tech College TOTI’S Bennigan’s bench warmer bechwarmer too red carpet inn Olive Garden Comfort Inn Holiday Inn Express Camino Real Courtyard Mariott Ruggby’s La Quinta Suburban Hotel Baymont B&N Booksellers Longhorn Steak Toyko O’Charlies Logans Visions Insomnia Coffee Shop@ Providence Haven Comics Country Vittles Fairfield Inn Ol Hiedelburg Lone Star Holiday Inn Coffee Shop in Mall Fridays Jade Palace Chili’s Pleasures Hampton Inn Green Hills Grille Hooters UAH administrative sciences UAH student center Railroad Bazzaar bobby G’s Stanlieo’s Sub Villa Hit Videos Sunburst Records Beauregard’s Jamo’s Cafe Magic Needles The Fret Shop Tim’s Cajun Kitchen Deutsche Kuche Wildflour Bistro Dreamland BBQ City Buffet sammy’s steakhouse Sound on Wheels Billiard Street Café The End Zone Beauregard’s new moon Red Lobster Peanut Factory OZ Blue Plate Café Hot Rod Tattoos Bandito Burrito broilers Traffic Jams Steve’s Cue & Grill CD Exchange Finnegan’s Pepitos Copeland’s Ol Brewtahn Goal Post Bobby G’s Upscale Radisson Hampton Inn D&L Bistro Main Street Café 3rd Base Grill Alabama Roadhouse Chef’s Table Naughty & Spice Ink Spot Tattoo Rolo’s Express Terry’s Pizza Blackwater Hattie Guadalajara Dream Maker Diamonds Ruby Tuesday Windmill Beverages Belecinos Double D Lounge Pit Stop Villa Fiore Miyako Sports Page The Corner Chips & Salsa Casa Blanca Coffee Tree and Books Alpine Bakery & Café Terrame Day Spa Barnes & Noble Buffalo Wild Wings Firehouse Subs Bellacinos Little Rosie’s Ruby Tuesday’s McAllisters Starbuck’s Café Berlin Lucianos Logan’s Wings Beauregards Café Baba Chee burger chee burger Italian Pie Panda Hog Wild Callie Allies Shavers Books Signature Gallery Duffy’s Deli Artistic Images Seattle South Parkers Chevron Stanlieos 801 Franklin Select Hotel By Holiday T Shepherd Music Gold’s Gym Crossroads Big Ed’s Von Braun Office Symphony Office Art Council Office Huntsville Museum Art Judge Crater’s Sammy T’s Humphrey’s Meridian Arts Kaffeeklatsch Philby’s (Molly Teals) Jazz Factory Kenny Mango’s STAR Market Thai Garden None Such Harmony Music Laundry 5 Points Beverage Sazio’s/Starfish Olde Towne Coffee Strings & Brass Zero Gravity Rockabilly’s Furniture Factory Tip Top Café Copper Top Po Boy Factory Decatur Athens Carol Foret Greendoor Books Railroad Bazaar Best Western Super 8 LaDage Student Union Gallery Coffee Creations Lake Ida Chadwicks Casa Blanca Tantastic Tans CD Exchange Princetons Zero Gravity Railroad Bazaar the Dugout Ink City Tatoo Java Jaay Willis Gray Red Jasper The Brick Lagniappes Coffee Café Jemison’s Holiday Inn Hard Dock Café Harley Davidson Madison Allen’s grill and grog Apple Lane Farms Bellacino’s Big Tease I Hampton Inn Holiday Inn Tony’s Deli Pizz Radisson Ramada sheraton The Station Pub & Grill Welcome Table Bandito Burrito Main Street Café Madison Public Library Brubaker’s Silverpoint Rest Halftime Jimmy’s Madison Bowling Crossroads (retail) Beef O’Brady’s Marriott Space Center Sherwood Video Candlewood Suites Guntersville Hampton Cove Interior Marketplace Texaco Express Nikko The Corner Café Domain Dr. Eddie’s Stereo Mtn. Valley Arts Bogey’s Whole Backstage Cheer’s Holiday Inn Covenant Cove Reid’s Restaurant Sandy’s roadhouse Lastrada Mexican Pl. By Lastrada Crawmama’s Butcher Block Adrian’s Piggly Wiggly BoonDock’s Scottsboro The Dock’s Russ T’s Roseberry’s Scottsboro Meats Chamber of Commerce Scooters Dee’s Comedy Café