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Showing posts with the label Alabama customs and people

Double Doors

Old church buildings, including the Waterloo United  Methodist Church shown here, often have two doors at the  entrance.  More than a century ago, when this church house  was built, it was the custom for women and men to enter different doors and sit on different sides of the building. Some say it was an "appreciation of the natural order", while others say it was a safeguard against temptation. I'm thinking they probably appreciated having two sets of doors to keep open during the humid Alabama summers before air conditioning was invented.

Journey Proud

Image from JourneyProudAlabama.com Have you been watching Journey Proud on Alabama Public Television?  If not, you can go  here  to see episodes you have missed. It airs on selected Sunday evenings; you can find a schedule  here . Journey Proud is a documentary series highlighting the people, customs, and traditions of Alabama.  There are episodes on decoration days, shaped-note singing, fishing, juke joints--you get the idea.  If you were raised in Alabama, you are bound to recognize some of your family's traditions, and possibly, some of your family. The host of Journey Proud is Joey Brackner, shown here with Hub at the Labor Day festival at Coon Dog Cemetery.  I met Joey more than a decade ago when he was teaching at an Alabama Folklife Community Scholars program.  He is the Director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, and is the perfect host for Journey Proud. Joey, his producer and crew were at the festi...