Birmingham Chinese New Year Festival – Part 3

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This is the third and final of a three-part post about the Birmingham Chinese Festival Association and the annual Chinese New Year Festival.

One of the things I love the best about festivals is getting to photograph them. Cultural events are guaranteed to give you a lot of colorful options and the Chinese New Year festival is no exception. This past year, I arrived at the festival a little late – so I missed the opening ceremony and the dragon dance. I was a little disappointed about that, but as I entered the Boutwell Auditorium the acts on the main stage immediately got my attention and I almost ran up to them to take photos!

During the entertainment breaks, I walked through the exhibits…the first booth that drew my attention was the Confucian Academy. There I spotted not one, but two men dressed as Confucius helping each other with their beards! Adorable! Later one of the men posed with me for a picture while the other one was busy writing names and other phrases for people in Chinese.

A little further down, a long table was set up with books, interesting knickknacks and some watercolor paintings. The chicken got my attention right off the bat. I don’t know what it is about chickens but I could probably be a collector if I’m not careful. I think they look beautiful in a kitchen. So, I quickly grabbed it up for $10 and asked if the artist was nearby because I wanted to meet her and also get her to sign the painting. Her name was Karen, and she also told me her Chinese name. I sure wish I could remember it now but when I repeated it to her, she said I was saying it correctly which made me happy. She then posed for a picture with me along with the painting. Turns out, I was at the Troy University Confucius Institute’s (CIT) table. I know Troy has a very robust international program and it was great to see them in Birmingham for this festival so more people could learn about it.

For the remainder of the time I was there, I stood in front of the elevated sound and light system and took pictures of the stage performances. Everything from yoga dancers to sword dancing to a guy juggling a large chinese vase and finally a guy balancing on numerous stacked chairs. Everyone of these acts so colorful and leaving the crowd anxious for the next. Here are a few of my favorites from this past year. Sometimes, it’s hard to narrow them down!

Birmingham Chinese New Year Festival – Part 2

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Amy Chen and I cut the ribbon to officially open the Chinese New Year festival in 2008.

This is the second of a three-part post about the Birmingham Chinese Festival Association and the annual Chinese New Year Festival.

In 2008, the Birmingham Chinese Festival Association (BCFA) made the big decision to move the Chinese New Year festival into Boutwell Auditorium. This venue gave the festival the opportunity to expand entertainment and use the large stage in the venue. And now, since the second year, the Boutwell has been the home of the festival and the main stage continues to be a focal point.

The tradition of having a ribbon cutting along with greetings from a representative of the City of Birmingham continues each year as well. During the 2nd year, I had the honor of opening the festival along-side BCFA Vice-President, Amy Chen! After we ceremoniously cut the red ribbon, the BCFA Drum and Dragon team performed and then lead a parade of people into the auditorium. It was quite a site! So many people and so many new sponsors came out this year to enjoy the food, fun, activities and the stage performances.

Chinese New Year at The Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama

Once again, Amy led the way in acquiring tradition Chinese costumes to be featured on the stage. Another stage highlight was a Chinese acrobat troupe, direct from China, that performed. They were incredible and the women performers had me wanting to get back to the gym and work on my upper arm strength!!! Other popular booths included kids activities, games and having a phrase or your name written in Chinese characters.

One of the female performers from China at the Chinese New Year Festival. She was simply amazing!

One of the things I loved seeing was the sea of volunteers in coordinated Birmingham Chinese Festival Association t-shirts. Call me a nerd or organization freak, but that really added to the “color” of the event. AND, everyone began asking where they could get one! I may have told someone it was an “ancient Chinese secret!”

It was estimated that over 5,000 people attended the 2nd year. And with the close of year two, it was safe to say the festival was a secret no more!

Part 3 will showcase some of my favorite photos from the past 9 years, especially the festival this past weekend where I got to meet Confucius! Meanwhile, here are some pictures from the first Boutwell event.

This gentleman was writing phrases and people’s names in Chinese characters.

The drum group performed at the opening ceremonies. They are wearing the festival t-shirts that everyone wanted!

Amy and I get ready to cut the ribbon – I believe I was saying to her here – “are you ready?”

The Dragon Dance leads everyone into the festival after the ribbon cutting!

Walked up on a Mahjong game at the festival. My mother had a mahjong set when we lived in Thailand and I always loved playing with her and her friends as a little girl.

The Dragon at the festival always seems so real to me…especially the way he tilts his head.

These sweet children were intrigued by a presentation at the festival. They arrived dressed in Chinese costume.

The amazing Amy Chen introduces the Chinese costume fashion show.

BCFA President, Allan Staib and Vice-President, Amy Chen, speak to the audience after the fashion show.

Chinese acrobat shows off her talent!

Birmingham Chinese New Year Festival – Part 1

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This is the first of a three-part post about the Birmingham Chinese Festival Association and the annual Chinese New Year Festival.

Red Chinese lanterns lined the trees in Linn Park the first year of the festival.

The Magic City is filled with so many fun things to do! Some weekends, its hard to decide which way to turn with so many options! This past Saturday, I chose the 9th Annual Chinese New Year Festival at Boutwell Auditorium. Of course, I’m a little partial to this event since I around when it was born in 2006.

Before the festival was officially formed, many of the Chinese groups and organizations around town would celebrate Chinese New Year with smaller events. Even the Birmingham Museum of Art held a family event at one time. The year 2005 was a turning point though, and a concerted effort grew among the community to create one large event – a festival – to celebrate Chinese history and culture. This became a collaboration between the Birmingham Chinese Association (BCA), the Birmingham Public Library, the Birmingham Museum of Art and several other Chinese cultural groups. So, 2005 was the year the Birmingham Chinese Festival Association was born and they began planning their first Chinese New Year Festival in Linn Park.

Amy Chen of the BCFA served as Mistress of Ceremonies for the Chinese costume fashion show in the Birmingham Museum of Art. Here she entertains the guests with a favorite Chinese song.

Around this time, I met Amy Chen – a dynamo of a woman with a heart so full of a love of her Chinese culture you couldn’t help but smile every time she spoke to you about it! I always loved talking to Amy. Sometimes she would get so wrapped up in her stories she would tear up. Naturally, that would make me tear up too! She had been to my Fiesta event and loved what we were doing with our Hispanic cultural festival and wanted their Chinese festival to be a success just like ours. Amy asked me to come to some of the early organizing meetings where I shared what we did with Fiesta, how we organized, the types of sponsorships we looked for and how we mobilized volunteers to share their culture. Honestly, they had it all together already, but it was nice of Amy to ask me and for the organizing committee to listen to me. I helped Amy with sponsorship referrals that year and again a few years later when she became President of the BCFA. It’s hard to say “no” to Amy – and really, I didn’t want to because I know the work it takes to deliver a festival based on sponsorships and volunteers. It really was a joy to help her.

The Dragon is always a symbol of the Chinese New Year Festival.

So the first event in Linn Park was February 2007. It really was exciting and you could feel the excitement building as tables were set up by vendors and organizations around the fountain in Linn Park. The smell of Chinese food began drifting through the air from the gazebo in the park and I couldn’t wait to grab a plate and dig in! The opening ceremonies featured a ribbon cutting and fireworks along with the Dragon Dance through the park. Across the street at the museum, Amy was busy at work getting a fashion show ready with modern and traditional dress. In between costume changes, she arranged for music performances and even sang a song herself to the audience!

The models pose at the end of the Chinese fashion show. Some wore modern clothing and some wore traditional clothing. All were so colorful!

The festival drew about 4,000 people to downtown Birmingham on a sunny, cold February day, and much like Fiesta, it was more than was anticipated for a first time event and definitely enough to call it a success and began planning for the next year.

Part 2 – The festival steps up and moves into Boutwell Auditorium along with entertainment straight from China!

Photo opp with Curtis Pickens of AT&T, my friend, Peggy Burnett of the APC Foundation and Amy Chen at the sight of the ribbon cutting. Amy insisted we be a part of the ceremony!

The crowds were drawn to the many vendors at the festival. I saw many red lanterns walking away from the park, including one in my hand!

My friend, Peggy, learns how to use the Kau Cim Fortune Telling Sticks. First, you shake the cylinder so that the sticks pop out and then you select the tallest one. Finally, you read the number on the stick and look up your fortune in a book. Not as easy as it may sound but we enjoyed experimenting!

I love this picture of these little boys playing in the park.

This little girl was loving her costume and the fact that she got to walk the runway – a diva in the making!

This is Amy Chen’s daughter rocking this pink traditional costume.

This is probably one of my favorite costumes. I don’t know if it’s because of the turquoise color or simply the fact that the model is so beautiful.

This guy was hilarious! A friend of Amy Chen’s from work…he volunteered to walk the runway and did his costume proud!

In between costume changes, this young woman entertained the guests by playing a “sanxian” – a Chinese lute.

Discovering Rosa Parks

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Last week was Rosa Parks; birthday – February 4th to be exact. I saw countless pictures with quotes on social media about this and it reminded me of the time I discovered the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, in February of 2013.

I was in Montgomery for work and finished up a little earlier than expected, so decided to drive around and see what I could discover. I did a little google search and found the Rosa Parks Museum. I was so excited…I had no idea there was a Rosa Parks Museum! Oh the wonders of the internet and social media!!!

The museum is owned by Troy University in Montgomery. It was constructed on the site of the former Empire Theatre which is where Rosa Parks made her historic stand on December 1, 1955 at the bus stop in front of the theatre. She was 42 years old at the time. A seamstress who was just tired of how she and other people of color were being treated. Her refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The museum opened in December of 2000 on the 45th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ “stand.” It depicts the historic events and the activities surrounding the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott. Mrs. Parks was even the guest of honor when Troy University dedicated the library and museum.

As I went wandering through the museum, I came across a temporary exhibit of Amos Kennedy posters. These posters displayed the words of Rosa Parks during this time frame. At the time I discovered the museum, I was experiencing some personal struggles in my life so when I saw the words of Rosa Parks in poster form on the walls of this exhibit, they really spoke to me. They gave me courage and the resolve to not let the situation I was in get the better of me. I mean, compared to everything that was going on in 1955 in Alabama…the situation I was facing seemed so miniscule. Perspective pretty much slapped me in the face as I walked through the museum and the exhibit.

And then I walked up to the bronze statue of Rosa Parks seated on the bus by Sculptor, Erik Blome. I stood and stared at her face for the longest time. The face of courage and character. The faces of resolve. The face that seemed at peace with the decision she had made that fateful day. It gave me courage and resolve the longer I stood there…the longer I stared at her face.

After standing at the statue, I decided to re-read Rosa Parks’ words on the posters. This time, they seemed to be speaking even more firmly at me.

And then I came upon her fingerprints…taken when she was arrested…along with her signature…

It was hard to leave the exhibit. I really felt at peace there and the longer I stayed, the better I felt. But eventually, I had to leave and I stood at the entrance, and once again I was drawn to Rosa Parks’ face in another sculpture. This one by Artis Lane – and this time I was drawn to her eyes in this sculpture. She seemed to be telling me everything was going to be okay. At least, that’s what I believe she was saying to me.

I didn’t go through the entire exhibit that day. I will save that for another day, but it was such a blessing discovering this place not so far from my home and learning more about Mrs. Parks.

Mexican Wedding Cookies – My Favorite Christmas Cookie!

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Every year I have my annual Christmas cookie swap party. Everyone brings 12 dozen (yes! you read that right!) of their one favorite cookie and you leave with 12 dozen different cookies. I have the party the first week of December so that everyone can enjoy and share the cookies during the month of December for family gatherings, to use as gifts, or just eat them all themselves!

The cookies I make every year without fail? The Mexican Wedding cookie! It is my all time favorite cookie and it was my dad’s favorite cookie as well. I remember my mother always making these cookies for him and how much he loved them. He had a sweet tooth for certain things and Mexican Wedding cookies was one of those things!

My mother passed her recipe down to me and I am proud to say I can make them almost as well as she does. This year I decided to document the process in photos. They are an easy cookie to make and oh so good! But as I was making them, I was curious about their origin. I mean, where did they get their name and why were they also called Russian Tea Cakes?

So I did a little research online and found a great history from Chef Miguel Ravago, co-founder of Fonda San Miguel in Austin, Texas. I noticed his mother’s recipe, that he shares in the cookbook – Baking From the Heart – includes cinnamon. My mother’s does not, but it got me interested in trying this at some point. It reminded me of another favorite Mexican cookie – bizcochitos that I also love and can’t get enough of when I visit my family in New Mexico! My cousin Nelinda makes a bizcochito to DIE for!

Chef Ravago says the origin of this cookie is Arabic and was taken to Mexico by the Spaniards. They are called Polvorones de Canela – polvorones meaning “dust” because the cookies are covered in powdered sugar and canela – meaning cinnamon. He recalled how his mother would always have these cookies baked every week to have after church to enjoy along with a Mexican chocolate drink. But polvorones are also part of most Mexican weddings – they are gathered into a pyramid at the receptions making a gorgeous white centerpiece and stacked very high so everyone can reach them. At weddings these cookies are best enjoyed with a glass of anise liqueur – according to Ravago’s grandfather.

Here is my mother’s recipe: 1 cup butter or margarine; 1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar; 1 tsp. vanilla; 2-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour (do not use self-riding flour); 1/4 tsp. salt, and 3/4 cups finely chopped nuts (I use pecans). Mix butter, sugar and vanilla thoroughly. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Stir flour and salt together; blend in. mix in nuts. Chill dough.

You then heat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough in 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Cookies do not spread. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until set but not brown. While still warm, roll in confectioners sugar. Cool. Roll in sugar again. This recipe makes about 4 dozen 1 inch cookies.

I still don’t know why these are called Russian Tea Cakes…but they will always be Mexican cookies to me.

I doubled my recipe so this is really 2 cups of butter!

Adding in the confectioners sugar…

Next comes the vanilla…I love the smell of vanilla, don’t you?

Adding the all purpose flour to the butter, sugar and vanilla mixture.

The mixing is complete…the temptation to start spooning out this mixture for snacking is great…

Chopping up the pecans into smaller bits to add to the mixture.

Adding the pecans to the mix

Mixture is ready and the confectioner sugar is on standby for the rolling to begin!

Rolling the mixture into one inch balls to bake for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees.

Ready to go into the oven!

Bake at 400 degrees…

They definitely don’t change much after baking…but they definitely smell terrific!

The confectioners sugar clings to these warm little nuggets!

The finished product! Actually, after they cooled a bit, I rolled them again for added sugar high!

My Mexican Christmas Tree

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Two of my Mexican tin ornaments…

I have always loved Mexican tin ornaments…so shiny and colorful! I began collecting them many years ago but never really had a way to display them. Our family Christmas tree has always been decorated only with Hallmark ornaments. And I’ve been collecting Hallmark ornaments since they first came out in 1973 – but that’s a story for another post…

I know it was a few years after we moved into our house in Hoover, AL, that I decided to have a Mexican tree in my family room. It started slowly…we had a small tree we used in our apartment while we were waiting for our house to be built. It was the perfect size for our family room. So I put together and began decorating. I used poinsettia stems and the tin ornaments the first year. And I added chili pepper lights in green and red too – for a little zing! I remember the first year only having a few strings of chili pepper lights. A friend of mine who loves day after Christmas shopping, found a few more sets one year and called me to see if I wanted any. I said “YES!” and said picked them up for me. I used those lights until just two years ago when so many had gone out I decided to just use multi-colored lights because I couldn’t find chili pepper lights anywhere in town.

The purple sugar skull ornament that I found recently at Myers Plants and Pottery in Pelham, AL

Every year, I try to add something new to the tree. Every time I’ve traveled to New Mexico, Colorado and California, I’ve brought back an ornament. One year I found a few small sombreros and decided to use them as a tree topper. Worked out better than I thought it would! Locally, I’ve found ornaments at World Market and Target. This year, I went by Myers Plants and Pottery in Pelham, AL, and found two sugar skull ornaments to add to the tree – one in white and the other purple. Finding these at Myers was a total shock! Then again, this is the place where I’ve found amazing Talavera pottery pieces too so…

My daughter Emily places poinsettia flowers around the tree before we began decorating with the ornaments.

This year, my daughter Emily helped me with the Mexican tree. We worked together so seamlessly and had it done in no time. After I added the multi-colored lights, she quickly began filling in the spaces with poinsettia flowers. We worked on the ornaments together and each one filled the perfect spot. I remember when my kids were little and would clump ornaments into one spot. After we were done, I would “re-distribute” the ornaments around the tree to even things out. That wasn’t the case today. Emily knew exactly what looked good and where to place things. As a final touch, we picked up the tree skirt and together worked it around the base of the tree. Then we placed the pewter manger under the tree. On either side of the manger, we placed a Mexican mariachi nutcracker and a Mexican Santa doll. Next year, we’ll add red pepper lights back to the tree. My sweet husband found a few boxes while he was out running errands earlier in the day and brought them home for me!

I’m looking at the Mexican tree now as I write this…so peaceful…so beautiful…so colorful…and so Mexican!

Feliz Navidad!

Unpacking the poinsettia flowers, pewter manger and sombrero tree toppers for the Mexican tree.

First step after adding lights is to add the Poinsettia flowers…

Wreath tin ornament on the left that I bought in San Antonio, Texas…sugar skull ornament on the right. I found this one at Target a few years ago.

No Mexican tree would be complete without the Virgen de Guadalupe ornament. In fact…I have several on the tree.

I have several of these ornaments on the tree. I made several of these last year as thank you gifts to my HICA – Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama – board members. The Monarch butterfly is a symbol of immigration.

This white sugar skull ornament came from Myers Plants and pottery in Pelham, AL.

My Mexican Mariachi Santa ornament!

My pewter manger that sits under my Mexican tree every year…

Did Somebody Say SALSA?!!

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Chances are, if you’ve been to any Zuniga-Odom gatherings over the past fifteen years, you’ve sampled my mother’s famous salsa. And chances are, you’ve left that gathering wanting the recipe! It never fails to leave an impression and now when my friends and extended family see my mom at one of my parties, they KNOW there will be salsa! What can I say…it’s delicious and addicting too!

I went over to my mother’s house the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to watch her make her famous salsa. She was ready to get started as soon as I walked in the door. In fact, she had been cooking all day and even sent me home with Puerto Rican chicken and rice a few hours later. Our Odom family Thanksgiving dinner is on Thursday, and as I said, if mom is there – so is her salsa!

Mom had been to Mi Pueblo Supermarket in Pelham earlier in the day to pick up her salsa ingredients. The most prominent items were the 20 or so Roma tomatoes she had all washed and cleaned in a silver colander. She immediately began cutting them up and chopping them into small pieces.

As she chopped, I asked her about the recipe and where it came from. She reminded me about a time about 15 years ago when we went to dinner at the home of a young woman I had met a work who was of Mexican decent. Her mother lived with her and she had cooked up a huge spread of wonderful Mexican food for all the guests. Mom reminded me that she watched the mother make salsa that day and how delicious it was and how she wanted to recreate the recipe for our family. After the evening with our friends, she came home and talked to my dad about the salsa and ingredients. She said to me, “After we got married, your dad taught me how to cook, PERIOD!” (My mind flashed back to our Christmas eve enchiladas…but I’ll leave that for another blog post.) So, naturally she wanted to run the ingredients by him and get his stamp of approval. Then, she went on to add her own personal touches and “Barb Zuniga’s Salsa” was born!

After chopping up all the tomatoes, mom chopped up 2 medium-sized sweet Vidalia onions and added them to the tomato mix. Next, she chopped up about 1-1/2 bunches of cilantro and mixed it in – oh my…that stuff smells soooo good!

She then opened 1 can of Hatch Chopped green chiles mild (4 oz. can) and 1 (3.3 oz.) can of La Costeña Green Chiles – diced, and added them to the bowl stirring everything together.

Next she started adding a pinch of this and a dash of that…and that when I said to her “you’re cooking the old-fashioned way! I need some more specifics here!” She slowed down and said, “yes, I guess you could say you need to add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt (as she sprinkled salt over the mixture from the container) and about 1 teaspoon of garlic. Next she squeezed about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over the mix. And finally, about a tablespoon and a 1/2 of sugar “to give it the right flavor!”

As I took pictures of the proceedings, I couldn’t wait to grab a tortilla chip and sample the salsa. We both did and it tasted perfect to me. Mom wasn’t convinced and said “needs a little more salt” and proceeded to sprinkle a bit more salt into the bowl. She said “you gotta have that kick but also a little sweet taste!” We sampled again…more perfection and deliciousness…

She quickly filled 2-1/2 Ball Mason jars with the salsa. Once we open these jars on Thanksgiving day, the flavors will have blended together so well that I don’t think we’ll be able to keep the family away from the salsa and chip bowl!

There are many salsa recipes out there but I have to say…my mom’s recipe is my favorite!

Mom chops up the cilantro for the salsa mix.

Mom mixes in the cilantro to the chopped Roma tomatoes.

Mom poses with the finished product…3 jars of her famous salsa!

La Storia…Birmingham’s Italian Community Exhibit

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When I first moved to Birmingham in 1980, I was asked by several people if I were Italian. I would say “no, why?” …and the person asking would say something like, “well, you have such dark eyes and dark hair.” I had no idea at the time that there was a large Italian community in Birmingham and that this community has been present since the turn of the last century.

About a month ago, I received an invitation to attend a media event at Vulcan Park and Museum for an exhibit called “La Storia – Birmingham’s Italian Community.” This exhibit tells the story of Italian immigration to Birmingham from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century. Naturally, I was intrigued and anxious to learn more. So on Thursday, Nov 13th, we gathered in the Linn-Henley Gallery and heard incredibly touching stories by Dr. Phillip Ratliff, Vulcan Park and Museum Director of Education and Mary Jo Gagliano, Chair of the Exhibit Steering Committee. The gallery was filled with photos, storyboards and artifacts from the Birmingham Italian community – pulled together by the Italian American Heritage Society. I couldn’t get enough of this exhibit!!!

We quickly heard where the Italian community settled in Birmingham and how quickly it grew. The population was at about 130 in 1890 and grew to over 2,000 by 1920, settling mainly in Thomas and Ensley (steelworkers), Blocton (coal mining), and East Lake (farming). As is the case with most immigrant stories, the Italian immigrants were looked down on and took the lowest paying positions. Because of this, they formed their own close-knit communities building their own churches and schools. The Vatican sent Father John B. Canepa to Birmingham to help the community build three churches. In fact, he preached his first sermon at Our Lady of Sorrows church in Italian when he arrived in 1904. The Catholic faith was an integral part of their lives and continues to be today.

Short explanation of St. Joseph altars

Another story that really peaked my interest had to do with religion and was the history of the St. Joseph altars. I have to admit, when I heard “altars,” it had me thinking about the Day of the Dead altars from the Mexican community. Mary Jo shared a different type of altar story with us and as a Catholic, I was surprised I had never heard of this tradition before. Each year on March 19th, the Feast of St. Joseph, Italian families prepare special foods to place on altars in their own homes. This tradition came from Sicily when after a serious drought, the Sicilian people prayed to their patron Saint Joseph for rain. When the rains came, they pledged to distribute food to the less fortunate. The tradition continues today and many believe that having a St. Joseph’s altar can bring good fortune!

I wondered why Vulcan Park and Museum would be hosting this exhibit and found out quickly that the statue (Vulcan) was designed by Italian immigrant Giuseppe Moretti. In addition, the stone tower where Vulcan currently stands was crafted by Italian stonemasons when the statue was moved to Red Mountain 75 years ago. The impact of the Italian immigrant community is felt all around us in our city beginning with the of the most visible icons – Vulcan.

As I listened to these stories, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to the state of the current Hispanic immigrant community in Alabama. The struggles and yearning to draw acceptance is a common thread to these communities. It’s common with any newcomer. I had a chance to speak one on one with Mary Jo after the tour and she shared a few more personal stories that re-emphasized this point. We both agreed how important it is to tell our stories and keep them alive. We have so much to learn from one another…

This exhibit will run through September 2015 and there is a small admission fee for non-Vulcan Park members. Along with the exhibit, there are a number of events that will be featured through next June. I’m particularly interested in the March 12th Cooking Southern Italian – An Evening in a Sicilian Kitchen, where Mary Jo Tortorigi Gagliano of La Tavol o Sicilian cooking school and Chef Vizzina of The Vizzina Group will demonstrate techniques of Sicilian cooking. If it’s about food, it’s going to be good! Admission is $10 for this event. May 31st will feature a Sunday Afternoon Tour of Italian Catholic Churches along with two cemeteries dedicated o Italian immigrants. This event is $30 and will be presented by Dr. E. E. Campbell and world-renowned sculptor, Signoro Carlo Roppa. There are several other events that can be viewed on the Vulcan Park and Museum website. I hope I can get to all of them!

Meanwhile…here are a few shots from the exhibit…

Dr. Phillip Ratliff, Director of Education at Vulcan Park and Museum leads the tour of the La Storia exhibit.

Mary Jo Gagliano, Chair of the La Storia Exhibit Steering Committee added personal stories during the tour.

Dr. Phillip Ratliff explains the importance of Father John B. Canepa to the Birmingham Italian community.

Sculpture of Father John B. Canepa

The significance of religion – the Roman Catholic faith – was a feature of the tour.

Quotes of prominent Birmingham Italian Americans are featured throughout the exhibit.

Italian neighborhoods in Birmingham are explained in this section of the exhibit.

Documents of new immigrants are a part of the exhibit.

A name that is well known around Birmingham is Brunos…this part of the exhibit showcases the different professions Italian Americans have had over the years.

Outside the exhibit is a recognition piece dedicated to the Italian American members of the community who contributed to this exhibit. Tina Verciglio Savas (pictured here) remarked that it was like reading her high school yearbook – she recognized so many names.

Photographing a photo of Giuseppe Moretti, the Italian immigrant sculptor who created Vulcan, the largest cast iron statue in the world that stands prominently over Birmingham from Vulcan Park and Museum.

A Trip to At Home…

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A new store called At Home opened near my house recently. I had no idea what this store was about but curiosity was piqued after my daughter went by and loved it and then my mother said she went by and bought a few things.

So today, after spending several hours with my daughter and our wedding planners (my daughter is getting married in April next year – more on that in a later post), we decided to check it out together. There are still a number of empty spaces in the store – some shelves are empty and waiting to be filled – but their Christmas items are out in full force and everything is color coordinated and presented by theme.

Since we were in wedding mode, we found a number of items in burlap in the Christmas section that will work nicely for my daughter’s wedding. We made a note of those items and continued our exploration. Then suddenly…I spotted an entire shelf unit of Mexican pottery! YES!!! Score!!! So beautiful!!!! And now I must have them…

These pottery items are rather large but I can see them gracing my deck next spring with lovely plants. I can also see them on my front doorstep on either side of my front door. So many possibilities… Of course, this store now has my full attention since they carry Mexican pottery. I’m just hoping they will continue to get a nice selection and a variety as the seasons change. Time will tell, and I’ll be checking on them!

Of course, when I’m with my daughter (or any of my kids), we have a great time cutting up and today was no exception. Down one aisle, we spotted some New York storage boxes that looked like suitcases. This immediately bought the musical “Singing in the Rain” to our minds and the song “Broadway Melody” where Gene Kelly struts across a stage swinging his suitcases and singing “gotta dance!” My daughter decided to recreate the scene and of course, I got a photo of it! Oh…and I think I forgot to mention that it’s not unusual for me and my girls to break into song at the drop of a hat. It gets especially crazy when I’m with my sisters! I love that this has carried over to my kids!

On our way out of the store, we passed the colorful Christmas trees again. I remember our family having an aluminum Christmas tree when I was growing up in Puerto Rico. My mother would put it on the marble coffee table and then place a four color wheel light next to it. Well, now you can apparently get these trees in multiple colors! My daughter found one in purple, her favorite color, and of course now she wants one. The trick will be to convince her future husband that this is the tree for them! This should be interesting…

Did I mention it was a fun day??!!!

Thrifting Treasures

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No matter where I go, I look for thrift stores and these little treasures were waiting for me at a thrift store in Denver, Colorado this past June!

You know the saying…one man’s (or woman’s) trash is another’s treasure…well, it’s just amazing what you can find when you go on the thrift store hunt!

My sister Kanista, who lives in North Carolina, really got me hooked on thrift store shopping. Her normal Saturday routine is to hit her local thrift stores and she definitely has an eye for vintage and unique! When I visited her last year, she took me to her favorite places and we had a blast loading up on great clothing pieces and a few household items. Her home is filled with beautiful finds. Now, since I’ve started my own Saturday morning hunts, we text each other with photos of our latest finds!

In Birmingham, there are a few thrift stores that I frequent. The two Salvation Army stores – one on Green Springs and one on Highway 150 in Hoover – are two of my favorites. I especially love hitting them on Wednesdays when everything is 25% off. On other days, they have a color system and clothing is 50% off. Either way, you get a great bargain! Another favorite is Lovelady Thrift store and I never fail to walk out of this store with something special. I’ve been lucky enough to find a few Groupons too for $40 worth of merchandise for $20!

What I’ve been most surprised about lately is how much Mexican pottery I’ve been finding at these stores. From a previous post, you know about my love of Talavera pottery – well, I’ve been adding to my collection with several smaller items. I also keep an eye out for Fiesta dishes and my latest find was a large yellow platter from around the 1960s. Couldn’t believe my eyes when I stumbled upon it at Lovelady a few months ago!

Another place I love is a little place in Pelham called Treasures. I bought a mink coat there last year – but that’s another story for another post… Meanwhile, I found a really interesting Talavera piece there recently. I wasn’t quite sure what it was until I got home and took a good look at it. Turns out…it’s a soap dish! I placed in my powder room which has quite a few Talavera pieces adorning it.

Some other items I’ve found are Mexican serape blankets that I’ve used quite often at Fiesta events. I found one huge and colorful one at Alabama’s Thrift in Center Point last year. It’s been quite useful for Fiesta promotion events to cover a table and set the scene for TV promos and other media events.

This is the first time I’ve found a Mexican blanket like this one. Usually they are just striped and very colorful.

These plates were found at Alabama’s Thrift in Alabaster. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found not one plate, but three! Very beautiful and the perfect addition to my family room coffee table. A quick note about the Alabama Thrift Stores…they also have a color discount system and so it makes “the hunt’ all the more fun.

Meanwhile…tomorrow is Saturday and I’m itching to get out and see what I can find…so stay tuned!!!

Southern Señora

Sharing the Southern Hispanic lifestyle in Birmingham, Alabama!

Birmingham Chinese New Year Festival – Part 3

Birmingham Chinese New Year Festival – Part 2

Birmingham Chinese New Year Festival – Part 1

Discovering Rosa Parks

Mexican Wedding Cookies – My Favorite Christmas Cookie!

My Mexican Christmas Tree

Did Somebody Say SALSA?!!

La Storia…Birmingham’s Italian Community Exhibit

A Trip to At Home…

Thrifting Treasures

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