Spring Pilgrimage - Vine and Olive Wine Festival

HISTORIC HOMES, WINE, ART, LIVE MUSIC, AND SOUTHERN LITERATURE:
One Big Weekend in Demopolis, Alabama!

The Marengo County Historical Society swings open the doors to its biennial Spring Pilgrimage of historic homes and sites in Demopolis, Alabama, on April 13 -14, 2013. This year’s tour includes a return to Demopolis’ roots with the Vine & Olive Wine Festival, which features a wine tasting, live music, and art show. The pilgrimage, in conjunction with the Southern Literary Trail 2013, welcomes esteemed New Orleans professor and writer Ken Holditch to Demopolis to talk about the food writings of Lillian Hellman and Tennessee Williams.

Comprised of six historic homes/sites, the 2013 Spring Pilgrimage of Demopolis will feature two homes, (Webb-Hicks c. 1931, and Lockwood c. 1928), and a school, (Demopolis Public School c. 1913), designed by Frank Lockwood, one of Montgomery’s leading architects in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. These three historic structures are a testament toLockwood’s classic architecture that stands the test of time.

The Demopolis Public School closed its doors in June of 1981but plays an active role in the arts and cultural scene of Demopolis. Today it is the home of the Canebrake Players, which will celebrate the school’s 100th year with a vintage clothing and costume exhibit during the pilgrimage.

In addition, pilgrimage goers will experience the unique architecture and hidden treasures of Bluff Hall c. 1832, Ashe Cottage c. 1858, and the Hudson-Daniels house c. 1911. The Spring Pilgrimage of Demopolis will take place on Saturday, April 13, 10am-5pm; and Sunday, April 14, 2pm-5pm. Tickets are $20 and will include access to all six pilgrimage sites. The tickets can be purchased at Bluff Hall, 407 North Commissioners Ave, Demopolis, leading up to and the day of the event. Call 334.289.9644 or email marengohistory@bellsouth.net.

Demopolis was founded in 1817 by French immigrants - exiled followers of Napoleon - with a goal to transform their plot of American soil into a Vine and Olive Colony for wine production. Grapes and olive trees refused to grow in the chalky Tombigbee soil, but the city’s French founders left a storied legacy. The French legacy continues with the Marengo County Historical Society’s Vine & Olive Wine Festival during its pilgrimage weekend. The wine festival, at the Coplin Building, 203 East Washington Street in historic downtown Demopolis, will also feature an art show and sale, and live music on Saturday, April 13, 4pm-8pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at Bluff Hall leading up to the event, and at the Coplin Building during the event. Patrons may present their pilgrimage ticket to receive $5 off the wine festival ticket price.

On Sunday afternoon, April 14, at 3pm, Ken Holditch, esteemed New Orleans professor and writer, will give a talk for the Southern Literary Trail about the food writings of Lillian Hellman and Tennessee Williams, both of whom he knew, in a classic Southern setting at Lyon Hall. Holditch co-authored both “Dinner with Tennessee Williams” and “Galatoire’s, Biography of a Bistro” that include recipes from the French Quarter restaurant. Holditch will speak about the literary legacy of Galatoire’s where he often shared the table with playwright and poet Tennessee Williams. The audience will be invited to stay for champagne after Dr. Holditch’s talk and to indulge in tastings of recipes from his books and from “Eating Together” by Lillian Hellman and Peter Feibleman. This talk at Lyon Hall, 101 South Main Avenue, Demopolis, is free to the public as part of the Southern Literary Trail, which is co-sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, please visit www.southernliterarytrail.org.

The Marengo County Historical Society, Inc. is a non-profit organization that began its work in 1961, in Demopolis, Alabama. For the past 50 years, the Society has offered arts and cultural events while working to preserve the history of Marengo County. For more information on any of the events of the BIG WEEKEND, please contact the Marengo County Historical Society at 334.289.0282, or email marengohistory@bellsouth.net.