
The first thing that struck me was the ambiance. There were plaques and trophies everywhere. You could buy tee shirts, Bar-B-Que sauce and other stuff. I thought to myself, ever who is doing their marketing is doing a very good job.
I got a Bar-B-Que pork plate with potato salad and baked beans, Jilda and Jackie both got chicken plates.
The service was really good and the place had that nice Bar-B-Que'ish smell. The meat was really tender and the portions were just right. I tried both the white and the red sauce and both were really good; but here's the thing - I'm probably really prejudice but to me, the sauce was not as good as my personal favorite which is Green Top BBQ. Sauce is a personal preference and I hope Big Bob and the Gibsonites don't drive down here to Empire and smite me in my sleep but I try to call them as I see them.
On to the Paul Thorn concert. We drove a few miles further down 6th Avenue and arrived at the Princess Theatre over an hour early but we picked up our tickets at Will Call and hung around on the sidewalk and talked until the doors opened. Jilda exclaimed LOOK! - up in the sky were a few dozen multi-colored hot air balloons floating gracefully over the Tennessee River. Apparently they were having some kind of festival at Joe Wheeler park or perhaps in Huntsville. It was a beautiful site to behold.
When the doors opened we went inside where the air was much cooler and we browsed the Paul Thorn merchandise on sale. I bought Paul's new tee shirt " for my good friend Steve's birthday....(Steve, if your reading this, skip this part).
Paul and the band hit the stage around 7:30 and they put on one heck of a show. He played songs from his old albums, songs from his new albums and a cover or two. The band was hot!

As the show began to wind down, a woman requested "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". Paul's father was a preacher and you can tell he spent a great deal of time in church when he was younger so when the woman requested the song, he agreed.

Jilda has spent a little time in church too when she was younger and she'd done "Circle" a time or two. When they launched into the chorus, the entire crowd of about a thousand were on their feet and the place was a
I saw Paul cut his eyes in her direction in acknowledgement. He seemed to be saying OK, girl, you've sung this song before too.
It's a thousand wonders that I'm not here by myself tonight because I have a feeling that if Paul had asked Jilda and Jackie to join the band and hit the road, that I would have been driving home alone. All in all, it was a wonderful experience...and Jilda will be signing autographs at her upcoming shows :)
The Balloon Festival you saw was The Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic, held every year in Decatur, AL at Point Mallard park for the last 30 years. Come on back next year for the Jubilee and come see for yourself! There's no admission and you can come walk amongst the balloons as we take and glow. For More info see: www.alabamajubilee.net
ReplyDelete- Robbie Wahl
Private Pilot, Lighter-Than-Air
Decatur, AL
www.wahlsupply.com/coolray/
www.heartofdixieballoonclub.com