Did someone say чудесно? You will, no doubt, if you attend the annual Russian Food Festival in Brookside, Ala., this Saturday and Sunday. A former mining town in western Jefferson County bisected by Five-Mile Creek, Brookside was settled by European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th century. Sloss Iron and Steel Company owned and operated four mines in the area; many of the laborers who worked in the mines had been recruited from the former Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European countries. A Russian Orthodox Church called St. Nicholas was founded in 1916 and since 1981 has hosted an annual festival that includes tours of the temple as well as food, drink, music and dancing that reflects the citizens’ cultural heritage.
The ladies of the Sisterhood of St. Olga prepare hot foods and baked goods every year, including a beet-and-meat soup called borshch; kolbasa and kraut; a cabbage dished called holupki; a meat pie called piroshki; potato and cheese dumplings called pirogi haluski; kolachis, rolled loaves filled with pecans, cheese, poppy seeds or almonds; and much more.
Festival hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. The “Russian Beauties” ensemble of the Nastasha Russo Dance Arts company will perform at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Directions to St. Nicholas and a complete menu are online at www.brooksidealabama.com

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HIE THEE TO A NEWSTAND Or an independent bookseller with a magazine rack, or to whatever terminal you most often use to peruse the series of tubes that comprises the internet. It doesn’t matter what manner of merchant you deal with, just buy yourself a copy of the latest Oxford American. The 2007 Music Issue includes stories about Thelonious Monk’s only North Carolina homecoming, about Frederick Barthelme’s exquisite stint as a member of Red Crayola, about how Blonde on Blonde was made in Nashville and about the short careers and long lives and surpassing music of two Bettys you’ve probably never heard of (hot jazz firecracker Betty Davis and soul doyen Betty Harris). The magazine has a short story by University of Alabama professor Kevin Brown titled “I Don’t Think Nanci Griffith is a Bitch Anymore” and a heartbreaking history of the fierce folkie Lee Hays. If the promise of 170 pages of musical prose doesn’t do anything for you, consider this: The magazine comes with a free 26-track CD. To learn more about the 2007 music issue, the magazine or its mission, go to www.oxfordamericanmag.com.

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The volunteer organization Hands on Birmingham is seeking 50 residents for weeklong volunteer trips to Biloxi and New Orleans Nov. 4-11. The Birmingham volunteers will partner with volunteers from Hands on Biloxi and Hands on New Orleans to gut and renovate houses, work at animal shelters, read to schoolchildren, remove litter and debris, paint murals and more.

Find out more at a free information session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, at John’s City Diner, 112 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd., downtown. Learn how to sign up and what to expect on the trip. Also, meet members from April’s volunteer team.

If you can’t make the Tuesday night session, call 251-5849 or visit www.magiccitymission.org.

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THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW that says no self-respecting publication in the city of Birmingham can ever put Vulcan on the cover again. Don’t get us wrong – we love that big guy and appreciate all the nuanced metaphorical implications of having him as the symbol of our city. Still, as far as putting him on the cover, it’s been done a time or 10,000. We opted to do it again this week to highlight our story on the world premiere of Miss Vulcan 1939, which opens this Saturday at the Red Mountain Theatre. The play is a dramatic reimagining of a once-in-a-lifetime Birmingham pageant (not to be confused with the political beauty contest in which Larry Langford is a perennial candidate).

Speaking of pageantry, as of 12:01 a.m. today, there’s a fella born in Sheffield, Ala., running for president. The Republicans had their movie actor president in Reagan, their puppet president in George W. Bush and now are angling for a TV ham candidate in Fred Thompson. If anything about having a Law & Order president makes you feel safe, take a minute to ponder what you were doing six years ago this Tuesday. Then take an hour to ponder that while there’s no proof that Osama bin Laden is dead, there’s plenty to verify that nearly 4,000 of your compatriots are.

Such truths try men souls, making comedy necessary – special yuks in the offing this week come from Doug Stanhope and J. Michael McCall, as well as the steady funny J’Mel Davidson. Other worthwile diversions include Georgia wineries, Artwalk or the movies (although Halloween is evidently best avoided).

Finally, start counting – only a month until the release of the 2007-2008 Menu of Menus and only a week until Jeremy Harper reaches a million.

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Could the next Napa Valley be in the state of Georgia? Not likely, but there are some wineries in our neighboring state producing notable wines. In this week’s “New Worlds of Wine,” contributing writer Stephen Humphreys visits a few vineyards and sips a few vintages. If you’d like to make a road trip of your own, here’s a list of wineries within a day’s drive from Birmingham:

TIGER MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS
2592 Old Highway 441
Tiger, GA 30576
(706) 782-4777
www.tigerwine.com

Dr. John Ezzard started planting grapes in 1995 on the 100-acre farm at Tiger Mountain where he was born. With his wife Martha, he selected varieties of grapes suited to the climate of southern Blue Ridge Mountains, including the American Norton, and the vinifera red grapes of the Loire and Rhone River valleys of France: Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Tannat, Mourvedre and the white Viognier, as well as the Portuguese Touriga Nacional and Tinta Cao.

Winery hours:
April - November - 7 days per week
Sunday - Friday 1-5 p.m.
Saturday - 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

December - March
Friday – 1-5 p.m.
Saturday - 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Read the full story

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