Newsweek names Alabama and Auburn to list of “most beautiful” colleges

From the article “Alabama, Auburn make Newsweek’s ‘most beautiful’ college list” by Chris Pow on al.com:

The University of Alabama and Auburn University are used to making the top 25 rankings, and now thanks to Newsweek and The Daily Beast, they rank as two of the most beautiful colleges in the nation. The magazine put Alabama at No. 3 and Auburn at No. 15 on their “Most Beautiful” list, one of more than 20 lists ranking U.S. colleges in categories ranging from “Happiest Schools” to “Best Food.” For the “Most Beautiful” category, the magazine weighted rankings and grades produced by websites PopCrunch,The Best Colleges and College Prowler on the attractiveness of both students and campuses. Four other SEC universities were ranked as one of the 25 most beautiful schools. Ole Miss topped the list, with Florida at No. 5, Georgia at No. 8 and Kentucky at No. 12. Auburn was the sole SEC representative on the “Most Service-Oriented” list, coming in at No. 23. A study by Newsweek and Washington Monthly determined these rankings by analyzing participation of students and alumni in service organizations and colleges’ involvement in service.

For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2011/09/alabama_auburn_make_newsweeks.html.

Barber Motorsports Museum wins “First in Class” at Pebble Beach Concours

From the article “Barber Vintage MotorsportsMuseum makes it 2-for-2 at Pebble Beach Concours” by Doug Demmons in The Birmingham News:

The trophy is only half the size this year but the achievement was twice as large for the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Barber once again entered one of its vintage motorcycles in the Pebble Beach Concours and once again brought home the trophy this week for first in class. The annual Pebble Beach Concours in California is one of the nation’s most prestigious vintage automotive shows and competitions and only recently began accepting motorcycles as part of its competition. Barber has entered the invitation-only competition twice and has now won twice. “It signifies that the best collection in the world is here in Birmingham, Alabama,” said Jeff Ray, the museum’s executive director. “We are tickled to death to get two in a row.”

This year Barber was invited to bring its 1956 MV Agusta, an Italian-made bike that was ridden to a world championship by John Surtees, the only racer to have won world titles for motorcycles and cars. Surtees, who won a Formula One championship in 1964 in a Ferrari that is also in the Barber collection, went with the bike to Pebble Beach. After racing the bike for two seasons in 1956 and 1957, Surtees later acquired it and restored it. Barber acquired the bike in 1989 but has kept it as close as possible to the condition it was in when it was in competition. “This is how it looked when it was raced,” said museum founder George Barber. “We’ve been a steward of it,” Ray said. “There’s nicks and bumps and bruises. It’s not perfect. It never was perfect.” Even the grips on the handlebars remain cracked from use. And that’s part of the charm and authenticity that judges look for, Ray said.

Another thing that impressed the judges was the fact that while many bikes have to be started using rollers, the MV Agusta was jump started the way the bikes were back then. “That was the true Italian GP style,” Ray said. “Thankfully it started every time.” It also helped that Surtees was present to answer questions about what the bike looked like and how it performed when he raced it. “John was better than a sheet of paper because he was there,” Ray said. The Barber Museum didn’t enter last year’s competition when the focus was on early American bikes. The first win came when the competition highlighted British-made bikes. Next year’s is scheduled to be on German motorcycles. But with two wins in two competitions, the museum is hoping to bring some recognition to the state and the museum as the home of one of the best collections in the world. “We’re proud to win this thing for Alabama,” Barber said.

For the complete article please see http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/08/barber_vintage_motorsports_mus.html.

Birmingham Museum of Art celebrates 60th year

From the article “At 60, Birmingham Museum of Art prepares for a dynamic future” by Michael Huebner in The Birmingham News:

Six decades after the Birmingham Museum of Art opened its doors at City Hall, Executive Director Gail Andrews sees the museum as a community galvanizer, where people of all ages can discover art, be educated, be dined and be entertained. “One of the goals in our 60th year is to deepen the engagement with our audiences, and to make people more aware of the museum,” said Andrews, its director since 1996, but who has worked in various positions at the museum since 1976. “We want it to be a place of ideas, where young and old can experience those ideas through art, to offer solace, to engage you in something new or something old.” To accomplish that, said Andrews, the museum must be constantly changing. In addition to regular traveling exhibitions, the permanent collection of 25,000 objects is rotated from basement storage areas to 180,000 square feet of gallery space on a regular basis. On a recently weekday, workers were making finishing touches on a new outdoor terrace outside Oscar’s Cafe. On the north wing, ladders and paint samples were visible as preparations were being made for expansion of the 18th century English space.

“At the end of October, we’re expanding the gallery into a second room,” said Chief Curator Jeannine O’Grody, competing with the din of carpenters’ hammers. “We’re going to do a break-through case so you can see through into the gallery.” Expansions are nothing new for BMA. New wings were completed in 1980 and 1993. More significantly modern, the museum is planning greater social media interaction as it adapts to 21st century lifestyles. Although cell phone audio tours are not yet available, the current exhibition, “Who Shot Rock & Roll,” has a cell phone audio guide. “We’re finding out what people would like to see at the museum,” Andrews said. “We have done a lot more with Facebook and Twitter, and we will have a mobile site soon, so if people are interested in an art work, they can read more about it and they can ask their own questions. People want more social spaces, bigger stores, better food and coffee, Wi-Fi space and places where they can gather and still use their phones. We don’t want people yammering away in the galleries, but we want them to take a picture of something, send it to a friend and say, ‘the museum is so cool.’” Those developments indicate the technological progress the museum has made since 1951, but its commitment to the artistic life of Birmingham is unchanged.

A Birmingham News arts editorial on April 9, 1951 called the opening “an epochal event in the maturing of this community.” A day earlier, arts writer Lily May Caldwell wrote, “Monday will be the most important day in Birmingham’s art history.” Works lent by 30 museums adorned four areas of City Hall. Artists included Rembrandt, Cassatt, Goya, Whistler, Dali, Delacroix and Matisse. It would be a place “for those who have already advanced in some degree in the appreciation of the fine arts and for those who would like to begin the development of such appreciation,” read the editorial. But with growth comes new challenges. Like most museums, BMA struggles with space. Only about 25 percent of its collection can be displayed at once. Although that is about average for museums its size nationwide, Andrews would like more to show more of its Wedgwood ceramics, African, Asian, American, Pre-Columbian African-American and other collections, some of which are among the nation’s finest.

“We need space, and if we don’t expand, we’re going to have to rethink how we’re collecting,” said Andrews. “We are really judicious with the money we spend. We will continue to buy, of course, but we will do it cautiously and thoughtfully. The same with accepting gifts of art works.” The number of programs the museum offers — many of them free — is daunting. Hands-on galleries, scavenger hunts, student exhibitions, First Thursday dinner series and Art on the Rocks are only a few. Lectures, concerts and films are held frequently in the 340-seat Steiner Auditorium. Societies for African and African-American art, Asian art, contemporary, European art, American art, photography and Indian art provide exclusive lectures and travel opportunities. “The museum is a treasure for Birmingham and this region,” said incoming board chairman Ralph Cook. “All of the cultural diversity that we have can make the city stronger, and the museum is a place where that can be displayed.” As it was in 1951, when The News editorial noted the museum’s “exciting, enriching journey that has no limits.”

For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/mhuebner/2011/08/at_60_birmingham_museum_of_art.html.

TODAY Show features Birmingham chef Chris Hastings

Chris Hastings, chef and co-owner of Birmingham’s Hot and Hot Fish Club, was featured on the TODAY Show last week. Hastings prepared his signature “Hot and Hot Tomato Salad” and his “Shrimp, Clam & Chorizo Bouillabaisse” with fresh Alabama Gulf Coast seafood. The TODAY Show segment can be viewed online at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44143926/ns/today-food/.

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile visits Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast

The wienermobile took the scenic-kraut and pulled into Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast for 3 days of franktastic fun. Turkey Dog Tyler and Schnitzel Itzel were bringing the 27 foot big dog to our Alabama Bed and Breakfast for some R&R. We had a bunderful time getting to know these young hotdoggers and experiencing their enthusiasm for the spreading the word about the famous Oscar Mayer wiener.

 

The wienermobile celebrated it’s 75^th birthday this year. That’s a lot of miles of smile across America. Hope you catch a view of the hotdoggers. If you do, tell them Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast says, ya’ll come back some time.

 

Auburn will host 2012 Miss Alabama USA

Dohn Dye, executive director of the Miss Alabama USA and Miss Alabama Teen USA pageants, and the Auburn & Opelika Tourism Bureau announced that the city of Auburn has been selected as the official host city of the pageants, which will take place Nov. 4-6, 2011, at the Auburn Performing Arts Center. The pageants are the official state preliminaries to the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, which are part of the Miss Universe Organization, an NBC Universal and Donald J. Trump Partnership. “The essence of Miss Alabama USA and Miss Alabama Teen USA is of beauty, grace and charm, and I believe that Auburn embodies those same qualities,” said Dye. “The staff of the Tourism Bureau and the Auburn community as a whole have been exceptional. I feel very confident that the contestants will fall in love with Auburn.”

“The Auburn-Opelika area is extremely proud to be the new home for the Miss Alabama USA and Miss Alabama Teen USA pageants. This event will again place us on the national level of events,” said John Wild, president of the Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau. “Our staff looks forward to working with Mr. Dye and the entire organization. This is the type event we work to bring to the area, not only creating lodging tax but an estimated $750,000-$900,000 in economic impact.”

Kayak the Coosa at Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast

Come Kayak the Coosa river in our new two person kayak. For an adventure on the water in the late afternoon to enjoy the water and escape the heat, kayaks are ideal. Take along your food and drinks in the water proof compartment and have a water float picnic. All at Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast

Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum TORNADO RELIEF EVENT

Treat Dad to a train ride and help tornado relief efforts at the same time!

SUNDAY, JUNE 19th

Train departures at 2pm and 4pm

HEART OF DIXIE RAILROAD MUSEUM

1919 9th St Calera, AL

THE HEART OF DIXIE WILL DONATE ALL TICKET REVENUE TO TORNADO RELIEF

info and tickets at: www.HODRRM.org

Mt. Cheaha Harley Davidson in Oxford is sponsoring “

A Ride to Remember” June 5, and needs 200/250 riders to participate. The ride will have a police escort and will begin at 11 a.m. at the dealership and end at Williams First Baptist Church just north of Jacksonville. It will go through areas of Calhoun County that were devastated by the tornadoes. Riders with all makes and brands of motorcycles are invited and cash donations will be accepted the day of the event. All proceeds will be contributed to tornado survivors to aid in their recovery Actually will be handed over at Williams First Baptist Church.

For more information please call 256-832-8888.

Vulcan Park hosts exhibit of Alabama Folk Art

In celebration of the Year of Alabama Music, Vulcan Park and Museum presents The Music Lives On: Folk Song Traditions Told by Alabama Artists, an exhibition of works depicting the region’s great musical traditions created by the state’s most celebrated folk artists. Those represented in this colorful exhibition include such acclaimed artists as Lonnie Holley, Joe Minter, Charlie Lucas, and Thornton Dial. Through the creations of these great artists, visitors to Vulcan Park and Museum will encounter a parallel artistic universe – the world of blues, jazz, bluegrass, country, and other popular forms of music that define Birmingham, the state, and the region. The exhibit will be on display through Aug. 26.

For more information please see www.visitvulcan.com.