Almost Famous

Our shows in Clarksdale, Mississippi were especially memorable. Not only were we greeted by this marquee, but we also found out that Elvis, The King himself, played several shows on this stage in the 1950s!

The school children we bused in from all over the county and the audiences filled the orchestra area. It was very eerie to look out at the empty balcony, knowing that not too long ago it was used to segregate audiences.

Here is a view of the stage from the balcony.


After our brief stay in Clarksdale, Mississippi (we are scheduled to return on our way back to Louisiana from Kentucky), we drove to Tennessee. We experienced some true southern hospitality in Covington, Tennessee. We performed at Austin Peay Elementary School on both Thursday and Friday. These students are incredibly bright and some of them knew the answer to the riddle that is supposed to stump the audience. The riddle is: What has 100 legs but cannot stand, a long neck with no head, and eases the maid's life? Usually one brave little kid will shout out a suggestion and within seconds hundreds of kids will echo him or her. Some popular suggestions have been centipedes, trees, and giraffes, which are all very silly if you really think about it. However, my favorite proposal was made a few weeks ago when a roar of little voices shouted "ZOMBIES!" Have you ever seen a zombie with 100 legs, a long neck, and no head? What are these children watching on TV?! However, the kids at Austin Peay didn't miss a beat and were all screaming the correct answer,"A BROOM," within seconds.



On Friday evening, the King Arthur cast set out to find a local restaurant that was highly recommended by several locals. Moments after we were seated at Marlo's Down Under, the owner rushed over to our table accompanied by a young boy. "Are you the cast of King Arthur?" he asked. He nudged the boy next to him and explained that his son, Marlo, had recognized us! Ron, the owner, started introducing us to his daughter, our waitress, and his son-in-law, the head chef. We took photos with Marlo and he asked us for our autographs! Ron ordered us some appetizers and truly made us feel at home.




Not only did we have a great meal, but we had a wonderful time having some one-on-one time with a Marlo. After dinner, Ron encouraged us to attend Covington's Heritage Festival the next day and kindly gave us permission to park in his lot.

The Covington Heritage Festival was a great place to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon. The highlight of the experience was the opportunity to milk a goat. The owner of the goat totally pegged me as a yankee, when I tried to converse with the goat.


Her name was Sky! Her cheese was delicious!

After making a little bit of a scene over at the goat milking station, a young girl came up to me and said "Hey! You were in the King Arthur play!" The feeling of being a local celebrity will never get old.

Here are some more photos from the Heritage Festival:



I tried to buy a bowl delicious looking "Buckarroo Stew," but the man in the overalls said "Oh, I have something special for you: dancing lessons. I only know how to dance one way, slow and close." I wracked my brain for a suitable response, but then this man realized that I was being watched by a 6'6" bearded man and asked, "is that your husband?" I quickly nodded "yes" he told Zach in his southern drawl "you gotcha self a pretty one" and I was able to escape with my soup….thank goodness.

I fulfilled my wifely duties by talking Zach out of buying this jacket.


And this is just silly.
We bumped into Ron, Marlo and their family several times throughout the day. It was nice to feel sort of like a local, even for a few hours. Adventures await in Kentucky!