Up & Down Commerce St. – Oct. 4

Published 3:14 pm Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The weather has become a bit crisper. That’s something we like to feel. We actually became a bit chilled on Wednesday morning and had to quicken the pace of our walking to get the blood flowing for warmth.

Seasons here in the South, though, are a hodgepodge. Warm this day. An inferno the next. Cold as a grocery store freezer the day after. We wish when the calendar designated that fall begins, then fall would begin. The same with summer, spring and winter. A simple turn of the dial and that was all it would take.

When, though, are we ever going to learn that the winds of change cares not for how we feel or how best we might be accommodated? Mother Nature is her own counsel.

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Wayne Woodham Day is Oct. 22. Some of the younger generation might not recall Coach Woodham, but it was he that laid the foundation for much of Greenville High School’s success on the gridiron in the 1980s. The man inspired hundreds of football players.

We remember our fall seasons spent with Coach Woodham. Nestled between our parents, bundled against the cold (and it did seem colder back then), rising to cheer with the cheerleaders and band as the Tigers took the field in their black jerseys and yellow pants. Young and old faces adorned with painted Tiger paws. The fluttering of spirit ribbons stuck to shirts with golden footballs.

Former players, fans, and supporters of GHS football are all invited. Let’s give Coach Woodham a good turnout. 4 p.m., at the Greenville High School Athletic Field House.

We were having a conversation the other day about roller coasters and somehow we took a turn to Miracle Strip Amusement Park and the Petticoat Junction. While we never visited Miracle Strip, Petticoat Junction we recall fondly. Both amusement parks existed in Panama City. The PJ had an interesting Wild West show a bit off from the main park that you visited by train. It also had a rickety wooden coaster named the “Tornado” labeled the “Fastest Roller Coaster in the U.S.” Both parks have long been dismantled.

Simple Americana has no place among the high-rise condominiums.

DeJuan Stroud told the Birmingham News that everything started with “camellias.”

Stroud, who spent his childhood in Greenville, told the News what everyone here in the city already knows, that camellias were “very much a part of the local landscape.” He then moved to Andalusia with his parents where he had the “ultimate camellia experience.”

“I remember running through a camellia maze at an old antebellum house,” Stroud told the News. “There were towering bushes with amazing blossoms.”

Stroud was profiled in the News’ Saturday edition last week.

Stroud spent 10 years as a stockbroker and then established his own company in New York City, Dejuan Stroud, Inc., specializing in floral creations for corporate gatherings, parties and weddings. He has been featured as an entertaining expert on Martha Stewart Radio, CBS, NBC, the Oxygen Network, and WE. He and his work have been profiled in the New York Times, People, Modern Bride, House and Garden, Southern Accents, and more.

And it all started with camellias. Visit dejuanstroud.com.

Even his logo is inspired by the city’s flower.

Greenville’s Audra Goss will compete in the Miss Troy University Pageant on Oct. 9.

Goss’s talent will be a song entitled “Nella Fantasia” and her platform is “Beginning with Cultural Diversity.”

“Succeeding in Miss America would help me bring awareness to addressing our prejudices against other cultures,” she said. “I long so dearly to bring awareness to what we are doing to each other and the world regarding international relations.”

Goss is the recipient of the Troy University Chancellor’s Award. Good luck to her.

Atlanta Rhythm Section is performing at the Ritz Theatre on Nov. 11. Tickets are $15 to $30 and available at Super Foods or online at etix.com. This Southern Rock band came of age when Southern Rock was in its heyday – the 1970s. Download their classic “Spooky.” Visit greenville-alabama.com for more information.

Groovy, man. Just groovy.