Monday, September 28, 2009
They Came, They Saw, They Picnicked
Posted by Jackson Baker on Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 9:22 AM
It started slow, and there were moments when name politicians, fixing to orate, looked out on empty tables and chairs, but as the middling steamy Saturday wore on, the Shelby County Democratic Party’s “BAD” picnic (the letters stood for “Bring a Democrat”) began to gel.
By the time the last two major speakers — gubernatorial candidate Roy Herron and 9th District congressman Steve Cohen — took their turns, the crowd had become large and enthusiastic. Meanwhile, candidates and office-holders and personages of all kinds had come and gone.
There were gubernatorial candidates — besides Dresden state Senator Herron, Nashville businessman Ward Cammack, and local favorite Jim Kyle, the Democrats’ state Senate leader; mayoral candidates — Charles Carpenter, Jerry Lawler, Detruc Stigall, Myron Lowery, and A C Wharton on the city side and county mayoral aspirants Harold Byrd and Deidre Malone; and assorted others running for various offices.
There was beer, soda, hot dogs, Bratwurst, and ribs. A little music on the P.A. system between speeches. All in all a good showing, overseen by Lexie Carter and party chair Van Turner and others, held in the spacious back yard of generous hosts Anthony and Karina Tong in Cordova.
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- Gubernatorial candidate Jim Kyle, Shelby County Commissioner Matt Kuhn, and Kyle aide Jeff Sullivan
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- County mayor candidate Harold Byrd with picnickers
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- Commissioner and county mayor candiate Deidre Malone
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- 9th District congressman Steve Cohen with picnick hosts
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- Gubernatorial candidate Roy Herron
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- Former judge and author D'Army Bailey
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Picnics are great, but if nobody in authority speaks out, Memphis will soon lose five National Historic properties (three listed on the National Register, and two eligible) at the Fairgrounds as demolition is slated to begin during the interim before the special Mayoral election. The Mid-South Coliseum, site of the first integrated venues in the South; the Grand Carousel, the rarest example of hand-carved Philadelphia-style Carousel art; the Zippin Pippin, America's 2nd-oldest example of the Golden Age of rollercoasters; the Women's Building (also known as the Creative Arts Building); and two other vintage buildings on the 150-year-old Mid-South Fairgrounds will be lost forever if no action is taken.
The entire Fairgrounds is eligible to become a National Historic Landmark. The only rollercoaster older than Memphis's Zippin Pippin was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996: Pennsylvania's "Leap The Dips" coaster. Where is a candidate with vision?
http://savethepippin.com/
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