Walkin' With Outlaws

As a relatively new person to the Shoals area, I’m trying to learn as much about the local history as I can. When I heard about this library sponsored downtown Florence walking tour titled “Walking with the Outlaws”, I knew I wanted to go. As luck would have it, not only was it on a holiday (Labor Day), but it was also my birthday. I chose this event to celebrate, and wasn’t disappointed. The concept of the tour revolves around the life and acquaintances of the notorious local outlaw, “Mountain” Tom Clark. Through out the 10 block walking tour, there were actors staged at key historical location ready to portray certain individuals from Clark’s life.



Overall, I really enjoyed the tour and would definitely recommend it for anyone interested in Shoals history. This was the first attempt at this particular tour, and as expected any first go around, there is a lot of tweaking that needs to happen to make it perfect.

A scheduled start time of 6:30p.m. from the library parking lot ended up being too hard to keep. It seemed as though there was a much bigger turn out to the “Walking with Outlaws” tour then was expected. Not only did they run out of the program’s brochures, but I overheard someone say that they also ran out of tickets. The group standing around the library doors was so big, in fact that they had to split us up into two separate groups.

I was in group two, and in order to let the first group make it far enough through the tour so that we wouldn’t run into each other during the walk, the second group didn’t even begin the tour until a little after 7:00p.m. With my two young children with us, we were planning on spending the estimated hour and a half tour and then getting home at a decent bedtime around 8:00p.m. This definitely did not happen. The kids ended up having to stop the tour early and head back to the car with their Nana.

Our tour guide was an older white-haired gentleman who was lugging around a video camera. He had no real idea of where he was supposed to lead us, and relied heavily on a quickly drawn map he kept in his shirt pocket. He wasn’t much of a tour guide, and was more concerned about getting a nice shot from his video camera than letting the actors do what they do best. At just about every stop, he would direct the actors to move from where they planned to give their talk and come “closer into the light”. By the end, when he actually made the Marshall take ‘Mountain’ Tom out of jail for his portion of the scene, I was pretty annoyed.

Because the actors are working just from a character biography and not from a set script, I feel that some of the facts were overlooked and not mentioned during many of the scenes. There was not enough emphasis on the fact that these stops along the tour were the exact (or close to it) spots where these events unfolded back in 1872.

The second to final scene (which I felt should have been the final scene) depicted the mob dragging “Mountain” Tom to be lynched. The first tour group was about 10 minutes ahead of us, and when they watched this scene it actually ended with the Florence Police Department sending three squad cars to see what was going on. Apparently, someone outside of the tour didn’t know what was happening and was a bit frightened by the mob scene and the fake guns that were drawn. They phoned 911 reporting some sort of fight.

In summary, while there are several improvements that could be made to tighten things up, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and learned a lot about these local historical figures.

The Pickwick Belle

The Pickwick Belle is an old-time paddle riverboat that offers musically themed dinner cruises on the Tennessee River. Back in May, the riverboat made Florence Harbor here in the Shoals it's home port after moving from Pickwick, Tennessee.

The boat offers several public sightseeing tours that include holiday-related cruises, family nights, fall-foliage tours and pirate, murder-mystery and wine-tasting events. Of all the tours offered, the most popular is the country legends comedy tour, coming at the end of August, where performers sing and perform music and commercial jingles from the '40s, '50s and '60s. In addition to sightseeing cruises, the Pickwick Belle will be available for special-occasion rentals, including birthdays or anniversaries, as well as dinner cruises and themed cruises.

Prices typically range from $7 to $60 depending on the type of cruise, menu and entertainment involved.

The two-deck Belle has capacity for 149 people. The vessel is 90 feet long, 20 feet wide and has a 1,000-square-foot dining room. It includes a captain, hospitality director, three sailors, two chefs and three attendants. The bottom deck is enclosed and temperature controlled and the top deck is covered but has open sides.

http://www.pickwickbelle.com/

Sweet Basil Cafe

It's close to lunch time and I'm getting hungry. My first thought is of Sweet Basil Cafe and their delicious Red White & Bleu salad. I promise I don't know the people who own Sweet Basil and I am in no way obligated to say that I love this place. And I do love this place. I've been eating at Sweet Basil since I arrived in Florence over seven years ago. And I can honestly say that I have never had a bad experience here, either.

First of all, their lunch menu is diverse and will suit just about any pallet. From sandwiches to soups to salads, this menu boasts fresh ingredients and wonderful flavor combinations. And men, don't be put off by the soup, sandwich, salad offering. Their sandwich selection includes very hearty choices that will fill any belly.

Aside from the every-day menu, Sweet Basil offers a weekly menu that always gets my mouth watering. We have it faxed to our office, but you can check it out online and have it delivered to your email inbox. After sampling these gourmet specialties, I guarantee you will watch the menu like a hawk to make sure you never miss your favorite dish. Mine is the tomato shrimp stack and I'm sad that it is only served very rarely. In fact I haven't seen it in over a year. But I'm always hopeful. Some other favorites are the Kobe beef burger and the shrimp burger.

Now let's talk about their grocery selection. I love to cook for fun and try out new recipes. The problem with that in the Shoals area is there is a shortage of grocery stores with a good selection. I have found, though, that Sweet Basil carries a variety of ingredients that will complete nearly any recipe. From Asian sauces and oils to hard-to-find pastas and gourmet jellies that will compliment any cheese, Sweet Basil has it. They also have a large selection of wines that you can pair with any meal. Do you have a wedding shower or house warming party to attend? Pick out a basket and fill it with sauces, rubs, wines, jellies, cheeses, pastas and even kitchen utensils that any chef or non-chef will enjoy. You don't have to have experience to use these ingredients.

Sweet Basil also caters events large and small. Give them a call to plan your next event. And if you are looking to improve your culinary skills, be on the lookout for Sweet Basil's next cooking class. They will teach you techniques that will make cooking faster and easier.