Where to go for the Best&I mean the Best Potlucks

Hi,
I'm sort of new here,as in I've never posted here.Do
any of you attend potlucks on a regular basis? Well I do&it's because
I am a dedicated Sacred Harp singer.You might not have heard of this
sort of music,but if you've seen the movieCold Mountain,you've heard two examples of Sacred Harp.In course of a Singing,
be it a Monthly Sing or what is referred to in the South,as an All-
Day Singing&Dinner On The Grounds,the food that is brought for such
a feast is plentiful&delicious.I love coming up with recipes for my
groups monthly sings.I live in Kalamazoo,Michigan by the way.Are there any Southwestern Michigan members here?

Mary C,
Welcome to the Boards. PotLucks are common enough here in Southern Indiana, generally those sponsored by a church in the community are the 'best'. The school sponsored dinners seem to be full of "store-bought' stuff picked up on the way to the dinner. The Church folks for some reason pride themselves a bit more with the home-made goodies and side dishes. In this area every Sunday afternoon one of the Catholic Churches in the area will host a fundraising dinner and church carnival...lots of cake-walk type of gambling and a super family style chicken dinner. Some folks eat out all summer long at these Sunday events. We have a lot of German Catholic and Lutheran churches in the area and they seem to have set the pace for the good old-fashioned Pot Lucks !!

Hi Mary! Welcome to our little gathering!

That all day singing business sounds pretty interesting! I love music (and food) so I think I would probably love to attend one if I were in the area..

My church has potlucks on a regular basis, but those in the know stay away because there aren't enough good cooks to make up for the bad, mediocre, and downright unhygenic~! I like going to the Catholic feeds myself because the food is always pretty good!

At the SF's Cathedral of the Annunciation (Greek Orthodox) annual food festival fundraiser. Moussaka (and any other kind of Greek goodie you can imagine) to die for!

quote:

Originally posted by MaryCollette

Hi,
I am a dedicated Sacred Harp singer.You might not have heard of this
sort of music,but if you've seen the movieCold Mountain,you've heard two examples of Sacred Harp.

The Cold Mountain DVD has a bonus feature on "Sacred Harp History" and another on "Words and Music of Cold Mountain" which contains more singing (it's an entire concert). Have you seen/heard them (maybe you're in them)? If not, I think you'd enjoy them.

Potlucks over here in Oxford, England means a circle of friends just gathering with dishes organised around a theme and then eating until you can't move

I hold them pretty regularly and just love it when it proves over and over again that food oils the social cogs across cultures. Any given potluck I've hosted or attended here always have a great variety of different ethnic dishes by excellent cooks and there's something wonderful about being able to exchange recipes and all

Some of the tailgates I go to during football season would qualify as potlucks. Everyone brings something and like Jellybean, ours are usually organized around a theme depending on who we are playing and what time the game is. The Buckeyes first game is next week against Cincinnati, so I would think that some good chili dogs are called for.

quote:

Originally posted by Jellybeans

Potlucks over here in Oxford, England means a circle of friends just gathering with dishes organised around a theme and then eating until you can't move

I hold them pretty regularly and just love it when it proves over and over again that food oils the social cogs across cultures. Any given potluck I've hosted or attended here always have a great variety of different ethnic dishes by excellent cooks and there's something wonderful about being able to exchange recipes and all

It means the same thing here, but the church socials and other events referred to above are similar: members of the group each bringing a dish, often around a theme. The difference is just that they allow outsiders--for a price--to raise money for their organization. It's the same home-cooked food you would get at their homes, but you don't have to know them and that, of course, is the charm.

Hi Mary:
Vermont is supposed to have some good potlucks, what with their chicken pie.
I bet the Midwest has some killer ones, too.
I haven't been to many but always enjoy them.

Hello to you all!

Mary, I've been to some singings and I agree, those spreads are something to behold. Also, a lot of musicians are foodies, and often big groups of them produce some amazingly great food too. And the church ladies spreads, especially at the end of the growing season, oh la la.

Jellybeans, when you say organized around a theme, do you mean a food theme? or?

quote:

Originally posted by noodles

Hello to you all!
Jellybeans, when you say organized around a theme, do you mean a food theme? or?

Well, it depends.

Sometimes, I just email everyone and say: "Hey! Let's do Asian!" and then come potluck time, all sorts of curries, sweetmeats etc will appear

Sometimes, it may be a "build around" thing like someone would volunteer to bring a lasagne and then someone else will then say they'd bring the salad and so on.

Sometimes, it's just desserts and the sugar high doesn't get any better!

There's a whole lot of ways to build a potluck

oh my, oh my
a dessert potluck

Oh, Mary Collette,
Every year there is a huge Sacred Harp convention in or near Carrollton, Georgia. It was started by Primitive Baptists, which are strong denominationally in that area, but it has been swelled by Missionary Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopaleans, a few Lutherans, a Catholic or three, and even a Jewish person or two!
The most interesting thing is that a contingent of African-Amerncan Primitive Baptists, content for 70 years to have their own sing in South Alabama, have lately been sending delegates. Their style is quite different from the white shaped-note singers.
You may be able to link to it through West Georgia College & State University in Carrollton; if not, contact the chamber of commerce in Carrollton.
Folklorists from all over come and partake. The host people are some of the unstuffiest, least judgemental people you could imagine in the backwater rural South.
A folklorist turned me onto it: he tells me that "you sing your heart out, then you eat until you can't eat anymore, then you sing some more."
The longtime leader lives in Bremen, Georgia. He was quoted last year in the Atlanta paper as saying "these young folks have helped us old timers keep this tradition alive. We don't care if they're of one church or another or none, nor what they look like, nor where their people come from; all we ask is do they have a light in their heart for what we are doing. If so, come join us. We promise you a good time."
My friend then lapsed off into telling me about a Mrs. Wilson's prize-winning fried chicken. He stared off into space and said, a bit wistfully, "Not even my Grandmother could fry a chicken that good." He also remarked that Mrs. Wilson was nearly 90....
Getting Hungrily, Ort. Carlton in Athens, Georgia.
P. S. Enjoy a Bell's at the Eccentric Cafe and think of me. I've been there twice.

Ort,

The Sacred Harp singers used to have a TV program every Sunday
on WTVY-TV in Dothan, led by their long-time, now deceased leader
Rev. Dewey P. Williams.
I think they are still on the radio every Sunday on WOOF-AM 560
(an all-sports station except on Sundays) also in Dothan.... [|)]

BT,
I have the "Cold Mountain" DVD&I saw "Words&Music of Cold
Mountain"&the History of Sacred Harp section.I enjoyed it immensely&
not to sound like I'm name dropping,but I am personally acquainted
with a number of the Sacred Harp singers who were on that stage for
that event.I even went to a special Singing to honour the Great Aunt
of a young Lady called Cassie Franklin,who was featured on some of the
songs.She is decended from one of the old singing families,the Creels
who live in Henagar,Alabama,where the two Sacred Harp songs that were
used in the movie were recorded.

Welcome, Sacred Harp singing is so beautiful, much more than just the music. It seems to be a philosophy as well. The potluck connection is very interesting.

I forget to mention potluck as we know it here in my community. My immediate group is very diverse, so we have everything from banana leaf wrapped steamed rice to Nana's lasagne. Always accompanied by music, listened to, not performed!

Oh yes,I hope you Roadfoodies can forgive my going on about
this,but Sacred Harp music is one of my passions&I know the Dinner on
the Grounds part of it is such a long standing tradition,this tradi-
tion has lasted for over 200 years&it could have died out,but it hasn't

The Sundancer is not a regular attendee of the Baptist church which all my family attends and my son in law a deacon. They often have pot luck dinners and breakfast. I attend on irregular basis as the church of choice is a Presbyterian church which is only 1/4 mile from my house and most of my neighbors attend.

I quit attending the Baptist church because of their belief that alcohol is not a part of their beliefs. I went to the presbyterian church, filled out their new attendance record and went home. The next week on a fall Saturday, I was down at the dock getting ready to watch the UT game on cable, having a liberal drink and with a drink in my hand, I observed the minister walking down my yard to do a visit. I apologized for the alcohol in hand and he conforted me by asking for one of my Canadians. I have attended this same church since.

But to get back to Potluck:

The Baptist knows how to do this. Each time I have attended this function which is infrequent, the elequent dishes that are presented are wonderful. The ladies and I guess some gentlemen prepare some of the best preparations I have ever experienced. It seems that everyone has some particular dish that they have been preparing for years and I suppose they improve on each presentation.

I have never know that deviled eggs, green beans, collards, fried chicken, casseroles could be prepared so many different ways. My hats off to these fine people even though I do not regularly attend their sessions. I only do this to please Mamaw Smith who on certain particular occasions demands my attendance. Mothers day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and other occasions make my attendance mandatory. I am pleased to please her but I will continue my occasional visits to the church down the street.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN