REMEMBERING MARSHALL
For years now, and particularly for the past three years I have driven twenty miles up from Asheville for a day to photograph events in Marshall and I have posted the photos here and written here about Marshall. Marshall is a small town and many of the people know each other. Susie has a second floor studio where she does art work above Jamey’s first floor bookstore. My wife brought hand made knitting and jewelry to FLOW on Main Street, a cooperative venture by a number of artists whom she came to know and enjoy being with. We would always meet and eat in Zuma’s Coffee, which had delicious sandwiches, or in the more upscale Zadie’s in the Jail Hotel and restaurant or once in a while really splurge and eat in the Star Diner. Before Christmas we would come to the art show on Blanahessett Island where the old high school had been turned into artist’s studios. A number of times I photographed the funky fashion show in the Madison County Arts Council building where there were also often art shows. And every summer I would photograph the Mermaids and Pirates Parade with floats winding through Marshall from which kids would spray the people lining the streets from plastic water guns while they threw candy to the kids. I have these photographs and videos scattered all the way through these posts.
Marshall on May 24-June 1, 2024 posts.
I wasn’t taking photographs to remember Marshall, I was taking photographs because it was so much fun to do. I was celebrating for myself the liveliness of Marshall. But now I realize that I was photographing a Marshall that is now gone, swept away. There will be a new Marshall rebuilt in the hope that this 1000 year flood won’t, because of global warming, happen again in five years. My photographs, along with the photographs of many other people, will be a way to remember the Marshall that was.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 