Staycation #12: The Beauty of Belcourt

Staycation #12: The Beauty of Belcourt

Cindy McCain

IMG_4285
It’s cool to be one of the Village People…sans YMCA hand motions. Whether you’re high art, low brow, or slapstick… Steve Martin, Prince or Igor Stravinsky, Belcourt Theatre, Nashville’s most majestic and eclectic art house, has patrons still huddling round the hub of its culture and history. Dating back to silent films in the 20s and Opry performances in the 30s Belcourt has provided the Nashville community entertainment value.

Whether you’re left Breathless by Bombay Bellywood, Coco Chanel, or Mrs. Robinson, a variety of memberships reduce admission on the live theater, music, and films offered. Belcourt has survived and thrived as one of the last operational neighborhood theaters in the US. Distinguished by its non-profit agenda, it is still the cool place to go—literally—on a hot summer afternoon (where a patron can pick up a cool one with popcorn at the Belcourt Bar).

Tonight, as part of the Second Saturday Outdoor Cinema you can catch The Jerk on the parking lot out back. But if humidity or rain drives you inside, there’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail next month. Meanwhile…
for those tonight who prefer seeing the landscape of Nice and Milano to feeling the Tennessee heat outdoors, I Am Love is playing tonight in one of the auditoriums. I saw it yesterday and given I was both places last summer and rarely miss an Italian film I’ll be blogging about it next…Stay tuned.

For movie listings, showtimes, and more information, visit http://www.belcourt.org.

The theater below is in my hometown, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Belcourt reminds me of The Princess, and though I was surprised this summer to see a sign of the times below, I’ll always remember it as the place I first saw Rhett kiss Scarlett.
IMG_4399

Staycation #11: Reread Your Favorite Classic…My Pick is Turning 50

Cindy McCain


Not to sound all teacherly, but as a girl who has literally put her money where her mouth is with Classic Coup I believe in promoting the classics. Great books should be read again when we are adults and have life experiences to bring to the reading table. Like gourmet chocolate, a Chanel suit, fine food, or vintage wine, top-shelf classics are the crème de la crème of book fashion. They are evergreen…never out of style because they are all about substance. They provide high protein rather than empty carbs for our inner nerd. They move our heads and hearts. Lit is life because classics are about issues we all face…like what to do with family, friends, career, freedom, injustice. They move us to critical thinking and compassionate living. Lit is Life.

Light beach reads are great, but finally reading or revisiting a book like To Kill a Mockingbird, a national treasure, can be fun in the sun…and more rewarding. Whether you attend Davis Kidd’s celebration of the novel’s 50th birthday July 11 and hear writers read their favorite passages from Harper Lee’s masterpiece…or climb solo into Maycomb, Alabama from your hammock or couch, you’ll be glad you did.

So why do I love TKMB? Rather than count the ways, here’s just one reason published on my Classic Coup blog…

Atticus Sets the Bar

I find the excerpt below link from Maria Puentes’ article encouraging considering that I, too, must write, then store, vignettes and interviews for a book I’m working on . And how inspiring that Lee’s gift to the world began as a gift from her friends:

Although it may read as if it just spooled out of the storyteller, Lee actually struggled with the novel for years in the 1950s while working at menial jobs (airline reservation clerk) in New York. Then some Alabama friends in town gave her a Christmas gift of enough money to quit her job and work full time on the book for a year. A skilled editor helped her turn a series of stories and vignettes into a seamless whole.

Whatever classic you choose, enjoy. And if you put off TKMB for another day, at least watch the Gregory Peck movie. Just sayin’.

Across the Universe of time and place…TKMB isn’t just a Southern thing or meant for people “of a certain age.” On right above is my son, Cole. Below is friend and Public Defender, Greg.

Staycation #10: Music Under the Magnolias

Cindy McCain


Spend summer under the magnolias at 2010 Jazz on the Lawn presented by the Tennessee Jazz and Blues Society and Belle Meade Plantation.

The series started strong last Sunday, June 13th with master trumpeter Rod McGaha. His band consisted of saxophonist Rahsaan Barber, bassist Jerry Navaroo, pianist Jody Nardone, and drummer Nioshi Jackson. Though the temperature was hot the band kept it cool with the fan favorites and new material. The crowd pleasers were toasted by water bottles free-for-all and stemware of the hardcore picnicking pack.

Belle Meade Plantation is located at 5025 Harding Pike. The concert is held ‘round back by the Carriage House. The gates open at 5 PM where tickets are sold, and the concert goes from 6-8. Lawn chairs and coolers are welcome. Cost is $10 for TJBS Members and $20 for non-members $20. For more information on performers below, discounts, and season passes, check out http://www.jazzblues.org. See lineup below.










Sunday, June 27: Stacy Mitchhart—Blues Favorite of Bourbon street Blues and Boogie Bar and B.B. King’s.

Sunday, July 11: Dana Robbins—Contemporary saxophonist who has worked with legends ranging from Aretha Franklin to Barry Manilow.

Sunday, July 25: Moe Denham All-Stars—the “undisputed Master of the Hammond B3 Organ,” he’ll play jazz and blues with Rahsaan Barber, Jim Williamson, Bob Sabelico, & Robert Bond. (I saw Moe for the first time last Wednesday at the French Quarter playing with Rahsaan Barber’s Trio Soul. Obviously talented, he’s also quite the character.) http://www.rahsaanbarber.com/live/

Sunday, August 8: 3rd Coast Vocals– a four- part vocal ensemble in the school of The Manhattan Transfer playing jazz classics and original pieces.

Sunday August 29: THE FABULOUS WOOTENS – “Nashville’s royal family of music” and a favorite of last year’s series are sure to rock the season finale.

Staycation #9: The Golden Age of Couture

Staycation #9: The Golden Age of Couture

Cindy McCain

When my sister and I married in the 80s we didn’t appreciate our mom’s wedding gown (pictured above). Though I also opted for Chantilly Lace, I now covet the classic design of her dress. My dad teased her about her “Killdeer legs” accentuated by the layers of crenoline but I would now kill to have her wedding waist (at 98 pounds and a 5’7″ frame you do the math). Now my daughter, interested in a fashion career, is excited about the exhibit at the Frist, The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957.

I saw the exhibition last night at Frist Fridays. While the crowd grooved to Anthony David, Grammy nominated neo soul singer/songwriter outside… ladies stormed the galleries inside. Not since opening night of SATC2 have I seen so many women so excited. In fact, though I’ve seen many-an- art- enthusiast enjoying exhibits at the Frist, I’ve never been bumped along in a crowd as happy…downright jubilant…as last night. Females flocked and cooed around ballgowns and suits, hats and shoes, pictures and videos in celebration of fashion that pays tribute to femininity, class, and style. Though the exhibit lasts till September, see it soon in case you want to book a flight to London to see the icon dressed by Dior in the Grace Kelly exhibit this summer. For those of us staying put, I look forward to watching the Princess of Monaco in movies with my daughter and taking her to the Frist.

Staycation #8: McKay Used Books, CDs, DVDs…Best Kept Secret in Nashville

Cindy McCain


It’s Father’s Day and dads love bargains. Whether Pop secretly yearns for the James Bond DVD collection, the Complete History of WWII or The Best of Three Dog Night–on vinyl no less–take him on a shopping spree to McKay Bookstore. They are open Monday-Thursday 9-9, Friday-Saturday 9-10, and on Sundays 11-7. http://mckaybooks.com

My friend, former-student-then-English- teacher Sara, got hooked on McKay when living in Knoxville. We met at the Nashville store recently where I bought three books from my son’s school’s required reading list and four more for me…travel memoirs of course…for the total price of $7. Many of their books are like new, and those slightly used can cost as little as twenty-five cents. They also buy books, even college texts, DVDs, CDs and videos. Whether you beat a path there today or not, Ms. McCain assigns McKay as a way to beat the heat and catch up on your summer reading.

Staycation Stop #7: Hello Kitty!

Cindy McCain

If you are staying home this summer, there’s no better time to adopt a new pet. June is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat month and this Saturday, June 19th from 11-2 you can give a kitty or cat a home. The Nashville Cat Rescue will be hosting an adoption event at the 100 Oaks PetSmart. Even if you’re not interested in claiming a feline friend you are invited to stop by and make a donation to help cover the costs of vet care for the large number of cats rescued from the flood.

Staycation #6: Movies in the Park

Cindy McCain

Once-upon-a-time in a land before DVDs or videotapes, classics like Gone with the Wind, The Sound of Music, and The Wizard of Oz were shown on television once-upon-a-year. Homes had one tv and dads like mine sacrificed John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Charles Bronson so we could gather round the set. The annual ritual was the same. I was mesmerized by Dorothy traveling over the rainbow (who wouldn’t trade a black- and- white world for a Technicolor one?). I was terrorized by the flying monkeys. And I agonized over Dorothy leaving her royal retainers for Kansas. Despite my dad’s teasing, I cried… still do…every time Dorothy kisses the scarecrow goodbye and whispers, “I think I’ll miss you most of all.”

Whether your trip to the Gulf has been canceled or flood/ flailing economy has grounded your flight from home, Staycations are about making-like-Dorothy and finding fun in one’s own backyard. For the fifteenth year the Nashville Scene is hosting free movies in Centennial Park. Whether you fancy Bruiser or Toto, comedy or drama, seeing movies on the Big Screen in Nashville is a family (and friend) tradition.

Centennial Park is located at West End Ave. at 25th Ave. North. Games, food, and prizes start at 6 PM. The movie begins at 8-8:30/sunset. For more info call 244-7989 ext. 341.

JUNE 16
Legally Blonde
JUNE 23
The Blind Side
JUNE 30
Wizard of Oz
JULY 7
Where the Wild Things Are [Rain Date]

Staycation Stop #5: Jaunt in Germantown

Cindy McCain


When I was a little girl, Sunday afternoons were spent visiting relatives. My grandparents, Mama Lou and Granddaddy, would pick up my sister and me in their green Ford and we’d take off—windows down–to the country where great aunts and uncles waited in Sunday best. Tired and hot from collecting eggs from the hen house, harassing hissing geese that gathered in disapproval around the pond, and chasing wild kittens we could never catch, we’d sit with the grownups in Aunt Cat’s parlor. A master storyteller, her voice would melodically rise and fall over the hum of the air conditioner. Too short to reach the pedal, Penny and I would take turns pumping and playing the Victorian organ in her cool living room, curtains drawn, lit by lamplight.

Adored as the most beautiful sister, the eldest of my grandmother’ s siblings resembled Catherine Hepburn—tall, statuesque, and confident. Gracious in a grand way. The original Lady Antebellum, she’d serve refreshments despite my grandmother’s protesting we had just eaten so she shouldn’t go to so much trouble. It was a Big Sis/Little Sis game they played because, as cousins can confirm, guests never came to my grandmother’s without Aunt Lou offering them “cream” from the “deep freeze” either. Holding tongs with pinky extended, Aunt Cat would fill glasses from the ice bucket, offering us Cokes, coconut macaroons, Fig Newtons, and shortbread cookies with chocolate icing. Classic treats made special by a silver tray.

Something about Germantown reminds me of those genteel weekends in Gracey, Kentucky. It also transports me to adult getaways in Savannah and Charleston. The gardens and architecture of the 19th century neighborhood recall what’s best about the South—Sunday afternoons, good manners, hospitality. Last week I strolled through Germantown with my friend, Sara, and her son, Trent. She bought dinner from the fish market and I introduced her to The Cupcake Collection, a place my sister had previously shown me. In fact, Penny and my niece, Emily, had just left there. She had wanted to treat her daughter, home from SCAD, to the bakery–no doubt because Emily frequents a cupcake shop in Savannah and has learned to decorate cakes from my sister, a Master Baker herself. Turned out Penny and I were simultaneously celebrating the spirit of summers spent with Aunt Cat and Mama Lou. The Cupcake Collection is gearing up to deliver, but last week I was glad I returned to the family tradition of taking time to “just visit.” To enjoy loved ones with a whole lot of sugar going on.

Sara and I caught up while noticing gingerbread latticework, entrance gardens, and courtyard fountains. Years before she became a wife and mom we walked and talked around Rome, stopping for a gelato rather than a cupcake beside Trevi Fountain. With much behind us and more to come, it was nice to staycation in Germantown and remember the best times at home or abroad are sharing simple pleasures with special people.















Staycation Stop #4: Shopping In Style

Cindy McCain


Dr. Leah M. Heyman aka Miranda

Justine (Charlotte), Sonya (Carrie), Me (Samantha)

Another sign of summer is having time to see Sex and the City 2( X 3), to turn on the television, and to savor serendipity.

Two days ago I switched on Oprah and caught Rita Wilson giving fashion consultation to women of all ages. The day before I had met a new friend for lunch, Dr. Leah M. Heyman, “The Shopping Doc,” and decided to write a post on her services as wardrobe consultant and personal buyer. Staycation stops are ways to treat yourself right here in Music City. For those wanting a fashion update or too busy to shop for bargains for family and friends, help is here. And for a lot less than you’d pay Mrs. Tom Hanks…

I met Leah through a mutual friend, photographer/model, Sonya Stanley. We were to walk the Pink Carpet at Sexy for the Cure as the SATC crew for a good cause and in celebration of Sonya’s birthday. Our entourage consisted of the Birthday Girl as Carrie, her boyfriend, Jason, as Mr. Big, Justine as Charlotte, Milton as Stanford, Leah as Miranda (who had changed her hair color for the part), and me as Samantha. Everyone was pumped–especially Leah who had been suffering with chronic illness and was ready for a night out with friends.

Sadly Leah didn’t make the event. Hospitalized again, she was disappointed to miss Sonya’s party. She also said she missed seeing the movie…that she had looked forward to seeing the fashion.

No doubt many with a passion for fashion flocked to see the Manhattan Mavens strut their stuff. While critics scoffed at stilletoes sinking in the desert sand, Leah loves a parade of shoes wherever she finds one. At last count she has 200 pairs in her closet. While this may seem extravagant to some, Leah’s a bargain shopper—for herself and her clients.

“Before I meet someone for a wardrobe consult I choose several fashion magazines and ask them to circle everything they like. If they hire me as a buyer, I ask them to list the items they need. We are clear on their budget. I shop for sales so they get the best bang for their buck.”

When I asked where she begins, she said, “Macy’s clearance racks. They also have coupons for additional savings and a great return policy.”

I asked how a PhD in Nutrition and an ND in Naturopathy became a personal shopper. She said it started years ago when she was in France with the Sister Cities program. When fellow travelers couldn’t shop because they didn’t speak French, she was the go-to girl. She still is for clients across Nashville.

Her busiest time is Steeplechase when she dresses women and calls on her designer friend, Justine Sylvie, to make them hats, as the one Sonya wears below. Though Leah says Sonya needs no help with knowing what she likes, just yesterday Leah showed the professional photographer new places to shop to fit her personal style.

So if you need a second opinion on what not to wear but none of your girls are as candid as Miranda, Leah can tell you what the doctor orders.

For more information contact “The Shopping Doc” at heyman.leah@gmail.com.


Sonya and Jason at Steeplechase 2010.

Nashville Staycation Stop #3: Garden Brunch Café

Cindy McCain

Brunch has always been my favorite meal to eat out. While I enjoy the eveningwear and candlelight of dinner-on-the-town, nothing is more relaxing than a cup of coffee and a carafe of mimosas shared in a sunlit room. While I was primed to start naming my ‘ole faithful brunch spots in my Summer Staycation Series, my friend, Haz, tempted me today off the beaten path and led me down a garden one. I’m so glad he did.

The Garden Brunch Café, located at 924 Jefferson Street, provides comfort and class with delicious dishes and an amiable, downright winsome staff. The atmosphere is charged with warmth…from the red entrance hall… to the paintings and sculptures of local artists… to the fresh flowers… to the R&B and jazz. The vibe is that of big city cool sans pretension

We shared the Germantown West Benny and the Banana Foster Pancakes. The house special–over easy eggs, smoked salmon, sautéed spinach, tomatoes, onions, capers, and hollandaise sauce served on an English muffin—lived up to its star status. And the pancakes– slathered with a buttery sauce and sautéed caramelized bananas and walnuts—were the best I’ve had anywhere (but without the line). On the next trip, I’ll try the salmon cakes.

This summer Garden Brunch Café will host a live jazz series. June 25th there will be a Chocolate and Wine Pairing/Tasting with chocolate cakes and confections from the Cocoa Tree. Check the website for a July date to be announced for a family picnic/barbeque. Summer Hours are Tuesday-Thursday 11AM-2PM and Friday-Sunday 9AM-2PM.

As Southern as brunch among the rose beds was the hospitality shown from the host to our server, Donald, to the Chef, Jennifer Carpenter, and her husband, Karl, who came out to visit with us. “Chef Jen,” a former realtor, told us their story. After moving to Nashville seven years ago from Washington, DC, her husband lost his executive job after eighteen years with the company, prompting them to open the restaurant in May 2009. The mom of five would cook for customers her family’s favorites—dishes from scratch using olive oil and butter, fresh ingredients (many grown in her own herb and vegetable garden), and healthy choices, such as turkey substituted for pork.

Turning the attention away from herself, she told the stories of the artists whose works (which are for sale) decorate the cafe. Some paint or sculpt as therapy for chronic illness, and while the artists receive the full price for their pieces, most give back part of the proceeds to charities such as The Ronald McDonald House.

Cleaning our plates, we left full and refreshed. More than a business, Garden Brunch Café seems a Community Oasis. A place that supports the arts and values people. A nice place to sit a spell.


Owners Karl and Chef Jennifer Carpenter