Second Annual Collard Festival

 Sheila and I decided we'd walk over to the Collard Festival. That took us to Fifth Avenue, the Town Green, Broad Street, Branham Ave....

 ...past Myrtle Hill ...

...to the South Rome Community Garden on Pennington Avenue ...

...for the Second Annual Collard Festival.

There was a good crowd with about a dozen collard contestants and several other food booths as well as booths for arts and crafts and such.

We ran into lots of friends including these good friends who were involved with us in trying to save America from the Trumpists.

We have such warm memories of our former neighbors the Gordon family. Left to right are Jeri and Reginald Gordon, me and Sheila, and Zelda Gordon Buford. Zelda and Reginald's brother Justin was in my fifth grade class at McHenry School in 1971-72 and Justin's twin sister Justina was in Georgia Clayton's class. When we moved to Cedar Avenue in 1976 the Gordons' backyard on Evergreen Street adjoined our backyard on Cedar for the next quarter century. We have loved and admired the Gordons for over 50 years.  

The first three collard chefs were friends of ours. Chloe Fielder had good collards and even better collard casserole!

Our friend Adrienne Askew was last years winner and was no doubt a contender again this year. (I have not yet heard who won the contest this time.)

LaTonya Burrell is another long time friend who was competing for the Collard championship.

Rita Lawler and her friend show off some of the sunflowers from the community garden.

for our walk back home we took West Main to Broad and back to the Town Green where Ellen Axson Wilson watches over the pedestrian bridge all decked out for the holidays.