By By LYDIA GRIMES Feature Reporter
Before I get started telling you about another family I wanted to mention a place I visited a couple of weeks ago. It really has nothing to do with genealogy but I found it to be very interesting.
As part of a media arranged tour, I was part of a group of individuals that were treated to a very nice weekend at Sandestin. The point of the tour was to get the word out about a designer name shopping center there. Now I believe that all of us here in Brewton should buy locally as much as we can. But there are times when you need to go to other places to buy that special something.
If you are a shopper, a real shopper, you will love Silver Sands Factory Stores. You need a good pair of shoes and plenty of money because these places are not cheap. The feature the very best name brands of clothing, shoes, and even power tools. There is something for everyone.
We checked in at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa on Friday night and were taken to a fourteenth floor room overlooking the Gulf. The weather was perfect and we stood on the balcony watching people way below us crabbing on the beach.
After a good night's sleep we had breakfast at a lovely place in the hotel and met our ride to the shopping center.
After shopping for a couple of hours, we stopped at the best Italian place at Silver Sands called Ciao Bella Pizza. We were served some of the best authentic Italian food I have ever eaten and much more than we needed. We attended an artist's reception where we were given prints signed by the painter.
After we arrived back at the hotel, I was able to line up a facial in the spectacular spa in the hotel. That was the nicest and most relaxing hour I have had for a long time.
We attended a beach dinner reception that night and walked down to the water to dip our toes. The next morning we had brunch at Another Broken Egg Cafe and were treated to some more good food. We were on our own after that and some of that time was spent back at Silver Sands.
I say again that I believe that we should do as much of our shopping at home in Brewton as we can. But, when you want designer labels, I would highly recommend that you take that little trip to Sandestin and tell them I sent you.
If you are interested in preserving and maintaining cemeteries around our state, don't forget to go to the workshop in Montgomery Saturday, Nov. 1. The move is on to make laws and to take the legal action that is needed to preserve our area's cemeteries. There will also be information on how to repair and restore broken grave markers. If you remember a few months ago a lot of vandalism was done in the Coon Hill Cemetery down near Jay, Fla. There are those who do not respect the resting places of our ancestors and it is up to those that can make a difference to do so.
I have received some information from the Alabama Historical Commission and will be passing some of it along to you. One feature that I have to read some more is devoted to places that are to be listed on either the National Register or the Alabama Register. As we in Brewton are concerned with the Main Street project in our own town, we might learn a thing or two.
Alabama Frontier Days will be celebrated at Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson State Historic Site in Wetumpka Nov. 5-8. Visitors can step into the past and relive some of their ancestors' lifestyles. There will be plenty of food and entertainment and it should be fun for anyone who loves history.