Friday the 13th in downtown New Albany

The weather on Friday the 13th was cold and clear, about 39 degrees when this story was written, but New Albany was, never-the-less, a “hot ticket.” People were out and about, enjoying themselves at several places.

Picturesque New Albany provided the backgrounds Tuesday, Sept. 1, for promotional photographs shot for Wooden Groove, a Mississippi-based acoustic string band. Double bassist Taylor Meador of Oxford, guitarist Adam Hollowell of Tupelo and mandolinist Seth Vincent Flake from Ripley posed in front of a 60-year-old railroad engine in downtown New Albany. Engine number 800 was built by the old General Motors Electro-Motive division, probably at its London, Ontario, Canada plant, in the early 1950s. Number 800, a four-axle GP8 diesel-electric locomotive was rebuilt at the Illinois Central Railroad's Paducah, Kentucky shops in the late 1970s. Number 800 is still an active railyard engine and belongs to the Ripley and New Albany Railroad, the successor after many ownership changes, of Colonel William Clark Falkner's Ripley Railroad, founded in 1871.

Wooden Groove acoustic band.

The Basement, a new “events” venue that will be bringing live music to downtown New Albany, had a full house for its inaugural performances, with Wooden Groove opening up the evening’s entertainment as customers visited friends and ate bar-b-que. Wooden Groove, a Mississippi-based acoustic string band, includes double bassist Taylor Meador of Oxford, guitarist Adam Hollowell of Tupelo and mandolinist Seth Vincent Flake.

The Eisenhauer Band

The Eisenhauer Band, a local favorite, was the headliner for the evening, bringing their unique sound and a variety of musical genres all the way from Nashville for the crowd’s enjoyment.

For those more in tune with Christmas tradition, the Tallahatchie River Players were presenting their 10th Anniversary presentation of James Rodgers’ “It’s a Wonderful Life” at New Albany’s Magnolia Civic Center, known to most locals as “the Cine Theater.” From the filled-up parking lots and street-side spaces, it appears that they had a full house to see Rick Robbins and Bobby White reprise their roles from the first performances in 2005, as George Bailey and angel Clarence Odbody, respectively. The Tallahatchie players will be presenting three performances of the popular Christmas play, with performances tomorrow night and Sunday afternoon.