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that for the past few days we've been releasing articles in a Pavo series called Labors of Love.  Doing the research for these articles has been surprising and heart warming.  So far we've covered Birmingham Art Music Alliance, Studio by the Tracks, Alabama Dance Council, The Seasoned Performers, and Sidewalk Film Festival (Paint the Town Red--a digital art festival--will be up tomorrow).  Each one of these organizations helps the community in some way and shines a pretty light on Birmingham, but what's truly astounding is that all of them rely not on federal grants or personal endowments, but on VOLUNTEERS...on people just working their hearts out for the sake of giving to the community. What I get from that, is that it's not money that's fueling these arts organizations, it's generosity.  And Birmingham is full of them.  With the organizations we've covered, we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of the creative energy, passion and dedication of our residents. 

Now I know that part of the puzzle is US!  It's our hospitality and generousity.  It's our willingness to engage in the lives of others without needing anything in return.

I've long felt an energy in this area of the country.  It is strong, undeniable and mysterious.  There's something about the South that just feels good.  It's comforting and warm.  I decided I wanted to launch an investigation into the why and what of this undeniable comfort, and I think...that writing these articles has shed some light onto my investigation.

Now I know that part of the puzzle is US!  It's our hospitality and generousity.  It's our willingness to engage in the lives of others without needing anything in return.  That might seem obvious.  The South has long been associated with hospiality but there's a difference between being friendly in a grocery store and volunteering days (or weeks or months) of your life to make a festival/foundation/organization come to life. 

I'm not saying that other places in the country don't have this.  I'm just saying...that from what I can tell...we've got something crazy awesome here and that my investigation in defining the allure of the Deep South is making headway.   

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