If you’ve ever been to Rural Studio’s Pig Roast, you surely remember far more than the delicious pulled pork, fried catfish, and other tasty offerings: You probably think of project tours, maybe a project opening and alumni lectures, and class showcases. You likely tap your feet to the memory of blues musicians, new and seasoned. And how could you forget our own valediction for graduating students, with good-humored roasting of the students, selected awards, other notable speakers (in addition to our alumni!), fireworks, and confetti Whiffle Dust shot over the Bodark Amphitheater crowd from a cannon?!
Sometimes plans have to change on the fly. One thing we know about West Alabama in springtime is that it’s wet. We don’t have as many rainy days as Seattle, but we outpace Seattle in volume. Take their ~37 inches per year and add another 16. It seems that all of that rain fell during Pig Roast, making our area feel like it lives up to Alabama’s nickname of America’s Amazon. And the thunder and lightning could have been a cliché opening for a gothic novel.
We teach students to think on their feet, to adapt to changing circumstances and needs. So that’s exactly what we did. The Stable provided Friday’s dinner, with Rural Studio’s own Amanda Pinkstaff and Ann Agnew. Dinner music was performed by Electric Blue Yonder (EBY) and guest B.B. Palmer, with what they aptly dub “Real American Space Folk” and B.B.’s “baroque twang.” Usually, we set up buffet tables behind the Horseshoe Farm Hub Courtyard, before holding the alumni lectures. This year, Project Horseshoe Farm kindly made space for us—we estimate 150 people—in their ballroom. Nine of our alumni still gave their Pecha Kucha-inspired lectures. A special thank you to our alumni: Lana Smelley, John Plaster, Eric Schmid, Jacob Beebe, Will Gregory, Chloe Flaharty, Sean Flaharty, Julia Levet, and Adam Levet. We’re so proud to see what they’ve done since leaving Rural Studio.
On Saturday, more rain made for a muddy project tour, but even so, everyone was a trooper and in good spirits. We toured the current projects, some on campus and some down the rural roads, and each in a different stage of development: the Rural Studio Bathhouse, the Dining House, the CLT Core House, Smith Park, and Mark’s Home.
Throughout the day, our five student teams competed to raise the most money for their projects, aiming for at least $2,000 each to fund anything from fasteners to roofing supplies. The CLT Core House won, raising enough to buy cabinets for the house! Really, when someone donates, all of the students and their clients win. If you’d like to be a part of that magic, donate here.
Rain meant that our afternoon and evening activities had to move from the Bodark Amphitheater to an inside location. Newbern generously opened the Firehouse to our large crew, and we had said pork BBQ, catfish, and trimmings (thanks to The Shack!) together under the Firehouse’s galvanized aluminum roof. EBY came back to provide more music for the meal. Special guests in attendance were two of our great consultants: Mary Margaret Jones from Hargreaves Jones in NYC, who designed the Olympic parks in London and Sydney, and Joe Burns from Thornton Tomasetti in Chicago, who engineered the redevelopment of Chicago’s Soldiers Field!
Hale County Probate Judge David Parker and Newbern Mayor Patrick Braxton welcomed everyone! The 2024 American Institute of American Architect’s Gold Medal Award winner Ted Flato of Lake|Flato delivered the valediction speech. We honored not only the graduating students with their awards and roasts but also local friends of the Studio and departing staff. We shouted out Felicia Briggins and Shane Jackson, and we offered our sincere thanks to Greensboro’s retiring mayor Johnny Washington, who has been a huge supporter of Rural Studio, especially our park projects. And we said a fond farewell to John Allen, our operations manager, who is leaving us this summer. Our evening wrapped up with Grammy Award–winning blues musician Alvin Youngblood Hart. What an enormous treat!
We hope you’ll plan to come next year. The show goes on rain or shine. Check the forecast before you pack. It’ll probably be sunny and beautiful as usual, but know that a little West Alabama clay in the soles of your boots is a small price to pay for celebrating the outstanding work of Rural Studio students!
Thank you to our Pig Roast sponsors!
