Alpharetta's Dixie Diner

The Dixie Diner had been an Alpharetta icon since 1964. You could walk in on any given morning and find an eclectic mix of locals from farmers to businessmen... all sharing in some coffee and some comfort food to help them jump start their busy day.

I'd been meaning to photograph the diner since I began this project in 2007. But, by the time I made my way back to Alpharetta from California, the diner was gone. One of Alpharetta's last ties to its small-town country past finally gave up the ghost to progress and development.

The empty lot has since been paved, but nothing has moved in to take its place. So, I took advantage of a break in the rainy weather and walked from Wills Park up to the sacred spot where The Dixie Diner once stood. It was a beautiful morning, and I was rewarded with the gentle scent of honeysuckle and the delicate white flowers of wild blackberry growing on the side of the road. Everything was covered in morning dew, and the sun was just beginning to peek above the treeline.

To truly understand why I took a photograph of an empty lot, one would have to know The Dixie Diner... or at least have fond memories of a beloved old diner in their own hometown. Just like the smell of a warm apple pie can bring back childhood memories of your grandmother baking in the kitchen, a photograph of a favorite place can conjure up its own memories of good times and good friends long forgotten.

I wish I could provide you an old photograph of the Dixie Diner from its heyday, but all I could dig up was a shot of the original building, back when it was a Jolly Chef. Yet another reason The Vanishing America Project is so important... Without photos and stories as reminders, the memories of Alpharetta's Dixie Diner will fade away with the passing of each generation.

Save the date!

Well, it's official!

Saturday, June 28th, 2008 marks the opening of the very first Vanishing America exhibit, which will be on display through July at Roswell's Ann Jackson Gallery!

This marks the first in a series of exhibitions of Fine Art photography from the Vanishing America project. Future exhibits will be held in cities all over the United States, each one showcasing new work as well as some original favorites, but this is the first!

All of the images are in signed, limited editions of 25 and vary in size from 8x10 inches to over 5 feet. And, once an edition sells out, there will be no more. What that means to the collector is that each image will not only retain its value, but that the value of each image will actually increase with time.

The opening night of the exhibit promises to be a blast, with music from Atlanta's best blues band, The Breeze Kings, a wine tasting from local vendors, and barbecue from Alpharetta's own Smokejack restaurant, all accompanying 25 of Vanishing America's best images to date.

If you are in the Atlanta area, and would like to attend... hell, if you're within 200 miles of Atlanta, you have to attend!... please RSVP to holt@vanishingamerica.net as soon as you can. This is an historic event. Space is limited and though this event is free, it will "sell out" very quickly.

Alive After Five

Remember, you can click on any image to view it full size!

Spring is here, and ART is in the air...

This past Thursday was the first Roswell Alive After Five street event for 2008.

It's a small street festival in the historic district that the City of Roswell puts on every third Thursday during the Spring/Summer. Live bands, booths, face painting for the kids, and the galleries and businesses are open late. It's kind of like San Diego's Ray at Night.

And, even though my first Vanishing America exhibit is two months away, we put a few of my images up in the Ann Jackson Gallery for the Alive After Five event, and parked BABS nearby to get a little exposure. The response was fantastic. Historic Roswell's art scene is primarily painting, and people were glad to see some artistic photography on display. We got a lot of interest in the wild horse images... especially this one.

It was very encouraging for both me and the gallery that so many people showed so much enthusiasm for this body of work. June promises to be a great month!

This weekend, I'm parked at Alpharetta's Art Street Fest. I'm not participating, just getting some visibility. The weather has been perfect, and it even rained a little Friday night to help wash away some of the pollen that's been wreaking havoc on people's allergies.

And, speaking of allergies...
I was out shooting with the historians from the City of Alpharetta last week. And, if you know me at all, I like to wander around and explore, even if it means getting dirty. Well, I didn't get dirty. I got poison ivy. I'd rather have gotten dirty. If you've ever had poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac, you know how frustrating it can be. Almost a year ago, in Southern California, I got poison oak while shooting out at a Wagon Wheel Park. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson and covered up a little better. No, not me. The thought never crossed my mind. I grew up playing in the woods, and as a kid, could have rolled around in poison ivy and never have any kind of reaction. But, I guess, as we get older, our bodies change, and now that wicked weed and I simply don't get along.

Stay tuned for more updates about Vanishing America's First Exhibit, coming this June!

I heard I was in town...

(apologies to my hero, Jimmy Buffett)

Well, BABS should be rolling in to Atlanta (well, Alpharetta, specifically) by noon Wednesday. Now, to find a place to park this Big Ass BuS...

Some folks in my parents' neighborhood were going to let me park in their cul-de-sac, but they had a neighborhood meeting and changed their minds. Aaah... Such is suburbia.

So, let's see if we can be creative and find a good place to park this billboard on wheels while I make my hometown famous. Shouldn't be too difficult... should it?

In the meantime, my family is helping me find sources for used oil. Since I'll be in Alpharetta for at least two weeks, I'll have time to lay some groundwork and cultivate relationships with various restaurants who might be willing to help out. Hmm... that reminds me... anybody have any oil?

Now for some really good news: The Vanishing America project has had its first donation! My friend, Barbara Dubkak, from Deer Park, Texas, was so impressed with what I'm doing that she took $150 of her hard-earned money and put it into helping keep me on the road.

THANKS BARBARA!

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Do you like what the Vanishing America project is all about? Do you want to help out too? Drop me a line at holt@vanishingicons.com. Every dollar we receive will help keep BABS on the road a little longer.

If you would like to become a part of the Vanishing America project in a bigger way, we're always on the lookout for sponsors. We have room for logos on the website, the Land Rover, and, of course, BABS herself. And, sponsorship can be achieved by infusion of cash or product.

Is there something you'd like to promote? Want to see your product on the news, in the documentary, raved about on the blog? Let me know. We're talking National exposure here! If it's something that can benefit the project, and has minimal negative impact on the environment, then let's talk!

The Dalles, Arlington, and Alpharetta...

I was born in a small town...

... And everywhere I go, smalltown life fascinates me. Seeing these small towns along my travels reminds me of how simple life was as a child growing up in my own small town.

Looking in the windows of this old building, do you wonder who worked there? What they looked like? Do you wonder what they did there? How long ago was this building used, and for what purpose? What color was it?

Looking at the image on the left, you can see the building is right up against the train tracks. Was it always like that? And, is there a story that explains the lone shoe by the entrance?

Rod Steward said, "Every picture tells a story, don't it?" What stories do these images, these buildings, tell us?