Artistic and Familial Connections, from California to Fairhope, Alabama!

By Sarah Robinson

The October Newcomers luncheon, held at the James P. Nix Center, was replete with catered, individual charcuterie boards by the relatively new kitchen business called Rouxsters. Newcomer members and their guests listened attentively to the presenter, Fairhope Film Festival’s executive director, Mary Riser, who announced the details of the weekend-long event, being held in several areas around Fairhope November 9-12. 

Riser showed the group a Short Film which will be featured in the competition. The atmosphere was electric, with interesting discussions, maybe more than usual for the Newcomers of the Eastern Shore events. Enter stage left: Fairhope Film Festival enthusiast and owner of a lovely platter, Susie Maring Cerf, a member of the Newcomer’s Club who attended the luncheon. Cerf has recently returned to her native state of Alabama. 

Born and raised in Selma, she moved to Fairhope a year ago from Oakland, California. By anyone’s standards, her Alabama roots were calling.  California must’ve nurtured plenty of interest and knowledge of the film industry for her because Cerf was all ears during the Film Festival presentation. More on this later… Susie and I were just beginning to get to know each other.

“You’re a writer? I’ve got a story for you,” she said. Our discussion began with a full-circle wedding gift saga. Cerf related how a ceramic platter crafted by potter Edna Nelson of Bon Secour was a wedding gift shipped to Oakland, CA more than forty years ago. Her eyes lit up telling me how she and the platter (both intact) are back again. The trail taken by the platter suggests a catharsis, the owner’s arrival back to her home state. 

Cerf has close family ties to Fairhope, including M&F Casuals’ Ann Yates Miller and her late husband Marc Miller, and Blanche Yates Kennelly, Ann Miller’s sister. They are all gearing up for the clothing store’s Special Event on Thursday, November 9^th, the 50th anniversary celebration of the popular retailer on Fairhope Avenue. 

During the celebration on the 9^th, former Mayor Jim Nix will be a special guest at the store. Years ago, Nix, after a visit to Carmel, California, came back to Fairhope with plans to spearhead a local beautification project. He and Marc Miller were the community leaders responsible for what we see today, and we all have these men to thank! 

Also making a special appearance at the store on the 9^th will be Susan W. Brown, Alabama author and inspirational speaker. Brown’s book, “One Year of Thankful Thursdays,” has meant so much to Ann Miller because of her gratitude for having had 50 years in business in Fairhope. 

During the event, author Brown will be signing copies of her book, and the celebrants have fun things (literally) in store. Owner Ann Miller’s daughters, Barbara Levitt and Carol Eberlein, run things. 

Cerf’s interest in connections led to a gathering of what she affectionately calls the “Selma Girls.” This recently formed reunion of gals, who all hail from central Alabama’s historic Selma, has really taken off. They recently attended a Page & Palette concert where The Selma Boys were performing. 

“We originally invited twelve gals, and nine came. We met on my porch. The next time we met, six weeks later, we had seventeen. And the next time, twenty-two!” On her growing list are forty-seven Selma Girls of Baldwin County, all of them friends or friends-of-friends with a shared history.

Back to the Film Festival connection…Cerf has become friends with our very own Mary Riser, recently featured in an article for the November edition of the Mobile Bay magazine. Riser, the executive director and film scout, talked with the Newcomers about some of the films she’s excited about, one of which has especially piqued Cerf’s interest. 

The film, entitled, “You Will Not Play Wagner,” asks, “Could Wagner’s music transcend the anti-Semitic views of its creator?” The film exposes a moral dilemma, and like other films in this year’s line-up, will prompt cultural, political, and artistic discussions. Moderator Barry Silverman and author Roy Hoffman are scheduled for a Q&A following the showing of the “Wagner” film.  

What began as the story of a wedding gift gained momentum and trailed into a range of relative topics and timely discussions. It goes to show how one person’s enthusiasm for connection benefits us all.