A Different World is the title of an American sitcom television series, a spin-off of The Cosby Show that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically black college in Virginia. It was inspired by student life at historically black colleges and universities. In that series, the students found that life away from home was certainly “a different world.”
As with those students, all young people who move away from the comfortable surroundings of their childhood home and out into the world find that things are just not the same.
The phrase, “We’re not in Kansas anymore.” was from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy and Toto were definitely not in Kansas anymore, and that became more obvious with every step of their journey.
Ricky and I had such an epiphany this past weekend while visiting our daughter, Jennifer, to celebrate her birthday.
Jen’s birthday was actually last Thursday, but because we’re all working adults, it became necessary for us to forgo the visit until the weekend, simply for convenience’s sake. And because she was the birthday girl, I told Jennifer to decide what she wanted to do. She chose to go to an outdoor artisan’s market that is held weekly throughout the summer and early fall months.
Living on Sand Mountain in DeKalb County, I’m not aware of as many opportunities for artist markets, or at least not one held weekly.
But Ricky and I definitely discovered that it’s a different world out there, even as close as Huntsville, Alabama.
The place where the market was held was an old building that was originally a mill of some sort. Repurposing a building into something else is common in our area, too, as we have Vintage 1889 in Fort Payne, repurposed from an old hosiery mill, and the Old Gin Steakhouse in Section, repurposed from an old cotton gin. It’s good to put those old buildings to good use today.
The part of the market that was outside resembled a big yardsale or flea market, with rows of tents providing some relief from the boiling sun.
The part that was inside the old mill building was surrounded by rough brick and concrete, nothing fancy at all. But wow, was it a big mill? There were multiple stories, and you could walk yourself to death in there trying to find a specific thing, which we just about did.
The food at the market was quite different from anything readily available on good ole Sand Mountain. Jen got a salad with a Dr. Pepper, I got a basket of loaded fries and water, and Ricky got a burger and fries with a Dr. Pepper. With a 15% tip, our lunch was slightly over $71.
Ricky and I saw sights that we will not soon forget. As we strolled through the building, we saw people who could give the “People of Walmart” a run for their money. We strolled by a dance class that had a young guy as the instructor. They didn’t seem the least bit disturbed by passers-by gawking at them.
I saw lots of items that seemingly had a witchcraft theme. But I guess the most memorable sight I saw was a male dressed as a witch, with a black dress and hat, shoulder-length purple hair, and three little girls calling him Daddy.
It really is a different world out there!
Bonita Wilborn is Managing Editor, Features Writer, and Advertising Manager at Mountain Valley News and North Jackson Press and can be reached via email at [email protected].
