Janis Owens

I’ve always told my children that good things come to those who wait, and for you impatient Crackers who have been waiting for the premiere of the The Great Southern Cracker Roadshow, your day has finally come. The Roadshow premiers Friday night, February 5, at 7 pm at the Flagler Auditorium in downtown St. Augustine, when me and my partner in Cracker Crime, Dana Ste. Claire, take the stage for a rip-roaring, banjo-strumming, whip-cracking evening celebrating all thangs Cracker. You’ll be serenaded by live bluegrass music from the Dunehoppers; joined by Dr. Dewey Cheetum’s traveling snake oil show; and learned in the art of whip cracking by champion Cracker whip cracker, Christopher Moore. From my cornbread kitchen, I’ll navigate the unusual world of Cracker cuisine, from road kill to Lane Cake. Dana, who is the state expert in all things cracker, will set the record straight on what makes a Cracker a Cracker, and offer a little straight history on this rogue and tenacious breed of Southern pioneer.

We’re bringing the Roadshow to life as part of Discover First America: Legacies of La Florida—the 450^th Commemoration Commission’s free seven-part series. The show is the fifth in the Discover First America series that offers entertaining programs on St. Augustine’s role as the foundation for historical and cultural development of the United States. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a Cracker Gizmos & Gadget Show, author book signings and sales. All is part of the 450^th Commemorative celebration of the Spanish landing in Florida, away back on September 8, 1565, when Spanish Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded the Presidio of San Agustin. Almost four and a half centuries later, the city lives on as an historic testament to exploration, battles, and settlement in North America. Led by the 450^th Commemorative Commission, the 2 ½-year celebration will celebrate the multi-cultural history of St. Augustine with an unprecedented series of signature events, festivals, programs, and historical exhibits. The celebration will kick off in 2013 with a celebration of the 500^th anniversary of the April 2, 1513, landing of Juan Ponce de Leon.

We Crackers are naturally as happy as a mule chewing briars at the opportunity to brag, sang and maybe dance a lick or two in celebration of our part in St. Augustine’s long history. We guarantee you’ll leave humming, hungry and proud to be part of such an upstanding species. For more information, call Jamie at 904 209 4226. 

Tags: cracker kitchen, Dana Ste. Claire, Southern Cracker Roadshow, Whipcracking