In concert

Last Saturday night, my sister, Allison and I caught the second show of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's On The Run II tour at Fedex Field. We were in good company as it appears Barack and Michelle Obama were also there. Our seats were near the top of the stadium but we had a good, unobstructed view of the screens above the stage. For a large stadium show (and Fedex is a huge stadium), the sound was good, and the video show accompanying the concert really helped our viewing.

Photo by Patrick Jones. View from section 444, 28 Jul 2018.

It was an impressive show. The two alternated blocks of songs and performed together on many. We had a great time and even managed to avoid a long delay escaping parking at the end.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Jay-Z at Fedex Field, 28 Jul 2018.

Churchill Downs

Photo by K. D. Jones. Undated photo of Churchill Downs.

Photo by K. D. Jones. Undated photo of Churchill Downs.

Among the old photos taken by my grandfather were two with the unmistakable Twin Spires of Churchill Downs. I do not know the date the photos were taken, likely sometime in the late 1930s to early 1940s. I don't know the story behind the photos, if it was at the Kentucky Derby or another race held at the track. Either way I thought these were cool photos of the day. The track has undergone quite a bit of renovation over the years.

Flatt's Distillery

In my last post, I covered the pardon for Robert Foster Flatt in 1886. Here is an advertisement for his distillery that was published in the Arkansas Herald in 1885. As suspected, he had a sizable distillery operation, producing corn and rye whisky, and different flavored brandies.

Arkansas Herald, 9 Jul 1885.

Pardoned by the Governor

Back in October 2015, I wrote about Robert Foster Flatt (formerly Reamus Foster Flatt), older half-brother of my 3rd-great-grandmother Nancy Jane Flatt. I missed these articles at the time, showing Robert was pardoned in 1886 by Arkansas Governor Simon Pollard Hughes Jr. for selling liquor without a license. The $200 fine was remitted back to Flatt.

Arkansas Sentinel, 12 Oct 1886

Daily Arkansas Gazette, 19 Apr 1888

In 1896, Robert was involved in another case against the State. This was appealed from Benton County Circuit Court to the Arkansas Supreme Court. The decision was affirmed on 6 February 1897. I do not know what the case was about.

Daily Arkansas Gazette, 24 Nov 1896.

Armed with a cleaver

The news clipping below mentions my 3rd-great-grandfather Guilford Dudley Read and his brother "Eke", who were involved in a fight with a local judge in their butcher shop in February 1904. You can't make this stuff up.

Louisville Courier-Journal, 28 Feb 1904