Popcorn Sutton: A Hell Of A Life is now on YouTube

The legend of Popcorn Sutton lives on.  The man was already larger than life when he was with us.  Sixteen years after he tragically passed away, Sutton seems even bigger than ever.  Not long ago I saw a guy wearing a shirt with Popcorn's image on it.  And memes featuring him continue to populate the Internet.  I am forever going to regret that I never got to meet him in person.  But I am thankful that his legacy continues.

Filmmaker Neal Hutcheson has made a number of documentaries about Popcorn and the world of Appalachian culture for over two decades.  A few years ago he released Popcorn Sutton: A Hell of a Life and it gained considerable attention. This past week his production company released the film on YouTube, free for viewing by anyone.  I watched it yesterday and it definitely captures and conveys the essence of Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton and his life and times.

For anyone else enchanted by Popcorn and his unique persona and especially his craft at brewing moonshine, this will surely delight you.  Thanks for the great work Neal!

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Excellent article in The Assembly about Popcorn Sutton

It's quite difficult to believe that more than fifteen years have passed since Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton left us.  He was a man who I had come to very much want to meet, after hearing so much about him from both the web and people who knew him firsthand.  When I told my best friend from college that I had heard about "this guy Popcorn Sutton" Ed's eyes lit up and told me all about him.  It only made me want to meet him that much more.  Popcorn was the kind of American that they just don't make anymore, and I wanted to sit in the company of that kind of greatness.

Unfortunately that was not to be.  Ten days before he was due to report to prison to begin serving a two-year sentence for illegal alcohol production, Popcorn took his own life.  It is something that still makes me seethe with righteous fury to this day.  Popcorn was never hurting anyone.  He was by all accounts a man so gentle that it's hard to imagine him even swatting a fly.  But the government wanted its cut of "the action" and Popcorn was too obstinate to give up what he believed was not only his right, but his very heritage.  Here are the many articles about Popcorn Sutton that I've written over the years and here especially is the post I made following his "death by government bastards", still to date the first and hopefully only time that I'm driven to use the "f" word in a piece of published writing.

It seems though that the past few years have proven that you can't keep a good legend down, because Popcorn has become a bona fide icon.  A symbol, of what was good about America once upon a time and could still be good again.  I was in a pizza joint near here last year and one of the employees was wearing a Popcorn Suttong t-shirt.  I just had to compliment him on his attire.  He also said that he wished he could have met the man.

Filmmaker Neal Hutcheson, who produced several documentaries about Popcorn Sutton and his craft, has written an amazing piece over at The Assembly about the life and times (and crimes?) of the mythic moonshiner.  I thought I knew most everything there was to know about Sutton, but Hutcheson really surprised me with this one.  It's absolutely well worth your time.  I certainly came away from it a little more saddened, that I never got to meet Popcorn.  But maybe generations still to come will discover Popcorn and in doing so will come to appreciate and admire the Appalachias culture that he proudly represented.

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The legend of Popcorn Sutton lives on! Family is (legally) brewing famed 'shiner's likker

Yowza!!  And I've thought that many times over the past several years or so, in regard to the memory of Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton.  Longtime readers will remember when I was posting about Popcorn with machine gun-regularity.  I'd always wanted to meet the man.  Unfortunately that never happened.  In March of 2009, a few days before he was supposed to have turned himself in at the prison to begin serving a term for illegally making his moonshine, Popcorn ended his own life.  And that was the end of my hope of getting to know the man.

 

If you weren't around this blog then, here's the "Popcorn Sutton" label that lets you look back across all the posts I made about him.  Especially the "Popcorn Sutton: Dead By Government Bastards!" post that broke some personal rules about writing, but I didn't care.  A good man had been driven by the government to commit suicide.  If the death of an innocent person wasn't enough to break bad over, I don't know what is.

That was in 2009.  And in the decade and a half since then it is absolutely amazing how Popcorn Sutton has become a bona fide legend.  There is a yearly music festival in his memory held every summer in the North Carolina mountains.  Popcorn Sutton's face adorns clothing (I spotted a guy in the kitchen of a nearby restaurant wearing a Popcorn Sutton shirt a few weeks ago, and we got to talking about how popular he's become).  Look around the Internet the past few years, and you're sure to find Sutton staring back at you from many a meme (he seemed especially ubiquitous during the COVID panic).  That's not to mention things like filmmaker Neal Hutcheson's much beloved documentary about Popcorn and his art.  There was even a commercial airliner that had Popcorn depicted in wrap around its fuselage.

We should all want to be like Popcorn Sutton, in a way.  Live so that when you are stricken down, your life will be remembered for all the good and uniqueness that it possessed.

Well folks, it's happened before already but there were some issues that came up.  Those have been resolved apparently.  And now, once again, Popcorn Sutton's original recipe "likker" is going on sale for the public to buy!  Popcorn's widow Pam Sutton has gotten the stills running full-bore and later this month two beverages bearing Popcorn's name and likeness will go on sale, according to Knox News in a story published today.

I'm still not much of a drinker, but I have had real moonshine before and can attest that I've something of a taste for the legitiamte stuff.  I'm definitely looking forward to having a bottle of Popcorn Sutton's recipe-brewed likke, if only for display in my living room.

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PBS documentary The Last One - about moonshiner Popcorn Sutton - is now on YouTube

The legend of Popcorn Sutton lives on!  Thirteen years after he tragically left us, Sutton is definitely not forgotten.  The "last of the old time moonshiners" has been the basis of many an Internet meme and last month was the now-annual Popcorn Sutton Jam in east Tennessee.  The man was the subject of a recent book packed with photos.  And word has it that his original recipe likker is selling well... legally of course.

For a number of years, North Carolina filmmaker Neal Hutcheson produced a series of documentaries for PBS featuring Popcorn.  Two months ago he posted onto YouTube a 2022 remaster of The Last One, which at the time was about Popcorn Sutton's alleged final brew of moonshine.  It's well worth a watch if you're at all a fan of Popcorn or have an interest in Appalachian culture.  It also boasts some awesome music!

 

Find more of Neal Hutcheson's work on his Sucker Punch Pictures YouTube channel.

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The Fourth Annual Popcorn Sutton Summer Jam is this weekend!

If you are in the neighborhood of western North Carolina this weekend, you won't find much more good times than at the Fourth Annual Popcorn Sutton Summer Jam.  And if you aren't in the neighborhood and have some time, you should come anyway!

Since its humble beginnings as one evening at a Maggie Valley restaurant three years ago, it has grown into a two-day event bringing people from all walks of life together to celebrate the life and art of late moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton.  With lots of live country and bluegrass music, food, local crafts and a plethora of colorful characters walking about (some no doubt dressed as Popcorn himself), the Popcorn Sutton Summer Jam is a rollickin' fun festival honoring the man and the Appalachian culture he was proud to represent.  Bring along your lawn chair and get ready to enjoy the show!

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Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey: Now in a new bottle!

Whenever I post anything new about the legendary moonshiner Popcorn Sutton, traffic to this blog flies off the chain.  It has been a pleasure to write about him and chronicle his life and times during the past several years and Lord willing, I'll get to continue to do so for a long, long time to come.  It'll always be one of my bigger regrets that I never got to meet him personally but it has been a tremendous honor to have come to know those he was closest to, including Popcorn's widow Mrs. Pam Sutton.

Photo Credit: Jamey Grosser via Facebook

Before his passing four years ago Popcorn was well into plans to legalize his famed likker.  Last year Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey - made with Popcorn's original recipe - went on sale in Tennessee.  And demand for it exploded!  At one point the moonshine - originally packaged and sold in mason jars - was going for $150 and up on eBay.

But Popcorn had a grander vision for his likker.  He wanted to "upgrade" the container as soon as it was feasible.  Some will argue that the mason jars have greater character and are more "authentic", but apparently Popcorn had problems with some people brewing 'shine on their own and selling it as his!  I can understand why he wanted his whiskey to have a more distinctive and unique look.

Yesterday it was announced that Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey is now coming out in a brand-new bottle!  You can see it in the photo.

Here's what Jamey Grosser - master distiller and the man Popcorn Sutton entrusted his mythic recipe for likker to - has said about the bottle:

It’s finally here, Popcorn's new Bottle! Popcorn always told me and others that his whiskey was “too damn good to be put in a jar,” but mason jars were all he could afford. He’d get pissed when other bootleggers would try and sell crap whiskey and pass it off as his. Popcorn said that if he had his own bottle, they would always know who's the best was.

When Popcorn and I started the company, our plan was always to start in a mason jar - as it’s all we could afford - then move to the bottle his whiskey deserved. Well we did it Popcorn! Here's your bottle for the world's finest white whiskey! I hope you all love it as much as I know Popcorn does.

It doesn't matter what it comes in, just as long as it's Popcorn Sutton's tried and true likker. The new packaging? It's but one more step toward Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey busting its way out of Tennessee and into ABC stores and grocery marts all across the fruited plain. He may no longer be with us on this Earth, but Popcorn's likker is well on its way to taking the world by storm!

(No I don't drink... but I do plan to take a healthy swig or two of his likker, just to have that much more appreciation for the man and his legend :-)

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Georgia city hall has a moonshine still (and it's legal too!)

This honestly shouldn't have to be said again, 'cuz I've made enough fuss about it already. But even so...

Folks, I really, really can not help anyone to build, buy or otherwise acquire a moonshine still.

The hit TV series Moonshiners is in the midst of its second season and as last year, this blog is getting slammed with visits from good people looking for information about moonshining in general and about Popcorn Sutton in particular. I'm very honored that The Knight Shift has become such a popular resource for this aspect of Appalachian culture and the most famous practitioner of the art.

But, ummmmm... this sincerely is all that I can do at the moment, friends and neighbors. The moment that such information does become readily available, I'll not only post where you can buy stills but I'll publish blueprints and plans for them too! Hey, I wanna see how a thump keg works as much as anyone else, but right now my hands are tied.

Meanwhile in the mountains of Georgia, the craft continues. Albeit in a most curious location...

The Washington Post has a pretty wild story about moonshiners setting up shop in the town hall of Dawsonville, Georgia. Now lest anyone think that Dawsonville has gone bust and these guys are squatters spiting "the man", y'all should know that the 'shine is being brewed legally! Something of a joint venture between the distillers and the town, among other things to preserve the mythology of moonshine in this part of the country.

I really dig stories like this. But I'm also of a mind that this is a very astute move on the part of the Dawsonville town fathers. What with the way the nation's economy is going down the tubes and how local municipalities are financially struggling, it's encouraging to see a city manufacturing and selling a product with marketable value. Yup, when hyperinflation hits and a hamburger will cost $100 million, Dawsonville will have a serious item of barter on its hands :-)

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Popcorn Sutton: The Airplane!

That is the most awesome aircraft in history, and infinitely cooler than the Stealth Bomber.

(Okay, the SR-71 Blackbird will always be the greatest aircraft ever, but this is at least a very close second.)

I'm not sure if this is one person's private aircraft or something official with Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey, but it's got "93 Proof" printed on the fuselage and flies high and fast! 'Course it's been said that Popcorn's likker would make you fly high and fast without a plane, but anyhoo...

I wonder if we'll ever see a NASCAR driver sponsored by Popcorn Sutton's moonshine. Now that would be a beast of a hot-looking car!

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The 3rd Annual Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam begins TODAY!

It started as one evening's tribute in music and song of the memory of legendary moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton. Last year it became a full-blown event that had to be moved to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, practically at the last minute because there was so much interest.

And this year, it's gonna be even bigger!

The 3rd Annual Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam kicks off this afternoon at 4 p.m. in Maggie Valley, North Carolina (about 40 minutes west of Asheville). At least fifteen bands will be performing country, bluegrass, a bit of everything in between. There will be tons of food and drink ("...but will there be moonshine?!"), merchandise for sale, loads more.

Unfortunately I will not be able to attend this year's festivities because of something else that I have to attend to this weekend. But I was at last year's Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam and had a rollickin' great time! It's only two dollars for admission. I can not recommend enough attending this event if you can at all make it to Maggie Valley this weekend! Here's the event's official Facebook page. Click on over for more information.

And if you go, please tell Miss Pam that Chris Knight says "Hey!" :-)

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Special message to The Knight Shift readers

Dear readers of this blog,

As much as I would sincerely like to help some of you in this regard, I honestly do not have any privileged information about where anyone might be able to purchase a moonshine still. Neither do I happen to have in my possession any recipes for the manufacture of moonshine.

However if anyone reading this does have that information and wishes to volunteer it for publication, I would be more than happy to do so on this site.

Thanks.

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All kinds of Popcorn Sutton goodness!

There's just no stopping the legend of Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton!

First thing's first: the Third Annual Popcorn Sutton Tribute is set for August 3-4, once again in beautiful Maggie Valley, North Carolina! That's right this year it's gonna be a two day event! I'm currently planning to be there for all of it.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if next year's is a three-day extravaganza, given how Popcorn's life and times continues to gain legions of admirers. And there are gonna be even more after this article in The New York Times about Popcorn's life and likker. There's a terrific photo of Mrs. Pam Sutton holding a jar of Popcorn's original moonshine.

Meanwhile, attorney Will Cheek notes that three years after his passing, Popcorn has achieved a victory of sorts. Namely, that distilling liquor is now legal in Cocke County, Tennessee (where Popcorn lived).

And though it's nearly a year old, I'm led to direct y'all's attention to Arianna Armstrong's essay "Portrait of a Moonshiner", which is packed with a bunch of biographical information about Popcorn Sutton that I didn't know previously (like how Popcorn's father's name was Vader Sutton, and how Popcorn would use his daughter's baby bathtub to mix the ingredients for his likker).

At the rate things are going, it wouldn't surprise me if Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey was soon just as big a household name as Jack Daniel's and Jim Beam. Hey, non-drinker though I be, I'd be totally fine with that :-)

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"Popcorn Sutton the Moonshine Man"

The past several weeks have seen an exploding amount of interest in the life and art of Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton: the legendary brewer of moonshine. It will be three years next month that he left us... but Popcorn Sutton has gotta be smiling and laughing his butt off in Heaven at how his myth has grown down here on Earth! Ever since his family began legally selling Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey I've seen it going for $150 a jar on eBay. And then a few days ago Kellie Pickler introduced it to Ellen DeGeneres on national television, in a clip that simply must be seen.

Meanwhile, there are things going on behind the scenes that I've been sworn to secrecy on that... well, y'all will just have to wait and see how uberawesome this is all gonna be! I can tell you that the third annual Popcorn Sutton Tribute is set for Maggie Valley, North Carolina this coming summer and when I know more details I'll be sure to post 'em!

In the meantime, singer/songwriter Alonzo Pennington has written and recorded an awesome ballad about our favorite Appalachian moonshiner. So without further ado, here is... "Popcorn Sutton the Moonshine Man"!

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Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey: Where to buy it!!

This has been one of the crazier past few days in this blog's history. Ever since Discovery Channel aired the final episode of its hit series Moonshiners a few nights ago the traffic to The Knight Shift has been ginormous! Seems that all the writing I've been doing over the years about Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton has put me on the radar of likker lovers across the Intertubes. Since the Moonshiners finale aired many of those - and quite a lot of new readers - have been coming here with but one question above all others...

"How can I get some of that Popcorn Sutton moonshine???"

Here's the post that I made back in October when Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey first went on sale. Look at all those comments that have been left since the other night. That ain't even half of the correspondence that's been coming in to my e-mail address (one reader shared a rather interesting story about getting caught making 'shine in Saudi Arabia).

Okay well folks: I can't directly help procure Popcorn Sutton's moonshine white whiskey for you. But I can now point you to a resource that'll help you locate it for legal sale!

The OFFICIAL website for Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey went full-blown LIVE yesterday. When you get past the age-gate you can find plenty more information about Popcorn's life, his trade, aaaaaaand a page with locations of places now selling Popcorn's legal likker! Right now there are only three places listed, each of them in Tennessee (one in Knoxville, one in Nashville and the remaining vendor in Memphis). I am also receiving unverified reports that it has been spotted elsewhere as well (including one possible location in Charlotte, North Carolina). Anyhoo if you're hellbent on getting some of Popcorn Sutton's good stuff, your best bet is gonna be with visiting the website and going from there.

And in case anyone is wondering, I have not yet been able to treat myself to any of Popcorn Sutton's moonshine (regardless of what it's called). I'm not a drinking man by any stretch but for this, I do plan to make an exception. I figure I can't very well write as much about the man as I have and not sample his craft. I'm hoping to fix that soon however. Expect a write-up about it soon. And if y'all are really good there might even be some accompanying video :-)

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Watch MOONSHINERS on Discovery Channel tonight! So sayeth Popcorn Sutton's widow!

Recent events in my personal life have kept me from watching Discovery Channel's new hit series Moonshiners, but many have told me that it's a most excellent reality series about those free souls who make likker in true Appalachian style!

I shall however be tuned in tonight (as well as having my DVR set to record) as I have just received word straight from Pam Sutton, the lovely and vivacious widow of moonshining legend Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, that tonight's episode is supposed to feature Popcorn rather heavily.

I can attest that interest in Popcorn Sutton is soaring of late, as this blog is getting slammed with visits from people Google-ing about Popcorn and his trade. But I should also note that nowhere on The Knight Shift (so far that I know of) can there be found plans to build a moonshine still of one's own. And trust me: people are looking around here :-P

Incidentally, I have also received word that the Third Annual Popcorn Sutton Tribute is set for the first weekend of this coming August! I was able to attend the one this past summer and... well let's just say if last year's second one is any indication, the town of Maggie Valley has a huge, huge thing on its hands that is primed to become a major regular regional event. Will post more as we get closer to summer.

In the meantime, Moonshiners runs at 10 p.m. tonight on Discovery Channel!

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Popcorn Sutton's mythic moonshine now on sale. Yes, LEGALLY.

I kept meaning to post an extensive write-up about the Second Annual Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam, held in Maggie Valley, North Carolina two months ago. Guess it just sorta collided with some other stuff going on in my life at the time. But I have heard bunches from event organizers who were delighted at the turnout and now, there is serious talk afoot about making it an ongoing yearly festival. Maybe even one taking place across an entire weekend (and in the fall when it would be cooler :-)

Well anyhoo, here's the BIG news of the day, friends and neighbors!

Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey - AKA real honest-to-goodness moonshine - is now being sold in Newport, Tennessee! This is the real deal: made according to Popcorn's very own original recipe with the permission and blessing of his family, which is in a partnership with country music legend Hank Williams Jr. to bring Popcorn's legendary likker to store shelves for legal consumption.

(Longtime readers of this blog can rest assured, that I am already planning to make a border run to get some :-)

Here's the website for Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey, which currently leads only to an e-mail alert sign-up page. But rest assured: the good stuff is being sold as of this evening. That's the word from Popcorn's widow Pam Sutton and now, it is my good pleasure to spread the word :-)

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The 2nd Annual Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam is getting BIGGER!

There have been some developments (to put it mildly) since I first posted two weeks ago about the 2nd Annual Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam happening August 6th. I've been in regular contact with the event organizers and folks, this lil' celebration of the life and legend of Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton is literally seeing good stuff happen with each passing day!

First thing that everyone should know about is that the event has moved! There's been so MUCH interest and plenty enough people saying that they're gonna be attending, that the 2nd Annual Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam is now being held at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds in astonishingly beautiful Maggie Valley, North Carolina (which is right next door to Waynesville, where it was going to be originally held). Set your GPS units accordingly! There should be plenty of parking for everyone.

You should also plan to be there for awhile, 'cuz the tribute is now scheduled to last from noon until 10 p.m.

And as of this writing, the list of musical acts scheduled to appear is growing. Michelle Leigh, Tennessee Jed, the Josh Fields Band, Ali Randolph & Outta Luck Band, and Maggie Valley's very own "Man in Black", Charlie Duke have all confirmed to be there! Probably be lots more performers announced during this next week as the event draws closer.

And then there's this lil' item...

ATTENTION!!!! For all who will be attending the Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam in Maggie Valley,NC on August 6th, there will be a Popcorn Sutton look-alike contest at the event. Come in your best Popcorn get-up! There will be a wonderful prize for the 1st place winner and the judge will be the one and only Mrs. Popcorn!!!

D'oh!! I had the idea months ago to make a Popcorn Sutton costume for this Halloween, only to choose another one that I'll be doing along with a friend. Now I'm kicking myself in the tail 'cuz a Popcorn Sutton getup would have positivalutely rocked! Oh well, maybe next time :-)

There is a Facebook event listing and a Craigslist page for the 2nd Annual Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam. Keep checking both of them as next Saturday gets nearer. I'm planning to drive from Reidsville on the day before so I can commit all of next weekend to honoring the memory of Popcorn Sutton: a man who I never got to meet, but had already long respected and appreciated. And I'm extremely looking forward to meeting many more of his fans and admirers this coming Saturday!

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Come to the 2nd Annual Popcorn Sutton Tribute Acoustic Jam!

He passed away more than two years ago, but Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton's legend is bigger than ever! The famous moonshiner's acclaimed likker is now being sold legally (yup, according to Popcorn's own secret recipe) and thanks to the Internet and documentaries on public television and the History Channel made while he was with us, Popcorn Sutton has become admired by more people than ever before.

And next month we'll get the chance to show our appreciation for the man and his life at the 2nd Annual Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam. This tribute event will be August 6th at Smackers Sports Grill in Waynesville, North Carolina (a sweet lil' town that I have had the pleasure of visiting many times over the years).

Look! Craigslist event posting!

Come and enjoy an evening filled with music and good food while celebrating the life of legendary moonshiner Popcorn Sutton. Bring your musical instruments and bring a dancing partner for a fun-filled time! Attending the jam will be Popcorn Sutton's wife Pam so come on out and meet her! Don't forget to bring a chair!

And there's a Facebook page for the event, which as of this writing has 84 people down as attending. Heck, with numbers like that already, I could see Popcorn Sutton becoming the focus of a weekend-long festival in the next few years! Bet it would draw people from all OVER the world too :-)

Lord willing, I plan to be at this thing. I'll always regret that I never got to meet Popcorn Sutton in person, but at least in this small way I can show my appreciation for the man.

Thanks to Michael Gemme for the heads-up!

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Popcorn Sutton moonshine still for sale on eBay!

For $20,000 you could be the proud owner of this authentic moonshine still designed, built and no doubt USED by Popcorn Sutton for the brewing of his famous likker!

Here's the link to the item's eBay page. And here's the official description...

Up for sale is a genuine Copper Moonshine Still that was used by the legendary Popcorn Sutton of the appalachians. This item is being sold for historical purposes only, not for actual use. This still is 45-50 years old and has a 110 gallon pot!

Any additional questions please call about this rare and highly collectible item.

Rare and collectible, indeed!! I would love to own this... or anything that was the handiwork of Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton: a character who was truly an American original.

Tip o' the hat to Eric Smith for an awesome find!!

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Popcorn Sutton gets final send-off and public farewell

More than seven months after taking his own life rather than be wrongfully imprisoned, Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton has been laid to rest... again. And this time his many admirers had the opportunity they had long desired to pay their final respects to the famed moonshiner, Appalachian legend and completely American original character that was Popcorn Sutton.

Originally buried in Mt. Sterling in North Carolina, Popcorn's widow Pam Sutton cited "problems with vandalism" as the reason for moving and re-interring Popcorn's casket at Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Dandridge, Tennessee: not far from Popcorn's home in Parrotsville.

The move was scheduled for this past Saturday. A public memorial service was also held, attended by hundreds of people including country music legend Hank Williams Jr.

An old-fashioned horse-drawn hearse then brought Popcorn Sutton to his final resting place.

WBIR has more about the service for Popcorn Sutton, including a rather intriguing comment from Hank Williams Jr.

And here are three videos of the service, courtesy of aliciajose on YouTube (thanks aliciajose!)...

Popcorn Sutton Memorial Service Part 2

Popcorn Sutton Memorial Service Part 3

And if y'all wanna know why so many of your friends and neighbors have found Popcorn Sutton and his craft so endearing and enchanting, I cannot possibly recommend enough Neal Hutcheson's award-winning documentary The Last One. This has become the most-watched DVD of my collection in the past year (mostly 'cuz of all the people who keep asking to borrow it! :-)

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"That's one small step for a man..."

"...one giant leap for mankind."

(And before anybody gives me grief over it, in the past few years audio analysis has determined that Armstrong did indeed say "step for a man" :-)

Forty years ago today, on July 20th, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin, with the assistance of a few hundred thousand of their good friends back on Earth, fulfilled an ages-old dream when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. Armstrong was the first man to stretch his legs on the lunar surface, while Aldrin has the distinction of being the first person to "drain the main vein" on another world.

I didn't know until this past year that before they began their "extra-vehicular activity" (in layman's terms: they went outside the spaceship), that Aldrin also took communion on the Moon. At the time he was an elder of Webster Presbyterian Church and asked that a communion kit be prepared for his mission. The chalice he used on the lunar surface is now kept by the church.

Now, wanna see something really cool? Just in time for the fortieth anniversary, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken this image of the Apollo 11 landing site! You can clearly see the Eagle lunar module's descent stage, just as Armstrong and Aldrin left it forty years ago. The LRO has found four more Apollo landing sites thus far. Future photos will be even more detailed.

Forty years ago today came the greatest technological triumph of human history. It did not come cheap, and it was not without sacrifice. And it seems that somewhere along the way, we've lost that same spirit which once upon a time, did put a man on the moon.

But I like to believe that it's there still... and can be found again.

Here's a toast to the people of Apollo 11. May what they accomplished ever serve to inspire us all.

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