Quick-Fire Quips is a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with Huey Rudder, President of Druid City Pride in Tuscaloosa.
Baillee: Hi, Huey, happy to have you on!
Huey: I'm happy to be on with you!
Baillee: So, tell me about Druid City Pride and what you do with the organization.
Huey: Druid City Pride is a non-profit that serves to advocate and uplift to support the LGBTQ plus community and its allies in West Alabama. I am the current president, after a series of some other great presidents. Our major event of the year is throwing the Druid City Pride Festival each fall.
Baillee: What can you tell me about Pride Fest? It's coming up.
Huey: It's an annual festival that we host in Tuscaloosa at Government Plaza, downtown in the Arts and Entertainment District. It's an afternoon of performances, fun, vendors, food trucks, resource sharing an community building. It's a wonderful time for us all to get together and celebrate our community here in West Alabama.
(The 2025 Druid City Pride Fest will take place on September 28th at Government Plaza in downtown Tuscaloosa from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Baillee: Well, now the introductions are done, let's get you warmed up to answer the questionnaire...
Huey: Alrighty!
(Huey and Baillee laugh)
Baillee: And to do that, I want you to say Quick-Fire Quips three times fast.
Huey: Quick-Fire Quips. Quick-Fire Quips. Quick-Fire Quips.
Baillee: Beautiful. First question here, what's the first word that comes to mind when you hear Alabama?
Huey: Hot!
Baillee: Hot. Yeah, humid, too, right?
Huey: Alabamians may be some of the first people to develop gills with how much humidity we have.
(Huey and Baillee laugh)
Baillee: I love that. Okay, here's the next question. What is a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Huey: People do think that we don't have running water and that we don't wear shoes. Now, I did grow up not wearing shoes, but that's just that was by choice, not by lack of resources.
Baillee: Are you a true Alabamian if you've not run barefoot on the dirt road?
Huey: Yes! Or stepped on a sticker!
Baillee: Our feet are built different.
Huey: Yes! Yes, they are.
Baillee: Alright. What's the Southern phrase that you catch yourself using way too much?
Huey: I think my favorite one that I use is, "If it were a snake, it would have bit you." When something is right there. You're looking for something, but it is right in front of your face.
Baillee: Okay, here's the next question. What is the hidden gem in Tuscaloosa that more people should know about?
Huey: Decades Pub & Grub in downtown Tuscaloosa. Absolutely delicious. Cannot encourage people to go and check them out more. It's *chef's kiss*
The other things... Western Riverwalk in West Tuscaloosa. We have such a beautiful scenic Riverwalk, and the Western Riverwalk is just kind of nestled away in West West Tuscaloosa. And then my last thing would be New Heights Community Center.
Baillee: What are some misconceptions about the LGBTQ+community?
Huey: I think the in general, that the community is [only] one thing. I don't like hearing "movement." It sounds as if there's one action or one determined goal amongst all these people, when the our community is so varied from every aspect of life. That's one of the things I love about the LGBT community.
Baillee: What's something you wish more people knew about the local LGBTQ+ community in Tuscaloosa?
Huey: We're here. You know, our community is spread out, and not just in Tuscaloosa, but also in to West Alabama. You know, we're your neighbors... and Druid City Pride just represents one piece of that, like beautiful quilt of the of the community!
Baillee: I love that! When it comes to a potluck, what is the best dish to bring?
Huey: Ooh, anything that has been written on — It has to be written in cursive...
Baillee: Yes!
Huey: On a faded, tattered up index card. I don't care what the recipe is, but if it has seen sometimes (and they have seen some things), that recipe is good!
Baillee: Ok, What is your favorite getaway spot in the state and why?
Huey: I love the beach. I love to feel the sun on my skin — with a good SPF. The beautiful Gulf, the white sand. It is the most peaceful place you can be.
Baillee: Okay, next question, what is something on your bucket list?
Huey: I would love to do an artist residency one day and just go somewhere and just be able to create art.
Baillee: Do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Huey: An irrational fear is going up the steps and knocking out off my teeth.
Baillee: You know what? I have the same fear, or even going downstairs, really, any kind of stairs.
Huey: One slip, and there they go.
Baillee: Okay, here's our last question, what does Alabama need?
Huey: In Houston, Texas, there's House of Pies. I think they have like 50 types of pie, dessert pies... I mean baked pies, cold pies, warm pies. We can go make a whole Dr. Seuss book about the types of types of pies that they have... Think that Alabama needs a house of pies.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. That was Huey Rudder, President of Druid City Pride in Tuscaloosa. I'm your host, Bailee Majors.
Keep up with with everything that's happening with Druid City Pride:
- Instagram
- Facebook
- Website
- Pride Festival
Don't forget to check out Alabama Public Radio on Facebook and Instagram for more Quick-Fire Quips. Local support for the show is provided by JMF Technologies.
