From pickling contests, disrupted political events, stump preaching and future archeological mistakes, these tales offer a good dose of Southern humor and a bit of sadness too. "Growing up in the rural South was an irreplaceable gift to me," says Alice Twiggs Vantrease. "It allowed me the luxury of exercising my imagination and to wonder 'what if' when I observed the people and situations around me. While most of my stories are fiction, there is always a dollop or two of truth hidden within each one. It's up to the reader to discern which is which. Now that I am older, I wish I'd spent more time listening to the stories of my elders as they entertained each other in the evening. They are gone now, and the storytelling on the porch doesn't often happen anymore. This is my attempt to continue the storytelling tradition. I hope each reader will sit out on a porch on a cool evening and enjoy them."