Columnist Muriel Stevens: Fremont gets whole lot of soul

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2005 | 8:09 a.m.

Each year in February, Don H. Barden of Detroit, the first black person to be the sole owner of casinos in Nevada, Colorado, Indiana and Mississippi, presents "Taste and Sound of Soul" on the Fremont Street Experience Third Street stage.

The Feb. 26-27 event is filled with local food vendors, entertainment and family fun. Hours both days are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

This exceptional street fair includes the sounds of such R&B entertainers as Tito Jackson, Rudy Love, Chuck Brittman, Delia Renee, Ron Knight, the McGee Sisters, gospel singers and many authors and artists.

Soul food vendors include Big Mama's Rib Shack, Glady's Southern Cooking, Sweet Georgia Brown's Soul Food, Seven Seas Restaurant, Skrimpy's Seafood, Tata's Fantastic Hoagies, Pat's Catfish, Greathouse of Ribs, Mr. J's Fish Market, B&N Catering, Soul 2 Soul Restaurant, Big T's Bar-B-Q, The Jambalaya and a booth that showcases Smokey Robinson's Seafood Gumbo.

Barden has received many honors for his business ventures and is a pioneer for black causes. As always, Barden will bring a host of celebrities with him, and he will host a VIP reception in honor of Robinson, a Motown legend.

Bring the kids. The celebration includes an "educational festival" for local children. Admission is free. Food choices are moderately priced. For additional information call 388-2400.

New magazine from Martha Stewart Living: It won't be long before Martha Stewart is released from prison. From all reports, while incarcerated the ultimate domestic diva has kept a low profile, has been helpful to her fellow inmates and has been a model con.

She still has some time to serve and will be confined to her home for a few months, yet I'm betting that her fertile mind will continue to churn out ideas for lifestyle improvements that will further enrich her bank accounts.

Martha is one smart cookie. Thanks to her new digest-size magazine, Good Things For Organizing (from the editors of Martha Stewart Living), I just learned that I didn't have to give away the pair of Bristol blue ginger jar lamps when the bulb broke on one lamp and couldn't be removed. I tried all sorts of things to get the bulb out -- triple-thick wet paper towels, a rubber jar opener, a pair of needle nose pliers -- no dice. The lamp neck wouldn't budge.

The lamps were given to my friend Marcela, whose husband, Sergio, is a whiz at fixing household items. He replaced the wiring and the bulb holders on both lamps, which now work perfectly.

If Good Things, a quarterly magazine, had arrived earlier, I might have been able to repair the faulty lamp. On page 86 of the winter 2005 issue is a "quick fix" for changing the base of a broken light bulb when you can't unscrew the bulb. Try using a cut potato, it says. And then it tells you exactly how to do it.

Good Things' winter issue will be on newsstands until March 28.

Flowers from Martha: Stewart may not be out in time for Valentine's Day, but if you want an armful of "cool water" roses for a sweetie, order them no later than 3 p.m. Saturday for guaranteed delivery on Valentine's Day. Visit marthasflowers.com/roses or call (800) 462-7842.