Warming waters and a rampant disease called Stony Coral Tissue Loss have led many coral reefs to the brink of extinction. But scientists at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa last week announced a major breakthrough: For the first time in history, researchers were able to successfully spawn Atlantic coral in a lab. The achievement offers new hope for restoring ailing reefs, including the imperiled Florida Reef Tract, known as “America’s Great Barrier Reef,” which stretches more than 300 miles along the coast of the Florida Keys and has lost 90 percent of some of its corals. “This is truly the future of coral restoration in Florida and around the world,” Keri O’Neil, the Florida Aquarium’s senior coral scientist, told Reuters.

Take a quick break and listen to Gregg Allman performing the Allman Brothers’ classic “Melissa” live in 1974, one of more than two-dozen bonus tracks from a special reissue of his debut solo album, Laid Back, out on August 30. Plus, check out more of our picks for the month’s top releases, including new albums from icons Tanya Tucker, Bobby Rush, and Vince Gill, rising Appalachian star Tyler Childers’ major-label debut, and more. See the albums and listen to a playlist here.

It was just another day at the Esso Club in Clemson, South Carolina, until a freak wind storm blew in last week. A video emerged of two employees trying to secure an event tent that quickly turned into a parasail, sending one of them a good twenty feet up in the air. Luckily both walked away without serious injuries. Watch the video on CNN.com.

In the tradition of early country music troubadours, Charley Crockett is bringing a taste of old-time blues back to the genre, along with some Louisiana soul and plenty of Texas twang. I recently listened to his interview with Craig Havighurst on the String, a segment on 89.5 WMOT out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in which Crockett delves into his life story: his childhood in a trailer park near San Benito, Texas, his twenties spent hoboing and busking on the streets of New Orleans, New York, and Paris, all leading up to his debut at the Grand Ole Opry this summer. His new album, The Valley, comes out September 20. Check out the title track here.

When it comes to accessorizing, I tend to keep it simple. That’s why the work of Mary Frances Flowers, a jewelry designer out of Raleigh, North Carolina, has caught my eye recently. Her designs include classic bangles and earrings in brass, gold, and silver, plus nature-inspired pieces such as oyster, crab, and turtle shell necklaces, and hoops modeled after birch bark and rosemary sprigs. The asymmetrical gold “XO” studs are my personal favorite. The company is celebrating its fifth birthday this month, with a new anniversary collection debuting on its website this Thursday, August 29.

We recently asked, “Which college football game are you most looking forward to this season?”  

The matchups most frequently mentioned were the annual rivalry games so big they have their own names—the Iron Bowl (Alabama-Auburn), the World’s Largest Cocktail Party (Florida-Georgia), and the Red River Showdown (Oklahoma-Texas). 

One non-annual game was cited by several people: Notre Dame at Georgia on September 21, a rematch of their 2017 contest in South Bend won by Georgia 20-19.

A number of respondents are looking forward to games that aren’t even on the schedule (yet?), notably Alabama-Clemson and Alabama-Georgia.

Among the comments:

For history, Auburn vs. Georgia, the Deep South’s oldest rivalry. For pure unadulterated hate, the Iron Bowl. —Mac M.

As always, the Iron Bowl. It should be a state-wide holiday in Alabama. Anything can happen in this game. —Susan C.

Clemson vs. Syracuse. Two close games in two years. The northern ACC interlopers keep coming! —Robert B.

Auburn vs. Florida. I’m a Tiger and my fiancé is a Gator. —Sydney L.

North Carolina vs. South Carolina in Charlotte, Labor Day weekend. —Richard V.

Virginia vs. Virginia Tech. The Wahoos finally will break the fifteen-year curse. —Mike G.

LSU and Alabama. I don’t live in either state, and I did not attend either university, but what other game really says football in the South? Hard-hitting, high-caliber athletic contest and two schools that know the meaning of defense. —Allan D.

Tennessee vs. Alabama. I’m a glutton for punishment. —Morgan J.

Western Carolina at Virginia Military Institute. —Joe L.

Every game happening every Saturday. This girl is ready for some college football! —Carla M.

It started innocently enough earlier this month when Louisiana-born Popeyes rolled out its newest offering, a crispy fried chicken sandwich with pickles and mayo. Georgia-based Chick-fil-A was quick to claim ownership of the original fried chicken sandwich, and soon, everyone from Wendy’s to The New Yorker was chiming in, and the Great Fried Chicken Sandwich War of 2019 was underway. G&G readers know a thing or two about the subject, so tell us:

Barbecue teams from around the state and beyond will compete in West Jefferson, North Carolina, at the Blue Ridge Barbecue and Brew Festival, where you can also sample pours from dozens of the area’s microbreweries.

The Appalachian-inspired Appaloosa music fest in Front Royal, Virginia, an hour from D.C.,  features a lineup of more than thirty acts, including Steep Canyon Rangers, the Dustbowl Revival, and Aztec Sun.

The city of West, Texas, honors the area’s Czech heritage during Westfest, an annual Labor Day event and civic fundraiser featuring a kolache eating contest, polka, pierogis, and more.

Atlanta’s Taste of Soul festival brings a bevy of free soul and R&B concerts over the weekend, along with art exhibits, wine-tastings, and an all-you-can-eat outdoor Sunday brunch.

Home to some 200 apple growers, Henderson County, North Carolina, produces 65 percent of the state’s apples. Sample the local bounty at the North Carolina Apple Festival in Hendersonville, a Labor Day weekend tradition for seventy years.