Hey there, I’m so glad you’re here! Welcome to Sweet Tea by the AJC, a newsletter for refreshing, positive stories from around the South. Sit and stay a while. We have so much to tell you.
WE STAND FOR PEANUTS
Roadside peanut stands are a common, comforting sight in the South. In Pulaski County, Georgia, the Hardy family has been growing their peanut stand business for 25 years. They own some two dozen stands across the state, boiling up literal tons of delicious legumes and green goobers for thousands of customers a season.
- By the million: Hardy farms grows and boils about 6 million pounds of peanuts a year. Most are packaged and shipped to supermarkets, but about a million pounds get to peanut lovers through their stands.
- Bringing some flair: The Hardys intentionally built a brand around their peanuts, marketing them as “country caviar” and maintaining a Facebook page with 11,000 followers.
- Georgia is No. 1: While we might be the Peach State, Georgia is the top peanut producer in the U.S. The “Nut State” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
My AJC colleague Joe Kovac, Jr. wrote a wonderful story about the Deep South’s love of boiled peanuts, which you should savor today. I leave you with two very important quotes from the Hardy family:
🥜 “Down here we want them wet and soft, soggy.” — Alex Hardy
🥜 “Boiled peanuts don’t put on airs. It’s kind of a feed-anybody type deal. The highbrow can enjoy and somebody who’s broke, it can make a hell of a meal.” — Ken Hardy
WHO YOU CALLIN’ BUNKIE?
I don’t know a lot about regional dynamics in Louisiana, but apparently lots of Louisianans like to mock the town of Bunkie for its name. (I am from Maryland, home of Assawoman Bay, so I shall not speak.)
But, Bunkie-ites (Bunkians? Bunkans?) are getting the last laugh. The central Louisiana town saw lots of economic hardship in the past, but revival efforts have turned it into a burgeoning tourist stop.
- Cute stores like Griffin Antiques and Hoover’s 5&10 sell unique products day trippers and weekenders love, like local handicrafts and vintage bacon soda.
- It’s Instagram-friendly, with historic murals and beautifully painted storefronts.
- “I’ve been calling Bunkie a revitalized retro town,” Wilbert Carmouche, director of the Avoyelles Commission of Tourism, told The Advocate.
💈 More from The Advocate: What to see, do and discover in Bunkie, which is not a funny name at all, OK?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATIONAL PARKS!
The National Parks System turns 109 on Aug. 25, so it’s a great opportunity to support your local parks, historic sites and other NPS areas.
Remember, the NPS also includes parkways, scenic stops and such. Not to brag, but when you take those into account, the South has some of the most-visited NPS destinations in the country, including the top two:
- Blue Ridge Parkway (No. 1, Virginia and North Carolina)
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park (No. 2, North Carolina and Tennessee)
- Natchez Trace Parkway (Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee)
- Gulf Islands National Seashore (Mississippi, Florida)
- Chattahoochee National Recreation Area (Georgia)
SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH
🐈 Nashville, TN: The Store, a hunger-focused nonprofit founded by country star Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley, teamed up with a local veterinary organization for a free clinic earlier this month. About 200 beloved pets got care. More from WSMV.
🤠 Newnan, GA: The viral song “Boots on the Ground,” by 803Fresh, is getting even more love thanks to a TikTok-famous line dance choreographed by Georgia’s Jaterrious Trésean Little, aka Trè Little. Beyoncé even incorporated the dance into her “Cowboy Carter” tour. More from the AJC.
🚙 Louisville, KY: Kentucky is emerging as the “EV Capital of the United States.” That’s good for jobs, and the environment. Ford just pledged another $2 billion toward their Louisville Assembly Plant to update EV technology and add more positions. More from The Courier Journal.
🫶🏿 Rankin County, MS: A man’s church family banded together to raise money after his truck broke down, forcing him to walk or ask for rides to work. Their social media post caught fire and raised $16,000. Church members were able to surprise their neighbor in need with a brand new truck. More from WLBT.
💎 Murfreesboro, AR: A woman spent three weeks exploring Crater of Diamonds State Park to source her own engagement ring. She hit pay dirt with a 3.2 carat sparkler. It’s the third-largest diamond to be found in the park, where tens of thousands of diamonds have been unearthed since it opened in 1972. More from KATV.
TELL US SOMETHING GOOD
Is there a cool event we need to know about? Something great happening in your town? Let us know. This is your space, too. amatl@ajc.com.
SOUTHERN WISDOM
The last hummingbird of summer
reveals itself in retrospect. Unlike the first,
whose March arrival bade you gasp, hands clasped,
like a child actor instructed to show joy, when the last
departs for points south, there's no telling,
and no tell.
Thank you for reading to the very bottom of Sweet Tea! Join us next week by subscribing to the newsletter.🍑
About the Author
AJ Willingham is an National Emmy, NABJ and Webby award-winning journalist who loves talking culture, religion, sports, social justice, infrastructure and the arts. She lives in beautiful Smyrna-Mableton and went to Syracuse University.
