Sweet Tea: Pecans and bananas

Now’s the time of year where we really understand what “spring green” means. Everything’s just a little lighter and brighter than that rich, lived-in green of summer.

Of course, there’s a scientific reason for that. New-growth leaves are still developing. That means their chloroplasts are, too (that’s the part that conducts photosynthesis and contains the pigments that make leaves green). Plus, little baby leaves are thinner. When they beef up, their hues may appear richer.

No wonder it’s such a happy, hopeful color.

MEET GEORGIA’S OLDEST CANDY COMPANY

Just put it all in the cart.

What’s the most Southern candy? Many of the front-runners like pecan logs, divinity and pralines contain two of the most Southern ingredients: rich pecans and lots and lots of sugar.

• In Georgia, the folks at Dillon Candy Company are still working with the same beloved OG recipes that made them famous in the early 1900s.
• I love the copy from this ad founder George Dillon placed in the Brunswick News in 1921: DILLON’S PECAN ROLL are the best, because you get them FRESH. A mellow, delicious center of the sweetest and richest creamy nugat delightfully enclosed in a wrapper of toothsome caramel coating. (Dangit, now I have drool on my keyboard.)
• Dillon Candy Company, based in the south Georgia town of Boston, still makes pecan rolls and all manner of confections.

Tom Cook, George Dillon’s grandson, explains the family philosophy: “My grandmother used to say, ‘Candy recipes are a dime a dozen. The difference between good and great candy is in the detail and handling.’”

🍬 READ MORE: A fascinating and delicious history

A NEW SMOKEY ON ROCKY TOP

A previous Smokey investigates, and is unsure of, Georgia’s Uga X.

At the University of Tennessee, no dog is as prized as the blue tick coonhound — specifically, the one chosen to serve as the school’s mascot, Smokey.

• Smokey the blue tick coonhound was chosen as a mascot in the 1950s when the school’s pep club held a statewide contest to determine the most “Tennessee” hound dog.
• Since then, many blue tick coonhounds have held the honor.
• In April, a new pup will assume the mantle. Smokey XII is a 2-year-old rescue dog currently fostered by an employee of UT’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
• He replaces Smokey XI, who, according to the school and the Knoxville News-Sentinel, had a “reserved temperament” and wasn’t too fond of crowds.

I feel you, Smokey XI. Social anxiety buddies for life!

🍊 More from the Knoxville News-Sentinel: What to know about Smokey XII

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRAYSON STADIUM!

Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole helped revive Savannah’s Grayson Stadium.

You know what else has that beautiful, hopeful spring green color? Baseball fields. I will stop myself from waxing poetic, but just know I always have a sonnet ready to go at the beginning of baseball season.

In Savannah, they have even more to celebrate.

• Grayson Stadium, home of the “baseball is fun” phenom the Savannah Bananas, turns 100 this year.
• What’s great about Grayson’s story is that things were looking pretty bleak before the Bananas rolled into town about a decade ago. Sure, the park had history, but “had history” can also be shorthand for “was old and crumbly and not a lot of fun to hang out it.”
• The Savannah Bananas changed all of that. The brainchild of businessman and baseball evangelist Jesse Cole, the Bananas and their signature “Banana Ball” games inject trendy, family-friendly fun into the game.
• To show you how much the Bananas have revived Grayson Stadium, the field just sold out its 500th game in a row. Ugh, I’m getting sonnet-y again.

🍌 READ MORE: A really fun write about Grayson, the Bananas and Savannah’s baseball history

Side note: A few years ago when the Bananas started really taking off, I interviewed Jesse Cole about his zany idea. He was kind, effusive, sincere and just-this-side-of-really-weird. In other words, the best kind of person to chat with, and exactly the kind of person who has the ability to change things for the better.

SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH

🌳 Columbia, SC: Run for the trees! Like, in a good way. South Carolina is hosting a virtual Bob Ross-inspired race called the Happy Little 5K. The race — which can be run, walked, paddled, wheeled or however you prefer to move — takes place between Earth Day on April 22 and Arbor Day on April 26. The race benefits South Carolina’s native plants, trees and shrubs. More from The News & Reporter

🛣️ Charlotte, NC: Asking the public their opinion on a road problem? What a concept. North Carolina wants to add toll lanes along I-77 South, but a local group called Sustain Charlotte is asking the public for alternate ideas and design proposals. NCDOT is delaying early meeting on the project to conduct community meetings. Highways are by nature an issue of race and class, too, and the linked story includes lots of information on how Charlotte’s road system affects local Black communities. More from The Charlotte Post

🏖️ Gulf Shores, AL: Alabama’s beaches saw record tourism spending in 2025, the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism announced. Not only is that great news, tourism leaders said it shows that people view Alabama’s beaches as more than just a one-time summer destination. More from Gulf Coast Media