Big dreams are born in small towns!
You may not realize it, but this past weekend was a big weekend for baseball. I’m not talking about the Atlanta Braves or even your favorite college team. This weekend a lot was riding on a big baseball rivalry between the T.R. Miller Tigers of Brewton, Alabama, and the 0pp Bobcats of Opp, Alabama. It was the second round of the state high school playoffs and both teams wanted to win! If you’ve never lived in a small town, maybe you don’t quite understand how sports can be so important to kids…. and if you’ve never lived in a small town, maybe you don’t quite understand how sports can be so important to the small town fans.
My husband Cavin and I decided to get in on the baseball action. Several of the kids from church play on the high school team and we wanted to show our support. We got up on Friday morning and dressed in the school colors of red and white. The game was being played in the “City of Opportunity” so we decided to take the “opportunity” to make the short trip to Opp, Alabama.
We arrived a little early to explore the town. As with many small towns that dot the highways, many stores are empty where there used to be the hustle and bustle of small-town life. Many small towners have left their home towns to go to bigger and better places with more…. do I dare say “opportunity”. It’s no different in the towns of Opp or Brewton, or countless other small towns in the South.
As we arrived in Opp and wound our way through town, we discovered an older building that had new life. It looked a little out of place among some of the abandoned downtown buildings. We could see that it had a modern flair to it. There were outside lights adorning an outdoor seating area. The brick looked a little distressed and showed character! The Wheelhouse Restaurant was calling out to us to “eat, love, live”!
As Cavin put the vehicle in park, I said, “I hope they win!” Maybe he thought I was talking about the T.R. Miller baseball team, but I was actually talking about The Wheelhouse Restaurant. The architecture of the building had already hit a home run for us and we were excited to see what they had to offer inside. Business was slow as we arrived just after 1 pm for a late lunch. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. The music was playing in the background and for once, we were not in a hurry.
The menu was simple, but there was a good variety of options. It seems that “Sweet Tea Chicken” is their signature item. We thought that would be a good Southern choice for this Sampling the South duo. We had already stopped by Dean’s Cake House on the way through Andalusia, and did what our Southern mothers always said not to do… Yes, you guessed it, we filled up on sweets before lunch! We just couldn’t resist a slice of delicious 7-layer chocolate cake! I’ll tell you more about that little stop in a later post… if you promise not to tell our mothers!
Oh, yeah… I was talking about the menu at The Wheelhouse… It was made up of things like Sweet Tea Chicken (fried or grilled), grilled pork chops, burgers, and a splash of seafood here and there. Since we had already had dessert, we decided to share the Blue Collar Plate consisting of a biscuit, Grilled Sweet Tea Chicken, and two side items. We chose the buttermilk mashed potatoes with gravy along with fries as our sides. Cavin added a cup of shrimp chowder to fill in any remaining empty spots in his stomach.
It didn’t take long for the server to deliver our order. Cavin didn’t waste any time diving into the warm shrimp soup. He reported that it was a base hit, filled with whole shrimp and a creamy texture. When the entree plate was put in front of me, I noticed immediately that the chicken appeared somewhat charred. I was hoping that the flavor of the sweet tea would overpower the charred taste. I really wanted The Wheelhouse to be a winner! As I bit into the Sweet Tea Chicken, I could tell the sweet tea was in there trying to get out. In some of my bites, I could taste it over the charred flavor, but I have to sadly say, the Sweet Tea Chicken struck out swinging.
Over at the ball field, as we got out of the car, I said to Cavin, “I hope they win!” This time I was talking about the baseball team! The fans were gathering on both sides with everyone donning their team’s colors. These small-town boys are famous in the eyes of their family, friends, and fans. They have grown up on meals like they serve at The Wheelhouse. I was hoping the flavor of sweet tea would come out in our Miller boys that day.
In 2017, Opp’s mayor was seeing a decline in the City of Opportunity. A meeting of concerned citizens was held to discuss ways to improve the city. As a result of this meeting, two childhood friends who grew up riding their Big Wheels in their neighborhood came together with a dream of opening The Wheelhouse Restaurant in their hometown of Opp, Alabama. One of these friends even moved home from California where he was advancing in his career as a chef.
You see… an interesting thing happens when small-town folks pour into the lives of kids. They cheer them on at sporting events and other school functions. They encourage them in community and church activities. Through the years these kids accomplish amazing things in their lives. And these kids in adult bodies look back at their lives and see the everyday people in their small towns who invested in them… those who took time to teach them in school or church…those who showed up at ball games or other events. Sometimes they leave the small town to make a difference in the world. Sometimes they stay and their world is in the same small town they grew up in. Only now they are the ones investing in the next generation. Sometimes they leave for a while in search of greater things, but realize the greatest things were there in that small town all along…
At the ball game, our Miller boys played hard. Some got base hits, some struck out, but through it all the fans remained – even as the rain poured down. The fans believe in these boys and have seen these boys grow up together. Maybe these fans remember those who invested in their own lives. That night on the field, the Miller tigers did not win the first game…. but they won the next one…
That day at The Wheelhouse, the sweet tea flavor was a bit overpowered, but it was in there just waiting to get out. The term “wheelhouse” means “one’s area of expertise”. Interestingly enough, it is also a baseball term that refers to a batter’s strike zone most likely to produce a home run. It doesn’t mean that it will produce a home run every single time. I’m a fan of The Wheelhouse, and I’m pulling for them. They may not have won the game on the day of our visit…. but I believe they will win the next one.
I remembered their slogan…. “Eat, Love, Live” and I thought about life in small towns. I’m thankful for the experience we had that day in Opp to “love, live, eat”. We were able to love on our Miller Tigers, live life in community with the fans of both teams, and we got to eat at The Wheelhouse Restaurant in Downtown Opp where two childhood friends are making a difference in their hometown. I hope they win!
Sampling the South…. remember… big dreams are born in small towns!