The long-anticipated day had finally come. My husband, Cavin, and his high school friend, Don, had plans to attend a special football game in Enterprise, Alabama. Don had driven all the way from Houston, Texas to take part in the festivities. It was the day their high school football coach would be honored with the football field being named for him.
The guys got up early and dressed in the school color of navy blue. They even let me tag along to their beloved hometown. The sun was bright and the air was hot. It was going to be a great day to enjoy a sampling of Enterprise, Alabama and I was excited to have the opportunity to witness these men transform into high school boys as they shared their remembrances of those days gone by.
Most of the day went something like this…. Do you remember that time… that person… that place… that teacher…. that play of the game… that coach… Oh, the memories…. they were rich, even if their memories of the same events didn’t always match up in their minds!
We arrived in Enterprise around mid-day. The downtown area was alive with activity. There were a lot of things that had changed in the 30-plus years since these two graduated from Enterprise High School, but many things remained the same. The heralded Boll Weevil Monument in the center of town is still held in high esteem. The woman holding a pedestal with a boll weevil atop is the only monument in the world built to honor an agricultural pest. It’s the way Enterprise shows their appreciation to the bug which devastated their cotton crop in 1918, causing farmers to diversify their crops and the area to become known as “peanut country”. Enterprise loves the boll weevil so much they even have cute boll weevil statues all over town to show their respect!
Enterprise is a welcoming city. Its rich farming history is blended with a strong military presence from nearby Fort Rucker…. (I mean Fort Novosel – as it has been recently renamed). You can hear the whirring of helicopters and tractors throughout the town and surrounding countryside. I would feel confident in having anyone from anywhere visit Enterprise to discover more about Southern hospitality.
Our first stop was Annie’s Cafe downtown. We were greeted immediately upon entering. As we scanned the full restaurant, it only took a second for Cavin to spot a childhood friend who is now the sheriff of Coffee County. They embraced with each asking the other, “How’s your mama?” It just doesn’t get any more Southern than that!
We were quickly seated by a friendly Southern hostess. She was upbeat and very welcoming. The guys ordered sweet tea, as any good Southern man would do. Between the three of us, we ordered burgers, chicken tenders, fries, and sweet potato nuggets. The menu said their burgers were “famous”. They were voted best burger in Coffee County for 12 years. We were thrilled with our selections, even though the sweet potato nuggets which were sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar were more like a dessert than a side item.
Upon leaving Annie’s, the next stop was a short walk down the street to Downtown Donuts. Their sign portrays a lady lifting a donut instead of a bug! Since it was early afternoon, many of their donuts had sold out, but we still enjoyed our blueberry filled and cake donuts. We made a note to ourselves that next time we need to get there earlier in the day to enjoy a larger selection of donuts.
As we drove through downtown and headed toward Boll Weevil Circle, we drove past Cutt’s Restaurant. We contemplated stopping in for their homemade cornbread dressing, but none of us had any more room in our bellies. I think that just means we are going to have to plan another trip to Enterprise very soon!
Our tour of Enterprise included a stop at the site of the old high school football stadium, a drive by the houses where the guys grew up and the houses where Cavin and I brought two babies home from the hospital. We rode past churches that had impacted our lives and made us who we are today. We were all transported back in time on this day. We can’t live in the past, but a trip down memory lane doesn’t hurt every once in a while.
There was one more stop to make…. The one that had prompted us to make the trip to Enterprise on this hot August day. We drove into the new Enterprise High School. The campus is amazing, with little resemblance of the high school where these men attended. You see, the old Enterprise High School had to be torn down after being directly hit by a tornado on a sad day in March of 2007.
As the men entered the building, they began to recognize faces from years past. There were brotherly hugs and handshakes, as they remembered experiences of their teenage years. All these men had something in common…. They had all played football under the legendary coach now in his 80s – Bill Bacon. This man had meant something to each of them, and they were all there to honor him with the honor of a lifetime.
As these men made their way from the school to the football stadium, history was in the making. On this night, the high school field would be forever changed as it was renamed “Bill Bacon Field”. And I believe it’s fair to say, that each of these men would agree that they were forever changed in one way or another by this legend. He had been in their lives at a crucial time as they were becoming men, and the men present on this day had not forgotten.
Enterprise is a city of rich history, but this rich history did not come without struggle. That night at Bill Bacon field, I sat in the stands eating a cup of boiled peanuts. Neither of these two things would have been possible without the destruction that the boll weevil or the tornado had brought to Enterprise. While neither of these events was welcome, they each propelled this small town to come together in ways they never chose, and they were able to rise above their challenges.
I couldn’t help but wonder what struggles each of these former high school football players had encountered in their own personal lives, and what they had overcome to be present on this night. Thanks Enterprise, and thanks Coach Bacon. You truly have brought out the best in a community and the best in teenage boys who are now men. We will not forget!
Sampling the South…. Never forget from whence you have come!