Dancing In the Streets

I grew up dancing. My mother who always wanted to be a movie star and she made sure that my sisters and I knew all the dance moves. She would put on a stack of 45's and we would dance as we did the housework when we were little. We shimmied, did the frugue, the cha cha, jitterbugged, and danced the pony to everything from Elvis, Buddy Holly, Teresa Brewer, Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass to The Beatles. So when author Robert Dalby contacted me about coming to promote his book, "Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly", I had my dance card ready.
Robert was on a tour through the south doing book talks on his book about a small town whose Piggly Wiggly grocery store's livelihood is being threatened by a new Megamart opening across town. The Piggly Wiggly has been Second Creek's town hall and community center. Local citizen, Laurie Lepanto, enlists her fellow "Nitwits", the most influential ladies in town,who are also widow women, to save the Piggly Wiggly. Laurie talks the handsome widower and former ballroom dance instructor, Powell Hampton, into giving ballroom dance lessons at the store while the Piggly Wiggly salesclerks do their shopping for them. Thus begins the story that immediately reminded me of the town in which I live Jefferson, Texas. "Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly" could be any small town, anywhere.
When I first moved to Jefferson, we had one grocery store, The Piggly Wiggly. Moving here from California and mega grocery stores, I found "The Pig", as everyone called it, charming. One of the first person's I met, a young man named Arthur, helped me find the produce that I did not see on the display. I went for groceries and could not find a bell pepper anywhere. Arthur took me down the canned food aisle to where there were cans of jalapenos. I told him, "No, bell peppers, green peppers, like you stuff or use in salads."
"Oh, we don't have those but we have fresh collard greens."
I laughed thinking he was kidding, but he was serious. I had just enrolled in "Small Town 101".
It wasn't long before I realized that if I wanted something, best get to the store early because after six they often ran out of things like for example hamburger meat. Besides that one store closed at 8:00 p.m. so you better be sure you had what you needed before then, you better get it. At first, I was perturbed by this inconvenience. But as I grew to understand that the Piggly Wiggly was the center of the towns community, I grew to love that little mom and pop grocery store. There was not one time I would ever go in there when Arthur would cry out in greeting, "Hello California", always willing to have a nice chat and figure out how to help me find what I needed. I may not be able to get pine nuts or dried cranberries, but have I ever tried pickled okra. Deelish. Starbucks coffee was not on the shelves but Community Coffee Dark Roast, that would do.
You never ever went through those doors without running into someone you knew and catching up and life in general. I never got out of the store in under an hour but I never regretted seeing old friends and making new ones. I cried when it closed, bought out by one of the big chains. No longer would I write a check to "The Pig". Now when I go to the store I am asked, "Do you have your "fill in the blanks" store card?" and then "Driver's license please." What a pain. I am always a new customer to the store's staff as they change so much. So I didn't get a bell pepper or have hamburgers for dinner now and then, at least it was easy and customer friendly. No one ever asked me for my driver's license, they knew me and where to find me. Half the time now, I stand there waiting for the sacker to take my basket out to the car and give up in despair. As I push my own full grocery cart to my car I think this never would have happened at "The Pig". They make me get my own bags of ice and honestly could care less whether I shop there or not. Of course they are open now 7 days a week and open until 10:00 p.m. Excuse me, I would rather shop at "The Pig".
I found Robert Dalbys book to be just the nostalgic read that I was wanting. Just as I pined for my grocery store in my days of youth, Ollsen's that was a mom and pop store that had a counter length long shelves and shelves of penny candy, I got to reminese about my days shopping at the Piggly Wiggly. Robert told me The Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain has embraced the book so much and even invited him to speak at their corporate store meeting of over 600 stores. I find Piggly Wiggly's and Robert Dalby's book comforting. Also the fact that 600 stores are still running in our country, good for The Piggly Wiggly. Robert also told me that this will be a series and his next is called "Kissing Babies at the Piggly Wiggly".
I invited him back for our Annual Pulpwood Queen Girlfriend Weekend, not only because there will be more ladies exposed to his book than you can shake a stick at, but because Robert concluded the booktalk, question and answer, then autographing with ball room dance lessons! Yes, everyone who attended was ushered off the porch onto the sidewalks in front of my shop to learn the waltz, the foxtrot, and my favorite the cha cha! What fun to see men and women enjoying the dancing that my generation seemed to miss. We were so busy in the 70's doing our own thing, I never got to experience ballroom dancing or really even dancing as a couple. Now we slow danced at all the school and college dances but if you call shuffling back forth dancing, I can tell you really it was more a reason to be able to get close and personal to some boy or girl.
We took lots of pictures of us learning our new dances and yes, we were dancing in the streets of Jefferson! What fun! And if you have a Piggly Wiggly in your small town or neighborhood, count your lucky stars. These mom and pop store are going by the wayside as fast as they can put in any megamart or supercenter. I personally miss the service of these stores. Try to find someone who will help you fit a shoe, or help your daughter by her first bra, or a dimestore where you can buy embroidery thread, a diary, ten cents worth of black string licorice all at the same time. I miss those stores. Thankfully, we have those great memories when we read. Grab a Robert Dalby book TODAY!
Check out Robert Dalby who is a native Mississippian and lifelong patron of the Piggly Wiggly at www.penguinputnam.com And for more on The Piggly Wiggly grocery stores check www.pigglywiggly.com
Tiara wearing and Book sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick