Restaurant the latest major food chain to locate incity
Outback Steakhouse, the popular Australian-themed restaurant chain, cut the ribbon and open the doors to a new dining experience for Pell City in April
One of the most anticipated openings in the city in years, Outback marks a new chapter in the city’s culinary landscape, offering residents and visitors alike a chance to indulge in the chain’s celebrated menu closer to home.
It had been on citizens’ ‘wish list’ for years, and city and county economic development officials set out to make it happen. Officials had options on an outparcel of land in the development where the new shopping center, Pell City Square, located two years ago, and they designated it for a national brand, sit-down restaurant.
They got what they hoped for when Outback inked the deal on the property just west of the shopping center fronting Interstate 20.
Crowd enjoys food on opening day
Nicole Clark is the proprietor, and her first impression of Pell City is one of a welcoming town. “Everyone has been so hospitable. We’ve had amazing feedback.”
The restaurant created 130 jobs, and the training team developed a real sense of community, she said. “They love the job, and they love the brand. The love and support have been unmatched. I look forward to great partnerships.”
One such community partnership was the first official act at the grand opening – presentation of a check for $8,385.15 to Childhood Food Solutions based in Sylacauga and serving the region that includes Pell City. The check was courtesy of the proceeds from the grand opening.
“Giving back is a critical component of what we do,” one official said.
The restaurant has a seating capacity of 187 with a maximum occupancy of 210 and is located off John Haynes Drive.
The restaurant has been bustling since opening and is expected to generate significant economic benefits for the city in the years to come.
Calling him “a true ambassador of St. Clair County,” the Association of Realtors presented its most prestigious award to Lyman Lovejoy, who has dedicated more than five decades not only to real estate but promoting the entire county.
He was recognized for his leadership roles inside and outside the organization, including St. Clair EDC, Association of Realtors and Alabama Real Estate Commission. “More than a businessman, Lyman is a builder of relationships,” the presentation concluded. His life has been “a master class in leadership, resilience and unwavering commitment to others.”
The annual recognition is held at the group’s Fair Housing Act Luncheon, which is dedicated to making land and home ownership fair for all people.
Also recognized were: Caran Wilbanks, past president; Rising Star, Morgan Munn; Realtors for Communities, Dana Ellison; ARPAC Diamond Club, Becky Bowman and Sharon Thomas; Partner of the Year, Blair & Parsons; Rookie of the Year, Sydney Howard; and 15 Years of Service awards.
Pell City seems to be experiencing a culinary renaissance with an eclectic array of new eateries that should please a variety of tastes.
From the exotic offerings of Kami Sushi and Asian Fusion, to the vibrant tastes of Mama Spice Jamaican Restaurant, the smoky goodness of Porky Pirate Barbecue, and the delightful treats at Coosa Café and Creamery, there is something for every palate.
Kami opened in the shopping center anchored by Publix and has already outgrown the space where it originally opened, the former Papa Murphy’s location. It has expanded to the space next door formerly occupied by Celeste Boutique.
Sushi at Kami
The menu invites patrons on a culinary journey, “showcasing the best of Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and beyond. Indulge in fresh sushi, soul-warming ramen, bold Thai curries, rich Indonesian specialties and Asian-inspired cocktails.”
Mama Spice’s Facebook pages says it offers authentic Jamaican food, including jerk chicken and more. It is located in the shopping center anchored by Fresh Value. Also coming soon, according to its sign, is an old favorite of Baby Boomers – Pasquale’s Pizza – in the former Superior Automotive location on U.S. 231.
Coosa Café and Creamery is a second location for Coosa Creamery but with a cafe as well. It is a café, coffee shop and ice cream shop all in one, offering dine in, takeout and a drive through.
From banana splits to lattes to homemade sandwiches, the café has plenty of offerings. It is located on U.S. 231 South across from Richey’s Grocery at Rabbit Branch Road.
Landing on the shores of Logan Martin Lake at Coosa Island Marina is Porky Pirate BBQ. Opened in early May, the restaurant has been completely renovated and offers an extensive menu of smoked meats and pork, seafood, chicken and different twists on a variety of dishes.
Car wash initiative nets $25,216 for Community Food Bank of Central Alabama
Raindrop Car Wash presented a $25,216 donation to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, concluding its first-quarter “Wash Away Hunger Wednesday” initiative.
The contribution represents proceeds from every car washed on Wednesdays during the first quarter of 2025, with $1 from each wash allocated directly to support hunger relief efforts within the community.
Senior executives from Raindrop Car Wash presented the check at the Community Food Bank’s facility, where they were greeted by the Food Bank’s CEO and leadership team. The visit included a guided tour of the facility, providing a firsthand perspective on the organization’s daily operations and unwavering dedication to providing sustenance to those in need.
Community Food Bank CEO Nicole Williams expressed her gratitude for the ongoing partnership. “I am delighted about our partnership with Raindrop Car Wash. They have been an amazing partner, lots of their locations serving our community, just like the food bank, and we are so excited to work together to make sure that our neighbors are getting food that they need and providing meals on their tables.”
“Our campaign is deeply rooted in our organization’s core values and our team’s desire to be generous members of the communities we serve,” said Blake Buchanan, CEO of Raindrop Car Wash. “We are immensely proud of our customers and team for rallying behind this cause every Wednesday, and the exciting beginning of this partnership with the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.”
Raindrop’s Wash Away Hunger campaign is a longstanding community initiative designed to transform routine car washes into acts of compassion. The company looks forward to continuing this endeavor throughout the year to help make a lasting impact.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about the campaign, visit www.raindropcarwash.com/wash-away-hunger.
Gaston Williamson enjoying life as a professional puppy transporter
Story by Scottie Vickery Photos by Graham Hadley Submitted photos
Gaston Williamson spent most of his career helping to connect consumers with the products and services they wanted. He’s doing much the same thing in retirement, but the process is a lot more fun.
These days, the former regional product manager for UPS is focusing on transporting cute, cuddly, playful puppies to their forever homes and families. He’s a canine courier of sorts, and his reward is lots of puppy kisses and happy smiles.
“The best part is the excitement I see when I make the final delivery, especially with the children,” Williamson said. “It gives me such a thrill to get to see them.”
Gaston holding one of his puppy ‘fares’
Williamson, who lives in Cropwell, was looking for an English Springer Spaniel for his wife, Cynthia, when he met a breeder in Tennessee. They struck up a friendship, and sometimes when Williamson’s work took him nearby, he’d stop in to see the puppies.
“One time I mentioned I was going to be retiring, and the breeder mentioned this and said I should do it,” he said. “She’s the one who got me into it.”
Williamson had helped transport rescue dogs before, so it wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar concept. After hurricanes in Texas and Louisiana in 2017 resulted in a large number of displaced dogs, he became part of a rescue chain made up of volunteers from across the country who helped transport the animals to shelters on the Northeast Coast.
“I’d drive a 100-mile leg and pass the dogs off to someone else,” he said. The process continued until the dogs were ultimately delivered to shelters until they could be reunited with their owners or placed in new homes. “I was still working at the time, but I did that for a couple of years on the weekends,” Williamson said.
That’s why, when he retired in 2021, he became more intrigued with the idea of working with breeders. And now, the name of his Facebook page, Have Puppy Will Travel, pretty much sums up his philosophy these days.
“There’s no telling how many thousands of miles I’ve covered delivering puppies,” he said.
One of two puppies delivered during an 800-mile trip
So why does he do it? “Number one, I love dogs, and I enjoy the puppies,” said Williamson, adding that he and Cynthia have four dogs, three of which are Springer Spaniels. “Also, I get to see a lot of places I’ve never been. I traveled a lot with my job – I traveled eight states – and I wanted to keep traveling as much as I could.”
The experience is a rewarding one, as well. “A lot of times, I deliver to families who have just lost another dog. It just gives me a kick to see the smiles on their faces.”
Williamson, who also is a driver for St. Clair Area Transportation (SCAT), primarily works with eight breeders in Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. “You’ve got to be careful because you can run into some puppy mills, which I don’t do,” he said.
He vets all of the breeders he works with and makes sure they are certified by Good Dog, an organization that helps ensure its breeders follow responsible breeding practices. Although there have been exceptions, the majority of dogs he transports are Spaniels.
“I’ve had requests for cats, pot-bellied pigs and rabbits,” he said. “I’ve mostly stuck with Springer Spaniels since I know the breed so well.”
Williamson had no idea the gig would become such a big part of his retirement years. “It started out as a hobby, but I go about two or three times a month,” he said. Sometimes it’s a quick trip to Tennessee, but other times there’s a lot more involved.
“A few weeks ago, I left home about 6 a.m. and drove to Bardstown, Kentucky,” he said. “I picked up a puppy and headed to Alpena, Arkansas. I dropped the dog off at 9:30 p.m. and drove 1,007 miles in one day. I got a motel room real quick.”
Another time he picked up a puppy at the Atlanta airport that had come from the Czech Republic and delivered it to a woman in Kentucky. In cases like that, the dog is shipped via air cargo. “It’s a controlled cargo part of the plane that’s heated, cooled and has oxygen,” Williamson said. “I’ve been real impressed with the way the airlines take care of the dogs.”
Gaston and three of his four dogs
He’s not just going to airports to pick up puppies, though. A lot of times, he acts as a “flight nanny” and accompanies the puppies on the flight. “You can take a puppy on an airplane as long as it can fit in a flexible carrier that can go under the seat in front of the passenger” Williamson said.
He’s taken lots of plane trips with puppies, and he said they usually sleep for most of the flight. So far, he and his charges have flown to Denver twice, Boston twice, Boise, Dallas and to Bozeman, Montana and Washington, D.C.
It normally costs $85 to $125 for the puppy to fly, but that’s included in the expenses paid by the new owner or the breeder. Williamson charges a fee in addition to the expenses he concurs, whether it’s gas, plane fares or lodging. “My limit is about 13 hours a day,” he said. “Anything over that, I’m probably going to get a hotel room.”
At last count, Williamson had traveled to or driven through about 30 states while transporting puppies. He’s dropped off precious cargo in New Mexico, Phoenix, Utah and Indiana, to name a few. He’s driven through all kinds of weather, including snow, high winds and record flooding. Sometimes it’s a day trip while others take two or three days.
Cynthia has joined him on a couple of the shorter drives, but sometimes he and his wife take a trip later that was sparked by one of his deliveries. “I’ll go on a trip, and I’ll see something interesting. I’ll come back and talk about it, and we’ll end up taking a trip there,” he said.
Williamson said one of his favorite trips was when he delivered some puppies to a family in Philadelphia on Dec. 22 one year. The only thing the parents told their children was that they were going to the airport. “They probably thought they were going to Disney World or the Bahamas or something,” Williamson said with a laugh.
The kids weren’t disappointed, however. “Those three little kids went crazy over their puppies,” he said. “They were just screaming and going crazy. It was so much fun. It’s things like that that make this so rewarding.”
Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Mackenzie Free
“Hey, well, alright sir. Here we go there and what are ya’ gonna give for ‘em? I have a 600 dollar down here now ten and now 25 and Now 35 and now there 50 now 60 will ya’ give me 60? Now 75, 75 another 85 dollars and buy ‘em there.
It’s Saturday night at the Railroad Auction House in Steele.
General merchandise – thermal socks, gloves, cookware, purses and makeup bags, speakers and phone chargers, are displayed in boxes and packages on and around tables on one side of the room.
In front of the raised auctioneer’s booth, more tables display toys and tool sets, pet beds, jewelry and glassware. Others hold a pile of blankets, a heater, a drone, an espresso machine and more.
It’s like a going-out-of-business sale at Big Lots, except there are no price tags, and people bid on the items, hoping to get them at a price they want to pay.
Seller Linda Robbins holds up a drone from her stock of merchandise
Many of those people are regulars here, bringing their canvas shopping bags and their registered bid cards each week. Most of them leave with their bags full. But it’s not just the merchandise that attracts them. The whole affair is sheer entertainment, which suits the auction house just fine.
“I want everybody to have a good time,” says owner/auctioneer Henry Whisenant. “That’s my goal, to make it entertaining and fun to be here. We’re family-oriented, and we give people things to laugh about.”
Henry knows most of the regulars, calling them out by name. “You want two of these, Bernice?,” he asks one patron regarding aprons that go for $5 each. Speaking about another woman who places a bid on ear muffs, he jokes, “She says she wants ‘em so she can’t hear hubby snore at night.”
Tim Abernathy and his wife, Teresa, frequently drive from Sand Rock to shop and have fun. “We bought all our Christmas gifts here last year, spent about $600-plus,” Teresa says.
“We come here every weekend,” says Christina Lynn, the other half of the “we” being husband Charles. “We like the people who own it, and it’s a good place to buy stuff you need. I buy food, things that I want like home decorations. You never know what you will find. They have good products, and it’s a fun environment.”
25 dollar bid it now, 30 dollar 30 Will you gimmie 30 make it 30 Bid it on a 30 dollar will you gimmie 30 Who’ll bid a 30 dollar bid? 30 dollar bid it now, 35, will you gimmie 35 To make it 35 to bid at 30 Who would a-bid it at a 35 dollar bid?
Each person who wants to bid has anassignednumber, one that he keeps from week to week. Numbers are recorded alongside names so the house can collect payments at the end. The house makes its money by taking a percentage of the sales.
“We have different sellers each week,” Henry says. “Most of the time we have what we call a main hauler, who brings in most of the items for sale that night. They buy in bulk at other locations and sell individually here.”
Tonight’s “main hauler” is Linda Robbins, who brought a lot of personal-use and gift items. “Our prices are cheaper than the box stores,” she says. “It’s one avenue to get out surplus merchandise, and it’s lots of fun.”
John Whisenant (Henry’s son) acts as a sort of runner, going up and down the aisles holding up small goods as his dad goes through the bidding, which includes a description of the product. Carol Ditto or Corey Whisenant, John’s wife, type it into the computer. Once the bid closes, the high bidder gets as many of the items as he or she wants, then other bidders get a chance at what’s left.
“Say the seller wants $10 each for certain items, and the winning bid was $8,” Henry explains. “They will take care of the winning bidder and if there are multiples, high bidder gets what he wants first. Then they go back to second highest for next choice at $10 each. First comes the high bidder, then the backup bidder, then all who bid on it, then seller opens up what’s left to the floor.”
35 dollar bid it now a 40 dollar 40 Will you gimmie 40 make it 40 Bidin’ it on a 40 dollar will you gimmie 40 Who’ll bid a 40 dollar bid? 40 dollar bid it now, 45, will you gimmie 45 To make it a 45 to bid it a 45 Who would a-bid it at a 45 dollar bid?
While Henry is doing his selling chant, John will call out “821 for 3,” etc., referring to the number of the bidder and how many he wants to buy. As John holds up Bluetooth speakers shaped like toy cars with built-in AM/FM radios and headlights that actually light up, his dad tries to start the bidding at $35 each. He has to keep coming down before he finally gets a bid of $20. Then he gets it up to $22.50, then $25, then SOLD!
Allison Whisenant, Henry’s granddaughter and John and Corey’s daughter, entertains herself
Outside, a train roars by about the time Whisenant ends his
auctioneer’s chant, reminding folks of how the auction house got its name. Henry started this business in May of 2003, and now has a second building for his antiques and vintage collectibles auctions up the road at Steele Wholesale Auction.
“I grew up going to auctions and always wanted to be an auctioneer,” he says. “I’ve been one about 10 years. It took me a long time to get up in front of people. I’ve done different things in the meanwhile, such as mechanic, maintenance man, steel construction and truck driving.”
He went to an auction school to get some training. “The only reason I went was it was out of town and no one knew what I was doing,” he says, laughing. “At that time, I was driving a semi, and it just worked out.”
Henry says he got into auctioneering at an older age than most, so he isn’t as good as some of the younger folks. “We didn’t work a lot on chants in school,” he says of the famous way auctioneers carry on the process of bidding. “It was a nine-day course, and you learn more about how to put on an auction and the business side of it. As for the chant, you gotta run it together, so that, ‘What do you bid?’ becomes, Whattaya bid, whatta gone bid.”
45 dollar bid it now a 50 dollar 50 Will you gimmie 50 make it 50 Bidin’ it on a 50 dollar will you gimmie 50 Who’ll bid a 50 dollar bid? 50 dollar bid it now, 55, will you gimmie 55 To make it a 55 to bid at 55 Sold that hog for a 50 dollar bill
Jeanette Green of Centre, Brenda Leek and grandson Keem of Rome, GA, and Edith Taylor of Gadsden came to the auction together tonight. “They have good sales and some good people here,” says Green. “I bought a lighted bar for the back of my husband’s truck once. I also bought large speakers for cell phone music.”
Leek doesn’t have to worry about entertaining her grandson while at the auction. A child-sized table with games and crayons is set up in one corner, along with a couple of tricycles. So, the little tykes pedal up and down the side lanes during the auction, ignoring the chanting and the bidding.
In the fall, as Christmas nears, some of the regulars buy toys and clothes at the auction and put them in the house’s “Toy Box.” Some folks from Church of the Nazarene in Steele (pastor James and wife DeeDee Kilgore, and Rodney and Brenda Free) take them to the elementary school in Steele, where the faculty distributes them to needy kids at Christmas. If an abundance is left after Christmas, the teachers will award points for good grades, and the kids can use their points to buy what’s left. “The auction house also donates to the Toy Box, and some of the haulers, too,” Henry says.
The aroma of popcorn permeates the air during the auction, temporarily taking a person’s mind off the bidding. Donna Bellew, also from Steele, handles the concession stand, selling snacks such as hot dogs, cheesy nachos, popcorn and canned sodas.
Roy Phillips, Steele, comes for fun, and buys an item or two every now and then. “We sit over here and laugh and carry on,” he says, motioning toward the other two or three people who are on the “old-timers’ bench” with him. The bench alongside one wall was so-named by Henry, the auctioneer, probably because his dad, Henry Sr., of Steele, sits there. Often, they are joined by Ellen Jenkins of Chandler Mountain.
“We come every Saturday for the entertainment,” Phillips says. They talk about how old the building is, how it was a hardware store for many years with a post office in one corner. Paul Pope owned the building back then, and had a gas pump, sold tires, meat, and general merchandise.
Bidder No. 846, Gaynelle Sweatt of Ragland, says this is her first time at the auction. She learned about it on Facebook.
“We’ll be back,” she says.
Editor’s Note: The paragraphs in italics throughout this article are from the 1956 Leroy Van Dyke version of the song, “The Auctioneer,” which was written by Van Dyke and Buddy Black.
