Never Forget

"Has it really been ten years?" was the first thought in my mind this morning. "How much has changed in the last ten years?" was the next. Today is September 11th, 2011 and the anniversary of one of the greatest tragedies the modern world has ever known. Ten years ago, in the greatest city the modern world has ever known, the beginning of a terrible catastrophe began to unfold early in the New York morning work hours. For on that memorable day, September 11th, 2001, two hijacked planes crashed into two miraculous towers and all the world shook as the behemoth of metal and modern engineering crumbled to the ground.

We at Wickles would like to send our condolences to all the people who lost loved ones at Ground Zero, The Pentagon, in Pennsylvania; to all the soldiers and their families as well who have taken their call of duty in the aftermath and also to all Americans who can never forget that day! The older generations often talked about where they were when the news of Pearl Harbor, JFK, or the Space Shuttle Disaster came to them. On that fateful September day, we all immediately knew what that kind of experience truly meant.              I myself worked for Birmingham Budweiser at the time and was rolling some cases of beer into a convenience store when the first plane hit its target. By the time the second one struck, the daze of confusion, anger and sadness had engulfed the streets of that bustling southern city. Very little work from what I can remember happened the rest of the day but one image will always stand out. The last stop of the day was to a smaller store in a rather shady part of Eastern Birmingham that had always made me a little uncomfortable because of the crime ridden area. But, there was no fear that day as we stopped the delivery truck, just a little Korean store owner and his tears. His broken English and tearful words will always resonate, "Things just will never be the same." So true.

Even if you were not directly affected by the terrorism that day, all Americans have felt some sort of loss due to the tragedy. Some of the best, brightest and bravest Americans perished because of the work of madmen. Can you only imagine what some of these murderers could accomplish in life if they used their time, resources and talents for good instead of destruction? Nevertheless, innocent people unfairly paid the price and any innocence of the American Spirit was shattered that day to only heaps of rubble. From that rubble in ten years arose wars, a slowing economy, political division in this country not seen since The Civil War, and a sense of dread and mistrust in all things government that has infected most Americans from coast to coast. It's easy to see that these symptoms have crept into America since September 11th like a thief who has crept into a house in the darkness of night. But one thing is certain, the complete unraveling of The United States of America has not occurred and terrorist be warned, unlike our once great towers, this country still stands tall! These symptoms may plague us for more years to come, but they are treatable. We were great once before the awful acts of 9/11/01 and we will be great again!

"What has changed in ten years?" you ask. "Everything" is the easy answer, nothing is the correct one! Americans still vote the same way they did in elections 200 years ago, the US Constitution still breathes its refreshing air of freedom everyday, people still get up, put their shoes on and go to work, and The American Dream, although dented, still prevails! Ten years ago, Wickles went from a secret family recipe to a business that only a real spirit of American entrepreneurship and vision could develop. We here may sell X amount of jars a year but just like ten years ago, our proud customers eat those tasty sweet slices one by one. Only in America, and that is something our enemies wherever they may be will never have, understand, or take from us! And that is why they will never win! God Bless America today and we at Wickles are truly proud to be here with you today on September 11th, 2011!

One Wickles Summer!

What an interesting and wild Wickles Summer! Between the beach trips, lake trips, pilgrimage out West to Colorado and even a foray to the old country across the pond, The Wickles Family has been wide open shipping product and enjoying the good life! It has been so busy around our company that The Wickles Family blog has been neglected and we wholeheartedly apologize. We know our faithful family members have been starving for an update, so here goes! How about going to the fridge, opening that fresh jar of Wickles you have been saving, maybe even cracking a cold one, and sit back to enjoy this ride!

Nice Trout

The summer really "kicked off" for Wickles in mid-June when parts of the family embarked on a long overdue field trip to the great Rocky Mountains in beautiful Colorado, USA! The area of modern day Colorado was named by Spanish explorers after a river that ran wildly through the territory nicknamed the Rio Colorado because of the red silt that dominated the river. Later, Colorado was formed into a state in 1876 and named accordingly for that year as "The Centennial State." But for most of us Southerners, The State of Colorado really means one thing: beautiful mountains! Deep within The Rocky Mountains near Crested Butte, Wickles Family members enjoyed insane trout fishing, snow capped mountain peaks and horseback rides at about 8000 feet with temperature lows around 38 degrees! After a few days of rest and relaxation, the comforted crew made its way to Denver, the state capital, and then on to beautiful Red Rocks for backstage passes to the Willie Nelson Country Throwdown Tour! Not sure if it was the thin air, maybe the "Whiskey River", or just a little bit of "Oh Yeah" but the plane ride back to Sweet Home Alabama was a little hazy to say the least!

Movie Star and Tomato National Champion

After saying "Happy Birthday" to this great country this past July 4th, Waverly, Alabama and Wickles Pickles presented the 4th annual Waverly Tomato Showdown! This annual contest attracts droves of the best tomato growers from around the state to make claim to the coveted "Glass Tomato" trophy. Many a good grower have been humbled by the stiff competition that flocks to this sleepy hamlet in central Alabama every summer! In case you missed the world famous BLT and fried green tomato bar, champagne breakfast, and hard rocking Tony Brook Band as well, local Alexander City dentist and major motion picture star, George Hardy, took home first place at the showdown. The ruling was controversial, but Hardy who starred in the cult classic Troll 2, managed to outgrow fellow farmers to lay claim to his first tomato National Championship!

Drake at Red Rocks

4th of July at Lake Martin

Not stopping there, The Wickles Family sailed for pristine Lake Martin, Alabama for boat rides, sun bathing and a good ole fashion pig cooking! Like Hank Jr. exclaimed, "We got the pig in the ground, the beer on ice and all my rowdy friends are coming over tonight!" Future country superstar Drake White and some of his friends from Nashville joined the Wickles Family for a lake weekend! If you have not heard the Hokes Bluff, Alabama native sing live, find somewhere soon to check Drake out before his new album hits the market next spring! Like with a jar of our delicious Wickle Hoagie and Sub Relish, you will not be disappointed.

Bo

Bear

As the summer starts to simmer down and the cool air from Canada begins to trickle South, only one thing can be lurking just over the horizon. "What is it" you ask? Football Baby!!!! And for all the men around The State of Alabama, The Wickles Family will go ahead and apologize to all the wives out there whose marriage will be interrupted from September to The Super Bowl. Stay tuned to this blog for your weekly "Wickles Top 20" in the college football world and awesome reports from tailgaters enjoying Wickles products across the country. Believe me, your Bloody Mary without Wickles Okra or Deviled Eggs breakfast without Wickles Relish just will not taste right early in the morning as you try and shake off the previous late night before that early 11:00 kickoff! From The Wickles Family to yours, enjoy the rest of the summer, Roll Tide this Fall and War Eagle from the defending National Champions!

Willie, Drake White, and Wickles!!!!!

Wherever in America you are today while tuning into this now famous Wickles Family blog, I will bet my bottom dollar it is HOT! How hot is it? Hotter than a two dollar pistol but one thing that is certain, Wickles Pickles, along with some new found friends, have raised the temperature on the thermometer and also decimal levels all across this country for the summer with a new partnership! The Wickles Family is very happy to announce that we will be along for the ride this summer with one of country music's hottest new stars, Drake White. This now aspiring singer- songwriter from The Great State of Alabama has been recently residing in Nashville, TN and is a self described " God fearing, river rat, beach bum that loves the outdoors and expresses this love through his soulful lyrics!" In case you have missed his work, let me show you that soulful passion with a little Simple Life courtesy of YouTube!

Drake White and his BBQ Band will not only be an act for Willie Nelson's now famous Country Throwdown Tour, but also along with Wickles Pickles, this fiery young singer will help create a summer-like atmosphere back stage for both guest and other tour band members! What an awesome gig! A little Drake White, a little cold beer, a little Wickles Pickles and a whole lot of soul, rhythm, and summer entertainment! Other awesome entertainers on that tour include Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Jack Ingram, Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Craig Campbell, and Lukas Nelson. Not to mention one of the most famous country outlaws of all-time, Willie Nelson! That is sure enough solid country gold!

Check out your local tour sites to join in the fun this summer with the Throwdown Tour. Wickles Family members will be in Lawrenceville, GA on June the 12th to see this new and old generation of outlaws while others will hit Red Rocks on June 21st to join in the scene! If you see us backstage enjoying Wickles Products with Willie, Jamey or Drake White, grab yourself a cold one and join us for some of those wickedly delicious treats. Who knows, we may just be the first ones after the show to jump on the bus for a ride to the next tour stop! Just remember, what happens on The Throwdown Tour stays on The Throwdown Tour!

If you cannot make it to the shows this summer but are looking for some solid live local music to enjoy, then head a few miles northwest up Hwy 280 from Opelika, AL to the small hamlet of Waverly. This weekend, like many others, there are several bands playing Friday night and Saturday afternoon at Standard Deluxe located on the old Hwy 280. June 10th and 11th, there is a very special showcase featuring many artists from Birmingham and proceeds will go to the relief of tornado victims in the area. For more info, contact Scott Peek.

Famous musician Bob Marley said it best when he stated, "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." So true and if you care to join us on tour, or if you decide to head to Luckenbach, TX this summer to feel no pain, crank up some Jamey Johnson, Willie Nelson, Drake White or other Throwdown Tour Bands and remember your friends within The Wickles Family. Trust us on this one, after this tour, those tasty Wickles products will never taste better!

In Memory

Happy Memorial Day everyone! This weekend marks the unofficial start to summer and The Wickles Family would like to wish your family one great beginning to an action packed summer time! The modern Memorial Day celebration, like so many other things, had its genesis within the few years after The American Civil War. This federal holiday originally was named "Decoration Day" in which people, organizations and veterans of that bloody carnage visited military cemeteries nationwide and pinned ribbons on the tombstones of their fallen brethren. The holiday grew in popularity throughout the years but did not become completely part of the American Spirit until after World War II. Not long after that war, organizations like The VFW, American Legion and The Elks Club helped popularize Memorial Day by connecting the holiday with our very own Stars and Stripes commonly referred to as "Old Glory." She really is a glorious old flag!

Several sporting events coincide with Memorial Day. Two of the more popular include auto races known as The Indianapolis 500 and The Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, NC where thousands of good ole boys will watch 43 good ole boys turn left for 600 miles at neck breaking speed. The PGA of America host a tournament every year on this weekend appropriately named, The Memorial, and last but not least the boys of summer are starting their season grind with countless Major League Baseball Games over the weekend. One of The Wickles Family favorites, The Atlanta Braves, hosted The San Diego Padres today in an extra inning Memorial Day thriller! Is there anything more enjoyable while watching sports like competitive baseball than an ice cold brewskie and a stadium dog covered with Wickles Relish?

If you have decided to take your Memorial Day in stride at the lake or beach, do not forget about Wickles Okra while you mix your spirits for that late evening boat ride or romantic stroll to watch the waves crash! We promise your Bloody Mary will never taste better until you include this southern tradition with a Wickles twist! C'est bon! One other way to enjoy Memorial Day is on a float poolside with the ones you love soaking up the sun's rays and catching the faint smell of smoked ribs cooking ever so slowly on your local grill! Friends and family, wherever you are, grab some Wickles products and just celebrate this Memorial Day!

It would be inappropriate at best not to say a big thank you to all the men and women currently serving in the military! It seems that the sacrifices being made by those special people today and in yesteryear make  Memorial Day celebrations possible at all. A special thank you goes to those American souls who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Upon reflection, The Wickles Family sends a special prayer to those heroes and their families on a day where we really do have our memories. A toast also goes out to the loved ones, not just military, who have passed to the other side and cannot share boat rides, cold ones and our love in this world anymore. We miss you so and from The Wickles Family, "Wish you were here!" God Bless America and you as well on this joyous, yet genuinely reflective plus unique American tradition known as Memorial Day!

School's Out For Summer

Alright! Alright! Another wickedly long school year is quickly coming to an end while schools all around this great country will begin the annual rite of passage known as summer break! In 1972 famous rocker Alice Cooper released his summer break anthem "School's Out" after someone asked him, "What is the greatest three minutes of your life?" Cooper cleverly remembered his childhood days, the feeling of excitement just before the final school year bell rang, and wanted to capture that feeling in a song! Later, a Wickles Family favorite and 1993 cult classic movie, Dazed and Confused, immortalized the song forever as one of the top rebel ditties of the 1970's!

Major respect goes out from The Wickles Family to not only all of the students hopefully graduating to their next step in life, but to all the awesome teachers out there who helped make that happen for their pupils! If you think that your job is hard, try going almost everyday of the year, in the public eye, with both administrators and parents watching your performance like a hawk, and also making it happen for 20-30 anxious third graders for the next 25 years. Better yet, how about motivating a sprinkling of those students who might have special needs? Good luck with that! A round of applause goes to all the educators out there doing a job that I never could! Have a wonderful summer; you deserve a break!

So, what to do during that very earned break? Enjoy some fantastic Wickles Pickles of course! Whether you are "partying at the moon tower" with Wooderson and Randy "Pink" Floyd or relaxing in the summer sun at your favorite beach strip, we at Wickles hope that everyone will take the time to savor all of our tasty products. In honor of all your summer travels, The Wickles Family announces its first ever "Where's Wickles?" program. Please email us at wtpickleman@gmail.com with a quick blurb about where you have enjoyed Wickles products and provide a picture for your chance at a monthly prize! For the month of June, one of our coveted 64 ounce of delicious Wickles Pickles is up for grabs! Also, this summer please stay tuned to this blog for all of your Wickles Family announcements including some very soon to be big news involving The Wickles Family and a possible sponsorship which may include one the most famous people in the country outlaw industry! Not to mention, a shot at joining The Wickles Hall of Fame with your best recipe published on this blog this summer. School's out for summer, but The Wickles Family is All In!

Happy Mother's Day

The Wickles Family would like to take time today and wish everyone, especially the moms out there, a very Happy Mother's Day! According to Wikipedia, the genesis of what is currently considered Mother's Day originated from a written work by Julia Ward Howe titled "Mother's Day Proclamation". You can read about that history here, http://womenshistory.about.com/od/howejwriting/a/mothers_day.htm. This proclamation is a heavy piece in response and protest to the carnage of The American Civil War and The Franco-Prussian Wars of the 1800's. Leave it to a Mom to lead the pacifist charge and try and make the peace!

While some of us are lucky enough to still have our mothers alive, many people unfortunately have lost loved ones and a special prayer goes out to those people today. Before my father passed away, he told me the hardest thing you will ever have to do is go to the funeral of your own mother. I still today can see the tears in his eyes at the ending of my grandmother's burial in 1988. Also, this last week many mothers perished in the horrible tornadoes that left a wake of destruction thru the South from Arkansas to Virginia. A special prayer goes out to all of those victims as well.

Do not forget about Mother Earth today as well. In honor of this beautiful world, grab your reusable grocery bag before you head to the store, pick up a piece of trash and put it in the proper place or start that recycling program at work or home, one that you may have been procrastinating about. One thing that moms know very well, it really is the little things that count the most. You can make a difference, every bit of effort will count, and like your mom, this is the only Earth we have so let's try and remember to take care of her also!

And last but not least, how about a quick shout out to the All-Time Mom, The Blessed Virgin Mary! If it has been awhile, what a nice way to honor your mother by going to church and telling the man upstairs, his son, his son's mother and all of heaven how much you have to be thankful for! The Wickles Family has a lot to be thankful for this Mother's Day. We are alive, we survived recent catastrophe, we are together working again, and we sent our first shipment from a temporary warehouse all the way to Arizona within a week of our old headquarters being demolished by an F4 tornado. Thanks to all the guardian angels who have passed before us for watching over us during these trying times!

Just in case you have somehow forgotten about Mom today, do not panic! First, get on the phone and call your Mom and tell her you love her! Second, go to this link on our website, http://www.simsfoods.com/products/wickles-gift-box.html and order your Mother a Wickles Gift Box! We can write a personalized note for your Mom, ship this gift anywhere and your Mom can be experiencing the true pleasure of tasty Wickles products within days of your order! It's the least that you can do and let The Wickles Family be part of your family on this beautiful May the 8th and Mother's Day! From our family to yours, Happy Mother's Day!

Thoughts, Prayers And Condolences

For a few weeks now, we at Wickles Pickles have tossed around the idea of a live community based blog about our awesome products, social events of all types that we enjoy, our fabulous customers and as many positive things about life that can be squeezed into a written blog spot. Our first inclination was to announce our blog with open invitations to all customers and their comments about all of the tasty Wickles products that so many love. No doubt that kind of interaction in the future will be be a major part of this undertaking, but unfortunately on the eve of our very own blog launch, a life changing event occurred within our family. Last Wednesday, April 27, 2011, multiple tornadoes ripped through The Great State of Alabama and decimated massive amounts of land, killing hundreds of people and forever scarring all of us who managed to live despite the efforts of some of the most dangerous storms anyone has ever survived. From Tuscaloosa to Dadeville and from The Shoals to the beautiful mountain valleys of NE Alabama, homes, lives and property were permanently changed last Wednesday forever. We at Wickles Pickles are also digging out from beneath the rubble, and would like to take the time now to offer our thoughts, prayers and condolences to all of the victims of these epic storms. You will not be forgotten.

The easy part about all of this is going back to work. In Dadeville, AL, where The Wickles Family headquarters is located, our main office, warehouse and shipping distribution center was completely mangled. Day to day business operations have temporarily stopped but we will be shipping product from a substitute location in Opelika, AL by the end of the first week of May. If you are expecting a shipment and have any questions about it's delivery, PLEASE do not hesitate to call us beginning Monday, May 2nd for any inquiry. We promise, our goal is to be operational ASAP so all of us can get back to some sort of normalcy while enjoying those tasty Wickles products. Also, you can check out our website 24 hours a day here: http://www.simsfoods.com/.

The hard part of all of this will be understanding why this happened. Our business will be rebuilt stronger and better than ever. That warehouse expansion question we have all been discussing behind the scenes has obviously been answered. That is a silver lining I suppose, but if you are somewhere around the world reading this and have not seen the wreckage caused by this storms, I implore you to take a few moments online to research just what exactly happened. You will be shocked. Witnessing first hand what one of these tornadoes can do to a two hundred year old oak tree, a house, a farm, etc. has eternally altered all of us within The Wickles Family. If you can also, take the time to give blood now, donate essentials to The Red Cross like money, clothing, toilet paper, blankets, toothpaste, razors, etc. Thousands here have lost everything and everything right now is in short supply.

What is not in short supply is the great spirit of the south shining brighter than ever during the aftermath of these killer storms. White, Red, Yellow or Black, Auburn or Alabama, whatever all of our differences, it is obvious that people in Alabama care more about each other right now than I can ever remember. The Wickles Family is very proud to be part of that kindred spirit and hope that this blog will be another reminder to all who enjoy our products that no matter the circumstances, we will all rise above this pain and destruction together. The line of the day from one of The Wickles storm victims last Thursday overheard during a meeting was "I may have lost my shoes, but I have not lost my mind!" Right on and God Bless to everyone from The Wickles Family.