Andalusia is a small town with a big spirit. To sum it all up, here are the ABC's of Andalusia.

A: AlaTex

AlaTex employed thousands of Andalusia citizens, where they produced shirts. In fact, my grandmother used to work there. In the 1950's, 60's and 70's, AlaTex employees made millions of shirts for department stores until about 1995. Now, the Andalusia Chamber of Commerce is in it's old location, complete with a statue of a shirt and tie to remember all the years of hard work and success.

B: Ballet

The Andalusia Ballet is located in the old Church Street School. So many girls and boys take ballet at the beautifully renovated studio. When the ballet has a performance, the seats are always filled. I'm pretty sure I have 'The Nutcracker' memorized, and I've never taken a day of ballet in my life. Everyone always enjoys watching the ballet, and the dancers' hard work definitely shows in all of their performances.

C: Clark Theatre

CAN I GET AN AMEN!! I haven't been to the new theatre yet, but I am so pumped to try out the reclining chairs when I get home. I am also so pumped that my feet will no longer stick to the floors and that I don't have to drive 45 minutes away to see a movie.

D: Dairy Queen

The Andalusia Dairy Queen is unlike any other. It has a vintage look to it that everyone loves, and it is definitely a popular spot to go to on hot summer days. You've never been more excited than the moment your dentist appointment was over and you got a coupon for a free DQ cone, ice cream sandwich or, my personal favorite, the dilly bar.

E: East Three Notch Court

East Three Notch Court was THE BEST place to grow up. I can't even begin to count the number of times that I ran down that rocky road barefoot trying to dodge Airsoft bullets. So many of my friends lived on the Court, and even if they didn't they were usually there. Our days were spent jumping on trampolines, playing capture the flag or hide-n-seek, and picking blackberries by the railroad tracks.

F: Football

Living in Andalusia almost feels like living in an episode of Friday Night Lights. The whole town is behind the team, and Fridays during the fall have a feeling like no other. The high school goes all out with themes for every game, and the cheerleaders and band work hard to boost morale. The coaching staff and football team definitely love the game, and it's so fun when the whole community comes to watch them lay everything they have on the field.

G: Gantt Lake

There is nothing like spending a day on the lake with friends! The best feeling in the world is flying through the air screaming on a tube with friends. And the WORST feeling is getting in the shower with skinned up elbows and knees from the "tube burn."

H: High School

The Andalusia High School experience is the best high school experience. You are surrounded by your friends that have been with you since Kindergarten. It's nice to know most everyone in your school rather than getting lost in a sea of unfamiliar faces. You'll never be in a room full of strangers.

I: Irresponsibly dropping off your friends in a remote location, blindfolded

LOL! This one is called Hostage. When there isn't a plethora of things to do in our town, we make do. It probably wasn't the safest game, but we took our chances. Basically, you get dropped off in the woods or a dark parking lot after being blindfolded on the way there... so you have no clue where you are. The first one back to the First Baptist Church parking lot wins. ;)

J: July Jamz

July Jamz is new, but I hope it stays around long enough to be old one day. Every Thursday during the month of July, bands play at Springdale. People bring their families and picnic blankets to enjoy an evening of music. There are also vendors and a foam machine for the kids. It's such a fun way to get the community together and listen to some local musicians.

K: Kiwanis Building

The Kiwanis building is the place where the magic happens-- the Covington County Fair. You can buy tickets and ride The James Gang to the song Cyclone by Baby Bash, OR, you could just people watch. It's equally as entertaining. There are also rodeos, concerts, and the World Championship Domino Tournament at the Kiwanis building. A lot of my childhood was spent there on the softball, baseball, and soccer fields.

L: Lemonade Stands

Mom made it. I sold it. I always thought I had hit the lotto when someone gave me a dollar instead of the quarter I was selling it for.

M: Making it snow in South Alabama

Christmas is such a great time in Andalusia. The town is themed, "Christmas in Candyland." There are cute playhouses on the square, a train track, an ice skating rink, and "snow" around the huge Christmas tree.

N: Never leaving a sporting event without singing the Alma Mater

We couldn't have break until we learned it, and now it is permanently imprinted in our heads and hearts. Always ever to endeavor, to honor thy fair name.

O: Opp's Funeral

When Andalusia plays Opp football, we have a funeral for the bobcat at the pep rally. It's complete with a casket, a congregation, and a eulogy. Once we've put the bobcat to rest, we chant "R-I-P O-P-P" until we no longer have a voice.

P: Pride

Our student section might be small, but that's because most everyone is involved. A big majority of our school is on some kind of team or club, and there is no better way to show school pride than to be a part of it.

Q: Questioning whether or not Coach Rob's driving simulators even worked

Coach Rob taught a good amount of us in driver's ed. I'm not sure how old the driving simulators were when I used them, (which was only 4 years ago), but I do know that there is no way they can work for much longer.

R: Riding around

Every time your mom asks what you're doing tonight, this is the answer.

S: Springdale

Springdale is a beautiful place that Andalusia uses quite often. There are Easter egg hunts, concerts, weddings, and other parties there. Also, if you live/have lived in Andalusia, you probably have prom or subdeb pictures that were taken in the yard.

T: Town Square

The square is surrounded by small businesses and restaurants, and it is always busy during the day.

U: Unique accents

My friends at Auburn that know multiple people from Andalusia say that we all sound the same. Some have described it as "ghetto country?!" LOL, but really, I can't say the words "phone" or "home" without someone correcting me.

V: Voluntarily spending all my money on toilet paper for homecoming

In college, people get in fights with their roomates about whose turn it is to buy toilet paper. Dropping $15 on toilet paper hurts when you don't have much more than that to begin with! However, in high school on homecoming week, we all spent an unnecessary amount of money on toilet paper that we destroyed people's yards with. That was money well spent.

W: World Championship Domino Tournament

The Domino Tournament has been sponsored by Andalusia's Rotary Club since 1976. Many people from all over come to play, and proceeds benefit many charities.

X: Xenial community

Xenial: relating to hospitality between hosts and guests.

Since there isn't that much to do, everyone always picks a house to go to. I use to have everyone come to my house all the time, whether it was to play games, watch movies, or eat dinner. My parents miss seeing my friends just as much as I do, and I can't wait to have people over to catch up this summer.

Y: Y'all

Y'all wanna go to sonic? Y'all wanna go to First Baptist? Y'all wanna go to Greenville to watch a movie? (HA, not anymore, see C)

Z: Zaxby's

Zaxby's has always been my favorite, and I was so excited to get one in Andalusia. Also, every time someone here asks me where I'm from, they say, "Oh yeah, that's the place where we ate Zaxby's on our way to the beach!" Yep! That's the place!