JEFFERSON, Texas - A trip to Jefferson, Texas, gave residents from The Oaks of Louisiana plenty to talk about – Kitt’s cornbread sandwich for starters! – and enjoy.
Three carloads made the daylong trip west to first have lunch at Kitt’s Kornbread Sandwich & Pie Bar and then walk the streets of Jefferson, checking out such quaint stores as Yesteryear Gift Shop, Blessings and the Jefferson General Store. The outing finale – a tour of Scarlett O’Hardy’s “Gone With the Wind” Museum.
After a grand buildup of the cornbread sandwich by one of the participants on the trip who has been a fan for a number of years, everyone in the group made their selection. Among offerings: The Original (ham or turkey with American cheese, tomato and purple onion); The Texan (chili and cheese sandwiched between cornbread); The Redneck (fried bologna and American cheese); The Vegetarian (cheese, tomato, purple onion, mayo and spinach); The Sicilian (pastrami and provolone); and The Club (turkey, ham and two kinds of cheeses).
Oohs and aahs could be heard between bites as everyone enjoyed his or her sandwich and wondered the secret of the cornbread that can be held in your hands and not fall apart!
It’s a trade secret and employees are sworn to secrecy about the recipe.
Shop windows full of antiques, unique gifts and other items enticed residents inside stores. It was Jefferson General Store, however, that was the highlight. To walk into the store is to walk back in time – the early 1900s. An old-fashioned soda fountain is the perfect place to sip a cherry-vanilla Coke or root beer float while family and friends shop.
As residents entered the store, they were greeted by barrels of old-fashioned candy, each resident picking up handfuls of candies of their childhood: Bit-O-Honey, Necos, Cow Tails, Sugar Daddys, Banana Splits, Lemon Heads, jaw breakers.
It was an hour of walking up and down aisles of jams, jellies and preserves, soup mixes, spices, pickled vegetables, kitchen items, toys, fudge and gourmet chocolates, salsas, chow-chows and relishes, Jefferson souvenirs, cookbooks and gifts items.
Before returning to Shreveport, residents enjoyed a tour of Scarlett O’Hardy’s “Gone With the Wind” Museum. The museum tells the complete story of “Gone With the Wind” through a variety of elaborate displays that focus on the novel and the movie. It is one of the largest private collections of “Gone With the Wind” memorabilia.
Residents viewed posters, movie stills, dolls, books, dioramas and more. So much to see – definitely worth a return trip.
After all, tomorrow is another day!
To view a photo gallery, go to The Oaks of Louisiana Facebook page and see Candy and Kornbread with a K.