Welcome to The Shot, G&G’ers, your weekly destination to find out what’s happening and what happened in the South.
Think of The Shot as a little nip of Garden & Gun to get you through the week. We’ll be talking food, drink, and tailgates; style, design, openings, and happenings. No matter where you are, we’ll keep you connected to the South and the Southerners who make our culture so uniquely special. And like all our digital platforms, The Shot will bring you more G&G, more often. Who wouldn’t drink to that?
Great Shot
The Southeast and Caribbean continue to dig out from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Here’s how Willie Nelson dealt with the destructive storms: By getting a few friends together Friday night in Austin for a “Harvey Can’t Mess With Texas” benefit. Part telethon, part jam session, Willie brought on all-time greats like Lyle Lovett, Bonnie Raitt, and James Taylor, and shared the stage with next wave greats like Leon Bridges and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats to raise more than $1.6 million for the Rebuild Texas fund. If you missed the show, you can still watch it online, including Willie’s must-see performance with Bridges. And it’s never too late to support relief efforts for survivors at Rebuild Texas, the American Red Cross, or your own local nonprofit.
Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman/C3 Presents
Brittni Jessie and Leon Bridges were among the performers at the show.
While we’re on the topic of relief, the situation in Puerto Rico is especially heartbreaking—and dire. Beatriz Rosselló, the first lady of the U.S. territory, has partnered with several big-time corporations (including Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and Church’s Chicken, Bermuda-based Bacardi, and Miami-based Burger King) to start a fund to help recovery efforts. See United for Puerto Rico for more.
Hot Shot
Chef Sean Brock has finally set a date for the opening of the long-anticipated Husk Savannah, the third planned outpost of his famous Charleston original. Joining Husk Nashville and Husk Greenville (scheduled to open in October), Husk Savannah will debut Dec. 4 in downtown Savannah. And according to The Savannah Morning News, Brock and his Neighborhood Dining Group partners are sparing no expense to transform the former Elks Lodge into what Brock calls “the largest and most spectacular Husk yet.” Along with the estimated $3 million reno price tag, the 10,000-square-foot Georgia edition will feature a front-and-center kitchen, Atlanta’s Tyler Williams as chef de cuisine, and Brock’s signature hyper-local menu with a Savannah flavor all its own. With a little luck, you might even get reservations before St. Patrick’s Day. HuskSavannah.com.
Switch Back
Great news for the hikers, hunters, and anglers among you—the Conservation Fund recently announced that it has protected 1,700 acres of high-elevation ridges and pristine headwaters in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. The Cut Laurel Gap property, which includes land in Tennessee and North Carolina, was acquired in partnership with private funders and the National Park Service and is some of the best remaining habitat for Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. The spectacular acreage will be part of the Cherokee National Forest, and the Fund says it will eventually be open to the public for fishing, hiking, and in-season hunting. But that’s no reason not to start making your plans to visit now.
Last Word
The Merriam-Webster dictionary announced 250 new words last week. Along with “froyo” and “onboarding,” we got official notice that “pregame” is no longer just an adjective, it is now also a verb and a noun—and if you’re a G&G reader, pregame may even be a lifestyle. To use it in a sentence, try: “We pregamed in the Grove.” Or “Have y’all seen the class of ’06? They’re pregaming by West End.” You see where this is going. If you don’t, may we suggest less pregame and more studying? You can start with the other new words over at Merriam-Webster.
Another Round
If you’re anything like our team at The Shot, you love Dolly Parton like a member of your own family, and on some days, you might love her more than the members of your own family. So behold the news that Dolly will release a new album this Friday, Sept. 29. “I Believe in You” will be her first collection of children’s music, with all of the proceeds going to her Imagination Library. And if the idea of Dolly singing you to sleep every night isn’t enough, she’ll also be part of a monster send-off next month for the OG Gambler, Kenny Rogers, who will play his farewell concert in Nashville on October 25. “All in for the Gambler” will include Little Big Town, a reunion of the Judds, and Dolly and Kenny reuniting for one last, sweet round of “Islands in the Stream.”
Parting Shots
Legendary horsewoman Penny Chenery, who owned Secretariat and managed her family’s Meadow Stable in Virginia, died September 16 at 95. What a life she lived. … G&G’s latest book, S is for Southern, a Guide to the South from Absinthe to Zydeo, doesn’t come out until October 24, but don’t be shy–you can pre-order it now. … And rest easy, G&G’ers, it looks like the mystery behind “Pappygate” has been solved. The $100,000 heist of rare bourbons from distilleries in central Kentucky, including $26,000 of Pappy Van Winkle, was apparently a conspiracy between a guy on the Pappy loading docks and his adult softball team. Of the many lessons this teaches us, the most important it is this: Never take your eyes off your Pappy. Until next week …
