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Good news, Bo fans! The North Carolina founded fast food chain that doles out homemade biscuits more delicious than words can capture has announced major expansion plans. Jeff Rigsby (pictured above), a 20-year Bojangles franchise owner, and the fast food company have revealed plans to open 45 new locations in the next seven years, per a company press release. Rigsby currently operates 92 locations and the new restaurants will be developed around Rigsby’s core markets, including Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, along with 15 planned Bojangles restaurants in Columbus, Ohio....

Whether you take yours hot and steaming or ice cold and sweetened, nearly everyone likes tea. It’s easy to see why, aside from water, it’s one of the most popular drinks in the world. Anybody with an appreciation for the aromatic beverage will get a kick out of The National Teapot Show, in Creedmoor, North Carolina. The show, which promises to change the way you look at teapots forever, has been returning to Cedar Creek Gallery every three years for more than 30 years....

If you order “Beach Bread” at any restaurant outside the state of Florida, your request will probably be met with a puzzled look from your waiter. To outsiders, Beach Bread could be anything from the sandwich slices packed in your cooler to a fresh loaf baked by a local seaside bakery. But for Sunshine State natives, Beach Bread isn’t just any carbohydrate you eat near the ocean — it’s a Florida staple that’s developed a cult following....

Last month, 17-year-old Erik Bustamante received his associate’s degree in arts and marketing from Indian River State College (IRSC) in Fort Pierce, Florida. But his young age wasn’t the only thing special about that day. Erik received his degree alongside his 53-year-old father, Edwin. “I have the pleasure of graduating with my dad,” Erik said in a statement. “Working and studying for tests together was mutually beneficial, and he inspired me to get all A’s by watching him do so well in his classes at his age....

It’s time to pull out the sequins, Champagne, and witty toasts as we near the close of another year. Times Square will be lit up as the traditional ball drops, but In the South, colorful choices like a beach ball, a peach, or a fleur de lis signal it’s time to say goodbye to the old and welcome in the new. But Key West is the spot to celebrate New Year’s Eve with drops featuring a drag queen, conch shell, or pirate wench at various points around the city....

As the world remembers the loss of country music legend Charley Pride, who died in December 2020 from complications related to COVID-19 at the age of 86, we find ourselves revisiting some of our favorite songs from his pioneering career. And one, in particular, featuring the one-and-only Dolly Parton. The Mississippi native, who drew inspiration from gospel and blues, returned to his spiritual roots with his album Pride & Joy: A Gospel Music Collection....

Hold onto your cowboy hats, ladies and gents, FOX’’s new drama Monarch is about to be your next guilty pleasure. The dramatic series centers around the fictional “first family of country music,” the Romans and whew, it’s an intense and wild ride. Just in the first episode which premiered on FOX Sunday, September 11, and is now available to stream on Hulu, the storyline touches on all of the “lying, cheating, cold dead beating, two-time and double dealing, mean, mistreating, loving heart,” Patty Loveless sings about about in her country classic....

Two of our favorite Hallmark stars are pairing up for a fourth time, but after three romantic comedies, the two long-time friends were ready for something different. The dynamic duo of Georgia native Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker will head over to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries to give us a brand-new whodunnit. Curious Caterer: Dying for Chocolate is based on the books Catering for Nobody and Dying for Chocolate, by Diane Mott Davidson, part of the Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery series....

When the pandemic hit, it brought a lot of changes, large and small. Now, as the vaccines roll out and there appears to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, some of our favorite things are slowly coming back. Case in point, Costco is bringing back its iconic samples and food courts. Costco’s CFO, Richard Galanti, told CNN Business that they anticipate the triumphant return of their food courts, but warns that “it’s going to take some time,” as some states are still being understandably cautious and keeping safety restrictions in place....

A series of severe storms that ripped through the Nashville area last week caused extensive damage to the historic Tennessee Central Railway Museum and the Nashville Steam Preservation Society’s shop: the current home of locomotive No. 576, A.K.A. “the Stripe.” No injuries were reported but high winds destroyed a portion of the structure where No. 576 has been undergoing a restoration since 2019. The storm left the locomotive and the team’s equipment “exposed to the elements....

While Myrtle Beach has long been the main attraction on South Carolina’s Grand Strand, it’s far from the only destination to explore on the famous 60-mile stretch of coastline. There are 13 other distinct communities waiting to be discovered and enjoyed—including one of our favorites, Surfside Beach. Fifteen minutes down the road from Myrtle Beach, Surfside is Myrtle’s smaller, quieter, more laidback little sister. Away from the hustle and bustle of crowded beachfront boardwalks, amusement parks, and giant Ferris Wheels, Surfside provides a welcome reprieve from the tourist-packed arcades, shops, and restaurants we’ve come to love Myrtle Beach for....

Sad news out of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Carolyn “Lynne” Ryan, the matriarch of The Donut Friar, died last week at the age of 90. “Generations of families know her and looked forward to seeing her behind the counter. She worked until she was 89 years old, and people still regularly ask about her,” The Donut Friar’s Facebook announcement reads. “She was sweet, generous, and kind to her family, friends, and customers. Her legacy will live on....

When a dream jobin fashion didn’t fulfill Erin Wexstten like she’d expected, she began considering other options. “I was asking myself, ‘What do I love? Who am I at the core of my being?’ " she says. She kept coming back to the value of a routine. “Not a day went by that my mom didn’t wash her face and apply serum and moisturizers,” says Wexstten. “[She taught me], ‘This is the most important step of the day....

My friend Caroline has given me many things in our ten years of friendship: earnest pep talks, road-trip snack recommendations, and a listening ear (she’s currently working on her PhD in clinical psychology, so she is very good at listening), to name a few. But perhaps the most important thing she’s bestowed upon me is an introduction to Urban Decay’s All-Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray. It’s the only thing that ensures my makeup will last the entirety of a hot-as-Hades Southern summer wedding and the first thing I’d replace if my toiletries bag ever got stolen....

We’re just going to come right out and say it: you could use more beluga whales in your life. Squishy, affectionate, and surprisingly chatty, these impossibly cute mammals are the perfect antidote to these challenging times. So, say hello to your new quarantine activity: a live, underwater beluga whale cam operated by Polar Bears International (PBI) and Explore.org. This is the eighth summer this camera—positioned on a boat in the Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada—has been in operation....

The kitchen is one of the most lived-in spaces in a home. Despite your best efforts to keep this high-traffic area clean, you could be unintentionally making a few mistakes that make you kitchen look messier than it actually is. Small oversights can add up to big eyesores, like cluttered countertops and disorderly cabinets. In this room, storage and functionality are key, so it’s important to make the most of each inch of space....

Visualize a warm bowl of beef stew—thick steaming gravy with hearty pieces of potato and small diced cubes of celery and carrot surrounding chunks of well-browned beef. Just one spoonful makes us salivate, and as with anything in the kitchen, the magic of this hearty favorite starts with the ingredients. Fall is the prime time to buy onions, carrots, and potatoes. But the crowning glory of beef stew is the flavor and texture of the meat, browned and slightly crisp on the outside but fall-apart-in-your-mouth tender on the inside....

An Alabama animal shelter is so overcrowded, they’ve been forced to house some dogs outside. Leaders at the Shelby County Humane Society in Columbiana declared a “shelter emergency” on Facebook Monday, calling the situation they’ve been faced with “absolutely urgent” in a plea for more people to foster and adopt. “We are over FULL capacity! We are having to put dogs in kennels outside until we have more room to be able to place them inside!...

“When I look back over forty years of making music, I would have never guessed it was my Christmas music that would have the longest life.” Amy Grant, also known as the Queen of Christmas, shares this sentiment with us in her Tennessee home. Amy Grant’s music—in particular, her soulful Christmas music—has left a lasting impression on everyone that has listened. While she loves listening to holiday tunes from legendary singers like Nat King Cole and Barbra Streisand while decorating the Christmas tree, Grant fills up with joy knowing her music is an essential part of many people’s holidays....

Today, on Dolly Parton’s 77th birthday, the famously philanthropic country music legend isn’t receiving, she’s giving. True to form, Parton is celebrating her birthday with the gift of a brand new song called “Don’t Make Me Have To Come Down There.” In a recent conversation with Southern Living, the Tennessee native explained that the inspiration for the surprise single came to her in a dream about God that she said “scared me awake....