Warrior has always been my home. I was born there, raised there, and my family still lives there. There are certain facts that you know to be true about this quirky town, so I thought I’d name a few.
1. Warrior Day is a holiday
I’ll never forget a pivotal moment in my marriage when my husband said: “I can’t believe the hicks made their own holiday”. Of course, he was joking, but he doesn’t understand most of the qualities of a small town. He is from Nashville, TN. Warrior day is definitely a holiday, and it’s very important to most people in the town. Not only does it bring it lots of people from surrounding townsImage result for warrior day 2016 warrior al, which warrior doesn’t get a lot, but it’s also just an all-around fun day! We even got mentioned here on top 10 Fall festivals! There are booths and enough food vendors to feed an army. There’s also games for the kids. This past year, Warrior day was separated into two days and were both very successful. If you’re new to the area, I highly suggest this fun attraction that usually happens around late October.
2. We will always be the Indians
Warrior used to have their own high school until it dwindled down smaller and smaller. They eventually had to merge with Mortimer Jordan High School, the neighboring high school, which is where I went to high school. One important thing to know is that Warrior Indians were rivals with Mortimer Jordan. Yes, rivals had to merge schools. It didn’t go very smoothly; even my sister participated in the riots. Here lately, Mortimer Jordan has tried very hard to involve the city of Warrior in events, such as the Homecoming Parade. No matter how much time passes, fans such as my mom, who cheered at Warrior High School her whole academic career, will forever say “Go Indians!” and remind us younger ones that we were in fact rivals.
3. Our mayor is trying hard to help our little town
Elections were this past year, however, we decided to keep the previous mayor Johnny Ragland in charge. Since his first election, changes can be seen in Warrior. For example, if it wasn’t for him Warrior Day would have died. It was going downhill at the time, but now we have two separate days for it and we had the local radio station covering it! There is still a long way to go as can be seen with the abandoned buildings, but he is getting us there little by little.
4. There's nothing to do
This might be the reason everyone is so close. My mom, who has lived there for 50 years, knows everyone in the town. Some of my fondest memories have been when we had yard sales, had Warrior Day, or had the tree-lighting ceremony just because I got to see everyone and socialize with them. Even just going to the local grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, or Dollar General can turn into a party depending on who is there.
5. We have a rich history
Believe it or not, Warrior once thrived much more than it does now. In 1872, Warrior went from a farming town to coal fields. A railroad also came through the town later. Unfortunately, like most things, the Great Depression came and most had to flee to Birmingham to find work.
6. Jack's is a happening place
If you’re ever in Warrior around 7 a.m., do not try to get through the road that runs next to Jacks. It will be backed up into the road, due to limited parking.The inside will be populated with high schoolers and older people trying to get one of their biscuits. What else is there to do besides sit around and eat some good food?
7. Warrior survives because we have wonderful people
Warrior’s city workers are the absolute best and they will always be down to stop and talk to you whenever you see them pass by. We also have the best firemen and police officers. I can’t name the number of times that my family and I have gone running up to the fire station to get help from one of them. Even minor things, such as me getting a bead stuck up my nose when I was younger, too much bigger things like my baby niece falling and hitting her head. The firemen have always been there to help and comfort, right alongside the policemen.
I hope this article reminds you to love Warrior, Al just as much as I do. Living in Mobile has made me realize just how much I miss its small-town charm. To the person who is wanting so badly to get away from it, think about it a little longer.
