Close to Nowhere

“Good Night Irene... ...I’ll see you in my dreams...”

Another icon and favorite memory has “left the building” in Holly Springs. (This column might have a few musical puns.)

My favorite karaoke place and one of my favorite eating places has closed.

Johnny and Nancy Boone are like a lot of my friends – getting older and with declining health.

So last Friday night, the final karaoke was sung in JB’s. When we moved to Mississippi 34 years ago there were two restaurants on the corner – City Cafe, (maybe Nadine’s?), with Johnnie Mae’s right next to it. The Boyettes ran Johnnie Mae’s until it closed I think. She had the best hot fudge sundaes. I loved them. And one of my favorite people was a waitress there – Margaret Autry. I loved her.

City Cafe had a few owners – Nadine, Ron Holshouser and then Johnny and Nancy. There may have been others that I’ve forgotten, if so, I’m sorry. My memory is not what it used to be and it wasn’t good to begin with.

We used to eat at Johnny and Nancy’s restaurant when it was on Hwy. 7 at the motel. It was much easier to get to after they moved to town.

Much as I enjoyed eating lunch at JB’s, Friday night for a long time was so special (yes, there’s a song running though my brain – Friday night and the lights are low, looking out for a place to go – Abba)

I don’t sing. Don’t ask me (no questions, and I won’t tell you no lies – Lynard Skynard).

But my granddaughter Remy does! And she sang a lot there, with me sitting listening with so much joy and pride. She can really sing. After we’d gone there a time or two, we made lots of good friends – Mark Cox, who now lives in Corinth, used to sing Copperhead Road for me. Mike Dunlap (who turned out to work with my cousin Al) sang everything and brought down the house – always. The DJ, Steve King, is a funny man and he can sing too. He, Mike, Mark and Bailey Eubanks sometimes sang together and it was always magic.

And Bailey – most of you know Bailey, or at least know of him. He was 17 when I first heard him sing and I was floored to find out how old he was. I asked the late Lynn Pullen, another Friday night favorite, who he was and she told me and then said he was just 17. I almost didn’t believe her. That boy can sing!

He and his new wife Emily met at JB’s and they finished off their rehearsal dinner evening there at karaoke.

There were so many folks who came there and sang or danced. Mike Dunlap’s wife Teresa (a fantastic photographer also) led/taught line dancing there often. (I won’t dance, don’t ask me – no idea who sings that.)

And Remy went from being an awkward, shy teenager to a confident young lady there (she married a Young man also and is now Remy Young).

After all the “fun” I’ve had with my health, I haven’t been able to go on Friday nights for a long time. I’ve really missed the food, the fun and mostly the people.

I wish Johnny and Nancy well in the future. And I thank them from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful memories.