June 2020 – KellyKazek.com

Below is an excerpt from a column published on It's a Southern Thing. To read it in its entirety, click here. When we were looking for an adult-kiddie pool for the yard of our new house, Sweetums and I were surprised to learn there has been a run on above-ground swimming pools this year. It… Continue reading If swimsuit sizes were Southern

(ODD)yssey, Blog Post

The Coral Castle: Featured stop from my ‘Guide to South’s Quirkiest Roadside Attractions’

June 24, 2020 Kelly Kazek

The following is excerpted from my book "A Guide to the South's Quirkiest Roadside Attractions," which is sold exclusively in stores and online from Books-A-Millions. Purchase it here for $16.95. The book features sites in 11 Southern states. I visited the Coral Castle in 2005 with my Baby Girl, who was 12 at the time,… Continue reading The Coral Castle: Featured stop from my ‘Guide to South’s Quirkiest Roadside Attractions’

(ODD)yssey, Blog Post

This tiny town is home to the Great Pumpkin weigh-off

June 22, 2020 Kelly Kazek

Allardt, Tenn., a tiny spot on the map I’d never heard of before this year, has an amazing claim to fame: It is the home of the official pumpkin (and other giant veggies) weigh off. We were passing through on a short road-trip when we noticed a really cool water tower in Allardt and, of… Continue reading This tiny town is home to the Great Pumpkin weigh-off

Southern Thing Column

Rules of the Banana Sandwich are simple and finite

June 18, 2020June 18, 2020 Kelly Kazek

The column excerpted below originally appeared on It's a Southern Thing. To read the column in its entirety on SouthernThing.com, click here. Banana-and-mayo sandwiches are one of God’s simple pleasures: Cheap, easy to make and filled with that tangy-sweet combination that makes your mouth happy. Do I care that non-Southerners poke fun at this creation… Continue reading Rules of the Banana Sandwich are simple and finite

(ODD)yssey, Blog Post

This Alabama cemetery has a memorial to 5 doctors who died in epidemic

June 16, 2020 Kelly Kazek

As we continue to live in the strange conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to tell the story of the heroes of Alabama’s yellow fever epidemic of 1888. The current situation gives us some idea of what medical personnel faced more than 130 years ago, although yellow fever spread differently and the virus was… Continue reading This Alabama cemetery has a memorial to 5 doctors who died in epidemic