Guest Commentary: The sights, sounds and smells of Blytheville

As I left work yesterday around 5 pm, I could hear the First Methodist church bells playing an upbeat rendition of "How Great Thou Art." That was a wonderful way to end the workday. And as I drove home, it made me reflect on a lot of wonderful sights, sounds and smells of the town that I call home. It is now 2 am, and my nightly insomnia has my mind putting those thoughts to words.

The First Methodist Church and First Baptist Church are both architectural beauties that anchor the western end of Main Street. They are perfect examples of how our community was built on faith in God and they stand as gifts from our forefathers during our community's heyday.

My second favorite gift to our community is the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. It is a modern day architectural gift. In its 13 years of existence, I have spent many, many hours enjoying the sounds of the crowds, the smell of burgers on the grill and the pure enjoyment of seeing the smiles on so many young boys and girls. Late at night, the burger smoke it overtaken by the smell of mosquito repellant and an occasional mosquito truck passing through. Sometimes the games would come to a halt as a jet would make a landing at the nearby Eaker Air Force base runway, or we had even a closer flyover from a group of geese going from one lake to the other.

To so many visitors to our city, the Sportsplex is all they see of Blytheville and it compares brilliantly to any other sportsplex in the state or country for that matter.

When thinking about the sights, smells and tastes of Blytheville, one can't pass up our hometown cooking. I am not talking about hiring our referees or umpires at our ballgames, I am talking about restaurant cooking! Jeri Lin Donuts is at the top of my list. The smell when you walk into Jeri-Lins is unmatched by any other place in this universe.

The caramel donuts literally melt in your mouth. And if you're lucky, you will get an opportunity to catch up on the latest gossip while standing in line waiting for your turn with Mrs. Musser (Lin of Jeri-Lin). Two pointers for anyone going to Jeri-Lins: Paying with exact change is a bonus and do not ask for more than a dozen donuts without preordering!

Blytheville's barbeque is also as unique as our city. They are all my favorites from Dixie Pig's barbeque pig salad, to Kreme Castle's barbeque sandwich to Benny Bob's barbeque chicken to Penn's baked beans. The restaurants are nothing fancy to look at; you go there strictly for the food. Plus, the walls at Dixie Pig serve as a museum from Blytheville's yesteryears.

I still mourn the death of Sharecroppers and Sheila Dobb's homemade pies. Nothing matched her Southern home cooking. I have often wanted to call her up and ask for a strawberry pie and a plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes. However, Mae's Grill does have the best fried chicken in the world. I would put Mae's up against Gus' Fried Chicken any day. The uniqueness of the concrete block building with bars over the door and two small windows give Mae's its own special atmosphere.

Another favorite thing about Blytheville is our Main Street. The crooked street that winds through downtown is unique.

I'm not sure of the rationale behind it; however, it is an unforgettable landmark. Main Street doesn't have the same appearance or sounds that it had in the 50's and 60's; however, it has a great community feel during the Chili Cook-off or Mayfest, and the oak canopies hovering over the western end of the street make for a beautiful drive into downtown.

Another favorite smell of Blytheville is agriculture. The cotton defoliation and dust in the air during the fall harvest smells like money because when I smell it, I am reminded money is entering back into our town another year and a burning wheat field may be pollution to some people, but I love that smell in June.

Oh, and the sunsets and sunrises. Our flat terrain makes for the most beautiful canvasses in the world. Each morning and each evening the sun paints a different masterpiece. Throw a little wheat smoke or soybean dust in the air, and it really paints a pretty picture.

Sometimes we get caught up in all of the negatives in our city and in our world. Even though it never makes front page news, it's nice to stop once in a while and reflect on all of the good that we have going for us! Now I think I will try to go back to sleep or maybe make one more Facebook post.

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Randy Scott is the president and COO of Farmers Bank and Trust.