MOBILE, Ala. (WSFA) – A Memorial Day staple normally found in downtown Prattville is on the move this year.

The Alabama Poppy Project will set up its field of handmade ceramic poppies at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, surrounding the USS Alabama.

The poppies are meant to honor the men and women who served the country and are no longer living.

“It was really emotionally overwhelming to see the battleship and all of the aircraft and all of the tanks and everything that you can see,” said Julianne Hansen, founder of the Alabama Poppy Project. “It feels kind of like coming home.”

Hansen also emphasized that Memorial Day not only honors those who died in battle, but also those who died while on active duty.

“My stepson did not pass away in battle, but he did pass away while in active duty and he is a gold-star service member and we are a gold-star family,” Hansen said. “We will fight in order to be able to share the messages and the stories of these people who gave so much for the cause of freedom and for their service to our country.”

Hansen said the move to Mobile provides a new opportunity to teach visitors what the memorial poppy symbolizes, even if the display isn’t the main attraction the way it has been in Prattville.

The display will open Friday morning at Battleship Memorial Park at 8 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

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In Alabama, some of the best history lessons come with a side of ribs.

Across the state, family-owned barbecue restaurants have served as gathering places and landmarks for generations, surviving wars, recessions and major cultural shifts by sticking to what they know: slow-cooked food and the communities that grew up around it.

At Bob Sykes Barbecue in Bessemer, the pit has been going since 1957, and owner Van Sykes says the magic isn’t about chasing the latest flavor trend. “The art of barbecue is not in a rub it’s in patience and time,” Sykes said.

Sykes grew up in the restaurant, taking orders as a child at his parents’ drive-in. Many of the familiar touches are still there, including old signs, original recipes and even the pit. “Whatever the world does, we just get up and do what we do every day and that fire has been burning since 1957,” he said.

The restaurant has weathered economic downturns, wars and COVID, and like many family businesses, it has evolved while keeping its roots intact. Sykes said customers often return to the meals they remember from growing up. “They always come back to the food they grew up on I hadn’t even been home yet, I came by here first,” he said.

In Northport, Archibald’s Bar-B-Q has also drawn generations of customers, even with a small building and a simple menu. Locals and visitors still line up for hickory-smoked ribs that have made the restaurant a staple for more than 70 years.

Owner Woodrow Washington III said keeping the business in the family has been central to its longevity. “Grandmother said keep everybody together and keep it in the family so that’s what we’ve done,” Washington said. “This is Archibald senior— started in 1962 myself and my brother we’re the 2nd and 3rd generation.”

In Tuscaloosa, Dreamland Bar-B-Que has become part of Alabama culture, with walls filled with memories tied to football legends, coaches and families who have been coming for decades.

Longtime customer Hugh Heller said the place still tops every barbecue stop he’s tried across the country. “I’ve lived all over the united states this is still my favorite barbecue of all places I’ve ever eaten,” Heller said.

For Heller, it’s also a familiar landmark that’s easy to return to. “I’ve been coming here for years it’s not hard for me to find this spot not this place,” he said.

Through every generation, these barbecue joints have kept the same rhythm: showing up early, tending the fire and serving the communities around them. In a state known for football, music and history, some of Alabama’s most lasting stories are still being told right around the dinner table.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WSFA) – Republican voters chose Sen. Tommy Tuberville, and Democrats picked former Sen. Doug Jones in Tuesday’s primary election, setting up a political rematch in the race at the top of the ballot.

Tuberville and Jones first faced off in the 2020 U.S. Senate race. Both spent primary night in Birmingham holding separate election parties, and while their messages to voters differed, each said the push to November begins immediately.

“We’re going to go out for the next 4-5 months and we’re going to ask people what is your biggest need,” Tuberville said. “What do you want to do to make your life better? What are you missing?”

Jones told supporters his campaign is building toward the general election.

“You’re going to hear me say it a lot between now and November. We’re building that house,” Jones said. “This is the crew right here, that tonight is laying the foundation to build that house that Alabama deserves.”

A day after the primary, both nominees were on the move. Tuberville traveled back to Washington, D.C., and Jones met with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who was in Birmingham in support of the Jones campaign.

“We need your commitment to engage not just today, or tomorrow, or through November when we win this ticket,” Jones said.

“When we win in November, we’re going to need you to engage every day of every week of every month.”

Tuberville also emphasized not taking the general election for granted.

“It is going to be hard for the next 4-5 months, we are going to take nothing for granted,” Tuberville said. “You never have anything won. You go out and do it the hard way. You shake hands and tell people what you’re going to do, but you also ask them questions while you’re doing it. ‘What do you need?’”

Both candidates echoed a similar theme moving forward: preventing Alabama’s young people from leaving the state after they graduate.

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