By Kristin Martin
Published on October 24, 2007
For good reason, Dothan, Ala. is known as “Peanut Capital of the World”. From edible peanuts that come roasted, fried or boiled to Elvis peanut monuments to the National Peanut Festival, peanuts in Dothan are everywhere. Not only does Dothan offer peanuts in great supply, it also provides a number of other interesting sites such as murals, world’s smallest city block and more.
Based on MapQuest, Dothan, Ala. is just 2 hours and 31 minutes away from the Pensacola Campus at PJC. With Dothan being so close to campus, you should consider taking a weekend road trip to the National Peanut Festival that is held at the NPF fairgrounds in Dothan Nov. 2-11, 2007. The National Peanut Festival has been a local tradition since its start Nov. 10, 1938. There will be carnival rides, concerts, contests, food, demolition derbies, and most importantly, an excessive appreciation for peanuts.
One of the most unique things about Dothan is the 4-foot tall, fiberglass peanut monuments found sporadically all over the town. There are approximately 40 peanut monuments in Dothan. The golden peanut helps proclaim Dothan as “Peanut Capital of the World”. There are peanut monuments of Elvis, The Dothan Eagle newspaper boy, Breast Cancer Awareness, a firefighter, the Mona Lisa, and many more. This public art project, “Peanuts Around Town”, was started to help Dothan financially in becoming a “mural city”. For a large amount of money, peanuts are sold to and decorated by local businesses. Everyone seems to love scouting out those peanuts. In fact, the Elvis peanut monument was loved so much that someone tried to steal it. This resulted in the peanut moving to a new home inside of the Dothan Visitor’s Information Center.
Hot boiled peanut stands are located everywhere around Dothan, but one stand in particular caught my attention during my visit there this past weekend. It was Trawick’s Hot Boiled Peanuts stand. Byron Trawick is the owner and he sells Dothan-grown, Spanish red skin, boiled peanuts from his curbside cart. He started his own peanut business in 1990 after retiring from a Dothan housing company. Trawick said, “I got lonesome [after retiring], picked this up as a hobby.” This Dothan native told me that he remembers when the roads in Dothan weren’t paved. Now the roads in Dothan are paved and busy and Trawick has been selling his delectable peanuts from the same location since 1993.