100 JULY | AUGUST 2019
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Enjoy the nostalgia at the Classic Sandwich
and Coffee Shop. Desserts at The Dinner Bell are scrumptious and home-
made. Find the perfect outfit for the Fourth at Reverie Boutique. Cowhide
handbags are a fashionable find at True Grit. Take a train ride at the Whistle
Stop Festival. OPPOSITE: Fried Green Tomatoes served with Crawfish Julie
sauce is a crowd pleaser at the Blue Crab Grill. Stop in Cooley’s for a fresh-
grilled hamburger.After stopping in the library—which is central to the
town’s local culture and where I learned all about the mu-
ral, as well as the museum scheduled to open in 2020—I
decided to continue my wandering with a visit to Reverie
Boutique. With a variety of goods, from children’s cloth-
ing and accessories to bath bombs and ladies’ fashions, it
is easy to see why this boutique is a favorite stop among
locals.
As I made my way back toward downtown, I was
quickly enthralled by an antique red truck parked outside
of a diner. It was a perfect prop to draw me into the Classic
Sandwich and Coffee Shop, where I found a friendly staff
serving sandwiches, cakes, coffee, and more inside an at-
mosphere built for nostalgia. The café, which is located in
a renovated home built in 1935, features an old icebox Co-
ca-Cola dispenser, a retro popcorn machine, and a juke-
box. The tables are fashioned from doors original to the
home. And as I learned, the truck parked out front is much
more than a prop. It is entirely functional and is used in
the town’s Christmas parade during numerous festivals,
and for serving lemonade to children during long days of
school breaks.
Remember that slice of cake from lunch? It was ter-
rific with a cup of afternoon coffee. Even so, I could not
pass up a chance to stop in at Cooley’s Hamburgers. A
legendary eatery in town, Cooley’s has been serving updaily special of chicken spaghetti, and it did not disappoint.
Served with a salad, roll, and a piece of cake, it was a lunch
to be savored (I saved the cake for later).
Cars formed a line through the parking lot and into the
street, awaiting their turns to order. I opted for a seat inside,
to enjoy this delicious lunch, I could not help but overhear
conversations from the drive-thru window. “How’s your
wife doin’, Mr. Jones?” “Congratulations on your daughter’s
graduation.” It was truly delightful. Across the street, a din-
er called The Dinner Bell also appeared to overflow with a
hungry lunchtime crowd.
Completely satiated, I ventured around town and
stopped in awe of a large, beautiful mural painted on the
side of the Waynesboro-Wayne County Library. The paint-
ing, commissioned to celebrate the state of Mississippi’s
recent bicentennial celebration, depicts Waynesboro’s his-
tory, from its settlement days to modern-day festivals.
Central to the mural is a depiction of a train, an ele-
ment central to the town’s story and one of its most popu-
lar events, the annual Whistle Stop Festival. The festival,
which just celebrated its 15th year, includes fun activities
for all ages—a car show, music, a train ride for children, and
more than 100 vendors. Money raised by the festival is put
back into the community for projects including new “Wel-
come to Waynesboro” signage, landscaping around town,
and other beautification efforts.