Cordele Recreation Parlor

It was the same neon sign that had elegantly announced the establishment as the "Cordele Recreation Parlor - Billiards" for as long as I could remember. Despite the illusion of grandeur implied by the neon sign, everyone had always called it the "Cordele Pool Room". It was exactly that - a pool room. It had been in existence in the same location since 1939. It was in the old part of Cordele, Georgia that was once a vibrant, bustling shopping district. I happened to be visiting my cousin who lived about 30 minutes from Cordele in Leesburg, Georgia. We had made a trip to Stripling's, a store known for its fresh and smoked sausage, which was only 10 minutes from Cordele. So, we decided to drive into Cordele and get a Pool Room chili dog for lunch. It had been years since either of us had had one and were curious if they were the same as we remembered.

Cordele, Ga. was my father's hometown. My maternal grandparents lived In Vienna, Ga. about 15 minutes north of Cordele. As a child and a teenager, I spent a lot of time at my maternal grandparents' house. My maternal grandmother, Christine, would go into Cordele on a weekly basis to go shopping. Cordele was a much bigger town than Vienna with many more stores at which to shop. In the old downtown shopping district, there was Roobin's, a very nice family-run department store that had been in existence since my father was a child. B.C. Moore's, a smaller department store, was down the street from Roobin's. My father worked at B.C. Moore's when he was in high school. There were two 5 &10 stores, McCrory's and McConnell's. There was Ferguson's Mens Shop. In the 1950s, my great-great-aunt had a alterations business in the room above Ferguson's where she did alterations for the men's store and took in sewing work from her own customers. There was Cordele Jeweler's. There was the Smith Sisters' shop which sold china, crystal and assorted gift items. If you were invited to a bridal shower or a wedding, the Smith Sisters' was where one would go to find an appropriate gift. Back in the day, every bride in the area was registered at Smith Sisters'. The Cordele Pool Room was across the street from Roobin's. Often, my grandmother would treat us to a Pool Room hot dog.

Women and children never went inside; we had to place our order at the "to-go" window. In this conservative, Bible-belt town, drinking was considered a sin - even more so for women. I don't know what would have happened if a female decided to invade this male-dominated establishment. Would she have been allowed to stay? Would she have been required to leave? I do know that tongues would have wagged, and the reputation of she-who-dared would have been tarnished. There was no place to sit outside. We either sat in our car or perched on the curb in front of the Pool Room. We loved those chili dogs. I never had a chili dog since that tasted better. Although it has had several owners over the years, the recipe for the chili they put on the chili dogs were handed down from owner to owner. The chili is renown in the region. I have even found YouTube videos with people trying to duplicate the recipe.

As a teenagers, my cousins and I would hang out in Cordele on Friday and Saturday nights, cruising up and down 16th avenue, socializing, and watching movies at the new theater that had opened on 16th, . By that time, there was several fast-food places on 16th near I-75: Burger King, McDonald's, Hardees, and Krystal. Nonetheless, every so often, we would venture into the old part of town to get a Pool Room hot dogs from the "to-go" window to have with our illegally procured beer. Back in those days, the legal drinking age was 18. We never tried to buy alcohol in town at the convenience stores in which the staff were trained to be wary. Earlier in the day, we would make a trip into the country to a small package store usually manned by an older gentleman. When I was 16, I easily passed for 20. He never asked to see my ID, he just asked me, "Honey, are you old enough to buy this?" I would say, "Yes, sir." And that was that.

Although there were glass windows, you really could not really see inside since it was as dark as Egypt. You could see the barely see glow of the lights above the pool tables in the back through the heavy clouds of cigarette smoke. There was a bar flanked with backs of men hunched over their beers. As you stood at the at the "to-go" window, you could hear the boisterous conversations, the clacking of billiard balls, and the dinging of the pinball machines.

Over the years as social norms relaxed, women gradually made their way into Pool Room. However, I had not visited Cordele in many years and had no opportunity to take advantage of this recently bestowed privilege.

Over the years, like many such small towns, the family-owned businesses eventually closed leaving nothing but decaying, forlorn storefronts. However, the Cordele Pool Room persevered. A few years ago, the Pool Room caught fire and was significantly damaged but the owners repaired it and reopened. Fortunately, the old, original sign neon sign was spared.

Upon walking inside, my cousin and I realized that during the post-fire renovation, they had made some changes. They had moved the bar from the right side of the space to the left side. The pool tables were still in the back but you could actually see them since there was no cigarette smoke screen. Also, the front area was better lit. However, the floor was the original worn, cracked marble tile that predated the Pool Room. The space had been a barbershop before the Pool Room took over the space. They had added some tables but they were all filled with families, so Melinda and I took seats at the bar.

We both ordered a chili-slaw dog. They were served on oval, china plates with a fork. The chili tasted the same as I remembered. The homemade slaw was sublime. The cabbage was not too fine and not too coarse, with minced dill pickles and carrots, lightly dressed with some mayonnaise with vinegar - and a perfect foil for the chili. I did not order french fries because I suspected I would want another hot dog. I did. I thought this may be the last time I ever get to have this wonderful memory from my past again.