08/31/2026
⚠️ WARNING: THIS POST IS LONG.
But there ain’t nobody who has ever accused me of being short-winded, so grab a cup of coffee, a cocktail, a snack, or whatever helps you settle in. 😂
🍂 THIS WEEK AT TWISTED OAKS | SEPTEMBER 1–5 🍂
September has arrived, and apparently we decided subtle was overrated because this week is STACKED.
Food. Cards. Wings. Trivia. Live music. Desserts. Dolly. And one final farewell to shrimp boil season.
🍕 BURGER OF THE WEEK: THE PIZZA BURGER
Oh. My. Gosh!
This one may cause a little burger/pizza identity crisis, but we are perfectly fine with that.
A big juicy burger topped with Swiss cheese, our handmade pizza wedges, marinara, pepperoni and banana peppers.
Part burger.
Part pizza.
Completely ridiculous.
And absolutely delicious.
🐸🃏 TUESDAY | FROG LEGS + TURNIP GREENS + EUCHRE
Tuesday already means FROG LEGS, but this week we are adding something we get asked for ALL THE TIME.
OUR HOMEMADE GREENS.
This Tuesday we will have a huge batch of delicious turnip greens simmering away.
And when we say huge batch, we mean it.
We know how many of you ask for our greens, so we are making plenty.
Come enjoy them while they last.
Then at 6 PM, it’s time for EUCHRE!
Come play, laugh, visit, meet some new people and occasionally remember that technically somebody is supposed to be keeping score. 😂
🍗🎶 WEDNESDAY | WINGSDAY + WEDNESDAY NIGHT JAM
WingsDay all day while supplies last!
75¢ wings in groups of 10, dine-in only.
Then at 6 PM, the Wednesday Night Jam kicks off and runs until 9 PM.
This week’s featured band is Mark Derrick & the King of Hearts Band.
Musicians, singers, songwriters and music lovers are all welcome.
Whether you want to get up there and play or just sit back and enjoy the talent, Wednesday nights have become something pretty special around here.
🍝💗 THURSDAY | THROWBACK + DOLLY TRIVIA + A SPECIAL DOLLY CELEBRATION
First up, our Throwback Thursday special is RATTLESNAKE PASTA, available while supplies last.
Then Thursday night is going PINK. 💗
We’ll be celebrating the one and only Dolly Parton with a special evening of fun, memories and a whole lot of Dolly spirit.
🧠 DOLLY TRIVIA AT 6 PM
We are doing one trivia game at 6 PM, and it will be all about Dolly.
So if you know the movies, the stories, the quotes, the career, the outfits and all the little Dolly details, this is your moment.
Then after trivia, Sam will take over with the songs, and we’ll keep the Dolly celebration going with music throughout the evening.
👱♀️💗 DOLLY LOOK-ALIKE CONTEST
Break out the big hair, rhinestones, pink, sparkle and whatever else makes you feel just a little more Dolly.
Winner receives $100, and we will also be making a $100 donation to charity in honor of the evening.
And speaking of competition…
Apparently we were knocked out of the playoffs for the first time in a number of years I have personally chosen not to remember. 😂
So naturally we are pulling for the remaining teams!!!!!
Just kidding.
Or are we?
Good luck to everybody still in it.
And to those of us who are not, that’s okay. We may not be able to win anymore, but perhaps we can make it a little harder for somebody else to. 😏😂
So Thursday has a little bit of everything.
Rattlesnake Pasta, Dolly trivia at 6, songs after, laughter and a whole lot of pink.
💗 Thursday, September 3 at Twisted Oaks
Dolly Parton
🥩🎸 FRIDAY NIGHT | PRIME RIB + JIMMY HEINRICH BAND
Prime Rib starts at 5 PM.
You all keep showing up for it, so we are doing TWO PRIME RIBS AGAIN THIS FRIDAY!
And YES…
🥔 BAKED POTATOES ARE BACK ON FRIDAY NIGHTS!
Apparently some of y’all have very strong feelings about baked potatoes. 😂
Then the Jimmy Heinrich Band takes the stage at 7 PM for a Friday night full of live music.
🦐🎶 SATURDAY | SOULFISH + THE FINAL SHRIMP BOIL
Shrimp Boil starts at 5 PM.
And folks…
THIS. IS. IT.
Our LAST SHRIMP BOIL OF THE SEASON.
Come and get it Saturday because after that it is…
👋 BYE BYE SHRIMP BOIL.
See you again Memorial Day weekend.
We are also so happy to welcome Soulfish back to Twisted Oaks at 7 PM to help us send shrimp boil season out the right way.
🍰 MAMA KIM’S DESSERTS
We knew once word got around and your taste buds started doing the advertising for us, Mama Kim’s desserts were going to take off.
And boy, did they.
They sold out WAY too early last week, so Mama Kim said…
Fine.
She’s DOUBLING IT THIS WEEK. 😂
These desserts are made right here in-house, from scratch, using local ingredients whenever possible and prepared by a licensed baker.
And she is bringing back the same lineup everybody went crazy over last week.
You can also check out some of Mama Kim’s delicious treats at Black Sheep Cafe and General Store, located inside The Mill at Lebanon.
Now, if you made it this far, buckle up because it’s time for…
❤️ MY TWISTED CORNER | MY STORY
This week’s story did not actually happen at Twisted Oaks.
It happened Saturday evening at Greenbrook Park in Smithville during the Glow Stick Vigil, sponsored by the DeKalb Prevention Coalition, where people came together to honor the memories of those whose lives have been lost to overdose.
Unfortunately, this year I had a reason to attend.
Earlier this year, I lost someone I held very dear.
And Saturday night made me realize just how lucky I had been to go this long in life without personally understanding how many families have experienced this kind of loss.
I had no idea.
To say I was moved would be an understatement.
The people who organized this event did an incredible job, and the number of people who attended both surprised me and broke my heart.
Everyone was encouraged to decorate a white paper bag in memory of the person, or people, they were there to honor.
Volunteers then placed lights inside each bag and lined the sidewalk around the pond with them.
And then we walked.
One glowing memorial after another.
Each one representing a person.
A family.
A story.
A life that mattered.
At the end of the walk, everyone gathered together in a circle for prayer and remembrance.
Then names were called out.
As those names were spoken, glow sticks were raised and illuminated in their honor.
It was surreal.
But what affected me most were the voices.
You could hear the anguish in some of the voices as people called out the names of someone they loved.
It was incredibly humbling.
I was told that even with all the people who attended Saturday night, those who came represented not even a fourth of the people in our county who could have been there because of how many families have been affected by addiction and overdose.
That stopped me in my tracks.
I hope this event grows bigger every year.
Not because I ever want another person to have a reason to attend.
I don’t.
But because the people who already carry this kind of grief deserve a place to remember their person.
They deserve support.
They deserve to stand beside other people who understand something they probably wish none of them understood.
Saturday night, people stood around that pond with different stories, different memories and different heartbreaks.
But every one of them had something in common.
They loved someone.
And that someone mattered.
I think sometimes we get so caught up talking about addiction, statistics, drugs, overdoses and everything surrounding this epidemic that we can forget something very important.
Behind every number is a name.
Behind every name is a person.
And behind that person are people who loved them.
Saturday night made sure those names were remembered.
And I am very grateful I was there. ❤️
Here’s to another week at Twisted Oaks filled with good food, good music, laughter, friends and maybe a reminder to all of us that sometimes the most important thing we can do for another person is simply show up.
❤️ Twisted Oaks
