Day 85 of our 2025 RVing Adventure with Historical & Musical Interludes

It's Friday July 25th, day 85 of our 2025 summer adventure. Charlie wanted to get on the road early to avoid driving in the real heat of the day. I hate to break it to him... but when I came out of the rig at 6am, my glasses immediately steamed up. I think that we will be driving in heat today! We stayed here in 2015 and 2019 according to our travel log!

When we departed Parkwood RV Park and Cottages in Statesboro, GA there is Vinny’s Bargain Barn—officially an antique furniture store, though he calls it a “junk store”—located on Highway 301 in Statesboro, Georgia. 

The store, a two-story structure surrounded by scattered outdoor merchandise, has been open for about 20 years. Vinny's Bargain Barn stands out as a hidden gem for antique enthusiasts and treasure hunters alike. With a unique and eclectic assortment of items, this charming store captures the essence of nostalgic shopping, offering a delightful experience that sparks the imagination. The owner has an engaging personality and extensive knowledge of antiques, enhancing the shopping experience. Shoppers can rummage through an unorganized yet fascinating array of items that tell a story. The charm of My Cousin Vinny's Bargain Barn lies not only in its offerings but also in the welcoming environment that encourages exploration and creativity. Whether searching for a nostalgic item or an unexpected find, this store promises an enjoyable and memorable outing.

Known the world over for old-fashioned goodness and traditional holiday appeal, Claxton Fruit Cake is the "Choice of Millions Since 1910." Sun-ripened California raisins, delicious pineapple, crunchy Georgia pecans, plump juicy cherries, freshly shelled walnuts and almonds, tangy lemon and orange peel blended into a rich pound cake batter and baked to a golden brown. That is the recipe for the famous Claxton Fruit Cake. In January on 1966, the Claxton Bakery was founded by Savino Gillio-Tos in Claxton, Georgia. He immigrated to the US in 1902. He lived in New York City, where he worked at a Brooklyn hotel as a master baker. He eventually took a job in Macon, Georgia and moved from there to Claxton. Mr. Gillio-Tos's Claxton Bakery was a successful maker of baked goods, homemade ice cream and fruitcakes. In 1945, he sold the bakery to Albert Parker, an employee, and he retired. 

Under Parker's leadership, the Claxton Bakery began to focus on fruitcakes; this eventually led the bakery to start selling fruitcakes for fundraising purposes in the 1950s. One of the bakery's earliest fundraising partners was Civitan International; since 1951, local Civitans have sold millions of pounds of Claxton fruitcake each holiday season in support of their work with the developmentally disabled. A little over a decade later, in 1964 and 1965, the company was part of the New York World's Fair. Mr. Parker quickly took advantage of the success at the fair and came up with other means to get his product out to the world. One such innovation came when he entered several floats in the Orange Bowl Jamboree Parade in Miami and also the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C. Today the Claxton Bakery, Inc. works with over a thousand organizations throughout North America. Doesn’t everyone love fruitcake?!

There might be a bit of competition in town.... we saw the Georgia Bakery with a sign for Georgia Fruit Cake Company. Since 1954, when the Georgia Fruitcake Company picked up its first military contract (one order for 52,000 pounds of cake and another for 64,000 pounds), this family-owned business has counted on the military as one of their main customers. Since then, they have added a mail order system and an online service that is available to the public. Everyone is welcome to stop by Claxton, visit the facilities, and make a purchase right at the counter. The Georgia Fruitcake Company offers three main varieties of their cakes: the vacuum-sealed canned Georgia Fruit Cake, the vacuum-sealed canned bourbon fruitcake (The Womble's Fruit Cake), and the 11-pound loaves.

Between Claxton and Jesup, we got a phone call no one wants to get when they are making a big purchase. We learned today that there is a recall from Ford on the back-up camera on the chassis for our motorhome. Yikes! What does this mean? In Florida, it means that the vehicle is NFS (not for sale.) It is illegal for a dealer to sell it with an open recall on it. So, where does that leave us? Upset. Annoyed. Frustrated. But, it's not our salesman's fault. We inked the deal on the 18th and the recall came out on the 21st. If there is any good news in this situation... Lazydays has a second unit, similar to ours, which is still available and it is not part of the recall. It is still a 2024. So, why is it not part of the recall? Time to do some research. Charlie is driving, while I am surfing the internet. We had both VINs, because we looked at both units in the beginning. Yes, the unit we have the contract on is on the recall. But, the 2nd unit is not on recall. And the reason that it is not on recall is because this 2024 coach is built on a 2023 chassis. That happens sometimes. So, we might have some leverage to get the same deal we had on the first unit for this higher priced 2nd unit.

Jesup GA was named for Thomas Jesup, a general during the Second Seminole War. I love Drive-Ins! The Jesup Drive-In Movie Theatre is Georgia's oldest drive-in movie theater, was established in 1948 by Ward Riggins Sr. It operated as a single-screen venue until the early 1970s when Tim Cockfield acquired it. Following tornado damage to the original screen in the mid-1970s, a replacement was installed from the closed Swainsboro Drive-In, and the venue expanded to two screens. In 2011, Ralph and Jamie Hickox purchased and restored the theater, aiming to preserve its 1950s architectural features. The Jesup Drive-In has received state and local recognition for its community service including 2014 Wayne County Business of the year, Georgia Small business of the year in 2018 by the Georgia Downtown Association and 2025 Renaissance Award by the Georgia Cities foundation. The Theater was practically wiped out by Hurricane Helena in 2024 but was restored by the Hickox's and reopened in the spring of 2025.

We crossed the border from Georgia into Florida on US 301. I have to say I love the "welcome to Florida" sign they have here. The "Free State of Florida" phrase has been used by Governor DeSantis since 2020, when he opened the state's economy after COVID-19 lockdowns. In his 2022 State of the State address, he declared Florida "the freest state in the United States". 

In the Florida town of Starke, 301 is also known as Rosa Park Highway. Starke may have been named in honor of developer George W. Cole's fiancée or in honor of Madison Starke Perry, fourth governor of Florida and a Confederate States Army colonel. The Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, adds that the city may have been named after "Thomas Starke, a slaveholder who once owned much land around the area." There was a motorhome mural on the side of the Revels RV Accessories building. It was originally commissioned in 2006 and painted by Kellyanne Fitzsimmons.

We arrived at our overnight destination, the Starke KOA. After several nights of no shade, I was excited when the desk clerk made sure we had a site that had some shade! Once we got set up, we had some discussions about our next step with our purchase and we made a few phone calls back to our sales rep at Lazydays. It was a quiet night, but I don't anticipate much sleep! 

Stay tuned for more #TwoLaneAdventures