A recent donation of an abstract painting by noted artist Charlie Lucas of Pink Lily, Alabama, to the We Piddle Around Theater in Brundidge was gratefully accepted by the Brundidge Historical Society

Lawrence Bowden, longtime president of the historical group, said the theater is not often thought of as an art gallery but it is. The artwork by local artists that hangs at the theater creates the atmosphere that Andy Irwin, professional storyteller, said is what the Cracker Barrel tries to be. “It’s real.”

And, the We Piddle Theater is real, Bowden said. The theater was “born” in the ashes of the fire that gutted the city-owned building with a 1940s cornerstone. The historic building had stood empty for 10 years before the BHS was given use of the city building.

Bowden said most everything in the We Piddle Around Theater is “authentic, except the refrigerator and the flushing johns.”

The sawdust on the floor, the sky-high ceiling, the aging brick walls, the jailhouse rest rooms, the artwork and the old-tiques give the theater a uniqueness just right for piddlin’ around. And for dining on supper just like on grandma’s table.

Bowden said the paintings and quilts were done by local artists, including, but not limited to, “Larry Godwin, Betty Sue Matthews, Nall, Dan Fraley, Larry Shillabeer, Mary Ann Casey, Lenny Trawick, Amanda Trawick, Kitty Smothers, Mike Benton, Ricard Girdner, Mary Page, Doug Hawkins and the quilters.

The guitar picker and fiddler metal sculptures that welcome supper guests to the We Piddle Around Theater were created by a metal artist in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Everything together is the We Piddle Around Theater.

It does take a village for piddlin’ around,” Bowden said. Brundidge is a village.