BOOK REVIEW 100 THINGS TO DO IN AUBURN By Ann Cipperly 100 Things to Do in Auburn, Alabama Before You Die shares the best places to eat, explore the outdoors, take in a sporting or cultural event, shop, or learn something new. The author of “100 Things To Do In Auburn, AL Before You Die,” Connie Pearson has been traveling and writing about places on her blog and freelance articles since 2015. Being homebound during the pandemic, she was motivated to write her first book, which was on things to do in Huntsville and North Alabama near her home in Hartselle. Since Connie and her husband, Dr. Steve Pearson, are both Auburn graduates and attend football games, she felt her next book should be on Auburn. The Pearsons’ first season to attend Auburn games as a married couple was in 1971. It was the senior season for Pat Sullivan and Terry Beasley, and they had season tickets on the 40-yard line. For the past several years, Dr. Pearson has been taking four of their grandsons to at least one game every year, training them well. They are huge Tiger fans. Before Connie started her blog, she was a private piano teacher, a public school music teacher, then a Southern Baptist missionary in Ecuador. She is now on her fourth career. The Pearsons have a big family with three children and 15 grandchildren. During the pandemic, it occurred to Connie that when people began traveling again, they would probably start visiting sites closer to home. She heard about the book series, “100 Things To Do Before you Die,” published by Reedy Press. The books had been written about big cities, but not about Huntsville, the largest city in Alabama. She decided to talk to the editor about a book on Huntsville to include places in North Alabama. She received the contract, and the book was released in March 2022. When Connie heard a “100 Things Tuscaloosa” book was being written, she asked the editor about Auburn. After she had listed several reasons, Connie feels she received the contract after she told the editor, “When our kids were young, we told them that Santa Claus wouldn’t come if they said, ‘Roll Tide.’ He said, ‘Okay. You can write the Auburn book.’” While she wanted to include Opelika in the title, the editor “wouldn’t budge,” but said she could include attractions and restaurants in Lee County. A third of the places in the book are about events and businesses outside Auburn. 92 EAST ALABAMA LIVING
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