A few of the front-porch rocking chairs you know from Cracker Barrel now double as works of art, just in time for Veterans Day. Each chair features original artwork that tells a story of military service, and a couple of the people behind those stories have spent years inside Cracker Barrel restaurants.
Cracker Barrel calls the project Rockers Across America. The company commissioned artists Victoria Barnhill and Emma Gilbert for Military Families Month, and they put their designs right where you’d rest your head. Sarah Moore, Cracker Barrel’s chief marketing officer, said that “we’re turning one of our most iconic symbols into a tribute to veterans and military families.”
4 Chairs, 4 Stories of Service
You’ll see two distinct styles across the four designs, one from each artist. Barnhill is an Atlanta-based painter with a signature palette-knife impasto technique, while Gilbert is a Birmingham-based muralist and oil painter.
Cracker Barrel created the collection with America250, the national organization behind the country’s 250th anniversary celebration.
The Real People Behind the Designs
The Aviator honors Glenn Carr, a 91-year-old Army veteran and longtime Cracker Barrel guest in Braselton, Georgia. Barnhill’s design features an eagle and Army aircraft soaring above impressionistic American scenery.
Mike Madden, a former Marine and 16-year Cracker Barrel restaurant district manager, gets his own chair, too. Serving Others reflects his military service and the hospitality he’s shown throughout his Cracker Barrel career.
The other two chairs come from the artists’ own lives. Barnhill’s The Guardians draws on her husband and other veterans in her life. Its oak trees stand for strength, and its yellow ribbons represent families waiting to welcome service members home.
Gilbert-based Grandma’s Cookin’ draws on her family history and her cousin’s military service, and the design centers on home and Southern heritage. Look closely, and you’ll spot patriotic and military details throughout.
Where You Can See the Chairs
You can see the chairs up close at 10 Cracker Barrel locations through Nov. 30. You’ll find more details on the company’s Rockers Across America page.
- Manassas, Virginia (Washington, D.C., area)
- Concord, North Carolina (Charlotte area)
- McDonough, Georgia (Atlanta area)
- Orange Park, Florida (Jacksonville area)
- Orlando, Florida
- Mount Juliet, Tennessee (Nashville area)
- Fishers, Indiana (Indianapolis area)
- Independence, Missouri (Kansas City area)
- Arlington, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth area)
- Phoenix
More Ways Cracker Barrel Is Honoring Veterans
If you’re a veteran or on active duty, you can get a free Sunrise Pancake Special at Cracker Barrel tomorrow, Nov. 11. You’ll need to dine in and show proof of service.
The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Foundation and Cracker Barrel are also partnering on a $100,000 donation to the Gary Sinise Foundation. The money supports the group’s custom homebuilding program for severely wounded heroes.
How to Win One of the Chairs
You don’t have to make it to a participating store for a shot at taking one of these chairs home. The sweepstakes runs through Nov. 30 and allows one entry per person, with no purchase necessary. It’s open to legal residents of the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., who are 18 or older and have reached the age of majority.