NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Driving through Nashville neighborhoods over the years, you may have seen a certain something celebrating good news. It's made by the owner of a favorite local restaurant. Now, we're getting the story behind it.
You need to have the backstory first.
Some people have given a nickname to Cees Brinkman.
"The unofficial mayor of East Nashville!" he laughed.
"You like that title?" I asked him.
"As an unofficial title, it's pretty cool."
You'll often find Cees and wife Jenna out on their porch in East Nashville.
"I've told everyone it's my favorite room in the house," Jenna smiled.
Cees grew up in the Netherlands. Something his family always instilled in him was to love your neighbors. Cees certainly does love it in East Nashville.
"It is such a diverse neighborhood," he said. "I felt at home right away."
His family on both sides ran restaurants, so does Cees today. He's the owner behind The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden.
"You sit at the bar, you talk with other people, you meet other people, you share good food and good drinks," Cees said. "I thought, 'I really want to bring this neighborhood together.'"
Cees's family knew food can do that. There's something else Cees has brought over from his family and made a tradition here for 30 years.
"In the Netherlands, we make sure if a baby is born, we put a big stork in the yard that everybody in the neighborhood knows that a baby is born there," he said.
For neighbors and friends with a newborn, Cees often places a hand carved wooden stork in their yard, complete with a line of new baby clothes. He's done this many times. This time it was for neighbor Larry Moscowitz.
"We're very excited to have her!" Larry said, cradling the newest member of the family, Evelyn. "I knew about the stork generally! I had no idea about the stork in our lawn. This was a nice surprise to come home to."
This time, the stork was working double. Not only was Larry's house welcoming a new baby, so was the house next door.
"He just likes to party at night!" laughed new mom Ali Baird, introducing newborn Walker.
"The girls' clothes aren't as obnoxious as the boys' clothes!" Cees laughed, looking at the contrasting lines of baby clothes.
Cees started the stork thirty years ago after the birth of his son. He remembers how great this time was, and he wants the stork to celebrate good news.
"I'm very impressed, flattered," Ali said.
I think we hear this a lot today, people don't feel neighborhoods are as close as they used to be. Well, that's not true in this East Nashville neighborhood, and Cees is a reason why.
"I think he's the neighbor everybody would want to have," Ali said.
"It helps that we have people like Cees around the neighborhood who keeps the block together and unified," Larry added.
A tradition born many miles away goes on, all thanks to that unofficial mayor of East Nashville.
"We take pride in having good neighbors and good friends," Cees said.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
I love a good "before and after" and Nick Beres comes through showing what some TLC can do for some pups found in deplorable conditions. It's so good to see these dogs on their way to a much better future. Enjoy this update!
- Carrie Sharp
