Around Town

The Sharpsburg Fair

 

Say what? Little old Sharpsburg had a fair?

Well our little town at one time was a booming place with more businesses along Main Street than you could ever imagine.

I will get to those old store fronts in later columns but this week I want to write about the fair.

Now, some of ya’ll already know this bit of historical information if you own or have read about it in J.A. Richards History of Bath County.

But for those of you who are younger, well this may be surprising news.

The following is what Richards said about the Sharpsburg Fair.

The Sharpsburg Fair was for many years a featured attraction of the summer season.

There was an Amphitheater and a half-mile running and trotting track that drew fanciers of fine horse flesh from adjoining counties who brought from their stables for exhibition the noted mares, geldings, stallions and Jacks of the day.

The Fair, Richards said, was generally held during the month of August and ran for a week and was first initiated in 1877 by the Bath County Stock and Trotting Association, an association of the leading farmers, livestock owners and fanciers in the Sharpsburg community.

The fairgrounds were located about one and a half miles from Sharpsburg on the Edgar Wilson Farm or what we know as the Ben Wilson Farm now days.

Running and trotting races were held during the week long event and other attractions included bicycle racing, a flying Dutchman and what Richards referred to as the “invariable balloon ascension”.

At one of these fairs L.L. Skaggs of Lawrence County, known as the “Kentucky Giant” was placed on exhibition.

At the time Skaggs was thirty-one years of age, weighed 531 pounds and had a waist line of 62 inches, was 6 feet, 9 inches tall and wore a size 14 shoe.

According to Richards account, the amphitheater was constructed of dressed lumber with closed in spaces under the seats, a promenade space at the top with a stand for the local band and booths underneath for merchants and others to rent for the storage and sale of articles to the patrons.

There were stalls in which to quarter horses and at the back of the grandstand was a long frame dining room and a large cistern, all of which was situated in a beautiful woodland with large trees.

One of the attractions at the fair was Old Man Story and his pulled candy which he sold bountifully to the patrons.

At times the fairgrounds became the arena for some vicious knife and pistol play.

One such occurrence happened Aug. 11, 1892, when Robert Booth of Bourbon County, and David Dale of Bath County, got into a difficulty near the amphitheater and engaged in this unusual sport. 

It appears that Dale, after advancing on Booth with a drawn dirk, began a hasty retreat when Booth drew a gun and pursuing him with cool and deliberate aim, brought him to earth with a near-fatal wound.

So, there ya have it, a small account of the Sharpsburg Fair as written by J.A. Richards’ “A History of Bath County,” Copyright, 1961, published by Southwest Printers.  Aug. 4, 2016

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Happy trails to us

 

Well, last week I rambled on about what my hometown looked like when I was growing up and although some things remain the same, like Browns Department Store, Pecks and the Post Office, much of the scenery has changed.

For some of us, it’s kind of sad not be able to stop in at Roberts Grocery, or have Mr. Bob lean into the drivers window to chat, or wave to Sleepy as we pass by the old fire house.

But, even with some places and people gone, we still like to visit our little town.

My youngest brothers old friend and classmate, Michael Petitt has his Massage Therapy business on Main Street, and while Robert Brown is no longer with us, we can still open the door to Browns and hear that old familiar bell ring.

Roberts Grocery is now home to a new Mexican store and there is a new library and community center for the locals to enjoy.

So, with all that said, there have been a few natives who would like to see a little more life in our town and have talked about the idea of possibly opening a few more fun and interesting places to shop.

I personally think it would be fun to see some quaint and charming vintage or antique stores, maybe a fabulous new and used book store along the row of shops already there.

Main Street will always be small, but with the new bypass that brings travelers through the area from far and wide, why couldn’t our little town become a favorite destination filled with unique shops?

With the opening of Sharp Farms Market and Deli, some of the townsfolk have become nostalgic for those days when Sharpsburg was alive with activity.

Maybe some of you have some great ideas to share and could get a prospective shop owners meeting in place.

Who knows, our little community could very well become one of those Kentucky Trail Towns and at the same time a place that still holds the charm we all remember.  July 28, 2016

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When I close my eyes I see a different view

 

Honestly, when I was young, I was just not all that into history. 

But, as I grew older I became interested in genealogy, and with the research it takes to find past relatives, well you can’t bypass all the historical information that leads you through the branches of a family tree.

Just the other day, I stopped by Sharp Farms Market and Deli, where I enjoyed a visit with Mrs. Chloe Ann and Billy Stewart, Charlie Stephens and Anthony Harmon. 

As we chatted. our conversation soon turned to our memories of growing up in Bethel and Sharpsburg and some of the towns history.

It’s interesting how my memories differ from someone who grew up there in a different decade.

For me, when I close my eyes, I can see Doodle’s Gas Station in full swing; the long wooden bench that sat below the front window and Mr. Bob cleaning someones windshield.

Next to Doodles was where my friend Daphne Fair lived and if you crossed the street to the other side is where a line of apartments once stood.

When I think of my hometown, I see folks going inside the old Citizens Bank or Jessie’s Pool Room or loading some feed into their truck at Pecks Farm Supply.

Oh, and there is Bessie Brooks standing inside the door of Mrs. Geneva’s.

For years I thought Bessie was about 12, until daddy told me she was his age.

On down the street was Fred Shrout’s Junk Store, Best Grocery and Roberts Grocery all made up the row of shops along the sidewalk.

I see Mr. Billy Roberts standing behind the meat counter in his white apron as he weighs out some hamburger or slices bologna.

As you crossed the road on the same side, there was the Post Office where Mrs. Betty Roberts would be behind the counter some days. 

The Town Square, where daddy said he got to see movies and sold popcorn for Mr. Eli Roberts, was located between the Post Office and the Fire House.

Seems like I remember a live cedar tree was decorated in the town square sometimes.

At the Fire House you could always find one of daddy’s best friends, Sleepy Martin, sitting in his usual chair next to the side entrance.

The streets were lined with beautiful huge trees and there was always an old blue garbage barrel that sat next to the phone booth on the corner.

If you crossed the street at the stop light and headed back downtown, there was the old block building that housed different businesses at times, then next was the little house where Timmy Petitt lived, and the big two story, Bachelor’s Hall, where my friend Patricia Reed once lived, and then there was Ramona’s little beauty shop and Mrs. Jenny Petitt’s house and last was Mr. Owen’s Gulley’s little shop.

Depending on what age I am when my memories surface, I can see Mrs. Nancy Gilvin as she cuts my hair short, or hear Mrs. Gladys Jones as she hollers for me or Claudia, “girls, one of ya’ll come here. I need you to run up to the store for me.”

So, as Mrs. Chloe Ann said, “we are a tight, close-knit bunch, those of us from Bethel and Sharpsburg and always will be, and we will always enjoy a chance to sit and reminisce.

Remembering those who lived among us and before us, yep, that’s the best history class ever!  July 21, 2016

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Delores Throckmorton Lowry and Abigail Hamilton shares memories

— Delores Throckmorton Lowry

“I went to Ewing School from 1955 to 1963.

My favorite teacher was Helen Donovan, she was not only a great teacher, but she loved kids and she was gorgeous! And an influence for all young girls

Ms. Ruth was the most colorful!!

I hated the food at Ewing School so I spent 7th and 8th grades in the lunchroom at recess with Mrs. Craig staring at my food because I wouldn’t eat it’

My favorite thing was the merry-go-round and playing softball behind the school

The bathroom was always nasty and I still have nightmares about it!

Mrs. Cannon kept journals on the funny things kids said in 1st grade I would love to read them

I remember the sonic booms that shook the windows and fall out drills.

Lloyd Graves would call the square dances at the fall festivals and everyone had a lot of fun.

One time my sister Carolyn won a puppy for a prize. Everybody in town came to the festivals.

My best friend throughout grade school and high school was Freda (Pettit) Mineer. 

I know some of my thoughts may seem too negative, but sometimes it’s the hard times you remember most”.

Abigail Hamilton was a Ewing Elementary student for six years and will graduate from Fleming County High School in 2017.

“I can remember every spring fling, class party and field trip I experienced. 

Ewing was the best days of my life and I know I’m not the only Ewing graduate who feels this way. 

My favorite thing about Ewing was the close bond we all had with each other and still have now. 

Ewing was our safe place we all had something in common and no one cared where you came from who you where and what kind of clothes you had on your back. 

The staff and teachers at Ewing where the best, I believe I have had in all of the years I have attended school. They taught me everything I know from what 2 + 2 is to many other life skills. 

I can remember every teacher I had and how each and everyone of them not only shaped my life but also the many lives of everyone who stepped in that building. 

But the teachers at Ewing didn’t just care about test scores,They cared about who you where as a person and would work with you on any struggle you had. 

Everyone had potential and the staff there saw that. 

Everyone in my graduating class from Ewing talks about wanting to go back and reminisce on the good ole days and having a “Ewing reunion “ where we would all get back together go through the old school and just be together one last time. 

I can remember in kindergarten learning how to read and write in Mrs. Jill Bradley’s room. 

I remember many hours of studying my spelling words for Mrs. Wallingford in 2nd grade. 

I remember everyone loving reading time and getting to take turns with who got to sit in Mrs. Throckmorton’s blue tub. 

I remember learning how to finally write in cursive because Mrs. Applegate felt like everyone should know how and it was a valuable lesson. 

I can remember the excitement of going to Mrs. Kahlor’s room where you not only had a loving teacher but also teacher who did many fun cooky science projects. 

I also remember the hard long class days in Mrs. Schwartz room where we learned the basics of algebra and geometry.  I remember our class never being split up and always having a student teacher and helping them earn their degree and find their spot at Ewing. 

Not only do I remember every single one of these things in fine detail but I am thankful for every experience they have given me. 

I wouldn’t be a great student in algebra and excel in math if it wasn’t for Mrs. Schwartz, wouldn’t have found my passion for reading if it wasn’t for Mrs. Bradley and Mrs. Throckmorton. 

I might not have even learned that I love science and will one day like to become a doctor. 

But most of all, I may have never become the person I am today if it wasn’t for the strong willed women and men who taught me to find my passion and do whatever I want because we were taught we could be anything we wanted to be. 

When people ask me if I could go back to anytime at life this is where I would go’

I would venture my ways back down the halls of Ewing elementary just to be able to live it one last time. 

Everyone who has experienced a time at Ewing will understand what I am talking about. 

We may not have had the best school in town or the nicest books but we did have the best teachers and staff and I can tell you everyone felt this way.”   July 14, 2016

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Ewing Pirates hold tight to their treasured memories

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When word got out that Wally and Tammy bought the old Ewing School and plan to renovate it into apartments for Senior Citizens, the flood gates opened and nostalgic memories fill-ed the minds of former students.

My mother in-law, Betty Jolly King, and her sisters, Ginny, Phyllis, Sue, Faye and Sharon all attended Ewing School.

One of Betty’s most cherished recollections involves some Christmas lights.

“When I was in the first grade we had a cedar tree in our room at Christmas time. I remember walking into the classroom one morning and on that tree was the most beautiful lights I had ever seen. That was the first time I had ever seen bubble lights and I was amazed by them. When I got older I would always go back to Mrs. Cannon’s room during the holidays so I could see those bubble lights on her tree again. And at Christmas we would get a sack of candy and fruit.”

Betty said she also remembered saving some special pennies for one of her teachers.

“Mrs. Evans collected white pennies. She told us she put them on her child’s grave, so whenever my classmates and I would get one of those pennies, we always gave them to her.”

Recess was a time of good memories as well.

“Recess was always fun when I went to school. I remember how me and Larry Ellington would stand up on the swing, facing each other and Larry would make that swing go sky high. My friend Wanda Johnson would yodel for us at recess, she was really good at it too. I also remember the  Merry-Go-Round that was in one of the rooms at school. It had board seats, seems to me they were red, but I’m sure about that, but I remember how much fun it was and how the boys would make go really fast.”

Lunch time was not always a fond memory for some students.

“When I went to school, lunch cost fifteen cents and there were days I didn’t have any lunch money. If you didn’t have any money you just had to go without lunch that day.

Another fun memory is when Betty said she went on a field trip with her class one year.

“I think I was in the seventh grade when we got to go on a hayride out on Cowan Road. We built a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.”

During her first years at school Betty said her best friend was Betty Jo Adamson and when she got older she became good friends with Janice Miller and Jane Darnell. 

”One time the kids in my class had to go to the nurses office to get a shot, I think it was for Diphtheria, and I remember how it hurt and how Jane and I would put our sore arms in a make-shift sling when we got home.”

When she started school Betty lived at Cowan and rode Mr. Earnest Mitchell’s bus, then after her family moved to Ewing she and her sisters would walk to school.

In next weeks column I will have more memories from former students who attended the old Ewing School.  July 7, 2016

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Partial to small communities

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As most of you may know, I’m a little partial to small communities.

I grew up in a small town with a population of only 400 residents.

In years past, each little town had their own school that was the center of activity and the glue that held the community together.

Both the little towns where I once lived have lost their community schools. 

And even though there may have been a need for a more updated facility, it’s just sad to see a building that still has “good bones” sitting vacant.

Although the Sharpsburg school has been torn town, the city was able to save the old gym and has turned it into a super nice community center and they have added a wonderful library in the spot where the old school once stood.

At Bethel my former elementary school still stands as a reminder of our childhood school days, but it looks so sad just sitting there empty.

I know many of the former students that spent eight years of their life inside those sturdy old walls hope that someday someone will come along and renovate the historic structure in some way.

I have to admit, I really did not like school but I loved the books and crayons and all the colorful letters of the alphabet that lined the top of the blackboard in Mrs. Opals first grade room. 

I loved the bright colored beads on the abacus too, but I hated learning to add and count.

What I really looked forward to was learning to read from the Jack and Janet book and I really enjoyed lunch and recess.

Anyway, I wanted to start this column to talk about what is going on out at the old Ewing school, but memory and nostalgia got in the way.

So, if you have read the front page story you know that Wally and Tammy Thomas purchased the building and are in the process of turning the old school into apartments for senior citizens.

I just think what they are doing is AMAZING!!! 

What a wonderful way to keep their small town school the focal point of their hometown.

How cool and fun will it be if you are a former student of Ewing and in the next few years be able to rent a lovely little apartment in one of your old classrooms! 

Plus you will be within a very short walking distance to Dot’s Homemade Cafe and whatever other little shop will take up the other two classrooms.

To me, it’s just simply awesome that the Ewing School will be renovated into 16 apartments for senior citizens in the near future.

I wish someone would take the same idea and get busy on that old empty school at Bethel.  June 20, 2016

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Will downtown ever be where the lights are bright again

 

It sure has been a busy past few weeks around here. 

While we have been immersed in gathering information for the Bicentennial Celebration for the city of Carlisle, we have also been working on the history of the Owingsville Lions Club Horse Show.

We are no scholars by any stretch of the word, but we have learned quite a bit of Nicholas Counties rich history.

It seems as though Tisha and I have been living in a different century these past few months with all this history research.

We have gone from the late 1700s in Nicholas County to the mid to early 1960s and 1970s in Bath County.

And just recently, Carolyn and I took a visual step back to 1929 as we discussed the history of the old Ewing school with Wally Thomas and his plans to renovate the school.

While some folks think we should never, ever go back to the days of old, and for the most part, we shouldn’t, I do think there are some aspects of the “good old days” that our society would benefit from today.

For instance, the quality of goods produced were of the finest quality because the craftsman took great pride in his work.

From cabinet makers to shoe cobblers, to tailors who took pride in every tiny detail of the items they produced. 

Goods back then were made to last and not massed produced with shoddy materials. 

Along with industrialization came some good things like better working conditions and more job opportunities and a better way of life, but we lost some of that Made in America Pride as the demand for products grew and many of those jobs ended up overseas.

When the big box stores started to crop up around us, and the traffic rerouted to bypass our downtown districts,we seemed to have lost our sense of community along with products that stood the test of time.

We lost our quaint little mom and pop stores, the small town eateries and theaters that once thrived and main street became a ghost town filled with empty buildings.

Each time I read about the way life used to be, I start wondering if we can bring back the most important aspects of small town life.

What I think would be awesome, is to be able to walk downtown and stop in a new and used bookstore, or a place to pick up some vintage CD’s or movies and a charming little coffee shop would be extra nice too.

Some twinkle lights in the windows of the shops would make for a warm welcome.

It’s possible don’t you think, to bring a little history into the future?  June 23, 2016

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The hidden gems of small town life

 

Normally the month of June is a slow time for us at the paper, but it seems this year we have been flooded with a ton of new story ideas and events that will take place for us to cover.

Our friend, Amy Hinton at Three Silos Barn will be hosting movie date night out on the farm where you can watch a movie on a huge outdoor screen, complete with an ice cold drink and popcorn!

The first movie will take place Saturday, June 18 so check out Three Silos Facebook page for complete details. 

Also next Saturday Team Around Town will be out at the Ringos Mill Covered Bridge to help hand out light snacks and drinks to those who have participated in the Bike Tour this year.

Plans are getting underway for the Fleming County Fair and although press day and other newspaper responsibilities kept me from attending the Fair Board meeting last week, I have spoken with Kathy Miller and we will highlight the events the fair has planned again this year.

This week Debbie and I attended a meeting in Carlisle to gather information to help promote the cities bicentennial celebration that will be coming up in a few short weeks.

While at the meeting we made some new friends and got some interesting information that will make wonderful feature stories.

Since I’m a sucker for quaint and charming small towns, I was impressed with the row of beautiful old buildings on Main Street in Carlisle. I was impressed with the friendly folks who took the time to chat with us and are proud of their hometown.

In the last few weeks, we have spent many hours behind our computer screens, working, editing, creating, writing and researching, to complete special sections of Around Town with small town events such as the May Day Parade in Bath County, Prom, and Graduations for Bath, Fleming and Nicholas Counties. 

While each of us enjoy working on those special sections, it is nice to get out and about and actually be live on the scene in one of our coverage areas.

What we enjoy the most, is getting to talk to our readers and discovering even more interesting gems that are sometimes forgotten.

In the span of a few short hours, it’s possible to pick up enough information in any community about the life and times of small town folks and to discover the little gems that make small town life interesting to write about.  June 9, 2016

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Old Sharpsburg Cemetery

 

Old cemeteries are markers of human history and possible links to family we never knew.

They are monuments to the people who once inhabited our communities; they hold valuable resources for historical and genealogical research as well as historical assets that tell about a community’s past.

Yet, these sacred places are often abandoned or neglected and are in much need of being restored.

In doing so, we all regain a sense of our own place in time and history.

In my hometown of Sharpsburg is an old abandoned grave yard known as The Old Sharpsburg Cemetery. 

As a child in the early 1970s I remember the Carl House and the old Black Smith Shop that occupied the grounds adjacent to the cemetery. 

Even back then I remember how the cemetery was hidden by thick brush and undergrowth.

A few years ago, I learned that someone had taken an interest in the old cemetery with headstones dating back to the 1700s. 

I was thrilled to know such an important piece of our local history was going to be preserved. 

The goal of this project was to identify, protect, restore and preserve as many graves as possible.

According to history, on the 9th day of August in the year 1849, Robert F. Caldwell sold Lot 51 in the City of Sharpsburg for $25 for the purpose of a burying ground to the Trustees of Sharpsburg.

When that piece of ground was sold to the city, the towns trustees included the following: J. H. Camplain, William Peck, J. Allen, Joseph Stephens, William F Matholias, H.E.Guerrant, D.F. Tidings and J.P McNary. 

Of these trustees, J.H. Camplain, J.P. McNary, and Joseph Stephens, along with their family members are just a few of the citizens whose final resting places are on the grounds of lot 51.

The Old Sharpsburg Cemetery history is found on pages 363-4 in ‘History of Bath County’ by John A. Richards, Southwest Printers, 1961. 

According to Richards, the cemetery was established in 1832 during the cholera epidemic and the first recorded burial was Mrs. Jonathan Camplin and Dr. Wright, who succumbed to cholera, is listed as one of the earliest burials as well.

Richards book reveals that the first burial took place in the year of 1818 and continued up until 1958.

These burials include prominent citizens of the time and Veterans of the Civil War.

Old cemeteries will always be valuable resources that reveal pieces of our past and as long as they are kept preserved, they will continue to be monuments to the people who once inhabited our communities.  June 2, 2016

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Class of 1981

 

We were great, we were fun, we were the class of “81

Out on the football field in a sea of red and white, Kentucky Governor Martha Lane Collins spoke to the Bath County Graduating class of 1981.

While I'm pretty sure none of us remember exactly what she had to say that summer afternoon, most of us can still close our eyes and pull up a pretty good visual for one of the happiest days of our lives.
From the slow procession to Pomp and Circumstance to the tradition of tossing our caps into the air, a lifetime of memories had led up to that day.

Now, when I look back, the only regret I have is I never gave much thought to what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Had I known sometime down the road the opportunity to become a writer would fall into my lap, I would have paid more attention in typing class and signed up for shorthand.

I would have set my sights on a journalism degree long before I walked across the field to accept my diploma.

Several years after I graduated, I decided to go to college, but even those days were wasted because I still had no idea what career choice would work for me.

At first I thought I might want to be a nurse, then a school teacher, a lawyer or maybe a psychiatrist, and even though I enjoyed some of the classes required for those fields, I never really felt like any of those ideas were my calling.

Being an older college student was fun and I actually learned more than I did in high school but I never did make that important career choice and didn't finish with a degree.

I’m not about to preach to the choir, but will say this, if you have even one inkling of your natural talents, go with it.

If you feel a desire to become a doctor, take everything within your reach that will help move you forward.

Just don't wait years and years like I did and end up taking a ton of college credits that have nothing to do with your dream job.

If I had a do-over in high school I would have listened to my inner voice.

I would have paid more attention to what came easy for me because those things were meant to grow with me and pretty good indications of what I should be when when I grew up.

And even though it may not show up in my work today, I loved every minute I spent in Mrs. VanMeters English class learning how to recognize dangling participles, run on sentences and using the correct verb tense.

From high school to my short lived college years, I loved every writing course I had to take.

But, after years of not honing skills that tried to come natural to me, I tried to force my way into jobs that just did not fit me and my natural talents just kind of became dormant and rusty.

It’s been 35 years since the day the class of 1981 tossed their caps into the air and I will wager at least part of what our guest speaker told us that day was each of us held the power to go after our dreams.  May 26, 2016

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Bethel Bunch

 

When I was about five years old we lived in a little block house in Bethel.

In the center of the yard was a big sunken in place that would fill up with water when it rained and we would pretend that was our swimming pool.

We also thought it was great fun to stand in the ditch line near the road, so we could get splashed when cars drove through the puddles of water, until mommy caught us and whipped our wet legs with a switch.

That little house had a basement that always flooded with water when it rained.

Dorothy Razor lived in the big farm house next door and sometimes her grandchildren, Selena and Chris Cook would come over to play when they visited.

The first time I met Selena, she was standing in her grandmother’s yard and was singing “This Land is Your Land, this Land is My Land.”

I probably started singing along with her, I’m not sure, but we did become friends that day and we graduated together 12 years later.

After Mrs. Dorothy moved away, Mr. Gay and Mary Rawlings became our neighbors.

On the other side of us was Mr. Pop Rawlings. I cant recall what Mrs. Rawlings’ real name was but we called her My. 

There was a huge concrete cistern at the back of the house and a tree grew next to it, yep, I fell out of that tree too when I was about five.

Me and April made lots of stews and mud pies on that on well top.

Down in the far end of the back yard was an outhouse and one time Dwayne had the bright idea that we could climb on top of that toilet with a make-shift cape tied around us and fly a little bit. 

One time we thought if we used an umbrella we could glide slowly to the ground after we jumped. After many cuts and bruises later, we finally gave up.

I remember one summer we had a garden but there was always an old white horse that ate all of the carrots and cabbage and what ever else we had planted.

Across the road way over in the field was the Kidder farm and in the winter they built bonfires and went sledding. 

We were too small to join them, so we would stand out in our yard and listen to their laughter as they went down the hill.

I started school when we lived in Bethel and that was the year Claudia, Dwayne and I were in the “Tom Thumb Wedding.”

We lived in the little block house a few years before we moved to Sharpsburg sometime in the early 1970s. May 19, 2016

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Listen, can you hear it? Echoes from our childhood

 

I am not exactly sure how old I was when we moved in the little house down on the alley.

For the younger generation in Sharpsburg, that alley would now be called Montgomery Street.

What I do remember is all the mishaps that I seemed to get into back then. 

There was the time I fell out of the big tree that sat in the coroner of the yard, landed flat on my back, and knocked the wind plumb out of me.

And the time I saw what I thought was one huge spider in the dark corner of the building out back where mommy had her wringer washer. 

I was scared to death of that spider and I climbed as fast as I could up on an old dresser and jumped through the window to get away. As I landed on the ground I heard the dresser mirror hit the floor and crash.

That same night we went to the drive in and I slid down the slide and landed in a huge puddle of mud …April said, well  it’s because you broke that mirror now you will have seven years of bad luck!

Once I came up with the idea that I could keep our dog from chasing cars. 

I figured if I could tie a rope around his neck and then wind it around my ankles and tie it to the porch post “Blackie” would not get ran over.

Well, I had that dog all tied up and anchored to my ankles and the post, when along came a car down the alley and sure enough the dog barked and jumped and tried to get loose.  

That rope started to unwind around my ankles and burned right through my skin.

And one time mommy told me not to put my hand in the metal tub of rinse water because she had one of those little electric water heater thingys in there.

Of course I had to see what it would do and stuck my hand in the water and got shocked.

We didn’t always get into trouble, we had many days of fun and adventure too.

We used to turn an old wash tub upside down and stand on it for our stage while we belted out songs loud enough for the entire town to hear. 

Seems to me we sang songs like Happiest Girl in the Whole USA, Stand By Your Man and some Elvis songs thrown into the mix.

One time after we had been to either a revival or Bible School at Donald Fosters church, Dwayne decided he was gonna preach some hell fire and brimstone to his siblings.

So, my brother made him a pulpit with some old concrete blocks that he probably took from the house Pepper Jewel was working on. … where George Riley now lives.

That street is where we lived when me and Daphne Fair would push our doll buggy’s up and down the road and where we had a fabulous time playing in the dump and rummaging through the chicken house.

That little house we lived in on the alley still stands, but it looks much different now.

The big tree is gone and so are the neighbors who lived beside us. 

The back lot is now clear where a small branch of water once trickled past a big grove of trees.

But I imagine if you listen real close on a windy day, you can still hear the echoes of six little Hawkins kids laughing and singing.  May 12, 2016

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Novel dreams reawakened 

 

Years ago, I used to dream about writing a novel. 

Fodder for a good story has lived in the back of my mind probably from the time I was about 8 years old.

I can remember how I would watch and listen to people and soak up bits and pieces of information about their personality or character traits.

Even parts of conversations that I heard way back in my childhood still surface from time to time. Crazy, I know, but it’s true.

One of my favorite feature articles was written about my friend Caren Prather and how she was the keeper of secrets.

Caren as some of know kept all of our county’s historical records that was housed in the basement of the courthouse. 

Now, I don’t wish to open up a can of worms since this mess is already water under the bridge. 

But, like I said, I have always dreamed of writing that next great novel. And the day I walked into the old records room I was in heaven. 

Why? Well all those documents that Caren took such loving care of, was THE PLACE of a writers dream!!

I went home that day with my mind reeling with ideas for a book. 

Then one day I learned all those pieces from our past would be carted off to Frankfort. 

I guess i just didn’t fully understand what was about to take place until the day I sat in my office and watched as a crew loaded a truck with tons of boxes of historical documents.

It was a sad day, and the day my dream of being a writer simply faded away.

Then along came the opening of the Covered Bridge Museum. 

The first time my thumb clicked that little brass latch on the wooden entry door, I do believe I could hear slight clinking sounds as my dreams churned back to life.

Just this past week I took my mother in-law with me to the museum to do some research on the Strawberry Methodist Church and she was amazed at all the wonderful memorabilia just waiting to be discovered.

Oh and Brenda when you get to this part of my column I need to stop by and see what all ya have on Miss Blossom for a feature story. 

I promise if you have not been to the museum you will not be disappointed.

Just like my mother in-law said, “I had no idea all this interesting stuff was here”, you will be impressed too, when you discover all the fantastic  history of our county. 

From the faces behind those vintage photographs, to the fabulous well kept diaries and scrapbooks, to the actual pieces of clothing worn by those who lived years before our time, our history has finally come home to us.

For a writers soul whose dreams seemed to roll away with those boxes of information that would feed the pages of many books, it’s quite possible that the next great novel could still be written.  May 5, 2016

 

Never too old to learn something new

 

There are a ton of fun things to learn from your local library and Extension Office.

Tisha and I signed up for the Cooking Through The Calendar class with Gwen O’Cull and have had a good time learning how to stir up some healthier meals and snacks. 

Each month we get to cook and eat and make new friends plus we get some really cool kitchen gadgets to take home.

At the Library there have been several cake decorating classes taught by the super talented Jackie Thacker and this Thursday she is teaching a fun with fondant class. 

Tisha will attend the fondant class while I tag along to take pictures and notes for a feature story.

Regina from Cowan Station Honey Farm also holds all kinds of cooking classes at the Fleming County Extension Office. Regina teaches cake decorating as well and she has taught a room full of students how to make homemade butter and will also have a cheese making class.

In the past the girls at the Extension have held sessions on how to make candy and how to can garden vegetables.

Candy making was the one skill I did manage to acquire but I never learned to use a caner or to can food.

My mother in-law used to “put up” the best green beans, corn, tomatoes and peaches but I never took the time to watch and learn.

Then there are knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing and gardening classes that Gwen, Barb and Donna offer on a regular basis.

It’s nice to see so many young people take an interest in knitting and quilting and how to grow a garden. I’m sure they will never regret knowing how to make their own clothes or can their own food.

My poor pitiful excuse for not signing up for the sewing and canning classes?

I tend to be impatient and have a hard time learning skills that require me to pay attention to detail and I am a tad bit clumsy is my lame excuse.

Anyway, after this weeks cooking lesson, Tisha gave me a jar of some banana peppers that she had grown and canned and they are delicious. 

Not only will that jar of pickled peppers taste great with a plate of soup beans and cornbread, it is also a reminder that if you want to learn a new skill, chances are you can sign up for a class at your local public library or county extension office.  April 28, 2016

 

 

Tater Tots, Tater Town Terrors and Alley Cats

 

“Tater Town” where on earth is that? 

I think it was Mrs. Henrietta that once told me Forest Avenue was nicknamed Tater Town years and years ago because the soil in that area of Sharpsburg was the best for growing potatoes. 

The kids I grew up with lovingly dubbed themselves Tater Tots and a few of them were known as the Tater Town Terrors.

I won’t tell you which kids were the terrors, since several of them still live there... ha ha, but I will tell you that Doug, Barry and Melinda Toy, Chad and Angie Hart, LuAnn and Nancy Gulley, Lonnie, Kirk, Sandy and Tammy Reffitt, Donnie Manley, Michael Petitt, Jennifer and Robbie Tapp, are just a few of the children who grew up as Tater Tots.

My great aunt Ruth and Uncle Jock Warner lived in Tater Town and at one time we lived there when I was just a toddler. 

I remember mommy telling us the story of how my sisters Lisa and Claudia crawled up into the floor board of the neighbors car, pulled the gear shift down and the car rolled backwards into someones fence. 

The car belonged to a Mrs. Donaldson and if I remember right, it was her fence that stopped the car. She wasn’t a happy camper and I guess you could say them two little sisters of mine, were the first Tater Town Terrors.

But we moved away to live in Bethel for a few years before moving back to Sharpsburg and by then we had become the Alley Cats since we lived on the alley that leads to the old cemetery.

The little house we lived in still stands on Montgomery Street, but we just called it the alley.

If you were to ask me the actual names of those alleyways I could not for the life of me tell you what the signs say.

But I can tell you that the street behind the Citizens Bank is Chicken House Alley, since the old chicken house once stood in he spot were daddy’s house is now.

I can tell you that the little lane that runs behind where Owens’ Gulley had his shop and the water office is now, was Doodle’s Alley because Doodle Robinsons gas station sat on the corner along main street.

And the road where the old Greater First Baptist Church once stood was Church Alley and the last little lane that took you back out on the main road was the Blacksmith Alley.

We roller skated, rode our bicycles and big wheels up and down those alleys for years and had a blast just being kids.

Daphne Fair and I used to push our doll buggies, played hopscotch and jumped rope along those streets when we were little girls.

I remember Mr. Gladys and Mr. Horace Jones and Scoop, Mr. Buster and Mrs. Sally Ann Brooks, all lived within hollering distance from us and on up the street was Inas, Jenny, David and Darryl Stewart.

In later years Mike Sapp built a new home where Fuzzy Hunt now lives and me and Kim Sapp, April and Danny Warner would spend the afternoons pretending we were on the game show, The Price Is Right.

I guess all small towns change over time, but the memories we have of the people can still take us back to our childhood days, if only in our mind.

The Tater Tots, Tater Town Terrors and Alley Cats still roam the area every once in a while, just to make sure our hometown memories don’t fade too far into the past.  April 21, 1016

 

A bad batch of biscuits

Is there a secret to making the best fluffy biscuits ever?

Well, I will say this, the flour you use sure does make a difference!

First let me say, I am not the best cook, and I am especially not good at baking, but I have always had good luck with whipping up some tasty biscuits.

Now, my way of thinking is if you want something to taste good, you need to use good quality ingredients and for me the best flour in the whole world is none other than White Lily!

My oldest daughter Natalie inherited some great cooking skills and she makes even better biscuits than her momma.

One day Ada, my oldest grandchild, took one of her mother’s biscuits to school to give to her friend and her little friend swore it was the best biscuit she had ever eaten. Kids are cute that way, but I’m sure the little girls own mother can make wonderful bread too.

But, one day last week Natalie decided to purchase some off brand flour to save money.

Well, she got busy mixing and stirring and rolling out her dough, cut them little circles and dropped them close together on her pan, then stuck them in the oven.

We love us some biscuits around here so we were waiting patiently for them to pop out of the oven. 

Good golly Miss Molly, I knew something was terribly wrong when Natalie took those biscuits out of oven and set them on the stove top.

We are not accustomed to seeing dark brown biscuits and that is just what they were.

Plus when we picked one up it felt heavy and smelled funny and even worse, they tasted horrible!!

That off brand flour was only about 75 cents cheaper than the good stuff.

At times I have succumbed to using other brands of flour when baking. Martha White is okay, but not as fine as I like and it’s the only brand I will use if the store is out of White Lily. 

When I worked as a cook years ago, we used Hudson Cream flour and it made decent biscuits, but they could have been fluffier if we had used my favorite brand.

So now the secret is out, grab anything but White Lily Flour and you will end up with a bad batch of biscuits.  April 14, 2016

 

We are old enough to be vintage

A couple of days ago someone posted a picture of a group of kids on bicycles.

The post said, check out these vintage bikes!! 

VINTAGE, oh my, that makes me feel old.

Well, I guess it has been a good many years since we rode those vintage bicycles or played with those highly collectible Barbies of yesteryear.

Has it really been over 30 years since we danced to disco music or tuned in to watch the The Six Million Dollar Man, The Jeffersons and M.A.S.H. or that we listened to Dan Rather report on the Vietnam war during the evening news?

Many of us were too young to be affected by the turmoil going on in our world at that time and remember our childhood as a much simpler time.

We spent most of our summer days on our bikes exploring the town and when we wanted to find a friend we went to their house, knocked on the door and asked them to come out and ride bikes with us.

We functioned quite well without cell phones, DVDs or computers.

We listened to music on 8-track tape players or transistor radios and record players. 

In later years we could be found packing around boom boxes that played our favorite cassette tapes.

When we had homework to do we went to the library to check out a real honest to goodness hard copy of an encyclopedia to do research.

We would have to write out our assignments on paper and used the Dewey Decimal System to find the books we needed.

We had loads of fun watching softball games at the local ballpark or just talking face to face with friends and neighbors.

In the summer we would go to the Drive-In to see the original versions of Grease, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Saturday Night Fever, The Exorcist or Carrie and a host of other great movies.

Times were much different back then but the same in some ways.

I think all generations had to deal with the same issues of peer pressure, the need to fit in and to be accepted.

Did we have a better childhood than today’s generation? 

We think so, we grew up in a time when despite the ever changing culture of our time, there were plenty of folks who cared about their communities and the kids who rode their bikes around the neighborhood.  April 7, 2016

 

Exploring the Family Line

My paternal family line includes the surname Banta. 

So, here is a little bit of history pertaining to my ancestors that I found in the History of Bourbon, Scott, Harrison and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky, ed.by William Henry Perrin, O. L. Baskin & Co., Chicago, 1882. p. 732.

[Nicholas County] [Carlisle City and Precinct]

ABRAM BANTA, farmer, P. O. Carlisle, youngest son of Henry Banta’s (see Peter Banta’s history); he was born April 18, 1805, and attended school about three months, during which time he received his theoretical education. He remained with his parents until in the year 1839, when he came to the farm upon which he now resides. He was married in 1828, to Miss Dorcas Hedges, born July 28, 1806, to James and Annie (Forman) Hedges, who were heirs in the famous “Hedges Estate.” The Bantas and Hedges are among the early settlers in the “Region” and noted for their longevity. Mr. Banta is the father of eight children, all of whom grew to maturity. They were: Scythia A., born Dec. 24, 1829, was wife of Samuel Fulton, and James H., born Aug. 14, 1831; both are residing at Ridge Farm, Vermillion County, Ill.; Margaret L., born May 28, 1833, wife of Thomas Campbell, residing in Headquarters Precinct; Andrew J. died a prisoner at Camp Morton, Aug. 20, 1864, aged twenty-nine years, Sarah F., born April 4, 1830, died March 19, 1877, leaving one child, Nannie; J. M., the father, Edwin Collins, engaged in business at Carlisle, William F., born May 28, 1841; farming in Edgar County, Ill.; Elizabeth, a twin sister to William F., wife of Lon Campbell, of Carlisle; Amie Marie, born Aug. 9, 1847, wife of Henry Bogart, of Vermillion County, Ind. The parents are vigorous old people, highly esteemed citizens of the community in which they live and with their family belong to the Christian Church.

I tend to get lost for hours reading copies of old newspapers and have discovered some interesting things about my ancestors and the folks who lived in a time that is so different to our way of life today. March 31, 2016

 

A journalistic journey

Being a journalist allows for some fun and exciting opportunities, most of which would never come my way if I wasn't working for a newspaper.

One event I can recall is when Tisha and I got to take a hot-air balloon ride.

We floated almost 3000 feet up in the air, over the Ewing-Fleming County Fairgrounds while the fair was in full swing.

Afterwards we both admitted that we were scared, but it was an amazing experience.

One year Debbie and I, and my oldest daughter Natalie, went out to watch a country music video being shot at the Goddard Bridge. Mark Brown, lead singer of Sawyer Brown, had written a new song was making video inside the bridge.

It took an entire day to shoot just a few seconds of live video, and if you weren't there you would never know that split second scene in the finished product was from the Goddard bridge.

We were allowed on the singers bus for an interview, and Debbie still laughs at me to this day because, when we sat down to talk, I was at a complete loss for words!

A year or so later, the Messenger Crew met up with the legendary John Anderson at the Poppy Mountain Festival and got to chat with him back stage.

When former President Bill Clinton was on the campaign trail for Hilary, he and their daughter Chelsea were in Maysville. I was granted an interview with the former first daughter at Capronis’ on the River but there were just too many folks rallied around Bill at the Mason County High School for me to talk to him, but i did get some cool pictures that day.

On my drive home, Clinton’s Secret Service men were in a black SUV directly behind me and I saw them turn to the right towards the Flemingsburg McDonald s. We had gotten news that Clinton would make an appearance at our local Dairy Queen so I headed to the DQ, but when I got there a couple other media outlets told me Bill Clinton had decided to make his next stop in Rowan County.

So,with that news I drove back to the office and dropped off some papers and took the back road that runs behind the dairy queen.

Just as I drove passed the little road that turns into the back lot of DQ, I spied two Sheriffs cars blocking the road and low and behold if I didn't spot Bill Clinton himself coming out the back door of the restaurant!

I was ticked off, but should have known competition had played a trick on me and I fell for it.

Tisha and I also attended the special humane society benefit dinner at Caproni’s where Mason County Native Cindy from Survivor was the special guest.

Kentucky Joe was another nice person I had the opportunity to chat with when he was a guest at the Fleming County High School.

Now, what is sad, is we didn't get to attend the special screening of George Clooney’s movie Leatherheads and George along with Renee Zellweger were the guest of honor.

But, that was probably a blessing in disguise since I would have been so star struck that I would have not been able to utter a word.

As a journalist, I have had the chance to be in the same room with a few celebrities, and it is exciting to see and watch famous people, but what makes the journey more interesting, is all the stories told to us by local folks.  March 24, 2016

 

STOP the car ... it's a yard sale!

Back in the early 1970s it was considered tacky to have a yard sale, let alone be caught shopping at one. 

But thankfully times have changed and some of the most elite citizens of society can be seen wrestling another shopper for a great bargain.

And if you think folks don’t get a little hostile when it comes to someone else getting in their territory at a yard sale, think again.

I have actually seen grown women in a hot game of tug-of-war over some item they both desired.

The rule of what is actually your domain at a yard sale is an unspoken one. 

If you happen to put down something you plan to purchase, then you just lost that item. Every yard sale junkie knows that cardinal rule.

When I first started hitting yard sales, I didn’t know about the “put it down rule and you just lost it,” and missed some great bargains.

Old pros like me have learned to start scanning a sale while driving up to where it is being held. No kidding, as soon as you get near the site, your eagle eyes take effect and you can spot stuff even before putting the car in gear. Just don’t forget to put the car in gear before jumping out and racing toward the sale in a mad frenzy to beat that lady in the blue dress that is already walking toward your claim. 

If you really have to have that item you can always resort to screaming, hey, don’t touch that bookcase, if you don’t mind all the evil stares you will get.

Serious yard sale shoppers will stop at nothing to seize the deal of the day, so you do have to be prepared when you are going to a yard sale.

For starters you have to study the yard sale ads like you were going to have a final exam on them the next day. Then you have to circle in red the ones that sound the most promising. Then you have to plan your route. Don’t forget to eat a good healthy breakfast before heading out because believe me you will need plenty of energy for a full day of running around to at least 20 yard sales. 

Now that you have the best laid plans mapped out you need someone to ride shot gun so you will have an extra set of eyes to spot the great deals, and you’re good to go.

A seasoned yard sale junkie will start out before the crack of dawn, so if you plan to get any bargains you had better learn to wake up very early.

Every year I have noticed that there are more and more yard sale shoppers to compete with, so getting to the sale early is very crucial.

Home decorating items seem to be the first to go and they are my absolute favorite. You can redecorate your entire house on even the tightest budget by shopping at yard sales. 

I happen to love good quality cooking pans, but could never afford their hefty price tag. 

Thanks to others who buy them and for some reason decide they don’t need them anymore I have been able to fill my cabinets with all different sizes of quality pots and pans, and some good baking dishes too! 

After a long day of bargain hunting you can relax with your yard sale buddy and enjoy a cold drink and get a head start on planning your outings for next weekend’s yard sales.  March 17, 2016

 

 

The joy of playing

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” 

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

What do children know that adults seem to have forgotten? 

Children are more confident, more courageous and enjoy life far more intensely than we do as adults.

As I watch my grandchildren chase a butterfly or lightning bugs, and I listen to their laughter, I am reminded of how kids have the ability to find incredible joy in the most simple things.

When we were young, playing outside was the highlight of our day. we would run and chase our friends until we were out of breath and our cheeks were rosy. 

We would jump and do cartwheels at the drop of a hat and never thought of it as “exercise” or “daily fitness.” It was just playing. And it was fun. 

It seems as we get older we forget to notice the smallest of miracles that used to bring us immense joy. 

Such things like raindrops caught in a spiderweb or puffy-fat clouds that once were profoundly magical to us as children. 

When did we stop noticing the tiny miracles that surround us daily? 

How much more beautiful would life be if we could see these miracles again?

A child’s life feels limitless because they are not confined by fears of failure or humiliation. They march forward with hope and determination because they don’t know any better. They haven’t been beaten down, they haven’t experienced failure. They embrace life and all it has to offer with open arms.

For some reason, as we get older, we stop seeing creative activities as worthwhile. 

How many adults, aside from artists, draw on a regular basis? How many play with clay or finger paint just for the fun of it? And how many of us adults still find pure happiness with the simple act of coloring!

Children are not afraid to play a sport they have never tried before. They will jump on a trampoline, dive into a pool or ski down a mountain even if it is foreign to them.

As adults, we fear the unknown and tend to stay safely ensconced in our comfort zone and rarely venture out. 

Adventure exhilarates us and awakens the spirit, so they say.

I think we can still find profound inspiration in the smallest of miracles that surround us if we too take the time.

If you have grandchildren and you watch their little faces light up with excitement when they see a rainbow or hear their squeals of laughter when they finally catch that fire-fly, you realize there is a world full of incredible joy in the most simple things. 

Our talent to know how to play has always been with us, but as we’ve grown older we tend to lose the ability to recognize those tiny miracles. March 10, 2016

 

 

We wanna be them picker chicks

 

My vision for the perfect work life would be filled with busy weekends searching out the best treasures at flea markets, auctions and estate sales.

I have attempted to create my own dream job several times, but for one reason or another, it just didn’t work out, but I still entertain the thought of being a “junk dealer”.

Now the real fun would be to sell stuff for those hefty prices they say they get on those TV shows like Flea Market Flips.

I tend to watch too many episodes of American Pickers and read way too many blogs about folks who say they are living the dream as sellers of secondhand stuff. 

I imagine they are living the life since they claim to get top dollar for items that would barely bring ten bucks around here.

Take for instance wrought iron gates, I have seen dealers price and sell them for hundreds of dollars, but in this area we would be lucky to get 50 dollars for one. Quilts, are another example that used to fetch a good price, but not so much anymore, not even the hand stitched ones.

Anyway, trends come and go and what one vendor can get for their stuff is all in how they market that piece and what’s in demand.

Tisha and I would both love to become “pickers” and have a booth someplace just as a hobby. 

We are excited about yard sale season and the thought of taking a road trip to attend an open-air flea market.

It all sounds like a lot of fun but we do realize how much hard work goes into tracking down good merchandise.

First you gotta go on the hunt, then ya gotta wheel and deal for the best price, then drag it all home, clean it, research it, and figure out how to price for profit!!

Several years ago we went on that 127 yard sale and even though that was loads of fun, it was exhausting.

I’ve had my share of vending booths and an actual shop or two, but, despite the reality and sometimes harsh truth that you can lose your hat, I still think making a living as a picker would be fun, just not as a main source of income.  March 3, 2016