Opinion

This week’s literary effort is an old man’s nostalgic ramblings. My age, philosophical cast of mind, and rural Randolph County roots suit me to the task.

The Eddie Mae Herron Center will be holding their fall Candidate Speaking Forum together with the ever-popular Pie Auction on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. The Meet & Greet with light refreshments will begin at 6:00pm and the Speaker’s Forum, interspersed with the delicious dessert auction, will begin at 7:00pm. Candidates that want to reserve a speaking spot should call the Eddie Mae Herron Center at 892-4433 before October 14.

What’s still growing in your vegetable garden? Tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, okra…they all love heat to a degree. Ours slowed down a little with that cooler spell, but they perked right back up with the temperatures at 90 now.

The world said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II. I feel I grew old with her. I have watched her all these years as she performed her duties as queen with such grace and strength of character. Years ago, along with my mother and sister we watched, on a small black and white television, as she and Phillip married in a beautiful elaborate wedding. Again, we were up a few years later at the crack of dawn to watch the coronation when she became the queen. So of course, I watched her funeral early in the morning as the world said goodbye to her. May she rest in peace.

I remember the first book I ever read. It was 1988 and the book was called “Run, Frog, Run.” I was in kindergarten at Delaplaine Elementary School. It was the first time I had ever checked out a library book. It was a hardback and I thought I was a big deal just for having it. Now, 30ish years later, I’m still loving books! All books!

When recalling downtown Pocahontas when I was a boy in recent columns, I covered the historic court square, but I hadn’t yet mentioned its centerpiece— the 1872 Courthouse. County government had moved out of the building in 1940, before I came along. By that time, the downstairs housed the Randolph County Library. I spent many hours there after school and on Saturdays. The first head librarian I remember was Nora Martin. After her, Daphne Thomas served in that position for many years. The only downstairs area not included in the library then was the SW corner office which held the city police station. I had occasion to visit there at age 16 when I had a minor accident while driving. I don’t remember who filed the report, but I’m sure it was either Estle Bramlett or Butch Stolt who alternated turns during that time as City Marshall. Upstairs had been the Pocahontas USO during WWII (again before my time). I remember it as “Teentown’ also called ‘Dungaree Hall’. It was a place where teenagers could spend weekend evenings dancing, enjoying refreshments, and socializing. I was too young to attend, but I do remember the large mirrored ball that had hung from the ceiling during the USO days. It remained there for years afterward. It was during those years that the Pocahontas City Council voted to demolish this architectural treasure. Their reasoning was the old saw that downtown needed more parking (it did not). They literally wanted to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot” (as a song of the 60s said). Other bad ideas of that time were to put a fire station there or, worst of all, lease it to Texaco for a filling station. Imagine fire trucks trying to navigate downtown traffic while trying to get to fires. Or a filling station there that would have closed years ago.

Bravo, to whoever came up with the idea to have the Pearcy Family reunion in Branson, Missouri. It was a fantastic idea, or they had Condos there! Either way, it really was a great idea. Our little branch of the family went to Bass Pro first thing when we got there. Sweet Thing got the deer of his dreams, to get practiced up for bow season. Red found a little knife he really needed, and another found a belt and he put it to use, then there were the perfect very stretchy jeans that looked like plain old jeans and so two pairs were called for. Proud of them all they shopped fast, and we were all hungry, breakfast was just a memory. We were all famished, so off to Sugar Leaf Bakery and Cafe, my very favorite place to go there. Everything absolutely everything, they serve is the BEST of whatever IT IS. Soups, sandwiches, salads, desserts (of which there are many) all of them huge, cinnamon rolls, huge rice crispy treats, these people make their own marshmallows, and they do smores cookies, which are a bit over the top! Red loved their Sweet Chili; I know right but Red said it was delicious, so tasted it and it was very good. I do not know how they do what they do! So, wish they would write a cookbook, the chicken rice soup is just the best, had shared a bite with everyone they agreed. We did the little shops there and found a perfect book to read to our very first great-grandchild, Alexander (Xander) Avery, in the Christmas store. Then we all took turns getting our pictures in that big old rocking chair! We all enjoyed The Grand Village Mall! We rushed around for we had tickets to go see SIX, and while we found some earplugs for him, Red will never be quite the same again!