Winding down, winding down... October 15th at the time of this writing, and getting ever closer to the big day.... no, not Al Gore's global warming deadline.. I'm talking about the BIG day, that being our Fall Festival! The Oliver Springs HIstorical Society is hosting this year's Fall Festival to be held on November 1st from 10:00 to 3:00 P.M.. If you remember last year's festival, you know it was a resounding success; however, this year's Festival is guaranteed to outdo last year's by heaps 'n' heaps. As it stands right now, the main part of the Festival will be focused around the Historic Depot, with nonstop music on the stage adjoining the Depot. Vendors of all sorts will be aligned around the Depot grounds and adjacent streets. The enactors from Ft. Southwest Point will be there encamped on the grounds, decked out in colonial regalia and firing their colonial-era cannon to keep folks awake. WE are having a huge classic and antique car show that will stretch all the way from the Fudge Factory in the old city to the Depot, with the cars lining the sides of Spring Street.

Now if you know anything about our Festivals, you know that food is a star in the crown of our group. This year promises to be far and away above and beyond even the  stellar offerings of years past. For one, we intend to offer homecooked goodies such as fried pies like Granny used to make. I know this is true, because many of our ladies have been busy as beavers, peeling and drying apples; which, as you know, is the way to make a real AUTHENTIC fried pie. I don't know how many bushels they have dried as we speak, but I have been busy picking apples just to keep up with their industrious pace. This year has been spectacular for our local fruit trees, and I have personally made a pledge to myself to pick every last one of them scutters.....

The other day our fine ladies were out in force during the Oliver Springs High School Homecoming Parade.. just showin' off their colors and in general representin'.... We have such a FINE group of ladies, and I dearly love them.... several of them kinda "mother" me, and that's just fine by me....

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Many of our folks have also been hard at work making old fashioned apple butter to offer at the Fall Festival. Janice and I have put up over 70 jars of the precious stuff as I write this, with more on the way. Just think... this winter; oh, say, 'bout January the umteenth when the northerly wind is snowblasting your hide off its foundation, you stagger inside the house, to be greeted with the smell of hot biscuits and apple butter. I get warmed up just thinking about it, and it's 91 in the shade right now....

One thing I want to remind you about this festival is that there will be meny, many antique and classic cars... Also, we are planning to have several classic motorcycles on display. Those of you that REALLY know me know that I just love motorcycles!! I have been working with Mr. "Pistol Pete" Boody of Pistol Pete's Goldwing Services. Pistol Pete is locally based, but serves clients all over the United States and Beyond. He has the most killer website that I am providing a link to below....

http://www.oldwings.com

I brought a couple of images of this absolutely gorgeous vintage Honda from Pistol Pete's website over here to entice you to go to his website and take a look at the exquisite work he does...

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Rumor has it that there will be several British bikes

(Norton, Royal Enfield, etc.), all immaculately restored. Just one more reason why you can't afford to miss this Festival. Dozens and dozens of street vendors are already scheduled.. crafts, collectibles, food,

premium cherry and maple butcherblock cutting boards made here in Oliver Springs

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(From cherry and maple wood harvested from Windrock Mountain!!!),

Old Fashioned Apple Butter

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made right here in our loveliest little village...

Fried apple turnovers made so fresh you have to wait to let 'em cool just to eat them.....

Also there will be horse rides, petting zoo, all kinds of bouncy rides for the kids.. in short, something for everybody. The music program is shaping up nicely as well.. local favorites The Underwood Brothers Band will be taking the stage and kicking out the lights,

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local Gospel legends 4ever His will be blending that sweet, sweet 4-part harmony

as they lift up songs of praise. I just love to hear those ladies work their magic....

Please don't miss this wonderful Festival!!

September 15th,2008

Have you ever been kidnapped by aliens? No? Then you'd never believe my story....But I have .. several times, in fact...(Actually, two of them were Mexicans, one was a German exchange student, and the blonde with the heavy eastern bloc accent was from separatist Georgia... somewhere down below Valdosta, I think....)

I hope you haven't given up on us. We really have been busy on the museum and community center project. But don't take my word for it.. we gots da pitchers to prove it!!

Below is a sample of what was waiting for us Saturday August the 9th. We put together a little work party to try and get the renovation off the ground.

Here some of our folks brainstorm as to the best way to begin.

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We kinda decided to jump headfirst down the well, so to speak, and just started cleaning and ripping out everything that was deemed too rotten to stay. Here Carolyn Kelly and Barbara Brown clean up a mess..

but it weren't no use, as Grandpa Jones would have said.... we just dumped more back in the same spot.

Seen below, Gary and Ed bust the mojo on that wall... don't get in the way of these men... just stand back and watch the walls come tumbling down a la Jericho.

The partition walls were deemed safe to remove from a preservation standpoint, as they were framed in well after the building was constructed in the early part of the 20th century.

The lady behind the mask is none other than my blessed friend Martha Walls. Martha is a true soldier, and don't let it be said she ain't....

Here Robbie is telling the ladies how he singlehandedly performed some feat of superhuman strength.. (Sometimes you just gotta fluff a story a little to tell it proper like..)

By the way, if you spotted the timbers in the background, they are for shoring up the roof as we try and lift it up to its original height. There has been a lot of water damage, and the truss system is seriously compromised. While I am talking about the wood timbers, I want to take a minute to publicly thank Dolman Roberts and the gang out at R&R Lumber in Coalfield. Dolman has always been a huge supporter of community projects, and offered a lot of lumber free of charge in support of this project. You may remember the music listening station I made for the Historic Depot and Museum.

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Guess what? It was made with quilted cherry and curly maple donated by Dolman to us.

Dolman lived in Oliver Springs early in his marriage. He is a diehard Coalfield Yellow Jacket booster and that's perfectly all right with me. I have put in many hours into the Coalfield High School Drama Group over the past several years, and although some might not admit it when football season rolls around, Coalfield and Oliver Springs are forever linked past, present, and future.. many of our stalwart citizens have deep roots in that community, and vice versa. So thanks, Dolman, for all you do.......

Speaking of worthy volunteers, here are some more pictures of our fine group of unselfish public servants hard at work. We're actually much prettier in person...

To quote my granddaughter Madeline, girls ROCK! In the picture below Melba shows she isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty. Our ladies were absolute stalwarts! They worked as hard as the men....

By the end of the day, we were exhausted, with one huge industrial dumpster full to overflowing, and enough heaped up to make another dumpster tolerable stuffy, as Huck might say...

I feel we were blessed of God to accomplish what we did. I have not felt well lately, but Saturday I got up feeling fit and full of vinegar. None of us got hurt, nobody got sick. In fact, we were so invigorated by the gains made that we are planning to assemble again this Saturday, August 16th, for more of the same. Folks, we are committed to this renovation. We are blessed to have the folks at M.T.S.U. helping to massage the grant process, and I must tell you that they are jewels of the finest sort. They have given us encouragement, advice, guidance, etc. Those of you "in the know" need not be reminded that a historical renovation is fraught with challenge. Legacy brickwork needs special treatment and mortar, etc., architectural details must be preserved, exterior facades must remain true to original design and scope... But I will promise you this.. with the team of craftsmen (and women,) brain trusts, and general top notch thinkers, we are well and truly up to the challenge. As Grandpa McCoy used to say, no brag.. just fact.

Are you itching to dive in and help? Too far away to drop by and work? Never fear... that cd you have stashed away is over mature and nigh unto moldering.. Why not get it out and put it where it will help to ensure that the legacy of your hometown remains intact and the Oliver Springs we knew in our youth maintains its roots and its vital spirit for generations yet unborn. Delusions of grandeur.. maybe.. but how much more noble is that than those who would take from our town and never return anything of substance?

I knew you would agree....

God bless you until we get to talk again!!