Appalachia Mercantile to feature local artisans

January 13, 2021

BY MARY LOU BUSH

APPALACHIA NEWS • 565-1386

gabgrandadva@yahoo.com

renovation

Construction Workers are working long hours still to renovate the former Senior Citizens building on Main Street in Appalachia.

The new Appalachia Mercantile’s owner Tommy Adkins will feature local artisan goods, coffee and snacks. Tin tiled high ceilings and a beautiful mezzanine space are the highlights of the Mercantile. Our older building’s interior has been left in tact but covered over with energy savings materials the last 50 years.

Now they can be revealed and our younger generations can now see how older buildings were built in the twentieth century. This is a great teaching method for MECC’s basic construction class to renovate the interior of this building.

The interior on all three floors of the Appalachia Cultural Arts Building, the former MD Collier furniture store, have the original tin tiled ceilings and original hard wood floors and the freight elevator.

People admire the interior of the building. It is a preserved building in our area for the beauty of the early basic construction. Who would have imagined 100 years ago when these buildings were under construction by hard working men that they would still be standing on the same foundations they were built on.

If these buildings were in New York, or any city, they would be very valuable, but they are in Appalachia to stay.

Last Week’s Snow

The snow that fell last Friday was what we call a “wet” snow. The temperatures were down in the 20’s so the snow froze on the grass and whatever it fell on. We stayed in the house 4 days straight.

As I was looking out my windows I remembered how we stayed indoors in Inman when we had very deep snows and we only went out to get fresh, clean snow to make “snow cream”. Our school days were not cancelled, the buses had chains on the tires so it would not slide off the road and this worked very well. No snow schedule, we went on regular time. The last of May our school year was over for that year.

Mr. Stepp was our driver for many years. Mr. Bledsoe took the route later on.

I have very good memories of snow falling while growing up in Inman. The boys liked to get out at night and skate on the icy roads, have snowball fights and bonfires.

In January of 1961 we watched on TV the inauguration of our late President John F. Kennedy. I was so impressed with this young President and him walking up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. It has been 60 years and I still remember this historic event and there was a very heavy snow in Inman but Washington had the road to the White House clean. This was a momentous event and our day off school.

Hello in Hopewell

Hello Larry, a former Appalachia boy, now in Hopewell, VA. Hope you are doing well. Cousin Barbara C. Horton said to tell you “Hello”.

102nd Birthday

Our friend Mildred Adams celebrated her 102nd birthday with her caregivers and residents at The Laurel’s where she now resides.

Her daughter, Jerri Adams, provided cookies and a large birthday cake. No one except workers and staff are allowed inside the facility due to quarantine precautions of the Covid virus.

Mildred has enjoyed her birthdays down through the years and I am sure she will also enjoy this one because she is among her friends.

Continue to pray for all the people at The Laurels. The staff and workers are vital to the care of the residents.

Be Thankful

The key to being thankful is remembering not just what we have been given but for what we have been “spared”.

We have a lot to be thankful for. Pray for our neighbors and friends who are sick and affected with this virus.