As many other American small towns, it is a place that has probably seen its best days already and is unlikely to ever see them again. There is no industry to speak off, the few young people leave to go elsewhere for jobs, and the downtown is boarded up or under-utilized. While all of this may not sound as a place one would want to visit; it was a fun stop. Tom has really nice parents, and it is a quiet, peaceful place with wonderful people.
Kayak Hillbilly
The lead photo selected for this BLOG is entirely the
credit/fault of Herman, Tom the lawyer’s Dad.
He wanted to put Eloise, his wife of 60 plus years, up on Mr. FOG’s
kayak which was on the roof of the Honda Element, a la the Beverly Hillbillies,
for a picture. If it were not dangerous,
he probably would have wanted to her to ride up there around town. Doing this seemed totally inappropriate to
FOG and it was not mentioned to Eloise. The trio compromised on a picture with
props around the kayak and Honda Element, sans a Granny Eloise Clampett. Fog thought that it could have been a Grandpa
Herman Clampett on top and the effect would have been similar.
Herman cleverly thought of an intriguing image with the analogy of a rocking
chair on top of an old truck; to that of a kayak on the top of the
Element. However, FOG subsequently
wondered if Herman's comparison was insulting FOG’s Element and kayak combination as being
hillbilly, redneck, or even white trash???
FOG thought he looked cool with kayak and Element, perhaps not??
As an aside, the Clampett truck, which is actually owned by
Pearl, Jethro’s mother; is said to be a 1922 or 1923 Buick flatbed truck.
Elderberry Wine
Anyone??
FOG’s first day in small town North Carolina was
co-incidentally the third Tuesday of the month, fortuitously for FOG. This is the day
the Elderberries get together for their monthly meeting. The Elderberries is an amalgamation of
Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian seniors who get together for camaraderie
and fun. They were meeting at the
Chadbourn Baptist church, in the old sanctuary--for Catholics the old church--which
became the fellowship hall--for Catholics the parish hall--, when the new church
was built in the early 1960’s.
Let this BLOG section serve as a
warning, lest you make the same mistake when attending inter-denominational
gatherings. FOG, a vino-phile and proud of it, thought that possibly the “Elderberries” name might
be wine related. He remembered the old
movie of Arsenic and Old Lace, where the elderly spinster sisters, Cary Grant called them "maiden", which sounds much nicer; served elderberry wine laced with arsenic to old
men, whom they thought were ready to have peace their lives. It was a sort of
Dr. Kevorkian, euthanasia, although Kevorkian’s “victims/patients” asked for
help to end their lives, and these men did not. A big difference. Perhaps there was a subliminal euthanasia facet to the Elderberries, FOG
wondered.
To make small talk and satisfy his curiosity, FOG politely asked the Baptist church
Secretary if elderberry wine had any connection to the Elderberries’ name. He could tell from the expression on her
face, that this was not a good question.
FOG then remembered, belatedly, that Baptists and Methodists don’t drink. He is not sure about the Presbyterians.
Tom’s dad stepped in,
to save FOG from the horrible vino faux pas, saying that Chadbourn, the strawberry
capital of North Carolina, although now only a shade of its former self, was
the source of the name. “Berry” from the
town’s strawberry fame, and “elder” from the senior title that its many aging members
proudly hold. FOG accepted this. Thank-you Herman.
With eternal spring optimism, FOG still hoped
that elderberry wine, sans the arsenic of course, might be served during or
after the meal in the Baptist Fellowship Hall. Isn't elderberry wine sort of like communion wine. Water and tea, both sweet and unsweetened
were served. FOG chose the water which was very good.
Perhaps to make up for no elderberry wine, the Elderberries
had a wonderful food. A selection of
homemade church-social foods was served, reminding FOG of a time gone by. No fusion cooking, Rachael Ray, or Emeril
here, but recipes from 20 or 30 years ago that one would find in the
women’s magazines. It was like stepping
back in time. One tasty offering was
Ritz crackers crumbled into something with cheese. FOG had two helpings this one. He also had a green thing that he has not tasted
in years, but his taste buds remembered tasting this one sometime in his life. The Elderberries do know how to cook.
The luncheon program was combination of faith and fun. The program director put together three
videos for the day’s program. The first,
a moving spiritual about entrusting our lives to Jesus’s hands and the other
two, featured a favorite, well-known North Carolinian story teller called Jeanne Robertson. One of her videos was about
taking a Baptist going to Las Vegas and another about a hussy. The very provocative titles surely piqued the
interest of the attendees, perhaps hoping for something scandalous. For the December meeting, the Elderberries
will take the church bus to Wilmington for a Christmas activity to be selected. If possible, FOG will try to return to
Chadbourn on the third Tuesday of the month when the Elderberries meet. Here is
a link to Robertson and one of Mr. FOG’s favorites stories: "Men Don't Know the Style in NYC" Listen to all of of it. The punch line is at the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNfzKiS-eTU&feature=relmfu
NOTE: After doing
chores later in the day, MR. FOG was still feeling short changed in going to an
Elderberry function and not getting any elderberry wine. He decided to have an especially generous
happy hour to make up for this. Things
in FOG’s universe tend to balance out.
County Programs for
the Aging
The next day included another free meal at the Chadbourn
Senior Center. A county supported
program, seniors, regardless of income, are offered a subsidized lunch. It provides a balanced meal, since many elderly
living alone find it hard to cook. The
communal lunch also offers the companionship of others, including people he recognized from the the Elderberry luncheon the day before. It is of course small town USA. Jane, a neighbor of Tom’s parents, played the
piano. Since FOG is a country western
music aficionado, and her repertoire included “Don’t Fence Me In”, this is what
she played. Fog and the other seniors used to know the
words, but had somehow forgotten them over the years. Good thing that for the most part, Jane still knew which notes to play.
The trip to small town America ended much too soon. While not its former self, small towns are
getting by and still offer a peaceful oasis as alternative to city live. One wonders how long they can last.
