It's still kind of wet here at Prater's Fort, so much so that the lawn has turned into a wall to wall mud puddle. I am writing this on Sunday, the last day of the 28th Annual Magoffin County Founder's Day celebration. There were many mishaps, the largest of which was the inclement weather, but the spirit of Founder's Days was maintained and we believe that our activities helped express the admiration and respect we all feel for our service men and women, past and present.
Last Tuesday Jessica Preston, Lisa Preston, Paula Montgomery, Abbie Conley and Theresa Dotson began our festivities with the thoroughly enjoyed Baby Pageant. The Prater Memorial Church Youth Puppeteers were a crowd pleasing group with their performance before the pageant. We thank these talented young people for a great show.
We gave an account of the Wednesday program last week. The Flag Raising with the Boy Scouts and their leaders Ralph Mullins and Haskel Sizemore along with members of the DAV and the Magoffin County Muzzleloaders was among our very best ever. Burl Cole's song and the music by the Prater Methodist Church group provided much enjoyment for all present. We have had the honor of their help for all the years of our existence. Afterwards Lisa Swiger and Tonya Ward did a marvelous job directing the Children's Pageant which was enjoyed by a huge audience.
A blown transformer at the Pioneer Village almost caused a major change in plans but AEP was called and came within the hour. All was repaired and again everything was back on schedule.
The Miss Teen Pageant was held in an almost steady drizzle but the audience was very excited and well entertained by the 14 young ladies in the pageant. Tanika Howard and Olivia Bailey are to be complimented for a top-notch pageant. Their sound crew had been told the pageant was to be cancelled. They left and the directors were unable to contact them in time so ended up using Rudy and Stacey Blanton's sound system. We welcomed their help.
Thankfully, Brooke Jenkins and the Extension Office had a nice dry place for the Heritage and Cultural Arts Show and this year had a much larger entry of culinary and craft items. We thank Brooke and her group for this wonderful addition to Founder's Day activities.
The Friday morning pet show was cancelled due to a heavy downpour so Ty Back of the Extension Office decided to cancel it (with a lot of regret). Pet owners were very disappointed and the pets were too (smile). We will try to work something out so that the pet show can be rescheduled. We obtained a pick-up truck load of straw and spread it around in preparation for the school activities but the drizzle continued so the directors moved the activities to the Middle School. We always appreciate our school personnel and especially thank them this year for their resourcefulness in continuing this year despite several obstacles. We know that Theresa Miller, Jaynie Poe and Charlotte Gillum helped and will ask for a more in-depth report on the other helpers in this very important event, along with those who involved in the Whitaker Middle School Saluting Our Veteran's Musical. We are proud of our Magoffin County school personnel. They always work hard to help show off the talents of our youngsters.
The Cabin Porch Pickin' was on schedule at 6:00 p.m. and everyone enjoyed the music. The Miss Magoffin pageant began at 8 p.m. as 6 young ladies took the stage but the rain came also. Nothing could dampen the enthusiasm and spirit of this talented group so, with a tent set up for the judges, the pageant was completed successfully.
Saturday began with the flag raising and again the Boy Scouts, the DAV and the Muzzleloaders did their part to make this a memorable ceremony. Linda Montgomery Parker with her bagpipe music gave an admirable and memorable veteran's tribute. Finally the portion of our Founder's Day marker dedicated to our veterans was unveiled and we hope you will come to see it.
We surely missed Dallas and Kay Bentley and send our special thanks to Wanda Reed and Donna Miller for helping the DAV with registration and name tags.
We had cabins open from 10 to 12 and we are very indebted to our volunteer helpers: Jodi Wright and her parents Ezra and Carolyn (Mason) Wright, Alma Holliday and her friend from Lexington, John and Debbie Britton from Ohio did a marvelous job. In the school house cabin, the kids got patriotic face paintings and Jean Owens Arnett came by and they all sang songs from the old school days. This is the spirit we want to keep alive with our Pioneer Village.
The parade was excellent with most spectators saying it was the best ever. Kathy Puckett announced the parade, aided by Katie Prater. Carter Conley and the members of the Rescue Squad and the Volunteer Fire Department did a tremendous job! We appreciate the tributes to our veterans and their participation in our parade. Thanks for the DAV float, the Magoffin County High School Band, the pageant winners and all the other extras. Veteran Johnny Shepherd came all the way from Indiana to ride on the DAV float.
The Open Stage Music didn't take place but there was an open stage of talent dancing, thanks to Tonya and Jessica, along with all the others who helped. They kept the stage hoping for hours. After the program closed the clean-up began and I, along with my sisters, Jane and Sue, daughters Jessica and Abbie, and their friend Paula Bailey Montgomery, got the grounds ready for church service and Gospel Sing today.
While we were cleaning outside, Wanda Reed, Donna Miller and Eddith Hensley were peeling potatoes and making potato salad under Jack Reed's supervision (smile). The next morning lots of beans and corn were cooked along with ham and other goodies as the girls were getting ready for dinner at the community center. Thanks to Alma Holliday and Flora Sue Rudd there were decorations, plates and napkins for all the wonderful food brought in by so many. It was truly heart warming to see the care and participation of everyone in this Tribute to our Veteran's dinner. Many local people participated by bringing in food. Jim and Emma Day Turley even drove all the way from Ohio to bring food for the dinner and then headed back home.
The Gospel Sing was a very successful venture under the able direction of Joe Carroll and Phillip Caudill. Thanks to Henry Joseph for helping out with the sound this year. A great big thanks to all the people who picked up garbage after the singing was over. I even saw someone sweeping off the stage! Imagine all the good people out there who do care!
We are thankful for everyone's help to enable us to have another Magoffin County Founder's Day celebration. We know the booth operators had a really tough time with all the mud and we are sorry for all the inconveniences they had to endure along with those who came to enjoy the festivities but, just think, twenty-eight years and hardly any rain on Founder's Days ever! It was an inconvenience to us but our hearts are with all those on the east coast who suffered so much from storm Ernesto.
For those who are interested we now have Volume I of the Veteran's book ready for purchase. This includes information we received on veterans from the letter A up to the surname Conley. We are working hard on the other volumes and have stopped collecting material so that we may finalize this project.
Along with all of this we also have a new baby in our midst, little Benjamin Jacob Thomas Rudd made his entrance on September 2nd. We sure missed his grandma “Paparazzi Connie” so we are short on Founder's Day pictures. If you have an extra copy of pictures you took we hope you will share them with us. Wanda Reed, Donna Miller and Charles and Barbara Arnett have promised to share with us.
On Monday I made a trip with my sisters, Sue, Jane and Luva to Berea to visit my fourth sister Anne Preston Kelley. After visiting with her awhile, her son Roger said if I wanted to see the Cumberland Gap tunnel, now was the time. I told him I had come there to visit Ann and he came back with “She will be in the front seat, never fear!” So off we went, stopping at Dr. James Terry's log cabin complex near Renfro Valley that I had visited a few years ago. They were putting up another cabin at the entrance so this attraction must be doing well. We then crossed over to Rt. 75, stopped on the outskirts of Middlesboro and had a KFC meal then went through the tunnel. We traveled on as far as Jonesboro, TN at which time it began to rain. We stopped at the state park near the east end of the tunnel. It amazed me that every building has something to sell to tourists. The state park itself sells postcards for a dollar a piece. We sell ours at a fourth of that amount. We then started back toward Berea, passing up the Dr. Thomas Walker State Park as it was still raining. I'm not satisfied for I want to go back and do a little scouting on foot. I would like to see what's left of the old road across the Gap because during the 1950s Hiram Ely and I took Boy Scout Troops to that area and we hiked all the way down the sand caves which I thought was the most beautiful sight in that area. I talked to a young lady who was a park warden who said it had evidently lost some of its luster when I told her I remembered the different colors of the two foot thick layers of sand. Course, I don't think I'm up to the five mile hike down and five back anymore but I can dream, can't I? (Smile).
Hiram was the Boy Scout leader and I was the Cub Scout leader. I still remember their motto: “I promise to do my duty to my God and to my country and to obey the scout law.”
Everything has settled down somewhat around the home twenty so I spent Tuesday answering mail and today it is cabin housecleaning along with getting everything back in its proper place.
We are located at 191 South Church Street in Salyersville. You may write to us at Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 or via email to
[email protected]. Our telephone number is 606-349-1607.
Magoffin County Historical
Society
This
article, written by Todd Preston, the president of the
Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the
September 14, 2006
issue of