BARRY'S CORNER - LIVING IN ELKMONT

I believe no matter how old children get they always want to make their fathers proud. I know it is probably silly to some, but I really have a memory that comes up a lot when I think about my dad and him being proud. Thirty-two years ago, I shared the lead in the senior class play. It was a comedy and we all had a lot of fun performing it. I remember at one point I was on the stage in the old gym at Clements by myself. I was in the middle of a speech and I caught my daddy's eyes. He was standing in the back with a smile that was not only on his face but deep in his eyes. I remember thinking"wow! "He is really liking this!" I knew at that moment he was proud of me. 

It was really one of those rare moments where that connection was made and nothing had to be said. We live for those moments. I think about that day often when I am thinking about dad. Like I said it may sound silly to some but I have said it before he was a man of very few words. I try to remember that when I deal with Jensen. Those will be the moments that stand out in our and our children's lives forever. I miss my dad; I miss telling him things that I know would make him proud. 

On this Father's Day, I want to throw out a challenge to every father to make those moments. Let's tell and show our children how proud we are of them. Constructive criticism is great, but make the most of those moments! Let's show them how proud we are of them. Thanks, Daddy for looking at me in that moment. That moment in a 17 year old boy's life can still bring a warm feeling and a smile after all of these years! Happy Father's Day!

HAVE YOU CHECKED IN TODAY?

A Minister passing through his church
In the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
To see who come to pray.
Just then the back door opened,
And a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw the man
Hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was torn and shabby,
And his coat was worn and frayed,
The man knelt down and bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed at precisely noon,
The preacher saw this chap,
Each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
With robbery a main fear,

He decided to stop and ask the man,
'What are you doing here?'
The old man said he was a factory worker
And lunch was half an hour
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.
I stay only a moment
Because the factory's far away;
As I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kinda what I say:

'I JUST CAME BY TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS BEN,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY.'

The minister feeling foolish,
Told Ben that it was fine.
He told the man that he was welcome
To pray there anytime.
'It's time to go, and thanks,' Ben said
As he hurried to the door.
Then the minister knelt there at the altar,
Which he'd never done before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
As he met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed down his cheeks,
He repeated old Ben's prayer:

'I JUST CAME by TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY.

Past noon one day, the minister noticed
That old Ben hadn't come.
As more days passed and still no Ben,
He began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
Learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.

The week that Ben was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles and joy contagious.
Changed people were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand
Why Ben could be so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends had come to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Ben spoke up
And with a winsome smile;
'The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
He's been here all the while.'
Everyday at noon He comes here,
A dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down and takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:

'I JUST CAME BY TO TELL YOU, BEN,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN .
I THINK ABOUT YOU ALWAYS
AND I LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
AND SO BEN, THIS IS JESUS,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY .'

JUST UP THE ROAD - HISTORY OF ELKMONT, PART 10

Submitted by Gary Compton

Things were shaping up for winter.

Next morning everyone was up early. The air was cool and they all knew winter was not far away. Ducks and geese filled the sky. They were heading south for the winter. (All Levi could see was good food going to waste). The boys were already taking the meat down from where it hung. Pa a few weeks earlier, built a table and a log smoke house. He knew this day would come when they needed a place to prepare and store the meat. Taking the axe, he begin to cut the meat up into smaller pieces, shoulders, hams, ribs, neck, loins,  hides, all were saved. They carefully rubbed it all down with salt and hung it up in the smoke house. Pa built a small fire in a pit he had dug inside, placing piles of leaves on the fire to create lots of smoke. He would keep the fire going for six days and nights. this insured the meat would be preserved. Ma cooked out small batches of bear grease and poured it into the clay jugs that Levi traded for when he went to Mooresville. All the meat preparation took all day. everyone was tired and retired at sundown.

The cool weather causes fur bearing animals to get thicker pelts. This made them more valuable for trade. Levi made more snares and trapping became very busy. He would stretch the hides over hand hued boards and hang them up in the top of the barn to let dry. The furs could be sold for money or traded for other goods. This was everyone’s source of income during this time. The Simms family was totally self sufficient, but it was evident, there was desires for more modern things that would make their lives easier.-----To get ahead, even back then, was the American dream.

The boys at this time were busy clearing land. It was early November and they had cleared about eight acres preparing for the spring planting. They had no means to remove the larger stumps so they worked around them. Ten acres of cleared land at this time was considered large especially in frontier country.

Every thing was going well for the Simms and prosperity was just around the corner. The fur trade was doing well, his livestock collection was increasing, the family was healthy and all was working hard to make things at it’s best.

SMOKIN' RAILROAD COOKOFF CANCELLED

It’s with great sadness that I inform you that the 2020 Smokin Railroad Street BBQ Cookoff has been canceled. We are certainly facing some unprecedented times with our nation’s current situation. We have been given strict rules from KCBS that has placed us in a bind, that we can’t safely meet their requirements. Also, we can’t ask our sponsors to take the money from their families and the families that work for them. We are already looking ahead to next year’s event and hopefully the return of some great competition. Thank you for all the support.

Ryan Pylant, President

Elkmont Lions Club