How Does Your Garden Grow.........

L- Top photo-Vicki and Brigdette Fraley check to make sure the watering system is working properly in their garden on the Maysville Road.

Right-Harold Fraley cultivates his corn. He says his Super A Farmall is "purty old".

In just a few weeks you will be able to purchase farm fresh produce from the huge garden put out by Harold, his wife Vicki and their daugther Bridgette.

The plowed field you see above Harold will be overflowing with bright orange pumpkins before ya know it!!

The Fraley's garden has become a popular place to purchase tasty home grown vegetables since 2006.

Customers come from as far away as Chicago and West Virginia to buy their sweet white corn, juicy ripe tomatoes, dark leafy greens, yellow squash, cucumbers, green onions, pole beans, cantalope, peppers, and watermelon.

LugNutz Hot Rod Club

Chrome & Cruise 2008 was a big success!
The Maysville-Mason County Recreation Park was a great location and, if all goes as planned, will become our permanent home.
The People's Choice Awards went to Larry Breeze with his 1966 Pontiac GTO, and Larry Reed with his 1952 Chevrolet Pickup.
Michael O'Cull won the long distance award. Michael traveled from Lake Havasua City, Arizona to attend the cruise-in!

Visit the LugNutz Hot Rod Club at www.lugnutz1.com

Special thanks to all of our sponsors:
Jim's Auto Outlet, BrooksvilleWildcat Truck and Car Source, MaysvilleBowie Tire Co., Aberdeen, OHAlexandria Tire Center, AlexandriaCummins Automotive Center, LenoxburgCarol Moran Insurance, BrooksvilleShelter Insurance (Tonya Gray), MaysvilleKenny's Restaurant, VanceburgFleming County Messenger, FlemingsburgTom Jett, MaysvilleTriple A Auto Club of Ohio and KentuckyTire World, MaysvilleMichel Tire, MaysvilleChandler's Restaurant, MaysvilleMarket Street Book Store, MaysvilleBob Evans Restaurant, MaysvilleIntegra Bank, MaysvilleShugars Supply, MaysvilleHauke Autocare, MaysvilleNapa Auto Parts, MaysvilleAutoZone, MaysvilleAdvance Auto, MaysvilleLowe's, MaysvilleDebbie Ruark's "Mary Kay", VanceburgDan McCane Gallery Custom Framing, VanceburgLast but not least, a special thank you to the City of Maysville for all of their help and support.

Maysville's Chrome & Cruise

Top photo: Larry Reed

Bottom: Larry Breeze

Summer Dreamin'..........

Classic vehicles galore were on display at the Chrome and Cruise held at the Maysville/Mason County Recreaton Park in Washington on Saturday.

One of my all time favorites is this 1929 Model-A Ford owned by Karen and Duggie Adamson. That's Karen and Duggie in photo

Check back soon for more highlights of the cruise-in.

A Good Day for Ducks

Quack, quack, waddle, waddle, run there's a photographer!

Just as I hopped from Joanne's Jimmy to capture these ducks while they were taking a cool swim, they made a run for cover.

Photos taken at the Richard and Keiley Day farm on East Fork Road in Bath County

Crusin' in a Small Town

Left-Reno McGlone's '57 Chevy.
Below-Tara McCarty tries her
hand at the ring toss.


Left-Wanda Gardner tosses a few rings
Below-Danny McCord read the numbers
to the winning ticket.


Above-Debbie McCord has fun playing the ring toss game.
Left-Judy Little shows off her 1969
Mustang.

Below-Gary McCord takes a short break in front of his red truck.

Left: Larry Gilvin and Tim Wheeler talk about

driving their first car.

That's Tim's 1949 Chevy.

Below: Bill Black waves from inside his

custom built 1941 Chevy Street Rod.

UPDATE: Hey, I finally figured it out!!
Gotta admit I cannot get the text to go where I want it to yet.
Every time I try to get the words to line up with the photos they come out in the actual post all wrong.

So.........I am hoping the pics will explain the info below.

It's was crusin' time in Flemingsburg last Saturday evening with Danny McCord's Kentucky Kruzzin Cruise-In sponsored by Arby's.

Gary McCord sits beside a couple of Chevy's, the red one is Gary's the yellow 1964 Chevy belongs to Danny McCord.

Judy Little shows off her 1969 Mustang to a few young girls.

Danny McCord has a ton of fun playing music, games and interacting with the crowds who attend his Kentucky Kruzzin Cruise-Ins.

Debbie McCord tries her hand at tossing rings.

Bill Black gives a friendly wave from inside his custom built 1941 Chevy Street Rod. Bill and his wife Nancy enjoy attending the Classic Car and Truck Show during the summer months.

Tim Wheeler and Larry Gilvin talk about driving their first vehicle. Tim's mother bought this 1949 Chevy Truck in 1975, which Tim promptly drove his mom to the grocery store when the Bluegrass Shopping Center opened in Maysville. The drive was a first for Tim.

The snazzy black '57 Chevy belongs to Reno McGlone

Tara McCarty gives the ring toss a try and so does her grandmother Wanda Gardner.

Collecting Thoughts

Wow...
look at
the people gathered
on Main Street!!
For those of us
who grew up in
Sharpsburg in the 60's and 70's
this is one rare photo!



Collecting Thoughts

My column in the Messenger is titled Collecting Thoughts.
I had intended to write about some of the things I collect like vintage linens, cookbooks, tea pots, and dishes for my kitchen.
But most times I just write what comes to mind each week.
Several ramblings have been about growing up in my hometown
of Sharpsburg.

I thought I would post some of my columns for those of you who don't
get to pick up a copy of the Messenger.

I surely hope I dont bore ya, and I especially hope you will leave some of your own thoughts on collecting and your childhood or teenage memories.

June 9, 2008 Edition of the Messenger
Sharing our history creates nostalgic memories
Let me tell ya, you really missed out if you didnʼt make it to Community Day in Sharpsburg last Saturday.
I guess I am a little biased since I grew up right in the middle of the little town, but I was beaming with pride when I got a gander at how many people turned out for this event.
I have to say Mayor Clemons and all who helped in any way to organize the event, hatʼs off to you. You did an outstanding job!
When Emily and I turned off the new by-pass to head down Main Street, I could not believe my eyes and thought I surely must be in the wrong town.
Cars, trucks and motorcycles were parked as far as I could see, and the middle of town was blocked off. I have never seen “up town” blocked off in my life.
Nor have I ever seen so many people gathered along the street and sidewalks except for trick-or-treat night years ago.
I truly loved the display of old photographs inside the firehouse and especially enjoyed listening to people I have known for years share their own memories about growing up in Sharpsburg.
I saw tons of folks I instantly recognized and several faces that took me a few minutes to remember.
I was a disappointed with the absence of a few familiar faces.
I would have loved to seen my best friends Melissa Petitt, Tammy Reffitt and Judy Richmond.
Mary Louise Jones and Pam Boyd, if you were among the crowd, I didn’t see you, and it would have been lots of fun just to sit and chat about old times.
Although I didn’t get a chance to speak to my old buddy Chad Hart, I did spot him in the crowd.
I did, however, meet up with an old schoolmate and was proud to hear Chris Bailey had gone into the ministry and is now the pastor of Grace Gospel Tabernacle where I went to Sunday school as a child.
For me, the day was an amazing turn of events for my little hometown, and just seeing all the food and craft vendors that lined the streets was a sight to see.
Watching a community of old friends and neighbors enjoy meeting up with each other after years of being away was a wonderful experience.
Celebrating our history, I discovered as I talked to dozens of folks, is very important to those of us who call Sharpsburg home. For us locals, it is a town that will be forever remembered as a place filled with amazing people and memories we hold dear to our hearts.
For everyone who came out to enjoy the day of nostalgic reminiscing, I know you are already looking forward to next year.
So dig up those old photographs and year books and make plans for next years celebration.
Community Day will be a day that will go down in history for all of us who love sharing memories of growing up in a town called Sharpsburg.

Sharpsburg Community Day Event

Celebrating Small Town History

Saturdayʼs celebration just may have put Sharpsburg back on the map.

As hundreds of people gathered "up town" to celebrate nearly 200 years of the town's rich history, main street came alive with a festival like fan-fare.

From Oak to Camp streets, plenty of vendors tempted the taste buds with festival foods such as barbecued ribs, tenderloin, hotdogs, cheeseburgers, fried fish, baked goods and snow cones.
Of course, it wouldnʼt be Sharpsburg without tubs of ice cold Ale-8ʼs to quench your thirst being offered by each food vendor.
Several booths offered a variety of wares such as hand-sewn quilts and throws, Longaberger purses and baskets, handmade jewelry, scented candles, Home Interior items and yard sale goods.

Renee, Patricia and Donna at Roberts Grocery kept a steady pace, serving home-cooked food to festival goers who came from out-of-town looking for that nostalgic sense of yesterday and knew the familiar old store would not disappoint them.
Warren Roberts, owner of Roberts Grocery, was overjoyed to see so many of the folks he had grown up with in the area show up for the festivities.
"I think this is such a wonderful idea," Roberts said. "I love seeing all the people I grew up with that I havenʼt seen in years. Sharpsburg has always been filled with wonderful people, and to see so many familiar faces come home to support our first community event is just amazing."

Mayor Dorothy Clemons has been the first to orchestrate such an event to take place in the small town and was happy with how well the first community day turned out.
"We have really been blessed with so many who have supported this idea," Clemons said. "I am so happy to see everyone enjoying themselves and having such a wonderful time. I want to thank all the local churches, businesses and organizations who set up vending booths to help make this day such a huge success."

Local historians Rob Lane and George Stone gathered old photographs and documented material from their own private collections for everyone to enjoy along with the day's events.
Despite the sweltering heat, the crowd enjoyed activities scheduled throughout the day such as face painting and corn hole tournaments. Gospel singers, cloggers, line dancers and skateboarders entertained at different intervals, and Billy Jones took up his blue Fender to play some rhythm and blues. Antique tractors and a couple of vintage cars were also on display.

With quite a bit of buzz generating around the food and festivities that took place in the middle of town, the highlight of the event was the display of old photographs and documented pieces of the cityʼs history.
Inside the old firehouse a crowd of local residents mixed and mingled with old friends and neighbors from out of town and even out of state to share memories from days gone by.

Greg Martin, a Sharpsburg native who has lived in Florida for the past 30 years, was thrilled when he heard his home town had planned such an event.
“I was so excited when I heard this little town I grew up in was having something like this," Martin said. "Just to get to see some of my old friends is exciting, and the tables of history set up were great to see. I hope Mayor Clemons and the city are making plans to do this again next year."

Billy Purvis was among the many lined up to take a look at the high school year books from 1961 through 1963.
“Community Day turned out to be a wonderful experience,” Purvis said. “For this being the very first of it’s kind, it was very well organized and I hope we get to enjoy more events like it and more often.”

Carolyn Rogers, Frank Hart, Charles Hart, David Petitt, Millard Petitt, Beulah Hart, Patricia Brooks, Janet Wilson, Mary Ann Richmond and Carol Hamilton were just a few of the hundreds who spent time reminiscing over the wonderful display of Sharpsburgʼs history.

Community Day for the local residents as well as natives from far and wide meant enjoying a day not only of sharing memories, food and fellowship but also a day of making history in a town each of them had called home for so many years.
Plans are already in the works for the second annual Community Day in Sharpsburg according to Rob Lane.
"Today’s turn out was so much more than we ever expected," Lane said. "The support from the community has been overwhelming, and we are very happy with how successful this celebration has been. As soon as we get cleaned up from this event, we are going to get started planning for next year’s Community Day in Sharpsburg.”