Fragments From Floyd

In 1974, a group of writers and activists gathered in the circular meeting space at Highlander Center near Knoxville to form what became the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative. Founding members of SAWC include Gurney Norman, Peggy Dotson Hall, Jim Webb and Ron Short.

During the 1970s, SAWC sponsored readings and published New Ground, an anthology of contemporary Appalachian literature. In the 1980s, Norman, along with poets George Ella Lyon and Bob Henry Baber facilitated the Appalachian Poetry Project, breathing new life into SAWC as poets and writers from throughout the Appalachian region gathered in their own and one another’s communities, and celebrated together at Highlander Center.

SAWC has met (almost) annually since this time. Through its annual October writers’ gathering, a SAWC Summer gathering at Wiley’s Last Resort on top of Pine Mountain in Whitesburg, KY, local readings and the literary magazine, Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel, SAWC continues its original mission to foster community among and encourage publication of Appalachia’s writers.

SAWC members from Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia will gather at Radford University the evening of Thursday April 24 at the Flossie Martin Art Gallery, Radford University to celebrate the posthumous publication of All There is To Keep, a book of poetry by the late Rita Riddle of the RU English Department and a long time and much loved SAWC member. Then, while in the area at the invitation of SAWC member Fred First, on Friday April 25, members of SAWC will meet and swap short readings with the Floyd Writers Circle at the Country Store from 3:30 to 5:00.

The time of good words and good fun at the Country Store is free and open to the public, and all are invited to attend and to welcome these writer-guests to Floyd.

The image is from yesterday, a day much less ominous for us than areas north and south that saw strong spring storms. Wish we’d gotten more rain!

That the old has become new–without abandoning the comfortable scale and pace of the old–is a noteworthy–and newsworthy– feature of today’s downtown Floyd. Small is beautiful. Others towns are noticing how this growing phase is shaping up…

To prevent strip malls from moving into suburban areas of town, Floyd officials and property owners are working together to convert old downtown buildings into new commercial and residential space.

The concept, known as “adaptive re-use,” is also being explored in Giles, Pulaski, Wise and Scott counties, according to downtown Floyd property owner Woody Crenshaw, who said he’s been contacted by people in those communities about what steps Floyd has taken to preserve its local character.[NRV Roanoke Times 20 April 08]

In all this make-over, can prosperity happen without becoming the Midas touch? It may be that the street improvements are the easy part. Dealing with success while preserving the foundation it was built on will be the challenge of the future. Other former small towns lay buried somewhere in the sprawl, gobbled up by the smothering suburbs created by loving a place to death.

That there is a risk of this happening in Floyd is certain. But contrary to the county seal, there are many who believe that we do not need not grow in the all-to-common big-box ways of small towns these days to prosper. But finding that balance between what we get and what we give away is necessarily at the center of all the discussions I’ve been involved with.

There is a large measure of caution here, of measuring twice before cutting once. And so far, the balancing act seems to be keeping Floyd on its feet, and only occasionally do you have to sit through more than one light change at the single traffic light in town.

Ann asked when she got home from work how Earth Day went, and I honestly couldn’t say. I told her I felt removed from the event the way I feel after hosting one of our rare big parties at the house, in which case when it’s all over:

Yes, I saw all the cars parked along the road, so we must have had a good crowd. Yes, I said a few words to all of our guests but not many to any; I sampled a few of the covered dishes and saw but never had time for a taste of my favorite Pecan Pie somebody put on the table though I heard it was wonderful. And I saw people meeting new friends and finding common ground and apparently enjoying themselves and most said as much as they left. And afterwards, I was totally exhausted from the stepping and fetching and general “upness” required during the several intense hours of the event after days of planning. But I was not immersed in but rather hovering outside of the time, an overseer, not a participant.

And at the end of the day yesterday, I felt like the “good steward of a few things” of the Biblical parable. How many times over the years I’ve approached a responsibility with the full force of my energies and planned as if it would be presented to an auditorium full of interested people only to have the three or four politely bored elderly ladies who came nod off during my carefully crafted discourse. No so many came yesterday as I’d hoped (something like 85) but about as many as I expected. But those who came seem to have thought it worthwhile. I couldn’t say, too involved in tending the trees to see the forest.

Will yesterday’s event be only the first of similar environmental-focus gatherings in the future? Could be. And I think that those who came yesterday will be more inclined to come back to future events and bring a friend. And those involved in planning will know some things learned yesterday. Most things went right, only a few details fell through the cracks. It was a Floyd-scale success by almost all measures, for sure, though “the choir” composed a good bit of the audience. How do you bring in those people who aren’t already convinced of the worthiness of the topic you will present?

Meanwhile, a varied slate of events for Earth Day are scheduled at nearby Virginia Tech. Of note, there were few young people in the audience in Floyd yesterday, and this is one deficiency that could perhaps be addressed in future efforts.

I hope to see many of you starting at 9:30 (I don’t know that I’ve ever seen any of my Floyd friends and neighbors before noon on Saturday!). The place, Floyd High School auditorium. The central topic is water. The program speakers, times and topics are listed below. Hope to see you there! And if you can’t come, Green Your Water: print the linked page, put it on your fridge. Make copies for your friends.

9:30 Fred First

Fred First moved to Wytheville, Virginia from Alabama in 1975 and taught biology at WCC until 1987. Since 1989 he’s been a licensed physical therapist practicing locally and has also taught as adjunct biology faculty at RU. Since 2002 he’s written and photographed the “beautiful ordinaries” of life in Floyd County and shared these reflections on his blog, Fragments from Floyd, in his book, Slow Road Home, and by way of NPR essays and his columns in the Floyd Press and Roanoke Star Sentinel. He lives in northeastern Floyd County on the headwaters of the South Fork of the Roanoke River.

PRESENTATION ~ Fred will narrate his multimedia “Our Place in the World” that includes some sixty Floyd County digital images. His presentation offers a visually-rich and compelling invitation to forge deeper relationships with the landscapes we call home.

10:00 Tammy Stephenson

Tambera (Tammy) D. Stephenson is the Senior Water Supply Planner for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. In this capacity, she works with localities in western and southwest Virginia in developing local and regional water supply plans. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from Old Dominion University and is certified as an Erosion and Sedimentation Control Program Administrator. Tammy serves on the Alleghany Highlands YMCA Board of Directors and Executive Board, President of the Alleghany Highlands Humane Society Board of Directors, Chairman of the Upper James River Roundtable/Mountain Waters RC&D, Chairman of the Alleghany Highlands Emergency Food and Shelter Board, and a member of the Council for Rural Development Board of Directors Tammy is married to Roscoe B. Stephenson, III, an attorney, and has three children: Nick, Sarah, and Daniel, and two stepchildren: Jane and Bo, one granddaughter by Jane and Joe, Antonia, and one granddaughter on her way (due early April) by Nick and Courtney.

PRESENTATION ~Tammy Stephenson will discuss the role of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and particularly, her role there as she works with the region and localities in the development of their water supply plans. She will provide a brief overview of Virginia’s Water Supply Planning regulation which requires all localities in the Commonwealth to develop water supply plans that will become part of a statewide water supply strategy. In addition, she will identify policies that may impact the water supply and offer actions that everyone might take to conserve water inside and outside the home.

10:30 Rupert Cutler

Rupert Cutler of Roanoke, Virginia, is vice chairman of the board of directors of the Western Virginia Water Authority, a trustee of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, and a former member of the Roanoke City Council (2002-2006). A native of Detroit, Michigan, he has an undergraduate degree in wildlife management from the University of Michigan (1955) and master’s (1971) and doctor of philosophy (1972) degrees from the Department of Resource Development of Michigan State University.

He has been the editor of the Virginia Game Department’s magazine, Virginia Wildlife, and the National Wildlife Federation’s magazine, National Wildlife. He has been assistant executive director of The Wilderness Society, senior vice president of the National Audubon Society, executive director of Population-Environment Balance, president of Defenders of Wildlife, and president of the Virginia Section of The Wildlife Society. Rupert was assistant secretary of the US Department of Agriculture in charge of the Forest Service and the Soil Conservation Service during the Carter Administration.

Since 1991, Dr. Cutler has resided in Roanoke where he has served as executive director of Virginia’s Explore Park, an outdoor living history museum, and founding executive director of the Western Virginia Land Trust.

PRESENTATION ~ Dr. Cutler will offer ideas regarding grass-roots measures for conservation of water supplies and protection of water sources. He’ll describe how easements can help keep working farms and forests going, to provide local food and fiber and protect watersheds. Reducing the amount of coal and oil-based electrical energy we use can reduce air pollution and slow climate change and global warming. We can reduce our “carbon footprints” in southwest Virginia and should encourage state and national legislators to help us manage our water and other natural resources and maintain a healthful environment.

11:00 David E. “Jason” Rutledge

Mr. Rutledge is a lifetime farmer, forester, horseman and father of four. He co-founded Healing Harvest Forest Foundation in 1999 along with community volunteers and fellow horse loggers. He has provided leadership as a visionary and practitioner of “restorative forestry” speaking on the issues of sustainable forestry and sustainable agriculture all over the United States. He was awarded the Rock the Earth Planet Defender title in 2006, has been featured on the cover of the Mother Earth News, Draft Horse Journal and has been featured on television for PBS, A & E Discovery Channel in the documentary “In The Company of Horses”. Jason has raised, trained and worked Suffolk horses for nearly thirty years. He is a native Virginian and lives on Ridgewind Farm in the Appalachian Mountains of Floyd County, a “born teacher who has done more than anybody else known to me to establish horse logging and sustainable forestry as a way of life and work among younger people. In my opinion, his educational efforts are worth whatever you may wish to invest in them.” Wendell Berry, December 31, 2007

PRESENTATION ~ Jason Rutledge will speak on the issue of water as being the most valuable product to come out of the forest. Since the forest is the largest landscape condition in our region it plays a vital part in our environmental quality. Jason practices restorative forestry that is ecosystem based, carbon positive and a part of ecological capitalism.11:30 David Crawford (no bio available)

11:30 David Crawford of Rainwater Management Solutions (Roanoke) ~ will speak on practical aspects of rainwater harvesting and other practical and sustainable ways to manage freshwater resources.

Next week the story here will be the Fortress Garden. Post holes have been augured, concrete truck is coming soon, and by the middle of next week I’ll be able to post to the deer-world our challenge: Bring it on, Rats on Stilts!

This image was one of the very first digital images I ever took–in April 2002–with the Nikon Coolpix 950 newly arrived in my life then. It was love at first sight, swivel body and all.

This place is a mile down mountain from where our road meets the hardtop–which you can see snaking its way down towards Shawsville–with Goose Creek meandering around the rocky prominence upon which this old farmstead has stood for many years( and where some artist-friends currently live). It is one of the most picturesque places the most folks don’t realize is still in Floyd County–but not by much.

It has been years since I visited a home health physical therapy patient in this house I pass on one of my alternate routes into Floyd.

On my first visit, a tiny black woman came to the door, her small dog yipping nervously beside her, jumping against her legs.

“You must be Mabel Lawson” I said, glancing at the chart in my clipboard to confirm the address.

“Harumphhh” she snorted. “Mabel Lawson–I don’t know ’bout that. They took a gall bladder. The took most of a stomach and all them other innards in there. Ain’t much a’ Mabel left. But I guess I’m what’s left of ‘er. ”

She has since passed on and her house abandoned. I wonder what happened to her little dog that came to accept me after half a dozen visits. And now her house suffers decrepitude, taking on the aspect of its former owner.

They ain’t much left uvvit.

Consider dinner in town and a relaxing evening of good music with friends at the Floyd County High School auditorium. The performance is a benefit for the Historical Society Museum.

by Nathan First, Special to the Press ~ a father-son story of a thousand-mile rite of passage

Part One Part Two

In the month it took to walk through New England, you might have thought I’d have gotten wiser for the wear.

In Connecticut, after a few hundred miles of back roads, I decided that I’d try out the Appalachian Trail. Nothing stupid there: New York and New Jersey loomed ahead, and taking the Trail was a good way of skirting the sprawl.

But after a week alone in the woods, I started feeling rugged and self-sufficient. With grim excitement, I mailed home my sleeping bag, hat, gloves, and sweater. I needed nothing! I was Nate of the Wild.

And then came the cold front. For the next several days, the sky turned gray, temperatures plummeted, and a cold rain made relentless, baneful raids on my underwear.

Dumber for the wear. By the time I crossed the New Jersey border, the weather had taken its toll. I was hypothermic. My lips and fingertips were blue; my hands were losing their coordination. My shaking was sometimes more akin to convulsion, and sometimes stopped altogether. By then, instinct had finally kicked in. I was even ready to break my “no hotels” rule. Trouble was, the closest hotel was still a day’s walk away.

That night I shared a shelter with “Pops,” a 60-year-old who had planned to hike northbound into Massachusetts. His plans, though, had changed. Tomorrow, he promised, he’d be homebound, to all things warm and dry.

Pops was far from cheery. “You ready to freeze your butt off tonight?”

I just nodded grimly. At times Pops and I tried to talk ourselves into distraction. Other times one of us would say goodnight and plunge in, hoping that we were ready for sleep and the morning would come quickly.

Finally, well after dark, a crashing down the trail startled us from our chattering little worlds. Flashlights flung out across wet trees along the ridge. “Who in the heck could that be?” said Pops in disbelief. “What time is it, anyway?” I looked at my watch. “Eight thirty.”

Pops moaned. “I’ve been in this shelter since noon today. Been in my sleeping bag since five . . .” He mumbled off. ” . . . damn thought it was at least one o’clock.” We whistled to the oncoming hikers to let them know they’d found the place. They whooped back.

One was singing. Pops quietly growled.

Rich and Ed unpacked their things and we all got acquainted. They were leaders of a Boy Scout troop back in town, they said. They’d planned this trip as a reward for their troop, but none of their scouts had been fool enough to come.

“More for us, I guess,” said Ed.

Trail Magic: tr al-ma-jik. n. A term used commonly by hikers of the Appalachian Trail to signify a moment of overwhelming fortune at the time of greatest need.

Rich lugged a ten-pound propane grill from his pack and set it up in the light drizzle.

“Itellya, Ed, I am starving.” Rich looked at the two of us. “What about you boys? Up for a coupla ribeyes?”

Plump, juicy, rib-eye steaks. Sautéed mushrooms and onions. Various hills of scalloped potatoes. Warmth. In a delectable cheesy white sauce with pepper. Trail Magic.

______________________

For the time being, let me end with a confession. When I started walking home to Floyd, I thought the trip would be less warmth, less Magic. More me. Alone with the road. Nobody else.

So before I lead you to believe that I “walked off to look for America,” a star in some Simon and Garfunkel song, I’ll admit that my goals were not really so noble. I didn’t entirely expect to meet a whole bunch of Rich’s and Eds. And without them, frankly, I had little desire to “find America.”

If you’ll forgive the clichéd way of saying it, though, I think America found me. In countless feats of “Road Magic,” America walked off its front porches, stopped me in its front yards, invited me into its homes and offered stories, suppers, hot showers and warm beds.

America of all kinds, all shapes and sizes: monks and cowgirls and dying tycoons; college kids and brave old ladies; pastors, professors, doctors and farmers. And if that wasn’t enough, Ma mailed me cookies, and Dad even came out to join me for a while, and we shared some Trail Magic together. But that’s a story I’ll let him tell.

Just a couple of pointers and housekeeping updates on this (thankfully!) rainy day in near-spring on Goose Creek.

DO make note of the sidebar image for Floyd Earth Day (April 19) and the web page it points to (thanks, blogger David St. Lawrence). Note that on the page is a form to use to let the organizers know of your plans to attend as participant, vendor (info and free samples only) or as an interested “resource”. For the latter, you can leave the name of your company, a link to your web page, and some indication of your relevant experience, expertise or interest for the Water and Floyd theme that you can share in the general exchange and discussion on April 19.

Also, a couple of invisible changes of small note at Fragments: find the new “home page for info” link (sidebar) by way of squidoo to information about my various photographic and literary goodies. On that page, the “bio” link is currently to my info and mug shot at the Southern Nature Project page which I recommend for your perusal. Lots of good southern nature writers in the resources there you might not have been familiar with–plus those like Silas House and Rick Bass you probably already knew of.

And I got word this morning that my blogging buddy Jane P (Melinama) of Pratie Place blog will be part of a performing duo (the PratieHeads) at the historic 1908 Courthouse in Independence, Virginia on Saturday night, March 15th at 7 pm for the St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Heck, I may just wander over that way myself, see some friends in Galax for an early dinner (I haven’t warned them yet) as I’ll be a bachelor for a few days about then.

Oh, and speaking of the weekend, you might make a note NOW to change your clocks ahead an hour Saturday night–comes early this year, seems like–for Daylight Savings. Longer Days artificially induced on top of that nice thing the globe does this time of year, showing more of the northern hemisphere for longer and longer until the summer solstice in June.

Come to Floyd’s version of “Antiques Roadshow.” Appraisal of each item is only $5, with no limit on items. Your treasures will be appraised by these experts:

• Ken Farmer & Bob Miller will appraise fine and folk art, furniture, decorative arts and pottery.
• Larry Clevinger II will appraise military, scout items, artifacts, advertising, early photos and ephemera.
• Pam Graham will appraise china, silver, glass, jewelry and small collectibles.

Admission: $1 with all proceeds going to Partnership for Floyd for improvements to Floyd. 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at Floyd County High School.  Call 540-745-4420 Nanette Johnson for more information.