Every year, since I can remember, my family has gone to the 'farm' for Labor Day Weekend. Down yonder in the hollar, in a little place called Max Meadows, my Grandfather lives on what we call "The Farm". It is actually the same property that my Grandmother grew up on as a little girl, and when it came up for auction back in the 80's, my grandparents purchased the land and built a home there.
My grandparents ran a country store called Poplar Camp Electric. They sold groceries, deli meats, ice cream, furniture, applicances, etc....There are so many memories wrapped in that old store from our child hood!
I remember my granddad always kept a bag of quarters beside the register and we would get in there to get Chocolate Yohoos out of the machine that sat out front of the store. I remember browsing the candy aisle and picking out my favorite candy bar (usually a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup), and sticking my face in the ice cream cooler for one of those chocolate crunch covered ice cream on a stick thingys! I remember learing how to use the meat slicer for deli meats, and playing in the empty boxes the appliances came in!
I also remember a time in the 70s when my family had a VW bus and my grandparents a cadilac.... i decided to play in the bus (a stick mind you) and back then when you turned the key of a stick vehicle without the clutch in it would lurch forward... you probably know where I'm going with this... YES... the VW Bus lurcherd forward into the back of the cadillac... OOPS! The neat thing about that memory is I don't even remember what happened after that- so it must not have been too devastating!
When the house out at the Farm, or Green Acres as it was called, was first built, my Grandparent's store was still in operation, so they continued to live in the living quarters that were above the store for several years. So Green Acres was used for family gatherings like Thanksgiving and Christmas and of course Labor Day Weekend!
Well, eventually Poplar Camp Eletric and the living quarters above the store were closed and sold and my grandparents finally moved out to the farm. The family continued to gather out at the farm for these events.
Labor Day weekend consists of as many of us getting together to have meals together at the farm and then head to the Flea Market in Hillsville, VA. This Flea Market started as a Gun Show and Flea Market at the VFW Building in Hillsville. Back in the 70s and 80s I believe, my grandparents would have a booth to sell Fisher Wood Stoves- so we would get to hang out at the booth and then walk around the flea market (boy i miss those days!) Today, we still go to the Flea Market, which has grown expotenially, but now adays we just don't have a place to rest when we get tired! 
These pictures barely do it justice as to how BIG/HUGE this thing has gotten, hundreds of thousands of people attend from all over!
Below: Great Granddaddy with his dog Betsy, Granddaddy Rog and Kaitlyn!
I keep going and going as my mind is reeling with memories...but hopefully this is a good taste of things!
1 comment:
How fun, Cheryl! I love family traditions. There is something comforting in doing the same thing every year with the ones you love. It sounds like you guys had a great time and little K was a hit (of course!). :)
PS. I took word verification off my blog Just for you!! Did you notice?!?!?! See, I do as I am told. :)
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