Merry Christmas, Every One!!

One of my newest Christmas traditions is to photograph the sign outside The Hair Company in Bruceton. 

In a time when many people bow to political correctness by saying "Happy Holidays," the Carters, longtime owners and operators, aren't afraid to publicly express their feelings about the Christmas season. 

Their message from 2007 is a classic.

Merry Christmas, every one!!

51 Topics for Discussion (1970s-80s)

Over the past few days I've jotted down a list of Twin Town topics to write about.

I tried to keep the first list of topics in the 1970s and '80s, the time I was growing up and in school.

I stopped at the random number of 51, so I'll share those for now. (They're in no particular order.)

1 - The "Hollow Rock"

2 - Town Dog

3 - Railroad Cafe

4 - Hill's Grocery

5 - Templeton Park

6 - 236 Ash Street (my boyhood home)

7 - The "Mosquito Truck"

8 - The Blue Dip

9 - Old First Baptist Church

10 - Prospect Baptist Church

11 - Lawn Mowing

12 - FBI's "Most Wanted List" at the Post Office

13 - When Bruceton's City Hall/Fire Station Burned

14 - Town Elections

15 - Live Nativity Scene

16 - Sand Pits

17 - Cotton Creek Road

18 - Climbing the Water Tower

19 - "Shoestring" Massey

20 - Juicy's Pool Hall

21 - H.I.S. Factory Outlet Store

22 - "Don't Envy H.I.S., Wear Them"

23 - Hopper Drug

24 - Neighborhood Gang

25 - Boy Scouts

26 - Little League

27 - Q-Mart

28 - Homecoming Parades

29 - Christmas Caroling

30 - Keeper Bait Co.

31 - CHS Smoking Alley

32 - Mac's Bargain House

33 - Rex Cinema

34 - Hig's Restaurant

35 - Block City

36 - Smith's Bakery

37 - CB Radio Craze

38 - Composite Aircraft Components Inc.

39 - Sen. Howard Baker's Campaign Train

40 - Basketball Legend Ray LeCompte

41 - Hell's Angels Ride into Town

42 - Bogle's Filling Station and Greyhound Bus Stop

43 - BMX Racing

44 - Jordan's Stop-n-Shop

45 - Trading Baseball Cards

46 - Fourth of July Celebrations

47 - Western Auto

48 - Playing Tennis on an Asphalt Court

49 - Camping

50 - Old Two-Story Central H.S. Building

51 - Bruceton Funeral Home

Hollow Rock-Bruceton on my mind

I heard the country song "If Heaven" by Andy Griggs on the radio recently, and a portion of the lyrics reminded me of my twin hometowns of Hollow Rock and Bruceton, Tenn.

"If heaven was a town, it would be my town,

Oh, on a summer day in 1985.

When everything I wanted was out there waiting,

And everyone I loved is still alive."

That pretty well describes 1985 through the eyes of my 20-year-old former self, when everything indeed was out there waiting, and everyone I loved—except my grandfathers—was still alive.

It is in this spirit that I humbly start the Twin Town Memories blog to share my recollections of growing up in a special area of Tennessee.