Every year, as we get closer to Christmas, I start getting sentimental. I always reminisce about the holidays of the past – especially in the days right after Thanksgiving.
It has been great to see so many of the small towns in our region, like Inez, Warfield, Kermit, Williamson, Delbarton and others, putting together Christmas events that are more small-town and nostalgic feeling.
I recall how much fun it was to go to “town” at Christmastime. For us, going to Williamson was going to town. It was a big deal, much like a trip now to a shopping mall in Charleston, Huntington or Lexington.
It was with wide-eyed amazement for a little kid from Nolan (8 miles south of Williamson on old U.S. Rt. 52 at that time) to go to the big city – our county seat – to see the multicolored lights – blue, red, green and yellow – strung high across the streets on Second and Third Avenues in downtown Williamson.
When you went to “town” at this time of year, the sidewalks were lined with shoppers. People were elbow to elbow on the sidewalks and came from far and wide. Parking spaces in “town” were hard to find.
They drove in from every little hamlet, every long, narrow “holler” and every little small town in the Tug Valley area.
If you wanted a parking place, you may have to drive around the block a few times before one would open. Traffic was bumper to bumper in downtown Williamson. Some people would park on the “Kentucky” side of Williamson and walk across the Harvey Street bridge just to get into town to shop.
Most everyone who wanted to Christmas shop came to “town.” The younger generation has no idea how busy and bustling downtown Williamson was every weekend, especially during Christmas.
Williamson was the hub of shopping in the region with department stores, five-and-dime stores, clothing stores, shoe stores and restaurants. What a thrill it was for a young lad like me to get a chance to walk up and down the sidewalks to many of the stores.
There were bright-eyed boys lined up watching the racetrack display at Sears. Or they might be just as amazed at the electric train tracks set up going around and around.
Kids of all ages and genders would visit Murphy’s and Hobbs to see all the new and old toys. Walking into Murphy’s, you could smell the freshly popped popcorn and the roasted peanuts. You could eye all of the penny candy lined up in glass display cases. It made your mouth water, and then you had to decide what tasty treat to spend a few pennies on.
For me, I would sell some pop bottles to get enough money to go to the Book Nook or (Fred) Mickel’s to buy comic books – Batman, Superman, Justice League of America and other colorful comics. (I sure wish I had some of those now. Some copies may be worth some money.)
I can still hear the bells ringing from the volunteers manning the Salvation Army kettle booth on Second Avenue in front of Hobb’s Department Store.
If you were lucky enough, you might get to eat at one of the many restaurants. How about a delicious hot pepperoni pizza from the Walnut Room? I still say they had the absolute best pizzas I ever ate in my lifetime.
Or, you might get a hot dog with the world-famous chili at the Brunswick. Or maybe you would grab a couple of slaw dogs, a bag of fresh Snyder’s chips or a cheeseburger and fries at the Smokehouse.
If you needed shoes, your parents would likely take you to Jimmy’s Friendly Shoe Store or the Cinderella Boot Shop on Second Avenue. How many times did Jimmy Davis greet you at the door when you went into Jimmy’s? Bill Rosen was the man at the Cinderella Boot Shop. Years later, his sons, Larry and Bruce, started a Radio Shack dealership on Logan Street.
There were so many clothing stores. For the women, they could go to Nelsons, Jenny’s Dress Shop (where my mom worked), Harvit’s, Brown’s, Schwachters and many others. For the men, there was Robert Morris (Fred Hatfield was ready to measure you for a suit) and the Man’s Shop, Ltd. (with Charlie Maroudas working the floor). Don Zappin and his crew were ready to show you the latest men’s fashion at United Clothing. Then there were clothing stores like Cox’s, J.C. Penny’s and so many more.
There was Cantees Department store. I can still see my friend Abe Cantees and his family members waiting on his many customers.
There were furniture stores like B & L, Caplan’s, and G.W. Taylor’s Appliance store.
Maybe you wanted to check out the latest baseball glove or check out a basketball or football at Hatfield’s Sporting Goods on Third Avenue. Or you could stop by Charlie Albert’s Army and Navy Store right down the sidewalk from Hatfield’s.
On Second Avenue, Christmas carols would be blaring out of the speaker outside the door from the stairs leading up to the WBTH radio studio.
Back at Nolan, for whatever reason, there were always fireworks to be purchased. Every holiday season many of us would be shooting off bottle rockets and lighting up firecrackers and Roman candles. But that’s another entire story.
Like many of you, I have so many fond memories of growing up in the Tug Valley. These are just a few of the recollections I have from my younger years in the 1960s and 1970s.
I’m sure many of you have similar memories. I hope this column brought back a few cherished ones of those bygone and took you down a sweet memory lane.
Editor’s Note: This is a rewrite of columns from years past. We ran it again due to popular demand.
Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now retired but is a freelance writer and contributor for the Mountain Citizen.