State of the (Hillbilly) Union

A quick look at the calendar tells me that it is now the third week of April, and that signals the start of one of nature’s great migrations. Yes, as the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano, California, and the buzzards to Hinckley, Ohio, so too, do hillbillies, both great and small, genuine and honorary, return each year to Pikeville, for the great celebration known far and wide as Hillbilly Days.

You might say that all roads lead to Pikeville. That would be true if a portion of U S 23 between the Shelby Bridge and the Shelby Food City hadn’t been washed out by a water line break. I assume the locals have a favorite detour by this point. Others coming in to the gala from the south, however. will have to fend for themselves. (Better get out the GPS, Ma!)

When you get to Pikeville, you will notice a great hole in what was once “downtown”. This is not unlike the great hole in the hearts of a lot of the area’s citizens created by a group who want to build a white elephant on what was once a vibrant and historic block in the Big City.

Yes, we are told we are responsible because we did not show up for some hearings, but we are smart enough to know that these hearings are for show, and no matter what is said at them, the powers-that-be will proceed with whatever they’d had in mind, anyway. We hope that you had a chance to say good-bye to this block during last year’s Hillbilly Days

Not all is well elsewhere in the Hillbilly Nation. All of us are still in shock because of the tragedy that took place at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia where 29 miners lost their lives in a horrific explosion. To paraphrase the poet, John Donne, every man’s death diminishes us, but here, where mining is a way of life, the great number of deaths at this mine, so unexpected, and so needless, have practically left the area paralyzed.

Many of us had thought that these sort of “accidents” were a thing of the past. Let us pray, both for the families involved, and for those who run the mines, and let us hope that whatever led to this disaster can be avoided in the future.

In the meantime, we soldier on. There are children at the Shiner’s Hospital who need our help. So we do what we must. We can do no less. “Shady” Grady Kinney and “Dirty Ear” Howard Stratton would expect no less from us. In fact, if we shirked our responsibility, there are those of us who would expect that “Shady” Grady Kinney would come up out of his grave and come after us. And we would deserve it.

So, for this wonderful week that promises the best of weather, let us all show up in the Big City of Pikeville. We can all meet our old friends from Hillbilly Days past. We can reminisce about old times, and anticipate Hillbilly Days to come.

Oh, yeah, We can also help celebrate the State Championship that the Shelby Valley Wildcats brought back to Pike County. If you see a Valley Cat, high five him for me!