Over the weekend I caught up with dear friends I
had not seen in a coon’s age who now have the dubious honor of saying they live
in (on?) Rocky Top. (Gonna take awhile to get used to this. I offer you the Osbourne Brothers (original) version to get you in the spirit.) From now on when
singing my alma mater's anthem with 100,000 other orange-clad zealots at Neyland Stadium, I
may have a genuine tear in my eye, as Rocky Top really is Home Sweet Home to me.
It’s hard to imagine this hole-in-the-wall town
with a population of 1,700 people with a median income of $14,000, suddenly
booming with 3D interactive IMAX theatres and multi-million dollar theme parks.
Where once your options were Glenn’s Pizza or the Unicorn Café (it was a big deal when Cracker Barrel came to town), I hear they'll soon have pirate-themed restaurants and all sorts of fancy eateries. I can
hear the talk at the local barber shop now.
Thanks to my pal Ranger Mark, I am now the proud
owner of one of the very first Rocky Top “T’s” hot off the press, from the
greatest state park in the entire system: (Norris Dam). So much for that little
best kept secret. News is out. Papaw probably just rolled over in his grave to
think of his sweet little town turning Branson overnight, but hey, that’s life.
The logos are complete; the new signs are drying.
Things are gearing up in a town that can’t seem to hold onto a name (prior to
Lake City, it was Coal Creek). It’s rich with history, loaded with nature and
soon it’s going to be back to back parking…(I hope they’re ready!)
Dear Granny and Papaw,
I miss you more than words can say….The memories
run deep from the many long rides to get to you…passing through little
towns like Harriman, Rockwood, Farragut...It was a long, but a pretty drive
from Lebanon to Lake City. I remember peering through the windows of that big Greyhound
bus when I was itty bitty, eagerly counting the stops until we’d see your
smiling faces. You were the greatest grand folks on earth and our times spent
in Lake City are among my dearest childhood memories.
Just curious if you’re catching the news down here?
Do you get CNN where you are? (Cause
they’ve been all over your turf these past few weeks~)
I’m sure you’ve got better things to amuse, but
did you hear they just renamed your town again? Yep. That’s right. You’re sweet
hometown—where you were born, went to school, courted…married....where Papaw worked at the bank and Gran ran the library and played the organ at
the First Baptist Church every Sunday for 50 years. Sadly, Lake City (and before that, Coal Creek) is no
more. Going forward it will now be “Rocky Top” and if UT ballgames are any
indication, I’d say the locals need to get ready to hear that tune a lot. (Hope they like
it.)
Never pictured you “Wild as a Mink” Granny, and I’m
pretty certain you never got your corn from a jar, but do you recall
anyone having a moonshine still? (Wait. Don’t answer that.)
Sweet little Lake City will never be the same…One can
only hope they maintain the decorum, but honestly, between theme parks, water
rides and interactive 3D IMAX things, I’d say buckle up—Life is about to get
interesting. (It’s a shame we couldn’t have held onto your house. Can you
imagine how rich Mom would be about now?)
Yep. Felice and Boudleaux have put you on the
map! (Although according to their kids, who tried to block it, their parents
too, must be rolling in graves. Seems they thought it a bad idea as well.) But
hey, that’s progress for you.
All I can say is if money’s gonna come pouring in,
it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of folks. I hope Lake City is ready to become
the next Gatlinburg, but personally I liked having Ben’s Grocery across the
street and walking to church on Sundays.
I’d say
football season alone will have you bursting at the seams as fans swoop in to
scope you out…Wanting to climb your mountains, hike your trails. But then again, if anyone deserves the
traffic and the funds, it’s sweet little Lake City (assuming that’s what they
wanted for themselves).
I sure as heck hope you’re laughing…
The older I get the more I cherish small towns like
the one you grew up in…the one you raised our mama in…the one I loved to visit when
coming to see the grandfolks I adored.
Life is funny, is it not?
Hope it’s peaceful where you are…
Think of you everyday…and now it will go deeper every
time I hear sing that song. (If you see Dad, let him know. He’s bound to be
clogging about now!)
Love you dearly,
Your girl
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