10 Years Ago
Week of January 21, 2016
Logan Cooper Named Student Athlete Of the Week
Pendleton County High School senior Logan Cooper has been named a “WHSV Student Athlete of the Week.”
Cooper is a three sport athlete (baseball, basketball and football), member of the National Honor Society and carries a 3.83 grade point average. He was an integral part of the Wildcat offense this fall, leading the team to playoff action despite suffering a separated shoulder midway through the season.
Despite the fact that he is still nursing a sore shoulder, he is currently ranked second in total points for the Wildcats’ basketball team and third in rebounds. He is hoping for a healthy spring baseball season and aspires to pitch at Potomac State College at Keyser after graduation.
Cooper is the son of Rod and Angie Cooper of Riverton.
Week of January 28, 2016
Winter Storm Jonas Dumps Over Two Feet Of Snow on County
Pendleton County’s unseasonably mild winter came to a crashing halt Friday as Winter Storm Jonas arrived to wreak havoc on the local lifestyle. Snow began falling around mid-morning Friday and ceased late afternoon on Saturday. Accumulation totals around the county ranged from 22 to over 30 inches.
Due to colder than forecasted temperatures, the deep snow remained light and fluffy and the power outages that were predicted never materialized. Winds also remained calmer than meteorologists had earlier predicted. Some residents reported drifting, but the county was spared the blustery, blizzard-like conditions that pummeled other parts of the east coast.
Tips to Stay Safe and Warm During Winter While Working Outdoors
While there is no guarantee winter winds won’t test your willpower, there are some ways to say warm when working out in colder climates.
• Wear appropriate head gear. A wool hat that can be pulled down over your ears can protect them from getting too cold and ski masks are great when winter winds are howling.
• Layer correctly. Layering has long been a reliable way to beat the cold when temperatures are at their lowest. Choose an inner layer that moves moisture away from your skin.
• Don’t forget footwear. Chooses socks that wick moisture away from your feet. Employ the same strategy with your socks that you do with your clothing layers for your body.
• Know your weather reports. Check the forecast before beginning an outdoor task, paying close attention to the windchill factor.
Working or exercising outdoors can be exhilarating, but staying safe and warm for the duration must be prioritized.
20 Years Ago
Week of January 12, 2006
Sago Miners Laid to Rest
Twelve West Virginians, miners who perished in the Sago mine disaster in Upshur County, were laid to rest on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Some of those men had relatives who are Pendleton County residents, including Linda Lou Kimble, the sister of Jackie L. Weaver.
The names of the fallen are Jesse L. Jones, Martin Toler, Jr., Alva Martin Bennett, Jerry Groves, Jack Weaver, David Lewis, Thomas Anderson, James Bennett, George “Junior” Hamner, Terry Helms, Fred Ware, Jr., and Marshall Winans.
All of West Virginia is saddened by this loss of hard-working friends, fathers, husbands, brothers, relatives, acquaintances and neighbors.
Local Supplies Delivered To Hurricane Katrina Victims at Christmas Time
A Christmas season gift of needed supplies from Pendleton County residents was delivered to Hurricane Katrina victims by Shawn Pennybacker.
With his sister, Heidi, he left on Friday, Dec. 16, with a trailer load of needed goods and items and arrived in Mississippi the following afternoon after an all-night drive.
Pendletonians also provided Pennybacker with $800 for the trip, his second since the hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast late last summer.
He used $300 for gas and spent the rest on groceries for residents of Pearlington, a small town about the size of Franklin.
Pendleton, Greenbrier Top State in Total Farm Acreage
On a county by county basis, Pendleton County is second in the state in farm acreage.
With 170,634 acres of farmland, Pendleton is second only to Greenbrier County, where farm acreage totals 192,599 acres.
Those acreage totals appear to be the most recently available and date from 2002.
Each county’s farm acreage was listed in the Dec. 16 edition of the “State Journal,” an indispensable publication devoted to business and economic trends in the Mountain State.
The total farm acreage in Pendleton has declined 7.43 percent since 1987, when there was 184,323 acres of farmland here.
SUGAR GROVE
A new year offers another opportunity to find one’s place. Moving into the future, there’s something rousing about the idea of “out with the old, in with the new.” One certainly may not be able to change everything about one’s life, but one can certainly make new decisions about how one wants to live.
One’s ancestors pretty much liked that idea too. The New Year’s celebration is the oldest of all holidays. About four thousand years ago it was first observed in Babylon. The Babylonian group of geniuses came up with the idea of resolutions to get a good start on the New Year. At that time, their most popular resolution was to borrow farm equipment.
Julius Caesar in 4 BC established Jan. 1 as the start of the new year. Around 600 BC, the Greeks initiated the tradition of using a baby as a symbol of the new year.
The superstitious Scottish tradition of “first shooting” says that the first person to enter one’s home after the beginning of the new year would set one’s luck for the remainder of the year.
Buddhist temples toll their bells 108 times at midnight on Dec. 31. This symbolizes the 108 frailties, and once listeners have heard the bells toll, they are relieved of their sins and have a fresh start in the new year.
In Romania, young men race around the countryside cracking whips and banging drums. To bring good luck, Italians in Naples toss pots and dishes out of their windows.
Danes leap off their chairs at midnight so they can “jump” into the new year.
Hawaiians believe that sweeping out the house on New Year’s Day brings about a lot of bad luck.
Norwegians dive into plates of lute fish—dried codfish treated with caustic soda.
Spaniards begin shoving grapes—one for each chime of the clock—down their throats. Peruvians do the same, only they swallow the grapes while sitting under the table.
The Pennsylvania Dutch eat sauerkraut to ensure good luck.
The Southerners are granted good luck when they’ve consumed a meal of hog jowls, collards and black-eyed peas.
30 Years Ago
Week of January 25, 1996
SUGAR GROVE
Winter Brings Miserable Blizzard
Old Man Winter has awakened and dished out a cold miserable Blizzard of 1996. That was just to remind us that it is indeed the season for it. The feet of snow gave the contoured landscape a clear complexion of glistening white. Our niche of the woods was virtually silent for several days. Except for the occasional state road trucks and the farmers’ plows, traffic was at a standstill on the snow-packed and ice covered road. Everyone seemed to have retreated into their warm dens while the blizzard endured. With a State of Emergency declared, schools were closed, allowing many helping hands to carry wood to furnaces and also shovel pathways to conveniences. The chilly, windy, winter days stimulate hearty appetites. “Soup syndrome” attacks and while the meaty array of vegetables simmer, there is a memory of last summer’s hot, dry days.
To add to the wintry turmoil, there were strong winds along with foggy, treacherous driving. The temperatures warmed, the rains set in, the snow melted, and there was a deluge of water. Our section of the county fared better than the South Branch where conserving of water created problems; and the North Fork where many families were displaced. Sections of roads were worn away and bridges were partially if not totally destroyed. As of Tuesday, schools within the county remained closed. Temperatures have dipped once again, allowing for icy conditions. What’s next? Hope the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow in two weeks.
DAHMER
Drawing Pictures On Slates Was Not Permitted Years Ago
When the late John Dahmer attended elementary school, most teachers would not allow their students to draw even nice pictures on their slate boards during school hour. They even punished them for making pictures of what today is called art that is now taught in the schools. John Dahmer began teaching in 1899. As early as February 4, 1902, the writer has pictures drawn by the Dickenson Mountain School scholars who signed their names on the pictures that they drew. They are Arbela Dickenson, Fanny E. Fultz, Frank A. Fultz, Minnie R. Dickenson, Julia Dickenson, Sallie P. Fultz, Jane Eye, Preston Dickenson, Lucy J. Dickenson, Isaac H. Dickenson, Estella Dickenson, one not signed and John A. Fultz, February 4, 1902.
The big snow of January 6-7 and the big flood two weeks later, January 19, 1996, will long be remembered. The Dry Run Road was blocked at two places—Stuffles Run near Ernie Propst’s and Narrow Gap between Dennis Lambert’s and Butch Lambert’s. At times like these, one appreciates the West Virginia Department of Highways’ dedicated workers opening up the Dry Run Road for through travel Sunday forenoon, January 21.
Shockey Is Panther Player of the Week
Cody Shockey, a 6’2” senior forward, has been named this week’s player of the week. Shockey is currently the third leading scorer for the 6-3 Panthers at 11 points per game. He is the second leading re-bounder and leads the team in assists. Cody also leads the team and one of the best in the area from the foul line where he hits on 75% of his shots. Basketball is not his only sport as he is one of the top pitchers in the area. Cody helped lead Coach Ed Wimer’s baseball squad to the State Baseball Tournament last year.
Cody is the son of Boyd and Bonnie Shockey of Franklin
40 Years Ago
Week of January 30, 1986
Woodlands Opens Office In Franklin
Woodlands Institute, a private nonprofit educational organization, recently expanded its operations by opening a second facility in Pendleton County. Since 1973, Woodlands Institute has had its headquarters on a 400-acre campus in Pendleton County just below the summit of Spruce Knob. Now, new program needs require expanded office and teaching facilities. Therefore, administrative offices were moved to downtown Franklin on the second floor of the building on Walnut and Main Street, offices formerly occupied by the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
DAHMER
Dick Lugenbell of Sandy Ridge is a faithful bird watcher and is feeding a lovely flock of chickadees that appear so scarce around this section.
There is some controversy among bird watchers over the identification between the hoary red poll, common red poll and the house finch. The house finch is the species of bird coming to Johnny Arvin Dahmer’s bird feeders. The house finch was introduced accidentally to the East Coast. In 1940, cage-bird dealers illegally trapped these birds and shipped them to New York as “Hollywood Finches.” Then, government agents stepped in, the dealers released the birds. Now, house finches are becoming numerous here.
“Four days after the November 4 flood, Dry Run was dry again above the Town Spring. That is the reason it was given the early name Dry Run of Black Thorn.
