By Kelly Elrod

 

When I was young in Pickens, I have special memories of a simple life. My days were filled with memories of “Mayberry like” days and fond times with my family.

 

When I was young in Pickens, I remember Saturdays spent playing under the city water tower. My younger brother and I would cut through the alley behind my parents’ restaurant and go into a small general store to purchase our favorite gum out of a penny candy machine. After choosing my favorite-green apple, we would walk onto main street for a stroll down to Harper’s 5 & 10 store. We could visit each store along the street before returning to the restaurant at closing.

Most days we did not buy a thing, but all the merchants knew us by name and they became part of the special times that I remember. Hardly a car passed on main street in this little sleepy town, even for a Saturday. 

 

When I was young in Pickens, I remember several times each fall and spring my family would go camping with several other families we knew. We would set up camp on Friday afternoon with a full tent for cooking out. All day Saturday, we would be play outdoors and use our imagination to its fullest potential.  I always remember a campground near Pisgah, North Carolina that had a beautiful creek running through it with a footbridge across to a shady area that we would end up finding some creature’s habitat. On Saturday night, we always had some type of entertainment. Most of the time our fun consisted of “clogging” or what mountain folks called ‘buck dancing’. In my mind both are lost arts!

 

When I was young in Pickens, I remember a wonderful lady named “Lackey”. She was my nanny and the closest thing I had to what some would call a grandmother figure. I began my first day of kindergarten by walking to school from her house, one half block away from my elementary school. I lost my first tooth at Lackey’s house eating fried chicken and biscuits. She always laid cut apples out on an apron covered, metal TV tray to dry in the sun. When they were ready, she would make the most amazing dried apple pies!    I would sit in her lap and she would read to me while in her cotton duster. On special days, she would walk with us across the four lane highway and treat us to cheeseburgers and ‘dopes’ from the Bantam Chef. My childhood will always be very special because of “Lackey”. She filled most every memory I have. In giving her that credit, one of my most difficult memories in my life is the day my mom picked me up from Junior High and told me she had died.

 

When I was young in Pickens, I loved my life. Each season was filled with fond memories of loved ones, special times and special people. The thing I miss the most is the people that I saw on a regular basis that knew my name and spoke to you as you passed them on the street. When I go back now, things have changed. The small town “Mayberry” atmosphere is no more. People hurry by in their own rush to live their lives. I still love to drive down streets in my hometown and bring back wonderful memories of a time gone by.