(c)2008 NPT PHOTO BY DAVID POPIEL Edgar Messer was at Farm Market restaurant holding two pumpkins to show the difference between male and female pumpkins. He and wife, Illa, live in White Pine.

So you managed to make it through a cold Halloween night without getting tricked in our hometown and also remembered to set your clock back one hour for time change. What next?

At a recent Kiwanis Club meeting Tip Brown was auctioning the rest of Hoyt Staton's 1982 World's Fair memorabilia that he had not already donated to the club. Tip tells me the club will be working with the Newport Rescue Squad to replace the old white cross on the cliff above the Pigeon River. I talked a few minutes last Wednesday with Squad Captain Rusty Williams, who confirmed that the squad has agreed to work with Kiwanis on the project. Everything is in the preliminary stage. One idea is to build a larger aluminum cross painted white and anchored on the pinnacle by the Rescue Squad. I recall that in the 1970s I shot photos from the bluff overlooking the spiked prominence as squadsman Bill Moorefield and others repainted the original cross. One of those on the ground nearby assisting was Hop Byrd. It was another cold morning last week when I dropped in on him. He reminded me of the painting project more than 30 years ago. Hop would have been about 47 at the time. I also learned a little more background about the Plymouth-Dodge dealership. The reason I was even thinking about that was just a night or so before I bumped into Florine Stinnett at Wal-Mart and asked how Cleo was doing. Hop recounted the start of the business that ultimately became Stinnett Motors. Dr. Fred Valentine and Charlie Rhyne built the large facility off Knoxville Hwy. in 1965. It opened shortly thereafter with Danny Joy as manager. In 1966, Hop became service and parts manager, positions he held until 1976. During the early years, Jim Allen and Ted Russell bought the dealership and added a lot of folks that you know. Of course, Cleo was one of the hot shot salesman along with Jimmy Lindsey, and Hop thinks C.A. Chrisman was also a salesman. Mechanics during that era included John Fancher, Herman Wines, Kenneth Presnell, and John M. Frances. He was the Dad to Newport businessman and pharmacist Jabo Frances. It was a busy dealership and eventually Cleo bought it in the early 1970s. Other folks working in the parts department with Hop included Red Baxter, Richard Fancher, Kenneth Trice and Johnny Hughes. Sometime around Sept. 1973, a tall, skinny 1972 high school graduate named Larry Sane started to work for Hop, who described him as "barefooted and holes in the knees of his pants." That fellow is still with Stinnett and probably, along with Junior and Cleo, has the most years service.

Shortly before noon, I wandered into the Farm Market restaurant at Total Lawn Care where I met with Betty McMillan and Kathy Williams, who were way ahead of me in cleaning their plates of plenty of vegetables. The fried okra was particularly good. While we ate, an old timer held a pale pumpkin at the cash register. It was Edgar Messer, of White Pine. He was explaining how to tell the difference between male and female pumpkins. That got my attention, but I though it was a trick question or joke. Edgar was serious. Edgar said his wife is the pumpkin grower and expert so I called her last Wednesday and had a delightful chat. The first thing I learned was that Illa (Moore) Messer is a Cocke County native from the Raven's Branch area. She and Edgar raise a large garden and can vegetables, some of which come from the Farm Market run by Marvin Keys and Betty (Bush) Grooms. Illa explained that her father was Elmer Moore and mother, the former Hattie Mae James of Cabbage County at Grassy Fork. The five surviving children also include Edna Woody, Ellie Chaney, Cora Wilson, and Ennis Moore. I got to know him last year as the animal control officer. Illa grew up in the mountains and met Edgar about 60 years ago during a Hall family reunion. They celebrate their wedding anniversary Nov. 25, and he will turn 80 in Jan. "Preacher Willie" Hall married them. Eventually the Messers and children moved to North Carolina to work in the cotton mills. They had seven children and today love their 20-plus grand children and 20-plus great grandchildren. After years in the mills, the family returned to Tenn. and lived near Point Pleasant, eventually moving to Bell Rd. in White Pine more than 30 years ago. Edgar has worked for American Enka, A.C. Lawrence Leather and other local factories. Now, back to pumpkins and food. Illa said that her daughter Linda Taylor grew a lot of pumpkins this year. Some of these probably ended up in pies, because Illa baked a lot of cakes and pies for the recent fundraiser at Beulah Land Baptist Church. How did Illa find out about pumpkin sex? She has a friend who went to Greeneville with her to shop and pointed out that female pumpkins have large navels and males, small navels-where the stems were attached. The female or "she" pumpkins are not as stringy, said Illa. So that's the rest of the story for you pumpkin lovers.

In plain talk, November ushers in shorter days, colder weather but more chances for a second helping of desserts and cheaper fillups at the gas stations.