(c)2010 NPT PHOTO BY DAVID POPIEL

Working late in January to prepare for a February opening of Rhonda's Guitars and Bibles
are, from left, Hubert Thomas, Rev. Alfred Ball, Jack Sparks and Rhonda Sparks. The new
business is located off Cosby Highway in Bryant Town on the Wester property. You recall
it is where the former Dairy Cream was razed last year and Eddie Ball built the modern
office building.

The fifth Sunday in January ended with cold, snow, and ice that hampered some events in our hometown and may color the future gray, when the groundhog emerges this Tuesday for his spring forecast.

During the past weeks we have been visiting Eastport and talking to some of the residents and business people such as Paul Gregg, retired postal worker. One of the photos published last week was of the late Joe Gregg, who died 60 0r 70 years ago. I got a call from Beatrice Brooks, who recognized the photo because Joe was her uncle. He was a brother to her mother, the late Isa B. Gregg, who was married to William A. Wilson. Beatrice works at Smoky Mountain Home Health & Hospice and told me the last of Joe Gregg's brothers, who were listed in that old Plain Talk obituary, died last year. He was Charley Gregg.

If you think about the era of the 1930s through the 1950s, when the Gregg brothers and many others ran large garages in Newport, you can see it was a time of America's auto industry explosive growth. Just look around Newport and the number of auto dealerships and garages reflect this atmosphere. Stokely Brothers cannery remained the center of industry and anchored Eastport where dozens walked or drove down Lincoln Ave. to work. Endora (Finchum) Gregg, Paul's mother, and Joe's sister-in-law, was one of those who answered the whistle call, whether to sort bugs from beans or drop fatback in cans of beans. I can still smell the aroma of kraut coming from the giant wooden vats on the Westside of the plant.

Paul has one child, a daughter, Amy, who is married to Ernest Ogle of Gatlinburg. They live in Sevierville where she works for Smoky Mountain Spa. Thanks to her, Paul has two grandchildren, Aaron and Allison. I did manage to talk with Hugh L. Gregg, who told me a humorous story you will soon read about here. As an aside, speaking of the auto industry and the related big business of racing, Jim "Chopper" Phillips of WNPC Radio and former Motor Network announcer will be at Kiwanis Feb 2, noon, at Bella's Country Kitchen. Chopper will be joined by retired NASCAR driver L.D. Ottinger to talk about racing.

With recent snow and ice in January and more piled up to hang around for the groundhog in February, car washes are hopping. One of the news photos you may have seen was made at John Dale Ramsey's carwash in Eastport. I bumped into a familiar face, that of P.A. Clark, who at 72 has been retired many years. His brother, former Alderman Jimmy Clark, may suggest that P.A. has always been retired. I knew their late brother Clay, from his years operating the grocery at Cosby Campground entrance off Highway 32. P.A. is an interesting fellow and said he would chat with us more. Several years ago he had a problem with his right arm that required surgery and because of this he lost the use of his hand. Other than that, he seems to be in good health and helps oversee the carwash.

You read a news story about the new barbershop in town, Premier Barber at the Western Plaza in the building housing Title Max. Also Blackwell's Tax Service and soon the Jewelry Connection will be in the same building. The Jewelry Connection is operated by Rhonda Evans, Randy Finley, Mary Kosel. They are experienced folks and you will want to visit soon, at least before Feb. 14. The barber is Jeremy Johnson, who is originally from Naples, Florida, where as a boy he began cutting his friends' hair. When he joined the Navy and was deployed out of Fresno, California, he continued and honed his barber skills. He served about the USS Constellation. I believe he moved to the Knoxville area to be close to his parents, who now live in Newport. Jeremy's father work in highway construction in Michigan and wisely spends winters here in the mountains.

By Wednesday afternoon everyone, at least at the Plain Talk, was worrying about the weekend weather and approaching storm. I note for the record that my National Bank of Tenn. calendar showed "Flurries" on Friday, Jan. 29, along with a full moon. A Driving along Cosby Highway, I noticed some folks working inside Wade Wester's new red-roof office building in what he calls the "Dixie Plaza." The large sign lists Rhonda's Guitars and Bibles, along with Newport Gold, and US Title Loans. Jack Sparks was the lead man of the construction crew and one of the business operator's. His wife is the former Rhonda Campbell, of Newport. Jack hails from Ashland, Kentucky, and moved here five years ago from Kodak. Two familiar fellows there were Rev. Alfred Ball at the table saw and Hubert Thomas. He used to work at Snuffy's electronics. Jack said the two businesses occupy the same building. On onside they will stock 10,000 CDs and soundtracks, all Christian theme and Gospel. The other side the walls are already filling up with guitars and banjos. You recall I visited another music shop off McMahan operated by Chris and Tonia Norton, the music mart. So it seems we will have dueling banjos and guitars in the city. You will be reading more about both new businesses in the Plain Talk. Rhonda's Guitars & Bible is slated to open in early February depending on the unpredictability of the weather.

In plain talk the end of the year brought things we expected and other changes as unexpected as the turning of the weather.