Hillbillies and other Appalachian ne'er do wells unite!

[bedpanartist]

Raised in Eastern Kentucky (Campton, Corbin) and living in Dayton in the Urban Appalachian Babylon of the United States - East Dayton, Ohio. I also own a pit bull!

Show your hill cred here!

[Nikia]

1. I'm not Appalacian, but I have relatives who are

My grandfather was born and raised in Athens County, Ohio out in the middle of nowhere. His mother lived in her own house until shortly before she died of old age, that her husband built early in their marriage that had a coal burning stove and was built into the hill. His father worked in the mines for a while until an injury ended that career. My grandfather's mother came from an educated people and did not want her children to be "hillbillies" and made sure that they graduated from high school even though they had to walk 10 miles each way. His sisters and many cousins and their families still live there. Some are "hillbillies" while others are college professors.
My uncle (other side of family) moved to the Zanesville, Ohio area and met his wife there. He later divorced, but his three children have been raised there. The oldest one is now going to college in Michigan and is glad to leave there. The other two are still in high school. Although they talk funny and have friends there, they agree that it is a little less education and success oriented down there than in the Northern part of the state.
I've heard that is more "real America" than areas that I think of as more civilized, though. I should stop being such an elitist snob.

[bedpanartist]

5. my folks are from Mt. Vernon, Berea

and the Estill County area. We have professionals, and proud hillbillies. The professionals are just trying to shake their roots, just like a lot of folks try to shake their ghetto heritage.

But to tell you the truth, I feel a lot more at home, and am much more trustworthy of hillbillies than the educated elite set. You never hear of hillbillies being involved in home lending scams or leading Enron down the tubes do you?

[bedpanartist]

13. we "talk funny"?

I did a lecture at Emerson College in Boston in the late 1990s, and dude, the Harvard girls acted like I was some exotic find from Paris France or something. My hillbilly tongue is a blessing, although I have learned in life to put in a closet when I need to. I can and have lived comfortably live in all worlds - the hills, the ghetto or an even worse place - the boardroom.

[MadHound]

2. I'm not one of them fancy Appalachian hillbillies, nosireebob!

They got too high falutin' for my family, so we all moved west to the Ozarks. Now we're Ozarks hillbillies dagnabit!

Hell, I'm so hillbilly on my Dad's side that the town of Branson, yes that Branson was named for a great-great-great grandfather of mine.

[jarab]

3. Pineville/Middlesboro. You know the area. (n/t)

...O...

[bedpanartist]

4. know the area well

spent lots of time in Middlesboro and Pineville, Pikeville, Beattyville, etc...

[AzDar]

6. Yeehaw..My Mom's from Hyden. Lots of kin back there.

Oh yeah, this should boost my hill cred..Grandma chewed Red Ox, and never got around to installing an indoor toilet.

[bedpanartist]

7. my retarded cousin Rita Gail

used to lock me and my brothers in the outhouse on the Logan family farm outside of Lancaster, Ky. She would also say prayer at the dinner table, and burst out in fits of cussin' when she messed up part of the prayer. She was a real character. And that's another thing, I've met more interesting characters out here away from the media centers of American than I could ever wish to in a thousand years of watching television specials about the lives of the rich and famous.

[NMDemDist2]

9. Logan Family??

I think we're related !!!!!

[bedpanartist]

10. Bill Logan Husband of Bertie

My great aunt Roberta on my mothers side was married to Bill Logan. They had a family tobacco and small livestock farm outside of Lancaster. They had a son named Darrel who is a teacher outside of Lexington, and a daughter, Rita Gail. Know them? Uncle Bill and Aunt Bertie both passed away in the past 10 years, as have quite a few of that generation of my family.

[NMDemDist2]

11. I think one of my great aunts married into that family

back in the 30's

I'll have to pull out Grammy's old newspaper clippings to be sure, but that name rings a bell big time

[bedpanartist]

12. Have you ever heard the Tom T. Hall song

Trip to Hyden?

It's one of my favorites ever. It's about the big mining disaster there. Heavy piece of songwriting.

[AzDar]

17. No, that's one I haven't heard...and I LOVE me some Tom T. Hall

I have him (and Merle, and Conway) all over my iPod; my kids are HORRIFIED, lol.
Some of the best times of my life were spent in Kentucky (I was born and raised in Cincy, but begged to spend summers at my Grandma's..completely baffled my Mom, who couldn't wait to get OUT of there as a child).

[NMDemDist2]

8. my granny was from Cook Co KY the youngest of 13 chillens

it's born and bred through and through me

I make skillet cornbread with bacon grease

My idea of a great Sunday Supper is fried rabbit I raised myself to perfect plumpness

While I have no cars on blocks at this moment, we are cleaning out the house and yard to sell the house and it's taken 4 trailers to the dump so far and we're only half done......

[realisticphish]

14. Perry County, Ohio

Currently living in Columbus, but I grew up in south eastern Ohio. We lived JUST north of "The Line." Some of you will know what I mean. There's an invisible line that runs through southern ohio, at least. At that line, central Ohio ends, and appalachia begins, and you can see it happen within about a mile

[bedpanartist]

15. ever been to the moonshine festival

in New Straitsville?

I'm thinking about taking my bedpans there to sell, but am undecided whether it would be a good crowd, or big enough of one.

[realisticphish]

16. no, but i've heard of it

i'm not sure if it's the crowd you want, but you might try Backwoods Fest, in thornville (rt. 13, just south of 70). It's the third weekend in september, usually, and they get HUGE fucking crowds of people. As in, cars lined up for MILES, just to park. At 8 am (it opens at 9) there are usually a THOUSAND people in line. I know the guy that runs it, and they just rake in the cash, and the vendors do too

[yellowdogintexas]

18. I was raised too far west, but my uncle was born in Sandy Hook

Kentucky. In a 1 room log cabin in 1923.

I'm a flatlander, from over near Bowling Green. LOL

but I do love Kentucky.