Mrs. Teabody Asks You to Pick Up Your Bat



A detail from Robert Thom's painting depicting Babe Ruth’s “Called Shot” in the 1932 World Series, is part of the Hall of Fame’s collection of artwork. B-325.76A (National Baseball Hall of Fame)
Good Morning from Chez Teabody where  all the Sunday morning chores have been attended to prior to breakfast at 8 at the Teabodys' favorite local breakfast club, FOVA/VFW.  The VFW donates  thousands of dollars every single month to worthwhile projects affecting folks who live here in Fulton County. They do awesome work. The employees who work there are just terrific and treat us like family. The food is wonderful. On our way to breakfast, we soaked up all the glory that is the brand new, huge-and-not-a-penny-spared-anywhere Dollar Store. This project has been a clinic of sorts for any would-be, "dream large" entrepreneur. It's not enough to properly lay a foundation, to erect a massive building with admirable speed and precision, to establish attractive boundaries through walls and sidewalks and to blacktop, mark and define the parking area. No. Two weeks ago on a Friday truckloads of sod arrived and before you can  say, "Really?" nice-sized trees in full leaf and a lawn many folks can only dream of appeared. In fact as the Teabodys visited the Patriot ATM to take the photo below, they  noted that the newly-established lawn actually needs cutting. To Mrs. Teabody  all of this is nothing short of a minor miracle. Projects of this scope often take months and yet, here we are ready to snare a cart and start shopping. But wait a minute. Who owns this "store"? Who is the face behind the Dollar General? Does he/she live in Fulton County, buy gas from Citgo, eat at Wild Annie's, at Lincoln Way Pizza, Mama's, Johnny's Diner, FOVA/VFW?


Brand New Dollar General

There is a "For Sale" sign on the old G.C. Murphy's building, home of Fulton Antiques. There is a "For Sale" sign on the Racket Store. The awnings on the old Glen-Nell grow rustier and sadder with each passing day. The old H&P sits vacant; the primitives shop has closed. Tom has retired.   I hear many folks comment on the sad state of affairs of our downtown area but who will pick up a bat and do what needs to be done? Who will be the next entrepreneur?

Friday was a bustling day at TYF as we played host to "Love of Life Creations" featuring the handmade, hand-decorated work of Mary Plessinger. The folks who stopped by to look at Mary's creations are the same folks who support all local small businesses, who make a point of shopping small. They dine at local establishments, buy meat from independent butchers, shop the farmers' markets and produce stands, buy McConnellsburg Volunteer Fire Company chicken, attend Friends of Meadow Grounds public meetings, support The Fulton County Library programs. And twice a year they and like-minded folks visit their local tax collector to pay their taxes--the ones that support schools, roads and all the other services we take for granted.

Over the course of the day we were visited by Tom Duffey, Carolyn Kerlin and Mike Crampton--three of the most active people involved in the Frontier Barn Quilt Trail. www.frontierbarnquilttrail.com These folks have been working tirelessly at a project that has made its impact in the farthest reaches of Fulton County. Barn quilts grace buildings and barns in Wells Tannery, in Clear Ridge, in Warfordsburg. These are little surprising and colorful tributes to county pride and family heritage. Seeing one simply lifts the spirit. The county owns a huge show of gratitude to these folks who have given Fulton County a much-needed shot in the arm. In a few weeks the second busload of visitors from other towns will tour the county to see the barn quilts. The folks on the bus will walk the sidewalks of our little town  and small towns all over the county looking for a bite to eat, some little treasure to remember their trip to Fulton County. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they shopped at your little bakery, your little knitting shop, your little art gallery, your little coffee shop? 

When Babe Ruth famously pointed at the stands right before hitting his legendary homer, he possessed the confidence of a proven slugger. Some part of me believes he also possessed the crippling doubts that plague us all. After five years of owning a small business in McConnellsburg, I can tell you for a fact that you won't get rich doing it--not in money, anyway. What you will gain is the opportunity to engage with the folks who still believe in small town entrepreneurship and are willing to pick up a bat and, maybe, hit one into the stands. Maybe that's you?



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