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Barefoot In The Sand: Remembering the Waning Days of the Hopewell Community (1998) Bruce C. Gragg 4/123

relaxation and enjoyment. This was often done on Saturday or Sunday.

Most of the time on Saturday there was the trip to town to buy what
ever was needed, groceries, household items, and other needs for the
farm operation. Occasionally we would get to see a movie, especially
during the Summer months. Uncle Curtis took Vera and me to see our
first movie in about '46, it was a story about a boy and his
caterpillar and how it turned into a butterfly. Once or twice a month
on Sunday there was church in the morning, when we had -a preacher,
and visits with neighbors or entertain neighbors that came to visit
in the afternoon. Most of my childhood we had a part time preacher,
with church one or sometimes two Sundays per month. Hopewell Baptist
Church was a typical country church. With seating for about 125
attendees, and the pews weren't too terribly uncomfortable to sit for
a normal length sermon. It was heated with a small woodburning
heater, and the light was furnished by some old kerosene lamps. They
weren't very bright, but it was all we had. They had to be taken care
of, like refilling with oil, and the regular cleaning of the
chimneys. Cooling in the summer was by variable speed fans and open
windows. The fans were courtesy of either Melton(later Sherril)
Funeral Home or Wilson Funeral Home in Lake City. Some church
attendees would fan very slowly and others would fan at a very fast
pace, hence the variable speed. It was always amusing to watch as
they fanned, some almost going to sleep they were fanning so slowly.
Mama was the piano player most of the time, on an old upright usually
out of tune piano. If Mama happened not to be there while Bro. West
was the preacher, he would accompany us on the piano playing cords.
Not a good music source but at least it covered for some of the not
very good tune carrying singing.

Quite often neighbors or relatives would be invited for ’’Sunday
Dinner.” We raised a lot of chickens, the menu most often was
southern fried chicken, a selection of vegetables, big ole ’cathead
biscuits’ dessert and coffee or tea. It was not uncommon to have two
meats served, a main dish, then a second choice. Of course, visitors
could like either and take some of both. Just so they did not leave
the table even a little hungry. If we still had some cured ham in
late Spring or early Summer that would be the main meat dish. Seldom
would there be Super Market vegetables, we grew our own. The custom
was the adults would eat, then finally it was the kids time to finish
off what was left. If by chance there were three or four families
invited, we kids would have a long play time before we could eat.
However, if Vera and I were the only kids then we might be lucky
enough, if there was enough room at the table, to eat with the adults
in the dining room or if not then at the same time in the kitchen.
Naturally we would be expected to

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