Let me set a scene for you. The year is in the early 1950's and I am about 7 or 8 years old. It had been hot today and as the temperature cools as the sun dips below the high maple, oak and sycamore trees, the fire flies are beginning to dance. My brother Rusty, myself and four of my cousins scramble into the house for a cool drink and to get away from the summer mosquitoes. The Grand Ole Opry is about to come on the large wooden radio. My daddy, Buddy Drew and his two brothers, Duffy and Calvin have been warming up their instruments. Daddy on the Spoons, Uncle Duffy on the Harmonica and Uncle Calvin on the Jug. The three of them are about to have a jam session with the Grand Ole Opry.
Yes, these three musicians are getting ready to party down with Roy Acuff, Patsy Cline, a very young Loretta Lynn and others. We kept ourselves busy by the light of the fireplace playing Jacks, dancing, Cats-in-the-Cradle, or hide and seek. The sounds of Hank Snow and Kitty Wells float from the radio, as more music fills the six room mining company owned house located in 'Coal Town", the men begin to play.
Sometimes butchering a hog would be the chore of the day. The men would have cleaned the meat that would feed us for a month but rendering the fat fell to the ladies. The fat would be turned into soap for the families to use. Sharing was the norm in the holler. After working all day on the hog, the ladies, my mom Wanda, Aunt Poodle and Aunt Eunice would be working in the kitchen. Cooking dinner and baking cobblers from the blackberries we picked earlier that day.
As the night wore on, the men sipping their "Brew" as they called it, the boys would become a bit loose with their music. The ladies would be cleaning up and it would be time for us to go to bed. All six of us would be put into one bed, head next to toes so we would all fit. We would listen to the music, the faint songs from the radio and the soft talk of the adults as we whispered back and forth to each other about our day.
This was a typical summer night for us in the West Virginia holler. Before the music, Buddy and Duffy would venture deep behind Duffy's home to work their Still. High enough in the holler so the Revenuers could not find them, their special brew of Moonshine, West Virginia White Lighting, would help to bring in needed money to both families.
Marcia Rae
This is just some of the many stories told to me by my wife, Marcia Rae, of what life was like in the early 1950's in Southern West Virginia. In honor of her family and the grand tradition of brewing Appalachia Moonshine, Marcia and I created our special Gourmet Moonshine Cakes and Pecan Pie. The Ole Whistlin Still Bakery was born to bake these wonderful creations to bring to you. After careful testing and more important tasting, we are proud to offer eight wonderful gourmet cakes. Original Golden, Golden with Pecans, Chocolate with our award winning Chocolate Ganache, Golden Coconut with our award winning Chocolate Ganache, Apple Pie cake topped with our buttery Crumb, Lemon cake with our Lemon Buttermilk frosting, Huckleberry Hooch with our Blueberry Crumb, Caribbean cake ( Banana & Pineapple cake topped with our Macadamia Crumb ) and our award winning Moonshine Pecan pie.
Marcia and her Daddy Old West Virigina Mill My Mom and Dad
Yes, these three musicians are getting ready to party down with Roy Acuff, Patsy Cline, a very young Loretta Lynn and others. We kept ourselves busy by the light of the fireplace playing Jacks, dancing, Cats-in-the-Cradle, or hide and seek. The sounds of Hank Snow and Kitty Wells float from the radio, as more music fills the six room mining company owned house located in 'Coal Town", the men begin to play.
Sometimes butchering a hog would be the chore of the day. The men would have cleaned the meat that would feed us for a month but rendering the fat fell to the ladies. The fat would be turned into soap for the families to use. Sharing was the norm in the holler. After working all day on the hog, the ladies, my mom Wanda, Aunt Poodle and Aunt Eunice would be working in the kitchen. Cooking dinner and baking cobblers from the blackberries we picked earlier that day.
As the night wore on, the men sipping their "Brew" as they called it, the boys would become a bit loose with their music. The ladies would be cleaning up and it would be time for us to go to bed. All six of us would be put into one bed, head next to toes so we would all fit. We would listen to the music, the faint songs from the radio and the soft talk of the adults as we whispered back and forth to each other about our day.
This was a typical summer night for us in the West Virginia holler. Before the music, Buddy and Duffy would venture deep behind Duffy's home to work their Still. High enough in the holler so the Revenuers could not find them, their special brew of Moonshine, West Virginia White Lighting, would help to bring in needed money to both families.
Marcia Rae
This is just some of the many stories told to me by my wife, Marcia Rae, of what life was like in the early 1950's in Southern West Virginia. In honor of her family and the grand tradition of brewing Appalachia Moonshine, Marcia and I created our special Gourmet Moonshine Cakes and Pecan Pie. The Ole Whistlin Still Bakery was born to bake these wonderful creations to bring to you. After careful testing and more important tasting, we are proud to offer eight wonderful gourmet cakes. Original Golden, Golden with Pecans, Chocolate with our award winning Chocolate Ganache, Golden Coconut with our award winning Chocolate Ganache, Apple Pie cake topped with our buttery Crumb, Lemon cake with our Lemon Buttermilk frosting, Huckleberry Hooch with our Blueberry Crumb, Caribbean cake ( Banana & Pineapple cake topped with our Macadamia Crumb ) and our award winning Moonshine Pecan pie.
Marcia and her Daddy Old West Virigina Mill My Mom and Dad
