Slice Spring 2022

Spring 2022

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Edwards Ham

A journey through Surry history

Farm to Glass Louisa winery, brewery has Smithfield flavor

2 • Slice of Smithfield

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HARDY DISTRICT) SMITHFIELD DISTRICT Rudolph Jefferson Richard L “Dick” Grice Chairman Chairman

NEWPORT DISTRICT) CARRSVILLE DISTRICT William McCarty Don GM.Rosie II Vice-Chairman Vice-Chairman

460 IsleCares.com is a website hosted by Isle of 58 Wight County providing relevant information WINDSOR and up-to-date county news. Sign up on WINDSOR 460 PARKS IsleCares.com to receive the monthly “Isle REFUSE & RECYCLING CENTERS ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY Cares” e-newsletter.

(FORMERLY DISTRICT 4 (FORMERLY DISTRICT 5 (FORMERLY Camptown Park 460 Hours: Mon. & Tues.,Thurs. - Sat. 7DISTRICT am – 7 1pm WINDSOR DISTR HARDY DISTRICT WINDSORPark DISTRICT NEWPORT DISTRICT Sun. 1 pm – 7 pm, closed Wed. Heritage SMITHFIELD DISTRICT) WINDSOR DISTRICT) CARRSVILLE DISTRICT) Want to comment on an experience you’ve had with the county? With Meet Your 258Jefferson Joel Acree Rudolph CAcree Acree MRosie McCarty Wrenn’s Mill R&R Center, Smithfield 356.1040 JonesJoel Creek Boat Ramp William Richard L. “Dick” Grice Joel Don G. Supervisors II Chairman the online CARE CARD, citizens can 258 provide feedback on their Jones Creek R&R Center, Carrollton 356.1037 Joyner's Bridge Boat Ramp Carroll Bridge R&R Center, Windsor 356.1018 experiences with county staff and services. Printed cards are also Nike Park StaveREFUSE Mill R&R Center, Windsor Riverview ParkCENTERS &242.3597 RECYCLING ISL available at county offices. Just fill out the card, drop it off or mail Carrsville R&R Center, 516.2851 Robinson Park it, and the appropriate staff member will respond to your C CamptownHours: R&R Center, Franklin 516.2850 Tyler's Beach 7 Boatam Ramp,–Harbor & Public Beach Mon. & Tues.,Thurs.

- Sat. 7 pm Crocker R&R Center, Windsor 356.1026 Boykin Historic concerns or questions, or pass along your comments.

Sun. 1 pm – 7 pm,Fort closed Wed.Park H Walters R&R Center, Carrsville 516.2852

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NEW TO THE COUNTY?

The Isle of Wight County Newcomer’s Guide provides all the information those who are new to the area and residents need on county services, recreational opportunities, elected REFUSE & RECYCLING CENTERS officials, utilities, emergency Hours: Mon. & Tues.,Thurs.

- Sat. 7and ammuch – 7 pm services, more.

Sun. 1 pm – 7 pm,The closed Wed. guide is available at the Wrenn’s Mill R&R Center, Smithfield 356.1040 county complex or it can be Jones Creek R&R Center,downloaded Carrollton from 356.1037 the Carroll Bridge R&R Center, Windsor 356.1018 county’s website.

Stave Mill R&R Center, Windsor 242.3597 Carrsville R&R Center, 516.2851 Camptown R&R Center, Franklin 516.2850 Crocker R&R Center, Windsor 356.1026 Walters R&R Center, Carrsville 516.2852

IWUS.net 757.357.3191

Historic Fort Huger

Wrenn’s Mill R&R Center, Smithfield 356.1040 J Jones Creek R&R Center, Carrollton 356.1037 J 58 Carroll Bridge R&R Center, Windsor 356.1018 N Stave Mill R&R Center, Windsor 242.3597 R Carrsville R&R Center, 516.2851 R Camptown R&R Center, Franklin T HARDY 516.2850 DISTRICT NEWPORT DISTR Crocker R&R Center, Windsor 356.1026 William McCaF Rudolph Jefferson Walters R&R Center, Carrsville 516.2852 H

REFUSE & RECYCLING CENTERS

ISLE OF WIGH

ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY PARKS

Camptown Park Hours: Mon. & Tues.,Thurs. - Sat. 7 am – 7 pm Camptown Sun. 1 pm Park – 7 pm, closed Wed. Heritage Park Heritage Park Wrenn’s Mill R&R Center, Smithfield 356.1040 Jones Creek Boat Jones Creek Boat Ramp Jones Creek R&R Center, Carrollton 356.1037 Joyner's Bridge Bo Joyner's Bridge Boat Ramp Carroll Bridge R&R Center, Windsor 356.1018 Nike Park Nike Park Stave Mill R&R Center, Windsor 242.3597 Riverview Park Riverview Park Carrsville R&R Center, Robinson Park Robinson Park 516.2851 Camptown R&R Center, Franklin 516.2850 Tyler's Beach Boa Tyler's Beach Boat Ramp, Harbor & Public Beach Crocker R&R Center, Windsor 356.1026 Fort Boykin Histo Fort Boykin Historic Park Walters R&R Center, Carrsville 516.2852 Historic Fort Hug Historic Fort Huger

Slice of Smithfield • 3

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4 • Slice of Smithfield

EDITORIAL

Stephen Faleski Writer Titus Mohler Writer Jen Jaqua Photographer

PRODUCTION Troy Cooper Designer

ADVERTISING

Lindsay Richardson Regional Sales Manager Dana Snow Marketing Consultant Mitzi Lusk Marketing Consultant

ADMINISTRATION Steve Stewart Publisher

The Smithfield Times PO Box 366, Smithfield, VA 23431 www.smithfieldtimes.com 757.357.3288

Spring has sprung Spring has sprung in Smithfield and we’re absolutely loving it, even as we acknowledge lingering susceptibility to sudden thermometer dips well into April. Such is spring in Tidewater: If you don’t like the weather today, chances are good you’ll love it tomorrow. Or vice-versa.

Regardless, this season of renewal and rebirth is one of our favorite times of year in Isle of Wight and Surry, which put on their best face when the flowers begin to bloom. In the slow return to normalcy from two years of COVID-19 disruption, we encourage you to get out and explore our community.

In this edition, legendary Tidewater journalists Phyllis Speidell and John H. Sheally II take readers on a journey through the storied history of a Surry institution, guided by Sam Edwards III, president, CEO and third-generation cure master of S. Wallace Edwards and Sons, also known as Edwards Virginia Smokehouse – or simply Edwards Ham Co. “To be pleasurable any food has to have the right aroma to make you want to eat it and savor its inner flavors,” Edwards says, revealing one secret to the family’s success.

A couple of hours northwest in Louisa, a young couple with Smithfield roots have begun an agri-business journey of their own. Jason and Sheridan Grime are going to farm to glass with their Southern Revere winery and brewery.

The first crop of grapes “is in a barrel aging right now,” Sheridan says.

“When it's perfect, then we'll bottle it.”

And don’t miss Wilford Kale’s glowing review of Smithfield native Jeffrey Blount’s novel “The Emancipation of Evan Walls,” “the best book I’ve read in many, many months.”

We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. As always, we are deeply appreciative of our many advertisers and readers, whose support makes our magazine possible.

Steve Stewart

Inside this Issue

EDWARDS HAM A 2016 fire ended the Edwards Ham history as we know it, but the family's journey continues.

In the News

6

10

Southern Revere

Where Am I?

Can you spot the location of our Where Am I? challenge this edition? You’ll be entered to win a $25 gift card.

14

Book Review

8

22

6 • Slice of Smithfield

In the News

Klines bring square dancing to Smithfield Couples Richard and Carol Cook, Margaret Miller and Kenneth Damon, Erik and Shelly Kline and Lonnie and Debi Cross practice the “allemande” move.

Story and photos by Stephen Faleski

Jim Kline has been square dancing since 1963.

Before the pandemic, he and his wife, Kathie, would go out dancing four to five nights a week.

American square dancing “originated in this area and is a combination of the

different dance steps brought here when the settlers arrived from different countries,” Jim said. “It has been recognized as our national folk dance.”

Now, he's helping othersl take up the tradition.

The Klines recently taught a 12-week

session at the 1750 Courthouse on Main Street in Smithfield as a fundraiser for the colonial-era building's upkeep. For the first class 16 people showed up — just enough to form two square formations, each with four couples.

Over the next hour, calls of “allemande See DANCE, page 7

Slice of Smithfield • 7 DANCE, from page 6

left” and “promenade” could be heard.

American square dancing involves a “caller” directing sequences of steps – sometimes in rapid succession.

“The hardest part of square dancing is listening to the caller,” Jim said.

But it's also the easiest part, he added.

A call of “allemande left” directs everyone to circle from dancer to dancer, grasping forearms until they are all once again facing their original partner. A call of “promenade” means to take the hand of your partner and walk together counter-clockwise.

Margaret Miller and Kenneth Damon, both of North Suffolk, began dating after meeting at a square dance. Miller has been dancing at the “Tidal Waves” club in Newport News since 2013. Damon joined up in 2016. Miller said she'd initially taken an interest for “the exercise,” but ultimately found much more.

Others, like the Bebermeyers of Smithfield, were newcomers to the tradition.

Mary Ellen Bebermeyer, who came with her husband, Rob, and her 12-yearold daughter, Kate, said the family had

Kathie and Jim Kline demonstrate how to “promenade.”

“just wanted to do something different and have fun.”

Rob and Mary Ellen's adult son, Patrick, and his wife, Gabrielle Guill, came along as one of the other couples in the square.

“This is our first exposure to it,” said Debi Cross, also of Smithfield, who came with her husband, Lonnie.

“We have no square dancing on the south side of the James (River) and right now there is very little dancing on the Peninsula due to facility closures,” Jim said.

8 • Slice of Smithfield

Where am I?

In each edition, the Slice staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Isle of Wight and Surry counties you really know. We photograph some location that is readily accessible and open to the public, and see if you can tell us where it is.

If you know where this photo was taken, submit your answer, along with your name and contact information, to news@smithfieldtimes.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

So, if you know where this is, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner.

Go out and enjoy!

Slice of Smithfield • 9

H YEAR 20T

SMITHFIELD FARMERS MARKET

SM

AR

KE T

2022 SEASON

ITH M FIELD RS FARME

MARCH

19: SEASON OPENS! 20th Year Celebration!

Farmers Market 9 - 12, BSV parking lot, 115 Main St. Specialty Markets 9 - 1, BSV lot, 115 Main St. Pickers Markets 9 - 1, 2nd Sat.’s, April - Nov., Joyner Field Carrollton Midday Farmers Markets 10 - 2, Wed.’s, Old Point National Bank, Hwy. 17 Spring Vintage Market 8-5, Sat., April 30, Fairgrounds Downtown Smithfield Arts Festival 9-4, Sat., May 21 Fall Vintage Market 9-4, Sat., Sept. 24, Main Street Mistletoe Marketplace 3 - 8, Sat., Nov. 19, Main Street Carrollton Christmas Market 10 - 3, Sat., Nov. 26, Hwy. 17

JUNE

MAY

18: Father’s Day Specialty Market

4: Carrollton Market season begins 7: Mother’s Day Specialty Market 21: Downtown Smithfield Arts Festival (No Farmers Market)

SEPTEMBER

3: National Bacon Day Specialty Market 24: Fall Vintage Market, Main Street (no Farmers Market)

OCTOBER

15: Farmers Day at the Market 29: Ham-o-ween Trick or Treat Specialty Market

JULY

2: Independence Day Specialty Market

NOVEMBER

12: Veteran’s Day Specialty Market 19: Mistletoe Marketplace (no market) 26: Carrollton Christmas Market (no downtown Farmers Market)

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APRIL

9: Pickers Markets begin 16: Easter Specialty Market 23: Earth Day Specialty Market 30: Spring Vintage Market, Fairgrounds

AUGUST

20: “Bee Day” Specialty Market 31: Carrollton Market season ends

DECEMBER

3 & 17: Holiday Craft & Food Specialty Markets 10: Christmas Parade (no Farmers Market)

The market will follow all recommended and requried safety guidelines. All dates are subject to change or cancellation and will be announced on the Smithfield Farmers Market’s Facebook page.

10 • Slice of Smithfield

Farm to glass

Smithfield natives living a dream with Louisa brewery, winery Story by Stephen Faleski Photos courtesy of Southern Revere

When high school sweethearts Jason and Sheridan Grime married and left Smithfield for Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue careers in the music industry, she encouraged him to apprentice at a local brewery when he wasn't engineering sound systems at live events for touring musicians.

They'd made a point of visiting the expanding number of wineries and breweries in the city upon relocating and quickly became craft beer enthusiasts. Six months later, Jason had risen through the ranks to head brewer – his mechanical skills and creativity lending themselves to more than just music.

Now, they're back in Virginia pursuing their latest dream as co-owners of Southern Revere Cellars in Louisa County.

Sheridan is the daughter of former Smithfield Mayor David Hare and Judy Winslow, director of Isle of Wight County’s tourism department. Jason and his parents had moved to Carrollton for work when he was a teenager, and enrolled him in Isle of Wight Academy, where he and Sheridan met and bonded playing music together. Jason’s parents then moved to Chesterfield when he and Sheridan moved to Tennessee.

As Sheridan tells the story, she and Jason had been visiting his parents in Chesterfield when his mother, Brenda, hatched a plan for her retirement that would have the added bonus of luring Jason closer to home. In the midst of their holiday tradition of sharing wines and craft beers, she suggested the two families combine their finances to purchase a vineyard.

After thinking about it over that night, Jason and Sheridan decided the next day they were in.

A few months later, Brenda's husband, Paul, was driving around one day in 2018 when he spotted land for sale a few miles off Interstate 64 between Richmond and Charlottesville. It’s the property Southern Revere now calls home.

Since then, they've recruited Jason's sister, Paula Spencer, and her husband, Dave, as well as Jason's brother, Chris, who's begun constructing a food truck called “From the Farm,” which will offer a farm-to-table smoked meat menu.

Southern Revere's name is a nod to Louisa County's colonial history, and its location on East Jack Jouett Road. Jack Jouett, Sheridan explained, was a Revolutionary War folk hero who made a daring 40-mile dash on horseback to then-Virginia Gov. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home to sound the alarm that British forces were on their way to capture him.

“We have it on good authority that Jack Jouett, later dubbed the 'Paul Revere of the South,' used to frequent his father's Louisa tavern at Cuckoo,” Sheridan said.

Jack Jouett Road, previously known as Old Mountain Road, spans the path Jack is believed to have taken, according to a map the couple obtained from Louisa's historical society.

Southern Revere is a farm brewery and winery. To label itself as such, a winery must grow a See WINE, page 13

Slice of Smithfield • 11

12 • Slice of Smithfield

Southern Revere owners and former Smithfield residents Sheridan and Jason Grime and Jason's sister and brother-inlaw, Paula and Dave Spencer, gather at the bar.

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Slice of Smithfield • 13

Southern Revere is a great place to enjoy a craft brew on a spring afternoon.

WINE, from page 10

certain portion of its own grapes used in its products. A farm brewery must grow at least one ingredient — wheat or hops — used in its products. Currently, Southern Revere is growing Chambourcin and Chardonel grapes and Cascade hops.

The family planted their first grapes in 2019 and received their first harvest in 2021. They hope to release their first wine made from the harvest later this year.

“Those grapes are in a barrel aging right now … when it's perfect, then we'll bottle it,” Sheridan said.

Meanwhile, they've crafted 12 beers and six wines available for sale – some with whimsical names.

“We did have a little fun with our sweet wine name – What A Peach,” Sheridan said.

The traditional Southern phrase is used to call someone sweet, either sincerely or sarcastically.

Another wine, this one a rosé, is named “You're So Pretty” for its shade of pink.

There are a few nods to Jason’s and Sheridan's musical careers, like their “Hazy Shade of Winter” IPA, named for the Simon & Garfunkel classic. Then there's the “Grain Reaper,” a Belgian dark strong with a higher alcohol content.

“The goal was to create a space to bring people together over finely crafted beverages, whether they enjoy beer or wine, just like they did at the holidays … you get a sense of place and an appreciation of the hard work and agriculture that goes into making these types of small batch 'land made' beverages,” Sheridan said.

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14 • Slice of Smithfield

s d r a w d The E e s u o h e k o m S a i Virgin es m a J e h t n o m Ha f o y r u t n e C A

Slice of Smithfield • 15 First in a series on the history of Virginia ham Story by Phyllis Speidell Photos by John H. Sheally II

As anyone who has spent more than a few days in western Tidewater can tell you, country ham is not only a highlight of local cuisine, but also an integral part of the community’s history. To put it simply – country ham has put the area on the map.

The Edwards family and their hams, in Surry for close to a century, epitomizes that connection.

The next time you bite into a tender biscuit stacked with paper thin slices of Virginia country ham, savor the distinctly salty tang and think about the Native Americans whose methods of curing meat led to our modern-day culinary treat.

Long before Capt. John Smith and the Jamestown colonists arrived just across the river from Surry, the local tribes had mastered curing fish and

venison with salt and smoke. When the settlers introduced hogs to the area, they grazed them on an island a few miles downriver from Jamestown. The island is still known today as Hog Island.

The settlers, learning from the Indigenous tribes, turned away from the traditional English sun-drying process of curing meat and adopted and refined local curing techniques.

They rubbed the pork with salt extracted from sea water, fueled their smokehouses with oak and hickory and allowed the smoked meat to rest for a time. The salt preserved the meat while the aromatic smoke added a distinct flavor to the pork.

The struggling settlers survived on the smoked meat and exported hams to Europe.

“There are records in Surry courthouse of hams being shipped back

to England and Europe in the 1600s from Surry County,” said Sam Edwards III, president, CEO and thirdgeneration Cure Master of S. Wallace Edwards and Sons, also known as Edwards Virginia Smokehouse – or simply Edwards Ham Co. The local curing process followed a seasonal calendar. Early winter was the time to slaughter hogs. The colder temperatures curtailed spoilage in the salt-packed hams. Once rinsed, the hams hung to dry, smoke and cure into the warmer weather.

The ham-curing tradition became part of the local culture with farmers adding their own touches to the process over the years.

S. Wallace Edwards, the founder of S. Wallace Edwards and Sons, grew up on Jones Creek, near Smithfield, and learned how his widowed mother cured hams. He married Oneita See EDWARDS, page 16

S. Wallace Edwards Sr., left, grew up on Jones Creek. His son, S. Wallace Edwards Jr., right, is credited with nurturing the company.

16 • Slice of Smithfield EDWARDS, from page 15

Jester, daughter of Capt. A.F. Jester, the man who launched the original Jamestown-Scotland Ferry. When Edwards joined his father-in-law as a deckhand, pilot and then captain on the ferry, he brought along ham sandwiches to sell to the passengers.

The sandwiches were so popular that Edwards, buoyed by his success, opened a hog-slaughtering and processing plant, curing his signature brand Wigwam hams in teepee shaped smokehouses behind the family home in Surry. Some of the smokehouses remain standing today just off the intersection of state Route 10 and state Route 31.

Another link between the Edwards family and local history - the restored deck house of the original Capt. John Smith ferry – sits on display on the grounds of the Surry County Historical Society. In 1925 Jester used that ferry, the first motorized automobile ferry to cross the James River, to open the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry line. The

Edwards family, proud of Edwards Sr’s career as a ferry captain, were active in the deckhouse restoration efforts.

Edwards Sr. also drove his own delivery van across southeastern Virginia to deliver his hams and sausages to a growing list of customers from country markets to fine hotels.

He and his son, S. Wallace Edwards Jr., nurtured the company, employed 120 workers and expanded with lard and cracklin’ skins production as well as hams and sausages. The family crafted their own curing methods, tweaking the air flow, temperature, timing and pork selection from humanely slaughtered hogs.

Edwards Jr. recalled standing on a street corner in Williamsburg in 1957, to watch the parade that escorted England’s Queen Elizabeth II to the Williamsburg Inn, where she dined on Wigwam ham.

When the Queen returned 50 years later, Edwards was there on the same corner and, once again, Her Majesty enjoyed an Edwards ham.

Edwards Jr. eventually took over the business from his father and added his own innovations, including temperature controlled curing rooms. He also brought his son, Sam Edwards III, into the business. The younger Edwards continued to innovate and returned to his grandfather’s belief that their supply hogs should feed on Virginia peanuts to achieve their distinctive flavor.

Even with the passing of Edwards Sr., the company founder, S. Wallace Edwards Jr. and his daughter, Amy Edwards Hart, the company vice president, the company prospered with Sam Edwards III and his son, Sam Edwards IV, at the helm.

The Edwards family continued to innovate and explore new products, including the popular Surryano ham, a ham akin to a Spanish dry-cured ham and or a prosciutto.

Sam Edwards III took Edwards hams on a “Cure Tour,” conferring with wellregarded chefs and food writers.

“We were developing a tasting wheel, See EDWARDS, page 18

The Jamestown Ferry has a special place in Edwards Ham lore.

Slice of Smithfield • 17

S. Wallace Edwards Jr., left, with his dad.

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18 • Slice of Smithfield EDWARDS, from page 16

similar to a cheese or wine tasting wheel, where taste and smell are viewed as two interconnected senses,” he said. “To be pleasurable any food has to have the right aroma to make you want to eat it and savor its inner flavors.”

With such innovative energy, the story of the Edwards Virginia Smokehouse might have continued happily and profitably but for a January 2016 fire that devastated the company’s Surry facility.

At 12:15 pm that day, Sam Edwards III smelled smoke, not unusual at a ham plant, but this smoke had a more acrid smell. He discovered a small fire in the electrical room and was grateful that most of the employees were at lunch.

“I pulled all the breakers I could,” he said. “But then I realized that only Virginia Power could cut off the power from the overhead power lines.”

The fire burned for five days until a foam truck finally subdued the last of it. Then, Edwards said, the vultures, coyotes and dogs went after the wreckage

Farmers Bank Smithfield Team

while the insurance adjusters took three months to complete their investigations.

Edwards said he initially saw the fire as a bump, albeit a big bump, in the road.

“I thought perhaps there would be room for improvements as we rebuilt, “he said.

“It took year-and-a-half finally get an accurate cost estimate to rebuild and, while we got what we were covered for, it was only a quarter of what we needed,” he added, “The insurance was based on outdated construction costs and the settlement would not come close to what we needed to rebuild, let alone build back better. Out of 50 employees we were able to keep only 19.”

A court battle over the insurance claim dragged on and remained unsettled in August 2021, when Edwards announced the sale of Edwards Virginia Smokehouse trademark and recipes to Burgers’ Smokehouse of Missouri.

While the company was fire-disabled, Edwards had outsourced production to

half a dozen manufacturers, including Burgers’ Smokehouse, another familyrun company and among the first to call offering to help. His parents had been close friends with the Burgers and that eased his decision – somewhat.

A temporary building on the former Edwards site now houses the new Edwards business - Oakvance Holdings Inc. - named after the Isle of Wight farm, The Oaks, where his grandfather grew up.

Sam Edwards estimates he has enough Surryano hams to last through 2022. Since the fire, Burgers has been making Edwards hams, both the country and city ham products, according to Edwards. Under Burgers’ coordination, smoked and fresh sausages are still made from the original Edwards recipe.

That’s good news for fans of Edwards products – including Sam Edwards. A confirmed ham lover, he keeps a home freezer full of ham, bacon and sausage to enjoy - with a side of history seasoned with memories.

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Slice of Smithfield • 19

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20 • Slice of Smithfield

Slice of Smithfield • 21

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22 • Slice of Smithfield

Review by Wilford Kale

Jeffrey Blount’s very good Book

Smithfield native Jeffrey Blount’s “The Emancipation of Evan Walls” (Koehler Books, 317 pgs., $26.95) is the best book I’ve read in many, many months.

It’s not a book to enjoy if you have any sensitivities at all.

Racially, it’s going to bother whites and Blacks. It’s a book that is not quickly read; it takes time, but it is more than worth the effort!

I had not come across the book until a friend of mine, Bob Hershberger, who for 20-plus years headed the Williamsburg area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Alliance, told me about it. He loaned me his copy and said I might find it interesting.

Oh, my goodness! How interesting it was. It’s a personal coming of age saga with several different twists. It’s a Black community’s difficult transformation into an integrated society because they so hated white people they didn’t want to associate with them. It’s a story of a young man — Evan Walls — who didn’t want to be different from his friends. He just wanted to get an education and become the best he could, but his friends and family felt he was turning against them and their race.

Also, important to the story is Blount’s use of dialect to emphasize the grammar of the Black community — the manner of English that Walls wanted to get away from.

Walls simply didn’t want to stay in Canaan and to live like his mother, father and their friends in a community where Blacks “were satisfied and not likely to do more with their lives and were where they were supposed to be,” explained Blount in a telephone interview.

Was this novel more fact than fiction? Blount answered quickly: “The lives of many children I’ve researched and mine

are involved here. Because of the setting and the phenomenon of acting White, the situation leads to children giving up their dreams. We all suffer when someone withholds their gifts—their dreams.”

A native of Smithfield, Blount acknowledged, “Canaan really is Smithfield. I chose Smithfield because it’s in my soul. The good and the bad I felt I could transmit those feelings well.” In selecting Smithfield, he added, “I wanted people to feel the emotion of this story as I did when I wrote it.”

Walls was befriended by Bojack, who helped him as he struggled through his life being virtually ignored at times by his father, and later his mother, because his views caused them embarrassment among their neighbors and friends.

Walls falls into love, which fails, in part, because of the climate of his hometown.

An Emmy Award winning television director, Blount succeeded with his words in creating a poignant story — equally award winning. To put it frankly, he’s a marvelous storyteller.

Blount, in his interview, stressed, “Robert Frost said, ‘No teams in the writer, no tears in the reader.’ So I was able to bring my heart and soul to the character of Evan because I personally knew his issue. I wanted my readers to feel the same emotion about the book’s setting. I gave him every bit of emotional advantage he could have over the reader.”

Get this book and share it with friends. It will do everyone a world of good!

Wilford Kale of Williamsburg is a former journalist and communications professional. Contact him at Kaleonbooks95@gmail.com

Slice of Smithfield • 23

Spring

TO F O R T H E IHN O LIDAYS A

NEW

HOME

CONTACT THE LOCALS' CHOICE

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24 • Slice of Smithfield

TOUR SUFFOLK

BOOK YOUR TOUR TODAY! VisitSuffolkVa.com 757.514.4130

Legends of Main Street: A Suffolk Ghost Walk Victorian Suffolk: Dying To Be There, A Guided Discovery of Cedar Hill Cemetery Cedar Hill Cemetery Stroll Headlines and Footnotes: A Downtown Suffolk Walking Tour Hometown Heroes Cedar Hill Cemetery Walking Tour

Great Dismal Swamp Safari (Narrated Bus Tour)

Guided Nature Walk of the Great Dismal Swamp Great Dismal Swamp’s Underground Railroad Pavilion Tour Historic Suffolk Narrated Bus Tour Kayak Excursions: Lake Drummond Nansemond River Lone Star Lakes | Bennett’s Creek

108 Main St, Smithfield, VA 757-357-7891 Mon-Sat 10-5 • Sun 1-5

In Spring & Summer 2022, let us comparative quote your boat, motorcycle, RV and golf carts with the multiple companies we represent. Bundle and save with your home and auto too!

Check out our new website: www.wallsins.com and call 757-357-4456

Slice of Smithfield • 25

Smithfield Baptist

PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE

Last edition’s Where Am I?

LIVES OF CHILDREN

www.smithfieldpreschool.org

Welcoming Families!

Come and See why we are considered a premiere school by parents and educators Exceptional Teachers Small class sizes Engaging Curriculum

The Where Am I? challenge in the Winter 2021 edition of Slice featured a rooster on the informational sign across the street from the old courthouse on Main Street in downtown Smithfield. There were no correct guessers and as such nobody won the $25 gift card. Check out page 8 for this edition's challenge.

Slice of Smithfield • 11

Where am I?

In each edition, the Slice staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Isle of Wight and Surry counties you really know. We photograph some location that is readily accessible and open to the public, and see if you can tell us where it is.

If you know where this photo was taken, submit your answer, along with your name and contact information, to news@smithfieldtimes. com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

So, if you know where this is, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner.

Go out and enjoy!

For more information or to arrange a tour, call us at 357-7452.

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26 • Slice of Smithfield

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Slice of Smithfield • 27

In History

Smithfield’s Commerce Street got its name honestly, as this bustling scene circa 1900 shows. This photo was taken facing northwest from the corner of Main and Commerce.

Located in Smithfield on the Pagan River 757-357-7700 | SmithfieldStation.com

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