TIDBITS® LOOKS AT EXTRAORDINARY NAMES
by Janet Spencer
All across North America, you’ll come across towns that have truly extraordinary names; names that make you say, “How did it get THAT name?” The truth of the matter, however, is that the weirdest names often have really simple explanations behind them. Come along with Tidbits as we discover the ordinary stories behind the extraordinary names!
Soddy Daisy
• Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, is a town of 13,000 people just north of the metropolis of Chattanooga. The name comes from joining two separate communities: Soddy likely comes from the owner of one of the area’s first trading posts, William Soddy. It was a small town until it expanded when the Soddy Coal Company set up operations in the area.
• The town grew until it bumped borders with the nearby berg of Daisy, named for the daughter of Thomas Parks, the vice president of a different coal company. The two towns were incorporated into a single cityin 1969.
• Incidentally, the word “Chattanooga” is thought to originate with the Cherokee phrase meaning “rock comes to a point,” which may refer to nearby Lookout Mountain. (cont)
Of The Mid-Ohio Valley is Published & Distributed Weekly By: CindAl Publishing Company 812 55th St. Vienna, WV 26105 e-mail: alan@tidbitsmov.com
Advertising: 304.210.3812
We reserve the absolute right to accept, reject, discontinue or refuse any advertisement personal or commercial that we deem may not be conducive for our publication or Tidbits®. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the claims of its advertisers. Tidbits® is committed to remain a family oriented publication. www.tidbitsmov.com
ORDINARY STORIES (cont)
• In Arizona, there’s a spot where State Routes 85 and 86 meet at a Y-intersection. The community that sprang up there was simply referred to as “the Y” and later shortened to simply “Y.” When the town of 120 wanted to incorporate, the Arizona Department of Transportation insisted that all towns had to have a name with at least three letters in it. That is why there is a town called Why.
• The small community of Whynot, North Carolina, is located exactly 7 miles (11 km) west of the town of Jugtown Pottery. It received its name when, during a long argument at a town hall meeting over what the town should be called, one exhausted resident shouted, “Why not just call it ‘Why Not’ so we can all go home?”
• The city of Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania (pop. 2,734) derived its name from the Welsh phrase “nant y glo” meaning literally “stream of coal” referring to a nearby creek that ran past several coal seams. Because of the easy access to surface coal, mining became big business here in the late 1800s as the advent of railroads boosted demand. The first coal mine to open was dubbed the “Nant Y Glo #1.” By the 1940s, a tour guide to Pennsylvania described the town as, “a valley coal town wrapped in a mist of sulphurous gas.” Things have improved since then.
• When the railroad came through South Carolina in 1891, a landowner named John North donated 100 acres for a train depot and townsite. The town was subsequently named North, South Carolina. About 700 people live there today. Meanwhile, the town of Due West, South Carolina (pop. 1,200) is likely a mispronunciation of “Dewitts,” the name of a local family. North, South Carolina, is southeast of Due West, South Carolina. (cont)
Tommy Tidbits is hiding In this issue of TidbitsMOV
When you find him, please send us a message with your name, POSTAL MAIL address, the issue number you are referring to and which ad is hosting Tommy for the week! Visit www.tidbitsmov.com or send the answer with the above information to alan@tidbitsmov.com OR you may send us a private message to our Facebook page - @Tidbits MOV. PLEASE do not post the answer directly to the page - that ruins the fun for everyone. All winners will be drawn randomly from correct responses and will be posted weekly. As with all our contests, you are welcome to play every week, you are only eligible for one winner per household per month.
Deanna W From Pennsboro WV Found Tommy In Issue 1297
Remember To Thank All of The Advertisers. They Paid for Your Free Tidbits®!
The Hummus Hack:
Creamy, Velvety and Better Than StoreBought
Forget storebought hummus this easy recipe creates the creamiest, fluffiest, most velvety hummus you've ever tasted. In my opinion, it surpasses anything you'll find at the grocery store, and want to know the best part? It's quick, affordable and can be made anytime!
Hummus is an eons-old Middle Eastern classic. Traditionally, hummus is made from chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt. That's it and that's all. What is tahini? I'm glad you asked. Tahini is a paste of ground sesame seeds and can be a little expensive. You can substitute other nut butters like peanut butter or sunflower seed butter, but it's not the same. At the time of writing this (May 2025 in the Pacific Northwest) I paid $8 for 16 ounces of tahini, which will make eight batches of hummus at $1 per batch. Once you have tahini, the only other major expense to make hummus is a can of garbanzo beans. Usually, to make creamy hummus you'd soak dried garbanzo beans overnight then boil them until they're falling apart. My snack attacks don't involve that kind of forethought; I want hummus, and I want it now. Alternatively, you can use canned beans, but they often result in a grainy texture.
Here's the trick: Simmer canned beans to make them super tender so they whip up perfectly smooth. Then let's make
garlic infused olive oil for that roasted garlic flavor without having to roast the garlic. This is one time to break out the "good" olive oil. This recipe can easily be doubled.
EASY HUMMUS
Yield: 4-6 servings
Total Time: 30 minutes
1 (15.5 oz.) can garbanzo beans
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons good extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving 1/4 cup lemon juice (1 large lemon + zest)
1/4 cup tahini, well-stirred 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons water
Optional garnish - pinch of paprika or cumin, pine nuts, parsley
Serve with - pita bread, sweet peppers, cucumber, olives
Drain and rinse garbanzo beans and place in a saucepan. Cover with water by 1 inch and heat it to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer beans for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and place it in a small pan with olive oil. Let this warm gently on low until the garlic starts to bubble. Turn off heat and let rest while the beans simmer. Drain and cool the beans.
The order in which you process the ingredients is important. In the bowl of a food processor, cream together the tahini and lemon juice for 1 minute, then scrape the sides of the bowl and process another minute.
Add the olive oil with garlic, cumin and salt to the tahini and lemon. Process for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally until well blended.
Add half of the chickpeas and process
for 2 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then add remaining chickpeas and continue to process for another 2 minutes until very smooth. To make this completely smooth, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of ice water until you reach the perfect consistency. Adjust seasonings as desired. To serve, spread the hummus in a shallow bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a dash of paprika or za'atar for an extra pop of flavor.
For the perfect hummus experience, serve it with a variety of dippers to suit all tastes. Classic options like warm pita bread, crisp veggie sticks (carrots, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers) or crunchy pita chips are always a hit. Enjoy!
Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the pennypinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of the website Divas On A Dime Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com (c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
creamy hummus, served with crispy veggies, warm pita and crunchy pita chips.
WHYTHE CHOIR WAS LATE
• In the town of Beatrice, Nebraska, members of the West Side Baptist Church were preparing to meet for choir practice. It was Wednesday, March 1, 1950. Choir practice normally started at 7:20 pm on the dot.
• That evening, Reverend Walter Klempel went to the church early to light the furnace on a chilly evening, then returned home for dinner with his wife Eurnice. Just as they were leaving for choir practice, their 18month-old daughter Marilyn Ruth soiled her outfit. She needed a clean dress. This made them all late.
• The choir director, Martha Paul, insisted on punctuality. However, that evening her daughter, who served as the pianist, was extra tired and lay down after dinner for a nap before choir practice. She overslept, so she and her mother were both late for choir.
• Choir member Herbert Kipf was in the middle of writing a letter, which he felt compelled to finish, and then ran by the post office to mail it, making him late for choir practice.
• Ladona Vangergrift was working on her math homework and wanted to finish a particularly difficult geometry problem before going to choir practice, so she was late as well.
• Royena and Sadie Estes could not get their car started. They called Ladona to ask for a ride, and Ladona said she would be there as soon as she finished her geometry homework. Because of this, all three of them were late.
• Lucille Jones was listening to a radio program about the life of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. She wanted to hear the conclusion of the broadcast before joining the choir at the church, so she was late. She usually drove Dorothy Wood to practice, but Dorothy had to wait for Lucille to arrive to get her, so both of them were late. (Continued page #7)
