by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jun 13, 2019 | Appalachian, Family, Friends, History, Memories
Last weekend I had the pleasure of teaching at the WV Writers Conference in Ripley, WV. The last time I was at Cedar Lakes Conference Center I was attending Conservation Camp and I was 11 or 12-years-old. It was even better being there this time around! In addition to...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 27, 2019 | Family, History, holidays, Uncategorized
Memorial Day is a day set aside for remembering those who have died in the service of our nation. Originally, it was proclaimed in honor of the Civil War dead by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. The order became official on May...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 23, 2019 | Appalachian, Church, Family, holidays, Memories
Monday is Memorial Day–the unofficial start to summer. And in Appalachia it means time to start planning for Decoration Day. Usually held on a Sunday in June, this is a day when cemeteries would be tidied and flowers placed on the graves. I’m not talking...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 16, 2019 | Appalachian, Family, Food, Memories, Nature
I still have to work hard to resist them. The catalogs filled with beautiful, full-color images of corn and strawberries and squash and green beans . . . The displays of candy-colored seed packets at the store . . . I don’t even have a garden. Oh, sometimes I grow a...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 9, 2019 | Appalachian, Family, History, holidays, Love
Yup. That’s right. The woman who invented Mother’s Day was born in Grafton, WV. Anna Jarvis campaigned for the holiday in honor of her own mother Anna Reeves Jarvis. Mother Anna was a social activist who organized Mother’s Day Work Clubs during the...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 2, 2019 | Appalachian, Family, History, Nature
When Dad told stories about hunting in Kumbrabow State Forest I assumed the name was Native American. Not so. The story I’m currently writing (due out in late 2020) is set in Randolph County not far from where I grew up in WV. As I’ve researched the area I...
