"Welcome, Donjohn!" Topic

I see you're in Roanoke,VA,where I grew up. Left many years ago,but some happy memories of Saturdays spent digging through the junk shops in the Market (before they "cleaned it up"),followed by lunch at the Texas Tavern,where my father used to eat many years before,at midnight when he got off his shift as Navy recruiter in the Post Office building. They still remembered him. Now the ol' TT is a famous historical landmark.

BTW,I know you can't reply for a couple of days,but when did they start pronouncing the "a" in Roanoke? Back in my day, it was the sure mark of a furriner. There was a(B side) soul music single about 1967 or so called "Roanoke" with the correct two -syllable pronunciation. Chorus was:
"Roanoke!
Roanoke!
If you're from the big city,baby,
You don't know what I mean!"

Not a national hit,exactly,but got some local airplay.

Hafen von Schlockenberg,
Nobody pronounces the "a" in Roanoke! At least not that I know of & I've lived here 58 years! Ate at the Tavern 2 days ago! The Grass Roots song Sooner or Later released in 71, started with "WROV" the local radio station's call letters in appreciation for them testing it & it going to #1. ROV did the same for the Doobie Bros, Blackwater, The Eagles, Best Of My Love and something for The Guess Who also. I can't remember that tune tho. Were you here during any of these?
Peter

Left August '71,following a girl to Richmond (kicked me out 2 weeks later),so wasn't around for most of that. My 11th grade English teacher(Cave Spring HS) was friends with Fred Frelanze,ROV jock,and had him come in class once. A very hilarious occasion. Funny that one of the ROV jocks complained about that single I referred to--"we're not that small!".
I guess you know that one of the Grass Roots guys,Creed Bratton,was "Creed" on The Office. There's a deleted scene on the Cruise Ship episode where he plays guitar.

I hear the "a" on the area radio stations all the time.Maybe not the best source. Did you ever see "In Like Flint"? L.J.Cobb's character meets a female undercover spy (unbeknownst to him,of course). When he asks what she does,she says "Ahm a schoolteachah at John C. Calhoun Hah School in Ro-a-noke,Vuginya". I saw it in the theater when it came out. Brought the house down,naturally;
only 3 things wrong: that "a"; Deep South,not hard hillbilly, accent; and,never has been,never will be,a John C. Calhoun ANYTHING in Virginia,AFAIK.

I'm sure all this is simply fascinating for our fellow TMPers.
I do recommend a stop at Texas Tavern for anyone passing through, though. I later had many a 2AM Bowl&Western after band gigs.

Please continue, I'm fascinated. I never knew there *was* a Roanoke Virginia, I thought Roanoke was in North Carolina.

Much enjoy the local flavor being, with a few brief interludes, a lifelong resident of Missouri. Actually just over the border in Kansas which I have always told anyone who would listen was "Occupied Territory". Flew a Missouri State Flag out front every day for years until it wore out because I had it out on some holiday and several of the endless number of Old Ladies who reside here complained about it. I thought they all had ancestors who were "Border Wars" Kansas "Red Legs" or "Jayhawkers" but it turned out they all came from somewhere else. I not only have ancestors who are "Confederates in the attic" but Yanks as well. People asked me many times over the years what part of the South I was from because of my accent. May not have left the Union but one star on the now non-PC flag was for Missouri. The Civil War went on here from 1854 to 1865. It was truly awful beyond words. Those lost so tragically surely deserve to be remembered. It is a good thing though we all move around so much because we seem to have escaped the fate of so many around the world who keep killing one another over something that happened ages ago.

And just for Zippyfusenet…
Small world… I went to Cave Spring too! Class of 75. So did my brother class of 71 & my sister class of 73. I well remember Freddy Frelance & Jack Fisher, the 2 DJ's during the "Golden Years". Killer site here:
wrovhistory.com
Funny, I worked with Jack for about 5 years at Advance Auto Parts. He introduced Paul McCartney at one of the Beatles DC shows! He was/is a very cool dude.
I never really watched The Office, nice tidbit there. I have seen In Like Flint several times but I don't really remember that scene. I'll have to look it up on Youtube. As for the "a" in 'Noke, well, lots of furriners here now, so ya can't really trust anything ya hear or read or see anymore!
And Zippy, that's Roanoke Island in NC. We are just Roanoke!

Ceterman,I'm pretty sure it was the second movie,don't believe I ever saw the third,and I'm sure it wasn't the first,Our Man Flint. I was out of CSH in 68.

Hocker--I have been through parts of Missouri-- I remember thinking "lots of hidey-holes for those famous outlaws!" You're right,a tragic,bloody business,before,during,and after the war.
Not that Virginia escaped! The mountains were rough territory into the 20th century.I knew a girl from Rocky Mount (not too far from Roanoke) whose grandfather had been shot down on Main Street when caught rustling horses.

Hey Ceterman,were you around for "Automobile ExCHANGE,Has cars in yore prahce RANGE". That jingle use to drive me nuts.

BTW,I only know about Creed being in The Grass Roots because he talks about it in the clip. He talks about opening for Hendrix,and they show an album cover.

Hey Ceterman,we're you around for "Automobile ExCHANGE,Has cars in yore prahce RANGE". That jingle use to drive me nuts.

Oh man, I still hear that in my nightmares! Hilarious!
Shameless plug here, check out my stuff:
board2deathterrain.com

I don't believe this:

link

I guess everything's on the Internet now.

Wow. You, Sir, are correct!

When I was a young man at Va Tech we always pronounced the "a" in Roanoke. Of course, we were Hokies …

Well,my Dad didn't,when he went there,but then,he lived in Roanoke.
He did have some funny "Tech" stories,though.