Posts Tagged ‘Hainted Holler’
I’m still fiddling around with markers,and trying to make the strip look right when scanned, so bear with me as like everything else I’m learning as I go.
I don’t know why I like coming up with these offbeat superheroes,but I do.In other news it’s time for another Biscuit Pete story
I myself have never been slapped with the Waiting Room Fee,but have heard from several people who have.Apparently if you stay too long in the waiting room they feel a need to charge you for the electricity,old magazines,toilet paper,and cable TV your “enjoying”.
We actually have 2 local stations,one that focuses on family friendly programming and the other one that consists of call in shows where people gossip and complain about their neighbors.For simplicity I’ve just combined them into this Station.
Their really is a polygamous church in Henry County.It made national news back in 1993 when the 44 year old pastor Gallimore took a 16 year old second wife.Now to be fair under their interpretation of polygamy,you’re “married” from the moment you say yes to the question so he is able to skirt the law on most cases.Last I heard of the church,Mr Gallimore had just taken his FOURTH wife.
When I was a kid Henry County boasted a large furniture,and fleece industry.As the local buisnesses were bought out by larger conglomerates they closed the plants and moved everything overseas.2010 saw the last of the furniture manufacturers finally finish moving overseas,the garment makers left years ago.Now we have distribution centers and call centers,so many call centers.Honestly if you call any business number and the person on the other end isn’t Indian,you’re calling Henry County,VA.
A couple of years ago Bassett Furniture,whose founder lent the family name to the town I live in now,donated a large chair to the city for use as a tourist attraction,and to remember the industry they sold away.
The Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader series of books actually contains an article on the true and sinister origins of Henry County’s Big Chair and when I locate the article I’ll let you know which book it is.
Hainted Holler is loosely based on my hometown of Martinsville,VA.To anyone else who grew up in the South, and especially in these little towns in the Appalachian foothills, thes people and situations are normal and familiar.To the rest of you it may seem like a outlandish caricature of the southern United States.Since a lot of what I want to do with the strip is going to center on the characters trying to make a life in this town,I’ve decided to spend some time familiarising everyone with it.As a bonus I’m going to use this section to give you an idea of where I stray from reality and why I sometimes exaggerate or even underplay the general weirdness of Henry County, Virginia.
For this first one I just want to say that the local river is actually named The Smith River.(yeah, that’s about as creative as the town founders got)
