John Baty with Mentone, Moon Lake, and On the Porch: Renaming the Region
Jul 30, 2019 ·
59m 54s
John Baty is 83 years old. He's a native of Mentone, Alabama, where he still lives, on the property where he and his wife used to run a juke joint...
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John Baty is 83 years old. He's a native of Mentone, Alabama, where he still lives, on the property where he and his wife used to run a juke joint years ago. Mr. Baty has a belief that "You can tell it funny, or you can tell it sad..." but that the truth of a story, or history, is the truth, plain and simple. He tells the story of Mentone, Moon Lake, and the people there as it is, not as we would have it. There's the good, the bad, and the ugly, all represented here, but John tells the stories in such a way that even from the bad, the good shines through. That's the way with history. There's always two sides to that coin. The On the Porch segment this week returns to a topic brought up in a previous episode, where my friend Beth and I talked about the proposal to rename the Tri-Cities/Mountain Empire region of Upper East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Eastern Kentucky. The powers that be, movers and shakers, leaders of the area came to a decision that we'd be henceforth (until the next time) be known as The Appalachian Highlands, which, I must say, has a certain ring to it. I like it, in fact. However, there's a certain sting to the pride of a people when someone tells them their name isn't good enough and needs to be changed. I discuss all this and more this week "On the Porch." You'll want to slow down, sip on some tea, and really take in this week's interview. Don't rush. Sit a spell. Really listen to the living history of an Appalachian Treasure that we have in Mr. John Baty. You'll be glad you did. God bless!
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