The Franconia Lunch Bunch

Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2007 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

THE FRANCONIA LUNCH BUNCH
The First Monday of Each Month
Written by Jac Walker

About 16 years ago, a small group of friends met for lunch at the Dixie Pig Restaurant in Groveton. The restaurant is no longer there, but the group still meets, has grown in size, and has become very special. It is filled with laughter where we share memories as well as our aging aches and pains. The first Monday of each month at 1:00 p.m. is a standing date for all who can meet and has become a priority for many of us. The group consists of those who grew up in Franconia or have been long-time residents. Our restaurant of choice is the Red Lobster on S. Van Dorn Street, and we welcome guests. From ten to twenty attend each month, year-round, and we are known as “The Franconia Lunch Bunch.”

We have enjoyed several field trips. Twice we drove to Heathsville, Virginia, where we visited and pooled our food at the farm of Vernette Hundley, sister of Louise Potter. While there we got to ride in a fancy carriage drawn by four large white horses; a business owned and run by Vernette’s son. His horse-drawn carriages are hired for special occasions such as weddings and fancy parties, and of course, he is dressed in top hat and tails. We have met several times at a park in Accokeek, Maryland, where we were hosted by Bill Cooke. Others have shared their yards and hosted the group. Mostly now, we just meet, eat, and talk.

Over the years, many have passed away and some have moved, but we continue to have a lively group. We talk a lot. Each of us appreciates the value of old friends and the enjoyment of sharing memories and stories. Several years ago, in talking with Frances Staples, I suggested she write her interesting life story. In just a couple weeks, she handed me her story to type for the group — she said it was something she had longed to do. It was then that I asked others, who were sharing memories orally, to write a few down. This began a series which I would type up and distribute. Next it became a notebook of memories. I credit one of our special guests, Winnie Spencer Walker, who many times encouraged me to “write it down,”—the Franconia History. She is very much a part of Franconia and is now 99 years of age.

When I was asked to join the Franconia Museum Board, I showed Edith Sprouse, Historian and Board Member, our book of memories. She suggested that we gather a few more stories and try to come up with a book to publish.

This idea has grown. Volume III has been published featuring twelve families with the greatest pictures. Still active when they can come: Mark and Marilyn Goodheart, Lyn and Margaret Welch, Buddy Potter, Ruby Schurtz, Francis Staples, Purnell Simms, Marlene Shaughnessy, Jean Starry, Margie Tharpe, Judy Hutchinson, Helen McClary, Buddy and Betty Nalls, Bill Cooke, Donald and Jac Walker, and Ruth and Homer Weller who live in West Virginia. We remember those who are no longer with us: Helen Alexander, Pete Nelson, Howard Nelson, Alvin and Irene Dennis, Lynn and Pete Fitzgerald, Gladys Shain, William Schurtz, Duke Alexander, Ernest Staples, Randolph Dodd, Louise Potter and Ruth Cooke.