PART 6: Lloyd Kellam Remembers
George & Tommy’s Shocking Car; Saved by Herbert Bull
January 5, 2014
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Cape Charles Historical Society has for more than a decade been recording oral histories of the area’s earlier days. In 2002, as one in a series of lectures sponsored by the Cape Charles Library entitled “The Way We Were,” Cape Charles native Lloyd Kellam shared the following account. In 2012, funded by a grant by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the recording, along with 14 others, was transcribed. The Historical Society has now made it available for readers of the Wave. All the transcriptions are also available for reading at the Museum.
I left out a lot of things that I’ve forgotten. One is that some of the people that I know that have passed through here. The one that comes to my mind, I wrote it down tonight, was I can remember coming out of Daddy’s store when it was next to Wilson’s and walking down toward the bank and lo and behold this big convertible pulled up. I can’t remember what kind it was. A guy got out and opened up the door on the other side and a little guy got out in a uniform, about that tall, and it was the Philip Morris man. Do you remember who that was? He spent the night at McCarthy’s Hotel.
I think back about what went on. George and Tommy had an automobile, I don’t remember what it was, it must have been about ’20. ’23 Ford Town Car. But they had it hooked up, no not “hooked up,” they had it wired up! So that if you walked up to it and put your hand on it, it would shock you! The only way you could get in it, would be to jump up on the running board and you could hold on to it because then you weren’t grounded. But they would fool you sometimes. They would tell you it wasn’t on and then all of a sudden they would flip that switch. They had another little boy around town named Kelly; he lived out on Hollywood Farm. He did the same thing to his car and I can remember it. He’d call me over, “Lloyd, come over. Get me a Coke.” And I’d go get him a Coke and hand it in the thing and when I handed it in, it would set that thing off!
Talking about characters, I had numerous lives. I’ve different friends for different things. I used to get on my bicycle sometimes, but most of the time would walk out to Amos’ house, which is about a mile and half or so, just to play ping-pong. We’d play ping-pong all day long. All of a sudden it comes to me that Amos made a cake out there one time. What did you put in that cake that was wrong? He said he put in pancake mix!
[Amos:] He said it was good! Wanted to know what the recipe was. They put that in the Northampton Times! [Read more…]
Raymond Salopek, 72, Bay Creek Resident
January 4, 2014
Raymond Salopek, 72, husband of Sandra Salopek and a Bay Creek resident of Cape Charles, passed away Thursday, January 2, at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be sent to the American Cancer Society, PO Box 163, Salisbury, MD 21803-0163.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Noelle Lawrence and her husband, Peter, also of Bay Creek, and Nadine M. Malpase and her husband, Stuart, of Charlotte, NC; and a granddaughter, Margaret Ann Malpass of Richmond. [Read more…]
WEEKEND: Sunset Memory of a Cape Charles Wedding
WEEKEND: SUNSET MEMORY OF A CAPE CHARLES WEDDING
Kelly and Matt Williams returned to Cape Charles to celebrate Christmas after their September wedding on the pier at King’s Creek Marina. Following the holidays, Kelly snapped this photo with her iPhone as she and Matt (who was driving) again said good-bye to the Eastern Shore for now. Readers are invited to submit their favorite local photos for Weekend editions, when the picture stretches across the page. (Published January 4, 2014)
TUESDAY 1/7: Special Election for State Senate
Tuesday, January 7, is the Special Election for the Senate of Virginia 6th District seat between B. Wayne Coleman and Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr. [Read more…]
THURSDAY 1/9: Master Gardener Classes Begin
The 2014 Eastern Shore Master Gardener training class starts January 9. The classes will be held at the Eastern Shore AREC in Painter every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning through April 3. [Read more…]
THURSDAY 1/9: ‘Perceptions of Coastal Virginia’ at Barrier Islands Center
A Sense of Place: Perceptions of Coastal Virginia, a public Reading of works produced by UVA undergraduate students during a Nature Writing Workshop, 5 p.m. Thursday, January 9, at the Barrier Islands Center in Machipongo. [Read more…]
Still No Police Chief — Maybe Monday?
Sgt. Jim Pruitt
UPDATE: Just before noon today (Friday), the Wave was notified by Town Hall that Sgt. Pruitt informed Town Manager Heather Arcos late yesterday afternoon that he would accept the position of police chief. The effective date is Tuesday, January 7.
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
January 3, 2014
Cape Charles Chief of Police Charles “Sambo” Brown retired December 31. Two weeks earlier, on December 16, Cape Charles Town Council appointed Sgt. Jim Pruitt to replace him — “with caveats.”
The appointment was made in open session, as required by state law, but the “caveats” were not disclosed. Nor, apparently, had they been discussed with Pruitt, who almost two weeks later has still not accepted the appointment.
When asked yesterday if the Town had appointed a police chief, Town Clerk Libby Hume said “not yet — he [Pruitt] needs to sign the papers but he’s on vacation.” She said she expects that Pruitt will come in on Monday to sign the papers.
Asked if anyone was serving as interim chief in the meantime, Hume said, “not so far as I know.” [Read more…]
Model Revealed for Waterman’s Memorial at Town Harbor
Memorial would be in parking lot in front of Shanty Restaurant. After the above model was built, the format was changed to be circular rather than a rectangle.
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
January 2, 2014
The model depicted above of a Waterman’s Memorial proposed for the parking lot in front of the Shanty Restaurant at the Town Harbor has been submitted to Town authorities. After the model was built, plans were modified from a rectangular layout to a circular one.
According to Virginia Waterman’s Memorial President Edward L. Lewis, the memorial will contain three elements inside a 38-foot diameter circle:
— A bronze statue of a young boy standing beside an empty pair of boots;
— A 16-foot-tall replica of the Cape Charles Lighthouse; and
— A three-section black granite wall displaying the name of the memorial and, on the back side, the names of all lost watermen from the State of Virginia.
The Cape Charles Harbor Area Review Board meets today (January 2) at 6 p.m. at Town Hall to decide whether to issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the plans. The meeting is open to the public, but there is no provision for comments. [Read more…]
