Send your Condolences to the Carter Family in Memory of the late former President Jimmy Carter

 

Click here to visit the official Jimmy Carter memorial and to leave condolences for the family.

Kwanzaa: Giving Thanks for the Harvest of the Good in Life

 

 

Merry Christmas, but what ever happened to........

Here's hoping that all the alumni of the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association, the descendants, the friends, neighbors and all those who love and was raised in and around the Douglass High School, have a wonderful 2024 holiday season.  

But just taking a nostalgic walk through the Riverview neighborhood and along Dale and Maple Streets 'cross town on Christmas Eve night can be very emotional.  I remembered back in the day how the Riverview community hummed on a single night as special as the one on Christmas Eve.

Let your minds travel back a few years.  Your imagination is knocking at the back  door.  What ever happened to...

...holiday lights on little hedges outside front doors... every house had inside lights on.... front windows would be adorned with the Christmas tree... some front windows would have green trees with lights of every color showcased.... 

Whatever happened to front windows with silver trees with single color lights, either red, blue, green, and at least one, all gold lights.  Some of them would even be flashing!  

Whatever happened to the Christmas music playing from a couple of houses that you could hear from the street?

Whatever happened to the smell of gingerbread, cakes and pies what some of our mothers of Riverview would be making for dinner tomorrow, or the church's Christmas get-together tomorrow afternoon?  You could smell the gingerbread and the apple spice cakes from the sidewalk outside.

Whatever happened to all of the cars parked at some houses, indicating that somebody has come home to visit for Christmas?  The cars with the Georgia, Ohio, New York, Illinois license plates?  The cars with the Knox, Davidson and Shelby County, Tennessee license plates?  "So glad so-and-so made it home safely for Christmas."

The Oakwood Market (especially the one on Eastman Road), the Little Store, the Giant Food store... they'd all sell out of hams and turkeys because our folks would make sure they had plenty of food, not just for their own families, but for friends in the neighborhood.

And what of Christmas day?  Whatever happened to the youngsters riding their brand new tricycles and bicycles up and down the streets, always between 8 AM and 11 AM Christmas morning?  If you were driving over to see your sister or your aunt and uncle 'cross town to open presents, be careful... kids were darting those new bikes all around the parked cars.

Whatever happened to the phone calls from folks who couldn't make it home to experience a Christmas celebration at home in Riverview?

A stroll through Riverview at Christmas time these days, could be like a stroll through any neighborhood in Kingsport.  Mostly, everything is quiet and serene, except for the low hum of Eastman.  Brings tears to the eyes as we remember the family atmosphere we all shared.  Our hearts go out to the ones amongst us who are celebrating the birth of Jesus with the Man himself.  Our neighborhood Christmases were special.  It always took a neighborhood to celebrate our Christmases.  Has it really been that long ago?  

What ever happened to...

The Second Book in Mama Jill Ellis' Series about Growing Up at Rotherwood is now out!

We are happy to pass along this announcement from the Ellis family... Craig says, the second book in the series "Denny at Rotherwood" is now available, this one "Christmas at Rotherwood."

Click here and go to the bottom of the page to order the book!  

We miss 'Mama' Jill.  She lives in our hearts.