Chip Minemyer: Stirring stories from Bluefield to the Blue Ridge Mountains

May 14—In 1973, the Philadelphia R&B group The Stylistics sang about a "Rockin' Roll Baby" who was "born in a theater in Bluefield, West Virginia."

Last week, I toured a venerable venue in that West Virginia town — the beautifully refurbished Granada Theater, moth-balled in 1977 but reopened recently following a fundraising project that began in 2012.

The theater's website tells you that its stage — still original from its opening in 1928 — has seen the likes of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

My unofficial tour guide at the Granada was Samantha Perry, editor of The Bluefield Daily Telegraph newspaper and website.

In addition to her appreciation for the revitalized theater, and her community's ties to rail freight, Perry has a soft spot for crime news — and she's covered everything from exploding meth labs to severed heads and trials in a courthouse where the flushing of nearby toilets can be heard over the voices of lawyers and witnesses.

Perry and her newspaper teamed up with the nearby Register-Herald in Beckley, W.Va., to produce a 2018 book — "Murder in the Mountains" — tracking the bloodiest and most sensational criminal moments along the Virginia- West Virginia border.

You can learn all about past crimes — under eye-catching headlines such as "Killed on the courthouse steps," "Appalachian Trail Killer," "Valentine's Day Murders" and "McDowell County Dismemberment."

----In neighboring Maryland, Editor Shane Riggs and Allegany magazine are putting together a July feature on interesting nearby trips — focusing on quirky local tourist attractions, in the spirit of Bedford County's famous Route 30 "Coffee Pot," once a popular restaurant.

Sales representative Carisa Fazenbaker shared photos she took at a place called The Farnham Colossi in Unger, West Virginia — where the owners have purchased vintage statues and other items that now attract visitors.

You can see characters from "The Simpsons" riding a roller coaster, and a tall concrete Santa Claus who toppled into the yard and has become even more popular in his reclining state.

Speaking of magazines, we're looking for feedback from readers — and former readers — of both Allegany magazine, based in Cumberland, and Johnstown Magazine.

If you're familiar with those publications, please visit these links to share your thoughts.

One survey participant in each market will win a $100 Sheetz gift card.

—Allegany magazine survey: https://form.jotform.com/220963614409962

—Johnstown Magazine survey: https://form.jotform.com/220824907385057

----From Bluefield, I drove south through Virginia and Tennessee into North Carolina to visit the staff at the Transylvania Times in Brevard, N.C.

(Yes, they have fun with a vampire theme each Halloween.)

Getting to Brevard means a trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway — touted as "America's Favorite Scenic Drive" and "the gateway to incredible outdoor adventure and breathtaking mountain vistas."

I can't prove that the first comment is true, but I can attest to the second and the beauty of the region.

Brevard is known as "North Carolina's Land of Waterfalls" — and lives up to that billing.

Transylvania Times Editor Derek McKissock took me on a tour of the highlights — and said the place will be hopping from Memorial Day weekend right through September.

I could see why.

That region attracts fly-fishing, kayaking, camping and hiking enthusiasts from all over.

Just like our Laurel Highlands in Pennsylvania.

----Back in Bluefield, there is no evidence that the "Rockin' Roll Baby" was born at the Granada Theater — or that The Stylistics ever performed there.

But one Philadelphia star — Marian Anderson — definitely did.

Anderson was a popular singer from 1920s to the 1960s, known for a wide range of music, from spirituals to opera. Her many honors included the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Anderson, who died in 1993, endured discrimination and prejudice throughout her career — often forced to enter venues through a back door without access to changing rooms.

I was told by theater Director Nicole Thompson that during Jim Crow, African American music fans who wanted to hear Anderson sing had to sit quietly in a balcony far in the rear of the theater.

I appreciated that the theater owns all aspects of its history, even the bad. Those are the stories we need to hear and share.

Archives tell of an incident in 1939 when the Daughters of the American Revolution denied a request to have Anderson perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Many notable members of the DAR — including first lady Eleanor Roosevelt — left the organization over the decision linked to segregation.

Charles Edward Russell, a co-founder of the NAACP, called a meeting and President Franklin D. Roosevelt got involved.

Eventually, Anderson sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Among the selections she performed: "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."

Chip Minemyer is the editor and general manager of The Tribune-Democrat and TribDem.com, GM of The Times-News of Cumberland, Md., and CNHI regional editor for Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina. He can be reached at 814-532-5091. Follow him on Twitter @MinemyerChip.