Barbecue, beans, and gratitude: Salisbury-Rowan Society gathers for picnic
Published 12:05 am Thursday, November 3, 2022
The group that gathered in-person for the first time since spring 2019, when members traveled to Salisbury via train. Susan Shinn Turner/For the Salisbury Post
Phil Kirk organized the Salisbury-Rowan Society of the Triangle. There are no dues. Members just gather for fellowship. Susan Shinn Turner/For the Salisbury Post
Like other attendees, Keith Hobbs enjoyed an ice-cold bottle of Cheerwine, donated by CEO Cliff Ritchie. Susan Shinn Turner/For the Salisbury Post
K.C. Ramsay fried up mouthwatering hushpuppies to go with the barbecue from College Barbecue. Susan Shinn Turner/For the Salisbury Post
Jean Owen of Chapel Hill looks over silent auction items donated by Ralph and Jerrie Chambers, who are downsizing. Susan Shinn Turner/For the Salisbury Post
Jaye Trotter and MarySusan Fulghum. Susan Shinn Turner/For the Salisbury Post
By Susan Shinn Turner
For the Salisbury Post
RALEIGH — Anytime there’s Cheerwine and barbecue, you know it’s gonna be a party for former Rowan Countians.
And that’s exactly what happened in early October, when 55 members of the Salisbury-Rowan Society met for their first fall picnic post-COVID at the picturesque Montague Lake in Raleigh.
The group traces its origins back a decade, when a group of former Knox Junior High students of Phil Kirk began meeting monthly for breakfast.
When they realized there were quite a few folks in Raleigh with Rowan County connections, Kirk organized the society in 2018 and its first event was held that fall. There are 200 on the “membership list,” (no dues). In spring 2019, the group traveled together to Salisbury via Amtrak.
For this year’s picnic, Justus Everett drove to College Barbecue in Salisbury and brought back 20 pounds of barbecue. Cheerwine CEO Cliff Ritchie donated glass bottles of Cheerwine for each attendee. K.C. Ramsay made hushpuppies onsite, which he added to baked beans and desserts that others contributed.
“I can’t believe how many people were there and how happy they were to be there,” said Deborah Busby Coclanis of Chapel Hill. “Lively conversations all around. I felt so at home. Oh … I guess that was the point. Mission accomplished. A good time was had by all, and I daresay we all left full of BBQ, beans and gratitude.”
“It was great to be part of the reconnecting with friends and classmates,” said retired educator Jean Owen of Chapel Hill. “Most were high school classmates, but some went back to elementary school. You sensed folks appreciated their Rowan County and Salisbury roots. I appreciated being a welcomed transplant to Salisbury in 1960. My connections at the picnic were with students I taught.”
“Nothing unites a Salisbury crowd like red slaw and round mahogany brown hushpuppies, so we made sure we had plenty of both,” Ramsay said. “After testing a number of different hushpuppy recipes I discovered that the one that reminds me most of what I grew up loving is a simple mix available at Food Lion. I’d say from the comments at the event that these hit the spot. Chopping all that cabbage is a lot of work, so I was grateful to College Barbecue for making the red slaw happen.”
This year’s picnic included another special treat: a silent auction of framed prints of Salisbury-Rowan scenes donated by Ralph and Jerrie Chambers, who are in the process of downsizing. Kirk donated an Historic Salisbury license plate, and Jaye Trotter, who co-chaired the picnic with Dr. MarySusan Fulghum, donated a church plate.
The group is donating $300 from the auction proceeds to Bell Tower Green. Members are also considering another train ride to Salisbury in spring 2023.
If you live in Wake County or its surrounding counties and would like to join the group, please contact Phil Kirk at phillipjkirk@aol.com .
Freelance writer Susan Shinn Turner lives in Raleigh.
