Snow cakes and ice clinged to the ground or got swept down the rivers defying warmer days at week's end in our hometown, as we wonder when more cold will arrive after the new moon.

While most of us hunker down before the heater, some hardy souls are either contemplating work, working hard and long to help such as the Newport Utilities folks, or starting new businesses. I stopped by a few of those who are beating the spring flowers in early 2010 openings. The days are expected to be mild until Ground Hog Day.

Earlier in Jan., I got word that a couple of new eating places were open or opening in the Newport area so, being hungry again, that suited me. Pat's Broasted Chicken occupies a modest silver building with white roof at the end of Wilton Springs Road at the Denton juncture, a few feet from I-40. Pat Allen is the operator but at this point I don't know more because it was closed when I drove by last Tuesday afternoon. It looks like a carry-out business featuring chicken dinners, hamburgers, and hot dogs plus various sides. I'll try to get by and taste the food and let you know who Pat is and why they opened a classic Broasted Chicken place.

The same day, I drove out to see Arvis Keys and found him keeping warm in his Lucky Pawn shop. You may remember the Sportsman's restaurant next to National Bank's west branch off Knoxville Highway. Arvis acquired the 2.7 acres and 5,000 square feet of building last spring during an online auction by the US Marshal's service. The price was excellent and Arvis tossed around ideas to use the building after not finding someone to lease it. He has located a couple of potential managers and hopes to open mid February as Hoo Rays, a name that popped out of the blue, though he and friends considered Sassy Sadies. Arvis always does things right and good, and this venture will be no different. Hoo Rays will feature giant sandwiches from fresh ground sirloin for hamburgers and sliced select meats to make large, delicious sandwiches. There will be a $5 menu, he said, to encourage and support customers. The business already has a beer license and he is working to get a liquor license too. You will read more about this new business in February. At the same time, the bad news, Ryan's steakhouse closed suddenly on Friday.

As we get ready to return to Eastport continuing our visit with the Greggs, here's another business change that happened in the neighborhood in December. Betty Myers, who had operated Eastport Exxon for years after her husband's death, sold the service station. Mark Taylor, who handles our marketplace.com online business, had just visited the new owner, who signed up last week to be on cockecountymarketplace.com. Tommy Strange. That name sounded familiar and when we chatted briefly last Wednesday, I learned he is a brother to folks you know, Larry, Willie and Gary Strange, local businessmen. Tommy had been with Firestone tires for more than 20 years helping Woody Lawson and then Larry Brooks. Tommy decided to go into business and brought in his son, Jeremy, and a fellow worker, J. D. Thomas. Together they have more than 70 years experience in automotive. I will soon tell you more about the Del Rio clan of Junior (Floyd) and Zee Strange and the work Tommy is doing to fix up and offer full service in Eastport at North Filbert and Broadway.

Returning to Second Street to Paul Gregg, the Monday I visited a ladder lead up to the front of the Gregg home with newly-shingled roof. Paul explained that Ricky Evans and his crew had just finished the job on the steep roof. About 30 years ago when Paul built the house over a period of years, Evans' father, "Wormy" shingled the roof along with his boys. The house reflects Paul's individual care for detail and craftsmanship. He did get some tips from master carpenter Cy Owens. The door to the house is made out of two extremely wide chestnut planks. The mantel is black Italian marble, a soda counter top piece from the old Nelson Bales Drug Store. You may remember rubbing your elbows on it.

 His father, the late Oscar Paul Gregg, and his brother, Beecher, ran a garage across East Broadway from where the Plain Talk was located before 1968. Willie Greene now owns the building housing his Newport Printing & Office Supplies. Young Paul, who was born Oscar Paul Gregg Jr., and rearranged his name later, had an interesting career with the postal service. He retired in 1990 so I must have bumped into him over the years, when he delivered Newport routes along with Aaron O'Dell, Gump Lewis, Paul O'Dell, Glenmore Smith, and Tug Sutton. The late and famous Postmaster Paul Penland hired Paul about 1960. During an interruption in work, he served in the military during the Vietnam War and now manages his rental property and loafs around the house he built. I asked if he knew my old friend, Hugh L. Gregg of Eastport, and, yes, they are double first cousins. I was sorry to learn that Hugh has been in poor health at age 75. Paul told me a humorous story about young Hugh that I will share in a future column.

Life Along Second Street

You don't have to be an old timer to remember Oscar Gregg, one of three brothers who were experts at auto repairs, and anything electric or mechanical. He was also somewhat of an inventor. The brothers also included Ted, who worked at the garage, a very large and long building that spanned from facing the Plain Talk and its rear doors facing the railroad tracks and next to Ruble's clothing shop. On other side along East Broadway were other landmarks, Theo Parrott's service station and the Sinclair station. The fourth brother was Jess and their sister was Leoto. Oscar was the son of Andrew Gregg, a train conductor who was killed in an accident in 1906 at age 36. He had been married to Mary Kendrict of Greeneville. Oscar married Endora Finchum, whose family came from the Indian Creek community in Jefferson County. Her father, John Finchum, ran the Stokely Brothers farm before he and wife, Dorcus, moved to Iowa. Paul said there is one surviving sister from that clan, Louise Pack.

If you turn up Lincoln Ave. at Brock's Market, you will see Beecher Style's house on the right. Just behind it is where Oscar and parents lived. Oscar married and moved to Filbert and Second where Oscar and Endora made their home during the Great Depression. There were many interesting details that Paul had learned of the neighborhood, such as why Second Street is so wide: It was planned for city hall off Filbert. He showed me the location in his front yard where Frank Strickler's parents house stood many decades ago. George Shepherd's signature is on the deed from D.L. Jones and Lillie Duncan to the Greggs. Their first child, Anna Jean, was born in 1929 and Paul 20 years later. Paul showed me a yellowed Plain Talk from November 1949. Now get this, on the front page was a short note of the birth on Nov. 7 of little Oscar at Mims Clinic. When he turned 60 this fall, he had a surprise visit during a big party at City Park. One of his Vietnam military friends from Clearwater, Florida, arrived to share in the celebration. I also made a connection to an old friend, the late Walter Shell Jr., who I got to know at Rhyne Lumber Company, when I helped with their advertising in the Plain Talk. Walter married Anna Jean and they lived at the 620 Second Street home. It was here that their son, Donnie, was born. I saw an interesting two four-generation families photo made at the First Christian Church and Donnie was a tot. Our chat about Junior Shell also brought back some sad memories because of his suffering from emphysema. He was a big smoker as was Paul's father, who died rather young.

If you think about this era of the 1930s through the 1950s you can see it was a time of America's auto industry explosive growth. Just look around Newport and the number of auto dealerships and garages reflect this atmosphere. Stokely Brothers cannery remained the center of industry and anchored Eastport and dozens walked or drove down Lincoln Ave. to work. Endora was one of those who answered the whistle call, whether to sort bugs from beans or drop fatback in cans of beans. I can still smell the aroma or kraut coming from the giant vats on the Westside of the plant.

Paul has one child, a daughter, Amy, who is married to Ernest Ogle of Gatlinburg. They live in Sevierville where she works for Smoky Mountain Spa. Thanks to her, Paul has two grandchildren, Aaron and Allison.

In plain talk the end of the year brought things we expected and other changes as unexpected as the turning of the weather.