Old times there are not forgotten

From the ages of four to six, I lived in North Wilkesboro, NC, where Old Paco was stationed as a revenooer. Wilkes County was then known as the moonshine capital of the world; in fact, the late, great Junior Johnson was from Wilkes County and it was there that he was arrested at his father's still. I recollect my father telling us not to mention to our friends what he did for a living, because it was a very tight little community and if you weren't making whiskey or drinking it, you were probably related to somebody who was doing one or the other or both.

Most of the old moonshining families eventually moved on to other pursuits, some legit, some not (e.g., marijuana cultivation largely replaced the whisky business, particularly as the price of sugar kept rising). But I was tickled to see that one old fellow is - or was - trying to keep the tradition alive: "North Wilkesboro man charged after explosion leads firefighters to active moonshine operation".

Junior Johnson was eventually pardoned by President Ronald Reagan. I confess that I hope the government will treat Billy Ray Anderson with leniency.

Billy Ray. Perfect.