Letter
When I was 13 – right, smack in the middle of the ’90s, mind you – I was angsty and awkward. I had crooked teeth, bad makeup and a wardrobe of baggy jeans, Nirvana T-shirts and way too large flannel shirts that I stole from my dad’s closet. My interests included Nirvana, Kurt Cobain and more Nirvana. I was painting my nails hues of green, blue and black before it was trendy – and acceptable for that matter – to do so.
To put it mildly – I was nowhere near as poised and mature as 2018 Miss Rain Day Loren Schroyer is. She’s in eighth grade, and actually won the title when she was 13 – the day before her 14th birthday. She was the youngest Miss Rain Day in Greene County History, and she’s reigned like someone twice her age. She will pass the baton on July 28, and on page 12, Greene County Messenger editor Samantha Karam spoke with her about the past year – as well as about what’s to come. Spoiler alert: continuing her path of success and more pageants – including Coal Queen.
Matt Cumberledge, the new director of the Greene County Historical Society Museum, was also doing way more than I was at age 13. By then, he was entrenched in his family history and family tree. Cumberledge’s ancestors in Greene County go as far back as the 1700s. And when he was just 13, he became Cornerstone Genealogical Society’s youngest member. On page 18, writer C.R. Nelson details an exciting new project that Cumberledge is teaming up with Clay Kilgore and the Washington County Historical Society for – a series of historic railroad stops between Waynesburg and Washington, reconnecting the two counties.
I don’t know what JoAnn Marshall was doing when she was 13, but I do know what she is doing now. She’s the executive director of the Greene County Tourism Promotion Agency, and has been drawing people to the area since 2016. In Nelson’s Have You Met .. on page 26, you’ll get to put a face to the name and learn more about Marshall and what’s next for the organization.
This issue also explores myriad options to cook – and clean – with lemons, introduces you to Greene County’s canine heroes and more. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. And I hope it reminds you of what you were doing at age 13.
Cheers,