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Worlds of barbering & retro music come together seamlessly
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This story was featured in the November, 2008 issue of Marion Living Magazine
“Feel free to bring your guitar and jam awhile, too. We’re always Rockin’ at the Chop Shop.”
The first thing a customer notices just before they walk into the “Chop Shop” barber shop on Market Street, just a few blocks north of the Marion’s downtown Tower Square, is the old-fashioned barber’s pole which points customers to the door.
Once inside, it is obvious that this is an old-fashioned, no-frills barber shop. No fancy lace curtains or canned music for proprietor Randy Hill (shown playing the upright bass in photo): instead his décor is straight off the cover of a 1950’s rockabilly album: old flat-top guitars and stand-up acoustic basses are the principal eye-catchers, but the shelf above the barber chair sports over a dozen vintage hub caps. Rockabilly posters paper the walls.
At the Chop Shop, the worlds of barbering and retro music come together seamlessly.
Early one Saturday afternoon in September, Deborah Craig of Vienna, and her son, Ted Jr., came to Adam’s Shoe Store to buy a pair of boots. The Shoe Store is located just a bit north of the Square in Marion.
While shopping at Adam’s, Deborah heard music playing, and it was coming from next door. After making their purchases, the two left the shoe store. They followed the sound of the music next door, and entered the Chop Shop.
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Charged to guard Minister of Japan, Hideki Tojo
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This story was featured in the November, 2008 issue of Marion Living Magazine
Wayne Verble, now of Valprasio, Indiana, was stationed on the Japanese island of Omori, where once captured British soldiers were held. At the end of World War II, Omori was occupied by Allied Forces, holding Japanese Officers on the island who were being tried as war criminals.
On July 11, 1926, Silas and Jessie Harrison Verble became parents of a bouncing baby boy and named him Wayne Harrison Verble. Wayne had several siblings and grew up in and around Trimble, Tenn. In 1937, the Mississippi flood chased the family out of Tennessee, settling in Vandusen, Mo. without the father, who had left the family.
In the meantime Mrs. Verble had remarried a man named Neely and reared her children in Missouri.
Wayne had an older half-brother, named Leon Michael who had come to Marion and found work with the Egyptian Roofing Co. And about 1940, Wayne moved to Marion, to work with his brother in the roofing business. It was in Marion that in November, 1944, Wayne was inducted into the United States Army.
He was processed at Ft. Sheridan, Illinois, and transferred to Ft. Hood, Texas, where he underwent his basic training and learned to be a rifleman with a tank destroyer company. At the end of his training, Wayne was given a furlough allowing him to return to Marion, where he asked for the hand of one Katherene Baggott, daughter of James Baggott and Elizabeth Shadowens Baggott (of Carbondale).
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This story was featured in the October, 2008 issue of Marion Living Magazine
story by — Lila Colloton
The Marion Antique Mall, located at 503 North Madison Street in Marion, is an interesting place which will allow you the opportunity of holding time in a bottle... or in your hands.
The Marion Antique Mall, located at 503 N. Madison St. in Marion, was a busy shop for more than 10 years, but on November 1, 2007 it finally went out of business. The Mall didn’t stay closed for long. As the last vendors were packing up, and the doors were getting ready to close for the last time, Peggy Wollberg’s interest was peaked into buying the business.
One day in November of 2007, Peggy’s husband Ken, was driving their semi along one of our nation’s highways when his phone rang. His wife Peggy, playfully asked him if he would be interested in buying her an antique mall.
“I never know what to expect when Peggy calls me,” Ken said, “or even if she is serious, so I told her that if she thought it was a good idea, let's do it.”
So the first day the Marion Antique Mall was on the market Peggy was the first in line to buy it. In her opinion it was her way to get off the road as a trucker.
Ken and Peggy had been team truck drivers for six years before entering into the Antique venture. By the time the couple took over the business the vendors had moved out. So, after Peggy prayed for a miracle to happen, she began working to build the business back up again.
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This story was featured in the October, 2008 issue of Marion Living Magazine
Author’s Note: In my books entitled, “Williamson County’s Greatest Generation,” there are references to four different men who served in Merrill’s Marauders. Those having references are Tom Webb of Creal Springs, Harry Peebles of Marion, Ralph E. Cline of Pittsburg, and George Hearn of Pittsburg.
Shown in art: George Hearn (left) Ival Maxwell (right)
Background:
5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)
Code Name: Galahad
In late August, 1943, President Roosevelt, upon receiving advice of his generals, issued a call for 3,000 “volunteers” to man a “dangerous and hazardous” mission.
Men blindly answered the “call” and very soon the volunteers came from the States. Volunteers also came from units, some of whom were actively engaged in combat against enemy forces. Some of the men were grizzled, wounded veterans of battle while some came right from the States and had not yet been introduced to enemy combat. Some of the “volunteers” actually came from guardhouses where they were serving some type of sentence and they were offered amnesty for their minor military crimes. These men were referred to as “Dead End Kids” and were dispersed throughout the entire unit.
The Unit was officially known as and was designated the “5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), code named “GALAHAD.” And some Stateside newspapers later called the unit “Merrill’s Marauders,” after the leader of the unit, Brigadier General Frank Merrill. And this nickname stuck.
Frank Dow Merrill was born in Massachusetts in 1903, and had enlisted in the Army in 1922. He later graduated from West Point, obtaining his B.S. degree in military engineering from MIT.
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T-Birds Grille opens in Marion
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This story was featured in the October, 2008 issue of Marion Living Magazine
Visit the NEW T-Birds Grille located at the Williamson County Regional Airport, 8000 Aviation Drive • Marion, Illinois
If you have ever had a Chicago-Style Hot Dog before, you know Vienna®. And now, that reputation and great taste can be found right here at home in Marion. Flavorful domestic beef, perfectly smoked. Time-honored recipes. And, quality that comes through in every bite... will keep you coming back for more.
T-Birds Grille A 50’s and 60’s theme restaurant highlighting classic auto, rock and roll, Hollywood, aircraft and local flavor, specializing in Chicago’s Vienna Beef products. The Chicago hotdog, Italian beef, polish sausage, Cowboy Burger, chili and vegetarian vegetable soup are house specialties while an assortment of salads and sandwiches complete the well-rounded menu and offers something for everyone.
Daily specials will also become part of T-Birds offerings including Bratwurst sausages throughout the month of October.
T-Birds goal is to serve simple, good food fast and at an affordable price. The new restaurant is a family friendly restaurant which is centrally located at the Williamson County Regional Airport in Marion, and is especially convenient for local businesses at lunch time. T-Birds Grille is a quick drive for diners from several local communities. Diners are welcome to call ahead for carry out orders or dine in and enjoy the bright, cheerful decor and music of the 50’s and 60’s while they eat.
T-Birds offers a discount to all local Police, Fire and Military personnel to thank them for their continued service to the community.
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New Williamson County Administration Building announced
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This story was featured in the October, 2008 issue of Marion Living Magazine
Marion has continued to realize growth in leaps and bounds. From that growth, changes have become necessary to help ensure the needs of the community don’t get left behind. Such is the case for the Williamson County Court House, which as these post card images show, has had many faces. The grand old building (shown bottom image left) which once graced the downtown Square in Marion, gave way to the modern facility which has also outgrown its foot-print.
RENDERING: A local Marion firm, Baysinger Design Group, have been tasked with the design concept for the County's new Administration Building plans. Their rendering is shown in the top image (left).
Visit their website: Baysinger Design Group
Plans are underway for the construction of additional governmental space for Williamson County. Through the years, the volunteer members of the Williamson County Public Building Commission (PBC) have developed, built and operated county government facilities in Marion which are unrivaled in all of Southern Illinois. Because of the non-partisan and no-cost services of the Public Building Commission, Williamson County has a Courthouse to be proud of, and one which students of good government can look to as a model.
Back in April of 1964, the Circuit Judges of the County met with the Williamson County Board of Commissioners and requested a new courthouse be built to replace the 75-year old brick relic on the Square in Marion. The question was placed on the general election ballot, “Should Williamson County establish a Public Building Commission?” in accordance with Illinois law. The vote was positive, and in 1965 the first Williamson County Public Building Commission was formed, with K. Neil Thurmond as Chairman, and Finis Holmes, Oscar Schafale, Herman Bearden, Knute Aronson, Harry McMurtrie and Frank Samuel as Board Members.
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