Having a Ball in Bedford

#265 / Flood Time Capsule: 2003

To play at a 90th birthday party for an old friend of Sam St. Clair’s family, The Flood took an October road trip 20 years ago to \a little venue halfway between Roanoke and Lynchburg, performing under the blue skies and the poplars’ yellow leaves near Bedford, Va.

The occasion was Garland Johnson Day at the Sedalia Center in the little town of Big Island. Garland was the best friend of Sam’s dad, Jim St. Clair.

The concert was at an old school that had been turned into a community arts center. The band set up in a huge covered pavilion. The day was beautiful and sunny, even if the breeze made it chilly in the shade.

The Sedalia Center honored Johnson as the first recipient recognized as an ordinary person who did extraordinary things.

The Garland Johnson Story

Garland’s story started when, at just 16, he borrowed some money and started his first business, Johnson's Department Store, in Bedford in January 1930.

He ran that store for the next 40 years, later enlarging it. He also opened more supermarkets and shops, such as Garland's Dress Shop, even built a strip mall which served Bedford for many years.

On the autumn day we met him, Garland was quite feeble, but his mind was still active, and he enjoyed the music a lot, even dancing a little with friends and family to Joe Dobbs’ fiddle and Chuck Romine’s rollicking banjo.

Our Hosts, the Maxwells

After the concert, we all went to the home of Anne Maxwell, Gardland’s daughter. The house, where she lived with her husband Tom, was in the rugged hilly country where Garland originally settled.

To get there, we caravanned down a half-mile one-lane dirt road, with hairpin turns and steep drop-offs. At the bottom, in a clearing, sat the Maxwells’ gorgeous house. A deck overlooked a large lawn bordered by a creek fed by a forest spring. Water gushing over rocks made a delightfully soothing sound that would sing Floodsters to sleep in their rooms that night.

Remembering Anne

Anne — who passed away in January 2021 two days after her 84th birthday — spent most of her life in Huntington and was one of Sam’s treasured friends. She was a dedicated volunteer for a number of charitable and public service organizations, most often in leadership roles.

She was appointed by Gov. Arch Moore to the West Virginia Human Rights Commission, on which she served for eight years.

She also served on boards for Cammack Children’s Center, Branches, The Huntington Museum of Art, Junior League of Huntington, Catholic Community Services, Prestera Center Foundation, Hospice of Huntington, Time Out and Family Services.

Her vivacious personality and active spirit were demonstrated throughout her life, whether as the head cheerleader in high school or leading sing-alongs for residents of the nearby senior center.

The Flood spent that Sunday night with Anne and Tom before making the drive home the next day. Nice memories among gentle people.