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Gary Boyd guessed correctly right off the bat: the boy’s been around (country places).

Last week after having a blogger’s lunch (Doug Thompson and Colleen Redman, who joined us accidentally for coffee) I stopped by the Jacksonville Center to explore the possibilities of my Note Cards being made available in the Retail Store there.

I spotted a familiar personality disappearing into the door of the old concrete silo–a prominent feature about which there has been talk for years: how can we use the structure (deemed to be sound from an engineering point of view) to best advantage?

Suzy Nees had just finished “decorating” the entry way and the silo interior. This involved removing considerable pigeon guano and spider webs, and them spreading bamboo canes and leaves around the perimeter of the great tube’s interior mossy floor: in a few days, the silo would become a music studio.

I went by on Saturday and sure enough, a sign on the door said “do not enter: recording in progress”. I’ll let you know more when I find out WHO and WHAT about the music.

So, what you see when looking straight up is very like another planet: Planet Floyd, I suppose. And thanks to Suzy for snapping this picture of Fred, who seems to be suggesting that things are looking up in town these days. If you stop in town, be sure and visit the Jacksonville Center’s retail shops, exhibits and galleries.

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fred
fred

Fred First holds masters degrees in Vertebrate Zoology and physical therapy, and has been a biology teacher and physical therapist by profession. He moved to southwest Virginia in 1975 and to Floyd County in 1997. He maintains a daily photo-blog, broadcasts essays on the Roanoke NPR station, and contributes regular columns for the Floyd Press and Roanoke's Star Sentinel. His two non-fiction books, Slow Road Home and his recent What We Hold in Our Hands, celebrate the riches that we possess in our families and communities, our natural bounty, social capital and Appalachian cultures old and new. He has served on the Jacksonville Center Board of Directors and is newly active in the Sustain Floyd organization. He lives in northeastern Floyd County on the headwaters of the Roanoke River.

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  1. i think that’s a first….a silo being used for a music studio- planet floyd, indeed! i’m not a silo expert, but don’t they have a domed roof? i was wondering about seeing the light streaming in from the top……