| Sources |
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 17 Feb 2012.
Just Plain Talk: Looks like the worst of the cold weather has passed
Rhonda Evans is co-owner of the Jewelry Connection along with her mother, Mary Pitner. This old green cabinet with original crazed paint is one of the antique styles that Mary likes to collect. Her specialty area is primitive American and folk art.
Author: David Popiel
Warming days brought more rain at mid-February and so the ground around our hometown has been too wet to set out early peas, but things may improve with the arrival of the new moon on the 21st.
While lamenting a soggy day on Thursday at the Plain Talk, I couldn't help recall last fall's interview with Danny Ray Carver about the 2011 apple crop. He said that despite a dry summer apples did well because of the heavy rains during winter that deeply saturated the ground. The taste of a great Carver's apple may cause you not to curse the weather.
Before returning to our recent look at a jeweled truck, let me tell you what I heard this week. At the Newport Kiwanis Club last Tuesday, we learned that our co-Kiwanian Reid Bailey had suffered a stroke. His son, Marty Bailey, pharmacist and co-owner of Town & Country Drugs, went to pick up his father for church and discovered that Reid could not talk well. He was taken to the hospital and apparently suffered only a light stroke, as he was in rehabilitation at Life Care Center of Morristown by late last week.
Last week you learned about the mighty project of Mary Pitner, of the Jewelry Connection. She is decorating the entire outside surface of her 1996 Dodge truck with costume jewelry and other metal items and trinkets. She is more an artist and craftsperson than business operator. And, Mary has not always been a business woman, though. Her start began in construction trades. She learned how to do tile setting, like you see in bathrooms. She occasionally will still do some tile work for friends. It was a natural step from setting tile to making tiles in her kiln.
These bits and pieces of tile can also be used to make wind chimes, which she does. She didn't buy the truck for this project but it was handy and needed a paint job rather than the blah faded black. Mary said she has had the truck a long time with ". . . very little investment in it. Why not do something funky with it?" I like to think of it as going mobile with mosaic.
Her initial problem arose when she began gluing jewelry on the fenders and it fell off, not the fender but the small jewelry. "I experimented with about eight different adhesives and found one that worked." It is a construction cement and appears strong because I could not pull off a broach or pink earring during my pinch test. You can find Loctite Stik'n Seal at local hardware stores. Not all the surfaces of the truck will be covered in junk jewelry. The tailgate, as you see here, is being plated with old door keys, and, yes, a few pieces of utensils. It doesn't look like quality silver so don't try to pry it off to steal. She explained it is old electro-plate forks, spoons, and knives that she flattened out with a big hammer. "I had collected keys for years," she said. Funny, I checked around and noticed I do too. Do you have a bunch of keys in jars and cigar boxes at your house? Donate them to Mary, and you probably will never miss them. "I'll take all the donations I can get," she said. Keys, jewelry, buttons, whatever you think might work, Mary will accept. Think about this, when you see the old Dodge truck you might be able to locate the items you donated, but you can't have them back.
The day before Groundhog Day, Mary and Rhonda celebrated their second anniversary of Jewelry Connection at the Western Plaza. She has always been interested in jewelry, arts and crafts, and collecting. The truck is also a good way to display some of the vintage pieces for all to see. And, she will never have to wax the truck again. "I do the work in my spare time" and mostly when the truck is in her garage. She has been around Newport for a number of years. Her parents are from Seymour where she was raised. In addition to Rhonda, Mary has two sons. Rocky works for Toyota Corporation and lives in Versailles, Kentucky. Randy is a sales person with Wyndham at Governor's Crossing in Pigeon Forge.
On a repeat visit last week to Jewelry Connection, pre-Valentine's Day, I found Rhonda Evans at work with her mother, Mary, and this gave me a chance to learn more about the daughter. And, to cap off our chat, her husband walked in. He may have worked on your roof in years past, and, if he didn't, most likely his father did. Rhonda grew up in Sevier County and graduated as a Smoky Bear. How did she end up in Newport, though? She told me that her ex-husband is from Newport and she has only been married to Ricky Evans for about three years. Yes, Ricky or more affectionately known as "Rat," and often seen by me over the years at Waffle House, is a son of James Thomas Evans. Nobody would recognize that name. But you have heard of roofer "Wormy" Evans. Ricky and his older brother, Rod, operate Evans Roofing, but don't look for Ricky to be carrying many 90-pound rolls of tarpaper up the ladder.
You recall that Mary and her ex-husband had three children to also include Randy and Rocky Finley. Rhonda and Ricky together have three children: Austin, Joel, and Scarlett. She is a 13-year-old Cosby eighth grader and Mom spends a lot of time raising and hanging out with her. Some of you who know attorney Tom Testerman may know that Rhonda worked for him many years along with a Knox attorney. This was from about 1989 to 2005. Her real calling was the jewelry business. Since she was 19, Rhonda worked at the diamond house Smoky Mountain Trader in Pigeon Forge for prominent jeweler Russ Myers. He, by the way, operates the Jewelry Showcase off Cosby Highway. Rhonda said the whole Pitner family at one time worked with Russ. After Rhonda got laid off from the law business she decided to open her own retail business, which you now know about.
Some additional information about Ricky's family is there was another brother, Joe Evans. He was riding his motorcycle along River Road along the French Broad River on Father's Day 1993. He passed Tunney and Alyce Moore's home and didn't make a tight curve and was killed. The Evans family grew up at Frog Pond, which is the area of Filbert Street from 4th to 5th streets. Wormy was married to the former Audra Burgin of the Wolf Creek Burgin clan. She died in 1985 and Wormy contracted pneumonia and died in 1989. Ricky and Rod have been roofing together for over 40 years and at age 52, Ricky said it's time to slow down and stay off of too many steep roofs.
Just Plain Talk: Looks like the worst of the cold weather has passed
- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 20 Jan 2014.
Brenda Gale Evans obituary
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Groom's Name Bride's First Name Bride's Maiden Name County Date of Marriage File #
RAMSEY RICHARD L RHONDA C FINLEY COCKE 06-30-1996 32457
- [S131] Divorce Record.
Husband's Name Wife's First Name Wife's Maiden Name County Court Date of Divorce File #
RAMSEY RICHARD L RHONDA C FINLEY COCKE CIRCUIT 05-01-2007 09698
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Groom's Name Bride's First Name Bride's Maiden Name County Date of Marriage File #
EVANS RICKIE D RHONDA C FINLEY COCKE 04-12-2009 13024
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