Cas Walker and other fun tales

So you should have been out at the Halls Senior Center last Tuesday when Larry Mathis and Bud Brewster broke into Cas Walker's old "Farm and Home Hour" theme song.


When the mornin' paper hits the street/Cas Walker's prices can't be beat...


Larry and Bud were part of the program at the Halls Business and Professional Association's monthly meeting hosted by "Heartland Series" guy Bill Landry. Landry, thanks to the Hallsdale Powell Utility District, is going to spearhead an Appalachian Experience for students at Halls High School. It seems like a pretty fun deal.

And, who knows? They might actually learn a little bit about where we came from.

You'd like Larry and Bud. They are two fellas who have never met a stranger.

I'm still laughing at some of their Cas Walker stories. You can read my interview with them in Monday's Shopper-News or beginning Sunday night under my name at www.ShopperNewsNow.com.

I guess my favorite Cas Walker story is the time he buried the guy in the parking lot of one of his grocery stores. As nutty as he was, Cas was light-years ahead of his time when it came to publicity.

You should hear some of the tales. Yes, it's true that he once punched former county commissioner Billy Tindell's mother on live television. Yes, it's true that he punched former city council member Jim Cooper during a discussion about property tax rates.

Another good one is the time Cas showed up late for a Knoxville city council meeting.

"Mr. Walker..." the clerk said as Cas walked in the door.

"I'm agin' it," Cas replied.

The clerk was calling the roll.

When Larry hit the high notes on Cas's song (Do all your shoppin' at the Cas Walker store...), I looked around the room and saw nothing but smiles.

Love him or hate him, Cas Walker was one of a kind.