Archives November 2025

by I. B. Lyon

Convenience stores (c-stores) in the South and in The Valley are much more than just c-stores and gas stations. Many serve some of the best food you’ll ever put in your mouth. I’ll take my local convenience store’s food over any fancy restaurant any day of the week. But, some stores are much more than that; many are the cultural centers and “water coolers” of their community. A lot of c-stores have a core group of mostly older gentlemen that meet daily at the store to drink coffee, gossip, talk politics, and tell lies.

The Bend Corner Store is the cultural center of Strong River Bend (SRB). It’s a busy c-store at the intersection of Hwy. 31 and 81, and it’s a happening place. It has a group of 6-7 retired men that hang out there every morning to drink coffee and gossip. They were nicknamed the “Gossip Gang” by a customer. You’ll hear them talking to customers that they know, and they’re always bantering back and forth with each other and customers. Unfortunately, their founding member, Larry Ledbetter, passed away a couple months ago.

Lyin’ Larry, as he was affectionately known, had been a fixture at The Bend Corner Store for years. He retired from the state about 25 years ago, and he hung around the store almost every day since he retired. Some customers thought he worked there he was there so much. Lyin’ Larry got his nickname for his great ability to stretch the truth.

One member of the Gossip Gang said, “We all loved Lyin’ Larry. You couldn’t help but love him, and it’s just not the same without him. Larry could stretch the truth better than anybody. He’d start out with a shred of truth, but his imagination would get the best of him I guess. We’d all just sit back and listen when he started telling a story, because we knew it was going to get good. We miss him.”

A store clerk said, “Gosh! We miss Lyin’ Larry! Everybody loved him. The kids loved him, because he’d give them a piece of gum or peppermint. All the customers loved him; he always talked with them and made them feel good. It just ain’t the same without him.”

Store owner Mahmoud Abdul said, “Larry was a such a fixture here at the store and in the community that I had to do something to honor him. I decided to put up a statue of him outside the store. When we unveiled the statue, we had a celebration of life ceremony for him. It was a great thing for the whole community. So, I’m happy that Lyin’ Larry’s legacy will live on here in SRB.”

You can stop by The Bend Corner Store to see Lyin’ Larry’s statue. It’s a very nice, life-size bronze statue. I had the pleasure of knowing Larry, and I always enjoyed talking with him on Thursdays when I’d get the world famous chicken livers for lunch. He was a fine man, and I was honored to call him a friend.

by Tre w/ the HOA

Hello friends, Valleyans, and countrymen! For those of you that don’t know, Valley Meadows is a mobile home covenant community just outside Valley City. I am the HOA president, and I’m trying to whip this place into shape, but it’s a tall task. Halloween is crazy around here, and I wanna give y’all a recap of what all happened this year.

The wonderful residents of Valley Meadows love Halloween. They decorate much more for Halloween than Christmas unfortunately. More people miss rent payments in November than in January if that tells you something. This year was crazy again. These people really stress me out! I remind everyone on our Facebook group to behave each year, but it doesn’t work.

People come from all over The Valley to see the Halloween decorations in Valley Meadows, so we always have a lot of traffic. That gives our teenagers ample opportunities to scare people in their vehicles. This year, we had multiple instances of teens in scary costumes jumping on the hoods of vehicles trying to scare motorists. Luckily, no one was hurt, but multiple people got out of their vehicles ready to throw hands. The teens just run off and hide.

Most people stay in their vehicles because you never know what might happen if you get out. Some brave people trick or treated in our neighborhood. We had 5 or 6 kids walking around dressed as zombies. I received a report that one small child was almost scared to death. He was scared so badly that he started hyperventilating, and he had to use his inhaler.

Additionally, we had multiple instances of young girls being scared to death by a male teen walking around with a fake knife sticking in his neck. The poor girls came running and screaming back to their vehicle banging on the doors to be let in. They were hysterical, so I doubt they’ll be back next year.

Also, I caught a couple 11 year old boys vaping at the gazebo. It was dark around the gazebo, and I guess they thought no one was around to catch them. I threw their vapes away, and I told their moms about it. I doubt anything happens; I’m sure they got them from their parents. It could be worse; at least they weren’t smoking pot.

Other than the things above, it was a pretty uneventful evening. Hopefully, we can tone it down a bit next year, because things have gotten a little out of hand. I think I’m going to request a law enforcement presence next year. I’ll send out emails and put out a post on our Facebook page, but I doubt anything will change. This job is making me old real quick.