I can’t help but be somewhat pleased about stories regarding moonshiners in this day and age. I have no idea why it engages me but there is something very oddly comforting and giddily rebellious about a modern day man making “mountain dew.”
And his name is Popcorn. (There is a guy named Popcorn here, incidentally, but he doesn’t do the ‘shine.)
Here’s the money quote from the story:
“This is the first time we’ve ever hauled moonshine stills,” said Supreme Towing owner David Brooks of Dandridge. “We’ve hauled cars, dead cows, stuff like that, but never a moonshine still.”
WBIR has the story with picturey goodness.
H/T to Knoxville Talks.
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Popcorn was the featured moonshiner in that History Channel show about Hillbillies recently. I assume that the fine amount quoted is a typo in a couple of different ways:
“$3,00”
One of his many illegitimate children, a daughter I believe, has a blog. I’ll see if I can find the URL again. Talk about some anger, she’s got serious issues with the Popcorn Man. When I first moved back to east TN in 1989 I lived in Newport and Cosby. It’s certainly an interesting area, colorful doesn’t even begin to describe it, but you really don’t want to learn too much about your neighbors. Not healthy at all. OBTW- the C*ock*e Co. High School mascot? The Fighting C*ock*s! Now all the rooster fighting busts make more sense, right? Pity the poor girls though, being called the Lady C*ock*s.
The Lady Cocks?
Whoa.
I know, anatomically impossible, so now I understand that they call the women’s teams the Lady Reds.
Lots of nostalgia goin’ on in East Tennessee these days! I saw Popcorn’s story at knoxnews, and there have been some accounts of ginseng poachers ( http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/feb/15/2-men-sentenced-poaching-ginseng-smokies/ ) there, as well. I haven’t thought of “diggin’ ‘sang in a long time and now we have an honest-to-Gawd moonshiner too? Talk about turning back the clock…
And since missybw mentioned the “Fighting Cocks” of Cocke County, I have to ask: Do most of them go on to Austin Peay? (Sorry, couldn’t resist).
I enjoy your blog and visit often. Thanks for the many chuckles!
Roux
(Roux3.wordpress.com)