To the Editor:

One of my most fond memories as a child was visiting my grandmother in the small town in which she lived. There were movies, an old pharmacy where you could buy ice cream and a train station to watch people come and go.

Sundays meant church and a walk downtown to catch up on all the news or while sitting on your neighbor’s porch.

When you ride through towns now all you see are dilapidated buildings. These are owned by our “good ole hometown people” that are supposed to love their town…yea, right!

My questions are why are they letting their buildings go to ruin, but yet when a new business wants to buy their land they want millions?

I invite you to ride through North Carolina and see for yourselves how we are just letting our wonderful memories slip through our hands…for examples, Aulander, Lewiston, Kelford, Roxobel, Woodland and Askewville.

If you own these properties either sell them at a reasonable price or repair them.

Bring back our hometowns and our caring neighbors and make memories for our children and grandchildren.

Cathy Poppell

Aulander