I saw a picture today of a sunset over Wilkes County’s, W. Kerr Scott Reservoir. I was immediately reminded of hearing WKBC-AM 810 radio sign-off the air each evening as I was growing up. Living near Elkin, NC, WKBC in neighboring Wilkes County was one of the few stations we picked up clearly.
Although I can’t recall which one, I believe one of the local TV stations also used this piece when they signed-off.
I know, in this age of 24 x 365 radio and TV it’s hard to remember that was not always the case. Nearly all radio and TV stations signed-off for some portion of the 24 hour day.
Since I still recall part of the sign-off, I had to find the complete version. Fortunately, someone else had already done the hard work. Here it is from the archives of The Record of Wilkes County. Many of you will remember these famous-to-us lines.
“It’s lamp lighting time in the valley; Long shadows from the peaks of the Blue Ridge hurry the sunset that turns the day into darkness. Yes, now the day is over, And only the mighty Yadkin rolls on…rolls on in its eternal search for the sea, Leaving the darkness to the people of the valley.”
Happy memories…
AWS
