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Hall sisters remember their adventures growing up on the Ohio River
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By DANETTA BARKER Staff Writer
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A pair of anything packs more punch than a single. So is the case with Cindy and Mindy Hall.
The two sisters delighted the crowd of people who were present at the first benefit dinner for the Humane Society of Buffalo Trace held Thursday night at Caproni's on the River by arriving in a Pontiac Torrent just like the one Cindy Hall won on "Survivor: Guatemala." The vehicle was on loan from McFarland's GM Center in Maysville.
Attendees of the dinner wanted to hear about Cindy Hall's days on the CBS show "Survivor: Guatemala," but mostly they wanted to hear about grandmother, Margaret Barber.
"How's Margaret doing?" asked Ethella Mann. "Tell her we miss her at the First Lady."
Mann works at a beauty shop where Barber had her hair done when she lived in the area.
Cindy Hall said her grandparents, Margaret and Lawrence Barber owned Brown's Restaurant in Aberdeen, Ohio for many years before selling to an employee. Lawrence Barber died several years ago and Margaret moved to Florida with the twin's mother, Bonnie Carney.
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| Past "Survivor" star Rodger Bingham relates his adventures to Cindy and Mindy Hall prior to the start of the fund-raising benefit Thursday night for the Humane Society of Buffalo Trace.
Terry Prather/Staff
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"When you meet Margaret, you don't forget her," Mindy Hall said.
The young women began working at Brown's when their grandfather suggested it would be a good idea for them to be hostesses for Mother's Day.
"We were 12 years old," Cindy Hall said.
Grandfather was right, the impact of the pair was a big hit with customers. Cindy and Mindy Hall worked at Brown's until they graduated from Mason County High School in 1992.
"We worked the breakfast bar and bussed tables," Mindy Hall said.
The stint at the restaurant came after the days of playing "nature people" on the banks of the creek that runs near Jersey Ridge Road. One of their playmates was future Miss America Heather French Henry. The game, made up by the girls, included cooking soup with grass and sticks, building a tree house and hunting for buried treasure.
Encouraged by questions from the audience and emcee Caroline Keller Reece Thursday night, the girls talked about the show and their lives in Maysville. Rodger Bingham, a survivor from the second season of the show, "Survivor: Australian Outback" was also part of the discussion.
Bingham said he had been called by producers to make a repeat appearance on the show with Cindy Hall, but was turned down when Bobby Jon and Stephanie were selected.
After the dinner, the young women reminisced about the days when playing nature people was the most important thing in their lives.
"Everyday I got a note from Cindy just before it was time for the bus to run," Mindy Hall said. "She would ask what I wanted to do after school. She would write down three or four choices like dig, or play nature people or ride bikes."
Mindy Hall would make her selection, then the two would begin their after-school journey. Sometimes they would work on the tree house, which never seemed to be finished.
"We would save up our money, then we'd ride our bikes to the hardware store and buy nails," Mindy Hall said.
The two would go into the hardware store at Bluegrass Center, hand over the money and ask how many nails it would buy.
"One time we saved up enough money for a saw," Cindy Hall said.
Not an electric saw, but a hand saw they could use down in the woods. They even bought a hammer. Lumber was scavenged from other projects. But when a group of boys tore out the floor of the tree house to build a skate board ramp, the days of enjoying the tree house ended.
"We really never forgave them," Mindy Hall said.
The tree house and nature people served a purpose in the life of the young survivor star. She said every game she played as a child worked its way into helping her survive more than 30 days in the jungles of Guatemala.
Brother Craig played his part, too. He used to organize wrestling matches between the girls, who would jump in the ring and pound each other until the tears flowed.
"Craig would say 'I can't believe you let her make you cry,' then we would get back in there and fight again," Mindy Hall said.
Their knack for adventure and creativity is directly related to their father, the late Gene Hall. Cindy Hall said her father was very imaginative.
"He was an incredible artist," Mindy Hall said.
Their father bought them their first dog, which became more of a toy than a pet. The girls dressed the animal in clothes and took pictures.
"We carried it around in a back pack," Cindy Hall said.
Besides family, Cindy and Mindy Hall were encouraged by the parents of their best friend, Dawn Applegate. Tom and Linda Applegate attended the dinner, where they too wanted a signed photograph of the girls.
Growing up, Mindy Hall said she and her sister spent as much time at the Applegate household as their own. Linda Applegate agreed that the twins filled her house with baking, games and lots of girl activities.
"They would get in my kitchen and make French toast," Linda Applegate said. "They were just girls, the best of friends."
The girls were really good athletes, according to Linda Applegate; all three were on the track team.
Tom Applegate remembered days in the pool or swimming during family vacations.
"They were just like our own child," Tom Applegate said. "We took them to the Smokey Mountains, they would swim in the water no matter how cold."
The visit to Maysville ended with a trip to Brown's Restaurant where Cindy and Mindy Hall visited with more friends of their grandparents and former co-workers.
After a few days of hometown reunions, the women will return to their other lives. Cindy Hall will return to Florida where she is working on a horse ranch. Mindy Hall goes back to Cincinnati where she works in the fashion industry.
But deep down a little bit of Maysville lives in the girls who once called it home.
Contact Danetta Barker at Danetta.Barker@lee.net or call 606-564-9091, ext. 272. |
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