Eating my way through the wildfires

On assignment in Wardensville

The sign welcoming eaters to the KAC-KA-PON restaurant in Wardensville, West Virginia. Illustration by Brian Pickens

I would have headed over to the Hardy County town of Wardensville when the wildfires that popped up in eastern West Virginia were more of a threat, but this is the West Virginia Weakly — apparently we take that misspelling seriously. Besides, I’m just getting over my first bout with Covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated and boosted. Smoke was the last thing I needed to add to my lung’s troubles. My doctor, stethoscope in hand, had pronounced them “yucky” and put me on meds for bronchitis and pneumonia and prescribed an asthma inhaler to aid my ability to suck air into my body.

Still, I couldn’t just stay away. Dave and I may be weak, but we are journalists, after all.

The wind-whipped wildfires that began ten days ago in the Potomac Highlands region of West Virginia scorched thousands of acres. A number of homes and other buildings were reportedly destroyed. But the flames that prompted Gov. Jim Justice to declare a state of emergency in Hardy, Grant, Pendleton and Hampshire Counties reminded me of something I’ve wanted to do for a long time — stop by that Wardensville mom-and-pop diner I’ve had my eye on.

The restaurant is called the KAC-KA-PON. I’ve passed by it countless times on my way to Canaan Valley to test my fly fishing skills against the elusive native brook trout, West Virginia’s state fish. I’ve only ever netted a couple of native brookies, but I tell myself that it’s a day casting a line while standing precariously on slippery rocks knee deep in the middle of a mountain stream and desperately trying avoid cracking my head open and drowning that counts. In other words, I measure a good day on the water not by the fish caught, but by having escaped serious injury, which probably tells you a lot about what sort of fisherman I am.

The KAC-KA-PON is the kind of place my wife would frown upon. She rates restaurants by how many vehicles are in the parking lot, figuring no cars equals bad food. If it doesn’t look popular, she’s not interested.

When I brought up my plan to venture to Wardensville to eat, my wife predictably declined, apparently assuming that her vehicular rating system applied. However, she would have been encouraged the day I arrived for lunch. It was this past Wednesday afternoon, a week after the fires broke out in the four county region amid winds that whipped up to at least 50 miles an hour. There were several cars parked out in front of the KAC-KA-PON.

The KAC-KA-PON is a home cooking place. And no self-respecting home cooking place would neglect to have on its menu an open-faced roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. I zeroed in on it and after my waitress gave me assurances as to its succulence, I promptly ordered it. And it didn’t disappoint.

The roast beef was tender and melted in my mouth.

The mashed potatoes were hot and creamy.

The gravy tied it all together.

I was in diner food nirvana.

When I recovered myself enough to ask about the wildfires, my waitress retrieved her phone and started showing me nighttime pictures of the angry, orange flames on the ridge above her home. She was among the Wardensville residents who answered the call for help from overwhelmed firefighters, grabbing rakes, leaf blowers and whatever else came to hand to protect hearth and home.

I left the KAC-KA-PON not only impressed with the sandwich I happily ate with the same enthusiasm my dog shows when he’s searching the cat’s litter box for a treat, but also with the determination with which Wardensville faced its fire crisis.

It was a cloudy, drizzly day when I was in town. And when I brought that fact up with the barista who served me my ‘after lunch’ coffee at the Lost River Trading Post she gave me an OMG look and with big eyes said that the rain had “brought a lot of relief around here from an anxiety and stress standpoint.”

I believe it.

After I finished my coffee, I drove down to the other end of town, in the process passing by a pizza place called Marina’s. I considered stopping by for a slice of pepperoni to have as a snack on the way home, but my stomach isn’t what it used to be.

Instead, I turned around and gassed up at Kerr’s Grocery Store, where I grabbed a bottle of water and some chewy Tums to keep the roast beef down before heading home reassured that Wardensville (and its eateries) were just fine thanks, at least in part, to its residents.

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The West Virginia Weakly Reader - a sampling of news we’ve been reading this week:

Volunteer fire departments in West Virginia finally have a permanent funding source ~ Henry Culvyhouse, Mountain State Spotlight

‘Constant, strong opposition:’ Justice vetoes student vaccination exemption bill ~ Ashley Perham, Charleston Gazette-Mail

Justice acts on slew of bills as midnight (Wednesday) deadlines approaches. Bills affecting West Virginia Public Broadcasting, ban nonbinary on birth certificates, prohibit doxxing of health are workers and many others get signatures while vaccine bill is vetoed ~ Caity Coyne and Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch

Justice vetoed eight bills passed by legislators this session. Here’s what they would have done ~ Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch

Controversial unemployment bill becomes law without governor’s signature ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews

West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair talks ‘interesting’ legislative year, special session plans ~ Charles Young, WVNews.com

West Virginia Speaker of the House Hanshaw reflects on 2024 session, looks to work ahead ~ Charles Young, WVNews.com

Testimony wraps up in attempt to remove two Jefferson County commissioners from office ~ Kyle Wiggs, WEPM Radio, WVMetronews

Here’s what questions readers told us they want candidates to answer this election ~ Tyler Dedrick, Mountain State Spotlight

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From the WV Weakly News Vault:

Since the bill that opponents say weakens the firewall between the governor’s office and West Virginia Public Broadcasting was among the measures Governor Justice approved ahead of the Wednesday deadline, we thought it worth noting the death 32 years ago this week of a man who was key to public broadcasting’s development in the state. Harry Brawley died March 25th, 1992.

Remember Swami Bhaktipada, the leader of the Hare Krishna community at New Vrindaban near Moundsville? I was just getting into the news business at WVPB when he was convicted on March 29, 1991 on nine counts of racketeering, fraud and conspiracy after he was accused of ordering the deaths of two of his followers. An appeals court threw out the convictions. He later pleaded guilty to one count mail of fraud.

And today is the anniversary of the impeachment of state Treasurer A. James Manchin. Manchin was impeached by the House of Delegates on March 30, 1989 over investments that lost nearly $300 million.

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