Welcome to the Grove
Trailers are now available for listening on your favorite podcast app. The first episode airs the first Friday in May.
BY OLIVIA BEAMAN Welcome to Magnolia Groves (more commonly known among locals as ‘The Grove’, a small mountain side town hidden in the hills of nowhere. Miles away from any other human contact. The Grove is a quaint little town that stretches a whole fifteen square miles, edged by Barker's Fishing Pond on the left and Magnolia's Apple Farm on the right.
"I grew up in a lot of different towns before my folks settled in Magnolia," said Police Chief Jay Reynolds, "Small towns have some things in common-one diner, one of everything really. But they all different in one way, the people. You won't find folks in Magnolia Grove anywhere else and that's what I love about the place."
It's home to one tiny diner ran by a sassy fort-something Alma May, who may be two heart attacks into her retirement, but can still be found bouncing around the diner scene with as much energy has she had when she won the Magnolia Groves Apple Queen three years running back in the day.
But even the quaintest town has it's secrets, it's diseases. Fifteen months, the nowhere town made headlines across the nation. A fatal toxin dropped in the water turned portions of the town rabid in their own accord. Some recovered. Sadly, most did not. At approximately 5.05 two months ago, to date, the mayor of the small town declared it toxin free and assured the country and citizens that the town was safe. Though, for reasons still unknown, a sundown curfew remains in effect until further notice.
"It was like living your worst nightmare," said townie Paulette Baeumont, "The people you know, the people you love. Even the people you hate just...just gone. There, but gone. Mad. Insane."
The damage left behind by the rabid citizens did more damage than just emotional. The town was left in near total destruction. Only a few houses, the church, the police station and Alma May's diner remained functional after the Zombie-like toxin took a rabid affect on the citizens. The nuns of First Magnolia Church worked with some of the remaining citizens to clean up the wreckage left behind - burnt cars in the street, rotting bodies. The town looked like a war zone. "This is our town, our home," said Sister Mary Tonis,"We stayed with it through the trials, we'll stay through the clean up and the aftermath."
And the town does seem to be recovering nicely after all the damage. Alma May's opened a week after what has become known as The Purge ended and the Toxin's seemed to clear themselves up. The Police Station reestablished itself within days and now, two months later, 95.5 The Grove has reestablished it's satellite and is ready to premier its first full time broadcast in over fifteen months! It's first airing will include the night show The Aftermath, housed by Emma Spreengs and Marcus Wiggins.
Emma lost her young son in the toxin epidemic and her husband remains in a coma.
"We just want to give the people a voice to share their stories," Emma said during an interview at Alma May's where she waits tables during the day.
"So many people lost during the epidemic. Lost their families, friends, business, homes. They just lost. The Aftermath is a place for them to recover. To remind them-and us- that we aren't alone here."
And that seems to be the rallying cry of the grove.
“We are not alone."
