The town of Fleming-Neon was trying to move beyond an economic disaster when a natural one knocked it back down.
A volunteer shovels dirt and debris off of the main street in downtown Fleming-Neon, Ky., on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. The previous week's massive flooding damaged much of the town. swept downtown and left a foot of mud and twisted, gutted buildings along Main Street, an incongruous sight appeared: A flashing sign declaring JR’s Barber Shop “OPEN.”
Fleming was run by Elkhorn and named for one of its executives. The company issued its own money, and workers used it for rent on company-owned homes and goods at the company store or local businesses. Neon was independent, a free town where U.S. government greenbacks, not company scrip, was legal tender — but it thrived offFleming and Neon prospered along with the company and industry. Dates still seen today on brick storefronts chronicle the boom years.
A multipurpose center was set to open in a former car dealership about two weeks after the storm hit. Jeff Hawkins, a longtime educator who’s lived here since he was a teenager, said the project, dubbed Neon Lights, would include a performing arts studio, an internet cafe, event space, and an innovation incubator.“We wanted a space for kids to be able to do physical activity, to dance, to sing, whatever it may be,” he said. “Upstairs, we would put a robotics lab and a computer coding lab.
Five feet of water had all but gutted the Letcher Flower Shop, which Mullins bought 25 years ago. But as the rain fell, he ripped out sodden walls, confident he will reopen in a couple of weeks.It’s been hard to break coal’s grip on these mountains, said Hawkins, describing a corporate strategy to “make as much money as you can and move on.”
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