Neon Sign On at Roxy for First Time in Decades; 150 Attend Fundraiser

The neon sign at the Roxy in Hopkins was turned on for the first time in many years, the result of fundraising and hours of long labor. Several area businesses sponsored the efforts to get the sign restored, and a fundraiser was held Friday, August 14th to raise even more funds. 

The Hopkins Guys, a band organized for that purpose, performed; they were playing together for the first time ever, but it didn’t matter. J.R. Gladman, Jerry and Phil Forney, Rick Titus, Dennis White, Corey Cross, and Robbie Forney were the members. Mr. White’s grandfather helped build the Roxy in 1949. All of them are from Hopkins except for Mr. Cross, who had played in the past in Mr. Gladman’s bands. Mr. Gladman observed that Hopkins has produced a disproportionate number of musicians, and the trend appears to be holding up with the newer generation. Robbie Forney is the grandson of Jerry and is a junior at North Nodaway. Gannon and Gunner Stricker are skilled on the piano, while Caspian Halvin has recently taken up playing the heavy metal guitar. 

Mr. Gladman said at the show that he got started when he was tossing papers for the St. Joseph paper and saw a copy of the Forney Brothers’ first album on sale at Wilson Grocery in 1978. As a boy of 12, Mr. Gladman saved up a month’s pay and finally bought a copy, wearing out the record. He became a musician and writer himself and started performing after winning talent shows in Maryville and Grant City. He performed at Old Defiance Days in Sheridan in 1984. They performed some of Jerry’s hits, “Missouri Moon,” “Railroad Blues,” and “Brownsville Belle.” 

They went on to cover various country artists including Alan Jackson, Johnny Paycheck, and Vince Gill. Mr. Gladman talked about the time he performed at a nursing home, and one of the residents turned out to be Vince Gill’s grandmother. They sang a pair of Mr. Gladman’s compositions, including “Run, Pony Run,” and “Hopkins, USA.” They threw in an occasional rock tune, including Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Werewolves of London.” Carter Forney, younger brother of Robbie, got to get up on the stage and perform the latter song. They also threw in some Johnny Cash. 

There were people from at least 19 communities present, including Hopkins, Pickering, Maryville, Bedford, Shenandoah, Rock Port, St. Joseph, Lawrence (KS), Creston, Lenox, Osceola, Denver, Alanthus Grove, Bolckow, Clarinda, Cowgill (IA), Corning, Jefferson (IA), and Clearmont. “Hopkins is not dead. We’ve just got to keep it going,” said Mr. Gladman.