Food vendor: ‘I won’t give up’

Appomattox County resident Chester Francis of PaPa’s Hillbilly Onions was one of many food vendors hard at work throughout Railroad Festival weekend. Despite being blind in one eye, deaf in one ear, having spent three months in hospice this year off and on, and currently undergoing kidney dialysis, Francis was up and about frying up a storm for the hungry crowds at Railroad Festival.

With his long beard flowing, Francis talked about his fried cooking. The batter, he explained, was his own recipe.

“It’s no store-bought batter. It’s my batter,” said Francis.

When asked about his driven attitude to work in spite of his physical setbacks, he simply said, “Y’know, I gotta have someth’n to do … if I stay busy, it don’t bother me.”

He said he’s not in it to make a lot of money. It’s just fun for him, he said. He enjoys what he does.

Francis’ friends and family help him run PaPa’s Hillbilly Onions. His wife, Pearl Francis, is proud of her husband’s tenacity.

“It’s been great,” said Francis’ daughter Jennie Henson. “We’ve been pretty much nonstop since before nine o’clock. We had to shut down for about 20 minutes because we ran out of everything.”

Henson said that a year ago, the family never would have thought “he’d be around today.” It’s been a long road for Francis and his family, with him constantly being in and out of the hospital.

“I won’t give up. I’m 68 years old,” said Francis.

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