Courtesy Wagener Monthly
The Claridge House Bed & Breakfast owned by Stan and Gloria Collum and its restaurant, Virginia’s Back Porch, is being redecorated and will reopen soon under the management of Kellie Patterson. Also, Patterson and her husband Jim will bring their “Smok’n Guns” Food Truck to the Claridge House lawn adjacent to the town parking and town clock.
Virginia’s Back Porch will open again for lunch on M, T, Th and Fr serving a variety of salads, chicken salad, smoked roast beef sandwiches, Jim’s special smoked meatloaf and things like that, maybe some different things to start with to see what people prefer. Patterson plans to have some specials like shrimp and grits, lasagna, and fish tacos.
Virginia’s Back Porch will also offer special events and dinners by reservation, such as an oyster roast and holiday dinners with limited capacity and a quiet environment. Patterson is thinking about a dinner club, too. Gloria Collum wants to do something nice for the community, something fun and different. Ideas tossed around include bringing in a guest chef and maybe having some chef duels.
Book rooms now at ClaridgeHousebb.com. Virginia’s Back Porch will open soon upon completion.
Kellie and Jim Patterson’s Smok’n Guns BBQ food truck will serve Texas style BBQ and smoked meats using Jim’s combination of rubs and smoking. The couple plans to serve good quality hamburgers, hot dogs, smoked meat specials and hand dipped ice-cream. In addition to their own tables and seating, customers can also use the park benches. They may try to do breakfast with biscuits or croissants.
Pattersons and their food trailer shown in the Wagons to Wagener festival parade.
The Collums and the Pattersons have a vision of providing a gathering place for Wagener residents, especially on hot summer nights. They are playing with ideas like playing an outdoor movie and serving ice-cream and popcorn, maybe offering some games on the lawn, a rewards program and even an app for the food truck.
Plans are for the food truck to open in mid-June for lunch and dinner with extended evening hours.
The Claridge House was built in 1897 by Pickens Gunter for J. W. Lybrand. The first floor was for his family and the second floor was for the employees of his store. During the 1950s when the Savannah River Site was being constructed, the house was converted into four apartments. In 1975, C. D. (Claridge) and Virginia Tillison restored the house to its present state. They lived and raised their family there for the next thirty years. In 2004, the Collums purchased the house from the Tillisons and turned it into The Claridge House, a bed and breakfast inn.