There’s one more tale that needs to be told about Local Yokel Ricky Swindle.

Reflecting on all that’s happened during his show’s 10 years, he said that when he first broadcast, he and Leigh were dating. They were married after the show had been on for about a year. 

During that decade, he’s also become a granddad three times and is looking forward to another. 

He’s shared his life with listenors on his live Saturday morning radio broadcast. In turn, we shared his pride when Leigh Swindle was selected in 2011 as Air Evac Lifeteam’s National Flight Nurse of the Year

Then we shared his grief-turned-praise when his mother, Annie Swindle, died early last year. 

But one story not yet shared came on a hot summer afternoon several years ago after closing time at his tire shop. For some reason, bluesman Mark Massey and the late “Hop-A-Long” — Mark Peoples — ended up there and put on an impromptu private concert.

The sun was still a long way from setting and everyone was slaking his thirst with a cold beer at the end of that hot day when Annie Swindle drove up to the front of his shop.

And then a whole room full of men whose ages were closer to 50 than 40 started hiding their beers so Ricky’s mama wouldn’t see.

“Like she didn’t know what was going on,” Swindle laughed. “But Daddy taught us not to let her see it.”