The art of Gary “Rummy” Jones will be on display at the Halifax County Arts Council’s Monday Sip and See.

The event will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Gallery located at 1027 Roanoke Avenue.

The council says his work is a history of the area on canvas. He has provided a list of questions designed to see how much locals really know about Roanoke Rapids, which will be distributed at the event.

Nicknamed “Rummy” soon after birth, for his dad’s love of playing gin rummy, Jones is Roanoke Rapids born and bred.  

He grew up in the Mill Village with both parents working for the mills. He describes the experience as living in a community where families were “closely knitted together by jobs and homes in an era of trust.”

His only departure from Roanoke Rapids was his service in the Air Force from 1966-69. He was stationed in Korea and Thailand where he refueled B-52s.  

After his years of service, he returned home to Roanoke Rapids to his family and his wife, Vicki, with whom he will soon celebrate his 57th wedding anniversary.  

His foray into art began after his retirement from KapStone in 2009.  

Since then he has completed many paintings, both oil and acrylic, written a book about his life and a collection of poetry.  

His love of the past is reflected in his collection of paintings and is a journey back to the days of John Armstrong Chandler and the Patterson Brothers.

He has a particular affinity towards the original housing styles and the history of the town itself.   This event is open to the public.