LINDEN, Texas - If the center of Cass County were to have a post office, a chamber of commerce and an editorial board room all in one place, it would be Linden Fuel Center.
It's here that at least two groups meet regularly. That's daily seven days a week.
In the morning hours, it's all men starting from about 6 a.m. In the afternoon, there's at least one woman who is perfectly welcome and joins in robustly.
It's coffee and conversation they are after. The meetings have been going on for years, going back to Jim McClure's County Store, which has since changed its name and owner.
Their most characteristic feature is laughter and joke-telling. Usually, there's not much silence.
The most important part of their conversations is news about one another. Several members have no cellphones and say unapologetically they keep up to date not on Facebook but face-to-face and across the table.
The morning group is more determined and rooted to their chairs and tables and places of sitting.
It was once said recently of cherished member, the late Andy Bosler, that Andy would come in first every day. And if someone came in sooner or even matched him, Andy would just come earlier the next time.
This group sits near the back of the center with four-sided wooden tables and wooden chairs.
The afternoon group is a bit more flexible. They sit around a circular table near the front entrance and pay attention to customers coming and going.
At this table, Jerry Harp is the one to greet an unfamiliar arrival on the outside, take a cellphone picture and create a little "As Seen At Linden Fuel Center" news note on Facebook.
As everyone finds out, people who stop here will be from all over the country and with strangest of cargo.
In fact, back when Linden Fuel Center used to be Hazel's Truck Stop - in a different building too small for the group - Hazel had her eccentric ways, so Linden really was known across the country, the group agreed.
Let's put some names to these group members.
The morning group might have James Martin, Pete Allen, Stacy Holland, Frank Washington, Eddie Frank Price and Doug Glover. And Danny Boon and David Stewart will drop by.
In the afternoon, at least Dennis Spears, Larry Hollins, Roger Warren, Jerry Harp, Jerry Berry and Al and Betty DeLoach are there. Brett Pixley and Bill Hatfield may show up. Al and Betty are known as Fuel Center Royalty.
The groups have a claim to fame. Native son and musical hero of The Eagles, Don Henley, likes to come to the Fuel Center when he's in town. In fact, in one corner of the fuel stop there is a large display cabinet with his picture and mementos.
"He really likes to come here and stay awhile," Dennis Spears said.
"He and Richard Bowden will drop in when Henley's in town," Jerry Harp dded.
The importance of the center and the groups is perhaps best shown in this story provided by Roger Warren.
"When I was in Vietnam, there was this old boy from Iowa, and everyone was talking about where they were from," Roger said.
"Well, I said, 'I'm from a little town in deep East Texas called Linden, and ya'll probably never heard of that.'
"And this old boy from Iowa said, 'Yeah, I know exactly where that's at. That's right next to Dog Town. Elmira.'
"Seems he'd had a champion dog, and they used to have the dog trials up there in Elmira. Doesn't even exist today, but he'd come down. They used to have fox hunting deals up there."
And, so, Roger drew the right conclusion:
"I said, 'Man, if you know of Elmira, you'd sure of known Linden.'"
Chalk up another one for the Fuel Stop fellows and their chamber of commerce promotional work. Thanks to them, Linden is known all over and for lots of reasons.