news-record.com

The porch glider is a relic of American history that harkens back to an era when everybody spent time with their families on the front porch. Gliding fore and aft on sea-foam-green gliders while telling stories with the family was important, but trying to beat the afternoon heat in the days before air-conditioning was, too.

Over the years, it seemed family time migrated into the home, and the popularity of the gliders and porch living waned. But Gene Foust keeps that old memory alive for the people who want to be transported back in time on one of his restored metal gliders.

Foust, who by trade builds log cabins in the N.C. mountains, started restoring antique gliders just a few months ago so he could stay closer to home to care for his mother during her last days. She recently passed away. Now an expert at restoring the old steel gliders and their matching chairs, Foust stays busy with his restoration work, thanks to friends and buyers who are always on the lookout.

Rusted and unused gliders are rescued from backyards and outbuildings in South Carolina, North Carolina and right here in Greensboro. Foust says the gliders he restores were mostly manufactured from the 1930s through the 1950s, with the models from the 1940s having the best construction. Find one in an antique shop in the Greensboro area, and it was probably rebuilt by Foust.

"Everyone wants to flash back to swinging on grandma's glider on the front porch," Foust says, "and the fun times they had."