are up and down.”
Much of what Dr. Parkinstine owns and displays has been given to him by fans of his broadcasts. He owns an 1870s bed and dresser, given to him by fans in Eastland, TX. His“ gossip chairs” were donated by Shane, a blacksmith in Fairfield. Gossip chairs were once used to share juicy bits of news with others, in the days when telephone party lines were in use.
Some of the items Dr. Parkinstine acquires have to be repaired. For instance, he bought the box for his gramophone on E-bay; but had to order his amplification horn, also called a witch hat horn, and reproducer, separately. He then created the whole unit from the spare parts.
The 22-year-old became interested in electricity at a young age.“ I wired my first outlet at three,” he said.
When he was six, he found an old metal fan at his great-grandpa’ s house and asked his dad if he could have it. His dad, Chris Edmondson, said he could, as long as he cut off the cord so he wouldn’ t hurt himself.
The allure proved to be too much, though, because the next day, he installed another cord, and it’ s been working ever since, he claims.
Edmondson also works, as needed, for the Hotel Ritual on El Paso Street owned by Whitney Graham. The hotelier also owns Ritual Restaurant, and Ritual Laboratorium and Soda Fountain in downtown Jacksonville.
At the hotel, Edmondson provides“ music therapy” for guests who want an extensive relaxation session. At the restaurant, he occasionally helps out as needed, and at the ice cream shop, the entrepreneur – who is also gifted musically – plays on a piano brought outside for the day.
“ Parker has been such a delight to work with, so much fun,“ Graham said in an earlier interview.“ He has such a unique outlook on life. His interest in the older way of life gives a mindset to keep things simple, leaving more time for enjoyment, and I think the world needs that, too.
“ He has the ability to make the world a better place,” she said.
Dressed sometimes in his top hat and tails, but always dressed in vintage clothing, Edmondson offers passersby rides in one of his vintage vehicles, although currently neither his 1926 Model T, 1928 Durant, or 1926 Ford truck are in driving condition.
“ My dad and I are working to restore the Model T,” he said.“ We’ re working from the ground up, to get it in top shape for the tour I am taking soon with my friend, Gavin Rice.”
Rice is a jazz musician who also specializes in music from the 1920s. He also owns a Model T, and he and Dr. Parkinstine plan to drive their vehicles across the nation. Rice has contacted some news outlets and hopes to have the tour televised. At any rate, one can be reassured that stops on the tour will be shown on any of Dr. Parkinstine’ s social media accounts.
Paula Rozell said her grandson has always been interested in
16 Jacksonville Progress | Fall 2025