The annual Pie and Cake Contest at the Union County Heritage Festival was a huge hit this year, drawing an impressive 27 delicious entries from local bakers eager to show off their culinary talents. The sweet aroma of pies and cakes filled the air as judges sampled everything from fruit-filled creations to rich chocolate delights.

In the Pie Contest, Kathy Venturella took home the title of Grand Champion Pie and a $100 prize with her show-stopping Lemon Meringue Pie.

Ever heard the expression: “It’s not easy being me?” I’m going to tweak it a little: “It’s not easy being Brooke’s toes.”

Like many of you, I am an avid football fan. We all know that when a football team takes the field, even the most talented quarterback cannot win the game alone! An offensive line must protect him, receivers need to catch the passes he throws, and the defense has to prevent the opposing team from scoring more points than he can help generate. Every player has a role, and victory is only possible when the whole team functions together.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

The most common forest type we have in our area is called Oak-Hickory, meaning those two trees are commonly found in the forest mix. There are several species of both hickory and oak, and one of the easier oaks to find and identify in the woods is Chestnut oak.

The Union County Jr. High 4-H team recently competed in the Eastern Region Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Skill-A-Thon, held in McMinn County. This hands-on contest gives youth the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in areas such as food and nutrition, child development, clothing and textiles, and housing and interior design. Participants rotate through a series of skill stations where they solve real-world problems and apply what they have learned.

By Archie Wilson III
Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who never lost a duel, is a popular historical figure both in Japan and throughout the world. Musashi lived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries during the late Sengoku and early Edo periods of Japan. Musashi has been made famous worldwide through the fictionalized Japanese novel Musashi written in 1953 by Eiji Yoshikawa inspiring the popular manga Vagabond (1998-2015) which is written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. The novel and the manga both shape most people’s understanding of Musashi as a person, but that begs the question who really was Miyamoto Musashi?

Union County bakers have one last chance to enter the Cake and Pie Contests at the 2025 Union County Heritage Festival. Entries will be accepted at the Union County Extension Office on Thursday, October 2, from 4 to 5 p.m., and Friday, October 3, from 8 to 11 a.m. Judging will take place Friday at 12:30 p.m.

Isn’t it funny how you can look back on things and see them differently after you are grown?
Back in the ancient times of the 1970s, there were no SUVS. When we went on family trips, we rode in one of Papaw’s station wagons. At least once a year, we all piled in one and headed south and east to Cades Coves in the Smokey Mountains. We always packed a picnic lunch. Sometimes Papaw would stop at the KFC in Maryville and pick up a bucket of chicken to have with it. But one trip was totally different in that Papaw drove us west and then turned north. Not only had I never been in that direction, but I also had never been on such a long trip.

The Union County Extension Office will host a free Deer Processing Class on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Johnson’s Deer Processing, 520 W Mountain View Rd, Corryton, TN 37721. The class is presented by Union County Extension’s Family and Consumer Science Agent with several guest presenters.

Farmers and cattle producers in East Tennessee will soon have the opportunity to take part in the Fall 2025 Master Beef Producer Program, offered through UT/TSU Extension Union County.

The program provides research-based education designed to help cattle producers improve herd health, management practices, and profitability. Completion of the program will fulfill the educational requirements for the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP), which allows producers to apply for cost-share funding to improve their operations through Tennessee Department of Agriculture.