Southern Appalachia has long been known for a culture that is ingrained with music that invokes heart-felt longing, love, and inspiration. There is perhaps no area of these great mountains and valleys more immersed in this musical heritage than Union County Tennessee.
Union County natives have always had a heart for music. Theirs is a heritage that has been passed down through the generations, and that legacy continues today.

On Friday, September 30, District Attorney General Jared Effler and staff, in partnership with the Children’s Centers of the 8th Judicial District, hosted the Seventh Annual Clays for Children Sporting Clays Tournament at Iron Mountain Sporting Clays in Kodak, Tennessee. The purpose of the event was to raise money to support the Children’s Centers of the 8th Judicial District, comprised of Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott, and Union counties. With 114 teams and 447 individual shooters participating, this year’s event was the largest to date.

The Union County Board of Education will be employing a new Director of Schools. A key part of this process is to provide everyone an opportunity to be heard. Dr. Tammy Grissom, Executive Director of the Tennessee School Boards Association, will lead a forum designed to determine views about the issues and challenges facing our school system and Director of Schools.

Have you ever had a close friend that was very different from you? I do and I have known her most of my life. So, how different are we? While she loves westerns, I love science fiction. Her dream was to go out west or to be in a real wagon train. Mine was to be on the bridge of the USS Enterprise or riding on a dinosaur with Holly in the “Land of the Lost.” Yep, that’s pretty different, but it worked.

Automatic dishwashers now do the work we used to do by hand. With some models you don’t even have to rinse the dishes. Everything comes out clean as a whistle. That’s not the way it used to be.
I remember as a small child growing up on that tenant farm during the Great Depression. I watched my mother do the dishes every day. Our old cook stove was kept hot all day from morning breakfast to evening dish washing. The stove’s reservoir held a good supply of hot water. There was also a pail of cold water, with a dipper, nearby as well.

I wonder where this recipe got its name? Calling it ham, rice and bean casserole doesn't have the charm that the name "Hopping John" has. It tastes good. That is all that matters.

This time of year you usually see news articles explaining why leaves change color and how good the fall colors will be. I’ve written plenty of them myself, but never covered the subject of why tree leaves fall off in the first place. So here goes…

We would like to thank everyone who signed up for our weekly newsletter at the Union County Heritage Festival. In addition, we want to thank all of those who helped make this event a success for Historic Union County. We have selected a winner for the drawing for the Betty Bullen Heritage Festival print. And the winner is......

Nikki Muncey

Congratulations Nikki!

Halloween-Themed Event for Pet Owners and Their Dogs

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Gardens, Knoxville, is going to the dogs for a Howl-O-Ween Pooch Parade and Pet Expo. The event, co-sponsored by the UT Gardens and the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, caters to dogs and dog lovers and will be held Sunday, October 23, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the UT Gardens.

Friday, September 30th, 2022 Alyshia Victoria, the Union County Family Consumer Science Agent, and four hopeful 4-Hers headed down to UT’s campus to compete in the first ever 4-H/FCS Skillathon. 4-Hers Gracie Tindell, Zeeva Boucher, Silas Whitley, and Meradeth Whitley, participated in the judging competition hoping to make it to the top ten. For those who do not know how the Skillathon works, the 4-Hers are divided into two groups, junior high and senior high, based on their grades. The Union County team competed in the junior high division while our senior competed as an individual.