Mustangs and Burros in Crisis

In my pre-internet youth, we only had 3 TV stations that we could watch. And many of the daytime and early evening movies and TV had cowboy themes. Films like Hombre (1967) with Paul Newman offered a view of the wild horse as a symbol of the West. Books, advertising, music and children’s toys as well as comic books like Tomahawk and Red Ryder featured wild horses. And then there was TV – Bonanza, Have Gun-Will Travel, and (one of my favorites) Gunsmoke. Over and over in popular culture, we have seen images of mustangs running free.

Church Fender Bender

Unexpected things can happen anytime and anywhere. That being said, we don’t expect them to happen near a church.
My mamaw was known as an awesome cook. Whether it was at a Homecoming or a church social, everyone would flock to her table first. Also, when somebody in the church or community passed away, she always contributed food.

Dis-Missed!

A few days ago I was having lunch with a wonderful lady that I have known since she was a child. At one time in my youth and her childhood I served as her Vacation Bible School teacher.
There was nothing out of the ordinary about our lunch. The two of us have been friends practically all our lives. We had dined there before with other people, always without fanfare. On this particular day, all proceeded as would be expected. The waiter took our orders.

Bugs And Gators

A long time ago, well, just before Christmas in 1977, we decided to spend the holiday in Florida with our friends from the Assembly of God Church Camp in the area, Rex and Fran Irwin plus their daughter, Rhoda. It would be a different kind of holiday for us and our children,Tom, Anne and Elizabeth. After all, we had a new car. Why not take a trip? I-75 was a new superhighway, two lanes each way with a median between them. We expected to make it in record time. Yes, we did., but only because Rex Irwin drove like the wind and we had to keep up with him.

Dilly-Do Pasta Salad

Pasta salads are easy to do. Tasty.too. Cook pasta in salted water, adding peas the last few minutes before pasta is al dente. Rinse under cold water to cool quickly. Drain well and set aside. Next, in large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, milk with salt and pepper to taste.

A Tale of Two Fires: Gatlinburg and Maui

The heartbreaking scenes of the fire in Hawaii have brought back a flood of memories to me of the Gatlinburg wildfire in 2016, which I witnessed firsthand as a wildland firefighter for the TN Forestry Division. I have researched the conditions and timelines of the fire that destroyed Lahaina and there are many similarities between the two fires worth comparing.

Plainview commends UC Patriots baseball & track champions

During the summer meetings of the City of Plainview, Mayor Gary Chandler and the Plainview Board of Alderman honored the Union County High School Patriots baseball team and two members of the track team for their state titles.
In June, Mayor Chandler presented a proclamation to recognize the historic performance of the baseball team for winning the Division 1 Class 2A Tennessee State Championship. Team members William Peck, Hunter Holloway, Ty Edds, Tanner Jones, Brandon Reed, and Max Richardson proudly accepted the proclamation for the whole team.

It's a corn festival!

Some seven hundred people came to eat corn, buy corn, and learn about corn at the Union County Corn Festival hosted by the Union County Farmers Market on August 5, 2023 in Heritage Park. Deerinda Cooke, market manager, just kept clicking the counter as she welcomed over 700 visitors. The crowd more than doubled last year's attendance. A bounty of fresh corn and produce filled tables and truck beds to satisfy even the most particular shopper. Elizabeth Tindell from Tindell's Farmhouse Bakery cooked over a thousand sweet corn fritters on site.

Farmers Market News

Farmers Market News
“Cooking demonstrations at the Union County Farmers Market? Really? I didn’t know that!” So often, those words can be heard at the market when, every Saturday throughout the market season, there are cooking demonstrations! The market is there to provide everyone with fresh, locally produced farm products but also wants to be sure that everyone knows how to use the variety of produce available every Saturday.