Wild Blue Yonder band returns to headline the Gospel Tent at the 20th Union County Heritage Festival.
Acoustic mountain gospel, old-time and bluegrass songs in Appalachian style are the heart and soul of Wild Blue Yonder, based in Knoxville. Fiddle, cello, mandolin, banjo, guitar and three-part harmonies combine in a rootsy blend, honoring the rich musical traditions of the Smoky Mountains and beyond.
The Union County Heritage Festival Quilt Show is Saturday October 5, at Union County Museum and will have adult and youth categories for judging.
All quilters are invited to bring your quilts to the museum on Thursday, October 3, between 1:30 and 6 p.m. Ellen Perry and Patricia Campbell will be at the museum to accept entries.
The Union County Heritage Festival Art Show will be held Saturday, October 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Historic Snodderly House, 721 Main Street, in Maynardville. Park at the house or the parking lot across from the Art Show. On Festival Day, parking is also available at Wilson Park where visitors can ride the big yellow bus free shuttle to the Art Show. New this year is a Youth Art Exhibit.
The show is a juried mixed-media exhibition open to artists of all ages. The exhibition is intended to showcase artwork produced throughout our area. There is no entry fee.
The Union County Youth Talent Show is a new addition to the Union County Heritage Festival on Saturday, October 5. The show is not a contest. There is no entry fee. There are two shows and participants need to choose only one show. Show Times are 11 a.m. to noon and1 to 2 p.m. at Woods Music Heritage Theater, 3765 Maynardville Hwy, where the Pizza parlor used to be in Maynardville and next to the News Leader. Registration forms are available at Woods Music or online at unioncountyheritagefestival.net. and attached to this article.
Nourish Moves – and the market – are really moving! Beginning Saturday, September 7, the Union County Farmers Market will be located in the Union County High School student parking lot – you’ll be able to see us from the road! The hours are not changing, they will still be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., just the location. This move is a sign of progress; it means that Heritage Park and the farmers market pavilion construction is resuming!
I have been writing articles for about 12 years. I wrote for a few years for the Union County Shopper until it ceased publication after it was purchased by the Knoxville News-Sentinel and/or Scripps Howard.
Then my good friend Aaron Russell gave me the opportunity to write for Historic Union County, which is published weekly online at historicunioncounty.com and monthly as a free newspaper.
Have you ever played with a frog? Believe it or not, I never have. It wasn’t because I was afraid of them. After all, they don’t have eight legs. Bad spider joke? Sorry.
Anyway, Mamaw Jo was the reason I avoided them at all costs. She told me if I picked one up and it urinated on me, I would get warts all over my hands. That mortified me. If I was playing outside and one hopped toward me, I ran the other way. Even after I did a little research and discovered Mamaw Jo was wrong, that thought was stuck in my head. I didn’t touch a frog until I dissected one in biology class.
War
(This was written about a fictional battle of the Mexican War of Independence. However, I found it in my files and felt it covered the horrors and turmoil of any war. May this be food for thought. This is also in Archive of Our Own under ‘bookscape.’)
In 1918 the two Extensions Agents Kyker and Miller organized the first Union County Fair. It was supported by the County Commission who donated $1,000. The County Commission only supported the fair for one year. They traveled to Knoxville for the District Exhibition and competitions. This was a big deal for the 4-H members and the women of the Home Demonstration Clubs. Most had never traveled outside the county.
Agents had to travel by horse and buggy to the various communities.
Truett Davis, a member of Union County 4-H, took home first place in the Youth and Talent Contest at the Appalachian Fair last month. There were seven contestants, ranging in age from 12 to 21. Truett was the youngest participant at 12 years old. He has taught himself piano over the past couple of years, and only just last week, began formal instruction with a piano teacher. He played "Rush E" and the audience was delighted.