Many years ago before Union County became a county, Lloyd Branson spawned the heritage of Union County painters, especially portrait artists. Of course, everyone is familiar with Betty Bullen, the creative artist for Union County Heritage Festival. But Betty did not just wake up one day as an accomplished artist. She had a teacher who helped develop her talent. That teacher was Aurora Harrison Bull. Ms. Bull has been inspiring artists and creativity for decades. Like the teacher she is, her students fuel her passion for art.

The Maynardville Public Library is launching a new reading incentive program for Union County elementary school-aged children. Through this program, the library offers kids incentives for reading and a buddy sloth to read to every day.
What’s more, this year-round program is completely free. The idea is adapted from Kim Todd’s “Read to a Pal” program at Luttrell Public Library, in which children can choose from a variety of stuffed animals to adopt and read books to.

The Union County Health Council meets the third Thursday of each month at noon at Cherokee Health Systems, and meetings are open to the public. Last year the Health Council worked with the Health Department to complete a health assessment to determine the needs in our county.

Maynardville Public Library has kicked off their Annual Summer Reading Program, A Universe of Stories. Reading is made fun with creative ways to earn prizes, rewards, and many perks of online programs. All ages are invited to join in on the program, youth and adult.

In an effort to encourage sharing the positive message about agriculture, November 11 – 17, 2018, will be celebrated as “Agriculture Literacy Week in Tennessee”. Tennessee Agriculture Literacy Week will allow everyone involved in agriculture to focus attention toward our vibrant industry through literacy promotions in local school systems. Volunteers are encouraged to contact local school systems and schedule a visit to read agriculturally themed books to school students. Many segments of Tennessee’s agriculture industry have
strong literacy outreach programs.