I don’t who came up with naming our county “Union,” but I can’t think of a better name to describe these wonderful, welcoming and working-together people! When I say I have moved a lot in my life, I mean I have lived in at least 19 different cities; so I know a thing or two about reading and adapting to a local culture.
I particularly appreciate that there is a place for everyone who wants to be involved in Union County, and the people here welcome and support new efforts even when led by those who are new to the community.

I am thrilled to announce that as of December 2022, Biblical instruction is offered to students of all five elementary schools in Union County. This is provided through an interdenominational program similar to the Bible Lady that many of you grew up with. It is called Bible Release Time and is provided by the Elgin Children’s Foundation.
What is Bible Release Time (BRT)?

Union County Food Pantry started in 1997 when the current Director, Kitty Lewis, had a close friend from church who shared with her the struggles that people in our area were having with getting enough food to last the entire month. One lady was rumored to stretch her budget by eating cat food. These unfortunate circumstances spurred these two ladies to take action. Lewis and friends turned to local churches and have been supported by congregations and individuals ever since.

Mission Statement: “Union County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office strives to promote a high standard in the Judicial System as we provide courteous and efficient service to the citizens of Union County, judges, attorneys, law enforcement agencies and all the people having business with the Courts.”

A Butcher, a Baker, a Candlestick Maker…Mother Goose nursery rhymes of yore had youngsters thinking of various professions in a fun and lyrical manner. Then, in the mid-twentieth century, as television entered America’s family rooms, the possibilities were more easily imagined. Wide-eyed kids began to imagine being an Astronaut, a Police Detective, a Rock-n-roll Musician, a Soldier, a Wilderness Explorer, or even President. Honorable Darryl Edmondson, General Sessions Court Judge, was one of those kids.

Theatrics and performing arts will soon take the stage in Maynardville. A local Union County native, Michael Bailey, brings his passion of the arts along with years of experience to the county with the introduction of Thunder Road Theatre.
Bailey, age 22, has many theater productions under his belt with several major fundraisers, such as last year’s T1D: Zombie Edition at Wilson Park for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He began in theater as early as elementary school and it soon became something he loved dearly.

Everyone enjoys capturing milestones and memories in photographs so that the joy can be relived through the generations.
Here in Union County, KH Equine Event Rentals focuses on the happiness of clients and the take-home factor for moments like these. The creative business offers photo shoot setups and themed shoots as well as the very popular unicorn interaction at shoots and parties.

A family tradition has sprouted into a family business for the Johnsons. Tyler Johnson and his dad, Terry, created a deer processing and taxidermy business partnership in Corryton, and it is a busy season for the fellows as deer hunting season is in full steam.
Inspiration for the industry arose from childhood stories told by Tyler’s papaw, Raymond Johnson. After a weekend hunt in Chuck Swan, Raymond and his brothers would cut the deer up in the kitchen floor.
Tyler says, “I guess you could say it’s in my blood.”

Each month, nearly eight hundred books are mailed out to children across Union County through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation. Maynardville Public Library hosts as the headquarters of the foundation here in Union County, investing their time and efforts in assuring that the hundreds of children in the county that have signed up for the free program are receiving their reading materials each and every month.

This year, fall was slow to move in, but winter has fallen in quickly behind with freezing temperatures and a beautiful early snowfall. Kids, and those with a youthful heart, gleamed with joy as they awakened on Tuesday, November 12 to a beautifully, cotton tinted blanket of snow across the county. The excitement swept across the smiles of many faces as they sprinted out in the early morning hours, some unable to wait until sunrise, in their bundles beneath the gray clouded skies.

World War One had far-reaching impacts on American society and its citizens. Union County, Tennessee, was not excluded from these impacts. As we celebrate Veterans Day, we should all take time to remember those brave men who fought to "make the world safe for democracy," but also remember the citizens who suffered, worried and rationed to support the war effort.

There are many examples of such sacrifice. But, there are also examples of the joy these citizens felt when loved ones returned from the far-off battlefields of Europe.

Commitment, complexity, flexibility and sternness are all features you will find in a beef cattle farmer. American cattle farmers are working harder today than ever to be successful in their industry, and it does not come easy. The devotion is met with long hours, rain when you don’t need it and drought when do. Broken fences, leaky barn roofs, breech calves, and flat tractor tires are nails found in the road of cattle farming.

Since it is my birthday, I decided to write about my birthplace and the historic sign at its site: the old Ailor Mill on Route 144, Ailor Gap Road. Of course, this is not really my birthplace, but as a four-year-old I did believe my father when he said that it was. My real birthplace was in a 1958 Chevrolet in Claiborne County, but that's another story. It may not have been that mill on that site, but simply a barn constructed there after the old mill was torn down. Regardless, I believed it to be true and now a historic marker commemorates the site.

Union County’s Under the Tree program helps to make Christmas special to children across Union County that are in need. More than 500 children that live right here in Union County benefit from this program each year. Under the Tree is well known and is formerly recognized as Toys for Tots.

Wearing overalls, boots and cowboy hats, the students of Big Ridge Elementary ventured out to the green space and found some fun farm activities as part of the 26th Annual Union County Farm Day on Thursday, September 26. The 250 students made their rounds to 17 stations demonstrating and teaching Ag in the Classroom activities led by more than 40 volunteers.
Farm Day is hosted annually by Union County Farm Bureau, which is putting efforts in to teach the youths of the community the importance of agriculture in their daily lives and give them some knowledge to take home.

For nearly six years, the local Hansards Chapel United Methodist Church has been hosting a food giveaway to those in need within the community. The pantry takes place on the third Saturday each month at 6:00 pm at the church near the Knox/Union County line.

Divorce is a difficult and painful process for most people, even if they are able to get along. It is very hard for the children involved. Parents going through a divorce want to do the right things for their children. Sometimes they are so hurt and so busy with the legal details of the divorce that they are not aware of how the divorce is affecting their children.

The Annual 4-H Chick Chain Show and Sale was held Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at Darrell’s Auction & Livestock.

The Horace Maynard FFA is a very busy chapter. Recently, the chapter was awarded a Yearlong Living to Serve Grant in the amount of $3,000 from the National FFA Organization. This nationwide program provides grant money to local FFA chapters to support yearlong service learning projects that address needs related to community safety, environmental responsibility, hunger, health and nutrition, and community engagement. The program provided over $260,000 to FFA chapters in thirty two states.

Football season has kicked off for the Union County High School Patriots. There are several returning seniors this year into the program, which is in its third year under Coach Larry Kerr’s leadership. The team has been practicing on the field and in the weight room for several months and they are looking forward to an eventful season on the new turf field.