November 2019 Murfreesboro Pulse

INSIDE

EVERYBODY DRUM SOME / SMO / AARON TIPPIN / THOR'S / ISAIAH 117 HOUSE / BURGER REPUBLIC / AND MORE! NOVEMBER 2019 / VOL. 14, ISSUE 11 / FREE

Middle Tennessee’s Source for Art, Entertainment and Culture News

ART

Studio TOUR

Annual event showcases home art studios throughout Rutherford County PAGE 24

Contents ON THE COVER—Clockwise from top left: Spry Studio, Joe Brown Forgings, Studio S Pottery, Turtleware Pottery, Everich Farms, Red Oak Pottery

20

FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

4 Events

12

BOOK OF SMO

CALENDAR Run Jonah Run, Poetry in the Boro, Winterfest, Chili Cook-off, BoroDash, Healing Hands and more!

Hick-hop pioneer Smo is back with new album and a memoir.

14

HALL OF FAME

New class of musicians honored at Musicians Hall of Fame induction.

8 Sounds

16

THE UNSUNG HERO

Stan Corvin Jr.’s time in Vietnam and transition into civilian life one of many local veteran stories.

20

ISAIAH 117 HOUSE

Charity aims to provide comfortable and loving spot for foster children.

22

OLD STONE FORT

A solstice ceremonial site surrounded by waterfalls on the Duck River.

26

MURFREESBORO MURALS

What goes up must come down.

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

34 22

MUSIC NOTES Everybody Drum Some, Hillbilly Casino, Exit 111 Festival, Aaron Tippin CONCERTS Tennessee Philharmonic, Farcry, Stranger than Fiction, Stairway to Zeppelin, Joey Fletcher and more!

ALBUM REVIEWS Flummox, The Slow Drag

18 Living GARDENING Fall cleaning with allnatural products

24 Art

36 News

POETRY Kory Wells releases Sugar Fix

SPOTLIGHT Floativation: Part II

DISPLAY Mark Klett, Art Studio Tour

THEATER The Fantasticks

32

Reviews MOVIE Terminator: Dark Fate GAME Destiny II: Shadowkeep NEW RELEASES Lady and the Tramp, Midway, Doctor Sleep, Frozen II, and more!

JOHN CUSACK 3 Things

34 Food

REVIEW Meat and Milkshakes at Burger Republic

Contributors: Melissa Coker,

Advertising: Don Clark, Leslie Russell-Yost

Jennifer Durand, Luke Kautzky, Laura Lindsay,

Art Director: Sarah Mayo

Rick Malone, Zach Maxfield, Edwina Shannon,

Copy Editor: Steve Morley

Blaine Little, Jon Little, Angela Loupe, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Phil Valentine, Kory Wells, Michelle Willard

BUSINESS BUZZ El Monte, Koji Express, Smokin’ Buttz and more

BUSINESS MOMENTUM Three Rivers Family Dentistry

41 Sports SPORTS TALK Tannehill and vicious defense give Titans fans hope.

42

Opinion PHIL VALENTINE Be excellent, not diverse.

LIVE . . . WELL! Mastering patience SPIRIT MATTERS Holiday hospitality READING Ecce Deus

Copyright © 2019, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 105 N. Maple St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130.

Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Pulse is a free publication funded by advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X

10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 • 615-796-6248 To carry the PULSE at your business, or to submit letters, stories and photography: bracken@boropulse.com

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The Murfreesboro Pulse

WELCOME TO NOVEMBER. Bracken Jr. and I had quite an adventure at the Blue Raider homecoming game. We get to the stadium, and the crowd knows to expect rain, but the entire first half was a fine fall afternoon. As McPhee crowns the homecoming court during halftime, the clouds open up and the downpour begins.

The rain continues, the wind picks up and the rain continues, more. Most of the already-sparse crowd heads to the exits, but, unafraid of a little water, we stay! The Blue Raiders then got pumped up and scored five touchdowns in the second half on a wet, wet field. A good time in Floyd.

Where’d all the big pumpkins go? I could not seem to locate a big orange in late October anywhere in Murfreesboro.

As usual, my recent weeks were packed with a variety of activities: an excursion to  Old Stone Fort State Park, GNR at Exit 111, an anniversary celebration for Three Rivers Family Dentistry, a trip to Holiday World before it closed for the season, the Chamber’s After Hours event, a presentation of the movie Coco as the fabulous Nashville Symphony performed the score, a little World Series action (about the only dose of baseball I get for the year), some pre-Halloween Addams Family at the newly remodeled Smyrna Malco. Good times. I remain thankful for so many of the experiences in my life here and there.

I keep threatening to create a personal social media profile. I do get to interact with many very interesting individuals, I could be an influencer, a star. But . . . not yet. I will see you in person sometime.

Coming up this month, the Art Studio Tour and its spotlight on Rutherford County crafters in their home studios, Hillbilly Casino coming back to town, Run Jonah Run and Borodash, The Fantasticks at the Center for the Arts, all sorts of MTSU music student and faculty performances, another Everybody Drum Some community rhythm event.

We welcome El Monte Fresh Mexican Food to town, and to the pages of the Pulse.

Always give thanks, every month and every day of the year. I give thanks for those who support this community endeavor—the Murfreesboro Pulse—who support the business and my family, who use the publication to help promote their businesses and organizations, those who receive the emails and keep up with the happenings in town, those who pick up the paper and attend some of the events, restaurants and concerts they see in there, to those who allow a Pulse rack in their establishment.

Thanks for making it work! Thanks for reading!

I thank God for health and food, family and friends, all of the plants and animals, the beauty on this planet and beyond.

I give thanks for my wife and her love and laundry and soup and page design. I give thanks for city, state and national parks, for music, and for box forts.

Stay thankful, stay healthy.

Peace, BRACKEN MAYO Publisher/Editor in Chief

Events THROUGH DEC. 15 BARNES & NOBLE HOLIDAY BOOK DRIVE Barnes & Noble customers give the gift of reading to children in need through the Annual Holiday Book Drive through Dec. 15. The Avenue at Murfreesboro Barnes & Noble (2615 Medical Center Pkwy.) chose Toys for Tots as the local nonprofit recipient this year. Last year, Barnes & Noble customers and booksellers provided more than 1.6 million books to over 650 local charitable organizations that provide services to children across the country. Recipients throughout the country include schools, libraries, literacy organizations, family social service agencies and homeless centers. For more information, contact 870-245-7314 or crm2292@bn.com.

NOV. 5, 7, 12 AND 14 BIGGEST WINNER The Murfreesboro Seventh-day Adventist Church (2815 Elam Rd.) hosts the “Biggest Winner” Health Series on Nov. 5, 7, 12 and 14 at 6 p.m. This series covers important topics such as cancer and the foods we eat, lifestyle diseases that can be prevented and reversed, how to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure without medication, lowering your risk of heart disease and many cancers, and foods that heal. This series promises to be informative, beneficial and can be life-changing.

The program is free. For more information, call 207-877-4726.

NOV. 6 AND 13, DEC. 4

CALENDAR / NOVEMBER 2019

BY ANDREA STOCKARD

signing on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 12–2 p.m. Saxena will sign and sell copies of his book Investing Roadmap for Secure Retirement, a financial management guide. The book is a result of more than 20 years of investing in equities, fixed income and real estate. Dr. Rishi Saxena is a cardiology specialist in Murfreesboro and has been practicing for 33 years.

Linebaugh Public Library is located at 105 W. Vine St. For more information, call 615-893-4131 or visit rclstn.org.

NOV. 7 VENDOR FAIR AT ST. CLAIR SENIOR CENTER St. Clair Senior Center (325 St Clair St.) invites numerous agencies in the area to visit and share information about the ways they help the community. Stop

by Thursday, Nov. 7, from 9–11 a.m., and see what is available in the area to assist you, your family members and friends.

No signup is required. For more information, contact 615-848-2550 or lgrissom@murfreesborotn.gov.

NOV. 7–15 MTSU THEATRE SHOWS EVERYBODY

MTSU Theatre students will perform Everybody, a new adaptation of a late 15th-century morality play, on stage Nov. 7–15. Curtain times in MTSU’s Anderson Studio Theatre are 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 15 and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 10. The original allegory presents a fellow facing the afterlife with the sudden realization he may not measure up

UNTIL NOV. 18 YOUNG LIFE WREATH SALE Young Life in Murfreesboro will sell 22-inch red-bow-adored Fraser fir wreaths from North Carolina to help send high-school kids to Young Life camp. Order online at boroyounglife.com/wreaths. All orders must be received by Nov. 18.

Wreaths can be picked up Dec. 2–4 from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Young Life House (1515 Greenland Dr.). This is a great way to decorate the office or give a gift to employees, clients, friends or family. Wreaths are $25. Discounts are available for large orders. for a spot in heaven, so he begins seeking friends—good deeds and knowledge—in his quest for salvation. For tickets, visit mtsu.edu/theatreanddance.

NOV. 8 FALL HARVEST HAYRIDE Listen to live music as you toast marshmallows and eat s’mores around the campfire Friday, Nov. 8, from 5:30–8 p.m. at General Bragg Trailhead (1540 W. College St.). An old-fashioned hayride for all ages along the Greenway is great

RAPTOR RHAPSODY Have you ever looked an owl in the eye, glared at a red-tailed hawk or checked out a falcon’s wings? Get up-close and personal with a live bird of prey and learn about these master predators of the sky Wednesdays, Nov. 6 and 13 and Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.). Admission is free. For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or dthomas@murfreesborotn.gov.

NOV. 7 RISHI SAXENA BOOK SIGNING Linebaugh Public Library will host local author Dr. Rishi Saxena for a book 4 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

NOV. 7 BARN SCENE PAINTING CLASS Gateway Island (1875 W College St.) hosts a series on painting barn scenes Thursday, Nov. 7, from 6–8 p.m.

Create a barn with fall leaves. All materials are provided. Register at 615-893-2141 or aacla@murfreesborotn. gov. Class is $20.

fun for the whole family. Sponsored in part by the Friends of the Greenway, price includes a hayride and one s’more.

Additional food is sold separately. Admission is $2 per person and ages 2 and under are free (Friends of the Greenway are free). For more information, contact outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-217-3017.

NOV 8 VETERANS CONCERT: TREASURES OF TIMES GONE BY Enjoy a concert by the Tennessee Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring patriotic music and honoring Veterans of all time periods at First United Methodist Church (265 W. Thompson Ln.) Friday, Nov. 8, from 7:30–9 p.m. For more information, call 615-8981862 or find tickets at tnphil.org.

NOV. 9 SANTA’S ARRIVAL PARTY Kick off a joyous holiday season full of family fun for a wonderful, magical show featuring craft activities, giveaways, hot cocoa, cookies and face painting at Stones River Town Centre (1720 Old Fort Pkwy.) Saturday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Admission is free. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

NOV. 9

Hands Foundation from 5–7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11. Organizers invite the community to help spread love and hope with the dinner for a cause. dOTERRA’s Hope oil, which benefits its Healing Hands Foundation and funds anti-human trafficking efforts globally, partners with End Slavery TN. All proceeds from sales of the Hope oil will go to Healing Hands and Just Love will donate 10 percent of food and beverage sales to End Slavery TN. The evening will include music and a silent auction. For more information on the event, call 615-513-7572 email info@bluecupmonkeyoillife.com.

FREE RECYCLE AND RESTRING EVENT

NOV. 12

NOV. 9 RUNJONAHRUN RunJonahRun is Saturday, Nov. 9, from 8:30 a.m.–noon at Hop Springs (6790 John Bragg Hwy.) featuring the RunJonahRun 5K Family Fun Trail Run and RunJonahRun Virtual 5K. The same wonderful race is still family-friendly and pet-friendly. RunJonahRun still “PHights” to raise awareness and funds for pediatric pulmonary hypertension. For more information about Jonah’s story or pulmonary hypertension, visit runjonahrun.org or sign up at runsignup.com.

NOV. 9 FUR, FEATHERS AND FERNS CUB SCOUT WORKSHOP Cub Scouts ages 5 and older can come to the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 10–11:30 a.m. as they complete all requirements for the Cub Scout Adventure. Identify animal signs on a hike, learn about threatened and endangered animals and meet some of the live education animals. Registration is required by email or phone. Admission is $3 per scout. Contact 615-217-3017 or hmeyer@murfreesborotn.gov.

Local musicians are invited to attend a free recycle and restring event at Concert Musical Supply in Murfreesboro on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sponsored by D’Addario and international recycling company TerraCycle, musicians can bring any old instrument strings for recycling and get their electric or acoustic guitars restrung with D’Addario NYXL or Nickel Bronze Acoustic strings for free.

Old strings collected during the event are recycled through Playback, D’Addario’s recycling program. The collected metal strings will be converted into recycled alloys which are commonly utilized in the construction of guitar necks and the recycled nylon will be used in automotive applications, for instance. For more information on Playback, visit daddario.com/playback. For more information on the recycle and restring event, call 615-896-6518 or visit concertmusicalsupply.com.

NOV. 9

over the age of 14. Stop by the Visitor Center to register and pay before Nov. 6.

Cost is $2.50 per child. For more information, find the event on Facebook or call 615-890-0355.

BENEFIT RIDE FOR KEN PALOCY JR.

NOV. 10

Van’s Bar and Grill hosts a benefit motorcycle ride for Ken Palocy Jr. on Saturday, Nov. 9. Palocy went down on a motorcycle in September and needs help with medical costs. This benefit and the proceeds assist him with medical and life expenses while he continues his recovery journey. The ride takes off at 10:30 a.m. at Van’s Bar and Grill (2404 Halls Hill Pk.) and stops by Dewayne’s Good Times Bar and Grill, MT Bottle Restaurant and Lounge and Hotshotz Bar and Grill before returning to Van’s. The fee for the ride is $10 for individuals and $15 per couple.

Enjoy a 50/50 raffle, live auction and barbecue available for purchase. For more information, call 615-624-7767.

NOV. 10 TEDDY BEAR PICNIC Bring a picnic lunch, a blanket and your little one’s favorite teddy bear to Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) Sunday, Nov. 10, from 2–4 p.m. Enjoy activities, treats and a picnic lunch. Lemonade and cookies are provided as well as a drawing for a new teddy bear. All participants aged 4–10 must be accompanied by someone

GEOLOGIST JOHN MACKAY On Sunday, Nov. 10, world-traveling geologist John MacKay speaks at Giles Creek Baptist Church (7084 Rocky Fork Rd., Smyrna). MacKay is the producer of a number of made-for-TV documentaries, and for the last two months has been in the U.K., involved in a dinosaur dig on the Isle of Wight. His speech takes place at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. MacKay is widely known all over the world, since his research, speaking engagements and debates with leading evolutionists take him to Canada and the U.K. as well as his native Australia. MacKay has been lecturing on the subject of origins and doing field research for over 30 years, and on this trip Joseph Hubbard, now a full-time member of the Creation Research team, joins him. Educated at the University of Queensland in Australia, MacKay began his career as an evolutionist and was gradually convinced by the evidence that evolution is false. He is the International Director for the Creation Research organization and has lectured on “The Evidence for Noah’s Flood,” “The History of Brief Time” and other subjects.

 Send community event information to CONTACT@BOROPULSE.COM

Admission is free. For more information, call 615-459-0058.

NOV. 10 POETRY IN THE BORO Enjoy listening to poetry or share some writing of your own at Poetry in the Boro Sunday, Nov. 10. This month, Murfreesboro Poet Laureate and PitB founder Kory Wells reads from her new book, Sugar Fix, and discusses second acts, second chances and writing your obsessions with fellow poet Amie Whittemore at the Walnut House (116 N. Walnut St.). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the feature at 7 p.m. followed by an hour of open mic.

This free event is supported in part by MTSU Write. Find the event on Facebook or at poetryintheboro.org.

NOV. 11 VETERAN’S DAY CEREMONY IN LA VERGNE Celebrate Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 11, from 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park (115 Floyd Mayfield Dr., Smyrna). Admission is free. For more information, visit lavergnetn.gov.

NOV. 11 BENEFIT FOR END SLAVERY TN Just Love Coffee Murfreesboro West (2863 Old Fort Pkwy.) will host an event supporting End Slavery TN and the Healing

VFW 5TH DISTRICT MEETING The Department of Tennessee Veterans of Foreign Wars – 5th District will meet at Central Christian Church (404 E. Main St.) on Tuesdays, Nov. 12 and Dec. 10, at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit tnvfw16.com.

NOV. 12 BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Business After Hours, presented by and held at Redstone Federal Credit Union (2404 Medical Center Pkwy.), is Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 4:30–6:30 p.m.

This informal, social networking event is designed to connect guests with business professionals from across Rutherford County. Bring plenty of business cards.

Admission is $10 for members and $20 for future members. No registration is required. For more information, visit web.rutherfordchamber.org/events.

NOV. 12 & 26, DEC. 10 BINGO! Bring a friend and prepare to have a great time while building new friendships at Bradley Academy Museum & Cultural Center (511 Mercury Blvd.) Tuesdays Nov. 12 and 26 and Dec. 10 from 10–11 a.m. (every second and fourth Tuesday of each month). Meet people in your community who enjoy friendly competition as everyone competes for various prizes. Grand prizes are given out at the end. A facility pass is $4 for adults and $3 for seniors.

For more information, contact 615-9628773 or vstembridge@murfreesborotn.gov.

NOV. 13 LIVING SENT WITH SHANE REEVES The public is invited to the November Living Sent Murfreesboro meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Experience (521 Old Salem Rd.).

Murfreesboro. State Senator and founder CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 BOROPULSE.COM

* NOVEMBER 2019 * 5

Off at Bradley Academy Museum & Cultural Center (511 Mercury Blvd.)

Monday, Nov. 18, to find the best chili in town with a panel of chef judges. Gain bragging rights, a gift certificate and a trophy. The community helps decide, so come out and support your community cooks. Cost is $19 for the cook-off entry (spaces limited), and admission is $3 per youth/seniors and $4 per adult. For more information, contact 615-962-8773 or vstembridge@murfreesborotn.gov.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

of TwelveStone Health Partners, Shane Reeves, is the application speaker. Murfreesboro businessmen Luis Roque, owner of Roque Agency, shares his God story. A free lunch is sponsored by Recon Secure Computing. For more information, contact bob.williams@alhambrapartners.com.

NOV. 14 SNAKES: MYSTERIES IN NATURE Introduce yourself to the world of snakes Thursday, Nov. 14, from 5:30–6:30 p.m. at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.). This program covers the natural history of snakes as they entered the new world and populated the Southeast, including the Volunteer state.

Discuss behavioral and community ecology, biodiversity and conservation of snakes in Tennessee. This program is great for college students concentrating on life sciences, young adults or people just interested in the snakes that call Middle Tennessee home. Enjoy a colorful presentation and get a chance to see a live snake up close; for ages 12 and up. Admission is free. For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or efann@murfreesborotn.gov.

NOV. 14 AND 28 MURFREESBORO OLD TIME JAM Be a part of the bi-weekly installment of the Murfreesboro Old Time Jam from 6–8 p.m. at Mayday Brewery (521 Old Salem Rd.) the second and fourth Thursday of every month (Nov. 14 and 28) from 6–8 p.m. All levels of players are welcome, and all ages are welcome. Featuring acoustic instruments only (fiddle, banjo guitar, etc., no drums), the focus is on pre-bluegrassera string band music. Spectators are welcome and admission is always free. Food and brews are available for purchase. The venue is smoke-free and family-friendly.

For more information, call 615-479-9722.

NOV. 19 HIBERNATION: WINTER SLEEPERS

NOV. 21 FOSSILS: DINOSAURS OF THE AMERICAS The Wilderness Station presents a program about dinosaurs from the Americas. Anyone who is into dinosaurs and prehistoric animals is welcome Thursday, Nov. 21, from 5:30–6:30 p.m. Cover what paleontologists know about the range and life histories of a few dinosaurs that once called north, central and south America home. Admission is free. For more information, contact 615-217-3017, or efann@murfreesborotn.gov. because of the length, moderate elevation and the pace. The $15 fee includes transportation and instruction. Bring a water bottle and snacks. All participants must attend the pre-trip meeting. Space is limited, and reservations are required. For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or efann@murfreesborotn.gov.

NOV. 18 A TASTE OF THE HOLIDAYS The Saint Thomas Rutherford Ambassadors will present A Taste of the Holidays on Monday, Nov. 18, from 5:30–8 p.m. at the Laurelwood Homes of Natalie Hillis,

Maggie Parsley and Ann Elizabeth Rucker.

Cocktails will begin at 106 Maplewood Ct., Murfreesboro. Proceeds benefit the Saint Thomas Rutherford Saint Louise Clinic.

Presentations include “What to Wear” by e. Allen, “Gifts for All Ages” by Mimi’s Boutique and “How to Set a Holiday Table”

by The Write Impression. Food provided

by The Alley, Five Senses and Tasty Table.

For more information or to RSVP, email elizabeth.willis@ascension.org.

NOV. 18 CHILI COOK-OFF Calling all cooks to the 2019 Chili Cook

CORNBREAD AND A POSSUM Join Cannonsburgh staff and others for a tasty potluck lunch followed by Cannonsburgh facts and memories shared by Ricky Halliburton and Kathy Owen Wallace at the McKnight House at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Audience input is encouraged. The theme is “Cornbread and a Possum or Two!” Foods of the 19th and early 20th centuries with discussions on food and culture with Susanne Hebden.

For more information, call 615-890-0355.

THE CONNECTION

FALL HIKE: STONE DOOR TO GREETER FALLS

6 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

NOV. 20

NOV. 21

NOV. 16 This fall, hike through shady woodlands with crystal-clear mountain creeks beginning at the ranger station near Stone Door, part of South Cumberland State Park. A group departs from the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, and will return at 4 p.m. The hike will eventually lead everyone to the striking 50-foot Greeter Falls and then back to the ranger station along the Laurel Falls trail. The hike is considered moderate-to-advanced

Learn about what some animals do during the winter in Tennessee at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 5:30–6:30 p.m. For ages 10 and up.

Discuss how some animals deal with the cold and limited food supply and how some of these animals slow their metabolism to compensate for the lack of or no food during these months. Admission is free. For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or efann@murfreesborotn.gov.

BEGINNING NOV. 22 WINTERFEST ICE RINK The third-annual Winterfest at Fountains at Gateway brings outdoor ice skating and holiday activities to Murfreesboro from Nov. 22–Jan. 20 at the Fountains at Gateway (1500 Medical Center Pkwy.). For more information, visit fountainswinterfest.com.

Local small business owners will gather for The Connection: An Evening of Professional Networking and Business Brainstorming from 5–7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, at Champy’s World Famous Fried Chicken (1290 NW Broad St.). All Middle Tennessee entrepreneurs and professionals are welcome to attend this casual, free, no-obligation event, where they can meet other small business owners and tap into one another’s experience and energy. A discussion will encourage participation from those in attendance, asking them to articulate their vision for their business and calling for examples of some of the business challenges and solutions they are experiencing. The series will continue the third Thursday of each month.

boro Writers Group on Facebook, email sayhello@murfreesborowritersgroup.com, call 615-893-4131 or visit rclstn.org.

NOV. 23 HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET Attend the Holiday Gift Market on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at Lane Agri-Park (315 John Rice Blvd.) hosted by Shabby Lane. Enjoy an elf scavenger hunt, characters in the barn, bounce houses and over 60 small vendors like Color Street, Fizzy Fizzy, Good Living Essentials, Toweled Hooded Bath Towels, Zeke’s Safari and more. For more information, visit shabbylaneshoppingevents.com.

THURSDAYS STROLLERCOASTERS

NOV. 28

Walk the Greenway for an hour each week with your child and stroller, then stay and play at Kids’ Castle. Meet other parents and caregivers while you get in shape exploring the Greenway and spending time with your child. Anyone can join; no membership or registration necessary. Meet Thursdays at 9–10 a.m. in front of the Old Fort Park Kid’s Castle (1025 Old Fort Pkwy., Golf Ln.). For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov.

BORODASH RUN/WALK

THURSDAYS

NOV. 23 SPECIES AND THEIR SURVIVAL As the population and its needs grow, animals of all kinds are placed under increasing amounts of stress for survival.

Discuss invasive species, habitat loss, climate change and diseases that are threatening animal species worldwide and at home in Tennessee on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 9:30–10:30 a.m. at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.); for ages 10 and up.

Enjoy an educational program and see a live animal up close. Admission is free.

For more information, contact 615-2173017 or efann@murfreesborotn.gov.

NOV. 23 AND 24 ART STUDIO TOUR The Stones River Craft Association’s 26th Annual Rutherford County Art Studio Tour is Nov. 23 and 24 from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. featuring eight studios, most of which offer holiday refreshments alongside all types of art. To learn more about locations, see page 24 of this issue, or visit artstudiotour.org.

NOV. 25 SMYRNA TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY Join the fun as the Town of Smyrna turns on the Christmas Lights around town Monday, Nov. 25, from 6–8 p.m. The Smyrna Event Center (100 Sam Ridley Pkwy. E.) is the place to be for Christmas music and fun. Admission is free. For more information, visit townofsmyrna.org.

NOV. 30 BUSINESS SHOWCASE ON SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY Rutherford County Black Business Network showcases top minority-owned businesses, minority business professionals and minority entrepreneurs serving Rutherford County on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Patterson Park Community Center (521 Mercury Blvd.) from 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

From accountants to zoologists, discover

Kick off your Thanksgiving Day festivities with Borodash on Thursday, Nov. 28.

The 4-mile run/walk fundraiser steps off at 8 a.m. from MTSU’s Dean Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium (1568 Greenland Dr.). Group discounts are available.

Proceeds benefit local charities. Register at runsignup.com; visit borodash.org to learn more about the organization. Volunteers are also needed for this annual event. Contact volunteers@borodash.org for more information. your favorite new businesses, services and products. This event is free to the community. For more information, find Modernoire:Rutherford on Facebook.

ONGOING ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS If you want to drink, that’s your business.

If you want to stop, we can help.

Alcoholics Anonymous 615-831-1050 or aa.org

ONGOING AL-ANON Attend Al-Anon meetings, a fellowship program for the families and friends of alcoholics, weekly at 435 S. Molloy Ave. (off of Bridge Ave.). Meeting times include 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays; 6:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and noon on Saturdays. For more information, contact 270-293-5201.

TUESDAYS HEART OF TENNESSEE TOASTMASTERS The Heart of Tennessee Toastmasters is an international organization devoted to helping others advance their communication and leadership skills. Through participation in a variety of roles at each meeting, learn better listening skills, critical thinking, goal setting and public speaking. Meet at 7 p.m. on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of each month at Keller-Williams Realty (450 St. Andrews Dr.). For more information, visit heartoftennessee.toastmastersclubs.org.

WEDNESDAYS BORO2SQUARE RUNNERS Boro2Square Runners is a running group for individuals interested in running and socializing with other runners. Weekly runs begin at 6 p.m. each Wednesday, starting from the Boulevard Bar and Grill, 2154 Middle Tennessee Blvd. Distances covered are 3–5 miles, with runners of all paces welcome to participate. For more information, visit facebook.com/boro2square.

WEDNESDAYS WILD THINGS Welcome to the Wilderness! The Wilderness Station (401 Volunteer Rd.) hosts a fun-filled class for children featuring different songs and a discussion about the animal of the week Wednesdays in November and December at 9:30 a.m. Each topic is reinforced with a simple craft and a nature hike or fun activity. Registration is required preferably the Tuesday beforehand. Ages 1–4 years old are welcome with an adult. Admission is $3.

For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or hmeyer@murfreesborotn.gov.

WEDNESDAYS

CHESS CLUB The Murfreesboro Chess Club meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church (907 E. Main St.). Chess players of all levels are invited to come meet and play against other local chess enthusiasts.

For more information, call 615-713-9256 or email murfreesborochess@gmail.com.

FRIDAYS TRAIL BLAZERS Get a head-start on your weekend with the outdoor walking/body weight interval class at Walter Hill Trailhead, part of the Murfreesboro Greenway, Fridays in November at 9 a.m. Walk its length and back with intervals of body weight workouts while enjoying a great cardio and muscle-building class.

Watch Facebook for weather updates. For more information, contact 615-895-5040 or adavidson@murfreesborotn.gov.

SATURDAYS ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS Come out to the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) Saturdays in November and December at 1:30 p.m. for a short program introducing you to one of their education animals.

Learn about its cool adaptations and natural history. Admission is free. For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov.

SATURDAYS

WRITERS GROUP

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPENS RANSOM SCHOOL

The Murfreesboro Writers Group, comprised of local writers who seek to improve their work through mutual critique, meets every Wednesday at Linebaugh Library (105 W. Vine St.) from 6–8 p.m. You might hear science fiction, poetry, alternate reality, memoir, fantasy, mystery, literary fiction, or more. For more information, find Murfrees-

Rutherford County Historical Society invites everyone to visit Ransom School (717 N. Academy St.) Saturday mornings from 9 a.m.–noon to discuss history over a cup of coffee. Bring old photos and memorabilia, and leave with a better understanding of, and appreciation for, your past. For more information, visit rutherfordtnhistory.org.

BOROPULSE.COM

* NOVEMBER 2019 * 7

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EVERYBODY DRUM SOME BRINGS COMMUNITY RHYTHM EVENT TO HOP SPRINGS ON NOV. 8

MUSIC NOTES

EVERYBODY DRUM SOME will host a community rhythm event at Hop Springs on Friday, Nov. 8, from 6:30–8 p.m. Everybody Drum Some will provide a vast collection of drums and percussion instruments for participants to explore, and will lead the crowd in some amazing in-themoment music-making.

It’s free to participate, and those of all ages and musical abilities are invited to come join the session, or to spectate. Participants can bring drums, shakers, tambourines, woodblocks or percussive instruments of any type, but even those who have no instrument may come out and use one from the extensive Everybody Drum Some collection. Enjoy the vibe at the Hop Springs tap room, connect with people in the community, have some fun and play a drum!

Whether you are an experienced drummer, a casual musician or someone who wants to try this out for the first time, all are welcome to get on the beat. To learn more about Everybody Drum Some, visit everybodydrumsome.com. Hop Springs is located at 6790 John Bragg Hwy., Murfreesboro

 ENTERTAINMENT

TRIVIA, KARAOKE & BINGO NIGHTS Send karaoke, trivia and entertainment info to listings@boropulse.com  MONDAYS AHARTS PIZZA GARDEN Trivia 7 p.m.

HANK’S Open Mic Night 6–9 p.m.

HOP SPRINGS Poker 7 p.m.

JACK BROWN’S Trivia Night 7 p.m.

LEVEL III Trivia 7 p.m.

MT BOTTLE Bingo 7 p.m.

 TUESDAYS COCONUT BAY Trivia 7:30 p.m.

HOP SPRINGS Karaoke 7–10 p.m.

NACHO’S Trivia 7 p.m.

OLD CHICAGO Trivia 7 & 8:15 p.m.

 WEDNESDAYS CAMPUS PUB Karaoke 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke 8 p.m.–12 a.m.

HANK’S Karaoke 7–10 p.m.

LEVEL III Trivia 7 p.m.

MELLOW MUSHROOM Trivia 8 p.m.

OLD CHICAGO Ballad Bingo 7 p.m.

STATION GRILL Trivia 7 p.m.

THE BOULEVARD Trivia 8 p.m.

VAN’S BAR & GRILL Bike Night, Karaoke 6 p.m.

 FRIDAYS BOOMBOZZ PIZZA Trivia 8:30 p.m.

GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke 9 p.m.–1 a.m.

LIQUID SMOKE DJ night 10 p.m.

MT BOTTLE Karaoke 9 p.m.–3 a.m.

 SATURDAYS CAMPUS PUB Karaoke 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke 9 p.m.–1 a.m.

 THURSDAYS

MT BOTTLE Karaoke 9 p.m.–3 a.m.

BURGER REPUBLIC Trivia 7 p.m.

HOP SPRINGS Trivia 7 p.m.

VAN’S BAR & GRILL Karaoke 7 p.m.

PARTY FOWL Trivia 7 p.m.

VAN’S BAR & GRILL Pool tournament 7 p.m.

8 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

NACHO’S Trivia 7 p.m.

 SUNDAYS SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Trivia 8 p.m.

JACKPOT! VETERAN PSYCHOBILLY QUARTET HILLBILLY CASINO TO PLAY THE BORO ON NOV. 23 THE HILLBILLY CASINO IS HARD TO CLASSIFY. Does the band play punk? Rockabilly? Or are they just some manic bluegrass musicians with a penchant for black clothing and colorful tattoos? A listen through their catalog hardly clarifies things. Yet even the most cursory of listens makes one thing clear: these guys have ridiculously eclectic palettes and world-class chops.

For more than 15 years now, the Casino, as the group is affectionately called by its legion of diehard fans, has been scorching stages with a high-octane, highly-idiosyncratic take on what has come to be called “psychobilly,” a mix of rockabilly and punk. But the term psychobilly hardly does justice to the Casino’s music. Mixing punk, rockabilly, bluegrass, and honky-tonk with a touch of jazz and a dose of hard-driving Southern rock, the Casino has never fit snugly into any box.

In the early 2000s, when many Nashville bands were harboring cookiecutter-clean dreams of placing a record on the charts or catching the ear of some fat-cat label exec, the Casino was hitting the stage—hard. Led by dizzying and dazzlingly charismatic lead singer Nick Roulette, formerly of the rockabilly stalwarts the Blue Moon Boys, the Casino made a name for itself with sweat-slinging, bass-slapping, stomp-inducing live shows.

When not on Lower Broadway tearing through another blistering set at Layla’s, they were in former guitarist Andrew Dickson’s garage recording, mixing and engineering their own albums, of which they now have five, including 2014’s Made in America, recorded live at the Exit/In in Nashville.

The persistence paid off and Hillbilly Casino took its punk-rocking DIY approach to rockabilly on the road. Whether opening for acts as diverse as Rancid, The Brian Setzer Orchestra or one-time Eminem protégé Yelawolf, the Casino’s manic stage show and deft musicianship has garnered international acclaim.

Nearly 15 years later and Hillbilly Casino is still grinding it out on the road, playing upwards of 175 shows a year and traveling as far afield as Norway and Ireland to spread its revved-up sounds.

Some musicians judge success by sales and chart positions. Not Hillbilly Casino. As bassist Geoff Firebaugh, formerly of BR5-49, told enigmaonline.com, “To me, as a musician, the measure of success is you don’t have to go work a day job. The rest of it is sort of gravy after that point.”

From that perspective, the band has been wildly successful. Its four members are making the music they want to make, and they’re making a living doing it. Not a bad gig if you can get it.

If you’ve never experienced the Casino before, or if you just want to add a little bit more gravy to their plates, get to The Boro Bar and Grill on Saturday, Nov. 23. The show kicks off at 8:30 p.m. with support from the Nashville Non-Prophets and Animal Season.

— JON LITTLE

LIVE MUSIC IN THE ’BORO CONCERT CALENDAR TUES, 11/5 BURGER BAR Sarah Martin HANK’S Dan Brayall MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Jazz Combos SMYRNA VFW 8422 Shane Douglas

WED, 11/6 THE WALNUT HOUSE Middle Tennessee Songwriter Series with Levi Massie, Denny Presley, Chelsea Hicks, Allen J. Morrell, Thomas Steger, Doug Toalston, Scott Barrier, Ericca Latza, Logan Piercey, Chellanie Grunwald, Ben Potter and Jimmy Lloyd

THURS, 11/7 HANDLEBARS World Famous Thursday Night Blues Jam HANK’S Jordan Carter MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Derrek Phillips Combo; Percussion Ensemble NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT Blues Radio PUCKETT’S Rob Harris RIDENOUR STUDIOS Aaron Tippin THE BORO Radical Arts Open Mic

FRI, 11/8 COCONUT BAY CAFE King and The Rebel FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Tennessee Philharmonic Orchestra HANK’S Sarah Martin; Jack Finley Band HOP SPRINGS Everybody Drum Some MAYDAY BREWERY BooM MEDIA RERUN Tvsexdeath; Dirty Ol Man; All Along MILANO II Jack Popek MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Wind Ensemble PUCKETT’S Karianne Jean SMYRNA VFW 8422 Shane & the Money Makers THE BORO Lincoln Layne

NOVEMBER 2019

FRI, 11/15

WED, 11/20 MEDIA RERUN Dead Register; Friendship Commanders; Terrible People MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Steel Pan Band THE WALNUT HOUSE Middle Tennessee Songwriter Series with Taylor Pie, Jolie Bell, Pepper Martin, Glenn Brown, Robyn Taylor, Ellie Austin, Gabe David, Justin Bowman, Allen J. Morrell, Kaylee Flores, Ralph Haynes, Kyra Sunflower, Levi Massie and Everett Brown

HANK’S The O’Donnells MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU student piano recital; Eliot Hinson

COCONUT BAY CAFE Escape Band GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL The Entertainment: Live Band Karaoke HANK’S Blake Esse; Clayton Mann Band HOP SPRINGS The Secret Commonwealth MAIN STREET MUSIC Mock of Ages (Def Leppard tribute) MAYDAY BREWERY The Lilliston Effect MEDIA RERUN Bonne Finken; Haddie Jane; J. Mackenzie MILANO II Jack Popek MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Ally Johnston PUCKETT’S Brianna Alomar SMYRNA VFW 8422 Shane & the Money Makers VAN’S BAR & GRILL Whiskey & Friends

MON, 11/11

SAT, 11/16

VAN’S BAR & GRILL The Real Deal

SAT, 11/9 COCONUT BAY CAFE DJ Krazee D (karaoke) HANK’S Joe Hooper; Phil Valdez HOP SPRINGS Forever Abbey Road (Beatles experience) MAIN STREET MUSIC Resurrection (Journey tribute) MEDIA RERUN Hardcore Punk Show MJ’S Shane & the Money Makers RIDENOUR STUDIOS Operation Song Benefit Show SMYRNA VFW 8422 Stoopid Cool THE WALNUT HOUSE Sisters Wade

SUN, 11/10

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Jazz Ensemble I

TUES, 11/12 BURGER BAR Sarah Martin HANK’S Don Mealer MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Juliet Lang; James Box and Richard Blumenthal SMYRNA VFW 8422 Shane Douglas

WED, 11/13 ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH MTSU Chamber Winds THE WALNUT HOUSE Jeremy Pinell & Friends

THURS, 11/14 HANDLEBARS World Famous Thursday Night Blues Jam HANK’S A Slice of American Pie MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Jamey Simmons Jazz Combo; MTSU Singers PUCKETT’S J.D. Shelburne THE BORO Late Night Livestream

COCONUT BAY CAFE DJ RDP HANK’S Colleen Lloy; Zack Neil HOP SPRINGS Soul Sacrifice (Santana tribute); the Bicho Brothers MAYDAY BREWERY Jackson Harrison; Elton John Tribute MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Chamber Orchestra SMYRNA VFW 8422 Rockin’ Country

SUN, 11/17

Hank’s George Dunn MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Holiday Choral Concert; MTSU Brass Chamber

MON, 11/18 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Jazz Ensemble II

TUES, 11/19 BURGER BAR Sarah Martin HANK’S J Kyle Reynolds SMYRNA VFW 8422 Shane Douglas

 View the Concert Calendar online at BOROPULSE.COM/CALENDAR

THURS, 11/21

THE BORO Hillbilly Casino; Nashville Non-Prophets; Animal Season

SUN, 11/24 HANK’S Karree J Phillips MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Women’s Chorale; Meistersingers ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH Stones River Chamber

MON, 11/25

TUES, 11/26 BURGER BAR Sarah Martin HANK’S Delyn Christian SMYRNA VFW 8422 Shane Douglas

FRI, 11/22

FRI, 11/29

SAT, 11/23 COCONUT BAY CAFE My July Band HANK’S HunterGirl; Cooter River Band HOP SPRINGS Stairway to Zeppelin MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Symphony Orchestra SMYRNA VFW 8422 The Real Deal

Burger Bar 1850 Old Fort Pkwy.

615-895-5555 Campus Pub 903 Gunnerson Ave. 616-867-9893 Coconut Bay Café 210 Stones River Mall Blvd. 615-494-0504 Crossroads 6097 Lebanon Pk. First United Methodist Church 265 W. Thompson Ln. 615-893-1322 Georgia’s Sports Bar 555 S Lowry St., Smyrna 615-267-0295

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Opera Scenes

HANDLEBARS World Famous Thursday Night Blues Jam HANK’S Spencer Maige MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING MTSU Symphonic Band RIDENOUR STUDIOS ODP Bluelight Sessions THE BORO Radical Arts Comedy COCONUT BAY CAFE Zone Status HANK’S Sara Simmons; Heather Victorino HOP SPRINGS Natchez Tracers MAYDAY BREWERY Joey Fletcher MEDIA RERUN Adhere; THAW, Daedalus; My Wall MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Kailyn Juday; MTSU Guitar Ensembles MILANO II Jack Popek PUCKETT’S Hobo Cane VAN’S BAR & GRILL Sadie Faith & Friends

IF YOU GO

WED, 11/27 MAIN STREET MUSIC Farcry (a Good Time Tommy event) THE WALNUT HOUSE Jeremy Pinell & Friends COCONUT BAY CAFE Elecoustic Soul HANK’S Liz Bentley; Cherry Avenue HOP SPRINGS The Hackey Sacks rock the ’90s MAYDAY BREWERY Clayton Kaiser MILANO II Jack Popek PUCKETT’S Britney Monroe SMYRNA VFW 8422 Shane & the Money Makers THE BORO Joey Fletcher’s Black Friday Blues Jam VAN’S BAR & GRILL The Sugar Daddys

SAT, 11/30 COCONUT BAY CAFE Stranger Than Fiction HANK’S Alan Crist; Lauren Christine; Derek Crider & Heather Heather HOP SPRINGS A.R. Cash (Tribute to Johnny & June) SMYRNA VFW 8422 Mixed Bag of Tricks THE BORO Bastard Society; Skullkin; Abyss Walker

Handlebars 2601 E. Main St. 615-890-5661 Hank’s 2341 Memorial Blvd.

615-410-7747 Hop Springs 6790 John Bragg Hwy. 615-628-8776 Main Street Music 527 W. Main St. 615-440-2425 Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Hwy. 615-479-9722 Media Rerun 2820 S. Rutherford Blvd., 615-907-0901 Memories Bar & Grill 574 Waldron Rd., La Vergne 615-280-7220 Milano II 114 E. College St. 615-624-7390 MTSU Wright Music 1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 615-898-2469 Nacho's 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd.

615-907-2700 Puckett’s Grocery 114 N. Church St. 629-201-6916 Ridenour Rehearsal Studios 1203 Park Ave. 615-956-7413 Smyrna VFW Post 8422 10157 Old Nashville Hwy., Smyrna 615-459-9832 The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 615-895-4800 The View at Fountains 1500 Medical Center Pkwy.

615-890-4651 The Walnut House 116 N. Walnut St. 615-705-7897 Van’s Bar and Grill 2404 Halls Hill Pk. 615-624-7767

BOROPULSE.COM

* NOVEMBER 2019 * 9

Sounds

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MUSIC NOTES

Randy Blythe  of Lamb of God PHOTO BY BRACKEN MAYO

 Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses PHOTO BY KATARINA BENZOVA

EXIT 111 Manchester field filled with classic, hard rock acts at first fall fest STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO

THE EXIT 111 FESTIVAL brought a little different flavor and experience to the Manchester, Tennessee, property (just off of I-24 Exit 111) that serves as a home to the massive Bonnaroo each summer.

The first-ever Exit 111 event, hosted by hard rock DJ and metal fan Eddie Trunk, featured a more classic-rock and metaloriented band lineup. Many of the bands on the bill have performed at Bonnaroo in the past, though it seems the Exit 111 team skimmed the ’Roo lineups and captured the heaviest bands scattered throughout the years—Mastodon, Gojira, Slayer, Lamb of God—added in Killswitch Engage, Ghost, Anthrax, Ministry, Black Label Society and others, and assembled them all for a mighty metal militia for the fall 2019 fest.

Exit 111 brought back ZZ Top and Coheed and Cambria to Manchester, and the fest fea10 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

tured Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard and Guns N’ Roses as its three main stage headliners, quite the chunk of a classic rock radio playlist.

The current version of Skynyrd features guitarist Gary Rossington as its only remaining founding member, and Johnny Van Zant, brother of original vocalist Ronnie Van Zant on vocals. The farewell tour for the Southern rock icons continues, at least, through Nov. 30.

Metal legend Slayer says its 2019 tour is also its last.

Music fans got to catch a glimpse of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen’s five-necked beast of a guitar, hear some sounds of Rage Against the Machine during Dead Sara’s set, take in some hard blues rock from Black Stone Cherry and witness three guys in Nothing More abuse a bass on a rotating stand.

Plenty of mosh pits and crowd surfing

occurred at the heavy metal shows.

Exit 111 attendees experienced a slightly different climate from Bonnaroo, held in mid-June each year. The weather during the daytime shows was pleasant and sunny for the mid-October Exit 111, but the crowd had to make an effort to keep warm after the sun went down, with temperatures dipping into the low 40s as the headliners played.

The festival, which drew approximately 20,000 attendees each day, according to organizers, featured a large sports bar tent, where multiple large screens showed sporting events each day.

The Paranormal Cirque was another popular component of Exit 111. This show blended acrobatics, magic, comedy, burlesque and theatrics.

Guns N’ Roses, one of the monsters of rock, closed out the festival on the Great

Stage on Sunday, Oct. 13.

Many may find Axl Rose’s voice, as well as his personality, somewhat annoying, but the band’s 1991 Use Your Illusion double album is an absolute rock masterpiece.

As expected, the band played plenty of material from UYI—the popular “November Rain,” “Don’t Cry,” “Civil War,” “Estranged” (man, what a great song) and “Locomotive” (evidently, a live rarity for the band)—and seven tracks from Appetite for Destruction (“Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Rocket Queen”).

The band seems to exhibit a true respect for the history of rock ’n’ roll, performing material from a variety of other artists, some unexpected, at least to those unfamiliar with the prior setlists from the current GNR tour.

Guns N’ Roses played its well-known interpretation of “Live and Let Die,” which Sir Paul himself performed on that very same stage in 2013, as well as “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan and “Attitude” by The Misfits, all of which the band included on its major studio releases. Slash, one of the ultimate lead guitarists of all time, sent out some brief guitar references to Alice Cooper and Jimi Hendrix in between songs.

And covers of “Slither” by Velvet Revolver (a band that included GNR bassist Duff McKagan and Slash), “The Seeker” by The Who, “Wichita Lineman” (written by Jimmy Webb, recorded by Glen Campbell, among others) and “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden took some fans by surprise at a truly great show on the Great Stage to close the inaugural event.

Stay tuned to exit111festival.com for information on a 2020 Exit 111.

RIDENOUR STUDIOS PRESENTS AARON TIPPIN AT ITS “ALLEY” PERFORMANCE ON NOV. 7 IT’S A COUNTRY-HIT-FILLED NIGHT, tailor-made to be in tip-top shape for music fans: “Workin’ Man’s PhD” holder Aaron Tippin is taking to Park Avenue in the ’Boro with hits in hand, and he’s bringing friends and family along for the ride for a Thursday, Nov. 7, performance at Murfreesboro’s Ridenour Rehearsal Studios.

This acoustic concert takes place in Ridenour’s intimate venue space “The Alley,” which studio manager Michael Elliot calls “warm for all ages and any genre” and says that wherever you’re seated you’re never more than 25 feet from the stage.

Hear such hits as “My Blue Angel,” “There Ain’t Nothing Wrong with the Radio,” “Kiss This,” “I Got It Honest,” “You’ve Got to Stand for Something,” “Ready to Rock (In a Country Kind of Way),” “He Believed,” “That’s as Close as I’ll Get to Loving You” and more, up close and personal. Wife Thea and youngest son Tom will join Aaron at the show.

In 2015, Aaron celebrated 25 years in the music business and released Aaron Tippin 25, a twodisc collection of 25 songs with 10 newly recorded versions of his biggest hits as well as 15 brand new songs.

While his “Where the Stars and Stripes (and the Eagle Fly)” is an exhilarating soar, Aaron’s son Tom, who attended Siegel Middle and High School, is soaring to new heights, too—he soloed three planes on his 16th birthday and recently received his private pilot license at Murfreesboro Aviation.

Additionally, he’s signed with BMI (songwriting home to parents Aaron and Thea) for songwriting representation.

Opening the Nov. 7 show is Hayden Coffman, an Alan Jackson Road Show talent competition winner who earned the opportunity to play with the Grand Ole Opry house band and has opened shows across the US for Tracy Byrd, Confederate Railroad and Darryl Worley. Coffman’s debut EP is out now.

Hosting it all is revered radio personality, author and songwriter Devon O’Day (currently heard on 650 AM WSM). The show begins at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, with doors at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $85 for VIP, which includes preferred seating, meet-and-greet pass and a photo opportunity prior to the show. A snack bar and drinks will be available. This is one special appearance that you won’t want to “kiss goodbye.” So, see ya there!

For more information on the show, reach Ridenour at 615-956-7413. Find tickets to the Aaron Tippin show at Ridenour Rehearsal Studios on eventbrite.com.

— MELISSA COKER

Sounds

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BOOK OF SMO From the backroads to reality TV, Hick-Hop pioneer Smo’s back with a new album and a memoir

BY JON LITTLE

W

ith his patented, gravel-mouthed flow and rhymes about moonshine and muddin’, Big Smo, a large, hulking country boy from Shelbyville, Tennessee, made a name for himself in the largely urban world of hip-hop. More than that, he helped carve out a whole new lane.

Country rap, or hick-hop, as it’s sometimes called, is not the black sheep of the music industry it once was. In the form of tracks such as Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which topped the country, rap and pop charts, country rap has become mainstream.

But when Smo was driving around the South, placing his music in strangers’ hands, country rap didn’t even exist, either as a style or a marketing category. Back then, many people didn’t know what to make of his hard-nosed rhymes about bush hogging a field and cruising down backroads, but others knew exactly what he was talking about.

Though Smo insists he wasn’t trying to make anything new when he and his high school friend Ray Riddle, aka DJ Orig, were 12 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

toying with rapping over samples of country music, they were on the cutting edge.

“It’s really just instrumentation [that’s different with country rap]. The rap never really changed. Instead of in the hood you’re on the back road, but the story’s still the same,” Smo said. “It’s still hustling and partying, and having a good time.”

In 2014, after years of grinding it out in small clubs across the south, Smo catapulted into the national spotlight with his A&E reality TV show, Big Smo, and his major label debut, Kuntry Livin’, which reached number 9 on Billboard’s country album chart and number 3 on the rap chart.

As big as 2014 was for Smo, 2015 looked to see his star ascend even higher. He had a freshly-inked deal with Warner Music Nashville and the second season of his reality show was filmed and ready to air. But before March came to an end, everything had changed.

Chest pains staggered Smo. It got so bad, he couldn’t even walk across a room. A trip to the hospital and a few tests later, the worst

was confirmed: he needed quadruple bypass surgery.

“I was 39,” Smo said.

“I always thought I’d have a few more years. When I was younger I thought I wouldn’t live past 25.

And I lived like I wouldn’t live past 25. Then 26 came, and 27 and 39 rolls around and you can’t walk, your chest hurts.”

As soon as the doctor told him the news, that was it. He stopped smoking, left the moonshine alone, put the whiskey back on the shelf and kept it there. He even gave up his beloved bacon.

Thankfully the surgery went well, but Smo had a long recovery ahead of him.

“I got my second chance,” Smo said.

“And I feel it. . . . Now it’s all about ‘what are you gonna do with the time you have?’”

And what did Smo do? First, he followed the doctor’s orders. He focused on his health. He started exercising regularly and lost a hundred pounds, a move that inspired him to drop the “Big” from his stage moniker. And then he went back to the lab.

We the People was his “first sober album,” as he described it, and his last on Warner Music Nashville. It was a strong outing, but it didn’t chart. And in short order, Smo found himself without a record deal. But it wasn’t just the majors that left Smo in the lurch. His clean living saw him lose a number of close friends and business associates alike.

But Smo views the five years that have elapsed since his surgery as a blessing.

“Waking up from a life-threatening scare, that’s a real second chance. Now, it’s all about happiness. You cannot achieve happiness with money or success. I know that for a fact. If you’re not content with yourself, nothing outside that will ever be good. I tell people heart surgery is the best thing that’s happened to me. I’d do it again if it wasn’t so painful. Just for the reset.”

With this newfound sense of clarity and focus, Smo walked away from his TV show.

He realized it just wasn’t good for his family.

“I was oversharing,” he said, “letting people into the door of my home and sitting at the table with my kids and talking to my mom. If I knew what I know now, I probably never would have done it.”

It’s been five years since Smo’s surgery, and in many ways, he’s a new man. But on his new album, This One’s for You, he raps with the same hunger and passion that brought

him from the backwoods of Shelbyville to the center of country rap. On “Boss 2.0” and “Tear the Mud Up,” a collaborative effort with DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia, Smo shows that he’s not just a great country rapper, he’s a great rapper. Period.

Smo might have stepped away from the limelight, but with his natural charisma and a baritone that hits like a sledgehammer, This One’s for You makes one thing clear: Smo’s still a star. His weight may be down, but you’d be foolish to count him out.

From directing and editing videos to hawking barbecue sauce, Smo’s always kept his hands in a number of different pots. The past two years have been no different. When he wasn’t writing rhymes, he was working on his memoir with award-winning music biographer Jake Brown.

My Life in a Jar charts Smo’s years in the music business and his stint on TV, but it also offers readers a glimpse behind the scenes, touching on his rare skin condition and his time hustling on the streets, as well as a laundry list of career failures. Much like Smo himself, it’s arresting, endearing and funny, all at once. One of my favorite stories involved Smo standing atop a float in the Shelbyville Christmas parade, rapping his custom-penned “All I Want for Christmas Is My 6 Gold Teeth” over and over, 46 times in a row.

When asked about his willingness to try new things, be it rapping as Santa, writing a memoir or hawking Meat Mud, his line of barbecue sauce, Smo turned to metaphor.

“I like rolling the dice. I like going from the blackjack table to the roulette to the craps to the slot machine. We’re just going to play this whole thing to see what wins and what loses.

And what loses, we’ll try a different spin on it.

Every loss doesn’t have to shut you down. It can take you back to the drawing board.

“I mean, we can stop doing music today and start making pizza. I like making pizza,” he said. “It’s not about some level of success, some bank account. It’s just about happiness and the quality of my life, for whatever length that is. I could die tomorrow, but today, today I want to be happy.”

Smo’s new album and book are available at therealbigsmo.com. Check out his Youtube series Smo on the Go on the Youtube page, SmoMotionTV.

ALBUMS

FLUMMOX

THE SLOW DRAG

Intellectual Hooliganism, the fifth album by Murfreesboro rock quartet Flummox, finds the band exploring some interesting musical terrain.

Imagine Les Claypool’s giddily artsy Flying Frog Brigade meeting Tool on one of their darker days. Throw in some snippets of faux-poppy Zappa from his We’re Only in It for the Money era, sew it all up surgically tight à la King Crimson, and you’re about there.

Recorded at Studio D in Tullahoma, Flummox’s Intellectual Hooliganism is an intriguing listen. Progressive metal is the point of departure as well as the album’s common denominator.

Though the feverishly fast guitars and near semi-automatic drumming common to most metal are never far, Flummox spends a good deal of time mining more idiosyncratic musical veins.

And we can be thankful for that, for it is in these veins that Flummox most often strikes gold. And there’s quite a lot of gold to be had on Intellectual Hooliganism.

“What Are You Up To?” is a masterclass in off-kilter pop arrangement topped with lyrics as sardonically delicious as any Frank Zappa ever penned: I think you look like someone who lives on the blunt side of life . . . I’m speaking about what you’re bringing to the world by your way of life. The darkly-menacing bounce of “Alligator People” is wonderfully infectious, as are the jauntily buoyant verses on “A Bundle of Styx.”

In a world of 3-minute pop songs on Top 40 radio, Flummox’s mid-song pivots and nearmanic musical shapeshifting might, as its name suggests, perplex some listeners. Of course, many others will find such eclecticism refreshing. Fans of progressive metal should be especially pleased.

Buy or stream Intellectual Hooliganism at flummoxed.bandcamp.com.

— JON LITTLE

The tunes from The Slow Drag’s debut full-length album, Dope Tunage Vol. 1, would fit well on “adult contemporary” pop radio. While Austin James, the creative force behind (and lone member of ) The Slow Drag counts punk music among his influences, the sound leans toward the poppiest of punk and rock, with a cheerful singer-songwriter flavor.

James wrote, performed, recorded, produced and mixed the album. The instrumentation, while not complex, sounds high-quality, though the vocals are out front in the mix, emphasizing the songwriting.

The singer exhibits skilled vocals and a fairly elastic range, and The Slow Drag laces the songs with a calculated bit of “edge,” with careful doses of distortion and near-constant snare smacks on 2 and 4.

The mood comes across as a oddly bubblegummy for some of the darker lyrics, such as I (yai yai yai yai yai yai) got death on my mind (i i i i i ind), even though that one is slightly more haunting and minor than most others on the 12-track collection.

“Assassin” has a pleasing groove to it, with a great sax jam, by Peter Eddins, one of the only elements on the release not directly supplied by James.

A listener may find “God Roots for My Team” a clever concept, or blatant arrogance and sacrilege.

God roots for my team . . . We both agree on what’s not a sin, if it’s cool with me it’s cool with him, James sings. God thinks the same way, he does just what I say—one might suspect the song is a jab at people who believe they never do wrong in God’s eyes.

“Wildfires” makes for an interesting change of feel, with a more modern and trippy sound to it.

Overall, Dope Tunage Vol. 1 has some catchy hooks and choruses built for singing along. Its easygoing, throwback vibe falls somewhere in between Blink 182 and Phil Collins, and, while energetic can come across as a bit generic. Perhaps the lyrics on relationships and life will speak to some.

— BRACKEN MAYO

Intellectual Hooliganism

A CLASSIC OUTSTANDING

Dope Tunage Vol. 1

AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE

AVOID IT DEAD

Sounds

Read more about local music at

boropulse.com/category/music

Diverse Slate of Musicians Honored at Musicians Hall of Fame Induction in Nashville

BY STEVE MORLEY THE MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME, established in 2006, has quietly grown into a world-class attraction for music fans of all stripes. Spotlighting the contributions of the lesser-known studio musicians who labor behind the scenes, the downtown Nashville facility, located within the Municipal Auditorium, also contains plenty of familiar names such as Peter Frampton, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, progressive pop band Toto and The Eagles’ Don Felder.

The Hall recently called up a new class of inductees and staged a formidable concert at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Oct. 22. Prior to the show was a Medallion Ceremony for the inductees, and the Pulse was on hand. Here’s our nutshell overview (look for more at boropulse.com).

Honored posthumously was OWEN BRADLEY, one of the architects of Music Row and a talented pianist. “If you want to see the true expression of joy, go find a picture of him sittin’ behind a piano,” said Clay Bradley, who accepted a medallion on behalf of his grandfather. “He would be thrilled to be going into the Musicians Hall of Fame.”

Grammy-winning artist STEVE WARINER is one of five guitarists to have been awarded legendary guitarist Chet Atkins’ exclusive accolade, “Certified Guitar Player.”

Says Wariner, “Chet was just such a big part of my life and what I did, bringing me along and giving me a lot of chances. I was with him on some cool things.” Wariner describes his career as “a dream come true. And I tell young people that. I tell ’em, take chances and don’t be afraid to dream big, ’cause if it can happen for me, a little kid from a small town in Indiana, it can happen for anybody.”

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Oft-recorded session drummer EDDIE BAYERS was inducted as part of a tight-knit cadre of Nashville session musicians known collectively as “The Players.” “Musically, there’s so many great records that I played on, and they’ve been cross-genre, I mean from [Peter] Frampton, [Bob] Seger, [Mark] Knopfler, George Strait, Alan Jackson, The Judds . . . they’re all just as great as each other, you know? So I just appreciate this. It’s wonderful.

“For some reason [the Hall] has got this stigma, since it’s in Nashville, Tennessee, that it’s country. But . . . it’s cross-genre all the way.

So, to be in that same company is everything . . . we’re all thrilled, absolutely thrilled.”

Bayers’ co-honoree JOHN HOBBS added that “in Japan, for some reason, they pay attention to who plays on all the records. So when The Players went over there to tour, they all knew about everything we’d already done, which is really different. [The induction] is wonderful, and it’s particularly sweet to go in as a group with these guys, because we were really like brothers, we worked so closely together. And actually to be in the same category as FELIX CAVALIERE, I

mean, my God . . . [laughs] It’s pretty good company to be in, I’ve gotta say.”

Cavaliere was perhaps the brightest star of the event, having written and recorded some of the most memorable singles of the 1960s: “Groovin’,” “A Beautiful Morning” and “People Got to Be Free,” all of which he performed that evening, capped with the highenergy perennial “Good Lovin’,” spotlighting Cavaliere’s incendiary Hammond organ work.

Bassist NORBERT PUTNAM began his career in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, but soon became a first-call studio player in Nashville, as did his Shoals studio companions David Briggs (piano) and Jerry Carrigan (drums), bringing a dose of Southern soul to Music Row. Putnam, honored along with the aforementioned musicians, spoke with the Pulse.

“As you know, when the CD came in, they didn’t have enough print space to put the names of the players, but they only started doing it on an LP around the late 1960s. And of course that allowed some of us to obtain a lot of fans around the world. But this honor here tonight, that’s the premier honor for a studio guy, you know? The only way you get Clockwise, from top left: Alabama PHOTO BY ROYCE DEGRIE

Eddie Bayers, Steve Wariner and Michael Rhodes PHOTO BY JOHNATHAN PUSHKAR

Norbert Putman speaks with Steve Morley PHOTO BY JOHNATHAN PUSHKAR

Felix Cavaliere and Paul Shaffer PHOTO BY ROYCE DEGRIE

in this thing is you have to be nominated by your peers. And now, I’ll be able to nominate others . . . I’m excited about that, because there are still so many great players.”

The Hall’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to record-breaking country-pop charttoppers ALABAMA, whose acclaim as a vocal group can overshadow their musicianship, the reason for this particular honor.

Alabama bassist TEDDY GENTRY, speaking to the Pulse, said, “It’s a great honor. When you’re in a band you’ve got to play your own music. That’s at least half of it, so we’re honored to be recognized with the musicians too.” Added multi-instrumentalist Jeff Cook, “We loved to play our own music, and we got a chance to do that.”

Randy Owen, guitarist and lead vocalist, recalled that he “worked on that intro lick for ‘Mountain Music’ for probably a month, and finally got it like I liked it. It’s so cool now, after all these years, I hit those licks and people know those licks. That’s the rewarding part . . . you’re gettin’ the music effect, you’re gettin’ the song effect, and hopefully it makes a difference to the audience.”

Living

U

pon meeting Middle Tennessee resident and U.S. Army combat helicopter pilot veteran Stan Corvin Jr., he immediately struck me as the kind of guy you’d want as your next-door neighbor. His amicable demeanor and cordiality suggested a kindness that goes well beyond obligatory pleasantries, while at the same time, a rare and intriguing sort of wisdom revealed itself through his eyes, and in the way that he carried himself. The story behind the man dwarfed my simple little initial assessment.

During our time together, I was hoping to gain a greater insight into his military career and war experience, in preparation for paying tribute to the sacrifices of war heroes that afford us our daily freedoms on Veterans Day, observed each November.

Instead, we spoke about life. We spoke about struggles and triumphs. We spoke of how our greatest weakness can be used to pave the way for our greatest strengths. We spoke of humanity, spirituality, compassion and love. By the end of our lunch, I felt more like I’d attended a church service than spent time in the presence of a war hero.

Before we parted, he’d kindly offered me a signed autobiography that he’d written about his life in the military, and I decided that, if I was going to write an appropriate veteran’s tribute about this man, I’d have to read it first.

While in some ways, it is obvious that the man I’d met and the man in the book are one and the same, in other ways they are worlds apart. I realized that by having now met both, I’d been given a great insight

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The Unsung Hero Stan Corvin Jr.’s time in Vietnam and transition into civilian life one of many local veteran stories

BY ANGELA LOUPE into the resilience, determination, courage and vulnerability of being a United States soldier, and the extraordinary amount of redemption that grace can offer.

Stan Corvin Jr. is fearless. When other people are heading away from danger, he runs straight to it. He doesn’t do so lightly, or with delusions of grandeur. He doesn’t think about the glory, or the cost. He only knows what’s inside of him, and he has a remarkable ease in translating it.

In his book, Vietnam Saga: Exploits of a Combat Helicopter Pilot, Corvin tells that he began serving his time in the Vietnam War in a unit called the Rattlers. This assignment’s primary mission was in delivering food, ammo and mail for troops living on fire support bases. During that time, he’d noticed a company of helicopters that were part of a hunter/killer group called the Warlords. When he asked about them, all the pilots agreed that their type of flying was “the most dangerous type of flying in Vietnam.”

Shortly thereafter, Corvin convinced the commanding officer to request his transfer into that unit. Corvin had had a relatively safe job “flying slicks,” and yet, despite at-

tempts to convince him how dangerous and difficult the missions were, he’d personally petitioned to enter into the deadliest position available. Because two of the only three pilots in the company that were qualified to continuously fly the Hunter/Killer missions had died, they were in need of recruits, and so the transfer was made.

Much of the rest of the book is an exquisitely poignant recollection of the experiences and escapades that culminated from this intrepid resolve. Corvin communicates tales of the grotesque depravities of humanity that skim the surfaces of hell, to lighthearted anecdotes that give much-needed comic relief amidst the harrowing atrocities. In one instance, a deep insight into his psyche is unveiled as he appropriately quotes Aldous Huxley while recounting with a sickening horror the brutality he witnessed in the aftermath of an entire village of American sympathizers who had been treacherously tormented and mercilessly massacred for their treason.

He states that the only description that he can accurately muster is to describe it as, “Satan’s playground: straight out of hell!”

Then, when you’re at the height of anxiety, Corvin changes gears and coaxes the tears to laughter as he explains the “friendly fire” award he received when he once flew very close to the ground, firing upon a rocky area and sustaining heavy damage to his aircraft as the resulting ricochets of the bullets he’d fired rebounded back onto his craft.

He disillusions us from embracing Hollywood movies such as Predator, in which he disqualifies specific maneuvers as “fantasy” with the kind of matter-of-fact attitude that can only be relayed by someone who truly knows the difference. I thought about this distinction as I read his book, realizing that this guy Corvin is a real-life Rambo. He is the kind of guy that inspires movie scripts and the re-telling of stories.

What seems unrealistic to me at times in movies—the seemingly impossible odds, the resonating resilience and the untouch-

able resolve—these characteristics truly do have human faces behind them, and Stan Corvin Jr. is their poster child.

This story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning what happened between the man in the book and the man that I met. So how did the man from the book, this great American War Hero who fearlessly flew in the face of adversity come to be this well-adjusted man I’d met? The lunch I shared with Corvin was conspicuously free of many details of war. Sure, he’d mentioned it, but not with the same passion and tenacity that he expounded upon in his book, and with good reason. He’s closed that chapter.

In June of 1980, Stan had been a civilian for many years, was a single father, was a successful businessman and found himself with a bottle-of-gin-a-day habit. Although he’d never been religious, he decided to get down on his knees one evening and pray for help. The ghosts of his past were haunting him, whether consciously or subconsciously.

This great war hero who could stare into the eyes of evil without flinching was having a difficult time adjusting to healthy civilian life. He’d used alcohol sporadically throughout his life to desensitize himself to his demons, which had worked for a while but was now causing him to self-destruct, a luxury a single father couldn’t afford. He recalls that evening how he’d gotten on his knees

and prayed to God for help. A simple prayer.

Nothing happened. He got up, finished the rest of the bottle of gin he’d been drinking, and went to bed. Less than a week later, his world was turned upside down as concerned friends staged an intervention and he found himself in rehab. He wasn’t happy about it, and he tried to fight it for a few days. However, one day, he was sitting in the chapel,

wondering how things had gotten to this, when he recalled earlier that week having gotten down on his knees to ask for help.

Immediately, he felt the warmth of the love of God pour out on Him and he was changed in an instant. He never drank again, nor ever desired to. Slowly, his life began to turn around, and today he helps other veterans who struggle with alcoholism to learn about

the peace that can be found in surrendering to the truth of God’s love.

His story is a roller coaster of tragedy, triumph, victory, defeat and redemption. He has left his testimony of the past in the past when he wrote his Vietnam Saga, which is why you won’t meet the same man from the book when you meet him in person. While that person still exists somewhere in the recesses, he has laid him to rest. He now reveals with certainty that his mission is to love his wife and other people.

I think about Stan, and his valiant life, his noble sacrifices and the exorbitant cost of liberty. I think about how Americans now have an entirely new generation coming into adulthood who weren’t alive at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks, and whose ideas and perspectives of war are typically only experienced through the lens of history books. I realize how very important these war stories and heroes are. I realize how truly blessed we are as a nation. I have a broader reverence for words that I’ve always treasured, spoken many years ago by Benjamin Franklin: “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” And I now understand why Corvin has both.

For more information on Stan Corvin Jr. and Vietnam Saga visit vietnamsaga.com.

Living

Farmers Market Education Series

BY EDWINA SHANNON

Fall

Cleaning Opt for Lemon, Vinegar and Other Natural Cleaning Products

– Keep lids tightly closed and containers in a locked cabinet, if possible.

– Keep cleaning products away from food.

– Never dump unused product down storm drains, in catch basins, creeks or rivers.

– Read the label for proper disposal instructions of each product.

You can always use the stated hazards as a reason not to clean. If so, expect visits from creatures that will appreciate the dirt and debris. Hoping that you do not want to invite in ants, roaches and rodents to wallow in your dirt, let us look at alternates that do work in keeping the place clean.

Many of these alternates are not only safer but also cost less. They may remind you of cleaner methods that your granny used.

18 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

through skin—wear gloves. Use extreme care not to get splashed or have any drops get in your eye. Be especially leery of using products with NMP (n-methyl pyrrolidone) found in carpet, upholstery and metal cleaners. Potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide found in oven cleaners and drain openers can cause blindness if carelessly used. Both hydrochloric and phosphoric acid can be found in some toilet bowl cleaners. They, too, can cause blindness.

Skin absorbing poisons like the glycol ethers (butoxyethanol) are found in general purpose, glass and floor cleaners. Solvents like butoxyethanol do work, but these chemicals that should be used with goggles, gloves and plenty of fresh air. Typically, retail scourers contain silica or chlorine bleach. It takes a very small amount of silicone dust to create a problem for the lungs.

Safety Tips – Get the material safety data sheet for info on the chemicals used to determine toxicity.

Use extreme care when using toxic products.

– More is not always better—use the prescribed amount.

– Use products in well ventilated areas without children, elderly or pets in proximity.

Some cleaners can irritate skin lungs or eyes.

– Don’t clean and cook at the same time.

– Wear protective clothing and then wash it separately from your regular wash.

– Never mix products containing chlorine bleach with products containing ammonia or acid. These mixtures can create a poisonous and lethal gas.

– Keep products in original containers.

GLASS CLEANERS

For windows, remove greasy fingerprints with 1 tsp. lemon juice mixed with 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Heavy grime can be removed with ¼ cup vinegar with water in a spray bottle and scrubbed with a nylon scrubbing pad. Glass can typically be washed with water and wiped clean with newsprint.

Gloves will keep the print off your hands.

If there is streaking, the product is too strong. Add water and wash in the shade.

Direct sunlight can also cause streaking.

Homemade glass cleaner works well on chrome, porcelain and stainless steel, too.

OVEN CLEANING

Alternative Cleaning Products FALL, GLORIOUS FALL. Along with spectacular colors and leaves that need collecting, there is that expected and necessary “fall cleaning.” Why would a gardening column talk about fall cleaning? Well, where does the debris from the cleaning go? Down the drain . . . and into municipal piping that goes . . . where? Town creeks, fishing rivers, water supplies? Or down the drain and out into your own septic area?

Some household cleaning products can be hazardous. Many should not be flushed down the drain or disposed of in your trash. You may want to read the recommendation on the product label for the empty container. It is common for the manufacturer to recommend the container, with or without product, be disposed of only at HazMat Collection Day in an attempt to keep the product out of the landfill.

Have you read the label on your cleaning products? Look for these words: Caution. Warning. Danger. The words are on the container to alert the consumer to the degree of toxicity in the immediate use of the product. The hazard could be fumes, improper mixing, absorption or ingestion by humans or animals.

Products with the “Caution” identity label are least toxic. The “Danger” warning label indicates the highest toxicity. The toxicity reflects immediate potential hazards.

Long-term hazards to humans or the environment are typically not indicated. Those long-term hazards include chemicals that are suspect in causing birth defects, kidney and liver damage, cancer or lung disease.

Some of the hazards enter a human body

wool. Test before you use, as you do not want to break the finished surface of a pan.

Rinse with vinegar and dry with a cloth.

First, homemade products should be labeled with a list of ingredients in the mixture. Avoid using used food and drink containers for homemade solutions. The container is often misidentified (usually by children) as a drink container and is a common cause of poisoning. Keep the mixtures in a child-resistant container out of reach of children and pets, and locked up. Try to avoid using dairy products, as they may encourage bacterial growth. After mixing your solution, test a small, inconspicuous area first to see if the results are satisfactory.

Recipes for many homemade cleaning products can be found online. As a standard, vinegar and lemon juice are common ingredients. All-purpose cleaners can be used for counters, cabinets, stovetops and other general areas. Get vegetable-based dishwashing or liquid soap (such as castile soap).

GENERAL CLEANER

To 8 ounces of water in a spray bottle, add ¼ to 1 tsp. of castile soap. Use a sponge or cloth to clean. Wipe dry.

STRONGER GENERAL CLEANER

Combine 1 part white vinegar to 9 parts of warm water. Use more vinegar for a stronger solution. Use a sponge for application.

Or, sprinkle baking soda on area and scrub with a wet sponge. If a residue is left, rinse with a cold vinegar wash. Dry with a cloth.

REMOVE STAINS

For stains on counters, squeeze fresh lemon juice on the stain and let it sit for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with baking soda and rub with a sponge.

SCOURING CLEANSERS

Make a paste of baking soda and liquid soap. Scrub with a damp, white nylon scrubbing pad, soft cloth, sponge or very fine steel

For lightly soiled ovens, make a thick paste of baking soda and water. Scrub well with a nylon scrubber. Add liquid soap if the oven is greasy. If the oven has challenging areas, use a very fine steel wool to remove spots. A wet pumice bar can be used to remove the most difficult stains. Be careful not to scratch the surface.

TOILET BOWLS

To clean, scrub with baking soda and/or liquid soap. To remove stains, pour ¼ cup of Borax into the bowl and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Scrub. Flush. Mineral deposits can be removed with a bar of cleaning pumice (beware of scratching).

CARPETS AND UPHOLSTERY

Vacuum frequently. Remove spills ASAP with method appropriate for whatever was spilled. Occasionally steam clean. Stay away from cleaners with the perchloroethylene.

It is a carcinogen with no effective way to protect yourself from its harmful effects.

METAL POLISHES

For copper or brass, saturate a sponge with vinegar or lemon juice. Sprinkle salt on the sponge and rub. Rinse well and dry.

Be sure all salt has been removed to avoid corrosion. Silver can be rubbed with toothpaste. Rinse with warm water, and dry.

Use liquid soap on chrome first to remove grease. Then it can be wiped down with diluted vinegar. Dry with cloth to polish.

Over-the-counter products with dlimonene are not toxic or hazardous but do pose a problem for those with an allergy to citrus. Amine oxide and methyl soyate products need to be used with care.

Now, go outside and collect the leaves for your compost, your gardens, for use as ground cover near trees or to become layers in a garden lasagna.

Listener Supported Public Radio

Living

SPOTLIGHT ON NONPROFIT

BY LAURA LINDSAY

OVER THE PAST YEAR, a Tennessee organization has begun to change the process of placing children into foster care in an effort to make the transition smoother and more comfortable for the children.

Sponsored solely by individual donations of time and money, homes are springing up in Tennessee communities where children can go instead of sitting in a Department of Children’s Services office to wait until they are placed with foster families.

Isaiah 117 House is a nonprofit with a mission to provide a temporary house that is a comfortable place for children, and now the group is raising funds to purchase and start a home in Rutherford County.

“It’s just a home, with a backyard, a playground, snacks, comfy blankets, a bathtub to get cleaned up . . . so the kids get what they need and feel comfortable while they wait for a foster family,” said AlLee Dauenhauer , program coordinator of Isaiah 117 House Rutherford County.

“We are changing what it looks like when a child enters foster care,” Dauenhauer said.

“When children are removed from their home, they are removed from their family, pets and everything. It could be a few hours or overnight while they wait for a foster family. That’s really hard for the kids, and it is also hard for DCS case workers because they have a lot of paperwork to do while also caring for a kid who is under a really hard time. The DCS worker has to feed them, and they might have to go purchase lunches or diapers for a baby.

“With our help, it’s a better situation. A volunteer hangs out with the child while the case worker is able to focus on the paperwork to place the child with a foster family sooner.”

Isaiah 117 House opened its first house in Elizabethon, Tennessee, in 2018, and is working on eight more houses in Tennessee, including one in Murfreesboro and in Coffee, Franklin and Grundy counties, as well as another house in Indiana. The local DCS staff seems very supportive of this effort.

“I can’t say enough on how much Isaiah 117 House in Rutherford County would mean to the Department of Children’s Services,” said Taminko Amuzu, Rutherford County Team Coordinator at DCS. “Helen Keller wrote: ‘Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.’ The hard work, dedication and effort to bring a much needed 20 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. — Isaiah 1:17, KJV

Isaiah 117 House Organization aims to provide loving, comfy, spot for foster children in transition

resource to the community of Rutherford County is unbelievable,” Amuzu said. “Isaiah 117 House will serve as a place for foster children to go while waiting on a placement instead of an office setting. Not only will Isaiah House 117 provide that safe, nurturing and welcoming environment to our youth, it will also provide a work place for our staff to be productive in their work and still be present for that child in our care.”

Isaiah 117 House founder Ronda Paulson started her organization to create a place where these children know they are loved.

“This is my dream for the Isaiah 117 House,” Paulson said about her mission.

“Isaiah 1:17 says, ‘defend the cause of the

fatherless.’ I believe that is what God is calling me to do. I see a home with a girl’s bathroom, a boy’s bedroom, fully stocked bathroom, playroom, nursery . . . I see a team of volunteers, two at a time, on call to greet ‘the least of these’ when they need love the most.”

Children can get baths, nice clothes and warm blankets, Dauenhauer said. Some children are removed from unsanitary and unhealthy living conditions, and these children are assisted with whatever they need at Isaiah House.

They are finding that foster families also feel this support. She said sometimes a foster family gets a call such as, “we have three kids, they all have lice and we want to

bring them to your house.”

If the children go to the Isaiah 117 House first, they can get a lice treatment, take a bath and have dinner.

“Then the call to the foster family sounds like, ‘We have three kids. They are at Isaiah House. They have already had a lice treatment, they are in pajamas, fed and ready for bed. The foster family is quicker to say yes.”

To make this happen, Isaiah 117 House needs help from community members, whether that means going to one their monthly meetings to offer ideas, providing contracted services on the construction of the house or donating financially.

They have raised $10,000 with lemonade stands and T-shirt sales. Their goal is to raise $150,000 toward a house purchase, said fundraising chair Bryanna Bell. This will not be enough to purchase a house at market price, but may be enough to get a house. A house in another county was donated in part, at a lower price, and in another case a land donation was made, where a house was built.

Isaiah 117 House will have a big fundraising luncheon on Friday, Dec. 6 from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Patterson Park Community Center. It is free to attend and volunteers are needed to host tables. Table hosts are asked to invite 8 to 10 of their friends, said luncheon chair, Melissa Anesi. At the end of the lunch, guests will be asked to donate.

“No matter how much you can afford to donate, we want you to come and learn more about the house,” she said.

“Isaiah 117 House exists to reduce trauma for children on the day of removal, to come alongside caseworkers and be an extra set of hands, and to ease the transition for future foster parents,” Paulson said. “We are striving to change the way foster care begins. We are currently working to make the community aware of this need, and we ask for their help in making the dream of a Rutherford County Isaiah 117 House a reality.”

For more information on Isaiah 117 House and its expansion meetings, visit isaiah117house.com or the Isaiah 117 House Facebook page or contact AlLee Dauenhauer at allee@isaiah117house.com.

Living

TRAVEL

Old Stone Fort Nearby solstice ceremonial site surrounded by river waterfalls

BY BRACKEN MAYO FOR A FUN DAY TRIP from Murfreesboro, take advantage of one of Tennessee’s many fine state parks and spend some time in nature and venture to Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park, located just outside of Manchester, Tennessee, where the Little Duck River joins the Duck River.

The site offers lots of scenic views and good places to wade in the rivers at Blue Hole Falls, Big Falls and Step Falls, camping, picnic areas, a playground, boat access and plenty of hiking.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, according to tnstateparks.com, on a plateau betwixt the two rivers, mound builders constructed lines of earthen mounds, forming a perimeter around an area approximately 1.5 miles in circumference. A large open, flat field sits In the center of this “ancient enclosure,” while the outer edge of the boundary contains more trees.

Steep hillsides in many areas just outside

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of the enclosure line fall sharply into the river below.

When European settlers first arrived to this area, now part of Coffee County, Tennessee, they judged the area to be a sort of fort. Later research, however, suggests that the builders of the earthworks intended the ancient site for ceremonial and social gathering purposes and not necessarily as a strategic military stronghold, as Tennessee State Park literature goes on to state.

Enterprising settlers used the power of the rivers to power mills and small factories, but in 1966 the state of Tennessee purchased the land. Today, the state preserves it as one of two archaeological parks in Tennessee (the other being at Pinson Mounds near Jackson), for all hikers, campers and sightseers to enjoy.

“The main hiking trail follows the wall of Old Stone Fort, which was used by the Native Americans as a ceremonial gathering

place. The trail threads through dramatic scenery where you can see the original entrance of the fort, which was designed to face the exact spot on the horizon where the sun rises during the summer solstice,” according to tnstateparks.com.

Those who built the earthworks lived during the Middle Woodland Period, sometime between the years 0 and 500 A.D., and belonged to what historians refer to today as the Hopewell cultures, various tribes and villages of people who lived predominantly near major waterways in what is now the eastern part of the United States.

Those who built the walls and mounds in Tennessee were part of a society similar to the civilization that created the Hopewell Mounds in Ohio around the same time.

Researchers remember these people—who, for a time, traveled extensively using the rivers and traded with one another—for their ornate carvings.

Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park now contains a small museum with information about theories on the ancient people who constructed the mounds and earthworks in the area. Also available are artifacts, books and a video presentation on the time period involved.

The enclosure trail loop makes for a nice 1.4-mile hike, not of incredibly high difficulty,

but traveling quite close to extremely steep drop-offs in places where the rivers drop in elevation as they get closer to joining.

The remains of a 19th-century mill sit just off of the trail, not far from the museum (traveling counterclockwise).

Although this mill is nearly 200 years old, it is very modern compared to the ancient earthworks on the site.

Other offshoots of this primary trail offer an additional two miles of hiking opportunities, while across the Duck River, around the campground area, visitors can find 1.6 miles more of trail hiking.

Some birdwatchers say the variety of ecosystems in the park—the grassy area within the enclosure, the wooded areas and the rivers and marshier lands—make excellent spots for catching a glimpse of many different types of birds: wrens, sparrows, goldfinches, hawks, meadowlarks, crows, chickadees, robins, woodpeckers, thrashers, kingbirds, doves, herons, warblers, ducks, vultures, cuckoos, mockingbirds, swallows, orioles, owls and others fly in to use the park themselves.

There is no charge to park and visit Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park.

Bring the kids, bring a picnic, bring your dog. Campsites are $25 per night. For more information, visit tnstateparks.com.

Art

Hickerson Woodworks

 EVENTS

Stones River Craft Association Presents Annual Art Studio Tour Nov. 23 and 24 Ideas About Time: Baldwin Photographic Gallery Shows Work of Mark Klett THROUGH NOV. 15, the Baldwin Photographic Gallery at MTSU will display Mark Klett: Ideas About Time, featuring nearly 50 works from several photographic projects created by Klett individually or collaboratively over the last 35 years.

A renowned photographer and educator, Klett is interested in works that respond to historic images, exploring the language of photographic media through technology, and creating projects that explore relationships between time, change and perception.

Klett’s background includes working as a geologist before turning to photography. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the Japan/US Friendship Commission.

His work has been exhibited and published in the U.S. and internationally for over 35 years and is held in over 80 museum collections worldwide. He is the author or coauthor of 15 books. Klett now lives in Tempe, Arizona, where he is Regents’ Professor of Art at Arizona State University.

In all of his projects, time has been a recurring theme. Klett and his team would locate the position and perspective of an original historic image from the late 1800s, determine its time of day and season to best match lighting conditions and then make a photograph in present time. Twenty years later, Klett rephotographed these sites again for the Third View Project. Continued collaborations, explorations and new media applications expanded Klett’s notions of time, and the work continues to evolve.

In addition to the Rephotographic Project and the Third View Project, projects represented in the MTSU exhibition include Yosemite in Time, After the Ruins, Saguaro Portraits: Desert Citizens, Reconstructing the View, The Enola Gay Series and El Camino del Diablo.

The Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in Room 269 in the John Bragg College of Media and Entertainment Building at MTSU. Hours are 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on weekdays when university classes are in session.

For more information, contact jackie.heigle@mtsu.edu or 615-904-8458.

THE ART STUDIO TOUR, presented by the Stones River Craft Association, returns for its 26th year on Saturday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Local craft artists of Rutherford County will open their studios to the public offering a unique selection of artwork and demonstrations. This free community event showcases the area’s finest forged iron, pottery, stained glass, weaving, woodwork, fine jewelry and functional home accessories.

The free self-driven tour will include nine stops across Rutherford County featuring artists such as Bill and Judy Heim of Red Oak Pottery, Logan Hickerson of Hickerson Studio S Pottery Woodworks, Eva Berg of Everich Farms and others.

Each stop will feature guest artists including encaustic and fiber artist Becky Dickovitch, mosaic artist Lynn Driver and woodworker Henry Phillips. The newest stop on the tour is the studio of former guest artists Richard and Kathryn Spry of Chimes for Justice. Guests will enjoy demonstrations from artists with decades of experience and get an up-close look into how working artists make their beautiful creations.

FULL LIST OF PARTICIPATING STUDIOS 

Elizabeth Bray Jewelry

24 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Art Murfreesboro Murals Art-friendly or art fascists?

Be careful what you paint outdoors.

BY BRACKEN MAYO THE CITY OF MURFREESBORO and Building and Codes Department officials have taken a recent interest in murals painted on the walls of businesses.

A press release sent by city staff in October included comments from Robert Holtz, Director of Murfreesboro Building and Codes: “Murals can be interesting and enjoyable, even help define a community and encourage artistic expression and conversation,” Holtz said, also encouraging artists to stay within the lines of local ordinances when creating their artwork on outside walls of businesses. The city even helped promote a community mural project on the exterior wall of a Vine Street business through official city channels.

Some took this as a sign that Murfreesboro was becoming more welcoming of original paintings on buildings, more “art friendly.” However, one local business owner didn’t find city officials to be very art-friendly after being served with a notice that a mural—one that has been on his building for 25 years—was in violation of city ordinance.

Thor’s, on Medical Center Parkway, which sells model trains and handcrafted furniture, had an artist come out in the mid-1990s to paint a train station scene on its exterior wall, according to business owner Thor Rankin.

In October 2019, the building owner, Dr. Jerry Compton (a dentist who practices in a building nearby, who has leased the Thor’s building to the Rankin family for decades) received a letter from Murfreesboro Building and Codes, stating that the mural was in violation of the sign ordinance.

This letter threatened that the city “may cause the sign to be removed AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OWNER(S), AGENTS(S), OR PERSON(S) having a beneficial interest in the building on premises on which the sign is located,” and threatened fines, a citation to city court and payment of court costs.

Thor’s crime: having a mural on the front of his building.

The sign ordinance does indeed contain a section (Murfreesboro, Tennessee – Code 26 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

“People from all over the world have enjoyed it.” of Ordinances, Section 25.2-25(D)(17), in fact) that prohibits “Murals on the front or on more than two elevations of a building” and specifies that a mural should contain “no advertising material.”

But Rankin wonders why the city codes officials would come after his little business 25 years after the mural had been painted.

“All these years, and it’s never been vandalized. And look who vandalizes it—the city! The people who should know better,” Rankin says. “It’s bullying.”

Numerous kids, probably in the thousands, Rankin estimates, have had their picture taken with the mural over the years

and have enjoyed seeing the scene of the train station.

“People from all over the world have enjoyed it,” he said. “I don’t give [the city] any trouble. I’m just a little guy selling porch rockers and Lionel trains. This is just out-and-out being mean.”

Being a small business owner, Rankin simply didn’t have the time and the resources to neglect the daily operations of the business to try and keep the mural, painted by Dan Hosse.

“Any time you go to court it costs a bunch of money,” Rankin says.

So he painted over it with a solid color.

He didn’t want this matter to be a distraction as he entered the holiday shopping season, he didn’t want to cause any trouble for his landlord or with Building and Codes, and he certainly didn’t want to pay any fines or court costs.

“Mom and Dad are dead and gone, but they would have gone down there and argued with them,” Rankin said. “But you can’t fight city hall.”

Many observers in Murfreesboro found it outrageous that the government would require a law-abiding business owner to paint over his “beautiful train mural,” as CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

T.J. Compton, wife of Dr. Compton and building owner, said.

Leanne Alsup calls it “unbelievable” that local government officials would spend their resources telling business owners to paint over their art.

Other area residents find it “stupid,” “not right.”

“Will there ever be common sense?” T.J. Compton asked. “The mural has been there for 20 years and was a professional painting. I do not know the reason for this mural being offensive. I do know that ‘someone’ in our city made the unilateral decision to destroy it. There is too much power and too little regulation of those who are in power.

“That’s our tax dollars at work . . . makes a statement about the brains of our government officials,” Compton said.

While the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution does offer some protection of personal expression through art, Ken Paulson, Director of the Free Speech Center at MTSU, says that consistent enforcement of sign ordinances and similar codes is legal, and in the case of Thor’s train mural, taking the issue to court on Constitutional grounds “would be an uphill battle for the business owner.”

“Signage can be regulated by the government because [protection of ] commercial speech is not as robust as political speech,” Paulson said. “In this instance, the images are pretty tightly integrated into the business’ theme. I suspect most Murfreesboro residents found the display to be charming, but that wouldn’t help the owner in court.”

Murfreesboro government officials say they do not pick and choose which murals are allowed based on their personal taste or the quality of the artwork, they simply follow the instructions set forth in the sign ordinance and other local laws.

“The City supports the creative initiative of Murfreesboro artists, but regulations do apply,” according to City of Murfreesboro Public Information Director Michael Browning. “The City seeks to work with artists to help beautify the city, within the confines of the Murfreesboro Sign Ordinance.”

Holtz reaffirms that “murals cannot be on the fronts of a building, cannot be on more than two walls and cannot contain commercial advertising.”

He notes that the “front” is defined as a “portion of the building that contains a main entrance,” regardless if that side of a building faces a roadway. So some other existing murals may be safe, even if they are visible from the street, as long as they are not on the side of a building that contains a main entrance.

He did add that his department is “in the process of sending a notice of violation for a mural that contains advertising.”

If a painted piece includes words and graphics that depict a service or product that is offered at the business, it would fall under the regulation of the Murfreesboro Sign Ordinance.

“Murals that contain advertising would be considered a sign and, in some cases, be allowed if they meet the requirements of the sign ordinance. A good example is Garage Barre at the corner of Vine and Broad street,” Holtz said. “The bicycle wheel with ‘GB’ in the middle of it is a sign. The owner applied for a sign permit and it was issued once we determined it complied with the sign ordinance and the fees were paid.”

Holtz says that his staff is available to review plans for a mural with local artists, prior to any work being done.

“We are asking that artists planning a mural submit a drawing of the mural to the City Building and Codes Department and the location it will be placed,” Holtz said.

“We will review the drawing to determine if it is a sign or not. If we determine it is not a sign, then a permit will not be required.”

The City Code specifically states that “Nothing herein shall prohibit noncommercial speech,” and that it does not regulate “Public Art” or “Murals on a side or rear wall.”

Justin Frazier, a local art fan, says he enjoys seeing colorful murals going up around Murfreesboro, but commented, when considering that Thor’s longstanding mural was ordered removed while other larger murals down the street go up, “I definitely agree that the politics behind it is hypocritical.”

Hosse, who created the mural along with his wife, Sandy, said “I don’t really understand why [the mural had to go] . . . but I’m not going to make a big deal about it like the guy at Vanderbilt,” referring to an incident earlier in 2019 when a mural created by Michael Cooper on West End in Nashville depicting the Vanderbilt sports coaches was painted over without the artist’s knowledge.

Hosse said he feels that in some cases governments can be “too restrictive with what people can do with their own property,” but he knows that murals don’t last forever.

“I expect it when a business changes hands or renovates,” said Hosse, who has painted numerous area murals. And his train scene at Thor’s endured far longer than did his mural at the long-gone Murfreesboro establishment Puffin’ Billys.

Find the Murfreesboro sign ordinance and information on local regulations at murfreesborotn.gov; artists or businesses planning a mural can contact Murfreesboro Building and Codes at 615-8933750. Although the storefront is a little more plain, Thor’s remains at 416 Medical Center Pkwy., ready to serve the furniture and model train needs of Murfreesboro.

BOROPULSE.COM

* NOVEMBER 2019 * 29

Art

 POETRY

 THEATER

The Fantasticks Comes to Center for the Arts

Sugar and Spicy Murfreesboro poet Kory Wells releases Sugar Fix collection

BY ANGELA LOUPE THINK POETRY, and you’re likely to conjure up something vastly different from what the guy next to you does. Poetry, like so many other lovely things in life, comes in all different shapes, sizes and styles. While some might associate poetry with dead guys speaking Old English while donning ruffled collars, or with song lyrics that they sing along to (though they “don’t know what it means”), there are many different varieties and genres of poetry to be discovered, often times without the label of poetry ever even being ascribed.

Poets of old have much in common with modern poets, in that they experience the world around them with a kind of lucidity that others don’t seem to possess.

Their vivid recollection of events and their meticulous attention to details (mixed with their ever-expanding vocabulary) facilitates a medium which connects them to an extensive array of readers who all seem to have lived through the exact same experiences, to some degree or another.

Kory Wells, a fellow Murfreesboro Pulse writer, is one such poet. Her newest book, Sugar Fix, takes readers on a journey in much the same way that a novel does.

While her poems offer short narratives of insight into her world and ideas, she spares no expense in the richness of her descriptions and the melodies of her memoirs.

Upon reading her work, it is clear that she understands the vibrance of expression that descriptive words employ, and she distributes them as liberally and as skillfully as Monet does hues.

Her masterpiece is not only in the eclectic way that she transitions tales of her own ideas and experiences, but in the discovery of ideas and themes that travel beyond her own narrative, incorporating stories that she’s derived from others in her life, and beyond. From an encounter she once witnessed long ago in the parking lot of a since-torn-down local Dairy Queen, to fill-in-the-blanks speculation of historically documented incidences from her ancestry, 30 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Wells offers a rare kind of presence, allowing us to be able to experience her stories with her as she shares them, and leaving us with a sense of wonderfully wanting more. It’s this “going along for the ride” feeling that allows us to lose ourselves to the pages of her passion.

Among the many delights in Sugar Fix, a few highlights include “Untold Story,” a poem about family and the strange things that stick out in our memories; seeing things through the eyes of a child; and remembering seemingly insignificant details that have somehow shaped us in significant ways.

“The Assistant Marshal Makes an Error in Judgment” shines light on the flippant attitudes and resulting negligence of insensitivity to cultural roots. And make room for “Questions from the Women for Dorothy, Wife of Richard Cantrell, Before the Grand Jury for Masking in Men’s Clothes and Dancing at Nine O’Clock at Night, 1703.”

Scandalous times call for scandalous measures in this lighthearted and thought-provoking poem about a historical but poorlydocumented occurrence which leaves just enough wiggle room to let the imagination run wild, and Wells takes full advantage.

Much like the energy that leaps from the stories of her book, Wells’ excitement for poetry leaps out in person, but she makes it clear that what she is more passionate about than anything, even more than her own poetry, is letting people know that there are so many different styles of poetry available to people. She reinforces this idea by analogizing it with music.

“I want to say, ‘Give this a try! So maybe you don’t like jazz. You might like blues.

Maybe you don’t like country, but there’s rock!’” she explains.

She loves the written word as an expression of art and wants other people to be as infectious about it as she is.

She has really put the rubber to the road, not only in publishing her poetry collection, but also in sponsoring its cultivation in our

STILL WON’T MARRY (excerpt from Sugar Fix) That man’s professed his love for me for years, But candy’s all he’s good for, sticky paper bag each each time he comes. Like I don’t labor over food all day, flour dust in every breath, kneading dough ’til my sore knuckles swell.

He says a little taste of sugar will cure my weary back, my aching shoulders, my singed arms. Like I don’t know what a man wants. fair city. In addition to being a writer for the Pulse and a published poet, she is the founder of Poetry in the Boro—a gathering of local poets who come together, share their work and support each other. This forum is open to all who’d like to come and listen to other poets’ work, as well as share their own through the open mic portion, which is available at the end of the monthly meetings. This month, Wells will be the featured poet at Poetry in the Boro and will discuss her book and other topics with fellow poet and co-curator Amie Whittemore.

The event is free and open to the public.

It meets at the Walnut House in Murfreesboro at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10. Please come out and support this wonderfully talented lady! Refreshments will be served.

All poets, poet lovers, wordsmiths, readers, writers and anyone else are welcome.

Purchase Sugar Fix and find more information on Kory Wells at korywells.com.

THE FANTASTICKS, which ran for over 50 years off-Broadway, tells an endearing story about a boy, a girl, their two meddling fathers and a love that keeps growing. The Fantasticks, the only off-Broadway show to receive a Tony Award honor for Excellence in Theater, is the longest-running musical in the world and still charming audiences around the world. It opens at the Center for the Arts on Friday, Nov. 8, and runs through Nov. 24.

“We are excited to bring this classic tale of star-crossed lovers to the Center’s stage,” says director Adam Boe, whose wife, Keri, is co-directing. “We have a great cast of talented actors who bring a fresh take to this timeless story.”

The Fantasticks is a funny and romantic musical that centers around Matt (Tucker Young), Luisa (Riley Grace Abbott) and their two fathers, both of whom try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo (Spencer Germany),

asks the audience members to use their imaginations and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. Luisa and Matt experience the joy of love, the sadness of loss and, finally, the hope that they will find their way back to each other. As with all great love stories, we learn that all is not as it seems and that Matt and Luisa’s fathers have their own part to play in their love story.

Tickets start at $14 and are on sale at boroarts.org, by calling 615-904ARTS (2787) or at the Center for the Arts Box Office, 110 W. College St., Murfreesboro. The show is rated PG. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23 and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 10, 17 and 24.

Reviews

OPENING IN NOVEMBER

movie existed. Cut to the year 2020 in Mexico City, where a couple of those now famous balls of electricity form high above the ground, dropping their time-travelers tens of feet to the ground, either because people in the future can’t calibrate ground level, or more likely because the filmmakers thought it would look cool. There’s a lot of cool-for-the-sake-of-cool going on in this movie. The new terminator, played by Gabriel Luna, is basically the T-X from the third film, only this time the nanoliquid and metal endoskeleton are black and can work independently of each other. (Cool.)

If you’re asking yourself why an all liquid-metal terminator couldn’t just do the same thing,

jus- jus- just shut up, okay? Luna isn’t bad as the nigh-unstoppable killing machine, but he adopts the visage of other characters so often that it seems pointless for such an android assassin to be programmed with a neutral appearance other than to give an actor a role.

This time, he’s hunting down Dani (Natalia Reyes), who is protected by Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an “enhanced” human, who, like an outdated iPhone, has terrible battery life and must be “recharged” with syringes full of milky stuff. At heightened moments, this provides “tension” that makes lots of sense and isn’t contrived. Luckily, Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Conner—more hardened than ever.

Director Tim Miller (Deadpool) makes Dark Fate the best-looking of the previous three movies, but the often-nonsensical plot (new terminators don’t have built-in WiFi?) shows that he’s only as good as the material he’s working with. While the first half plays like a knockoff of T2, the latter half hints at what could’ve been, with some exciting action and the inclusion of a familiar face that gives the film some of its best pathos as well as levity.

But by that point it’s all too clear that Cameron’s pseudo-return and attempt to ignore the previous three films only resulted in the thirdbest Terminator movie. — JAY SPIGHT

fans have been craving, but it also represents Bungie’s first crack at new Destiny 2 content since its split with publisher Activision and the game going free-to-play. Shadowkeep has the task of satiating series veterans while also enticing new players to see what Destiny 2 is all about. Shadowkeep does buckle under the weight of these expectations, but it brings just enough to the table to be worthwhile.

Shadowkeep reintroduces brooding series regular Eris Morn, who has awakened an ancient evil on Earth’s moon. Although brief at only five hours, Shadowkeep’s campaign is packed with memorable story beats and combat encounters, all built on the foundation of Destiny 2’s outstanding shooting. It feels like a mixture of Destiny 2’s cinematic campaign and the original Destiny’s opaque world-building, so every fan should find something to like. It helps that the moon has always been one of Destiny’s most striking environments.

The main problem with Shadowkeep lies in its value proposition. The patrol zone on the moon, the two new cooperative Strikes and the three new competitive Crucible maps are free for all players. Purchasing Shadowkeep gets you the campaign, a new raid, Nightmare Hunts, a new dungeon and

the current season pass, which includes a seasonal activity and an exclusive tier of rewards. Nightmare Hunts challenge players to defeat ghostly versions of threats from Destiny’s past, but they play out like shorter strikes. The seasonal event is a fun gauntlet of intense shooting, but it gets repetitive.

The reworked season pass is entirely new to Destiny 2 and warrants its own discussion.

As players level up, they will earn set rewards along a track. One track is free for everyone, while an additional one is available only to season pass owners. It is an effective way to incentivize regular play, but the inclusion of a faster path to weapons, armor and upgrade materials feels like a tacked-on addition to justify Shadowkeep’s $35 price. Those who play Destiny 2 religiously may find the investment justifiable, but it is difficult to understate just how paltry this offering looks when compared to last year’s Forsaken expansion.

Everything Shadowkeep sets out to do, it does reasonably well; the problem is that does not offer much in the way of truly unique content. Exhausting Shadowkeep’s new content will not take long, and after that, it is back to the same (enjoyable) Destiny 2 grind.

— LUKE KAUTZKY

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE DIRECTOR Tim Miller STARRING Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger RATED R

Dark Fate is the sixth film in the Terminator franchise, but if you asked James Cameron, he’d say it was only the third. Harnessing his unparalleled creativity to imagine a fictional world in which Terminators: Rise of the Machines, Salvation and Genisys (groan) never happened, the “visionary” behind Avatar makes his return to the series that made him a household name among fans of explosive sci-fi action by—what else—playing it safe as the man behind the man behind the camera, with both a “story by” and producer credit.

It’s a bad sign when the movie starts with a flashback from the series’ high point, T2: Judgment Day, and then follows with a new scene that negates the entire reason that

GAME DESTINY 2: SHADOWKEEP Shadowkeep, the latest expansion for Bungie’s sci-fi loot shooter Destiny 2, represents something of a fresh start for the game. Not only did it launch alongside a free update that doubled down on the RPG elements die-hard A CLASSIC

32 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

PLAYING THIS MONTH

NOV. 1 Terminator: Dark Fate Arctic Dogs • Paradise Hills Waves • Harriet • American Son

NOV. 8 Midway • Primal Doctor Sleep • Honey Boy Last Christmas • Playing With Fire

NOV. 12 Lady and the Tramp

NOV. 15 The Report • Klaus Charlie’s Angels • The Lodge Ford v Ferrari • The Good Liar Earthquake Bird • The Shed

DEAD

NOV. 22 Frozen 2 • 21 Bridges

3 THINGS ABOUT JOHN CUSACK

BY MICHELLE WILLARD

JOHN CUSACK, who has 40 years’ worth of portraying outcasts on his acting resume, discussed one of his most enduring roles— Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything—in Nashville on Nov. 2 at War Memorial Auditorium.

Cusack spoke with the Murfreesboro Pulse about Say Anything (which was screened in conjunction with the Nashville talk) how he chooses roles and what it’s like to work with family.

In addition to Say Anything, Cusack stared in multiple popular films including High Fidelity, Grosse Point Blank, Being John Malkovich and Hot Tub Time Machine, among others. Cusack said he has done similar screening and interview presentations of High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank.

1

He’s Surprised by the Enduring Popularity of Say Anything Cusack said he is still surprised by the enduring legacy of Say Anything, which has been ranked by Entertainment Weekly as one of the greatest modern movie romances (and #11 on the list of 50 best high-school movies).

Maybe it’s the relationship between Diane and Jim that transcends generations, as well as the thoughts of young love and the idealism of youth, Cusack said.

“There’s this young woman finding out that her father, who she idolizes, turns out to be a flawed human and full of fragility and deceptions. She’s coming to terms with that as she is falling in love,” Cusack said.

“That’s her story, and people can relate to finding out that their parents can love them but be terribly flawed.”

He added that Lloyd, the eternal optimist, is perhaps a unique protagonist within Hollywood.

“Certainly, he wasn’t like what you see a lot of characters portrayed,” Cusack said.

Lloyd had an almost un-American worldview. He rejected the individualism and “mythology of capitalism” of American society, Cusack said.

“We have have a culture that wants us to value money and material possessions

more than each other,” he said, adding that Lloyd was more interested in “wanting to get to the truth” of life and a more meaningful existence.

“I think there are probably elements of that that make it endure a little bit because those elements are around today,” Cusack said. “I don’t know if that’s the truth. I find it interesting that people still like it 30 years later. People change and tastes change but this doesn’t seem to be the case [with Say Anything].”

2

He Roots for the Underdog Cusack often choose roles where he plays the underdog or a person outside of conventional society, as seen in some of his most popular roles.

He said he’s drawn to these roles because he doesn’t like to root for winners.

“It could be the worst thing in the world to be on the side of people who’ve got it all.

I like the outcasts,” Cusack said.

And does he look at himself as an outcast and someone worth rooting for?

“I’d say so, probably. Yeah,” Cusack said.

But Cusack doesn’t just imprint himself on his roles, they also have an impact on him. The actor took up Lloyd Dobler’s pastime of kickboxing before Say Anything to train for the role. He eventually became a six-degree black belt.

3

He Likes Working With His Sister Cusack has co-starred in nine movies with his sister Joan Cusack.

He added that having a sibling bond makes working together on set easier.

“It’s super-easy to work with people you know because you have that familiarity and shorthand. Maybe will we get to work together again.”

While she wasn’t in Say Anything, she did play Marcella, the secretary to Cusack’s reformed assassin Martin Blank in Grosse Pointe Blank.

“That was the funnest, getting to work together on a film like that,” Cusack said.

Food

See more restaurant features at

BoroPulse.com/category/food

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO • PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO

Meat & Milkshakes Burger Republic serves specialty burgers, craft beers and adult milkshakes CERTAINLY IN THE RUNNING FOR the most popular burger spot in town, Burger Republic operates one of its four Middle Tennessee locations in Murfreesboro’s Fountains at Gateway center, offering fantastic burgers with a variety of different toppings, a wide assortment of other sandwich options, a great outdoor seating area, a large bar and an impressive milkshake menu.

“Eat More Meat,” a sign proclaims, and if you like that idea, select one of the burgers with toppings that appeal to your preference from the ample though not intimidating menu.

Burger Republic offers approximately 16 specialty burgers, such as The 96, packed with delicious beefy and bleu cheese flavors along with mushrooms, bacon, onions, shoestring fries and a garlic-horseradish aioli.

A Burger Republic server says The Tennessee is another of the most popular items, with a Jack Daniel’s honey glaze, American 34 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

cheese, smoked ketchup, maple-basted bacon and crispy onions, topped with a mini statue of Jack himself.

Hunter Adams calls the burger joint his “go-to for burgers. Their Jack Daniel’s burger is amazing,” he says.

The Taco Truck—a burger with taco spice, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, guacamole, tortilla strips, sour cream and habanero jack cheese—sounds like an interesting twist on the burger, while the West Coast Burger uses two thin patties, rather than the standard large Burger Republic single patty, topped with mustard, cheese, lettuce, tomato and grilled onion.

The Big Papi features a patty with a blend of beef and hot Italian sausage, while the Buy the Farm, with egg, red pepper relish and bacon, is another customer favorite. The burger plates are served with a heavy-duty knife to cut the burger in half, as that often makes it more manageable for the diner.

While the burgers are the star of the show, the milkshakes are probably second in command at the Republic. The establishment offers many different shakes, such as the white chocolate strawberry, the Assasination by Chocolate, Nutella and the banana split shake, and various spiked shakes as well. The adult milkshake menu includes the maple bourbon shake, a frozen

black Irish, the bananas foster shake with banana ice cream and RumChata cinnamon cream liqueur and other blends.

Burger Republic is the place if you have a craving for a burger and a milkshake, according to diner Erica Puckett.

“The burgers are out-of-this-world good, and there are so many to choose from.

Also, the tator tot fondue is the best appetizer I think I’ve ever had,” she says. “The milkshake menu has a little something for everyone. I highly recommend the Nutella or the cookie butter, but you can’t go wrong

The Dish RESTAURANT: Burger Republic LOCATION: 1440 Medical Center Pkwy., Suite C, Murfreesboro PHONE: 615-962-7762 HOURS: Mon.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.;

Fri.–Sat.: 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

PRICES: Classic burger with fries,

tots or chips: $10.95; Ahi tuna burger: $12.95; Tot fondue: $8.95; Buy the Farm (burger with gouda, egg, red pepper relish, bacon, lettuce, tomato and onion): $11.95; Das EggRollz (egg rolls with bratwurst, sauerkraut, sauteed onion and cheese served with beer mustard): $9

ONLINE: burgerrepublic.com

no matter which you choose.”

Another online reviewer stated the burgers are “cooked just right and very juicy and flavorful. If you are in town and want a good burger or an adult milkshake this is the place to come.”

The restaurant displays a rugged but streamlined military theme, with ammo boxes on the tables holding condiments, napkins, straws and menus.

In addition to the original store in the Lenox Village neighborhood of South Nashville, Burger Republic founder Drew Jackman now owns locations in the Gulch downtown, Mt. Juliet and Murfreesboro.

The Burger Republic team slices Benton’s Bacon, a product of East Tennessee, in house.

The bar in Murfreesboro features lots of different beers on tap with selections from Black Abbey, Steel Barrel, Einstock, Yazoo, Tennessee Brew Works, Mayday, Jackalope, Stone and more.

The Burger Republic locations even offer a custom beer from Hap and Harry’s, a red ale known as Steel Penny.

“One of our bartenders at the Lenox Village location came up with the name,” said Murfreesboro Burger Republic Manager Jason Oren.

He says the crew aims to keep a comfortable atmosphere in all of the stores.

“There’s a good vibe in here,” Oren says, as a nice breeze drifts in the restaurant on a pleasant fall day from its large open garage doors, which lead to the outdoor patio.

These doors remain open when the weather is nice, and many customers enjoy having their burger and shake at the great outdoor seating area.

“Lots of dog people come here,” Oren says.

A few of the outdoor tables feature a fire in the center, to offer a more comfortable outdoor experience in cooler weather. And the restaurant even offers some loaner blankets if customers become cold.

Those on the patio can view the large outdoor movie screen at the Fountains when it shows movies.

Kenz Ladd says that he frequents Burger Republic for “a great burger, amazing milkshakes and awesome atmosphere. But, the one thing that makes me go back is the outdoor patio.”

He went on to state that he feels Burger Republic separates itself from other area

burger establishments “by the amazing Angus beef they use.”

Burger Republic makes its juicy and tender burgers by blending a special mix of brisket, short loin and chuck cuts, according to its menu.

“Defend Quality” is the restaurant’s slogan.

If you can’t make it into the restaurant to experience the atmosphere in person, Burger Republic is available on Uber Eats.

“Some just want a couple of milkshakes delivered to their door,” Oren says For something unique, the restaurant offers seasonal egg roll specials. October’s featured egg roll contained bratwurst, sauerkraut, sauteed onion and cheese, served with a beer mustard sauce for dipping— though that may change soon.

The establishment offers many more sandwiches in addition to beef burgers: turkey and veggie burgers, chicken and tuna sandwiches and a Philly cheesesteak.The sweet potato tots are also a popular item.

Most diners seem very impressed with the food quality, with most of the criticisms having to do with the price point.

Ernesto Delgado said he found the burgers a bit overpriced.

“They’re good, just not worth $14 dollars,” he reported.

Others in Murfreesboro say that, while certainly high quality, the tab can get “a little pricey,” and that the price reflects the new, trendy location within the Fountains.

Though, you definitely get what you pay for, as one diner noted.

To try it out on a budget, Burger Republic offers happy hour Sunday through Thursday from 3–6 p.m. with 2-for-1 draft beers and $5 totchos or tator tot fondue.

Predators fans can always catch the game at Burger Republic, and now the restaurant hosts Nerdy Talk Trivia each Thursday at 7 p.m.

AROUND TOWN ’BORO BUSINESS BUZZ

Just Love Coffee, One East College, Simply Pure Sweets, El Monte, Smokin’ Buttz, Koji Express, Whataburger, Ice House and more

BY MICHELLE WILLARD JUST LOVE COFFEE marked its 10-year anniversary at the end of October.

A month-long anniversary celebration coincides with National Adoption Awareness Month during November by encouraging adoptive families and their supporters to participate in the brand’s online fundraising program. Since its start in 2009, Just Love Coffee has contributed nearly $500,000 towards adoption, helping more than 2,300 families across the country and providing support to other nonprofit causes such as orphanages and clean water systems in Africa.

The homegrown coffee shop, its flagship location at 129 MTCS Drive in Murfreesboro, also announced a planned expansion of its socially conscious specialty coffee shops nationwide.

What started in an 800-square-foot warehouse has evolved into a nationallyrecognized franchise with 30 franchise agreements in place to open locations in nine states. Just Love Coffee has unveiled plans to open 36 additional locations nationwide in 2020 and a goal to open nearly 200 Just Love stores within the next five years. The brand currently employs more than 200 employees system-wide, with approximately 100 employees based in Middle Tennessee.

36 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

to put it, occasionally, visit facebook.com/ thatfoodtruckplace.

If you like Mexican food and the convenience of a drive-thru, but want something higher quality than that other “south of the border” place, then Erik Moreno, formerly of Fresko, has the place for you. Moreno has opened EL MONTE FRESH MEXICAN FOOD at 2089 Lascassas Pike in Murfreesboro (between Sonic and Waffle House). Think of it as a Mexican Koji.

Chantell Kennedy-Shehan, proprietor of SIMPLY PURE SWEETS, announced the French-inspired bakery will be relocating in late November.

The bakery has grown to the point where they need more space and they found it in the former location of another bakery, BoroTown Cakes.

“Our new location will be located at 128 N. Church Street. Please stay tuned for details and hours of operation during this transition,” Kennedy-Shehan said.

She also said the new shop will allow her husband, Matthew Joseph, a.k.a., The Bearded Breadman, to live up to his moniker. They plan to bake bread daily and provide it to the public and wholesale to area restaurants.

KOJI EXPRESS will open a new location on South Church Street. The Japanese fast-casual concept with a drive-thru will be near the building with Papa John’s, French Twist and Oscar’s Tacos.

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA on South Church Street is under new ownership.

The location has been several things since The Parthenon vacated the building

. . . a decade ago. Is that right? It can’t be.

Anyway, it became a Carmen’s in 2017.

The restaurant remains open, with the same menu for now, under the new owners, while founders Carlos and Carmen Ramirez continue to operate the Northfield Boulevard location.

A petition on change.org signed by more than 6,200 people was enough to get the attention of Texas-based WHATABURGER and to get the company to look at Middle Tennessee.

“We are excited to hear we have so many fans in the Nashville area, and we have been exploring this area,” said James Turcotte, Whataburger, chief development officer for the Texas-based company. He added the company doesn’t have any concrete plans yet, so it might be awhile before you can get your spicy ketchup fix.

MTSU student Gianni Scramuzza has announced a food truck park of sorts near MTSU campus. Called THAT FOOD TRUCK PLACE, the weird triangle of land at the intersection of Main and Mercury near Circle K is now open for food trucks. If you have a truck and need a place

Much-loved food truck  SMOKIN’ BUTTZ started as a weekend hobby for John Cathey in December 2013 but is poised to expand with a physical location.

Since launching, Smokin Buttz’ has done weekend catering for birthday parties, family reunions, family dinners and graduation parties, as well as parking the truck in locations around the county. Soon, you’ll be able to get some Buttz anytime at the Kroger on Veterans Parkway, where Cathey is establishing a restaurant.

Based out of Lascassas, ABERLEA VETERINARY HOUSE CALLS will provide your pets with one-on-one wellness and vaccination visits, end of life and at-home euthanasia services with cremation transport, minor surgeries, chronic metabolic disease management and treatments for wounds, lacerations and skin and ear conditions, all from the comfort of you and your pet’s home. Find more information at facebook.com/aberleavet1.

If you need ice in bulk, ICE HOUSE has opened behind the gas station at Memorial Boulevard and St. Clair Street.

FIRST CASH SUPER PAWN on Northfield has closed, with building and contents auctioned in October. Maybe the economy is improving.

GOLD’S GYM TENNESSEE has added eight gyms in East Tennessee to its six locations in the Nashville area.

This purchase gives Gold’s Gym Tennessee almost exclusive coverage throughout the state of Tennessee with 14 locations,

soon to be 15 with the addition of a new fitness center in Mt. Juliet.

In addition, Gold’s Gym Tennessee now becomes the second largest Gold’s Gym Franchisee in the United States.

Gold’s Gym Tennessee is owned by three partners and their spouses who all live locally in the Middle Tennessee area, John and Tiffany Davis, Andrew and Liz Davis, and Robert and Holly Dennis.

The preliminary plans for the future of the former Methodist Church in downtown Murfreesboro are now in.

Brian Davis, from TRC Construction and developer  ONE EAST COLLEGE, gave the Downtown Murfreesboro Business Association a quick tour of the project on Oct. 10.

The project will occupy the entire city block bounded by Lytle, College, Church and Spring streets. A hotel will be built on the College Street side. On the Lytle/Spring corner, a four-level public parking structure with 505 spots will be the foundation for a residential development. Offices and retail will occupy the Church Street side.

Davis said the church building, including its iconic bell tower, will be saved.

“We want the church to be the focal point of the project,” Davis said, adding they are trying to tie elements of the church into the overall design of the buildings.

One East College purchased the entire block for $1.8 million in June, with the primary task of redeveloping the site while preserving the church. Davis reiterated that only thing to remain on the site is the church building.

“Inside the building will be restored for what we want to do with it,” he said, adding the developer intends to use it as an upscale event space or restaurant.

One East College is in the process of looking for a hotelier to run the 110-room hotel, Davis said. It will have a boutique feel provided by an upscale chain.

The complex will also have retail space on the ground floor and could have a rooftop bar, depending on the hotelier.

The commercial portion will consist of retail and offices on the Church Street side. There will be approximately 15,000 square feet for retail on the ground floor and 15,000 square feet for restaurants.

Also, the Murfreesboro Police Department has asked for a small police precinct to be included “to get more police cars back in the downtown area,” Davis said.

In order to incentivize the completion of the project, Murfreesboro is offering the developer $6 million in tax increment financing. The funds will be used to offset the cost of the $65–$70 million construction project by deferring property taxes. The Murfreesboro Planning staff estimated that the new construction could generate $1.2 million annually in local and county taxes, even after the incentives.

Coming as no surprise to anyone who has reserved a hotel room in Nashville recently, Nashville is the most expensive city in the United States for accommodation, according to cheaphotels.org, which compared hotel rates across 50 urban destinations.

According to the survey, Nashville came up at the top of the rankings. Music City has an average price of $223 for the most affordable room (only centrally located hotels rated 3 stars or more were considered for the survey).

A quick look at kayak.com for Murfreesboro and Smyrna finds the Rutherford County average a slightly more affordable average price point of $133 per night, which would put us at No. 31 on the list, just between Cleveland and Kansas City.

HIGHLIGHTING BUSINESS

Floativation

, Part II Seeking Saltwater Serenity (and More)

BY STEVE MORLEY

In this ongoing series, Pulse contributor Steve Morley explores the effects of sensory deprivation and reports on his experiences using the flotation tanks and other therapeutic resources at Murfreesboro’s Float Alchemy. Previous installments can be found at boropulse.com/floativation.

LAST MONTH, in my opening installment, I reported on my first-ever float experience, courtesy of Float Alchemy (just off Old Fort Parkway, on Cason Lane).

Having never learned to swim, and utterly unable to relax my muscles enough to float independently, it was a novel and enjoyable experience, something I’d wanted to try for years. Owner Amy Grimes did advise me that it can take two or three float-tank sessions to experience the full effect. No doubt—for the average person in today’s world of near-continuous sensory input, it’s a serious stretch to truly unplug, which is what a float tank invites you to do . . . once you decide to accept.

As I prepared for my maiden voyage outside normal gravity, a staffer at the front counter shared with me that her limbs had jerked rather wildly at the beginning of her first float, and that I might experience similar results. I imagined this as an instance of the brain’s need to bypass normal adminis38 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

trative functions: ALERT! WE MUST PROVIDE SAFETY AND BALANCE! WE MUST . . . OH, WAIT . . . never mind . . . it’s cool. Really, it’s cool, dude.

You’re afloat. Relax. HEY, I SAID RELAX! My limbs didn’t jerk, in fact. As I reported last month, I definitely experienced a relaxation benefit, despite the tap-tap-tapping of mental intrusions.

Upon reflection, though, and after consulting with locally based physical therapist Dr. Jen Dickens Massie, I now realize that unconscious tension was likely impeding me from fully surrendering to the salt water and silence during my momentous first float.

Oddly, I felt a kind of burning sensation arise in my right shoulder and upper arm within a minute or two of entering a buoyant state inside the Oasis Float Pod, the smallest of the three tank varieties offered by Float Alchemy. I changed my arm position and the mild pain subsided, but I pondered this afterwards. Two years earlier, I’d seen a physical therapist to treat a nerve root injury in the same arm and shoulder area that had briefly complained inside the tank. Treatment had provided good results, but evidently this irritation was still quietly present within me. Using this new awareness to my advantage, I resumed portions

of my prior PT treatment plan.

Dr. Massie, who goes by “Dr. Jen” for her wellness business, Jenergy for Life, offered a sound theory about the pain I briefly experienced in the tank. “From a musculoskeletal standpoint, it makes sense that this region may have discomfort if you are feeling anxious in any way. Anxiety causes muscle tension in these areas even if you are not in a float tank,” said Dr. Jen, adding that I was likely experiencing latent (nonactive) irritation in the area of the previous injury, presenting itself as a “hyper-irritable band of tight muscle . . . a knot.” She noted that the unfamiliarity of the tank experience itself could also have added to any existing muscle tension. I didn’t think I’d felt tense in the tank. But my body was apparently telling me otherwise.

“It can be very difficult to quiet our busy minds and to let go of latent muscle tension. Subconscious fear and anxiety can cause our muscles to tense, preventing this relaxation,” Dr. Jen explained. “In a world where we are constantly overstimulated and distracted with technology and the daily multitasking required in our lives, flotation removes all of that by placing you in a space with as little sensory stimulation as possible. If you can quiet your thoughts and fully relax your muscles, this can be a very peaceful experience for body and mind!”

IF, that is. Easier said than done, son . . . which is one reason a semi-regular float can be an effective means of helping cultivate a relaxation response that, with conscious practice, floaters can increasingly carry into their day-to-day lives. Dr. Jen went on to describe her own first floating experience at Float Alchemy, which was not unlike my own.

“On my first float it took me about 10 minutes to fully relax my body, and once I did, it felt amazing! My mind, however, was a different story,” she admitted. “I was very anxious about being still, and I kept thinking about my long to-do list. I was unable to quiet my noisy mind for most of the float.”

When she returned to Float Alchemy for a second try, Massie had “an entirely different experience. My body relaxed much more quickly, and I was able to settle my mind for short increments.”

Dr. Jen, who teaches others how to increase personal wellness, says she has “absolutely recommended flotation to my

patients and friends who struggle with anxiety and the related muscle tension that accompanies anxiety.” The wellness practitioner and physical therapist personally floats once a month, she says, “not only for the muscular relaxation, but also as an exercise in mental discipline by attempting to keep my mind quiet for a full hour. This is very challenging, but [controlling one’s mind] ultimately leads to a more balanced mental state. I notice it becomes easier with each float, but it is definitely a work in progress for me.”

I had also mentioned my curious occurrence of arm/shoulder pain to Amy Grimes, a licensed massage therapist as well as the founder of Float Alchemy and its sister location, Float Nashville. Prior to my second float, she worked on my back, neck, arms and shoulders (massage is another of the services offered at the Murfreesboro location). Her skilled hands detected significantly limited rotation and mobility in my affected right arm. Nonetheless, this massage work helped me to relax into float number two with less difficulty. My upper arm acted up only momentarily and then joined the rest of my body in peaceful relaxation inside the Float Cabin, a larger enclosure that afforded easier entrance (and exit) than the Pod. My mind, however, did not behave quite so cooperatively. I focused on breathing, taking slow, deep breaths, which helped . . . until my focus again slipped. As with my first float, I sensed the passage of time and exited the tank several minutes before the hour-long session concluded (with a most pleasant musical “alarm” piped into the private room). Again, forgetting I was covered in salt water, drops ran from my arm (or hair?) into my eye as I moved to exit the tank and shower off. But I felt calm as I reached for the spray bottle of pure water I had previously learned was provided in each float room.

I lingered longer in the lounge after this float, trying out varieties of scented oxygen while sipping my complimentary hot tea and reveling in my relaxed state, reinforced by the serene atmosphere. It felt good to know I was investing time in caring for myself rather than simply indulging in some hasty, easy-to-grab pleasure that would mollify my anxious mind for only a moment or two. My feeling of calm satisfaction remained throughout my 25-minute drive home, as I enjoyed scenery I had somehow failed to notice before.

Stay tuned, Murfreesboro . . . and may the freedom of the float be with you.

NOW OPEN

BUSINESS MOMENTUM

BY BLAINE LITTLE

Three Rivers Dental

W

TRULY, A FAMILY DENTISTRY

hen you hear the term “family dentistry,” you may think of a place that caters to both children and adults. That’s true of Three Rivers, but the day-to-day operations are also a family affair. Dr. Mark Connolly, DDS, and his wife, Sarah Ryman, MBA, are the real “family” behind Three Rivers Family Dentistry. Mark is the chief dentist and Sarah is the operations manager.

Together, they have built a successful clinic and have recently expanded the practice. But, as with anything, it has taken years to reach that success.

Dr. Connolly began his private practice 10 years ago. Recently, he stated that the initial stress of starting a new clinic was all worth it. It is a common theme in business for the technician or professional to be so tied up with routine business that they are not able to do what they do best.

“Beginning from scratch, it never really felt like it arrived until Sarah started helping out,” Dr Connolly said.

He emphasizes the importance of being able to practice the art of dentistry while Sarah runs the actual business. Connolly says he views dentistry as an art. “I’ll see something that requires a lot of work, like a smile that embarrasses someone, and I’ll go in and do a lot of procedures and I can really change their lives and how they feel about themselves and how they interact with others.”

He also relates stories in which family members had never seen a loved one’s smile until they became a patient at Three Rivers Family Dentistry, because the individual was ashamed to smile.

A couple of years ago, Sarah Ryman came on board as operations manager. At that time, the clinic had the challenge of remaining fully staffed.

She places an emphasis on making certain each employee is a good fit for the company culture.

“If I have to micromanage someone, I would much rather just do it myself,” she says.

Since the managerial change in 2017, the company has almost doubled in revenue.

40 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Ryman also keeps marketing on target. Online, the clinic maintains a social media presence and of course its website. Traditional marketing is also in the mix with advertising at Stones River Mall and in the Murfreesboro Pulse. Community outreach is also a big factor in allowing the clinic’s presence to be known. They help with several fundraisers and charitable causes, and you can also see Sarah at several business networking events.

Teamwork is a big part of the clinic. Like Mark, Sarah knows when to reach out for help by calling on other professionals for guidance in various areas, from marketing to business development.

I have had the pleasure of helping Three Rivers Family Dentistry with its professional development.

So, I know firsthand how important it is for the company to invest in its people.

Perhaps the most important aspect of teamwork really is internal, however. Ryman manages a dozen employees, but says she does not feel the need to over-manage.

“We trust our employees are here to do a good job and they have their own reasons for being here,” she says. We could not do any of this without the team and the employees being so committed,” Sarah adds. “If they’re happy about being here, the rest of it just falls into place.”

And things are falling into a much larger place as well. With an expansion into another part of its building earlier this year, Three Rivers grew its facility by over a third. They have even brought on another dentist, Dr. Darren Songstad, to the staff.

Sarah states: “For us as a family, it makes way more sense for us to both be here and provide a really wonderful work environment and give back to our community.”

Blaine Little is the founder and CEO of Momentum Seminars, helping companies remain profitable by investing in their people.

Learn more at momentumseminars.com.

SPORTS

TALK

COLUMN BY “Z-TRAIN”

titanman1984@gmail.com

Tannehill and a Vicious Defense Are Giving Titans Fans Hope THE TRAIN DADDY IS BACK with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard!

November has always been my favorite month, with Thanksgiving, my birthday, prime-time football and glorious cool weather.

I would argue that November is the most important month for any football team in this country. Many football fans will likely know the direction of their team by the time November ends. During the month of November far more teams have high hopes, compared to December when many teams begin to look to next season. Honestly, I love every month of football. I’m 100 percent a football junkie.

Let’s talk Titans. At the midway point of the season the Titans stood at 4–4. I wrote most of this article prior to the week 9 Panthers game because I’m headed to Disney World with the family for vacation!

Before we get into players and stats, let me give you a quick projection on how I think the rest of this season will play out. I believe the Titans must win vs. the Chiefs.

Honestly, that’s a tough task, but it seems necessary. Then, I have the Titans looking like this: a win vs. the Jags, a loss at the Colts, a win at the Raiders, a win vs. the Texans, a loss vs. the Saints and a win at the Texans. That would bring the Titans to my projection of a fourth-straight 9–7 season. It’s possible this record wins the division (ha ha) or squeaks out a wild card. The X-factor for me

is whether the Titans can get over that hurdle and beat the Colts. Plus, I feel they must sweep the Texans in order to have a shot at the playoffs. I know, I’m asking a lot. Who knows, maybe they win every remaining game and finish the season 11–5. A boy can dream big, right?

So, last month’s article included a picture of me and my Titans brothers at an away game vs. Atlanta. I got a few emails from loyal readers saying the flag held by myself and the Titan-up flag held by my buddy were upside down. I never claimed I was a genius or hung out with smart folk! Take one look at the picture right now and look at those loyal Titan fans, smiling and happy as can be. You don’t have to have brains to be a loyal football fan. Just heart and passion! Titan-up!

At the halfway point of the 2019 NFL season the AFC South was the only division in which not a single team stood under .500 and the only division in which all four teams had a positive point differential. I find that very intriguing and impressive.

From Mariota to Tannehill, next man up for the Titans! Marcus was benched week 6 after throwing two picks vs. Denver. I have nothing but respect for Marcus Mariota. He gave us good times and bad times as well.

The soft-spoken quarterback just wasn’t giving fans hope anymore.

The most frustrating part was how inconsistent Marcus has been over the last five years. I predict he will be released after this season wraps

up, but this is a tough league and it’s possible they’ll need his services once again before this season ends.

Hopefully Tannehill stays healthy and keeps up the impressive play.

Since stepping in, Tannehill has been solid considering the Titans offensive line is still pretty much garbage. He went 57–78 for 649 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Is Tannehill the long-term answer? I don’t know and I don’t care. All I know is he is playing well right now, and I can get behind that. Ryan Tannehill is the best QB for the Titans today and he has rejuvenated this team.

He has weapons and one of the best defenses in the league on his side.

It’s safe to say that if you’re a Titan fan there is a lot to be excited about right now. If the O-line and kicking game can get better this Titans team could be legit. I mean, if it weren’t for the kicking woes of this team, the Titans could easily be 7–2.

I am going to use a big chunk of this article to talk about the Titans defense, because they deserve it. Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees coached up a dominant defense last season and somehow has managed to create an even better group this season, improving in nearly every statistical category.

Don’t underestimate how important that 70-year-old man is to this team. He’s the smartest coach in the locker room.

Despite the Titans giving up 23 points vs. the Bucs in Week 8, the Titans remain third overall in points allowed per game. This defense is top 10 in takeaways and sacks as well.

Logan Ryan is a superstar and making a big statement in his final contract year. The Titans better pay that man for a second deal.

Only one player in NFL history has ever finished a season with 6 interceptions and 7 sacks. That is the pace Logan is on with 3 interceptions and 3.5 sacks in the first half of the season, not to mention 51 tackles and 3 forced fumbles. If you’re a Titans fan, do what I do and always keep an eye on Logan Ryan during games, because he is an exciting player to watch.

Quick shout-out to Harold Landry—that young player is

showing he has the talent to be a top pass rusher in this league.

Every Titans fan loves Byard, the best safety in the NFL. That’s FACT. He is great in coverage; he gives us interceptions and Byard’s underrated as a run defender.

I love watching Jayon Brown, this young linebacker is solid in coverage and can blitz with the best of them. A shout-out to DaQuan Jones and Jurrell Casey. Whether stuffing the run or creating double teams up front, this defense doesn’t click without the underappreciated work these players on the line put in.

Jeffery Simmons seems like a bonus! The 6-foot, 4-inch 300-pound tackle wasn’t supposed to play this season, yet he took the field Oct. 20.

Despite having torn his ACL prior to this year’s draft, the Titans drafted him in the first round. I loved the pick at the time, but many hated drafting a player in the first round that wouldn’t play for his entire first season. Yet, when you’re a beast, you heal faster than doctors predict.

It’s amazing that he is on the field.

I don’t say this lightly, but I believe Simmons has the potential to be the best defensive player in the NFL. Look what this year’s second overall pick Nick Bosa has done for the 49ers this season. Simmons has that kind of talent. If it wasn’t for his ACL injury, teams would have had a hard time in the draft deciding between Simmons and Bosa.

I can’t break down every defensive player, so shout-outs also to Cameron Wake, Malcom Butler, Kenny V, Rashaan and Adoree Jackson. I forgive you, Adoree. Titan up!

Regarding the Titans offense, I find it very promising that Corey Davis, A.J. Brown and Jonnu Smith all have shown they can be threats in the passing game. They are all young, with Davis being the oldest of that bunch at 24. I expect these players to grow with Tannehill, or whichever QB leads this team in the next few years to come.

A.J. Brown said this about Tannehill: “Ryan, he was leading in the huddle; he had a lot of confidence.

He was a general.” Sweet music to my Train Daddy ears. Ryan has jump-started this offense. In weeks 5 and 6 this offense scored seven total points in losses to Denver and Buf-

falo. But in the two victories since Ryan took over the team scored 23 and 27 points, and two victories!

The Titans also scored a touchdown on all six red-zone visits in Tannehill’s first two complete games.

I don’t want to talk about the Titans’ success without a mention of Derrick Henry. He is a freight train. That’s all I have to say about that; love that dude!

So, there you have it, a top defense, a smart quarterback, one of the best running backs in the league and hungry group of talented receivers, with the only weak spots being the offensive line and the field goal unit. Kicker Ryan Succop had a rough day in his first game back vs. the Panthers. I give the rusty kicker one more week to get in game shape before I hate on him.

The offensive line is awful, as I said. After that loss in Carolina the Titans are looking like your typical .500 Titans team. Let’s hope the home game vs. the Chiefs brings a victory, because the Titans will need that victory if they want to have any chance at making a run come December for the playoffs.

I have said this a few times this season: Titans punter Brett Kern is the team’s best player, and that’s no hate on some of the talent on this team. The Titans have one of the best punters in the league who currently leads the league with punts inside the 20. Wow! After reading this you may assume I am just some crazy Titans fan who gets overexcited at the very idea of the Titans. You would be correct! Just know that I speak truth: this team has young playmakers and a top overall unit in the defense.

And teams have won it all with less.

Win or lose, it’s just football (a game that I love). But I will stay a true fan of the Titans as long as they reside in the great state of Tennessee. Even if it takes another couple of decades until they lift that Lombardi trophy, I pray I am here to witness it.

That’s it. The Train is rolling into the station! Hold family close and embrace life, and if you ever get the chance to hit up Disney with the family, take it. The Star Wars park is worth it, especially when it’s your birthday. Happy birthday to me! Titan-up!

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Opinion Focus on Being Excellent, Not Being ‘Diverse’

W

hen it comes to dealing with a business, I couldn’t care less about diversity. That may sound like heresy in this day and age of political correctness, but diversity is the enemy of excellence.

There was a story recently where Air Canada is going to stop announcing “ladies and gentlemen” on their flights in recognition of “gender fluidity.” News flash: gender is not fluid. You’re either a man or a woman. Sure, there are some men who want to be women and vice versa, but wishing doesn’t make it so. Nor does my identifying as the King of England make it so.

While Air Canada brags on their website that they’ve been named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, they’ve also been named the worst airline in North America for flight delays. You see, referring to people as ze, zir or zem ain’t getting them to their destinations on time. Diversity is killing customer service.

Does that mean I want everybody I deal with to be white? No, just the opposite. I don’t care who I’m dealing with as long as they’re great at what they do. Diversity for diversity’s sake forsakes everything else. What these companies who put diversity first end up doing is attracting people with chips on their shoulders because society won’t accept them for this or that or the other. When I’m trying to book a flight I don’t give a rat’s rump about your personal problems. Sorry. All I care about is getting to where I’m going on time and in reasonable comfort.

To show you how ridiculous this diversity thing has gotten, Asians apparently aren’t diverse enough anymore. Harvard has been blocking the number of Asians it accepts because, well, they’re too darn qualified. They’re taking up spaces black or Hispanic people could occupy. The Asians took Harvard to court for discrimination and they

VIEWS OF A

CONSERVATIVE

PHIL VALENTINE

philvalentine.com

lost! Yes, they lost. The judge wrote in her ruling, “Ensuring diversity at Harvard relies, in part, on race-conscious admissions.”

See there. It’s all about ensuring diversity at Harvard. It’s not in the least about excellence or who’s most qualified, or any of the things that used to matter in a great country. All that matters to some is that a school or business “looks like America.”

Let me ask you something. Does the NBA “look like America?” Of course not. You know what the NBA, the NFL, NHL and MLB are all about? Excellence. You think a sports fan cares about anything else aside from winning? Sports are the last frontier of excellence in America. It’s all about being the best, regardless of race or gender, or perceived gender.

Ever wondered why customer service stinks? Wonder no more. When a company is more interested in accommodating the employee rather than the customer then customer service will always stink.

Georgetown University, riddled with guilt over the Jesuit priests who sold 272 slaves in 1838 to keep the school afloat, announced affirmative action for descendants of those slaves. The interesting part is they don’t get automatic admission. They get the same advantage as “legacy students.” These are students whose family members went to Georgetown. Yeah, universities across the country do this, and evidently it hasn’t occurred to even one liberal diversity do-gooder how patently unfair that is.

So, legacy leg-ups stay, and they’re adding an advantage if you’re a dude who wants to be a woman. Where is excellence in all of this? It’s not there, and it will be the downfall of this country if we’re not careful. It’s time we got back to being better rather than being different.

“When a company is more interested in accomodating the employer than the customer service will always stink.”

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Phil Valentine is an author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host with Westwood One. For more of his commentary and articles, visit philvalentine.com.

Live Exceptionally...Well!

BY JENNIFER DURAND

Mastering Patience FROM THE TIME YOU WERE YOUNG you no doubt heard many instances of “be patient,” “wait your turn” or “in a minute.” In an everevolving world of “get in now,” “hurry up” and the illusory promise of “instant gratification,” it can be difficult to experience patience when all you may feel is frustration or agitation. As different situations demonstrate, however, it is better to master patience early. Otherwise you may fall into a trap of constant or frequent states of unrest and dissatisfaction.

Recently, I was playing a game called Word Crossy. The game gives the player seven letters and a grid. The aim is to fill in the grid with words made from the seven letters. If you can’t figure it out you can either buy “clues” with real money or you can spend 30 seconds of your time watching a commercial to earn points, which can be converted for clues. The clue is a letter placed on the grid to help you figure out the word(s) in question.

Some games are super-easy and you guess the answers rather quickly. Other games are more challenging. One particular day I had a very challenging game.

The letters provided seemed ridiculous. How many words can you create with only one vowel and duplicate consonants, anyway? There were spaces for a lot more words than I thought possible, for sure. Yet, as I continued staring at the blank spaces and the letters provided, I thought this is a puzzle that already has a predetermined outcome. So, no matter how impossible I thought it would be to create unique words to fit these spaces, I knew the answers were there. I just had to continue thinking, moving letters around, looking at all the possible combinations until the correct words were revealed. Sometimes this required pausing and walking away for awhile. Usually, when I returned to the game, the answers came more easily, when before they seemed terribly confusing or daunting.

Sometimes it required asking someone else for help, too. Whenever that happened, it was a chance to make someone else feel good about giving support or being a part of my fun!

time, engage in one conversation at a time, take up one activity at a time, live one day at a time, and so on. When life is the puzzle, we get up each day and look at what is before us. Sometimes it’s a day full of things to do, places to be and people to see. Other days it’s a blank grid, leaving you uncertain what the day may have in store. Either way, we get up, get ready and move toward life as it unfolds before us.

When things are calm, peaceful or happy, we don’t think much about the plan that’s been laid out. Nothing seems or feels difficult at the moment. Those are the moments to pause and take notice of what calm, peace and happiness feels like. Really let it wash over you with intentional awareness. It does exist even when we don’t think it does. That’s the fuel that fills the tank for future moments, when we are doubting that a situation or action can be happy or peace-filled.

Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.

Just like my word game, you have clues available to help you in life. You cannot read minds, but you can get assistance to help you through a rough spot, talking with a friend or mentor.

You can rearrange the information that is available and look at it in a different light. Fresh insight can come even with something familiar. When it doesn’t look like you can make much out of what you have, walk away and come back with a clear head and you will see things you didn’t notice before. In the game, sometimes a word that you didn’t even know the definition of is the answer. There is a dictionary for such words to prove they exist—even if you don’t like or agree with the meaning of it. So in life, there is meaning in everything even though it may not always make sense to you. Trust the process. Trust the plan. Ask for support. Keep moving forward until the answers are revealed. One piece at a time. One moment at a time. Then you will begin to master the art of patience.

“Don’t rush anything. When the time is right, it will happen.” — Buddha

“When things are calm, peaceful or happy, we don’t think much about the plan that’s been laid out.”

“The secret of patience is to do something else in the meantime.” — Croft M. Pentz Naturally, this act reminded me how much life is like a word puzzle. Patience is such an important part of our existence. The answers to all of our questions, concerns, frustrations, surprises, highs and lows already exist. We take each breath one at a

Jennifer Durand is the owner and operator of The Nurture Nook Day Spa & Gift Shoppe; she is a certified QiGong and Breathe Empowerment instructor, a skin care and makeup specialist and is licensed in massage therapy, body work and somatic integration. Learn more by visiting nurturenook.com or call (615) 896-7110.

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SPIRITUAL

MATTERS

Holiday Hospitality SO IT HAS BEEN SAID: “. . . seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:13–18).

The holidays are fast approaching, and my wife and I are looking forward to family gatherings at this season of the year. It is a time we can rest in the company of loved ones and share in the blessings God has provided. I come from a large family of nine children who all have children of their own; several even have grandchildren. So, our opportunity to gather with our own generation has become more and more difficult through the years. This is part of the circle of life, for each new generation begins its own traditions and ways of celebrating the season with one another. As my wife and I gather with our children, we prepare a large family meal, spend a little time in devotional thoughts about our God and Savior and then share in reflection over the past year.

We take turns expressing our thankfulness to God and to each other. The afternoon is filled with games and enjoying each other’s company. If your family has not yet established personal traditions of hospitality for the holiday season, I would strongly encourage you do so. As your children mature, they will associate a great fondness with the memories these traditions provide.

The holiday season offers us the opportunity to exercise this kind of hospitality, not only toward close friends and family, but to a wider circle of neighbors in our community and those outside our typical interactions. But this can be a bit more challenging for us. Culturally we have shifted from being a community of front-porch 44 * NOVEMBER 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

neighbors who publicly interact with each other to being private backyard citizens who have little community involvement. We find that instead of extending open hands of hospitality, we would rather retreat into the comfortable isolation of that backyard world. This can cause our personal worlds to become very small, for we typically invite those into our backyard who have similar likes and traditions and cultures. As we enter this season, I would encourage all of us to become more active in pursuing new relationships and new ways of being hospitable toward new and different people in our lives. We love our own cultural heritage, but other geographical areas of the world have wonderful traditions as well which flow from a heritage just as rich as ours. If we can enlarge our personal worlds, we will find a greater expression of what it means to be part of this family of mankind. If we broaden our horizons of human hospitality, we will find that we share many commonalities in our differences.

The church congregation I belong to has a three-point vision statement which we feel expresses the purpose of Christ’s church in this world: Honor God – Welcome All – and Embody Christ’s Reign.

The idea of hospitality is certainly encompassed in welcoming all, but it is also honoring to God to be people of hospitality, and it enables us to embody Christ’s reign as we live out His benevolence in this world.

The Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that we are to “seek to show hospitality” toward all people. What does this deeper call to practice hospitality look like? According to Paul, it is more than just superficial pleasantries—it is a commitment of life. And in the verses which follow this admonition, Paul expounds upon what this hospitable life looks like. It is more than just being kind. It is a returning of kindness to those who might not be quite so kind to us, or who may even despise us. “Bless those

who persecute you.” It is

BY RICK a walking with others in MALONE the happiness and in the pain of their lives. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” It is never an evaluating or comparing of ourselves with others.

“Do not be haughty.” But it does “what is honorable in the sight of all.” To sum it up, we might say true hospitality is the giving of ourselves to others with no strings attached.

Paul calls us to this kind of hospitality because this is the love God has shown to us in Christ. In His open arms of kindness, He has welcomed us into His heavenly home, even though we were among those who had no regard for or kindness toward God. We were God’s enemies, but in Christ, God reconciled us to Himself and brought harmony into a human race which was at war against Him. “For when we were His enemies God reconciled us to Himself through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10).

We were haughty toward God; yet He lowered Himself to associate with us. He “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). God did not repay evil with evil but poured out His goodness toward us by giving us His life in Christ who is the “bread of God who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). We see this same hospitality expressed by the angels as they announced the coming of Jesus into the world. For they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). By sending Jesus into the world, God brought His peace into the conflict we had with Him. He is truly the hospitable One, and Paul calls us to share that hospitality of God with others.

As we exercise such Divine hospitality, it places us in a vulnerable position with others. But Paul tells us it creates a posture of peace from which relationships can be planted and nurtured. For Paul’s admonition is to the end that we may “live peaceably with all.” Such hospitality not only welcomes people into our backyard circles but into the homes of our lives, just as Christ has welcomed us into the home of our heavenly Father.

Our father Abraham exercised this kind of hospitality toward absolute strangers who were sojourners in the land where Abraham pitched his tent. “. . . as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were stand-

ing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, ‘O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant’” (Genesis 18:1–5).

Abraham’s actions exemplify the behavior God intended humanity to exercise toward each other. He offered these men a place to rest and refresh themselves, as well as a bite to eat. His actions were kindness to strangers who, as far as he was aware, had no cause or ability to repay such kindness. Abraham was living as God intended, “peaceably with all.” Little did he know that in this encounter he was entertaining angels, and these three messengers of God brought the promise of God’s covenant fulfillment to Abraham.

They announced to him that the promised son which Abraham and Sarah had been waiting for was about to arrive.

Our holiday season centers on the arrival of the greater Son of Abraham, the Son of Peace. Jesus has brought peace into this world, and He beckons us to live in His peace and harmony with each other. This is Paul’s call for the Christian. We are to recognize that we are more than just members of our immediate family, and as Christians, we are more than just brothers and sisters of our heavenly Father. We have a kinship with all of mankind which beckons us to live the hospitality of Christ toward everyone. God’s hospitality is an outworking of His Divine love. And as love has its origin in God, this holiday season of hospitality is our call to exercise that love to the world. “. . . in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:3–8).

Reach Rick Malone at myspiritualmatters@gmail.com

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Ecce Deus

Essays on the Life and Doctrine of Jesus Christ

BY JOSEPH PARKER (1867)

Ch. XVIII

The Relation of the Cross to Practical Morals: Part II An objection has been taken to Christian morality from the purely political side. It has been said by the writer already quoted that “while in the morality of the best pagan nations, duty to the State holds a disproportionate place, infringing on the just liberty of the individual, in purely Christian ethics that grand department of duty is scarcely noticed or acknowledged.” If we mistake not—and we have read the purely Christian ethics with some care—this is a superficial and unjust opinion. It should be borne in mind that “the State” is an expression which means different things in different countries; or if it means the same thing substantially, there are endless modifications in the practical use of the term. Purely Christian ethics have a deeper application than the political codes of particular countries; and probably, while saying less about the State than Plato does, they are all the while affecting State life more powerfully than all the formal political treaties that could be written. The “purely Christian ethics” address themselves to man, and not to particular nationalities: when men reduce the purely Christian ethics to practice, their political relations will feel the advantage. Purely Christian ethics say, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself:” “Honor all men; love the brotherhood; fear God; honor the king”; “Husbands, love your wives; wives, be in subjection to your husbands”; ”Render unto all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor”; Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things which are God’s.” The vital operation of these principles in the intelligence and conduct of any community, would inaugurate a healthier political era than could be introduced by the most exact statistical tables and the most elaborately detailed political creed. They leave all variations of the State just as the genius of statement may determine, but they go to the heart of the people, and give its impulses and resolutions the highest and purest tone. What if purely Christian ethics had been occupied in advocating one form of government against an-

other, in putting monarchy against democracy, or despotism against constitutionalism? The influence of purely Christian ethics would have been limited, and limitation in moral advantage is essentially opposed to the bounty of the grace of God. We take this political objection to be rather a commendation than a reproach. Politics may be local, but ethics must be universal: a man may be a democrat or a king, a czar or a serf; he may follow Caesar or Brutus, without endangering his destiny by bad character; but the moment a man attempts to accommodate ethics to personal prejudice or passion, he is dangerous to any State. Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to preach the Gospel in “all nations,” a thing which would have been impossible had the Gospel embodied a special political creed; but wherever the Gospel is received, the less is comprehended in the greater; better men become better politicians; larger hearts conceive larger measures; holier consciences call for purer statues; and as kings and citizens are drawn toward the Great Ruler, a new vitality and wider freedom characterize statesmanship and all the relations of public life.

The same writer expresses himself in language more decisive still, if possible; he says, “I am as far as any come from pretending that these defects are necessarily inherent in the Christian ethics, in every manner in which it can be conceived, or that the many requisites of a complete moral doctrine, which it does not contain, do not admit of being reconciled with it. Far less would I insinuate this of the doctrines an precepts of Christ himself. . . .

But it is quote consistent with this to believe that they contain, and were meant to contain, only a part of the truth; that many essential elements of the highest morality—[the italics are the transcriber’s]—are among the things which are not provided for in the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity. . . . I believe that other ethics than any which can be evolved from exclusively Christian sources must exist side by side with Christian ethics, to produce the moral regeneration of mankind. . . . It can do no service to blink the fact, known to all who have the most ordinary acquaintance with human history, that a large portion of the noblest and most valuable moral teaching has been the work, not only of men who did not know, but of men who knew and rejected Christian faith.”* [*Mill, “On Liberty.”] A little more precision in the use of words would have been useful in enabling the reader to understand the doctrine. If, as the writer distinctly allows, “the many requisites of a complete moral doctrine” “admit of being reconciled with” the Christian ethics, it does not quite appear how “many of the essential elements of the highest morality” are not

provided for by the Founder of Christianity. How can the “complete” be “reconciled” with the “not provided for”? When “many essential elements of the highest morality” are wanting, how can there be a “reconciliation” between such a deficiency and “the many requisites of a complete moral doctrine? At best, the reconciliation can only be partial; partialness is incompleteness; and incompleteness in moral teaching is a grave charge to bring against Jesus Christ; it is not incompleteness in merely theoretical or doctrinal teaching, but incompleteness in moral comprehension.

Look at the possible consequences of such incompleteness. those who listened to Jesus Christ received from him an incomplete morality; by so much as their morality was incomplete their lives might be immoral; by so much as their lives were immoral, responsibility must be fastened on their teacher. If they had known better, they might have done better; Jesus Christ did not teach them better, and upon Jesus Christ the responsibility must rest. If it be contended that the incompleteness was merely in statement, not in principle, the plea cannot be accepted, because it is distinctly alleged by the objector that “many essential elements of the highest morality are not provided for in the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity.” Suppose, then, to apply the case to the present time, that any man should accept Jesus Christ as his only moral teacher; that his whole life should be built upon the sayings of Jesus Christ; it must follow, since he has nothing but “the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity” to go by, that his life will be destitute of “many of the essential elements of the highest morality”; yet Jesus Christ promises that those who “do” his “sayings” shall be saved, and declares that those who “do them not” shall be lost: but if “men who knew and rejected the Christian faith” have favored the world with “a large portion of the noblest and most valuable moral teaching,” where is the equity of saving men who are destitute of “many essential elements of the highest morality,” and condemning men who have given society “the noblest and most valuable moral teaching”?

And if the equity be challenged, what does there remain in the teaching of Jesus Christ? The men who have rejected the Christian faith must 1) have had access to higher moral sources than were available to the Founder of the Christian faith; or 2) have had finer and larger moral capacity than Jesus Christ; or 3) must have been endowed with what for want of a better term may be called a more powerful faculty of moral statesmanship so as to enable them to legislate more comprehensively than the Founder. Under any of these assumptions it is clear, from the objector’s point of view, that Jesus Christ is superseded by a higher order of teachers, and that his morality must go down with other narrow dogmas which were adapted to semi-barbarous ages.

But is it true that “many essential elements of the highest morality are among the things which are not provided for in the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity”? What are the

essential elements of the highest morality? Would intelligent and loving reverence for God be admitted to be one of them? If so, it is provided for in the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity. Is the highest veneration of human nature worthy to be ranked as one of them? If so, it is provided for in the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity. Is the loftiest disinterestedness, or the most generous magnanimity, an essential element of the highest morality? If so, it is provided for in the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity. Do justice, mercy, forgiveness and peace find any place among the essential elements of the highest morality? If so, it is provided for in the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity. Is philanthropy, as shown in loving care for all men, alike as regards the body and the soul, in any way related to the highest morality? If so, it is provided for in the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity. We have not been able to discover one essential element of the highest morality which is not provided for in those deliverances, and we have waited with unrequited patience for specific references on the part of the objector. In a general way the author says, “It is in many points incomplete and one-sided; and unless ideas and feelings not sanctioned by it had contributed to the formation of European life and character, human affairs would have been in a worse condition than they now are.” As not one of these “many points” is given, we have no case before us. We know not to what “ideas and feelings” not sanctioned by Christian morality European ideas are indebted for not being “in a worse condition than they now are”; but our conviction is strong that if Europeans had done unto others as they would that others should do unto them; if they had fed their hungering enemies, and overcome evil with good; if they had done justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly with God; if they had abhorred evil and cleaved to that which is good; if they had not believed every spirit, but tried the spirits whether they were of God—that their “affairs” would have been so much the less voluminous by the absence of every knavish intrigue and every unrighteous war. We cannot see what is meant by calling upon Christian morality to interfere in European affairs in any other manner than that in which it interferes with the affairs of the whole world. On this point we have already expressed an opinion. Christian morality is not elaborated like a table of statistics or an Act of Parliament; it gives the moral spirit, and in that it gives everything that can be required. The sun will not do any gardening, but without it no gardening could be done. The dew will sow no seed, but without it, seed would be sown in vain. The greater the agent, the less of detail will it attempt; the greater the spirit, the less of literal law will it dictate. So it will be found, that where the Spirit of Jesus Christ is, the morality of Jesus Christ will follow: that Spirit determines the whole course of life; and it should be remembered by all who represent CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45 the Christian ethics, that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of his. It is, therefore, positively immoral on the part of the objectors to drag in Christ’s name as responsible for all moral systems which ignorant men may set up.

The author now under consideration can hardly escape this charge. He occasionally confounds the teaching of Jesus Christ with “religious education” and the “Calvinistic theory.” For example, he affirms that “in the morality of private life, whatever exists of magnanimity, high-mindedness, personal dignity, even the sense of honor, is derived from the purely human, not from the religious, part of an education, and never could have grown out of a standard of ethics in which the only worth professedly recognized is that of obedience.” This may be a serious charge against the “religious education” that was inflicted on the objector; but it is not therefore a true charge against Christian morality. We have no intention to be flippant when we say that we accept the objector’s own account of the “religious education” which he received, for most truly he has done his utmost to bring dishonor upon the morality which would have had a happier effect upon him than the dogmas which he has mistaken for Christian ethics. Does the objector know where “the purely human” part of education ends, and the “religious” part begins?

Can he inform us what would have been the condition of mankind, not to speak merely of European affairs, if Jesus Christ had never appeared

on the earth? Does “the purely human part of our education” itself owe nothing to the inspiring and expansive genius of Christianity? Has Christianity done nothing to promote the intellectual culture of mankind? Has the voice of Christianity never been heard pleading for liberty, defending weakness and assailing despotism? Is Christianity altogether a dumb morality? Is it mere declamation that has represented that her trumpet rang the clearest and loudest blast in every call to war for truth and virtue; that her hand was the strongest and steadiest in all conflicts; and that her white banner was never borne off the field in shame? Is there any truth in all this, or is it but a frenzied imagining on the part of Christ’s dupes? No wonder that the objector should have come to some such conclusion respecting Christian morality when we find him confounding it with “the Calvinistic theory,” which he thus describes: “According to that, the one great offense of man is self-will. All the good of which humanity is capable is comprised in obedience. You have no choice; thus you must do, and no otherwise; ‘whatever is not a duty is a sin.’

Human nature being radically corrupt, there is no redemption for any one until human nature is killed within him. To one holding this theory of life, crushing out any of the human faculties, capacities and capabilities is no evil: man needs no capacity but that of surrounding himself to the will of God; and if he uses any of his faculties for any other purpose but to do that supposed will more effectually, he is better without them.”

We may leave Calvinists to deal with this passage, as we cannot profess to know their case so well as they know it themselves. We venture, however, to suggest that the term, “human nature,” as employed in this quotation, is probably used in a different sense from that in which Calvin employed it, and therefore the sanguinary [causing the shedding of blood] representation of “killing human nature” is by no means the murderous deed which the objector would have his readers suppose. We know not how weak may have been the Calvinists with whom the objector may have come in contact. All of this, however, is of comparatively small concern to us. We are more careful to point out the slanderous remarks which the author has inferentially, we hope not intentionally, made respecting the character of God. Even allowing the “Calvinistic theory” to be exactly as he puts it, his view of God is most degrading, not to say blasphemous. The author speaks of “the will of God” in a manner which shows that he entertains a doubtful opinion of that will. Practically he despises the idea of that will being the rule of human life. We can conceive of one ground only upon which such contempt can be sustained, and that is the ground of imperfection on the part of God. The writing of these words costs us no little feeling, yet they are not too strong to express the simple fact of the case. If God is an imperfect Being, submission to his will may be a profound mistake; but if he is infinite in wisdom, infinite in holiness, infinite in love, then submission to his will must be the

brightest and noblest end of life. The decision turns wholly on the character of God, and that being determined, we shall have a correct interpretation of “obedience,” a term which is apparently an insurmountable stumbling block in the author’s way. What is obedience as viewed in the light of the true character of God? The objector clearly regards it as implying an affront to human reason, and indeed to all the attributes which are characteristic of manhood. He imagines obedience to be equivalent to a renunciation of personal thought and a surrendering of personal liberty. He would be right if the obedience were demanded to any being in the universe but God. The finite can never be humbled in accepting the will of the Infinite; indeed, all human life, if properly directed, is spent in one continued effort to reach a higher standard than it has yet attained; what if that effort be called obedience, and that standard be called God? It sounds very arbitrary to say, “You have no choice; thus you must do, and no otherwise”; but the fact is that every man has a choice; every man may walk in the light of his own wisdom; every man may shut out the sun and light his own torch; or any man recognizing the uncertain, the ever-changing conditions of human life, may seek the wisdom which is divine—a wisdom which rouses the intellect into fuller vitality, and leaves unimpaired every faculty of manhood.

Read unabridged at boropulse.com.