Oct. 2016 Murfreesboro Pulse

EVENTS

OCT. 2016 / VOL. 11, ISSUE 10 / FREE

BORO ART CRAWL + MURFREESBORO ROCKS AREA PUMPKIN PATCHES, CORN MAZES & TRUNK-OR-TREATS

NEWS JOSH NEEDS A KIDNEY

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

INSIDE RUTHERFORD PROBATION SERVICES PART III

Be Very Afraid Enjoy spooks, treats and fall fun all month long

2016 Middle Tennessee Haunted Attraction Guide

IN MUSIC // JOSH FARROW // EMISUNSHINE // FRED SCHNEIDER // DEL AND DAWG // SEIZER // AND MORE!

Contents

Word from the Editor

WIN

Tickets

12 16

20 Features

10

19

Former resident set to release album.

Art initiative encourages rock painting and drop-off.

JOSH FARROW

20

ART ROCKS!

HAUNTED ATTRACTION GUIDE

A round-up of Middle Tennessee’s Haunted houses; mazes and more.

21

THE MOST HAUNTED IN THE ’BORO

The most active paranormal sites in Rutherford County.

24

JOSH NEEDS A KIDNEY

Area man searching for matching donor.

25

LEWIS ELROD

Area gem collector helped make Murfreesboro museum a reality.

In Every Issue

4

MUSIC NOTES

Events THIS MONTH

Friday Star Parties Firefly Supper and more!

9

Sounds LOCAL CONCERTS

The Cosmic Collective; Ying Yang Twins and more!

ALBUM REVIEWS

Count Bass D Seizer

EmiSunshine; Charlie Daniels; Del and Dawg; Crissy Collins and more!

16 Art

EVENTS

Boro Art Crawl

26

NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM

Food RESTAURANT

The Block

28

Brothers and Sister’s Boutique; Blackberry House

Reviews MOVIES

Central Intelligence; 31

GARDENING

Silent Halloween

LOCAL EATS

32

Picking pumpkins Carving and cooking pumpkin

LIVING ROOM CINEMA

News

Part III—County still charging monthly supervision fees.

BUSINESS BUZZ

22

Living

... WELL

MURFREESBORO TRIBUNE

No one wants Broad Street bridge named after them.

37

Opinion

What if?

THE STOCKARD REPORT

Just when you thought the Sheriff saga couldn’t get any weirder...

41

Sports MTSU SPORTS

Mathers helps lead Blue Raiders to 4-1 record to open.

SPORTS TALK

LIVING EXCEPTIONALLY

Protests may be costing the NFL.

VISIT US AT BOROPULSE.COM FOR MORE!

Publisher/ Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

Art Director: Sarah Mayo Copy Editor: Steve Morley

Contributors: Dylan Skye Aycock, Leanah Chestnut Sam Clemens, John Connor Coulston, Greg Crittenden, Jennifer Durrand, Bryce Harmon, Joseph Kathmann, Zach Maxfield, Advertising: Justin Reed, Elizabeth Scott Sawyer, Jeff Brown Edwina Shannon, Jay Spight, Justin Don Clark Stokes, Andrea Stockard, Sam Stockard, Leslie Russell Yost Norbert Thiemann; Scott Walker

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

Copyright © 2016, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 10 N. Public Square, 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 Murfreesboro Pulse is a free publication funded by our advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X

Sign up to receive our weekly digital newsletter at BoroPulse.com/Newsletter

HELLO PULSE READERS: I hope you have created something that has brought you and others joy this past month.

Thanks for doing what you do—making art, making music, making food, reading the Pulse, loving and listening to your friends and neighbors, supporting the many great charities, ministries and organizations serving the Murfreesboro area.

Everybody Drum Some hosted another community rhythm event one evening in September— the day of the Autumnal Equinox, in fact. The group wants everybody to drum some some—a great idea! Cummunity drumming events seem to put people in a positive state of mind.

Welcome to the fourth quarter of 2016. Enjoy the fall. Grab a pumpkin for a jack-o’-lantern or a soup. Head to the woods for a camping excursion before the cold winter arrives.

The Boro Art Crawl celebrates its 1-year anniversary this month. Head to the Murfreesboro Square the evening of Friday, Oct. 14, and I bet you’ll discover something interesting, entertaining and inspiring.

Write a song, paint a rock, trick your bike out, climb the walls at the Ascent, take a picture, get a massage, do what you do.

Some tales of business, life, music, rocks and art follow in the pages of this month’s edition of the Pulse.

What’s your story? What should be told in Murfreesboro? Let me know: bracken@boropulse.com.

It seems that food brings everyone together.

There are some dividing forces going on in our country and town, but I’ve found pretty much everyone–rich or poor, young or old, Democrat or Libertarian, Asian or Hispanic, straight, atheist, single or disabled—likes to eat and find out about the local restaurant culture. I know the list of local eateries appearing in the September edition introduced some Murfreesboro consumers to new restaurants. What did you discover?

Good luck to all running in the Middle Half, to all playing football, to all constructing an invention.

Treat people right.

Having a soul and compassion can put an organization at a financial disadvantage.

But, as Louis Upkins stated at the recent Rutherford CABLE meeting, you can be both profitable and kind.

May your life be filled with good health and cheer, may your fantasy running backs go for 180 yards and two touchdowns, may your food agree with you and provide you with much nutrition, may your fingers be nimble and your mind sharp, may you set aside adequate time to get the rest your mind, body and soul needs, and may you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung.

Pardon Snowden; Snowden for president.

Peace, BRACKEN MAYO Publisher/Editor in Chief BOROPULSE.COM

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Events COMPILED BY

ANDREA STOCKARD

Send event information to murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com

Trunk-or-Treat

OCT. 29 – Eagleville School, 500 Old Hwy. 99, Eagleville.

Trunk-or-treat hosted by Eagleville wrestling, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

2016 Trunk-or-Treat events planned for the Murfreesboro area include:

OCT. 30 – Belle Aire Baptist Church, 1307 N. Rutherford Blvd.

Trunk-or-treat, 6–8 p.m.

OCT. 15 – The Pentecostals of Murfreesboro, 1800 Lascassas Pike.

Fall fest, 2–5 p.m.

OCT. 30 – World Outreach Church, 1921 New Salem Rd. Hoedown with slides, inflatables and lots of candy, all afternoon.

THROUGHOUT OCTOBER

OCT. 29 – Blackman United Methodist Church, 4380 Manson Pike. Chili and hot dog dinner, hayrides, trunk-or-treat, begins at 6 p.m.

OCT. 6 SURVIVAL BRACELETS Ages 10 and up are invited to the Wilderness Station (301 Volunteer Rd.) from 10:30–11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, for survival awareness. Who knew survival could come down to what you are wearing on your arm? Learn several different knots and styles of survival bracelets and some of the neat things they could be used for in a pinch, then go home with your very own survival apparel.

Reservations required. For more information, contact (615) 217-3017 or outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 7 FAMILY KAYAK FLOAT

The folks at Batey Farms have opened a pumpkin patch and corn maze at their Wilkinson Pike location. The 14-acre corn maze (the state’s largest, they say) pays tribute to Charlotte’s Web. Festivities also include a hay tower, hay rides and fire sites available to rent.

Hours of operation are 4–11 p.m. on Fridays, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturdays and 1–8 p.m. on Sundays. The site is located just off of Medical Center Parkway behind the Chamber of Commerce building. For more information, visit bateyfarms.com.

Grab the family and paddle down the beautiful Stones River. Enjoy an adventure with your loved ones throughout Murfreesboro beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7. Space is limited; reservations are required. All equipment and instruction are provided. Children must be at least 10 years old and accompanied by an adult. Admission is $15 per person.

For more information, contact (615) 2173017 or outdoormurfreesboro@murfrees borotn.gov.

WALDEN FARM

OCT. 7

THROUGHOUT OCTOBER

Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes

The pumpkins are plump and a few local farms are in full fall celebration mode.

 BATEY FARMS CORN MAZE

Walden Farm (8653 Rocky Fork Rd., Smyrna) has plenty of pumpkins available for picking and purchase, along with gourds, Indian corn and other fall harvest items. Walden offers hayrides and treats such as pumpkin fudge, roasted pumpkin seeds, funnel cakes and more. There will be crafts, a corn maze, a hay mountain, a 40-foot slide and many other activities. October hours are 3–6:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 9 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Saturdays; and 12–4 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call (615) 220-2918 or visit waldenfarm.biz.

LUCKY LADD FARMS Lucky Ladd Farms (4374 Rocky Glade Rd., Eagleville) is open through the spring and summer, featuring a playground, petting zoo and splash pad, but fall is when the pumpkin princess comes out. Pumpkin picking and wagon rides are part of the fun, and Lucky Ladd also offers scavenger-hunt-style games for kids in the corn maze, where participants use clues and animal tracks to solve a mystery. Giant tire swings, mega-slides, lawn checkers, a huge playground and more make the farm a fun family destination.

Hours are 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 12–5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call (615) 274-3786 or visit luckyladdfarms.com.

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MTSU FRIDAY STAR PARTIES The MTSU Department of Physics and Astronomy hosts Friday Star Parties at the MTSU Science Building (SCI) Room 1006 for a public lecture from 6:30–7:30 pm and then at the MTSU Observatory from 7:30–8:30 p.m. with a telescope viewing. Free parking is available by the Science building. October’s lecture features Gravity Waves. For more information, visit mtsu.edu/physics.

OCT. 8 HALF-MARATHON On Saturday, Oct. 8, runners will compete in The Middle Half, a flat and fast course starting at Greenland Drive near

OCT. 31 – Lighthouse Baptist Church, 3145 N. Thompson Ln. Trunk-or-treat, 6–8 p.m.

the MTSU Track and Soccer Complex, running down tree-lined Main Street to Maney Avenue, circling the Downtown Public Square, passing by MTSU’s Fraternity Row and the official geographic center of the great state of Tennessee, then finishing on the MTSU track. The race is limited to 3,250 runners, and races in past years have reached capacity. For more information, visit themiddlehalf.com.

OCT. 8 CELEBRATE READING Stones River Mall hosts Celebrate Reading from noon–3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8, in Center Court. This free event will feature an array of literary activities, including book readings from local authors, vendor booths from community partners and an artisan craft fundraiser for Rutherford County Books from Birth.

Mascots from select retailers will also compete in a Grand Spell-Off to conclude the event. Youngsters can also enjoy face painting, balloon art and crafts during this family-friendly event. For information, visit stonesrivermall.com.

OCT. 8 FALL FESTIVAL AND FISH FRY Good Shepherd Children’s Home (203 Woodcraft Dr.) will host a fall festival and fish fry from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. with activities for kids, food and entertainment beginning at 3 p.m. ($10 per plate) with a benefit auction at 4 p.m. Auction items include various themed baskets, dinner packages, travel packages, sports packages and much more. For more information, call (615) 896-1459.

OCT. 10–11 FOCUS ON HISTORIC DOWNTOWN MURFREESBORO Downtown-area property owners, residents, business owners, community leaders and interested stakeholders are invited to participate in two public open houses on two consecutive evenings. A

North Highland Avenue planning study will be held on Monday, Oct. 10, from 5:30– 7:30 p.m. at MTSU’s Andrew Woodfin Miller Sr. Education Center (503 E. Bell St., second floor). A Historic Bottoms Planning Study will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at Patterson Park Community Center (521 Mercury Blvd.).

For more information, contact (615) 8936441 or mblomeley@murfreesborotn.gov or danthony@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 12 10 PERCENT HAPPIER The Nurture Nook, 624 N. Walnut St., hosts a Lunch Connection on Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 11:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m. with 10 Percent Happier as the theme, and with food from Green Dragon. For more information, call (615) 896-7110, or visit facebook. com/nurturenookdayspa or nurturenook.com.

OCT. 13 STONE CELLARS BARN SALE Stepping Stones Safe Haven presents the Stone Cellars Barn Sale at 3250 Wilkinson Pk. The barn sale, held from noon–8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, features various vendors selling handcrafted jewelry, woodworking, candles, bath products, women’s and children’s apparel and home decor. Tickets are $5 online and $10 at the door. All proceeds benefit Stepping Stones Safe Haven in providing programs and resources that emphasize recovery, development, self-help and support for those suffering oppression within the community. For more information, visit steppingstonetn.org.

OCT. 13 FOUNDATION & FASHIONS The 9th Annual Foundation & Fashions returns to Stones River Country Club (1830 NW Broad St.) to raise money for The City Schools Foundation and area elementary students. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, with runway action at 6:15 p.m. featuring upcoming collections from local favorites like Bella’s Boutique, e.Allen, Sugaree’s, Trendy Pieces, Penny’s Closet, The Perfect Piece and Lizard Thicket. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door.

For more information, visit cityschoolsfoundation.com or call (615) 893-2313.

OCT. 14 WINE AND CRAFT BEER TASTING The Smyrna Senior Citizens Center holds its second annual Wine Tasting from 5–9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, at the Center (100 Raikes St., Smyrna) sponsored by Legacy Wine & Spirits in Smyrna. This year, craft beer will also be available for tasting alongside local food. Tickets for the event, “Uncorked and Uncapped” are $30 in advance and $35 at the door.

The Smyrna Senior Center, a nonprofit

THROUGOUT OCTOBER

Oaklands Mansion Fall Tours

Come explore the unusual mourning customs and superstitions of the Victorian era at Oaklands Mansion (901 N. Maney Ave.) during the month of October. The clocks are stopped at the hour of your death, the curtains are drawn and the mirrors draped in black when the house is in mourning.

Guided tours of the mansion are offered Tuesdays– Saturdays 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sundays 1–4 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 27, and Friday, Oct. 28, will be Flashlight Night from 7–10 p.m.

Tours of Evergreen Cemetery are Saturday, Oct. 29, at 6 and 7 p.m. Trick-ortreating begins on Halloween night, Monday, Oct. 31, at 4 p.m. until all the candy is gone. For more information, visit oaklandsmansion.org or contact info@OaklandsMansion.org or (615) 893-0022. organization, is a place where seniors age 55 and older can go for educational, recreational and social activities. For more information, contact (615) 459-4839 or smyrnaseniorcenter@att.net or visit smyrnaseniorcitizens.com.

OCT. 14 ZOMBIE GLOW RUN Stewarts Creek High School DECA and HOSA will host their second annual Zombie Glow Run 5K. The run will take place on Friday, Oct. 14, 30 minutes after the home football game. Registration is $25. Pick up a registration form for the event from Dr. Stewart in room 411 at Stewarts Creek High School, from the Hawks Nest in the back of the cafeteria, or call (615) 904-6771 for more information.

OCT. 15

Foundation. For more information, visit copdfoundation.org.

OCT. 15 CLIP FOR THE CURE Murfreesboro’s Supercuts (1948 Old Fort Pkwy.) holds its annual Clip for the Cure from 9 a.m.–7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15.

Ten percent of haircut proceeds benefit the Regis Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. For more information, call (615) 895-0486.

OCT. 15 GOURMET CAMPFIRE COOKING Prepare a whole gourmet meal with the help of a campfire at the Wilderness Station (301 Volunteer Rd.) at 4 p.m. on Saturday,

Oct. 15, as staff leads participants through the process of cooking a delicious meal over the fire, to be enjoyed in the crisp autumn evening. An approximately 1-mile hike each way on a paved trail is required.

Meander along the trail at twilight for a guided nature hike and learn about what local animals are doing to survive the winter. Arrive at the glowing fire for a tasty treat, and then settle in for songs and skits.

Reservations required. For more information, contact (615) 217-3017 or outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 19–22 HAUNTED HAYRIDE Join Old Scream Road, Murfreesboro’s scariest hayride, at Barfield Crescent Park (697 Veterans Pkwy.) from dark to 9 p.m.

Oct. 19–22. Admission is $5 per person.

For more information, call (615) 890-5333.

THROUGH OCT. 20 THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF STEVE McCURRY Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic figures in contemporary photography for more than 30 years. McCurry has created unforgettable images over six continents. His body of work spans conflicts, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary culture, with perhaps his most noted work being the image of the Afghan girl. The gallery is located in the Bragg Media and Entertainment building on MTSU campus and is open from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

OCT. 20 THE CONNECTION, BUSINESS NETWORKING AT MAYDAY The Connection: An Evening of Professional Networking and Business Brainstorming will be held from 5–7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, at Mayday Brewery, 521 Old Salem Rd. All Middle Tennessee entrepreneurs and professionals are welcome to attend this casual, no-obligation event, where they can meet other small-business owners and tap into one another’s expe-

BREATHE STRONG RALLY

OCT. 20

The COPD Foundation partners with the St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital to raise awareness and funds to fight chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for the first Breathe STRONG Rally in the greater Nashville area at Lane Agri-Park (315 John R. Rice Blvd.) from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15. The goal of the Breathe STRONG Rally is to bring the community together to cure COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), a progressive lung disease that affects 30 million Americans.

While it is free to participate in the rally, attendees are encouraged to recruit 10 people to donate $10 each to the COPD

The second annual Firefly Supper benefiting Doors of Hope, held Thursday, Oct. 20, will be held at the Barn at Stone Gate (714 Floraton Rd.) and will feature farm-totable meals from chefs Mitchell Murphree of Five Senses, Brett Corrieri of MAFIAoZA’S, Michael DeChirico and Tom Goodner of Adams Place Independent Living and Michael O’Bannon, Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church. Doors of Hope helps rebuild lives following incarceration in hopes of lowering recidivism in Rutherford County. Doors of Hope will soon launch The Red Door, a social entrepreneurship venture, with a catering company providing jobs for their clients. To learn more, contact (615) 900-0634 or stephdrk@gmail.com, or visit opendoorsofhope.org.

DOORS OF HOPE’S FIREFLY SUPPER

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 rience and energy. An open roundtable 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.

OCT. 21 AND 22 BARFIELD HALLOWEEN BASH AND TWILIGHT TRAIL Enjoy games, prizes, costume contests, candy, food, music, dancing and cakewalks at Barfield Crescent Park (697 Veterans Pkwy.) Join a happy hayride in the back country with games, puppet shows, story time, live animals and fun for the whole family at Barfield Crescent Park (697 Veterans Pkwy.) from 5–7 p.m. Oct. 21 and 22.

(Hayride admission is $4 per person.) For more information, call (615) 890-5333.

OCT. 21, 22, 28 & 29 GHOST TOURS Join a haunted tour of the Sam Davis Home and Plantation (1399 Sam Davis Rd., Smyrna) with ghost stories and hayrides from 7–10 p.m. Admission is $10 per adult 12 and up and $5 for ages 5–11. For more information, call (615) 459-2341 or visit samdavishome.org.

OCT. 21 NASHVILLE NETWORKING BUSINESS LUNCHEON Make connections at Murfreesboro’s Networking Luncheon, held the third Friday of every month from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. at Murfreesboro Gondolier (219 NW Broad St.).

RSVP at (615) 569-0109 or LoriG123@ gmail.com. For more information, visit nashvillenetworkingbusinessluncheon.com.

OCT. 22 40TH ANNUAL HARVEST DAYS CELEBRATION Celebrate fall in true pioneer fashion with music, clogging, pottery demonstrations, broom making, crafters, food vendors, hayrides, blacksmith demonstrating, an antique auto show and an art league show at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22.

Admission is free. For more information, contact (615) 890-0355 or shodges@ murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 22 & 29 SAM DAVIS FALL FESTIVAL Enjoy tours, stories, food, vendors, games and trick or treating at the Historic Sam Davis Home and Plantation (1399 Sam Davis Rd., Smyrna) from 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Saturdays, Oct. 22 and 29. Admission is $5 per guest. For more information, call (615) 459-2341 or visit samdavishome.org.

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THROUGH NOV. 4

Apples for Sight Fundraiser For a $100 donation, receive a box of delicious Gala apples from the Murfreesboro Lioness Club. Proceeds benefit the Lions Sight Conservation projects, including eye screenings for children from 1–6 years old, detecting eye diseases and providing correction. The Club also funds an annual MTSU scholarship for a sight-impaired student and donates to Middle Tennessee Lions Sight Service, which funds cataract surgeries at the Tennessee Lions Eye Center at Vanderbilt Hospital; it also donates to Tennessee School for the Blind and Leader Dog, which provides service dogs for the blind and sight-impaired. For more information or to order a box, contact (615) 512-0500, (615) 893-3129 or (615) 896-1007.

OCT. 22 FIBER IN THE ’BORO Come out for Fiber in the ’Boro at Lane Agri-Park (315 John Rice Blvd.) from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. The day will include various vendors and workshops on spinning, knitting, crocheting, making lace, silk, dying and more. For more information, visit fiberintheboro.com.

OCT. 25 FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS DISCUSSION Join a controversial discussion at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25, in the JUB Tennessee Room as the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies hosts a panel discussion about the role of free speech on campus. Should students be protected through university policy from offensive or hateful speech? What happens when values about hate speech and free speech collide? The panel includes Ken Paulson, dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment and a First Amendment expert; Joseph Cohn, legislative and policy director of Foundation for Individual Rights in Education; and Northwestern University communications professor Laura Kipnis, who underwent a Title IX investigation for writing a controversial article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. For more information, visit mtsu.edu/media/calendar. php or contact (615) 898-5171.

OCT. 25 STONES RIVER WOODWORKERS Stones River Woodworkers meets at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the North Boulevard Church of Christ (1112 N. Rutherford Blvd.) featuring Tom Cowan and his

student will be hosted by a current MTCS student and get a true feel for a school day at MTCS. For more information, contact monicahelton@mtcscougars.org.

OCT. 28 OPERATION SONG SHOWCASE Come out for Operation Song Showcase on Friday, Oct. 28, at Studio A in MTSU’s Bragg Building as The Department of Recording Industry’s Commercial Songwriting concentration led by Odie Blackmon, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF) and Operation Song, an organization that helps veterans and active-duty military tell their stories through the process of songwriting, co-sponsor a day-long songwriting retreat for veterans at MTSU. The songs will be showcased in Studio A. For more information, visit mtsu .edu/media/calendar.php or contact (615) 898-8490 or media@mtsu.edu.

OCT. 28 SPOOKY SPLASH

making of miniature furniture. Refreshments served, all are invited. For more information, call (615) 890-1889.

OCT. 26 THE MISSING PIECE The Nurture Nook, 624 N. Walnut St., hosts a Lunch Connection on Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 11:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m. with The Missing Piece as the theme, and with food from Milano II. For more information, call (615) 896-7110, or visit facebook.com/nurturenookdayspa or nurturenook.com.

OCT. 26 GET TO KNOW THE BORO Make great connections and conversations at Get to Know the Boro at the Bank of America (120 E. Main St., Suite 260) from 9–10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Introduce yourself, tell your story and learn about your fellow attendees.

OCT. 26 PETER GURALNICK LECTURE Acclaimed author, biographer, music historian and critic Peter Guralnick will come to MTSU at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, in the MTSU McWherter Learning Resource Center. Guralnick has written award-winning books on Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke and Robert Johnson; his latest book is Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ’n’ Roll. For more information, visit mtsu.edu/media/calendar.php.

OCT. 27 EXPERIENCE DAY AT MTCS Visit MTCS’s campus (100 E. MTCS Rd.), meet the teachers and shadow classes from 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Each

The Patterson Park Community Center pool (521 Mercury Blvd.) hosts a spookin’ good time on Friday, Oct. 28, from 6–9 p.m. featuring swimming, craft time, pizza and a pudding surprise. Bring a white T-shirt to tie-dye. Ages 7–13. For more information, contact (615) 893-7439 or cclemmons@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 29 SCHOOL OF ROCK Participate in fun projects and learn about different aspects of geology at Earth Experience: The Middle Tennessee Museum of Natural History (816 Old Salem Rd.) from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.

Admission is $10 per child. For more information, call (615) 605-1417 or visit theearthexperience.org.

OCT. 29 WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S Take the first step to a world without Alzheimer’s at MTSU Track and Soccer Field (1848 Blue Raider Dr.) for a 2.8-mile walk. All funds raised further the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Registration begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29.

For more information, contact (615) 3155880 or mlthomas@alz.org.

OCT. 31 FALL CELEBRATION AND HAYRIDE Come out and enjoy an afternoon filled with fun, stories, games, laughs, hayrides and candy at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) from 2–5 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Admission is $2 per person. For more information, contact (615) 890-0355 or shodges@murfreesborotn.gov.

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ENTERTAINMENT

DJ, BINGO, TRIVIA & KARAOKE NIGHTS  MONDAYS

HANDLEBARS Bike Night, DJ, 6 p.m.

MT BOTTLE Karaoke, 9 p.m.–3 a.m.

LEVEL III Trivia, 7 p.m.

PHAT BOYZ Karaoke, 8 p.m.

NOBODY’S Trivia, 7 and 9:30 p.m.

WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m.

PHAT BOYZ Karaoke, 7 p.m.

 SATURDAYS

 TUESDAYS

SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Trivia, 8 p.m.

CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

BOB’S BBQ Trivia, 6 p.m.

STATION GRILL Trivia, 7 p.m.

LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.) Karaoke, 6 p.m.

HANDLEBARS Cornhole, 6:30 p.m.

THE BORO Game Night, 8 p.m.

NACHOS Trivia, 7 p.m.

NACHO’S Trivia, 7 p.m.

 THURSDAYS

NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

AHART’S PIZZA GARDEN Trivia, 6:30 p.m.

LEVEL III Trivia, 7 p.m.

THE BORO Vinyl Spin with KM 9 p.m.

OLD CHICAGO Trivia, 9 p.m.

TGI FRIDAY’S Trivia, 9 p.m.

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

MELLOW MUSHROOM Trivia, 8 p.m.

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CAMPUS PUB Trivia, 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.

NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m.

 FRIDAYS LIQUID SMOKE DJ Night, 10 p.m.

WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m.

 SUNDAYS O’POSSUMS Trivia, 8 p.m.

SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Trivia, 8 p.m.

SEND EVENTS TO:

listings@boropulse.com

Concerts

IF YOU GO: Autograph Rehearsal Studio 1400 W College St. 624-2954

Send show listings to Listings@BoroPulse.com View the monthly concert schedule online:

Bird Song Studio 213 West High St., Woodbury 772-6432

BOROPULSE.COM/CONCERTS THURS, 10/6

MAYDAY BREWERY

Open Mic Night

NACHO’S

Easley and Justin Alexander

Ivan LaFever

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

MTSU Wind Ensemble, MTSU Symphonic Band

NACHO’S

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG. THE BORO

Ivan LaFever

THE BLOCK

Kerry Duane Johnson Blues Jam

FRI, 10/14

FRI, 10/7

AUTOGRAPH REHEARSAL STUDIO

Filth, Lordis, The Human Condition and more.

Flummox, Ire & Uprise and more

BIRD SONG STUDIO

EmiSunshine

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Joe West

COCONUT BAY CAFE

ScottFree Band

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

GREEN DRAGON

COCONUT BAY CAFE

HANDLEBARS

GREEN DRAGON

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Joe West

Zone Status

Uncle Don Clark

HANDLEBARS

Karaoke with DJ Monster

MAYDAY BREWERY

The Bird and The Bear

Billy Plant Evil Twin

Minus One featuring Dan Shafer of The Voice

MAYDAY BREWERY

Ashlie and the Family Jewels

NOBODY’S

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

THE ALLEY ON MAIN

NOBODY’S

THE BLOCK

TEMPT

No Fun Intended

The Cosmic Collective Filth, Lordis, Ancients, and more

SAT, 10/8

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Joe West

GEORGIA’S

Southern Ground

HANDLEBARS

Junkbox

MAYDAY BREWERY

The Aquaducks, Mize and the Drive, Janelle & the Gentlemen

TEMPT

Visiting Chinese Artists Junkbox

Bad Boy Bill, Richard Vission, Mindub, Samme, Wilsdorf

THE BORO

The Stir

SAT, 10/15

BIRD SONG STUDIO

Missy Raines & The New Hip

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Joe West

COCONUT BAY CAFE

DJ TruFx

Gammer, Alex Prospect

HANDLEBARS

John Salaway

MAYDAY BREWERY

Fischer’s Kitchen, Sequoia Movement, The Trebuchets

TEMPT

THE ALLEY ON MAIN THE BLOCK

THE BORO

Boomstick, Antler Hopkins

SUN, 10/9

HANDLEBARS

SkipperGrace

THE BLOCK

Robyn Taylor’s Country & Bluegrass Jam (brunch)

WED, 10/12

BIRD SONG STUDIO

Josh Wanamaker and Griffin Winton

HANDLEBARS

Karaoke with DJ Monster

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

AarK Duo: Tabatha

PULSE

Todd Waldecker, Adam Clark

All-star jam with Stuart Montez

THE WHEEL

Carmen’s Taqueria 206 W. Northfield Blvd.

848-9003

THURS, 10/13

JANELLE & THE GENTLEMAN

TUES, 10/18

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

Sxophone studio recital; Paul Osterfield studio composition recital

WED, 10/19

HANDLEBARS

SkipperGrace

TEMPT

EPROM, ToadFace

THURS, 10/20 HANDLEBARS

Fly High (Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute)

MAYDAY BREWERY

Open Mic Night

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

Tennessee Jazz Collective

NACHO’S

Ivan LaFever

THE BORO

All-star jam with Stuart Montez

FRI, 10/21

Grass2Mouth

COCONUT BAY CAFE

The Widdler, Thelem, Chief Kaya

HANDLEBARS

Macabre Masquerade

MAIN STREET MUSIC

HANDLEBARS

Jam session with Boone and Friends

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

Martin I. Gaines; Chris Combest and Karla Grove

THE BLOCK

Robyn Taylor’s Country and Bluegrass Jam (brunch)

MON, 10/17

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

Stones River Chamber Players

Georgia’s Sports Bar 555 S. Lowry St., Smyrna 267-0295

Looking to kick out the jams with some tasty new tuneage? Here’s an act that you might want to check out. Nashville’s rock/blues hybrid Janelle & the Gentleman is blowing into the ’Boro with a sound designed to be a “gritty magnetism” towards forces and feelings you shouldn’t otherwise be messing with. The four piece resembles the quintessential Nashville story of a local act that’s about to blow up, and you might want to take stock so you can preserve your bragging rights. Janelle & the Gentleman will be taking the Mayday Brewery stage on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 4:30 p.m. — JUSTIN STOKES

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

SUN, 10/16

Coconut Bay Café 210 Stones River Mall Blvd.

494-0504

SATURDAY, 9/17 @ MAYDAY BREWERY

Sugar Daddies

THE BLOCK

PICK

Joe West

Karaoke with Hitman Walker

Karaoke with DJ Monster A Devil in God’s Country (Lamb of God tribute)

MAYDAY BREWERY

Mayday Malone, Ragged Company

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

Laura Ross

TEMPT

Ying Yang Twins

SAT, 10/22

LEVEL 3

The Cosmic Collective

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Saving Abel, Alexander King

MAYDAY BREWERY

Ryan “Rooster” Lee

MTSU FLOYD STADIUM

’80s Halloween party with Mixtape

Liquid Smoke #2 Public Square 217-7822

Barely Alive, Finderz Keeperz, Jonny Grande, Leet

Main Street Music 527 W. Main St. 440-2425

TEMPT

Rickyxsan, Nightowls, Mike-iLL

COCONUT BAY CAFE

THE NURTURE NOOK

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Joe West

Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Hwy. 479-9722

Jan Schim

HANDLEBARS

As Yourself, Sleep Nation, Sleep for the Weary

MAIN STREET MUSIC

MTSU Wright Music Building 1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 898-2469

MAYDAY BREWERY

Nacho’s 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd.

907-2700

WALL STREET

SUN, 10/23

HANDLEBARS

Shane and the Moneymakers

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

MTSU Schola Cantorum and Men’s Chorale; Brass chamber recital

THE BLOCK

Robyn Taylor’s Country and Bluegrass Jam (brunch)

MON, 10/24

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

MTSU Jazz Ensemble I

WED, 10/26 HANDLEBARS

Crossroads

TEMPT

Ott, Govinda

THURS, 10/27 NACHO’S

Ivan LaFever

FRI, 10/28

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Joe West

COCONUT BAY CAFE

HANDLEBARS

HANDLEBARS

MAYDAY BREWERY

Stranger Than Fiction

NOBODY’S

SAT, 10/29

COCONUT BAY CAFE

DJ RDP

Handlebars 2601 E. Main St. 890-5661

Contest of Champions

TEMPT

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Joe West

Green Dragon 714 W. Main St. 801-7171

Zone Status

Zippy’s Clutch Mitch Cox

Graham Anthem Band

Karaoke with DJ Monster Kris Bell, Black Sky Tribe, Mindset Defect, The Darkest Hearts Apache Jericho

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

Nobody’s Grille & BBQ 2227 Old Fort Pkwy.

962-8019

THE BLOCK

Tempt 211 W. Main St. 225-7757

Brittany Belcher; Kobayashi/Gray Duo; Laura Kulp; Ciera Cope Another Dead Saint, Overcome Silence, Aeliana, Ire and Uprise, War Within, Brother Wolf, I Am The Law, Behold the Slaughter

THE BORO

Robbie Siebens Sidecar Sezerac, Paige & The Texas Bargoyles

The Block 123 SE Broad St. 393-9935 The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 895-4800

SUN, 10/30

HANDLEBARS

Jam session with Boone and Friends

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

Tatyana Bristol; Phi Mu Alpha/Delta Omicron/S igma Alpha Iota recital

THE BLOCK

Robyn Taylor’s Country and Bluegrass Jam (brunch)

MON, 10/31

The Alley 223 W. Main St. 203-3498

MTSU WRIGHT BLDG.

The Nurture Nook 624 N. Walnut St. 896-7110 The Wheel 534 SE Broad St. 295-2862 Wall Street 121 N. Maple St. 867-9090

MTSU Jazz Combos

BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2016 * 9

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JOSH FARROW Songwriter who honed his craft in Murfreesboro set to release album STORY BY DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

10 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

W

hen singer-songwriter Josh Farrow packed up his belongings and left his Chicago home eight years ago, it wasn’t to pursue a music career.

In fact, becoming a professional musician wasn’t even on his radar during that time frame.

Instead, he set his sights on Murfreesboro—or, more specifically, a young MTSU student named Brittney he met while on vacation in Florida. He says the two were in constant communication after returning home from the trip, and four months later Farrow headed south.

During his three years living in Murfreesboro, Farrow says he was able to find his niche and experiment with different styles of music. He mentions that it also helped to be surrounded by many fellow musicians and MTSU students pursuing a degree in music or the recording industry.

“I don’t think people realize how many musicians hone their craft while living in Murfreesboro,” he says. “It’s a really cool place to be exposed to different kinds of music and experiment, while in Nashville, people usually stick to one genre and groups who play the same kind of [music].”

Before moving to Tennessee, Farrow listened to and performed various styles of music, including punk rock, as a teenager. He’s also a fan of funk and blues, but his move south inspired an interest in country/folk and Americana, two styles that mirror his quiet, soft-spoken personality.

“It was all about the honesty of the songwriting . . . the pretty songs, the sad songs.

The whole atmosphere of country, country blues, Americana and folk music,” he says, “speaks to who I am in nature.”

“Bob Dylan changed everything for me,” he adds. “That was my transition from punk music to folk music, but it’s basically the same, just slowed down and played with an acoustic instrument.”

As Brittney’s graduation date was approaching, Farrow said the couple, now married, began tossing around ideas for their next big move. While they considered moving somewhere like San Diego or another coastal town, they ended up moving 30 miles north to the tight-knit East Nashville community,

and everything else, he says, began to fall into place.

Now, about five years later, Farrow is preparing to release his album Trouble Walks With Me, a 10-track release crafted over four years’ time, on Oct. 28. A lot has happened in the years leading up to this milestone, including sets on the main stages of North Carolina music festival MerleFest and Hangout Festival in 2014, and, most recently, Lightning 100’s annual Live on the Green music festival.

He’s also shared the stage with the likes of fellow troubadours Leon Russell, Shawn Colvin and Butch Walker.

Farrow reached an even larger audience when two of his songs, “Before You Leave” and “Who’s Going to Love You When I’m Gone,” were featured in the third season of ABC television series Nashville. Both tracks can be heard on Trouble, which he and producer Dexter Green recorded in Green’s basement studio, conveniently located just a few houses down from Farrow’s.

“I essentially walked over there every day or whenever one of us wanted to write or record,” he says. “I was lucky to have my producer so close, and who was also passionate about recording these songs, which allowed us to make the album naturally.”

Also featured on the record are Nashville artists Ruby Amanfu, who has collaborated with Jack White in recent years, Elizabeth Cook, the McCrary Sisters and Rebecca Lynn Howard of Steven Tyler’s touring band, Loving Mary.

“We’d bring [the artists] and musicians into the studio for one track at a time, but we took our time with the tracks, and if something didn’t sound right, we’d scrap it,” he says. “I was in no rush at all because not only did I want it to be a record people would buy, I wanted it to be an album I was proud of.”

Farrow says he’s set to perform a few shows throughout the Midwest and Southeast following the album’s release, but he will most likely hit the road in full force following the New Year.

Trouble Walks With Me comes out on Oct. 28. Catch Josh Farrow’s record release show at Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley on Sunday, Nov. 13. Visit joshfarrow.com for a list of upcoming tour dates.

ALBUMS

BY JOHN CONNOR COULSTON

COUNT BASS D

SEIZER

Blessed is the man who thinketh deeply, Count Bass D says on “My River,” Instantly New’s third track. The producer/rapper’s deep thoughts shine through on his latest LP, giving rap fans a refreshing palate cleanser from the darker flavors dominating the genre.

For the uninitiated, Count Bass D (real name Dwight Conroy Farrell) was one of Murfreesboro’s key musical acts in the ’90s, alongside fellow Spongebath Records artists Self, Fluid Ounces and the like. He brought experimental beats and rhymes to the local scene while attending MTSU before becoming a revered underground MC and producer in the 2000s. It was during this period that he recorded several cuts with iconic, mystery-shrouded rapper/producer MF Doom.

The latest 30-minute LP features Count as its sole rapper and producer, delivering simple yet interesting lines over wonky synths and 808s. The beats (which are also available on their own as a separate release) remind me of modern indie producers like Odd Future (Left Brain) and Tyler the Creator with their simplistic melodies and oddball tones. The rhymes are in a league of their own, however. He combines non-sequiturs about cold microwave burritos and “DVD rewinders” with straightforward life lessons in a way that’s just perplexing. The Count strings together abstract, non-rhyming lines in ways that work so well. These loose-meaning lines are mixed in with “truth bombs” and simple words of advice, making it a light, positive listen. As he says on “Have”: Life is composed of the haves and have-nots Those who have life and those who have not Regardless be grateful for the life you got It seems simple, but it means a lot Is it mind-altering? No. But does it make you step back momentarily and think about it? Absolutely.

Count’s deep voice effortlessly floats over the beats; rhythmically his flow just works.

Instantly New is a nice middle ground for hip-hop listeners who aren’t down for radio rap but don’t want something as dense as Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.

Count Bass D makes himself at home in that sweet spot, with a release that is equal parts poignant and accessible.

Murfreesboro-by-way-of-Chattanooga musician Matt Rice has channeled his songwriting into Seizer, a pop-punk outfit that dropped Past Regrets and Haven’t Yets last year.

The project delivers five pop-punk and alternative cuts in just less than 20 minutes. If you’re a fan of Green Day, Blink 182, Simple Plan, Bowling for Soup or the like, you’ll be pleased to hear Rice’s grounded approach to catchy rock.

The band’s debut single, “Breaking Another Girl’s Heart,” features a simple, pop-rock chorus accented by punchy verses and filled with basic love-tinged lyrics. Another highlight is the racing “Misery Loves Company,” which leans slightly into more punk sensibilities when it comes to the pacing and vocal delivery in the verses. These two are the best entry points for the band, as they’re arranged solidly and are catchy enough to find some replayability.

The EP’s problem is in its mismatch of approaches. These five songs are lyrically simple but designed to feel big and conceptual. When you dress simplicity and clichés into a concept album, it just doesn’t mesh.

This release is far from the grand emotional adventure it wants to be. The story is about a guy (named Seizer) who breaks up with his girlfriend, feels sad and goes to hang out with his friends.

That’s all. While it’s easy to put the goal of the concept in the back of your mind, you can easily hear the thematic arrangements, especially in the final two tracks. The movements within are nice executions of sonic shifts (and remind me of Green Day’s tonal changes on their rock operas), but there’s just not sufficient content to back it up.

With lyrics like Baby, baby, you drive me crazy, clichés about feeling like an outcast and simple strings of “la da da da” in choruses, Past Regrets and Haven’t Yets just lacks depth. Don’t get me wrong, the project is a decent, fun listen, but hopefully, this is just Seizer’s humble beginning, and Rice and company will take us to greater heights next time around.

Instantly New

Past Regrets and Haven’t Yets

A CLASSIC OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE

AVOID AT ALL COSTS DEAD BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2016 * 11

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MUSIC NOTES

WIN TICKETS TO SEE DEL AND DAWG AT BLUEGRASS UNDERGROUND BLUEGRASS UNDERGROUND, MIDDLE TENNESSEE’S PREMIERE CONCERT series in a cave, has a big October planned. Upcoming shows, which are held in Cumberland Caverns just outside of McMinnville, include: Oct. 8 – John Anderson Oct. 15 – Flatt Lonesome with the Way Down Wanderers Oct. 21 – Allen Stone Oct. 29 (afternoon) – Del McCoury & David Grisman Oct. 29 (night) – The Travelin’ McCourys & The Jeff Austin Band playing the songs of The Grateful Dead Guitarist, bluegrass legend and Delfest founder Del McCoury and mandolinist, acoustic music proponent and former Jerry Garcia collaborator David “Dawg” Grisman formed a friendship in the 1960s and will bring their collaboration to the Caverns’ Volcano Room the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 29.

This show will be followed by The Grateful Ball, a Grateful Dead tribute performance by the Travelin’ McCourys, which includes Del’s sons Rob and Ronnie, along with the Jeff Austin Band, later that evening.



Visit BOROPULSE.COM/DEL for a chance to WIN TICKETS to the afternoon concert with Del and Dawg.

THE LEGENDARY CHARLIE DANIELS TO VISIT WITH JUSTIN REED  Wow—what a great month of shows September brought, and October is promising to be just as great! Thanks again to all the faithful listeners who listen to and support The Justin Reed Show! I would be nowhere without you and I am thankful every day for you. October is shaping up to be a good month with some listener favorites returning to the show: OCT. 6: Frequent guest and great friend of the show TEEA GOANS will drop by the show to co-host with me starting at 8 a.m. This will be Goans’ seventh appearance on the show. Fresh off the release of her third album, Memories to Burn, Goans has been touring the country and Canada playing traditional country music. She will drop by not only to play her own music but also to spin some of her favorite songs.

For more information on Teea’s music, visit teeagoans.com.

OCT. 13: At 8 a.m., Ethan Crump will be making his debut on the show. Crump recently released his new album Hellfire & Amazing Grace and will drop by the show to play some songs from the new project and perform live. More information about Crump can be found at ethancrump. com. At 9 a.m., piano legend Tim Atwood will drop back by the show and play live.

Atwood is a 38-year veteran of the Grand Ole Opry and has played both beside and with some of the biggest names in country music. Atwood’s newest project, That Old Time Religion, is out now. More information can be found at timatwood.com.

OCT. 20: Fantastic country music duo 2Country4Nashville will drop by the show at

9 a.m., making their third appearance on the show. Husband-and-wife duo Jo-El and LeAnne, 2Country4Nashville plays traditional country music and has a great time doing it! Their newest album, Just Us 2, is composed of great duets. They will drop by the show to play live, catch-up, and preview their upcoming tour.

More info on 2C4N can be found at 2country4nashville.com.

OCT. 27: I am looking forward

to visiting with a 2016 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Mr. CHARLIE DANIELS, beginning at 9 a.m.

(Other 2016 inductees are producer Fred Foster and legend Randy Travis, all originating from North Carolina.) I had the privilege of visiting with Charlie at the preview of his new HoF exhibit, Million Mile Memories. Fresh from the release of new cowboy song “Nighthawk,” Daniels is on pace to have one of the best years of his life. Charlie will discuss his new album and the song selection, his HoF induction, his 80th birthday and the upcoming Volunteer Jam. For more information on Daniels, see charliedaniels.com.

Tune into The Justin Reed Show every Thursday morning on 88.3 FM. The upto-date listing is on the show’s calendar, thejustinreedshow.com/calendar. See you Thursday.

Peace, Love, and Ernest Tubb — JUSTIN REED 12 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

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EmiSunshine 12-year-old brings her songs and love to Bird Song Studio.

BY JOHN CONNOR COULSTON

hen you listen to EmiSunshine’s latest EP, 40 Acre Dream, you hear an old soul with a young voice. A very, very young voice. At 12 years old, EmiSunshine delivers old-time country covers and originals for audiences across the country.

Emi, whose real name is Emilie Sunshine Hamilton, was born in Madisonville, Tenn., to musical parents who started her on a path to stardom at an early age. She recorded two albums at her father’s studio at age 7, and played churches, fairs and talent shows with a backing band. In 2014, she became a viral sensation when a video of her performing Jimmie Rodgers’ “Blue Yodel No. 6” was shown on The Today Show, which resulted in her appearing on the show later that week.

That appearance led to Emi appearing at the Ryman during CMA Fest and several appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. It also won her the admiration of Americana greats such as Marty Stuart and Buddy Miller.

Her tour bus will be stopping at Woodbury’s Bird Song Studio on Oct. 14, for two shows that are sure to please country fans old and young. Get to know a little about the pre-teen star in our Q & A:

and then sometimes just everyday things.

I like story songs.

especially when they’re singing alone, dancing and smiling.

What inspires you to write?

Life, people, art, music. I feel like it sometimes comes from somewhere other than me. I like those songs best.

What would you say has been your favorite concert you’ve played?

I’d say the Opry, but opening for Willie in Las Vegas was great, too!

What do you love about “old-time” country music, as opposed to many of the modern songs on the radio?

I’m trying to listen closer and be more open but if I can’t believe a song, it just doesn’t move me and I want music to say something. Some of today’s music is about things I don’t relate to, where Waylon [Jennings] and Johnny [Cash]’s songs speak to me. Merle [Haggard] was also someone who you believed what he was singing about in his songs.

What was it like meeting Marty Stuart?

That was the most amazing thing ever!

Every time I see him I am thrilled—he’s my hero!

You’ve played on TV, the Opry and a ton of other huge stages. What’s it like to perform on a platform that big?

The Opry feels like home to me and I get homesick for it. Big stages just mean big opportunity to keep doing what I’m doing.

Aside from music, what do you like to do in your free time?

Hula hoop, swim, sleepovers with my friends, playing with my animals and I love to draw. Oh, and I also love to shop at thrift stores!

Murfreesboro Pulse: What do you like writing songs about?

EmiSunshine: Things that are relevant

What’s your favorite thing about performing?

Watching the crowd, feeling their love,

How does it feel when a legendary artist like that praises you?

It’s humbling. I mean, Buddy Miller being kind to me—that just blew me away! He was kind enough to sing with me on my new album.

Do you think you’ll continue pursue a career as a professional musician when you get older?

Oh yeah! I hope to do this forever.

MUSIC CITY RECORD COLLECTOR’S CONVENTION RETURNS ON OCT. 9 The Music City Record Collector’s Convention will move to a bigger location for its fall 2016 event. The Sunday, Oct. 9, event, held at The Music Valley Event Center, 2416 Music Valley Dr. in Nashville, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will feature 80 vendors. These will include music memorabilia dealers from all over the country, longtime record show vendors, brick-andmortar record shops (such as South Carolina-based Yesterdaze Records and Nashville’s own The Great Escape), record labels, audio equipment and music collectibles of all kinds.

The focus, however, will be on vinyl records, both vintage and new. The convention will offer plenty of highly sought-after, hard-to-find rarities for the serious collectors, as well as affordable bargain-bin options. For those who would like to beat the rush, limited early entry passes are available at recordconventions.com for $12, and will allow a limited amount of customers to have the room to themselves from 8:30–10 a.m. Additionally, organizers have announced a Murfreesboro convention this year, to be held on Sunday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at Mayday Brewery. For more information on the shows, visit recordconventions.com.

BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2016 * 13

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B-52S FRONTMAN FRED SCHNEIDER VISITS MTSU, TALKS 40-YEAR CAREER “THE MORE WE PLAYED, the more people wanted to see us,” frontman Fred Schneider said about the B-52s’ career during a Q & A session held at Middle Tennessee State University on Sept. 29.

According to Schneider, the B-52s’ breakthrough success 40 years ago was largely due to college radio and alternative music fans.

“Our management didn’t understand it [the music], our record company didn’t get it, Top 40 radio didn’t get it,” Schneider told Tennessean music reporter Dave Paulson about the band’s eclectic catalog and its first single, “Rock Lobster,” released via DB Records in 1978 and again the following year on the band’s eponymous debut album.

“Alternative radio and college radio, as they still do, embraced it.”

The B-52s were established in Athens, Ga., in 1976, with Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland and siblings Cindy and Ricky Wilson. The band soon performed wherever they were allowed to and eventually traveled to New York City to play at various venues, including the renowned nightclub CBGB’s.

“No one was the leader of the group because we would rebel if any of us tried,” Schneider said. “We shared everything equally . . . the writing, the money we made, which wasn’t much at the time.”

Although the group temporarily disbanded in the mid-’80s following bandmate Ricky Wilson’s death from AIDS, the band reunited in 1989 with its multi-platinum-selling comeback record, Cosmic Thing, which featured the band’s biggest hit, “Love Shack.”

“It almost wasn’t a hit,” Schneider said. “I just insisted. . . . I thought it would be our biggest hit ever.”

Top 40 radio didn’t show interest in the track at first, he says, but it wasn’t long before stations across the country followed college radio’s lead.

“Don’t try to do stuff that fits in with what’s going on because it won’t be popular in a year or two,” Schneider told the audience, most of which were recording industry students. “Our songs don’t date because we’re not trying to sound like anybody.”

Schneider, who still tours with Pierson and Wilson, said the band’s prolonged success most likely stems from its loyal fan base and its members’ freedom to make their own choices over the past four decades.

“We’re crazy,” Schneider said, laughing. “We’ve always done what we want, and we didn’t let anyone tell us otherwise.” —DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

PHOTO BY ANDY HEIDT

MUSIC NOTES

THE REBIRTH OF THE SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS: BAND HITS MIDDLE TENNESSEE WHILE CELEBRATING HOT ANNIVERSARY The Squirrel Nut Zippers are back, 20 years after the release of the band’s platinum-selling debut Hot, “Not for a reunion, but for a rebirth,” according to vocalist and guitarist Jimbo Mathus.

The band jumped on the pop music scene with its 1996 sophomore release featuring a unique blend of Dixieland jazz, rock, swing, big band and Calypso music.

“We were shocked and appalled we sold a million records,” Mathus told the crowd at Nashville’s City Winery, a fitting, classy dinner theater atmosphere for the band, which performed two shows there. The tour also includes concerts at City Winery’s Atlanta and Chicago locations.

Though Mathus and drummer Chris Phillips are the only two members of the current SNZ lineup who were around in the 1990s version of the group, they surrounded themselves with an enthusiastic group of musicians for the 2016 rebirth, including an energetic madman on fiddle known as Dr. Sick (Justin Carr), and a hoppin’ horn section.

Mathus was all over the place during the performance, climbing atop bassist Tamara Nicolai’s bass, joking with the crowd, getting down low and dancing all about.

The band treated the crowd to the classics “Put a Lid on It,” “Prince Nez” and, of course, the hit single “Hot.” They even provided the score for a silent black and white cartoon, “The Ghost of Stephen Foster.”

For information on other upcoming shows at City Winery, visit citywinery.com/nashville; for more on the Squirrel Nut Zippers, visit snzippers.com. — BRACKEN MAYO

 CHRISSY COLLINS TO PERFORM AT MTSU TUCKER THEATER Crissy Collins, backup singer for Beyoncé, will appear at the MTSU Tucker Theater at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5, for an interview with Beverly Keel followed by a performance with student musicians from MTSU. The event is sponsored by the Department of Recording Industry. For more information, visit mtsu.edu/ media/calendar.php or contact (615) 8988490 or media@mtsu.edu.

MAYDAY HOSTS OPEN MIC NIGHT Mayday Brewery has launched a bi-weekly open mic night, held the first and third Thursday evenings of each month at 6 p.m. A recent installment of the night included members of the Jake Leg Stompers, Joey Fletcher, Uncle Don Clark, Terry McClain, members of the Hippie Hill-based Hillfolk collective and many other great Murfreesboro musicians taking turns on the mic entertaining the crowd. The next editions of Mayday’s open mic night will be Oct. 6, Oct. 20 and Nov. 3. The venue is located at 521 Old Salem Road.

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Art

BORO ART CRAWL CELEBRATES FIRST BIRTHDAY WITH EVEN MORE ART The Boro Art Crawl is turning a year old this October. Just a year ago, a group of more than 50 people met at the Center for the Arts to determine interest in such an undertaking, and from this group the Boro Art Crawl Committee was formed.

On Friday, Oct. 14, the Crawl will feature more artists and artwork than ever before, in 25 different locations available for viewing from 6–9 p.m.

Glenn Merchant, who passed away

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suddenly in April, was a member of the original Boro Art Crawl planning committee. The upcoming Crawl is dedicated to him. Merchant, owner of Moxie Art Supply, was an artist, arts advocate, friend and supporter. His loss leaves a hole in the local art community, but the committee will be celebrating his contributions in style, with even more varieties of art.

Art can be many different things, and for this Crawl, Sugaree’s will once again have live

models in its windows showing off fashions from a trunk show by Liz Alig, a fashion designer who is part artist and part activist for women in free trade regions in the world.

Alig (lizalig.com) uses only vintage and discarded fabrics, and employs women in free trade collectives to do the sewing.

“I started asking a lot of questions after living in Kenya for a summer,” Liz Alig says on her website. “I went shopping and no longer just glanced at the price; I glanced at the tag to find out where it was made.

I started to realize that there are people who make our clothes. People with their own dreams, good days, bad days . . . children.

One question led to another and I started to realize that something needed to change. We have an opportunity to give the people who make our clothes a better life.”

Sugaree’s will also host singer Alison Young, as well as fine artists Alexis Grigsby and Desire Hough. Check out the boutique’s neighbors Funtiques, The Write Impression and L&L Construction. They will feature the

work of Charlie Hobbs, Charlie Hunt, Debbie Schultz, Don “Vos” Owens, Sarah Clark and Sierra Simmons.

At The Write Impression, Murfreesboro Rocks will be offering the chance for Crawl participants to paint a rock and then place it somewhere around town. The fun comes when one is found and shared using #murfreebororocks and #boroartcrawl.

This month, poet collective the Delineators will be performing at the Earth Experience. The Earth Experience galleries will be filled with art and dinosaurs. They will be showing the works of Beth Moore, Bruce Frasier, Ella May Owen, Jessica Hayes, S.M. Teal and Stephen Young. Make sure to stop by, as they will also be giving away tickets to the Murfreesboro Symphony’s upcoming Nov. 13 Jurassic Park concert.

Studio 903 will feature the work of Michelle Sweatt, Nancy Turner and Leslie Shaffer Thomas, as well as live music from Goose Hollow.

In honor of the Halloween holiday looming just ahead, there will be an opportunity to win prizes by finding ghosts hiding at different Crawl locations. Instructions on how to play the game will be available at participating locations. And of course, wearing costumes to the Crawl is highly recommended!

Other participating businesses and organizations include: Top of the Block, DreaminginColor, Daffodilly Design, Mayday Brewery, Cultivate Coworking, Liquid Smoke, Green Dragon, Let’s Make Wine, Henry’s Florist, Amelia’s Closet, Simply Pure Sweets, The Boutique at Studio C Photography, The Block, Quinn’s Mercantile, Murfreesboro Art League at Cannonsburgh Village, The Block, Center for the Arts, Moxie Art Supply, Two-Tone Gallery, Murfreesboro City Hall Rotunda and Studio 903.



A map of all Crawl locations will be available online a few days before the event and at each participating location the night of the Crawl. This map will also note where refreshments and entertainment will be available. For more information, visit boroartcrawl.com or facebook. com/boroartcrawl.

 OCTOBER ART EVENTS

INAUGURAL SMURFREESBORO BIKE TOUR ROLLS THROUGH TOWN OCT. 22 As a precursor event to the annual Boro Fondo Festival—a three-day bike festival that combines aspects of the local culture and music scene—Smurfreesboro is a one-day bicycle, music and art excursion set for Saturday, Oct. 22, that will surely tide attendees over until the big event next spring.

The event is free and will feature more than 10 bands at three locations throughout the day. Many donationbased activities and proceeds go toward the 2017 Boro Fondo Festival.

Check out the lineup and locations.

LINEUP: Oh Grandpa • Apathy Wizards Sweet Cheeks • Inert • Pascuilli Peace Patrol • The Right Swipes Sailor • Saturns • Fischer’s Kitchen Hillfolk • Rain • The Total Kevvi and Eric Experience • Thor and the Goodman LOCATIONS: Purr Palace (Minerva Dr.) 4:45–7:30 p.m.

Lazarus House (Ewing Blvd.)

7:45–9:30 p.m.

The Block (123 SE Broad St.) 10 p.m.–2 a.m.

— DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

WRITERS COME TO MTSU Marjory Wentworth will appear at MTSU in the Parliamentary Room (MTSU Student Union Building, second floor) at 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17. Wentworth’s poems have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize five times. Her most recent collaborations include “We Are Charleston” and “Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel” with Herb Frazier and Dr. Bernard Powers. At 3 p.m., meet Robert Olen Butler, whose short-story collection A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1993. Book signings will follow.

MTSU Tom T. Hall Creative Writers Series and Virginia Peck Fund are sponsoring this year’s Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. For more information, visit mtsu.edu/media/ calendar.php or contact (615) 8988490 or media@mtsu.edu.

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Art Murfreesboro ROCKS! Art initiative encourages rock painting, drop-off.

THOUGH ROCK COLLECTING IS a hobby that banks on the already-present beauty of nature, Lascassas resident Monica Ashbaugh is giving ’Boro stones an added layer of beauty.

“Most people don’t think of themselves as ‘artists,’ but I’m a firm believer that everyone has a little artist in them!” Ashbaugh tells the Pulse. And through her free art movement, “Murfreesboro ROCKS!” the local artist has created a treasure hunt that leaves painted, collectible rocks all over the county.

Monica described Murfreesboro ROCKS! as “little like art plus a touch of geo-caching,” with people either finding the rocks by chance or by the help of hints provided via the Murfreesboro ROCKS! Facebook group.

The idea came to her after seeing it implemented by a Facebook friend from the Pacific Northwest. Inspired by the aesthetic of the

photos and the novelty of the idea, she took the Tacoma ROCKS! invite to implement the idea in other communities and brought it to the city. It’s “art for art’s sake,” according to Ashbaugh, that wants to nurture Murfreesboro’s interest in crafts and creativity.

Through the artist sharing a photo of their painted rock on social media, the maker and finder can engage each other and create “tiny art and big community.”

All types of artists—from those new to art to professional artists—are welcome to the activity. Some artists have made multiple rock drops already.

“Art is for everyone, Ashbaugh shares. “It transcends the aspects of society that tries to divide humanity. Art unites! What is wonderful about art is that it connects all types of people together in a shared experience.”

People can make rocks of all varieties,

“Abstracts, dot mosaics, zentangle, tiny masterpieces, kid-friendly pieces—it’s all good.

Most folks use paint pens or craft paints.”

So far, rocks have been placed near the downtown Square, at The Avenue shopping center, at Old Fort Park, along the Greenway and other places of interest in the community. As the success of the Nashville art drop movement has shown that similar endeavors are popular enough to sustain, the social art

project will keep going as the interest from painters and collectors increases.

The Boro Art Crawl has offered Murfreesboro ROCKS! a space at the next art crawl, which will be Oct. 14, so the group can help others participate in some recreational rockmaking.

For further information about the initiative, find Murfreesboro ROCKS on Facebook.

— JUSTIN STOKES

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Be Very Afraid

2016 Middle Tennessee Haunted Attraction Guide

T

he scariest part of a nightmare is knowing you can’t escape it . . . and that within a short span of time, you’ll be back to that moment of perfect dread.

The landscape will be yellow and gray, and with that deadening of life, the dead things come to life. And with fall in full force, this year’s haunted house season will be making sure that beasts, spirits and ghouls who want to taste the stuff you’re made of will have a chance to get up close and personal.

How much can your psyche handle? The paranormal, the putrid and the perilous things that await you through close corridors and dubious entryways make for an engaging way to get into the Halloween spirit.

To help you better plan your flirtation with death, the Pulse has put together its annual running list of Middle Tennessee scares. Rip it from the mag, as it might come in handy getting in—or out—of these nests of fear.

Ready for a spine tingle? Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and just keep telling yourself “you’ll make it through this.”

BLOODY ACRES HAUNTED WOODS 318 Big Station Camp Blvd., Gallatin, 37066 bloodyacres.webs.com OPEN:

Fri. and Sat., 7 p.m.–1 a.m.; Sun., 7–11 p.m.

Also open weekdays Oct. 21–31, 7–11 p.m.

Price: $15 CLARKSVILLE ZOMBIE HUNTERS 3975 Marthas Chapel Road, Cunningham, 37052 clarksvillezombiehunters.com OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 6 p.m.–12:30 a.m.; Thurs., Oct. 13, 20 and 27, 6–11:30 p.m.

ATTRACTIONS: Zombie Paintball Hayride, Zombie Mission, Shooting Gallery, Escape Game PRICE: Zombie Paintball Hayride—$18, VIP all-access pass—$62.99 CREEPY HOLLOW HAUNTED WOODS 2133 Joe Brown Road, Spring Hill, 37174 creepyhollowwoods.com OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 7–11 p.m.

Also open on Oct. 30 and 31 PRICE: $20 DEAD LAND SCREAM PARK 7040 Murfreesboro Road, Lebanon, 37087 deadlandwoods.com OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 7 p.m.–midnight PRICE: The Curse or The Portal—$15, Freak Out Puzzle Room—$5

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DEATH ROW 418 Harding Industrial Dr., Nashville, 37211 deathrowhauntedhouse.net OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 8 p.m.–1 a.m., Sun. 7–10 p.m.

PRICE: $18

MEYERS CREEK HAUNTED WOODS 4734 John Bragg Hwy., Murfreesboro meyerscreekhauntedwoods.com OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 7 p.m.–11:30 p.m.

PRICE: $18

DEVIL’S DUNGEON 510 Davidson St., Nashville, 37213 devilsdungeon.net OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 8 p.m.–1 a.m., Sun., 7–10 p.m.

PRICE: $18

MILLERS THRILLERS HAUNTED WOODS AND ZOMBIE PAINTBALL 1431 Carters Creek Pike, Columbia, 38401 millersthrillers.net OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 7–11 p.m.; Oct. 31, 7–10 p.m.

PRICE: Haunted Woods or Zombie Paintball—$20, Combo—$30

HAUNTED HELL 3930 Apache Trail, Antioch, 37013 hauntedhellnashville.com OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 8 p.m.–1 a.m.; Sun., 7–10 p.m.

PRICE: $18

MONSTER MOUNTAIN 273 McMurtry Road, Hendersonville, 37075

monstermountain.net OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 7:30 p.m.–midnight PRICE: $19 NASHVILLE SHORES HALLOSCREAM 4001 Bell Rd, Hermitage, 37076 nashvilleshores.com/halloscream OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 7:30–11 p.m.; Sun., 7:30–10 p.m. PRICE: $25 NASHVILLE NIGHTMARE 1016 Madison Square, Madison, 37115 nashvillenightmare.com OPEN: Fri. and Sat., 8 p.m.–midnight; Sun., 7:30–10 p.m.

PRICE: $30 for all four attractions SCREAM CREEK HAUNTED WOODS 1765 Martins Chapel Church Road, Springfield, 37172 screamcreek.com OPEN: Fri. and Sat., dark–11 p.m.

PRICE: Haunted Woods and House of Terror—$20 SLAUGHTERHOUSE 3445 Lebanon Pike, Hermitage, 37076 fullmoonslaughterhouse.com OPEN: Hours vary, see website PRICE: Haunt—$20, Dinner, movie and haunted house—$40

History & Mystery 6 of Rutherford County’s Most Paranormal Places

BY JOHN CONNOR COULSTON With October being the official month of all things ghoulish and ghastly, it’s time to take a look at Rutherford County’s most spirited spots. With towns stocked full of history, it’s no wonder we’re a hotbed for paranormal activity. From Civil War relics to 20th-century haunts, Murfreesboro and the surrounding areas have all it takes for a spooky outing or two.

1

Sam Davis Home Smyrna’s historical crown jewel, the childhood home of famously executed confederate soldier Sam Davis, is a focal point of paranormal activity. The home was built in 1810 and is filled with Davis family pieces dating back to before Civil War, and furthermore, has been open to the public since the ’30s. That’s a lot of history. Numerous staff members and visitors have seen apparitions, heard footsteps and seen objects move around the house. Stories about Sam’s mother and grandmother haunting parts of the house are plentiful, particularly including one chilling tale about a rocking chair that rocks by itself. Around Halloween, the place is dressed up for an old-time funeral, so the home gets even spookier.

2

Stones River Battlefield When close to 24,000 men die on a property, some spirits may not make it through to the other side. The ghastly accounts from Stones River Battlefield (which covers 728 acres of the county) are numerous, as might be expected. They include everything from gun and cannon fire audible in the distance to ghostly apparitions walking around the cemetery, the final resting places for close to 7,000 soldiers. The strongest vibes are said to be at the “Slaughter Pen,” where one of the battle’s bloodiest encounters took place.

3

Sugaree’s This women’s boutique, located on the Murfreesboro square, is the home to a spirit known as “Jackson.” No need to fear though, Jackson’s a peaceful soul whose presence just kind of hangs out around the supply room of the shop, emitting the occasional scent of cigar smoke. The owner even leaves a glass of water out for him every day, just to keep him in good spirits, no pun intended.

4

Milano II Just off the square, this historic home-turned-restaurant has a peculiar backstory. You see, before it housed several restaurants, it was a funeral parlor. Wakes, embalming and services were held there, activities which are sure to be spirit magnets in themselves.

Aside from the creepy aspects of that alone, online accounts say a little girl in a white dress has often been seen around the property and various ominous noises have been heard.

5

Dyer Cemetery One of the county’s lesser-known spots for paranormal activity is Rockvale’s Dyer Cemetery. Legend has it that in the early 1800s three women were chased out of town for practicing witchcraft, captured near the cemetery site, lynched, burned and buried. You’ll see shadows and figures, hear footsteps and maybe even feel the women grasping and scratching your arms or legs. Other reported phenomena include balls of fire, lights appearing out of thin air and the cemetery gate opening on its own.

6

MTSU’s Tucker Theatre Drama students love to share creepy tales of the university theatrical venue. One revolves around the random aromas of cigarette smoke that pop up. Some say it’s just theatre kids sneaking off for a smoke break, while another theory involves a deceased drama professor whose chain-smoking spirit lingers. The second involves the sounds of an argument in one of the classrooms in the connecting academic building. It’s said that a couple, both of whom were professors, got into a heated argument that ended with one of them being stabbed. I’ve been told the incident was not fatal, but some say the emotions of the altercation “imprinted” on the room so heavily you can hear it recurring every so often.

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Living

Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Pie . . .

Farmers’ Market Education Series

BY EDWINA SHANNON

Harvesting Pumpkins WELCOME, FALL—the culminating gift of the growing season. Not only are we still harvesting fruits and vegetables out of the garden, we have the beauty of fall colors in crisp, clear fall air and then the gift of fallen leaves. It is a beautiful time to get the garden organized for a replenishment and a head start on the next outdoor growing season, which can start as early as March.

So, what to do, what to do? First, plant any plants that you expect to see again next year.

They need time to establish their root system in the soil before the frosts descend and winter sets in. Then remove all weeds. I know this assignment never ends, but the more you remove now, the easier it will be to maintain a weedless area next year. Did I say weedless? I really think such a thing does not exist; let’s say fewer weeds. Are there plants that need assistance with overwintering? Rosemary and parsley come to mind. Start to give them protection by heaping some peat moss or some leaves around their base and continue to add to it throughout the days of dropping temperatures.

Collect all the leaves that you can. Collect the cut grass clippings. You have the basis here for improving the quality of your soil. You have the option here to make robust, rich compost, which is comparable to flour in cake. Good compost and rich soil are the basis of a healthy growing area, whether it be a garden or the topsoil for your yard. Start, or add them to, a compost pile. Another option is to just pile up the leaves. Or, for the curious mind, do them both and check on the decomposition process of each. Just remember that the earth gives but the earth also needs to receive.

Fundamental to an American fall is our obsession with pumpkins, Halloween and football. Traditions include attending the local games, going on “ghost” experiences and picking pumpkins. Many local farms have pumpkin patches and corn mazes, so watch for their announcements and times.

When you are off choosing the pumpkins for this year, be conscious that pumpkins 22 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

are grown for different purposes. Assess the possibility of your pumpkin having decorative as well as culinary uses. The smaller ones generally have thicker flesh and make better pie pumpkins. The larger ones are grown for decorating and carving. All have seeds that can be roasted very easily.

It is relatively easy to grow your own pumpkins. Pumpkins are rich in nutrition, providing dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and iron. As you are planning next year’s garden, consider a pumpkin patch.

There are over 49 varieties of pumpkins from which to choose, and one acre can easily yield 800 to 1,200 pumpkins.

Timing is important. Planting pumpkins in Tennessee should be done mid-June through July 10, when the soil temperature is 65 degrees. They can go in at a 4-to-6-inch depth. Although many seed packets instruct you to thin the emerging plants, nature has a way that makes the stronger plants grow more quickly. The area should have a good balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Nitrogen can be side dressed throughout the growing season. Pumpkins are a vine crop, so they need room to spread. Some commercial growers grow them in the same area where strawberries had been produced. They require water and sun. Pumpkins are 90% water.

The biggest enemy of the pumpkin is the squash bug. They pierce the vine and basically kill it. You have to get those suckers while they are young. The hard outer shell on the adult squash bug makes them a gardener’s challenge. Don’t let them grow up. Eggs can be eaten by tiny wasps, although hand removal of squash bugs is the most effective control method in home gardens. Look for egg masses on the undersides of leaves. Hand removal and insecticide sprays are the best defense against their army. An alternate option is one I will try when I grow pumpkins again: near and within my pumpkin patch, I will plant catnip, radishes, nasturtiums, marigolds, petunias and mint. Some believe that

those plants repel squash bugs, but I have no experience with the technique. Perhaps we could all try it next year and compare results.

Pumpkin harvest should occur from late September through October. Some varieties of pumpkins spoil relatively fast. When cutting from the vine, try to leave a long stem to slow the rot. Most of the varieties of pumpkins grown in Tennessee are for ornamental purposes. The most common varieties grown in Tennessee are Appalachian, Gold Strike, Magic Lantern, Howden Biggie and Prize Winner.

Native Americans once roasted pumpkin strips over campfires, and cooked the pumpkin’s sweet flesh by roasting, baking, parching, boiling and drying. Flattened strips of pumpkins can be dried and made into mats. They also ate the pumpkin seeds as food and medicine.

The final round of free classes offered through the UT Extension will end in October.

Farmers Market Classes OCT. 4 Richard Lee, Permaculture Working with nature and not against it

OCT. 7 Shelly Denton, Children’s class Animals at the Discovery Center

OCT. 11 Pam Sites, Master FCS Winter Squashes Using squashes in meals

OCT. 14 Sunny Fleming, TDEC Natural Heritage Landscaping with Native Plants

OCT. 18 Cynthia Allen, MTSU Stormwater, Harvest the Rain; DIY Rainbarrels

OCT. 21 Louise Armstrong, CMG Plastics The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (United Way and Read to Succeed chili or soup lunch fundraiser)

OCT. 25 Carla Bush, Ext. Agent Seasonal Eating: Food Preservation Methods

OCT. 28 Ben Becker, Linebaugh Library Makreesboro Inventor Demo Farmers’ Market classes are free and are held at the Community Center at Lane Agri-Park on John R. Rice Blvd at 9 a.m. For more information: 615-898-7710. Look for recorded classes on the RC Farmers Market YouTube channel.

BY BRACKEN MAYO THE PUMPKIN, the big orange symbol of fall, can be fun for carving and decorating, but it is also delicious and nutritious to eat.

Don’t be intimidated by that huge piece of produce. Get into it and enjoy the fruit and seeds.

The big pumpkins serve nicely for carving large, glowing jack-o’-lanterns, but even a nice volleyball-sized pumpkin can yield a good amount of flesh.

For eating, rather than the massive orange guy, try a Long Island cheese variety, a Cinderella or a sugar pie pumpkin. These are easier to dissect, and contain fewer strings to have to pull and scrape out. At the farmers market or at a local garden center, pick out a nice pumpkin that piques your curiosity regarding what’s inside it.

Slice it in half and scoop the seeds out with your hands or with a large spoon.

You may get pumpkin goo all over your hands, but reportedly, that vitamin A-rich stuff is actually great for skin!

Important: save the seeds!

After all of the seeds and the strings are separated from the flesh, rub the pumpkin halves (or quarters if it’s a big ’un) with a little olive oil and place them in the oven at 350 degrees or so to bake (with baking time depending on how thick your pieces are). While these are baking, rinse off the seeds; thoroughly dry; and remove all remaining bits of string and flesh. You’ll have some time while your pumpkin is softening in the oven.

Save a couple if you want to plant some pumpkins next year.

Toss the cleaned seeds in a little melted butter and seasoning. The seeds can be seasoned with a variety of blends, depending on whether you’d like to go with sweet or savory. You can use salt and pepper, and even add some garlic and/or hot chili pepper. Or, do a cinnamon and sugar combination. The seeds could be tossed in soy sauce and ginger for a little Asian taste.

When a knife slides in easily all the way to the middle of a piece of pumpkin in your oven, you are good. An hour should be fine for even the thickest pieces.

Remove these and allow them to cool.

While your oven is already hot, you can go ahead and toast up some seeds.

Spread them out on a baking sheet and toast them at a lower temperature, 250 degrees.

Don’t burn the seeds!

Remove the pan from the oven every five minutes and give the seeds a stir just

SAUSAGE PUMPKIN SOUP INGREDIENTS: 1 pound sausage 3 tbsp. butter 1 medium onion, chopped 1 chili pepper, chopped (if desired) 1 clove garlic, minced (if desired) 4 cups pumpkin purée 2 cups chicken stock 4 cups water 3/8 cup amaretto 1 tbsp. brown sugar 2 tsp. salt ½ cup heavy cream (or sub. milk)

DIRECTIONS: Cook the sausage. Drain and set aside. [Use any type of sausage you like, but for an especially wonderful soup cook up some bratwursts stuffed with Swiss cheese from Batey Farms. After cooling, slice them into disks].

Heat a large soup pot or kettle over medium heat. Melt the butter. Add chopped onion, minced pepper and garlic to sautée for a few minutes.

Stir in pumpkin purée.

Add chicken stock, water, amaretto, brown sugar and salt. Stir.

Optional: Add additional fall vegetables like potatoes, carrots, squash or apples for more texture.

Add sausage.

Bring to a boil and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.

Reduce heat to low, stir in the cream or milk.

Serve hot with croutons or crusty bread and parmesan cheese.

ADAPTED FROM ALLRECIPES.COM

to be on the safe side. Baking for 15 or 20 minutes—as soon as they start to crisp— should do it.

After the large pieces of pumpkin flesh have cooled down, peel off the skin or use a spoon to scrape out the rich, orange pumpkin flesh and place it in a food processor, or

mix it up with a hand mixer.

There you have it—pumpkin purée, right out of the pumpkin you selected, ready for pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, or whatever type of pumpkin dish you like. Pumpkin is lovely in savory dishes as well, like this soup recipe. Enjoy!

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Living “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”

Middle Tennessee man searches for a matching donor.

STORY / PHOTO BY SCOTT WALKER

At the age of 21, in 2009, Josh Surovey was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease.

During what would normally be a simple biopsy to see what exactly his kidney was doing, things went wrong. Twice, he nearly died, and six blood transfusions were required. The kidney problems were still there.

In 2012, Surovey started dialysis and worked hard to get healthy, losing 160 pounds along the way. He was also told that

24 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

he needed a kidney transplant, news that is often devastating.

Surovey said that the journey has been mentally exhausting. His first thought was, “Why me?”

“I was down on myself,” he said.

However, those feelings of depression soon changed even though the kidney is still needed today. After the initial shock, it was as if a fire was lit underneath Surovey,

sparking a newfound passion to live.

“God brought me through this, man.

Honestly,” Surovey said. “I’m looking forward to life, I’m living life!”

Lebanese-American artist, poet and writer Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) once stated, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” Some would suggest that Surovey is on track to stand strong in the near future, while others would agree he is already stronger than most.

While he is happy to be alive, 12 hours of dialysis every single night is quite cumbersome. He has to go through about three bags of fluid nightly.

“Every night, there’s no breaks,” Surovey said.

The fluids needed for undergoing dialysis at home are shipped to Surovey. Two bags of fluids come packed in a box that weighs 35 pounds. Keep in mind, he uses three bags nightly. So, if the 28-year-old heads out of town for five nights, he has to bring with him a little over 260 pounds of fluids to use in the dialysis machine.

In other words, Surovey says that travel is “troublesome.”

Right now, Surovey is not married and

does not have children, but that is one of his long-term goals.

“Everything that I’m doing I’m trying to better myself so I can be there for my family in the long run,” Surovey said. In further discussing the idea of starting his own family, he said, “I don’t want to be in a situation where my health is going to decline and I can’t provide for them, so I’m trying to get myself to where I can have a good career at the end of this and start a family.”

Surovey confirmed that he is in need of a Type O donor and noted that the donor will be able to live a normal, healthy life after donating. Reports also indicate that the donor’s medical bills are fully covered by the insurance of the kidney recipient. If something should go wrong for the donor in the future, their name is automatically placed at the top of the kidney donor list.

The National Kidney Foundation reports that many people who need a kidney fail to receive one due to a lack of donors. Right now there are over 101,000 Americans in need of a kidney, but only 17,000 people receive one each year. Furthermore, 12 people die daily while waiting on a kidney to be donated.

Once a kidney is located for Surovey, who currently lives in Clarksville, Tenn., the procedure will be done at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. Vanderbilt has one of the oldest and most experienced kidney transplant programs in the United States, having performed over 4,000 transplants since its inception in 1962. According to the Vanderbilt Division of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, “The Division was also the first transplant program in Tennessee to introduce the minimally invasive technique of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy for living donor kidney transplants, and now performs the largest number of living donor kidney transplants in the state.”

If you would like to learn how you can donate or to see if you are a match, visit mc.vanderbilt.edu today. You can also call the Vanderbilt Kidney Transplant Center for more information, at (615) 936-0695.

Dedicated. Passionate. Enthusiastic.

These are all words used to describe Lewis Elrod, also a father, husband, historian and gem collector.

Lewis passed away on June 2, 2016, at age 78, but not without leaving a legacy. More than just memories, he left a place in his community for people to enjoy his own collection of gems and to learn about Earth and its history.

“Lewis Elrod had the dream of starting a museum before some of us were even born. A rockhound and mineral collector for over 50 years, many of the display cases in the museum are filled from his collection,” said Alan Brown, co-founder of the Earth Experience Middle Tennessee Museum of Natural History.

As co-founder and president of the Middle Tennessee Museum of Natural History, Elrod’s gems have been on display at the Earth Experience for the community to see and enjoy for the last couple years. Alan Brown will continue to display the gems and run the museum without him, but not without a sense of loss.

“We lost one of the founders of the museum, a great man and a good friend,” Alan said. “He will be missed.”

Long before the museum was in works, Elrod founded the Middle Tennessee Gem and Mineral Society (MTGMS) in 1978 and it is now one of the biggest mineral clubs in the country.

The club offers educational programs related to Earth science and jewelry making. According to the club’s current president, John Martin, 325 people are now members with 250 students and

Lewis Elrod

A force in the community, area man helped make local museum a reality.

STORY BY ELIZABETH SCOTT SAWYER several volunteer educators.

“One of the reasons the club is such a success is all because of Lewis’ tenacity and pushing people to do things—and then making them think it was their idea,” Martin recalled with a chuckle. “Lewis was a force of nature. He slowly wore you down until you did what he wanted you to do. He had a way about him of believing that you could do anything, whether it was getting involved with the club, getting the museum started, or whatever it was he needed.

“He apparently had a lot of patience because

I never saw Lewis discouraged for more than a few seconds,” Martin continued.

In 2012 when the Gem, Mineral and Fossil museum at Middle Tennessee State University outgrew its space, Brown approached Elrod about combining their collections and they started searching for a place big enough to house the newly founded Middle Tennessee Museum of Natural History.

After opening the museum with Brown in 2014 at its current location, Elrod purchased an unassembled cast of a T-Rex dinosaur skeleton

to go on display. He also donated many gems and minerals from his personal collection.

“There are 10 display cases in the Hall of Minerals. Easily seven or eight of the cases are from Lewis and that is just a small part of his collection,” Alan told the Pulse.

The Hall of Minerals at the Earth Experience is named after Lewis and Anna Elrod. Martin recalls that Elrod didn’t want his name on the room. “He had a way of stepping back and not taking credit for the things he did. He was a quiet visionary,” Martin said.

Brown recounts a story Elrod often told people of his first fossil encounter.

“When Lewis was 9 or 10 years old he found a crinoid stem, a common fossil known as Indian money. It was the first fossil he ever picked up and it is still in a coffee can somewhere with his others from childhood,” Brown said.

He carried that passion for rock hunting into his life and marriage with Anna Elrod.

“All along Anna would go out collecting with him, go to club meetings and work at the annual rock show,” Brown said.

Anna even used to help fill buckets up with sand when Lewis would visit geology classes at the elementary and middle schools.

“He was extremely big on anything to do with the education of kids,” Martin said. “And Anna was very, very involved in all of it.”

Lewis Elrod touched many lives during his time here and after all the years of serving his community, his friends and family say he left it a better place.

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Food

Read more about local restaurants at

BoroPulse.com/Category/Food

THE BLOCK

Brings a taste of Tennessee; supports local art scene.

Clockwise from far left: tacos; stuffed poblano with fried kale; patty melt; chicken and sausage gumbo; a rock band performs on The Block’s stage.

STORY BY LEANAH CHESTNUT | PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO THE BLOCK, which opened in 2015, joins a fine group of local restaurants that stand out from the assortment of fast-food chains in Murfreesboro.

The Broad Street restaurant has a vision of revolutionizing Murfreesboro’s idea of food altogether. As the only restaurant in town with the Real Epicurean Agricultural Leadership (REAL) certification, a program of the United States Healthful Food Council, every meal crafted in the eatery’s kitchen is chock-full of farm-fresh food.

The Block’s menu lists Middle Tennessee farms Batey Farms, Rocky Glade, Double Star Bar Farm, Triple A Farms and Head Family Farm as ingredient sources. And this summer, the restaurant even grew its own small garden in the lot neighboring the restaurant.

In order to maintain the qualifications of the REAL certification, participating restaurants must source foods from highquality area locations, provide nutritional dining options and lead in the community by enabling wiser choices for food. The Block beautifully accomplishes it all. With a vast array of delicious and wholesome dishes which are all created using 80 percent local food, The Block rotates its menu seasonally, setting a high bar that could influence Murfreesboro’s culinary community in the best possible ways.

On a recent visit, I sampled three delightful dishes from the restaurant’s summer menu: blackened chicken, chicken and sausage gumbo, and stuffed poblano peppers, 26 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

all of which seem to have gone over well with diners and will be hanging around on the fall menu.

The chicken, expertly spiced and grilled, was topped with a mango-peach relish and surrounded in a bed of rice. Fresh, nutritious and teeming with flavor, this dish will definitely be one of my top choices when I return. The meat was crispy but not dry or tough, and the rice was simple, buttery and delightful, but, to be quite honest, my favorite feature of this dish was the mango-peach relish. The sweet accent atop the blackened, savory meat was exquisite.

The gumbo was straightforward and not incredibly rich in flavor, but tasty nonetheless. With chicken, sausage, rice and assorted veggies swimming in a broth-like tomato base, this Southern classic is bound to fill local tummies.

The stuffed peppers dish features two whole poblano peppers roasted and beautifully stuffed with rice, sun-dried tomatoes and cream cheese and topped with a spicy, creamy drizzle to make for a rich and memorable experience. What delighted me most about this dish was the stuffing of the peppers. The cream cheese soothed most of the spice from the pepper, and the sun-dried tomatoes nicely accented the flavor of the dish.

The Block also serves some great burgers, and patrons can look for various daily specials, such as four tacos for $9 during lunchtime on Tuesdays.

Coming on the fall menu will be some premium mac-and-cheese dishes like Philly

cheesesteak mac-and-cheese with bits of sirloin steak and sauteed peppers and onions, and “Danksgiving” mac-and-cheese, loaded with pieces of smoked turkey and cranberries.

Farm-to-table dining is growing in popularity, but what makes the people at The Block so special is their affinity for community. From becoming one of the most popular music venues in town to hosting local art to starting a community garden, The Block is doing wonderful things to ensure that Murfreesboro remains a loving, supportive, creative community as it continues to grow. That is why The Block deserves your visit. Not only is the food both local and scrumptious, but when you eat at their table you support a group of people who want to improve their community. I know I will be returning frequently to The Block and am excited to see what’s in store for the fantastic eatery.

THE DISH NAME: The Block LOCATION: 123 SE Broad St. PHONE: (615) 393-9935 HOURS: Tues.–Sat., 10 a.m.–2 p.m., 5 p.m.–2 a.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

COST: Blackened Chicken: $13,

Stuffed Peppers: $11, Gumbo $4/7, Murfreesburger (with white cheddar and bacon) with one side: $10.50

ONLINE: theblockrestaurant.net

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* OCTOBER 2016 * 27

Reviews MOVIE

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTED BY

Rawson Marshall Thurber STARRING

Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Danielle Nicolet RATED PG-13

Central Intelligence is a movie that, on paper, should not work. After all, this film’s central premise is that The Rock is actually awk-

ward and not necessarily ridiculously charming and charismatic. Well, it works. It actually works. And as great as Kevin Hart is in this film, it’s all held together by The Rock.

Yes, the reason why you should watch this film is for Dwayne Johnson.

The man has carved out a nice little niche in Hollywood, and I am so glad that this is the case. He pulls off this crazy character so well, and had me smiling from start to finish. Not to be outdone, though, is his partner in crime, Kevin Hart. Hart has had a string of not-so-good films, but that string seems like ancient history here in Central Intelligence. And I cannot deny that I love the chemistry these two have. I really hope Hollywood spots the talent they have here and brings these two together again for future films. The supporting cast is pretty minor but still stellar, with the two female leads killing it in their minor roles. Amy Ryan is amazing as the mysterious CIA agent. She was funny while simultaneously keeping me actually somewhat in the dark as to which side she was

really on. Danielle Nicolet was great as well, though sadly her role can be summed up as “the girlfriend.”

Also there is an appearance from one very familiar actor that had me laughing very hard at several points, but I’ll leave that for you to discover. Not gonna lie: this certain cameo was arguably the best moment of the film.

Story-wise this film hit its mark for a comedy. There were a few twists and turns I did not see coming, but there were also a lot of holes all throughout. Still, the most important part of any comedy is, is it funny? The answer here is yes. The only film I’ve laughed at more this year was Ghostbusters, and that’s high praise.

The most massively underrated comedy to have come out this summer, Central Intelligence is held together by two hilarious performances from Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart.

If you’re a fan of comedies, Kevin Hart, or The Rock . . . then why are you still reading this?

— JOSEPH KATHMANN

and a ripped, ice-eyed Meg Foster, who needs to be cast as an older Sarah Conner posthaste. That the heroes up for slaughter aren’t all vacuous models in their early twenties is undeniably refreshing, though the acting isn’t much better for it, save for Meg Foster.

Once these men and women are captured, Rob Zombie plays every card in his deck, seeming to relish returning to his roots, the maniacal mayhem of the under-loved House of 1,000

Corpses and the critical-darling follow-up The Devil’s Rejects. At least he’s having fun. After the third or fourth variation of pick-a-theme killer clown and the third or fourth nail-bat fight, the tedium begins to set in. Zombie is, if anything, an aesthetician, and his love of ’70s grindhouse and giallo come through, but they come through the seemingly inescapable filter of his past, namely the ’90s music video.

Another trope trapped in the ’90s is 31’s relentless misogyny. The film seems to operate under the delusion that it’s feminist at times, then uses naked women, both dead and alive, as background scenery. Furthermore, the excellent albeit disturbing designs and aesthetics of each villain are undercut whenever they open their mouths, spouting threats of sexual violence with such frequency one wonders if they’re insecure about how scary they are and are desperately trying to compensate with nasty language. The film echoes the insecurity of its villains with excessive folly effects and sound design. And really, 31 isn’t all that scary (see Green Room for a truly terrifying take on the trapped-and-hunted genre).

— JAY SPIGHT

31 DIRECTED BY

Rob Zombie STARRING

Sheri Moon Zombie, Meg Foster, Richard Brake RATED R

The title of Rob Zombie’s latest foray into his own unique brand of killbilly carnival horror, 31, refers to a deadly game staged once a year on Oct. 31, Halloween. The game is overseen and enjoyed by a few elderly elite, dressed, powdered and wigged in white, like old French aristocrats, who kidnap a group of five people and set them loose inside a murder maze populated with psychotic clownlike killers, all for the purpose of macabre entertainment mixed with a healthy dose of gambling. Think The Hunger Games but less garish, The Running Man but less fun.

Set in 1976—because, even if it wasn’t, that’s Rob Zombie’s aesthetic and it would

look like it was regardless—the five kidnapees are a ragtag bunch of bell-bottomed, sideburned, dope-headed carnies, nearly indistinguishable from the Firefly gang or other antagonists/antiheroes of Zombie’s earlier films, except this time they’re the victims. They are Zombie’s obligatory bride-muse, Sheri Moon Zombie, the Jamaican-accented Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Jeff Daniel Phillips looking like a young, long-haired Sid Haig, Kevin Jackson

A CLASSIC 28 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD

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30 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

Silent Halloween

LIVING ROOM CINEMA column by NORBERT THIEMANN

facebook.com/livingroomcinema

THE HISTORY OF SILENT FILM IS STEEPED IN THE HORROR GENRE. HERE ARE SOME FAVORITES THROUGHOUT TIME.

Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary (2002) is directed by Guy Maddin. The visionary director solicited Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet to perform its beautiful interpretation of the Dracula story. He captured it with unique close-ups, and reached into his bag of primitive visual effects to create this dreamy, one-of-a-kind film.

The Man Who Laughs  (1927) is directed by Paul Leni and stars Conrad Veidt. A man is vexed from childhood with a disturbingly permanent smile, which was surgically forged as punishment for the deeds of his family. He yearns to be loved, but fears the torment a lover might endure.  Nosferatu (1922) is directed by F.W. Murnau and stars Max Schreck. Unable to secure rights from the Stoker family to make the first Dracula movie, Murnau unapologetically created his infamous, Nosferatu. Schreck is more than credible as the menacing vampire, and Murnau set the bar for horror films of the future.

Faust  (1926) is directed by F.W. Murnau. Emil Jannings and Gösta Ekman shine in this artistic, yet savorily distressing rendition of the classic tale. Faust is offered back his youth from Mephistopheles at the cost of his eternal soul. Murnau’s Faust is a visual feast.  The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) is directed by Robert Wiene. A traveling hypnotist is suspected of having his sleeping patient commit murders in a small town. Wiene leaned heavily on the intriguing German Expressionist style throughout this fine film. It stands as a study in the art.

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* OCTOBER 2016 * 31

News

NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM SERIES BY BRYCE HARMON

PART III

More From Inside Rutherford Department of Probation and Recovery Services “BEFORE THEY CHANGED IT TO THE COUNTY, I OWED A

thousand and something dollars,” Shaquilla L. said in the Rutherford County Department of Probation and Recovery Services waiting room on June 21, 2016. “Since they started the new one, I only owe five hundred and something. Now, where all the other fines went to, I have no idea, but when they changed over, [Lisa Reeder, the RCDPRS circuit court clerk] wrote my fee down and it was five hundred and something dollars. Now that’s a little more manageable. I just can’t pay it all at one time because I ain’t got it like that. I got kids.”

The transition from Providence Community Corrections to RCDPRS resulted in both Shaquilla and myself noticing the total costs of our charges had decreased after RCDPRS took over probation supervision on April 1, 2016.

Tiarra Smith, my probation officer at both PCC and RCDPRS, showed me on April 12, 2016, that once PCC left town at the end of March, the remaining unpaid PCC supervision fees left over from my 2013 DUI case were deducted from the total court costs and probation costs of that case. The receipt she used to explain that on ended up looking like a game of Chutes and Ladders, so I asked Lisa Reeder, RCDPRS’ in-house Circuit Court clerk, about it.

Reeder explained that PCC was sending money back to the Circuit Court clerk’s office to apply to people’s accounts. That’s why my outstanding case total was reduced. She also said that, in some probationer’s cases, the amount PCC sends back could exceed the amount a probationer owes the county, resulting in the probationer receiving a check in the mail for the overage.

In my particular case, Tiarra Smith was right about the money deducted from the total amount I owed PCC and Rutherford County for just the DUI charge. The remaining money PCC would have collected from me through their monthly $45 supervision fees—a total of $545 for an 11-month-and-29-day supervised probationary period plus the $5 TN Probation Council fee, paid in $1 increments every two months—was waived. PCC, however, did not refund any money to my account or reapply fees already collected to any of my court costs, as Reeder stated. From February of 2014, when my DUI probationary period began, until the end of June 2014, when I no longer reported to PCC, I had paid five months’ worth of probation fees plus $2 of the TN Probation Council fees, totaling $227. The remaining $318 of the 32 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

$545 PCC fees that I still owed on PCC and RCDPRS receipts was waived, and, because of that waiver, it appeared my costs and fines had been reduced on the RCDPRS receipt Tiarra Smith showed me. The same happened to Shaquilla’s total, but she was reporting as requested through the quick transition from PCC to RCDPRS with no lapse in time of not reporting, so it’s evident any outstanding PCC fines were waived from all open cases once PCC’s contract ended with the county.

probationer a non-itemized receipt on white paper printed out from the office calculator on which they crunch numbers, showing the increased amount. At PCC, the initial $500 court cost of the probationer’s turns into $1,040 the first time they show up for probation, reflecting the total cost of the monthly supervision fees calculated up front, and the amount owed goes down every time they pay.

For example, in my account with RCDPRS this year, I was at an $0 balance owed by April 2016. When the punishments and court costs for my violation of probation (VOP) charge for the 2013 DUI charge were applied to RCDPRS and Circuit Court clerks office’s filing system after the VOP charge was settled in court on July 18, 2016, my $0 balance went up $708, according to Rob M., who helps Reeder with the workload at the RCDPRS Circuit Court Clerk’s desk, and who punched out those numbers on his calculator on Sept. 20. So, of the VOP court costs added ($708), I’ve paid $439 towards that thus far. Of that, $225 went to the RCDPRS supervision fees (for five months), which left only $214 of the $439 I paid to be applied to the $708 total. After reporting and paying a supervision fee on Sept. 20, 2016, I left with a little white calculator receipt that said I owe RCDPRS $494, which freshly includes the new supervision fee that had just been added on Sept. 18, the next monthly anniversary of my

“Unfortunately, those fees are actually still being collected directly by the Rutherford County Circuit Court. It’s just not on paper the same way at RCDPRS.” Unfortunately, those fees are actually still being collected directly by the Rutherford County Circuit Court. It’s just not on paper the same way at RCDPRS. The difference between how RCDPRS does it and how PCC did it is as follows: instead of applying all of the combined supervision fees for a probationary period to the total court costs at the beginning of the probationary period—with probationers watching that number being whittled down on the monthly receipts as they pay, as PCC did—RCDPRS applies the $45 monthly supervision fee as probationers go along, showing an increased cost after a payment is applied. For example, if a probationer’s court costs were $500 total at the beginning of their probationary period, and they pay $30 against that charge the first month, their new total the following month is $515, reflecting a $30 payment plus a new $45 charge. Reeder or Rob, the Circuit Court clerks who calculate all of the probationer’s fees, fines and payments at the front desk will hand the

July 18 court date, after paying $439 towards a $708 tab. If you didn’t follow all that, and I can understand why not, the upshot is this: under this system, the probationer is forever behind the eight-ball, unable to make more than minimal progress paying the bill.

“The sooner you pay this off, the more money you’ll save from your $45 supervision fee,” is how Tiarra Smith put it.

While some of the changes between PCC and RCDPRS are posted on the walls and on the desks of the probation managers, probationers keeping track of their money through RCDPRS can be understandably perplexed with the other changes.

So, who is responsible for the changes that have been made in these confusing times? Who seems to be in charge?

According to Tiarra Smith, who was hired into RCDPRS from PCC, some of the probation officers take it upon themselves to supply help to probationers when they request it.

Also, a few times while I’ve been paying my

fines and fees at the front desk, Lisa Reeder had to stop to message, call or walk back to my probation officer Tiarra Smith’s back office to check if an action Reeder was about to take involving my fines, fees and payments was a correct action to take.

Once, on April 14, 2016, Reeder had to double check with Smith about some of the court cost totals I owed via an instant messenger used between employees of RCDPRS. Again, on June 7, 2016, Reeder went back to Smith to clarify how many months I was to be charged the $45 probation fee. (I poked my head back into the 309 W. Main St. probation building to assess my debt and square up with the county on April 12 and April 14, 2016. Apparently the $45 monthly supervision fee started again right then, though I was not instructed to report back to probation by the Rutherford County District Attorney’s Office until the middle of May. This is when Smith instructed Reeder to charge me an extra $45 for showing up in April—not for a probation appointment but to pay my debt off in full that month). Earlier this year, on Aug. 11, 2016, Reeder required Smith’s assistance clarifying to which docket number my probation fees should be applied. Right before phoning back to Smith’s office, she said, “I don’t make those calls.”

The only certain communication I’ve witnessed between the Circuit Court clerks and the probation managers of RCDPRS involve the money, and that occurs when Reeder notifies the probation managers when a probationer makes a payment and when an ex-PCC employee instructs Reeder on how to operate the Circuit Court clerk’s side of the business, the latter being a concern of the County Commission during the Feb. 22, 2016, Public Safety Committee meeting at the Historic Courthouse when Mayor Ernest Burgess and the County Commissioners discussed opening RCDPRS. “Mayor [Ernest] Burgess advised [that the county] will separate the money issues as the Circuit Court Clerk will collect the court costs, fees and fines [and] thought it wise to have a credible third party help for three months and recommended a nonprofit organization such as Mid-Cumberland Community Corrections Program as they currently have programs in other counties,” the minutes of the Public Safety Committee meeting state on the county’s website, rutherfordcountytn.gov.

Furthermore, according to those minutes, “Commissioner [David] Nipper advised he was not comfortable picking up PCC employees and felt all ties should be cut with them,” to which “Mayor Burgess [added] some PCC employees have been sued in the lawsuit [against PCC and Rutherford County].”

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2016 * 33

News

AROUND TOWN

SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL BUSINESS

Faith + Fashion

Owner of Brother’s and Sister’s Mobile Boutique refuses to give up.

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO PAPRIKA OWENS-LLOYD HAS A VISION.

Rather, the Murfreesboro woman with a plan to bring a new retail venture to Murfreesboro, says she shares a vision with God. Owens-Lloyd has launched a business concept, Brother’s and Sister’s Boutique, a mobile operation bringing children’s fashions to the parents, whether at their home, at special events or at private showings.

“I know what it’s like to shop on a budget for children. I also know what it’s like to shop with children,” Owens-Lloyd says. “I hope to make your shopping experience something your whole family can look forward to.”

After losing an administrative support job a few years back, the entrepreneur and single mother of three thought about running a mobile boutique specializing in children’s fashions.

“I take great pride in parenting my children and making sure my children are well dressed when they walk out the door. When they look good, it makes me feel good as a parent,” Owens-Lloyd says. “I thought I’d work on Brother’s and Sister’s on the side and on the weekends; I was going to find another job.”

But, not one job opportunity appeared. So, she jumped into the boutique concept, building up inventory, hosting trunk shows in her apartment, running a mobile boutique from her car “with my kids in the back seat.”

Though the business had humble beginnings, Owens-Lloyd wanted to specialize in 34 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

’BORO BUSINESS BUZZ

higher-end fashions all along, and says she feels that concept can succeed in Murfreesboro.

“Murfreesboro has families who are attracted to secondhand clothes; but we also have families who can afford to go to Dillard’s, Belk and Baby Gap,” the Brother’s and Sister’s owner says. “There are also families who have children with special needs. It’s hard for them to be in the malls and the stores. I bring the children’s boutique to your doorstep.”

While opening her own company, the single mother sought advice from as many area entrepreneurs as possible.

“It’s very important to me that we have people we pull strength from . . . Helen Keller said, ‘Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much,’” says Owens-Lloyd.

She expresses her gratitude to everyone in the Murfreesboro business community who showed interest in her and her business plan, calling out by name Judy Goldie at Trendy Pieces and Bella’s Boutique, Christy Sanford at the Garden Patch Thrift Store, Mimi and Ron and the Fish House and Jennifer Durand at the Nurture Nook.

“All contributed insight,” says Owens-Lloyd, who also runs a Stella and Dot jewelry business.

Still, after a year of pouring herself into Brother’s and Sister’s, the business was just not producing what Owens-Lloyd needed to provide for her family.

“I had decided I was going to give up. I was

BY BRACKEN MAYO Just a couple of weeks after Sport Seasons closed, a new restaurant opened at the 1935 S. Church Street building, the original site of Parthenon Grill and, more recently, home to Blue Agave and Sport Seasons. FUSION 9 INDIAN RESTAURANT AND SPORTS BAR will keep the sports atmosphere but will bring an Indian cuisine with many chicken, fish, lamb and shrimp dishes, as well as varieties of dosa, a thin Indian pancake made from rice and butter.

going through depression. I was going to give away my inventory, donate my clothes to charity. I was going to leave Tennessee,” she says.

In the midst of that, she receives a call from a producer with NBC. She told Owens-Lloyd about an upcoming television show, Harry, featuring Harry Connick Jr. interviewing world-famous actors and musicians, and also visiting entrepreneurs and families around the country offering a little publicity and assistance.

“I was very upfront with them [the producers on the phone], very honest with them,” Owens-Lloyd said. “I said, ‘My business is not going so well.’ [They] asked, ‘Why did you stick with it so long?’”

Owens-Lloyd replied, “Every time I think about stopping and giving up, I think about the women’s faces at the welfare line, in child support court, battered and abused women in the domestic violence meetings, looking hopeless.

Brother’s and Sister’s Boutique can show them that there are options.”

That conversation soon resulted in a visit from Harry Connick Jr., along with a television crew and a new trailer for Brother’s and Sister’s.

“How do you turn that down? A free trailer!”

Owens-Lloyd exclaims. “Something I’ve been praying for has come to fruition right in front of my face. That’s God telling me to sit still—that I can’t give up.”

While there are still some hurdles to overcome, inventory to acquire, people to meet and sales to make, Owens-Lloyd plans to put that trailer to use and keep on fighting the good fight for her mobile boutique, for her family, for the other women going through tough times who are watching her.

“The ‘greater is He who lives within me’ won’t allow me to give up. He tells me to overcome. He tells me that we are victors,” OwensLloyd says. “My story is not just about Brother’s and Sister’s Boutique. It’s not just about ‘come and buy clothes from me.’ It’s about inspiring the other single moms. You may be broken and battered but you can overcome!”

For more information on Brother’s and Sister’s Boutique or to contact Owens-Lloyd, visit brotherssistersboutique.com.

Across Church Street, the new building going up next to the Shoney’s will reportedly be a WAFFLE HOUSE. Yes, Waffle House just closed a location just a few buildings down the street last year, and yes, another Waffle House is located just across the interstate, but this one will be at the Rutherford Boulevard and Church Street traffic signal to make for an easier exit. So there you have it, another Waffle House.

COOKOUT will take over the former

Long John Sliver’s/A&W building near the old Hastings at Memorial and Northfield.

DIRT CHEAP, a chain of discount stores

with a heavy presence in Mississippi and Alabama, have opened a Murfreesboro

 BLUE COAST BURRITO will open a second Murfreesboro location near the Walmart on Fortress Boulevard. The Tennessee-based chain offers Baja-style food—or as it says, “surf-Mex”—where customers can build their own burritos, tacos and nachos with grilled chicken and steak, rice, beans, pineapple salsa and more.

location at 902 Mercury Boulevard., and other recent Tennessee openings have included Fairview and Lewisburg stores. The stores tout great deals on name-brand merchandise and feature a wide selection of products from clothing and shoes to electronics, furniture, kitchenware and other household items.

Broad Street now has another car lot, with CAR ONE opening at the site of the former King Buffet. This dealership specializes in pre-owned work

trucks and commercial vehicles, with multiple utility trucks, cargo vans and 4×4 pickups on the lot.

LA ESQUINA, located near the MTSU campus in the former Davis Market building (the “Center of the Universe” to some) is in operation.

The store offers fresh produce, tacos, burritos, tortas, fruit cocktails and more, in addition to tobacco and beer.

PRICELESS IGA, the grocery store

at Church Street and Veterans Parkway, has closed.

KAM’S BOUTIQUE has opened near Tandoor and Phunky Griddle in the shopping center at Thompson Lane and Medical Center Parkway. The boutique specializes in women’s fashions, including Wild Goose bags (pictured right).

 BLACKBERRY HOUSE PAINT a Murfreesboro-based paint manufacturer and furniture store, has partnered with Opry Entertainment to create a new paint line for Kellie Pickler, who has been curating a special home decor line.

“We feel pretty honored,” said Blackberry House owner Polly Blair. “And for those of you that will ask, yes, Kellie selected her own colors, and she named them all, and she has painted with it.”

Pickler named her paint line Selma Drye after her grandmother. The paint, and other Opry Entertainment products, are only available through shop.opry.com and in the Opry Originals store on Broadway in downtown Nashville.

BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2016 * 35

News

BY SAM CLEMENS murfreesborotribune@gmail.com

No One Wants Broad Street Bridge Named After Themselves IN WHAT MAYOR Sugar Shane McHarland heralded as “the most cooperative meeting we’ve ever had,” members of the Murfreesboro City Council on Monday held a first reading of the list of possible candidates deemed unworthy enough to lend their name to the much-maligned “Bridge Over Broad Street” project.

Several council members have noted that no one wants to have the Broad Street Bridge named in their honor, as the 37-year construction project has quickly become one of the most despised structures in Rutherford County.

The smattering of current and former officials, unloved local celebrities and Murfreesboro criminal defense lawyers who were named, one by one, during the raucous four-hour meeting represent a “who’s who” of people that the entire city would happily applaud if seen either rotting on top of Mt. Trashmore or emblazoned on the side of a

$17 million TDOT overpass.

The City Council roundly agreed that no current council member would be allowed to have their names chosen for the bridge, a measure that Councilman Don Young simply read three times at a rapid rate of speed while other council members said “not it” as quickly as possible.

The bridge project was almost named the Councilman Eddie Silverman Overpass, as he was last to say “not it” on the first reading—an error that he attempted to hide with the use of a garish pastel shirt-and-tie combination, which made no fashion sense at the early September meeting.

In what this reporter can only call the most enjoyable thing since sharing a dram of laudanum with a cousin of the fairer sex, each member of the City Council giddily wasted no time in an effort to highlight some of the biggest pieces of crap that Rutherford County has to offer, which made

for the best evening I’ve had since I moved here from Baltimore.

Unfortunately there is not enough space in a Sunday New York Times to list each and every name heard in the meeting, but I have included some of the more interesting quotations for readers’ benefit: “I can’t believe I’m saying this, because I think everything in this city should be named after me, but please do not honor my sacrifices here—at this time. Give it to Bob Darnold. He has my vote.”

– Councilwoman Straddlin’ Madelyn Hales “Usually I can think of at least 50 ways to come up with a more complicated solution, and as you know I’m not afraid to make us discuss them right now, but I’ll be quick. My vote is Loveless Bridge.

Wait, no, Zavisa Bridge.” – Councilman Diamond Bill Hackett When the meeting adjourned, Eddie Silverman sulked off in the direction of the Greenway, likely to discharge a firearm into the air, which is how he unplugs after a long night of being responsible, as the good Lord intended.

Sam Clemens is the founder and publisher of The Murfreesboro Tribune,“The Paper That Prints (Some) Facts.” According to one unnamed source, the Tribune is “the best newspaper you’ll ever read.” Contact him at murfreesborotribune@gmail.com.

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Opinion

What If? HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED THE “what if ’s” of life? Most likely you have. We all have. What is life like on the other side of “what if ”? Have you allowed yourself to mentally take a leap to the other side and just imagine what it could look and feel like? If you have, what happened after that?

Were you inspired, motivated, challenged, confused, depressed?

I love and live by the motto “be the change you want to see in the world.” In order to live on the other side of “what if ” you must put yourself there. You must align what you are doing now (your actions) and how you interact with others, with respect to the changes you want to see. You cannot achieve the other side by being a spectator, reading, thinking, dreaming or arguing about it. The other side of “what if ” requires movement, activity, interaction, choice and application.

Here are some “what if ’s” to get you motivated! See if some of these resonate with you: What if you could speak another language? It could deepen your ability to communicate with others.

What if you could dance? It could encourage others to move, be active. It could increase grace, poise and confidence.

What if you could write? It could help someone change their perspective or learn something new.

What if you were more loving? More love could come back to you. Everything feels better with love.

What if you didn’t react? You could prevent a situation from escalating.

What if you let “it” go? You could be free from carrying the weight of burden, regret or disappointment.

What if you didn’t let go? You could overcome the challenge or adversity. You could survive!

What if you took a 30-day break from Facebook? You could see more in front of you. Fewer distractions.

What if you hand-wrote a note to someone you cared about? You could leave a lasting impression of joy.

What if you stopped to help someone in need? You could make all the difference in a moment or a lifetime.

What if you ran for office? You could affect real change and bring attention to things that matter most.

Live Exceptionally ...Well!

BY JENNIFER DURAND

What if you forgave someone? You could lift the burden of anger or hurt and restore a relationship.

What if you stopped procrastinating?

You could feel accomplishment. You could get something done.

What if you did nothing? You could observe what is happening around you. You could restore balance. You could see the value of just being. You could see that life will flow anyway.

What if you went to another country?

You could see how others live. You could learn new customs.

What if you got laid off ? You could be free to redesign the life you want—and start living it!

What if you could see there was another way? Would you be open to it? Really open?

What if you are doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing? You could do it more fully!

What if you didn’t have that thought?

You wouldn’t think about it. At all. It would not have the power to hold you back.

What if you did nothing? You could see the effect this has and appreciate the power of doing something.

What if you never said “yes”? Think of one thing that would be different in your life if you had not said “yes”!

Choice is yours. Options are available.

Possibilities truly are limitless when you allow your mind to expand. When you allow yourself to visit the other side of “what if,” you will find the life it holds. If you are closed to this, you will stay where you are— mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. Increase your capacity to live more fully by exploring the other side of “what if ”! Think of the smiles, images, thoughts and satisfaction you will gain.

“The first rule of holes: When you are in one, stop digging.” — Molly Ivins 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, an InterPlay leader and is licensed in massage therapy, body work and somatic integration. Let her help you find your personal “ahh . . .” factor by visiting nurturenook.com or by calling (615) 896-7110.

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* OCTOBER 2016 * 37

Opinion A Twisted Nipple? Just When You Thought the Sheriff’s Saga Couldn’t Get Any Weirder THE ODDEST THING WASN’T seeing indicted Sheriff Robert Arnold handcuffed and led out of federal court by U.S. marshals after a judge revoked his $250,000 bond.

We saw him and two cronies come into court this May in handcuffs and leg shackles. Four months ago he hid his cuffs with paperwork. This time, he seemed quite comfortable putting his hands behind his back.

Besides that oddity, though, the strangest thing about going to federal court for Arnold’s bond hearing after he allegedly whipped up on his wife during a Labor Day of drinking and drugging was this: the talk about pinching nipples, titty twisters or whatever you want to call it. Has anyone heard about that since high school? An unwritten rule somewhere clearly says, after age 18, twisting nipples is not allowed or simply not done.

When you go to federal court in Nashville, where everyone’s going through metal detectors, walking on eggshells and prohibited from using electronic devices— no cellphones or recorders in court—it’s just plain weird when the first thing you hear is: she pinched his nipple before they had a hardcore wrestling match.

But that’s about what we’ve been reduced to in Rutherford County—a twisted titty.

Even worse, Arnold called Sgt. Todd

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The

STOCKARD REPORT

BY SAM STOCKARD sstockard44@gmail.com

Hammond to their house after the Labor Day match to tell Megan that “a person could go to jail for pinching a nipple.” Maybe so, but it’s more likely they could go to jail for 10 years and be fined $250,000 for tampering with witnesses, coercing people and retaliating against people who testify against them, which was all explained to Arnold, according to the judge’s order.

Now, we’re in the midst of ouster lawsuits, with lawyers getting paid a lot of money to take these cases. A citizens group, Oust Sheriff Arnold, filed an ouster on Sept. 29, and the Rutherford County Commission was considering it in early October.

ARNOLD Maybe, though, just maybe, someone should have thought better six years ago.

In 2010, Republicans, after holding a caucus instead of a primary, put Arnold in office over longtime Democratic incumbent Truman Jones, even though Arnold wasn’t qualified after a few years as jailer and school resource officer—and not a very good one at that—to handle the job of top law enforcement officer in Rutherford County.

EDUCATION QUESTIONS

When Arnold ran against Jones, the POST Commission tried to remove him from the ballot because members didn’t feel he had a valid high school diploma.

Arnold, who said he was dyslexic, received a certificate of attendance, a special-education type of diploma, from Oakland High School.

The Republican Party, including thenRutherford County Chairman Rick Womick, now a state House member; State Executive Committeeman Tim Rudd, who is running for Womick’s post; and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s office intervened on Arnold’s behalf to force the state and POST Commission to put him back on the ballot.

Womick said, “This is a despicable and pathetic attempt to destroy a man’s integrity and deny him his constitutional right to run for office.”

Arnold, at the time, said, “I will not quit, I will not back down and I will not be intimidated. Rutherford County deserves better.”

This is not to make light of people with learning disabilities, many of whom overcome mental deficits and prove their ability to excel.

But serving as the sheriff of the fifth-largest county in Tennessee requires a good deal of administrative skill and paperwork. There’s more to it than strapping on a gun and going to ham breakfasts.

Some official documents have shown Arnold misspelling his own name, and, according to federal court testimony, when Pretrial Services officers asked him to make a statement about his wife’s statement to the TBI and conversations recorded by her boyfriend, Arnold said that he was not good at writing and would have his press secretary draft a statement that he would sign, again invoking the power of his office.

Sheriff ’s office spokeswoman Lisa Marchesoni should not be put in the position of writing a statement for Arnold that has nothing to do with law enforcement but rather would be used to cover his rear end.

It must be noted, too, that dyslexia should have no effect on a person’s ability to decide between right and wrong.

Yet he was re-elected in 2014, even though he showed obvious signs of immaturity, taking extradition trips to vacation destinations, hiring his family members and buddies despite questionable actions and increasing spending by the millions every year.

So it wasn’t shocking when the FBI and TBI raided the sheriff ’s office in late April 2015 to investigate a scheme Arnold allegedly hatched with Chief Administrative Deputy Joe Russell and his uncle, John Vanderveer, to sell tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of e-cigarettes to jail inmates and conceal the business, without

giving the county any portion of the proceeds.

What followed the investigation was more than a little odd, though, with Arnold putting Russell on paid leave for several weeks and then suspending him for only two before bringing him back to work. Meanwhile, according to federal court statements, Arnold intimidated and retaliated against sheriff ’s office personnel called to testify before a federal grand jury, conducting his own little witch hunts into whether they turned on him, as if they had any choice but to tell the truth.

He fired Deputy Chief Virgil Gammon, who wound up collecting $350,000 in a settlement after filing a whistleblower lawsuit against the county. In the last couple of years alone, Arnold has cost Rutherford County more than $1 million in lawsuit payouts.

Meanwhile, he’s been living off the fat of the land with a $127,000 salary, taxpayerfunded vehicle and plenty of trips to places such as Gatlinburg, Washington, D.C., Orlando, Fla., Austin, Texas, and the list goes to infinity and beyond.

Arnold was supposed to be in San Antonio for more FBI leadership training the week he was tossed in a Kentucky jail to be held until his February 2017 trial. And he was set to go to San Diego this month for an international police chiefs’ gathering with Chief Deputy Randy Garrett, even though they aren’t police chiefs. (It must be noted Garrett has his own habit of using the sheriff ’s office to take care of personal problems, such as handling a rowdy son at his home in February.)

MOTHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP

When Jo Ellen Sandifer testified for Arnold during the bond revocation hearing, she acknowledged that her daughter, Megan, and son-in-law Arnold were both self-centered and had gone through a “stormy relationship” from day one.

She denied that a meeting she and her husband had with Arnold and wife Megan, when her daughter returned from a cruise in mid-September, was an “intervention,” as Megan described it to TBI and to her boyfriend, former Eagleville Police Chief Eli Stuard, in phone conversations he secretly recorded. Instead, Sandifer said the meeting was designed to help the couple’s marriage move forward.

Even after a U.S. attorney read her Megan’s statement to TBI agents about a serious physical confrontation following the pinched nipple incident, Mrs. Sandifer said, “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

But considering she admitted working part-time at the sheriff ’s office archives and discussing the situation with Arnold two or three times before appearing in court, her testimony probably didn’t hold much weight for the judge. At least it shouldn’t have.

It was hard to tell, but U.S. attorney Mark Cipolletti might not have known Sandifer was a sheriff ’s office employee because he turned incredulously toward Arnold, pointed his finger and said, “You work for this guy?”

UP AND RUNNING

Former Sheriff Truman Jones, who suffered a heart attack and underwent surgery in late September, said he bounced back quickly.

In fact, Jones said he almost got kicked out of the hospital for making a ruckus while watching the Tennessee Vols come back from a 21-point deficit to beat nemesis Florida 38-28 to break an 11-game losing skid against the Gators.

Other than an artery blockage, Jones said he was in good health before the attack, which enabled him to get through it without significant damage. Jones, who is feeling stronger daily, said he is also thankful for prayers and backing from people across the county. “I can’t tell you how much it meant to me,” he said, noting he didn’t know how fortunate he was to have so many friends until after the attack. “I’m so happy to be here and have so much support from the community.”

GETTING CONNECTED

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership, which serves much of Rutherford County, is surveying its members to see how they feel about the utility offering highspeed, broadband internet service.

More than likely, the responses will be positive for these internet gaps and those unsatisfied with the current service. But strong survey results don’t necessarily mean MTEMC will be able to start spreading fiber optics across its four-county area.

This will probably wind up in a fight with AT&T and Comcast in the state Legislature in its 2017 session. To this point, private companies have prevailed in most of these debates, because even though they can spend thousands of dollars donating to politicians, they don’t want to hang a line if you’re a mile outside their connection. Until the Legislature deems otherwise, they’ll keep getting away with it.

BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2016 * 39

Online Marketing Tactics That Can Boost Your Business COLUMN BY BY SARA LIPPERT MARKETING IS ONE of those aspects of business many business owners hate but need in order to survive. You might be thinking that just because your business is located in a booming town like Murfreesboro, you don’t have to work to get people to come to you. Unfortunately business doesn’t typically work that way. You have two options: either attempt to tackle marketing on your own or hire an expert to do it for you. In either case, here are some important online marketing tactics you can use to boost your business’s visibility and gain more sales.

Create a Good Website A website is the main platform where your audience is going to discover you and learn more about you. First impressions will be made here, as well as decisions. While having a bad website is better than not having one at all, potential sales can be lost due to a cheap-looking or hard-to-navigate site.

In most customers’ minds, website quality equals product quality. Visitors who get frustrated while on your website will leave.

Write Compelling Copy It takes both appearance and substance to make a sale. The copy on your website should start with attention-grabbing headlines that explain exactly what is to follow.

Tell people the problem your product solves and how they can benefit from your product or service. End with a call to action that has a sense of urgency.

Use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to Help Customers Find You Once your website and copy look good, it’s time to lead your audience there. They won’t stumble on your website by accident!

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Through the use of keywords and content such as blogs, you can increase your ranking on search engines and appear on the first page of results.

Build Your Online Reputation Looking professional, sounding convincing, and being easily found are just the beginning to boosting your business. A bad reputation can easily break all those efforts.

Create trust with your audience by creating a relationship with them. Write blogs to establish yourself as an industry leader and share helpful articles and tips for your social media followers. And don’t forget to stay aware of your online reviews. A few bad reviews can ruin your reputation, unless you take action to remedy the issue.

Use a Marketing Team Successfully marketing your business takes a team of specialized professionals. Sure, you can find someone who knows how to build a website and who sort of understands marketing. You could even download a cheap website template and figure the rest out on your own. But imagine the difference it would make to your business if you had a professional website designer and developer, an SEO guy, a writer and a creative marketing strategist. Not to mention the extra time you’d have on your hands!

Your possibilities for your business would be endless. Trusting your online marketing needs to a team can set you up for steadily increasing sales and long-term success.

Sara Lippert is part of the team at Titan Web Marketing Solutions, a Murfreesboro, Tenn. agency providing digital marketing solutions that work for your business, from website design to social media marketing.

To learn more, visit titanwms.com.

Sports Mathers, Stockstill and the MTSU Blue Raiders 4–1 After Opening Month FROM THE TIME that Tony Franklin was hired as offensive coordinator in January, hype has swirled around the MTSU offense. Blue Raiders fans got their first look at that offense Saturday, Sept. 3, when MT took on Alabama A&M, and they were not disappointed.

Those in attendance did not wait long to hear the familiar phrase “Stockstill to James” as the two connected on the first snap of the game. However, it was Murfreesboro native I’Tavius Mathers who scored the first touchdown of the game as he broke free for a 32yard touchdown run on just his second touch.

When the dust settled in the opener, MTSU walked away with a 55–0 victory over AAMU. The Blue Raiders took a short road trip Saturday, Sept. 10, when they were hosted by Vanderbilt, and a large contingent of the True Blue faithful came to try and crash the party.

Several milestones were reached in this

BLUE RAIDER SPORTS

game; Richie James caught MATHERS 14 passes to top the MT single-game receptions The weather resulted in record set last season by Ed BY a decreased workload for Batties and Stockstill broke GREG Stockstill, who completed 18 his own record for both CRITTENDEN of 30 passes with three going completions (38) and attempts for scores. However, Mathers (65). But after a rain delay and a busted loose for 157 yards on 27 carpenalty-laden fourth quarter Vanderries, and 103 receiving yards, seeing the end bilt came away with the win 47–24. zone four times in the win.

When the Blue Raiders traveled to Bowling The Blue Raiders opened their conference Green, Ohio, to play the Bowling Green State schedule against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs University Falcons the following week, they on Saturday Sept. 24. didn’t knew they would find a second oppoMTSU received the opening kick, but nent once the game started—the rain. struggled to get in rhythm early. It didn’t take “I had never seen anything like that. There was standing water on the field, and right when long for LA Tech to draw first blood. When a snap bounced off the hands of LA Tech quarthe ref set the ball down the ball was soaked. terback Ryan Higgins, the entire MT defense So, it was tough conditions, but both teams had responded to the fumble, but Higgins was to play in it,” quarterback Brent Stockstill said.

able to recover and find a wide open Carlos Henderson for a 70-yard touchdown.

Mathers soon broke loose for a 38-yard score, breaking the ankles of a LA Tech defender with a smooth juke move in the process. That touchdown evened things up 7–7, but the Bulldogs scored 13 unanswered points before halftime and the Blue Raider offense was looking its worst since the StockstillJames era began, several in attendance left Floyd Stadium in disappointment.

Trailing 27–7 in the third quarter, the Blue Raider offense mounted a comeback that those fans who abandoned Floyd Stadium will regret they missed and won the game 38–34.

“We never gave up. That’s what makes this win special,” Coach Stockstill stated.

For the second week in a row Mathers gained more than 200 all-purpose yards, and once again found the end zone four times.

A win in Denton, Texas, against conference foe North Texas brought the MTSU record to 4–1 for the season.

After a bye week, the Blue Raiders will return to Floyd Stadium for an Oct. 15 homecoming game against rival WKU.

BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2016 * 41

SPORTS

TALK

COLUMN BY “Z-TRAIN”

titanman1984yahoo.com

NFL RATINGS ARE DOWN

Could it be the on-field protests?

THE TRAIN DADDY IS BACK, bringing sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk to you, the loyal reader. Fall is my favorite season, the cool temperatures: the beautiful Tennessee landscape as leaves change over, and not to mention glorious football. Rocky Top Nation is representing well. Okay people, here is some advice before we dig deeper. Happiness isn’t a place or a thing, it’s not about getting what you want, or what you hope for. Happiness is a mood, it’s a condition. Hold family and friends close, enjoy football, take in the little things. Happiness comes from within (that’s why it feels sooo good to fart!). Remember the 5 F’s: Faith, Family, Football, Food and Friends. Life will reward you if you live by that.

I thought long and hard about what to discuss this issue (some people think small and soft; I assure you, not me). I contemplated doing a Tennessee Titans breakdown, and realized I could do that in one sentence. The Titans have heart and passion, yet the offense can’t score. Marcus is a turnover machine, Coach Mularkey’s ground-and-pound system isn’t productive in today’s NFL and the special teams equal disaster . . . that was two sentences.

I love my Titans. The time to win is now. Get it together, Marcus! The schedule is soft this month with all matchups against teams, with losing records: Miami, Cleveland, Indy and the Jags.

Into the beef of this enchilada: the NFL is down, people.

The NFL has a problem. Numbers! Ratings! Why? No one has an answer yet, but we have speculations—at least I do. The NFL has played it off, talking about it would lend it credence. Yet they can’t hide behind the numbers for much longer.

Don’t get me wrong, the NFL still dominates cable television.

But after it seemed the league was unstoppable in marketing and dominating all demographics for 42 * OCTOBER 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM

the last 15 years, numbers have dropped. Ratings for CBS are down 15 percent, ratings for Sunday Night Football on NBC are down 10 percent and the numbers for Monday Night Football on ESPN are down a whopping 19 percent from last season. It’s a huge deal, double digit drops. So why is this the case?

Maybe Mark Cuban was right years ago when he stated, “Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered, and they’re getting hoggy.” He was discussing the NFL’s television expansion plans, and even stated he believed the NFL was 10 years away from implosion.

Some experts claim that numbers are down due to a lack of primetime games to start the 2016 season, or the fact that there is a lack of superstar quarterbacks, with Peyton retired and Brady suspended to start the season.

Some say millennials are watching less cable. Some even state this crazy political sideshow has had an effect on the NFL’s ratings. A record 82 million people did watch the first presidential debate, but that was one Monday night, not a valid explanation for four weeks of bad ratings.

What about the protests? Players not standing for the anthem, kneeling, throwing up fists, the constant discussion of commentators during games or seconds before the anthem. A small but significant amount of players have followed Colin Crap’s disrespectful anthem protest to join the so-called silent protest. The NFL would be ignorant not to worry about Twitter’s #BoycottNFL. The players have even taken the protest internationally. In a Week 4 game held in England, the Colts vs. Jags, defensive back Antonio Cromartie took a knee and held up a fist for America’s anthem. It’s embarrassing wondering what these other countries think about it.

This is a problem. Roger Goodell should have allowed a week of personal statements before laying the law down and saying, “Protest

COLIN KAEPERNICK

on your own time, not on the field!”

The league has yet to condemn any actions, no fines for players protesting, but the NFL is a business and if these protests really begin conflicting with ratings and profit, either Roger will lose his job in the near future or actions will be taken to stop protest on the field.

You may say, “Train Daddy, they can’t stop free speech.” But the NFL is a job and a business, and the field is the office. Commissioner Goodell is the boss, and the boss makes the rules. Did you think NFL athletes can do whatever they want, whenever? The NBA is very progressive, yet they have a rule. It’s in their contracts: players and coaches must stand for the anthem.

Yahoo Sports did a survey that stated 44 percent of NFL fans said they would actually quit watching games if the anthem protest continued throughout the season.

Of course protesters around the country have the right to protest.

The same goes for NFL fans. They have the right to turn off their TVs, not buy tickets or NFL merchandise, and stem the cash flow that makes these players’ lavish salaries possible.

We all agree the discussion is important; we all want to make sure everyone is treated fairly and held accountable for their actions. But nearly anyone with sense disagrees in using the football field, or using the anthem, as a staging ground for these protests. So I hope the NFL wises up and puts a stop to it, and maybe these athletes can find a new way to protest their opinions. Because if they don’t, I believe the NFL will be stuck too deep in the middle of a problem and will then realize they should have acted sooner.

I hope we as a country can unite and let the playing field be what it is: a place we play and watch football, not a political platform.

Train’s out the station.

Choo-choo!

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* OCTOBER 2016 * 43