October 2020 Murfreesboro Pulse

INSIDE

FALL SATURDAY MARKET / STEEL BLOSSOMS / STEERED STRAIGHT / MASKS ARE FOR HALLOWEEN / AND MORE! CELEBRATING 15 YEARS: 2006–2020 OCTOBER 2020 / VOL. 15, ISSUE 10 / FREE

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

Fall

Farm Fun

in Middle Tennessee

Pumpkins, hayrides, corn mazes, apples and more at 13 locations! page 18

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SKINCARE / MASSAGE / WAXING / BODY TREATMENTS

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

760 N. THOMPSON LANE, SUITE 23 • 615-779-0122

NOW ENROLLING

615-962-7066

www.bambinivillage.com

• WANDANDWILLOWDAYSPA.COM •

Saturday Market Extended Through October • 8 a.m.–Noon

on the Historic Murfreesboro Public Square Thanks To Our 2020 Saturday Market Sponsors

For more information and a market map with vendor locations:

mainstreetmurfreesboro.org/main-street-farmers-market

!

EXTRA PRECAUTIONS: The Saturday Market is following CDC guidelines and suggesting social distancing, face masks recommended, NO PETS, please use hand sanitizer while shopping

OVER 45 VENDORS SELLING: PRODUCE BAKED GOODS PREPARED FOODS COFFEE & TEA CRAFTS FLOWERS & PLANTS FRESH EGGS FRUIT

HERBS JAMS & JELLIES HONEY PICKLES & RELISH MEATS MICROGREENS NUTS SOAPS HEMP PRODUCTS SAUCES

Contents

16

PAGE

18

14

FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

14

5 Events

SOUTHERN GHOST STORIES

16

CALENDAR Dance Away the Darkness, Wine and Dine, Night Hikes, Isaiah 117 House Golf Tournament and more

Main Street Saturday Market adds craft vendors for October expansion.

8 Sounds

Author Allen Sircy documents Murfreesboro hauntings and history in River.

Spirits of Stones River

FALL SATURDAY MARKET

18

MUSIC NOTES FiveSense Farm Band Fest, Rock the Vote, Count Drahoon’s Feature of Fright, Steel Blossoms

FALL FARM FUN

A guide to Middle Tennessee mazes. pumpkin farms and corn mazes

22

STEERED STRAIGHT

Organization fighting for addiction recovery and suicide prevention opens Murfreesboro thrift store.

26

MASKS ARE FOR HALLOWEEN

MTSU pushes for masking, county order expires, no face coverings Pizza. required at Spooky’s Pizza

CONCERTS The Lilliston Effect, Resurrection (Journey tribute), Josh Gracin, Graham Anthem Band, Bucket City Punx, Kyle Elliott and more

12 Reviews ALBUM Malibu Blackout

Art Director: Sarah Mayo Copy Editor: Steve Morley Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

Advertising: Jared Stuart

MOVIE Enola Holmes

20 Living

GARDENING Support the pollinators

24 Food

REVIEW Hernandez Mexican Deli

27 News

HIGHLIGHTING BUSINESS Massage at Float Alchemy BUSINESS BUZZ Fried Tater Cafe, Pepper + Peach, Horizon Spinal Care, Overkill Auto Garage and more

30

Opinion LIVE . . . WELL Dance!

Contributors: Melissa Coker Michael DeLeon Jennifer Durand Laura Lindsay Blaine Little

Angela Loupe Zach Maxfield Edwina Shannon Jay Spight Andrea Stockard Phil Valentine

PHIL VALENTINE Pay attention to child trafficking problem in the U.S. BUSINESS MOMENTUM New Steak ’n Shake owner uses shutdown time to improve.

33

Sports BLUE RAIDER FOOTBALL MTSU has tough start to 2020 season; loses first three games; hosts Western Kentucky for homecoming.

SPORTS TALK Titans new kicker helps team win three close games to begin season; sports leagues continue to drive fans away with politics.

Copyright © 2020, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 714 W. Main St., #208, Murfreesboro, TN 37129.

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

714 W. Main St., Suite 208, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 • 615-796-6248 To carry the PULSE at your business, or to submit letters, stories and photography: bracken@boropulse.com

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The Murfreesboro Pulse

SEPTEMBER HAS BEEN A BUSY TIME TIME, but I end the month overcome with gratitude.  My second son was born on Sept. 21—my wedding anniversary with Sarah. Mother, baby Beckett and big brother Bracken Jr. are all doing fantastic, with only the expected exhaustion, recovery and frustrations to deal with in the midst of the tremendous joy and blessing of a new life.

Pulse advertisers have really stepped up this year. Back in the spring, many business owners and consumers across the country had high concern for the survival of small business, but Murfreesboro business leaders have worked hard, banded together (sometimes from a distance) and gotten a little creative to keep the economy moving. Some have closed—as they do every year—though while the majority of Pulse advertisers could have chosen to discontinue their local marketing earlier this year, an impressive number of them have voted with their dollars that they want the Pulse to remain available for the community, and they want their message and business in there.

Once again, support these people. Visit Carmen’s Taqueria, Thor’s, Primrose Table and all of the fine Pulse sponsors. Ride the Rover, learn to fly with Murfreesboro Aviation, call CNB for your plumbing needs, shop at Sunshine Nutrition—these operations make the Pulse possible.

Come on out to the FiveSense Farm Band Fest on Oct. 4, an outdoor concert experience highlighting local musicians.

Hop Springs continues its outdoor music series, and various other Murfreesboro establishments continue to keep the music playing—Van’s, Hank’s, The Boro, The Alley and others.

Although the major sports leagues had a period of downtime in 2020, one of the cool things about this year was that it aligned so that NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA all played regular season or playoff games during a longer period of the year! What a blessing . . .

In a fit of virtue, some had to turn away from the Pulse and let their friends know about it after recent articles containing some local voices that questioned the logic of government officials and stores asking healthy people to place a napkin on their faces.

Dangerous libertarian views, some say.

As can be expected, most of the loudest feedback from the most virtuous and outspoken was not based in reason, science or reality; the mob uses personal attacks, halftruths and wild exaggerations after a media outlet dares to question the masking mob and power-grabbing government officials and offer an opposing viewpoint.

Since its onset, one of the missions of the Pulse has been to provide an alternative perspective. The mainstream news seems to travel in a pack, and there usually are some other elements at play under the surface.

I truly welcome reader comments and feedback. If you have some information to add, a different take on a subject, a fact that needs correcting or an alternate interpretation of a situation, send it on. But it’s hard to take the name-callers, half-truthers and fantasy-world dwellers very seriously, however passionate they may be.

Someone cancelling all interaction with the Pulse and refusing to look at the stories they like because of a few articles that contain a different political opinion than their own is like me refusing to enjoy a football game because I may have different views than some of the participants.

I will not deprive myself of sports because I may disagree with some of those involved on unrelated issues!

Remember, if you deprive yourself from enjoying the Pulse because it may contain a viewpoint you disagree with here and there, you only punish yourself!

Peace, BRACKEN MAYO Publisher/Editor in Chief

Events

CALENDAR / OCTOBER 2020

BY ANDREA STOCKARD

required by calling 615-893-2141. Space is limited. Ages 10 and up are welcome.

For more information, contact 615-8932141 or hbelcher@murfreesborotn.gov.

THROUGH NOV. 7 APPLES FOR SIGHT FUNDRAISER The Murfreesboro Lions Club sponsors the Apples for Sight Fundraiser Oct. 1– Nov. 7. The Club is taking $100 donations for a big box (approximately 28–30 pounds) of the new crop of Gala apples.

The proceeds benefit many areas and organizations including the Tennessee Lions Eye Center at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, eye screenings for children 1 to 6 years of age, to fight childhood pediatric cancer, for a MTSU scholarship for a blind student, to Middle Tennessee Lions Sight Service (MTLSS) for cataract surgeries and aids for the indigent blind and sight-impaired, and for other Lions Sight Agencies for Middle Tennessee.

These apples are good for Halloween, for employees, for customers and donating to other charities. For more information or to order a box, call 615-896-1007 or 740-405-3621. Apples will be delivered Oct. 30–Nov. 7.

OCT. 2 AND 3 FALL NATIVE PLANT SALE Over 20 species of native trees, shrubs and perennial bunch grasses will be available at the Fall Native Plant Sale Oct. 2 and 3, from 9 a.m.–2 p.m., at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.). Get help deciding which plants work best in your yard. Be a part of habitat stewardship and reconnect fragmented habitat. For more information, khopkins@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 3 TIME CHANGES TRIBUTE TO FARMERS Stephanie Nash and Cait Belber present a fundraiser for the Time Changes scholarship bringing farmers together for a night of music, fun and advocacy for the agriculture communities. Come out to Mayday Brewery (521 Old Salem Rd.) on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. To purchase a ticket or donate to the fundraiser, contact stephanienashmanagement@gmail.com or find the event on Eventbrite.

OCT. 3 CRESCENT CORNER MARKET CRAFT SALE Brenda’s Treasures from the Trunk puts

OCT. 4 SECOND TRUMP TRAIN All aboard the Second Trump Train, Sunday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., that will travel from Sports*Com (2310 Memorial Blvd.) to the Lebanon Square, then to AJ’s Bar and Grill (8283 Carthage Hwy, Lebanon), about eight miles from the Lebanon Square off Hwy. 70-N. If it drives, rides, or whatever, bring it—all vehicles are welcomed.

Total distance will be about 30 miles.

OCT. 5 OCT. 1 DANCING AWAY THE DARKNESS Now more than ever, mental health is an issue for people. Dance has been proven as an effective way to heal from many things including depression and anxiety as well as other mental and physical ailments. Dance therapy, as described by the American Dance Therapy Association, is the psycho-therapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual, for the purpose of improving health and well-being. Come by National Dance Clubs of Murfreesboro (710 Memorial Blvd., Ste. 122) on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m. to Dance Away the Darkness. For more information, visit nationaldanceclubs.com. on its third fall show at Crescent Corner Market (4986 Barfield Crescent Rd.) Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Over 40 vendors offer jewelry, Pink Zebra items, boutique selections, embroidery, wood signs, T-shirts and more with direct sales and handmade booths. Crescent Corner Market offers breakfast and lunch for purchase. If you are interested in being a vendor or for more information, contact cagleb@comcast.net.

OCT. 3 WENDY HAMBROCK BOOK SIGNING Wendy Hambrock signs copies of her children’s fantasy book Sarah’s Journey on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Sarah’s Journey is about 12-year-old Sarah Fenley, who feels like she doesn’t fit in. Her awkward appearance and rocky relationship with her mother leave her wishing for a better life, one including a particularly cute boy. After finding an old book one day, Sarah’s life begins to change drastically. For more information, visit rclstn.org or call 615-893-4131.

WINE & DINE AT THE ALLEY ON MAIN Wine and dine at the Alley on Main (223 W. Main St.) to benefit the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties on Monday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. Enjoy five courses and three wines. Tickets are $45 per person and are limited in supply. Call 615203-3498 for tickets. For more information, find an event page for Wine & Dine at the Alley on Main on Facebook.

OCT. 6 OCT. 3 YOGA AT THE ISLAND Yoga is a great way to wind down, especially outdoors in nature. Meet at the beautiful Gateway Island on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9–10 a.m. for a free yoga session. Yoga focuses on improving balance and flexibility while at the same time reducing stress. Beginning and intermediate levels ages 13 and up are welcome.

For more information on the series, contact bjohnson@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 3 MURDER MYSTERY ESCAPE GAME There is a mystery to unravel, and your team of detectives needs to solve the crime. Assemble a team and reserve a time for the Murder Mystery Escape Room on Civic Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 2–6 p.m. Teams of detectives have 30 minutes to find the hidden clues and solve challenging puzzles before the case goes cold. Groups of 1–4 can reserve a 45-minute time slot. Registration is

DOG TAIL DETECTIVE SERIES Maryanne VanDyke offers the first two books in her Dog Tail Detective Series on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at Linebaugh Library (105 W. Vine St.).

VanDyke’s debut manuscript, Dog Daze of Summer, is an adult mystery told in the voice of Sammy, the protagonist’s Shih Tzu. Surrounded by her eccentric and complicated Southern family, some of whom hide dangerous secrets, Izzie is fortunate to have her faithful Shih Tzu, a loving companion at her side as she struggles to untangle her childhood memory of her father’s murder when she was only 6 years old. For more information, visit rclstn.org or call 615-893-4131.

OCT. 9 ONE DAY CAFÉ Oaklands Mansion features its first One Day Café—A Pop-up Restaurant on Friday, Oct. 9, with dinner served on the outdoor courtyard provided by several local restaurants including appetizers by CJ’s Catering, CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2020 * 5

awarded to the top three local teams plus a special prize for the last place team. Golfers can register at isaiah117house.com/golf; make sure the Rutherford County course is selected. Sponsorship opportunities are available via the website. When children are removed from their homes out of concern for their welfare, they are usually brought to the Department of Children’s Services Offices to await placement with a foster family; this wait can be several hours to nearly a full day. Isaiah 117 House provides a safe and comforting home where these children can wait, staffed by friendly and loving volunteers who provide clean clothes, smiles, toys and blankets. For more information on the organization, follow Isaiah 117 on Facebook and Instagram, or visit isaiah117house.com.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

entrees by Five Senses and desserts by Olive Branch Bakery. Tickets are available in advance for $75; the two seating times are 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Reservations are required and space is limited. Like other museums, Oaklands Mansion has been hit hard by the current pandemic, and proceeds help continue the current mission of education and preservation. Before dinner, guests can wander the halls and read about the rich history that Oaklands has preserved over the last 60 years. For reservations, call 615-893-0022 or email events@oaklandsmansion.org.

OCT. 9 JAMMING 101 Jamming 101 is for those who want to try their hand at improvisational musical sessions with other players or to improve their jamming skills. International Bluegrass Music Association award recipient Andy May leads the workshop. A variety of topics include jamming common sense and etiquette, nervousness, judging the jam, practice techniques and face-saving performance tips. Group playing opportunities are available. Bring your instruments to City Plaza (111 W. Vine St.) Friday, Oct. 9 (rain date Oct. 16) from 7–8 p.m. (ages 12 and over). Cost is $5. For more information, contact 615-801-2606 or dhunter@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 9–18 TENNESSEE STEAM FESTIVAL The Tennessee STEAM Festival aspires to build interest and excitement in STEAM, cultivating the next generation of citizens, professional science advocates and practitioners by leveraging local partnerships from across the region. The Discovery Center (502 SE Broad St.), whose commitment to Murfreesboro and the surrounding region marked its 30th year in 2017, is leading the statewide effort Oct. 9–18. For more information, visit tnsteam.com.

OCT. 10 LONG HUNTER STATE PARK HIKE Explore Tennessee’s amazing state park system at the Long Hunter loop paved trail (2910 Hobson Pk., Hermitage) as it meanders along Couchville Lake. Take a crosscountry hike to the Bryant’s Grove area and back (rated easy to moderate) on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 9–11 a.m. Sinkholes and cedar glades are just a few cool features to explore on this interpretive hike. Ages 12 and up are welcome (under 18 must be accompanied by an adult). Cost is $5. For 6 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

OCT. 16 NIGHT HIKES Late summer nights are great for spotting owls, bats, frogs and insects, discovering glowing eyes and finding other fascinating critters that are active at night. Visit the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) on Friday, Oct. 16, from 7–8 p.m. Reservations are required by contacting 615-217-3017 or efann@murfreesborotn.gov. All ages are welcome. Cost is $3 per person or $10 per family. For more information, call 615-217-3017. more information, contact 615-217-3017 or efann@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 10 FISH FRY AND BAKE SALE Bradley Academy Museum & Cultural Center (415 S. Academy St.) honors the past by hosting a drive-up Back to Our Roots fish fry and bake sale Saturday, Oct. 10, from noon–4 p.m. Years ago, before the City of Murfreesboro acquired the museum, a fish fry was often used as a form of fundraising. Enjoy a delicious fried fish sandwich and a sweet treat. For more information, contact 615-962-8773 or vstembridge@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 10 TREE OF LIFE 5K Join Tree of Life Animal Sanctuary in a 5k run/walk at Hop Springs (6790 John Bragg Hwy.) to help build a new rescue in Murfreesboro on Saturday, Oct. 10, beginning at 8 a.m. For more information, find the event on Eventbrite.

OCT. 14 PRESCHOOL CULTURAL ARTS POP-UP Join Cultural Arts at the Gateway Island Reception Center (1875 W. College St.) on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 9–10 a.m. and the second Wednesday of each month. Preschoolers (ages 3–6) can create a craft and learn something new with a different surprise activity each month.

OCT. 16 TODDLER TIME WITH THOMAS

Class size is limited, so sign up early. An adult should stay with each child participant. Classes are 11 a.m.–noon and 1–2 p.m. for ages 7 and up. Cost is $5. For more information, contact 615-801-2606 or dhunter@murfreesborotn.gov.

Little kids love to play, and that’s what they do while learning to wait their turn, follow directions and work together to accomplish simple goals at Sports*Com (2310 Memorial Blvd.) on Friday, Oct. 16, from 10–11 a.m. The focus is on body part recognition, cognitive skill development and fun. Ages 5 and under are welcome. Cost is $3 per visit. For more info, call 615-895-5040.

OCT. 14

OCT. 17

RAPTOR RHAPSODY

BIRD HIKE

Have you ever looked an owl in the eye, glared at a red-tailed hawk up close, or checked out a falcon’s wings? Here is your chance to get up close and personal with a live bird of prey and learn about these master predators of the sky with presentations and photo opportunities next to live birds throughout the day. All ages are welcome. Come by the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 4–5 p.m. For more information, contact dthomas@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-217-3017.

Visit the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) for a birding hike with an experienced naturalist on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 8–10:30 a.m. Both beginner and experienced birders are welcome, and a brief review of birding methods and common species is discussed before the hike. Expect to walk up to three miles round-trip on both paved and natural, rocky surfaces. Bring binoculars if you have them, or borrow some at the station. All ages are welcome.

For more information, call 615-217-3017 or emoorman@murfreesborotn.gov.

OCT. 16

OCT. 17

ISAIAH 117 HOUSE GOLF TOURNAMENT

FAMILY KAYAK TRIP

The Rutherford County Isaiah 117 House cordially invites the community to the 2020 Golf Tournament on Friday, Oct. 16, at the Indian Hills Golf Club (405 Calumet Tr.). Tee off to bring an Isaiah 117 House to Rutherford County. Registrations begins at 11:30 a.m. with lunch following at noon. The shotgun start is at 1 p.m. and the awards ceremony at 5 p.m. Prizes are

Grab the family and get paddling with Outdoor Murfreesboro on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Space is limited and reservations are required. All equipment and instruction are provided.

Children must be at least 10 years old and accompanied by an adult. Registration is required at murfreesboroparks.com. Location is determined the week of the kayak.

Cost is $8. For more information, contact

and ReVintaged Lemon’s (302 W. Vine St.) Holiday Open House is Oct. 23–25, from 5–8 p.m., with discounts, drawings and freebies. For more information, find the event on Facebook.

outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-217-3017.

OCT. 17 2020 BACKYARD BASH The Center for the Arts takes the Bash to the backyard this year for a new outdoor event to celebrate and raise money for the Center on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 5–7 p.m. at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.). Tickets include food, drinks and parking. Tickets are $100 per ticket or $175 per couple. Attire is causal. For tickets, visit boroarts.org or call 615904-ARTS (2787). This year honors 2020 Arts Advocates of the Year Ted and Gloria LaRoche.

OCT. 24 TN RAFFLE FOR BURN FOUNDATION

OCT. 17 FLASHLIGHT NIGHTS IN OAKLANDS MANSION Explore Murfreesboro’s most mysterious mansion after dark Saturday, Oct. 17, at Flashlight Nights in Oaklands Mansion (900 N. Maney Ave.). These nighttime tours feature some of the unusual and creepy details and characteristics of the over 200-year-old house while it is decorated for the Halloween season. Bring your own flashlight. Nights commence Oct. 17, 24, 30 and 31, at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance at oaklandsmansion.org; limited number of tickets available for each night. When your flashlight tour is over, take a walk if you dare on the dimly lit trails of the wetlands and see the dark reflections of Maney Spring.

through historic Cannonsburgh Village is not suitable for young children; groups are small (2–6 people). Cost is $10 per person. For more information, contact 615890-5333 or tlaird@murfreesboro.gov.

OCT. 19, 21, 26 AND 28

OCT. 22

PUPPY OBEDIENCE TRAINING

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE GROVE

Learn basic obedience commands such as “sit,” “down,” “stay,” “leave it,” “wait at the door,” “watch me,” “walk” and “come” at a puppy obedience training series. Socialization is encouraged with both people and other puppies, and trainers are on hand to offer advice on house-training, bite inhibition, jumping up and other inappropriate behaviors. Classes meet twice a week for a two-week period at General Bragg Trailhead (1540 W. College St.) from 4:30–5:30 p.m., Oct. 19, 21, 26 and 28. Dogs 8–16 weeks are welcome.

Register at murfreesborotn.gov. Cost is $125. For more information, contact teddy@sitmeanssit.com.

Gear up for Halloween with the The Grove at Williamson Places’s first family movie night featuring Hocus Pocus on Thursday, Oct. 22. Food trucks will be onsite at 5 p.m., with the movie starting at 7 p.m. The Grove (3250 Wilkinson Pk.) offers plenty of room for social distancing.

Tickets are $3 per person for the movie only. Tickets for The Grove Family Movie Night can be purchased at the door or at thegroveawp.ticketleap.com. The first 75 kids with a movie ticket purchase enjoy a free goodie bag; each bag contains a free popcorn ticket. Bring your own chairs or blankets. Fire pits are available in the movie area. For more information, visit thegroveatwilliamsonplace.com or find the event on Facebook.

OCT. 21–24 FRIGHTENSBURGH Travel back in time, if you dare, through Frightensburgh at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) Oct. 21–24, from 7–11:30 p.m. each night. This walking tour

OCT. 19 PORTICO FUNDRAISING BANQUET The annual Fundraising Banquet and Silent Auction for Portico, Be the Light, is Monday, Oct. 19. This year’s silent auction is online and the actual event is a combination of in-person at Embassy Suites (1200 Conference Center Blvd.) and virtual. Online bidding begins Oct. 15. Portico offers pregnancy support, from pregnancy tests and ultrasounds to post-abortion classes, for those who find themselves in a difficult chapter of their lives. For more information, find Portico on Facebook or visit porticostory.org. roller skate party Thursday, Oct. 22, from 7–9 p.m. at SkateCenter West (849 W. College St.). Best dressed attendee wins a prize, and bring two or more friends to be entered for a prize. Cost is $15 and includes the boot rental. For more information, find Rockin Roller Queens on Facebook.

OCT. 23 PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION OF NONIE’S BAKERY Get spooky with a paranormal investigation of the 100-year-old building that is home to Nonie’s Bakery (115 N. Maple St.) on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., with Southern Ghost Stories. Experienced ghost hunters Mark Walsh and Eric Freeman set up in the basement and main floor with ghost hunting equipment. Local author Allen Sircy talks about his new book Southern Ghost Stories: Murfreesboro, Spirits of Stones River. All proceeds from the event benefit the Rutherford County Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20. For more information, find the event on Facebook or Eventbrite.

OCT. 22

OCT. 23–25

LADIES HALLOWEEN ROLLER SKATE PARTY

REVINTAGE LEMON’S HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

Join the ladies-only, Halloween-themed

The holiday season is approaching fast,

 Send community event information to CONTACT@BOROPULSE.COM

The Brayden Garrett Burn Foundation, Inc., Mayday Brewery and Donny Garrett present the second annual Tennessee Raffle on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 3–9 p.m. at Mayday Brewery (521 Old Salem Rd.).

Proceeds benefit the nonprofit foundation The Brayden Garrett Burn Foundation, Inc. and Shriners Hospital for Children Cincinnati. The whole family is welcome to enjoy great food and live music, raffle prizes and a silent auction from 5–8:45 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the venue the day of the event from 3–5:45 p.m.; tickets are $5 per person or five tickets for $20. For more information, find the event on Facebook and Eventbrite.

SATURDAYS ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS Visit the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) on Saturday, Oct. 10, for a short program being introduced to one of the educational animals from 1:30–2:30 p.m. Learn about the animals’ cool adaptations and natural history. All ages are welcome. For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or outdoormurfreesborotn.gov.

SATURDAYS MURFREESBORO SATURDAY MARKET Join the fun on the historic downtown Square at the Saturday Market every Saturday until the end of Oct. from 8 a.m.–noon. Find local produce and baked goods, pumpkins, flowers, crafts and more. For more information, visit mainstreetmurfreesboro.org.

THROUGHOUT OCTOBER CANNED FOOD AND CLOTHES DRIVE Donate canned and nonperishable food items as well as winter clothes like coats, gloves and hats during October; items can be dropped off at Bradley Academy Museum & Cultural Center (415 S. Academy St.) Tuesday–Friday from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The museum is partnering with a local shelter and donating all the items collected at the end of the drive. For more information, contact 615-962-8773 or vstembridge@murfreesborotn.gov.

BOROPULSE.COM

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Sounds

MUSIC NOTES

LARRY GILES

DON STAFFORD

KYLE ELLIOTT

ORGANIZERS FOR FIVESENSE FARM OCTOBER BAND FEST ANNOUNCE LINEUP ORGANIZERS OF THE INAUGURAL FiveSense Farm October Band Fest and Fall Festival have unveiled the finalized music schedule for the day, to be held Sunday, Oct. 4. at FiveSense Farm, 7549 Woodbury Pk., Murfreesboro.

THE LINEUP: 2–2:30 P.M.

LINN ROLL AND DAVID SMITH / STAGE B

2:30–3:15 P.M. RHINESTONE ROOSTERS / STAGE A

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7

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HAPPY HOUR DAILY, 3–6 P.M.

3:15–4 P.M.

WILDSTONE BAND / STAGE B

4–5:15 P.M.

DON STAFFORD & SIX STRING REVOLVER / STAGE A

5:15–6 P.M.

U.S. COUNTRY BAND / STAGE B

7–8 P.M.

KYLE ELLIOTT BAND / STAGE B

7:30–9 P.M.

THE SUGAR DADDYS / STAGE A

SSR Productions and Ridenour Rehearsal Studios are producing the event, featuring local country and rock acts.

Middle Tennessee native Kyle Elliott plays a traditional style of mainstream country inspired by Randy Travis, Garth Brooks, Josh Turner and others.

Elliott, who recently debuted the new single “Come On Over,” studied classical vocal performance at Southern Illinois University, but says that country music is his love.

FiveSense Farm Band Fest organizer Larry Giles, a Vietnam Veteran and former percussion student, began his career in country music in the 1970s in Oklahoma.

He started the Six String Revolver Band, which now features Don Stafford, a longtime songwriter who has penned tunes for Trini Triggs, Jack Clayton, Jim Yeomans, Keith Bryant and others.

Tickets to the event are $5 and available at octoberbandfest.eventbrite.com, onsite or by calling 615-956-7413.

Children 12 and under are admitted for free. Parking is $10.

Additionally, those who purchase an advance ticket online will receive a free drink ticket.

For more information on this show and future band festivals at FiveSense Farm, call Larry Giles at 615-282-6566.

8 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

OCTOBER CONCERTS

SHELTER COVE

SHELTER COVE, MOON TAXI PERFORM AT BELMONT ROCK THE VOTE EVENT SHELTER COVE, AN ALT/POP BAND signed with MTSU’s Match Records, premiered its new single, “Kaleidoscope Heart,” during a Rock the Vote event recorded at Belmont University on Sept. 22.

The concert, streaming on Rock the Vote’s Facebook and YouTube sites, featured artists such as Moon Taxi and Bren Joy, among others, representing several Middle Tennessee colleges and universities.

The nonpartisan nonprofit Rock the Vote uses pop culture, music, art and technology to engage young people in politics.

“We are so excited to be a part of an event encouraging young people to vote and use our voices in this year’s election,” says Shelter Cove vocalist Abbie Garrett.

For more information on Shelter Cove, visit sheltercovetn.com.

Match Records is a student-run record label focused on developing artists at MTSU. Upperclassmen recording industry students work together with student artists to help distribute and promote their completed creative works.

The multi-genre label’s currently signed artists include Shelter Cove, Cabin Color, Caitlin Eadie and JeVONte.

THURS, 10/1

THURS, 10/8

HANDLEBARS Blues Jam HANK’S Jordan Carter

HANDLEBARS Blues Jam HANK’S Tawnya Reynolds

FRI, 10/2

FRI, 10/9

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West COCONUT BAY My July Band GALLAGHER UNPLUGGED Ben Owens HANK’S Delyn Christian; Lefty Ferguson HOP SPRINGS End of the Line, Josh Gracin MAYDAY BREWERY Roman Hankins THE BORO Joey Fletcher Blues Jam VAN’S Doug Riley Band

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West COCONUT BAY Revelry HANK’S Bailey Rose; Clayton Mann Band HOP SPRINGS Resurrection (Journey tribute) HOTSHOTZ BAR & GRILL Missy Garnett MAYDAY BREWERY Dan Harry VAN’S BAR & GRILL 180 Band

SAT, 10/3 COCONUT BAY DJ RDP GALLAGHER UNPLUGGED Robyn Taylor HANK’S Warren Garrett; Zach Neil HOP SPRINGS Eaglemaniacs (Eagles tribute) PUCKETT’S Brianna Alomar RIDENOUR Perpetual Check; Arbor; Juliet’s Apartment

SUN, 10/4

SUN, 10/11 HANK’S The O’Donnells THE BORO Flamenco Evenings with Dave Massey

MON, 10/12

MON, 10/5

HANK’S George Dunn VAN’S BAR & GRILL Open Jam

TUES, 10/6 MOON TAXI BY SHERVIN LAINEZ

COCONUT BAY Skipper Grace HANDLEBARS Triple Threat HANK’S Shawn & Caralyn Hammonds; Phil Valdez PUCKETT’S Matt Marinchick THE BORO 7Descent; Sedona; Mr. Grey

HANK’S Crosstown THE BORO Flamenco Evenings with Dave Massey HANK’S Open Mic

MOON TAXI

SAT, 10/10

HANK’S Becki McLeod VAN’S Open Jam

WED, 10/7 HANK’S Krystal King

HANK’S Open Mic

TUES, 10/13

WED, 10/14 COCONUT BAY Sal Gonzalez HANK’S Sarah Martin

THURS, 10/15

 ONLINE AT BOROPULSE.COM/CALENDAR

HANDLEBARS Blues Jam HANK’S Spencer Maige THE BORO Open Mic Night

FRI, 10/16 COCONUT BAY Escape Band HANK’S Sara Simmons; Cooter River Band MAYDAY BREWERY The Lilliston Effect VAN’S BAR & GRILL Revelry

SAT, 10/17 COCONUT BAY Mike Dizill HANK’S Joe Hooper; Whiskey Smoke PUCKETT’S Olivia Faye

SUN, 10/18 HANK’S Emily Miller THE BORO Flamenco Evenings with Dave Massey

MON, 10/19 HANK’S Open Mic

TUES, 10/20 HANK’S Lauren Christine VAN’S BAR & GRILL Open Jam

WED, 10/21 HANK’S Brent Miller RIDENOUR STUDIOS Hip Hop Open Mic

THURS, 10/22 HANDLEBARS Blues Jam HANK’S Matt McAtee

FRI, 10/23 CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West COCONUT BAY Zone Status HANK’S Blake Esse; Justin Dukes

HOTSHOTZ BAR & GRILL Phoenix Rising MAYDAY BREWERY Chug Jams MEDIA RERUN Bucket City Punx Fest VAN’S BAR & GRILL Doug Lawler Band

SAT, 10/24 COCONUT BAY Karoke with The Hitman Walker HANK’S HunterGirl; Cherry Avenue MEDIA RERUN Bucket City Punx Fest PUCKETT’S Karianne Jean

Joe West HANK’S Nolen Miller; Tennessee Pearls MAYDAY BREWERY Tom Davison VAN’S BAR & GRILL Free Juke Box

SAT, 10/31 COCONUT BAY Scaryoke Halloween Bash with DJ Krazee D HANK’S Lonnie Cook; Sam Roark Band

IF YOU GO

SUN, 10/25 HANK’S Karree J. Phillips HOP SPRINGS Americana Sunday featuring The Steel Blossoms MEDIA RERUN Bucket City Punx Fest THE BORO Flamenco Evenings with Dave Massey

Carmen’s Taqueria 206 W. Northfield Blvd.

615-848-9003 Coconut Bay 210 Stones River Mall Blvd.

615-494-0504 Gallagher Unplugged 118 N. Walnut St. 615-624-4196 Hank’s 2341 Memorial 615-410-7747

MON, 10/26

Handlebars 2601 E. Main St. 615-890-5661

HANK’S Open Mic

TUES, 10/27 HANK’S Delyn Christian VAN’S BAR & GRILL Open Jam

WED, 10/28 COCONUT BAY Chris Vita HANK’S Phil Valdez

THURS, 10/29 HANDLEBARS Blues Jam HANK’S Kyle Elliott

FRI, 10/30 COCONUT BAY Graham Anthem Band CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Hop Springs

6670 John Bragg Hwy.

615-450-1907

Hotshotz Bar & Grill 1208 S. Lowry St., Smyrna 629-255-8296 Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Rd. 615-479-9722 Puckett’s Grocery 114 N. Church St. 629-201-6916 RidenourStudios 1203 Park Ave. 615-956-7413 Seasons 2227 Old Fort Pkwy.

615-895-5471 The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 615-895-4800

BOROPULSE.COM

Van’s Bar & Grill 2404 Halls Hill Pk. 615-624-7767

* OCTOBER 2020 * 9

Sounds

Read more about local music at

boropulse.com/category/music

ON THE RADIO: WGNS, TROMA NOW TO PICK UP COUNT DRAHOON’S FEATURE OF FRIGHT SERIES BEGINNING ON HALLOWEEN, OCT. 31, Murfreesboro’s wgnsradio. com, as well as the Troma Now streaming channel and marioncountymessenger. com, will begin broadcasting a series of Count Drahoon’s Feature of Fright shows.

Murfreesboro resident Taylor Gentry hosts and produces the wacky radio plays, which take inspiration from far-fetched B-horror movies from Troma and others.

In late September, Gentry said the Feature of Fright team had three episodes of audio and video from the studio sessions in the can and is hard at work on more content.

For more information on Count Drahoon’s Feature of Fright, “the most sensational horror-comedy podcast on the web,” visit featureoffright.com.

ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

 ONLINE AT BOROPULSE.COM/KARAOKE

KARAOKE, TRIVIA AND DJ NIGHTS IN MURFREESBORO  MONDAYS

 WEDNESDAYS

AHARTS PIZZA GARDEN Trivia 7 p.m.

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

HANK’S Open Mic Night 6–9 p.m.

JACK BROWN’S Trivia Night 7 p.m.

LEVEL III Trivia 7 p.m.

JONATHAN’S GRILLE Trivia 7:30 p.m.

JUST LOVE COFFEE CAFE EAST Trivia 5 p.m.

SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Comedy Open Mic 8–9:30 p.m.

SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Ladies Night with Carl Wockner, Australian Looper Sensation 7–10 p.m.

THE BORO Karaoke 8 p.m.

STATION GRILL Trivia 7 p.m.

 TUESDAYS

THE BOULEVARD Trivia 8 p.m.

COCONUT BAY Trivia 7:30 p.m.

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

NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT Trivia 7 p.m.

 THURSDAYS

SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Open Mic 7–9 p.m., Bike Night 3–12 p.m.

BURGER REPUBLIC Trivia 7 p.m.

VAN’S BAR & GRILL Open Jam hosted by Southside Saints 7 p.m.

219 MIXED CUISINE Trivia 7 p.m.

PARTY FOWL Trivia 7 p.m.

SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Karaoke Dance Party with DJ Orig 8 p.m.–12 a.m.

10 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

STARS & STRIKES Trivia 6:30 p.m.

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

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

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

LIQUID SMOKE Wax on the Square DJ night 10 p.m.

SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Karaoke Dance Party 8 p.m.–12 a.m.

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

NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT Trivia 7 p.m.

VAN’S BAR & GRILL Karaoke 7 p.m.

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

COUNTRY DUO STEEL BLOSSOMS TO POP UP AT OCT. 25 HOP SPRINGS AMERICANA SUNDAY AMERICANA DUO THE STEEL BLOSSOMS (Sara Zebley and Hayley Amour) are popping up at Hop Springs this month. And the self-proclaimed “former elementary teachers gone rogue” are all smiles (even if at times a better half’s oral health may’ve taken a hit).

I threw your toothbrush in the trash Honey, you ain’t sleeping over no more Got all my good pillows back Honey, you ain’t sleeping over no more That’s a few lines from their well-versed tune “You Ain’t Sleeping Over” and the dynamic singer-songwriters, vocalists and instrumentalists (to boot) have spent several restful nights near town now. The Murfreesboro favorites have been digging their heels into getting down and dirty with songs even throughout the pandemic—hard at work in the UK, with gigs at AJ’s Good Time Bar and Ole Red, by-request and safelydistanced neighborhood concerts, livestreams and even opening for AJ himself (Alan Jackson) on a recent tour. Murfreesboro music fans may have seen them at Puckett’s or as part of Gallagher Guitars’s Gallagher Unplugged concert series.

The recent Steel Blossoms outdoor concert at The Alley on Main drew quite the crowd (and planted seeds far beyond the ’Boro, thanks to a livestream of its own). Zebley and Amour are thankful to have their co-written original “Where My Heart Can Rest” on the newly Grammynominated album project Rooted in Song.

In 2015, the duo released its debut EP, Year Number One, followed by the full-length Country Enough the next year. In 2019 the Blossoms became the first act signed to Billy Jam Records and released a selftitled album on the label after capturing the attention of award-winning songwriter Jerry Salley (who happens to be the label creative and A&R director).

Sporting solid roots in country and Americana, with some bluegrassiness thrown in for proper nourishment, the metal-monikered musical mavens are continuously fusing new music together, so don’t miss the chance to take in their iron-sided artistry—for free!

Steel Blossoms will perform on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Hop Springs Americana Sunday, from 3-6 p.m. Free admission; Hop Springs is located at 6790 John Bragg Hwy. For more information on Steel Blossoms, visit steelblossoms.com. — MELISSA COKER

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ALBUM

MALIBU BLACKOUT Sir Devil Dude

MOVIE

ENOLA HOLMES DIRECTOR Harry Bradbeer STARRING Millie Bobby Brown, Louis Partridge, Henry Cavill RATED PG-13

into his drumming, but not too much for him “ZOMBIE DISCO,” THE OPENING CUT to handle, as he remains in the pocket and on the Sept. 2020 four-song release from remains right on a steady flow.

Middle Tennessee rock trio Malibu Blackout, Johnson maybe channels a little Mike Patton sounds, well, about how one might imagine a in this one as the vocalist goes to a lower regiszombie disco to sound. ter in “Deeper.” Makes sense.

The frantic dance-punk vibe that opens the Offering a texture change, the intro of Sir Devil Dude EP builds into a catchy repeti“Waste Another Year” tion of the word Tsunami takes it down to a calmer, as a powerful wave-wall of “The EP, adorned lower volume. Slurvy, cymbals crash aggressively by a cool, colorful perhaps, to create a term— in straight-ahead rock fasha slow, syrupy, swervy ion. A tight harmony line and trippy cover groove, as Johnson sings of “oohhhs” punctuates the drawing of the band in left-hand cursive, I write track just after a neat break a little note over a slitherin the guitar fury. members produced ing bass line.

Something about the

by Johnson's wife, The song unfolds into wild and messy but still calKellyn, makes for a a more peppy and upbeat culated and steady sound feeling before snapping brings to mind area band fun, hard-rocking into a really nice, tight Stuck Lucky and others in release that ending. the punk realm.

Hearing these talented Malibu Blackout—Cory combines punk-rock, garage-rock players rockJohnson, Chris Husak and power-pop and ing out calls to mind a bit David Woods—has also surf energies.” of Red Hot Chili Peppers, released a groovy blackanother California-relatand-white music video to ed group employing active bass lines, pretty accompany “Zombie Disco,” featuring the trio vocal melodies and a hard-rock edge. rocking out in an old cabin being invaded by The EP, adorned by a cool, colorful and . . . you guessed it . . . zombies. trippy cover drawing of the band members Continuing this energetic, driving rock feel on produced by Johnson’s wife, Kellyn, makes the EP (which the band recorded at Johnson’s for a fun, hard-rocking release that combines West Side Ranch in Nashville) is “Deeper,” which punk-rock, power-pop and surf energies. should definitely get some heads nodding.

Closing the compact collection, the track dis- Expect a full-length release coming from Malibu Blackout in 2021. Find Sir Devil Dude plays some wild and fuzzy guitar effects on its on Soundcloud or Spotify. instrumental portion. It’s rockin’.

— BRACKEN MAYO Husak packs a whole lot of rapid activity 12 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

MODERN TAKES on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famed detective have been a bit of a mixed bag. From Robert Downey Jr.’s dashing rapscallion and Benedict Cumberbatch’s on-the-spectrum introvert to Johnny Lee Miller’s tortured addict in TV’s Elementary, the quirks and charms of Sherlock Holmes seem exciting at first but always tend to fizzle once they’ve worn out their welcome. Netflix’s new exclusive feature film attempts to sidestep these pitfalls by focusing on the familiar gumshoe’s lesser-known little sister, Enola Holmes.

Enola is much younger than her older brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft, living with her eccentric mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter, appearing mostly in flashbacks and montages) who teaches Enola everything from archery to tennis to cyphers and Scrabble, everything except how to be a “proper lady.” When Eudoria disappears under mysterious circumstances, it is up to Enola to find out why.

On the trail of her mother, and running from her cantankerous brother Mycroft, who wants to send her to finishing school, Enola meets a runaway young Lord, the Viscount of Tewkesbury (Partridge), whose absence is of great consequence to London politics and is somehow connected to Enola’s mother’s disappearance as well. Based on a series of young adult novels

by Nancy Springer, this adaptation becomes quite convoluted onscreen,

with familiar characters like Lestrade (and arguably Mycroft and Sherlock themselves) serving little to no purpose other than as member berries. Conspicuously absent though, is Sherlock’s right-hand man, Dr. John Watson.

The star of the show is Netflix’s own poster-girl, Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), whose serviceable British accent and charismatic rebelliousness are all but ruined by the film’s insistence on constantly breaking the fourth wall. Enola grins and winks (literally) and eye-rolls directly to the camera enough to rival Jim from The Office. It’s aiming for cute but quickly becomes cloying and insulting as it is used far too often to explain something the audience already knows, or tell us something it should instead be showing us.

Henry Cavill as Holmes is a sly and effective choice. The man best known for playing Superman, and streaming himself building a PC at his grandmother’s house during quarantine, plays perhaps the most calm and stoic version of Sherlock in recent memory.

It’s an intriguing take, and one of the only understated aspects of the film.

Ultimately, Enola Holmes falters from a weak pair of mysteries (most of which are solved by deciphering codes left by Eudoria, who I thought didn’t want to be followed . . .) and an overly cutesy, hyper-style from a director whose work on Fleabag and Killing Eve proves the importance of strong source material. While Enola struggles to define her path in the film, the film also struggles to differentiate her, bogging her down with the trappings of her famous detective brother, ultimately settling on her just being the young female version of him, and this despite the film’s theme of self-discovery. Here’s to hoping she is able to step out of the shadow of her namesake in the inevitable sequel.

— JAY SPIGHT

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Living

 BOOK

Hauntings & History Author documents paranormal tales of Murfreesboro in Spirits of Stones River

H

BY ANGELA LOUPE

ALLOWEEN IS A TIME FOR THINGS THAT GO BUMP

in the night. According to various sources, it is a pagan holiday reserved for communing with the dead. In some circles, reverence is attached to the practice. In other circles, it’s more of a gimmick attached to kids’ parties, costumes and trick-or-treating.

Nonetheless, some strong enduring claims suggest that the veil which separates the spirit world from our own is at its thinnest around Halloween, and contact with the other side is much more likely.

14 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

A number of people make it a habit, whether by choice or otherwise, to have contact with the other side with much more frequency. A Middle Tennessee gentleman by the name of Allen Sircy has documented various local hauntings in his recently released book Southern Ghost Stories: Murfreesboro, Spirits of Stones River.

While the book contains numerous editing mishaps, it’s extremely rich in its historical content and ghost-sighting documentation. Sircy has done extensive historical research, unearthing local archives in a lovely compilation of storytelling and fact-stating that ties both together in an entertaining way. I was initially a bit taken aback by the size of the book, which is 400 pages in length. However, in addition to the book’s plethora of photographs, the type font is modestly large and it’s an easy read. I knocked it out in three days.

I couldn’t have done this unless it was interesting. I’ve been known to abandon ship for much less.

What intrigued me about this book was the significant amount of local history it offers, dating back as far as the 1800s in Murfreesboro. The author mentions everything from local lynch mobs and hangings to stories of Al Capone’s frequent visits to our city and stories of then-President James K. Polk’s wife (who was originally from Murfreesboro). Then, without the slightest hesitation, he transitions into local ghost stories and hauntings which have also been well researched and documented.

While some of the stories are somewhat mundane and offer little insight, others left me hanging on the edge of my seat. One such instance made reference to multiple members of a family having exposure to the same ghost from different vantage points, all while the sister simultaneously had a dream about the encounter.

Sircy said the main source of information for the historical content of the piece was local newspaper archives, which made the read even more fascinating for me. It was like I was being transported in and out of time as I read the book, first learning the historical foundation of an area and then being catapulted into our current timeline to watch how the events still linger in today’s world.

The Murfreesboro Public Square has plenty of ghost stories. Store clerks, government employees, lawyers and judges have had their own frightful encounters.

The book also goes into detail on some of the previous businesses that have occupied the buildings on the Square where newer businesses operate today.

Furthermore, Sircy makes mention of the tunnels that run underneath the Square. Most of them seemed to have originated underneath old banking institutions and have since been boarded up or bricked over. However, Sircy gained admittance into some of the tunnels and he found very strange things, including children’s toys.

Eerily, he didn’t only find old children’s toys, he actually found more modern ones, too, like a Dora the Explorer doll. For tunnels that have supposedly been sealed off for decades and are supposed to be structurally unsound, it seems very strange that such modern-day relics should litter the underground passageways.

Another interesting facet of the book is the number of recognizable stores and homes—old and new—it cases. Since the land that these newer residences and businesses are established on far predates the structures themselves, they’re all fair game for hauntings too.

All in all, as much as I am not necessarily a fan of visiting with the undead, the combined elements of Southern Ghost Stories: Murfreesboro, Spirits of Stones River have exceeded my expectations. I would recommend the read if you’re interested in local history, storytelling, ghost stories or documentaries.

PARANORMAL EVENTS Sircy has organized a paranormal investigation gathering slated for Friday, Oct. 23, from 7–9 p.m. at Nonie’s Bakery on the Murfreesboro Square. The bakery is located in a 100-year-old building that has had some previous spirit activity.

Experienced ghost hunters Mark Walsh and Eric Freeman will be there, along with Sircy, with ghost-detecting equipment set up in the basement and on the main floor. All proceeds from the event will go to the Rutherford County Center for the Arts. Find tickets to the Nonie’s Bakery Paranormal Investigation and more information on Eventbrite.

Organizers will hold a similar event on Halloween evening at the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts. For more information, call 615-904-2787.

Listener Supported Public Radio

Living IN 2020, FOR THE FIRST TIME, the Main Street Saturday Market on the Murfreesboro Public Square is being extended into October.

Many of the summer vendors will be there throughout October with seasonal produce, and about 20 craft booths will be added, making it a diverse fall market.

“The response has been really good,” said Saturday Market manager Linda Weeks as September ended. “We are trying to have a little bit of something for everyone.

“We have a really good mix, and we’ve really tried hard to have a variety of vendors so they don’t have to compete against each other. I think that’s the luxury of a small market. Our vendors are very supportive of each other—they are always buying and trading with each other,” Weeks said. “It is kind of like an oldfashioned market.”

Christie Broome, who owns Solasta Designs with her husband, Michael, says they have been to the market as shoppers, and will debut a booth there for two weeks in October.

“We are excited to be at the market, and we have been working hard on new items. We make signs and doorhangers with all sorts of woods, and we add details for a nice touch to it,” Broome said.

New mother Madison Goad has a booth for her company, Under the Sea, selling teething rings and teething clips to hold pacifiers.

“They are made out of silicone teething beads that are safe for babies to chew on,” Goad said. “I also sell key chains. It all started when I had my son, and he started teething at an early age. My son chews on my keys going through a store. I needed something that was safe for him, so that’s why I started making the key chains. They are also cute for people who aren’t parents as well! I am very excited to be at the market and sharing my creations.”

Mike and Jody Eisher will sell their eclectic birdhouses and feeders at the market.

“I make the birdhouses out of reclaimed lumber from pallets and any kind of old lumber I can find, and old hardwood, like door hinges and drawer pulls,” Mike Eisher

SOLASTA DESIGNS

Fall Market Days Main Street Saturday Market extended, adds craft vendors to food booths for October

BY LAURA LINDSAY

Visit the Main Street Saturday Market each Saturday in October from 8 a.m.– noon on the Murfreesboro Public Square.

Weeks said that this year organizers discourage bringing pets to the market.

JODY EISHER BIRDHOUSES

16 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

said. “I put a wooden chimney on some of them, and I put a flag on the top of most of the big ones. With the bird feeders, I make them out of old coffee pots, tea pots, a Christmas tin, a cookie tin. The wall hanging plaques are ripped from pallets or board and my granddaughters put the artwork on them and different scripture. I also make decorative craft sleds and my granddaughters do the same art and scripture on them.”

The market has an abundance of things for shoppers to choose from, said Weeks, from quilts to natural soaps to monogrammed clothes to dog treats. Plus, there will still be booths selling produce, local meats and cheeses, milk and sweet treats.

Possum Bottom Farms owners John and Susan Lawton are bringing their fresh picked mushrooms to the market.

“Our mushrooms are grown on locally obtained agricultural waste products such as natural hardwood logs, sawdust, wood chips and wheat straw,” John Lawton said.

“Every mushroom we bring to market is picked fresh the day of the market and are available to market patrons in hours. When it comes to gourmet mushrooms there is no substitute for fresh.

“Flavors range from earthy with oyster and shiitake mushrooms, to nutty with chestnut and even lobster-like with lions mane.”

The extension of the market means vendors will also have sweet potatoes that can be used into the winter.

“The sweet potatoes that you see at the market are going to be this season’s sweet potatoes, which means that they will keep for a long time,” Weeks said. “I bought some last week and they are delicious. They will keep for months if you don’t let them get hot. The ones you see in the store are probably the ones that were picked last year. If you buy them in October at the market you will be able to use them at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

For those who enjoy sweets, The Cake Project offers over 40 flavors of cheesecakes with flavors ranging from traditional strawberry cheesecake to their best-selling banana pudding and maple bacon cheesecakes, said company owner J.P. Smith.

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* OCTOBER 2020 * 17

Living

F

all in Middle Tennessee means brilliantly colored leaves and the opening of lots of farms across the mid-state where families can navigate corn mazes, pick pumpkins, play outside and pose for fall photos. Take a road trip and discover some new rural Tennessee scenery and fun on the farm.

Some of these attractions may be cash-only for tickets, food, pumpkins and other items; others may require advance registration. Contact each farm directly for more information and updates.

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Middle Tennessee offers pumpkins, apples, hayrides, corn mazes and much more!

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1. Lucky Ladd Farms

(31 miles west of Murfreesboro)

Sunday noon–5 p.m.

ONLINE: gentryfarm.com

4374 Rocky Glade Rd. Eagleville, TN 37060

Open Sept. 26–Oct. 31

ADMISSION: kids 11 and up—$13; kids age 3–10—$11; kids 2 & under free

FEATURES: Pumpkin sales, four-acre cornfield maze, indoor barn maze, river walk, tractor playground, sorghum labyrinth, tire swings, life-size spider web, mini corn maze, animal viewing, kid-size spider web, photo opportunities

Open Sept. 19–Nov. 1 HOURS: Thursday–Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday 12–5 p.m.

ADMISSION: Varies each day ONLINE: luckyladdfarms.com FEATURES: Petting zoo, splash pad,

pumpkin patch, slides, hayrides, playground, corn maze, fish pond, tractor train, tire mountain, kid maze, corn box, toddler maze, duck races, pony swings, tricycle race track, straw bale maze, games, trails, toddler town, picnic area

2. Walden Farm

8653 Rocky Fork Rd. Smyrna, TN 37167 Open Sept. 26–Oct. 31 HOURS: Thursday and Friday 2–6 p.m.

Saturday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Sunday 12–4 p.m.

HOURS: Friday–Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

ADMISSION: $10; kids under 2 free ONLINE: facebook.com/wilsonfamily

farm1 FEATURES: Pick-your-own pumpkin patch, eight-acre corn maze, hayride, cow train ride, pumpkin cannon and slingshot

4. Cedarwood Farms 6794 Nashville Hwy. McMinnville, TN 37110

(34 miles east of Murfreesboro)

ONLINE: cedarwoodfarmstn.com FEATURES: Hay rides, pumpkin patch, pumpkin train, slides, corn and hay mazes, petting zoo, playgrounds, fire engine, log walk, hay climbs, old-timers’ house, pedal track, tire city, sand box, bonfire

5. Gentry’s Farm

1974 New Highway 96 W. Franklin, TN 37064 (41 miles west of Murfreesboro)

Open Sept. 26–Oct. 31

HOURS: Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday 1–5 p.m.; Monday 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

HOURS: Friday 8:30 a.m.–10 p.m.;

ADMISSION: $8.25 ages 2 to 65; kids

Saturday 9:30 a.m.–10 p.m.;

under 2 and seniors over 65 are free

(54 miles south of Murfreesboro) Open Sept. 19–Nov. 7 HOURS: Tuesday–Thursday 1:30–6 p.m.; Friday 1:30–8 p.m.

Saturday 9 a.m.–8 p.m.

ADMISSION: $12 for kids age 3 and up; pumpkins sold separately

ONLINE: grandaddysfarm.com

Walden Farm

FEATURES: Landslide, punchin’ pumpkins, hillside slide, hilltop hopper, tire swings, storybook trail, animal corral, corn box, duck races, pig races, picnic shelter, gourd trellis tunnel, tire mountain, trike trail, straw maze, corn maze, hayrides, food, snacks, gifts and souvenirs from the fall market

FEATURES: Pumpkins, mums and other fall produce for sale, country store with fall decorations, carving kits, farm toys, honey, jam and relishes, fall backdrops for photos. Sweet shop with treats for sale. All play areas will be closed.

7. Shuckles Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch at Fiddle Dee Farms

3. Wilson Family Farm 18 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

454 Highland Ridge Rd. Estill Springs, TN 37330

Season pass—$30

ONLINE: waldenfarm.biz

4809 Byrd Ln., College Grove, TN 37046

6. Grandaddy’s Farm

Grandaddy's Farm

7526 Swift Rd. Greenbrier, TN 37073

(54 miles northwest of Murfreesboro) Open Sept. 26–Nov. 7

Open Sept. 18–Oct. 31

Keller's Corny Country

HOURS: Wednesday 1–8 p.m.; Thurs-

day–Friday, 1–7 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday 1–6 p.m.

HOURS: Saturday 10 a.m.– 9 p.m.

Sunday noon–8 p.m.

ADMISSION: weekends—$14.95;

ADMISSION: $12.76;

kids 2 & under free

weekdays—$11.95; kids 2 and under free; Season pass—$29.95

Season passes and group/military/senior discounts available

ONLINE: lyonfamilyfarms.com

Features 100 acres of fun, you-pick pumpkins, corn maze, you-pick sunflowers, slides, photo backdrops, zip line, petting zoo, pillow bounce, corn box, rat roller, rubber duck races, pig races, tractor rides, cow train, coyote mountain, ball zone, fireworks every Friday night

ONLINE: shucklescornmaze.com FEATURES: 10-acre corn maze, magic

shows, live entertainment, 60-foot jumping pillow, 40-foot super slide, cow train, spider web climb, jumbo Jenga, Saturday night movies, red, white & blue maze, rope maze, pumpkin bowling, playground, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, pumpkin decorating, zip lines, the great pumpkin slide, pumpkin basketball, pumpkin Skee-Ball, donkey darts, animal corral, fort fiddlesticks, right-turn-only maze, cornhole, teeter totters, swinging trees, pumpkin checkers, public bonfires, photo ops, concessions, gift and souvenir shop

8. Bottom View Farm 185 Wilkerson Ln. Portland, TN 37148

(55 miles north of Murfreesboro) Open Sept. 26–Oct. 31 HOURS: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

ADMISSION: $10;

cannon, pumpkin blaster, zip line, hayride, pumpkin train, pumpkin patch (49 cents per pound), cow train, jumping pillow, spider web, rat races, petting farm, hillbilly pig races, singing chicken show, haystack maze, slides, pedal carts, spider slide, corny corner, corn box, sand pit, duck races, wooden forts, steer roping, tractor tire playground, learn to milk, apple orchard, tether ball, swings, treehouse village, concessions stands, light show, bonfire

10. McCulley’s Amazin Acres

2857 Old Kentucky Rd. Sparta, TN 38583

a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday 1–5 p.m.

ADMISSION: $12, kids 2 and under are

(70 miles northwest of Murfreesboro)

Ages 12 and under, pick-your-own three- to six-pound pumpkin included with admission

HOURS: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. daily, weather

ONLINE: amazinacres.com

ADMISSION: kids 6 and up–$5 for

FEATURES: Pumpkin patch, hayride,

permitting corn maze; 5 and under are free

three corn mazes for all ages, straw crawl, hay bounce, petting zoo, rubber duck race, pig race, Dixie the milk cow, hillbilly slide, playground, human hamster wheel, corn box, rainbow jumper, expanded playground, adventure fort, tire mountain, picnic area

ONLINE: boydspumpkinpatch.com

11. Lyon Family Farms

542 Firetower Rd. Dickson, TN 37055

(60 miles east of Murfreesboro)

ONLINE: bottomviewfarm.com

Open Sept. 22–Nov. 3

130 Bellview Rd. Taft, TN 38488

FEATURES: Hay rides, train rides,

HOURS: Friday 6–9 p.m.; Saturday 10

(61 miles south of Murfreesboro)

slides, jumping pillow, pedal tractors, gold mine, live animals, refreshments, zip lines, ice cream parlor, world’s longest rolledhay maze, donkey rides

FEATURES: Pumpkins for sale, four-

acre corn maze, cotton patch, picture areas, swing set, cornhole and picnic tables

13. Keller’s Corny Country (78 miles west of Murfreesboro) Open Oct. 2–31 HOURS: Friday and Saturday

10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

ADMISSION: $10; kids 2 and under are

free; seniors—$8; group—$8 per person; active Military—free with ID; non-active Military—$8

9. Honeysuckle Hill Farm 1765 Martins Chapel Church Rd. Springfield, TN 37172

Month-long “Pumpkin Pass”—$25/person

(56 miles northwest of Murfreesboro)

Groups larger than 15 require reservations: email cornycountry@gmail.com or call 615-441-4872

Open Sept. 26–Nov. 1, 2020 HOURS: Saturday 10 a.m.–9 p.m.;

ONLINE: kellerscornycountry.com

Sunday 12–7 p.m.

FEATURES: Pick-your-own pumpkin

ADMISSION: Weekdays $13.95 at

gate/$11.95 online; Weekends $17.95 at gate/$15.95 online ONLINE: honeysucklehillfarm.com

corn maze featuring Thomas Rhett, kiddie corn maze, gemstone mine, pumpkin

1425 Hwy 76, Clarksville, 37043

free; seniors–$9

kids 2 and under are free

FEATURES: 12-acre country music

12. Boyd’s Pumpkin Patch

Lyon Family Farms

patch (cost is 50 cents per pound), corn maze, hayrides, barrel train rides, tractor tire playground, kid-friendly zip lines, corn bin, slide, sand boxes, 40-foot monster slide, corn-cessions, “corn-try store” with T-shirts, photo backdrops

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Gardening Education Series

BY EDWINA SHANNON

Where Have All the Pollinators Gone?

I SIT OUTSIDE NEXT TO BUSHES that were laden with bees less than a decade ago and I start looking for bee activity . . . I keep looking for bee activity.

The hummingbirds really needed traffic signals in my zinnia bed several years ago. I see two hummingbirds enjoying the flowers today. I thought I had more flowers on the plants in the vegetable bed than the amount of produce I got. I might have.

I am noticing a trend. I see it here, in South Carolina, in Nebraska, in California.

When I see a bee on a flower, I now stop to take pictures of it, just to document that the bees did freely walk on the flowers. I am concerned. Hummingbirds, bats, bees, beetles, butterflies and flies are pollinators that affect 75 percent of our flowers and almost the same percentage of our vegetables, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Pollinators have the necessary job of spreading pollen, to state what is obvious to many. Pollen needs to be spread between plants. Pollinating insects include honeybees, solitary bee species, bumblebees, pollen wasps, ants, flies, mosquitoes, butterflies, moths and flower beetles. Pollen from the male anther of a flower gets moved to the female stigma of a flower, fertilizing the flower to allow it to grow into produce and seed pods or nuts.

Birds, especially hummingbirds and bats also contribute to pollination with the pollen attached to feathers. Wind and small animals like mice and possums can inadvertently contribute to pollination. There is scientific evidence that pollinators are in decline. The webpage fws.gov/pollinators provides related activities and information useful for both adults and students.

Be sure to provide nesting for the pollinators near the pollinator garden.

Hummingbirds use plant material to nest in trees and bushes. Butterflies lay eggs on specific plants. Milkweed, dill, carrots will all support a butterfly species. Bees nest in the ground, openings in stone walls, dried plant stems and in old wood and trees.

They prefer it warm (south facing) and sprinkler free.

Support the life cycles of our pollinators as they support ours.

20 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

Interested in Gardening and Food Production?

Plant a pollinator garden and minimize use of chemical pesticides. Learn more at the Fish & Wildlife Service website.

Choose plants that are native and that flower at different times of the year. Some species that grow in the Southeast U.S: SHRUBS American Beautyberry Sweetshrub Blueberry Carolina Rose Oakleaf Hydrangea New Jersey Tea Virginia Willow Cinnamonbark Spice Bush Fragrant Sumac Mock Orange Sweet Azalea Possumhaw Winterberry Mountain Laurel Drooping Leucothoe Yaupon Southern Waxmyrtle TREES Serviceberry Redbud Red Buckeye Carolina Silverbell Fringe Tree Red Bay Sourwood

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Living

SPOTLIGHT ON NONPROFIT

Steered Straight Nonprofit taking right turns to prevent and end addiction, abuse; opens Murfreesboro thrift store to help fund cause

BY MELISSA COKER TODAY’S POPULAR CULTURE LIKES

to casually bandy about the phrase so-andso “opens up about” something-or-other in hopes of gaining your viewership, subscription or site click. Typically that terminology is used for something trivial that was never really hidden and hardly a confession. Michael DeLeon thinks of it a bit differently— and his most fervent hope is that through his own openness and talks, and through the free educational materials he distributes, those who listen will open up to him, their counselors, their church, their family members or anyone who can listen and help.

“I don’t know what it is about this guy but when he talks, people listen,” said Dustin Mayers, director of marketing for Steered Straight, a nationwide leading expert in recovery, prevention and suicide prevention. CEO Michael DeLeon is the number-one-booked school presenter in America. Last year he spoke to over 700 schools, and, fresh off of speaking on a panel in Florida with United States White House drug czar Jim Carroll, he spoke with the Pulse about the organization and its recently-opened thrift store element.

Sometimes all we need is the right person to find us, pick us up, and steer us in the right direction. Michael DeLeon founded Steered Straight to educate youth and other leaders about the real-life dangers of addictions and abuse. Having been imprisoned for 12 years, and having since taken giant-sized measures to share his story and level with others, DeLeon isn’t your typical one-sizefits-all classroom speaker. He believes there’s no such thing as a non-gateway drug. And his wide-reaching story’s mission is far from simple to summarize.

“There’s no chemical solution to a spiritual problem,” DeLeon firmly stated.

“This is everywhere. We’re in an addiction pandemic. There’s not a county in America that doesn’t have a problem.

“To enhance my workload [years ago] I started taking caffeine pills. My best friend 22 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

came to me and said, ‘You’re still eating those pills? I know why you take ’em, you want to work 24 hours a day seven days a week, but those pills are gonna kill you, man . . . ,” he recalled about the period when his drug gateway began. “‘You need cocaine,’” DeLeon’s friend shrewdly continued, “. . . and I quickly became a crack cocaine addict.”

After his lifestyle led him to a 12-year prison term, the mission for Steered Straight took hold the day of DeLeon’s release.

“I walked out of the door and my wife was waiting for me in the parking lot . . .

I’m sitting in the passenger seat and I look in the side view mirror and behind me was the prison. Then God directs my eyes to the words ‘objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.’ It was eerie. It was like He was saying ‘see what’s in your past, son?

It’ll be in your windshield tomorrow if you go back to doing what you were doing.’”

He didn’t go back. He knew he wanted to help others and give them hope to turn their lives around, too. But before he could, he went through extensive training. (Turns out school administrators weren’t too thrilled when he would cold-call and say “Hey, I just got out of prison and I want to talk to your kids”). Among other things DeLeon did to educate himself, he went to college to become a drug counselor, during which time he had to counsel 1,500 hours to take the state exam. He quit after losing four of his cases to overdoses.

He then went on the road to make a documentary called Kids Are Dying and in the process had an all-too-clear realization that he had never even had a clue how bad the addiction crisis actually was. DeLeon said he is proud of his films and wants them to offer some hope, “but they are not enough.

“So, the program ‘Scared Straight,’ it’s a TV show and it was a documentary and it’s been around since 1972. In 2002 through 2007, in

Michael DeLeon with Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Jim Carroll

those five years, in prison I got involved in the Scared Straight program. And I felt you can’t really scare kids—all you can do is steer them,” DeLeon explained to the Pulse. “So the name Steered Straight really came out of my belief that Scared Straight doesn’t work. With kids you have to steer them toward a positive lifestyle—steer them toward their purpose.

When we visit a school, 80 percent of the kids go home and have a conversation with their parents. Now we can have material in their hands, so that when they go home they’re armed with education to have a conversation.

People don’t realize this, but one out of four child abuse cases in America originate from a school counselor and school—one out of four.

That’s where it happens.

“So, the child’s getting abused at home, the child’s been around addiction at home, they’re not really going to get help from that parent, or from that uncle or from that grandparent, or who’s using. So you have to talk to educators a little bit differently than you do parents,” DeLeon said. “And they’re going to see things in school that parents are not going to see as much. Sometimes kids are going to hide things from parents or sometimes parents, unfortunately, want to believe it’s not going to be their kid. Because no parent wants to raise a drug addict. I mean, no par-

ent, when their baby’s born, says ‘I hope he grows up to be a heroin addict.’

“After every presentation in a school, the kids literally line up 20 students deep to talk to me about what they heard and what they’re experiencing, because I bring up the emotions, and I get them to think about what they’re going through,” he said. “And about 30 percent of the kids that are talking to me afterwards come up to me and confide in me that they’re being or they have been sexually abused. Because part of my story, in the beginning, which started my addiction at age 11, was because I was sexually abused. So when I talk about it openly, kids kind of get the courage to come forward.

“Mine’s like the catalytic kickoff to get them to call the hotline or to get them to ask for help, or to get them to go to their counselor. So I’m not trying to replace anything.

I want to enhance what’s already there. I’m just trying to direct education and overcome misconceptions. Change social norms.”

If it hadn’t been for Michael I would probably have dropped out of school.

I can relate to it. He just really inspired me to go harder and help people.

These are a just a couple of student testimonials about the effect of hearing DeLeon speak. DeLeon wants to be clear, though;

although trouble starts at childhood, he believes the crisis will not end without the education and serious involvement of community officials.

“I have several college degrees. But all the life experience I have really educated me a lot more than any college degree. And I also go into prisons and jails. I do the 940 building in Murfreesboro. I go in there with programs. I go into Rutherford County Work Center. I bring programs in there to show people who are incarcerated, whether they’re going off to prison, or whether they’re coming home, to show them how to change the way they think, and to stay clean in recovery. I’m 17 years in recovery from drugs and alcohol. That’s my life experience. . . . I know what I’m talking about.”

DeLeon has also produced five documentary films on addiction, drugs and recovery and published a book for parents that’s a year’s worth of conversations that families can have about prevention, likely the first of its kind.

Bottom line—most of us are gently used (both inside and out). Thus the Steered Straight Thrift concept was born.

“I didn’t want to be in the thrift store business, but when COVID hit, you know, the nonprofit organization has zero revenue, nothing coming in. And I didn’t want to close the organization. I know that kids need our message now more than ever, families need our message now more than ever, because of the lockdown, because of COVID, because of the anxiety and the fear, loss of hope and loss of jobs, and everything’s changed. The isolation is the biggest factor in what’s happening across the country. So kids need the message more than ever.

“I didn’t want to shut down. So I opened up a thrift store, keep it going to pay the overhead to keep the websites, the marketing going to keep the employees hired. Onehundred percent of every penny that comes out of the thrift store goes directly to our programs to fund what we’re doing. Eventually what I want the thrift store to fund is school districts that have no money, no funding for educational programs for drugs and suicide prevention. So the schools that have no budgets and the schools that have no money, I want to fund those schools for free through our program, through our Steered Straight Thrift Store proceeds. So that’s what the store funds—suicide prevention and drug education.”

Always thinking of growth and the next steps, DeLeon already has expansion in mind for the thrift store concept.

“I’m going to open up 10 thrift stores throughout the Nashville area—Columbia, Lebanon, Smyrna or La Vergne up into

Hendersonville. And 100 percent of that revenue is going to bring drug education to schools and it’s going to fund the national suicide helpline to prevent suicide.

So that’s my eventual goal—10 stores.”

Steered Straight Thrift is always seeking donations even if—much like with humans—there’s some wear and tear.

Don’t throw yourself away even if you are feeling a little worn. Somewhere out there there’s always someone who can benefit from what you’ve gone through and where you’ve been. Anything and everything should be put to good use.

The store accepts about everything you’d usually find at a thrift store, according to staff.

“Honestly, we really need to raise money.

So we’re looking for antiques and collectibles or if someone donated some artwork collections that would be wonderful. But I don’t want to say we don’t need any more clothes, new and gently used clothes, antiques and collectibles and things where we can make more money. Stovetop cookers, microwaves, mugs, Tupperware, all of these things that people just amass, instead of throwing it away, bring it to their store. For some of the more worn clothes, I have storage units for putting together boxes of clothes to send to third world countries. I’m working with two pastors that are setting me up. And I’ll be able to send winter clothes and heavy-duty clothes and coats to Russia, and then to Sudan. And Somalia, I’ve talked to missionaries in those places. So we’re trying to figure out how to get the summer clothes and the T-shirts and the shorts there. I don’t want anything to go to waste,” DeLeon said.

“Whatever people give us we will be glad to sell. There is quite a lot of MTSU clothing here. Some Nashville Predators items and some UT stuff. I know we have brand-new MTSU pennants.”

The store also offers special sales on certain days, so be sure to check their Facebook and other pages for more information on what to expect. A grand opening celebration is tentatively planned for the weekend of Oct. 17. Steered Straight is also part of the AmazonSmile program, so that is another way to donate.

For more on Steered Straight and resources and videos on addiction, prevention, recovery, depression and more, visit steeredstraight.org. Steered Straight Thrift Store is currently located at 1222 Park Ave., but will soon move into a new location just across the street at 845 Middle Tennessee Blvd.

For more information, or to shop online, visit steeredstraightthriftstore.org.

10-Point Stress Management Plan Helps Teens and Adults Navigate Frustration and Isolation

BY MICHAEL DELEON CORONAVIRUS AND RESULTANT lockdowns have changed more than the landscape of life in America; they have recreated the foundation of connection for kids, for families, for communities. People have no alternative but to face the reality of isolation in the COVID climate. Every day, we see the infection and death numbers.

Yet very few understand the collateral damage and the real-life loss from despair unfolding right now. Even fewer understand how long this damage may last and how many families it may actually affect. These effects, unfortunately, may even dwarf COVID numbers.

But there is always good news. Some of the lessons we learned from COVID are applicable with addiction and suicide.

Some of the solutions we implemented are just as effective in protecting society from this damage. Prevention is the most effective tool we have against a virus and a pandemic. Education is the key to prevention, and parents and guardians are the key holders. We all need to be educated.

Education about substance use, misuse and abuse—needs to happen now more than ever before. Substance use is up across America. The CDC states that 13 percent of Americans have either started or increased substance use to cope with pandemic-related stress or emotions. That number represents 43 million people.

The most cited reason among them is isolation! This increased substance use will lead to higher overdose rates, suicide rates and crude death rates nationwide.

The increase of substance abuse is proportionately higher among adolescents.

Isolation is obviously affecting our youth.

Many are disconnected. Learning online sounds like a great theory to some but it does not address what students really need right now, nor does it provide what kids need from school: things like connection, physical education, socialization.

These are all lacking in the remote learning system, potentially compounding the isolation and impacting them long-term.

There is also fear, academic regression and the extension of the “summer slide,” a period in which students fall behind. Virtual distance learning will never address that.

For some of those students, the regression will be irreversible.

Across America right now, kids, parents

and educators feel stress, much of it related to the COVID lockdowns. People have various ways of defining and handling this stress, so this month, I want to provide encouragement by offering a resource for families suffering the effects of stress.

Steered Straight offers a stress and anxiety tool on its website. It’s geared toward teens, but it is appropriate and effective for use by people of all ages.

STRESS is that uncomfortable feeling you get when you’re worried, scared, angry, frustrated or overwhelmed. It is caused by emotions, but it also affects your mood and body. Many adults think that teens don’t have stress because they don’t have to work and support a family. They are missing the point, and they are wrong!

Stress is an important survival tool that can keep you alert and focused. But when you’re not dealing with an actual survival issue, it can make you uncomfortable and interfere with your ability to think through the problem.

The body reacts to stress when the brain tells the body to prepare for an emergency. Stress hormones are telling us to run, and it takes a physical response to use them up.

Emotions play an important role in how our bodies experience stress. How we think about a stressful situation and what we choose to do about it affects how it makes us feel.

TACKLING THE PROBLEM: THE GUIDE will show parents and teens how to create a personal 10-point stress-management plan.

The guide is broken down into parts and steps as follows: 1: Identify and Address the Problem 2: Avoid Stress When Possible 3: Let Some Things Go Taking Care of My Body 4: The Power of Exercise 5: Active Relaxation 6: Eat Well 7: Sleep Well 8: Take Instant Vacations 9: Release Emotional Tension 10: Contribute to the World Download this free stress management guide at steeredstraight.org or at boropulse.com/stressmanagement. Share it with loved ones and friends. Now is the time to handle it.

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Breakfast burrito grande with bacon or chorizo: $6.75; Beef or chicken enchilada smothered with green chile: $9.25; Steak fajitas: $9.75; Taco salad with ground beef, pork or chicken: $9; Grilled chicken avocado wrap: $9.50 ONLINE:

hernandezmexican deli.com

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO

PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO

Flavorful tacos, breakfast burritos and green chile at Hernandez Mexican Deli

H

ERNANDEZ MEXICAN DELI has become a popular downtown Murfreesboro spot for flavorful breakfast and lunch dishes with a Southwestern influence. Diners rave about the breakfast burritos, chile verde, marinated steak and fresh chips, and taco salad bowls.

The famous green chile sauce, available in pork (containing generous, tender pork chunks) or vegetarian, can be had as a covering for a burrito or enchilada, as a dip, or to-go by the quart.

Try the delicious, smoky, juicy grilled steak on tacos, in a burrito or breakfast burrito or in a quesadilla.

“The steak was very, very tender,” said Greg Goodwin following a visit to Hernandez.

The restaurant marinates its skirt steak for 48 hours, owner-operator Steve Hernandez said.

Hernandez Mexican Deli opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast, and offers a very filling and flavorful burrito, stuffed with eggs, cheese, potatoes and green chiles and a choice of bacon, chorizo, steak or meatless, as well as a smaller, grab-and-go breakfast burrito variety, foil-wrapped for convenience, for only $5.50.

These varieties of breakfast-in-a-tortilla contain some very soft potatoes, and while the smaller packaged version may be handy for the car or office, the burrito grande is not necessarily the type of burrito one picks up with their hands, especially with a drenching of the green chile.

Marissa Wright said Hernandez offered “the best breakfast burrito I’ve ever had.”

All of the dishes seem to contain quality ingre24 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

dients—the beans, the excellent salsa, the rice, cooked with cilantro—all taste well seasoned and well prepared. “Everything is made from scratch,” Hernandez said.

Other selections include a large enchilada with shredded chicken or beef, steak fajitas, taco salad, a grilled chicken avocado wrap with chipotle mayo, street tacos, queso and guacamole. Hernandez has Hatch chiles, a flavorful green pepper, shipped in from New Mexico for the house chile verde.

“To anyone from the Southwest, they have green chile. It’s great!” Travis McAlister posted in an online review after a meal at Hernandez, located on Vine Street and adorned with a bull logo designed by Steve’s older brother, Fermin Hernandez II, an artist who Steve said also ran with the bulls.

“Great food. Friendly staff. And the pork green chile is amazing,” Sam Seabourne said.

Many customers have noticed not only the flavors of the American Southwest that Steve has brought to Murfreesboro, but also his desire for everyone in the establishment to have a good experience.

“Always great food and even better hospitality,” Kelly Smotherman said.

Hernandez Mexican Deli displays a small selection of art, including some works by local pointillism artist Gary James, and contains a couple of couches where patrons can read, enjoy some coffee or converse.

Stop in Hernandez for breakfast or lunch Monday through Saturday, or have it delivered through Hometown Delivery or Blue Raider Food.

Clockwise from top left: Street tacos with steak; a cheese quesadilla with cilantro rice; a breakfast burrito smothered with pork green chile; queso; an enchilada with green chile

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News Masks Are For Halloween Rutherford mask mandate lifted, MTSU’s remains, no masks required at Spooky’s

BY BRACKEN MAYO IN LATE AUGUST, RUTHERFORD COUNTY MAYOR Bill Ketron extended a countywide face covering executive order, crediting the wearing of masks with contributing to the decline of COVID-19 cases.

Reportedly, MTSU officials placed great pressure on Ketron to renew this order, one which, as unenforceable as it was, generated a great deal of controversy, support and opposition.

Shortly after announcing the decision, Ketron told a constituent “I get a call from MTSU and they’re going ‘I’ll get on my knees. Please Mayor, don’t discontinue the masks.’”

He did acknowledge, though, that the call on the executive order was ultimately his alone to make.

“Countywide, I’m the only one that has that decision,” Ketron said. Many opposed to the mask mandate said that a county mayor should not have the authority to order healthy individuals to cover their faces, that it was an overreach of governmental power.

The Rutherford County mayor did end the county order on Sept. 22, though an MTSU order affecting the university campus remains in effect.

Before the fall 2020 semester began, MTSU President Sydney McPhee said he would consider expelling a student who would not comply with the on-campus mask mandate.

These actions have brought up many questions with college students, and other local observers.

Why would MTSU push for the entire county to be under a mask order? How does the university administration wield so much power over county business? Why would an institution that has a 26 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

heavily young, college-age demographic be so concerned with the spread of a virus that seems to target the older population?

According to many reports, very few college-age individuals are at a great risk of serious health complications from COVID-19.

Andrew Bostom, a medical researcher associated with Brown University, compiled a referenced study looking at various large universities early in the fall 2020 semester. His study, analyzing 29 campuses, found 26,000 students testing positive for COVID-19. These thousands of cases resulted in zero hospitalizations, Bostom reported on Sept. 8.

In response to these stats, CNBC did manage to find instances of two college students, one in San Diego, one in Kansas, who were hospitalized due to COVID, according to a report it ran a few days later.

Daniel Horowitz wrote in a piece for The Blaze that universities are sowing panic for no good reason. In March, at the onset of the COVID shutdowns, the message was

to slow the spread so that hospitals would not be overrun. Looking at the story behind the numbers—that among 26,000 college students testing positive, no one had to be hospitalized—the conclusion is that outbreaks of COVID-19 on college campuses will most likely not overrun hospitals.

If it weren’t for such a focus on increased testing, Horowitz writes, “we would not know the ‘epidemic’ of mild and asymptomatic cases on college campus even exists.”

“Not only are college campuses disrupting traditional college life with mask orders and social distancing requirements and bans on gatherings, but some are creating surveillance states,” he continued.

Back in Rutherford County, in Walter Hill, one local business owner said he recently found his pizzeria in the cross-hairs of the cancel culture mob after voicing opposition to mask compliance.

Joe Peters listed many reasons that restaurant staff at Spooky’s Pizza should not wear masks. Why would a cook working over a grill with an open flame wear a piece of cloth or paper on their face? “It’s a possible fire hazard,” he said.

Face coverings impede communication and make it more difficult for employees to speak with customers and each other, placing a hindrance on getting orders correct and running a kitchen.

Wearing masks causes food service workers to touch their faces more than when not wearing a mask.

“It’s hot as can be in the kitchen,” Peters told the Pulse. Plus, he doesn’t think masks would really keep a virus from escaping.

“Go in a walk-in cooler with a mask on.

Breathe out and watch the breath come out of the top and the sides of the mask,” Peters said.

“This is not merely a mask,” Peters said about face covering orders and social pressure to mask up. “It is a shrewd bandit that steals your smile, personality and humanity!

It is a test market for submission.”

When a group of pro-maskers learned that Spooky’s was not going to be a station of the mask police, the mob activated.

“Hundreds of negative reviews flooded in from individuals who had never set foot inside our restaurant,” Peters said. But he refused to be intimidated into changing his views or his policy. Mark Levin and Phil Valentine both let Peters speak on their radio shows about the situation, and the outpouring of support following these call-ins far outweighed the negative attention.

“I realized how many people shared my sentiments,” Peters said.

He said like-minded patriots from states away would ask how they could support the restaurant during this time.

Although Spooky’s did not originally have merchandise for sale, the restaurant owner created a shirt, and a campaign, just for the occasion, launching a shirt for sale featuring Spooky’s cartoon ghost mascot and the proclamation that “Masks Are for Halloween.”

Find these shirts at masksareforhalloween.com.

Peters said that the present political and social debates and frustrations are about far more than masks, that the struggles for the rule of law, reason and liberty rage across the country this year in many forms.

“Our freedom is non-negotiable!” the Spooky’s owner said in a statement he released. “Together we must fight for the soul of our nation.”

Many local business owners see Ketron lifting his face covering order as a small victory for individual liberty and freedom of choice.

Upon announcing that the mandate had come to an end on Sept. 22, Ketron acknowledged that individual businesses can still require those inside of their property to wear a mask, or not to. Some community members will choose to wear a mask and others will make the decision not to, Ketron said, asking everyone to remain respectful of one another.

“This difference among citizens should cause discord in the community. . . . Rutherford County is a caring and compassionate community. Do not let this pandemic change that,” Ketron said. “Be kind.”

HIGHLIGHTING BUSINESS  Jess performs an ashiatsu massage, a technique in which the therapist uses overhead bars for support while massaging a client with bare feet

Rubbing Murfreesboro the Right Way Float Alchemy’s award-winning massage team brings relief from pain, stress, anxiety and more

BY STEVE MORLEY

A

quiet presence tucked into the bustling commercial strip on Cason Lane near Old Fort Parkway, Float Alchemy is a mystery to many who breeze past the establishment, the first to offer salt-water-filled flotation tanks to Rutherfordians locally. (The business’s older sister, Float Nashville, was the first such facility in the state, opening in 2013). Float Alchemy’s progressive-minded concepts may require further understanding to fully grasp the benefits of its health-enhancing services, but keep in mind that “alchemy,” in a nutshell, simply means “transformation.”

Float Alchemy founder Amy Grimes’ own health journey was significantly transformed by experiences using flotation tanks, which eventually helped her recover from substantial chronic pain and inspired her to make tanks available in Tennessee. Since 2005, she’s also been a licensed massage therapist, a skill she continues to employ despite not initially

having planned to make massage part of her career. Grimes says she was committed to including therapeutic massage in the menu of healing tools under the Float Alchemy umbrella from the outset.

The community wellness center’s unique offerings may be a still-unfolding secret known only to a growing list of satisfied customers, but word has definitely

been getting out regarding the establishment’s therapeutic massage services. In the wake of a recent local Main Street award citing Float Alchemy as the city’s best massage, the business’s massage slots have been steadily booked, with additional rooms now being added to accommodate demand.

Grimes, whose vision for creating a peaceful and healing environment strongly flavors every facet of the wellness center, hand-picked the licensed massage therapists who comprise Float Alchemy’s wellregarded massage department. Two of the three professionals on staff, in fact, learned elements of their craft under Grimes’ instruction at Mind Body Institute, and were inspired by Grimes’ compassionate and comprehensive approach to healing.

Taylor Langston, a 2017 MBI graduate, jumped at the chance to work at Float Alchemy for her former teacher. Taylor, who says she got into massage “to help people from a holistic [whole-person, not symptom-based] standpoint,” combines massage with an interest in counseling, a field she’s pursuing a degree in at present.

Her gift for listening and interest in her clients allows them to feel safe enough “to share their stories or just get things off their chest that they may not be able to tell those close to them,” Taylor says.

Her specialties include therapeutic massage and active isolated stretching (AIS), which can loosen tight muscles and relieve pain in areas that regular massage can’t easily address. Taylor also offers recovery massage, which involves creating a goaloriented treatment plan.

“I love to see the change in my clients as they progress through our appointments and to hear their happiness that they are finally getting better,” she says.

Clients whose treatment requires multiple appointments, Taylor notes, allows her “to really get to know my clients. I love that,” she says, “because we are creating a family that really cares about each other at Float Alchemy and our clients are definitely a huge part of that.”

Cat Stout, a graduate of Georgia Career Institute who has been a licensed massage therapist for six years, recently joined the team at Float Alchemy. Cat offers services including full-body relaxation massage and soft tissue therapy as well as muscle targeting, which improves strength and endurance in specific muscle groups.

In what almost seems a massage mantra from the Float Alchemy team, Cat says “I got into this field to heal and nurture others. It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done!” Like her colleagues, she’s excited about the potential for growth her unique workplace offers.

The most recent addition to Float Alchemy’s massage staff, who simply goes by her first name, Jess, is probably the only staffer there you’ll likely see hanging from the ceiling. Suspended by horizontal bars, she provides ashiatsu, a method of massage applying controlled pressure using her bare feet and body weight.

“The benefits of ashiatsu include a deeper, more broad type of pressure which tends to be more comfortable than the deep tissue techniques achieved by using knuckles and elbows,” Jess says. “The long flowing strokes also induce a deep relaxation response in the body.”

Jess, also a hands-on massage practitioner, has a special interest in helping clients with trauma and addiction. Victims of trauma, she says, can equate hands with being hurt. For them, the foot-delivered ashiatsu foot massage is an alternative to hands-on massage that can feel safer.

Safety and comfort are paramount, says Jess, who recommends that nervous newcomers try a fully-clothed chair massage, or undress only to their personal comfort level for a table massage. Tell your therapist what you like, or don’t like, she advises, emphasizing that massage experiences can, and should, be custom-tailored according to each client’s preference.

Of her massage team, Grimes says they were chosen for their skills as well as for “their compassion and the way they listen to their clients and craft massage experiences to address pain and stress issues.

Each therapist has their own personal way of looking at issues and has developed a set of skills to address them.”

Grimes and her team are gratified that they can bring relief to clients, whatever the modality. Still, many have yet to discover the exponential benefits of combining a float-tank session, the facility’s marquee service, with a massage. For the time being, therein lies the rub.

Float Alchemy is located at 131 Cason Ln., Murfreesboro. For more information or to book an appointment, call 615-9331116 or visit floatalchemy.com.

BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2020 * 27

AROUND TOWN ’BORO BUSINESS BUZZ

Fried Tater Cafe, Horizon Spinal Care, Murfreesboro Saturday Market, Overkill Auto Garage, Pepper + Peach

BY BRACKEN MAYO THE FRIED TATER CAFE has opened in

 Fried Tater Cafe is now open on Versailles Road  Pepper + Peach takes over the former Uncle Bud’s space  Overkill aims to customize more cars

the old Versailles Grocery building in Rockvale, serving fried chicken, okra, cornbread, beans, desserts and, of course, fried taters.

Melissa and Elijah Wright opened their cafe in September 2020 in the restored structure, built in 1810.

“I loved watching my dad cook as a child. I admired his talent. He had a knack for seasonings and marrying flavors together,” Melissa said.

She had planned to open a restaurant with her father in 2015, but he lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in December of that year. But the Fried Tater Cafe, offering his favorite food, fried taters and pinto beans, will honor his memory, as well as Elijah’s grandparents, Meem and Papa, and so many other Southern cooks who passed down traditions of good eating.

The Fried Tater Cafe, located at 11088 Versailles Rd., Rockvale, will open from 6:30–10:30 a.m. and from 4–8 p.m.

Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Melissa also said the venue plans to host live musicians. For more information, visit thefriedtatercafe.com or call 615-722-1151.

OVERKILL AUTO GARAGE, a local shop with the goal of getting more customized cars on the road, has moved to a new shop in Smyrna. The shop sells and installs all sorts of custom aftermarket accessories including electronics, suspensions, lighting, body parts, headlights and taillights.

Find Overkill Auto Garage at 875 Seven Oaks Blvd., Suite 410, Smyrna.

For more information, call 615-462-6074 or visit overkillautogarage.com.

The folks behind the Peach Cobbler Factory plan to soon open PEPPER + PEACH HOT CHICKEN, blending sweet cobblers, spicy fried chicken and other items, at 1824 28 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

Old Fort Pkwy., the restaurant space that previously housed Santa Fe, Jazzmatazz and, most recently, Uncle Bud’s.

Main Street Murfreesboro has announced that the weekly MURFREESBORO SATURDAY MARKET, held from 8 a.m.–noon each Saturday on the Murfreesboro Public Square, will run an additional month, now scheduled for every Saturday through Oct. 31. Craft vendors will join some of the existing booths offering locally grown produce, honey, baked goods, flowers and more.

Dr. Austen Scheumann has opened HORIZON SPINAL CARE, a new chiropractic office on Church Street in Murfreesboro.

Scheumann said he follows the process outlined by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association, which pays special attention to the top two bones in the neck (C1, C2) and the function of the central nervous system. This technique gently adjusts the top bone in the neck to eliminate nerve interference and restore balance. There is no twisting or popping of the neck.

This technique has helped alleviate headaches and fatigue issues in his own body, Scheumann said. As a kid involved in sports growing up in Indiana, Scheumann visited chiropractors as a youth. Seeing the difference that chiropractic care made in people’s lives at a young age inspired him to pursue that as a career.

Horizon Spinal Care is located at 745 S. Church St. Ste. #405, Murfreesboro. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit horizonspinalcare.com.

DRIP PURPLE VINTAGE has opened on the Murfreesboro Public Square at 105A N. Maple St. The shop offers a wealth of vintage music, concert, sports and pop culture items, T-shirts, jerseys, posters and more.

Following a period of closure, CAMPUS PUB ownership does expect to open again soon, saying the business, located just off of Greenland Drive near MTSU, had to redo its liquor license process.

SEAFOOD SENSATION opened a Mur-

freesboro location in the fall of 2019 at 123 SE Broad St., but the location never truly got off the ground. Seafood Sensation does not plan to reopen the Murfreesboro restaurant, staff confirmed, but the Nashville location on Jefferson Street remains in operation.

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Opinion Live Exceptionally...Well!

BY JENNIFER DURAND

Dance!

FOR A WHILE I THOUGHT I HAD ONLY discovered dancing within the last six years. Actually, I rediscovered dancing, but in a new form. Like a lot of young girls, I learned tap, jazz and ballet by taking classes. My mother, who loved to dance, taught me how to jitterbug in the living room, along with other styles of more formal dances.

Those were very fond memories and I still remember the “moves” she taught me. She said it was important to just flow and let your partner lead you.

She was an awesome follow partner, making the dance look graceful and easy. It wasn’t until many years later that I bridged the gap between those precious lessons in the living room to the ballroom dance floor I now learn and dance on.

There were dances in high school (prom), where you simply moved your body to the rhythm of the music. Partner dances seemed awkward since most teens had no formal training. The ever-popular “sway” was what most people did for the slow dances. Then there was simply freestyle dancing at clubs, parties or when hanging out.

“There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them.” — Vicki Baum Dancing is a universal language that needs few or no words. When you hear music that moves you (sound can be a very personal thing), you jump up and begin to speak using your body as the voice.

When someone is lost in their dance, others will stop and witness because they can tell a story is being told, and we all love a good story. Dance brings people together. It is a great form of expression, release and exercise.

Fast forward past the days of dancing at clubs, and in the living room, having children of my own and “play dancing” with them as babes, to attending a Junior Cotillion dance with my oldest son who learned some formal steps and danced in glamorous attire with his mom. Along the way there were moments when dance was mentioned from friends, clients or simply seeing an advertisement. So, my husband and I ventured out and took some lessons at National Dance Club in Murfreesboro. We felt awkward but enjoyed doing something different.

We were unable to join their program at that time but never forgot the experience. Then, several years after that I became friends with Becky and Steve Lanham, the owners of Dance Murfreesboro.

30 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

Becky and Steve often talked about their dance studio and all the things they did there. I saw posts on social media about their activities. We were invited many times to come and hang out at their dance studio. It wasn’t until my husband was out of town one Halloween and Becky invited me (again) to stop by their studio as they were having a party.

Wow! I saw all those people moving so gracefully and beautifully on the floor and thought “I want to look like that!” I got my husband and two sons to take group lessons with me. I quickly found a love for dance which helped me enjoy life beyond my work, which often seemed all consuming.

“The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word.” – Mata Hari Fast forward again, six years later, to a showcase event that is meant to allow students the opportunity to create a dance routine and perform it for family, friends and the community. My friend Becky found a way to share more of this with others by making the showcase a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association that supports the caregivers of those meeting the needs of patients affected by this disease. Dance is very personal, as are causes that people support.

This year I was able to perform with my friend and dance partner, Steve. It was certainly a culmination of learning, practicing, working through frustrations, doubts and fears that enabled us to feel good about the efforts and remember the reason for doing it in the first place was simply the love of dancing, creating and expressing.

Dance has no limitations except for the ones you place on yourself. You can embody movement in unlimited ways . . . seeing it in your mind, tapping your fingers and toes, to grand, full-body gestures. I have witnessed many dances of varying degrees of skill, style and age. One thing always noticeable was the expressions of joy on their faces when they were lost in the dance.

Find what moves you and go get lost in it, at least for a few hours a week. There is a dancer inside of you, me and everyone. If you need some motivation, you now know of a place that can inspire your inner dancer to move!

Jennifer Durand is the owner and operator of The Nurture Nook Day Spa & Gift Shoppe; a certified QiGong and Breathe Empowerment instructor, and is licensed in massage therapy, body work and somatic integration. Visit nurturenook.com or call 615-896-7110.

We Must All Begin to Pay Attention to the Child Trafficking Problem in the U.S. VIEWS OF A

CONSERVATIVE

PHIL VALENTINE

philvalentine.com

W

It’s not like the story is new. The U.S. Marshals have aided in the recovery of over 1,800 children since they first teamed up with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2005. There are some QAnon posts that attempt to make this look like something new and tie it to some Democrat-run sex ring, but there’s not much evidence of that. What there is evidence of is an ongoing problem of exploited children and a near blackout of the story by the media.

The problem lies in separating the parental disputes from the child sex trade. I, by no means, make excuses for parents who flee the state with their children, but at least we can get our minds around that. What is unfathomable is how anyone could sexually exploit a child. What’s even more despicable is it’s sometimes the parents themselves.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott told WOIO-TV, “We’ve had some cases where the mother or father, or both, may have been prostituting their own child.” Can you imagine? Most of us can’t.

So, what do we do about it?

Law enforcement is tracking down as many of these animals who exploit children as they have leads. What we as citizens can do is pay more attention to the problem.

What we can do is support news outlets that shine a light on the problem. What we can do is insist our local officials make our own communities as inhospitable for child trafficking as they possibly can.

What we can do is care.

The fact that Operation Not Forgotten got so little press is an indication of our indifference.

So many people like my own sons are much more outraged because they’re barely adults themselves. It’s easy for them to think “that could’ve been me.”

For the rest of us, we need to be thinking “that could’ve been ours.” It’s only after we all personalize this issue that it will ever begin to go away.

We think of child sex trafficking as just a third world problem. It’s not. It’s our problem, too.

hat’s up with all the missing children lately? We saw the report of the U.S. Marshals’ Operation Not Forgotten which rescued 26 children and safely located another 13. They also arrested 26 adults. More recently Operation Homecoming found eight more children in Indiana. Over the last few weeks, U.S. Marshals have found 72 missing children. That, however, is just a fraction of the children who What we can do go missing each year. is support news

The FBI’s National Crime Information Center says there were 421,394 missing children last year. Many are caught up in custody disputes when one parent essentially kidnaps his or her own kids and goes on the run with them. Many of those children are never located. Too many children are kidnapped for the underground sex trade in this country. It’s unbelievable but true.

Accurate numbers are hard to come by, but the State Department estimates between 15,000 and 50,000 women and girls are trafficked each year just in the United States.

When the story on Operation Not Forgotten broke and then was quickly pushed aside by political and COVID news, one of my sons asked me why this wasn’t the biggest story in the country. It’s hard to say why.

I think part of the reason is it’s such an ugly story people tend to look away. We don’t want to think that child sex slaves are being traded right here in our country, but they are, and we need to start paying attention.

outlets that shine a light on the problem.

What we can do is insist our local officials make our own communities as inhospitable for child trafficking as they possibly can. What we can do is care.

Phil Valentine is heard each weekday afternoon on SuperTalk 99.7FM in Nashville and online at 997wtn.com. For more of his commentary and articles, visit philvalentine.com.

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* OCTOBER 2020 * 31

BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2020 * 31

BUSINESS MOMENTUM BY BLAINE LITTLE

Weathering the Storm In the perfect storm for any business owner, new Steak ’n Shake owner uses shutdown time to improve restaurant IMAGINE BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR on the lookout for your next great endeavor. You find an enterprise with an existing customer base of over 20 years in your hometown of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

You like the product. You like the people. You like the business model and decide to move on the opportunity. You roll up your sleeves and get to work, learning about everything it takes to properly run the business.

Then, the worst happens: COVID-19!

Now, the environment in which you expected to do business has ceased to exist and your strategic plan is completely shot.

Corporate headquarters didn’t prepare you for this. Who could have anticipated, much less prepared for, a worldwide pandemic?

32 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

Any businessperson would be dejected and understandably fearful. That’s exactly what happened to Dave Weill, owner of the Steak ’n Shake franchise on Old Fort Parkway.

Long ago, Dave knew he wanted to own his own business.

“After working in retail, I realized I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my working career. In order to have more financial freedom and more time with the family, I need to have my own business,” Weill says. He had scoped out a number of opportunities including

a car wash, but nothing struck him as a good fit. While at a banquet, a friend mentioned the Steak ’n Shake opportunity to him. It sounded just like what he was looking for. He jumped in with both feet, cooking, cleaning and checking out customers, all the things one needs to do in order to teach others. That was in late 2019, before many American business would nearly come to a grinding halt.

On March 24, Dave understood it was time to close the dining room due to state mandates. He took a few days to step back and completely reassess the situation of the restaurant. Of course, it was a time of stress for many entrepreneurs.

Though dining rooms had to be closed down at that time, he knew what he could legally do in a safe manner.

Just a few days later, Dave reopened the drive-thru, and the line has been pretty busy ever since. It’s filled with loyal customers who have a steak burger or milkshake craving that can only be satisfied by Steak ’n Shake. But he didn’t stop there. He took half a dozen of the unused parking spaces and converted them into a nice picnic area on the property. They even have car hops! Now, you can just pull up, order off the app and someone will bring your food to you.

“Steak ’n Shake franchisees are in business for ourselves, but not by ourselves.

We have a great support system from corporate. They were able to lay out the best way to move forward,” Weill said.

The business owner recognizes that much of his success has been due to his staff.

“People ask me all the time ‘are you hiring?’ and I tell them I am always looking for great people,” Weill goes on to say.

“The culture is the most important part in a restaurant, so you have to have the right people.”

That’s good advice, because a business is nothing more than its people.

Dave says the best advice he can give a potential business owner is to be debt free; have the finances in order. He worked hard in order to pay off the mortgage on his home in 2012. That allowed him the financial independence to save up for the business he now owns. He also attributes his faith in Christ as being a source of his strength in uncertain times.

In the not-too-distant future, the dining room will open again after having been newly remodeled. Right now, the anticipated target date to fully reopen is Oct. 21.

When it does, the ’50s-style diner will have new paint, new tables and new chairs. It will even have an electronic kiosk, the kind that so many establishments have begun to utilize. But the restaurateur says he intends to keep the picnic area and hop stops. So, what was initially a dilemma has turned out to be more ways that Dave Weill can better serve the public.

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

Learn more at momentumseminars.com.

Be sure to get his new book Managerial Mistakes, Missteps & Misunderstandings, available now on Amazon.

Sports 

BLUE RAIDERS

PHOTO BY NATHAN WALLACH / MTSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Blue Raiders Have Tough Start to 2020 Season Lose close one in San Antonio after two blowouts THE MTSU BLUE RAIDERS finished September 0–3 after losses to Army, Troy and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

MTSU began the 2020 campaign in New York taking on Army, but the Black Knights were too much for the Blue Raiders and MTSU fell 42–0. The game marked the first time MTSU had been shut out since the 2012 season finale.

“You’ve got to give Army credit,” MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill said. “I knew they were really big and strong up front . . . We just put our defense in such bad field position because of the turnovers.”

MTSU gave up four turnovers that led to 21 Army points.

Two weeks later, on Sept. 19, the Blue Raiders hosted Troy in the team’s home opener, but the renewed rivalry didn’t go the Blue Raiders’ way.

Troy regained possession of the Palladium trophy, winning 47–14.

“We didn’t do much good on offense,” Stockstill said. MTSU gained only 241 total yards and 15 first downs in this one, compared to 496 yards and 30 first downs for Troy, and gave the ball up three times.

“Our defense, especially early, was flying around,” Stockstill said. “I thought we played fast and put some pressure on their quarterback . . . our defense got a little tired having to be on the field as much as they were.”

The following week, MTSU expected to have a week off, but announced a Friday

game against UTSA. This one was much closer; the Blue Raiders battled back in the fourth quarter and had a shot to tie the game with a two-point conversion attempt with one minute remaining, but could not convert the attempt.

Quarterback Asher O’Hara tossed three touchdowns and Chaton Mobley added two on the ground to get the offense going finally, but ultimately, MTSU would fall to 0–3 after a 37–35 loss.

“Our guys played really hard and competed their tails off,” Stockstill said.

O’Hara said the team was “just sick of getting our teeth kicked in . . . we had some good momentum going and had some good tempo on offense. We just left some things out there.”

MTSU will try and build on that momentum and look for its first win of the season against Western Kentucky University.

MTSU will take on WKU on at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3 for homecoming followed by an Oct. 10 trip to Miami to take on Florida International University.

The team will host North Texas in Murfreesboro at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, and will conclude the month in Texas for a contest with Rice on Oct. 24.

For tickets, videos, news and more details on MTSU athletics, visit goblueraiders.com.

BOROPULSE.COM

* OCTOBER 2020 * 33

SPORTS

TALK

COLUMN BY “Z-TRAIN”

titanman1984@gmail.com

STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI, #3

Of Course I Support Equality; Titans Win First Three Games of 2020 by a Field Goal THE TRAIN DADDY IS BACK with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard! Let me start this article off by saying, Life is Good!

I know I have used this platform in the last few issues to voice concerns about some controversial issues in the world today, one of those issues being my disgust with the implosion of politics and race in sports.

But I have realized I can, for the most part, shut that nonsense out. With that said, I know numerous people who have given up on the football season. They refuse to watch players kneel and they refuse to listen to multi-million-dollar athletes tell them how racist everything supposedly is. While this saddens me greatly, I understand.

I do not blame anyone who has made that decision to turn away. I love the game of football with a passion that I know is far beyond normal. My convictions have absolutely been tested but I love this game. I do not love this game more than I love my country, but until something happens that pushes me completely over the edge, I will be cheering for my Tennessee teams every weekend.

Does the kneeling upset me? Let’s just say I have similar feelings as the recently departed Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had, and I quote, “I think it’s a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn’t lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act.”

Go watch the 2016 interview for yourself. It may be hard to find. Wonder why?

34 * OCTOBER 2020 * BOROPULSE.COM

Aside from the kneeling, a constant stream of social issues and racial discrimination talk comes from analysts and commercials during live games.

I support equality with all my heart. My black brother is just as perfect as my white brother, and I couldn’t be more sincere in saying that. But I do not support BLM—the opposite, indeed. It is a cancer. I refuse to be forced to support a political group committing atrocities that just keep adding up.

YouTube can hardly keep up with the videos of violence in the name of BLM. I support equality and condemn BLM. Simple as that.

We already have numbers on the NBA, and the repercussions of this woke culture stuff is a 27–45-percent playoff ratings drop!

How woke will the NBA continue to be when they realize the audience is leaving?

When will the players, the owners and the league really start to see what this utter disrespect to police officers and the country cost them? Projecting the future is simple here. The NBA will slowly shut up and focus on basketball and attempt to gain what they have quickly lost with its fan base. People like Mark Cuban can lie all they want, but he knows why fans are leaving.

Alright, enough of that. As of publication release the Titans are 3–0 with victories over the Broncos, the Jaguars and the Vikings.

Let us be honest: this team could easily be 0–3. But I will not hold those close-gamewinning drives against the Titans. This team has a lot to clean up, but I am fine with

being known as the team that embraces the mentality a win is a win. A win is a win! I call it heart attack football and it gets my anxiety through the roof.

The Titans are tops in the AFC South as of week 3. My thoughts on the rest of the AFC South as of now: Colts (2–1)—maybe a playoff contender? Rivers is washed, an interception machine who sometimes plays like the vet he is. The Jaguars (1–2)—Minshew Magic is not a magical as some want it to be. And the Texans (0–3)—that team has a superstar in Watson, who recently signed his giant extension to stay with the team.

I believe the Texans are run by a complete moron in Coach Bill O’Brien, who has done nothing to help his star quarterback. But, if your first three opponents to open the season were the Ravens, Chiefs and Steelers, most teams in this league would be 0–3 after that brutal start.

Quick Hits Around the NFL Can you imagine being a fan of the Atlanta Falcons right now? Choke artists! The best way to beat the Falcons seems to be to give them a 20-point lead.

I will admit this: so far, Cam Newton has played 1,000 times better than I projected.

The Patriots look good with him. I still do not believe he can finish a season, though.

Does he prove me wrong?

The Titans have the Steelers to open October. I honestly feel the same way about Big Ben right now. He too is beat and washed.

Unfortunately for the Titans he is healthy and that Steel Curtain defense is the real deal. That should be an extremely fun and tough week-4 match-up. Titan up!

Tom Brady has looked average with his new team. We will see how that plays out. I have been impressed with the Packers and Aaron Rodgers to start the season. After all the hate that organization got for the 2020 draft picks, the Packers look like a serious Super Bowl contender, while Saints quarterback Drew Brees looks lost without star receiver Michael Thomas on the field.

Injuries have been bad to start 2020, affecting superstar players like CMC, Saquon, Courtland Sutton, Von Miller and everyone on the 49ers. Players have been going down hard. The Titans’ Taylor Lewan is a crucial part of that offensive line and is dealing with what may or may not be a serious shoulder injury. No Lewan versus that Steelers pass rush would be bad news. Get well, homie!

Ryan Tannehill has been playing like the quarterback he was paid to be, and Derrick Henry has done what his detractors said he

couldn’t do, starting the season off in style with over 300 yards rushing in three games, the best start to his five-year NFL career.

King Henry runs downhill and begins to explode in November and December.

One of my favorite stories is kicker Stephen Gostkowski, a gem! Stephen has made 10 field goals and, believe it or not, that is one more than four total Tennessee kickers managed to make for the Titans in all of 2019. Four of those kicks were over 50-yard bangers! Gostkowski has been amazing and his detractors have quickly shut their mouths. He has kicked three straight gamewinners for this team. Without Gostkowski the Titans easily could be 0–3.

I think it is fair to say as well that Adoree Jackson means more to this Titans defense than fans gave him credit for. Adoree started 2019 off rough and fans let him hear about it before he picked his play up as the Titans made a run to the AFC Championship. Now, to start 2020, Adoree has been dealing with injury and was put on IR. The Titans desperately need Jackson back in the lineup and it’s reported we may have him back soon.

Being 3–0 feels good when you know your playmakers are not all on the field.

Look for the Titans’ pass rush to grow and dominate as the season progresses.

Since 1980, 187 teams have started 3–0, and 141 of those (75.4 percent) made the playoffs. Since the start of the Titans era (1999) this is just the third time Tennessee has won its first three. Last time was 2008, when the Titans finished with the NFL’s best record (13-3). I remember that awful ending!

Me and my bros were at that Ravens divisional game in Nashville. I think I cried.

As a Titans fan I am super-excited about the reemergence of wideout Corey Davis and my breakout player-of-the-year candidate, tight end Jonnu Smith. But every Titans fan and football fan in the world wants to see A.J. Brown back on the field. He is a stud muffin. Brown has been dealing with a serious knee bruise that he received in Week 1 and he has been inactive ever since. From what we have been told, his knee is not responding well to treatment. They have said slow healing, so my regards to 2019’s best rookie receiver! Get well bro, we need you.

Alright, the Train Daddy is rolling into the station. I love my Tennessee Titans, I love America and I love you, the reader! Finally, let me say congratulations to the editor-in chief of this great publication. He and his amazing wife recently had another beautiful Mayo added to the family, a healthy baby boy! Choo-choo!

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