Larry Pearson, a lifelong Cookeville resident and seasonal Santa, says he received incredible care at Cookeville Regional, both during and after his heart attack.
“With no hesitation, they went straight in, hooked me up and did what they needed to,” recalled Pearson, who also said that the staff at the Cardiac Rehab Center are his “heroes” for the follow-up care they gave him.
“I received incredible care at Cookeville Regional. It’s almost impossible to put into words how good they are. Cookeville Regional has made my life so much better.”
Editor
Lindsay Pride
lindsay.pride@herald-citizen.com
Graphic Designer
Carrie Pettit
Contributors
Lindsay Pride
Jim Herrin
Aaron Puckett
Sandy Miller
Glenn Jones
Advertising
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Stephanie Garrett
Austin Cherry Circulation & Distribution
Pat Long
Knowing that one of the last fairs that will be held at the Putnam County Fairgrounds on Jefferson Avenue coincided with our summer edition of our quarterly 385 magazine, it was an obvious choice to make the Putnam County Fair the theme.
I contacted Putnam County Fair Board President John Allen, who instantly connected me with all resources related to the fair, including Putnam County Archivist and Putnam County Fairgrounds Manager Glenn Jones, who we interviewed in our standing feature — Why I Love.
Herald-Citizen news editor Jim Herrin interviewed longtime fair volunteer Kay Sliger, and reporter Aaron Puckett compiled a history of fair, which first began nearly 170 years ago.
We've also included some photos from fairs long ago as well as recent state recognitions for the fair.
We hope you enjoy this special keepsake edition of looking back at the Putnam County Fair, which will be held Aug. 3-12.
Thanks for reading.
385 Magazine is a publication of and distributed quarterly by the Herald-Citizen, a division of Paxton Media Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without written consent from the publisher. 385 Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. 385 Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or changes in information. The opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its publisher.
Our mission is to promote the 385 zip code areas of the Upper Cumberland and to showcase their many attributes. We welcome ideas and suggestions for future editions of the magazine. Just send us a brief note via email.
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Email: 385Magazine@herald-citizen.com
The Putnam County Fair received another trophy in January at the Awards Banquet of the 101st Tennessee Fair Association meeting in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The fair was named a Premier Fair in Tennessee, and brought home more awards than ever before in the state showcase competition — winning five first place awards, three second place awards and five third place awards.
Winnings included five first place awards: Fair Poster, Fair Scrapbook, Fair Ticket, Fair Other Media (ads from Herald-Citizen), Recycled Item (Wes’s swing in a hay rack); three second place awards: Gaye Ann Hill’s Painted Rock, Table-Top Exhibit by Elijah Pryor, and Nancy Pardue’s Fair Ribbon Bear; and four third place awards: Carl Julian’s picture with his mule colt — Fair Follies,
Fair Theme Exhibit by board member Taylor Cook, Peggy Barrociere’s machine-pieced and machine-quilted Quilt, and Sue Mitchan's machine-pieced and hand-quilted Quilt.
Representatives from 57 fairs gathered at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Murfreesboro, Jan. 19-21, 2023 for the 101st Annual Meeting of the Tennessee Fair Association. The Putnam County Fair sent 26 fair board members and their guests, and volunteers to the meeting. Several county elected officials and ten youth board members also attended Saturday night’s Awards Banquet, making the total delegation 50 people in all. Putnam County receiving the Premier Fair Award designation culminates a three-year period of top awards from the association. The fair has now claimed 2019 Champion, AAA Division; 2021 Champion
of Champion Awards; and 2022 Premier Fair Award. The Association did not meet in 2020 because of COVID.
The Putnam County Fair Board did a presentation for the entire group on “The Making of a Champion Fair.”
‘We received many compliments and many fairs told us they took away ideas for their own fair programs," said John Allen, fair board president. "We received a wonderful response to our presentation. Now the entire state knows, what we have known all along – we have the best county fair in the State of Tennessee!”
“It’s an honor to represent a fair that showcases the pinnacle of agricultural excellence in Tennessee," said board member Dawson Davidson.
Friday, July 28-Sunday, July 30
The Dairy Goat Show will be held in the Big Barn at the Putnam County Fairgrounds at 6 p.m. Friday, July 28, and 9 a.m., Saturday, July 29 and at 9 a.m., Sunday, July 30. Admission is free.
Saturday, July 29
The Middle Tennessee Junior Rodeo will be held at 2 p.m. in the East Arena. Admission is free. Open to the World Walking Horse Show is at 5 p.m. in the Main Arena.
Thursday, Aug. 3
Gates and buildings open at 4 p.m. Admission is $5, and armbands for rides are $15.
The quilt exhibition is at 5 p.m. in the cultural arts building, and the midway opens at 6 p.m. Lone Star Rodeo is the main event at 7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 4
Gates open at 4 p.m. Admission is $5, and armbands are $23. Midway opens at 6 p.m. The quilt exhibition is at 5 p.m. in the Cultural Arts Building. The Open Hog Show is at 5 p.m. in the Big Barn. Lone Star Rodeo in the Main Arena at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 5
Gates open at 7 a.m. Free admission until noon. Admission beginning at noon is $5. Entry Day at the Fair is 8 a.m. to noon. Poultry and Rabbits Entry Day is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Open Halter and Western Horse Show is at 9 a.m. in the Main Arena. Live judging is at the tent near the fair office at 1 p.m. Open Western Horse Show continues at 2 p.m. in the East Arena. Armbands are $3, and midway opens at 4 p.m. The Open Goat Show is in the Big Barn at 4 p.m., and Monster Trucks are in the Main Arena at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 6
Gates open at noon. Admission is $5. Pacesetters Day at the Fair by invitation only at 9 a.m. Sheep Show at noon in the Big Barn. Midway opens at 3 p.m., and armbands are $23. Demolition Derby is at 6 p.m. in the Main Arena.
Monday, Aug. 7
Senior Citizen Day at the Fair at 9 a.m. in the Music Barn. Cultural Arts Building and South Grandstand open for seniors from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gates open at 4 p.m., and admission is $5. Midway opens at 6 p.m., and armbands are $20. The Wild Horse and Mule Show is at 6:30 p.m. in the East Arena. The new event "Bump and Run" is in the Main Arena at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 8
North gate open at 2 p.m. Admission is $5. Gates open at 4 p.m. Special Children's Day at the Fair by invitation only at 9 a.m. in the Music Barn. Open Dairy Show is 6 p.m. in the Big Barn. Motorcycle practice at 5 p.m. and motorcycle races at 6 p.m. in the Main Arena. Midway opens at 6 p.m., and armbands are $20.
Wednesday, Aug. 9
North gate opens at 2 p.m. Admission is $5. Gates open at 4 p.m. Motorcycle practice at 5 p.m. and motorcycle races at 6 p.m. in the Main Arena. Midway opens at 6 p.m., and armbands are $20.
Thursday, Aug. 10
Gates open at 4 p.m., and admission is $5. Putnam County Horse Show at 6:30 p.m. in the Main Arena. Midway opens at 6 p.m., and armbands are $20.
Friday, Aug. 11
Gates open at 4 p.m. Admission is $5. Truck and Tractor Pull at 7 p.m. in the Main Arena. Midway opens at 6 p.m., and armbands are $23.
Saturday, Aug. 12
Gates open at 8 a.m., and admission is $5. Antique Tractor Pull 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Main Arena. 4-H & Youth Horse Show at 9 a.m. in the East Arena. Buildings open at noon. Open Beef Show at 4 p.m. in the Big Barn. Midway opens at 4 p.m., and armbands are $23. Demolition Derby is at 7 p.m. in the Main Arena.
LARRY PEARSON –Heart Attack Survivor
Cookeville Regional Medical Center is the best choice for cardiac procedures, and Larry Pearson — a lifelong Cookeville resident and seasonal Santa Claus impersonator — is a testament to that.
After suffering a heart attack in May 2022, Pearson was rushed to Cookeville Regional, where he received immediate, life-saving treatment.
“When I went into the emergency room, my wife explained to the staff what I was feeling that I had told her,” recalled Pearson. “With no hesitation, they went straight in, hooked me up and did what they needed to.”
The hospital staff quickly diagnosed his heart attack and performed a heart catheterization procedure to place a stent, all while keeping Pearson and his family informed about his condition and treatment plan.
Pearson’s experience at Cookeville Regional didn’t end there. He spent time in the cardiac ICU, where he was impressed by the constant care and attention from the nursing staff.
“I had a different nurse every 12 hours,” said Pearson. “They were all excellent and were constantly checking on me and making sure I had everything I needed.”
Pearson’s cardiologist, Dr. Carlos Podesta, explained the procedure and what to expect in the days and weeks following the heart attack.
“He told me some things I might experience that I should be prepared for. But from that point forward, I have felt better pretty much every day,” said Pearson, who walked his daughter down the aisle eight days after his procedure.
For more information about Cardiac Care at Cookeville Regional, call (931) 528-2541 or visit www.crmchealth.org.
After being discharged from the hospital, Pearson began cardiac rehab at the CRMC Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center. There, he received encouragement, coaching and support from the staff, who he says became like family to him.
“The nurses at the rehab center helped me quite a bit as far as getting my heart back up and going and getting my breathing straightened out again,” said Pearson. “I feel so much better than I did before the heart attack.”
Pearson’s experience at Cookeville Regional was so positive that he chose to return and visit the staff — dressed in full Santa garb and bearing gifts of chocolate chip cookies — after his 36 sessions of rehab were complete.
“They work well together and work well with the patients, even the grouchy patients, and I can be that way myself,” said Pearson. “But they tend to bring out the best in the patient and the best in themselves, so they’re my heroes.”
Pearson said he is glad Cookeville Regional is his local hospital and is impressed by the quality of care he received there.
I received incredible care at Cookeville Regional,” said Pearson. “It’s almost impossible to put into words how good they are.Larry Pearson and his family take a walk on the family farm.
TheCardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center at Cookeville Regional utilizes the most up-to-date equipment, methods and counsel to help patients with cardiac and pulmonary needs. Often, a whole family is impacted by a patient’s diagnosis, treatment and recovery, so the center gives family members special attention, as well.
Cardiac rehabilitation is a three-phase rehabilitation program for patients recovering from heart problems. A multidisciplinary team, including a nurse, exercise physiologist, dietician and pharmacist, are available to provide monitoring and education support to help further the rehabilitation process.
Pulmonary rehabilitation is a program for individuals with longterm breathing problems. This program will provide patients and their families the information and skills needed to cope with breathing problems and performing their daily activities. A multidisciplinary team, including a nurse, exercise physiologist, respiratory therapist, dietician and pharmacist, are available to provide monitoring and education support to help further the rehabilitation process.
The Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center at Cookeville Regional is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR).
The Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center at Cookeville Regional is conveniently located one block from CRMC at 228 W. Fourth St., Ste. 100. For more information, call us at (931) 783-2689 or visit www.crmchealth.org/services/heart-vascular-center/cardiac-pulmonary-rehabilitation
DEBORAH
Cardiac & Pulminary Rehabilitation Center Director
Chest Discomfort
Especially a feeling of pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back
Discomfort in Other Areas of the Upper Body
Can be in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
Shortness of Breath
With or without chest discomfort
Other Signs
Such as breaking out in a cold sweat or feeling nauseated, weak, light-headed or faint
We see patients on different heart and pulmonary journeys and tailor the program to meet their individual needs.
BAKER –
The first Putnam County Fair was held in 1856 on the Wilson Farm at the northwest intersection of 4th Street and Dixie Avenue.
Two years after the reestablishment of Putnam County, the first fair was a small gathering of the local farmers who showcased their livestock to the public and were judged and awarded based on the quality of their animals. Putnam held this annual gathering for the next five years until the Civil War in 1861 forced the county to temporarily abandon the fair.
In 1871, after a decade hiatus and six years after the conclusion of the South’s rebellion, the second Putnam County Fair Association was organized. The association purchased six acres of land from a Mr. Steward and a Mr. Dow at $10 an
acre. The property was located where the front lawn of Tennessee Tech’s Derryberry Hall is now. A document recording the land’s transfer can be found in the county’s register of deeds. The land was purchased back by Dixie College (now known as Tennessee Technological University) in 1909.
During the last quarter of the 19th century, the fair was linked to the city’s decision to unincorporate, a decision made to prevent saloons from being established in the city. In October of 1876, at the height of lawlessness attributed to alcohol, one of the fair’s employees found himself on the wrong end of two gunmen from Kentucky.
Marshall Ben Gabbert, a splendid, kind-hearted young man beloved by residents, according to town sources, was collecting entrance tickets at the fair’s gate when two men rode up on horseback and demanded entry. Reports state the two men were drunk, and the young Gabbert denied them entry. The men rode off without causing much of a scene, but
later that evening, one of the men would gun down Gabbert in a vacant lot near the Courthouse Square. Citizens were outraged at their beloved Marshall’s murder, and a year later, the city of Cookeville was unincorporated.
In 1890, the Nashville & Knoxville Railroad constructed the first railroad depot in Cookeville one-half mile west of the courthouse. The railroad's construction caused property values in the western area of the city to skyrocket, and the population in the area followed suit. In 1895, a new fairground was built near the railroad at the junction of Algood and Cookeville roads, (northeast corner of Washington Avenue and 10th Street), with a spur track from the railroad even laid right into the fairgrounds, and the county’s third fair association was formed. This new location allowed passenger trains to bring fairgoers from as far away as Nashville, Harriman and Livingston. The fair was held at this
location for the next 33 years.
In 1932, after a three-year interruption, a new fair association was organized. The new grounds were located east of Maple Avenue between 4th and Freeze streets.
Many of the county’s citizens reminisced about the fairs of their childhood and were sad the fairgrounds were being moved to a new location. The Putnam County Herald sent a reporter to the old fairgrounds at Washington and 10th streets to answer the outcry. The reporter described the grandstands in disrepair and the tall, thick, overgrown grass surrounding the ring.
The fair was suspended during World War II from 1941 to 1945 and resumed on Maple Avenue in 1946. The location hosted the fair for the next 10 years.
Decades ago, Brothers Henry, John H., Aubrey, Asbury, Dibrell and Hartford Boyd took most of the dairy cattle prizes at the Putnam County Fair in Cookeville.
At approximately 7:45 a.m., Friday, Aug. 24, 1956, a fire of unknown origin ignited at the fairground's Maple location. The flames destroyed the south grandstands, the exhibition hall, and 12 concession stands, causing an estimated $50,000 in damages.
After long consideration, the fair board and the county decided to rebuild at a new location. Officials thought the fair required a larger space and finally chose its current location at Jefferson Avenue, where the Putnam County Agricultural and Industrial Fair has remained for the past 65 years.
Initially the citizens thought the chosen location was “a way out of town,” but in less than five years, a major interstate highway would pass nearby. Its construction helped to fill the area surrounding the fair’s new location with retail stores and restau-
rants on nearly every street.
In 2013, the Putnam Fair Board created the fair of our memories — “A fair filled with things to do day and night, a safe fair for children and their families, a fair that would instill children with a love of the county fair and along the way develop a Junior Fair Board with a love of the fair, and the skills to take the reins one day,” according to the fair’s website.
In 2019, the Putnam County Commission authorized the purchase of 196 acres of property in West Cookeville
on Tennessee Avenue. There, the Fair Association plans to build a facility that can be used year round.
The Tennessee Association of Fairs has awarded the Putnam County Fair with a number of awards ranging from “State Champion” fair in 1975 to “Champion of Champions” fair in 2021. And every year thousands of people from all over the state and even some out-ofstaters attend the Putnam County Fair.
The annual event gives back to the county in countless ways. The fair
board spends hundreds of thousands of dollars at local businesses and sponsors competitions with cash prizes for local residents. These events showcase the wide range of talents found within the community and help strengthen the ties those contestants have with the county. This year, the tradition lives on for one of the last fairs planned at the current location. Putnam County will host its 97th county fair Aug. 3-12.
Kay Sliger's earliest memories of the Putnam County fair are associated with a time when the fairgrounds were located on Maple Avenue, between 4th Street and Freeze Street. "I lived on a farm, and so we always entered corn out of the
fields. And I won champion on my corn that year."
"That year," as it happens, was also "the year the fairgrounds burned down," she said. "It burnt my ribbon and my corn."
She was about 12 years old at the time — Friday, Aug. 24,
Kay Sliger arrives for another day of work at the Putnam County fair. I'M THERE EVER' MORNIN' ABOUT 8 OR 8:30 Kay Sliger Putnam County Fair volunteer
1956 — when a major fire broke out on the fairgrounds, doing an estimated $50,000 worth of damage. The south grandstands, the exhibition hall and 12 concession stands were all destroyed, and officials decided that a new fairgrounds should be constructed further out of town, way down on Jefferson Avenue.
In the new location, Kay and her family continued to enter exhibits each year, and a few years later, she decided that she wanted to take a more active role.
"There was a gentleman that was working underneath the South Grandstand at that time," she said, "and I asked him, 'How can I get in here to help take in entries?' He said 'You can't start right now.' I was 18 years old. I'm 79 now."
That means for 61 of the 97 county fairs that have been held in Putnam County, Kay has been a volunteer, mostly overseeing the South Grandstand where award-winning crops, crafts and photographs are displayed.
"I enjoy it. I really do," she says, explaining why she has continued to volunteer year in
SEE SLIGER, PAGE 20
and year out.
She also enjoys helping people.
"A lot of people don't know what to look for when they enter (crops)," she said. "I tell them 'match it up to where it's sort of the same size. Where it looks good.' Appear-
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ances (mean) a whole lot."
Over the years, she doesn't recall many disputes, but says entrants were more competitive in years past than they seem to be these days.
"Here lately, people just say 'OK, I'm
glad I won.' They enter it and come back the next day to see if they got a ribbon," she said. "But I enjoy meeting the people and telling them to bring their stuff and come
back next year."
Volunteering has oftentimes meant working 14-hour days.
"I'm there ever' mornin' about 8 or 8:30," she said, "and I stay through the day and into the night. I'll make me a stroll through to see if everything's right. I just sort of keep an eye on everything."
If the job grown more difficult in recent years, Sliger is hesitant to say so.
"I still get around pretty good," she said. "I live on a farm. We've got gardening, and I mow two yards a week and work at the bowling alley three days a week, so I'm blessed. I've been healthy."
The volunteer experience, she says, has
been mostly positive, if somewhat stressful at times — like during the pocketbook incident from last year.
"This woman entered a homemade pocketbook (into one of the fair contests)," Sliger said. "After the entries was all displayed, I went back to look and I thought 'there's something missing.' Oh! That lady's pocketbook is gone! Somebody's got her pocketbook!"
What does a steadfast volunteer do in such a situation?
"Oh, I was tore all to pieces," she said, adding that she relayed the information to Fair Board President John Allen.
"And then later on that evening, the
lady come into the office, and I looked at her and nearly cried," Sliger remembers. "I said I am so sorry, your pocketbook is missing. Then she said 'Don't worry. I come by there and I got it.' And I said thank the Lord."
Sliger is unsure whether she will still be volunteering when the fairgrounds move to yet another new location in a couple of a years. She's told Allen that she might have to start slowing down sometime.
Of her near lifelong work as a volunteer, she says only, "I've been lucky."
When did you first come to the Putnam County Fair?
I was probably 10 years old when I started coming to the fair. My grandparents lived here, and my parents had farms here. My dad, Austin Jones, started entering vegetables and peaches and apples from our orchards in 1973.
What's your favorite thing about the Putnam County Fair?
The grandstands are the coolest thing on this property, the way they look at night lit up. There's nothing like them, and it's neat to have all the exhibits under them. Those were built for Tennessee Tech's football stadium, and they would have had a roof and they would have been the first covered stadium in Tennessee. But the state changed its mind.
Describe your job as fairgrounds manager.
Before I was appointed 10 years ago, it was costing the county so much money. The most it had ever made in one year was $1,800. That didn't even pay the utility bill. Now it generates thousands of dollars. Before the pandemic, I was having a festival almost every weekend and still am — the watermelon crawl, banana pudding festival, pumpkin festival, car shows, touch a truck. Someone just contacted us for a demolition derby in October. In the last 10 years, we've made many improvements to the fairgrounds.
