Spring 2013, Tennessee Connections

tnconnections Spring 2013

An Official Publication of Your Locally Owned Municipal Electric System

tnconnections.com

COuntry Cookin’

Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse serves up Southern food with a song

History In Its Walls

Stencil House wallpaper tells stories of its past

Father Nature

Don Shadow preserves rare plants and animal species

tn almanac

Travel, tips and tidbits at a glance Tea Time in Trenton

Sew Many Fabrics If you’re looking to spruce up your home this season, follow the lead of many established designers and decorators and visit Short Sheet Fabric in Crossville.

Owned by Scott Howard, the store features one of the largest selections of home interior fabrics in the state. The shop is housed in an old eight-room school building, with each room filled with a variety of materials including cotton prints, upholstery and multipurpose fabrics. Decorative sheers and trims are available as well.

Short Sheet Fabric also has locations in Sweetwater, Knoxville and Bristol, Va. To learn more, call the Crossville store at (931) 456-7667 or visit shortsheet.com.

Calling All Cornbread Fans Nearly all year, the Lodge Cast Iron foundry is closed to the public. But on two special days – during South Pittsburg’s annual National Cornbread Festival – you can tour the state-of-the-art facility and have a grand time before and after.

The 17th annual National Cornbread Festival, which takes place April 27-28, 2013, is a celebration with a mission. Its proceeds benefits charitable, civic, church and youth organizations and has helped scouts, athletics programs, building projects, education and the arts.

Join more than 45,000 visitors who enjoy Lodge factory tours, great music, Miss Cornbread pageants, cook-offs, arts and crafts, a historic tour, a carnival, exhibits and a classic car show.

Find more at (423) 837-0022 or nationalcornbread.com.

The world’s largest collection of nightlight teapots resides in an unlikely home: the City Hall of Trenton, Tenn.

Native Trentonite Dr. Frederick Freed collected the rare 18th- and 19th-century porcelain pots during his travels throughout Europe, Asia and North Africa. Nightlight pots were designed to be used in sickrooms and nurseries with a small tea light inserted to heat liquids and foods.

The prized collection of 525 pots was given to Freed’s hometown in 1976 with the condition that they be available for public viewing at all times. The city has remained true to its word. Visitors arriving during off-hours can gain admittance through the police department, right next door.

Trenton’s annual Teapot Festival kicks off Sunday, April 28, with a ceremonial lighting of the pots and concludes with a parade and fireworks on Saturday, May 4. For more details about the festival, call (731) 855-2013 or visit teapotcollection.com.

contents

tnconnections Spring 2013 Edition Managing Editor Jessy Yancey Content Coordinator Rachel Bertone Contributing Writers Roben Mounger, Cassandra M. Vanhooser Photography Director Jeffrey S. Otto Creative Services Director Christina Carden Senior Photographers Jeff Adkins, Brian McCord Staff Photographers Michael Conti, Martin B. Cherry Senior Graphic Designer Vikki Williams Graphic Designer Kacey Passmore Proofreading Manager Raven Petty Content Coordinators Jessica Walker Ad Production Manager Katie Middendorf Ad Traffic Assistants Krystin Lemmon, Patricia Moisan Chairman Greg Thurman President/Publisher Bob Schwartzman Executive Vice President Ray Langen Sr. V.P./Sales Todd Potter Sr. V.P./Operations Casey Hester Sr. V.P./Agribusiness Publishing Kim Holmberg V.P./External Communications Teree Caruthers V.P./Visual Content Mark Forester V.P./Content Operations Natasha Lorens Controller Chris Dudley Integrated Media Manager Robin Robertson Distribution Director Gary Smith Receptionist Linda Bishop Tennessee Connections is published quarterly by Journal Communications Inc. for participating members of the Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association.

TMEPA represents 61 municipal power distributors in Tennessee, which serve more than 2 million customers.

For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067.

Phone: 615-771-0080.E-mail: info@jnlcom.com.

For information about TMEPA, contact: Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association Paddock 1, Suite C-13, 229 Ward Circle Brentwood, TN 37027 Phone 615-373-5738, Fax 615-373-1901 tmepa.org Executive Director Mike Vinson

6 Features 4 Father Nature

Don Shadow preserves rare plants and animal species

6 Country Cookin’ ©Copyright 2013 Journal Communications Inc. and Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.

ON THE COVER: Don Shadow, who owns Shadow Nursery in Winchester, walks among his stand of yellow-leaved redbuds.

Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse serves Southern food with a song

10 History in Its Walls

The Stencil House’s wallpaper tells stories of its past

12 Strawberries for the Soul

tnconnections.com tnconnections Digital Magazine Spring 2013

An Official Publication of Your Locally Owned Municipal Electric System

tnconnections.com

COuntry COOkin’

Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse serves up Southern food with a song

HiStOry in itS WallS

Stencil House wallpaper tells stories of its past

Father nature

Flip through the pages of the magazine without leaving your laptop.

Print and email articles and instantly link to advertisers.

Spring fruit provides a refreshing, spiritual moment

Departments 2 Municipal Power Perspective 3 Tennessee in Focus 14 Spring Activities in Tennessee 17 Connect to Tennessee Products

Don Shadow preserves rare plants and animal species

Spring 2013

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municipal power perspective

The Good Ol’ Days

Nostalgia for the past shows how fortunate we are in the present

Mike Vinson Executive Director Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association

An unknown author once said, “Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.” I think that also sums up our current economy issues.

I’m at the age where on occasion, I long for those days when life just seemed much simpler, before computers, cellphones, tablets and email. I remember gas at 30 cents a gallon, Krystal burgers were a dime, you could buy a week’s groceries for $20, parking was always free, we had four TV channels – all in black-andwhite only – and air conditioning was a luxury. Most folks lived by the Golden Rule, and vacations always involved visiting family. I was 14 before my dad decided to go to the beach and stay at a motor hotel (motel). The biggest decision then was would it have air conditioning or a pool. While my sister and I voted for the pool, Dad voted for air conditioning and got us a “cottage” on the beach with window units. It was a glorious first real vacation.

Today, we take for granted our bigscreen color HD TVs with more than 100 channels, instant communication by email and cellphones (I just wished my daughter “happy birthday” by text message), appliances that were once limited to the very wealthy, and we won’t even go into the increasing prices of food. Oh, let’s not forget air conditioning – central air and heat, that is, and in all 2

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our cars too. This past Christmas, I even watched our 18-month-old grandson play with his own “remote control” for the TV, and our 14-monthold great-grandson has his own cell phone (a toy one).

Our world has changed drastically in my own lifetime, and it’ll change more as science and technology continue to boom at unprecedented rates. Our children will experience changes that will astound us as knowledge continues to grow at ever increasing speeds.

So, what about those good ol’ days?

I’m glad you asked. They’re in the past, and as nostalgic as we are, we can’t bring them back. In many ways, they really weren’t that much better than today. I’ve conveniently forgotten about those days when supper occasionally didn’t happen for lack of money. Food – as cheap as it was – still cost a good portion of my weekly pay, the mortgage payment was almost half my salary, insurance was catastrophic coverage only, and we paid for our medicines out of pocket. No Google, no Internet, no color TV and, of all things, no air conditioning.

I suspect that in about 20 years, our children and grandchildren will be looking back at the good ol’ days of the early 21st century. I do miss the Golden Rule being so popular.

All things considered, it truly is a wonderful life.

Membership Alcoa Electric Department Athens Utilities Board Benton County Electric System Bolivar Energy Authority Bristol Tennessee Essential Services Brownsville Utility Department Carroll County Electrical Department Electric Power Board of Chattanooga CDE Lightband – Clarksville Cleveland Utilities Clinton Utilities Board Columbia Power & Water System Cookeville Department of Electricity Covington Electric System Dayton Electric Department Dickson Electric System Dyersburg Electric System Elizabethton Electric Department Erwin Utilities Etowah Utilities Department Gallatin Department of Electricity Greeneville Light & Power System Harriman Utility Board Humboldt Utilities Jackson Energy Authority Jellico Electric & Water Systems Johnson City Power Board Knoxville Utilities Board LaFollette Utilities Lawrenceburg Utility Systems Lenoir City Utilities Board Lewisburg Electric System Lexington Electric System Loudon Utilities City of Maryville Electric Department McMinnville Electric System Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division Milan Department of Public Utilities Morristown Utility Commission Mount Pleasant Power System Murfreesboro Electric Department Nashville Electric Service Newbern Electric Department Newport Utilities City of Oak Ridge Electric Department Paris Board of Public Utilities Pulaski Electric System Ripley Power and Light Company Rockwood Electric Utility Sevier County Electric System Shelbyville Power System Smithville Electric System Sparta Electric System Springfield Electric Department Sweetwater Utilities Board Trenton Light & Water Department Tullahoma Utilities Board Union City Electric System Weakley County Municipal Electric System Winchester Utilities

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tn in focus Photo by Jeff Adkins

Purple Coneflower at the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Jackson

Spring 2013

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feature

Father Na ure Don Shadow preserves rare plants and animal species story by Cassandra M. Vanhooser

D

Don Shadow, a fourth-generation nurseryman from Winchester, Tennessee, breeds exotic animals, such as these Bactrian camels from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China.

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on Shadow steers his white, extended cab Ford F-150 along a bumpy fencerow on a farm near Belvidere, a community just outside Winchester in Franklin County. His voice drops to a whisper as he searches the brush for his Grevy’s zebra mare and her filly colt.

“They’re right down there,” he says softly, pointing to the corner of the enclosure. “They’ve got big, round ears and little pinstripes – the rarest zebras in the world.

There’s the mother, and there’s the baby! See, this is the reason I’m interested in Grevy’s zebras!”

You might call Shadow a modern-day Noah.

Though he doesn’t limit himself to breeding pairs, he supports more than 600 wild animals representing some 60 different species, a collection that rivals many of the country’s zoos and wild animal parks.

Instead of rising water, he’s helping save them from a flood of development and indifference sweeping the globe. His ark: the fenced pastures and woodlands on

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Staff photos

Shadow, pictured here with purple crape myrtles, runs Shadow Nursery in Winchester, which has been in operation for 40 years.

To learn more about the nursery and its inventory, visit shadownursery.com.

the patchwork of farms he owns in and around Belvidere. Says longtime friend, Atlanta landscaper Gene Cline, “If it’s rare, and it doesn’t live on the moon, Shadow has it.”

Shadow’s menagerie includes Bactrian camels, water buffalo, bearded pigs from Borneo and six different species of cranes.

Capybaras, the world’s largest rodents, happily share their ponds with tapirs, distant relatives of the elephant. Shadow owns one of the largest collections of rare equids.

Among them ranges a small herd of rare Nubian wild donkeys, an animal thought to be extinct in the wild and not found anywhere else in the United States.

“I have people say to me all the time, ‘Why are you doing this?

Why are you spending all this money on fencing wire and feed?’”

Shadow says. “It’s a strain right now to feed and water 800 animals every day. But if I don’t do it, who will?”

If raising and breeding rare animals is his passion, growing and selling plants is Shadow’s mission.

A fourth-generation nurseryman whose plant knowledge is encyclopedic, he founded Shadow Spring 2013

Nursery in 1973 on 500 acres he bought from a neighbor. Today, his wholesale commercial operation is highly regarded by nursery growers and landscapers across the country for producing “new and useful” plants.

“I don’t ever say ‘rare and unusual’ because it makes people think they can’t grow these plants,” Shadow explains. “I have alternative livestock. I don’t have anything that is ‘exotic.’ If you use the word exotic, people think it is going to escape and populate the world.”

Like explorers of old, Shadow travels the world seeking botanical beauties to bring back to the States.

He personally favors small, budding trees, but slender, columnar plants rank particularly high on his wish list these days, thanks to a trend in the country toward more compact landscapes.

Lucky for Shadow, there’s no finer place to grow things – large or small. One of the true garden spots of Tennessee, Belvidere sits on the state’s Highland Rim in the shadow of the Cumberland Mountains.

“We’re in a transition zone,” Shadow explains. “We can grow for north or south, and we’ve got good

soil. The more I travel, the more I realize what a nice place I live in.”

The love of all things wild and wonderful drives Shadow today as much as it did the day he started his business.

“I’ve just always liked them,” he says of the rare animals he collects.

“People always ask me, ‘Which do you like best? Plants or animals?’ I say, ‘Which day?’ If we’re grafting Japanese maple or doing something with a rare plant, I’m more interested in that. If we’ve got a zebra or a camel being born, I’m more interested in that.”

Shadow dreams of someday opening a botanical and zoological park where he will share his favorite plants and animals with visitors from around the world. His plan includes a section called Shadows of the Past, stocked with heirloom plants and heritage animals.

“I love plants and I love animals, and I’ve devoted my whole life to them so the next generation can enjoy what I have,” Shadow says.

He likens his lifestyle to that of an art collector. “To me, plants and animals are living art.” tnconnections.com

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feature

Country Cookin’

Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse serves Southern food with a song

story by Cassandra M. Vanhooser

Staff photos

T

BLTs are on the lunch menu at Marcy Jo’s.

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he cowbell on the front door jingles loudly when you step in the door at Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse and Bakery. But don’t expect the other customers to notice your arrival. They continue laughing, talking and eating as if they were at home, which is just the way co-owner Marcy Gary likes it.

“I think people miss the atmosphere of the old mom-and-pop diners,” says the long-legged redhead, a Midwestern twang revealing her Kansas roots. “There are not a lot of these places left anymore.”

Marcy Jo’s is easy to spot.

A friendly white building with brick-red trim and a tin roof, it hugs the edge of the road at the “T” where State Road 99 joins U.S. 431

in Pottsville, a rural community between Chapel Hill and Columbia.

A two-seat swing, an old dinner bell and an American flag grace the front porch. Arrive before 2 p.m., and you’ll find the gravel parking lot full of cars.

Inside, a single large room with an upstairs balcony features Marcy’s yard sale finds. Customers crowd around 1950s-style enamel-top tables with mismatched chairs, while a wood-burning stove sits in the middle of the room. Old shelves lining the walls of whitewashed pine speak to the building’s former life as a general store. License plates from all across the country are nailed to the walls and floor.

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Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse opened in 2007 and has garnered a reputation for delicious down-home food ever since. Housed in a refurbished mercantile store that dates back to the 1890s, the restaurant is located in the small community of Pottsville near Columbia.

Spring 2013 tnconnections.com

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Sisters-in-law Joey Martin Feek and Marcy Gary co-own Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse. Joey, half of the country duo Joey + Rory, often shares Marcy’s recipes on the band’s variety show on RFD-TV. The restaurant is adorned with Marcy’s yard sale finds, including license plates nailed to the floor.

The Joey + Rory Restaurant Connection

If you experience a little déjà vu upon entering the front door, don’t worry. Marcy’s partner in this venture is none other than her sister-in-law, Joey Martin Feek, the female half of Joey + Rory. Several music videos feature the restaurant, as does The Joey + Rory Show, which debuted on RFD-TV in 2012.

Before they opened in January 2007, Marcy and Joey spent hours poring over family recipes. But these days, you’re not likely to find Joey hanging around the restaurant much. Since their appearance on the TV show Can You Duet, she and husband Rory (Marcy’s older

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brother) spend much of their time touring the country and singing their songs. Still, the rural restaurant has seen a big bump in customers in recent months, thanks to the variety show that features segments on cooking and recipes with Joey and Marcy.

Rural Eats Worth the Drive

On weekdays, breakfast is served from 7-11 a.m., and the baked goods are made fresh each morning. The lunch menu features a single hearty special that reflects the season.

During the winter, meatloaf, roast beef and fried chicken appear on set days. Come summertime, selections

include barbecued ribs and chicken or fried catfish.

While she’s on tour, Joey misses the farm and family restaurant, but the singer feels good about leaving the business in her sister-in-law’s hands.

“Opening the restaurant was Marcy’s dream, and she’s the glue that holds this place together,” Joey says. “But when I come home, I drop by and make biscuits and wait tables. It keeps me grounded.”

The restaurant is located at 4205 Highway 431 in Columbia.

It’s open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and serves dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. on Fridays only. To learn more, visit joeyandrory.com/marcy_jos.html or call (931) 380-0968.

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feature

History in Its Walls

The Stencil House’s wallpaper tells stories of its past

story by Jessica Walker photography by Jeff Adkins

O

ne of the state’s most historically significant homes, the Stencil House is much more than a remarkably old structure – it provides a glimpse into early 19th-century Southern culture, serving as a touchstone to the past.

The Stencil House’s name stems from the stencil paintings on its interior walls. It was built in the 1830s, and stenciling was not uncommon during this time period.

“Stenciling is sometimes referred to as the poor man’s wallpaper,” says Jamie Evans, cultural resource manager at the Ames Plantation. “People had to make do with what was available. Their desire was to upgrade their living conditions, so they did what they could afford to do. At that time, wallpaper was very expensive and stencil painting was not.”

What is uncommon, however, is for a home this age – approximately 170 years old – to have stood the test of time. “Stenciling wasn’t rare, but the vast majority of the stenciling done in this time period is no longer with us,” Evans explains.

The home was originally located just outside the city of Clifton, a small town in Wayne County in the southern part of the state. While in this area, the Stencil House was home to a variety of people.

“The Stencil House is thought to have been built

by Nathaniel Johnson,” Evans says. “From there it was passed to the Dillon family by marriage and then to 10

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Jamie Evans, cultural resource manager at the Ames Plantation, stands inside the restored Stencil House in Grand Junction.

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The Stencil House was carefully transported from Clifton to the Ames Plantation, about 100 miles away. The home’s historical significance can be seen in its stenciled wallpaper, which was painted onto the home’s walls approximately 170 years ago.

Mrs. Jean Smithson, again through marriage.”

The home remained in Clifton until 2002. Now, it rests on the Ames Plantation in Fayette and Hardeman counties.

Preserving the Stencil House

“We were approached in the spring of 2002 by some concerned individuals about the Stencil House,” Evans says. “They wanted to know if we could help them save this house.”

The first step was to move the house to a safer, more protected area. “The house simply could not be restored where it was,” Evans says. “There was no one there to take care of it. It was already being vandalized, and part of the stenciling was being removed.”

After being transported about 100 miles southwest, the Stencil House arrived at the Ames Plantation and was placed in the Heritage Village with several other historic homes. Soon, the restoration process began.

“Once we got it to Ames, through grant funding by the Tennessee State Legislature, we were able to restore large parts of the home’s exterior,” Evans says. “We rebuilt fireplaces and chimneys and repaired flooring and weather damage.”

So far, no new or modern additions have been made to the Stencil House – and Evans plans to keep it that way. To ensure the home remained as close to the original as possible, replacement windows and shutters were handcrafted, designed to replicate the distinctive early 19th-century style. “We have taken great strides in the restoration process,” Evans says. “We want to not just make the house sound again, but to keep the original integrity of the house intact.”

Spring 2013

After 170 years of collecting dirt, dust and grime, cleaning the stenciling will be no easy task. In addition, the paint must be stabilized. This project will be pricey, costing about $100,000 – money that the Ames Plantation does not currently have. The funds will be acquired through grants and donations, a process Evans is familiar with.

“It took $10,000 to move the house, and all of that was donated,” he says. “We’ve received a huge amount of support from local businesses, local historical societies and interested parties. It’s a labor of love for a lot of people.”

A Part of Tennesseans’ Heritage

Ultimately, the Ames Plantation hopes for the Stencil House to be fully restored so others can enjoy, tour and learn about the home. “Our objective is to share the house with the general public,” Evans says. “The Stencil House is a Tennessee home, and it belongs to all of the citizens of Tennessee. It’s a part of the heritage.”

Though the Stencil House is considered a Tennessee treasure, its impact reaches beyond the state. “The Smithsonian Institution approached the original family about buying the home, but they did not allow it,” Evans says. “They [the Smithsonian Institution] had a keen interest in the house and wanted samples of the stenciling in their museum.”

Coveted, admired and desired, the Stencil House stands as one of the state’s most historically significant structures. “The Stencil House contains the most complete form of stenciling in the southeast,” Evans says. “Tennesseans should be proud of it and glad it’s being saved.” tnconnections.com

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taste of tn

Strawberries

Soul

for the

Spring fruit provides a refreshing, spiritual moment

About the Author Roben Mounger cooks today as she has for the past 20 years, using seasonal elements produced by her local CSA and farmers market.

Inspired by the musings of Barbara Kingsolver in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, she spent a year in a farm internship and now writes a column for The Columbia Daily Herald. She connects ideas about healing family and community with homemade food in her blog of revelations and recipes at mscookstable.com.

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story by Roben Mounger photography by Brian McCord

I

received communion again last Sunday. My math may be somewhat askew, but I figure that since joining the church at age 13 – take away a few years of college and patchy attendance – I’ve chalked up somewhere near 1,000 such ceremonial moments.

With shame, I’ve often struggled with these bits of time designed for peace – probably my propensity for multitasking. And I confess that ingestion of the body and the blood has been a stressor.

The responsibility of communion has mostly turned my thoughts toward the church family, a group to whom I have been emotionally attached for decades.

With time, I have registered each member’s physical transformations and the toll of their personal trials.

I have often dwelled on lost opportunities for those of us for whom the topic of sin is the major preoccupation of a spiritual life.

But even after a lifetime of somber prayer and tile-shaped bread surrogates, decades of grape juice shots, and an eternity of suited cuffs and averted eyes, I had a moment of genuine elevation.

Relief came with some words of love from the reverend of my church in Columbia, Tenn. He said, “Here is the foundation for living – not the fear of punishment, but the desire to live in a way that honors the love that we have received.” My heart opened. My over-thinking and flailing for ceremonial words ceased.

A word dropped into my exhausted brain – refresh.

About the same time, another ritual of rejuvenation occurred. My first grandchild Elodie, her mother and I ventured to Susan and John Drury’s farm in Williamson County. We had newborn strawberries on our minds.

In a joyous explosion of a two-year-old’s discovery, my road-weary soul recommitted. Navigating rows of berry plants with bare feet, we loaded cartons of lush, red berries. Many were expertly tested and marked with the imprint of tiny teeth.

From juice-streaked peewee cheeks and fingers, a call went way up to Mr. Golden Sunshine, a friend who often seems to disappear as quickly as he is shown.

Thank a higher power for ritual and the mental freedom of a restorative moment – be it the impossible beauty of the seasonal strawberry plucked straight from the earth or communion with the birthright of love.

Spring 2013

Come On In Strawberries Recipe from the Jackson, Miss., Junior League cookbook, Come On In, published in 1991.

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream ¼ cup maple syrup 3 pints whole strawberries, washed and hulled 2½ tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed Mix together sour cream and maple syrup, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Arrange strawberries in dessert bowls. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over strawberries and chill. Pour sour cream mixture over strawberries, and serve.

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events

March 9, Etowah

Spring in Tennessee Festivals, celebrations, activities and more

Cousin Jake Memorial Bluegrass Festival | Join in celebrating the legacy

of “Cousin Jake” Tullock with bluegrass musicians from across the genre at this annual festival. CONTACT: 423-263-7608, etowaharts.org/bluegrass/cousin-jake

March 9-10, Lawrenceburg

Head to Toe Show | This one is for the ladies! Peruse dazzling displays of jewelry, beads, cosmetics, purses, hats, skin care items, and everything in between. CONTACT: 931-762-4911, selectlawrence.com March 16, Silver Point

11th Annual Edgar Evins State Park Waterfall Tour | Join the friends of Edgar Evins State Park and park employees to experience the beauty of selected area waterfalls, then enjoy a delicious lunch nearby. CONTACT: 800-250-8619, foeesp.ne1.net

March 16, Erin

Wearin’ of the Green | Be Irish for a

day at Erin’s 51st Annual Wearin’ of the Green! Join in the fun at the parade along with an arts and crafts festival. CONTACT: 931-289-5100

March 22-24, Linden

5th Annual Blooming Arts Festival | Offering a variety of unique

crafts, tempting foods, and fun for the entire family. CONTACT: 931-589-3968

March 22-23, Memphis The Smoky Mountain Orchid Society’s annual show takes place March 2-3 in Knoxville.

This listing includes a selection of events of statewide interest scheduled in March, April and May as provided by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. You can view a complete listing of statewide events on their website, tnvacation.com.

To learn how to include your local events in this section, please visit our sister publication, Tennessee Home & Farm, online at tnhomeandfarm.com/events. Due to space constraints, we are unable to list all of the events provided.

Events are subject to date change or cancellation. Please call the contact listed before traveling long distances to attend.

March March 1-3, Cookeville

Upper Cumberland Home & Garden Show | With more than 120

exhibitors from around the region, there’s something for every home and garden aficionado at this show. CONTACT: 931-528-7472, uchba.com

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March 2-3, Knoxville

Orchid Show & Sale | Hosted by the

Smoky Mountain Orchid Society, guests can get a close-up look at the beauty and varieties of orchids shown by various orchid societies in the Southeast.

CONTACT: 865-828-8055, smokymtnorchidsociety.com

Memphis Area Master Gardeners 9th Annual Spring Fling | Come enjoy

this free educational garden event and show filled with two days of speakers, demonstrations and clinics that promote gardening in the South. CONTACT: 901-289-2515, memphisareamastergardeners.org

March 31, Lake City

Wildflower Walk | Get to know your wildflowers on this guided tour. A knowledgeable guide talks about the identification, natural history and folklore of over 30 different kinds of spring wildflowers.

CONTACT: 865-426-7461, explorenorrislake.com

April April 1-7, Columbia

Mule Day | An annual affair, Mule Day

celebrates all thing mule-oriented in a fun festival. A parade, crafts. Appalachian fare and live music are part of the appeal of this high-spirited event. CONTACT: 931-381-9557, muleday.com

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April 3-28, Knoxville

Dogwood Arts Festival | From open gardens and a student art show to a festival parade and art fairs, the Dogwood Arts Festival has something for every art lover to enjoy. CONTACT: 865-637-4561, dogwoodarts.com April 5-7, Knoxville

Rhythm N’ Blooms Music Festival |

Discover East Tennessee’s rich musical history at this festival with artists spanning all genres including country, blues, jazz, rock and bluegrass. CONTACT: 865-637-4561, rhythmnbloomsfest.com

April 6, Lynchburg

4th Annual Oak Barrel Half Marathon | Welcome spring with this half

marathon in historic Lynchburg. Run, walk or jog along the scenic 13.1-mile course.

CONTACT: 931-759-4111, oakbarrelhalf.com

April 6, Sardis

Residents and visitors alike are welcome to celebrate the mountains’ musical past.

CONTACT: 865-448-0044

April 19-20, Townsend

Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival | Enjoy classes, demonstrations

and more for all levels of fiber arts enthusiasts from some of the state’s most talented vendors. CONTACT: 865-448-0044, smfaf.org

April 20-22, Oliver Springs

Windrock Park Spring Jamboree |

Guided ATV rides, mud bog, drag races, a poker run, a kids scavenger hunt and barrel racing are just a few of the activities offered for the whole family at this exciting event.

CONTACT: 865-435-1251, coalcreekohv.com

April 23-27, Gatlinburg

Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage |

May 3-5, Celina

Moonshine Daze | With something for

everyone, this three day event features a bike-a-thon, a 5K run, wagon ride shuttles, a petting zoo and more. CONTACT: 931-243-3338, moonshinedaze.org

May 3-5, Manchester

Old Stone Fort Knapp In | Discover Native American life at this three-day events that features flint knapping, spear throwing, basket weaving and other native crafts.

CONTACT: 931-723-5073 May 4, Townsend

Quilters Road Show | See historic

quilts, evaluations, demonstrations and more for all levels of quilters. CONTACT: 865-448-0044, gsmheritagecenter.org

May 5-11, Humboldt

West Tennessee Strawberry Festival | This year’s celebration marks

which features antique tractors, engines, cars and trucks and everything else from farming’s past. CONTACT: 731-858-2159

Celebrate and enjoy the beauty of Great Smoky Mountains National Park with over 150 different programs throughout the week, including hiking tours, motorcades, demonstrations and lectures on the flowers and more. CONTACT: 800-568-4748, springwildflowerpilgrimage.org

the 76th anniversary of Humboldt’s fruity festival, which is always held the first week of May. Enjoy concerts, parades, recipe contests and more. CONTACT: 731-784-1842, wtsf.org

April 12-14, Morristown

April 25, Gatlinburg

Cosby Ramp Festival | This bluegrass,

Sardis Antique Farm & Home Show | Bring the family to this free event,

Lay’d Out at the Park | East

Tennessee’s largest car and truck show in Cherokee Park features live music and more.

CONTACT: 423-587-0952, laydoutatthepark.net

April 13-14, Chattanooga

4 Bridges Art Festival | Bring out your

artsy side and discover new and local artists at this diverse annual Chattanooga festival.

CONTACT: 423-265-4282, 4BridgesArtsFestival.org

April 17-21, Memphis

Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival | Experience African culture at this celebration featuring educational activities, fashion, arts & crafts, music and Africa cuisine. CONTACT: africainapril.org

April 18-20, Clarksville

Rivers & Spires Festival | Bring the

whole family to this three-day outdoor event, which boasts 5 stages of entertainment, free children’s activities, Jazz ‘N’ Wine, car shows, parades, shopping and more.

CONTACT: 931-245-4344, riversandspires.com

April 19, Townsend

Music of the Mountains | Celtic music performed at the town’s Heritage Center kicks off a weekend of musical discovery.

Spring 2013

Ribfest, Wings & BBQ | Enjoy a

sampling of the area’s most delectable, finger-lickin’ ribs and wings along with live entertainment at the 11th anniversary of this popular event. CONTACT: 800-569-4748, eventsgatlinburg.com

April 25-27, Crossville

Broadway Our Way | See the talented

kids of the Cumberland County Playhouse sing, dance and act their way through Broadway favorites old and new. CONTACT: 931-484-5000, ccplayhouse.com

April 27-28, South Pittsburg

17th Annual National Cornbread Festival | Honor the Southern specialty

at this annual festival. Participate in a Cornbread Cook-Off, sample cornbreads and other recipes and enjoy live entertainment.

CONTACT: 423-837-0022, nationalcornbread.com

May May 3-4, Clinton

9th Annual Clinch River Spring Antique Fair | Over 90 exhibitors from

Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio offer a wide range of antiques and collectibles to suit every taste.

CONTACT: 865-457-5250, historicclintonsantiques.com

May 6, Cosby food and family festival celebrates the ramp, an onion-like vegetable that grows in East Tennessee’s mountains. CONTACT: 423-623-1009

May 6-11, Portland

72nd Annual Portland Strawberry Festival | This event dates back to 1941

and features a carnival, live entertainment and much more. CONTACT: 615-325-9032, portlandtn.com

May 9-12, Dayton

66th Annual Tennessee Strawberry Festival | Strawberries in Space is the

theme of this year’s festival. Activities include a kids’ day, block party and parade.

CONTACT: 423-775-0361, tnstrawberryfestival.com

May 11, Gainesboro

Tennessee Poke Sallet Festival | From the famous outhouse race

to a poke sallet eating contest, activities abound at this annual event. CONTACT: 931-268-0971, pokesalletfest.com

May 12, Roan Mountain

Jr. Trout Tournament | Children ages 6-15 are encouraged to participate in this fun fishing contest sponsored by the Elizabethton Elks Lodge #1847 and Roan Mountain State Park. CONTACT: 423-772-0190 tnconnections.com

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May 17-18, Sevierville

Bloomin’ Barbecue & Bluegrass Festival | Head to downtown Sevierville for

a weekend of great barbecue and fantastic bluegrass music. CONTACT: 888-889-7415, BloominBBQ.com

May 17-19, Pigeon Forge

Annual Smoky Mountain Classic Chevy Roundup | See a blast from the past at this Classic Chevy Show, which features hundreds of vehicles on display, including iconic ‘55, ‘56 and ‘57 Chevys.

CONTACT: 888-465-9644

May 18, Knoxville

International Biscuit Festival |

Celebrate the heritage of home cooking through the most perfect of foods – the biscuit. CONTACT: 865-384-7290, biscuitfest.com

May 18-19, Greeneville

Greeneville’s Annual Iris Festival | Created in 1995, the annual Iris Festival features craftsmen, merchants, food vendors and entertainers from across the country. CONTACT: 423-638-4111, greenecountypartnership.com

May 24-25, Dickson

Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival | Don’t miss the 7th annual Fiber

Festival, showcasing wool, yarn and fiber products in Tennessee. CONTACT: 615-789-5943, tnfiberfestival.com

May 25, Granville

15th Annual Granville Heritage Day | Bring the family to celebrate this

annual event which features antique cars, Civil War living history demonstrations, a bluegrass festival, a parade, tractor and engine show and more. CONTACT: 615-443-6637, granvilletn.com

May 25, Brownsville

Exit 56 Blues Fest | Brownsville celebrates the blues with a day-long festival featuring live music, arts and crafts and more at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center. CONTACT: 731-779-9000, westtnheritage.com/exit56 May 31-June 1, Jackson

22nd Annual Shannon Street MusicFest | Celebrate over 22 years of

great music at this annual festival in downtown Jackson. CONTACT: 731-427-7573, downtownjackson.com

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tnconnections.com Tennessee Connections

connect to tn products

Statewide roundup of favorite finds Clocks Chime in Newport

They’re No (Blooming) Idiots This daylily business is blooming in Jackson County. Nestled on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau in Bloomington Springs, Blooming Idiots Daylily Farm boasts more than 640 registered varieties of the flower. The garden is family owned and operated and sells quality field grown daylily cultivars registered by the American Hemerocallis Society.

The daylilies grow among other flowers and plantings, and the gardens are surrounded by the native woodlands of East Tennessee.

To learn more and to visit photo galleries of the gardens’ current offerings and prices, visit bloomingidiots.com.

Rhyne Clock Co. is still ticking away in Newport, Tenn. Known for its stately grandfather clocks, the company – a second-generation family business – began as a lumberyard in the early 1900s and eventually started manufacturing furniture parts. Now grandfather clocks are the focus, and all the cases are made on site by hand.

“I think people remember grandfather clocks from their childhood, and they like to have them sing every quarter-hour,” says Patsy Rhyne Williams, who owns the company with her husband, Bill. “It’s a keepsake, something to hand down to the next generation.”

The factory outlet showroom is filled with some 50 grandfather clocks as well as a dozen wall clocks and as many mantle clocks.

“At 12 o’clock it gets a little noisy,” Williams says with a laugh. “They sing a little tune and then chime 12 times.”

The showroom is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment on Saturdays. Call (423) 623-2324 for more information.

Grape Expectations Combining two regional favorites, it’s no surprise a local country music star caught the wine-business fever.

Located 25 miles south of Nashville, Arrington Vineyards was founded in 2005 by country artist Kix Brooks, businessman Fred Mindermann and winemaker Kip Summers. Originally established in 2003 as Firefly Vineyards – named for the millions of fireflies that appear in the vineyards each spring – when Mindermann and Summers purchased a small farm near Arrington, the vineyards expanded the next year when Brooks purchased a neighboring farm, and then again in 2005 and 2006.

The vineyards now include a tasting lodge and host private events including wedding receptions, hot-air balloon rides and private parties on the cellar patio. Visitors are also invited to join the monthly wine club and have Arrington Vineyards wine delivered to their front doors.

The winner of the Wines of the South competition’s “Best of Show” in 2007, Arrington Vineyards wines can be found in New York City, New Orleans, and at wine shops in Oregon and Tennessee. Arrington’s wide selection of award-winning wine varieties include Chardonnay, Viognier, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Antebellum, Syrah and Petit Noir.

To learn more about the wines, wine club and special events, visit arringtonvineyards.com.

Spring 2013

tnconnections.com

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Journal Communications 725 Cool springs Blvd., suite 400 franklin, tn 37067

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Lebanon Junction, KY 40150 Permit No. 222

Energy-Saving Tips for Spring Following these steps can save you money this season Refrigerator: • Your fridge is responsible for up to 11 percent of your household’s energy usage.

• Make sure the condenser coils in your fridge are free of dust and pet hair. Clean coils allow air to circulate more freely, using less electricity.

• Pay attention to the seals on your fridge’s door.

They should be clean and tight.

Cooling: •

Instead of replacing a faulty air conditioner, consider an attic ventilator. It can provide as much comfort as your air conditioner at a lower price. The ventilator brings cool air up through your home – all you have to do is pump in cool air in the evenings.

• Whether you have an air conditioner or attic ventilator, keep doors and windows shut tightly during the day to keep cool air from escaping.

Kitchen:

Bathroom:

• Use an exhaust fan to get rid of hot air when you’re cooking.

• Install a water saving showerhead, reducing your hot water use without cutting down on time in the shower.

• Give your stove and oven a break, and use your microwave and countertop appliances to prepare food.

• Don’t keep hot water running nonstop while washing your face or shaving.

• Install a ceiling fan in your kitchen to keep air circulating.

• Take a shorter shower to avoid sending money down the drain. No purchase necessary!