PopcornSuttonJam setforJune9-10

NEWPORT - The 13th Annual Popcorn Sutton Jam will be June 9 - 10 at the Cocke County Fairgrounds. Gates open at 3 p.m. on Friday, June 9, and 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 10. The party will end between 10:30 and 11 each evening.

The Popcorn Sutton Jam is named in honor of the late moonshiner, Popcorn Sutton. Born in 1946 in Maggie Valley, NC, Sutton died in Parrottsville on March 16, 2009. A well-known moonshiner, Sutton self-published his autobiography, Me and My Likker.”

There will be vendors offering a variety of items and several food vendors will offer food on site. Several local

Guests for this year’s event include master distiller Bran- celebrities will also be in attendance, including Popcorn’s widow, Pam Sutton, and Eric “Digger” Manes and Mark Ramsey from “Moonshiners.”

Dennis Bailey from “Memphis Street Outlaws” as well as master distillers Brad Buffington and Doug Taylor will be on hand to meet fans.

Moonshine collectibles and souvenirs are offered for sale, and a variety of entertainment will take the stage.

Tickets are $15 per person per day and are not available in advance. They must be purchased at the gate with cash only.

To learn more about the event, visit the Popcorn Sutton Jam Facebook page.

There are more than 46,000 people following the page, and many of them post their memories and photos of past events.

Kelly

COSBY - A small unincorporated community and census-designated place in Cocke County, Cosby had a population of 807 according to the 2020 census. Cosby’s southern boundary is the northeastern section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Cosby and lands along the northern rim of the Great Smoky Mountains were used by the Cherokee for hunting grounds. In the 1780s, the first European settlers arrived in Cocke County with Samuel Odell believed to be the first to settle in the Cosby Creek Valley and John Gilliland settling near the mouth of the Pigeon River.

During the Civil War, Cosby was divided with both Union

Continue to page 12

DannyRay & Irene Carver

DaughtersStacey & Danielle

Grandchildren: Kylen, C,Kiersten, andKaycen, CALLFOREXTENDEDSUMMERANDFALLHOURS

TheApplehouseRestaurantoverlookstheSmokiesincludingMt.Leconte.

TheApplehouseRestaurantisopenWed- unfrom 11AM- 6PM and Confederate supporters. The mountain community was subjected to raids throughout the war and Confederate marauders were crossing the mountains into Tennessee from North Carolina. Historical records show that a “home camp” was established at the mouth of Indian Camp Creek in Cosby.

Adventure Distilling is located off Hooper Highway in Cosby.

Cosby recovered from the Civil War slowly, and with railroad stations at Big Creek and Newport, Cosby benefited. At the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, a lumber mill was opened in the 1890s in Hartford.

In the early 1900s, most Cosby residents were either working in the lumber mills or tending to farms. During this timeframe, many people in Cosby were supplementing their income by gathering moss, evergreens and ginseng and by making corn liquor.

It was during the first half of the 20th century when Cosby was known throughout East Tennessee as the “Moonshine Capital of the World.”

Cosby’s main crop was corn, and despite corn being able to be grown on steep grades, the hilly areas of Cosby saw the soil grow poorer after each clearing. Because farmers were struggling to break even, they started using the corn to make liquor.

With Prohibition, it became difficult to get the supplies to make liquor. The demand for the corn liquor continued to grow. Because sugar was rationed, those who kept beehives were allowed a government supplement of sugar. Needless to say, beehives appeared throughout Cosby. When World War II broke out, the Manhattan Project got underway in Oak Ridge and people came to the area from all around the country. Tennessee laws made it a dry state, but that didn’t stop people from wanting the illegal corn liquor.

The revenuers often made their way to Cosby where there was an ongoing chase between the moonshiners and the revenuers. Moonshiners came up with unique ways to outsmart law enforcement and keep their stills flowing. Now moonshine is legal, and Cosby is the home of a legal distillery. At Adventure Distilling Co., you can see what has been going on in Cosby for the last century. J.B. Rader’s

103-proof clear pure corn liquor is made at the distillery. Kelly Williamson partnered with Don Smith, a legal distiller from South Mountain Distillery in Rutherford College, North Carolina, to bring Adventure Distilling to life. Mark Ramsey and Eric “Digger” Manes from “Moonshiners” also offered some guidance, and Ramsey’s wife, Sally Jane Clark, has her own Sally Jane’s Sin A Shine cinnamon moonshine available at the distillery.

Adventure Distilling is located at 4649 Hooper Highway and is open daily. Call (423) 623-6844 for the hours.

There are plenty of different options when it comes to moonshine available at Adventure Distilling. Gift items are also available for purchase, such as shirts and caps.