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VOL. 8 NO. 49 NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Wildcat wonderland
Maynardville Elementary School will host Wildcat Winter Wonderland Festival and Dance from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13. Santa Claus will be in the house for pictures until 7:30 p.m. (5x7s with Santa will be $3). The dance is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for $2 admission (2nd grade and younger must have a chaperone). Concessions will include pizza. All are invited.
Parades! Union County Christmas parade is Sunday, Dec. 8, starting at 2:30 p.m. at the high school and traveling north through downtown Maynardville. Info: Jeff Sharp at 405-2196 or Trish Collins at 973-2279. Luttrell Christmas parade is noon Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Luttrell City Park. Call Rebecca Ailor at city hall during business hours at 9920870 or email Mayme Taylor at maymejodys@aol.com to participate.
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Tree heralds Christmas season By Libby Morgan Union County put on a reverent and poignant tree-lighting and cruise-in on a beautiful Saturday, missing its host, Mayor Mike Williams, who was preparing for his mother’s funeral that evening. Gary and Diane England of Gary’s Sound Machine brought their big boom box, making announcements and playing music between live sets. Chantay Collins filled in for Williams, keeping things running, and Melanie Dykes handed out tickets for prizes. Williams had gathered hundreds of NASCAR-related gifts for the crowd, and they were distributed throughout the afternoon. Local musicians played bluegrass and New Friendship Baptist Church’s youth choir sang several hymns. About 50 autos were on display, from antique show cars to muscle cars and rat rods. After an appearance from a very realistic-looking Santa, faithfilled music and prayer led up to The Christmas tree lights the area around the courthouse, bouncing color off the classic cars on display. More picthe tree-lighting at dusk. tures on page 3. Photos by Libby Morgan
Mountain music show moves to LMU
City meetings Maynardville City Commission will meet at 6 p.m. for a workshop and 7 p.m. for a voting meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10, at city hall. The Downtown Revitalization Committee will meet at noon Wednesday, Dec. 11, at city hall.
IN THIS ISSUE The people’s tree Union County historian Bonnie Peters gets in the Christmas spirit by visiting the people’s tree as it passed through downtown Knoxville.
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See Bonnie’s story on page 4
Dorothy Williams The passing of Dorothy Williams marks the end of an era in Union County. Sandra Clark reflects on her contributions to the community.
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With Luttrell banjo player Stuart Wyrick By Libby Morgan Just up the road in Cumberland Gap, Lincoln Memorial University is building a center of creativity to celebrate the arts of the Appalachian region. Since its inception last year, Arts in the Gap has been bringing educational programs, performances and exhibits to the LMU Cumberland Gap Convention Center. The university bought the existing venue as a home for its cultural outreach, Arts in the Gap. Dale Ann Bradley and Steve Gulley, internationally known bluegrass
See Sandra’s story on page 4
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See Libby’s story on page 6
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performers, collaborated with the Arts in the Gap’s pilot music workshop last year, and worked with LMU’s Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in creating a CD called “God Doesn’t Choose Sides.” “Working with Bradley and Gulley helped us build a strong relationship with them, and it seemed like a natural fit for them to bring their Pineville, Ky., music show to Arts in the Gap,” says Darnell Arnoult, project director for Arts in the Gap and professor at LMU. Stuart Wyrick of Luttrell joined the Dale Ann Bradley band last year as its banjo player, and he says, “I’ve been all over the country with them. “I’m working with the two greatest singers in bluegrass.”
Wyrick grew up in Little Tater Valley with his parents, Theodore and Dorothy Wyrick. “My daddy brought in a snare drum when I was 8 to see if I had any rhythm, then took the time to teach me how to play on strings. I ended up playing the banjo after trying the guitar and mandolin,” says Wyrick. “I got hooked on performing after seeing the Osborne Brothers on the WNOX Barn Dance in the ’70s. There have been lots of people through the years who have taken time to help me, including Jimmy Millsaps. “Music is all about sharing skills.” Wyrick lost his daddy a couple of years ago, but says his mom is “83 years young and outworks me.”
Stuart Wyrick is on the banjo in the Gap this week. The family are longtime members of Alder Springs Baptist Church in Maynardville. The first performance of the Cumberland Mountain Music Show in its new venue is 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12. Admission is $12.
Show promos say: “Featuring the music and heritage of mountain people, the Cumberland Mountain Music Show is a live familyfriendly show including gospel, bluegrass and country music and down-home comedy.”
County edges closer to jail savings
Patriots maintain winning ways Both varsity basketball teams won 3 of 3 games at the annual Union Discount Pharmacy Classic Tournament held over the Thanksgiving holiday. Libby Morgan talked with boys coach and school athletic director Shane Brown for details.
December 7, 2013
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By Sandra Clark Union County Commission will vote on outsouring inmate medical care to a firm that promises annual savings of up to $150,000. The commission meets at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at the courthouse. Finance Director Ann Dyer has driven the process after talking with other counties which have adopted similar programs. Brent Deweese, marketing rep with Southern Health Partners, met Monday with the county’s jail committee and Tuesday with the commission’s budget and finance committee. He predicted Union County will spend $300,000 this fiscal year for inmate medical care, and said his company could cut that in half. Sheriff Earl Loy Jr. said the numbers “look good to me,” and Sgt. Mike Butcher added, “This puts hands-on management in
place that we’re not trained to do.” Loy said the savings also come from buying power and cash flow. “They’ve got cash on hand. Saying ‘we can pay you today’ is a great Deweese negotiating tool.” Deweese said Southern Health Partners has a 20-year track record and manages health care for 27,000 inmates in multiple states. SHP would hire a nurse to administer drugs and evaluate inmates. Through an aggressive approach, the company might intercede with a judge to get an inmate bonded out if it determines the county’s risk outweighs the public’s risk of having the inmate released. For example, Union County recently incarcerated a
woman who was nine months pregnant, a high risk for both the inmate and the county. SHP also offers mobile X-rays and even mobile dialysis, reducing the need to transport inmates. Dyer said Union County spent $1,700 for prescription drugs in October for its average 100 daily inmates; Deweese said his average is $9 per inmate per month. Mike Sexton amended Wayne Roach’s motion to recommend the contract by increasing the term to 18 months in order to give SHP a full fiscal year to prove its savings. ■
Cruisers
Loy and Butcher secured a committee recommendation to request bids for six fully-equipped cruisers. Sheriff Loy wants to take the county’s annual appropriation of $66,000 for two vehicles, and buy
six instead, financing the balance for two years. He promised not to ask for cars for the next two budget cycles. Considerable discussion ensued and more is expected at Monday’s full commission meeting. Mike Sexton, for instance, worries that six cruisers will wear out at one time. He prefers the 2-per-year rotation. Dawn Flatford asked if the sheriff plans to retire six vehicles or just add these to his fleet. Loy said he prefers to keep all the vehicles, but if he must retire six in order to get six new cruisers, he will do so. “This is your budget,” Wayne Roach told the sheriff. “The committee would appreciate it if you can be as conservative as possible.” Roach’s motion to send the bid request to the full commission carried unanimously.
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