POSTAL CUSTOMER
VOL. 8 NO. 34
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IN THIS ISSUE What went wrong? Sandra Clark ponders the closeness of the ObamaRomney race in 2012, while Bonnie Peters writes about a unique African-American in Union County, Pharaoh Chesney.
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Vol posters Marvin West writes: In an almost perfect tie-in to the new football season, Food City will offer almost free posters celebrating the past. The series is called Classic Vols and features quarterback Dewey Warren, running back Johnnie Jones, receiver Larry Seivers and safety Tim Priest. The artwork is spectacular. Primary colors are orange and white.
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Story on page 5
Middle School and Big Ridge music Libby Morgan drifted by the open house at Horace Maynard Middle School, and she had a great time at the annual Big Ridge Bluegrass Festival.
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Pictures on pages 3 and 6
Vendors wanted for Luttrell Bluegrass Fest
MEDIC blood drive New South Maynardville branch will host a MEDIC blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28.
Beef talk at Co-op Will Phillips and the staff at Union Farmers Co-op will host a beef cattle meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, for discussion on getting more value out of your feed and improving pastures and hayfields. Everyone is invited for short talks by experts in the fields of feed efficiency and forage production. And Will promises some “extra special deals” during the meeting.
NEWS
ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Brandi Davis | Patty Fecco
“The Ballad of Thunder Road” is a song performed and co-written by actor Robert Mitchum in 1957. It was the theme song of the movie “Thunder Road,” which depicts a young Mitchum as a moonshine runner during Prohibition. Maynardville is mentioned in the lyrics. Williams’ visit to the Chamber came at a time when the businessboosting organization is seeking leadership. President and CEO Julie Graham has resigned and efforts to replace her have not been successful. Chamber board chair Debbie Perry said, “We’ve had a low applicant pool and are continuing to look.” Meanwhile, the board adopted a memorandum of understanding with Graham to continue working part-time (10 hours per week for $100 per week plus expenses) until Dec. 31 or until a new president is hired, “whichever comes first.” Treasurer Kay Jones is accepting applications to serve on the Chamber board. The 19-member board now has 16 members. Info: kjones395@hotmail.com/. Mayor Mike Williams shows a Route 66 cookbook as he urges the Union Graham has joined Plan East County Chamber to “hit another gear” by promoting Highway 33 as “ThunTennessee. der Road.” Photo by S. Clark
A zeal for life at Hickory Pointe
Lake’s shoreline was bringing in less than $2,500 in property taxes, according to Randy Turner of the property assessor’s office. The subdivision has 35 finished homes and four under construction on a total of 225 lots.
“This year, the lots and homes in Hickory Pointe have a combined property tax bill of $158,237,” said Turner. That’s a huge impact, multiplied by the other lake developments in Union County. “But we’re here today to express a desire to expand our involvement in the community,” said Daugherty. “We are looking especially for opportunities to help the kids,” said Breder. “Several of us ‘full-timers’ here at Hickory Pointe and, I’m sure, the retired people all over the county, want to keep occupied, keep our minds sharp, and we’re at a point in our life when we can give back and try to make a difference.” Lammers says, “We’re here and we are available, and we hope the school system will accept us as tutors and volunteers. “We need a structured plan so that we know what we can do for the community.” Sounds like a win-win situation to me.
held back in life by an inability to pay college tuition,” said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. “One of the best parts of the program is the mentorship it will provide to high school seniors. I am issuing a challenge to all Metro employees, as well as employees at businesses and organizations throughout Nashville, to sign up as a mentor and truly make a difference in the life of a young Nashvillian.” While Nashville needs 325 volunteer mentors, Union County doesn’t need so many. But each is important. Mentor training at Union County High School is 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, Branton said. Mentors should apply via the website or may contact either Branton or
Jennifer DeFoe at the high school (992-5232). The program was founded in 2008 by Randy Boyd, primary owner of Pet Safe. Students must agree to complete at least eight hours of community service each semester while in the program. “tnAchieves has a proven record of providing the support that ultimately leads to increased post-secondary access, retention and completion,” Gov. Bill Haslam said. “Only 32 percent of our state’s adult population has a post-secondary degree, and if we are going to have graduates ready to fill the available jobs, programs such as tnAchieves are going to help Tennesseans earn degrees and meet the demands of the marketplace.”
By Libby Morgan
The Luttrell Bluegrass Festival invites community groups who would like to hold a bake sale at the festival and crafters to register free of charge for a booth at the Sept. 21 event. Call Luttrell City Hall, 9920870 or email Mayme Taylor, maymejodys@aol.com.
news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark Libby Morgan | Bonnie Peters
Union County can capitalize on “what we’ve got” to boost the local economy. That’s the message Mayor Mike Williams brought to the board of the Union County Chamber on Tuesday. Williams showed road signs and promotional materials for Route 66, the pre-interstate connector from Chicago to Los Angeles, and said Union County leaders should “hit another gear” in tourism promotion. “That includes my office, too,” said Williams. “We can all do more. We can raise the level (of promotion).” He floated the idea of retro service stations with old signs for the Gulf, Shell and Union 76 stations now operating on Maynardville’s six-mile Main Street. He mentioned a Thunder Road car show or 5k race. Mostly, Williams said, “ideas should come from inside” Union County. “We’ve got so much to be proud of, and there’s so much more to do.” He wants to invest county money into small projects to avoid the “strings” that come with grants.
Time, experience and willingness offered
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
7049 Maynardville Pike 37918 (865) 922-4136
Route 66 to Thunder Road By Sandra Clark
Stories on page 4
August 24, 2013
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“People here in Union County have been awfully good to us,” says Sam Daugherty. Daugherty, a Realtor, and retirees Dave Breder and Tom Lammers of the Hickory Pointe Homeowners Association sat down with me recently at their clubhouse (over a very tasty lunch from the new restaurant in Maynardville, Lil Joe’s). “We really appreciate our neighbors who work with us on our projects. We use local contractors for our maintenance. This year we (the homeowners association) have spent $60,000 on erosion control and clubhouse maintenance, and we’re very happy with the quality of the work,” said Breder. Daugherty points out: “Hickory Pointe has a lot of retirees, and there is a big advantage to hav-
Homeowners association treasurer Dave Breder, vice president Sam Daugherty and president Tom Lammers on the balcony of the Hickory Pointe clubhouse. Photo by Libby Morgan ing them here as they bring little cost to the county in return for the property taxes. They rarely need law enforcement, and they don’t have children in school.” Hickory Pointe’s former life as an undeveloped piece on Norris
Mentors sought for tnAchieves By Sandra Clark Union County students can receive “last dollar” scholarships to attend a two-year community college free through the tnAchieves program. Last week Metro Nashville joined tnAchieves, which now is in 27 counties. Jamie Branton heads the local program, and she visited the Union County Chamber board meeting on Tuesday to recruit mentor volunteers. Detailed information is available online at
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www.tnachieves.org/, but basically mentors work with four or five students. “Previous mentors told us they spend about one hour per month working with students,” said Branton. Sixty-eight percent of the students will be the first in their family to attend college, and almost 70 percent come from lowincome households. “Zip code and family circumstances should not dictate a child’s future, and nashvilleAchieves helps make sure students aren’t
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