E8 locomotive 4080 waits to head east at Watertown, TN. Brent Gaddes. www.tcry.org
Daytrip Edition
farragutpress Thursday, September 14, 2017 • 1C
‘All aboard’ Ride a vintage train through the Tennessee countryside
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Carolyn Evans cevans@farragutpress.com
Sip a cup of hot coffee and read the newspaper as you ride a vintage 1950s train through the Tennessee countryside this fall. A relaxing and unique weekend is yours for the taking. Spend a night in Nashville before you board the train. Stroll through the fabulous Opryland Hotel, then eat at a fun restaurant in Opry Mills Mall. The next morning you’ll be ready for your adventure as you take off from the Tennessee Central Railway Museum at 220 Willow Street, just off Interstate 40. Throughout the fall, trips with different themes will take you to nearby Middle Tennessee towns and bring you back to the station. You can choose to sit in the dining car, in a reclining seat in the coach section, or even upgrade to the dome section, where you can see out the ceiling as
well as the windows. Adult tickets are $32 for the dining car, $42 for coach or $75 for dome seating. Tickets for children under 12 are $21 for dining and coach seating Although a few trips have sold out, including the Train Robbery and DelMonaco Winery trips, there are others still available. Beginning Oct. 7 is the Fall Mile-Long Yard Sale Trip, where you’re sure to find treasures. Boarding begins at 8:30 a.m. and departure is at 9 a.m. Enjoy the fall scenery on the 90-mile round trip to Watertown and the biggest yard sale in Middle Tennessee. The Oct. 14 Super Fall Foliage Trip to Monterey is sold out, but two are open on Oct. 21 and 28 for the Super Fall Foliage Trip to Cookeville and Baxter, respectively. See ALL ABOARD on Page 7C
NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE Lies the Muddy Pond Mennonite community
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Submitted
Mark and Sherry Guenther pose with Mattie, the mule named for one of Sherry’s grandmother’s, at the Wilson County Fair on Aug. 24. The Guenthers go to several fairs and festival in Tennessee to demonstrate how their sorghum syrup is made.
Carolyn Evans cevans@farragutpress.com
Out in the country not too far from here a man with a gray beard wedges another log into the fire. The embers fly. He hears the liquid boiling in the mammoth stainless steel pan that’s 23 feet long and 8 feet wide. He sits down to wait and a chill settles on the ground. It almost sounds like a Halloween story, but in the Muddy Pond community near Monterey, Tennessee, it’s a fun, fall getaway story. Onlookers ring around Mark Guenther, watching two harnessed horses provide the power for a primitive mill to squeeze the juice out of sorghum stalks, and listening as he explains the fine points of making sorghum syrup. Just 90 minutes out of Farragut, the Guenther clan lives close together, running a business that produces 8,000 to 10,000 gallons
of sorghum syrup each fall, said Guenther’s wife, Jenny, recently. They work together to grow the cane out in the field, cut it down with a machine out in the field, squeeze the sweetness out of it, and put labels on jars. “In a day, we can make 250 to 300 gallons of sorghum syrup,” Jenny said. Some of the syrup is made in the big pot over the fire and on a good day 250 gallons will be produced. But inside, the family uses a wood-fired steam locomotive to boil the cane juice more efficiently. That’s usually one of the nephews’ job, Jenny said. “They’re the ones who fire the boiler. They put wood in it all day long. It’s a hot job. “I was baking all day,” she said Thursday, Aug. 24, as she and Mark drove to the Wilson County Fair to demonstrate sorghum syrup making. “I bake stuff so people can see what they can make
with it. We also have a couple of cookbooks by NSSPPA National Sweet Sorghum Producers and Processors Association, and we sell those too. I have a jar of the sorghum on the table, a jar of our honey and a jar of our barbeque sauce. Sorghum is hard to come by. We have a large following of people who enjoy and like our product. I made sorghum cookies, which is a ginger-type soft and chewy cookie, whoopee pies, pineapple cake and popcorn balls. That’s the only way to have a popcorn ball. A lot of people put the corn syrup in them, but that ain’t no way to have a popcorn ball. Sorghum gives it that good flavor. It’s the same way with pecan pie. It’s the best pecan pie you’ve ever eat.” Muddy Pond attracts visitors to the mill each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in September and October and the Guenthers say See MUDDY POND on Page 2C
2C • farragutpress Thursday, September 14, 2017
Fall on the Road
Hawks
Muddy Pond is a small community near Monterey, Tennessee, about 90 minutes from Farragut. Many of the residents are of Mennonite descent Submitted
Muddy Pond From page 1C
they enjoy having people watch the process and appreciate their product. They usually kick off the season over Labor Day weekend, but Jenny isn’t sure about this year. Since the cane grew slowly due to cool, wet weather, they may have to postpone it a little. She said it’s best to call Muddy Pond Sorghum Mill at 931-445-3509. “The guys start at 6 in the morning,” Jenny said, “but it’s a while before the juice is even on the pan. By 9 o’clock it’s in pretty good swing. The best time to be there is between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.” “I grew up with very high moral standards and a very high work ethic,” Mark said. “No TV, no radio and no music. I was 13 years old before I heard music. I’m not saying music is immoral, but my parents would have felt that way. (Just vocal singing at church.) No foul or vain language whatsoever. Not any naughtiness — and honest and truthful. There was lots of hard work. I was 6 years old before I knew there was such a thing as Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. Those days meant nothing to us. Most would say it’s a sheltered life, but it was good.” There are a few other stops you need to make in Muddy Pond. “The variety store [Muddy Pond Variety Store] is open all year,” said longtime resident, Jennifer Horst, 28. The store is owned by Mark Guenther’s parents, John and Emma Guenther. For hours call 931-445-3357. There’s also Muddy Pond General Store (931-445-7829); Aaron’s Bauman Leather Shop (931445-3234); Jay’s Custom Leather (where Horst is the manager); The Country Porch, a deli and gift shop open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sunday; and Troyer’s Café open Thursday through Saturday 8 a.m.
Photos Submitted
Clockwise top left: Josy Troyer, owner of Troyer’s Café in Muddy Pond near Monterey, Tennessee, holds a Muddy Pond latte. “It’s a delicious latte served hot or cold containing a dreamy amount of Nutella,” says longtime resident, Jennifer Horst, “and her fried pies and donuts fly out the door.” Top right: Mark Guenther feeds sorghum cane into a small mill as Mattie the mule, named for one of his wife’s grandmother’s, provides horsepower at the Wilson County Fair on Aug. 24. The Guenthers go to several fairs and festival in Tennessee to demonstrate how their sorghum syrup is made. Above right: At the Country Porch in Muddy Pond, a Mennonite community near Monterey, Tennessee, Mary Troyer, Amy Troyer, Elisabeth Horst and their coworkers enjoy baking, working the deli and scooping ice cream for happy customers. Above left: The sorghum boils under a steam boiler stoked all day with wood.
to 4 p.m. (801-636-7558), that specializes now in coffees, but also has baked goods. “They have a really great latte called ‘The Muddy Pond,’ made with Nutella,” Horst said. “It’s
a must-try. “We are located right beside the general store,” she said about Jay’s Custom Leather, where she’s the manager. “Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Satur-
day 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. At our store, here we do mostly custom saddles. We’re also the founder of a bag brand called Urban Southern. We also have different wallets, knife sheaths, belts. People come from all over
Profile: Pro Toy Automotive Service Center See what customers have said about PRO TOY: “I want to express my appreciation for the work your company has performed on our family of vehicles. It is a most comforting moment when one finds a mechanic / shop that they can trust. It is often more difficult than finding the right doctor or dentist. Given that we put our lives at risk in our car every day; to have complete confidence in those who maintain our cars is a true blessing and gives great peace of mind. Thank you for being the professional that you are. Your entire staff has earned this high degree of confidence and trust based on the standard you established for your business. While your work is always timely and cost competitive, it more importantly is done right the first time and I feel good as I drive away from your shop. I can’t say that I have had that same positive experience back when I went to local dealerships. I no longer look to the dealerships for service. When my wife first told me about PRO TOY, I was naturally skeptical but I am now a full believer and convert to PRO TOY. I recommend your service to any and all without hesitation. I have been blessed by your business and want to offer my sincere thanks.” ~ Bob & Kay Bird Let us make a believer of you as well. We service all makes and models at 10635 Braden Dickey Lane, Knoxville. Contact Barry or Kim Dickey at 865-670-0787.
just to buy the belts made from real leather, not a bonded leather. “My boss is a thirdgeneration leather artisan and next door is his father’s store, Aaron’s Leather Shop,” she added.
“There are so many different types of things you can do with leather, it works really good.” Horst said Muddy Pond was a “very country, very peaceful place to grow up. Charming.
Fall on the Road
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4C • farragutpress Thursday, September 14, 2017
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Fall on the Road
farragutpress Thursday, September 14, 2017 • 5C
AUTO COLLISION EXPERTS
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6C • farragutpress Thursday, September 14, 2017
Fall on the Road
“My goal is to get your car back to pre-accident condition.”
Auto Collision Experts, LLC ■
Ken Lay
Correspondent
When you take your car to Auto Collision Experts, LLC, David Baker and Larry Parker want you to trust them. “Your car is the biggest investment that you make, other than your house,” Baker said. “My goal is to get your car back to pre-accident condition.” Baker and Parker have owned and operated Auto Collision Experts, LLC since 2012, and have been around the auto repair business throughout much of their lives. ACE opened its first location in Louisville in Blount County at 3531 Central Park Boulevard. Baker later opened a second location in Kingston at 1259 A Gallaher Road. The Kingston location has now expanded and includes a full-service mechanical shop.
“That became a necessity,” Baker said. “When we paint a car, I would have a customer say, ‘can you repair this?’ or ‘can you repair that?’ “I want people to know that we can fix anything that may be wrong with a vehicle.” The business is an authorized repair facility for 19 insurance companies. ACE is approved for all makes and models for Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Cadillac, GMC, Chrysler, Jeep, Mopar, Infiniti, Hyundai, Nissan Honda, 3M Window Films, ATD, Tire Rack, SNS, TCI, and Carroll Tires and many others. Auto Collision Experts also offers “Knoxville’s largest selection of wheels, tires and lift kits.” Other services include towing and car rentals. ACE is also an authorized dealer and installation center for B&W Trailer Hitches, Rough Country and CST Performance Suspensions, and features a Hofmann Alignment System.
~ David Baker, co-owner Auto Collision Experts, LLC
Auto Collision Experts is a stateof-the-art collision repair facility and offers body repair, frame repair, auto glass repair and replacement, mechanical alignments, wheel and tire sales and installation at each of its three locations. All services performed come with a written lifetime warranty. “All of the services that we offer are available to our customers at all three of our locations,” Baker said. “At our new location, we have a full display of wheels and tires.” ACE’s staff has a combined 50 years of experience in the automotive field and can now offer new services to accommodate the various needs of its customers. It provides commercial and auto glass replacements for all makes and models. The company also offers 3M window tinting, installment, removal and replacement. The auto detailing services offered by the company in its stan-
It’s time for a good time at Cumberland County Playhouse ■
Carolyn Evans cevans@farragutpress.com
Is it time for a good time? Wouldn’t you love to laugh your head off? Your perfect night or afternoon out could be just an hour away in Crossville as you watch a professional live performance at Cumberland County Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave. The Playhouse has been an area tradition since 1963 and due to popularity, expanded the original theater, the Mainstage, in 1992, when they also added a new venue, the Adventure Theater. “We also have an outdoor performance space where we present our Summer Concert Series, so technically we operate three stages,” said John Fionte, director of marketing and new works. This fall the lineup is fun, fun, fun with “Lying in State,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “Inspecting Carol,” and “A Sanders Family Christmas.” Each show is performed in the afternoon and the evening. For
exact times, go to http://www.ccplayhouse.com/season. “‘Lying in State’ is side-splitting comedy about a late state senator who dies in a ridiculous gun accident, turning him into a national hero,” Fionte said. The local political party leaders are frantically looking for someone to fill his senate seat. His ex-wife is looking for a bugler to play at his funeral. A host of other zany characters are looking for love, votes and the right casket in this madcap farce about love, politics and things not being what they seem to be. The PG play is performed in the Adventure Theater through Friday, Oct. 6. Tickets are $27 for adults, $25 for senior, $22 for groups and military and $14 for students and children. When a die-hard theatre fan plays his favorite cast album, the characters come to life in “The Drowsy Chaperone.” This is a hilarious musical farce,” Fionte said. The winner of five Tony Awards, PG, starts Friday, See CUMBERLAND on Page 7C
Profile: Ole Ben Franklin Motors Welcome to Ole Ben Franklin Motors, a dealership founded in 1987 by owner, Mike Mencer. Mr. Mencer started small and has grown to the largest Pre-Owned dealership in East TN. Ole Ben Franklin now has 4 locations to serve you better in the East TN area. The dealership knows that prospective customers are extremely well educated while researching their next vehicle. With over 600 pre-owned vehicles ranging in price from $500-$50,000, they have something to meet everyones needs. If they don’t have it, they will order you any vehicle and guarantee 100% satisfaction. “We own the Bank” is Ole Ben Franklin’s slogan, so they have financing for everyone. Rates as low as 1.9%. With low overhead they can guarantee you the lowest pricing. Ole Ben Franklin has a business model that is second to none. Check out their specials for additional savings at www.olebenfranklinmotors.com or call 865-693-9315. “What Are We Waiting On?” Ole Ben Franklin is waiting on you! Ready to set up a test drive? Visit them today.
dard cleanup include: washing, drying, tire dressing, vacuuming, interior wipedown and window cleaning. Its full detail service includes: steaming the motor, and fender wells and door jams; shampooing the full interior; cleaning of windows; buffing; waxing, painting of the fender wells and any exposed frame railing. Auto Collision Experts is a family owned and operated business. It prides itself on providing stellar customer service. Its business is focused around the creation of an environment of engaging in personal relationships, not only with the client, but with the insurance agencies and dealerships that it services. It does so through constant training and certification of its repair technicians and by implementing the strongest and most capable software and tech-
nical processes. It also has I-CAR certification in welding, panel repair and damage assessment. The Louisville location can be reached at (865) 724-1400. The Kingston location can be reached at (865) 248-8810. Hours of operation at both stores are Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Its website is www.autocollisionexpertstn.com. It also has a Facebook page,www.autocollisionexpertsllc.
Cumberland County Playhouse: The cast of “Lying in State,” gets a picture in the Adventure Theater at Cumberland County Playhouse in Crossville. The play, rated PG, runs through October 6. Photo by Walt Riches
Fall on the Road
Cumberland From page 6C
Sept. 15, and runs through Friday, Oct. 27, on the Mainstage. Take one show-stopping jazz song and dance number after another, mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a notso-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have an evening of madcap delight. Tickets are $29 for adults, $27 for seniors, $24 for groups and military and $16 for students and children. “Sleepy Hollow: A New Musical,” PG, is a fresh new take on a legendary story. People are disappearing one by one and legend has it the victims are being taken by a headless horseman. The town, wary of outsiders, becomes fearful of the new schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane. When he falls in love with Katrina Van Tassel, their blossoming romance ultimately leads to jealousy, mistrust, and finally, betrayal. The audience learns that some of the darkest monsters are
the ones that lie within. “Sleepy Hollow” starts Friday, Oct. 13, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 11, in the Adventure Theater. Tickets are $27 for adults, $25 for seniors, $22 for groups and military and $14 for students and children. Get in the Christmas spirit with “Inspecting Carol.” While regional theatre company rehearses the annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” its cash cow, they get news of the impending arrival of an inspector from the National Endowment for the Arts to review their work. The actor playing Tiny Tim gets a better offer and leaves the production in the lurch. When an aspiring actor of somewhat questionable talent arrives to audition, he is mistaken for the inspector and given the part of the child actor. Hilarity ensues as the company stages an accidentfilled, error-laden production of their play. “Inspecting Carol,” PG, plays on the Mainstage Friday, Nov. 3, through Sunday, Dec. 17. Tickets are $27 for adults, $25 for seniors, $22 for groups and military and $14 for students and children.
farragutpress Thursday, September 14, 2017 • 7C
“Sanders Family Christmas,” PG, is a Playhouse Christmas family tradition now in its 19th year. It’s Dec. 24, 1941, and America is going to war. So is Dennis Sanders, Sanders Family singer. Join Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe and the rest of the Sanders Family as they send Dennis off with hilarious and touching stories and 25 Southern Gospel Christmas favorites. In the Adventure Theater, it runs Friday, Nov. 17, through Friday, Dec. 22. Tickets are $27 for adults, $25 for seniors, $22 for groups and military and $14 for students and children. “We’re fortunate to have a talented, passionate and dedicated company, filled with individuals who are not only committed to creating the highest standard of art, but are also committed to each other and the community,” Fionte said. “We’re truly one big family. We operate year-round, which is rare in regional theater, and we perform in rotating repertory, so at the height of the season we’ll have three or more different productions running at the same time.”
Photo by Ernest Thompson
N&E B39-8 8585 in it’s namesake city on February 8, 2014.
All aboard From page 1C
On Nov. 25, the North Pole Express with Santa and his elves pull out for the first time this season. Four more opportunities for a fun Christmas ride are available after that: Santa and crew will be riding morning and afternoon on Dec. 2 and 9. Bring your cameras for great photo opportunities! “Tennessee Central Railway Museum operated its first excursion train in the spring of 1989,” said Museum vice president, Bob
Hultman, recently. “Actually, at that time TCRM did not legally exist. Cumberland Division of the Southeastern Region (SER) of the National Model Railroad Association was the entity for the first several trips we operated. We rented the Broadway Dinner Train trainset, sold tickets and the trip sold out immediately and we ran a safe, successful trip. We said to ourselves and to the Broadway Dinner Train owners and to the Nashville & Eastern RR, ‘Let’s do this again!’ So, we did.”
Profile: PureMagic Pure Innovation. Pure Magic. Picture yourself relaxing, enjoying a cup of coffee while your kids play, and your dog enjoys a special treat. Everyone is happy…for at least 8 blissful minutes – the time it takes to get an interior clean at PureMagic Full Service in Farragut. Customers can get both services, an exterior wash and interior clean in 15 minutes or less, a service brand new to Knoxville. PureMagic Full Service offers a customer–centered approach, providing a luxury carwash experience and eliminating wasted minutes common in the traditional full service wash. It also takes away the barrier between customers and their vehicles. New technology and innovation is not exclusive to PureMagic Full Service. Stay tuned for exciting changes coming soon to the Lovell Road location. Owner, Jim Rooney states, “For fifteen years, we’ve been bringing the latest carwash concepts to East Tennessee, and we’re thrilled to always be the leaders of innovation for the convenience and safety of our customers.” Visit our Farragut location at 11133 Kingston Pike, Farragut, TN 37934
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8C • farragutpress Thursday, September 14, 2017
Fall on the Road
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