Your Sumner May 2017

SWEET TEA & SHOPPING

MID TN BABY & BEYOND EXPO

YOUR SUMNER APRIL MIXER

A DISTINCTIVELY SOUTHERN PLACE MAY 2017

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS The Annual Ladies’ Issue

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

IN YOUR BACKYARD 7 6 TH A N N UA L MIDDLE TENNESSEE

Strawberry Festival

FEATURED DESIGNERS:

H E R MÈ S | LO UIS VUITTON | CHANEL | PRADA | GUCCI | CÉL INE

King Jewelers is excited to host our exclusive spring show of authentic vintage designer handbags throughout the month of May.

4121 HILLSBORO PIKE, NASHVILLE | K I N G S 1 9 1 2 .C O M | 61 5 . 7 24 . 5 4 6 4

Shop, dine and experience RiverGate Mall — A family oriented community center.

Macy’s • JCPenney Dillard’s • Sears and More!

New Stores Opening: The Konnector–Hot Chicken and NikJus Toys

Mommy & Me

SATURDAY, MAY 13 • 1:00 – 3:00 PM • FOOD COURT Moms, bring the kids out and join us for an afternoon of fun.

Fashion Show – 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Craft - 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Princess Meet & Greet – 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

(Little Mermaid and Snow White)

RiverGate Mall is home to your favorite stores like Abercrombie & Fitch, Aéropostale, Buckle, Journeys, Victoria’s Secret and even an indoor trampoline park. RiverGate Mall is a great community center with family-oriented events and something for everyone. Shopping, dining, community and fun —RiverGate Mall in Goodlettsville is your one-stop shop!

1000 Rivergate Parkway • Goodlettsville, TN 37072 Mon - Sat: 10am - 9pm• Sun: Noon - 6pm • Store hours may vary.

RiverGate-Mall.com • Facebook.com/RiverGateMall

YOUR SUMNER | MAY 2017 . VOLUME II – ISSUE 16

FEATURES

24 Let’s Hear It For The Girls Gift Guide for Mother’s Day

39 A Lady Entertains Hosting the Perfect Graduation Party

64 Summer Fun Fun In The Sun

ON THE COVER A sweet salute to summertime and the 76th Annual Middle TN Strawberry Festival!

Photography by Andrea Davis

39

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Read Between The Lines The Art of Southern Charm 18 Beauty Junkie

with Julie Jorgensen 20 Effortless Style with Katie Rushton 22 Fashionable You Draper James + Jack Rogers 26 Let’s Get Physical

with Alison Kanaby 28 Happily Ever After Graves & Sherrard Wedding 29 Your Best Self

with Connie Haley 36 Styling Your Everyday with Katie Jacobs 40 A Southern Gentleman Is with Rocky McElhaney

14

Your Social Secretary

13

22 11

Your Sumner April Mixer

19

Heritage Days

21

Sweet Tea & Shopping

66

COMMUNITY

Letter from the Publisher

SOCIAL

Did You Know?

16

A Little Something Extra Steeplechase 101 30 Your Community Partner Women In Business 34 Days Gone By with Ryan Baker 48 In Your Backyard 76th Annual Strawberry Festival 50 In Your Neighborhood Helen’s Hot Chicken 52 Your Charitable Self Grace Place 60 Your Kids

with Ginger Jones 62 Your Education News from the Schools

27 Gallatin Square Fest 33 Mid TN Baby

& Beyond Expo 38 Pedal for Paws 46 A Garden Party

Fashion Show

48 42 Pours & Palates The Chocolate Covered Strawberry 44 Eat, Drink & Be Merry with Chef’s Market 58 Arts & Culture Your Ticket to Fun

44

54 United Chambers Luncheon 57 Women in Business 61

Wonderland Egg Hunt

BUSINESS

LIFESTYLE

10

51

Your Real Estate with the Sumner Association of Realtors 55 We’re In the Money

with Jonathan Walker 56 Ribbon Cuttings

Welcome New Business

Nashville’s Newest Star Supreme comfort and unapologetic Southern hospitality set the beat for Music City’s newest star, The Westin Nashville. Designed for the sophisticated traveler and savvy local, experience the city’s hottest spots including Nashville’s premier rooftop pool bar, L27, and the resort-style Rhapsody Spa. The Westin Nashville will provide you with many options for a personalized and dynamic experience.

To make a reservation, visit westinnashville.com or call 615.248.2800

807 Clark Place ∙ Nashville, TN 37203 ∙ 615.248.2800 ∙ westinnashville.com

YOUR STAFF YOUR Williamson & YOUR Sumner are publications of: Shelly Robertson Birdsong CEO & PUBLISHER

Johnny Birdsong PRESIDENT SALES & DEVELOPMENT

Anna Robertson Ham

Ron Cheatham

VICE PRESIDENT MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS

Robertson Media Group, LLC 436 Main Street, Suite 205 Franklin, TN 37064 Office: 615.979.1548 yourwilliamson.com yoursumner.com

A DISTINCTIVELY SOUTHERN PLACE

A DISTINCTIVELY SOUTHERN PLACE

Caitlin Daschner

Catherine Royka

Tracey Starck

MANAGING EDITOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

CREATIVE CONTENT EDITOR

Annie Osteen

Erica Lampley

Hollie Deese

EDITOR — SUMNER COUNTY

COMMUNITY EDITOR

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Morgan Teller COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

Please send all content & coverage requests to: info@robertsonmediagroup.com

K York

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

PHOTOGRAPHERS HALEY ANTHONY

RACHEL CUNNINGHAM

ADAM SANNER

RACHEL GEE

ANDREA DAVIS

MELISSA DELROSSI

Steve Absher, Account Exec.

Kingery Printing Company YOUR Printing Partner 615.828.8661 stevea@kingeryprinting.com quotes@kingeryprinting.com Your Williamson & Your Sumner are publications of Robertson Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in part or whole, without written permission from the publisher, is strictly prohibited.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Your Williamson, Your Sumner or Robertson Media Group, LLC, its employees, and/or it’s representatives.

All information printed in this publication or online, is compiled in such a way as to insure accuracy. However, Your Williamson, Your Sumner and Robertson Media Group, LLC and its agents, assume no liability and/or responsibility for the accuracy of claims in advertisements, articles, photographs etc. published directly or submitted.

women are

{unique}

You deserve personalized care.

Your health is not ‘one size fits all’. Neither are we. In every season of your life, we want to walk with you on your journey to total wellness. From prenatal health to menopause management and breast health screenings, we’re here to help find the best options for your unique needs.

Find an OB/GYN that’s right for you and schecdule an appointment online at WomenAreUnique.com

MONTHLY | Publisher’s Letter

Let’s Hear It For the Girls!

Dear Readers, It is May and, therefore, you will find me celebrating. It’s the month we honor our mothers. It’s the month I was born in, along with some of my favorite people. It’s just a wonderful, blissful thirty-one days full of plenty of reasons to toast to something. It is also the month we celebrate six years in business as Robertson Media Group and the 6th year in publishing Your Williamson. It’s gone by in the blink of an eye, much like they say a child’s growing up does. And as this constitutes my ever evolving, growing, challenging, first child anyway – this magazine, this company, for every single one of over 2,190 days – has served to inspire me, challenge me, humble me, but most of all, bless me.

I was lucky to have been born with strong female role models all around me. My paternal grandmother, who my daughter Stuart Keeling is named for, inspired me to always be a lady; which fork to use and how to appreciate literature art and music, the ballet or the perfectly set table. My maternal grandmother, Vice President of a bank after having grown up in the impoverished coal mining region of East Tennessee, has shown me what education, good sense and gumption can do when circumstances may be less than ideal. My own mother, recently retired after several decades as a nurse, proves

to my sister and I that you can be a wife, a mother, a home-maker, and then go on to get your degree and forge a career for and about yourself.

years and then sixty years in business here. We Lucky for me, once my first baby are in for the long haul. started walking, I gave birth to my That’s who we are and second publication child - Your what we do. We stick.

Sumner. I am going to celebrate And Sumner we are Your Sumner this month as well, stuck on YOU! because with each passing issue “I figure, if a gal wants to of this incredible magazine for an be a legend, she should go As we all applaud the even more amazing community, women in our world ahead and be one.”

I am increasingly grateful for the this month and this chance and opportunity to be a part – Calamity Jane issue – I can’t even of another great place and meet imagine a moment of a day in my life, so many new and wonderful people. The without the team of women by my side in community here is rich in history, the arts, the trenches we call our office. The staff of culture, development, retail and business. our company is what makes this dream of The vibrancy of the growth and talents mine a reality every single outstanding issue. of individuals and organizations here is They are each unique in their own way. They phenomenal. I am struck by how small town are each divine in their skills. They each it can feel, as I noticed spending an evening possess and exude feminine charm, steadfast walking on the historic Gallatin square courage and grit in everything they do. They recently; to how very diverse and broad it can inspire. They challenge. They humble. They be. Strong industry, quiet countryside and bless. Thank you, Anna, Morgan, Tracey, everywhere you go – smiles and handshakes.

Cat, Caitlin, Hollie, Kathy, Erica, Annie, That’s my kind of place. That’s a Distinctively Krista, Andrea, Haley, Rachel, Melissa, Southern Place. That’s Your Sumner. Thank Lauryn, Connie, Julie, Daisy, Katie R., Katie you to everyone here who has so graciously J. and Ginger. welcomed us these last eighteen months – Shelly Robertson Birdsong into your homes, your business and your shelly@robertsonmediagroup.com hearts. We look forward to celebrating six

Custom Publishing & Integrated Marketing Services 436 Main Street | Suite 205 | Franklin, TN 37064 615.979.1548 | info@robertsonmediagroup.com

SOCIAL | Your Sumner April Mixer

Photography by Catherine Royka The Your Sumner team held their April Mixer at Starr Ranch in Gallatin.

Guests enjoyed sangria, local beer from BriarScratch Brewery, giveaways and some great networking. A few lucky guests won tickets to shows at City Winery and the Nashville Symphony. Make sure you know about the next Mixer by liking Your Sumner on Facebook and signing up for our weekly e-blasts at yoursumner.com.

Grace Oliver, Paige Brown & Rhonda Marko

Rosemary Bianchi, Teresa Belisle & Wendy Navarro

Alecia Welbern & Zach Wilkinson Jennifer Easton & Jennifer Rapp

Hollie Deese & Shelly Robertson Birdsong

Johnny & Keeling Birdsong

Mike & Karen Schulte

Carrie Winters & Hope Alteri

Lynda Shaw & Cheryl Strichik

Gary & Sharon Schoefernacker

Lisa Borchers, Karen Schulte & Michele Dwyer

Tony & Irene Calderon

Ryan, Hayden & Kim Baker MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 11

YOUR CONTRIBUTORS

ALYSSA DICICCO

Nashville Bride Guide NashvilleBrideGuide.com Alyssa is the owner and blogger for Nashville Bride Guide - a wedding blog dedicated to helping Nashville brides plan their weddings. You can visit the blog at NashvilleBrideGuide.com or contact Alyssa at alyssa@nashvillebrideguide.com.

CONNIE HALEY

RYAN BAKER Days Gone By

Ryan Baker was born and raised in Sumner County and has lived here for more than thirty years. As Executive Director of the Sumner County Museum, he collects and preserves objects and artifacts related to Sumner County history, and provides educational programs and exhibits.

KATIE JACOBS

KRISTA EHRET

JIM AND CHERYL HAGY

The Lady Entertains yoursouthernsoiree.com

Eat, Drink & Be Merry chefsmarket.com

Krista is an event designer and co-owner of Southern Soiree, a full service event and wedding planning company. She also enjoys bringing beauty into everyday life.

Jim and Cheryl are the owners of Chef’s Market in Goodlettsville. They offer catering and take-away options, from formal corporate galas to casual inoffice get-togethers and outdoor affairs.

GINGER JONES

Your Best Self conniehaleylifecoaching.com

Styling My Everyday stylingmyeveryday.com

Your Kids jonestherapyservices.com

Connie is a certified life coach that specializes in helping people love the life they have and from there, create the life they always envisioned. She will show readers ways to find peace and calm.

Katie is a graphic designer, photographer and stylist. She is the art director and creator of stylingmyeveryday.com, a food and lifestyle blog with a focus on styling, entertaining and DIY.

Ginger is a Speech-Language Pathologist and the owner of Jones Therapy Services, which provides speech-language, occupational, and physical therapy in nine locations across Middle and East Tennessee.

ALISON KANABY Let’s Get Physical runningmama2016. wordpress.com

Alison is a family practice physician, marathon runner, swimmer and a fun-loving mother of three. Alison will be bringing advice and tips on health and fitness.

12 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

JULIE JORGENSEN Beauty Junkie

Julie is our go-to gal for all things beauty - She scouts out the best deals and the best beauty tricks around. She treats readers to some hilarious insight into the world of what it takes to be fabulous!

ROCKY MCELHANEY

JONATHAN WALKER

Rocky was born and raised in East Tennessee. He is a high-profile injury lawyer, NFL Sports Agent and little league baseball coach. He and his wife Penny live at Birmingham Farm in Gallatin with their three sons and daughter, where they fall into bed each night, exhausted.

We’re in the Money paulwinkler.net

Your “Bone” Vivant facebook.com/olliepupboxer

Jonathan is a Certified Financial Planner™, and passionate about financial planning. His focus is to help clients achieve peace concerning their financial well-being by helping them accomplish their planning goals and objectives.

Ollie Pup is a handsome, brindle boxer who loves to get out and about at festivals! He enjoys meeting new people and also going to work with his Momma. Ollie is the dog about town and will keep you in the know with his monthly column as Your “Bone” Vivant in Your Williamson and Your Sumner!

The Southern Gentleman Is...

OLLIE PUP

LIFESTYLE | Read Between the Lines

The Art of Southern Charm

BY SHELLY ROBERTSON BIRDSONG

It’s a guilty pleasure of mine to watch the Bravo hit Southern Charm, and one of the main draws is the unexpected matriarch of the show – Charleston socialite - Patricia Altschul. With her quippy one-liners, sage wisdom and advice for the otherwise younger and more rambunctious cast members of this reality show set in this southern city, fan-favorite Patricia Altschul has become the true star of the show. Now, her long awaited book, showcasing etiquette and living a glamorous southern lifestyle - as she does to perfection - has been published and Patricia provides advice on every situation, from hosting a memorable cocktail party, to decoding the dress code for any event, to handling a drunken boor at the dinner table, to delivering the perfectly phrased insult. The Art of Southern Charm takes readers inside the world of Charleston’s most captivating grande dame, who (with Michael the Butler), offers a blue-blood’s blueprint for curating and celebrating life at its best.

Oh, and Michael the Butler as well as a host

of other staff and walk on’s from Patricia’s real life, provide much of the entertainment on the show. She has become the most popular cast member of Southern Charm - and she really isn’t even a cast member. But when she rings a bell so her butler can make her a perfect 5pm martini, wearing her jewel-necked caftans and lounging in her meticulously preserved preCivil War manse in Charleston, she dominates the small screen. She’s an art collector, a former New York City socialite, a southern belle. She’s witty and intelligent and wonderfully acerbic.

She’s magnanimous yet elitist. She’s warm yet sharp-edged. She’s imposing. She’s royal.

For someone so elegant and moneyed, she is remarkably salt of the earth.

advice. Why not put it all in writing?

The Art of Southern Charm doesn’t just give tips on decorating and entertaining; it outlines Patricia’s habits and beauty routines in specific terms while emphasizing the importance of finding what works for you. She gives women an attainable framework for living happy, healthy, confident and intelligent lives.

While she readily admits her book ascribes to old-fashioned values and while the book also celebrates love and romance, it’s thoroughly modern in its belief that a woman’s worth isn’t about the man. It’s about being the best version of you in all aspects.

This authenticity is what makes her book worthy beyond her fan circles. It’s an etiquette and southern lifestyle guide that doesn’t preach.

Her advice is usable. Any detectable snobbiness in it stems from her true appreciation of and access to the finer things in life and isn’t some Bravo-lebrity put-on to assert superiority or flaunt her social position.

“We’re all familiar with the life lessons behind Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert’s wonderful book about how to find and experience your passion,” Patricia writes. “Well, I’m going to do my version of the sequel, and I’m calling it ‘Speak, Write, Read.’ I’m a woman who thinks that smart is the new sexy. I believe in Southern belles, not dumb belles, wherever they’re from.”

“I used to joke I was the only person I knew who hadn’t written a book,” Patricia said. It wasn’t something she saw herself doing. When she was approached to write a lifestyle guide, it just made sense. Fans are always asking her for

The Art of Southern Charm is available this month. I am buying a copy for my mother and myself too! Catch episodes of Southern Charm, on Bravo, Monday’s at 8pm CST. Best watched with the “perfect” martini, darling.

Morningside of Gallatin is committed to honoring your mothers and grandmothers every day!

We are proud to offer: • One-level facility including a lovely wrap-around porch • A choice of 5 attractive suites • Three delicious meals serve daily, featuring a variety of menu choices

• Weekly housekeeping & laundry service • Daily lifestyle360 activities, including intellectual, social, physical, emotional and spiritual programming

You and your family deserve the best in senior living - CALL TODAY! 1085 Hartsville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066 | (615) 230-5600 Photo includes 3 generations, all of whom currently reside in Gallatin. (L to R) Linda Dotson, Stacy Riggins and (seated) Margie Morris, who resides at Morningside of Gallatin.

MONTHLY | Social Secretary

YOUR SOCIAL SECRETARY MAY

13

MAY

18

JUNE

1

Here are just a few events to add to your Social Calendar this month. Visit yoursumner.com for more events.

Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival

GET CONNECTED We loved meeting the many parents-to-be at the Mid TN Baby and Beyond Expo.

Downtown Portland | 7am-9:30pm middletennesseestrawberryfestival.net The 76th Annual Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival has a theme of “Berry Sweet Traditions” and Bucky Covington will serve as the Grand Marshal for the parade. He will also be performing a free concert that night with fireworks to follow!

Summer Business Showcase Sam’s Club – Hendersonville | 3pm-7pm hendersonvillechamber.com Two of the most often mentioned reasons for joining the Chamber are networking opportunities and business visibility to new customers. This event presented by At Last Day Spa combines the two! Members will have the chance to set up a table top display about his or her business so other members may get to know them better. Space is limited. Tables measure 30” x 72” and they will not have skirts or tablecloths. No wall hanging space will be provided.

Your Sumner was out at Sweet Tea & Shopping at the SC fairgrounds checking out the great vendors for shopping and fun!

Taste of Gallatin Gallatin Civic Center | 5:30pm – 7:30pm | gallatintn.org The 10th Annual Taste of Gallatin, presented by the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce, will showcase restaurants, caterers, groceries and other businesses in the Gallatin area. Attendance in 2016 exceeded 500 guests! This will be a delicious event not to miss!

COMING NEXT ISSUE

The Summer Issue Our annual June-July edition will feature lots of cool summer fun for the hottest months of the year!

Enjoy our special feature on “The Gentlemen of Sumner County,” with plenty of profiles, content and other great stories all with the gentlemen in mind!

ADVERTISING DEADLINE: MAY 30TH Contact sales@yoursumner.com to advertise 14 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

Congratulations to our Managing Editor, Cat Royka, for completing the Rock ’n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & 1/2 Marathon!

She is a rockstar!

COMMUNITY | A Little Something Extra

STEEPLECHASE 101 TIPS & HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE 76TH RUNNING OF THE IROQUOIS STEEPLECHASE NEW THIS YEAR:

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT:

The Fox Den – Located in the middle of the infield, the Fox Den is an add-on option for adult racegoers to enjoy food, beverages and entertainment all day.

Iroquois Shoppes - Located in the Hospitality Village area and accessible from all areas. Guests can browse a wide selection of goods, shop for Steeplechase styles and 2017 Steeplechase souvenirs!

Steeplechase App - Available for iOS and Android. The app contains maps of the grounds, a list of race day activities, tips for using ride share services to and from the race, and the capability to purchase infield tickets (or upgrade tickets to the Fox Den) on race day.

Food Trucks - Steeplechase will have plenty of mobile eatery options.

They have been re-located inside the various tailgating areas to make things easier for you on race day.

Your Williamson “Best Dressed” Photo Booth – Think you are the Bee’s Knees of Steeplechase and have the best looking ensemble this year? Have your photo taken at our “Best Dressed” Photo Booth located by the Hunt Club and Iroquois Shoppes to be entered in the Bee’s Knees “Best Dressed” contest! Winner(s) will be announced at Steeplechase!

When: May 13, 2017 Where: Percy Warner Park | Nashville, TN

RIDE SHARE AND TAXI DROP OFF/PICK UP AREA: Entering Steeplechase - After 1pm, ride share drivers may only enter the designated ride share area from Sneed Rd. Take Hillsboro Pike South or Highway 100 to Sneed Road. Turn onto Vaughn Rd. Exiting Steeplechase - Ride share drivers MUST turn left out of the lot onto Vaughn Road, then left onto Sneed Road to reach Hillsboro Pike.

Time: Gates open at 8am, first race at 1pm The Iroquois Race ends at approximately 5:30pm

SOCIAL | Best Buddies Gala & Casino Photography by Melissa DelRossi Best Buddies held their Best Buddies Gala & Casino event at the beautiful Omni Nashville Hotel. Best Buddies is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), while building friendships between those with and without IDD. The night was a huge success as supporters flooded the Omni, enjoying food, drink, great silent auction items, a fashion show proudly sporting Predators’ jersey’s was part of the evening as well as guests trying their hand at a little casino night action! Friends and longtime supporters of Best Buddies shared their stories of how this great organization impacted their lives. It was a night of laughter, friendship and fun. To learn more or become involved with Best Buddies Organization, visit bestbuddies.org.

Tiana Trotz & Liz Zander Olivia DeCaria & Nina Hinkle

Meredith Futhey & Mark Brooks

Erin Walker, Dee Maguire, Maggy Spalding, Mike Maguire & Brandon Walker 16 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

Jenna Sanders, Jeanne Gaffigan, Bryan Link, Nila Huddleston, Will Macon & Megan Vranikar

Maggie Rubenstein & Ian Plotner

LIFESTYLE | Beauty Junkie

Cult-Favorite Classics

BY JULIE JORGENSEN

In keeping with the theme of this being the women’s issue—viva la diva, y’all - I thought this is the perfect month to talk about some classic, timeless beauty products that have adorned beautiful women’s bathroom counters for years. Which products have truly stood the test of time to become perennial favorites? I’m glad you asked.

When I turned thirteen, my mama took me to the Clinique counter in the mall to buy me the old-faithful three-step skincare system. The same system still exists today, and focuses on the most basic steps involved in taking care of one’s skin: cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize. The beauty of the whole process, besides the fact that I felt like a total big-girl grown-up, was that it got me into a skincare regimen that has stuck with me to this day. Tailored to different skin types, the three-step system can be yours after a quick evaluation of your skin and usually for less than fifty bucks. It’s perfect for young girls and us (ahem) older girls alike! Before you leave the department store, cruise the Lancôme counter for the hands-down best eye-makeup remover ever. Bi-Facil Double-Action is a cool combo of two lipid and water “phases” for gentle but thorough removal of all your eye makeup—even waterproof mascara. Just give the bottle a little shake before use. A few swipes, and voila: squeaky-clean peepers!

If cruising the local drugstore is more your speed; rejoice! A myriad of all-time classics awaits you!

Snag some good old Neutrogena for back-to-basics cleansing, or calming Cetaphil for a moisturizing and gentle wash. Both products have been around for more than fifty years. Scoop up some Noxzema while you’re at it—there’s nothing like that cooling, tingling feeling on your face when the temperatures outside start to rise. It takes the heat out of a sunburn too! There’s no need to spend your hard-earned money on a fancy toner as long as we still have Witch Hazel.

This multipurpose wonder has natural astringent and antiinflammatory properties, but it

won’t dry out your skin like alcohol-based toners can. And a huge bottle will last you forever while only setting you back a few dollars. Talk about an all-star! Last but certainly not least, two of the best lip balms under the sun can be found at your neighborhood Walgreen’s.

For chapped, post-winter lips, there’s just nothing better than Carmex. I even put it on my cuticles before bedtime during the colder months. Not to be outdone, Smith’s Rosebud Salve softens lips beautifully, along with just about everything else, and has been doing so for more than a century.

So, now you’re all stocked up on the classics! Just like you, dear reader, they truly stand the test of time! Cheers!

The Beauty Junkie

“When I turned thirteen, my mama took me to the Clinique counter in the mall to buy me the old-faithful three-step skincare system. The same system still exists today.”

18 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

SOCIAL | Heritage Days Photography by Melissa DelRossi It was a beautiful day at Historic Mansker’s Station for the City of Goodlettsville’s annual Heritage Days event. Families gathered together to experience a little taste of life on the frontier, as demonstrators conducted hands on activities such as tool making, farming and what it was like to be a soldier during that time. Hands on activities for the kids included candle making, pottery, how to use a compass, as well as learning to write with a quill pen. Keeping the history alive, it is truly a great way to learn and appreciate what it was like living on a plantation in the 1700s. To find out more about Goodlettsville’s Heritage Days and other events, visit cityofgoodlettsville.org.

“

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LIFESTYLE | Effortless Style

Off the Shoulder Tops THIS SEASON’S FASHION TREND IS FUN, FEMININE AND FLIRTY

BY KATIE RUSHTON

It’s always refreshing, as a stylist, when spring rolls around and we can start talking about spring trends. Bright colors and florals, and this season, off the shoulder tops, are everywhere. The off the shoulder top is a trend that we have seen before but one that has come back around. This trend will continue to be a big hit for the spring and summer seasons this year.

This top can be worn several ways, which makes it a favorite piece for many of our clients right now. Pair it with denim shorts

20 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

and a flat sandal for a day of running around with the kids, or you could opt to wear with a pair of white jeans and a neutral wedge for a different take on a casual look.

try the trend in a bold print or pattern.

Pair either with a simple white bottom for the perfect pop and add a strappy sandal to complete the look!

Prefer a date night look? Try a version of a top that is feminine with the sheer sleeves.

Dress up a pair of skinny jeans with this off the shoulder top for the perfect date night look.

If you need help navigating this warm weather trend, check us out at effortlesstyle. com and book a complimentary consultation with one of our stylists. We love working with our clients and helping them find the perfect look for their lifestyle!

Another favorite way to wear this trend is to go bold! If you are a fashion risk taker,

SOCIAL | Sweet Tea & Shopping Sponsored Event

Photography by Haley Anthony Sweet Tea & Shopping began in 2012 as a semi-annual pop-up market, taking place in April and September. Spread out over the Sumner County Fairgrounds in Gallatin, one can find anything from home décor, art, furnishings, jewelry, apparel and more from the numerous vendors and independent artists who take part in the event. Goods are new, up-cycled, repurposed and showcase different styles such as vintage, boho and farmhouse chic. Taking place over two days, guests have plenty of time to browse the marketplace while enjoying free tea, snacks from food trucks and live music. To learn more about Sweet Tea & Shopping, visit sweetteaandshopping.com.

Brittany & Sheree Zobl, Ann Maria Whitaker

Pam Jordan, Lisa Gann, Sandi Gaddes, Alexandra O’Reel, Brigette Scott, Diane Davis, Lynell & Allie O’Reel

Susan & Jessica Byrd

Carly Tomkins & Michelle Scruggs

Carol Powell & Sarah Neal

Hailee Hester, Kaitlynn Elliott & Giovanni Bolstad

Kailan & Kristie Woodard

David, Hollie & Henry Deese

Eliza Bolstad & Samantha Nichols

Paulette Krebs & Ila Wilson

Morgan, Grace & Anna Robison

Kim & Kathy Anderson

Sue Henry, Andrea Reed & Madyson Short

Whitney Thomas & Hailey Parrott

Leslie Sherrick, Susan Meadow & Cindy Cline

MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 21

LIFESTYLE | Fashionable You

DRAPER JAMES + JACK ROGERS

DRAPER JAMES STEPS INTO SUMMER WITH SPIRITED JACK ROGERS COLLABORATION

This summer, Draper James, the Southern-inspired lifestyle brand founded by Reese Witherspoon, will launch an exclusive capsule collection with Jack Rogers, the iconic shoe and accessory line. The two brands are coming together for a year-long partnership to collaborate on original products that marry Draper James’ Southern sensibility with Jack Rogers’ timeless style. The limited-edition summer collection will include three exclusive designs featuring the classic fabrics and witty Southernisms signature to Draper James: pink seersucker, blue and white gingham, and a “Hello Darlin’” monogrammed sandal.

The limited edition collection is now available, in both Draper James’ and Jack Rogers’ stores, and online at draperjames.com and jackrogersusa.com and will retail for $128-$148.

MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 23

FEATURE | Let’s Hear It For The Girls

GIFT GUIDE for Mother’s Day May is for Moms! Let us help you find that special Mother’s Day gift this year.

Gift the women in your life something different, or what they really want or need. From techy gadgets to pampering products - we have you covered on ideas that are outside the box.

Special thanks to our friends at Macy’s. Find these items and more gifts online at macys.com or at the Macy’s store near you!

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12 1. MOMMY & ME APRONS, $25 & $18 | 2. ROSE GOLD TONE APPLE WATCH, $369 | 3. RALPH LAUREN CROSSBODY BAG, $98, TOTE, $158 4. ORIGINS CLEAR IMPROVEMENT ACTIVE CHARCOAL MASK, $17 | 5. DIOR ILLUMINATING POWDER, $56, LIP SENSATION, $30 6. WATER BOTTLE, $18, G-SHOCK WATCHES, $130 | 7. KATE SPADE NEW YORK BANGLE, $78, STUD EARRINGS, $48, WATCHES, $195 - $295 8. CHARTER CLUB SLIPPERS, $15.98 | 9. PHILOSOPHY FRENCH VANILLA SHOWER GEL, $18 | 10. HUE ACTIVE LEGGINGS, $130 11. FITBIT FITNESS WRISTBANDS, $99.99 | 12. MOMMY & ME FAMILY PAJAMAS, $49.50 & $46 MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 25

LIFESTYLE | Let’s Get Physical

FITNESS WITHOUT FEAR

BY ALISON KANABY, D.O.

There have been all too many accounts recently about women being attacked while working out alone. This is beyond scary to me. But, this isn’t something we can ignore. As a runner, this is something that goes through my mind every single time I leave the house to run. I actually just had a conversation with my husband regarding this very topic. I told him I feel vulnerable running alone and that I need to do something about it.

I will not stop running because there are crazy people out there, but I need to take steps to protect myself from them. I need to be prepared God forbid a situation arises. We all need to do something about this.

There are a lot of ways women can protect themselves while working out alone. I have even made adaptations to what I do on my runs. I no longer use the restroom in a park without someone present. For example, today the parks department had two workers right outside the building, so I decided it would be okay. Then, I open every stall to make sure no one is hiding in them.

I hate being paranoid but I have to do everything I can to be safe. And kudos to the Hendersonville Police Department who have increased their presence at Drakes Creek Park. When I was there last I saw a total of three cars sweep through the park in under two hours.

CLASSES AND GROUPS Let’s talk about RunSafer. This is a class offered by Fleet Feet, for free. They bring in Todd Williams, a two-time Olympic distance runner with a black belt in Brazilian Jujitsu, to teach safety techniques and tips. Fleet Feet came to Hendersonville last month and will continue to offer this class periodically. It is an hour well worth your time. It is completely free, and may just save your life!

Sometimes it is hard to find someone to run with, at least that’s what I used to think. Then I joined the local Hendersonville Running Club. If I am flexible there are usually people to run with at varying times of the day. There are set runs during the week, including a larger group run Saturday mornings. By joining the group on Facebook I have been able to meet a lot more local runners, which gives me more opportunities for people to run with. Trust me, it is well worth it. There are no fees or commitments, just come out and run.

It is guaranteed that safety is something most women think about before they even step outside to go for a run. Now, it is up to us to make the decision to do something about it. Do I want to have to think about this? Of course not. But, with a sexual assault of some kind occurring every two minutes in the United States (according to RAINN.org), we cannot take any chances. Protecting ourselves before we leave our home or car is the most important thing that we can do. Be smart. Be safe. Take the steps to protect yourself!

26 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO PROTECT OURSELVES: RUN IN WELL-LIT AREAS. If it is late or early, make sure to wear reflective clothing and a light so you will be visible.

RUN WITH A BUDDY. Try not to run alone. If you do run alone, then run in public areas.

DO NOT WEAR HEADPHONES. Or at the very least, only wear one so that you can hear if someone is approaching you from behind.

TAKE A SELF-DEFENSE CLASS LIKE FLEET FEET’S RUNSAFER CLINIC. Practicing what you would do in a scenario will decrease the surprise of how it feels to move your body to protect yourself.

RUN WITH YOUR PHONE OR GPS TRACKER. A tracker like Revolar, which is a device you wear and tap if you are uncomfortable or in danger. It sends a text to contacts of your choice with your GPS location.

CARRY PEPPER SPRAY AND/OR CONCEAL CARRY. (Still trying to figure out the best method for this), a retractable knife or TigerLady, a device that has feline-like claws that extend out with a squeeze of the hand.

ALTER YOUR ROUTE. If you run the same route, it will be easy for someone to track you and know where you will be and at what time.

MAKE EYE CONTACT TO ANYONE THAT YOU PASS DURING YOUR RUN. According to Julie Morrill, co-founder of Manila Partnership which trains women in self-defense, don’t lower your eyes if you are passing someone that makes you feel uncomfortable. Instead, run strong and say “hello” confidently as you pass by. Perpetrators are looking for submissive and weaker women. By doing this, you are showing him that you know he is there and that you are confident. We need to continue to run with tenacity and run confidently.

TRUST YOUR INTUITION. If something doesn’t seem safe, go with that gut feeling in the pit of your stomach. Get out of the situation as best you can, and alter your training to try and avoid it in the future. Always listen to your gut.

SOCIAL | Gallatin Square Fest Photography by Rachel Gee The Gallatin Square Fest is a favorite spring event for Sumner County that showcases hundreds of local vendors, businesses and charities. The annual event is held in historic downtown Gallatin the last Saturday of April and has arts and crafts, street food vendors, games for the kids and live entertainment. It also features a car show that displays automobiles from every year, make and model. For more information on Gallatin events, check out the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce website at gallatintn.org.

Nolan Dennison & Daylen Fields

Kayla Laycock & Jamie McDaniel

Christine Perry & James Ashton

Alexandra O’Reel, Judy Gunter & Lynell O’Reel

Aubrey, Erin & Allie Birch

Keely Balylock & Bristol Green

Scarlett, Carolyn, Danielle & Nolan Beasley

Hendersonville Running Club 1m, 5k, 10k, 10m, 13.1, 26.2, 50k, 50m, 100k, 100m

It’s more than a distance.

BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS IN MOTION

Runs almost every day of the week, for all runners.

Even a beginners group!

It’s desire, determination and dedication.

On Facebook: Hendersonville (TN) Running Club Team App: Hendersonville Running Club

LIFESTYLE | Happily Ever After

Whitney Graves and Mark Sherrard’s journey began with Mark proposing on the July 4th weekend of 2016 at a family gathering in East Tennessee. What fun it was to celebrate the news with the family – lots of hugs and congratulations! Their wedding, on November 5, 2016, was an event to remember. Lindsay McMillan was hired as the wedding coordinator and did an outstanding job. Their venue, Long Hollow Gardens and Nursery, with its beautiful gardens and lovely glassed greenhouse, provided just the right atmosphere for the wedding. The farmhouse allowed the ladies in the wedding party a private space not only to get ready, but to enjoy all the festivities and memories of the day. Their hair and makeup was provided by Kristen Womack. The greenhouse was filled with lush green plants and it was a perfect warm fall day. At the front of the venue, was an arbor decorated in vivid fall colors beautifully arranged by Brooke DeGlolpper. Surrounded by family and friends, Whitney and Mark pledged their lives to each other. Whitney wore a lovely ivory champagne lace strapless gown with train. Her bridesmaids wore navy floor length dresses in an array of styles.

Whitney’s bouquet was also in vivid fall colors of reds, oranges, golds and blues. Mark and the groomsmen wore dark charcoal suits, which complemented the navy theme.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDSEY JOHNSON

Whitney Graves & Mark Sherrard

After the wedding, there was a social hour on the grounds for guests to mingle and enjoy passed hors d’oeuvres. The food was provided by Chef ’s Market and the favorites during the social hour were the sweet potato bites and the stuffed mushrooms, as well as crab cakes. The groom is from Kentucky, so a Bourbon bar was provided. The wedding reception was held in the newly opened greenhouse adjacent to the ceremony venue. The room was draped in a lovely white, not only at the ceiling, but also at the entrance to the venue. The tables had a mix of tall centerpieces with tiny red orchids and hints of gold, as well as silver lanterns filled with fall colors of oranges, reds and golds. The chair backs were tied with ivory sashes and navy napkins adorned the tables. Chef ’s Market served a wonderful dinner with choice beef or chicken, harvest salad, fall vegetables, a Gouda mac and cheese (one of the groom’s favorites) and a variety of rolls.

The wedding cake, provided by Jeanette Hillman, had three different layers of flavors – traditional white, hummingbird (bride’s choice) and carrot, and was completed with a navy lace that adorned the cake.

The guests danced the night away to the upbeat music of Stretta. The bride and groom departed late in the evening to a beautiful send off of flickering lights, as the guests waved large sparklers and shouted well wishes. Their photographer, Lindsey Johnson, captured all their wedding memories.

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LIFESTYLE | Your Best Self

IT’S COMPLICATED THE CHALLENGES OF BEING A STEPMOTHER

BY CONNIE HALEY LIFE COACHING

On the second Sunday of every May we stop and honor our mothers. We acknowledge the difficulty of the job and her devotion to the stability of the family. There is a sub-group of mothers, however, that despite their growing number, are often overlooked: stepmothers. A stepmother begins her journey with enormous challenges. Every situation will have unique circumstances, but a step-family can’t function like a biological family. The dynamics are more complex. The three most common truths a stepmom can anticipate are: THERE WILL BE CONFLICT OF LOYALTIES Biological families have conflict, but a step-family is formed on the heels of loss; divorce, abandonment, or death. Unresolved conflict between ex’s and the opinions of family members and friends add to the emotional turmoil. Adults that openly criticize each other in front of the kids, create confused and conflicted children. Even in the absence of the above, you are blending two different families’ values and traditions. There will be a natural jockeying for position.

THE STEPMOTHER IS THE PERFECT TARGET FOR ANY DISPLACED ANGER Step mothering comes with a big side of judgment; “darned if you do, darned if you don’t.” It’s easier and safer for children to blame her than confront their father (or both parents, in the case of divorce). Expressing their anger at the appropriate parent(s), would be too risky. A stepmother is the outsider and the safest person to unload on. If biological dad has weak parenting skills, or parental guilt he will often look the other way, or even add to the blame game. This perpetuates the “bad stepmother” persona. Instead of the biological parents addressing their own children’s emotions and taking ownership, the stepmother becomes the perfect scapegoat.

THE CHILDREN MAY NEVER GROW TO LOVE HER The younger the children are when the new family forms, the greater the chance (usually) for love and acceptance. With the sundry of variables, however, it is possible a stepmother will never receive true love and appreciation for her role in the family. Let that be okay. Drop the expectations and aim for mutual respect.

Anything else will be a bonus.

The step-family challenges are complicated, but not insurmountable.

There are plenty of examples of step-families that aren’t just surviving, but thriving, despite the inevitable difficulties. A stepmother can’t cure all, but there are things she can do to keep things on an even keel. Here’s the short list: get step-family counseling. Keep your marriage the priority. Treat the children with loving kindness.

Discipline should be done by the biological parent. Don’t take the insults personally and don’t participate in the drama. Build a support system of trusted friends. Let your husband have time alone with his own children. Take time for yourself. Don’t deny your own feelings.

Speak the truth. And when all else fails, try humor!

COMMUNITY | Your Community Partner

WOMEN

IN BUSINESS

BY HOLLIE DEESE

The May issue of Your Sumner is themed and dedicated to the strong women in Sumner County who have a passion to help their community grow and be a thriving place. Each of these ladies share a bit of their journey, business and life advice, while telling how they got to where they are today, along with their love for working and living in Sumner County.

PAIGE BROWN MAYOR, CITY OF GALLATIN Gallatin native Paige Brown has never shied away from being herself, whether it was studying at Florida State University or her career in news and broadcasting, first in Florida, then at The Nashville Network and NewsChannel 5.

She never got Gallatin out of her blood, talking about its charms so often that people joked she should go work at the Chamber. So she did, becoming executive director of the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce in 2006.

Then, she made a surprising run at politics and was elected County Commissioner for district six in 2010. “I was trying to encourage people to get engaged in local government – I never dreamed I would,” Paige says.

She made the decision to run for mayor in 2013 after a lot of soul searching and praying, because she wanted to be sure not to deviate from a path she was supposed to be on.

“I really felt like the thought deserved prayerful consideration, and I felt like I was supposed to do it,” Paige says. “I didn’t know that I was supposed to win but I knew, for some reason, I was supposed to run.

I had a lot of peace with it. I knew, having that perspective, it was okay if I didn’t win.”

Paige also chose not to listen to the people who told her she needed to change for her mayoral campaign, whether it was what she should 30 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

wear or how to act. She embraced transparency, keeping her Facebook page public, and can be seen often around town engaging with residents.

“I really reached the realization that if I can’t be authentic in this, I don’t want to win. I wouldn’t be happy in a job where I couldn’t be myself,” Paige says. “You have to be able to be yourself and you have to be authentic. You have to be vulnerable. And get hurt.”

After her 2014 win, Paige was pleasantly surprised by the support she received, even from people who didn’t vote for her. “I think that’s mature,” she says. “Politics in the world of social media is different, it’s hard.”

She has also been blown away by the talent pool working for the city of Gallatin, and the personal commitment many of the employees make to their positions. It has helped her feel like this is truly the place she is supposed to be.

“I was raised in the era where you work your way up, you do everything that’s asked of you,” she says. “My philosophy on work has changed. I believe there is a place for caring for the people you work with.”

KARA BRUMLEY DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, THE GODDARD SCHOOL, HENDERSONVILLE In just over a decade, Kara Brumley has made quite a mark on Sumner County. Before she moved here in 2006, she was traveling the country constantly as a corporate franchise consultant in childcare, helping schools with educational quality and business. But life on the road three or four days a week became pretty un-appealing when she was trying to grow her family.

After she gave birth to her twin boys in 2011 she wanted to do something where she could control her hours and launched Modern Babies & Children. Balancing life as a magazine publisher and mom to three small children worked for her because of the flexibility, but she also began to miss being in the education field.

“I always pictured my kids being down the hallway from me,” Kara says. “You never know what you have until it’s gone.”

Now as the director of operations for The Goddard School, in Hendersonville, she gets to use her background in education in new and impactful ways while also bringing in her experience launching

and running a business. It’s the perfect use of all her abilities, and after a decade in Sumner County she really knows the families she helps every day. And that makes what she does very personal.

“I get to support the teachers and work with the families, and help with business development, marketing, PR and the community activities,” she says. “It’s really fun here now because it’s like all my friends are here and I get to love on their kids.”

For women afraid to take a leap or make a big change, Kara says you are missing out.

“Change is really the only constant,” she says. “Nothing’s consistent, especially if you’re a mom. Go with it and learn as you go, because I learned so much and I feel like I’m so much better with my role now.”

It also helps to have a strong support system that can help, like Kara’s parents who moved

LISA DAVIS DAVIS & CO. MERCANTILE, PORTLAND There was no taking the Texas out of Lisa Davis, even after twenty years living in Portland. So she brought Texas to northern Sumner County in 2014 when she took her experience in sales and management and opened Davis & Co. Mercantile, a boutique stocked with rustic, Western art, jewelry, clothing, gifts and accessories.

“I knew what I loved and had for years, and finally decided that it’s really hard to find the rustic Western look in these parts,” Lisa says.

“I go out West, all over out West, and buy things before they get to market while they’re still really unique, and bring them back. I try to get a lot of stuff made by hand or that represents an era that’s long gone. It’s all something that just takes you to a place of pride, American pride.”

She also leases space to local artists to showcase their work too.

Just as unique as the items inside is the building Lisa bought to house it. Built in 1912 it was the town’s first bank before the post office took over in 1941. The library was even once housed upstairs. So when she renovated and gutted it to the core over the course of seven months she was able to reveal the original molding, floors and ceiling.

The building is even being added to the National Register of Historic Place at the end of the year thanks to a local college student’s thesis project for her doctorate.

“There’s just a ton of history in that little building,” Lisa says. “People come in all the time and just thank me for bringing this to Portland, for restoring it. It was just a God thing. It all just came together.”

Lisa has since bought the lot next door and will begin hosting the grand opening of the Portland farmers’ market starting June 1 featuring farmers and local crafters. It will be every Thursday 3:307pm to coincide with the free Music on Main summer concert series.

“I’m a farm girl from Texas so I just have great respect for that and the city is so encouraged and support it 110 percent,” Lisa says.

here two years ago. And she also believes in keeping your fun interests separate from your work passion, if possible.

“One of the things that I have lived by was if you have an interest, that may not be the best career choice. If you have something you enjoy doing for fun then it becomes a job, and jobs aren’t always fun. Look at your passions and not just what’s fun. Discover what you are good at and grow your strength and go from there.”

NOREEN GIBBENS MIDDLE TENNESSEE AUDIOLOGY, HENDERSONVILLE When Hendersonville’s Noreen Gibbens purchased the existing Middle Tennessee Audiology a year ago, she was taking a leap of faith based on her years of experience as a doctor of audiology at Henry Ford Health System and at Vanderbilt as the assistant director of the Adult Hearing Technologies program.

“When the opportunity to buy this practice came up my husband and I realized that’s truly what I needed to do at this point in my career, and it’s been awesome,” Noreen says.

In addition to helping people in her community with their hearing loss issues, she’s able to stay local and interact with her neighbors.

“It’s just been so much fun to get to know all these people, and get an opportunity to really be part of this community. I wouldn’t trade that for anything right now.”

Making sure people of any income bracket can afford to hear is her top priority. In addition to offering repairs and service, she has teamed up with Vanderbilt’s nonprofit HEAR Nashville to connects people in need with the right audiology resources.

She also reconditions and sanitizes used hearing aids for people who can’t afford new ones, and has started a leasing program with temporary aids so people can try them out.

She hopes to someday have more service center offices and increase staff despite a shortage of hearing professionals.

“It is terrifying at times, a totally different way of thinking about my own profession,” Noreen says of becoming a business owner.

“But you keep plugging away, and if something doesn’t work I have to figure out a different way of doing it. You don’t give up and hide in the corner, because tomorrow you need to get back out there.”

MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 31

PATTI HALL AMBERLEAF MARKETPLACE, GALLATIN Patti Hall was a born entrepreneur, with her very first venture selling homemade perfume when she was in elementary school in Florida. With handmade labels and some serious confidence, she would go door to door to make a sale.

“My mom gave me an old Avon bag and I would put all my little perfumes in there and I’d say, ‘Okay, I’m going,’ and I’d go through the neighborhood and knock on doors and sell my little perfumes,” Patti remembers. “I’d sit down at the coffee table and I’d open up my little case and get out my little perfumes. And they always bought something.”

She moved to Gallatin in 1984 and taught for five years before going back into the business world. “I had a business brain, really,” she says.

When she saw the Gallatin Square in the late 90s, she knew she had to do something there.

Inspired by her mother’s work as the wedding coordinator at their church she opened her first business on the Square, Kiss the Bride, in the location where Velvet Antler is today.

“We rented that building and in 1999 the building that I’m in now came up for sale,” she says. “It was Tommy Garrott’s building, Gallatin’s Men’s Store.”

She moved the wedding store and it was doing so well she bought the building next door, that had been used as a haunted house, to create an event space. Of course, everything was black and had a maze of walls, but also had tons of potential. Her first event booked in 2001.

Soon she turned Kiss the Bride into the more versatile boutique Deliberately Chic, with the small in-store café Amberleaf Bistro. But she decided it was time to revamp everything in 2012.

This time, Patti envisioned a shop filled with artisans and crafters from the community. She was inundated with interest from the start and Amberleaf Marketplace was a success. She even had dozens of names on a wait list when she sadly had to close last month to care for her ailing mother.

She still owns both buildings and is weighing her options about leasing or selling.

“I loved the square,” Patti says. “I moved here because of this square. I just always thought it was cute, and that’s why it’s so sad for me because this square could be so amazing. I’ve seen it up and down and up and down, but I stayed because I felt the square was worth it. I thought the people of Gallatin deserved a good square.”

PAM TELLER NOTHING BUNDT CAKES, HENDERSONVILLE

words,” she says. One day she received an email listing the top ten franchises for 2014 and Nothing Bundt Cakes was on it. She took a trip to the Nashville location and the moment she walked in she knew she had found her happy place.

Pam Teller was ready for something sweet in her life. The Ohio native had moved to Hendersonville in 1993 with her husband and young children, but in 2007 their world began to fall apart when her husband developed a mouth sore that never went away.

“I walked in and I was like ‘Okay, this is it.’ This is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life, where I can walk in everyday and bring laughter and celebration and smiles to people instead of just sadness all the time,” she says. “The bakery was kind of opened in my husband’s honor and for his legacy.”

After medication, biopsies and treatment, the sore would not go away.

Eventually, they found out it was neck cancer.

“We knew something was wrong,” Pam says. “We went to doctors and allergists and we went to the Mayo Clinic and nobody could really say what it was. But it was an underlying cancer that went undetected for a long, long time. There were no signs of it in his neck.”

After four years of fighting her husband died at age fifty-eight on Christmas Day 2014.

While her husband was sick, she had passed on her real estate business to her son and didn’t feel right taking it back. Plus, she needed to do something totally different.

“I just started researching jobs that make people happy, careers where it’s a joyful environment. Literally, I just started Googling those 32 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

She has already hosted a few fundraisers too, one for a local mother’s adoption, another for a little girl who needed a service dog trained.

“We give to the community because the community is really what supports us,” she says. “And I get to tell people all the time I’ve got the greatest job in the world. People walk in my door and say, ‘We love you!’”

But almost a year and a half after opening and Pam still doesn’t have a favorite flavor of cake - sometimes it’s cinnamon in the morning with a cup of coffee and sometimes it’s chocolate because she’s had rough day.

It’s her employees who help her handle work life better than chocolate ever could, though it’s a close second.

“The people that work here are really the success of the bakery,” Pam says. “We just have a fabulous team that works together.”

SOCIAL | Mid TN Baby & Beyond Expo Sponsored Event

Photography by Anna Robertson Ham The Mid TN Baby & Beyond Expo, presented by the Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce, was held at the Sumner County YMCA in April. Families, parents and parents-to-be came out to learn more about local doctors, schools, financial planners and more.

There were also learning workshops by participating vendors, a fashion show of kid’s styles from Once Upon a Time… by Amy children’s boutique, and even a “real” mermaid! It was a fun and informative afternoon. Learn more at hendersonvillechamber.com.

Kathleen & Michelle Hawkins

Jennifer Warren & Amanda Reed

Nora Deguira & “Mermaid Nicole Lea” William & Lacy Potts, Jane & Ted Bloodworth

Micah & Maisley Gentry

Amy Sparks & Hope Alteri with Gidget

Abbey Allison, Elise Piliponis, Noah Gearholt & Greg Wilson

Lindsay Sherman, Jennifer & Evelyn Solorzano

Wendy Navaro & Liam Podany

Avery, Christi & Bradley Towe

Chip Cox & Jeff Sweet

Clara Taylor & Storm Sloan

Carolyn Miles & Ashlyn Rogers

Dayle Fergusson, Mona Hitch & Terry Covington

Tammie Sutherland & Alison Muncy

Ashley Stebbins & Ariel Fears

Gina & Lily Miller

Kara Brumley, Leisa Byers & Ashlee Fistler

Kassandra Pack & Lacresha Busteed

Vincent & Laura Brymer

Ashlee & Pearl Briggs, Ginger Farmer MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 33

COMMUNITY | Days Gone By

Horse Racing in Sumner County

BY RYAN BAKER

If you were to ask most folks to name the first thing that comes to mind when you mention horse racing, I would be willing to bet that most of them would say Kentucky, or the Kentucky Derby. What most people do not realize is that Tennessee was known across the country and even across the Atlantic Ocean as the center for horse breeding and horse racing in the United States and, in particular, Sumner County.

The first official horse race in Tennessee was held in Gallatin in 1804. President Andrew Jackson and his wife Rachel were in attendance. Jackson would become known as a leading racer and breeder in Tennessee.

Years later there were several homes that played a major role in horse breeding or racing in Sumner County. They were Fairvue Plantation, Foxland Hall and Kennesaw. These homes were built between the 1830s and 1850s.

St. Blaise You may be familiar with the road St. Blaise in Gallatin, just down from Vol State Community College. This road was named after the horse, St. Blaise, who won the English Derby. St. Blaise was purchased by a New York banker, Charles Reed, for $100,000 in 1882. This was a record price paid for a horse. Most thoroughbreds went for an average of $5,000. Just to put that in perspective, Charles purchased Fairvue and 2,000 acres for $50,000, just half of what he paid for St. Blaise.

Now fast forward to 1934. After Fairvue had been somewhat neglected for about twenty years, it was purchased by William Wemyss and his wife, Ellen, who fully restored the property. Just prior to this, Fairvue was home to the headquarters of Grasslands 34 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

Hunt and Racing Club. Grasslands was a sixty to eighty farm fox hunting and steeplechase club that was located between Gallatin and Hendersonville. International steeplechase events held for two years between 1929 and 1931 before the Great Depression ultimately ended the concept. People came from as far as England and Spain for these events.

Another home that played a key role in the Grasslands Hunt and Racing Club was Foxland Hall. The home was originally named Bellmont. In 1910, John Branham purchased the estate and renamed it Foxland Hall, due to his love for fox hunting. Laura had her own horse and often participated in the hunts. She was also in charge of furnishing and decorating Race Horse Tavern, Jarrocks Hall, and other houses. She was known for hosting large parties at her Foxland home for members and guests. John would pass in 1935 after drinking contaminated water from a spring, leaving the home to his wife Laura. Laura followed his interest in horse breeding and racing.

She preferred flat racing.

The Kentucky Derby would be considered flat racing. It is done on a level surface with no obstacles that tests the speed and stamina of the horse, while testing the skill of the jockey.

Laura would spend a good part of forty years Young Ellen Wemyss racing horses. She was a very skilled sidesaddle riding steeplechaser, winning many races across the states. Her horses would earn hundreds of thousands of dollars on racetracks across America. In 1983 Laura Branham received the first Sportswoman of the year from the Kentucky Horse Breeders Association. The Louisville Courier Journal read: “She has been a leader in the revival of the thoroughbred industry. It is unusual for Kentuckians to admit that

someone outside of the state has mastered the science of raising winning thoroughbreds.

The Kentucky breeders openly concede that this gentle Tennessean has earned the distinction.”

Laura and Ellen were good friends. After Laura passed, in a conversation with local artist, Bill Puryear, Ellen stated that one of her favorite aspects of her home was that just up Station Camp Creek loomed Foxland Hall, the white-columned mansion of her friend Laura Branham, late patroness of the grand dream of Grasslands.

Growing up as a child I did not realize how saturated my home was with history. The stories are endless and this is just a portion of one of them. I urge you to take a little time and learn more about the history of our wonderful county. There is a plethora of information out there.

To learn more about horse racing in Sumner County, visit the Sumner County Museum Tuesday through Friday, from 9:30am to 4pm, or go to sumnercountymuseum.org.

For more information on Grasslands check out Walter Durham’s book, Grasslands: A History of the Southern Grasslands Hunt and Racing Foundation.

Laura Branham

MOT H E R’ S D AY B RU N C H No one celebrates mothers like country music, so honor your mom this year with Mother’s Day Brunch at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum.

Enjoy inspiring views of the city and the best in food and music, with a performance by the Martin Family Circus, a rocking, soulful family band specializing in cover songs of the Beach Boys and the Oak Ridge Boys, along with originals.

BRUNCH SEATINGS AT 10 am and 1 pm $

65 Adults • $25 Ages 6–12

Advanced ticket purchase required. Includes Museum admission and brunch. Price is subject to additional taxes and fees.

#PressPlayRecord

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Downtown Nashville

#CMHOF50 •

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@CountryMusicHOF

CountryMusicHallofFame.org/Mom

LIFESTYLE | Styling Your Everyday

B reathtaking Blossoms 36 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

SIMPLE STEPS TO CREATING FRESH FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS AT HOME

BY KATIE JACOBS, STYLINGMYEVERYDAY.COM FLORAL DESIGN BY PEGGY FRANKS

Custom flower arrangements can be expensive, but with a little know-how and practice, creating a beautiful floral centerpiece using fresh flowers from the garden or brought home from the market can be a simple and fun, DIY spring project. You can always throw grocery store flowers in any old vase, but if you know just a few tricks, it’s easy to create much more professional and original displays.

The best overall advice? Don’t wait for a special occasion to treat yourself to fresh flowers at home.

They make any day a little brighter.

Start by preparing the flowers so they’ll last their longest. If cutting garden flowers, do so in the cool of early morning or after sunset. Immerse stems in cool water, and let the flowers drink for about an hour before arranging them. Whether you buy flowers or snip your own, cut stems on an angle before arranging, and remove any foliage that would fall below the waterline. Every two days or so, change the water, add a sprinkling of flower food and recut the stems if they’ve browned.

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STEP 1 Select a container that will show off your selected flowers the best. Look beyond the standard vase; consider bowls, pitchers, and even vintage glassware for smaller arrangements. Fill the vase with fresh, room temperature water, and add a commercial cut-flower food or a teaspoon of liquid bleach to the water to prevent the growth of bacteria. Use tape to construct a checkerboard pattern on the mouth of the vase creating a framework to hold flowers where you want them.

STEP 2 Create a foundation with foliage (we used Elaeagnus and cherry blossoms cut from the yard).

This is the framework for the arrangement. Build a pleasing, asymmetrical shape that leans on the lip of the vase and has a high point in back. Make sure it’s not too thick, so there’s room for the flowers.

STEP 3 Add large “face” flowers (like ranunculus in warm sherbet tones), cutting stems at different lengths so some blooms nestle low and others extend.

Take your time, experimenting until you like the placement of each flower.

STEP 4 Weave in wispy elements, like fun-loving poppies or ferns, in three strategic spots: up high on one side, down low (spilling out of the vase), and in the middle, as if they’ve pushed their way through a cluster of larger blooms.

MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 37

SOCIAL | Pedal for Paws Photography by Melissa DelRossi Sumner Spay Neuter Alliance held their 7th Annual Pedal for Paws event at the Gallatin Civic Center. One couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather, as these bikers geared up for fourteen, thirty-one, forty-five and sixty-one mile courses. Frank Hernandez sung the National Anthem, while riders took their place at the starting line. All the proceeds from the event went straight to Sumner Spay Neuter Alliance, providing life-saving, low cost surgeries for our furry friends. To learn more about Sumner Spay Neuter Alliance, or to help the cause, visit sumnerspayneuteralliance.org.

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INTEGRATED MEDIA & MARKETING

John Mouvery, William Anderson, John Tollini, Steve Manskar, John Brown, Mark Tantra’s, Michael Williams, Craig Ott, Ben Collier & John Young

DESIGN & PHOTOGRAPHY David & Ryan Wilson

Fred & Linda Faulk

Rick Burlin & Robin Harmon

CONSULTING Brandon Green & Richard Alexander

EVENT MANAGEMENT Julie Gordon, Pam Ogden, Bill Kemp, Shadow Kemp, Cassie Smith & Destiny Smith

Cindy & Bill Morelli

436 Main Street Suite 205 Franklin, TN 37064 615.979.1548 info@robertsonmediagroup.com

Kem Kyle & Teresa Holtman

Steve Glor, Steve Curtis & Mike Short

Caroline Rhodes & Dale Fergusson

FEATURE | A Lady Entertains

Hosting the Perfect Graduation Party

BY KRISTA EHRET

Graduation is in a couple of short weeks. While 2017 seniors are anxiously finishing finals and counting down the days, parents are working through the “happy” tears to put together celebrations to honor their grads. Whether an intimate dinner or a full-blown event, here are some tips you can incorporate for the perfect graduation party.

LET THE GUEST OF HONOR BE INVOLVED. Unless you’re planning a surprise, let your graduate help plan the big details of the bash. Find out what they want the vibe of the party to be. Do they want a DJ? Maybe they have a favorite restaurant? Who do they want in attendance? If you really want them to get a taste of the real world, give them a budget and have them work through the who, what and when details.

VENUE IS KEY. If you don’t already have a location, you may find your options somewhat limited. May is a popular time of year for events. However, this type of party can definitely be done at home. You can also reach out to close family and friends if they have a more entertaining friendly abode. Get creative and consider bowling alleys, escape rooms or parks.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FOOD. I think in this situation, it’s important to know your audience. While the cute décor may tickle your fancy, the high school guests may be less enthralled. The menu should be your starting point and where the majority of your budget is allocated. Casual crowd-pleasing fare is going to be your best bet. Mexican food is inexpensive and easy to cater in. Backyard BBQs are always a hit. If you want something more unique, contact a few local food trucks and see who will accommodate private parties.

ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS. Okay so you have the location and the food, now what is everyone going to do while they’re there? This comes down to the grad’s interests. Dancing is really only appropriate for large evening events. You may consider karaoke, a photo booth, slide show, trivia or yard games.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON HOSTING THIS CELEBRATORY EVENT FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS – ONLY HAPPY TEARS ALLOWED!

DÉCOR AND DETAILS. As mentioned above, if budget is important, don’t go too crazy with the details. You’ll want a table for gifts and a guest book. You may ask guests to write a piece of advice on a card that you can then put together in a framed collage and give as a gift. Guests will love looking at photos of your grad over the years. Place several framed ones around and consider having a photo book as your guest book. Centerpieces can be as simple as a cluster of helium balloons with some photos on holders placed around them. Favors should be edible. Consider a popcorn station or decorated cookies.

Cheers to all the 2017 graduates!

MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 39

LIFESTYLE | A Southern Gentleman Is

The

True Love

of a Good

Woman

SHE WAS ALWAYS A TRUE SOUTHERN LADY. HE BECAME A TRUE SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN.

BY ROCKY MCELHANEY

The first eulogy I ever delivered in my life was for the woman I loved more than I could ever explain my grandmother, Mary McDaniel. That speech was both the hardest and most rewarding thing I think I have ever done. Born and raised in poor, rural farm country in East Tennessee, Mamaw Mack lived her whole life within a three-mile radius. To her, life was about faith, family and friends – in that order.

She was born in 1931 and there was very little opportunity for young women in those days, in education or the workforce. Mamaw only had an eighth-grade education but she read the Bible every night, taught Sunday school and sang in the church 40 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

choir, although she couldn’t carry a tune in a wooden bucket. She worked her fingers to the bone for minimum wage as a seamstress in a sweat shop for more than thirty years, leaving home at 4am every morning after getting up to ready everything for my mom and aunt to get off to school. She took the summers off to work in the tomato and tobacco fields with my Papaw. That was harder, but likely not hotter, work than pay-by-the-piece sewing.

I remember she would quit suckering tomato plants in those scorching July fields to walk to the house to cook supper – usually skillet fried meat, mashed potatoes, green beans canned from the season before and cornbread. Then she would shower and dress for Wednesday night pray meeting or church visitation. Her hair was rolled and perfect for church. She wore jewelry and perfume then. Mamaw was so tall when she cleaned up. She was both tough as nails and as graceful as a ballerina. She always had a kind word and a loving heart. She was the greatest women I ever knew.

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About Your Business Mary McDaniel exemplified the best of the old south way of life.

In stark contrast, however, my Papaw McDaniel, probably represented the worst of the southern way of life. I was about five when I first remember him openly using racial slurs. Although he too was a Christian and deacon in the church, he was an overt bigot, a known womanizer and, at times, a stumbling drunk.

Papaw did not read the Bible but professed to know all the things it was against. He railed to his friends in the 1980s about the “wet backs” invading our country but worked illegal immigrants in the tomato and tobacco fields, long hours for paltry wages. The child workers were paid a day rate. He cussed at them all, including my grandma. He treated her only slightly better than he treated the workers. Most of his work on the farm involved driving the tractor or fussing at the help.

At the end of the day, after he paid the workers cash for their labor – no reason to pay taxes when you were smart enough to avoid them – he would drive to the house, shower and eat the supper Mamaw had cooked. He would never complement her on the food but usually asked for seconds which she would get for him. In the true south, the women waited on the men at meal time and only ate after the men were done. I remember when he took off his shirt, his arms were so dark, his belly pasty white – a real farmer’s tan. Papaw always wore a full suit to church and sat up close to the front. His hair was greased and perfect for church.

He wore jewelry and cologne then. Papaw was so distinguished when he cleaned up. He never had a kind word for anybody and was hateful. He was the most hypocritical man I ever knew.

I thought once that he was probably just like the white men in Mississippi that went after Medgar Evers.

She loved him past it all, his good and his bad, despite the scars he carved on her heart. She made sure we all loved him too. To follow her example, we had to love him. Her love pulled us all through it. As she aged, through earthly struggles and sickness, Mamaw Mack never changed, not an inch. She never wavered in her core beliefs that God is great and family comes first. She lived it daily, her whole life, until the moment she passed away.

As he aged, through trying times and sickness, Papaw did change, a bunch. He opened his mind and heart to those core values that good people share, that he always had within him, that God is great and family comes first. He lived it, from then on, until the moment he passed away.

She was always a true southern lady. He became a true southern gentleman. The grace of God can save a man’s soul, but the true love of a good woman can redeem a man’s life.

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YOURSUMNER Social | Lifestyle | Business | Community All Sumner. All The Time.

LIFESTYLE | Pours & Palates

The Chocolate Covered Strawberry Café & Boutique

BY ANNA ROBERTSON HAM

Chocolate covered strawberries. Those three words can make someone’s mouth water.

Who doesn’t love them? Bonnie Waldron knew she had something special when guests of her parties would always comment on the chocolate covered strawberries she would make and serve on a platter. So, when she decided to open her own business offering recipes that she loved to the people of Sumner County, she decided to name it for her most talked about party pleaser – The Chocolate Covered Strawberry. Bonnie opened her first location of The Chocolate Covered Strawberry over eleven years ago, with the past six years in the current location on Nashville Pike. She moved to this larger location, as the need more space. She now has 7,000 square feet of dining and retail space in the beautiful 1930s brick home with an add on, along with a beautiful deck for patio seating.

All of the tables are filled for lunch Monday through Saturday. They accommodate so many and take so many orders now, that they dip close to 500 chocolate covered strawberries a day.

I got to take a little trip to The Chocolate Covered Strawberry to chat with Bonnie and try some of the menu offerings, which are all homemade daily. We toured the building and fell in love with the quaint yet vibrant décor. Every table has a mix and match of chairs, flower vases and different sets of salt and pepper shakers throughout. It has a 42 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

home-like feel to it with a warmth that greets you. The restaurant and atmosphere is for both men and women, yet it tends to draw more of a lady’s crowd day in and day out.

The first dish I tried was the Lemon Chicken Spinach Artichoke Soup - made fresh everyday with homemade chicken stock, leeks, carrots, celery, seasoning, chicken, spinach, artichoke and noodles.

This soup has a great collaboration of the lemon taste with the salty and savory artichoke, and even with a thinner broth base, it is still very hearty with all of the texture and ingredients.

The lightness makes it a great soup to have even in the warmer months. The flavors were a perfect mix and no salt and pepper were needed! Soups are changed daily so this one is not a staple on the menu, but I hope you get try it!

The next dish was the Chopped and Topped salad, which is the restaurant’s most popular dish. The menu describes it as: chopped mixed greens topped with a scoop of

chicken salad, sliced strawberries and cinnamon roasted almonds drizzled with homemade strawberry vinaigrette; served with a wedge of carrot cake!

This is the most popular for a reason.

This salad is so delicious and filling, and has a little bit of everything to enjoy. Every salad ordered comes with not only a chocolate covered strawberry, but a piece of homemade carrot cake. You can’t beat that! It is also finely chopped, which I love. There is nothing worse than having to cut up your salad or smush in your mouth large pieces of lettuce. It has a burst of sweetness with the berries topping and great texture with crunchiness of the mixed greens and almonds. The lightness of the strawberry vinaigrette, with poppyseed and olive oil is perfect for the combined ingredients. And the chicken salad is the ideal addition.

The other menu item I tried was the Cobb Salad Sandwich, which is described as: ham, turkey, Swiss, tomatoes, chopped eggs, chopped bacon and ranch dressing. It is served on a HUGE croissant. I love Cobb salads, so this was a treat! The flavors of my favorite salad all rolled into a sandwich well let’s just say I was pleased. It was very tasty and satisfying. The portion is large and they do not do half sandwiches, so you may

want to split it or plan to save the other half!

And, of course, the sandwich is served with a chocolate covered strawberry on the side.

The tasting was completed with dessert (if the chocolate covered strawberries weren’t enough!) – Grannies Caramel Pecan Apple Cake & Cinnamon Sprinkled Vanilla Ice Cream with a Warm Caramel Sauce. It’s so good, it’s like when your grandma would sneak you cake when no one is looking. You know that taste and feeling… it’s that “made with love” taste. You will close your eyes and say “mmm” after the first bite. It is another huge serving that is perfect to share with others. I am still craving it daily since trying it.

I definitely recommend The Chocolate Covered Strawberry to everyone.

Whether you have been a regular to the eatery for years, or never tried it, you can find something that will please your palate.

Even if you just want to go in and order their chocolate covered strawberries, which are all unique.

As Bonnie says, “Every strawberry has a home here. No two strawberries are the same.”

THE CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY CAFÉ & BOUTIQUE 2375 Nashville Pike | Gallatin, TN 37066 615.230.1002 thechocolatecoveredstrawberry.com

Thursday, June 1st, 2017 5:30pm-7:30pm Culinary Extravaganza Don't miss

Gallatin's

at the Gallatin Civic Center Presented by the

Adult Tickets: $15 in Advance $20 at the Door Child Tickets: $5

LIFESTYLE | Eat, Drink & Be Merry

A NEW TWIST ON

BOXED LUNCHES

BY JIM AND CHERYL HAGY, OWNERS OF CHEF’S MARKET

Curried Chicken Salad Wrap (Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

In the catering world, it’d be hard to be a stranger to the boxed lunch. The grab-and-go packaging of a boxed lunch makes it an easy alternative for corporate meetings, but the presentation can be a bit lack luster. This month we are showing you a new twist on the old boxed lunch standby that’s special enough for graduation parties, baby showers, Steeplechase, Derby parties, ladies’ luncheons and spring picnics.

To create this out-of-the-box look, take a standard six-pack container designed for beverages and cover it with your favorite wrapping paper or scrapbook paper to fit the theme of your event. You can often even find these handled boxes in solid colors at craft stores to save time. Then designate each compartment with a meal accompaniment – wrap sandwiches, fresh veggies and dip, a mason jar salad, your favorite sweet treat, a drink and a napkin rolled with utensils. The presentation will be a hit, and your food set-up will be more compact without a bottle necking buffet line.

We’re helping you put together the menu this month by sharing a few of our coveted boxed lunch recipes, including our curry chicken salad recipe that makes a phenomenal wrap sandwich, our easy-to-prep cucumber hummus that pairs nicely with freshly cut veggies and our Italian Pasta Salad, that rounds out any luncheon with pizzazz.

We hope your spring is filled with joyous occasions, festive celebrations and some fun fresh takes on your springtime fare!

Enjoy!

Chef ’s Market Catering & Restaurant is a full-service catering company that continues to be celebrated as a leader in culinary skill and presentation, voted as Best Caterer in Nashville for the past five consecutive years. Chef ’s Market offers catering and take-away options for both large and small events, from formal corporate galas to casual in-office get-togethers and outdoor affairs.

Its Goodlettsville, Tennessee restaurant serves customer favorites for lunch and dinner Monday – Saturday. Visit chefsmarket.com for more information and menu selections.

3 cups shredded cooked skinless chicken breast 3 Tablespoons dried currants 3 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts ½ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup sour cream 1 Tablespoon honey mustard 1 teaspoon curry powder 2 cups spring greens or fresh baby spinach 4 spinach tortillas 1 Granny Smith Apple, sliced 2 Tablespoons softened cream cheese

Instructions In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, currants, pine nuts and apple. Toss together.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, honey mustard and curry until blended and smooth. Spoon it over the chicken mixture and toss to blend.

Spread ½ Tablespoon on the top of a tortilla.

Place ½ cup of greens on each wrap, followed by 1 cup of chicken salad and ¼ of the green apple. Begin by folding in each side then begin rolling from the bottom so that the cream cheese seals the wrap. Cut off a diagonal and serve.

Cucumber Hummus

Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic ¼ cup tahini paste Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained 1 English cucumber, sliced Salt and black pepper to taste 1 pinch dill

1 (12 ounce) package tri-color rotini pasta ¾ pound Italian salami, cut in julienne strips ½ green bell pepper, sliced ½ red bell pepper, sliced ½ red onion, chopped 1 cup Italian-style salad dressing 1 (6-ounce) can sliced black olives 3 (.7-ounce) packages dry Italian-style salad dressing mix, or to taste ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese 4 leaves of fresh basil chopped

Instructions Place the garlic, tahini paste, lemon juice and olive oil into a blender or food processor. Blend until the garlic is finely minced, then add the garbanzo beans and sliced cucumber. Purée until smooth, then season to taste with pepper and salt, blend to mix.

Refrigerate, and sprinkle with dill before serving. Serve with vegetables or pita.

46 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

Instructions Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water until cool.

Combine pasta, salami, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, salad dressing and olives in a large bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

SOCIAL | A Garden Party Fashion Show Photography by Haley Anthony The GWFC Hendersonville Woman’s Club has held their annual Spring Fashion Show for thirty-one years. The 32nd Annual event was held at Bluegrass Yacht and Country Club and showcased fashions from J.McLaughlin. The day featured a silent auction, lunch and was followed by the fashion show. This year’s theme was A Garden Party, so hats were a welcome accessory! Their 2016 show, The Social Scene, raised more than $22,000 in scholarships for local area high school senior girls. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs is for women of all ages who want to expand their horizons by meeting new friends, gain knowledge about their communities, learn new skills and improve their communities through volunteer service. To learn more about the Hendersonville Woman’s Club, visit hendersonvillewomansclub.org.

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COMMUNITY | In Your Backyard

Annual th Strawberry Festival

76

BY HOLLIE DEESE

It can be hard to make something seem fresh and new after seventy-six years, but Patch, the new mascot for the Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival, has been doing just that, drumming up excitement by bopping around Portland businesses leading up to the annual event, this year held May 13.

“You see people taking pictures and honking as they’re going by and that’s been a lot of fun,” says Kristen Daughtry, event coordinator with the Portland Chamber of Commerce.

It’s just one way the Chamber has updated the longtime celebration of the area’s sweetest crop, the strawberry. In fact, this year the berry itself is getting a big push too as food vendors are being tasked with adding an item to their menu that features strawberries.

“We have thirty-one food vendors, and twenty-six of them are offering a strawberry item,” Kristen says. It’s a way to supplement the overwhelming demand for strawberries as festival-goers buy whatever is available by the crate. And the amount of berries available for the fest is always in question, usually at the mercy of unpredictable weather.

“Until a week or two before we really have to just play it by ear,” Kristen says.

“Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates - all of that’s at the mercy of the weather and what it wants to do.”

In addition to area farmers setting up booths with berries, Kristen says farmers from all over Middle Tennessee are welcome to set up at the festival. And they won’t begin selling until noon in order to give them that morning to pick as well.

“We don’t charge the farmers to come set up,” she says. “We just ask that they come and bring as many as they can. They will sell out quickly.”

Also new this year is a free shuttle transporting people from the parking lot at Portland High School to downtown, in addition to the free shuttle from First Baptist Church. That should help manage the crowds that topped 30,000 at last year’s 75th Anniversary celebration.

“That way, people don’t have to worry about where they’re going to park,” she says. “They can just park at the high school, and be shuttled to the festival area.”

48 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

The festival will also be kept all downtown this year, from the concert and parade to the Kid Zone and vendors. The only thing that will remain at Richland Park is the carnival which will be set up all week long. The move is an effort to keep festival-goers busy until the free Bucky Covington concert and fireworks that evening.

All of the changes and planning are a concerted effort between the chamber, area business, sponsors and volunteers.

Strawberry Festival History Highlighting the history of the event was important to organizers this year says Kristen, not just for visitors but even residents of Portland who might not know all the details.

“Portland used to be huge for the strawberry crop,” she says. “Agriculture here has diminished and we have more industry now, but we really celebrate the Strawberry Festival to celebrate our heritage and our history.”

According to the festival’s updated website, strawberry crops in Portland go as far back as 1885 when enterprising farmer William “Uncle Billy” McGlothlin realized local soil conditions were ideal for raising strawberries. In 1912 the Portland Strawberry Growers Association was organized and farmers began entering berries in state competitions.

“It’s almost a year-round thing,” Kristen says of planning Portland’s biggest event that lasts all week long, culminating with Saturday’s parade, pageant and performances. “It can be challenging. Luckily we have an army of volunteers. A lot of the clubs and organizations and churches in the area, we all get together and brainstorm. We have lots and lots of help to be able to pull it off.”

The Saturday before the festival, May 6, is Health and Safety Day at Richland Park with live music, multiple emergency vehicles for kids to look, search and rescue dogs to meet and a Sumner County Anti-Drug Coalition-sponsored inflatable.

The Friday night before the festival there will be a free Music on Main concert under the city’s new string lights downtown.

“We have people that come from everywhere who hear about us or may just happen to have family that they’re visiting in town, but it’s just a way for a community to come together,” Kristen says.

Portland’s first Strawberry Festival was held in 1940 and drew a crowd of about 5,000 people. Marjorie Culbreath (Langford) was crowned the first Strawberry Queen from among nineteen candidates. The local newspaper called it a “Celebration to Open the Berry Harvest” that lasted for three days, May 16-18. Local dignitaries and politicians were there, like Tennessee Governor Prentice Cooper, and Sumner County teacher H.H. Bryant led the daily berry crate auction.

The second Strawberry Festival in 1941 reportedly drew a crowd of about 10,000 people and Joyce Smart (Plumley) from White House was crowned queen.

During Portland’s strawberry industry peak there were multiple local processing plants like, Tennessee Fresh Frozen Foods and Southland, in addition to a plant that made strawberry crates and quarts.

Portland became known as the “Middle Tennessee Strawberry Capital” and the berry became big business.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Strawberry Festival was not held in 1942, and the “official” celebrations with a parade did not resume until May of 1946, after World War II was over.

MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 49

COMMUNITY | In Your Neighborhood

Emmett hopes they find a moment of relaxation during their busy work day.

Construction in the church-turnedrestaurant is well under way with a projected opening date this month.

But she admits it has been a long process that began last October and has dragged out from a series of setbacks that included delayed architecture plans and a widelyreported theft of her eight foot chicken mascot, “Toot,” from the front of the building.

Toot is her son’s childhood nickname, so the theft was especially painful. But the town’s reaction to it has left her feeling rejuvenated and more determined than ever to open her doors.

COMMUNITY RALLIES AROUND HOT CHICKEN BUSINESS

BY HOLLIE DEESE

It’s been a long time coming, but hot chicken is finally making its way to Portland.

to do it. I love to cook and I used to be a waitress and a cook before, years ago, and I liked it.”

Emmett Carter, a former soldier with the 101st Airborne Division stationed at Ft. Campbell, has lived in Portland for years now, working a few jobs here and there after leaving the military while raising her son Dorian. Now her son is in college and she decided it was time to do something for herself and the community.

Emmett would wager to guess eighty-five percent of her community has never even had hot chicken and is excited to show them just how good it can be. Helen’s Hot Chicken is a Nashville-based franchise that began in a trailer off Rosa Parks Boulevard and now have multiple locations in the mid-state and even Texas.

With a craving of her own for hot chicken, Emmett found herself taking off from Portland to Nashville whenever she could to satisfy it sometimes even coming back late on her lunch break since it was so far away.

“They have Chester’s and the gas station, but this is fresh, cooked to order,” she says. “There is a little wait for it but it is really good and fresh. It already exists and there is lots of positive feedback on the chicken already. They are excited to have something from Nashville come to Portland.”

“There is food (in Portland), you just run out of options very quickly. We need more food here,” she says. “Someone brought it to my attention that this franchise would be a good idea. So, I decided 50 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

The factories behind the restaurant are even cutting walking paths to Helen’s for quick and easy lunch access, and with the addition of a back patio

“The police department called me and said ‘Emmett, don’t buy anymore chickens,’ because someone has anonymously donated one and had it cloned to match Toot, a five-foot one, and delivered to the police department,” she says.

And it didn’t stop there. A second one – this one nine feet tall - was gifted from Lisa Davis, owner of Davis and Co. Mercantile in Portland, after taking up a donation from her customers. A third chicken was donated by friends from Franklin.

She has since passed inspection and attributes the help of everyone from the electricians and building suppliers to the codes department with getting her to the point where she can open.

“The city has been so supportive codes, the fire department, police, everyone has been so supportive and helpful,” she says. “It just left me speechless because it was amazing all the support helping me get through this, and they don’t even know me.”

To learn more, visit helenshotchicken.com.

BUSINESS | Your Real Estate

INVENTORY STILL LOW IN SUMNER

BY HOLLIE DEESE

House hunters are still struggling to find just the right place as inventory remains down according to the most recent sales stats provided by the Sumner Association of Realtors.

Bring Elegance,

Beauty and Style to Your Home.

“The supply is low for the third straight month,” says Oliver Barry, SAR president.

There were 773 residential homes on the market in March, which is up from 766 in February and 772 in January, but still way down from the 936 on the market at the same time last year. The lowest amount of inventory in all of 2016 was December, with 850 homes.

Another sign of the market’s strength is the shortened amount of time homes are sitting on the market. In March 2017, the average DOM was fifty-two days – down nearly 27 percent from the seventy-one days homes were on the market March 2016. Condos are on the market about half as long as they were last year too – lasting just an average of thirty-three days March 2017 versus sixty-three days during March 2016.

Complimentary DESIGN SERVICES

And for what is on the market people are willing to pay – to the tune of 15 percent more this year than over the same time last year. The median sales price in Sumner during the month of March was $260,000. Last year at the same time it was $225,450.

“There were more units sold, and higher average sale price,” he says.

With school about to be out and summer’s sales expected to rise, builders are working fast and furious to meet the demand in every part of the county, from White House to Westmoreland. And sellers are seeming to be increasing now too – there were 562 new listings posted for March 2017, up almost 52 percent from the 370 new listings posted in February.

The Sumner Association of Realtors (SAR) represents nearly 500 members throughout Sumner and Macon counties. SAR is dedicated to serving their members in Middle Tennessee with the products and services they offer and to provide the resources needed for members to gain the professional edge in the real estate industry. For more information about SAR, visit sumnercountyrealtors.com.

The 2017 SAR officers are President Oliver Barry of PARKS Realty, President Elect Steve Shrum of Keller Williams, First Vice President Wendy Suttle of Keller Williams and Secretary/ Treasurer Ed Andrews of Exit Real Estate Solutions.

615-822-6234 Tile and Stone Designs 143 New Shackle Island Road, Suite 14 Hendersonville, TN 37075

COMMUNITY | Your Charitable Self

GRACE PLACE HELPS STRUGGLING MOMS BRIDGE GAPS

BY HOLLIE DEESE

After a few years as a coordinator at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Gallatin, Desneige VanCleve became aware of how big of a need there was to help struggling single mothers in Sumner County looking for work while facing food insecurity, homelessness and lack of transportation. There was always a waiting list at other shelters and organizations, if they could help them at all.

She began doing some research, networking and visiting several different counties and nations throughout the region to figuring out what the gaps were that put these women in their situations. Armed with a plan, Grace Place opened in July 2015.

“We are a shelter, faith-based nonprofit helping mothers and children experiencing homelessness, and our mission statement is empowering impoverished single mothers and their children toward developing healthy, safe and independent lives in the community,” she says.

Desneige began to see some patterns emerge about the circumstances that put these single moms in hard to get out of situations.

Because of those patterns it is incredibly difficult for a woman to care for children or find affordable child care during the hours they can find work, and Grace Place aims to bridge those gaps that can prevent women from seeking help elsewhere.

“They serve the whole family and have a different model than Grace Place,” Desneige says of a collaborative partner, Good Neighbor Mission, the only other organization in Sumner County that helps with homelessness. “At that time, they could not serve unemployed – one person in the family had to be employed, they had to 52 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

have transportation. And those were just some of the eligibility gaps I noticed on the phone from the families who were calling.

They were mostly single mothers, mostly unemployed and many of them did not have transportation.”

Good Neighbor Mission and Grace Place work together often to meet the needs of Sumner County families struggling with homelessness, she says. And the need is only growing.

Transportation is one of the biggest problems women face. If they have been in any kind of legal trouble and the consequence has been a revoked or suspended driver’s license they can’t legally drive. If they choose to drive anyway to get to work and then get caught it is a spiral effect that can make matters worse.

As part of the Regional Transit Authority van pool program Grace Place makes sure women in the program get rides to any appointments or interviews.

“One of the things that has led them to homelessness is they take whatever job they can get, most of the time it is restaurant or retail, which all requires second shift and weekends,” she says. “So, these moms are relying on friends or family to try and watch their kids so they can go to work. That is just not going to work long term. So, they have lost these types of jobs very consistently and very often because they can’t keep reliable child care.”

For a mother who must have child care, she has to be able to get a first shift, Monday through Friday job. But according to Desneige there is no child care facility open second shift or weekends in Sumner County.

That is why part of Grace Place’s model is to give them the support it takes until they can find those first-shift jobs and affordable health care.

Most families find they through referrals

from local churches and organizations.

When Grace Place first opened, they could only serve three families at a time. Now they can serve five families in the shelter program and three in their graduate program for a total of eight. The hope is that number will only grow from here.

“We have a lot of really good ideas and visions for the future and pillars of support within the community,” she says. “We are trying to be patient to really learn what models are most effective over time. We don’t want these families to leave here and end up in the same situation again. We want this to be the last time they will ever go through something like this.”

Desneige’s own parents divorced when she was young and she was raised by her dad until about fourteen, then with her mom.

Both were single parents so she can relate to some of the struggles and uncertainties the families she helps are going through.

And since she has opened she has helped thirty-two families complete all the goals and graduate from the program.

So far, 100 percent of those women are still in their own place.

“What we are doing is really significant and is working,” she says.

HOW TO HELP As an independent, faith-based nonprofit, donations are needed to keep Grace Place in operation. In addition to monetary contributions people can visit the website graceplaceministryinc.org for a list of needed household supplies and an online meal train. Volunteer opportunities are also available but require a weekly commitment.

Lotus Nashville

Carlock Nashville musiccitymotorcars.com

1599 Mallory Lane Brentwood, TN (615) 261-7337

SOCIAL | United Chambers Annual Luncheon

Photography by Anna Robertson Ham The United Chambers of Sumner County Annual Luncheon at EPIC Event Centre, brought together all six area Chambers, including the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce, Goodlettsville Chamber of Commerce, Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce, Portland Chamber of Commerce, Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce and White House Chamber of Commerce. The guest speaker was Jennifer Foster, Business Development Executive of Destinations at STR, and Brenda Payne was recognized at the luncheon with the 2017 Order of the Horse Award. For more information on upcoming Chamber events, contact your local area Chamber office or visit their website.

Mary Poole, Brenda Payne & Sonya Manfred

Natalie Hughes & Tosha Stoutenburg

Kathleen Hawkins, Barry Young & Jennifer Foster

Mandy Christenson, Diane Black & Drew Christenson Paige Brown & Jason Duncan

Kimberly Lynn, Kim Baker, Kathleen Hawkins, Mandy Christensen, Jaqueline Wix Roberson & Sherri Ferguson

Tracy Sayles, Kelly Dickey & Heidi Stockford

Jordan MacConnell & Jolind Weaver

Rachel Marshall & Michell Price

Meghan Rewa, Raymond Crump & Kelly Webb

Jazmin Merced & Zena Parks

Redford Garrett, Fred Rogers & James Sanders

54 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

Karen Mitchell & Jeremiah Bennett

Kim Dickinson, Susan Gaimari & Richard Dickinson

Christy Jones & AJ Nardini

Lori Russell & Cindy Wasden

Greg Jones, Tami Wallace & Andrew Dollar

Chef Christopher

BUSINESS | We’re In the Money

PICKING YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR This issue marks one year since I started writing the financial column for Your Sumner. It has been a lot of fun to come up with topics, at times with help! One topic that generally comes up is, “What should I look for in a financial advisor?” I have been a practicing financial planner since 2003, and in the financial business since 1996. One thing I realized early on in my career is that building any business is about relationships – and even more so in the financial arena.

Picking the right advisor is important. If done correctly, you could be starting a relationship that will be very impactful throughout your working career and retirement. Here are a few tips you can use when trying to determine if the advisor is right for you.

How does the advisor get paid? This should come up fairly early in the interview process with the advisor. Are they fee-based, or do they work on commission? Based on my own experience in the financial business, I encourage people to avoid commission based advisors due to the conflicts of interest that can arise. However, just because someone is fee-based (or fee-only) doesn’t mean they are perfect. Issues can exist there as well.

Check out the background of your potential advisor, or current advisor. You can check sites such as brokercheck.finra.org, or contact the Better Business Bureau to find out if your advisor has had complaints registered against them. Ask them if they have been involved in any arbitration cases, or been investigated for any reason.

Ask if they have ever filed bankruptcy – if they can’t manage their own finances, how would you expect them to manage yours?

Is the advisor credentialed? Are they a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) or ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant)? Both designations give credibility to the potential advisor.

Is the advisor acting in a fiduciary capacity? This means the advisor has to act in your (the client’s) best interest. Make sure this extends to the sales process as well. If not, they may only have to satisfy a suitability standard, which means whatever is sold to you only has to be suitable, but not necessarily in your best interest.

This is a lesser standard, and generally applies to commission based advisors.

I hope this helps, and if you want more info, feel free to give our Gallatin office a call at 615.461.8653, or check us out at paulwinkler.com. We can set up a free initial consultation to determine if our office can help you with your current situation.

Until next month, Jonathan Walker, CFP®, RICP® *Advisory services offered through Paul Winkler, Inc. (“PWI”), a Registered Investment Advisor. PWI does not provide tax or legal advice; please consult your tax or legal advisor regarding your situation. This information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed to be a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any securities.

Jonathan Walker, CFP® Paul Winkler, Inc. Creating Confident Investors™ jonathan@paulwinkler.net 150 N. Water Ave. Gallatin, TN 37066 Tel: 615-461-8653 Fax: 615-851-4597

BUSINESS | Ribbon Cuttings

Ribbon Cuttings Congratulations to these new Sumner County businesses and Chamber members!

Auto Art Collision 760 W Main Street Hendersonville, TN 37075

Club Pilates Indian Lake 217 Indian Lake Boulevard, Suite 1002 Hendersonville, TN 37075

Men’s Optimum Health 131 Maple Row Boulevard Hendersonville, TN 37075

Music City Health Center 261 Indian Lake Boulevard, Suite 140 Hendersonville, TN 37075

Countryside Office Suites 1404 East Broadway Gallatin, TN 37066

Sarah’s Busy Bee Florist & Boutique 505 N Broadway Portland, TN 37148

Jack Morris Auto Glass 334 Free Hill Road Hendersonville, TN 37075

Skinworks Wellness 300 Indian Lake Boulevard, Suite T-200 Hendersonville, TN 37075

Sumner County Area Chambers of Commerce

Spine Stop Chiropractic 305 S Broadway Portland, TN 37148

T’s Hot Chicken Shack 1845 Nashville Pike Gallatin, TN 37066

Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce 615.452.4000 | gallatintn.org

Portland Area Chamber of Commerce 615.325.9032 | portlandcofc.com

Goodlettsville Area Chamber of Commerce 615.859.7979 | goodlettsvillechamber.com

Westmoreland Area Chamber of Commerce 615.644.1531 | westmorelandchamber.org

Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce 615.824.2818 | hendersonvillechamber.com

White House Area Chamber of Commerce 615.672.3937 | whitehousechamber.org

SOCIAL | Women in Business Photography by Haley Anthony The Portland Chamber of Commerce held their spring Women in Business event at Sumner Crest Winery, featuring a fashion show, networking, door prizes and wine tasting. It is an opportunity for the business women of Sumner County to meet and make connections while enjoying food and drinks. Local businesses and boutiques contributed their own merchandise for the fashion show including The Shoppes at Occasions, Southern Charm Salon and Boutique and Graphic Obsessions. To learn more about the Portland Chamber of Commerce and their events, visit portlandcofc.com.

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Voted Best Real Estate Attorney in MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 57 Sumner County!

LIFESTYLE | Arts & Culture

Your Ticket to

FUN!

BY HOLLIE DEESE

58 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

Martin F amily C ircus at Music on Main

8

Together they have performed around Nashville, on television and even to a packed house for the Oak Ridge Boys’ induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets to Goodlettsville City Hall’s Gazebo Park from 6:30 – 8pm. Food vendors will be on site as well as a Kid’s Zone with children’s activities. For more information, contact the Goodlettsville Area Chamber of Commerce at 615.859.7979 or the City of Goodlettsville Parks, Recreation and Tourism at 615.851.2231.

June 1 &

Southern Heritage Quilt Exhibit at Wynnewood

Thru May 28

Through May 28 at Historic Wynnewood in Castalian Springs, visitors can see handstitched quilts on display, including one quilt that will be laid out on the “Jesse James” bed for viewing.

The quilt exhibit is included in the price of admission to tour Wynnewood, or you can just view the quilts without the tour for $5. Another option is to attend the “If These Logs Could Talk” quilt lecture, presented by Bledsoe’s Lick Historical Association on May 21 as part of their Third Sunday series of speakers on historic topics.

At 2pm Cathy Lampman will demonstrate quilt restoration and talk about the quilts that are on display as part of the exhibit. The Third Sunday program fee is included with the regular cost of admission, which also includes a tour of Historic Wynnewood. The cost for the presentation only is $5.

Bring a lawn chair or other seating for the program. For more information, visit historicwynnewood.org.

Fresh off their stint performing at the White House Egg Roll on April 17, the Martin Family Circus will be performing at the free Music on Main events in Goodlettsville June 1 and June 8. The Hendersonville family band is made up of Grammy-winning artist Paul Martin of the country-pop group Exile, his wife Jamie Allen, daughter of Duane Allen of The Oak Ridge Boys, and their four children March, Kell, Texas and Tallant.

May 19-June 4

Everybody Loves Opal at HPAC

The Hendersonville Performing Arts Company is presenting Everybody Loves Opal, May 19 through June 4. The play revolves around Opal Kronkie, a middle-aged recluse, who lives in a tumbledown mansion at the edge of the municipal dump where she collects things, toted home in her little red wagon. Into the eternal optimist’s world enters Gloria, Bradford and Solomon, three purveyors of bogus perfume on the run who devise a plan to insure - then kill Opal for the money.

Attempt after attempt fail, and through it all, Opal radiates kindness, affection and, strangely enough, gratitude. Tickets are available at the Hendersonville Performing Arts Company box office, online at hpactn.com, or by calling 615.826.6037.

®

season

SEPT 8-24, 2017

yOu're

OCT 10-15, 2017

welcome OCT 31 – NOV 5, 2017

Here.

June 3

Angel Leigh will be at the Palace Theatre in Gallatin on June 3. Recognized for her ability to speak with spirits, she has been dubbed a “spiritual messenger” and was featured on A&E’s series Cursed: The Bell Witch and is the subject of the book “Through the Eyes of Angel Leigh” by Dr. Sue Clifton. The doors will open for a meet and greet at 4pm for online ticket holders, and at 5pm for people who pay at the door. Tickets at the door will be cash only, and people can choose to bring photos of loved ones for Angel Leigh to look at.

No children under the age of twelve at the event, and merchandise will be available for purchase.

Call 615.4525692 for more information.

Angel Leigh Spiritual Messenger at Palace Theatre

2017-18

MAR 28 – APRIL 22, 2018

JAN 30 – FEB 4, 2018

FEB 27 – MAR 4, 2018

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Save up to 25% when you secure your seats for all eight season shows

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Need more flexibility? We have options!

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LIFESTYLE | Your Kids

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES TO TARGET MOTOR SKILLS

BY GINGER JONES

Motor skills are motions that are carried out when the brain, nervous system and muscles work together. Fine motor skills are small movements; this can be cutting, picking up small objects and holding a spoon. Gross motor skills are the bigger movements; this can be sitting, walking and running – anything that uses your bigger muscles.

Playing outside offers a wide range of motor development opportunities – especially on the playground. As a parent, it can be easy to get tired of the playground, especially when you’ve gone 100 times, but we know our kids don’t feel that way. Children see it as a new adventure each time! All we have to do is foster their creativity and play into the new adventure each time; the swing is now a space ship, the slide is a mudslide down a mountain and monkey bars are hanging vines.

Here are some things you can do on a playground to help develop and strengthen your child’s gross motor skills:

SUPERMAN SWING

CLIMB UP THE SLIDE

FIND A BALANCE BEAM

PLAY “THE GROUND IS LAVA”

CLIMB ON THE MONKEY BARS

Lay on your belly across the swing, stretch your arms out in front of you and fly! This game is great for working on back and neck strength.

Let’s have backwards day at the playground. Everyone has to climb up the slide and then walk down the stairs. Going up the slide takes good arm strength, and it’s a great upper body weight bearing activity – which promotes shoulder strength and hand development.

Does your playground have any kind of low barriers? They would be the kind that keeps mulch in – just planks of wood. These make great balance beams.

Play “follow the leader” and see who can go the longest without falling.

I bet your kids already know this one. Decide that the mulch or sand is lava, and find creative ways to get around it.

Swinging, jumping, crawling, anything!

It’s pretty simple – just let them loose on the monkey bars. They’re great for shoulder and upper body strength, but they’re also a great core activity.

Whether your little one is just doing a pull up or pulling their feet up to the bar, it takes a lot of core strength.

Always remember: a child’s work is PLAY! Ginger Geldreich Jones, M.A., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVT | Speech-Language Pathologist, Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist | Founder, CEO | Jones Therapy Services, LLC 615.614.8833 | jonestherapyservices.com 60 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

SOCIAL | Wonderland Egg Hunt

Photography by Melissa DelRossi This year’s Wonderland Egg Hunt event, held at Historic Rock Castle, was the biggest year thus far! This Alice and Wonderland themed event was packed full of activities for everyone. Kids enjoyed craft making, bouncy houses, face and hair painting, as well as a huge Easter egg hunt. There was even an Easter egg hunt for the adults.

The event was free for all families to come and enjoy, thanks to the many hands and sponsors that made this happen. Special thanks to HHS National Honor Society, NoaHS Promise and The Academy at Indian Lake for their generous sponsorship that helped make this event happen. Families from all around came to join the Mad Hatter, Alice and the Red Queen in a day full of fun.

To learn more about Historic Rock Castle and find out about future events, visit historicrockcastle.com.

Mackenzie Oden & Gracie Gillam

Colin, Blake & Ryan Stephens

Sam Gilbert & Winter Huens

The Red Queen, Bebyln Garcia & Alice

Charlie & Ford Felder

Tessa & Ada Robinson

Lily & Zane Fadlallah

Regimay & Brenay Ussery

Peyton, Jamie & Joe Petro

Jack & Jacob Brinson

Bella Smith

Tara & Josiah Tioaquen

Heather, Alexis & Chris Cline

Amelia, Elizabeth & Abigail Banks

Caleb, Kaia & Mason Judkins, Susie Armstrong

Amber & Jazzlyn Curry

Piper Hudgens MAY 2017 | YOURSUMNER.COM 61

COMMUNITY | Your Education

EDUCATION NEWS

ACROSS SUMNER COUNTY

BY HOLLIE DEESE

Sumner County Schools Receive $8 Million Endowment Sumner County Director of Schools Dr. Del Phillips and Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt recently announced that Sumner County had received an endowment of an estimated $8 million from William I. Brown, a Cottontown salesman and landowner who willed the majority of his estate to Sumner County Schools prior to passing away on February 16, 2017.

ALGEBRA I WINNERS

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PRE-CALCULUS WINNERS

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Brown’s will establishes the William and Martha Brown Education Technology Trust, specifying the interest and dividends earned from this trust must be used annually to assist Sumner County Schools with technology.

“Mr. Brown loved the children of this county and our school system,” Phillips said. “He wanted to pass on the wealth he acquired in a way that would make a lasting impact for the students of Sumner County.”

Phillips added the amount of the donation may even be a record for the state. “We’ve tried to research to the best of our ability to verify, but I think this may be the largest donation any K-12 public school system in Tennessee has received from a single donor. It’s certainly the largest in Sumner County’s history,” Phillips said.

Brown’s legacy will also continue through his property, as the county purchased Brown’s Cottontown farm in 2015 to be the future location of a school campus. Brown also established in his will an additional $500,000 to be used in the development of a park on the future school site.

“People like William Brown are what make Sumner County such a great place to live,” Holt said. “Mr. Brown saw the needs of our schools and wanted to help. Mr. Brown’s generosity has left a legacy that will impact the lives of children for generations in Sumner County. He was a tremendous Sumner Countian who had faith in our county, our schools and our future. He leaves a legacy that will last for generations.”

62 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

Students Compete in TMTA Math Competition The Tennessee Math Teachers Association (TMTA) held a regional math competition at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin where hundreds of students from schools across the area competed in: Algebra I and II, Geometry, Statistics, Pre-Calculus and Calculus. Winners will go on to compete in the state competition. The schools participating included: Davidson Academy, Hendersonville High School, Merrol Hyde Magnet School, Portland High School, Sumner Academy, Hendersonville Christian Academy, Gallatin High School, Station Camp High School, Pope John Paul II High School and Mt. Juliet High School.

Algebra I (left to right): Michael Torrence, Vol State assistant vice president for Academic Affairs; second place- Ethan Thongmanivony, Gallatin H.S.; first place- Camila Gomez, Gallatin H.S. Geometry (left to right): Michael Torrence, Vol State assistant vice president for Academic Affairs; Third place- Jack Wilhite, Hendersonville H.S.; second place- Kevin Nguyen, Hendersonville H.S.; first place- Henry Sprouse, Hendersonville H.S. Algebra II (left to right): Michael Torrence, Vol State assistant vice president for Academic Affairs; second place tie- Kevin Zhang, Davidson Academy; second place tie- Ian Dillick, JP II H.S.; first place- Siyuan Zhang, Portland H.S. Statistics (left to right): Michael Torrence, Vol State assistant vice president for Academic Affairs; third place-Skylar Bentley, Merrol Hyde H.S.; second place- Jonathan Caldwell, Merrol Hyde H.S.; first place Hannah Thomas, Hendersonville H.S. Pre-calculus (left to right): Michael Torrence, Vol State assistant vice president for Academic Affairs; third place- Benjamin Isenberg, Station Camp H.S.; second place- Chloe McRae, Station Camp H.S.; first place- Andrew Gray, JP II H.S. Calculus (left to right): Michael Torrence, Vol State assistant vice president for Academic Affairs; third place- Brent Kibbey, Portland H.S. (not shown); second place-Hunter Mitchell, Station Camp H.S.; first place Haoming Ning, JPII H.S.

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FEATURE| Summer Fun

FUN IN THE SUN

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR SUMMER FUN!

BY CATHERINE ROYKA

Take full advantage of your time off this summer, because there are dozens and dozens of ways to enjoy all there is to do around Sumner County and Middle Tennessee. Whether you are booking camps for the kiddos or planning some family or friend trips, you won’t run out of activities. For additional outings and events around Sumner County, visit yoursumner.com.

SUMMER CAMPS Cheekwood Children of all ages can explore the gardens this summer, make masterpieces and enjoy the great outdoors for week-long camps the months of June and July. Camp series to choose from include “Cheekwood Fit” which encourages activities that promote an active and healthy lifestyle, “Adventure Cheekwood” and “Clay Fundamentals” to name a few. If you are a member of Cheekwood on the Household or Society level, you can receive a discount on camp admission. Sign your kiddos up online at cheekwood.org.

Junior Master Gardner Camp The week of June 5-June 9, the staff from Goodlettsville Parks and Recreation and volunteers from the Sumner County Master Gardeners have teamed up to bring this Junior Master camp together for rising third, fourth and fifth graders. The camp is taking place at Historic Mansker’s Station in Goodlettsville. This program engages children in “hands-on” group and individual learning experiences that provide a love for gardening and develop an appreciation for the environment. Camp takes places from 9am-12pm, Monday through Friday. For additional information, visit cityofgoodlettsville.com.

Hendersonville Arts Council For children that want to learn more about the arts and expand on their imagination, the Hendersonville Arts Council has a series of various camps to channel creativity. During the months of June and July, children ages six and older will work with a variety of mediums for art projects such as print making, creating short films, fabric design, glass painting and much 64 YOURSUMNER.COM | MAY 2017

ACTIVITIES & OUTINGS Visit a Museum. The Adventure Science Center has year-round exhibits for children of all ages, but also offers the Little Labs program for ages three to five to participate in lab activities and crafts and the Space Chase for older children, where you can feel what it’s like to walk on the moon. The Frist Center for the Visual Arts presents a bundle of different of exhibits throughout the year. Take the children to the Martin ArtQuest Gallery for a colorful interactive space with various hands-on stations, where one can sketch, paint and make prints and collages. Children under age eighteen can visit the museum for free. more. Camps are weekly throughout the two months and are typically from 9am-12pm, with the exception of 9am-3pm for film camp. There is an opportunity to drop your child off at 8am if needed. For more information on the summer art programs, visit hendersonvillearts.org.

YMCA of Sumner County The YMCA of Sumner County provides a variety of week-long camps starting at the end of May, running through early August. Their range of camp programming includes sports camps, summer learning programs, outdoor adventures and camps for the little ones. Some of the camps include “Critters and Creatures,” “Carnival Camp,” “Splash Camp” and “Jurassic Adventure.” For camp information and availability, visit ymcamidtn.org/summer-camp/ sumner.

Hendersonville Performing Arts Center The Hendersonville Performing Arts Center is hosting two summer programs this year, Peter Pan Jr. and Footloose. The summer programs will include classes on audition skills, character development, monologue presentation prep, theatre craft, costuming and make-up. Following the end of camp, they will perform for the public. The Peter Pan Jr. program is full, but you can call to be placed on the waiting list and can see the performances July 14-16. Auditions for the summer camp program for Footloose is June 27 at 7pm. Camp dates are July 17-28 from 9am-3pm.

For more information on signing up for the Footloose program or being added to the Peter Pan Jr. waitlist, visit hpactn.com.

Vol State Community College – STEAM Week Curiosity, creativity and innovation come alive at STEAM Week, with campers engaging, innovating, building, experimenting, painting, composing and performing.

Campers will work with their peers and educators with backgrounds in engineering, science and the arts, and learn more about those fields of study. The limit for the camp is twenty-five students, so sign-up as soon as you can! Children ages five through twelve are welcome to attend this camp from 9am-3pm. To register and learn more information, visit campstem.us/register/.

Visit a Historical Site. Middle Tennessee is so rich in history, do not pass off the many historical sites and venues around the area we are fortunate to visit. Andrew Jackson’s home, The Hermitage is located north of Nashville, and they offer home tours and various events throughout the year. One of the most wellknown battles from the Civil War was fought in Middle Tennessee. Take a visit to Carnton Plantation, in Franklin, and take a tour.

See a Performance. If you are looking for an indoor activity this summer, see a play or musical performance at one of the many theaters and performance halls. There are always endless shows at the Nashville Children’s Theatre, HPAC, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and TPAC. See a Movie. Support local businesses and check out one of our local theaters like The Palace Theatre or The Belcourt Theater in Nashville for a movie.

Get Outside. You can’t go wrong with outdoor activities here throughout the summer, between hikes, zip lining adventures, kayaking and canoeing, swimming at the lake… how will you fit in all the activities?! Try out Adventureworks Zipline Forest in Whites Creek for a canopy tree top zip line tour or the aerial challenge high ropes course.

Take a Dip. Go for a swim at one of the many local lakes like Percy Priest Lake or Old Hickory Lake. Many of these locations have plenty of space for lounging on the beach area or grills and picnic tables for cooking out with friends and family.

MONTHLY | Did You Know?

GRADUATION!

20th Century composer Edward Elgar wrote Pomp and Circumstance for King Edward VII. When Elgar received an honorary doctorate

It’s the season of graduation – whether it be from high school or college, the month of May is filled with the celebrations of young adults ending and beginning momentous chapters in their lives. Here are a few facts about graduation you may not know! Congratulations to all of our graduates here in Williamson County!

from Yale in 1905, the song played in the background and made a major impression on other institutions thereafter.

The word Bachelor comes from the two Latin words 1) Bacca – a berry and 2) Laureus – the bay laurel. During the Renaissance period, individuals who received a completed degree of higher education were decorated with laurel branches filled with berries upon passing their final exams.

This usage has translated into the conferring of the completed degree for undergraduates in the term Bachelor’s Degree.

Graduates tossing their caps in the air actually originated during a Naval Academy ceremony in 1912. When students of the academy graduated, they were no longer commissioned to wear their caps. Hence, throwing them in the air symbolized completion. Other institutions later adopted this as a celebratory expression for graduates.

There’s al ways something going on in Sumner County!

Diplomas were originally made of sheepskin.

YourSumner.com features an array of events in the area that makes it easy to fill your social calendar and be involved in the community. Don’t miss out on the latest events happening in Sumner County!

Visit yoursumner.com/social/community-calendar today!

ALL SUMNER. ALL THE TIME.

EXPERIENCE THE Magic of Music L I V E AT T H E S C H E R M E R H O R N | G E T T I C K E T S TO DAY

WITH THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY L IV E O N M O T H E R ’S DAY

may 14

may 25

JONNY LANG

COPLAND’S THIRD FEATURING FANFARE FOR THE COMMON MAN

june 1 to 3

AEGIS

SCIENCES FOUNDATION EST. 2013

june 11

ann wilson of

with the Nashville Symphony

june 13

june 16

LIVE AT ASCEND AMPHITHEATER | WITH THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY NASHVILLE SYMPHONY’S

TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR WITH FIREWORKS

1812 OVERTURE | SWAN LAKE PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1

MAY 27

june 24

july 8

AEGIS

SCIENCES FOUNDATION

615.687.6400 | NashvilleSymphony.org with support from: 615.687.6400 • NashvilleSymphony.org EST. 2013

Do you know where your closest Emergency Room is located?

An Emergency can happen any time.

A broken bone, a car accident, a heart attack.

Where would you go for quality emergency care?

Sumner Regional Medical Center is proud to announce our new Emergency Room at Sumner Station. Emergency care is what we do best here. Our physicians are residency trained and board certified in Emergency Medicine.

Fast care provided by our experienced team with easy access just off Vietnam Veteran’s Boulevard.

Bookmark our address and learn more at

SumnerStationER.com 225 Big Station Camp Blvd. Gallatin, TN 37066