Mayor Gary Chandler administered the oath of office and seated two aldermen at the Plainview Board of Aldermen meeting in July. Josh Collins and Richard Phillips were re-elected to four-year terms. Collins is the owner of Collins Insurance and Phillips is retired and serves as the vice mayor of Plainview.
During the business session, the board approved the purchase of a new 90 hp John Deere Tractor with four wheel drive, an air conditioned cab, and a five-foot side mowing deck. The new tractor will make mowing the roadsides much easier according to Phillips.

The Leadership Union County Class of 2022 enjoyed Industry Day on July 21. The day began with coffee and a quick breakfast at the Union County Museum. From the museum, facilitators Robbie and Gail Corum chauffeured the group to Clayton Homes in Maynardville. Bill Monroe and other Clayton employees summarized the history of manufactured home building and then provided a tour of the completely climate-controlled manufacturing facility.

Dr. Jimmy Carter, Union County Director of Schools, introduced Dr. Tobi Kilgore as the new HMMS Principal at the July Board of Education meeting. Kilgore related that he has a wide array of experience in administration at the middle and high school level in Knox County.

Chiropractic colleges accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) offer Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree programs. (CCE is the agency certified by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit chiropractic colleges in the United States.) Admission to a chiropractic college requires a minimum of 90 semester hour credits of undergraduate study, mostly in the sciences.

UT Extension Union County will be offering a series of gardening workshops in August and September on Wednesday mornings in Maynardville.
Topics will include planning, soils, mulch, water efficiency, fertilizers, pests, reducing waste, pollinators, reducing pollutants and wildlife. The curriculum will come from the Tennessee Yard Smart program.

The Union County Farmers Market is in full swing and celebrating the fruits of the summer. Fruit is seasonal and best eaten when it is freshly harvested, not shipped hundreds or thousands of miles. Join us at the market as we gather and bring people together to celebrate our harvests and our community.
Our market has been blessed this year as we saw strawberries and rhubarb earlier in the season, but now the fruits of the summer have arrived!

Fair season is upon us so make sure your 4-H members are getting their entries registered and submitted!
The Union County Farmers Market Annual Youth and Corn Festival will be returning to the Farmers Market Pavilion Saturday, August 6.
UT Extension is sponsoring the fair entries this year and they are open to all youth in grades K-12. It’s time to show off our youths’ accomplishments!
Did your child garden this year? Raise laying hens? Do they do needlework? Perhaps they like to cook? There are fair entries that cover all these areas.

The 18th Union County Heritage Festival encourages all area quilters to enter the Union County Heritage Festival Quilt Show on October 1 at the Union County Museum and is sponsored by the Union County Historical Society.
Intricately crafted ribbons are given in a variety of categories. A special recognition is awarded for the Best Heritage Quilt, the quilt that best exemplifies the festival theme or the general heritage of Union County. The 2022 theme is “Follow your Heart” and is a tribute to Carl Smith and the many love songs he recorded.

I like peanut butter pie, but, hey, there is nary a pie I don't like. This one is easy to stir together. Hope you like it.

By James and Ellen Perry
While sitting on my porch this late July afternoon I’ve noticed that the daylight hours have shortened by 23 minutes since late June.
The days getting shorter means we are slowly moving toward fall and then winter. Although the daylight hours are changing, our hottest and driest month is usually August.