I was so excited when I booked the cruise. Before you ask on which sea and/or ocean, let me say that it was the on Tennessee River and on a paddle boat.
This was a part of Tim and I celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary, which was on October 12th. But the cruise wasn’t in our original plans. At the first of the year, he asked: “What’re we gonna do for our anniversary?” My first thought was to have reception with our family and friends. So back in the spring, I reserved the Fellowship Hall at our church. By the time August rolled around, I had begun to think about having to carry decorations and food stuff in, sitting them up, and then taking them back down. On top of that, I was worried about unlocking the Fellowship Hall and sitting off the alarm again. Then I opted to have a smaller function at our house. Soon, I changed my mind again. To say it has been an eventful year for us is an understatement. I told Tim: “I’m tired and I don’t feel like having a party.” He answered: “Okay, but what are we gonna do instead?”

Trees and spookiness kind of go hand in hand, and you won’t have to try hard to think of movies with a scene of a terrified person walking alone among trees with branches swaying in the wind like arms with long grasping fingers. Scary looking trees show up a lot in artwork, especially clip art caricatures that often give a gruesome face to the tree. I got to looking at these scary tree silhouettes and scratching my head, because they looked familiar. Then it hit me….. they all in profile look like a black walnut, a common local tree that produces very tasty nuts that are dropping from the branches as we speak.

The Three Volley Salute, traditionally performed at military funerals, is a poignant ceremony that conveys deep respect and honor for the deceased. This salute, involving the firing of three rifle volleys, symbolizes the ultimate sacrifices made by the individual and is rooted in historical military traditions. Each volley is believed to represent duty, honor, and country—the core values upheld by service members.

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.

It’s 1956 and Khruschev is on TV in the USA and states “We will take over America without firing a shot!“ This bold statement by the Russian leader shocked most Americans but was soon forgotten by most because at the time things were good across the USA. We had been out of the Korean War for three years. The USA economy was growing. We had new music for the young, great looking cars that families could afford, and the new TV medium being covered by three national channels NBC, CBS, ABC, and the new public channel. Things were great in the ole USA. Families were welcoming new babies through the 1950’s with three-four children being born to most with father working public jobs and mother at home raising the young. Everything was hunky-dory across the sleepy USA. But underway there was skullduggery creeping into our public institutions such as universities, colleges, US government, and most of all our entertainment medium such as TV programs and movies, with plans to change our music. Especially the doo-wop, rock-n-roll, and country. These musical changes happened on February 7,1964 with the arrival of the Beetles from England.

Union County farmers made a strong showing at this year’s Tennessee State Fair, earning recognition among 1500 entries in the annual State Hay Contest

The fair, held at the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, brings together the best of Tennessee agriculture each summer. This year, Union County’s hay producers proudly represented their community.

The next regular workshop and meeting of the Union County Board of Education will be on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at Union County High School Library. The workshop will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the meeting immediately to follow.

The Customer Appreciation Day at 33 Hardware was a multi-faceted occasion. Owner John Neal arranged for Shaun Abbott, a country and gospel singer from Knoxville, to entertain. Shaun is a popular musician all around Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and at the TN Valley Fair. Car owners were encouraged to bring their vintage, antique, or other cars to the Customer Appreciation Day, and about 30 vehicles were on display to look at and admire.

As the weather cools down, there’s nothing quite like a warm bowl of chili to bring family and friends together. This time of year means it’s officially chili season—and that means cook-off time too! Whether you’re stirring up a pot for your family, tailgating at a game, or entering a local competition, everyone has their own secret recipe.

Here are a few tried-and-true tips to help you make the perfect pot of chili:

Did you have a piggy bank when you were a kid? I did, except mine was in the shape of a black bear. My parents bought it for me in Gatlinburg when I was very small. Since it was ceramic, there was a noise that was both fun and irritating.