Right now if you’re outside much you are liable to catch a whiff of an almost overpowering flower smell, and if you investigate, you will likely find a bush loaded with small white flowers. This is Privet, a foreign shrub brought in as a landscape plant as early as the late 1700s. It has unfortunately gone Frankenstein and naturalized into the wild, where it is now very common to see along roadsides, woodland edges, and fencerows. It is bad news and a serious threat to our mountain farms and forests.

Sure, I knew that the American Legion New Liberty Post 212 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8682 shared a building up at the end of Veterans St. And I knew that it had something to do with military veterans. But I am not a veteran, nor do I come from a military family. So they really had nothing to do with me, did they? Well, I was wrong. As a community, we need to support these folks who train, work and fight to protect us. What they did was not easy and often left physical, mental and emotional scars. And we need to recognize their dedication to us and our community.

Union County Business & Professional Association presented scholarship awards to eight graduating seniors at the Union County High School Senior Awards and College Signing Day on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Receiving the Jeffreys Memorial Academic Scholarship was Rileigh Collins. Rileigh will attend East Tennessee State University to pursue a dual major in physical therapy and business.

Union County elementary schools’ 4-H Clubs just wrapped up their annual pop top tab collection drive to benefit Ronald McDonald House, and students at Maynardville Elementary enjoyed an ice cream party to celebrate collecting more tabs than any other school. They combined their favorite choice of ice cream flavor and topping and enjoyed the sweet rewards of their success during the last in-school 4-H meeting of the year. What a great way to finish an exciting year of learning about community service and volunteerism.

Join us this Saturday, May 20, as the Union County Farmers Market kicks off our 2023 Nourish Kids program. This program has been designed to get children excited about local food and healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables. Once again, our market has partnered with Nourish Knoxville to present this program. Through a grant, Nourish Knoxville has been able to assist markets like ours throughout East Tennessee, providing materials and Produce Bucks making this program possible.

Farmers, Industry Professionals and Public Invited to Attend

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Researchers and Extension specialists with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture are teaming up to support the state’s growing ...

It used to be thought that the pain, stiffness and diminished function of joints due to arthritis were just an unavoidable part of the aging process. Advice on the topic was for some time limited to, “slow down.” We know now, though, that exercise is essential to managing the disease. Though chiropractors may be best known for working on the spine, particularly keeping its vertebrae, or individual bones, in line, they are trained in the operation of all the body’s joints and in the various therapies available to keep those joints working smoothly.

Have you ever had something happen that you thought you couldn’t explain? It happened to me as a child while I was being a “Smarty Pants.”
The women at our old church used to have a circle meeting once a month. In these meetings, each lady brought a covered dish so they could spend the evening in fellowship and discussing church matters. They would take turns hosting it in their homes. Then came the month when it was Mamaw Jo’s turn to host. At this time, I think I was around 9 years-old. I helped her clean house and set extra chairs out in the living room.

My nephew and I took a Saturday trip this past weekend to visit the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The distillery is on the National Register of Historic Places. I had been there once, probably more than ten years ago, with my brother J. C. I had forgotten a lot of what I learned from my first visit.

Here is an easy lunch or supper entree. Use canned chicken breasts, with a bouillon cube and water instead of chicken broth. You should have all the other ingredients in your pantry. i do. Use a can of cream of mushroom soup heated with 1/2 cup milk or light cream for the sauce. Beat eggs until thickened. Add 1 cup milk, chicken broth, onion, seasonings, chicken and bread crumbs. Mix well. Pour mixture into greased 9 inch loaf pan. Set in pan of hot water. Bake at 350 F. for 45 to 60 minutes or until set. Invert loaf onto hot platter. Serve with mushroom sauce made with 1/2 cup milk and can of mushroom soup heated almost to a boil. Makes 6 servings.