Do you have a pet peeve? Is there something that bothers you probably more than it should? For me, it’s being misunderstood. A good example of this is my dislike of camping.

Before we go any further, I’m going to discuss the two types of camping I’m familiar with. The first one involves a camper, which is like a small mobile home on wheels. My in-laws used to have one many years ago that they would tow it to various campgrouns. It had a small bathroom and kitchen, heat and air, and furniture that would transform into beds. If you like to do a lot of traveling, I think this would be an awesome way to do it. But this isn’t the type that I dislike.

While some lower back pain needs to be treated by a specialist, chiropractors can help children and adolescents prevent and manage lower back pain. Most pain with no specific cause responds to rest, rehabilitation and identification of predisposing risk factors.

The Union County Heritage Festival Art Show will be held on Saturday, October 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Historic Snodderly House, 720 Main Street, Maynardville.
Youth are encouraged to participate. If enough youth participate, then the festival will have a special Youth Art Exhibit. The coordinator and contact is Betty Bullen at bullenart@aol.com or 865-992-1005.

The first official day of the 2026 Union County Farmers Market on May 2 was a huge success! Many veteran Farmers Market vendors who have been attending every market for years were there, as were several vendors participating for the first time. This was the largest first-day crowd in the Market’s history, and several vendors had people in line waiting to check out.

NEXT MEETING--The next regular workshop and meeting of the Union County Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 2026 at Union County High School. The workshop will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the meeting immediately to follow.

Lonesome Dove is a Pulitzer Prize-winning epic Western novel, and later a TV miniseries, written by Larry McMurtry. The saga covers two retired Texas Rangers who led a cattle drive from Texas to Montana, exploring themes of friendship, love, hardship and the end of the frontier.

The Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless will be at Heritage Park in Maynardville on Thursday, May 21. They will bring their Shower Trailer, along with free clothing, hygiene products, and resource information. Camping out? Was the water turned off at your house? Need some contact information or clean clothes, boots, or shoes? Be sure to stop by and see your friendly TVCH folks!

Horace Maynard Middle School is welcoming back a familiar face with deep roots in Union County basketball.

Mike Johnson has been named to the HMMS boys basketball coaching staff, bringing with him more than two decades of experience and a long history of success at the high school level. A lifelong Union County resident and Horace Maynard graduate, Johnson returns to the court with a reputation for leadership, player development and program building.

The Horace Maynard Middle School baseball program has become synonymous with consistency, discipline and wins, and this season only added to that legacy. Under the leadership of Coaches Orrick, Fuller and Cooke, the team captured its third consecutive Appalachian Conference Championship.

Building on the foundation established by former Coach John Edds, this year’s team embraced the pressure and pride that come with a winning tradition.

Everyone who has walked off the beaten path has had an unfortunate run in with sawbriar (Smilax glauca). It's the green woody vine that wraps around your leg and proceeds to slice into your skin with sharp thorns.

There are several species of sawbriar, also called catbriar or greenbriar, growing in our area, and all have the same general characteristics: a green woody vine that is very thorny and shiny leaves with parallel veins. The vines climb up onto other vegetation by means of tendrils, and some can grow up into high trees. Most stay down at that critical ankle to waist high level and lay in wait for unsuspecting humans.