I have been writing articles for about 12 years. I wrote for a few years for the Union County Shopper until it ceased publication after it was purchased by the Knoxville News-Sentinel and/or Scripps Howard.
Then my good friend Aaron Russell gave me the opportunity to write for Historic Union County, which is published weekly online at historicunioncounty.com and monthly as a free newspaper.

Have you ever played with a frog? Believe it or not, I never have. It wasn’t because I was afraid of them. After all, they don’t have eight legs. Bad spider joke? Sorry.
Anyway, Mamaw Jo was the reason I avoided them at all costs. She told me if I picked one up and it urinated on me, I would get warts all over my hands. That mortified me. If I was playing outside and one hopped toward me, I ran the other way. Even after I did a little research and discovered Mamaw Jo was wrong, that thought was stuck in my head. I didn’t touch a frog until I dissected one in biology class.

War

(This was written about a fictional battle of the Mexican War of Independence. However, I found it in my files and felt it covered the horrors and turmoil of any war. May this be food for thought. This is also in Archive of Our Own under ‘bookscape.’)

In 1918 the two Extensions Agents Kyker and Miller organized the first Union County Fair. It was supported by the County Commission who donated $1,000. The County Commission only supported the fair for one year. They traveled to Knoxville for the District Exhibition and competitions. This was a big deal for the 4-H members and the women of the Home Demonstration Clubs. Most had never traveled outside the county.
Agents had to travel by horse and buggy to the various communities.

Truett Davis, a member of Union County 4-H, took home first place in the Youth and Talent Contest at the Appalachian Fair last month. There were seven contestants, ranging in age from 12 to 21. Truett was the youngest participant at 12 years old. He has taught himself piano over the past couple of years, and only just last week, began formal instruction with a piano teacher. He played "Rush E" and the audience was delighted.

A healthy back and spine, of course, are vital to your well-being. The spine protects the spinal cord, which transmits signals back and forth between the brain and the body’s other parts. But you have to be careful with all the body’s joints and protect them to maintain a good quality of life. Here are some tips to keep in mind during routine daily activity:

Keep your weight under control. Every excess pound you carry puts unnecessary strain on joints, including hips, knees and ankles. Excess weight also puts strain on your feet.

I was privileged to have opportunity to speak at the August 2024 meeting of the Union County Historical Society. I shared with them the following story about the legendary Union County educator Florence Chesney.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

You don’t realize it, but when you look at our local mountains you aren’t really seeing the mountains themselves because they are covered in trees with a whole lot of leaves. On average a mature tree has a hundred thousand leaves. It takes around seventy biggish trees to shade an acre of mountain forest, which doing the math comes to seven million leaves per acre. And since you are looking at perhaps a thousand acres of forest at a casual glance, that comes to…well you get the gist.

Being normal has never been my cup of tea. For instance, when I was a kid, I used to think about experiences that most people avoided. I wondered what it was like to be put to under for surgery, being close to a tornado, or being stung by a bee. At this point in my life, I have experienced all of them, but the bee sting was the first one and it was a bizarre thing.

Make this a day ahead. You will have enough to do the day of the party. Place eggs in large saucepan with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Cover. Remove from heat and let stand until cool. Drain cooking water and cover eggs with cold water. Peel eggs and halve lengthwise. Transfer cooked egg yolks to mixing bowl. Set eggs whites aside on large platter ...