In August, Clinch River Valley State Park in Hancock County became Tennessee’s newest state park and is our 67th state park. The Tennessee State Parks Conservancy just purchased an access point on the Clinch River and the historic Kyle's Ford General Store. The store dates back to the 1940’s and was most recently known as River Place. River Place had some of the best fried bologna (baloney) sandwiches in these parts, and you could eat lunch on the balcony and watch the river meander by.

Saturday, September 12, 2026. 8:00 am. American Legion Post 212 Hall

The Union County Heritage Festival is inviting youth and adults from across the community to share their talents, creativity and family traditions this fall. The festival’s competitive exhibits are due Thursday, Oct. 1, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 2, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Union County Extension Office 2721 Maynardville Hwy, Maynardville TN.

Celebrate Country at the 22nd Heritage Festival on October 3, 2026! Visitors can park at Union County High School and enjoy the main event in Wilson Park or board the Free Shuttle (the big yellow bus) sponsored by Monroe Bus Lines, State Farm Insurance, and City of Plainview to travel to the Farmers Market Pavilion for produce and farm products, the Union County Museum for the Heritage Day Quilt Show, and the Snodderly House for the Art Show. All venues are open from 10:00 to 4:00.

The Union County Heritage Festival will once again celebrate the baking traditions of the community with its 2026 Pie and Cake Contest. Bakers of all ages are invited to showcase their favorite homemade recipes and compete for cash prizes, with no entry fee required.

The Pie Contest will feature three categories: Fruit, Cream, and Nut/Other. The Cake Contest will include Layered Cake, Sheet Cake, and Bundt Cake categories.

The Union County Heritage Festival Quilt Show is Saturday October 3, 2026, at the Union County Museum. All quilters are invited to bring their quilts to the Museum on Thursday, October 1 between 1:30 and 6:00 pm. Ellen Perry and Patricia Campbell will be at the Museum to accept entries. Quilts will be judged, ribbons placed on them, and displayed for viewing on Saturday, October 3, 2026, during Museum Festival hours of 10:00 until 4:00.

Neighbors from all over Union County celebrated The Grand Opening of The Diner at Jones Farm on Thursday, August 27, 2026. The Diner is owned by Kara Cox Daley and is part of the area Twisters Restaurants. Kara, who is home grown, greeted folks with that welcoming smile and handed them an ice cream scoop with a dessert coupon attached. Kara accompanied by her husband and daughter cut the ribbon with a giant pair of scissors provided by the Union County Chamber.

The next regular workshop and meeting of the Union County Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday, September 10, 2026 at Union County High School. The workshop will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the meeting immediately to follow.

In the meeting on August 13, 2026, the Union County Board of Education amended the school calendar to allow teachers to move into the new Horace Maynard Middle School. Inservice days and the Labor Day Holiday mean students will not attend school from Wednesday, September 2 through Monday, September 7. Students will resume classes on Tuesday, September 8. This date will also be the first day students will attend the new Horace Maynard Middle School. On Tuesday, September 1, everyone is invited to the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting at the new school on John Deere Drive at 5:00.

In last month’s article, I promised to explain the actions that Japan took in an attempt to recover from the economic crisis of the Lost Decades. Japan tried several different economic policies in an attempt to recover the economy. The truth is, though, Japan’s economy has not really fully recovered to its heights of the 1980s, and economists have tried to explain several reasons for this. I will first give a very brief overview of the economic policies that took place in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.