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 ...

Due to an unforeseen conflict, the Union County Lion’s Clubs Free Spaghetti Dinner (originally planned on September 7 before the Union County Opry’s Lonesome River Band concert) has had to be rescheduled. The FREE Spaghetti Dinner will now be held at 5:30 pm on Saturday December 14th before the Union County Opry’s fantastic annual Christmas Show!! The dinner is still free! And followed by excellent music. Hope to see you there!

Big Ridge Park hosted its 43rd annual Bluegrass Festival on Friday, August 16, drawing music lovers from near and far. Despite a rainy start around 4:00 PM, the weather cleared just in time for the festivities, which ran from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

The evening featured performances from a lineup of talented bands, including Norris Freeway, Tennessee Brushfire, Scrap Iron, The Beason Family, The Teno Family, and John Alvis, who kept the audience entertained with lively bluegrass tunes.

J.W. Kyker, the first UT Extension Agent in Union County in 1918, found it difficult to get the local farmers to come together to better educate themselves at new farming techniques, presented by the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural Department. So he began to target the next generation by starting the first Union County 4-H Boys Club. He enrolled twenty five boys, using them to educate the adults. The first clubs were known as “Corn Clubs”. Note there is a photo of this group inside the Union County Extension Office.