About 50 former students, friends and family gathered at Plainview Community Center on November 25 to reminisce about their education and fellowship at Plainview Elementary School, which operated from 1932 to 1970.

Plainview Planning Commission welcomed Jordan Rockwell, East Tennessee Development district Regional Planner, at its November meeting. Stewart Skeen, Codes Enforcement Officer, introduced Rockwell and noted that he is also the planner for Maynardville City.
Skeen reported that he did not write any building permits for October, but fielded numerous phone calls and questions regarding new construction and zoning. He recommended changes to a couple of properties.

I don’t who came up with naming our county “Union,” but I can’t think of a better name to describe these wonderful, welcoming and working-together people! When I say I have moved a lot in my life, I mean I have lived in at least 19 different cities; so I know a thing or two about reading and adapting to a local culture.
I particularly appreciate that there is a place for everyone who wants to be involved in Union County, and the people here welcome and support new efforts even when led by those who are new to the community.

By Abigail Thomas
Volunteer Leader Debby Morgan and Teen Leader Gracie Tindell recently led a sewing workshop for Smoky Mountain 4-H Club members to make holiday-themed table runners. The students learned sewing machines skills and new techniques as they coordinated a variety of remnant fabrics into a table runner.
One new technique was how to use Wonder Under and turn any fabric into a fusible fabric. Participants fused Christmas trees and bows onto their table runners to give it added decoration.

Country Connections By James and Ellen Perry
Good music soothes the soul and makes you happy.
“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” The first lyrics from Nat King Cole’s, “The Christmas Song.”
This article provides a list of Christmas songs. Some are still played during Christmas on the radio. Some aren’t anymore. There’s info on when these songs were played and where they came from. One of the better known artists actually played on the Mid-Day Merry-Go Round in Knoxville.
I hope you all enjoy these songs.
1. White Christmas by Bing Crosby-1952 version

Have you ever had to take an animal to the veterinarian’s office?
I have, and I have also had to call them out to my house. Veterinarians are a very viable resource when it comes to keeping your animals healthy. I should know, because I worked at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital in the Equine Rehabilitation Center for almost seven years before leaving in 2022.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Being “green” is becoming a lifestyle these days, so as the holidays approach you may be pondering over which is better for the environment, a real tree or an artificial one. It's a personal choice, but here are some facts to consider.

Since our Thanksgiving writing contest was such a success, we have decided to offer another writing contest for Christmas and/or New Year’s resolutions.

As with our Thanksgiving contest, we are asking for your favorite memory, worst memory, strangest happening, or most heartwarming story for printing in our last publication before Christmas.

The Union County Retired Teachers Association invites anyone who supports public education for all to an informative lecture by Dr. Derek Black on December 7, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at Clinton High School’s Little Theater. The lecture is described as outlining “the vital importance of public education to American democracy and history that public education and democracy share” and is open to the public. Dr. Derek Black is a former student of retired Clinton HS English teacher Dewayne Emert, President-Elect of the Tennessee Retired Teachers Association.who taught English at CHS for 39 years.

There are a few things I didn’t inherit from my momma. One is height. I am short where as she is slightly taller than average. Another is decorating skills. She is amazing at decorating for the holidays. Me, not so much, but she did teach me how to decorate a Christmas Tree. Let’s just say the process isn’t as easy as it sounds.
If you use a real tree, it starts in picking the right one at the Christmas tree lot. For us,
we didn’t just go in and select one after a few minutes. Never ever did we pick the first tree

Here is another way to fix leftover turkey from that Thursday bird. Toss stuffing mix with turkey or chicken broth, beaten eggs and half of mushroom soup. Top with cooked turkey or chicken. Combine remaining undiluted soup with milk, pimiento and parsley. Pour over all. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 F. for 55 to 60 minutes or until set. Makes 8 generous servings.

A HUGE thanks to all those who entered our Thanksgiving Writing Contest! Congratulations to our First Place writer, Stephen Lyn Bales!
Stephen has won a $50 Visa gift card!
Stephen grew up in Gatlinburg. He's a local naturalist and nature writer and has written three books "Natural Histories," Ghost Birds," and "Ephemeral by Nature" all published by the University of Tennessee Press.
Read his story below:

When the air feels crisp and a gentle wind lifts the colorful leaves from their branches before they swiftly swirl to the ground, my heart swells with memories of the women in my life who made the holidays special.
Their tender voices and the smell of my favorite dishes they’d prepare resonate through my mind. For a moment, with my eyes closed, those memories feel like the present.

Union County citizens recognize the work and sacrifice of the over 3800 veterans living in this county. These vets have served in World War II, Vietnam, in the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars as well as served stateside and in support positions. Right now, their first and foremost calling is to support any honorable discharged veteran. Christmas is one of their busy times as they shop for food to fill large boxes for about 40 vets. Every year, they put on a Christmas party for kids who may not have much of a Christmas providing food and presents for all.

Turkey has one big problem. There is often too much of it, whether it's the turkey breast or the whole bird. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to use leftover turk. I don't think noodles every saw anything they didn't like. They certainly like turkey. This recipe is a bit different.

When I was a child, my dad worked for a while for the school system in maintenance. I remember he bought a cabinet model stereo and a wringer washing machine from Shoffner’s Furniture and Appliance. He had Irby Monroe make a stand for the small stereo to sit on so that I couldn’t reach inside and mess with the mechanics while those 33 1/3 RPM records were played. The joke was on Dad—I stood in a chair and watched the records spin on the turntable. I loved to listen to that stereo.

Leftover ham doesn't freeze well. So what do you do with it? Make this loaf. In mixing bowl, combine ground ham and pork. In a medium bowl with electric mixer, combine eggs, bread crumbs and milk. Mix well. With into meat with hands. Place a greased 8 by 4 inch loaf pan, forming dome with hands. Top with pineapple slices and maraschino cherries. Bake in preheated 300 F. oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, basting with pineapple juice. Slice and serve with pieces of pineapple and cherries. Serves 6.

Big Ridge State Park needs your opinion on its new Strategic Master Plan. So what is a Strategic master Plan and why should you voice your opinion? The main reason is the plan will drive the changes that occur in the park for the next 10 years and some changes will effect the park for many more years after that. Submit your comments online at https://www.tn.gov/environment/parks-conservation/ppp/form.html.

Many of you may have met Beverly Berry, the area coordinator for Quilts of Valor at the UC Heritage Festival. Beverly collected donations to purchase material to sew the Quilts of Valor. The mission of the Quilts of Valor is to cover service members and veterans with healing quilts of valor. Quilts are of a specific size with a label of authenticity and the awarding of the quilt is recorded.

The Union County Commission met with the Union County School Board during the Board's regular October workshop to have an opportunity to ask questions regarding the new middle school. Specifically, commissioners wanted to know if the middle school sports fields are included in the current plan and if the timeline for completing the sports fields would cause a lapse in availability if the jail is constructed on the current middle school football field. The first concern was put to rest before the architects even arrived.

There is still a lack of high-certainty evidence on the effectiveness and safety of commonly used painkillers (analgesics) for short bouts of low back pain, finds an analysis of the evidence published by The BMJ.

As the Thanksgiving season approaches, many families and children are giving thanks for all their blessings and sharing those blessing with children in need by packing shoeboxes with Operation Christmas Child.

Peacocks are often used as a symbol of pride and vanity. The male peafowl are known for their piercing calls and their extravagant plumage. It can be quite the sight to see a peacock preening in full strut.
The preening peacock’s full tail feather display not only attracts the peahens, but it gets the attention of any creature in his vicinity, including humans.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Fear is a form of worry. We worry about so many different things. Ninety-five percent of the things we worry about never happen.
Then suddenly multiple things happen that we were not worried about, which creates a huge emotional storm in our life. Often when something bad happens almost every aspect of our life is impacted. We feel like we are being bombarded and attacked on every front.