It’s time! Farmers Markets are opening throughout the south, and that includes your Union County Farmers Market. The season will kick off on Saturday, May 6, and we are looking forward to seeing you there.
Come and welcome our new market manager, Deerenda Cooke, and her daughter, Delana Hutchison, assistant market manager. Both the Union County Farmers Market and UT Extension Union County understand the importance of supporting and promoting not just local small businesses and farms, but our families that make up our community.

The Union County Historical Society has opened the doors of the museum every Tuesday for an acoustic music jam. Everyone who plays an instrument, sings from the heart or just loves tapping their toes and clapping their hands to good ole country, bluegrass and gospel tunes is welcome.
The music begins at 6 p.m. and winds down about 8:45.
Recently, Norris Freeway came to play. Musicians come from all parts of the county.
Noted fiddle player Wayne Goforth coordinated the fun and makes sure everyone gets involved.

At the April 24 County Commission meeting, County Mayor Jason Bailey announced that Union County Commission would be taking action on the FY24 Budget at the May 22 meeting. He also noted that the Budget Committee will have two meetings, May 2 at 6 p.m. and May 16 at 7 p.m. to discuss budget concerns.
The May 2 meeting will discuss property for the justice center, voting machine storage, and the possible purchasing of property around the courthouse.

Plainview Planning Commission and City of Plainview paid tribute to David Williams, the city planner, who died about a week before the meeting. Stewart Skeen, Plainview City Codes Zoning Officer, praised Williams for his depth of knowledge, his professionalism, but most of all for his ability to adapt complex issues to simple rules and explanations that a small city like Plainview could enforce.
Williams remarked many times how thoroughly he enjoyed working with his “friends in Plainview.” Jordan Rockwell will be the new planner.

The Norris Lake Protection Alliance (NLPA) sponsored a drawing contest for children in all five counties surrounding Norris Lake. The theme was to draw a picture representing Norris Lake and things that we do on the lake. We had many talented entries.
Allie Tharp, a 4th grader at Paulette Elementary School was selected as the winner.
She was presented with tickets to MagiQuest and Soaky Mountain Waterpark.
Allie’s drawing has vivid color, excellent detail and a great theme of cleaning up the trash on Norris Lake.

Experts estimate that as many as 80 percent of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. The back is a complicated weave of nerves, muscles, joints and ligaments. There are plenty of opportunities for something to go wrong. A twinge or minor pain in the back may come and go. But what the average person would call “pain” in the back is not likely to go away on its own. Low back pain, some experts say, is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Back pain often is the result of mechanical problems with the back.

Everyone enjoys a good story, so we couldn’t imagine a better way to start each market than with StoryThyme.
Stories not only develop language and listening skills, they stimulate our imaginations, promote lifelong learning and can expand our understanding of the world we live in.
While the Union County Farmers Market and UT Extension are all about promoting good health and nutrition for our children, story content will vary. Obviously, many will be food and farm related.

UT Extension Union County and the Union County Farmers Market are at it once again, partnering to create healthier, more active lifestyles.
This year, when “Union Gets Movin” and we “Walk the Market,” Nourish Knoxville will be sponsoring our new program, Nourish Moves! The program is designed to promote a more active lifestyle increasing overall health, as well as building community.
After all, the market is “where the community meets” and we’d like to encourage families and people of all ages—our community—to meet up and walk.

Does anyone know what time it is? Here’s a little hint.
If you graduated from Halls High School in 1983, it’s time for the 40th reunion. Are you thinking: “Where has the time gone?” I totally understand. It seems like yesterday we were listening to Prince and Journey; whereas, today we’re listening to our bodies “pop” and “crack” every time we move. That’s okay because we’re staying alive. So, let’s celebrate together and party like it’s 2023.

As we all know, baking has its ups and downs—even the most experienced baker will run into a problem in the kitchen from time to time.
Here are some baking tips and tricks to help ensure a more consistent outcome when making cakes, cupcakes, breads, and any other sweets and treats. A big thing to remember when baking is that measurements matter. The phrase “cooking is an art and baking is a science” holds a lot of truth.