An interview with Sharps Chapel Pre-K teacher, Erica Berry
Tell me a little about the history of Union County Pre-K programs. “Union County Public Schools has proudly offered high-quality Pre-K programs since 2006. This state grant is written and reapplied for every year and now extends to all five elementary schools. Each program serves a maximum of 20 students each year. We have had several wonderful people serve on our Community Pre-K Advisory Council (CPAC), who laid a strong foundation for us to build upon.

On April 11, 4th and 5th graders from Maynardville, Paulette, Big Ridge, Sharps Chapel and Luttrell elementary schools gathered at Horace Maynard Middle School to compete in the Union County 4-H Clover Bowl. Each team previously won their in-school contest to qualify to represent their school in the county contest.

A reader recently asked me, “What does a secular contemporary song title have to do with the Bible?”
Previously I attempted to explain why I was using song titles or slight modifications thereof as my article titles. Evidently my earlier explanation was inadequate, as even the editors changed the title on the previous article. So, I’ll take another stab at explaining why I chose a modern song title as my article title.

A family tradition my mom kept was to seek out young poke sprouts in the spring and make poke salad, a king of cooked greens. Back before grocery store chains and refrigeration, country folk came out of winter craving a fresh green to eat, and poke was one of the newly sprouted plants that were sought out, along with “creesies” or spring crest. The lack of fresh green vegetables during the winter months ...

It was just before dawn when Peter tumbled out of bed to start his day. He moved as quietly as possible so as not to wake his four children sleeping in the loft of the small cabin. He and other men of the settlement had worked hard to complete the cabin before the cold winter weather set in.
Situated near the Clinch River, on the side of Lone Mountain, and neighboring the Sharps Station blockhouse, it was an ideal location for raising crops in the warm months and hunting in the winter.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon and drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in skillet. Cook chopped sweet onions in drippings over medium heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir into skillet the beans, brown sugar, ketchup and cooked bacon. Pour mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan. Bake uncovered, until heated through and bubbly, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

“No, No, Tip,” is from a 1940s -1950s primer school book called “Tip and Mitten.” Tip was, as best I can remember, a devilish scatter-brained puppy who romped and played as most puppies do.
Tip was a boy dog puppy who was scolded for his antics. Tip’s buddy was a kitten named Mitten. Those primer books were written by Paul McKee, who was a professor at the Universities of Iowa and North Colorado. Tip was my first dog encounter.

My daddy taught me how to play ball and to not be afraid of it. But as for my momma, she taught me not to go out into public unless I looked my best. While that included when I wasn’t feeling well, being in pain was another story.

In the 1900s means for communicating changed drastically. Initially, telephones were one to a house (for those who could afford them). They were connected on “party lines,” meaning that several people shared service. Anyone could listen to the conversations of anyone who had access to the line.
Not only was there no expectation of privacy in this manner, but the phone in a home was usually centrally located in the house where anyone could hear at least one end of any conversation.

Invites the community to participate in Decoration Day on Saturday, May 25 at Big Barren Cemetery 515 Little Valley Road, Maynardville from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join us in a special event honoring our brave veterans, decorate their graves with us, meet association leaders, and make meaningful contribution to honoring our heroes. Light refreshments provided by volunteers. In case of bad weather, the event will be rescheduled for the fall. If you need to be seated, please bring a chair, Thank you