The Customer Appreciation Day at 33 Hardware was a multi-faceted occasion. Owner John Neal arranged for Shaun Abbott, a country and gospel singer from Knoxville, to entertain. Shaun is a popular musician all around Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and at the TN Valley Fair. Car owners were encouraged to bring their vintage, antique, or other cars to the Customer Appreciation Day, and about 30 vehicles were on display to look at and admire.

The American Legion Post 212 would like to thank all the many people who stopped long enough at the intersection of Hickory Star Road and Maynardville Hwy on October 5 to plop some money into the buckets held by our Veterans. Many drivers were in a hurry to get to the Heritage Festival in Wilson Park, but still slowed down long enough to make a donation. (Luckily, no Veterans were hit while playing in traffic).

The Union County Veterans celebrated Labor Day together with an American cook-out on September 9. Our Veterans and their spouses observed the end of summer by gathering to share the traditional hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings. This was complimented with potato salad and baked beans, all courtesy of the Veteran Volunteers,. The meal was topped off with a delicious homemade cobbler. As always, the monthly meal was free to our Veterans to thank them for all that they have done for our country.

It had been a long, hot day. When I showed up at the American Legion Post 212 for their monthly free dinner, I was tired, not particularly hungry and not feeling very sociable. But then I opened the door and the aroma of wonderfully prepared BBQ came drifting out. That changed everything! The food was wonderful. Not only large quantities of pulled pork, but there was chicken, delicious cole slaw, and homemade beans with bacon (yum!). Desserts included cookies and chocolate cake. Margo McCaffery and Debbie Boeck, members of the Union County Veteran Volunteers, prepared this feast.

Delicious food aromas hit you as you walked in the door of the American Legion Hall on June 3. If you thought you weren’t hungry before, the wonderful smells of the Chicken Alfredo dinner immediately changed your mind. And there was so much food – all expertly prepared by the cooks of the Veterans Volunteers. In addition to the huge pan of the Alfredo (see photos), there were pans of Caesar Salad and individual loaves of garlic bread that were baked to perfection.

It was a brilliant day. The sun was shining, the wind gently blowing the flags. Darrell White, Commander of the Union County American Legion New Liberty Post 212, opened this year’s somber Memorial Day Ceremony with a list of names of local veterans who passed on this year and last: William Acuff, US Army; Darrell Ailor, US Marine Corps; Jim Collins, US Army; Jack Myers, US Army; Lloyd Railey, US Army; Hershell Sharp, US Air Force; Junior Smith, US Army; Bob White, US Army; Ivon White, US Marine Corps; and my former neighbor Marshal Wolfenbarger, US Army.

The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed over 620,000 lives - more lives than any conflict in U.S. history. It required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. In 1868, May 30th was declared a day to remember those fallen in the Civil War. The date May 30th was chosen primarily because it was not a date of any particular battle over the years of the war. Initially called Decoration Day, in 1967 the name was changed to Memorial Day, and in 1971 the date was changed to the last Monday in May.

Members of the American Legion Post 212 and their volunteers helped the Easter Bunny this year by stuffing plastic eggs for him to hide for Union County children. And hide he did! Over 60 kids descended on Wilson Park on an absolutely gorgeous Easter Sunday afternoon to find these eggs – and, boy, did they!! No matter how well the eggs were hidden, these young people (some with a little help from their parents) found all the eggs. Three of these eggs contained a $50 gift card to Walmart.

Calling all Veterans! What better way to celebrate April Fool’s Day than to be at the American Legion building at noon to feast on Veteran Volunteer Margo McCaffery’s Famous American Goulash! Sometimes called slumgullion, American goulash is a comfort food dish based on the Hungarian goulash stew. The ground beef, tomato and macaroni are in a beautifully seasoned tomato sauce. Shredded cheese and sour cream will be available for garnish.

When we asked for volunteers to support the veterans, people from all over Union County raised their hands and the Union County Veterans Volunteers was formed. They held their first organizational meeting on February 5th. Everyone who attended had ideas and enthusiasm for helping and volunteering. The first item of business was to organize free tasty meals for the American Legion Post 212 before their monthly meetings on the first Monday of every month. Volunteer cooks have already signed up to do this for every month up to and including the July meeting!