Tobacco once was a way of life and a tradition. It is where people came from and how they grew up. A lot of hard work and pride went into the crop, but over the years it has become a dying tradition for many reasons, with little remaining in East Tennessee.

There are deep roots for mountain music, or bluegrass, in Appalachia, East Tennessee and Union County. Many local folks have a passion for the music and the customs it entails. It is a tradition that passes down through generations to our youths.
Tumblin’ Run is a local band that is carrying on the mountain tradition. Members Zeke Flatford (age 20), Lyndon Kitts (20), Tucker Jones (16), and Trey Farley (18) all have a keenness for keeping the tradition alive and bringing the old-time melodies to their audiences.

In rural East Tennessee, throughout history, farming has proven more than just a family tradition for many by providing a livelihood and lifestyle. In Union County, many families have been cultivating the land for generations. In 1958, after five years of marriage, Leonard Padgett Sr. and wife Loretta Graves Padgett, moved with their two young sons, Leonard Jr. (Len) and Wendell, from Rifle Range Road in Knoxville to a portion of the old Beeler farm in Maynardville totaling more than one hundred ten acres, later being titled Cedar Crest Farms.