The Union County Farmers Market is hosting a Giant Pumpkin Contest, a Giant Watermelon Contest, and an Ugliest Vegetable Contest as part of the Heritage Festival on October 4, 2025. Pumpkins and watermelons will be weighed on the Market scale at 115 Durham Drive from 8:00 to 9:00 on the Festival Morning of October 4. The Ugliest Vegetable will be judged on appearance only.
Learn to make cornbread at a free cornbread making workshop hosted by Union County 4H. Agent Abigail Thomas will teach you all you need to know to stir up and bake some warm buttery cornbread. Then you can use your expert skills to demonstrate cornbread making at the Union County Heritage Festival on October 4.
But you have to sign up for the cornbread making class and also to be a demonstrator at the Heritage Festival. Learn to make the cornbread on September 24 at the Union County 4H office. Be a demonstrator on October 4.
New to the Heritage Festival is the Cake Baking Contest. The Union County FCE Club will coordinate the contest and provide the judges. Participants can enter one cake that is totally homemade in each of three categories: 1)Layered, 2) Sheet, 3) Bundt. A recipe card and a registration form must be submitted with the cake. Cakes must be delivered to the Union County Extension Office at 2721 Maynardville Highway on Thursday, October 3, from 4:00 to 5:00 or on Friday, October 4, from 8:00 to 11:00 in the morning in order to be judged starting at 12:30.
You might become an Olympian at the 21st Union County Heritage festival on October 4, 2025. All ages can compete in the nail driving. So hunt a piece of 2x4 and some ten penny nails and start swinging that hammer. Females have a chance to become an Olympian by tossing an iron skillet. So start practicing in the back yard now. There are Olympics on Festival Day from 12:00 to 2:30 behind the concession stand where 4H is making warm buttery cornbread. Sign up at the Information Booth on Festival Day, October 4.
At the meeting on August 14, 2025, the Union County Board of Education approved a resolution to support the state's attempt to investigate teacher workload and to allow districts to decide how often to evaluate highly performing teachers. By the Board taking action on the resolution, it may become a part of the TSBA Legislative Program and be supported by districts statewide. Legislation with wide local support usually has a better chance of getting the Tennessee General Assembly approval.
I thought I had a good start on getting ready for a special occasion, but I was wrong. I was more behind than I realized. Have you ever done that? Let me tell you, digging out of that hole wasn’t easy.
The occasion was a party for our grandson Maverick’s first birthday. Naturally, the first one usually is, but this one was special to us because he was born six weeks early and spent 24 days in the NICU at children’s hospital. Obviously, he has been through a lot. In all fairness we all experienced that as well. So, we all needed a special birthday party.
The Union County Commission will have a workshop on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 7:00 to discuss the developments with the jail site with the architects. Commission also scheduled a workshop to discuss the implementation of the salary schedule passed in 2023 on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 5:00. Elected officials and county employees are encouraged to attend the salary workshop. Both workshops will be in the large courtroom, and the public is welcome.
Union County Family and Community Education (FCE) held its August meeting at the Union County Extension Office. This month’s meeting featured a yard sale fundraiser, which proved to be a great success.
Members brought a wide variety of items including clothing, jewelry, children’s items, home décor, and household goods. Community members showed up in wonderful support, browsing the sale and helping raise funds to support our FCE programs. A special clothing deal at noon added excitement, allowing shoppers to fill a grocery bag with clothes for just five dollars.
Save the date for the Union County Business and Professional Association's 34th Annual Banquet to be held on Friday, November 7, with the program starting at 6:45 p.m. and dinner at 7:15.
The dinner will be catered by Pete's Place and the cost is $40.
This year's Man and Woman of the Year will be announced. Proceeds fund the UCB&PA Scholarship Program.
Fred Gibson addressed the Union County Historical Society at the August meeting. He shared pictures and information on the Lost Creek Reunion of 2024 and the Nicholas Gibbs Reunion of 2025.