Fourteen of 16 county commissioners attended the called Union County Commission meeting on June 14 to approve a budget for FY 22.
Following the lead of the Budget Committee, Commissioner Jody Smith offered a motion to accept the FY22 Budget as recommended by the Budget Committee, and Larry Lay provided a second.
Several commissioners commented on various aspects of the budget. Debra Keck, Janet Holloway, Earl Cox, Bill Cox, Sidney Jessee Jr. and Kenny Hill voiced concerns about cutting the funding for the Union County Historical Society as well as some fire protection.

With the budget issues resolved, the regular Union County Commission meeting on June 28 covered a special recognition, a contract extension, and some 20 pages of FY 21 budget clean up to close out the fiscal year.
Mayor Jason Bailey awarded Carson “Eddie” Thompson a plaque for his years of dedicated service as the Veterans Service Officer.

Concerns expressed by Marty Gibbs, board member from first district, derailed the Skilled Services Contract at the Union County Board of Education Meeting on June 24. Gibbs expressed concerns that the contract had no performance bond, no quality controls, no schedule for completion and lacked AIA protections, yet required a 30 percent payout of the $1,337,400 up front.

The Oakes Daylilies Farm is a three generation family-owned farm.
In the 1960s, father and son Bill and Stewart Oakes had a hobby of growing daylilies, which has expanded into a nationwide mail order nursery.
In the 1970s, they began offering daylilies for sale.
In the 1980s, Stewart's son Ken began helping in the nursery by digging lilies for the customers.
In the 1990s, the first color catalog was published, allowing customers to see the varieties of colors available.
In 1999 the first Daylilies Bloom Festival was held and has continued ever since in June.

by Ashley Mike
Annually, Union County 4-H hosts a Countywide Photography Contest for students grades 4-12.
This year a dozen students participated in the contest, entering nearly 50 photos. In the contest there are seven categories including: Animals, Nature, Portraits, Light & Shadow, Health, 4-H, and a themed category that changes each year to spice up the contest, this year being “Growing up in a Pandemic.”
Photos are judged on their overall relation to 4-H overall as well as quality, lighting, creativity, focus, uniqueness, and story.

Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on the relationship between the body’s structure—mainly the spine—and its functioning. Although practitioners may use a variety of treatment approaches, they primarily perform adjustments (manipulations) to the spine or other parts of the body with the goal of correcting alignment problems, alleviating pain, improving function, and supporting the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

The City of Plainview donated $1,000 to Union County Imagination Library.
Mayor Gary Chandler commented that Plainview was glad to support early literacy for our children because learning to read is such an important skill.
The Imagination Library, an initiative of Dolly Parton, was started in Union County by Kathleen Graves. Leadership Union County established and expanded the program as a class project.

Union County Heritage Festival Art Show and Contest will occur on Saturday, October 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Historic Snodderly House, 720 Main St., Maynardville.
Cash awards and ribbons will be given for Best Heritage, Best of Show, 1st, 2nd, 3rd place in two- and three-dimensional works and photography. Ribbons will be given to Honorable Mentions.

By Silas Whitley
My name is Silas Whitley, and I am 11 years old. This year I got to go to 4-H Electric Camp.
4-H Electric Camp is a fun-filled, rewarding adventure in electricity. At these regional camps, you learn what electricity is and how it works. You work with electrical specialists from across the state in learning centers.
Each learning center consists of hands-on activities so that you learn by doing. You also have the chance to meet other 4-H-ers from across Tennessee and explore careers in energy, electricity, and basic sciences.

I remember this story from the fifth grade language book from which I was taught in school.
There was a Texan who bragged to a New Yorker that everything in Texas was, “Big, BIG, BIIGGG!!!!”
The New Yorker asked the Texan if he wanted to see something really big. The New Yorker took the Texan to Niagara Falls. Said the New Yorker, “I bet you don’t have anything that big in Texas!”
Replied the Texan, “No, but I know a plumber that can fix it for you.”