In the past, there were movies about pool sharks. They all seemed to be dubious characters on the fringe of society. I haven't seen such a movie lately. Pool halls were a thing of the past, located on side streets in the poorer section of town. The men knew where they were.

One of the joys of summer is watching bright colored butterflies flutter from flower to flower feeding on nectar. Some moths are also beautiful to see, but most tend to be dull in color and only seen at night. Because of this you probably notice more butterflies than moths, even though there are four times as many moth species as butterflies.

As published in the Historic Union County magazine in April of 2019, an article written by Shannon Carey stated Jim Houston had a real heart for helping others.
He made it his career, both paid and unpaid, to serve the people of Union County, often giving life-saving aid with his work in the Union County Rescue Squad.
Houston was born in Sharps Chapel near Johnson Hollow and Horseshoe Bend. Before moving to Shady Acres across from Postmaster Road, Houston continued to work the family farm, and it’s where he hosted the annual molasses making, well known throughout the county.

The Union County Rescue Squad is asking for an annual donation so that they can continue to provide the citizens and visitors of Union County the absolute best rescue service anywhere.
This year, with the help of your generous donations, they are raising funds to replace aging extrication gear at an estimated cost of $1,300 per person and a total of $26,000 for their members.
The Union County Rescue Squad was set up in 1963 with volunteers who donated their time and efforts to help others. The squad is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All donations are tax-deductible.

The called Union County Budget committee meeting on June 7 yielded a balanced budget to recommend to the Union County Commission on June 14.
Commissioner Larry Lay chairs the committee with Jody Smith, Kenny Hill, Earl Cox, Janet Holloway, Dawn Flatford and Becky Munsey as members.
Mayor Jason Bailey informed the committee that after the May Union County Commission meeting, he received notice that all elected officials were to receive a two percent raise. This increase pushed the shortfall to a little over $359,000 instead of the approximately $330,000 gap at the end of May.

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.