I may not understand everything concerning what the future holds, and I'm not making a prediction of the end time or how it will happen, but I can tell you how to escape the destruction that is coming. Even if the end of time does not happen in our lifetime, you can rest assured we are all leaving this world. For it is appointed to every man once to die and after that the judgment.

Nominations are now open for Union County Business & Professional Association Man & Woman of 2017. Anyone in Union County may make a nomination. Nominees shall be residents of Union County or gainfully employed in Union County or a current member of UCBPA. Nominees may perform service as a result of their job or as volunteers and demonstrate good citizenship for others to emulate.

Last year Shirley Keaton's painting "Peaches" received "Best of Show" in the Fine Arts Exhibition for Union County Heritage Festival. Your entry may be the 2017 winner.

The Union County Heritage Festival's Art Show is a juried mixed-media exhibition open to artists 18 years of age and above. (There will be a Student Art Show for those under 18 years of age). The exhibition is intended to showcase art work produced throughout our area.

I hope most of you already have on your calendar Open House on September 30 from 2:30 to 4:30 at Historic Oak Grove School. Just in case, I'm including an invitation just for you!
In researching and preparing for the restoration, as well as, the open house, I discovered that Bertha Cox was the school cook, and she was a good one. Students loved her Raisin Squares, and if you come to Open House you should get to sample some of these cookies. Just in case you want to try a batch, here is Bertha's recipe:

Bertha Cox Raisin Squares

You might say that Thomas Skibinski has experienced both ends of the spectrum. Born in Queens, New York, to parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Poland, Skibinski moved to Maynardville in adulthood seeking elbow room and a little peace and quiet.

Now, he’s serving as interim president of the Union County Chamber of Commerce, and the Chamber’s nominating board has just given him the nod to drop the “interim” from his title. The Chamber’s board of directors will vote on making it formal Sept. 19.

It's almost that time of year again, time for folks to get together in Maynardville for good food, good company, good music and plenty of old-time pass-times at the Union County Heritage Festival, to be held Saturday, Oct. 7.

This is the festival's 13th year, and festival president Marilyn Toppins has been involved in some capacity, from stage management to parking, for 12 of those years. This is her third year as president, and she remembers how the festival got its start.

These wonderful 16 x 20-inch (framed 20 x 24-inch) photographs were purchased some years ago at Doris’ Auctions on Rutledge Pike. According to the owner, the auctioneer identified them only as a Union County couple. A lovely lady who lives at Corryton made the purchase. It appears from the size and quality of the pictures and frames that the family was well to do. The carved frames with curved glass are unique. It also appears that the lady’s picture is hand-colored. Hand-coloring was the only way to achieve color until colored film came on the market.

August is zucchini time, whether you are ready or not. It gets worse in September. There is a limit to how many one family can use. Friends' eyes glaze over when they see you coming with a bag of something. I know. There was a time years ago when I had too much zucchini. I was in a quandary as to how to use them. I wasn't on the farm anymore. There were no hogs to feed. They would have loved zucchini, but we hadn't even heard of zucchini in those days. I certainly wouldn't have known how to spell such a foreign word - "zucchini."

Scientists think the world is billions of years old. This theory only brings me to further embrace the awesomeness and greatness of God. According to the scripture, with God one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Scripture emphasizes that in the last days knowledge will be increased. This leads me to the conclusion that the signs of the times are being manifested in our presence. The Scripture talks about people encountering a time that never was before or that ever will be. We should take notice. The Word of God is true.

The smell of pumpkin pie warm from the oven always turns my thoughts to fall. The aroma of an apple pie cooling on the kitchen counter tells me color season will soon be here. As September heads toward October, the thought of pecan pie with vanilla ice cream fills my head. If you like pie, then you will want to visit the 4H Booth at the Union County Heritage Festival on October 7, in Wilson Park. Steve Thompson of Beverage Solutions Group and Union County UT Extension will again team up to host the Heritage Festival Pie Baking Contest and provide the pies for the 4H Booth.