By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Being “green” is becoming a lifestyle these days, so as the holidays approach you may be pondering over which is better for the environment, a real tree or an artificial one. It's a personal choice, but here are some facts to consider.
Last week, Dear Reader, I promised to tell you about part two of the Mincey/Martin time-share vacation (ad)venture.
I related last week that it was in 1996 that my friend Mark Martin and I each got the same enticing letter in the mail. The only difference was the name on the header. Mine proclaimed in bold letters, “RONNIE MINCEY! PACK YOUR BAGS!”
Since our Thanksgiving writing contest was such a success, we have decided to offer another writing contest for Christmas and/or New Year’s resolutions.
As with our Thanksgiving contest, we are asking for your favorite memory, worst memory, strangest happening, or most heartwarming story for printing in our last publication before Christmas.
As the Christmas season approaches, there are many events in Maynardville for families to enjoy Light the Night, The Union County Business and Professionals Association and the Mayor’s Office are kicking off the holiday season with a “Light the Night” event. Community members can welcome in the holiday season at Wilson Park on Friday, December 1 at 7pm.
Dr. Derek Black, author of School House Burning,
Public Education and the Assault on American
Democracy.
The Union County Retired Teachers Association invites anyone who supports public education for all to an informative lecture by Dr. Derek Black on December 7, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at Clinton High School’s Little Theater. The lecture is described as outlining “the vital importance of public education to American democracy and history that public education and democracy share” and is open to the public. Dr. Derek Black is a former student of retired Clinton HS English teacher DeWayne Emert, President-Elect of the Tennessee Retired Teachers Association.who taught English at CHS for 39 years.
A series of ground breaking research reports in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet warn that low back pain is a major health burden globally — across developed and developing nations — and that the current use of X-rays and scans, opioids, injections and surgery to investigate and treat the condition is useless, unnecessary and harmful.
There are a few things I didn’t inherit from my momma. One is height. I am short where as she is slightly taller than average. Another is decorating skills. She is amazing at decorating for the holidays. Me, not so much, but she did teach me how to decorate a Christmas Tree. Let’s just say the process isn’t as easy as it sounds.
If you use a real tree, it starts in picking the right one at the Christmas tree lot. For us,
we didn’t just go in and select one after a few minutes. Never ever did we pick the first tree
It was the summer of 1996. My friend Mark Martin and I each got the same enticing letter in the mail. The only difference was the name on the header. Mine proclaimed in bold letters, “RONNIE MINCEY! PACK YOUR BAGS!”
Here is another way to fix leftover turkey from that Thursday bird. Toss stuffing mix with turkey or chicken broth, beaten eggs and half of mushroom soup. Top with cooked turkey or chicken. Combine remaining undiluted soup with milk, pimiento and parsley. Pour over all. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 F. for 55 to 60 minutes or until set. Makes 8 generous servings.
Trunks of big trees have a majesty all their own.
Trees are impressive life forms, producing tall, majestic columns that reach to the sky. Besides support, tree trunks perform a number of functions, so here’s a lesson in tree physiology. Growth of the trunk occurs at a thin layer of cells called the cambium. Here and only here does active cell division occur. The cambium is located near the outer portion of the trunk and can be damaged by fire or wounds made by tools or equipment. It grows two kinds of wood cells; one type grows towards the tree center, the other outward.
Luttrell Elementary Cheer Team members are: front: Willow Hickle, Mabry Acuff, Frankie Lundy, Bree Williams, Amelia Harrell; middle: Emmy White, Melody Rindom, Blakeley Bailey, Ellee Yadon; back: Haven Jade Mathis, Presley Wyrick, Coach Sarah Roach, Meyah Meza, Keaton Kitts, Leah Stansberry
A systematic review of a relatively new treatment for chronic back pain — Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) — has found that it is no better than traditional therapies based on evidence from past studies.
A HUGE thanks to all those who entered our Thanksgiving Writing Contest! Congratulations to our First Place writer, Stephen Lyn Bales!
Stephen has won a $50 Visa gift card!
Stephen grew up in Gatlinburg. He's a local naturalist and nature writer and has written three books "Natural Histories," Ghost Birds," and "Ephemeral by Nature" all published by the University of Tennessee Press.
Read his story below:
Thanksgiving is a holiday that conjures up many fond memories for me—and not just the typical ones. Growing up in Wisconsin, I experienced the traditional United States version of Thanksgiving, with a turkey and dinner table surrounded with family.
When the air feels crisp and a gentle wind lifts the colorful leaves from their branches before they swiftly swirl to the ground, my heart swells with memories of the women in my life who made the holidays special.
Their tender voices and the smell of my favorite dishes they’d prepare resonate through my mind. For a moment, with my eyes closed, those memories feel like the present.
Reflection is good for the soul. If someone had described this life to me a year earlier, I would never have believed it. Although a friend’s betrayal stung me to the core and my church’s eventual transition ended the season I called “home”, nothing would compare with my next few months.
Vets eating with Commander Darrell White at the head of room.
Union County citizens recognize the work and sacrifice of the over 3800 veterans living in this county. These vets have served in World War II, Vietnam, in the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars as well as served stateside and in support positions. Right now, their first and foremost calling is to support any honorable discharged veteran. Christmas is one of their busy times as they shop for food to fill large boxes for about 40 vets. Every year, they put on a Christmas party for kids who may not have much of a Christmas providing food and presents for all.
Everyone is good at something. As for me, I am very skilled at falling. Seriously, you have to know how to fall so that you won’t be seriously injured. By the way, it doesn’t work as well when you fall backwards.
Turkey has one big problem. There is often too much of it, whether it's the turkey breast or the whole bird. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to use leftover turk. I don't think noodles every saw anything they didn't like. They certainly like turkey. This recipe is a bit different.
Foods served at the first Thanksgiving feast included
pumpkin, squash, and wild wintercress.
Thanksgiving is one of the high holidays of the US, involving traditions of being with family, eating a bountiful meal of traditional foods, and hopefully taking time to give thanks for what we have been given. You know the traditional story of the first Thanksgiving involving Pilgrims, Native Americans, feasting and all that, but history is always good to review occasionally, as you often learn something new.