Some come from Knoxville. Some from Grainger or Claiborne County. But others drive to Maynardville from as far away as Sevierville for the 30-35 pounds of food that they can receive from the New Fellowship Full Gospel Church. This Food Pantry is open on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 9:00 to 1:00, but people often start lining up as early as 7:30 in the morning. Clients do not even have to get out of their cars. Food is brought out and loaded for them.

Recently the Union County Farmers Market held a winter market in the Maynardville Elementary School gymnasium.
Although winter is the “off season” for most of our local farmers, there was still a large turnout of vendors. Unfortunately, the customer turnout was dismal.
However, those who missed out on this event will have the opportunity to catch the spring Farmers Market on March 18 at the Union County Farmers Market Pavilion.

Spring is just around the corner, even if the groundhog says otherwise. As we start to see a few warmer days, green grasses will perk up quick. To get ready for the grooming of your lawns, it is best to think ahead in planning to have your machines ready for better weather since it is likely they have been sitting in the shed all winter. Thanks to the University of Tennessee student branch of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), a Spring Lawn Mower Clean Up Fundraiser will be hosted in the coming weeks.

A person’s head is one of the most vulnerable parts of the body that can be injured during an auto accident. Symptoms of a head injury may be subtle. Headaches and dizziness after an auto accident can be signs of a more serious head injury. Headaches have been known to mentally and emotionally disrupt a person’s life, and dizziness can turn normal activities into fairly difficult tasks.

Have you ever wanted to hide so that you were completely out of sight? I did the morning of my senior prom.
At that time, it was the early eighties. Anybody who was anybody had big hair. I’m talking curls and hair that stood out a few inches from a person’s scalp. Let’s put it this way, if you had invested in a company that produced hair spray during that era, then you probably received a good amount of return on your money.

I recently saw an episode of The Andy Griffith Show that I must have seen dozens of times. A Google search will tell you that this was Season One, Episode 13, “Mayberry Goes Hollywood”.
In that episode, the town decided to really “put on the show” for the film crew. Everybody dressed up in false finery, and the storefronts spiffed up their window displays. I never noticed it before, but the window of the funeral parlor advertised its convenient “layaway plan”.

This is so good. Much different from usual brined cucumber salads. Add as much sweet onion as you like.
Peel cucumber and cut into thin slices. Slice peeled sweet onion into thin rounds. Combine in medium bowl. Set aside. In small bowl, combine sour cream, vinegar, salt and chives. Pour dressing over veggies. Toss gently to coat. Chill at least 2 hours and serve.

With the bitter sub-zero weather we had a few weeks ago, I’ve kept my eye open for a type of tree damage called frost crack, a long vertical split in the tree trunk. I didn’t find a fresh one but did find one or two cracks that had healed over.

By Marilyn Toppins
At the January Union County Commission meeting, Finance Director Melissa Brown told commissioners that Union County had no debt and repeated the statement three times at Union County Mayor Jason Bailey’s request. However, she explained that the Union County School Board still owes for the School Energy Saving Program and the wheel tax will be paying for the construction of Paulette Elementary through possibly 2028.

As Union County teachers, students and parents look forward to the new age of education in the community, there is a new leader ready to embark on the journey of additional educational opportunities in new facilities.
Greg Clay, born and raised in Tater Valley, looks forward to assisting the community in improvements and additions to Union County Public Schools (UCPS).