I like fresh sweet corn. I remember eating sweet corn in the summertime back when my kids were in grade school. There would be a big kettle of salted water boiling on the stove. The ears would be dumped in and the water brought to a boil again. Taken out and piled on a platter, it was ready to eat. We had fun eating corn. Remember the old manual typewriters? My kids and I would play "typewriter" and chomp our way across a row of kernels. No, we didn't go "ding!" at the end of the row. Now, that was good eating.

The county received a grant (RAHHABE GRANT: Rural Access to Health and Healthy Active Build Environments) from the Department of Health of Tennessee. MPA Director Charles Turner presented the grant opportunity to County Mayor Williams. The county applied and we received the grant. The walking trail was in need of repair so the county contracted the County Hwy Department and B & C Paving to do the job. The paving was completed on August 3. We hope this will inspire more people to come out to the park to enjoy family time together.

The Union County Chamber of Commerce is seeking to fill the position of President of our Chamber of Commerce. Overall responsibilities include serving as Chief Executive Officer of the corporation, overseeing daily operations, serving as ex-officio of all committees. A bachelor’s degree in economic and community development, and experience in grant writing and marketing is preferred but not required. Background checks and fingerprinting may be required for certain grants.

Out Highway 61 between Maynardville and Luttrell, there's a small farm winery founded on a big dream. That dream belongs to Nicole "Nikki" Riddle, owner of The Winery at Seven Springs Farm. She leased 44 acres for a vineyard and winery from her parents, Donna and Rick Riddle, and opened the winery in 2015. Her fiance, Michael Coombs, is part of the winery as well.

Jean Underwood Fox and Harry Fox presently own the Albert Miller Lea farm at Richland, and this is the 209th anniversary of Mr. Lea’s birth. What a birthday gift, a Tennessee Historic Marker, presented by Mr. and Mrs. Fox. They have begun working with Grainger County Historian Ken Coffey to have Richland: Albert Miller Lea Farm placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is the tenth historic marker to be placed in Grainger County. Mr. Marvin House, who restored the Richland Mill, was also helpful in this process.

My dad was of the old school. His home was his castle and he was in charge! My, how times have changed. Nowadays, mom works, too. The family doesn't gather around the supper table anymore. Every member of the family has his own agenda. When I think about the old days, I'm talking about the thirties and the forties. One thing, especially, comes to mind: "Fried Eggs on Toast." That was my dad's breakfast from as long as I can remember. Oh, there might be pancakes, French toast or whatever, but "Fried Eggs on Toast" was a given.

Floating Axe Farm began a year ago when Christopher and Heather Schwarzen moved to Halls with their 9 children. There, they own a farm with a couple of acres of land. The name Floating Axe has a biblical meaning, from 2 Kings 6:1-7. They grow a variety of produce organically, including cucumbers, beans, squash, lettuce and pumpkins and hope to grow popcorn in the future. They also raise meat rabbits and are in the process of raising goats for milk and meat. They hope to expand their farm each year as they continue to grow.

Here's some great news for folks in Sharps Chapel. The Union County Farmers Market is coming to you with fresh, local produce, noon to 2 p.m. every Wednesday, at the Sharps Chapel Senior Center.

"We have tossed it around for awhile," said Beth Bergeron of UT Extension. "We realized that there were some regulars (from Sharps Chapel) that we hadn't seen in two years. Apparently, Saturdays are not good for that particular community."

Bergeron said the Wednesday market will continue in the Chapel as long as there is interest.

Who’d ever thunk it? This Horace Maynard High School Class of 1976 graduate has already been successful in three careers. Young as he is, he may add to those. Reverend Keith Williams worked for a number of years as a Machinist/Toolmaker. When he became a full time pastor he, of course, gave up that job. Keith is the son of A. J. And Betty Williams of Tater Valley, where he grew up. His father taught Keith to play fiddle when he was just about 13 years old, but he didn’t become a serious fiddle player until he was 20. He did not attempt fiddle making until about four years ago.

Some of you might be too young to remember Dr. Baker or the TV show that made his character famous. It was called, Little House on the Prairie, and if you’re not familiar with it, look it up on Netflix. It’s family-friendly viewing at its finest.

Up until around the middle of the 20th century, most rural communities had a Dr. Baker who treated everyone from infancy to death. They made house calls, delivered babies, set broken bones, and many times even doubled as veterinarian for farm animals.