Historic Union County

Spreading the good news of Union County

This salad is so pretty. Tasty, too. It could be the star of your potluck recipes. It will stand alone as a supper dish as well.

At the beginning of my first class in college, the instructor drew two circles on the chalkboard; one huge one and a tiny circle above it. He explained that most of humanity fits in the large circle. College educated people were in the small circle. We were in the small one, he said. Ok, but there are some mighty strange ones on our circle. let me explain.

Normally I am a plant lover kind of guy, but there is a group of foreigners that I love to hate. They are classed exotic invasive plants, and they are determined to take over the world an acre at a time, disrupting native plants and ecosystems as they go. Probably the most notorious and recognized invasive in the south is Kuzdu (Pueraria montana). You don’t have to drive far to find its vines carpeting the ground, trees, buildings, and anything else standing in the way.

The Grainger County Tomato Festival is back! After a one year hiatus because of the Coronavirus, Grainger County is hosting its 28th annual tomato festival on Friday, July 23rd and Saturday, July 24th at 7480 Rutledge Pike in Rutledge, TN. 1992 launched the first festival to, according to their website, “promote all Grainger County agricultural products, specifically the Grainger County Tomato, and to promote the many local artists, authors, talent, and craftsmen we have in our area”. This year’s schedule, however, will be a little different than in the past.

I recently had the joy of meeting young entrepreneur Jacqueline Stallard when I visited her newest shop location, Home Town Shack, in Maynardville. Stallard opened this location—her latest venture—in March 2021 to bring a wide variety of items to the community. In a way, the offerings harken back to the days of the local mercantile, as there is a wide array of merchandise, from boutique items to fishing supplies and even fresh produce when in season. Stallard aims to meet the needs of the underserved northern end of Union County.

By Kelly Irick

The BRIGHT Afterschool program, ran through the UT Extension Union County Office, hosted an afterschool and summer camp program at Big Ridge Elementary to align with the extended Summer School program provided to the county. The program, a grant funded opportunity, offered after school hours Monday through Thursday and full day camps on Fridays throughout the month of June.

By Meradeth Whitley

Cakes are delicious, but what would they be without the frosting?! That’s me without 4-H. You could say that 4-H is one of the most important things in my life. My name is Meradeth Whitley, I am entering high school this year, and I live in Union County. I love everything about where I live, and I am so proud to represent my county when I go to the many amazing 4-H events all over our region.

Mayor Bailey received grant monies during the Covid pandemic. Now the Luttrell Public Library has a sneeze guard around the service desk and 6 new computer chairs, which was made possible by County Mayor, Jason Bailey. Once again, thank you, Mayor Bailey!

Spinal adjustment/manipulation is a core treatment in chiropractic care, and it is synonymous with chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors commonly use other treatments in addition to spinal manipulation, and may combine the use of spinal adjustments and other manual therapies with several other treatments and approaches such as:

My all-time favorite television show is Bonanza. To me, it’s a lot like The Andy Griffith Show—no matter how many times I see an episode, it never grows old. There are two episodes of Bonanza that stand out because of one single statement.

Have you been in a situation where you thought, “Did that just happen?” My mom and I experienced that years ago at a flea market.

Eggplant is one of those vegetables that either you like or you don't. I happen to like eggplant. Of course, I haven't met a vegetable I didn't like. Why not fry up some sausage patties to go with it?

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.

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.

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.