The 2nd Annual Union County Veterans Appreciation Picnic will be held on Saturday, November 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Veterans, families of veterans, and citizens who want to show their appreciation for our veterans are all welcome to this FREE event.

Pitmaster Fred England will start serving his popular pork butt BBQ at 11:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The Union County American Legion is donating the pork. Local bands will provide entertainment.

Stop by and help celebrate our veterans!

The Customer Appreciation Day at 33 Hardware was a multi-faceted occasion. Owner John Neal arranged for Shaun Abbott, a country and gospel singer from Knoxville, to entertain. Shaun is a popular musician all around Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and at the TN Valley Fair. Car owners were encouraged to bring their vintage, antique or other cars to the Customer Appreciation Day, and about 30 vehicles were on display to look at and admire.

Veterans Day on November 11 is an opportunity to celebrate and thank the veterans who have served and protected our country and our way of life. On Saturday, November 15, Union County veterans, their family members, and anyone who simply wants to show their appreciation for our veterans, will gather at Wilson Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. American Legion Post 212 will supply smoked pork butts for your free lunch. There will be bands, kids' games, the UCHS JROTC, and more.

Bill Manning lives in Maynardville. His brother, Van, lives in Maryville. Van was just honored by the Quilts of Valor at the Seymour Heights Christian Church. The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans who have been touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. So far in 2024, 35,333 people have received a Quilt of Valor. Over 408,000 total quilts have been awarded since the beginning of the project in 2003.

What a fabulous group of people gathered in Wilson Park for the First Annual Veterans Appreciation Family Picnic. So many veterans, families of veterans, and citizens who appreciate what our veterans mean to us showed up for comradery and good food. The barbecue was terrific and plentiful, there were more hot dogs than anyone could eat, the chicken from 33 Diner was, as always, delicious. Everyone who wanted a raffle ticket (including children) had a chance to win one of the fantastic door prizes.

The Veterans of Union County have been overwhelmed by the amount of community support they have received since announcing the Veterans Appreciation Family Picnic to be held on Saturday November 9! Businesses and individuals have offered to help with so much…from crewing to cooking to donating door prizes. Thank you so much, Union County. It has meant a lot to the Veterans who have been planning this event. It is going to be so much more fun because of your input and assistance.

According to Wikipedia, “Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, executed, or deserted”. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency researches, investigates, recovers and identifies American service members who never returned from wars and various other operational loss incidents and whose bodies have never been found and identified.

The Union County American Legion has one fundraiser a year to help pay for their many projects, and that fundraiser is coming up on Saturday, October 5, from 8 a.m. until noon. They will be at the intersection of Maynardville Hwy. and Hickory Star Rd. asking for your donation. On your way to the Union County Heritage Festival, grocery shopping or just driving around, please go by this intersection and help our American Legion help our Union County veterans, many of whom are alone and/or incapacitated, and donate what you can to the American Legion Post 212.

Thursday October 3, 2024

WATE 6 On Your Side is proud to once again to be partnering with Operation Honor Guard, a 501(c)(3) organization with their annual donation drive. It is the goal of all Honor Guards to offer a last tribute of respect to their departed comrades by rendering military funeral honors to any honorably discharged veteran, without any regard to sex, race, color, creed, national origin, or military rank. There is no cost to the family for this service.

The Union County Veterans celebrated Labor Day together with an American cook-out on September 9. Our Veterans and their spouses observed the end of summer by gathering to share the traditional hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings. This was complimented with potato salad and baked beans, all courtesy of the Veteran Volunteers,. The meal was topped off with a delicious homemade cobbler. As always, the monthly meal was free to our Veterans to thank them for all that they have done for our country.