Happy New Year!We have been blessed with

another New Year. I think back to many New Years’ Eves and Days, but as a person who has spent at least nine-tenths of his life in school, the New Years’ days I remember best are those that opened a new school year.

The most signifi cant for me was my fi rst year as a student at Lincoln Memorial Univer-sity. Never before, and I don’t think ever since, had I experi-enced such great change in so short a time.

➤ Read Ronnie Mincey on page 4

Never too oldEvery week senior fi tness

buffs at the North Side YMCA prove that you are never too old to care about health and exercise. Cindy Solomon has led fi tness classes at the Y for more than seven years.

“The senior class is one of my favorites,” she said. “I can see so much more improve-ment in the senior class mem-bers than in the other classes and they share good results from doctor visits with me.”

➤ Read Cindy Taylor on page 2

Giving lightTo put things in perspective,

the 1940s were the time when Union County transitioned from the kerosene lamp and the gasoline washing machine (those who were lucky enough to have one) to electric power.

It was a momentous day – Jan. 20, 1942 – when electric-ity was turned on at my home.

➤ Read Bonnie Peters on page 5

Pick up extra copies atUnion County Senior Citizens Center

298 Main St. Maynardville(865) 922-4136

NEWS

news@ShopperNewsNow.comSandra Clark | Cindy Taylor

ADVERTISING SALESads@ShopperNewsNow.com

Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore

Beverly Holland | Amy Lutheran

POSTAL CUSTOMER

VOL. 11 NO. 1 January 6, 2016www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

BUZZ

By Carol ShanePeople react to physical set-

backs several different ways. Some throw in the towel imme-diately. “Oh well – I’m older now – it’s age and I can’t do anything about it, so I might as well get used to it.” Some go to their doc-tors with specifi c complaints, hear some advice, and then either fol-low it or not.

And then there are those who make up their own cure. James Miller, who lives between Norris and Halls, is one those folks.

Miller, who goes by “J,” works for his family’s business, Miller Equipment Co. Inc., which sells and services commercial refriger-ation and food service equipment.

“My knee issues started about 18 years ago when I was working on a fryer in a restaurant kitchen,” he says. “I was on the fl oor on my knees, and bent them too far for too long. I never went to the doc-tor. I knew numerous people who had had knee pain and had sur-gery, most of whom told me it was the best thing they had ever done. So I was pretty resigned to hav-ing to have surgery someday but it wasn’t something I felt like rush-ing into.”

Miller, still a young man and much younger then, decided sim-ply to live with the pain.

“Then one night about six years ago I had chest pain such that it

By Ruth WhiteLibrary director Anjanae

Brueland spent a day in the Union County library, shadowing Chantay Collins and learning more of how she runs the library and getting ideas of making the Jefferson City Public Library even better.

The main focus of the visit was to learn more about the Mac lab inside the UC library, including programs and grants

to help with operations. “The Mac lab is a big investment,” said Brueland, “and we want to make sure that we have the right equipment and trained personnel to run it once installed.”

This isn’t the fi rst time that Collins has shared information with Brueland and she considers her a great resource. “We had planned a reading program for the summer and honestly thought

Trail runner J Miller enjoys the view from the top of Mount LeConte. Miller

cured his knee pain on his own by running on soft mountain ground.Photo by Melony Dodson

J Miller: Trail running’s for him

kept me up all night,” he says, “so the next day I thought I should go to the doctor. They found my blood pressure was high and wanted to put me in hospital then and there.” He didn’t stay, but returned soon after to undergo a battery of tests. “There were no blockages or any-thing, just high blood pressure. But it was enough to scare me into wanting to take better care of my heart, something I had never wor-ried about too much.”

Growing up near Norris, Miller had always been fairly active. He especially loved mountain bik-ing. But adult life imposed time restraints, and he found that he

didn’t have the spare time for two-hour-minimum bike trips.

“I decided I should try running again as I could get more exercise in a shorter time. I say ‘again’ as I had tried running numerous times when I was younger. Run-ning to me was something you did on roads or sidewalks or whatever. Every time I tried it I hated it.

“At this time I was living in the town of Norris within walk-ing distance of some great trails, and it suddenly hit me – I could go running in the woods! It was a life-changing revelation!”

The hilly terrain made it dif-fi cult at fi rst. “But with my heart

scare, I was determined to make it work. Plus, I just really love be-ing in the woods. I found that after about four attempts at running my body was getting used to the idea. Within about two months I was getting quite profi cient at it. I then realized that I was no longer hav-ing any knee pain!”

And his blood pressure dropped accordingly.

Miller, who also plays percus-sion for Clarence Brown Theatre productions, sings the praises of trail running. “The ground is softer than pavement so you don’t get all that jarring shock on your joints and entire body. Also, the unevenness of the running surface seems to work more muscles, giv-ing a superior all-around strength-ening of the legs and knees. I have had a number of twisted ankles due to this but those are very minor and go away quickly. “The bottom line for me is that I no longer have knee pain. Ever! Except when I go a few weeks without running, then it can creep back up.”

He also enjoys hiking and run-ning in the Great Smoky Moun-tains National park and other scenic venues. And he’s careful to point out that the story of his “cure” is “very much just opinions and personal experience with no actual medical experience to back it up.

“But very real for me.”

Defininga great library

Anjanae Brueland checks out the MAC lab with Union County librarian Chantay

Collins.

Jeff erson City public library director Anjanae Brueland and Union

County librarian Chantay Collins spend a day together talking and shar-

ing ideas, one librarian to another. Photos by R. White

we would be in our new building for the launch. When we weren’t, I called on Chantay to pick her brain on ideas to keep the program running.”

Collins’ advice to Brueland was to never let the library be defi ned by the space. Brueland immediately called on local businesses and found temporary spots for the program; one that she says is the biggest they have ever had.

As the group talked all things library, many visitors stopped by – some to use the computer lab, some to make copies and some just to chat – and everyone was greeted with a smile. The Union County library is a hub of activity and

although conversation was often interrupted, it didn’t stop Brueland from taking mental notes on how Collins and her staff run a great meeting place.

“The modern library isn’t about the books but about handling and sharing information,” said Brueland. “Chantay is a living, breathing example of using resources and strengths of the community and supporting them.”

As Collins stepped away from the conversation to greet another visitor, the group continued talking about cataloging books in ways to get them noticed and easier to fi nd and ways to get a foot in the door at area schools.

from theShopper News

HappyNew Year

Pre-FacebookThe Halls Shopper was

Facebook before Facebook. We created community by shar-ing information. Now folks just post their sheep-goats and ballerina squash directly online. And that’s OK. We never owned the information, Jake, just the mechanism for sharing it.

➤ Read Sandra Clark on page 4

Senior wrap-upWelcome to Week Two of the

Shopper’s expanded coverage of senior centers in the county.

Melanie Dykes takes great (if sometimes embarrassing) pictures. And the themed-events are worth shooting (think Elvis at Luttrell in January).

And don’t forget. You can pick up extra copies of the Shopper at the Maynardville Senior Center.

➤ Read Melanie Dykes on page 6

2 • JANUARY 6, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news business

Thanks for your serviceDavid Hutchins is thanked by KCDC chair Dan Murphy for

Hutchins’ 15 years of leadership at KDCD. His fi nal meeting was

in December. Hutchins began his tenure during the HOPE VI

revitalization project in Mechanicsville in 2001 and continued

through the ongoing Five Points revitalization in East Knox-

ville.

The state is investing $8 million in a new Rural Eco-nomic Development Fund to build capacity for trans-formative economic devel-opment strategies in rural Tennessee. The announce-ment came in late 2015 from Gov. Bill Haslam.

The Rural Economic De-velopment Fund will pro-vide an initial $6 million for site development grants for communities to help move economic development sites to shovel-ready status as part of the state’s Select Tennessee Site Certifi cation program.

The new initiative will also fund $1 million in grants for the enhance-ment of tourism sites in rural communities as well as $600,000 for addition-al ThreeStar community grants including a Main Street Business Incuba-tor program for downtown business districts.

“Tennessee has embraced real change in our approach to workforce readiness with programs like the Tennes-see Promise, and these new

initiatives led by TNECD will help build capacity in rural areas and get them ready for investment and

e c o n o m i c s u c c e s s , ” H a s l a m said.

“Tennes-seans are passionate about their c om mu n i -ties,” said Community

Development Commissioner Randy Boyd. “Here at (the department of community development), we are pas-sionate about helping them develop dynamic, diverse economies and thriving communities. This invest-ment will pay off for de-cades, helping generations of rural Tennesseans see that their communities reach full economic potential.”

TNECD announced a re-newed focus on rural devel-opment, with Boyd appoint-ing Amy Blaylock New as the department’s fi rst assis-tant commissioner for rural development. TNECD also

organized a statewide Rural Development Task Force.

The department launched a new marketing campaign for the Memphis Regional Megasite, a state-owned 4,100-acre industrial site in rural West Tennessee.

The Rural Economic De-velopment Fund will also provide $250,000 in fund-ing for a statewide survey of broadband capacity in rural Tennessee – a direct result of feedback from rural com-munity leaders.

New said the programs the fund helps create are directly tied to feedback the department received during its listening tours.

“Our department decided to double down on rural economic development ear-lier this year,” New said. “The Rural Economic De-velopment Fund will help communities stretch their resources to make sure we have asset-based invest-ment strategies in rural Tennessee. This fund will reinforce the exceptional work and investment by our local partners to prepare

for the future economic growth.”

The Rural Economic De-velopment Fund includes:

■ $6 million Select TNSite Development Grants

■ $1 million Tourism-Based Economic Enhance-ment Program

■ $300,000 Main StreetIncubator Grants

■ $250,000 ThreeStarCommunity Enhancement Awards

■ $250,000 StatewideBroadband Supply/Demand Analysis

■ $100,000 ThreeStarAsset Based Planning As-sistance

■ $75,000 AgLaunch incooperation with Launch Tennessee

Funding for the new grant programs comes from one-time revenues in the department’s current bud-get.

Community leaders in rural Tennessee will receive information from their re-gional offi ces and TNECD on the application process for the new programs in the coming months.

Delivering more …

North offi ce: 7049 Maynardville Pike • Knoxville, TN 37918 • (865) 922-4136 • Fax: 922-5275

West offi ce: 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500 • Knoxville, TN 37932 • (865) 218-WEST (9378) • Fax: 342-6628

Reaching 11,000of your closest friends and neighbors by U.S. Mail

www.ShopperNewsNow.com

Grant program could boost business growth

Bill Haslam

Every week senior fi tness buffs at the Halls YMCA prove that you are never too old to care about health and exercise. Cindy Solomon has led fi tness classes at the Y for more than seven years.

Maxie Monroe and Bruce Cronin start their workout routine at

the Halls YMCA with lunges led by instructor Cindy Solomon. Photo by Cindy Taylor

Never too old

Cindy Taylor

“The senior class is one of my favorites,” she said.

“I can see so much more improvement in the senior

class members than in the other classes and they share good results from doctor visits with me.”

Class members range from 64 to 92. The classes meet on Tuesdays and Fri-days. Many of the partici-pants attend both. Mary Lynn Geisler has attended the classes for six years and comes to more than one class each week.

“Sometimes we have more than 20 people in class,” said Geisler. “I will be 75 soon and enjoy taking these classes for my health.”

Jennifer Hunt and Maxie Monroe have been attend-ing classes for a couple of

years. Both are retired from St. Mary’s Medical Center but never met until they be-gan the fi tness class.

“I come for the activ-ity level but also to be with the other people,” said Monroe, 84, who attends classes five days a week. “Not many people come five days a week but my husband and I live close so we come together most of the time.”

Some participants have an insurance plan that pays for the Y membership. Oth-ers are happy to pay for the privilege of staying healthy and active. John Clabo re-cently had pneumonia and

had to miss some classes.He came back for the fi rsttime Dec. 18.

“This class helps tremen-dously,” he said. “I have lostabout 35 pounds since I’vebeen coming. At 79 yearsold I am active and have alot of energy because I comehere.”

Solomon says classes al-ways start with social timewhich leads, sometimesslowly, into the workouts.

“The senior studentsare so faithful and I havelearned a lot from them,”said Solomon. “They areteaching me that I can keepgoing as I get older.”

Info: 922-9622.

UNION COUNTY Shopper news • JANUARY 6, 2016 • 3 community

Make 2016 the year you decide to experience the life-enhancing benefi ts of chiropractic care. Chiro-practic is a form of medical treatment that involves no surgery or drugs. The basic premise of chiropractic is that a properly functioning body is capable of correcting many of its own problems. And vital to that capability is a nervous system that is fi ring on all cylinders.

The main pathway for the transmission of signals between the brain and the nerves that inhabit and ac-tivate the body is the spinal cord. The spinal cord runs th rough, and is protected by, the bones of the spine – called vertebrae. If one or more of them are slightly out of line, they can impede the fl ow of signals through the nerves and cause prob-lems. So keeping that infor-mation highway in proper

alignment is essential to overall health and quality of life.

For instance, a pain in your right shoulder could actually be caused or exac-erbated by a vertebra that is out of line. The misalign-ment could be because of trauma, like a fall or a car accident, or by the normal wear and tear of life. In any event, a chiropractor is a doctor trained to di-agnose such problems and treat them. The doctor of chiropractic has many tech-niques at his or her dispos-al. The practice’s signature technique is the manual spinal adjustment. Make an appointment with a chiro-practor to see how you can improve your quality of life.

Presented as a community service by Union County Chiropractic; 110 Skyline Drive, Maynardville, Tenn.992-7000.

Chiropractic OutlookBy Dr. Darrell Johnson, DC

Start the year with an adjustment

Playing for the LionsA saxophone trio from Horace Maynard Middle School

took time from their Christmas vacation to perform for

the Dec. 21 meeting of the Union County Lions Club. Kay-

lee McCarter, Ethan Ritter and Tyler Greene are pictured

with their instructor, Hannah Haynes.

Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon Corporate Team Challenge members pose for their fi rst group picture at Parkwest Medical Center. Team members will serve as ambassadors for corporate

health and fi tness. They are: (front) Lisa Benton, Naomi Blair, Neva Foust, Lee Ann Bowman, Tatia Harris, Cynthia Jones; (back) Robert Holder, Misty Monday, Jennifer Marsh, Bob Yarbrough, Chip

Braeuner, Allison Benge, Melisa Hart and Chris Blevins.

Let the wellness beginHigh blood pressure,

elevated cholesterol, diabe-tes, aches and pains – these are all common problems affecting millions of people in the American workplace. We learn to live with it, take the pills, and clock in, because there’s a job to be done.

But what if there’s a bet-ter way?

Covenant Health has as-sembled a team of repre-sentatives from local busi-nesses to train for events in the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, April 3, 2016, as a path to better health and fi tness.

The new team members are ready to get serious about getting healthier, and have made a commitment to help others do the same.

For a little extra moti-vation, they will be com-peting against each other to see who can make the greatest strides in health and fitness by race day. The team will be coached by Covenant Health fit-ness advocate Missy Kane, who is an Olympic run-ner and a member of the

Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

At the end of the three-month training period, a winner will be named based on improvements in health and fi tness, goals reached and team par-ticipation. The winner will receive a package of prizes from marathon sponsors, but Kane says past team members have told her the real prize is the new lease on life that comes with be-ing healthy and strong.

This year’s team mem-bers were chosen from the marathon’s Fittest Compa-ny Challenge participants, a variety of employers throughout East Tennes-see who are encourag-ing their work force to use marathon events to achieve optimum well-ness. The team will receive expert advice on diet and exercise, and will serve as community ambassadors for health and fitness.

Covenant Health’s fi rst

team was assembled for the inaugural marathon in 2005. Since then, the program has grown and changed to reach various groups of people. The 2016 team will be the fi rst to fo-cus primarily on corporate wellness, striving to help employers support workers’ efforts to be healthy.

Info: knoxvillemarathon.com or covenanthealth.com/mara-thonteam

Fifth grade winners of the 4-H poster contest at Maynardville Elementary School are Blanca Gonzales, fi rst; Kaylee Williams, second; and Laila Alzerqani, third.

4-H poster winners

Fourth grade winners of the 4-H poster contest at Maynardville Elemen-tary School are Dalton Schreieck, fi rst; Hayston Collins, second; and Kyra Peace, third.

Corporate team challenge

highlights work wellness

CALL FOR ARTISTS ■ Arts in the Airport: juried exhibition allows regional artists to

compete and display work at McGhee Tyson Airport secured

area behind the security gate checkpoint from March 17-Oct.

12. Theme: “Smoky Mountain Air Show.” Entries deadline:

midnight Sunday, Feb. 7. Info/application: knoxalliance.com;

Suzanne Cada, 523-7543 or sc@knoxalliance.com.

■ Scruff y City Art Contest: a juried art exhibit competition

celebrating Knoxville’s blend of southern history and mod-

ern development on the banks of the Tennessee River. Free

and open to all artists. Submissions deadline: Feb. 15. Info:

liz-beth.com/contest.

■ Dogwood Arts Festival: juried artists are selected to exhibit

and sell their original work in mixed media, clay, drawing/

pastels, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, painting, photography,

sculpture, and wood in April. Info: dogwoodarts.com

■ Gallery of Arts Tribute: a juried exhibition developed to

recognize local artists and honor the life and times of Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Artwork should be delivered 9 a.m.-5

p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 4-5. Entry form: knoxalliance.

com/MLK.htm; or SASE to Arts & Culture Alliance, P.O. Box

2506, Knoxville TN 37901. Info: Suzanne Cada, 523-7543 or

sc@knoxalliance.com.

HEALTH NOTES ■ “Introduction to Healing

Touch” session led by Brenda

Rasch, PT, PC, will be 6-8 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 6, Clinton

Physical Therapy Center up-

per building, 1921 N. Charles

G. Seivers Blvd., Clinton.

Session free, but donations

accepted for the Well Being

Foundation in Tazewell. Info/

registration: Brenda Rasch,

363-6416 or BrendaRaschPT@

gmail.com/register.

■ Peninsula Lighthouse Group

of Families Anonymous

meetings, 6:15-7:15 p.m. each

Tuesday, 1451 Dowell Springs

Blvd. Newcomers welcome;

no dues/fees; no sign-up; fi rst

names only. Info: Barbara L.,

696-6606 or PeninsulaFA2@

aol.com.

■ UT Hospice Adult Grief Sup-

port Group meeting, 5-6:30

p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, UT Hos-

pice offi ce, 2270 Sutherland

Ave. A light supper is served.

Info/reservation: Brenda

Fletcher, 544-6277.

4 • JANUARY 6, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 6International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Clax-

ton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

THURSDAY, JAN. 7Big Ridge 4th District Neighborhood Watch meet-

ing, 7 p.m., Big Ridge Elementary School library. Info: 992-5212.

Living with Diabetes: Putting the Pieces Together, 2-4:30 p.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stan-ton Road. Info: 689-2681.

FRIDAY, JAN. 8Opening reception for “Gallery of Arts Tribute”: a

juried exhibition developed to recognize local artists and honor the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 6-8 p.m., Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. Info: 523-7543 or knoxalliance.com.

SATURDAY, JAN. 9Kitten and cat adoption fair, noon-6 p.m., West

Town PetSmart adoption center, 214 Morrell Road. Sponsored by Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee. Info: www.feralfelinefriends.org.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Faye Wooden, 11 a.m., Powell Branch Library, 330 W. Emory Road. Info: 947-6210.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Georgi Schmitt, 11 a.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

The Tennessee Stiffl egs Old-Time String Band, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Tickets: $14, some discounts available. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.

SUNDAY, JAN. 10Pen to Podium: SAFTA Reading Series, 3-4 p.m.,

Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Featur-

ing: George David Clark and Jeni Wallace. Info: 215-8750.

MONDAY, JAN. 11Staged reading of “Last Train to Nibroc,” 7:30 p.m.,

The Square Room, 4 Market Square. Presented by the WordPlayers. Free admission. Info: 539-2490 or wordplayers.org.

TUESDAY, JAN. 12Paulette 6th District Neighborhood Watch meeting, 7

p.m., Paulette Elementary School cafeteria. Info: 992-5212.

TUESDAYS, JAN. 12-FEB.16“Refl ections, Light and Magic” class, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.,

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive. Cost: KMA members $150/nonmembers $175. Materials list provided. Info/registration: knoxart.org.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Claxton

Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

THURSDAY, JAN. 14AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30 p.m.,

AAA Offi ce, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Four-hour course helps reduce points for traffi c offenders and teaches how to reduce risk while driving. Cost: $30 members/$35 nonmembers. Must preregister. Info/registration: Kate, 862-9254, or Stephanie, 862-9252.

Coffee, Donuts & a Movie: “Max,” 10:30 a.m., Burl-ington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

Halls Book Club: “The Rocks,” 1 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Info: 922-2552.

Just Add Color: Adult Coloring Club, 5:30 p.m., Bur-lington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

VFW meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., Maynardville. All veterans are invited. Info: 278-3784.

FRIDAY, JAN. 15Steep Canyon Rangers in concert, 8 p.m., Bijou The-

ater, 803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: knoxbijou.com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JAN. 15-16“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” 8

p.m. Friday and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Tennessee The-atre, 604 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: all Ticketmaster out-

lets, Tennessee Theatre box offi ce and 800-745-3000.Monster Jam, 7:30 p.m., Thompson-Boling Arena.

Saturday Pit Party, 5 p.m. Info/tickets: tbarena.com; knoxvilletickets.com.

SATURDAY, JAN. 16AAA Driver Improvement Course, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.,

AAA Offi ce, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Eight-hour course helps reduce points for traffi c offenders and teaches how to reduce risk while driving. Cost: $40 members/$50 nonmembers. Must preregister. Info/registration: Kate, 862-9254, or Stephanie, 862-9252.

“Fantasia, Live!” presented by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, 8 p.m., Knoxville Civic Auditorium, 500 How-ard Baker Jr. Ave. Info/tickets: knoxvillesymphony.com.

Kitten and cat adoption fair, noon-6 p.m., West Town PetSmart adoption center, 214 Morrell Road. Sponsored by Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee. Info: www.feralfelinefriends.org.

Roux du Bayou Cajun Dance Music, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Tickets: $12, some discounts available. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Faye Wooden, 11 a.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Sarah Rysewyk, 11 a.m., Powell Branch Library, 330 W. Emory Road. Info: 947-6210.

“What’s For Breakfast” cooking class, 10 a.m., Clinton Physical Therapy Center, 1921 N. Charles G. Seivers Blvd., Clinton. Led by Camille Watson, Holistic Health Coach. Cost: $33/$60 per couple if paid by Jan. 13. Preregistration requested. Info/registration: Kelly Lenz, 457-1649, or Camille Watson, 661-9956.

SATURDAYS, JAN. 16-FEB. 13“Pottery On The Wheel” class for all levels, 10 a.m.-2

p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway, Norris. Instructor: Katie Cottrell. Registration deadline: Jan. 9. Bring lunch. Info/registration: 494-9854; appalachianarts.net.

TUESDAY, JAN. 19Computer Workshop: Introducing the Computer, 2

p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Pre-registration required. Info/registration: 215-8700.

Honor Guard meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., May-nardville. All veterans invited. Info: 256-5415.

Tribute Show honoring Dolly Parton’s 70th birthday, 7 pm., Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St. Tickets: $25. Pro-ceeds will benefi t Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Knox County. Info/tickets: knoxbijou.com

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20Greensky Bluegrass in concert, 8 p.m., Bijou Theater,

803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: knoxbijou.com

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

ShoppernewseVents

Sandra Clark

opinion

Ronnie Mincey

TEACHER TIME

Jake Mabe called Wednes-day to check in and catch up.

2016: Bring it on!

We commiserated about our ailments. I told him about a Wufoo form some-body decided would help our effi ciency. How can you take it seriously if it’s named Wufoo?

Jake recalled the good old days when we worked in a tiny offi ce in Halls with an assortment of friends and characters dropping by to show us oddly-shaped veg-etables or giant pumpkins.

There was Hubert Ma-

jors, who tried to convince me and Betty Bean that his shaggy animal was a rare “sheep-goat.”

Joe Smelser: “Hey, Jake, jump in the truck. Gotta show you this cemetery.” And he’d tear out on two wheels.

Tud Etherton: “Hey, San-dra, my good friend Jerry Cheung is cooking up some-thing special tonight. Bring your camera.” (And after dinner at the Mandarin House, Jerry might come out to play “Rocky Top” on his urhu.)

Jesse Butcher: “Hey, I’m taking these gourd seed over to Mynatt’s (Hard-ware). Giving them away. Let people know. Hollow out the gourds to make houses for purple martins, and those martins will keep

your place mosquito-free.”Lula Mae Winegar:

“Hey, I found this bat at my house.” She dragged a pet carrier into our offi ce.

“Hey, get that thing out of here,” I said. “I’m scared of bats.”

Jake leapt up and dragged the crate outside. Our of-fi ce was in a log cabin with a front porch. Lula wanted us to photograph the bat (or maybe she just wanted it gone from her place), so she opened the crate.

The little bat fl ew out and immediately attached itself upside down under our red paper box. While I climbed the gutter downspout, Lula tried to coax the bat into fl ight so Jake could snap a picture. The bat literally disappeared, probably un-der the porch.

“Jake,” I said. “Those folks have one thing in com-mon. They’re all (except Jerry) dead.”

Pour another round, bar-tender.

The Halls Shopper was Facebook before Facebook. We created community by sharing information. Now folks just post their sheep-goats and ballerina squash directly online. And that’s OK. We never owned the information, Jake, just the mechanism for sharing it.

Imagine a couple of dusty monks discussing that new-fangled printing press. “Why, Brother An-thony, you’ll have folks writ-ing whatever comes into their heads and claiming it’s straight from God. Woe, woe.”

Ha! 2016 will bring more change to our business. I, for one, am past ready. Here comes Gannett, a company that actually makes money in the information business. Bring it on!

We have been blessed with another New Year. I think back to many New Years’ Eves and Days, but as a person who has spent at least nine-tenths of his life in school, the New Years’ days I remember best are those that opened a new school year.

New Year’s Day in August?

The most signifi cant for me was my fi rst year as a student at Lincoln Memori-al University. Never before, and I don’t think ever since, had I experienced such great change in so short a time.

Adrian Shoffner was the fi rst person to ever mention LMU to me when I was prob-ably about 12 or 13. Abraham Lincoln had been my hero since I fi rst read “The Man on the Penny” in Florence Chesney’s third grade. It seemed my destiny to go to a college dedicated to his memory, and I never once entertained the thought of going anywhere else.

Horace Maynard High School guidance coun-selor Darrell Malone and principal Joe Day did their diligence in getting me through the application process. Several of my fel-low graduates of the HMHS Class of 1983 were also go-ing to attend and, like me, would be living on campus. This sure made the move to dorm life easier.

Another thing that made the transition easier was the orientation session for

students and parents. I re-member Mother and me rid-ing to that session with Ann and Amy Richardson. Later, on “move-in” day, Ann once again transported me.

Yet another thing that made it easier to begin “dorm life” was a letter from the fellow who was to be my roommate, Walter J. “Corky” Sawchuk from Colchester, Conn. Corky was a baseball player and terrifi c guy, and we were roommates for two years. Later on we were blessed with a third roommate – I’ll tell more about him later.

I was a licensed driver, though I can provide plenty of evidence that I was not either a good or experi-enced one. For me, driv-ing from Maynardville to Harrogate in 1983 would be like me driving to and in New York City or Atlanta in 2016. My good elemen-tary and high school friend Mark Gilbert agreed to drive me to and from LMU that fi rst year.

I hope someday I get to tell ol’ Gilbert how much I love and appreciate him for doing that for me. He was quite the character, and there are quite a few tales I could tell on him. However, there are also quite a few tales he could tell on me, so I think it best that we each keep the other’s secrets.

One small tale, though. We were watching the fi nal episode of “Little House on the Prairie,” the one where they blew up the town because the railroad was taking over. There I was with a big lump in my throat, almost in tears. Gilbert looked at me and said, “Wouldn’t it be funny if they told them it was all a big joke?”

One of the co-stars of the Hardees coffee club says the future of Tennessee football is so bright, he’s going to start selling sunglasses.

Outlook depends on NFL lure

Marvin West

Another said the outlook is favorable enough that he can put away the crutch, “Just wait until next year.”

This is next year.This is the year the Vol-

unteers do more than talk about defeating Florida, winning the East and com-peting for the Southeastern Conference championship. This is the time to do it.

Butch Jones, four-mil-lion-dollar-man, has done

the brick-by-brick thing, created the culture, re-cruited superior talent and nurtured it through the growing stage. The coach is a splendid motivator. The players, constantly focused, have learned a lot. Butch and his staff are wiser in the ways of the big league. Ex-perience is said to be price-less.

Tennessee now has an al-most fi nished product.

Butch said a few days ago that it actually takes six or seven years to build a winning program in the SEC. That is coach talk, just in case of a calamity. The third year should have been at least one victory better than it was. This fourth year should be outstanding.

How outstanding will depend in part on the lure of the National Football League. If those eligible

to leave early who might get drafted high – Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Cam Sut-ton and Alvin Kamara – dive in, three future stars will move up on the depth chart.

Jones has surely planned for this eventuality. It ap-pears SEC coaches may even be using “early out” as a recruiting tool. Come to our place and we’ll get you ready for a big payday after three years instead of four.

The Tennessee schedule is no picnic. It never is. The red meat is packed from the last Saturday in September to the third Saturday in Oc-tober. Florida and Alabama come to Neyland Stadium. The Vols go to Georgia and Texas A&M.

There are few free wins. Playing in the SEC means one tough test after another. If you fi nd that intimidat-

ing, you do not believe the lofty evaluations of the past three recruiting classes. The Vols have been among national leaders at gather-ing talent. It appears sales is Butch Jones’ strength.

It is now time for the Vols to be among the national leaders in results. Top 20 in August, until they have demonstrated strength, top 10 in December when they are in a big bowl.

Jalen Hurd is good enough at what he does. The defensive line has sig-nifi cant potential. The of-fensive line will continue to improve. Joshua Dobbs must refi ne downfi eld accu-racy. Practice does not make perfect but it helps.

The secondary, with or without Sutton, is cause for moderate consternation.

To next page

UNION COUNTY Shopper news • JANUARY 6, 2016 • 5

CHARLIE HUDSON, D.PH.CINDY PAYNE HUDSON

992-9993Mon.-Fri. 8:30-6 • Sat. 9-2

2959 Maynardville Hwy.Between Union Ctr. Mall & First Century Bank

UNION DISCOUNT PHARMACYYour prescription is Always Our Priority

Bonnie Peters

To put things in perspec-tive, the 1940s were the time when Union County transitioned from the kero-sene lamp and the gasoline washing machine (those who were lucky enough to have one) to electric power.

Wash Day drawing from the 4-H guide book

Wash Day in the 1940s

It was a momentous day – Jan. 20, 1942 – when elec-tricity was turned on at my home.

My dad went to Knox-ville that day and bought an easy-wringer washer and I think a GE electric iron. This was a drastic change!

Previously washing was done outside; the water heated in an iron kettle and clothes scrubbed on a wash board with home-made soap. Now with the

coming of electricity, home demonstration agents were teaching homemakers and their daughters how to care for and cook on an elec-tric stove, and how to wash clothes.

I’m sure they thought they knew how to do this. I don’t remember when

clothes dryers were intro-duced – but clothes lines still work.

I don’t know why, but as long as I can remember Mondays were designated wash days. Maybe it was just to get a tough job done early in the week.

Judy Graves Sexton let

me borrow her 4-H guide books from the 1940s. I had forgotten the painstaking

detail our home demonstrat ion agent put forth to teach us how to keep our clothes clean. Girls were encouraged to help their moth-ers with the weekly wash. The Guide gives 10 must-do tips for keeping clothes looking nice:

1. Collect the laundry. If each family member had a laundry bag, it was easi-er to collect the family wash.

2. Look over each garment and sort it for stains and tears.

3. Remove stains and mend tears before launder-ing. Remember “Care Saves Wear.”

4. See that pockets are emptied and turned wrong-side-out.

5. Sort laundry into sep-arate piles. Light weight

cottons and linens, heavy-weight cottons, colored garments, silks and so on, woolens, and very dirty work clothes.

6. Soak badly soiled gar-ments. Soak handkerchiefs in hot, salty water or boil them. Soak dirty work clothes in water to which 2 or 3 tablespoons of kerosene have been added.

7. After the clothes are washed in warm water with a good 2-3 inches of suds, they should be thoroughly rinsed and wrung dry. Pull garments into shape and hang with the straight of the goods. The pieces should be hung with a few inches over the clothes line. Garments should be hung by the bands or shoulders and shirts by the bottom. If all similar articles are hung together they can be ironed quicker. The clothes can be taken to the yard on a child’s wagon to save stooping. Notice how easy it is for the girl in the picture.

8. When the clothes are dry, shake and fold fl at articles to prevent wrin-kling. Many articles such as

sheets, towels and tea tow-els do not need ironing.

9. Sprinkle the clothes that are to be ironed with warm water. Fold and pack snugly in the clothes basket. Leave the sprinkled clothes at least an hour before iron-ing them. Make a sprinkler by using a bottle (soft drink bottles work really well) and buy a small sprinkler top from the dime store or use a jar with a metal top which has had holes punched in it.

10. 4-H’ers were encour-aged to help their mothers with the ironing. Iron with the length-wise threads, pulling the garment toward you as it is ironed. First iron collars, ruffl es and sleeves. Work out a system so you do not have to lift and move the garment or get down and pick up the piece too many unnecessary times. Iron plain fabrics on the right side, iron embroidered pieces on the wrong side. Be sure to use a warm iron and never a hot iron on Rayons.

These little books are a treasure. I promise to share more of their wisdom as time goes on.

NFL lure From previous page

The big jump has to come from receivers. They are the under-achievers of recent seasons. Blame them, bad luck, coaching, pass protec-tion or Dobbs.

Special teams? Wow! Net results are not accidental. What we have here is anoth-er tribute to Butch Jones.

This column is not a na-tional championship pre-

diction. This is an acknowl-edgment that good times have returned to Tennessee. Enjoy the so-called off-sea-son.Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com

One of the real joys of birding is to fi nd and get great looks at the occasion-al rare, unusual, or hard-to-fi nd bird, and winter-time is often a good time to discover a rare bird or two.

In the winter, one of the more dependable families of birds that we can count on being around is the woodpeckers. And of the eight species of woodpeck-ers that can be found here in the Southeast in winter, one of those fi ts the above description to a “T.”

Motoring out on a round-about route from Powell to north Alabama for the holi-days, Grandma and I did a bird-watching loop through the state of Mississippi the week before Christmas. Red-cockaded woodpeck-ers are found nowhere in the world other than the southeastern United States. They are widely scattered from Virginia and North Carolina south into Florida, and west into Texas and Ar-kansas. Sadly, you needn’t look for one in Tennessee. They once lived in a few counties in our state, but

Dr. Bob Collier

Enjoying a rare bird

the last known one was a lonely male that was nest-ing down in Polk County, in the farthest southeast county in Tennessee. Dis-covered in 1991, he was gone by 1994, and as far as anybody knows, there are no others.

There aren’t that many red-cockaded woodpeckers anywhere. From a low of perhaps 4,000 birds when they were placed on the Endangered Species List in 1970, and with a lot of expert help and attention, they have come back to maybe 12,500 today.

Red-cockaded wood-peckers have black backs with white barring, and big white patches on their fac-es. The red cockades that give these birds their name are little red marks on the side of their heads, so small

that they are seldom visible. The woodpeckers are

scarce because they are very picky about where they will live. They make their nest holes only in large, mature pine trees that are 60 to 120 years of age. Of the 60 to 90 million acres of old-growth longleaf pine savannah that once covered the Southeast, only about 3 million acres remain; the rest has been cut for timber and cleared for agriculture and hous-ing, or broken up into little patches or small groves of the big trees.

The nest holes are a cu-rious thing in themselves. The birds select a big, old tree that has what is called red heart rot, a fungal dis-ease that softens the heart-wood. They take an amaz-ing 1 to 3 or more years to excavate any given nest hole. And then they peck the tree all around the hole to make the tree ooze sap, coating the whole trunk in the area of the hole with a whitewash of sticky pine rosin. This apparently pro-tects the nest from their most dreaded predator,

those skillful tree-climbers, the rat snakes.

And the birds require more than just a little patch of the big trees – each of their family groups, with a batch of nest trees called a “cluster,” takes around 200 acres of old-growth pine forest to meet their nesting and foraging needs. And speaking of fam ily groups – in addition to being choosy about their real estate, they also have some peculiar so-cial habits, at least for birds.

The family unit consists of a male and female pair that own the nest and pro-duce the usual 3 or 4 eggs, but in addition, there are 1 or 2, up to 4 helper birds, usually young single male birds from the previous year’s batch. They really do help, staying with the fam-

ily and joining in with in-cubating the eggs and then feeding the new hatchlings. This makes an active, chat-tering family group of sev-eral birds if you are lucky enough to fi nd them.

Visitors to a place like the Noxubee Refuge will fi nd active red-cockaded nest trees marked with a ring of paint; once you see those, the rosin-coated trunks and nest holes become obvious.

There at Noxubee, a few days before Christmas, we walked through a park-like place with big stately pines and almost no un-dergrowth. Numerous nest trees were marked with rings of white paint. Our ears perked up when we came upon a mixed fl ock of foraging birds, includ-ing red- and white-breasted

nuthatches, singing pine warblers, even a spiffy red-headed woodpecker.

Then we heard it – the chittering call of a red-cock-aded woodpecker!

And there it was – hoo-ray! – some 12 feet up in one of the big pines, ripping off half-dollar fl akes of bark as it searched for hidden in-sect snacks. We stood and watched the rare bird, and ooh’ed and aah’ed, for 10 minutes or so. Our day was happily made!

Perhaps the warning was sounded in time for the red-cockaded woodpecker. Lots of smart and caring people are working to help them survive. Maybe someday we will experience the joy of watching one of those busy little birds making the chips fl y here in Tennessee.

6 • JANUARY 6, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news

SENIOR NOTES ■ Union County Senior

Citizens Center298 Main StreetMonday – Friday8 a.m. to 4 p.m.Melanie Dykes992-3292/992-0361

■ Plainview SeniorsPlainview City Hall

1037 Tazewell Pike1st Monday each month10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Melanie Dykes992-3292/992-0361

■ Luttrell SeniorsLuttrell Community

Center

115 Park Road3rd Monday each month10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Melanie Dykes992-3292/992-0361

■ Sharps Chapel SeniorsSharps Chapel

Community Bldg.

1550 Sharps Chapel Road1st & 3rd Wednesday each month10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Melanie Dykes992-3292/992-0361

■ Elvis:Luttrell Seniors Lunch

on Jan. 18 will be an

“Elvis” theme with Elvis

music during the meal

and an Elvis movie

following. Gathering

begins at 10 a.m., please

bring a covered dish! 

Parties wrap up 2015at Union County senior centers

Melba Greene helps Bernice

Nisley pick out her “Dirty

Santa” gift at Luttrell Seniors

Lunch on Dec. 21. Melba also

sang some beautiful Christ-

mas songs for the seniors.

Anna Mason, Richard Donovan, Kitty Donovan, Rosa Jordan and Georgia Brantley enjoy the

party at UC Senior Center.Carlyn Cahill sports her very festive musical hat at the UC Se-

nior Center Christmas party on Dec. 18.

Billy Greenlee (at right) and

grandson Tyler Greenlee play

their dulcimers for the seniors

on Dec. 23. Luttrell seniors Kriss Chadwick and Melody Smith celebrate

December birthdays

UNION COUNTY Shopper news • JANUARY 6, 2016 • 7

UNION COUNTY SERVICE GUIDE

faithBy Carol Shane

Among close-knit church communities, you won’t fi nd a more caring set of folks than those who attend Glen Oak Baptist Church in Old North Knoxville. Many members of the congrega-tion have been coming for 30 years or more, with their children and grandchildren following. The intergenera-tional bond is strong.

But sometimes even that type of bond has its limits when dealing with the phys-ically disabled.

The building nestles into a hill and has two multi-level entrances: the lower one in the back leads into the fellowship hall and the higher, main one in front leads into the sanctuary. Inside the building, the only access to the lower fl oor is by four very narrow, steep, enclosed stairwells, each in a corner of the rectangu-lar building. “All four sets of steps are just the same,” says Rick Cole, a church deacon and member of the building committee.

Even an able-bodied per-son has to be careful ne-gotiating those stairs. The wheelchair-bound have no chance of getting down them, and they’re a danger to anyone who’s physically challenged or infi rm.

“The stairs have been an issue for the disabled for as long as they have been members, which in several cases is 20 years or longer,” says church member Roger Gilland. “As for the elderly, we have many who have been there for 30 years or longer and have always ex-pressed concerns about the steps.”

The congregants at Glen Oak Baptist have been tak-ing care of their own for some time now. At their regular Wednesday night fellowship hall suppers fol-lowed by a service in the sanctuary, members who are unable to take the stairs are helped up the hill out-side by younger members – in many cases by the youth of the church. It’s a touching and rare opportunity for intergenerational bonding, and the youth gain perspec-tive and compassion in the process.

When it rains, adult

A need for accessibility

Jamia and Roger Gilland stand in one of the four identical stair-

wells which present such a problem in their church building. Photos by Carol Shane

Church members Carl Cole, Gayle Witt, Donna Cole and Rita Taylor with her children Stanley (in

wheelchair) and Lisa pose in front of one of the “problem” stairwells. Because the church has

many elderly and infi rm members, the congregation is asking for help in making their building’s

interior more accessible to those with physical limitations. Glen Oak Baptist Church members of all ages enjoy their com-

munity and the Wednesday night suppers in their spacious

fellowship hall. Shown in the back row are Jamia Gilland, her

daughters Kaylee, a sixth-grader at Holston Middle School, and

Lexie, a 10th-grader at Fulton High School, Tayler Inman, and

Bryson Rush, a ninth-grader at Karns Middle School. In front

are Evan Hall, who attends fourth grade at Ritta Elementary,

and Jamarius Fishback, a sixth-grader at Whittle Springs Mid-

dle School. Of the Wednesday night gatherings, Gilland says,

“Anybody who wants to join us is welcome.”

members drive their cars around to the lower en-trance in order to transport people up to the sanctuary entrance. Everything pos-sible is done to help every church member take part in all desired activities. “We try,” says Jamia Gilland, Roger’s wife. “We try.”

It’s worked for a while, but some older members’ re-cent bouts with illness have made the stairwell problem more prominent and wor-risome. Fortunately, Knox-ville’s Compassion Coalition – a nonprofi t agency which describes itself as “a cata-lyst to help local churches build capacity and vision for community transforma-tion” – got wind of the need for a more accessible way of transitioning between Glen Oak’s upper and lower fl oors. So they’re putting out the call for help.

“I would really appreciate the help for the elderly at the church,” says the Rev. Bob Zavattieri, who has been at Glen Oak Baptist for about 18 months, having previ-ously served Morristown’s Calvue Baptist for seven years. He, Cole, and the Gillands have their hopes up for an elevator, though the expense worries them.

“But it is more feasible and safer than a chair lift,” says Zavattieri, “because of the children. You know how children are. You can’t watch them all the time.” A chair lift moving up and down stairs would certainly tempt young daredevils. And it would only be able to accommodate one elderly person at a time.

“I think an elevator

would be best-case scenario for our members, but any-thing to help them would be greatly appreciated,” says Roger Gilland.

If you’d like to donate, please call the Compassion Coalition at 251-1591, or visit the website at compas-sioncoalition.org, and spec-ify your gift for Glen Oak Baptist Church’s accessibil-ity program.

CrossCurrents

LynnPitts

In the Christian calendar, Jan. 6 is Epiphany, the day in which the church celebrates the visit of the wise men.

Tradition even gives us names for them: Cas-par, which means “Mas-ter of Treasure,” Melchior, which means “King,” and Balthasar, which means “Protect the King.”

The visit of these foreign-ers has more meaning than simply their own adoration of the Christ Child, howev-er. There were cosmic impli-cations.

The Magi (from the Greek, meaning sages) were

Three kingsIn the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in

Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

(Matthew 2: 2 NRSV)

Persian astrologers, pro-fessional star-watchers. So naturally they took notice when a particularly bright star appeared, a star they had not seen before. They were curious – naturally – and intrigued.

Modern astronomers have opined that what the

Magi saw could have been a super-nova, an exploding star (which, in my opinion, is amazing enough to count as a miracle).

Thinking about all of this, however, brings me to a smaller, more personal miracle.

The God who fl ung the stars into the heavens, who created all the worlds that are, who keeps the whole universe spinning, who may have created other univers-es that we don’t even know about, sent a part of God’s own self to live among us as a baby and as a savior for all humankind!

God became one of us, in order to save each of us from our rebellion and our disobedience.

The fi rst verse of Scrip-ture I ever memorized was John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world….” The whole world: kings, camel, and a Babe.

WORSHIP NOTES ■ Hansard Chapel Methodist Church, located on Highway 33

across from Tolliver’s Market, hosts a food pantry 6-7 p.m. each

third Saturday. Gently used clothing is also available. Info: the Rev.

Jay Richardson, 776-2668.

MAYNARDVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

TENNCARE KIDS PROVIDES SERVICES ■ TennCare Kids is Tennessee’s commitment to see that children and

teens have the best start to a healthy life. TennCare Kids is a free

program of check-ups and health care services for children from

birth to age 21 who are TennCare eligible, including health his-

tory, complete physical exam, lab tests as appropriate, immuniza-

tions, vision and hearing screening, developmental and behavior

screenings as appropriate, and advice on healthy living. Union

Countians interested in the program should contact the Union

County Health Department’s community outreach representative,

Pam Williams. Info: 992-3867, ext. 131.

Catch up with all your favorite columnists every Wednesday at www.ShopperNewsNow.com

■ Herb class, 11 a.m. each

fi rst Saturday.

■ One-on-one classes are

available by appoint-

ment for those wanting

to learn how to use

computers and other de-

vices. For appointment:

992-7106.

■ The Maynardville

Public Library is located

at 296 Main St. Info:

992-7106, maynardvil-

lepubliclibrary.org or on

Facebook.

Remember Old Fashion Customer Service…We do!

All major insurances accepted, E-Z transfersMon-Fri 9-6 • Sat 9-2 • closed SundaysMaynardville, TN

865.992.9455

ShopLocally!

8 • JANUARY 6, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news