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By Sandra ClarkThe board of directors of the

Union County Chamber of Com-merce was sched-uled to meet Feb. 16 to select an interim president following the sur-prise resignation of Carl Nichols af-ter just fi ve weeks on the job.

“We’re still in business,” said

board chair Justin Noah. “We’ll select an interim president and keep moving forward.”

Nichols’ resignation was posted on Facebook last week, leading to some 37 responses. Most were supportive of Nichols.

He cited a confl ict with Union County Mayor Mike Williams and the county commission as the rea-son for his resignation. Williams declined comment.

Nichols posted:“In the fi ve weeks that I have

served as president/CEO of the

Union County Chamber of Com-merce, I have met some of the most incredible and hospitable people.

“The community welcomed me with open arms and vigorous co-operation. Members of the cham-ber’s board of directors are won-derful and so eager to help bring economic change to Union County. I cannot say enough to thank my executive board of Justin Noah, Mayme Taylor, Kathy Chesney and Jake McCoullough.

“Also, Union County has the most awesome, intelligent and in-spiring chair of tourism in Julie Graham. Also, let’s not forget the glue that holds it all together … Neva Kitts.”

But Nichols went on to report a hostile reception at the commis-sion’s Budget Committee meeting in January. It was his second day on the job and he had come to ask for the Chamber’s allocation of ho-tel/motel tax.

He found commissioners more eager to discuss the chamber’s two previous presidents – Julie

Graham and Patrick Hurley – and their lack of transparency with the commission.

Nichols had made a strategic error in not consulting with elect-ed offi cials prior to requesting money.

He wrote: “I was denied every cent I re-

quested … The reason stated was that the two previous presidents had not kept county commission informed as to how the money had been spent in the past and they were not going to give it to a third president that would do the same.

“The next day I went to May-or Williams’ offi ce and assured him that I would account for ev-ery dime and that I would report to him and county commission monthly.”

Nichols went on to organize and execute the chamber’s annual ban-quet and an inaugural “meet and greet” to promote retail business-es. But he discovered all was not well with Mayor Williams when he asked to be put on the commis-

sion’s agenda for February.“I received an email stating that

I had been ‘denied’ being placed on the agenda,” he wrote.

He tried again and got another email “stating that the agenda was full and they would ‘try’ to get me on the March agenda.”

Nichols then asked a mutual friend to ask Williams to give him a chance. “His comment to her,” Nichols wrote, “was there are sever-al Union Countians qualifi ed to do his job and we don’t need help from anyone from Claiborne County.”

Nichols resigned. Williams did not respond to

our request for comment, submit-ted three days ahead of deadline via email and a phone call to his offi ce.

Union County Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, to consider, among other items, a resolution to create a tourism commission. A copy of that reso-lution was not available at press time, according to staff in the mayor’s offi ce.

TDOT consultant Kevin Tilbury responds to Commercial Bank Maynardville branch manager Brenda Sweet’s con-

cerns about safety at the intersection of Highway 33 and Hickory Star Road, where the bank is located. Photo by S. Carey

Young Life comes to Union County

Community meeting to help bring Young Life to Union County will be 7 p.m. Mon-day, Feb. 22, at Total Victory Worship Center, located at 600 John Deere Drive Maynard-ville, beside Union County Animal Hospital.

“The purpose of Young Life is to enter into the lives of adolescents just as Jesus entered in to our lives,” said organizer Kayla Newcomb. “The goal is to reach out to the disinterested and lost and to ignite spiritual growth in those who already have faith. This will be accomplished by prayer, building relationships, sharing the good news of Jesus, and personally responding to help these adolescents develop their skills and attitudes as God would desire.

“Please be in prayer and encourage others to attend this important event. We will need volunteers, leaders and prayer warriors in order to make this successful and reach as many teens as possible.

Info: younglife.org or Amy at 865-973-0496 or Kayla at kaylabelle01@comcast.net

School boardUnion County school board

will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, at the high school auditorium for a workshop. The regular voting meeting will follow. It’s a fairly routine meeting with usual agenda speakers.

Note these items: ■ Board chair David Cop-

pock will lead a discussion on an extension of Dr. Jimmy Carter’s contract as director of schools. The board is sched-uled to vote on the contract at its regular meeting, 6 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at the high school;

■ Carter will discuss a possible change in the date for regular board meetings and workshops;

■ High school football coach Tommy Rewis will discuss a possible expansion to the number of football coach supplements.

Nichols

Chamber regroups after president resigns

By Shannon CareyCity Manager Jack Rhyne is

glad Highway 33 is four lanes through Maynardville.

But, with wider roads come safety concerns like increased speed, confusing turn lanes and decreased walkability.

“Uh-oh, we created a monster here,” he said.

In an effort to tame the mon-ster, Rhyne applied for and won a grant from the Tennessee Depart-ment of Transportation to study Highway 33 within the city limits and set some goals for the future.

“It was an opportunity to see how we could help the city for traf-fi c fl ow and safety,” said Rhyne. “We need it to be safe and func-tional.”

Consultants from the Gresham, Smith and Partners fi rm descend-ed on Maynardville last week to

Study paves way to Highway 33’s future

By Sandra ClarkDon’t expect tourists to visit to

see your chains or big-box stores. “Tourists want to see what’s unique about Union County and East Tennessee. … Historic pres-ervation is good business.”

Todd Morgan discussed pres-ervation in the context of tourism and economic development at the Union County Chamber of Com-merce’s annual banquet Feb. 6.

Morgan, who grew up in Mor-ristown and now works for Knox Heritage and the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance, said, “This place matters.” He praised Union County’s “wonderful, grass-roots effort” to save the Oak Grove School in Sharps Chapel.

He encouraged those attending to read the essays of Tom Mays, and to appreciate the special plac-es where they live.

To page 2

Loy

Todd Morgan speaks at

the annual banquet of the

Union County Chamber of

Commerce. Photos by S. Clark

Blackburn RouseKadron

d l k

‘Preservationis good business’

“Historic preserva-tion is an essential tool for creating places with a high quality of life, stable property values and tour-ism appeal.

“PLACES is an acro-nym that represents the six key components nec-essary to achieve suc-cess with historic preservation: Partnerships, leadership, advo-cacy, collaboration, education and strategies.”

Awards and a live auction by Frank Beeler highlighted the ban-quet. Food City sponsored a “meet and greet” to start the proceed-ings, and dinner was catered by Curtis Petree and Lil’ Jo’s.

The Union County Humane Society, represented by its leader

To page 2

Veterans soughtUnion County Mayor’s

Offi ce is currently accepting applications for plaques to be placed on the veterans’ wall. Info: 865-9 92-3061.

American chestnutBonnie Peters writes about

the demise of the American chestnut tree, while Ronnie Muncey talks about a couple of college misadventures. Inside.

2 • FEBRUARY 17, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news business

By Sherri Gardner HowellSpend a few minutes

with Scott Hamilton, and you will never look at his ice shows the same way again.

Scott Hamilton and Friends on Ice is in Knox-ville Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Knoxville Civic Coli-seum. The show has a star-studded line-up, includ-ing Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi as co-host with Hamilton and a con-cert by Grammy winner Michael W. Smith. The show starts at 5 p.m. and is fol-lowed by a 7:30 p.m. dinner.

It will, no doubt, be a spectacular show with a dozen Olympic, World and U.S. champions skating to Smith’s live music. This is

Scott Hamilton on a mission as cancer activistBeyond the ice

Kristi YamaguchiMichael W. Smith Scott Hamilton

the third visit to Knoxville, and monies raised benefi ts the Provision CARES and the Scott Hamilton CARES foundations.

Hamilton, however, has his eyes fi rmly set beyond the ice. His mission is cancer re-search and patient care. His mother, who died after a two-plus year struggle with cancer when Hamilton was 18, sits on one shoulder. His own experi-ences as a cancer patient and survivor sit on the other.

“The day we lost my mother, I became a fund-raiser,” says Hamilton. “I was going to do whatever I could to fund research, to get more answers, to do what I could as a grieving, mourning 18-year-old boy to keep another person from going through what I was.”

And he skated. Over the next decade he would win four consecutive U.S. cham-pionships (1981–1984), four consecutive world cham-pionships (1981–1984) and a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. For 20 years, he worked to raise money for cancer research.

At that time, says Ham-ilton, the money drove the science. “You would give people fi nancial resources, and they would go out and

try to fi nd out something. Then they mapped the ge-nome, and then, wow, the science is now 20 light years away from the money. I knew I needed to bring more into the equation.”

Almost 20 years to the day his mother died, Ham-ilton found out he had tes-ticular cancer and later de-veloped a brain tumor.

“I survived, and then I became an activist,” says Hamilton. “It was different now. I understood the can-cer community better. I un-derstood what chemother-apy feels like; I know what a big massive surgery feels like. I know what radiation feels like, what it does.”

The result is the Scott Hamilton CARES Foun-dation. Through CARES (Cancer Alliance for Re-search, Education and Sur-vivorship), Hamilton takes a multi-level approach that includes fundraising, advo-cacy, patient care and look-ing beyond the status quo for treatment and patient education. His partnership with Provision Center for Proton Therapy, where he is also a board member, is part of that mission.

“Chemotherapy extended my life,” Hamilton is quick

A North Knox County couple have opened a most unique shop in Halls.

Cheddar Holler opened in mid-December at 6625 Maynardville Pike in Black Oak shopping center, a couple of doors down from Backwoods Bistro.

Michelle Franklin and Chris Schoening, originally from Wisconsin by way of Arizona, are the owners. Michelle works in the shop, while Chris works in heavy collision repair for Grayson Subaru.

“We have different fl a-vors and varieties of cheese, but we’re really just sell-ing cheese you can eat with crackers,” said Michelle, stressing the store is for ev-eryone, not just gourmets.

A popular item has been fresh cheese curd, brought

in weekly from Wisconsin, she said. The store also sells Sweetwater Valley Farms brand cheese from Philadel-phia, Tenn.

You’ll also fi nd honey from Lenoir City and a hon-ey jelly made at the store. Michelle also creates gift baskets and fl oral arrange-ments.

Staying true to its name, Cheddar Holler carries eight varieties of cheddar cheese: mild, tomato basil, horseradish, ghost pepper, aged, smoked, bacon, and green & black olive.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thurs-days; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat-urdays; and closed Sundays. Info: cheddarholler@gmail.com or 865-228-9072

Michelle Franklin brings cheese and all the fi xin’s to Black Oak Plaza shopping center in Halls.

At your service: Cheddar Holler

‘Preservation’ From page 1

Tammy Rouse, was named outstanding business of the year.

Earl Loy of the Tri-Coun-ty Veterans Honor Guard received the Steve Thomp-son Philanthropy Award. Loy said his group performs 50 to 77 funerals a year with 13 veterans each time. Tri-County is based in Union, Grainger and Claiborne counties but will work in Anderson and Knox if re-quested.

Rebekah Kadron, a 4-H activist while in high school, won the Volunteer Star Youth Award, and Pa-tricia Blackburn of Sharps Chapel won the Volunteer

Star Adult Award. Mayme Taylor, vice chair

of the chamber’s board, pre-sented the awards.

Rouse said afterwards that the award was a com-plete surprise to her and it lifted her spirits. “Just be-cause you love a job doesn’t mean you don’t get tired.”

Auction items included three pieces by the late Ha-zel Erickson and a 2-night stay at Hickory Star Re-sort and Marina, donated by Justin Noah, the cham-ber’s chair. Other offi cers are Jake McCollough, State Farm, secretary, and Kathy Chesney, Genesis Health-Care, treasurer.

Highway 33’s future From page 1

complete the study and make recommendations. They started Feb. 8, with an open forum, listening to lo-cal stakeholders and adding their concerns to the mix.

Feb. 11, the preliminary fi ndings were discussed in another open forum.

Consultant Kevin Til-bury said Highway 33 plays a vital role in East Tennessee transportation. With the new Highway 33 Bridge complete, construc-tion underway in Halls, and four-laning from the Union County line to Maynardville slated for the next fi ve to 10 years, the corridor has be-come even more important.

“But it’s not just a road for moving cars up and down,” said Tilbury. “It’s also May-nardville’s front door.”

The study broke Highway 33 through Maynardville into four “context zones” and recommended strate-gies for each. A common

problem for each zone is the two-way center turning lane. With drivers turn-ing in one lane from mul-tiple directions, crashes are bound to happen.

“They call it a suicide lane for a reason,” said Til-bury.

The study recommends a continuous landscaped me-dian with designated turn bays in the area from Hick-ory Star Road to Ailor Gap Road, and where Highway 33 passes near downtown Maynardville.

Parallel roads like John Deere Road will keep busi-nesses easy to access, though.

“It will become a much safer corridor,” said Tilbury.

The study does not rec-ommend moving the curbs, but additions of bike lanes and buffers will make driv-ers perceive that Highway 33 is narrower, thereby slowing traffi c. Certain in-

tersections will get special treatment as well, including crosswalks and medians “in strategic places.”

The downtown zone, from Horace Maynard Mid-dle School to just south of the Food City, gets special treatment, including deco-rative landscaping, to en-courage pedestrian traffi c and “give it that downtown feel,” said Tilbury.

None of the proposed projects will happen over-night. Tilbury said the next phase is to seek feedback from the community and from TDOT.

The consultants will then present their recommenda-tions to Maynardville City Council. If the council ap-proves, the recommenda-tions will be broken into small projects for which funding may be found.

Easier elements, like those requiring only new markings on the highway, could happen quickly. Oth-ers could take 10 years or more.

to say. “But I am looking for the day that we teach our own bodies how to get rid of cancer. That’s the game changer.

“In the meantime, we need to just keep lifting the bar. Proton therapy is a prime example of lifting the bar. It is phenomenal tech-nology that treats the can-cer and spares the patient collateral damage.”

He doesn’t give medi-cal advice, Hamilton says. “I just want people to be practical. Getting that diag-nosis is scary, life-altering. But the more you know, the more you get out and get opinions and information, the better your decisions will be. Do your homework.”

The many components of CARES helps cancer pa-tients do that. Information on chemocare.com outline every drug and side effect so patients know what to expect. There is also a men-toring program, 4th Angel Mentoring, with more than 800 mentors in all 50 states.

His own experiences, coupled with his fame and contacts, give him a good platform to be an activist, says Hamilton.

“I heard Danny Thomas say something years ago that put a lump in my throat the size of a football,” says Hamilton. “He said: ‘Watch-ing St. Jude Children’s Hos-pital grow lets me know why I was born.’ We all want to know what our identity is in this big world.

“I have had some pretty great experiences and some pretty horrible experiences in my lifetime, but there is something about this thatmakes me believe that ev-erything I have ever experi-enced was to allow this to be successful.”

Info: scottcares.org or provisionproton.com

UNION COUNTY Shopper news • FEBRUARY 17, 2016 • 3 kids

Your lumbar support can only do so much.

Find a chiropractor at TNChiro.com.

Union CountyChiropractic Clinic

Dr. Darrell Johnson, DC865.992.7000

110 Skyline Dr., Maynardville, TN 37807

TENNCARE KIDS PROVIDES SERVICESTennCare 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 history, complete physical exam, lab tests as appropriate, im-munizations, vision and hearing screening, develop-mental 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.

Hunter Collins and Con-nor Long are celebrating. The two Union County High School students have both earned the honor of partici-pating in the East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association (ETSBOA) All-East Symphony and Con-cert Band.

A recently formed Cub Scout pack, serving the Lu-ttrell and Corryton areas, collected 310 items for the food pantry at Rutherford United Methodist Church. Just three members of the pack were able to work on the Feb. 6 collection day.

Shawn Hendrickson is the cubmaster and tiger cub den leader. Mason Har-rell is a wolf scout, while Aden Hendrickson and Ry-lan White are tiger scouts. Aden’s brother, Preston Hendrickson, came along to help.

Shawn Hendrickson said, “We are a new pack, just starting in October 2015, to serve the Corryton, Luttrell communities. We welcome anyone who would like to join the cub scouts. We meet on Tuesday nights

SPORTS NOTES ■ Signups for Union County Little League will be held 11 a.m.-2

p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, Food City in Maynardville. Info: https://sites.google.com/site/littleleagueunioncounty or on Facebook.

Connor Long and Hunter Collins. Photo by Cindy Taylor

Collins, Long get band honors

Cindy Taylor

In addition, both stu-dents also scored high enough in their audition process to earn spots with the Tennessee Music Edu-cation Association (TMEA) All-State Symphony Or-chestra and Concert Band.

This is the second year that senior Hunter Collins, 17, has received this award. He says he developed an interest in music when he was 10. He took piano les-sons and continues to play that instrument. Hunter plays the oboe as part of the UCHS band.

“I found the band here to be a group of friends that you have right from the be-ginning of high school,” he said. “Music is a good fi t for me because I love a chal-lenge.”

Hunter says that being a musician makes it easy to set personal goals and has

helped him build a good work ethic. His dedication to the craft requires prepar-ing for lessons, auditions and concerts leaving very little time for anything else. He is fi ne with his self-im-posed lifestyle.

“Music can bring you joy like nothing else,” said Hunter. “I’m a fi rm believer in that.”

Hunter is the son of Hor-ace Maynard High School graduates Chaunta Pollard and Allen Collins.

Sophomore Connor Long, 16, has played the bassoon for fi ve years. He

says he joined the UCHS band as soon as he could.

“I love playing the bas-soon and the band is a fun environment,” he said. “I have made new friends and improved my musician-ship.”

Connor also says he loves a challenge and play-ing with the ETSBOA and TMEA programs will push him past his limits toward becoming a better musician.

Originally from Charles-ton, S.C., Connor says his family moved a bit when he was young before settling in Union County. He says he

enjoys listening to jazz and classical music, especially compositions by Tchai-kovsky and Beethoven. Sax-ophonist Dexter Gordon is also a favorite. Connor says he has no regrets for his chosen endeavors.

“I’m dedicated and I strive to be great in my life so music was a no-brainer,” he said. “Music takes skill and knowledge to be great.”

Connor has also been accepted to the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. Hunter attended the school between his junior and senior years.

At the food drive: (front) Mason Harrell, Rylan White, Preston Hendrickson, Aden Hendrickson; (back) Shawn Hendrickson and Doug Wilder, youth pastor at Rutherford Memorial UMC.

Scouting for food

Aden Hendrickson collects food.

Church.”

HEAD START ACCEPTING APPLICATIONSDouglas Cherokee Head Start is accepting applications

for the 2016-2017 school year. The child must turn 3 or 4 by Aug. 15. Info/application: Corryton/Luttrell or Pau-lette/Big Ridge, 992-4155; Maynardville or Rutledge area, 992-8146; Central Point and Bean Station area, 828-6123.

at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Memorial United Methodist

Horace Maynard Middle School held its annual

Spelling Bee Jan. 28 with 36 students (12 from each grade

level) competing. Winners are pictured above: Emma Moy-ers, seventh grader, champi-

on and winner of $50; Alonzo Creech, eighth grader, won

second place and $30; Ashley Grisham, eighth grader, won

third place and $20. Emma Moyers also won last year.

She will represent the county in March in regional competi-

tion at UT.

First Lady, a boutique for those recovering from cancer treat-ments, held a grand opening under new ownership of Angela Farmer last week. The Anderson County Chamber of Com-merce participated. First Lady is located at Tennova North. Pictured are: Jerry Farmer, R. Larry Smith, Abbie Petercheff , Carolyn Farmer, Sarah Beth Followell, Angela C. Farmer, Rick Merideth, Khristina Followell and Norm Nelson. Info: 865-859-7010 or thefi rstladyshop@gmail.com.

Weed Wrangle is March 5 at Knox locationsThe Knoxville Garden

Club is sponsoring Knox-ville’s fi rst-ever Weed Wrangle Knoxville on Sat-urday, March 5, and invites the public to join. Volun-teers will gather from 9 a.m. to noon at four public parks to wrangle non-native inva-

sive plants.Info or to sign up weedwrangle.org

4 • FEBRUARY 17, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news

Sandra Clark

opinion

Ronnie Mincey

TEACHER TIME

There are some wonder-ful life lessons hidden in the happiness and hurts of sports. Please read this one closely.

Sometime in the spring, Luke Anthony Hochevar, 32, one of Tennessee’s all-time baseball greats, will re-ceive his World Series ring. He was the winning pitcher in the deciding game for the Kansas City Royals over the New York Mets.

Those two innings in the clutch are, so far, the high-light of Luke’s professional career. In the background are big dreams, millions of dollars and huge disap-pointments.

Luke was the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft. The Royals paid $3.5 million in a sign-ing bonus. The fi rst contract called for $5.3 million guar-anteed.

So much was expected and so little delivered. There were many hurdles and about the same num-ber of pitfalls. Hochevar struggled in the minors, got

As a college student, I marvel at how unwise I sometimes was. Two examples of my attempts to stay “cool” will serve as example.

Once to prove my “cool-ness,” I took a dare in the cafeteria to drink hot sauce straight from the bottle. I think about all I proved was my ability to survive my own foolishness and to amuse others at my own expense. (I did, however, have clear sinuses for quite some time.)

On another occasion, I found a way to physically

Marvin West

Pouring from the pores

cool off quickly, though I don’t recommend it highly, either.

I understood that the air conditioning system for Grant Lee Dormitory at Lincoln Memorial Univer-sity in the mid-1980s oper-ated on ground water. This

water supposedly came from Cudjo’s Cave, out of the mountains surrounding Cumberland Gap. In late spring, when the tempera-tures rose, there were times when extensive use of air conditioning lowered the amount of water avail-able for necessities such as drinking, toilets, showers and laundry.

The last room I occupied in Grant Lee was on the third fl oor. My last spring of residency, the air condition-ing was turned off when the water level dropped. The third fl oor was the hottest

Dear Luke, all is forgiven

promoted to Kansas City and struggled some more. A weaker man might have been discouraged.

Some said Hochevar, for half a decade, was the world’s worst starting pitch-er. There were supporting stats. In 2009 Luke had the highest earned run aver-age (6.55) of all American League starters. His record was 7-13.

In 2012, Hochevar’s re-cord was 8-16 with an ERA of 5.73. He led the American League in runs allowed.

In 2013, manager Ned Yost fi nally fi gured out that Luke wasn’t good enough to be in the regular pitching rotation. He was dispatched to the bullpen. He exceeded expectations.

For the fi rst time in a long time there was a favorable outlook. It didn’t last. In a March 2014 spring training game, Luke suffered an el-bow injury. That led to Tom-my John surgery and a lost season. He watched as the Royals made it to the World Series – and lost.

To compound that run of bad luck, his contract was expiring. It was the Royals’ opportunity to cut and run.

In a strange turn of De-cember events, they signed Hochevar, with his losing record, for two more years for $10 million. Amazing. Merry Christmas.

Luke’s elbow healed. He regained lost strength. He rejoined the Royals in May. He pitched well in relief.

In the postseason, Yost called on him several times. The results were surprising – 10.2 innings without giv-ing up a run. Maybe you saw the expressions when the last out was recorded.

Luke Hochevar said of his manager’s faith: “One

man’s belief is stronger than a million opinions.”

At Tennessee, Luke was a 2005 consensus All-Amer-ican (Baseball America, Louisville Slugger, Sports Weekly, etc.) and the win-ner of the Roger Clemens national pitcher of the year award. His 15 victories tied the school record. He set a single-season strikeout re-cord with 154. He led the Vols to the College World Series.

Twice the Dodgers draft-ed him, out of high school and again in ’05. The sec-ond time they thought they had a deal. Between a phone agreement and when the Los Angeles scout showed up with a contract, Hoche-var changed his mind. He sat out a year in hopes of better numbers.

Along came the Royals. They chose Luke ahead of Evan Longoria, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecumand a few hundred others. Together, they have some-how hung in there and weathered the storms. They are the champions.Marvin West invites reader reactions. His

address is westwest6@netzero.com

part of the building, and seemed even hotter after having had air condition-ing, then losing it.

I found myself alone one day in my room pouring sweat from every pore. With every stitch of cloth-ing sticking unpleasantly to my body, I decided perhaps a cold shower would do just the trick to bring comfort. I turned the shower on full cold and stepped under the cooling stream.

What amazed me in the fi nal split second of rational thought was how amazing it was that one could go from being so unpleasantly hot to so dangerously cold in a split second. As every

ounce of air left my lungs with an uncontrollable exclamation of shock, every pore in my body seemed to slam shut and scream in agony against the onslaught of frigid mountain water to which I been so unceremo-niously exposed my person.

My body thought for a second about passing out, and I am sure it was my brain’s survival instinct that kept me from doing so. Had I passed out and sunk to the bottom of the shower, I’m sure I would have died from frostbite before my roommate found me (although I was glad no one was around to witness my predicament).

Never had it taken such strength to stumble from a shower. Even after I dried off, I was still miserably cold. Though it was broad daylight, I threw back the covers on my bed and crawled under their protec-tion.

Now, when I feel un-pleasantly cold, I think of drinking pure hot sauce, straight from the bottle and am instantly warmed. When I feel unpleasantly hot, I think of that cold shower on Grant Lee’s third fl oor and am instantly cooled. Oh, the power of the memory!

Next I’ll share tales of drenching and dunking.

Let’s get a grip on the tourism issue

Union County’s politi-cal leaders must get a grip on the tragicomedy under-way at the local Chamber of Commerce.

Five weeks and out. That’s the service record of Clai-borne County guy Carl Nich-ols, the most recent presi-dent/CEO. Who knew the chamber board of directors had to check with the mayor before hiring a president?

Perhaps anyone with common sense would have done it. Even I, a human res-ident of Powell, would check with a couple of the commis-sioners before blazing into a meeting to ask them for money.

Carl Nichols seems com-petent and perhaps would have made a dynamite lead-er for the chamber. But the breach is too great between the county government and the chamber’s past leaders.

The money at stake is not much more than 1-cent on the tax rate; and it’s not paid by Union County property owners at all but by tour-ists staying at local camp-grounds and marinas.

Should we use it to go get more tourists?

Yes. That’s a no-brainer.When the political lead-

ers take away this role from the chamber, which they are headed toward doing, they had better have a plan for making things better.

Voters don’t pick cham-ber presidents, but they get a shot at mayors and com-missioners.

UNION COUNTY Shopper news • FEBRUARY 17, 2016 • 5

CrossCurrents

LynnPitts

UNION COUNTY SERVICE GUIDE

Bill AllenHome Im-

provement

We are creatures who spend about a third of our time sleeping. We’ve discussed here the impor-tance of sleeping on a good mattress. Good pillows are essential to the sleep experience as well. Pil-lows should provide more than a soft spot for your head. They should cradle your neck and support your head (which weighs around 10 pounds!). If you sleep on an inadequate pillow, especially a lumpy one, you’re likely to wake up with neck pain, a head-ache or even numbness in your upper limbs.

A proper pillow will let your neck (technically, the cervical spine) align with the chest and lower back (respectively, the thoracic and lumbar spines). When you lie on your side, your head and neck should stay at the same level as your mid- and lower spine. When on your back, your

head and neck should stay level with your up-per back and spine. Your pillow should not cause your head and neck to be propped up or angled away from your body. Stay away from pillows made of foam that is too soft. Choose fi rmer, more supportive materials.

If you fi nd yourself sleeping with a hand propped under your pil-low, you may not be get-ting the support you need from your pillow. If you think you have the proper mattress and pillows and you continue to experi-ence pain at night or have trouble sleeping, see your chiropractor. There may be another problem that’s interfering with a satisfy-ing night’s sleep.

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

Chiropractic OutlookBy Dr. Darrell Johnson, DC

Pillow talk

faith

We Christians are good at praying. We have quite a lot to say to God. However, we are not so good at listen-ing.

God says, “Be still!” In other words, be quiet, and listen!

God wants to hear from us, like any parent. God is pleased when we pray.

However, God wants to be in relationship with us, and that relationship is a two-way street. God should not have to do all the listen-ing. We must listen, too.

How do we hear the voice of God?

Our best source, of course, is the Bible, God’s Word for us. We need to read, study, understand, and take it to heart. One can do that alone, certainly, but it is also profi table to study it with others; our fellow Christians can help us learn and understand.

I have immense respect for the Quakers, who know

FAITH NOTES

Community services

■ 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.

Fundraisers ■ Alder Springs Baptist

Church, Hickory Star Road, will host a pancake breakfast 7-10 a.m. Saturday, March 12. Includes: pancakes, sausage, juice and coff ee. All donations

will go to Alder Springs WMU projects.

■ Women In Action of Moun-tain View Church of God will host its annual “Sweetheart Supper: 4:30-7:30 p.m. Satur-day, Feb. 20, at Union County High School. Cost: $20/cou-ple; $12/single. Carryout avail-able. Each couple will receive a picture and heart-shaped red velvet cake. Proceeds go to family life center.

Meetings/classes ■ Alder Springs Baptist

Church, Hickory Star Road, will host a Men’s Retreat 7 p.m. Friday, March 4, and 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 5. Min-isters: the Rev. Mike Viles and the Rev. Jerry Vittatoe.

StillnessBe still, and know that I am God! I am exalted

among the nations, I am exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10 NRSV)

Nothing is often a good thing to do, and always a clever thing to say.

(Will Durant)

how to be silent and listen for the word in worship.

As I write, we are waiting for snow. I look forward to the stillness, the hush, the quiet, the cessation of activ-ity that snow brings. I think God smiles when the snow blankets the world and slows us down.

I read years ago about the night Niagara Falls froze. The cessation of the roar of the falls created a hush, a silence so loud that it woke the people who lived in the area.

So, if it snows, take it as a gift from God, an invitation, as it were, to be still and know that God is God, to spend some time with Him.

Bonnie Peters

The American chestnut was a massive tree that sometimes grew to more than 100 feet. It was revered by pioneers of Appalachia because it provided long-lasting building materials, particularly for barns and rail fences.

In the 1930s a fungus arrived in America, prob-ably with the bringing of Oriental chestnut trees. The disease soon spread throughout Appalachia and by the time I can remember, the American chestnut was pretty well gone from this area. I remember a huge stump along the way to get the cows in the evening, and my mother told me the story of the chestnut.

The family had left and watched the stump to see if some sprouts or small sap-lings would come back and maybe replenish these trees. In later reading about this, this was not too successful. A sapling might grow and it might produce one crop of nuts, but the nuts didn’t ger-minate and usually the sap-

The great American chestnut

ling would die in a very few years. Even though efforts are still underway to restore the American chestnut, the blight changed the very na-ture of the Appalachian for-est.

One of the characteristics of the American chestnut that is so great is it did not bloom until early summer and was not likely to suffer a killing frost. The Ameri-can chestnut was a reliable source of food for both hu-mans and animals. Pioneers used chestnut meal mixed with corn meal for bread and sometimes parched the chestnuts for a coffee-like beverage or coffee substi-tute.

It is said that Chero-kee woman began trading

chestnuts for European goods. The Indian culture also believed that chestnuts had medicinal properties.

Even today, if I happen to have some chestnuts, I boil and peel them and then slice them for the turkey dress-ing. If I can’t get the real thing, water chestnuts are a fi ne substitute in dressing. One source said that around 1,900 Indian women were getting about $12 a bushel for chestnuts. That made the chestnuts a signifi cant economic product.

Chestnut wood contains tannic acid which deters in-sects as well as rotting. The fungus would attack a tree’s bark and had a girdling ef-fect. By the time the fungus surrounded the tree, the tree was dead. As I under-stand it, the fungus is gone but the chestnut is no longer a fi xture in the Appalachian forest. Oriental Chestnut trees have been planted in many places.

In fact, I have one in my back yard; but these trees do not grow to anything like the

size of the American chest-nut. Across from my home is a large chestnut that just might be a surviving Ameri-can chestnut. It bears lots of chestnuts which provides food for the wildlife here in the ridge. If anyone has access to a Union County American chestnut, would you email me a picture and let me know how you keep the worms out of its nuts.

For those of you who like to re-purpose, the re-planed wormy chestnut wood from old barns makes beautiful kitchen cabinets or other furniture. In 2014 I wrote about the re-purposing of some wormy chestnut from the Waddington farm in Union County into jewelry boxes, which were sold at the Union County Arts Cen-ter. My sources of informa-tion about these trees is: “The Encyclopedia of Ap-palachia” and The National Audubon Society’s book, “A Field Guide to Trees - East-ern Section.” Bonnie Peters is the Union County his-torian. Reach her at bhpeters@att.net or 865-687-3842

By Cindy Taylor The Rev. Jeff LaBorg was

a minister long before God called him to Tennessee to pastor a local church. On Feb. 7, LaBorg celebrated one year as senior pastor at Fairview Baptist Church.

“We were serving a won-derful and fast-growing congregation in North Car-olina when Fairview Baptist contacted us,” he said. “I had never heard of Fairview Baptist but after meeting the pastor search team my heart was deeply moved and my spirit was stirred.”

LaBorg said he knew God was up to something that would most likely involve the investment of the rest

Kristi and the Rev. Jeff LaBorgPhoto submitted

Fairview Baptist: ‘Simply, supernaturally, incredible worship’

of his life with the special people and place that is Fairview Baptist and East Tennessee.

“When I visited the church for the fi rst time God spoke clearly, putting a love for the people of the church and the community in our hearts. He revealed through His word and the Holy Spir-it His vision for the future of His church.”

LaBorg says the Lord has given him the heart of a New Testament pastor and the cry of an Old Testament prophet. He says his passion is to be a faithful preacher of the Word of God and a lov-ing pastor to his people. He brings the background and the credentials to be both and more.

LaBorg holds both an as-sociate’s and bachelor’s de-grees from Liberty Univer-sity; a master’s from Liberty Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Immanuel Baptist Seminary. He is completing his second mas-ter’s, in advance prophet-ics, from Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary and has begun working toward a second doctorate.

He and wife Kristi mar-ried 24 years ago. They have a son and a daughter who are both following God’s call to specifi c ministry. Though not an East Tennessee na-tive, LaBorg says he claims

the state as his home.“I remind my sheep at

Fairview that while I am not from here I got here as fast as I could.”

The church is leading a teaching tour this fall to Is-rael. LaBorg says the tour’s focus is on biblical proph-ecy, the events surrounding the rapture of the church and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

LaBorg says he sees God moving in a powerful way in his church and the commu-nity. He says the growth of the church is creating some wonderful challenges in the areas of parking, seating, fa-cilities and ministry. Mem-bers continue to pray and study multiple possibilities for the future and how best to minister to the people and community.

“Fairview Baptist is a safe place for people of every walk of life to feel welcome and loved. The worship is simply and supernaturally incredible. God is at work in our midst and the Spirit of the Lord is doing a beauti-ful thing in the hearts of His people.”

Fairview Baptist Church is at 7424 Fairview Road in Gibbs. Info: fairviewbaptist.com or 687-5648

By Nancy AndersonWhen Evelyn Jackson

talks enthusiastically about bridge, she isn’t referring to the new 33.

She’s talking about a card game of strategy and excite-ment that jumped the pond from England to the U.S. in the late 1800s. Steadily gain-ing in popularity, there are a multitude of bridge leagues and tournaments across the country.

“It really is an amazing game,” said Jackson, who is a director at the Oak Ridge Bridge Club and teaches be-ginning bridge every Thurs-day morning at 9:30.

“It’s fun, it’s exciting, and it really works your brain. There are two parts to the game, bidding and tricks. You bid on how many tricks you think you can take, then you have to take that many. It takes strategy and focus. It’s a partner game, so you have to learn how to communicate

Bridge: A tricky pastime

Oak Ridge Bridge Club

as well.”The Oak Ridge Bridge

Club is open weekdays host-ing games for as many as 80 players. The club is host-ing “Learn to Play Bridge in a Day” at the club on 120 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20.

Register at traveltime54@gmail.com

6 • FEBRUARY 17, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news

SATURDAYS THROUGH FEB. 27

Sign-ups for spring league baseball and softball for ages 4-14u, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at Holston Ball Park, 5900 Asheville Highway. League fees: $60. Teams will play at several locations around Knoxville. Info: Julie Townsend, 659-6989; Randy Geames, 525-5275.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17

International 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, FEB. 18

Plainview 7th District Neighborhood Watch meeting, 7 p.m., Plainview Community Center. Info: 992-5212.

FRIDAY, FEB. 19

Chili supper, 5-7 p.m., Corryton Community Cen-ter, 9331 Davis Drive. Tickets: $7; available at the door. Includes: chili, Petros, slaw, drinks, dessert. Take-out available. Proceeds go to the Seth Cate Fund.

Chili dinner fundraiser for Union County Little League, 5:30-8 p.m., Maynardville Elementary School. Sign-ups available during the event.

SATURDAY, FEB. 20

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.

“Probiotic Hoopla” cooking class, 10 a.m.-noon, Clinton Physical Therapy Center, 1921 N. Charles G. Seivers Blvd., Clinton. Instructor: Camille Watson, Holistic Health Coach. Cost: $35. Registration dead-line: Feb. 17. To prepay: Camille@camillewatson.com. Info: Kelly Lenz, 457-1649.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Emagene

Reagen, 11 a.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Molly Moore, 11 a.m., Powell Branch Library, 330 W. Emory Road. Recommended for birth to not-yet-walking. Info: 947-6210.

Sweetheart supper, 4:30-7:30 p.m., Union County High School. Cost: $20/couple; $12/single. Each couple will receive a picture and heart-shaped red velvet cake. Hosted by Women In Action of Mountain View Church of God. Proceeds go to family life center.

Youth yard sale, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Central Baptist Church Fountain City, 5364 N. Broadway. Furniture, clothes, electronics and more. Proceeds go to CBCFC renovation efforts.

TUESDAY, FEB. 23

Community Leaders Forum, 4 p.m., Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Offi ce, 1101 Liberty St. Info: knoxlib.org.

Homeschoolers at the Library Part 1: “Fossils in your Backyard” with paleontologist, Stephanie Drum-heller, 2 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Registration required. Info/registration: 922-2552.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24

Big Read: Spiritual Songs – “The History of the Negro Spiritual,” 6 p.m., Beck Cultural Center, 1927 Dandridge Ave. A musical lecture/concert presented by Dr. Naima Johnston Bush. Info: beckcenter.net, knoxlib.org.

Big Read book discussion: “A Lesson Before Dy-ing,” noon, YWCA, 420 Clinch Ave. Hosted by YWCA and Union Ave Booksellers. Bring bag lunch. Facilitated by Avice Reid. Info: ywcaknox.com, knoxlib.org.

The Bits ‘N Pieces Quilt Guild meeting, 1 p.m., Community Center, Norris. Program: “Favorite Quilting Tips” presented by the members. Visitors and new mem-bers welcome. Info: Mary Jane Berry, 494-7841.

Computer Workshops: Internet and Email Basics, 2 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Ashe-ville Highway. Requires “Introducing the Computer” or equivalent skills. Info/registration: 525-5431.

International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clin-ton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

“Spring Fever Basket” class, 6-9 p.m., Appala-chian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway, Norris. Instructor: Sheri Burns. Registration deadline: Feb. 17. Info/registration: 494-9854; appalachianarts.net.

THURSDAY, FEB. 25

Big Read book discussion: “A Lesson Before Dying,” 5 p.m., Beaumont Elementary, 1211 Beaumont

Ave. Dinner followed by discussion. Facilitated by Indya Kincannon. Info: knoxlib.org.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, FEB. 25-26

AARP Driver Safety class, noon-4 p.m., Halls Senior Center, 4410 Crippen Road. Info/registration: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.

SATURDAY, FEB. 27

Ballroom dance, 7-9 p.m., Halls Senior Center, 4405 Crippen Road. Live music by the David Correll Band. Admission: $5. Info: 922-0416.

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.

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

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

TUESDAY, MARCH 1

“Basic Wire Wrapped Rings” class, 6-7:30 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway, Norris. Instructor: Kathy King. For ages 15 and up. Registration deadline: Feb. 23. Info/registration: 494-9854; Appalachianarts.net.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2

International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clin-ton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

THURSDAY, MARCH 3

Big Ridge 4th District Neighborhood Watch meeting, 7 p.m., Big Ridge Elementary School library. Info: 992-5212.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5

Free beginning beekeeping class, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., First Avenue Meeting Hall (across from Duncan Lumber) in New Tazewell. Presented by Bee Friends in Claiborne County. Guest presenter: John Hamrick, UT Extension agent and bee specialist. Lunch provided. Info/registration: Julianne Behn, 617-9013.

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.

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

ShoppernewseVents

By Sara BarrettSherrill Hills brought

New Orleans to its residents Feb. 9 during its second an-nual Mardi Gras celebration.

Residents, their family members and facility staff dressed in their festive best. A colorful parade of hand-made fl oats traveled up and down the main hallway, its arrival announced by a trio of horn players at the front of the line.

Float themes included The Little Mermaid, The Kentucky Derby, a pirate ship and a tiki bar. Parade

participants handed beads,masks, candy and othertreats to spectators on bothsides of the hall.

After the parade, resi-dents were treated to HappyHour with drinks and horsd’oeuvres while a jazz bandplayed on stage. A tradition-al Cajun dinner was servedto top off the event.

Plans are already under-way for a St. Patrick’s Dayparty coming up in March.

Sherrill Hills is located at271 Moss Grove Boulevard.Info: sherrillhillsretirement.com

Home Instead Senior Care owner Amy Hull and employees Sherry McDonie, Linda Vineyard, Di-xie Morton, Herbanna Dickinson and Delane McCandless hand beaded necklaces to residents from their parade fl oat.

Fat Tuesdayat Sherrill Hills

Gentleman Widowers Club members Jim Bergin, Hank Albert and Don Olson dance along behind one of the fl oats in Sherrill Hills’ Mardi Gras parade. Photos by S. Barrett

Sherrill Hills maintenance person Dave Peretta pushes a patriotic fl oat with resident R.J. Seale riding in a historical costume, greeting other residents by raising his cane high in the air.

Residents Peggy Huber and Meriam Fox greet other residents watching the parade throughout the hallway.

SENIOR NOTES ■ Union County Senior

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

■ Plainview SeniorsPlainview City Hall1037 Tazewell Pike1st Monday each month10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Melanie Dykes992-3292/992-0361

■ Luttrell SeniorsLuttrell Community Center115 Park Road3rd Monday each month10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Melanie Dykes992-3292/992-0361

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

MAYNARDVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

■ Herb class, 11 a.m. each fi rst Saturday.

■ One-on-one classes are available by appointment for those wanting to learn how to use computers and other devices. For appointment: 992-7106.

The Maynardville Public Library is located at 296 Main St. Info: 992-7106, maynardvil-lepubliclibrary.org or on Facebook.

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