Sourcebook 19, 2015-2016

C o o k e v i l l Ep u t n a m c o u n t y t e n n e s s e e

1 9 t h E D I T I O N

A L G O O D • B A X T E R • M O N T E R E Y

T H E S O U R C E B O O K

W E D O S H I N D I G S

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CONTENTS

8 Where Adventure AwaitsGeorge Halford welcomes you to Cookeville.

12 Quick Facts

16 State of the Art(s)Tour Brad Sells’ woodworking studio and the thriving arts and music scene of Cookeville.

24 Quite HospitableWith care like this at home, why go anywhere else?

28 Head of the Class When it comes to education, Putnam makes the grade.

32 Do Unto OthersLinda Westin talks about the community’s big heart.

38 Sweet Smell of SuccessRalph’s Donut Shop shows how even small businesses can leave a national footprint.

46 Shop Around the CornerKellie Fitzpatrick’s Caravan is just one of many terrific boutique shops in Cookeville.

54 The Beard of BeerVisit Father Tom’s pub to hear John “Beard” Darrow tell of his variety of drinking and dining options.

62 Stay TunedSee Desirée Duncan in action while she represents Cookeville’s media outlets.

68 I’d Rather Be Rich“Fittest Man” Rich Froning shows what it means to live an active life in Cookeville.

72 Take It OutsideEric Jackson kayaks his way through the Highlands.

78 Captains of IndustryJimmy and Bob Mackie of iWC describe the benefits of housing their headquarters in Cookeville.

84 The Host with the MostOttis Phillips knows how capable Cookeville-Putnam County is as host of large events.

90 For the FamilyPlay smart at Kristea Cancel’s Smart Play and discover more fun activities for your family.

Lucky Seven Series � Claims to Fame, 15

� Local Music Acts, 22

� Retirement Enticements, 27

� ‘To Die For’ Desserts, 43

� Local Outdoor Bistros, 58

� Tastes of the World, 66

� Views You Shouldn’t Miss, 77

� Campout Must-Haves, 94

Sponsored by the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of CommerceTo correct, delete or add information, please contact the Chamber.One West First Street + Cookeville, TN 38501931-526-2211 + Fax 931-526-4023 + [email protected] + cookevillechamber.com

T H E S O U R C E B O O K + N o . 1 9

5COOKEVILLE-PUTNAM COUNTY CHAMBER

SOURCEBOOK STAFF

EditorRoman Stone

DesignerMeredith Purcell

WriterMargaret LeFevre

Contributing WritersLisa Brooksbank

Lori Shull

PhotographersCody Bryant

Ben Corda

Ron Baker

DataChamber of Commerce

Cookeville Regional Medical Center

Putnam County School System

Tennessee Tech University

Sales Director Heather Thomas

AccountingAdrienne Stone

Customer ServiceMichelle Herron

PrintingAnderson Printing Solutions

DistributionChamber of Commerce

Design/ProductionWDStone & Associates

114 N. Washington Ave.

Cookeville, TN 38501

Phone 931.525.6020

Fax 931.525.6550

[email protected]

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wdstone.com

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The Sourcebook ©

WDStone & Associates, Inc.GO NUTS FOR DONUTS Thomas Rodriguez of Ralph’s Donut Shop in Cookeville prepares dough in the kitchen. The staff at Ralph’s arrives in the

wee hours each morning to bake donuts, fritters, muffins and more for the day’s customers.

Education that matters...just a click away

www.tn-biblecollege.eduCookeville 526-2616

C e l e b r a t i n g 4 0 Y e a r s o f e x C e l l e n C e ~ 1 9 7 5 - 2 0 1 5

Attorney-at-Law931.526.6131 • Fax 931.372.0150

24 North Jefferson Avenue • P.O. Box 715 Cookeville, Tennessee 38503

E-mail: [email protected]

S ince its founding more than a century ago, Cookeville has been a sleepy town in the country

surrounded by beautiful hills, rivers and waterfalls. It has always been a place of quiet charm, where people greet each other on the sidewalks and no one stays a stranger for long.

In more recent years, this charming small town has begun to wake up and is even being recognized as the largest micropolitan area in Tennessee.

“I love watching a community grow and evolve, watching a community stretch itself and think more of itself than maybe it would have before,” said George Halford, president and CEO of the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce. “It’s the people, the region, the culture, the high quality of life but low cost, Tennessee Tech University (TTU). There’s agenuineness and a civility. It’s just the culture here.”

Where Adventure

AwaitsCHAMBER PRESIDENT GEORGE HALFORD AND AN INTRODUCTION TO COOKEVILLE

Where Adventure

Awaits

GETTING US ON THE MAP

George Halford, Cookeville-Putnam

County Chamber of Commerce

president and CEO, talks about all that

makes Cookeville grand.


Serving as home of Tennessee Tech University, the city has grown as the university has grown and has developed an appreciation for the arts, music and education. It is, more often than ever before, becoming a travel destination, a new home or a place to start or relocate a business.

Cookeville is the seat of Putnam County and the center of the 14-county Upper Cumberland region of Tennes-see. Putnam County is in the top 20 of the state’s 95 counties in terms of population, but its central position in the Upper Cumberland means many from outside the county come here often to eat, shop and play.

“It’s easy to be regional when you’re the capital of the region,” Halford said. “People are going to come here to eat. They’re going to come here to shop. They’re going to come here for an education.”

The Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce is the driver or partner of many of the region’s economic development efforts, and several years ago it commissioned an economic opportunity study. Since then, the Convention & Visitors Bureau and its partners have been working to spread the word about the area’s world-class music and craft, its scenic landscapes and outdoor adventure spots, and TTU.

“A recent community incubator study says, if you will ever learn to play it and market it, you could be ‘Ashe-ville West.’ These aren’t things you see in every town,” Halford said. “We’re the only nonmetropolitan area of Tennessee with a professional symphony orchestra, with its own PBS station, with a world-class arts cul-ture. The crown jewel is TTU.”

In addition to housing the Bryan Symphony Orchestra and hosting dozens of cultural and community events every year, TTU is doing its part to help the region grow and thrive economically. It houses a variety of entrepreneur-focused centers, which are growing quickly and adding to the dynamism of Cookeville.

The chamber boasts between 850 and 900 members, and member businesses employ 16,000 people. New businesses are opening, others are moving or expand-ing, and Cookeville is seeing an increase in new, large industries expressing an interest or signing deals to come to the Highlands Business Park, currently in development.

TTI Floor Care, which manufactures Dirt Devil,Hoover, Oreck and Royal vacuum cleaners, announced an expansion to its Cookeville plant that is forecast to

create more than 200 jobs. Academy Sports + Outdoors also announced that it will locate its southeastern distribution hub — which will be the largest distribution center under one roof in Tennessee — to Cookeville, creating more than 700 jobs in the course of the next eight to 10 years.

Cookeville is a vibrant place to live and do business and has attractions, events and a community feel that appeal to all ages.

“If one enjoys a lot of the attributes of living in a micropolitan environment, we’re it,” Halford said. “If one enjoys a more outdoors, rural environment, that’s who we are. We’re a small com-munity, but we play more like a town

of 75,000 to 100,000 people.”

Part of that is keeping people healthy. Cookeville, with Cookeville Regional Medical Center, is the center for the region’s health care. There are more than 200 physicians in Cookeville, and the hospital has leading facilities for open-heart and beating-heart surgeries and cancer therapy. A variety of gyms, ranging from the YMCA to CrossFit, and dance studios, combined with plentiful opportunities and venues for outdoor recreation, means that it is easier to stay healthy and fit in Cookeville, despite our hopping food scene.

“We feel our hospitality is key. Thirty years ago, it was just a place you passed through unless you lived here, and then it was the best place to be,” Halford said. “Vis-itors and business people ask all the time, ‘Are people here always this nice?’ Well yes, we are.”

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO COME HERE TO EAT. THEY’RE GOING TO COME HERE TO SHOP. THEY’RE GOING TO COME HERE FOR AN EDUCATION.”

A community like no other!A beautiful, thriving community in the heart of the Upper Cumberland, Cookeville is ideally situated between three major Tennessee cities. Located just a short drive from several state parks and two major lakes, this expanding community is also home to 10 city parks and lots of other natural beauty that is characteristic of Middle Tennessee. The city’s flourishing community of artists celebrates everything from culinary flare to the performing arts. With a business community continually strengthened by patrons from within Putnam and surrounding counties, Cookeville is the hub of activity for the region. Learn more about Cookeville by visiting wwregion. Learn more about Cookeville by visiting www.cookeville-tn.org.


CITY OF ALGOOD

Algood was first settled in 1820 and was incorporated in 1901. Until rails reached the area around 1891, Algood was farmland — much of it owned by Joel Algood, and known as “Algood Oldfields.” The Nashville and Knoxville Railroad bought land from him for a depot and called it “Algood,” thus naming the community that grew up around the station.

80 miles east of Nashville 100 miles west of Knoxville On Highways 111 and 42

3,563

1115’ above sea level

4 square miles

Mayor, (931) 537-9545 Ext. 2360Five-member city council City administrator, (931) 537-9545 Ext. 2060

Fire Dept.: (931) 537-6357Police Dept.: (931) 537-6830

Water: Town of Algood Water, Sewer and Sanitation Dept., (931) 537-9545Electric: City of Cookeville, (931) 520-5214Gas: City of Cookeville, (931) 520-5214

CITY OF MONTEREY

Monterey was once the pioneer settlement “Standing Stone,” so named for a large boulder on the historic Walton Road nearby. After the railroad reached Standing Stone in 1893, officers and stockholders of the Cumberland Mountain Coal Company founded a new town and named it “Monterey,” which is Spanish for “mountain of the king.”

92 miles east of Nashville 85 miles west of Knoxville On Interstate 40

2,858


3 square miles

Mayor, (931) 839-3770Eight aldermen


Water: City of Monterey, (931) 839-3339Electric: Volunteer Energy Cooperative,(931) 839-2217Gas: Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District, (931) 836-2825

History

Location

Population

Elevation

Area

Government

Public Safety

Utilities

QuickFacts

C O U N T Y C L I M A T E

Avg. Annual Temperature

56.7ºF

January Avg.46ºF high 26ºF low

July Avg. 87ºF high 65ºF low

Avg. Annual Precipitation

56”

Avg. Annual Snowfall 7”

Prevailing Winds SE

Mean Length ofFreeze-Free Period

211 days

Avg. Relative Humidity79% midnight

85% 6 a.m.48% noon

62% 6 p.m.

Property Management &Real Estate Consulting

P. (931) 528-2158F. (931) 372-9983

430 N. Washington Ave., Suite B


falconrealtycookeville.com


CITY OF COOKEVILLE

Chosen for its springs and central spot, Cookeville was incorporated in 1856 as the county seat and named for Richard Fielding Cooke, a state senator. The Nashville and Knoxville Railroad (the Tennessee Central) ran through Cookeville in 1890. Construction of Highway 70 in the 1930s, Interstate 40 in the 1960s, and Highway 111 in the 1990s helped make the town a commercial center.

79 miles east of Nashville 101 miles west of Knoxville At intersection of I-40 and Highway 111

31,135


33 square miles

Mayor, (931) 520-1500Five-member city councilCity manager, (931) 520-5240


Water: City of Cookeville, (931) 520-5214Electric: City of Cookeville, (931) 520-5214Gas: City of Cookeville, (931) 520-5214

CITY OF BAXTER

Baxter has borne various names. Before the railroad, a post office there was called “Ai,” a name borrowed from a biblical city of Canaanites. When the Nashville and Knoxville Railroad built a depot there, it was called “Mine Lick.” To avoid confusion, in 1902, the community, post office and depot were named “Baxter” in honor of Jere Baxter, president of the Tennessee Central.

69 miles east of Nashville 109 miles west of Knoxville On Interstate 40

1,391


1.5 square miles

Mayor, (931) 858-4111Four aldermen

Fire Dept.: (931) 858-2621Police Dept.: (931) 858-4111 Ext. 2

Water: City of Baxter, (931) 858-4142Electric: Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corp., (931) 528-5449, and City of Cookeville, (931) 520-5214Gas: Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District, (931) 836-2825

PUTNAM COUNTY

Putnam County was created in 1842 from parts of White, Overton, Jackson and Fentress counties and was named in honor of General Israel Putnam of the Revolutionary War. In 1844, a court injunction charged that the county was improperly established. But in 1854, the county was reestablished by the court, and Cookeville was named the county seat.

74,165

401 square miles

County executive, (931) 526-216124-member commission

Volunteer Fire Dept.: (931) 528-1200Sheriff’s Dept.: (931) 528-8484

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T R A N S I T

H E A L T HC O N N E C T

+ CONTINUED

HighwaysInterstate 40, East/West

State Highway 111 U.S. 70

State Highways 42, 135, 136 and 290

AirUpper Cumberland Regional

Airport, (931) 739-7000Livingston Municipal Airport,

(931) 823-3671

BusThe Cookeville Area

Transportation System, (931) 372-8000

RailThe Nashville & Eastern

Railroad (Putnam County) Caney Fork & Western Railroad

(White County)

HospitalCookeville Regional

Medical Center, (931) 528-2541

TelephoneCharter Communications,

(888) 438-2427Frontier Communications,

(931) 528-0709Twin Lakes Telephone

Cooperative Corporation,(931) 858-2151

Newspaper/Publishers

The Herald-Citizen (931) 526-9715

Upper Cumberland Business Journal (931) 528-8852

RadioWATX-AM (1600) WBXE-FM (93.7) WGSQ-FM (94.7) WHRS-FM (91.7)

WHUB-AM (1400)WJNU-FM (96.9)WKSW-FM (98.5)WKXD-FM (106.9)WLIV-FM (104.7)WLQK-FM (95.9)WPTN-AM (780)WTTU-FM (88.5)

WWOG-FM (90.9)

TelevisionWKRN (ABC)WTVF (CBS)WSMV (NBC)WZTV (FOX)

WCTE-TV (PBS)

For more facts and figures

about Cookeville and Putnam County,

visit CookevilleChamber.com.

QuickFacts


L U C K Y S E V E N

7 Claims to FameCOOKEVILLE HOLDS SEVERAL DISTINCTIONS BOTH REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY

No. 1 No.

2

No. 5 No.

6

No. 4

No. 7

No. 3

MO’ MONEYLow Cost of Living

Cookeville is rated as

having the seventh

least expensive cost

of living in the nation

by The Council for

Community and

Economic Research

Cost of Living Index.

UP-AND-COMERSClaiming the Spotlight

Judah & the Lion, whose

lead singer, Judah Akers, was

born and raised in Cookeville,

has had a hit CMT video

and has played on the Late

Show with David Letterman.

Their debut album, “Kids

These Days,” has broken into

the Billboard Top 20 in two

categories and counting.

DOWN BY THE SWIMMING HOLECummins Falls

Cummins Falls, located

on the border of Putnam

and Jackson counties, was

listed as one of the 12 top

“secret swimming holes”

in North America by USA

Today. In addition, it scored

Travel + Leisure magazine’s

list of 20 “America’s Best

Swimming Holes,” made The

Adrenalist’s list of the “Best

Wild Swimming Holes in the

World” and was named by

Fox News among the “13

Beautiful Natural Swimming

Holes Around the U.S.”

WINNER, WINNERWatson and Mack Brown

In 2013, with 372 victories and counting, brothers and Cookeville natives Watson

and Mack Brown surpassed Vince and Bill Dooley as the brothers with the most

victories in major college football.

SURVIVAL OF ‘THE FITTEST’Rich Froning, CrossFit Champion

Cookeville is home to Rich Froning, four-time Reebok CrossFit “Fittest Man on

Earth.” Recognized across the globe, Froning continues to put Cookeville on the

map as a sports and fitness destination.

GOING PUBLICWCTE-TV

Cookeville is also one

of the smallest cities

in the nation to have

its own PBS station,

WCTE-TV, which has

produced nationally

distributed shows,

including “Jammin

at Hippie Jack’s,”

“Tree Safari” and

the Emmy Award-

winning “Bluegrass

Underground.”

I SAW THE SIGNCream City is a National Neon Delight

The iconic Cream City

sign was chosen and

featured in American

Road Magazine as one

of the top 100 Favorite

Neon Signs in the

country.

INTO THE WOODS Artist Brad Sells discusses wood, art and life in his workshop at Bark Studio.

C ookeville artist Brad Sells has searched the world over for hard-

woods, garnering worldwide acclaim for coaxing this brittle, rigid medium into forms that call to mind much more fluid things, such as dancing flames, flowing water or draped fabric.

Among other exotic woods, Sells has breathed new life into koa and kiawe from Hawaii, red ivory from Africa, choc-olate acacia, green-streaked olive, white cat’s whiskers, Cuban mahogany and sapodilla, which he says is “really pink and pretty to carve and has a nice, sweet smell to it.” Yes, Sells’ love for his art is even apparent in the way he names the species he’s worked, describing them as if recalling old friends.

State of the Art(s)

COOKEVILLE NATIVE BRAD SELLS AND HIS NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTWORK


He’s traveled far and wide to round up these friends, venturing to Africa and Hawaii and someday, he hopes, to South America. Two of his treks to “wood destina-tions,” as he describes these hardwood harvesting sites abroad, have been captured by filmmaker Todd Jarrell in “Tree Safari,” a documentary series that has aired nationally on PBS stations.

Domestic specimens call out to Sells as well, especially those with some sentimental value, and as he walks you through his shop beneath his home at Bark Studio on Maple Avenue in Cookeville, you quickly learn that every chunk of wood has a story.

“This is the burl from the big tree outside the university center at Tennessee Tech,” said Sells. “I had been eyeing it since I was a student there, and I’d like for this one to stay in Cookeville. The one that’s kind of up at the top there is redbud from a friend of mine’s front yard. It was one of the biggest redbuds I’d seen. It was big and burly.”

He tells of a downed tree he passed on Sixth Street as he was driving his daughter home one day. He dropped her off, quickly returned and was alarmed to find it gone.

“I took out down the road, hoping I could find it, and I caught them going down Jackson with it and told them, ‘I want that tree,’” said Sells. “It had burl around it and was really lumpy. I did the project for the Music City Center and a few others out of it. One tree like that can keep me busy for a year or more.”

For his large installations, he often uses wood from the site where the piece will be placed. He created “Peace, Wellness, Hope and Strength,” a 20-foot figural sculp-ture for the lobby of the Cookeville Regional Medical Center North Patient Tower, from a large blue spruce that was removed from the lot during the construction of the building. For a hanging installation at Capshaw

Elementary in Cookeville, he used a large oak tree that was removed from the grounds when the new wing was being built.

As Sells’ reputation has grown, his work has been featured in increasingly impressive venues. His pieces are held in the permanent collections of 11 national and regional museums, galleries and collections, includ-ing the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C.; the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachu-setts; the Detroit Institute of Arts; the Museum of Arts and Design in New York; the Neiman Marcus Home

Collection; the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville; and many others.

His bowls and sculptures grace the homes of celebrities and have been exhibited in such notable settings as the Architectural Digest Home Design Show in New York City, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and the Amer-ican Craft Council show in Maryland. Closer to home, Sells has a large body of work on display in the Blue Spiral 1 gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.

Despite his acclaim as one of the top woodworkers in the world, Sells seems to have had no desire to stay gone from his native Cookeville for very long, not-ing that a number of factors make the

Cookeville area appealing to him and many of the local artists he knows.

First, there’s Cookeville’s location and low cost of liv-ing, which have helped him professionally.

“When I was traveling more, it was very central,” said Sells. “It’s a strategic place in that the cost of living isn’t as bad as some of the bigger areas, and a 12-hour drive will get you a lot of places, from New York to Kansas City to Atlanta or Chicago. It’s very doable logistically, and for me, flying all this stuff would be extremely expensive, so I really need to drive it.”

SUPPORTING LOCAL ARTISTS GOES A LONG WAY TOWARD MAKING BETTER COMMUNITIES .”


A SELLS SAMPLER Above is “Robin.” Below, from left, are “Raghorn,” “Painted Wavoka” and “Ester.”


Appalachian Center for Craft

The Appalachian Center for Craft

is a satellite campus of Tennessee

Tech University (TTU) located

on more than 500 wooded acres

overlooking Center Hill Lake.

The 87,000-square-foot facility

includes spacious studios, a retail

gallery, workshops, exhibition

galleries and a café.

Art on the West Side & Downtown Square

A walk on the Historic West Side

and Downtown Square in Cookeville

offers both contemporary and

historic venues. A collaboration

of art galleries and unique

boutiques create the most inspiring

atmosphere.

Art ’Round Tennessee

A nonprofit group that organizes

the Art Prowl, an annual event held

in the West Side Cultural District

of Cookeville, as well as locations in

and around Cookeville.

Backdoor Playhouse

Backdoor Playhouse, one of the

best-kept secrets on the TTU

campus, has been entertaining the

Upper Cumberland community

with dramatic productions for more

than 50 years.

Bryan Symphony Orchestra

Located in the Wattenbarger

Auditorium of the Bryan Fine

Arts Building on the TTU campus,

the orchestra performs several

times a year in Dogwood Park

and in TTU’s Wattenbarger

Auditorium. It draws professional

musicians from all over Middle and

East Tennessee.

Cookeville Performing Arts Center

The Cookeville Performing

Arts Center is a 456-seat live

performance theater owned by the

City of Cookeville and operated by

the Department of Leisure Services.

Cumberland Art Society

Cumberland Art Society is a

501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

that is supported by its members

and generous friends of the arts. It

is funded in part by the Tennessee

Arts Commission.

Joan Derryberry Art Gallery

Located on the first floor of the

Roaden University Center on

TTU’s campus, this ever-changing

art gallery is named after Joan

Derryberry, TTU’s first lady from

1940-1974.

Upper Cumberland Art Alliance

UCAA, an organization that

nurtures, celebrates and assists

individual artists and other art

organizations, was founded in 1989

but was last revitalized in 2005.

CHECK OUT COOKEVILLE’S AWARD-WINNING ART, DRAMA AND MUSIC COMMUNITY

ARTS +Then, there’s the lifestyle here, which he and his family enjoy.

“It’s a great area to raise a family, and really, that’s what’s taking up most of my time. I hope to support them by doing this,” said Sells. “And I think this is just an absolutely beautiful area. We’ve got four seasons, we’ve got a nice university, and we’ve got good roads we can travel easily.”

Sells especially appreciates the enthusiastic local clientele that has allowed him to be home with his family more often.

“Supporting local artists goes a long way toward making better communities, and it makes a differ-ence when the community that you live in helps support you,” said Sells. “I’ve been very fortunate to have support and to have been a part of special proj-ects. Because of that support, I don’t have to travel as much as I did in the past to make a living.”

Sells says he’s also pleased that Cookeville is home to a close-knit and growing arts community. Many of these artists have invested their time and talents in forming and supporting Art ‘Round Tennessee, an organization that promotes the arts and local artists through shows and events such as the annual Art Prowl.

“Organizations like this, and the artists who com-prise them, bring culture, they bring economic growth, and they help Cookeville to be more compet-itive in bringing in new people,” said Sells. “Because of this, I see Cookeville with potential to really bloom and flourish. I think of Chattanooga, Asheville, Nashville and Franklin and what’s happened to those cities in the last 10 to 15 years, and I see that reaching Cookeville.”

To learn more about Sells and his work, visitbradsells.com.

For more information and gallery listings, visit mustseecookeville.com/art.php


70

Baxter

Algood

CookevilleMonterey

N

W E

S

111

40

Cookeville’s Central Location

Putnam County

Cookeville is located betweenthree of Tennessee’s four major metropolitan areas —

Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga — and has excel-

lent access to interstate systems, with Interstate 40 run-

ning from east to west through the center of the region

and Highway 111 running from north to south.

These roadways provide essential access to the majority

of the people who live in the Upper Cumberland.

Within a day’s drive from 76 percent of the total U.S.

population, Cookeville and Putnam County are often

referred to as the “hub of the Upper Cumberland.”

NashvilleKnoxville

Chattanooga

11140


L U C K Y S E V E N

7 Local Music ActsIF YOU’RE A FAN OF LIVE MUSIC OF ANY KIND, COOKEVILLE HAS GOT A MUSIC GROUP FOR YOU

No. 1

No. 4

No. 3 No.

5

No. 7

No. 2

No. 6

BRYAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Cookeville is the only nonmetropolitan

area of Tennessee to have a full symphony orchestra — Tennessee Tech University’s Bryan Symphony Orchestra — which performs regularly in TTU’s Wattenbarger Auditorium and at the

Dogwood Performance Pavilion.

TENNESSEE TECH TUBA ENSEMBLE

Though its members

change every year, the Tuba

Ensemble has been a staple

at TTU and in Cookeville

for nearly 50 years. Lead

by tuba professor R.

Winston Morris, the group

has performed eight times

at Carnegie Hall and

gives concerts regularly on

campus, including as part

of the annual Octubafest

concert series.

THE GILBERT FAMILY

The Gilbert Family is a Southern

gospel group composed of husband

and wife, John and Sandy, their

daughter, Faith, and guitarists Seth

Price and Eric Beaty. The group

travels throughout the Upper

Cumberland to perform, including

at the Peachtree Learning Center,

where Eric is a guitar instructor.

BALLINGER FAMILY BAND

The Ballinger Family Band mixes catchy lyrics and

tight vocals with a bluegrass sound that ranges

from slow ballads to up-tempo, bouncy tunes. Kris

and Dale have performed across the country with

well-known fiddlers and, as founding members of

The Cluster Pluckers, recorded five albums. They

perform with their son, Ethan, who has released

several of his own albums. His work has been aired

nationally on PBS stations.

SHEEP TRICK

Sheep Trick has been around Cookeville for several

years and, like many other local bands, performs

regularly at outdoor festivals around town. A blend

of covers and original songs feature a wide variety of

instruments in beats that are easy to dance to.

BROTHER RAINS

Brother Rains has performed in venues throughout

the Upper Cumberland for more than 20 years

and has recently released their debut album, “Live

from Melodie’s Bedroom.” Claiming Garth Brooks,

Edwin McCain, Kiss, Steve Wariner and Run

D.M.C. as influences, this three-man act performs its own songs, including the favorite “One Bullet, Same

Last Name,” along with tunes as varied as Prince’s “When Doves Cry” and the Allman Brothers’ “Soulshine,”

before a loyal fan following.

SPOONFUL

Billing themselves as “a little blues band from Cookeville,”

the trio that makes up Spoonful has quite the following

around their hometown. They play almost every month at

Crawdaddys, where they fill the West Side of town with music

when they’re outside on the stone patio.

www.willowparktn.com

Office HOurs: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Closed saturday

PHOne: 931-516-0060 fax: 931-526-5615


This level of care brings people to Cookeville from surrounding counties and even neighboring states. In fact, having such a quality facility is often a de-ciding factor for those who are choosing where to retire.

That was the case for Karen Mills, who retired to Cookeville from Florida. When searching for an ideal retirement loca-tion, she had requested information from the Convention & Visitors Bureau and found that Cookeville met her criteria, especially where medical care was con-cerned.

“Of course, we had prerequisites, and one of them was that we have a good hospital and that it was growing,” said Mills. “That was a big part of why we decided to retire here, because at our age, we definitely need to have good doctors and a good hospital.”

That decision paid off just a couple of years later. When severe lower back problems started interfering with Mills’ ability to get around, some friends rec-ommended she see Dr. Leonardo Rodri-guez-Cruz. She followed their advice, and after meeting with Dr. Cruz to discuss her options, they scheduled surgery to fuse together four of her lumbar vertebrae. “He told me exactly what I needed to have

done, he did it, and I’ve had great results,” she said. “I’m straight, I’m fused and I’m healed.”

Mills, who had had a prior back surgery in Nashville, says she was much hap-pier with her experience at Cookeville Regional.

“There’s no comparison,” she said. “Here at Cookeville Regional, they treat you as if you’re part of the family. Also, my husband was very pleased to not have to drive back and forth to Nashville.”

It’s those kinds of results and that kind of care that have placed CRMC among America’s 100 Best Hospitals in three categories, in the Top 5% in one category and in the Top 10% in five categories, with Excellence Awards in four categories in 2015, according to Healthgrades®.

“I would definitely recommend this hos-pital to anybody, and I have,” said Mills. “We can’t say enough good things about Cookeville Regional.”

For more information about CRMC,visit crmchealth.org.

C ookeville Regional Medical Center (CRMC) quite literally adds to the quality of life in Cookeville and the Upper Cumberland. CRMC is an award-winning, 247-bed regional medical center that serves the entire 14-county Upper Cumberland region and

employs a staff of more than 2,000, with more than 200 physicians and other providers on its medical staff representing 40 medi-cal and surgical specialties.

Quite HospitableWITH CARE LIKE THIS AT HOME, WHY GO ANYWHERE ELSE?

PATIENT PROFILE

KAREN MILLS

Surgery/Surgeon

Lumbar Vertebrae Fusion

by Dr. Leonardo Rodriguez-Cruz

Outcome

“I’m straight, I’m fused and I’m healed.”

COOKEVILLE-PUTNAM COUNTY CHAMBER

America’s 100 Best Hospitals

� One of Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care™

(2013-2015)

� One of Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary

Intervention™ (2012-2015)

� One of Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic

Surgery™ (2012-2015)

Cardiac Care

� Recipient of the Healthgrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award™

(2012-2015)

� Recipient of the Healthgrades Coronary Intervention Excellence

Award™ (2011-2015)

Orthopedic Care

� Recipient of the Healthgrades Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™

(2009-2015)

� Named among the Top 10% in the Nation for Overall Orthopedic

Services (2009-2015)

Pulmonary Care

� Recipient of the Healthgrades Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™

(2014-2015)

� Named among the Top 10% in the Nation for Overall Pulmonary

Services (2014-2015)

Critical Care

� Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism (2015)

� Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Respiratory Failure (2013-2015)

� Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Diabetic Emergencies (2015)

ACCOLADES +

cookevilleregionalcharity.org(931) 783-2003

THERE’S ONLY ONE.

JUST LIKE THERE’S ONLY ONE YOU, there’s only one hospital in the Upper Cumberland* to receive the Healthgrades®

2014 America’s 100 Best for Cardiac Surgery™ designation.

931-528-2541 • crmchealth.org

Consistent, competent, compassionate and more than capable: Cookeville Regional. Right here in Cookeville – the Upper Cumberland’s only full-service heart and

vascular center and one of only two hospitals in Tennessee to receive theAmerica’s 100 Best for Cardiac Surgery™ in 2014.

* Includes the following counties in Tennessee: Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren and White.


L U C K Y S E V E N

7 Retirement EnticementsIF YOU’RE APPROACHING RETIREMENT, SEE WHY COOKEVILLE IS THE ULTIMATE DESINATION

No. 1 No.

2

No. 4

No. 3

No. 5No.

6

AFFORDABLE LIVINGLow Cost of Living

Housing prices are low, with a median

home cost of $135,100 in Putnam

County and $158,600 in the city of

Cookeville, according to the most recent

data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Plus,

the property taxes are low, and there is

no state income tax.

IF YOU’VE GOT YOUR HEALTH, YOU’VE GOT EVERYTHINGState-of-the-Art Medical Care

Cookeville has a great health care system anchored by Cookeville Regional Medical Center,

which has been recognized nationally for excellence in many different categories. In 2015,

Healthgrades® ranked Cookeville Regional among America’s 100 Best Hospitals in three

specialties, placed them in the Top 5% in one category and in the Top 10% in five categories,

and granted CRMC Excellence Awards in four categories, among a long list of other honors.

And Becker’s Hospital Review named Cookeville Regional one of its “100 Great Community

Hospitals” in 2014.

CULTURE TO SPAREArts, Music, Theater and Museums

Cookeville is the only nonmetropolitan area of Tennessee with its own

symphony, Tennessee Tech University’s Bryan Symphony Orchestra, and is

also home to the world-famous Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble, a frequent

Carnegie Hall performer. Several of this area’s numerous visual artists have

received national and worldwide acclaim, and TTU’s Appalachian Center

for Craft is located just down the road. Cookeville Performing Arts Center,

a 456-seat live performance theater, produces the state, regional and

national award-winning Backstage at CPAC series, an annual rotation of

contemporary plays. And history buffs are sure to love the Cookeville History

Museum and the Cookeville Depot Museum, one of three depot museums

in Putnam County.

GET UP, GET OUTAbundant Fitness Opportunities

You’ll find an endless variety of ways to get moving,

from our YMCA to multiple gyms and training

studios. In addition, Cookeville’s Department of

Leisure Services offers a wide range of affordable

fitness classes and programs for the community,

and Cookeville has earned the No. 4 spot on Walk

Score’s® “Most Walkable Cities in Tennessee” list.

A NATURAL FITOutdoor Fun for Everyone

If you love nature, Cookeville is the place to be. With

four distinct seasons, 14 well-tended local parks,

plus multiple nearby state parks, rivers, creeks,

streams and lakes, you’re guaranteed to find the

right environment to lift your mood and brighten

your ‘tude.

A LOT OF HEARTOutstanding Heart Care

Cookeville reportedly has more automated external defibrillators (AEDs) than any other

community in the nation, thanks to our very active Mended Hearts organization. Hundreds

of our citizens are trained to use the lifesaving medical devices and administer CPR. Also,

Cookeville Regional Medical Center has implemented the Code STEMI protocol, which has

helped them attain a record-breaking average of 43 minutes for treating heart attacks, beating

the 90-minute national standard by 47 minutes.

No. 7

HIGH APPROVAL RATINGSRetirement Accolades

Putnam County is one of 16 counties

that is a certified Retire Tennessee

community, and we’re also an American

Association of Retirement Communities

Seal of Approval community. Where to

Retire magazine named us one of the

nation’s best retirement communities,

with Rand McNally ranking us No. 9 in

the U.S.


Head of the ClassWHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION, PUTNAM MAKES THE GRADE

PAYSCALE.COM

� Based on total cost and alumni earnings, TTU

provides students with the highest return on

investment for any public university in the state,

and TTU ranks third overall among all universities in

Tennessee: 2014.

� TTU graduates have the highest mid-career salary

potential of any public university graduates in

Tennessee: 2014.

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

� TTU is one of the top public universities: 2002,

2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010,

2011, 2012, 2014.

� TTU is among the top regional universities in the

South: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015.

� TTU graduates leave with the least debt in the

South: 2011, 2015.

� TTU is among the top 10 universities in the South

for veterans: 2015.

WASHINGTON MONTHLY

� TTU is among the universities that provide the best

bang for your buck: 2013, 2014. In 2014, TTU was

top in the state.

THE PRINCETON REVIEW

� TTU is among the best in the Southeast: 2005,

2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012,

2013, 2014.

� The College of Business is among the best 301

business schools: 2012.

� TTU is a best value college: 2007, 2008, 2010.

G.I. JOBS MAGAZINE

� TTU was included on the list of military-friendly

universities: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015.

GETEDUCATED.COM

� The College of Business is among the best and

most affordable AACSB-accredited online

MBA programs: 2014. TTU was among the top

15 universities on the list and the top school in

Tennessee.

A n educational hub for the region, Cookeville is home to Tennessee Tech University (TTU), which has garnered international acclaim and is con-

sistently ranked among the best universities in academics and value.

Tennessee Tech University is one of the best public universities in the South, according to a variety of reports and rankings organizations.

PURPLE, GOLD AND PROUDTennessee Tech University

Enrollment • 11, 300Degrees • 40+ undergraduate; 20+ graduate

I CERTAINLY FELT A SENSE OF

COLLABORATION IN THE DISTRICT,

AND AS I HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITY

TO TRAVEL THE STATE AND VISIT

WITH OTHER DISTRICTS, I REALIZED

HOW SPECIAL PUTNAM COUNTY

REALLY WAS WITH ITS EDUCATIONAL

SYSTEM.”

PEOPLE ARE MOVING TO THIS REGION,

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT

ATTRACTS THEM TO PUTNAM COUNTY

AND TO THE UPPER CUMBERLAND IS

THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.”

DR. KATHLEEN AIRHART Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Education

JERRY BOYD Putnam County Director of Schools


FOUR STATE REWARD SCHOOLS (schools

that perform in the top 5 percent statewide for

annual growth or academic achievement)

� Capshaw Elementary (Performance – 2012-2014)

� Algood Elementary (Progress - 2014)

� Baxter Elementary (Progress - 2012)

� Monterey High School (Progress - 2012)

GRANTS/COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

� Early Literacy Grant in conjunction with WCTE-TV

� American Graduate Grant (provides resources to make

sure students graduate) in conjunction with WCTE-TV

� Perkins Reserve Grant (exposes students to careers and

helps them forge academic pathways toward chosen

careers)

PATHWAYS TO PROSPERITY

� A nationwide collaboration sponsored by Harvard

University to increase or improve the connection between

7-12 education and the next steps in students’ learning and

working lives

� The Upper Cumberland region (in this case, Putnam,

White, Overton and Jackson counties), was one of only

two Tennessee regions involved in the Pathways to

Prosperity pilot project, an opportunity made possible

by the Highlands Economic Partnership Workforce

Development and Education Committee.

� Tennessee is one of nine states involved.

VITAL E-LEARNING NETWORK

� A statewide, recognized virtual school

� Offers dual enrollment and credit advancement

� Uses digital integration in the classroom to personalize

learning

� Has a 96-98 percent success rate and an overall average

grade of 85 with all components counted

� Includes a personal finance class offered to all high school

students that is a result of a collaborative effort between

Dave Ramsey’s Lampo Group, Florida Virtual School and

Putnam County Schools

DUAL-ENROLLMENT CLASSES

� Students in Putnam County are able to take college-level

classes in high school, receiving both high school and

college credit for completing those courses.

SCHOOL ADOPTION PROGRAM

� “Putnam has one of the most incredible school adoption

programs in the state. The adopters tend to be very

involved in the lives of their schools. It’s not just a monetary

donation. It’s volunteer work and providing resources to

teachers and to administrators. It’s a real partnership.”

Dr. Kathleen Airhart, Deputy Commissioner for the

Tennessee Department of Education

� Started in 1989, the School Adoption Program is the

Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce’s

longest tenured program and is only open to chamber

members.

TENNESSEE PROMISE

� Every student who graduates in 2015 and afterward has

the opportunity to attend two years of community college

or technical school tuition free.

ADVANCED ACCREDITATION

� Our entire school district is 100-percent accredited by

AdvancED, the parent organization of the Southern

Association of Colleges and Schools - Council on

Accreditation and School Improvement (SACSCASI).

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT RECOGNITION

� Monterey High School recognized as a Bronze School

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

� Cookeville High School has been an International

Baccalaureate® (IB) World School since 2004. CHS is

one of only 23 schools in the state and 1,575 in the nation

that has earned the prestigious designation to grant

International Baccalaureate® (IB) diplomas.

� In the spring of 2011, Avery Trace Middle School (ATMS)

made the decision to pursue IB World School authorization

as an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme

(MYP). Avery Trace hopes to become an authorized IB

World School in 2015.

HIGH ACT SCORES

� Cookeville High School students had an average

Composite ACT score of 21.1 in 2012, exceeding the state

average of 19.6.

� In 2013, 44.3 percent of Putnam County graduates

met the requirements to receive the Tennessee HOPE

Scholarship, which requires a high school grade point

average of 3.0 or a 21 Composite on the ACT.

HIGH GRADUATION RATE

� The graduation rate for the Putnam County School

System for the 2013-2014 school year reached 92.6

percent, beating the state graduation rate of 87.2 percent

and the national graduation rate of 81 percent.

PRO-EDUCATION COMMUNITY LEADERS

� The Highlands Workforce Development and Education

Committee, part of the four-county Highlands Economic

Partnership, is a partnership between leaders in business,

industry, K-12, higher education and chambers of

commerce who have forged an alliance to address the

challenges of a 21st century workforce. The group has

worked to create partnerships between school districts and

the business community in putting children on the pathway

to higher education.

GLOBAL LEARNING CENTER

� The Putnam County School System now offers a Global

Learning Center to provide an environment where

newcomer students can learn the English language and

American culture in an effort to help them succeed in the

American school system and beyond.

GETTING SCHOOLEDPutnam County Schools (PreK-12)

Enrollment • 11, 250Schools • 10 pre-K-Grade 4; 4 Grades 5-8; 3 High Schools; 3 Nontraditional Schools (adult high school, alternative school, VITAL school)

Algood Elem. (K-4)Ms. Patience Cannon • 303-0362

Algood Middle (PreK & 5-8)Mr. Tim Martin • 537-6141

Avery Trace Middle (5-8)Mr. Michael Meihls • 520-2200

Baxter Elem. (K-4)Ms. Tammy Hoover • 858-3110

Burks Elem. (K-8)Mr. Kevin Maynard • 839-7641

Cane Creek Elem. (PreK-4)Ms. Emily Pierce • 520-1173

Capshaw Elem. (PreK-4)Dr. Kim Wright • 526-2414

Cookeville High (PreK & 9-12)Mr. Lane Ward • 520-2287

Cornerstone Middle (5-8)Mr. Billy Stepp • 858-6601

Jere Whitson Elem. (PreK-4)Dr. Teri Anderson • 526-6575

Monterey High (9-12)Ms. Sonja Farley • 839-2970

Northeast Elem. (PreK-4)Dr. Melissa Palk • 526-2978

Park View Elem. (PreK-4)Mr. Bobby Winningham • 526-2516

Prescott South Elem. (PreK-4)Ms. Catherine Jones • 526-2275

Prescott South Middle (5-8)Mr. Trey Upchurch • 528-3647

Sycamore Elem. (PreK-4)Ms. Tracy Nabors • 526-9322

Upperman High (PreK & 9-12)Ms. Penny Nash • 858-3112

White Plains Academy (K-12)Mr. Joe Matheney • 537-3862

Adult High Ms. Robyn Nabors • 528-8685

Adult EducationMs. Lynda Breeden • 528-8685

Director of SchoolsMr. Jerry S. Boyd

1400 East Spring Street • Cookeville, TN 38506 931-526-9777 • Fax 931-528-6942

www.pcsstn.com

1200 Sams St. • Cookeville, TN 38506I-40 at Exit 287 • 931-854-1050

www.marriott.com/bnack

Stay with who you know

William F. RobeRsonAttorney At LAw

320 East Broad strEEtCookEvillE, tEnnEssEE 38501

931-526-5060 [email protected]

EST. 1939

124 E. Broad St. • Cookeville, TN • 931-526-4453 • www.outdoorexperienceonline.com

Explore • DiscoverBe Where You Are

Outfitting the upper cumberland since 1998, The Outdoor Experience strives to provide you with the best quality gear, clothing, foot-wear and accessories for all your outdoor needs. We also offer a full line of Jackson Kayaks to both rent or buy! Check us out on facebook for the latest event and clinic in-formation - please - stop by and see us soon!

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Do Unto Others

LINDA WESTIN AND COOKEVILLE’S NEW $2.1 MILLION ANIMAL SHELTER

W hether it’s an individual in need, a cancer patient, a wor-

thy organization or a homeless pet, the

people of Cookeville repeatedly step up in force, always ready to lend a hand or a dollar to help those in crisis.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Linda Westin credits caring volunteers,

community members and city and

county leaders with making the new

animal haven a reality.


Friends of Cookeville/Putnam County Animals (FCPCA) president Linda Westin has seen this giv-ing spirit overwhelmingly demonstrated in the pro-cess that has led to the opening of the new 10-acre PET (Pets, Education and Training) Care Campus, located adjacent to the Hyder-Burks Agricultural Pavilion on Gainesboro Grade in Cookeville.

The new, $2.1 million, state-of-the-art facility features two off-leash dog parks; an education and training center; and an animal shelter that is three times the size of the former one at 2105 W. Jackson Street.

The shelter, designed to hold approximately 100 dogs and 50 cats, includes a small animal disaster rescue facility; a free-play cat and kitten room with a live, streaming “kitty cam”; two-part cat cages with separate, vented areas for litter pans; a “Dog of the Day” room where special dogs will be highlighted; dog kennels with outdoor runs, stainless steel grills and gates, windows and lights; a special puppy area; “matchmaking” rooms where visitors can play with adoptable cats and dogs; a break room, laundry and grooming area; a garage where animal control officers can unload animals; dedicated animal intake and holding areas; four major air exchange systems to help cut down on disease and odors; and two sep-tic tanks with separate plumbing and drains for each cage to reduce the spread of disease.

“Our goal is to not have to euthanize for lack of space and for this to be a place where it’s a joy to come and see the animals, because when you’re adopting a pet, you’re adopting them for life, and it needs to be a happy experience and not just, ‘Oh, I’ll take that one because I don’t want them to be eutha-nized,” said Westin.

She says that there’s no way a facility like this could have come together without the generosity of the many, many people who helped and are continuing to help with the project.

“The Friends of Cookeville/Putnam County Animals first had to raise the money to buy the property, and to me that was a real test because it’s a dream, and you’re asking them to buy into the dream,” said Westin. “But people did, and they did it in all kinds of ways, from big amounts to a little boy who came into the shelter and gave a dollar toward helping.”

The first of those contributors, the late Gwendolyn Sawyer, started the fund 15 years ago by donating her entire estate, valued at around $480,000, to the existing animal shelter. Those funds were set aside for capital improvements to the existing shelter, but the funds ended up being held in reserve because the shelter was beyond repair.

“It was much too small and didn’t even have a real ceiling or heat or air conditioning,” said Westin. “There wasn’t any amount of money that could help that place, so we realized we were going to have to do something big.”

With that goal in mind, the FCPCA started seeking donations and hosting fund-raising events such as the annual Fur Ball gala, eventually adding more than $220,000 to Mrs. Sawyer’s contribution for a total of more than $700,000. Those funds paid for the land for the new shelter and almost all of the building’s interior items, and donations are con-tinuing to roll in.

“We had a fund-raising barn dance recently, and we sold, almost instantly, 26 sections of fencing for the dog park and two doggie dorms,” said Westin.

Once they secured the land, the FCPCA approachedthe City of Cookeville to help them with the project. Former City Manager Jim Shipley and the Cookeville City Council created a bond for construc-tion of the shelter, with the FCPCA selling the land they had purchased to the city for $1.


THE HUMANE HUMANS Linda Westin, at top, discusses shelter plans with fellow members of the Friends of Cookeville/Putnam County Animals.

Below left, the group visits the shelter site during construction. Below right, Westin admires the new PET Care Campus

with a furry friend the FCPCA has helped.


THE VOLUNTEER SPIRIT HAS BEEN AMAZING. FOR ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT OUR GROUP DOES, WE HAVE FOUND WONDERFUL PEOPLE TO HELP.”

“Local leaders play a vital role in a project like this,”

said Westin. “If not for the city council, the county com-

missioners, former County Executive Kim Blaylock,

and especially Jim Shipley, this wouldn’t have hap-

pened.”

As construction began, Westin and the members of the

FCPCA board were amazed to see some of the busi-

nesses involved in the project making major donations

of construction materials. Louisiana-Pacific donated

the roof sheathing, Cumberland Building Supply do-

nated all of the windows plus stone

to cover the building’s columns

and corner trim, and many others

contributed various materials.

Many individuals and organizations

in the Cookeville community also

pitched in to help, including Debi

Smith, event director for the Leslie

Town Centre, who donated all of the

funds raised from Mistletoe Market,

a holiday shopping event held each

year at the Town Centre.

When the facility was nearly com-

plete, the FCPCA issued a call for

volunteers to staff it. This will be

the first time the shelter has had

volunteers, because the former

shelter was too small to allow for

them. So far, the response has been

tremendous, with the shelter already well on its way

toward reaching its goal of around 200 volunteers.

“They’ve had a lot of great volunteer experience and

are just really good, solid, giving people,” said Westin.

“The volunteer spirit has been amazing. For almost ev-

erything that our group does, we have found wonderful

people to help.”

And then, of course, there’s the FCPCA board, which is

comprised entirely of volunteers.

“This team is the most amazing group of people,” said

Westin. “They’re creative and clever, and what I love

about them is that each one of them has a great and

different set of skills, and if you ask them to do any-

thing or they say they’re going to do something, they

not only do it, but they do it better than you imagined

they would do it.”

Westin herself quickly got busy

helping when she moved here in

2002 from Nashville, where she

resided briefly after moving to

Tennessee from California. When

she became acquainted with the

Cookeville animal shelter and

learned they needed a friends

group, she stepped up to the plate

with the fund-raising experience

she had gained from working on the

boards of the Nashville Ballet, the

Nashville Opera Association and the

Tennessee Repertory Theatre.

In 2004, the FCPCA was officially

established as a 501c3 and has been

working to help Putnam County’s

animals ever since. Now 11 years

later, Westin says she continues to

be impressed by the generosity she has seen here.

“It’s been a joy to see how a community will come

together to help,” said Westin. “From my experience

living elsewhere, this is a very, very giving community,

and we’ve certainly been blessed.”

For more information about the Friends of Cookeville/

Putnam County Animals or the new PET Care Campus,

visit friendsofcpcanimals.org.

Sweet Smell of Success

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS CYNTHIA AND MARK PULLUM AND THE LITTLE DONUT SHOP THAT COULD

R alph’s Donut Shop is one of the few things in Cookeville that

time hasn’t changed much. Opened by James Ralph and Evelyn Smith in 1962, the little donut shop on Cedar Avenue has been a local favorite for more than five decades now, a haven for coffee drinkers and stool sitters, a place where, for the longtime cast of regulars and all who become new regulars, everybody really does know your name.

That’s because, from the beginning, Ralph’s has been a family affair, with

the owners treating customers like family, too.

“When they started the shop, my mom and dad didn’t realize how many hours they’d be working, and she’d cook a pot of beans or soup or some-thing,” said their daughter, Cynthia Pullum. “She got to where she’d invite some of the Tech kids to the house if they lived away from here and didn’t have any family here. She’d try to take care of them.”

GOT MILK?Mark and Cynthia

Pullum continue

a 50-plus-year

family tradition of

homemade donutty

goodness.


Cynthia and her husband, Mark, took over the busi-ness to continue the family tradition after her father’s passing in 2010. Cynthia was the perfect candidate to continue the legacy, having started her career at Ralph’s at age 8.

“I would stand on one of those wooden Coke crates and wash dishes,” said Cynthia. “And then, after I’d been here for a couple of weeks, my dad let me start pouring coffee for some of the people we knew really well, in case I spilled it, but I did okay. And then it just started from there, and if he ever needed help, I’ve always been there. I guess I just never thought of it not being in the family.”

The family tradition extends to employees, as well. Cynthia’s niece works at the shop on Saturdays, and there are several whose families have worked at the shop for generations.

“Bruiser is my day-shift baker, and his mother and brother both worked here before,” said Mark. “Michelle, who works here as a waitress, her son works here as a cook. Her father used to be a donut man here before he passed away. So we have several generations of family here, and we have one woman who works here for us, and her niece works here for us, too. Then one of my wife’s friend’s kids also works here.”

Mark was part of the Ralph’s family, too, even before he married Cynthia, whom he met at a junior high square dance at the Veterans Building.

“I was coming in here when I was a little boy,” said Mark. “Ralph and my father used to bird hunt togeth-er. They lived up on the same road, and they both grew up within just miles of each other. They were friends all their lives.”

Cynthia says the regulars who came to congregate at Ralph’s each morning felt much like an extended

family when she was growing up, and they continue to today.

“They’re like grandparents or uncles and aunts, and they’ve been here since I was little,” said Cynthia. “I was adopted, and one of our longtime customers, Au-drey Long, said he remembered the very first day my mom and dad got me and brought me in here.”

This commitment to treating customers like one of their own, combined, of course, with stellar donuts, has gained Ralph’s an ever-wider following.

“We have one gentlemen who lives here part-time and in Pennsylvania part-time, and he takes 20 to 40 apple fritters about four times a year to a courthouse in Pennsylvania where he used to work,” said Mark.

He says that another customer, who grew up in Cookeville and now lives in Knoxville, comes to the shop two to three times a year to order 16 dozen do-nuts to take to coworkers.

“We’ve talked to parents who’ve said they talked their son or daughter into coming to school here just so they could come through and get donuts,” said Cyn-thia.

Mark says the fact that Cookevillians support their lo-cal businesses has made a real difference for Ralph’s.

“People are really supportive of the local establish-ments here,” said Mark.

Added Cynthia, “The Convention & Visitors Bureau also brings people here if they’re showing them around town, and they tell them about us.”

She believes the pro-business and tourism focus of the chamber has also played a role in the shop’s longevity.


ROLLING IT OUT Alden Carnahan of Ralph’s Donut Shop glazes giant cinnamon rolls as they come out of the oven.


“There’s somebody new in here every day, just travelers off of I-40,” said Cynthia. “We see inter-national travelers, too, including recent visitors from Norway and Germany.”

Distant customers have repeat-edly begged Mark and Cynthia to offer mail order. While they would love to, there’s no room for expansion in their current building and lot, although they’re considering opening a second location to allow for shipping and for closer proximity to I-40 trav-elers stopping in Cookeville.

“We really don’t have anywhere to set up a shipping area inside the building,” said Mark. “We’re suffering some growing pains.”

People are also finding Ralph’s online, especially through Goo-gle’s Trip Advisor, where they are currently (as of this printing) ranked as the No. 1 restaurant in Cookeville. Ralph’s has recent-ly been recognized nationally, as well, with their apple fritter earning a spot among the top 25 donuts in the nation on culinary website The Daily Meal.

“We couldn’t keep fritters in stock for about a week after that,” said Cynthia.

Ralph’s was also featured in an episode of the PBS series “Ninety Miles with Chef Garrett.”

“We’ve had lots of people come because of that show,” said Mark. “We had one couple who came from Virginia. They had seen us on PBS, and they got in the car on Saturday and decided to drive all the way down here just to have a donut.”

However, none of the recent acclaim or growing pains have changed the fact that Ralph’s has always made, and will continue to make, all of their donuts by hand.

“Unlike most donut shops these days, here there’s no machine doing anything except mixing the dough,” said Mark. “It’s a dying thing. You look in all these mag-azines, and they have things like the donut robot. Someone just puts it in a hopper, and it does its thing. Instead of going that route, we went from just me and an-other guy being bakers to having five bakers, counting me.” In perhaps the greatest testament to the quality of Ralph’s hand-made donuts, Cynthia says she’s nowhere near being sick of them, despite having been surrounded by them for most of her life.

“I still could eat a donut every day,” she said. “In fact, I’d eat two or three if I could get away with it.”

For more information about Ralph’s, visit ralphsdonuts.com.

� Advertising and promotional opportunities

� Meeting room rental discounts

� Networking

� Semiannual small business expos

� Access to business resource center

� Use of the chamber’s bulk mailing permit

� Business advocacy

� Preprinted labels from the chamber’s mailing list

� Opportunity to advertise in The Sourcebook

� Opportunity to showcase business at exclusive business expos

� Ribbon cuttings

� Business referrals

� Certificates of origin

� Seminars, forums and workshops

MEMBERSHIP IN THE COOKEVILLE-PUTNAM COUNTY CHAMBER OFFERS A VARIETY OF BENEFITS DESIGNED TO HELP BUSINESSES BOTH SMALL AND LARGE, INCLUDING:

BIZ +


L U C K Y S E V E N

7 ‘To Die For’ DessertsIF YOU’VE GOT A SWEET TOOTH, COOKEVILLE HAS A VARIETY OF SUGARY CONFECTIONS TO OFFER

No. 2

No. 3

No. 5 No.

6 No. 7

No. 1

No. 4

ICE CREAMFrom Cream City Ice Cream& Coffee House

Cream City is one of the most iconic landmarks in Cookeville

because of the large sign on top of the building, which lights

up the sky over the historic West Side district. Inside the shop,

bright green walls and comfortable couches usher the young

and old to the ice cream counter, where dozens of flavors and

sundaes await.

BANANA PUDDINGFrom Bobby Q’s

They don’t make it easy, but if you can stop yourself from

filling up on the main course at this nationally renowned

barbecue restaurant, the desserts are worth the self-

control. The banana pudding’s rich and unexpected caramel

flavor, folded around layers of whipped cream and vanilla

wafers, does a fabulous job at making you forget that all

those bananas, at one time, might have been good for you.

SOPAIPILLAFrom El Tapatio

An epic south-of-the border treat, the sopaipilla at El

Tap features a circle of gigantic, deep-fried tortilla wedges

sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, drizzled with honey and

topped with a giant scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. If it’s

your birthday, they’ll let you eat it with a sombrero on, but

unless today is the special day, you won’t want to wait that

long to sink a spoon into this crispy confection!

CRÈME BRÛLÉEFrom The Cooke House

On the square in an old building that once housed Maddux

Hardware, the The Cooke House is a popular happy-hour

hangout, and many of its guests end up staying for the evening

meal. For those who want to satisfy a small sweet tooth, try the

crème brûlée. It is served in a thick ceramic spoon and is the

perfect size for someone who doesn’t want to spend the next

day at the gym.

CANNOLIFrom World Foods InternationalGrocery & Delicatessen

Walking into World Foods International Grocery & Delicatessen,

a tiny shop that is easy to miss, is like walking into another

country. Foods and snacks from the northern Mediterranean

line the display cases. Come for the pizza, stay for the cannoli

and say hello to the sweet older couple who run the place and

keep the customers in line, sometimes out the door.

CHEESECAKEFrom Seven Senses Food & Cheer

Tucked into a small brick building in the historic West

Side cultural district, Seven Senses is still one of the

newer restaurants in Cookeville. It’s open for lunch and

dinner, and the homemade cheesecakes are the best in

town. There are usually a few different options, ranging

from Reese’s peanut butter to key lime.

APPLE FRITTERFrom Ralph’s Donut Shop

Recently listed as one of America’s 25 best donut shops, Ralph’s Donut Shop

has been a Cookeville favorite since it opened more than 50 years ago. The

rankings on The Daily Meal put Ralph’s apple fritter as one of the 25 best donuts

in the country, but buyer beware: this fritter is big enough for two. The plain and

chocolate-covered butter twists are their most popular options, but there’s no

such thing as a bad donut at Ralph’s.

Our Story

Highlands Residential Services (HRS) began construction on its first housing development in 1957. Today, HRS operates 550 public housing units, 30 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit units, and 80 project-based Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment units for the elderly and the disabled throughout Algood, Baxter, Celina, Cookeville, Gainesboro and Monterey.

Our Mission

Apart from providing safe, decent and affordable housing, HRS hosts a wide variety of programs and services to help residents prosper. Each program is designed to help build a stronger community by creating partnerships and friendships, sharing information and developing a network of support across the region. And we dedicate ourselves to helping residents find the support and services they need to build better futures.

Our Services

While our mission has always been to help area residents and families find homes, HRS has grown to offer a variety of community-building services.

HRS offers job-training classes, home-buyer classes, after-school activities for teens, mentoring programs for elderly and disabled residents and much more.

We believe that the residents in all of our communities deserve the highest level of commitment we can offer, and we’re dedicated to continued growth as we secure the resources needed to do so.

P.O. Box 400 • 235 W. Jackson St. • Cookeville, TN 38503-0400 • Ph. 931.526.9793 • F. 931.526.5841 • HighlandsRS.com

It is the policy of Highlands Residential Services to ensure that no citizen shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE931.839.2227

1027 N. CHESTNUT ST. • MONTEREY, TN 38574

cumberlandcontainer.com

45 years experience serving Middle Tennessee & beyond

• Extensive line of machinery to fill any corrugated need.

• Warehousing & delivery capabilities.

• Design and sample capacity to develop custom boxes to fit all your needs.

LOAD UP THE ‘VAN Kellie Fitzpatrick peddles clothing and accessories from funky to fine in her new

boutique across from the Cookeville depot.

G rowing up in a small town has never stopped Kellie Fitzpatrick from dreaming big. The mother of three, a

former teacher and photographer, designed a line of jewelry at her kitchen table that is now sold to 2,000 stores world-wide through more than 60 sales reps and wholesale show-rooms in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, New York City and Canada, and she has continued to break sales records each year since she started her business in 2009.

Shop Around the CornerJEWELRY MOGUL KELLIE FITZPATRICK AND CARAVAN, HER NEW UNIQUE BOUTIQUE


Dubbed Lenny & Eva after two of Fitzpatrick’s great-grandmothers, the product line features leath-er cuffs in a variety of sizes and colors that the wear-er can personalize with interchangeable, stamped metal plates that express various sentiments to reflect her mood. From there, she can add dangles and charms to further embellish the piece to suit her style. Since the introduction of the hugely popular cuffs, Fitzpatrick has expanded the line to include customizable wrap bracelets and necklaces, as well.

“When I developed this idea, my life had changed so much, and I thought it would be nice if I could have a piece of jewelry that I could kind of switch out according to whatever inspiration I needed that day,” said Fitzpatrick.

Her idea apparently appealed to a need felt by many other women, as well, because Lenny & Eva has de-veloped a large following of devoted collectors since its founding just six years ago.

“I think women have definitely connected with Lenny & Eva because of the sentiments and inspir-ing words, and I think as they continue to grow and change from a girl to a woman, or change as a wom-an, that they’ll always be able to find a sentiment that speaks to them at whatever point they are in their lives,” said Fitzpatrick.

Another way she keeps customers coming back is by keeping the product line fresh, adding new designs and innovations to the catalog each year.

“We design usually about a year in advance” said Fitzpatrick. “As our line has grown, we are learning more who our customers are and what they like to see.”

Fitzpatrick still personally designs most of the piec-es in her lines, and she and her staff of 11 create the

products at her factory and offices in Baxter, located in western Putnam County.

“Our offices are here, all of the designing happens here, and we have a group of manufacturers – all of whom are located in the USA – that make the different components and ship them to us here,” said Fitzpatrick. “Then the bracelets are assembled here, and everything that ships out to all 2,000 accounts across the world ships out of this location.”

Next door to the factory, she has recently opened the Lenny & Eva flagship store in the space where she formerly ran the 3 Little Birds coffee shop and clothing boutique.

“This flagship store was just kind of the next step for us, and I think it’s fascinating to people that Lenny & Eva is made in this little small town,” said Fitzpat-rick. “Also, I think it gives me some insight into how our product is performing in stores to have my own store and see that.”

She enjoyed selling clothing too much to let 3 Little Birds go, though, so she has expanded that boutique, minus the coffee shop, renamed it Caravan, and reopened it at the corner of Cedar Avenue and Broad Street in Cookeville.

“We love the store and the collection of clothing that we have, and the public has really seemed to welcome it,” said Fitzpatrick. “I know personally that the style of clothing we carry was something I would otherwise have to go to Nashville or shop online to find, so it’s nice to have that Bohemian style in town for me for sure.”

She attributes her steady growth and her business success thus far to her determination to grow her company organically, without acquiring debt.

AS OUR LINE HAS GROWN, WE ARE LEARNING MORE WHO OUR CUSTOMERS ARE AND WHAT THEY LIKE TO SEE.”


“I’m a huge, huge fan of Dave Ramsey and of letting things happen at the pace that they’re supposed to happen, so when we started Lenny & Eva, it was very small,” said Fitzpatrick. “I did all of the work literally at my kitchen table. As we grew, I had eight employees working out of my garage. And then, as we were able to afford to, we grew the line.”

Another component in her success has been over-whelming local support, especially for her bou-tiques.

“At Caravan, it’s great to see people out just walking around in the area and popping in and out, so the foot traffic there has definitely been great, and I think it’s been surprising that there’s such a broad group of shoppers there in terms of the age demo-graphic,” she said.

In addition to a loyal local following, the Lenny & Eva store, opened in the fall of 2014, is already beginning to draw tourists, as well.

“We’ve had several visitors who have come from different areas just to visit the flagship store,” said

Fitzpatrick. “They want to experience what it’s like to be in the environment of Lenny & Eva.”

Although her products are sought after internation-ally, she’s committed to keeping the Lenny & Eva headquarters local. “I live here, I grew up here, I went to high school at Upperman [in Baxter], and I will always be a small-town girl,” said Fitzpatrick. “I love the sense of community and the support that we get from the community, and I love raising my children here and having my family in a small town. I wouldn’t want it to be anywhere else, because this is where we started.”

She believes that the more successful she can make her businesses, the more other businesses will also be helped, and vice versa.

“The more reasons there are for people to visit an area, the better business will be for all of the people who are there,” said Fitzpatrick. “I love all the busi-nesses that are on Cookeville’s West Side, and we all just help one another by being there. It would be great if more shops were to pop up here in Baxter, as well.”

She also hopes that her success with her jewelry line and her two boutiques will be an encourage-ment to other local women with big dreams.

“I think it’s inspiring to girls and women in small towns to see that you can have a very successful idea and make it happen where you want it to hap-pen,” said Fitzpatrick. “You don’t have to go to a big city to live that out if you don’t want to. Just make it work where you are.”

For more information about Lenny & Eva, visitlennyandeva.com. To learn more about Caravan, visit caravancookeville.com.

TRENDSETTERS: The Lenny & Eva jewelry line, created by Kellie Fitzpatrick, is available locally at the Lenny & Eva flagship store, located at 119 Broad Street

in Baxter, and also online at lennyandeva.com. (The pieces are not sold at Fitzpatrick’s other store, Caravan in Cookeville.)


Beauty Queens Boutique

601 Vickers Place, Cookeville (Next to Big Lots)

Phone: (931) 526-6576

Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.,

Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Bella Boutique

560 South Jefferson Avenue, Suite 5, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 260-9503

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Bless Cookeville

18 West Broad Street, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 854-9172

Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.,

Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday closed

Broadway Boutique Mall


Phone: (931) 528-1231

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Caravan


Phone: (931) 854-1646


Cigi’s

410 East Spring Street, Suite M-2, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 528-2444

Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Country Bumpkin Boutique

303 South Willow Avenue, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 372-8590


Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m.

Dog & Company Pet Boutique

29 East First Street, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 528-2275

Hours: Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m.,

Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Sunday 4-6 p.m.

EarthWares

37 North Cedar Avenue, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 881-7740


Fringe Salon & Boutique

17 West Second Street, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 854-9394

Hours: Monday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday 9 a.m.-7:30

p.m., Wednesday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday-Friday

9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Hello Honey


Phone: (931) 260-9123

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

By appointment on Saturday & Sunday

Itsy Bitsy Boutique

416 East Spring Street, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 528-1667


Saturday 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

JJ Jax

146 South Lowe Avenue, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 526-6130

Hours: Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

LauRes

430 South Lowe Avenue, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 526-3383


Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Lenny & Eva (Flagship Store)

119 Broad Street, Baxter

Phone: (931) 858-1109


Luxe Boutique Cookeville


Phone: (931) 854-1844

Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.,

Sunday 1-4 p.m.

Matilda Jane Clothing


Phone: (931) 265-4772

Hours: Tuesday 8 a.m.-noon and 3-7 p.m.,

Wednesday 8:30-11 a.m. and 5-7 p.m..

Southern Traditions


Phone: (931) 526-5751

Hours: Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.,


Sweet Pea Boutique/PinkPea Boutique41 West Broad Street, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 526-6668



The Lollipop Shoppe

47 North Cedar Avenue, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 372-7767

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and

Friday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m..

The Market on the Square

6 North Jefferson Avenue, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 372-7688


The Red Carpet Salon & Boutique

773 South Jefferson Avenue, Cookeville

Phone: (931) 525-6805 or (931) 854-9157

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-6:15 p.m.

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ORDER UP John “Beard” Darrow slings drinks and lends a listening ear from behind the bar at Father Tom’s.

M ost Friday and Saturday nights, a small, unassuming build-

ing on a quiet side street of Cookeville bustles with activity. People trickle in as the hours go by, coming in couples or groups. Laughter and chatter drift off of the small porch on the side of the build-ing, and when the door opens, noise from more conversations wafts into the street.

Inside the building are about 20 tables and a long bar made of dark, gleaming wood. The walls are decorated with black and white photos of frequent patrons; a couple of huge paintings by local artists; and cork, in an attempt to absorb some of the laughter and chatter that resonates inside the open space.

The Beard

of BeerJOHN “BEARD” DARROW AND

COOKEVILLE’S CRAFT BEER DESTINATION


Behind the bar, which is outfitted with a standard collection of liquor bottles and a nonstandard collection of beer taps, the bartender and a barback sling drinks, wash glasses and make small talk with the dozen or so people sitting at the bar.

Father Tom’s Pub has only been open for three years but is already a Cookeville landmark. It is a popular hangout for profes-sionals, students and visitors who come to unite around a common interest: craft beer.

The beers on tap change fre-quently, and usually at least one or two of the options are un-known to more than a few of the patrons. But there is one part of the bar that is always the same: The bartender, Beard, has been at his station behind it since the day Father Tom’s opened in July 2012.

“We have become the craft beer destination in Cookeville,” said Beard, whose real name is John Darrow. “We try to have enough different styles so everyone can find something they like. We have people who only like por-ters or stouts. We have people who only like IPAs. We have people who want something like Bud Light but not Bud Light.”

Father Tom’s focuses on regional breweries from North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and, of course, Tennessee — especially Calfkiller Brewing Company, the Upper Cumber-land’s only microbrewery. The kegs supplying each

of the 14 taps change two or three times a week and provide plenty of options for the clientele, 75 of whom can fit inside at any given time.

“There are quite a few beers that you can’t get any-where else in town,” said Beard, who also manages

the front of the house. “Brewery reps come straight to us now, rather than going through the distributors. Two or three years ago, I never thought I’d have 10 or 12 brewery reps in my phone.”

Beard’s favorite beer, at least for now, is Highland Gaelic Ale out of Asheville, North Carolina. He has been tending bar for nearly 10 years, first at Players, a pool hall across the street from Fa-ther Tom’s that markets itself to college students.

Beer is his passion, but he takes pride in his Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, which he tries to make the same way people made them 60 and 70 years ago. If someone asks him to surprise them with a mixed drink, he will occasionally make them pick a color and make a drink for them in the same shade. Father Tom’s also carries a wide variety of specialty wines.

But Father Tom’s is more than a place to come for a drink. It has a full menu, ranging from soups, salads and burgers to ahi tuna, quesadillas and specials that change often.

WE TRY TO HAVE ENOUGH DIFFERENT STYLES SO EVERYONE CAN FIND SOMETHING THEY LIKE .... WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ONLY LIKE IPAS. WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO WANT SOMETHING LIKE BUD LIGHT BUT NOT BUD LIGHT.”


One of Beard’s talents is reading people. Everyone who comes in, whether they sit at the bar or at a table, gets a greeting called out from his station behind the taps. He can help them select a drink or chat with them until they wind down after a day’s work. How he reads a patron even helps him decide how to introduce himself, as Beard or John.

He prefers to be called Beard, a nickname he’s had since he was 20 years old and there were too many people named John in his group of friends. Since he turned 18, he says he has been clean-shaven only for a few days. This particular beard is about three years old, and he cares for it with shampoo, conditioner and beard oil. And no, he says, his beard never sheds into anything he makes.

Beard says his favorite part of his job is interacting with Father Tom’s’ patrons, both the regulars and those visiting the area who find it through Yelp and other restaurant review websites. Though he must see and hear a lot from behind the bar, he refuses to share stories, even with names omitted.

“I can’t tell a story. I don’t hear or see anything be-hind the bar,” he said. “The running joke is that I’m better than Vegas.”

On almost any night of the week, patrons line the bar in couples or by themselves. It is a popular destina-tion for those who want to unwind after a day at the office and bump into a friend they haven’t seen for a while. Some folks come specifically to see Beard, and he takes the time to chat with them between making drinks and occasionally serving up a meal.

“People come here because they want to relax after work. They’ll come out in groups occasionally. A lot of times, people just want to escape,” Beard said. “We’ve had a lot of people become friends because of this place.”

On the average Friday night, Beard and his well-trained barback can pour as many as 400 drinks, about 70 percent of which is beer. During the week, they will serve a little more than half that amount. It’s not a bad number for a restaurant that seats about 75 people. Beard says it is plenty to keep him and his help busy, but not yet busy enough for a sec-ond bartender, which seems to suit him just fine.

“You look at all your tickets,” he said. “If you have eight drafts and four mixed drinks and two bottles, you get your glasses ready under the taps, then you get the liquor ready and the glasses and just start pouring.”

Beyond the usual suspects of Friday and Saturday nights, some evenings are busier than others. Once a month, the bar opens up a keg of a new brew on the patio to offer to patrons, get their feedback and see if the beer is something that should be included as part of the regular rotation. The samples are free and serve as a way for a small-town bar to make sure its patrons are happy. Whether they like the beer on tap or not, all are happy to give their opinions and always come back, whether it’s later in the week or not until the next month’s trial run.

For more information about Father Tom’s, stop bythe pub at 32 N. Cedar Avenue in Cookeville, or visitfathertomspub.com.


L U C K Y S E V E N

7 Local Outdoor BistrosTAKE IN SOME FRESH AIR AND LOVELY VIEWS WHILE YOU TREAT YOURSELF AT THESE EATERIES

No. 1

No. 3 No.

4 No. 5

No. 2

CRAWDADDYS53 W. Broad St. | (931) 526-4660

Sitting on the shaded, fenced patio of this New

Orleans-inspired restaurant is a favorite pastime

of many Cookevillians. A cornerstone of the

town’s historic West Side, locals love the food, the

ambiance and, of course, the cocktail list. On the

weekends, there is often live music starting up as

the stars come out and the fireflies dance, and

Crawdaddys brunch is one of the best in town.

CHAR14 S. Washington Ave. (931) 520-2427

Just off the square, Char

has two fairly large seated

sections indoors and a

patio that, though not far

from the sidewalks and

several heavily traveled

streets, feels quiet and

secluded because of the

high evergreen shrubs and

many strands of twinkle

lights that surround it.

Char frequently has live

bands performing inside,

especially in the summer,

when the garage door

opens and the sound

carries through the streets.

THE LIGHTHOUSE RESTAURANT13800 Cookeville Boat Dock Road (931) 858-4008

Accessible by land or

water, the Cookeville

Boat Dock has a

restaurant open

seasonally for lunch and

dinner and rents boats

at its marina on Center

Hill Lake. The lake is

one of the most popular

boating and hiking

destinations around, and

the restaurant’s family-

friendly atmosphere

and down-home style

burgers, salads and sweet

tea make it a perfect stop

after a day on the water.

SPANKIES203 E. Ninth St. (931) 526-3344

Across the railroad tracks

from Tennessee Tech

University, Spankies is a

popular hangout not only

for college students, but

also for their professors

and other professionals.

The restaurant offers a

wide variety of entrées

and beverages and has a

large tented front porch

from which guests can

enjoy the outside air

without being rained on or

tousled by the wind.

MAURICIO’S232 N. Peachtree Ave. | (931) 528-2456

Surrounded by twinkle lights on the porch of

a historic home a few blocks from downtown,

Mauricio’s is the perfect place for a romantic evening

or to catch up with friends over Italian margaritas.

Inside, the rooms of the home have been maintained

and decorated with antiques to create an intimate

and cozy atmosphere. Known for its Italian-style

dishes, it also has one of the best steaks in town.

MOOGIE’S BBQ79 E. Spring St. | (931) 646-4610

This family-owned restaurant smokes all of its meat on-site, as the

massive woodpile can attest. The drive-thru-or-sit-down barbecue

spot has a few picnic tables out front and makes some of the most

tender, and smokiest, wings and sandwiches in Cookeville.

No. 7

No. 6

THE GALLEY RESTAURANT AT EDGAR EVINS MARINA2100 Edgar Evins State Park Road | (931) 858-5695

Edgar Evins Marina is home to The

Galley Restaurant, another local

favorite along the 415 miles of Center

Hill Lake shore. The restaurant is

open seasonally, with indoor and

outdoor seating and a menu of steak,

seafood, hamburgers, sandwiches and

locally brewed Calfkiller beer.

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SOLUTIONSfor YOUR BUSINESS

PRINTo�set • digital • mailing • personalized • specialty

Spanning �ve decades as the area's leading print provider.

T he Upper Cumberland has many things that

set it apart from the rest of Tennessee and the rest of the South — the cultural, the beautiful and the quirky. It is the job of the producers, cameramen and interns of Cookeville’s only local tele-vision station to find those jewels and tell their stories.

Stay TunedDESIRÉE DUNCAN AND WCTE’S COVERAGE OF THE UPPER CUMBERLAND UNIQUE

DIRECTOR DUNCANDirector of Content Desirée

Duncan keeps the (now digital)

reels rolling at WCTE-TV.


Cookeville is one of the smallest towns in the nation to have a public television station, but WCTE’s mis-sion is anything but small.

“WCTE is the pulse of this community,” said De-sirée Duncan, the station’s director of content. “This station opened my eyes to a world I never would have known. It gives you the opportunity to go off the beaten path that you otherwise never would have heard of and to share that with the rest of the community.”

Originally from Nashville, Duncan came to Cooke-ville about a dozen years ago to study journalism at Tennessee Tech University (TTU). As a student worker in the TTU Athletics Department, her boss directed her to WCTE to help her achieve her goal of gaining experience in television. She volunteered until shortly before she graduated, when she was hired to work on a show called “TTU Sports Weekly.”

She left to take a position at a public television station in Las Vegas and stayed out west for six years. Her former boss and the station’s president and CEO, Becky Magura, contacted Duncan to try to convince her to return to WCTE. It’s been a few years now since she came back, and she is confident she made the right choice, in part because of the impact the station has on the community.

“We are sandwiched between Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga,” said Duncan. “These stations don’t cover us. That’s where the local media can step in and tell the story of all the cool stuff going on here. And, because we’re a PBS station, we can dis-seminate this content nationally. People know us all over the world because of the reach of this station.”

And the content the station disseminates is anything but standard. In addition to “Live Green Tennessee,” which focuses on the past, present and future of the region’s agriculture industry, the station hosts shows about bluegrass musicians that have aired nationally, as well as programs about TTU athletics, previews for Bryan Symphony Orchestra concerts and many others.

One of the stories that stands out most notably in Duncan’s mind is the story she did shortly after she returned about Short Mountain Distillery in the hills of Woodbury, Tennessee. Duncan was unsure of the reception she would get going to cover the distill-ery, which uses some traditional methods to make moonshine. When she got there, she says she was surprised how different it was from her expecta-tions.

“Hearing the history of the moonshiners in Cannon County and hearing from the people who learned how to make moonshine from their fathers and their grandfathers, that really opened my eyes,” she said. “I realized I needed to explore more.”

Exploring is one of the things that WCTE’s staff members do best, to bring stories that matter to the community. Because WCTE is the only television station in the region, its staff can be found at many of the annual events that make the Upper Cumber-land special, interviewing and broadcasting to reach those unable to attend. They regularly cover the Put-nam County Fair, the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree, Jammin at Hippie Jack’s, the Cookeville Christmas Parade and the TTU homecoming parade, to name a few, as well as TTU football home games and many of the NCAA Division-I football and men’s and wom-en’s basketball games from the TTU campus.


And WCTE’s president and CEO, Becky Magura, regularly hosts an interview show — “One on One with Becky Magura” — where she talks on camera with the movers and shakers of the Upper Cumberland. Past “One on One” guests have in-cluded TTU’s president; local artists, activists and athletes; and nationally known journalists and writers, among many others.

The station also works to organize fun events for the community that double as fund-raisers for the station, including the Great TV Auction, a live auction supported by community donations of auction items and time, and Blues & Brews, a fall festival of local craft beers and music.

WCTE staffers do not have typical work sched-ules, and there is no such thing as a typical day or week. Duncan says she might go from an event-planning meeting to covering a story, in-cluding dragging camera equipment around and hauling cables, to editing that story to get it ready to air.

That variety is part of what makes the job so much fun for Duncan, and the people she has met through her job and through events have added to her happiness in living here.

“Everyone is so welcoming,” said Duncan. “No matter where you go, someone will introduce themselves. That is unexpected and cool. You could be sitting having dinner next to the mayor or TTU’s president or former president, and it’s no big deal. Somewhere else, you don’t even know who these people are, and you’ll never see them again.”

To learn more about WCTE, visit wcte.org.

News Media

� Herald-Citizen

(931) 526-9715

� Upper Cumberland Business

Journal

(931) 528-8852

Radio

� WATX-AM (1600)

� WBXE-FM (93.7)

� WGSQ-FM (94.7)

� WHRS-FM (91.7)

� WHUB-AM (1400)

� WJNU-FM (96.9)

� WKSW-FM (98.5)

� WKXD-FM (106.9)

� WLIV-FM (104.7)

� WLQK-FM (95.9)

� WPTN-AM (780)

� WTTU-FM (88.5)

� WWOG-FM (90.9)

Television

� WKRN (ABC)

� WTVF (CBS)

� WSMV (NBC)

� WZTV (FOX)

� WCTE-TV (PBS)

COOKEVILLE STAYS CONNECTED

MEDIA +


L U C K Y S E V E N

7 Tastes of the WorldTREAT YOUR TONGUE TO TASTES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE RIGHT HERE IN COOKEVILLE

No. 1

No. 4

No. 6 No.

7No.

5

No. 3

No. 2

FRENCH-INSPIREDCrawdaddys53 W. Broad St. / (931) 526-4660

From New Orlean’s po’boys on Gambino’s French

bread to etouffee, jambalaya, gumbo, blackened

salmon, red beans and rice, and so much more,

Crawdaddys is set to fill your every Creole craving.

Start your meal with gator bites and finish it off

with their saucy bread pudding while listening to

jazz on the open-air patio. You just might not be

able to resist letting out an “ahee!”

JAPANESETaiko Noodle & Sushi Bar125 W. Broad St. (931) 528-0345

Set in a softly lit, vintage

building with exposed brick walls

on Cookeville’s historic West

Side, Taiko Noodle & Sushi Bar

delights customers with a menu

that includes a terrific selection

of sushi hand rolls, nigiri and

sashimi that a master sushi chef

makes by hand while you watch.

Taiko specialties include the

Trump Roll, the Tennessee Roll,

the TTU Roll and the Cookeville

Roll, a customer favorite that’s

shaped like a giant “C.”

MEXICANEl Tapatio900 S. Jefferson Ave. (931) 372-0246190 S. Willow Ave. (931) 520-4393

A favorite for more than two

decades, El Tapatio serves up

plentiful portions of flavorful

Mexican staples, including some of

the best fajitas around, in a cheerful

atmosphere where customers marvel

as the servers dash about with rows

of hot plates balanced from shoulder

to hand.

THAIHouse of Thai208 E. 8th St. (931) 526-2478

House of Thai serves a full slate of

authentic Thai specialties, including

pad thai, panang curry, prik pow

shrimp and many more in a cozy,

warmly lit atmosphere. Many of the

dishes are lightly spiced for more

tender palates and then served with

a spice tray for those who want more

kick to their Thai.

MEDITERRANEANWorld Foods International Grocery & Delicatessen22 N. Cedar Ave. | (931) 528-5090

This charming little bistro on Cedar Avenue has been a Cookeville

favorite for years, offering outstanding homemade pizza along

with other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern specialties such as

muffaletta, shawarma, dolma, tabouli, falafel, lahmacun, kefta, cannoli,

baklava, tiramisu and sfogliatelle. For the less culinarily adventurous,

they also serve standard sandwich fare as well as the Cheese

Pamwich, which contains a blend of provolone cheese and fire-roasted

peppers.

IRISHFather Tom’s32 N. Cedar Ave. | (931) 854-9484

Father Tom’s is an Irish pub with an awesome selection of local and regional

craft beers plus some imports, and the better-than-bar-food menu is fun and

phenomenal. The Pearl Burger, which comes topped with Brie, bacon, sliced pear,

onions and garlic aioli, is a perennial favorite.

ITALIANMamma Rosa’s200 S. Lowe Ave. / (931) 372-8694

Owned and operated by the same family for more

than 23 years, Mamma Rosa’s chefs serve up freshly

prepared, generous portions of authentic Sicilian-style

dishes using top-of-the-line imported ingredients.

Local favorites include the massive stromboli, the

lasagna, the New York-style hand-tossed pizza and

the Sicilian-style thick-crust pizza. Don’t forget the

cheese bread!

Smart sets us apart. Bigger isn’t always more knowledgeable.

The Swallows-Newman Agency480 Neal Street, Suite 100

Cookeville, TN 38501(931) 526-4025

A t Swallows Insurance, we’re smart about the things that matter most

to your business - your money and your resources - and we’re eager to protect them from the uncertainties of tomorrow so that they can grow and thrive. We achieve this by putting our decades of experience and training to work for you in a very accessible way. Because we’re not a giant corporation, we can respond to you quickly and can easily flex to meet your needs. We’re only a phone call away, every day, for as long and as much as you need us. That kind of agility is what makes us the smart choice as your trusted insurance partner.

The Swallows Agency1020 W. Main Street

Livingston, TN 38570(931) 823-5641

The Swallows-Garrett Agency401 W. Public SquareSmithville, TN 37166

(615) 215-4455

From left: Mike Swallows, Certified Insurance Counselor

(CIC) and Matt Swallows, Certified InsuranceCounselor (CIC).

The Swallows Agencies have more Certified Insurance

Counselors on staff locally than any other agency in the Upper

Cumberland.

For more information, phone931-526-4025 or visitwww.SwallowsInsurance.com.

931-209-7604 • 931-520-0346 (f)1200 Miracle Rd. • Cookeville, TN 38506

cookevillechristianacademy.org

Affordable independent & assisted living for seniors... Our luxury hotel atmosphere offers suite floorplans, dining area, spa, barber & beauty salon — all to encourage independent, active living with 24 hour assistance. For those who need more individualized care, The Cottage living area boasts the only specialized memory support in Cookeville.

1030 South Maple AvenueCookeville, TN(931) 520-1200

HERITAGEPOINTESENIORLIVING.COM

I’d Rather Be Rich

CROSSFIT CHAMPION RICH FRONING AND ACTIVE LIVING IN COOKEVILLE, TENNESSEE

N ear the center of town is a large, boxy building that,

except for the necessary doors and access ramp, is almost completely featureless. Inside is another decep-tively simple space full of what looks almost like industrial scaffolding and more free weights than seem to be entirely necessary. It is decorated mostly in black, gray, red and blue.

A few people, mostly men in work-out gear, and a handful of dogs roam about the space. The dogs staymostly out of the way of the people who are organizing equipment,

working on a computer or doing some of the most extravagant-looking sit-ups imaginable.

The space is CrossFit Mayhem, and it is Rich Froning’s business and home away from home.

Froning, to those in tune with the CrossFit world, is no minor celeb-rity. He is the Fittest Man on Earth™, four-time winner of the Reebok CrossFit® Games, a competition for more than 80 of the top CrossFit® adherents in the world.

I’d Rather Be Rich

4-PEAT Rich Froning prepares himself and coaches others toward

ultimate fitness at his CrossFit gym in Cookeville.


Whether they belong to his gym or not, many of Cookeville’s residents know Froning. He grew up here, went to school here, earned his degree from Tennessee Tech University (TTU) and now has start-ed a business and a family here.

“This is where I grew up. I’ve traveled a lot, but I always enjoy coming home a lot more,” he said. “Cookeville is small, but it’s big enough. It’s got ev-erything you need.”

Froning is more than Cookeville’s favorite athlete. His gym, which has about 150 members, is part of the fabric of the community. CrossFit Mayhem reg-ularly sponsors and hosts charity events to benefit veterans of the U.S. military, local police, fire depart-ments and the Mustard Seed Ranch, a residential program in Cookeville that gives children a second chance and helps them rebuild their lives.

“We know a lot of people at Mustard Seed, and our church is partners with them, so we want to support them,” he said.

And Cookeville returns the favor. When Froning re-turned from his fourth win at the CrossFit Games in 2014, the town threw him a parade to welcome him home. Froning is the only athlete who has ever won the games more than once.

Though he says he will not compete again as an individual, he is working out and working to build a team to take to compete in the 2015 team event. The new father says it will help him learn to be more pa-tient and give him another way to challenge himself.

Challenges in CrossFit Mayhem are not hard to find. The scaffolding-like contraption is a rig that runs across the width of the gym and allows 12 people to do squats, 24 to do chin-ups and others to do mus-cle-ups all at once on rings suspended between the bars. The facility also has about 50 kettlebells of vari-ous sizes lining one wall and stacks of other weights

on two walls. A couple dozen boxes to jump on and off of and a collection of “Satan’s tricycles,” which increase resistance the faster they are pedaled, line the third wall. Then there’s a massive touch-screen computer for members to track their workouts and progress toward their goals.

“What’s really cool about CrossFit is that it’s shared suffering,” Froning said. “You learn a lot about peo-ple. You connect a lot with people you train with and suffer with. It sounds kind of twisted, but it has this community effect.”

That companionship, Froning said, is what sets CrossFit apart from other workouts and other gyms. Each new member has to take a monthlong introduc-tory course, and trainers are available to keep an eye on progress.

Froning discovered CrossFit while he was studying exercise science, physical education and wellness at TTU.

“I dabbled in CrossFit for a month or two, but when I went for my certification course, I got hooked,” said Froning, who also spent some time working in the TTU Fitness Center.

Since then, he’s never looked back. Froning has been doing CrossFit for more than six years, and between his corporate sponsors and running CrossFit May-hem with his management team, he has more than a full-time job. But it’s a job he loves in a place he is proud to call home. Though it will likely be years, if ever, before Froning stops traveling, either to compete or to coach, Cookeville will be the place he comes back to.

“Whatever happens,” he said, “I’ll be here.”

For more information about Froning, visitgames.crossfit.com/athlete/11435.

IT’S SHARED SUFFERING .... YOU CONNECT A LOT WITH PEOPLE YOU TRAIN WITH AND SUFFER WITH.”

Take It Outside

OLYMPIAN ERIC JACKSON AND KAYAKING THE UPPER CUMBERLAND

E ric Jackson likes kayaking in the Upper Cumberland region

more than anywhere else in the world. And Jackson knows a thing or two about kayaking.

A former member of the U.S. Olym-pic team, Jackson has won four world championship titles as well as many national championships. Oh, and he’s also the founder and pres-ident of Jackson Kayak, a leading manufacturer of kayaks, which has distributors all over the world.

“I have been on the USA Kayak Team since 1989, traveling the world com-peting and training for my sport,” Jackson said. “I spend most of my time with my family, working on my

business or training for kayaking.”

Jackson’s love for paddling started when he was a young boy in Penn-sylvania.

“My dad and I started together when I was six. At that time, we did mostly whitewater canoeing.”

As Jackson grew, so did his love for paddling. In the late ‘90s, Jackson and his wife, Kristine, and their two young children lived in a motor home for several years, traveling around the country as Jackson continued to train and compete at the highest level as a professional freestyle kayaker.

Take It Outside

FREESTYLINGWhen he’s not winning

competitions, you can usually

find Eric Jackson engaged in any

number of outdoor pursuits with

family and friends in the Upper

Cumberland.


“The cost of living here is very reasonable, and the outdoors are unspoiled for the most part,” said Jackson. “This is a wonderful place to hang your hat, and I am so very happy I brought my family here in 2002. Of all the places in the world, this was our favorite.” During their early years, Jackson’s children, Emily and Dane, began to make a name for themselves in the sport, eventually showing their prowess as chips off the old block. However, despite searching the world over for kid-sized kayaks, Jackson came up empty. That’s when inspiration struck, and he and design partner David Knight designed a kids’ boat called the “Fun 1” to ac-commodate children as young as 5, along with another freestyle kayak for himself, the “All-Star.”

“Since it costs a lot of money to make a plug, mold, and a boat, I couldn’t really afford to do it without selling some to pay for Dane’s boat, Emily’s boat and my boat,” said Jackson. “I decided to start Jackson Kayak at that time in 2003. I already had a big following on my blog and knew I could sell boats.”

Thus Jackson Kayak was born, and Jackson’s dedication to his and his children’s “hobby” has clearly paid off.

“Both [Emily and Dane] were on the U.S. team as juniors — Dane at 10 and Emily at 13,” Jackson said. “Both are now multi-world champions.” Emily’s husband, Nick Troutman, also competes, and Jackson admits with some disappointment that his son-in-law beat him in the 2009 World Championships.

Even with that loss, Jackson has some bragging rights in the family. He has won more than 100 events, the most of any kayaker in history. He attributes much of that to the fact that he has been doing it for so long.

In the United States, Jackson says his favorite place to kayak is Rock Island State Park, which straddles the border between Warren and White counties in Tennes-see, followed closely by the Hood River in Oregon and the Gauley River in West Virginia. Internationally, he enjoys paddling the Zambezi River in Africa every year and has favorite places on the Nile and in Mexico. In the fall of 2014, he competed in the Extreme Kayak World Championship in Austria, where Emily came in fourth place, Dane fifth, Nick 20th, and Eric placed 21st

out of 150 competitors. He points out that in freestyle competitions, they typically get first place. One of the most well-known names in professional paddling, Jackson con-tinues to compete with much younger athletes and stays very active outside of the competitive arena, as well, often joining family and friends in kayaking; fishing; hiking; jumping on the trampo-line; or playing boccie ball, cornhole or ping-pong.

His accolades notwithstanding, Jackson seems the most proud of his role as a teacher and trainer. In addition to teaching his own children to kayak, he has produced several instructional books and DVDs over the years. He truly epitomizes a person with tremendous passion for his sport and for the great outdoors. “The Cumberland Plateau is rich in everything out-doors,” Jackson said. “Caving, whitewater, hiking, biking, amazing foliage. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, except for winter sports, this is a great place to be. This is my favorite place to be in the outdoors.”

For more information about Rock Island State Park, visit tnstateparks.com/parks/about/rock-island.For more information about Jackson Kayak, visitjacksonkayak.com.

THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU IS RICH IN EVERYTHING OUTDOORS.”


Large Parks and Natural Areas

� Big South Fork National River and

Recreation Area

125,000 acres • 85 miles from Cookeville

Miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs.

Features an abandoned coal mining town that

was part of the Stearns Coal and Lumber Co.

from 1937 to 1962.

� Burgess Falls State Natural Area

200 acres • 11 miles from Cookeville

Features sheer bluffs, narrow ridges, mixed

forest and a native butterfly garden. Four

waterfalls along one-and-a-half-mile trail, the

tallest at 136 feet.

� Cummins Falls State Park


Home to Tennessee’s eighth-largest waterfall

at 75 feet. Fish for bluegill and bass in this

wooded natural refuge, which Travel and

Leisure magazine named one of the 10 best

swimming holes in the U.S.

� Edgar Evins State Park


Features unique species of wildlife and mixed

hardwood forests near the shores of Center

Hill Lake. An observation tower at the Visitor

Center offers a spectacular view of the lake

and surrounding hillsides.

� Fall Creek Falls State Park


Miles of waterfalls, streams, gorges and

recreation facilities. The park is one of the

most popular in the Southeast. At 256 feet,

Fall Creek Falls is the highest waterfall in the

eastern United States.

� Rock Island State Park


Dominated by the Great Falls of the Caney

Fork River — a limestone gorge that provides

scenic overlooks, waterfalls and pools.

Features a 19th century textile mill and one of

the state’s early hydroelectric plants.

� Standing Stone State Park


Sits on the Cumberland Plateau and takes

its name from an 8-foot-tall rock that was

reportedly used as a boundary between two

Indian nations. It now stands in Monterey’s

Whitaker Park.

� Virgin Falls Trail


Noted for its unique geological features,

including the 110-foot Virgin Falls, other

waterfalls, caves and sinkholes. The Caney

Fork Overlook provides a view of Scott’s Gulf

and the Caney Fork River 900 feet below.

City Parks

� Cane Creek Park

CC Camp Rd. • Cookeville

� Capshaw Park

S. Maple St., Stevens St. and Elm Ave. •

Cookeville

� Cinderella Park

Mitchell Ave. and Cinderella Lane • Cookeville

� City Lake Natural Area

Bridgeway Dr. • Cookeville

� Dogwood Park

E. Broad St. • Cookeville

� Ensor Sink Natural Area

Clover Hill Dr. and Foutch Dr. • Cookeville

� Fantasy Park

Main St. • Algood

� Franklin Avenue Park

Franklin Ave. and Sixth St. • Cookeville

� Park View Park

Scott Ave. • Cookeville

� Walnut Park

S. Walnut Ave. • Cookeville

� Walter L. Bilbrey Memorial Park

Fourth Ave. • Algood

� West End Park

West End St. • Cookeville

� Whitaker Park

E. Commercial Ave. • Monterey

Lakes

� Center Hill Lake

29 square miles • 20 miles from Cookeville

A 64-mile-long reservoir near Smithville

with 415 miles of shoreline and 18,200 acres

of deep, pure water that is home to many

species of fish. Popular activities include

fishing, hunting, camping, picnicking, boating,

canoeing and hiking.

� City Lake

35 acres • in Cookeville

Features a 35-acre natural park with hiking

trails, a waterfall overlook and a fishing pier.

Fish include catfish, bass and bream.

� Cordell Hull Lake


Flows in and out of the Cumberland River in

Smith County with 381 miles of shoreline and

22 boat launching ramps.

� Dale Hollow Lake


Voted #4 Lake in the Nation to “Float Your

Boat” by USA Today, and boasts 620 miles

of shoreline and more than 14 commercial

marinas.

COOKEVILLE AND THE UPPER CUMBERLAND ARE HOME TO WONDERFUL PARKS AND NATURAL AREAS

OUTDOORS +

The State of Tennessee has certified Cookeville as an Adventure Tourism District.

Did You Know?There are over 150 documented

waterfalls within a 44-mile radius of

downtown Cookeville.

Use yoUr knowledge

“My group designed a device to help a special needs infant learn to crawl.”Corbin Paul

Madison, TennesseeSenior, Mechanical Engineering

At Tennessee Tech, students in the near future won’t spend as much

time polishing their resumes; they’ll be busy creating jobs that inspire them.

At the new innovation and discovery center on campus, which focuses on entrepreneurship, your role isn’t confined as a student. You choose to be an innovator, inventor, creator, entrepreneur or collaborator.

More importantly, you start to immediately make

a difference with your ideas.

TTU is a constituent university of the Tennessee Board of Regents. TTU does

not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. For

inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies, contact [email protected].

tntech.edu


L U C K Y S E V E N

7 Views You Shouldn’t MissFROM SCENIC CLIMBS TO WATERFALLS, WE’VE GOT IT ALL

No. 1

No. 5No.

6

No. 4

No. 3

No. 7

No. 2

MILLIKAN’S OVERLOOK

Three valleys stretch in different

directions, and the hills of the

Cumberland Plateau nestle against

one another for miles, gently fading

from green to a soft blue. Find this spot

on the driving loop around Fall Creek

Falls State Park, about an hour from

Cookeville.

ROCK ISLAND STATE PARK

Rock Island is a perfect spot for a picnic. The rivers that

feed the area have, over the centuries, cut long ledges into

the rock for children, families and others to scramble across.

Easier to get to than many of the other swimming spots in

the area, Rock Island also has one of the most unique rock

ledge formations around.

VIRGIN FALLS

This 110-foot waterfall flows out of an

underground stream and then vanishes

back into a cave. Geologically, the

waterfall is one of the only of its kind

in the state. The Caney Fork Overlook

provides a view of Scott’s Gulf and the

Caney Fork River 900 feet below.

CENTER HILL LAKE

Center Hill Lake at Edgar Evins hosts

a variety of hiking trails and boating

opportunities, from kayaks to pontoon

boats. A great place to get a feel for the

scale of the lake is from an overlook

on state Route 56, about three or four

miles from Interstate 40. The view

changes every season, and it’s a great

place to pull off the road on the way

to or from the Appalachian Center for

Craft and admire the beauty of the

Upper Cumberland.

CUMMINS FALLS

Dedicated in 2012, Cummins Falls is

one of Tennessee’s newest state parks.

Its showpiece, like many of the parks in

the Upper Cumberland, is a massive

waterfall. Accessible via a two-mile hike,

the waterfall is shaped in a shallow U

with a variety of levels.

BLACK MOUNTAIN

Just a 15-minute drive from I-40’s

Crab Orchard exit, Black Mountain

— a 10.8-mile loop trail along the

Cumberland Trail — is a maze of

scenic wonders, from towering bluffs

to chimney rocks and fluted corridors.

Don’t miss the breathtaking overlook

onto scenic Grassy Cove.

BURGESS FALLS

Heading down Burgess Falls State Park’s three-quarter

mile path, each of the four waterfalls is bigger than the last.

An overlook above the falls provides an impressive view of

the falls and the steep cliffs that surround them like a deep,

smooth bowl. Even Southern Living took notice, naming the

park among their “Five Ways to Stay Cool in Tennessee.”

Captains of IndustryiWC’S JIMMY AND BOB MACKIE AND BIG BUSINESS IN THE UPPER CUMBERLAND

W hile he has turned over the day-to-day opera-tions to his son Bob, Jimmy Mackie, founder

and CEO of Institutional Wholesale Company (iWC), Inc., continues to go to work every day, to the job he’s had for almost 60 years.

The 81-year-old Jimmy fondly recollects the details that led to his eventual success in the food distribution busi-ness.

FATHER AND SONiWC founder Jimmy Mackie, left,

and sons Bob, right, and John,

not shown, now run the largest

independently owned food

service distributor in Tennessee.


In the late 1950s, after graduating with two degrees from Tennessee Tech University (TTU) and spending two years in the U.S. Army, Jimmy had a wife, a child and no job. And he was unsure what he wanted to do.

Then a chance meeting between his dad and a friend in 1957 set off the chain of events that eventually be-came Jimmy’s profession and a major local business. He bought into a small food distribution business that delivered groceries from a distributor in Knoxville to restaurants, schools and hospi-tals in Putnam County. Business flourished over the coming years, and iWC joined the Frozen Food Forum, a na-tional food buying cooperative that’s now called Frosty Acres. iWC is now the No. 1 distributor in the Frosty Acres organization. Jimmy’s son Bob joined the business in 1997. He came to the company with an engineering degree from TTU, an MBA from Vanderbilt and 11 years of work experience. He and his brother, John, who lives and works in Nashville, are now co-owners of the com-pany. iWC moved into its current warehouse and distribu-tion facility in 2000, increasing its building size by more than five times. Eight years later, they added more square footage and now have 170,000 square feet. With such strong and steady growth over 58 years, Jimmy could have headquartered iWC in a more met-ropolitan area if he had wanted to. But that thought never crossed his mind.

Bob, now the company’s president, attributes some of iWC’s success to its location. “I think there are a lot of pluses to our location in Putnam County,” Bob said. First, the central location is a plus. Within close driving distance to major Tennessee cities, Cookeville offers easy access to the major markets, according to Bob. With Interstate 40 and Highway 111 intersecting close by, it is an ideal location for any distribution

business. “Secondly, the labor pool is very good in the area,” Bob said. Moving heavy food and other items around in a warehouse and delivering them is hard work, requiring a strong workforce. According to Bob, em-ployees with good work ethics and people who are willing to work hard are invaluable in a business such as iWC, and this area is home to such individuals. Lower expenses are also a plus in Putnam County. The metro areas

within a 150-mile radius have higher expenses, ac-cording to Bob. “Expenses in general are better in a rural area,” he said. Bob also cites the local vendors and small community as being a positive for business. It is more efficient to buy locally, and vendors are responsive and fair. “Everything here is small enough,” Bob said. “You can call someone up, and they know you. The small community is good for relationships.”

I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF PLUSES TO OUR LOCATION IN PUTNAM COUNTY.”


The small community also means that local government is helpful and proactive, according to Bob. He attributes the cities of Cookeville and Algood, along with local law enforcement and fire department personnel and the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, with facilitating iWC’s growth and the growth of all business in the area. And last, but certainly not least, Bob credits the local education system with providing a quality workforce and contributing in many ways to the company’s success. Now, 58 years after the humble beginnings of what is now iWC, it is the largest independently owned food service distributor in Tennessee. Un-der the leadership of the Mackies, iWC has grown from a few workers and two trucks to about 200 full-time employees and more than 50 distribu-tion vehicles. The senior Mackie credits this growth to a her-itage of honesty, trustworthiness, dependability and a great location. His commitment to his com-pany and to his community continues as iWC gets closer to celebrating its 60th year in business. A true Cookeville native, he has lived in Cookeville all of his life except for a couple of years. Not only is it a great place to raise a family, accord-ing to the senior Mackie — it’s also a great place to raise a business.

For more information about iWC, visit goiwc.com.

Perdue Farms Meat processing

985 employees

Cummins Filtration, Inc. Air, lube and water filters

600 employees

TTI Floor Care (Oreck) Vacuum cleaners and home care products

330 employees

Transtar-DACCO Auto transmission parts

310 employees

Flowserve Three-way valves

310 employees

Tutco, Inc. Heating elements for appliances

270 employees

Identity Group Stamps, signs and ink marking devices

250 employees

iWC Food distribution

179 employees

ATC Automation Special automated machinery

175 employees

Aphena Pharma Solutions Repackaging of pharmaceuticals

150 employees

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S E N T R Y S H R E D . C O M • S A L E S@S E N T R Y S H R E D . C O M

Phillip Baker

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Turns To Us

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FOR A GROWING ROSTER OF EVENTS

A fter spending a few minutes with Cookeville native Ottis

Phillips, you know it’s no accident that he’s drinking coffee from an“I j CKVL” mug. It becomes obvious pretty quickly that this business owner and involved community volunteer truly loves his city.

Raised in a region known for its hospitality and a state known for

its volunteers, Phillips believes that Cookeville is seamlessly using both to make the Upper Cumberland area a coveted destination for many different types of events.

And Phillips should know. He has served the community in many ways and been instrumental in enticing some of the city’s most lucrative and visible events to town.

AT THE STEERING WHEELOttis Phillips, shown here at

TTU’s Tucker Stadium, says an

army of generous and hospitable

people make Cookeville a great

place to host an event.


A past chairman of both the Cookeville-Putnam Coun-ty Chamber of Commerce and the Convention & Vis-itors Bureau, Phillips has also been directly involved in two of Cookeville’s most recent event successes. He was the founding steering committee chairman of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) BlueCross Bowl state high school football championship games and a steering committee member of the Tennessee H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) Rally. Both of these events have enjoyed tre-mendous success, with each returning to Cookeville again and again. “Here’s the thing aboutCookeville,” Phillips said. “We’re unique versus some other communities because of the will-ingness to cooperate between government bodies, the City of Cookeville, the county commis-sion, Tennessee Tech and local businesses.” Phillips credits the success of events such as the state football championships and the H.O.G. Rally with the people who live here. “We’re so blessed to be in this community where people have this attitude they have,” he said. “They want visitors to enjoy being here.” A soft-spoken man who’s quick to smile and slow to talk about himself, Phillips exudes great pride when he talks about his city and the people in it. After earn-ing two degrees at Tennessee Tech University (TTU) and working in engineering and business in Ten-nessee, Texas and Colorado, Phillips returned to his hometown in 1990 and eventually purchased bever-age distributor SEC Enterprises. After years of growth and a 2013 merger with a Miller/Coors distributor in Tullahoma, Tennessee, Phillips’ business, Mid-South Distributing, is now geographically one of the largest beer wholesalers in Tennessee.

As a local business owner and community leader/vol-unteer extraordinaire, Phillips has a unique perspec-tive on the Cookeville community as a great place to host events and accommodate groups.

“It’s like any business,” Phillips said. “The success is related to the people.” When reflecting on his involvement with theBlueCross Bowl, Phillips credits people for the suc-cess of the inaugural event in 2009.

“If I did anything right, it was picking the right people,” Phillips said. “Nobody was trying to protect their little turf. Tech said, ‘What do you need?’ The city said, ‘What do you need?’ Everything was taken care of. “Outstanding individuals made it fun and made it a joy to be involved. It’s the best job I ever had. I was surrounded by the most competent people, and I didn’t have to do anything. I almost felt guilty.” Phillips attributes the success not just to the volunteers in charge of the event, but also to all the volunteers who help throughout the three days of the games.

“We had 600 volunteers in the pouring rain, smil-ing and welcoming fans to the games,” Phillips said. “People were blown away by our hospitality.” With an economic impact of more than $2.5 million, Phillips realizes the significance of the BlueCross Bowl to this community, and he hopes the event is here to stay. With Cookeville volunteers running the now well-oiled machine, he is confident the state championships have found a home for quite a while. Not to sound like a broken record, but Phillips attri-butes the success of another local event, the Tennes-see H.O.G. Rally, with — you guessed it — the people.

WE HAD 600 VOLUNTEERS IN THE POURING RAIN, SMILING AND WELCOMING FANSTO THE GAMES.”

COOKEVILLE-PUTNAM COUNTY CHAMBER

“The key behind the success of the H.O.G. Rally, like all our events, is having the right people,” Phillips said. “We were able to make this a community event because the people of Cookeville are hungry.”

These people, hungry for successful events, have bragging rights after the 2012 H.O.G. Rally. For the 2012 event, Cookeville, 1) was the smallest metro area to ever host a state rally, 2) was the only city to host consecutive years, and 3) set a record for first-day attendees. “When the H.O.G. Rally is in a large city like Nash-ville,” Phillips points out, “no one knows they are there. We do a parade in Cookeville! That’s the kind of hospitality this area shows.” Phillips noted that there is a domino effect that continues to impact the area in a positive way every time an event is well received. “We know for a fact that other groups have come back to Cookeville for weekend motorcycle rides,” Phillips said. “And Tech has gotten a number of stu-dents and blue-chip players from the state cham-pionships being held here. There’s a ripple effect when you have successful events.” In addition to these two major events, Cookeville plays host to a number of other tournaments and sporting events each year, including baseball, soft-ball, basketball, soccer and youth football. While his involvement has been primarily with athletic events, Phillips also sees great opportuni-ties for other regional and national events such as concerts and art exhibits. There is no limit to what Cookeville can offer, and he sees all kinds of events on the radar. “We’re blessed to have a great place to live, with a great community spirit,” Phillips said. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”

For more information about the H.O.G. Rally and other events, check out visitcookevilletn.com.

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SMART COOKIEKristea Cancel says Cookeville’s

family-friendly environment

brought her here and continues

to provide just what she and

her family need at each stage of

development.

For theFamily

SMART PLAY’S KRISTEA CANCEL AND COOKEVILLE’S FAMILY-FUN OPPORTUNITIES

W hen Atlanta-raised KristeaCancel and her physician hus-

band, St. Louis-raised Quinton Cancel, were looking for a place to live and raise their young sons, Cookeville won out over a number of other options available to them. “We were looking for smaller family towns,” Cancel said, “and we visited a lot of different places.”

Once they visited Cookeville, a place not at all on their radar, they never looked back.

“We fell in love with the place,” Cancel said. “All the other places paled in com-parison. It wasn’t fast-paced – it wasn’t slow. It seemed like it was too good to be true!”


Ages 3 and 1 when they relocated from Durham, North Carolina, the boys were quickly introduced to all the area had to offer for children, Cancel said, including story time at the library, the Kiwanis Cookeville Children’s Museum, CityScape’s Fall FunFest and Cane Creek Park.

“Every single phase we were in with the boys,” Can-cel said, “all the resources were here.”

After living in Cookeville a few years, Cancel began to seriously pursue opening a drop-in child care center. She realized there were a lot of mothers who had doctor appointments, work conflicts and other situations where they needed care for their chil-dren, but not necessarily on a regular basis. “I thought, ‘How many moms are in this situation?’” Cancel said, and thus began her goal to open Smart Play, Inc. “The whole concept was important to me. I wanted the children to be somewhere where they felt loved, felt valued, where they could learn something.” And from the looks of things, a child can’t help but be genuinely happy while he is learning something at the brightly hued center. From the time you walk through the door of Smart Play, your senses are gladly overloaded with vivid colors, sparkling playthings and the cheerful sounds of happy children. There are areas for dress-up and imaginative play, areas for active play and areas for art and reading. There’s even a colorful climbing wall, which can be adjusted to the needs of the climbers. The center is open Monday through Friday and by reservation on Sunday. Children ages 1 to 12 may attend, and the center also offers after-school care, either on a regular or drop-in basis. The regular daily schedule includes everything from Spanish and music to story time and art.

The center also offers creative movement, sign lan-guage, cooking, outside play and, of course, good old-fashioned free playtime. “I totally believe in creative play,” Cancel said. “Let them be a kid and learn at the same time!”Cancel credits the staff with making Smart Play such a great place for children to be. More than 80 percent of the staff are Tennessee Tech stu-dents, according to Cancel, most of them studying education, childhood development or other majors pertaining to children. Word of the center has spread after being open for a short time, and Cancel hopes to see Smart Play add more children and more activities as it meets the demands of parents in the community. Smart Play is available for times when parents need to be away from their children, Cancel points out, but Cookeville is a great place for parents to enjoy with their children, too. “Cookeville’s a great place to live – a great place to raise your children,” she said. “There’s everything you need here. There’s something to do for every-one. If you want to get involved and be active, you can be.” The Cancel family now calls Cookeville home and would recommend the area to anyone looking for a family-friendly environment. “I can’t explain it,” Cancel said. “People who don’t know Cookeville can’t understand. It was a no-brainer to decide to move to Cookeville. We love it here. And we haven’t looked back.”

For more information, visit smartplaykidz.com


KID TESTED Kristea Cancel’s sons, Jackson (on the mat) and Quinton (on the wall), are all too happy to help her test out her ideas and designs for

Smart Play and have offered a few ideas of their own.


L U C K Y S E V E N

7 Campout Must-HavesCOOKEVILLE’S OUTDOORS IS A CAMPER’S DREAM, SO DON’T FORGET TO STOCK UP ON NECESSITIES

No. 1

No. 3 No.

4

No. 7

No. 6

No. 5

No. 2

BUG SPRAY

With all the water around,

bugs come with the territory.

Sometimes we wish they didn’t,

but the Upper Cumberland is

too pretty to let them have all

the fun. Get the strong stuff

and apply early and often.

S’MORES

The Upper Cumberland does

not have as much light pollution

as other parts of the state, so

build a campfire for s’mores

earlier in the evening. As the

stars come out, lie down on

some blankets and look out for

the Big and Little Dippers.

SUNSCREEN

The Tennessee sun gets pretty

hot from May to September,

so it’s always a good idea to

have sunscreen stashed away

somewhere, especially if you’ll

be spending a lot of time

outside. SPF is not something

to forget!

CAMERA

For those with even a passing interest in photography, your

cell phone camera may not be enough to do justice to the

natural beauties of the region. Capture the moment so you’ll

remember forever the beautiful sights you come across and

the silly moments with your friends.

FISHING POLE AND EQUIPMENT

Lakes and rivers abound in the Upper

Cumberland, and there may be no better

way to experience them than from a boat

or the shore, seeing what you can catch.

The waterways of Tennessee are some of

the most diverse in the world, and many a

championship fisher has spent time here

honing his craft.

KAYAK

With all of our wonderful lakes and rivers, no camping trip is complete without some time

spent on the water. Around here, we’re partial to kayaks because one of the world’s premier

companies, Jackson Kayak, is just down the road in Sparta. Don’t own one? There are lots

of places to rent kayaks, canoes and other boats for the day or weekend.

TENT

Even if you’re the camper kind of person, we recommend that you try a

tent just once. The Upper Cumberland is full of great places to spend a

night outside with friends or family, especially in one of our many state

parks. Don’t have one? There are several outdoor stores around that

will rent them out for reasonable day or weekend rates. Some of those

stores will also help you plan excursions, or plan them for a community

group that you can join.

PH

OTO

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PH

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Sparta, TN 38583Phone: (931) 836-2825 / 800-344-1614

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1330 Neal St. | Suite A | Cookeville, TN 38501www.compassadvisorygrp-cookeville.com

Advisory services offered through Compass Advisory Partners, LLC (CAP), a registered investment advisor. Securities offered through FSC Securities Corporation (FSC), member FINRA, SIPC. CAP is independent of FSC.

FINANCIAL PLANNING & ADVISORY SERVICES

A D V E R T I S I N G I N D E X

Alpine Lodge and Suites, 52

American Bank and Trust, 82

American Way Real Estate, 59

Anderson Printing Solutions, 61

ATC Automation, 89

Back to Health Holistic Wellness Center, 82

Billings Crane, 83

Bilyeu CPA Group, 23

Bradley Furniture Company, 88

Carwile Mechanical Contractors, 95

Cavender’s, LLC, 12

Chartwells, 6

Chick-fil-A Catering, 2

Citizens Bank, 52

City of Cookeville, 11

Compass Advisory Group, 95

Conner Brothers Wood Flooring, 2

Cookeville Christian Academy, 67

Cookeville Electric Motor, 60

Cookeville Regional Medical Center, 26

Crest Lawn Funeral Home, 60

CRMC Charitable Foundation, 25

Cumberland Container, 45

David W. Ledbetter, Attorney at Law, 6

DelMonaco Winery and Vineyards, 95

D. T. McCall and Sons, 45

Express Signs, 6

Fairfield Inn and Suites, 31

Falcon Realty, 12

Farm Bureau Insurance, 83

First National Bank, 1

First Realty Company - Susan Johnson, 83

First United Methodist Church of Cookeville, 60

Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 52

Heart of the Cumberland, 60

Herald-Citizen, 45

Heritage Pointe Senior Living, 67

Highlands Residential Services, 44

Hill Realty, IFC

HomeCORR, 53

Home Instead Senior Care, 14

Hooper Huddleston and Horner, 2

Irby, 31

J&S Construction, 3

Kiwanis Cookeville Children’s Museum, 82

Lakeland Electric, Inc., 45

Leslie Town Centre, 37

Luna & Herren Investment, 52

Middle Tennessee Federal Credit Union, 23

Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, 95

Mustard Seed Ranch, 23

Myron B. Stringer, D.D.S., 13

Nick’s Restaurant, 88

Norrod Builders, 6

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, 31

Outdoor Experience, 31

Plateau Mental Health, 60

PM Environmental, 88

Putnam County Board of Education, 30

Putnam County, Tennessee, 7

Reliable Healthcare Clinic, 83

RidgeBrooke Investment and Retirement Planning, 60

Self Stor Solutions, 60

Sentry Shred, 83

Signature Healthcare of Putnam County, 60

Swallows Insurance, 67

Tennessee Bible College, 6

Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Livingston, 82

Tennessee Tech Athletics, IBC

Tennessee Tech University, 76

The Original Gondola Pizza House, 31

The Realty Firm, OBC

Twin Lakes, 2

UC Regional Airport, 13

Upper Cumberland Urology, 52

Victory Sports Center, 31

WDStone & Associates, 87

William F. Roberson, Attorney at Law, 31

Williams Wholesale Supply, 31

Willow Park Apartments, 23

Wilson Bank and Trust, 96

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Sourcebook 19, 2015-2016

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Transcript of Sourcebook 19, 2015-2016