Retiring duoUnion County native the

Rev. James Whitson retired from the city of Maynardville April 29 after more than 38 years; the day after his wife, Mary, announced her retire-ment.

“I told him he was not quit-ting one day before me,” said Mary.

➤ Read Cindy Taylor on page 3

Budget workSheriff Billy Breeding and

Highway Superintendent David Cox got a warm welcome from the Budget Committee of Union County Commission last week, with their budgets gaining unanimous approval.

But the stalemate over fund-ing tourism through the county’s Chamber of Commerce contin-ues with very little change.

➤ Read Sandra Clark on page 2

Election correctionWe incorrectly stated the

date of the liquor by the drink referendum in last week’s edi-tion.

That election will be held, in the city of Maynardville only, in conjunction with the elec-tion for city council members on Tuesday, June 28.

The county general election at state primaries are Aug. 4 as stated.

Pick up extra copies atUnion County Senior Citizens Center

298 Main St. Maynardville(865) 922-4136

NEWS (865) 661-8777

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By Shannon CareyBlue sky broke through rain-

clouds, a young colt frisked in a nearby fi eld, and voices uplifted in praise echoed off the spring-green hills as Alder Springs Missionary Baptist Church made the journey from the old church building to the new on May 1.

The congregation walked down Hickory Star Road to their new building, located at the corner of Hickory Star and Little Valley Road.

“The Lord has been so good to me, I feel like traveling on,” they sang in perfect harmony. “Until that blessed home I see, I feel like traveling on.”

There has been an Alder Springs Church near the intersec-tions of Hickory Star, Little Valley and Hinds Creek roads since 1849. The church moved into the most recent sanctuary on May 7, 1967, according to Carl Coppock, the church’s oldest member and oldest deacon.

“I helped build this one, and I was ordained in the building before this,” he said, calling the move bittersweet.

Indeed, tears were shed dur-ing the fi nal songs and prayers in the old sanctuary. Previous pas-tor the Rev. Dewey Raley thanked God “for everything that has been given to us here.”

Worshipers fi lled the new sanc-tuary to capacity for a jubilant dedication service.

“Folks, we made it,” said p astor Jimmy Davidson. “We made it on

Building committee members Bruce Williams and Glenn Cooke lead the way as the congregation of Alder Springs

Missionary Baptist Church walks down Hickory Star Road from their old sanctuary, seen on the hill above, to the new

building. Photo by S. Carey

God’s amazing grace. To him be the glory.”

The new church sits on 9.5 acres, giving Alder Springs plenty of parking and room to grow. The

building’s sanctuary can seat just less than 300. The building also has 10 Sunday school rooms and a fellowship hall with a full com-mercial kitchen.

The church’s youth have already raised money for a playground, and work will begin on that proj-ect as soon as a site is selected.

More pictures on 5

By Shhannon Careyy

Alder Springs Church ‘traveling on’

By Sandra ClarkThe fi nal full day of school for

students is Thursday, May 19, but the actual fi nal day, a half day, is Wednesday, May 25.

Union County Schools had three remaining snow days left, so Director of Schools Dr. Jimmy Carter secured state permission to convert the fi nal two instructional days to professional days.

Because the school year must end with a student day, the half day on May 25 remains in the schedule.

■ Brian Oaks: The 12-year school board vet-eran opted not to seek re-election in August. He served four years as board chair. EMS director Andrew Reed is running unopposed for the seat.

“We accom-plished a lot,” Oaks said after the meeting. “We’ve come a long way. Our school system is something to be proud of.”

Oaks said Jimmy Carter has put politics aside and “that’s been a good thing.” He recalled col-leagues past and present, saying he was honored to have served with such fi ne people. He specifi -cally mentioned David Coppock, Gerald Smith and former member Mark DeVault.

■ Paperless: The BOE is go-ing paperless. Carter said the May meeting was the last with packets of papers for board members.

“In June, the Board of Educa-tion will be assigned Chrome-books (computer tablets), and your

Coach Kathy Cox congratulated her tennis seniors for their hard work, both

academically and athletically. She said all maintained a B-plus average while

practicing and competing in tennis. Pictured at the school board meeting

are Sierra Womble, Cox and Zachary Walker. Not pictured is Sierra Clabough.

Photo by S. Clark

May 19 is last full day of school

agenda will magically appear,” he said. “From this point on, no more agenda packets.”

This has got to be good news for Dr. Ronnie Mincey, supervisor of federal programs who doubles as secretary to the BOE. Mincey totes a large plastic container fi lled with agenda packets from his offi ce to board meetings and back, storing it in the trunk of his car.

The May agenda packet was about 50 pages, carefully copied, collated and stapled with color-ful cover sheets so members can fi nd them quickly during discus-sion. The electronic agendas will save everyone time, but now we’ve got to work on the sound at board meetings.

With a student event in the au-ditorium, last week’s BOE meet-

ing was held in the cafeteria where acoustics are sketchy at best. The meeting was disrupted at times by custodians pushing carts over tile fl oors as they worked to get the school ready for the next day.

Afterwards, we complained to board chair David Coppock: “Couldn’t hear a darn thing!”

Slowly and with a sly grin he re-plied: “That is the plan.”

Here are the meeting’s high-lights as we heard them:

■ Tests: Carolyn Murr, presi-dent of the Union County Educa-tion Association, asked if test re-sults from March will be shared with teachers. Carter said: “My understanding is the state will send us raw scores but we won’t get the data that we are used to getting.”

The spring TNReady tests were canceled for grades 3-8 when the state vendor, Measurements Inc., was unable to meet its contract terms. Some students already had taken exams in March. High school tests were delivered on time and taken by students as usual.

■ Football: Carter said Thurs-day the search continues for a head football coach at UCHS. Coach Tommy Re-wis resigned dur-ing spring practice for personal rea-sons.

Carter said he talked with Re-

wis and understands his situation. That said, the team had no assis-tant coaches and no one stepped up to continue spring practice.

The TSSAA allows 10 days of practice during a period of 15 school days.

Rewis spoke to the Board of Education in April, requesting ad-ditional pay for assistant coaches. The board took no action, but Carter said Thursday he had told Rewis he would try to work it into the budget for the next fi scal year.

■ TSSAA: The board discussed briefl y a suggestion from Dr. Jack A. Parton, director of schools in Sevier County, that the Board of Control of the Tennessee Second-ary Schools Athletic Association be changed to provide for representa-tion by directors of schools.

“We’ll start by asking (for the change), and then we’ll ask state legislators to require it,” Carter

Brian Oaks

Tommy Rewis

To page 3

Meet the Lay boysThe saying “Two is bet-

ter than one” is personifi ed with fraternal twins Alec and Austin Lay.

The juniors at Union County High School are two of the best athletes the Patriots have to offer on the basketball court and the baseball fi eld. The two complement each other well in both sports.

➤ Read Seth Norris on page 6

UT celebrationToday we celebrate aca-

demic progress by Tennessee athletes. Everybody got at least a passing grade.

Thirteen of Tennessee’s 18 sports teams scored higher than the national average.

Baseball, cross country, combined swimming and div-ing, combined tennis, women’s basketball and women’s track were among the programs with perfect 1000 APRs for the past academic year.

➤ Read Marvin West on page 4

Poke salletA few messes of poke was

always on my mother’s menus. The family loved it.

➤ Read Bonnie Peters on page 4

2 • MAY 11, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news business

One of the little details that have become syn-onymous with the notion of chiropractic care is the “popping” or “cracking” sounds that sometimes occur when a chiroprac-tor is adjusting the bones of the spine, or other of the body’s joints. There’s nothing unusual about it.

The body’s joints con-tain a lubricant called sy-novial fl uid. The fl uid is a source of nutrients for the cells that maintain the cartilage in the joint. The synovial fl uid includes dissolved gases—about 80 percent carbon diox-ide, nitrogen and oxygen. Each vertebra has two sets of facet joints, which allow for fl exibility, including moving your head and neck. In the course of a spinal adjustment, it’s not uncommon for a gas bub-

ble to escape from a facet joint with a sharp pop-ping or cracking sound. It’s similar to the sound that happens when a per-son cracks his knuckles. The noise is actually the result of a phenomenon called joint cavitation, a change of pressure inside the joint.

It takes 15 to 20 min-utes for gas to reabsorb into the joint, which is why you can’t repeatedly crack a knuckle. In fact, if there is repeated noise from a joint, it may be caused by a tendon or liga-ment moving over it. Talk with your chiropractor for more information on the care of your joints.Presented as a community service by Union County Chiropractic; 110 Skyline Drive, Maynardville, Tenn.992-7000.

Chiropractic OutlookBy Dr. Darrell Johnson, DC

Chiropractic and “the pops”

By Sandra ClarkSheriff Billy Breeding

and Highway Superinten-dent David Cox got a warm welcome from the Budget Committee of Union County Commission last week, with their budgets gaining unani-mous approval. But the stale-mate over funding tourism through the county’s Cham-ber of Commerce continues with very little change.

Interim president Mayme Taylor omitted three items from a previous request in-cluding reimbursement for expenses incurred at last year’s Indiana boat show.

Commissioner Wayne Roach asked Finance Di-rector Ann Dyer how much the county receives from the hotel/motel tax. Dyer said $21,000 last year and $21,998 the year before.

Commissioner Chris Up-ton questioned the Cham-ber’s investment in the recent Norris Lake cleanup. “We ran six pontoon boats around the

lake during the cleanup. (Vol-unteers) threw trash onto a barge,” said Taylor.

Upton also questioned $1,500 for advertising on the website of National Geo-graphic. “We get a lot of hits on that site,” said Taylor.

“We’ve invested in sev-eral things and haven’t seen results,” countered Roach.

Mayor Mike Williams added, “It appalls me how (the Chamber) operates and what you’re doing is ignor-ing what the people of this county want.”

Taylor said a new presi-dent will be hired from three applicants. The po-sition is part-time with a monthly salary of $1,000. Roach suggested changes in the Chamber’s board. “The history has been a couple of people making decisions.”

Commissioner Lynn Beel-er moved to approve Taylor’s request but no one seconded his motion. “Thank you for your time,” said Taylor.

Sheriff, highways get OK from Budget Committee

Sandra Clark

Making them cry, leaving them laughingWhat do we do and why

do we do it?Betty Bean spoke recent-

ly to Dr. Mark Harmon’s UT journalism class. She brought the fi nal copy of the old Knoxville Journal. There’s a staff picture on the front page. Bean stands alone, far in the back, not quite part of the gang but still there as the proud old daily coughed and folded.

“Tell those kids to study for a job with a future,” I ad-vised; but I know she didn’t.

Bean is a true believer.That same week, a reader

from Halls wrote in part ...“Please forward – as I

type this through the tears still on my cheeks – my thanks and appreciation to Betty Bean for her article, ‘A Killing at Danny Mayfi eld Park.’

“Not being a Knoxville native, I found it to be not only an outstanding piece of history but an opportu-nity for my own heart’s re-fl ection on faith, gratitude, compassion and caring.”

I forwarded the email to Bean with a note: “You’ve made another one cry.”

Bean later said she had expected readers to cry: “I was crying when I wrote it.”

So for every person who calls to complain about our delivery system, another calls to request delivery or extra copies. Very few write

to thank us, and that’s OK. We’re already out chasing

the next story.

What we doThe Shopper News team

publishes eight unique newspapers weekly. Rough-ly half of the content is consistent, while the rest is unique to each zone.

I’m the overall editor and “last eyes” on each page be-fore it’s printed.

Also, I coordinate gov-ernment and business cov-erage, manage the colum-nists and go boldly where most reporters fear to tread: MPC sector meetings and Union County Commission.

North: Shannon Carey coordinates local content for Halls/Fountain City (our oldest paper), Powell, Union County and North/East (our newest zone).

Ruth White, a Shopper veteran, covers our North kids beat, takes most cover photos and generally gets around the area, assisted by Cindy Taylor.

West: Sherri Gardner Howell coordinates local

content for Bearden, Far-ragut, Karns/Hardin Valley and South Knox.

Sara Barrett covers the West kids beat. Freelance writers are Betsy Pickle (South), Wendy Smith (Bearden), Carolyn Evans (Farragut) and Nancy Ander-son, Karns/Hardin Valley.

Graphics: Carol Spring-er, Kathryn Woycik and Jodi Littleton put the pages together. In addition, Jodi manages our website.

Ad sales: Coordinated by the News Sentinel team headed by Steve Bowman, the Shopper sales manager is Amy Lutheran, assisted by Patty Fecco, Tony Cran-more and Beverly Holland.

Circulation: Shoppers are distributed inside the News Sentinel for Knox County subscribers each Wednesday and we “wrap” the TMC – Total Market Coverage – delivery of pre-prints and grocery circulars in Knox County.

Union County papers are mailed to boxholders. Every home should get a Shopper each Tuesday or Wednesday.

What’s next? As the former Scripps pa-

pers are assimilated into the USA Today network, we will change.

Shopper pages will be produced by pagination software. The classifi ed pages already are.

The website hopefully will be robust with easy-to-search digital archives.

We will always be chal-lenged to do more with less.

Shopper News is leading eff orts to develop

Powell Station Park. At top, seniors enjoy

a school-sponsored cookout at the park.

Home Depot guys donate picnic tables.

Halls High principal

Mark Duff captures

the pride of all

parents at gradua-

tion as he hugs his

daughter, Morgan.

Betty Bean features Brian McDaniel, who crafted the Knoxville

montage above; and yes, that’s the MPC northwest county

sector plan meeting at right.

A sample of last week’s work:

North, South, East, West

Interim president Mayme Taylor

presents the Chamber’s budget

request to the county’s Budget

Committee. At right is Commissioner

Lynn Beeler, who ultimately off ered

a motion to approve. It died without

a second. Photo by S. Clark

Roach said afterwards that the county commission is not interested in keep-ing and spending the hotel/motel tax revenue but it’s also not interested in turn-ing it over to the Chamber of Commerce unless that group makes changes.

Commissioners pres-ent included Beeler, Upton, Roach, J.M. Bailey, Dawn Flatford, Stan Dail and Ja-net Holloway.

Soil conservation: Dail sharply criticized the commissioners for not sup-porting a $5,000 requested increase from the Soil Con-servation District. “This is ridiculous,” he said, explain-ing that the three counties served by a grant-writer

were asked for $5,000 each with the state matching half of his salary.

“He brings in about $400,000 in grant money for farmers,” said Dail, who said he’s an alternate board member of the district.

Commissioner Holloway amended her motion to in-clude the $5,000 after Dail’s explanation and the budget item passed unanimously.

Pay raises: Most of-fi cials are requesting a two percent pay raise for em-ployees. Finance Director Ann Dyer will bring revenue fi gures and estimates to the June committee meeting so commissioners can decide if projected revenue will en-able the raise. Otherwise,

most offi cials are present-ing fl at budgets.

Sheriff’s Offi ce: “We’ve done a lot of cutting back,” said Sheriff Billy Breeding. He was able to present a budget with only a .62 per-cent increase while asking for a part-time animal con-trol offi cer and jailer and a full-time court offi cer.

“Well, that’s never been done before,” said Commis-sioner J.M. Bailey. Then he asked about Breeding’s in-mate garden.

“We’ve saved about $10,000 in food costs,” said Breeding.

Highway Department: Superintendent David Cox, who is wrapping up his fi rst term and seeking re-election

with opposition in August, said he’s asking for a three percent raise for his employ-ees – his pay range is $11.98 to $13.97 for folks who lay asphalt all day. “They work hard in the sun and deserve it.”

Cox said the state is divid-ing a surplus of $42 million among county road depart-ments which should enable him to pave three times the number of roads as usual this year. With that, Cox got atta-boys from Bailey and Roach and his budget sailed on to the full commission without change.

Fund balance: Dyer had projected a $108,865 surplus for the current fi scal year, but settlement of an unanticipated lawsuit upset the plan. Dyer will report in June on the anticipated sur-plus. From the capital bud-get, the county will spend $15,000 to resurface the Courthouse and $13,500 for law enforcement vehicles.

Luckily, the Shopper does that well – having started with a pencil and a drop box.

So what? You keep reading and

we’ll keep writing. That’s our bargain.

Writing services for busy business owners. I blog so

you don’t have to! Also offering social media,

proofreading and more.

Shannon Careyshannon.b.carey@gmail.comwww.thepluckypen.com

UNION COUNTY Shopper news • MAY 11, 2016 • 3 community

Union County native the Rev. James Whitson retired from the city of Maynard-ville April 29 after more than 38 years; the day after his wife, Mary, announced her retirement.

Leonor Perez joins the Blessed Theresa of Calcutta Danc-

ers in a traditional dance.

Cindy Taylor

James and Mary Whitson: Retiring duoJames Whitson with family at his retirement party; Pictured are Whitson, wife Mary, son Bobby Kitts, granddaughter Kristen

Beaty, sister Pat Laney and brother Curtis Whitson

James Whitson with former co-worker Kyle Richardson; Rich-

ardson hired Whitson for the city. Photos by Cindy Taylor

“I told him he was not quitting one day before me,” said Mary.

Whitson was joined at a surprise retirement party by friends and family. He says he is the oldest person with the longest employ-ment history to retire from a position with the city. Whitson’s job involved a lot of outside work that kept

from the city but when he talks about his future itiner-ary it doesn’t sound like he will be any less busy. He is an ordained minister, a former pastor, a plumber, a fi sher-man and a builder. Those are a few of the things he says he will continue to do. He and Mary both say they love to fi sh for anything that bites.

“We have a lot of friends and family who own boats,” he said. “When any of us has something the other needs we always share.”

The couple have been married 46 years. Both say they are looking forward to some uninterrupted, quality time together.

“We’re going to sleep in and do nothing but we’re go-ing to adopt some new rules at home,” said Mary. “The fi rst rule is that the last one up makes the bed.”Contact Cindy Taylor at ctaylorsn@gmail.

com

city water lines up and run-ning.

“I’ve known James since I took my position with the city,” said city manager Jack Rhyne. “He has been a good employee. We kid him a lot and give him the blame when things go wrong.”

Whitson was hired to work for the city by Kyle

Richardson.“James is a good man and

a good worker,” said Rich-ardson.

“Kyle gave me a chance when I needed help so I could provide for my fam-ily,” said Whitson. “He is a Christian brother and a friend.”

Whitson may be retiring

Diversity at the libraryBy Shannon CareyMaynardville Public

Library celebrated Diver-sity in Action Day April 30, with special pro-grams and a visit from the Blessed Theresa of Cal-cutta Mexican Dancers.

The library had hand-outs in various languag-es, including fi re safety information from the Northeast Union Volun-teer Fire Department. They also gave informa-tion on the Tennessee Electronic Library Power Speak program, which is designed for English lan-guage learners. The pre-test for U.S. citizenship is even available online.

The Blessed Theresa dancers treated the group to a performance of tradi-tional Mexican dance to fi nish the day.

Info: maynardville-publiclibrary.org

Scareltt Zammarron per-

forms a traditional Mexican

dance during Diversity in

Action Day at Maynardville

Public Library. Photos by S. Carey

Last day of school From page 1

David Coppock, school board chair, signs documents follow-

ing last week’s meeting. At right is Dr. Ronnie Mincey, supervi-

sor of federal programs.

said after the meeting. The Board of Control has nine representatives from public schools and three from pri-vate schools. All public rep-resentatives are high school administrators.

■ Dress Code: Susan Oaks deferred this item until June, pending development of the student handbooks.

■ School bus con-tracts: The school board no longer votes on bus contrac-tors. Finance Director Ann Dyer announced winners in the sealed-bid applications for the next school year:

Luttrell: Tenika HopsonPaulette: Anna Todd,

Sharron Elkins (2), Lois Hubbs (2), Andrea Meyers and Tenika Hopson

Big Ridge: Sharron El-kins, Cindy Hopson (2), An-dreay Meyers (2)

Sharps Chapel: No bid awarded

Maynardville Elementa-ry: Lois Hubbs, Cindy Hop-son, Tenika Hopson

The Board of Education recognized school winners in this year’s spelling bee: Anna Hansard,

Sharps Chapel; Scarlett Gwaltney, Big Ridge; and Trayven Farmer, Luttrell. Not pictured are

Savannah Paul, Maynardville Elementary; Emma Moyers, Horace Maynard Middle School; and

Brayden Williams, Paulette. Anna Hansard also won the countywide contest.

Zone 6 – CW: Lois Hubbs (2), Cindy Hopson (3)

Bus contractors unhappy

with the outcome attended the meeting but would not comment for the record.

Veterans soughtUnion County May-

or’s Offi ce is currently accepting applications for plaques to be placed on the veterans’ wall. Info: 992-3061.

4 • MAY 11, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news opinionThe University of Ten-

nessee has a fair share of problems, starting with a perceived lack of leadership.

To fund or not to fund the unusual diversity movement is a really big deal. Legis-lators are assisting in this decision. Prone protestors have clogged campus side-walks. Several professors who weren’t otherwise busy have emerged with carefully considered opinions.

Heavy, heavy hangs the Title IX lawsuit as a very dark cloud over many heads.

The baseball team goes right on losing in the fi nal year of good guy Dave Ser-rano’s coaching contract. Gentle leader Dave Hart may have to make a move.

With no idea of how far away are the Bristol seats from the players, excit-able football fans want the Vols to schedule at least one game a year at the race track. About this daydream the boss can smile and re-main relatively calm.

Occasional positive news fl ows from the university but it arrives quietly and causes much smaller headlines.

For example, today we celebrate academic progress by Tennessee athletes. Ev-

I have always liked and been drawn to elderly people. I suppose this is due in great part to the fact that I was the youngest child to both my father and mother, both of whom were older than my friends’ parents. Most of my public school teachers were also close to my parents’ ages.

Role models

I was pleased to have the opportunity to attend col-lege with several students who were non-traditional per age. Two of these individuals served as role models for their younger classmates.

During my freshman year at Lincoln Memorial University, I took Dr. Alex Buckland’s introduction to art class. We met in the lecture room on the base-ment fl oor of Farr Hall each Tuesday night during Fall Quarter 1983 from 6-9 p.m.

I sat on the front row next to a lady named Ves-tina Minton. Vestina was probably in her late fi fties or early sixties at the time, a charming, talkative lady. She and I formed a bond as we were both education majors. Her friendliness was a comfort to me in the newness of the college environment.

Dr. Buckland guided our class through examination of various pictures of fi ne art in our text. We had to learn the style, medium and a few facts about each. My favorite memory of Vestina was her consternation as to why a bronze sculpture of a beer can qualifi ed as art. Similarly, we never could quite understand what made Jackson Pollock’s “drip painting” technique fi ne art, as it seemed that even a kindergartener could dip a brush into paint and sling it onto a canvas.

I never had another class with Vestina. I under-stand that she fi nished her coursework, successfully completed student teach-

ing, graduated, but never sought employment as a teacher. I think for her the intrinsic pleasure of obtain-ing a colleg e education was the ultimate reward.

Vestina’s lesson – often the best rewards in life come from the inner joy of accomplishment. Her success instilled confi dence in me that I too could be successful.

I was 21 years old when I graduated from LMU in May 1987. The oldest member of our graduat-ing class was a 71-year-old lady named Leafy. I had never heard of her until our graduation, and I wondered why such an elderly person would just be obtaining her bachelor’s degree. Obvious-ly she, too, was fulfi lling a lifelong dream of obtaining a higher education.

Leafy’s lesson is best summed up in the words of a poem I once read: “It’s never too late, ’til the tired heart ceases to palpitate.”

Both Vestina and Leafy served as examples that there never comes an age when a person automati-cally fails to be productive. Anyone can set and attain meaningful goals as long as there is breath in the body and reason in the mind. Ironically, Vestina and Leafy seem younger to me with each passing day.

Next week I’ll share humorous memories of an elderly lady who was also a good friend.

Celebrate! Good news at Tennessee

Marvin West

erybody got at least a pass-ing grade. I propose a raise for Dr. Joe Scogin, senior associate athletics director, assistant provost and di-rector general of Thornton Athletics Student Life Cen-ter (wow, what a title).

The Thornton Center pro-vides academic support and assists with personal and ca-reer development. Numbers and benefi ciaries say Scogin actually makes a difference.

Thirteen years ago, the NCAA concocted an aca-demic progress formula – points for eligibility, re-tention and graduation of student-athletes – to gain a glimpse into whether schools were actually re-quiring players to go to school. I don’t want to know the complicated details but the magic number is a four-year APR of 930.

Above that score are de-grees of OK, good and great. Below brings the threat of

penalties, probation, loss of scholarships and, Heaven help us, even bowl ineligi-bility.

Tennessee football scored 956, up 11 points over last year, up 24 from two years ago and up 32 from three years ago – back when things were bad. Butch Jones gets a $50,000 bonus for 945 or better. He gets $100,000 if academic prog-ress reaches 965. The coach is in charge of motivation. Thirteen of Tennessee’s 18 sports teams scored higher than the national average. Baseball, cross country, combined swimming and diving, combined tennis, women’s basketball and women’s track were among the programs with perfect 1000 APRs for the past aca-demic year.

You may have heard there was a time when college classes meant little or noth-ing to college athletes. It was said that going to school was just something that had to be done to be eligible to practice and play and make normal progress toward profession-al millions.

“Dumb jocks” was a fa-vorite put-down among crit-ics of college sports.

Derogatory comments are out of style, no longer appropriate.

Through the years, Ten-nessee may have had a dumb jock or three. One comes to mind. There have also been academic giants, going back to Everett Der-ryberry and Nathan Dough-erty and moving forward to Vols who earn undergradu-ate degrees and add mas-ter’s within four years.

Derryberry, former half-back, went on to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in English. For 24 years, he was president of Tennessee Tech.

Dougherty, former tack-le, supposedly made A in everything. He is in the Col-lege Football Hall of Fame. He hired Bob Neyland as coach of the Vols. He helped organize the Southeastern Conference. The UT engi-neering building honors the great dean’s name.

Former center Bob John-son, College Hall of Fame, NFL standout, prominent Cincinnati business leader, is a member of the all-time Academic All-America team. That’s as good as it gets. Marvin West invites reader reaction. His

address is westwest6@netzero.com

Last week, I had a pleas-ant surprise.

Pokeweed - a William F. Hudson photograph

Making poke sallet

Bonnie Peters

stems. The tender stems can be cut and cooked with the poke or rolled in meal with salt and pepper and fried. If you choose to fry the stems, be sure to soak them in salt water before frying.

“Look for any bugs that may have taken up resi-dence on the leaves and wash it in two rinse waters. If you have time before your meal, shake some salt on it in the fi rst water. The salt makes the bugs come to the top so you can dispense with them early on.

“Place the clean poke in a pot with plenty of water. Bring it to a boil and cook it until tender – about 30 min-utes would be plenty. Take the poke out of the water (drained) and into an iron skillet. There will be enough liquid left so that it does not burn.

“For an 8-inch skillet of poke I add about two tea-spoons of bacon grease, about a teaspoon of salt and cook it on medium heat while I hold the poke with a fork and cut it with a knife. By the time I fi nish cutting the poke, it will be done and ready to eat. Poke, corn-bread and boiled eggs make a mighty good meal.”

Pokeweed is a perennial, and for those who spin and weave, it’s a nice ornamen-tal with dark purple ber-ries that form in grape-like pods. In olden times the juice of these berries was used as ink and as dye for yarn or linen. Pokeweed is grown from seed, and if you wish to grow a little poke-

weed, save the seed. Other-wise, birds may do the work for you as they feed on the seeds and scatter the plant from their droppings.

I’m told and have read that the root of poke and poke berries are poison. I also have seen people eat one poke berry and tell me it prevented some ailment. I can’t remember what the ailment is.

As information in case a child should happen to eat a poke b erry, symptoms of poisoning are:

A burning sensation in the mouth, salivation, gas-trointestinal cramps, vom-iting and bloody diarrhea. Depending on the amount consumed, more severe symptoms may occur such as anemia, altered heart rate, convulsions and respi-ratory failure.

In some of the folk medi-cine writings, pokeweed is promoted as a dietary supplement to treat mumps, arthritis and various skin conditions. The medical community, of course, does not buy this argument. Na-tive Americans and early settlers used the root in poultices to cure skin dis-eases and rheumatism. Allens, the company that sells those wonderful green beans, also sells canned “poke salet.”

Poke Sallet Festivals are held in Gainesboro, Tenn.; Arab, Ala.; and Blanchard, La., outside of Shreveport. There is also a song by Tony Joe White called “Polk Sal-ad Annie.”

They can’t tell us where they livebut a Microchip can.$15. Microchip Special for the Months of May & June. Call for Appointment.

UNION COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETYPhone: 865-992-7969 www.unioncountyhumanesociety.org

the cooked young leaves of the pokeweed. Sallet comes from our old English heri-tage and refers to a mess (an-other Old English term) of greens cooked until tender.

The term “polk salad” is a gentrifi ed way of referring to poke sallet. It refl ects our inferiority complex when it comes to standing up for our Southern roots. It’s sort of like holler/hollow. Ev-ery time I write holler I feel guilty and think people will think I don’t know any bet-ter. Truth is when we use those old terms we are just being true to our English ancestors who settled here a long time ago.

I have heard that some folks around here might add a little molasses and fatback to the water when they cook their poke sallet, but that is about as exciting to me as stirring jelly in milk/cream gravy. It may taste good, but it sure doesn’t look good. This is the way my mother taught me to cook poke:

“Pick the leaves from the

When my yard buddy came to help me in the yard, he brought a grocery bag of pokeweed, which I just call poke. I cooked the poke and we had it for our lunch. Usu-ally if I see a pokeweed plant

I leave it, thinking if times get hard I may fully appreci-ate it.

A few messes of poke was always on my mother’s menus. The family loved it. My mother taught us that it was OK to eat when it was young and tender; however when pith began to be in the stalk it was time to stop eat-ing the poke that season.

Pokeweed has made its way into a number of his-tory books for very good rea-sons. The term poke sallet is an old Southern term for

Ronnie Mincey

UNION COUNTY Shopper news • MAY 11, 2016 • 5

UNION COUNTY SERVICE GUIDE

cross currentsLynn Pittslpitts48@yahoo.com

Sometimes when I am looking for something else, I stumble across a Biblical text which I have somehow missed (or forgotten).

That is how I discovered the word Mazzaroth. I was wandering around in Job’s frustration, and there it was. Say, what? Who?

So I looked it up (which my mother taught me so well to do: “Let’s look it up,” she always said) and there it is: Mazzaroth! Which, of course, sent me to the foot-notes. No meaningful help there. That is where the all-knowing Internet came to the rescue.

Mazzaroth is a very old name for the 12 constella-tions of the Zodiac; it is a tool that uses the stars to tell a story. Fair enough.

However, there is more learning to be done! The word Mazzaroth is also a hapax legomenon! (Could I possibly make this stuff up?) A hapax legomenon is a word that appears only once in a text.

Really, I worry about the scholars who go through books looking for hapax legomenons. Do they truly have nothing else to do? And then I begin to wonder if legomenons is actually the correct plural form of lego-menon. Turns out, it isn’t; the correct plural is legome-na. (Begins to sound like “Leggo my Egg-o, doesn’t it?)

If you have read thus far in these musings, I suspect you are one of “us” – those people who love to learn, and especially love to learn unusual and very new, or very old words!

Of stars and wordsCan you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the

cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with it s chil-dren? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?

(Job 38:31-33 NRSV)

faith

Alder Springs Church

Loretta Staley shakes hands with the Rev. Jimmy Davidson as

she arrives at the fi rst service held in the new Alder Springs

Missionary Baptist Church.

Hands are raised and tears are shed as the Alder Springs Missionary Baptist Church choir leads the congregation in the last song

in the church’s old sanctuary, built in 1967.

This special display in the new Alder Springs Missionary Bap-

tist Church foyer holds the communion fl ask and glasses from

the original church, built in 1849.

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

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

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

Jay Richardson, 776-2668.

■ Oaks Chapel American Christian Church, 934 Raccoon Valley

Road, will hold revival at the following times and dates: 7 p.m.

Friday, May 20; 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, May 21; 11 a.m. and 6

p.m. Sunday, May 22; 7 p.m. weeknights. Evangelists are the Rev.

Boyd Myers and the Rev. Phil Seaton. Everyone welcome.

Hines Creek Food Pantry brings decades of careBy Cindy Taylor

Once each month the Hines Creek Missionary Baptist Church fellowship hall is fi lled with carts and bags of food to be distrib-uted to those in need in the community.

Church member Irene Sherritze was instrumental in the startup of the church in 1952 and the fi rst food pantry in the mid-1980s. At 88 she continues to be a part of the church ministries and volunteers every month at the food pantry.

“We found out about an opportunity to help the community and got this food pantry started,” said Sherritze. “A revival was held in my old home place and the church started from that meeting. The good Lord did it through me.”

Food for the pantry comes from Second Harvest and Midwest Food Bank. Any money donated to the pantry goes directly to pur-chase food. Any costs are funded by the church.

An 80-year-old neighbor comes each month to pick up food for himself and his wife.

“We are on a fi xed income and can barely make it. This helps us so much,” he said. “My wife made us chicken and dumplings last month from some of the food.”

Volunteers come from across communities and local churches including Union Baptist in May-nardville, Dante, Bethany, Blessed Theresa of Calcutta in Maynardville and others

to volunteer with the min-istry. Emily Beason directs the pantry.

“We didn’t exactly start out as a food pantry,” said Beason. “We had some community members who needed help when they lost their homes to fi re. We pro-vided blankets, clothes and canned food and it devel-oped from there.”

Hines Creek Baptist Church has an average at-tendance of around 70 each Sunday. With more than 200 people making use of the food pantry each month the church serves an amaz-ing number of people for its size.

“Early on in the history of the food pantry there was a resident in the community, Jimbo “Anderson” Caldwell, who lived in a house with no running water or electric-ity,” said Clarissa Sherritze. “We would take him grocer-ies and bring him to church. He was one of the fi rst peo-ple our food pantry served.”

Through the years church members have also built houses for residents and provided transporta-tion to many area children for Sunday school and VBS.

“Volunteering here at the food pantry is much better than just sitting,” said Irene Sherritze.

The Hines Creek Mis-sionary Baptist Church Food Pantry is open at 1 p.m. the fi rst Tuesday of each month. The church is at 1000 Hinds Creek Road in Maynardville. The Rev. Bobby Kitts is pastor.

Irene and Clarissa Sherritze prep food bags for the Hines Creek

Food Pantry.

Food pantry volunteers Emily Beason and Pat Queener load gro-

ceries into the car for a community resident. Photos by Cindy Taylor

SENIOR NOTES ■ Union County Senior Citizens Center

298 Main St.Monday-Friday • 8 a.m.-4 p.m.Info for all seniors groups: Melanie Dykes992-3292/992-0361

Upcoming event: Gala Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, May 13.

Bring a dish to go with barbecue.

■ Plainview SeniorsPlainview City Hall, 1037 Tazewell PikeMeets each fi rst Monday • 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

■ Luttrell SeniorsLuttrell Community Center, 115 Park RoadMeets each third Monday • 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Upcoming event: Barbecue lunch, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Monday, May 16. Entertainment: Tommy White. Bring dish

to share.

■ Sharps Chapel SeniorsSharps Chapel Community Bldg.1550 Sharps Chapel RoadMeets each fi rst and third Wednesday • 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Upcoming event: Fish fry, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday,

May 18. Bring a side dish.

6 • MAY 11, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news kids

By Seth NorrisThe saying “Two is bet-

ter than one” is personifi ed with fraternal twins Alec and Austin Lay.

The juniors at Union County High School are two of the best athletes the Pa-triots have to offer on the basketball court and the baseball fi eld. The two com-plement each other well in both sports.

In the gym, Alec is a pe-rimeter player who is not

afraid to shoot the three, while Austin makes his living down low. The duo helped guide the Patriots to the region tournament for the fi rst time since 2009 on the hardwood this past sea-son. Unsurprisingly, they both averaged just over 11 points a game.

On the diamond, the Lay boys helped lead the Patri-ots to a 20-9 regular sea-son record. Alec was named District 3-AA pitcher of

Twins Austin and Alec Lay are teammates on the basketball

court and the baseball diamond. Photo by S. Norris

Everybody’s talking about the Lay boys

Amanda Sauer and Trey McCoy will be married June 4 at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church with a reception following at the Standard Knoxville.

The bride is the daugh-ter of Dominic and Cindy Sauer of Norris. She is a 2015 graduate of UT and is employed by CUB as a staff accountant.

The groom is the son of Chris and Janet McCoy of Andersonville. He is a 2016 graduate of UT with a sports management and business degree. He is cur-

MILESTONE

Sauer, McCoyto wed

rently a personal trainer and is working at the YMCA.

After a honeymoon to Cancun the couple will reside in Andersonville.

Luttrell Elementary honors Bates, BuckLuttrell Elementary

School principal Sonja Saylor announced that Steva Bates is the school’s Teacher of the Year, and Destinee Buck is staff member of the year.

“Both of these ladies are dedicated and loyal to the students and serve in vari-ous capacities throughout the year,” said Saylor.

Bates is a 5th grade Eng-lish/Language Arts teacher, as well as an after-school tutor, boys basketball coach

and Junior Beta Club spon-sor. Buck is a special educa-tion assistant, bus assistant and girls basketball coach.

Buck Bates

the year, and his catcher, of course, was Austin. Alec was quick to praise the ad-vantage of having his twin behind the plate.

“He knows what pitch I want during certain counts,” said Alec. “We know what each other’s strengths and weaknesses are.”

While they work well as a team, they are also competi-tive with each other.

“I’m jealous of him in baseball, and he’s jealous of me in basketball,” said Austin.

It’s not as cut and dried as that though; it’s not the sibling rivalry that you might expect. When talk-ing to them you get a feel for their contrasting personali-ties on and off the fi eld. The real competitive edge would have to go to Alec.

“I like to leave every-thing out there on the fi eld or court,” said Alec, “I try to give it my all every pitch, ev-ery possession.”

Meanwhile, Austin takes a less serious approach; it’s simple, and something peo-ple sometimes forget to do.

“I like to have fun,” said Austin, “I’m not as com-petitive, and try to have fun

while it’s lasting.”While it’s lasting, the

twins still have another year ahead of them, and look to have even more success. They will be holding each other accountable to do so.

“If we think one of us is slacking, we try to pick him up,” said Alec. “We’re al-ways there for each other.”

You have to wonder if the two will try to continue to play on the same teams in college, but that’s not the case for the Lay boys. Alec, who has already received some offers to play college baseball, plans on living out his dream of being a collegiate baseball player.

Austin on the other hand, wants to “be in charge.” He has already made plans to go to the University of Ten-nessee for education admin-istration and supervision.

“I feel like I’d be a good principal,” said Austin, “I’ve just always wanted to be in charge.”

With this year school year almost at a close, and a senior year around the corner, who knows what success Union County will see from them? But you can be sure they will be pushing each other.

By Shannon CareyThe Union County High

School track team has had a banner year. Thirty students came to tryouts this year, and the girls team had enough members to win meets.

And win they did, com-ing in fi rst at the Central High School meet and sec-ond at Gibbs.

Coaches Aileen Beeler and Kristen Wilson attribute their numbers this season to their challenge to the girls soccer team, which they also coach. They told the girls they would be required to run three miles in under 30 minutes.

Now, six girls are go-ing on to sub-sectionals in Greeneville May 10. If they place fi rst or second, they will progress to sec-tionals at CAK, and then to the state tournament if they qualify. They are Alli-sa Hawk running the mile; Alexandra Moshe in dis-cus; Emma Hickman in the 100- and 200-meter dash-es; Kassidy Knight in the high jump and 400-meter dash; Brittany Hurst in the long jump, triple jump and 300-meter hurdles; and Makayla Henderson in the

Track team sprints through great season

Members of the Union County High School girls track team are

Emma Hickman, Alexandra Moshe, Rebecca Hickman, Brianna

Hurst and Allisa Hawk. Not pictured are Kassidy Knight, Brit-

tany Hurst and Macayla Henderson. Photos by S. Carey

Union County High School track

team member Michael Cox won

best overall at the Big Ridge

State Park Ridgerunner 5k.

long jump and triple jump.The team also had a great

showing at the Big Ridge State Park Ridgerunner 5k, with boys team member Michael Cox winning best overall. Coach Kristen Wil-son was the fastest female runner. Emma Hickman won in the 16-18 age group. Stephanie Padden was sec-ond in the 12-14 age group, and Scarlett Muncey also placed in her age group.

Coaches Wilson and Beeler have also improved the program’s infrastruc-ture, applying for grants from donorschoose.org to get hurdles, relay batons, an equipment wagon and lad-ders for practice.

Head Start accepting applicationsDouglas Cherokee Head Start is accepting applications for

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

UNION COUNTY Shopper news • MAY 11, 2016 • 7

Ashley S. WidnerPlans to attend:

LMUMajor: NursingExtra curricular

activities:Band, HOSA

Mikayla HuxleyPlans to attend:

University of Tennessee

Major: BiologyExtra curricular

activities:Mock Trial, HOSA,

Stem Mentor

Madison M. Booker

Plans to attend: LMU

Major: BiologyExtra curricular

activities:HOSA, Beta Club,

STEM Mentor

Shelby HowardPlans to attend: Pellissippi State

Major: BiochemistryExtra curricular

activities:Student

Government, Beta Club

Orrin WarwickPlans to attend:

ETSUMajor: Engineering

TechExtra curricular

activities:Boy Scouts,

Venturing Crew

Isaac “David” Capps

Plans to attend: Pellissippi

Major: Computer Science

Extra curricular activities:

FFA president

Kadie G. Clevenger

Plans to attend: Roane State

Major: Dental Hygiene

Extra curricular activities:

HOSA, Beta Club, Soccer, Softball

Brianna M. Reynolds

Plans to attend: University of TN at

KnoxvilleMajor: Biological

SciencesExtra curricular

activities:Beta Club,

HOSA, Student government

Hunter L. CollinsPlans to attend:

TN Technological University

Major: Music education and

oboe performanceExtra curricular

activities:TN Wind

Symphony, Beta Club president

Sydney CooperPlans to attend:

Austin-PeayMajor: Radiology

Extra curricular activities:

Beta Club, HOSA, Soccoer, Tennis,

Cheer

Rachel E. PiercePlans to attend: Cleveland State

Community College

Major: NursingExtra curricular

activities:Softball, HOSA,

Beta Club

Breanna M. Dunsmore

Plans to attend: Tusculum College

Major: Dental Hygienist

Extra curricular activities:

Varsity Softball, Beta Club, FCA

Augustus Simpson

Plans to attend: Middle Tennessee

State UniversityMajor: TV & Film

ProductionExtra curricular

activities:Drinking Coff ee,

Playing with cats, Trying to sleep

Tameka ChesneyPlans to attend: UTK

Major: Sociology/Computer Science

Extra curricular activities:

Reading, Hanging out with friends,

Watching cat videos

Sierra WomblePlans to attend: Pellissippi State

Community College

Major: EducationExtra curricular

activities:Tennis, Volleyball,

FCA

Zachary WalkerPlans to attend: East

Tennessee State University

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Extra curricular activities:

Beta Club, UCHS Tennis, Honorary member of the N.

Ingram Society

Reece EdmondsonPlans to attend: UTKMajor: Engineering

Extra curricular activities:Hunting,

Basketball, Soccer

Caleb S. RhodesPlans to attend: Tennessee Tech

UniversityMajor: Pre-Physical

TherapyExtra curricular

activities:Baseball, STEM Mentor, Union County Rescue

Squad

Honor Union County High School’s Top Seniors

&

8 • MAY 11, 2016 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news

THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 22“Snow White and Rose Red,” Knoxville Chil-

dren’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Info/tickets: knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com; info@childrenstheatreknoxville.com; 208-3677.

THROUGH FRIDAY, SEPT. 16Online registration open for the Marine Mud

Run, to be held Saturday, Sept. 17. Individual waves, 8 a.m.; team waves, 11:30 a.m. Course: 3 miles of off-road running, which entails some obstacles, hills and mud pits. Registration deadline: Friday, Sept. 16, or until total registrants reaches 3150. Info/registration: knoxmud.org.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11Computer Workshop: Internet and Email Basics,

2 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Requires “Introducing the Computer’ or equivalent skills. Info/registration: 525-5431.

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

THURSDAY, MAY 12“Getting Your House in Order” seminar, 2-3

p.m.., Physicians Regional Medical Center, 900 East Oak Hill Ave., Emerald Room. Free; registration re-quired. Info/registration: 1-855-TENNOVA (836-6682) or Tennova.com.

“Grow Veggies Anywhere,” 3:15-4:30 p.m., Hu-mana Guidance Center, 4438 Western Ave. Presented by Master Gardener Amy Haun. Free and open to the public. Info: 329-8892.

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

Living with Diabetes: Putting the Pieces To-gether, 2-4:30 p.m., Fountain City Branch Library,

5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681. Union County Family Community and Educa-

tion (FCE) clubs spring luncheon and meeting, 10:30 a.m., Community Baptist Church on Highway 61West. “Music in the Air ... the Musical Heritage of East Tennessee” covered dish luncheon will be hosted by the Big Ridge FCE Club. Guest speaker: Jack Neely, executive director of the Knoxville History Project. Info: Gloria Halcomb, 585-4774.

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

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, MAY 12-13AARP Driver Safety class, noon-4 p.m., Halls Se-

nior Center, 4410 Crippen Road. Registration: 922-0416. Info: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.

FRIDAY, MAY 13Free Movie In The Park at Luttrell Park. Movie

begins at dusk. Bring chairs or blanket. Free Movie Night at Beaver Dam Baptist Church

featuring “Woodlawn,” 7 p.m., third fl oor education building, 4328 E. Emory Road. Free popcorn and drinks. Info: 922-2322.

Gala Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Union County Senior Citi-zens Center, 298 Main St., Maynardville. Bring dish to go with barbecue. Info: 992-3292 or 992-0361.

Halls Middle School Spring Carnival, 4:30-8:30 p.m., 4317 E. Emory Road. Activities include: carnival games, live bluegrass music, basket auctions, silent auc-tion and more. Free admission. Unlimited carnival game wristbands: $5. Food available for purchase: Buddy’s BBQ, Bruster’s, pizza and more.

SATURDAY, MAY 14American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, 4-10

p.m., Fountain City Park. Theme: “Paint Your World Purple.” Activities include: food, games, a silent auction, entertainment and opportunities to support the Ameri-can Cancer Society; survivors and caregivers will be recognized along with a special luminaria ceremony.

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

Spring East Tennessee Plant Swap, 10 a.m., New Harvest Park, 4775 New Harvest Lane. Setup begins 9:45. Potluck lunch 11:30 a.m.; verify potluck and list of food on Swap Forum. Info/rules/link to forum: www.easttnplantswap.com.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 14-15“Tapestry Weaving Basics,” 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.,

Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway. Instructor: Tommye Scanlin. Bring a frame loom and lunch. Info/registration: appalachianarts.net; 494-9854; in person at the Center.

MONDAY, MAY 16Senior lunch, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Luttrell Community

Center, 115 Park Road. Lunch will be barbecue; enter-tainment by Tommy White. All seniors welcome. Bring a dish to share.

Monday Night Book Club: “Women of the Silk,” 6-8 p.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

TUESDAY, MAY 17“Carbs: the good, the bad and the ugly,” 10

a.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 West-ern Ave. Followed by a healthy cooking demo at 11. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

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

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m.,

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

Sharps Chapel Seniors Fish Fry, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Sharps Chapel Community Building, 1550 Sharps Chapel Road. Bring a side dish. Info: 992-3292 or 992-0361.

THURSDAY, MAY 19Plainview 7th District Neighborhood Watch

meeting, 7 p.m., Plainview Community Center. Info: 992-5212.

FRIDAY, MAY 20Shakespeare for Kids, 2 p.m., Fountain City

Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Presented by the Tennessee Stage Company; featuring “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and “King Lear.” Info: 689-2681.

SATURDAY, MAY 21Children’s Festival of Reading, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.,

World’s Fair Park on the Festival Lawn and Amphithe-ater. Kick off celebration for the Knox County Public Library’s summer reading programs. Free admission. Featuring: world-class authors, illustrators, storytellers, musicians and more. Info: knoxlib.org.

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