If anyone thinks that we have lost our sense of civic pride and community spirit in Jellico, they should have been downtown on Saturday, April 3rd.
Several volunteers were collecting money for the "March of Dimes"; our local boy scout troop was having a pancake breakfast to raise money for summer camp; the First Baptist Church Youth Group was washing cars for that same purpose; the Jellico Ministerial Association was sponsoring the Easter display in Veteran's park and preparing for the community "sunrise service"; the Church of God, Mountain Assembly, was presenting its annual Passion Play; a yellow ribbon was placed on the Veterans Monument in honor of our servicemen taken as prisoners-of-war; repairs and painting were being done on structures and residences all over town; and there seemed to be activities of all kinds going on throughout the area.
And that is the type of involvement (and much more) that we will have to have if we are going to make our inaugural "Clean-up, Paint-up, Fix-up Week" of May 3rd - May 8th the success that we want it to be.
We plan to greatly publicize our special week for cleaning-up, painting-up and fixing-up and to attempt to get as much involvement as possible because we feel that it is very important to the future of Jellico.
A few months ago I was contacted by owners of a small factory who were interested in relocating from their present site. I do not know how they decided upon Jellico as a possibility but I believe that they saw the "Jellico Page" on the internet.
But I have felt since that time that one of the real reasons for their decision was the fact that they did not get a very favorable overall impression of our town. And that is something that we will probably have to deal with in such future situations.
People often ask if we are trying to attract jobs in Jellico and I always answer with a resounding YES!!! Interstate 2000 has a great page on the internet that lists many of the advantages available in Jellico (complete with photos). The site is accessible all over this country to industry that may be searching for new areas in which to locate.
We have made numerous contacts and have been contacted on occasion. And we are presently talking with some prospective employers. Making our town look as attractive as possible to prospective employers in extremely important and can provide added incentive to those who are seriously interested in Jellico as a possiblility for future development.
There was a time when small towns like ours could attract garment factories but that option is no longer available to us. Most have now moved out of this country and relocated in Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, etc.
One of the current possiblilities for our city owned building is a machine shop type operation. A newly formed company, "Do-All Manufacturing", has made a written proposal to the City Council and that proposal will be discussed at Thursday night's meeting.
We discussed the television contract extension during a recent workshop and that issue will be discussed again at length before it is placed on the agenda for any action by Council. The monthly rate increase for cable service, expected to be at least $ 2.00 and predicted by some to be as much as $ 7.00, turned out to be 8 cents for basic service and 6 cents for tier programming. Those having both options will have to pay a total of 14 cents increase (the new rates are in effect for one year).
President Bill Clinton has proposed adding 100,000 more police officers around the country. Councilman Jim Dobson has been aggressively searching for grant money to fund additional personnel for our under-staffed police department.
Dobson recently received a telephone call from Washington informing him that his applications (for up to three officers) will be considered carefully since we are located in an economically deprived area.
Congratulations to the Jellico High School band for receiving two (2) "excellent" citations during recent competition at Knoxville Farragut High School.
Those of us who have followed the band's progress since Mr. Terry Rowe was hired as director simply cannot believe how much it has improved during that period.
And Mr. Rowe and the band have the support of a strong band booster's club - a necessity if a band program is to reach it's full potential.
If you have not attended a presentation of "A View of the Cross" at the Church of God, Mountain Assembly, Rev. Jerome Walden Pastor - you have missed a very moving experience.
The Passion Play is directed by Pam Weaver and has a cast of over fifty who do a wonderful job of recreating the life and ministry of Jesus, his trial and crucifixion and his resurrection. The settings give the impressions of realism and make you feel that you are actually in the holy land during the period of Roman occupation.
It is truly outstanding and ranks with any similar presentation to be found anywhere.
The community "sunrise service" was well attended and Rev. Rich Oakwood, Pastor, Church of God, Cleveland Assembly, made a point that we have continuously emphasized - that all churches, groups, organizations and individuals need to work together for the good of everybody in the community.
There were some nice compliments for the Easter display in Veterans' Park. Several called it impressive (especially at night) and one lady said that such a vivid visual representation of the crucifixion scene had great meaning to her.
I want to thank the Jellico Ministerial Association, the First Baptist Church, Jerome and Deborah Smith, Susan Davenport, Mike's Graphics and Screen Painting and everyone who volunteered their labor and materials for the display.
I also want to thank Ronnie Thompson for the suggestion that we place a yellow ribbon/bow on the Veterans' Monument in honor of our young men taken prisoner-of-war. Sandra Allen and Sue Timmins placed the ribbon and we will maintain the reminder until those three unfortunate soldiers are returned to freedom.
Last summer and fall we removed four (4) Sycamore trees from Veterans' Park and replaced them with Bradford Pear trees donated to the city by Pat Lynch Parrott. All four Bradford Pears survived the winter and look very healthy.
We also planted twelve (12) Dogwoods along sidewalks and most, if not all, appear to be in good condition.
So far this spring we have placed six (6) more Dogwoods and two (2) additional waste receptacles (three trees and a receptacle at the Trammell Building replacement and three trees and a receptacle at Rite Aid Pharmacy).
I want to thank Mr. Joe Brown and the Jellico Housing Authority Maintenance Personnel and all involved city employees for their help in getting those trees out early this spring.
And Pat Lynch Parrott says that she hopes to have a truck load of flowering trees and shrubs available during our special week of May 3rd - May 8th. (if she does succeed in obtaning the trees, they will be sold to the public in Veterans' Park).
Mr. Colin McLeod of the Tennessee State Planning Office addressed the Jellico Planning Commission during it's last regular meeting. Mr. McLeod discussed the current situation concerning annexation of areas surrounding a municipality.
We have recently been approached by several residents in non-incorporated areas expressing an interest in being brought into the city of Jellico corporate limits.
Councilmen Bill Barton, Jerry Neal and Jim Dobson attended the meeting to gather information pertaining to regulations and procedures should the city decide to pursue the idea of annexing any out-lying area(s).
Mr. McLeod also reminded us that we must soon find a certified city building inspector which will be no easy task. The State Certification Test emphasizes metropolitan areas and contains questions that are not very relevant to small towns.
Many local residents, including our present building inspector, are very capable of performing the job but must now successfully complete the test to be eligible to hold the position.
We hope to soon announce a prospective date for an "open house" at the new Trammell Building replacement but we are not yet prepared to do so.
Some have suggested that we have it on Saturday, May 1st or Sunday, May 2nd (afternoon) and use it as a "kickoff" for our "Clean-up, Paint-up, Fix-up Week" that starts May 3rd. But there is doubt that we can be ready by that time.
Others have suggested that we have some entertainment in conjuntion with the open house (possibly in Veterans' Park) and that might be possible.
My article last week pertaining to the new truck that will be purchased by the Utilities Department elicited several comments.
Mr. Ray Rogers who formerly served as a mechanic for the Utilities Department, says that the truck was worn out and actually needed replacing long before the decision to purchase a new vehicle.
I often mention Jellico natives who have made outstanding contributions and this week I would like to remind everyone that Homer Rodeheaver was reared in Newcomb and Jellico. Rodeheaver later gained fame as a singer, gospel song writer, music publisher and founder of a home for orphaned and abandoned children in Florida.
His most noteworthy accomplishment was serving as song director for the legendary evangelist, Billy Sunday, and leading countless millions of people all around the world in singing hymms. And that was in the day before any type of electronic sound amplification.
Rodeheaver won the gratitude of the President and Congress during World War I when he toured military outposts - entertaining the troops by singing and playing his famous trombone (his nephew and namesake who also grew up in Jellico, became a hero in World War II when the plane he was piloting was shot down over Germany. He was highly decorated posthumously and our local Disney-Rodeheaver Veterans of Foreign Wars Post bears his name).
Rodeheaver's best known compostion was "Brighten the Corner Where You Are" which was still sung in local churches when I was a child. However he had either written, pubished or owned the rights to numerous hymns including "The Old Rugged Cross" and many eternally popular gospel songs. His music publishing company in Illinois was later sold to a publishing conglomerate in New York City.
I fully realized the tremendous impact that Homer Rodeheaver had made in the field of gospel music a few years ago when I visited my old classmate, Alex Abrams, in Los Angeles, California. I went to church with Alex and his wife and the first congregational song that we sang that night bore the name Homer Rodeheaver of Jellico.
I often mention some of the compliments that I receive for doing this column and I greatly appeciate all of them.
A girl working the counter at a local outlet says that a couple of individuals jokingly asked for their quarter back when they purchased a copy of the paper during the time that I had the flu and missed printing my weekly comments.
One gentleman told me that he had not read a Jellico Advance-Sentinel in several months but now picks up a copy every week to learn what is going on in Jellico.
But the supreme compliment may have come from Mr. Harold "Doc" Barton. According to George Hackler, Sr., Mr. Barton recently referred to me by saying that "some people have brains and know how to put words down on paper".
And that coming from a gentleman dubbed "the backwoods Walt Whitman" by no less an authority than the late Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Don Whitehead.
It just doesn't get much better than that!!!
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