WOW! What a fine Fall Fest starting with the great weather we had both Friday and Saturday. (Tourism Director Jake Bennett who started the Fest and does such a great job in organizing and conducting the activity is improving in the meteorological aspects of the thing as well.)
As soon as our Boston kids got back to school on Friday afternoon from spending several hours at the activity, they made a mad rush to tell me all about what they had seen and done. And they made it a point to inform me that Jenny had been the lady they saw milking the cow. I didn't tell them but she should be good at it with all the experience she had milking them when she was growing up. (And maybe I will now quit kidding about buying a cow and go ahead and get her one this year for Christmas. I'm sure that she would really like that and it will save a lot of mowing around the house as well!) But our kids were greatly disappointed that they didn't get to see molasses making since they were not made until Saturday.. But there were a lot of kids in Veterans Park on Saturday and especially that evening who did get to witness that process.
(I hear that the kids at Jellico Elementary School enjoyed it just as much as our Boston Elementary kids did and that's great. Marvin Douglas said he talked to one little girl from JES that called it the "best field trip that she had ever been on". As I keep emphasizing, Jake's idea for the Fest has the potential of growing into something extra special for our town if we all support it - and that support needs to include our local schools. And our sincere thanks to the teachers and other staff members who brought their students to the Fest this year!)
The Journal Leader newspaper publisher Mike Siwinski was there doing a complete coverage including photos that will be in the Friday, October 8th addition of that paper - and there may have been other reporters there although I did not see or talk with them. But just a very few items of great interest included the great guitar pickin' by Ray Cummins that was as good as advertised; the most popular music that we have ever had in "Klassyc Tymes; Mrs. Irene Shell, 94 years young and busily churning butter, Brenda Daynocker (not sure of spelling) who came down from Cincinnati to visit her folks so she could participate in some of our events - and boy did she participate. (She won the ice cream eating contest and later did a pretty good bebop to the great music of the '50's and '60's.); Preston Thomas who ate an entire pie in 2 ½ minutes to win one pie eating contest - but who in some ways was topped by Frank Vanover who too was almost finished with his pie when Preston finished just ahead of him.. (Not to be outdone, Frank immediately entered the ice cream eating contest where he gave Brenda a run for her money in putting away a massive amount of cream.) And I thought that it was very indicative of the way the event is growing when I was informed by one family that they now plan their annual family reunion to coincide with our Fest. This year they had folks even from as far away as Union City, Tennessee near Memphis and only a short distance from banks the Mississippi River.
The Journal Leader is distributed from Clinton, Tennessee to Somerset, Kentucky including several locations in Jellico. (Ray's Superior Market that always furnishes cold drinks for those working our activities, stocks a large supply of that newspaper). I recommend everyone get a copy since it is expected to have photos of many of the activities including the jet flyover that so absolutely mesmerized everyone all over town and all over our area.. Lt. Col. Cuel's parents were present and we were able to introduce them to the crowd just before the planes were scheduled to arrive and they received a great round of applause.
Col. Cuel, the highly decorated pilot for his actions in Iraq that saved a contingent of Marines for death or capture, had told me that the flight would take place at exactly 6:30 PM.. And in the keeping with the finest traditions of the U. S. Air Force, it was almost to the second when we first heard the incoming aircraft which was the signal for Jake to start the music with "Stars and Stripes Forever"! It was a very moving moment as the planes roared overhead and one that most of us will never forget. The pride was so evident that it almost jumped out of folks - and folks of all ages were waving as hard as they could - whether the pilots could see them or not. As one lady told me, "I have always been so proud and thankful to be an American and something like this just makes me swell up with pride.." I saw numerous moist eyes when the fly over was concluded and over two hours later, Jerry Walker told me that he still had a large lump in his throat as many of us did.. I just hope that the huge number of kids in the park at that time understand and appreciate its significance as well! God forbid but some of them too may be called upon in the future to help defend our country.
Our sincere thanks to Col. Cuel and to the second pilot whose name I failed to record and knowing my memory…! But we certainly thank them both for making our day and our Fest!
As the recent Knoxville News-Sentinel article accurately reported, it seems that Jellico now has something going on in the downtown almost every weekend.
And I understand this Saturday, October 8th will see the long anticipated opening of the new coffee shop, "A Common Ground", on North Main Street. 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.. I hope that folks will stop by and welcome a new business to our downtown. (I assume that the entrance to the shop will be from Broad Street as it is for the "40 Days and 40 Nights Youth Center" and possibly some other businesses. But there has been little if any problems of which I am aware in entering from that street rather than from Main Street.)
Those opening the new shop will also sponsor a "Kids Show" on the stage at 4:00 PM followed by pig roast at 6:00 PM and bluegrass music at 7:00 PM.. Another interesting Saturday in Jellico.
The following Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be Jellico High Homecoming that is actually a Jellico Homecoming as well. Jellico High and the Jellico High Alumni will conduct the annual JHS Homecoming as we know it now that started in 1986. (October 14th and 15th with some local churches having special services/revivals that weekend to coincide.)
Out of town readers who take this column from the Internet can obtain information concerning HC 2005 at www.jellico.com~jhsalumniinfo/ or www.jellico.com/jellico/jellico.htm and then scroll down to link Jellico High School Alumni Association.
I reported in my last notes that Robert McGhee has offered the piano to the Museum of Local History planned by the Bucks, that is believed to have been used by Homer Rodeheaver during the years that he was writing so many gospel hymns that once were sung all over the world.
Now Jake Bennett tells me that a lady in Lafollette may have Grace Moore's piano and that she is also willing to donate it. That would sure add to any collection of artifacts. (I remember the Grace Moore home back into the mid-1940's when the Hugh Vaughn family lived there and so many tourists then traveling on Highway US-25 W in the days before interstate highways, were always stopping and asking to see where Moore grew up. Later it was utilized as a funeral home.
Many of our present day folks do not realize the fame that Moore and Rodeheaver enjoyed. But it was immense! In fact we once received a telegram at some town function from Richard Nixon who later became President of the United States, citing the fact that a small town like Jellico had produced two of our country's very finest talents in Moore and Rodeheaver. And I have heard that Moore was one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's favorite entertainers.
(The Internet Website for Grace Moore reported that Elvis Presley became a great fan of Grace Moore when he listened to her national radio show as a small boy in Mississippi. In fact some of his friends reportedly insisted that he later named his Memphis home, Graceland, in her honor. I don't know for sure that that story has ever been confirmed but I can relate first hand that the folks in New York City had not forgotten her the last time I was there. Just the mention of her name immediately stimulated conversation.)
The Jellico High Homecoming almost always sees a member of the Frost family making his annual return to our area at about the same time- Jack Frost.. Most national weather services indicate that East Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky have the first "freeze frost" during the period October 7th and October 21st depending on both the air temperature and the ground temperature. I have heard - but have never seen any documented data - that we average having our first big frost around October 15th, which happens to coincide perfectly with this year's homecoming.
Let's just hope the present good weather continues through October 15th because there's nothing like a bright sunny autumn day with just a little chill in the air to go along with the changing leaf colors to really put one in the homecoming mood..
Unfortunately it's time for another annual phenomenon that can aggravate folks mightily who are trying to work outside in their yards, take walks, etc.. Yellow Jackets are out in force and I can sure attest to that fact. The other afternoon I was walking and happened to step on one of the hard to see holes that they use to enter and exit their underground nests. Unfortunately I was wearing long pants and four or five happened to get under one of my pants legs - a situation that neither of us liked one little bit. And they quickly made me aware of their feelings. Their stings brought on major slapping of my leg and dancing a' plenty. I had swollen areas on my legs for two or three days including one right on top of my knee cap that was aggravating to say the least..
I hope somebody didn't see me doing my dance! It brought back memories of one summer at Camp Shelby, Mississippi during our annual military training when one of the guys in our outfit had a colony of fire ants to move into his pants while he was asleep. When he put them on very early the next morning, everyone in the outfit thought that we had suddenly come under a terrorist attack. (And those aggravating rascal ants are slowly moving into our area as well.)
One of the funniest scenes I ever saw that had the potential to have really been dangerous, happened one day many years ago near the shore of Norris Lake when a man on a rider mower was busily mowing grass and giving no thought to insects. But he apparently ran right over a nest of the yellow ones and they instantly began swarming him. He was only a few feet from the water's edge and headed straight in that direction. He just kept going until the mower plunged over the bank and the motor drowned out. He ended up having to swim out and I never did know what happened to the mower. But I am sure that he saved himself from a lot more agony.
The UT vs. Kentucky football game is the annual "border war" but the UT vs. Georgia game is our "family feud". As I have written before, both my daughter Kasee and my son-in-law took their doctorates from the University of Georgia.. And my granddaughter is named Georgia.
Recently Kasee was named Associate Director of Study Abroad at UGA, cited by U.S. News and World Report as the 19th top ranked public university in America.. Understandably they will all be pulling for the Dawgs. But as a hard core UT man, it's still going to be hard for me to tolerate my granddaughter wearing that bulldog mascot "Uga" on her T-shirts.
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