Want to see something really interesting? Then be in Veterans Park this Friday afternoon (Sept. 6) at 3:00 PM. This is the weekend for the Eastern Rock Crawling Championship (competition at White Oak on Saturday and Sunday). And some of the participants will put on an exhibition at that time Friday for the residents of Jellico to give them an idea of what takes place. Large boulders have been placed in the grassy area behind the fence where some of the competitors will demonstrate what climbing over such obstacles entails. If you have never attended the competition or viewed video tapes of the event that are sometimes run on national televison, it is truly hard to envision a motorized vehicle the size of a jeep actually climbing over the boulders. The jeeps sometimles turn over but they are designed to withstand such mishaps and it makes for some good entertainment. And it is certainly something different and it is becoming very popular!
Wednesday, September 11, 2001 has been etched into our memories so strongly that few of us can ever forget that date. The scenes and sounds of that holocaust occurring right within our own country shocked us all in a way that most of us could never have believed possible.
Radio station WJJT spontaneously sponsored a candlelight vigil in Veterans Park to pray for this nation since no one knew at that time just exactly what dangers we faced. The service was called one morning for that very evening and although there was very little advance notice, a large crowd still gathered together for that purpose. No program had been planned and the prayers, singing of patriotic songs and hymns and comments from various individuals were all done with no prior preparation of any kind I was asked on the spur of the moment to start the program and to keep the participation moving and I was glad to do so. And it turned out to be a very moving experience.
But the second candlelight service scheduled for next Wednesday, September 11th (8:30 PM) also sponsored by the WJJT staff has been given extensive publicity. And Betty Douglas has had time to do some planning for the program. Weather permitting, patriotic music will be played from 6:30 PM until the start of the service. Tom Barclay will open the service with "God Bless America" followed by prayer by Rev. Ellis Hoskins. Pastor of the Crouches Creek Baptist Church. Rev. Hoskins will also comment on 9/11 and the events of the past year. Carlos "Carbide" Warman is expected to sing "God Bless the USA" and lead the congregational singing. (We ended the first service with the entire crowd joining in singing "Amazing Grace" and that is always an appropriate selection - with or without music.)
Although there will be some organized program, Douglas also says that she wants it to still remain somewhat like the successful first service - allowing for as much spontaneous involvement as possible!
Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend this very special event. Wear red, white and blue! Carry an American flag if you like but be sure to bring a candle And pray for good weather!
I have been asked several times since 9/11 if any provisions have been made for dealing with any potential tragedy in our town and area - very unlikely acts of terrorism such as the intentional pollution of our water supply; accidental occurrences such as explosions of gas facilities, etc., and/or natural disasters such as tornadoes. The national office for "home land defense" has instituted a program that includes all states and all governmental entities. Directors for such defense have been named and plans are being developed. Our city council selected George Deul for that job since. George has had extensive training and experience in fighting all types of fires, doing rescue work and dispatching of emergency personnel and vehicles. He is the ideal person locally for taking on that responsibility and George has been working hard to carry out that task. (Progress on our "reponse plan" will be printed in my next article.)
Plans also seem to be falling into place very well for our first "Old Fashioned Fall Fest" (October 4,5) and it too is certainly being well advertised. Jake Bennett has traveled to virtually every surrounding community to talk to folks about the event and has passed out and posted literally hundreds of circulars. Announcements have been sent to all local media and placed on the internet And I have announced it in these articles for several weeks. But the best publicity comes by "word of mouth" and everyone is asked to tell their family, friends and neighbors - and especially out-of-town folks. As I stated in my last article, Jake's idea of a "Fall Fest" has the potential to develop into something truly outstanding for our town. And we want this first attempt to get off to a good start. .Mike Ross, developer of "Rarity Mountain", was very pleased to learn of the planned Fest and - he like us - hopes that it will be a success and develop into an annual affair. He ,committed to place an appropriate recognition of some type in his building on South Main Street that he plans to restore. Wanda Perkins, Director of Mountain Womens' Exchange and a member of the Tourism Commission, has indicated that that organization will create a display for the front lawn of the MWE which will be visible to a section of our downtown as well as Fifth Street.
I earlier announced that Mike Neely plans to have a display in Bill's Barber Shop. Russell Edwards has been contacted and asked to have some type of exhibit in the old Mary's Kitchen. Other businesses have - or will be - contacted with that same request It would be great if every business, building and residence would have some type of "old timey" display for their front windows and/or front lawns.
Color photos of the beautiful new white horse-drawn carriage with equally dazzling red upholstery belonging to the Hackler family that will be utilized during the Fest, will be posted on our new Jellico website to help publicize the event. Additionally the Hacklers have many "old time" wares that they plan to display. (Another lady has also told me that she may bring some verey old relics that she possesses).
Sarah Fredricks and Janie Lawson will get involved along with students in their adult arts and crafts class. The Crazy Quilt Friendship Center also plans to participate and may even make bonnets to sell. There should be a market for them! (I hope that a lot of the ladies will purchase one. We need a lot of bonnets in the crowd for those two days.) And Della Hoskins and her basket weaving and other classes have been invited and it is hoped they can be present to demonstrate their skills.
And don't forget that Allay Faye Rutherford will put on horseshoe pitching exhibitions. (She once threw an unbelieveable 21 out of 22 ringers in winning a state horseshoe pitching championship.)
But more exhibitors, craftsmen, vendors, etc. are needed. Call Jake at the Tourism Office 784-3275.
Not only for the sake of the "Fall Fest" but for a nostalgia trip, I am hoping that John Mays, CEO of Barton-Carey Medical Products on Fifth Street, will bring out an artifact that he possesses. John has the actual water fountain that sat for so many years in the very center of town next to our main traffic light. One can only imagine how many folks drank from that fountain - green moss and all - over that long period of time. The green moss that was almost always present in the bowl of the fountain never seemed to bother anybody and we killed our thirst at that oasis on many, many hot days. There was also an identical fountain in front of the old First National Bank bui1ding (now Netlink 2000, Inc.). But it is that center of town fountain that most of us remember - since it was so conveniently located for the large crowds of shoppers that we had in the days prior to the closing of our area coal mines. Health concerns eventually forced the city of Jellico to remove both fountains but some of us still miss them. In fact I can still see the one fountain as clearly in my memory as if it were still sitting there with a stream of water up through a pipe in the center and raising about six inches into the air. (John earlier mentioned that he might be able to run a hose up through the center and create that effect one more time. That would really bring back some memories for a lot of us.)
Reverend Ozell Bunch, Pastor of the Church of God, South Main Street and that church will sponsor an "Autumn Gathering" during the week of October 12-18. Over 600 families are being invited including the very top echelon of church officials of that very large assembly numbering several million members with its national headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee. The National General Overseer, the Tennessee State Overseer and the National Youth Overseer are expected to make speaking appearences in Jellico during that very special time.
We will make the facilities and services of our city and our tourism office available to them. The Church of God, Mountain Assembly, has shown us the impact that so many visitors to our town can have over the span of several days. (Rev. Bunch estimates that we could have as many as 1,000 visit with us.)
If we continue to attract people to our oowntown, our present businesses in that area will possibly benefit and we will hopefully eventually see new businesses beginning to open. But we need activities taking place on a regular basis. And Councilman Jeff Brown has an idea for one such weekly attraction that we hope to start next spring. But details must still be worked out before that time. And we also need to start organizing and publicizing our farmers' market/open air market very early next spring before growers and vendors commit themselves to similar markets in other areas.
The work that is winding up on both our 2001-2002 city budget and our 2002-2003 budget comes as a great relief. With four new members of council, the elimination of the position of city administrator and the resignation of both the city recorder and the assistant city recorder, an awful lot of previous city business, income and expenditures had to be reviewed which took time. Numerous meetings and down right hard work were required before those two documents could be completed. We spent many evenings in budget hearings as we anxiously awaited the results of the state budget process in Nashville. And we agonized over the fact that we faced very large increases in insurance rates, purchasing badly needed new police cars and other major expenditures. We were already behind the date when budgets should have already been approved and we have had to operate on a continuing resolution due to the uncertainty of the fiscal situation.
But we were fortunate that we were able to hire Linda Meadors who has had extensive business training and experience, as our new city recorder. And we were equally fortunate that Betty Hurst, our former city recorder with her knowledge of city business including applicable rules and regulations, was willing to come back and help us with making the transition. And they have both worked!!!
The 200 1-2002 budget has now been closed out with adjustments where required and is ready for independent audit. And we have had our first reading of the proposed 2002-2003 budget. Hopefully we will hold a second public hearing and vote to approve on second reading at our regular monthly meeting this month. The really good news is that we were able to fund the increased cost of insurance, new police cars and provide for some other needed services. And we were able to do so without a tax increase of any kind We cut expenditures where we felt that we could without eliminating essential services and we voted to utilize some money from our reserve fund balance should that be required.
But that may not even be necessary. We purposely underestimated incoming revenues as a precaution against the further slowing of the national and state economies. But if that does not happen, then our revenue alone will possibly meet our projected revenues. But in either eventuality, we still have sufficient assets in reserve to more than meet the state recommended minimum of "rainy day" funds.
My sincere thanks to members of council who worked out so many situations that looked almost hopeless and to Linda and Betty for their untiring efforts and a job very well oone I
When I joined the staff of then head football coach Bill Battle at the University of Tennessee in 1972 as a graduate administrative assistant, I was joined by several young fellows still in school or just out of college. They were a very bright and energetic bunch and it was evident that they were going to be very successful in the sports field One was Phil Fulmer, now the coach at UT, and another was Gene "Geno" DeFilippo who presently serves as atheletic director of Boston College. Geno and I recently talked by phone for some time and he was shocked to learn that we both work for the Boston Eagles (how's that for coincidence). And he was even more surprised that I work in Kentucky - based on the rivalry that we experienced in those days. (He served as an assistant atheletic director at UK for some time after leaving TEnnessee but we didn't go into that fact. But he loved UK and loved the bluegrass. He just had too great an opportunity to pass up when offered the position of AD at a major school like Boston College). Geno is highly intellegent, experienceed and capable of serving as atheletic director at any university. I just hope that it will be Tennessee although I am sure that he is happy at BC. But he would be ideal at UT!
John Clifton
Mayor, City of Jellico
City of Jellico now online: www.jellico.tn.us
E-mail John Clifton at mayor@jellico.tn.us