Last week's article contained some misprints and omissions that I want to correct. A couple were made in transferring the column from my original faxed manuscript to the word processor by the Jellico Advance-Sentinel. And some were errors due to the illegibility of notes that I had scribbled in the margins and those were my responsibility. We all make mistakes and I just want to correct those for sake of the record.
One section stated that, "The Utilities Department has given me an up-date on our Y2K preparations. According to Director John Leach, all computers are now Y2K ready with the exception of one and it should soon be converted. Neither our local utilities nor the Tennessee Valley Authority forsee any problems at all on the night of December 31st. But the TVA will have most of it's employees on duty or standby as a precaution."
Left out was the next sentence which read, "And Leach says that he will assign people to the sub-station and our water purification plant as an added precaution". (I have had several to ask why the Utilities Department didn't take that action. But it is planned and has been planned for some time.)
The section discussing the City Administrator's position printed virtually an entire paragraph twice but that did not affect the meaning of the material and was no problem. But the point I was attempting to make was lost when a line that was to have read, "A salaried mayor's position should attract qualified and capable candidates and put us on an equal footing with other towns that have long had a full time person" was printed as, "A salaried mayor's position should attract other towns that have long had a full time person". That statement apparently confused at least one interested individual who questioned what I meant.
My scribbled notes led to "McCombs Supply Company" being listed as "Combs Supply Company" and the misspelling of the name of veteran Francis "Tip" Harp. I also erroneously listed the web site for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture that lists local farmers with Christmas trees for sale. It should have read www.picktnproducts.org (in case anyone tried to access the site and could not do so).
Our annual lighting of the Christmas tree/Christmas decorations was an enjoyable time and we had as many to observe from their vehicles as we had present for the short program.
David Melton, Chaplain at the Jellico Community Hospital, spoke to the audience concerning the relevance of the lighting and the observance of the Christmas season. Sue Kepler provided the Christmas music and Tourism member Faye Begluitti, Eva Dolcini, and Betty Vermilllion served hot cider to those in attendance.
Representing the city of Jellico in addition to Begluitti, were Councilman and Tourism Chairman Alvin Evans; Councilman Jim Dobson; Tourism Director Mrs. Joann Watts, and City Attorney Jeff Hall, who along with his wife Beverly, made the trip from Jacksboro to be present for the event. I had the honor of flipping the switch for the lighting that kicks off our Christmas activities.
In the words of Campbell County Commissioner Carl W. Baird who also came for the lighting, "It was a very nice ceremony and the quality was certainly there."
As I said in my welcoming remarks (and in last week's column) such activities can help to rebuild the strong community spirit that we once enjoyed in Jellico.
The rains that fell during the Thanksgiving holiday certainly were welcome. Not only did the rains stop the outbreak of forest fires and greatly decrease the potential for additional fires, but they also added fresh water to our public water supply. I reported on several occasions that we did have enough water to preclude restrictions upon usage for the forseeable future. However the falling level of water in the large pond that is the main source of our water would have entually forced a great amount of additional treatment and that is something that we wanted to avoid. And thanks to the rains, we will not need to take that action.
But we can still use more rainfall and more was forecast when this article was being prepared. I hope that it came as predicted.
I have talked with Engineer Jim Phillips of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and also Mark Best, Operations Specialist with the construction of the new Rocky Top/Wendy's. Traffic leaving that business place must turn toward Jellico and then virtually u-turn to head back toward the interstate while avoiding crossing the short section of the median strip. It is a dangerous situation and one that has concerned me greatly for the past several weeks. I had much earlier requested TDOT to take corrective action.
Mr. Best has informed me that the median strip is located within the city limits of Jellico and is our responsibility. However he will forward me information about applying for "operational safety" money that would enable the city of Jellico to contract with a private firm for the removal of the short section. The money would be federally supplied and we would of course need to abide by all regulations concerning the expenditure of the funds. I plan to proceed immediately with a grant application after receipt of the application blank and hopefully we can obtain the funds and get on with calling for bids and letting a contract for the removal of the barrier before we have an accident in that area.
I earlier wrote about the problems we are having with the big sycamores in Veterans Park due to the large leaves constantly blowing on to the North Main Street sidewalk. It creates a constant struggle for our merchants and our city workers to keep that area anything like clear of all the leaves.
We have removed some of the sycamores and replaced them with other shade trees and we have trimmed all of the larger trees to a great extent. But Councilman Alvin Evans, Chairman of the Council's Parks and Recreation Committee, has informed me that a big sycamore needs to be removed sometime this winter. According to Evans and city employees, that tree is shading the evergreen tree that we decorate at Christmas time and a young oak tree growing nearby - retarding the growth of both. And the roots of the large sycamore are now growing above ground and breaking up the walkway in that area.
We will remove that tree sometime within the next few weeks but we will have to be careful when removing additional sycamores to be sure that we do leave enough shade for the Fourth of July and other summer activities in the park. But eventually we hope to replace them all with other types of shade trees.
Since last week's article, several more business places and building owners have decorated and I appreciate everyone that has. And there may be others who still plan to do so. (I talked with Mr. Russell Edwards just before this column was mailed and he indicated that he hoped to do something in the way of decorating the old "Mary's Kitchen").
Businesses not listed last week but who have decorated during the past several days include Llewellyn's Furniture Store; Creekmore's IGA Grocery Store; the United States Post Office; and Jellico New and Used Furniture. Doing interior decorations/window displays were Sue's Flowers; Family Drug Store; Bill's Dollar Store; Rite Aid Drug Store; Jellico Video; Jellico Drug Store; Jellico Ford; and the Campbell County Deputy Court Clerk's office. Some have done both the interior and exterior of their buildings and the efforts are greatly appreciated. (McCcomb Supply has decorated a Christmas tree in front of that building since last week). I do not intend to leave off anyone so if your business has been decorated and I have not given credit, please call and let me know so that I can include it in this column. And I also want to point out that some of the businesses near the interstate have added decorations too.
I have had compliment after compliment concerning our lights in the downtown area this year and there has been a clear increase in the number of vehicles driving through town to look at the decorations. One very appreciative lady said that it looks like we are going to try to create a "mini-Gatlinburg" in the future. And that's not a bad idea. I hope that we eventually reach the point where people will want to come to town to see the lights and to do their Christmas shopping here. That would certainly be a boost to our local businesses.
The cooperation that we have received from our business operators/building owners for this first year clearly demonstrates what we can accomplish with even more involvement in future years. I am still hopeful that we can establish a Merchant's Association and develop many ideas that will increase the number of potential customers who visit Jellico and do their shopping here.
This Sunday's parade promises to be a large one. When I last talked with Tourism Director Joann Watts on December 1, approximately seventy-five units had been entered. More participation is welcome and the Tourism Committee is especially desirous of adding more antique vehicles. But they need confirmation of participation at the earliest possible time so that the "Order of March" can be finalized.
The popularity of Ken Schwall's special feature, "Schwall's World" on Channel-10 should attract a very good crowd for the parade if we enjoy good weather that day. (A reminder for units to begin lining up at 1:30 PM with the parade moving out at 2:30 PM).
I also want to remind everyone that our "Christmas Downtown" activities are scheduled for Thursday, December 16th, Friday, December 17th and Saturday, December 18th. Hours will be 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. (Singing and live nativity scenes). The city of Jellico cannot officially sponsor or sanction such events (Mike's Graphics is preparing, donating and placing the "disclaimer" sign in the park to point out that fact and meet the requirements of the law. That is the same procedure that we followed when we conducted "Christmas in the Park" at Indian Mountain State Park). But community groups can sponsor them and utilize city property and I am glad that they are doing so. Any religious faith can sponsor activities under the same requisites.
Some hish schools are so determined to erect stationary nativity scenes that they are labeling them "historic" in nature and I am glad that they are finding a way to continue that long standing practice. The nativity certainly is historic. However it means a great deal more than that to the vast majority of our local citizens).
It seems ironic that our country was founded due to a search for religious freedom but we now cannot officially endorse anything of a religious nature. Presenting and attending such community activities is one way that our citizens can peacefully and clearly demonstrate their disagreement with that national policy. And I hope that those activities do have a large number of participants and very good attendance.
Jenny Bowlin is the community contact person for those activities and can be reached at 784-6212.
I am still hopeful that we can get the blacktopping done in the Veterans Park Annex parking lot (area directly in front of the stage) before December 15th. Blacktopping of that area would certainly improve that situation by eliminating a muddy surface in case of rain or snow. And it would also greatly expand the capacity for vehicle parking - a badly needed long term investment in the downtown.
More parking will certainly be required if we are successful next spring with our attempt to create a Citizen/Farmers Market in that area.
Something that is often mentioned to me and someting that I believe should be done, is the erection of a large sign by the Campbell County Board of Education pointing out the location of Jellico High School. People in the downtown area often aske directions to the school although the visitors have exited from the interstate and passed by High School Loop without ever seeing the street sign.
And the fact that one road (between the Crouches Creek Baptist Church and Rocky Top Market) leads only to the rear of the building is confusing even to local residents.
Erecting such a sign (actually two are needed) would be relatively inexpensive and something that could reduce the amount of confusion as to the location of the school and the correct access route to the building entrance.
Some have asked me how I know the number of "hits" (accesses) that this column receives on the internet. Internet users are aware that a counter is visible at the bottom of the monitor screen that maintains a running total. Mrs. Lisa Casey of Interstate 2000 also occasionally furnishes me with a weekly print-out sheet that gives me the total number of hits within the United States and also those from outside this country. Additionally it provides a breakdown of hits during the week in each of the fifty states and foreign countries.
(The exploding technology will never cease to amaze me!!! Some states are now making voting by internet legal within their boundaries. Those who do not have a computer on line available to them at home or at work can go to special areas where computers will be set up for that purpose.
The idea is to make voting so easy that it can be accomplished within a few seconds without having to leave home or the workplace. There certainly will be no waiting lines and it should greatly increase the percentage of voters who actually participate in elections).
Of course many readers still take this column directly from this paper. I recently received a letter from one such subscriber - Mr. H.O. Gilbert of 443 Lakeshore Drive, Stockbridge, Georgia, 30281. Mr. Gilbert says that he lived in Jellico before being drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He stated that he managed the old Gay Theatre on North Main Street prior to that time but did not get his job back following his return to Jellico upon conclusion of that war. After leaving Jellico, he continued in the motion picture theatre business and recently retired from one of our nation's largest theatre chains. He mentioned that he knew my father, Clyde Clifton, Reverend Gene Miller and also Clifford Douglas (I am not sure if he was referring to the retired educator or the late Clifford Douglas who lived on Crouches Creek and was an excellent mechanic.)
But his main reason for writing me was to compliment all of the improvements that he observed during a visit to Jellico in July. He is an amateur entertainer and once was a soloist in our Methodist Church. He was greatly impressed with our downtown stage. He concluded by saying, "It is good that you are trying to get Jellico back on it's feet".
A portion of a business letter from a former resident that I extracted and did not have a chance to ask permission to name, stated, "Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you on the outstanding job you are doing with the promotion and growth of the city of Jellico. I have noticed many positive changes in the city when I visit, and my family are all very happy with the progress you are making. Being from Jellico I am proud of what it is becoming".
My old classmate, Stan Douglas , has attended every Jellico High School homecoming except one (he missed homecoming '98 due to a hurricane that damaged his home so homecoming '99 was his first trip to Jellico in two years. He was "shocked" to see the improvements that had occurred during those two years).
Stan recently e-mailed me from Pensacola, Florida to tell me that, "I enjoy your column. When I finish reading (from the internet) I find myself wishing that it were Wednesday already. I think you have done a wonderful job as mayor of Jellico."
He posed the question, "I often wonder if we had someone as aggressive as you when growing up, where would I be today?" He then answered his own question by saying, "In Jellico, as I miss the little city and the mountains. After July 31, 2000 I will visiting Jellico often and for long periods of time."
Mr. Johnny Walker called last week from Loveland, Ohio. A veteran himself, he has been following the list of veterans in this column each week and wanted to add the names of Herbert Housley, Ray Henegar, Harold Wible, Harold Henegar, Wilbur Proffitt, Joseph Proffitt, Lawrence Proffitt (listed in an earlier column) and Bill Proffitt Jr. (I also had a call from Sue Thomas to add the names of Charles Edward Creekmore, Everett Eugene Creekmore, and Dennis H. Creekmore. Mrs. Jean Nayles furnished the names J.B. Nayles, Harrison Smith, and Jackie Thomas. And I want to add the name of Joe Douglas also. Joe is a veteran of World War II and is a regular at our Friday and Saturday night activities. As I stated in this column last week, I have never written anything to receive such a favorable acceptance as the veterans lists).
I occasionally reprint some of the correspondence, telephone calls and personal conversations because I feel that my readers will find them interesting. And also because the contacts often point out the progress that is so evident to visitors to our town. The compliments can serve as an encouragement for everyone involved in accomplishing that progress to remain at the task. We still have a lot of work to do in the next two years.
And numerous local people very often tell me that they too enjoy this column and similarly look forward to it each week. In fact one lady told me recently jokingly, that if I am a candidate for reelection in the next election, and if I want her to vote for me, that she will do so only if I continue to write this column. I heard that loudly and clearly and I sure hope to continue to write it whether I seek reelection or not.
Mr. Dan Gimbel, an employee at Jellico Community Hospital who attends most of our community activities when his work schedule will allow him to do so, has told me on several occasions how much he appreciates the progress that we are presently making in Jellico. He is also a weekly reader of this column.
Since this column has become so popular and the newstands are starting to regularly sell out of papers, the Jellico Advance-Sentinel has told me that they will begin running a list of all outlets where this paper can be obtained. That should help some to find a copy when other outlets have already sold out.
Final Note: This column will probably be placed on the outlet news stands on Tuesday, December 7th - the fifty-eigth anniversary of the japanese attack upon our naval base at Pearl Harbor. That attack was launched from aircraft carriers on Sunday moring, December 7, 1941, and in spite of earlier warnings, caught our military forces on the base by complete surprise.
A few years ago, I stood on the monument above the battleship "Arizona" and watched the steady trickle of oil that still arises to the top of the water every few seconds even after the passage of all these years. The Arizona was sent to the bottom of the harbor with all but a hand full of her crew numbering well over 2,000 men. And there were many other casualties on ships anchored in "Battleship Row", at the naval air stations, in the barracks and at several other locations.
Survivors of the attack say that the oil bubbles will continue from the Arizona until the last man is dead. They believe the bubbles are the crew's way of "keeping the faith" with those who did survive. I had the opportunity to talk with a few of the survivors while I was there and it was like reaching out and touching history. Some seemed to remember every small characteristic of their close friends and shipmates who lost their lives during the attack.
Several Jellico area residents were stationed at Pearl and experienced the ordeal. Charles Echols from nearby Pruden was one of the unfortunate ones who went down with the Arizona. His name is enshrined on the plaque placed just above the ship and his name can also be found on our Jellico area Veterans Monument. I know of at least two other Jellico area residents who were injured that morining but survived the ordeal.
"December 7, 1941. A day that will live in infamy" proclaimed President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a message to a joint session of congress on December 8, 1941. War was declared shortly after that address.
We do not need to constantly dwell upon such past events but we certainly should never forget them either. That would be a terrible injustice to those who died or were injured during the attack itself and during the terrible war that followed. And to paraphrase what someone once said, "Those who forget the mistakes of the past are destined to repeat them". It would be an even worse tragedy if our country were ever again caught off guard as we were that terrible Sunday morning.
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