Carter County Living ARTS
SHOPPING
LIVING
FEATURES
East Side’s Thomas Brown brings fun to the library playing with the stars, a musicians journey Daniel Grindstaff
teaching more than baseball Ryan Presnell
FOOD
Spring 2019
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Carter County Living
Spring has finally arrived, and just like spring coming in with a lot of vibrant colors and energy, our spring edition of Carter County Living has us just as excited. When planning this issue, we had to seek out stories that would be just as vibrant and would bring the excitement that comes with spring. We are so proud to bring to you a magazine that exemplifies the true meaning of spring while sharing with you some of the stories of the people, organizations and places that help shape our community. On the cover of this issue, you will find Thomas Brown, who has been the librarian at East Side Elementary in Elizabethton for ten years, and during that time, Brown has become known for his fun-spirited approach to teaching and his enthusiasm. “You can ask any kid or teacher here, and they will say I’m not the most mature person,” said Brown. “I try to make it so the kids actually enjoy coming to the library. Even the fifth graders, who feel they are so much more mature, I try to make it fun for them, too.” So how does Brown make young kids enjoy reading? Well, he does more than just read a book to them. He gets them engaged and interested. If you ask Daniel Grindstaff about his music career, the first thing he will tell you is how his life has been a series of amazing and unexpected blessings, never to be taken for granted. That is because Grindstaff has led a charmed life in the world of music and has no doubt been pinching himself since he was about 18, when he found himself performing where bluegrass and country music dreams are made — the Grand Ole Opry. The Elizabethton born-and-raised banjo player was still in his senior year at Unaka High School when he got the call to play with bluegrass legends Jim and Jesse McReynolds, best known for their familiar hit and Tennessee state song
“Rocky Top.” In fact, he has even performed the song with them on the very banjo used in the 1967 original recording. Making a difference in Carter County is David McQueen, who has been with the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation for 34 years. If you want to see David McQueen’s eyes light up, just ask him about his job. After a short conversation with McQueen, it is easy to tell he is exactly where he wants and needs to be. Today, McQueen serves as the Parks and Rec maintenance supervisor, and over the years, for McQueen, who has rows of Elizabethton Twins photos lining his office walls, his involvement with the Twins has been a highlight of his job for him. Our student feature is on Will Bowers, an Elizabethton High School student for the past four years. Bowers’ enthusiasm comes to life on the Elizabethton Cyclones basketball team. However, the Elizabethton High School senior’s energy to do better is not just relegated to the basketball court. It is easy to call Bowers a highly involved student. His current focus is the historic Douglas School in Elizabethton. There, Bowers, who is from the Douglas community, hopes to transform the mural on the back of the school into a more updated version which he hopes will reflect his generation. These are just a few of the amazing stories in this issue. Stories in this issue remind us what makes Carter County what it is today, the greatest place on earth to live. We hope you enjoy this issue, and if you know of anyone that would make a great story, please let me know at delaney. scalf@elizabethton.com.
Delaney Scalf General Manager 4
Staff General Manager DELANEY SCALF delaney.scalf@elizabethton.com Editorial Director Rozella Hardin rozella.hardin@elizabethton.com Human Resources Kristina Cruz kristina.cruz@elizabethton.com Customer Service Kathy Scalf kathy.scalf@elizabethton.com Operations Manager Scott SCALF scott.scalf@elizabethton.com Marketing Consultants BRANDY TRIVETT brandy.trivett@elizabethton.com JOYCE BARTLETT joyce.bartlett@elizabethton.com
SHIRLEY NAVE shirley.nave@elizabethton.com
Copy Editor JANIE MCKINNEY janie.mckinney@elizabethton.com
News AMBER WADOVICK amber.wadovick@elizabethton.com Sports BRYCE PHILLIPS bryce.phillips@elizabethton.com Composing ROBIN JOHNSON robin.johnson@elizabethton.com
ARTS & CULTURE
FEATURE
30 Thomas Brown
East Side’s Brown brings fun to the library
20 David McQueen
In his 34th year with Elizabethton Parks and Rec
34 Larry Pearson
6 Daniel Grindstaff
Hampton pastor gives out pennies as part of 12-year-long ministry to community
Shares memories of the Grand Ole Opry
10 Have You Been Spotted
Food
Check out these photos from area events
14 Upcoming events
Plan ahead for these favorite events
LIVING
24 Will Bowers Reflects on playing ball, profiling murders, and representing his community
26 Ryan Presnell Teaches more than baseball to Cyclones
36 Sammon’s
Provides change to status quo to fast food industry
SHOPPING 16 Riverside Taphouse
To bring local farmers, craft beer together in downtown
40 Easter Dinner
Tasty bites for Easter meals
38 Business
Area Shopping, Dining, Entertainment services
Carter County Living ARTS
On the Cover Growing up, most people were told that l ibraries were supposed to be quiet. Well, that’s not the case in Thomas Brown’s library. Photo: Bryce Phillips 5
SHOPPING
LIVING
FEATURES
East Side’s Thom as Brown brings fun to the library PLAYING WITH THE STARS, A MUSICIANS JOU RNEY Daniel Grindsta ff
TEACHING MORE THAN BASEBALL Ryan Presnell
FOOD
Spring 2019
Daniel Grindstaff is pictured on the Grand Ole Opry with (Sonny and Bobby), The Osborne Brothers.
Daniel Grindstaff’s first Grand Ole Opry appearance at 18 with Jim and Jesse McReynolds.
Playing with the stars, a musician’s journey
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* Story by Lynn J. Richardson & Photos by Lynn Richardson and contributed * In his mid-teens, Grindstaff went to see the McReynolds at places like f you ask Daniel Grindstaff about his music career, the first thing Slagle’s Pasture and the Paramount. He got acquainted with some of the he will tell you is that his life has been a series of amazing and players, so when the McReynolds’ banjo player gave notice, he got a call unexpected blessings, never to be taken for granted. That’s because Grindstaff has led a charmed life in the world inviting him to play with the group at a gig in Mississippi. Strangely, he ended up playing bass, transitioning to banjo when the original player left of music and has no doubt been pinching himself since he was about 18, when he found himself performing where bluegrass the group. From that point on, Grindstaff was playing every week, then things and country music dreams changed. Jim McReynolds passed away, and even though his brother Jesse are made — the Grand Ole kept playing, things slowed down. In 2004, Grindstaff got an opportunity Opry. to fill in for an injured Sonny Osborne of the Osborne Brothers, and he The Elizabethton born-andeventually started touring with them. raised banjo player was still in his senior year “But by this time, Sonny was talking at Unaka High School, when he got the call to play with about retiring,” Grindstaff said. Things bluegrass legends Jim and Jesse McReynolds, best known for their were once again slowing down, familiar hit and Tennessee state song “Rocky Top.” In fact, he has even so Grindstaff decided to make performed the song with them on the very banjo used in the 1967 original another change, and shortly after recording. meeting Marty Raybon during a Then, at the age of 21, Grindstaff was called on to take the stage with 2006 music festival in Missouri, the legendary Osborne Brothers, longtime members of the Grand Ole Opry. he started touring with him. Music surrounded Grindstaff at home and talent runs deep in his Grindstaff was living the life of family. His father, Randy Grindstaff, played with Carl Story, a 1970s gospel a successful single musician, traveling group. His grandmother, Anita Bullock, now 91, also used to play profes250 days a year. But even at the young age sionally. of 19, he knew he needed to look ahead to the day he might leave music, “There were always instruments around the house,” Grindstaff said. either by chance or by choice. He enrolled at Northeast State, obtaining “I grew up listening to records, most of them over 40 years old, like the his B.A. degree in criminal justice, taking online courses and working on Osborne Brothers, and Flatt and Scruggs. My father got me started and his degree during tour “down times.” He continued his education at East helped me, and I took lessons from E.C. Miller, but I sure learned a lot Tennessee State University. from those records.” 6
Daniel Grindstaff is pictured with a poster of the Grand Ole Opry in his office.
“I knew that I might get to a certain point that I would want to get married and have children,” he said. “I knew I had to find something just in case I didn’t want to keep beating these roads to death.” That “certain point” came in 2010 when Daniel met his wife, Kristen Guinn, of Johnson City. They married in 2011. They have a 5-year-old son, Finn, and are expecting another son in early June. “I remember telling myself, if I’m going to be married, have kids and a church life, I’ve got to figure something out.” He gave Marty Raybon a threemonth notice and came home, taking an office job in Johnson City. However, he had also applied for a job at Farm Bureau Insurance in
Elizabethton. “And God worked that out,” said Grindstaff, who has now been with the Farm Bureau for five years. Yet, music has never been far away and Grindstaff has an exciting new venture, the formation of a new group, “Merle Monroe,” with music partner Tim Raybon. The group’s label, Pinecastle Records of Nashville, describes the group’s sound as a combination of “the Father of Bluegrass with the Okie from Muskogee” — Bill Monroe and Merle Haggard. Their first album, “Back to the Country,” will be released in May. Raybon will take the lead on vocals, with Grindstaff singing parts and playing banjo. While Raybon wrote most of the songs
Daniel Grindstaff is pictured with Dolly Parton.
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Daniel Grindstaff is pictured with Charlie Daniels.
Daniel Grindstaff is pictured with Country Group Shenandoah’s Tim Raybon and Marty Raybon.
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Daniel Grindstaff on stage of the Grand Ole Opry in 2007.
Daniel Grindstaff is pictured with Tim Raybon.
on the album, it will also include a couple of covers — Roger Miller’s “This Town,” and Merle Haggard’s “Mama’s Hungry Eyes.” “It has the biggest variety of any album I’ve ever worked on — gospel, bluegrass and acoustic country — and it reflects a simpler time, the music of the working class.” Bringing two totally different professional worlds together has been a bit unusual, but somehow it all works. Looking back over it,
Grindstaff says his life is certainly nothing he could have arranged on his own. “With music, we were somewhere different all the time. I can still play music when it works for me, but now I’m here in the office and at the end of the day, I can go home and be daddy and husband. “I’ve restructured my priorities,” he added. “Now my list, in order, is husband, daddy, insurance guy and musician. I’m in the place I’ve always wanted to be.”
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SP
You’ve Been
TTED!
Photos by Larry N. Souders
Wanda Adams
Brothers Joseph (left) and Joshua Nicosia and their new pets Frodo and Johann
Joyce Nielsen Elevenmonth-old Benson Jones
The operations manager of Elizabethton Airport, Cory Richards
Jessica and Dylan Appleton, and Molly a Border Collie
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SP Unaka Senior Lady Ranger basketball player Myah Parlier
You’ve Been
TTED!
Line journeyman Kevin Howard
John and Christa Ramsey
Lisa Whitson
Michael Bouton
Spiderman a.k.a. Dawson Gardner and Emily Haskill
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Photos by Larry N. Souders
SP
You’ve Been
TTED!
Photos by Larry N. Souders
Courtney Skiera-Vaughn and her children Amelia and Oliver Tom and Karen McNeil
And finally dear readers, if you will indulge me. This is my father, Glenn Souders. He passed away in August of 2018 at the ripe young age of 83. I want to pay tribute to him. He is the reason I became a photographer. He inspired me to see the world, as he once did, through the lens of my camera. I spotted him here, in Lavonia, Georgia, in awe of the full solar eclipse in August of 2017.
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Vet Tech Halley Diehl and Eowyn, a Great Pyrenees
Air Rite Free tes a Estim
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UPCOMING EVENTS Plan ahead with fun happenings across Carter County
Saturday, April 6 Watermedia Painting Workshop 9:00 a.m.-Noon Come and paint with watercolors and acrylics on paper! The possibilities are endless. You may paint a landscape, spring flowers, a mountain vista, or maybe even a selfie. Photo references or tracings will be provided. Paint your own composition or follow along with the instructor. Students with supplies may use watercolors, acrylics or fluid acrylics on paper. Cost: $12 (student brings supplies) or $20 (supplies provided) Please call the park to register for this class. Sponsored by the Friends of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park Meet at: Visitor Center Gathering Place Saturday - Sunday, April 6- 7 Carter Mansion Celebration & Militia Muster - Saturday: 10:00a.m-4:00p.m., Sunday: 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Join us for two days of history, traditional arts and family fun as we celebrate the oldest frame house in Tennessee, and the historically prominent Carter family. Travel back to the 1780s and tour the Carter Mansion. Witness living history reenactors demonstrating aspects of 18th-century life, and see local craftsmen showcasing traditional skills. Meet at: Historic John and Landon Carter Mansion 1031 Broad St. Elizabethton, TN 37643 Sunday, April 7 An Afternoon of Early 19th Century Dance - 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Beginners and seasoned dancers alike are all welcome! The afternoon will include English Country Dance and early Appalachian dance techniques. Meet at: Visitor Center Gathering Place Saturday, April 13 Annual Plant Auction - 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. An exciting array of unusual ornamental & native perennials, trees and shrubs will be auctioned during this
event. A great opportunity to add new species to your landscape! Sponsored by The UT Extension Service, E. Tenn. Nursery Assoc., and the Eliz/Carter Co. Chamber of Commerce. Meet at: Visitor Center Gathering Place Saturday, April 13 Easter Egg Field Day — Noon-3 p.m. — Roan Mountain State Park invites you to celebrate Easter with us this year from 12-3 p.m. Eastern Time. The fun begins at the park amphitheater with an Easter Egg Hunt for children ages 10 and under. Afterward, we invite the whole family to take part in several festive field games. Be sure to bring a camera for photo ops with the Easter Bunny! Meet at Park Amphitheater. Field Games; Easter Egg Hunt (ages 10 and under); Tug-O’-War (children and adults); Egg Toss Competition (dress to get dirty); Jelly Bean Relay (children and adults) Monday, April 15 Quill Pen Making & Writing - 11:00 a.m. Join Museum Curatorial Assistant Chad Bogart and learn how to make and write with your very own feather writing pen. See how writing instruments of the 18th century penned such famous documents as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Also, learn about the different types of ink and paper used in colonial America. *** Ages15 and under must be accompanied by an adult as we will be using sharp tools to make the pens. The accompanying adult is not required to pay the class fee. *** All supplies will be provided. Meet at: The Gathering Place / Park Visitor Center Friday - Sunday, April 26-28 Spring Naturalists’ Rally — On the weekend of April 26-28, Roan Mountain State Park will host the Friends of Roan Mountain’s 61st annual Spring Natural-
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ist’s Rally. This exciting weekend will be chalk full of nature hikes, lectures, critter hunts, and hands-on nature science. The calendar of events and registration has yet to be released. Keep an eye on the Friends of Roan Mountain website for event details and registration. Visit the Friends of Roan Mountain’s website at http://www.friendsofroanmtn.org/ Meet at RMSP Conference Center. Saturday, April 27 Community Plant Exchange - 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. The front parking lot will be bustling this morning! Bring cuttings and potted outdoor and indoor plants, to exchange for species you don’t have—a fun way to meet other gardeners and increase your collection. Meet at: Front Parking Lot of Sycamore Shoals State Park Sunday, April 28 Old Time Music Jam - 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Enjoy the rich musical traditions of our region each month. Old time musicians of all levels are welcome. Don’t play an instrument? Come on over, kick back and enjoy the tunes! Meet at: Visitor Center Lobby of Sycamore Shoals State Park Sunday, April 28 Sabine Hill Social Society Earth Day Celebration - 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Join us for an afternoon of outdoor games which will include, Shuttlecock (badminton) and 9 Pins (outdoor bowling). You can also join the group to learn early 19th-century card games! The event will take place near the butterfly garden and monarch waystation by Patriots Path, which follows the Watauga River. Saturday, May 11 2019 Junior Trout Tournament — 8 a.m. — Roan Mountain State Park will be partnering
with the Elizabethton Elks Lodge for our 2019 Junior Trout Tournament. Kids 6-14 years of age may enter to have a chance at catching “the big one.” Tagged rainbow and brown trout will be stocked prior to the event along the Doe River for scoring purposes. Tournament registration begins at 8 a.m. May 11 at the Roan Mountain State Park Amphitheater. Fishing will begin at 9 a.m. Junior fishers will be eligible for several prizes based on their fishing scores. Be sure to arrive early for registration! Meet at: Park Amphitheater. Saturday, May 11 Bird Walk - 8:00 a.m. Meet other birders and naturalists at Sycamore Shoals for a morning of birding during the migratory season. Sponsored by the Lee & Lois Herndon Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society. Meet at: Front Parking Lot of Sycamore Shoals State Park Saturday-Sunday, May 18-19 25th Annual Siege of Fort Watauga - 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. It is the summer of 1776 and the Watauga settlement is at war. Join us as hundreds of colonial and Native reenactors present this dramatic retelling of the Cherokee attack brought on the settlers of the Watauga Valley. Visit the living history camps, shop with period vendors, and witness battle re-enactments both days. Hear the rattle of muskets, smell the campfire smoke and see history come to life at the Siege of Fort Watauga. Contact the park for a detailed schedule. Meet at: Fort Watauga Friday, May 24 Summer Concert Series: Tommy Short - 7:30-8:30 p.m. - Tommy brings both traditional and original bluegrass sounds to the park from nearby Duffield, VA. Join him for the season concert kick-off! 7:30-8:30 PM at the Park Amphitheater. * Concerts will be relocated to Picnic Shelter 3 in the Campground
UPCOMING EVENTS Plan ahead with fun happenings across Carter County
in case of bad weather. FREE ADMISSION! Donations accepted. Meet at: Park Amphitheater. Saturday, May 25 Summer Concert Series: TrailBlazer Cloggers 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. - This high-energy dance team will keep you moving to the beat! Come enjoy this showcase of an Appalachian tradition with a modern twist. 7:30-8:30 PM at the Park Amphitheater. Concerts will be relocated to Picnic Shelter 3 in the Campground in case of bad weather. FREE ADMISSION! Donations accepted. Meet at: Park Amphitheater. Friday, May 31 Summer Concert Series: Mountain Rose - 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Join these local talents for a bluegrass/ folk-rock experience like no other! Experience the music and energy of Roan Mountain. 7:30-8:30 PM at the Park Amphitheater Concerts will be relocated to Picnic Shelter 3 in the Campground in case of bad weather. FREE ADMISSION! Donations accepted. Meet at: Park Amphitheater. Saturday, June 1 Summer Concert Series: Carson Peters and Iron Mountain 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Playing since the age of 3, Carson Peters is a young musical prodigy who never ceases to amaze… talk about BIG talent in a small package. This famous child fiddler has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, played onstage with Ricky Skaggs, and been a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Come get his autograph! 7:308:30 PM at the Park Amphitheater. Concerts will be relocated to Picnic Shelter 3 in the Campground in case of bad weather. FREE ADMISSION! Donations ac-
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cepted. Meet at: Park Amphitheater Saturday - Sunday, June 1-June 2 29th Annual Native American Festival - 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. A two-day celebration of our Native American heritage! Awardwinning dancers, storytellers, artists, and scholars gather at the circle to share knowledge and demonstrate their skills. Come and discover Native American arts, music, and legends, with an emphasis on the Cherokee culture. Admission Charge. Friday, June 7 Summer Concert Series: Thistle Dew 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. - This Roan Mountain group plays a unique blend of traditional Appalachian and Celtic music which they have dubbed “CELTA-LACHIAN.” This performance is sure to add some local flavor to your visit! 7:30-8:30 PM at the Park Amphitheater. * Concerts will be relocated to Picnic Shelter 3 in the Campground in case of bad weather. FREE ADMISSION! Donations accepted. Meet at: Park Amphitheater Saturday, June 8 Summer Concert Series: Marshall Ballew - 7:30 8:30 p.m. - This solo artist from Piney Flats, TN is a true talent. Marshall never fails to wow audiences with his eclectic mix of blues, soul, folk, old-time, rock and more… both originals and covers. 7:00-8:30 PM at the Park Amphitheater. * Concerts will be relocated to Picnic Shelter 3 in the Campground in case of bad weather. FREE ADMISSION! Donations accepted. Meet at: Park Amphitheater Friday, June 14 Summer Concert Series: Art Lang and Friends - 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Traditional old-time music played by
Art Lang on fiddle, banjo, and guitar will provide the soundtrack for your mountain memories. 7:30-8:30 PM at the Park Amphitheater ** Concerts will be relocated to Picnic Shelter 3 in the Campground in case of bad weather. FREE ADMISSION! Donations accepted. Meet at: Park Amphitheater Saturday, June 15 Summer Concert Series: - Ashley and Christian - 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Ashley and Christian will provide the perfect musical accompaniment to your summertime fun in the park. Enjoy a performance of originals and covers by this talented young duo. 7:30-8:30 PM at the Park Amphitheater. Concerts will be relocated to Picnic Shelter 3 in the Campground in case of bad weather. FREE ADMISSION! Donations accepted. Meet at: Park Amphitheater
Saturday Sunday, June 22-23 2019 Rhododendron Festival - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m — Since 1947, the community of Roan Mountain has celebrated each June to herald in the blooming of the famous Catawba Rhododendron along the highlands of the Roan. Join us at Roan Mountain State Park for a true mountain celebration. Aside from the natural beauty of the blooming Rhododendron, people from all over the world come to enjoy the flavors of local cuisine, browse local crafts and arts, and take in the music of the region. The Festival will be held around the Roan Mountain State Park amphitheater and pool. Parking is by donation to local civic groups in the park fields along-side Hwy. 143. For more information about this event, visit the Roan Mountain Citizen’s Club website at http://www.roanmountain. com/rhododendron-festival/. Meet at: RMSP Amphitheater and Pool Area.
Friday, June 28 Summer Concert Series: Roan Mountain Moonshiners 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.- These local favorites from right here in Roan Mountain always provide a toetappin’ good time with their old-time music and rousing fiddle tunes. 7:30-8:30 PM at the Park Amphitheater. * Concerts will be relocated to Picnic Shelter 3 in the Campground in case of bad weather. FREE ADMISSION! Donations accepted. Meet at: Park Amphitheater Saturday, June 29 Independence Day Celebration — 9:30 a.m. — Join Roan Mountain State Park for a 4th of July Weekend celebration! Starting at 9:30 a.m., the park will be hosting a line-up of fun activities for kids and adults alike. Our Field Game line-up will be announced closer to the event date, but expect the following: 4th July Bicycle Parade and Contest Tug-O’-War Corn Hole Tournament Various Relay Races Meet at: Picnic Shelter #3 in Campground. Saturday-Sunday, June 29-June 30 Independence on the Frontier Saturday: 10-4, Sunday: 10-3 Experience the 4th of July, 18th century-style! What did colonists think about a new nation? Be a guest in Fort Watauga as news of Independence arrives to the colonial frontier. Walk among historical characters and hear their varied reactions to the Declaration, from fear of war to the hope of a brighter future. Daily readings of the Declaration of Independence and ongoing living history demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Star Photo/Amber Wadovick
Michael Howell (left) and Cheri Tinney (right) met during business trips as part of their jobs. After they got married they decided to combine their love of craft beer and their desire to support local farmers all at once with the Riverside Taphouse.
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Riverside Taphouse to bring local farmers, craft beer together in downtown * Story and Photos by Amber Wadovick and Contributed Photos *
By AMBER WADOVICK Star Staff amber.wadovick@elizabethton.com
H
e was a chemical engineer and she was a president of a farmer’s market. When their perspectives of the food industry came together, they decided they could challenge the world into supporting something greater than themselves. Michael Howell and Cheri Tinney originally came up with the idea for the business in the middle of last summer, after getting excited about the local Farmer’s Market. After doing some research into a year-round place to showcase and sell the farmers’ product, they said the results did not look promising. “It did not seem viable,” Howell said. That was when the idea hit them: a taphouse. Howell and Tinney met during business trips, touring orchards across the U.S. It was there their passion for developing and nurturing local farming industries developed. “We witnessed the effect “The pressure is taprooms have on communities,” he said. “People develop a strong from ourselves. sense of community, and they are We want to do able to celebrate the art of brewing beer.” this the right way, It was after their original concept failed when they looked and we want to into the idea of a taphouse; a place do due diligence to combine their dream with their passion for craft beer. on the front-end.” As for how the two concepts relate to each other, they said the ta—Michael Howell phouse will be a place to showcase local farmers and their product, just like many taphouses showcase different beverages each week. “We will feature a local producer each week,” Tinney said. “We will bring them in to be part of our team during that time.” She said patrons during that given week can sample local bread, fruit and other natural ingredients, all while forming a connection with the farmer themselves. “You can take that connection with you,” she said. The taphouse is almost a year and a half in the making, with its existence requiring some adjustments to then-current city ordinances. “It has been a long process,” Howell said. “We have been working with the city to revise the alcohol restrictions, including with Jon Hartman.” That process alone took place from August to December of 2018, all while both Howell and Tinney worked full-time jobs elsewhere, he at Ingles and she at the Farmer’s Market as its president. The ordinance passed in late December, early January with the city council’s vote, and the couple immediately began the next steps in the process to make Riverside the first taphouse in downtown Elizabethton, with Appalachian Sun to join them not too far in the future. The couple said they had looked at 635 East Elk Avenue early in the process, but the location needed extensive maintenance before the 17
As part of the process for opening the taphouse, the duo attended City Planner Jon Hartman’s Co-Starters class, dedicated to teaching small business owners the ins and outs of the trade. They won first place in the final pitch competition, and received a check of $3,000.
Howell and Tinney said they had eyed the location on East Elk for some time before receiving official clearance. The building needed some renovations, and members of the community have pitched in at various points during the project.
taphouse could officially move into the space. “We have been working hard on the renovations,” Howell said. Whenever they continue work on the location, either outside or inside, passersby frequently stop to chat them up, asking about recent developments and how things are coming along. “The first question we get is, ‘What can we do to help?’” he said. He said the toughest part of the whole process is their own standards. “The pressure is from ourselves,” Howell said. “We want to do this the
right way, and we want to do due diligence on the front-end.” The result, they said, comes from the community’s unending support. Community member Scotty Radford of Doe Valley Printing came up with the taphouse’s logo. “We look forward to educating and empowering people,” Tinney said. They said they did not want to promise an ETA on when the doors will officially open after having to postpone their original date, but said they are eager to start serving their community as soon as possible.
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Not a job. It’s his life.
McQueen is in his 34th year with Elizabethton Parks and Rec
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* Story and Photos by Bryce Phillips *
who loved the game of baseball,” McQueen said f you want to see David McQueen’s eyes sitting in his office at Joe O’Brien Field, home of light up, just simply ask him about his the Elizabethton Twins. “We just lived about four job. blocks away from here. I could And after a “The reason being that I see the ball park lights from my short converwanted to batboy for the home, and it was definitely a sation with McQueen, who has been with the visitors’ side is because place I wanted to be. “Daddy brought me down,” Elizabethton Parks and back then when a bat is said McQueen. “It piqued an Recreation for 34 years now, it is easy to tell he is broken on the Twins’ side interest in me, and I loved it.” In 1975, McQueen, who exactly where he wants and it would go to the host would ride his bike down to Joe needs to be. family. On the visitors’ O’Brien, struck up a friendship Today, McQueen serves side, nobody was there, with then Twins’ catcher, Don as the Parks and Rec maintenance supervisor I would end up with the Yarborough, who wore the No. 11. and over the years, for cracked bats.” “Don took a very good interMcQueen, who has rows of est in me,” McQueen said. “He Elizabethton Twins photos —David McQueen gave me the nickname ‘Tubby.’ lining his office walls, His number was 11, and as you his involvement with the can see, the number 11 is my favorite number. My Twins has been a highlight of his job for him. daughters, in all of their sporting events, always But McQueen’s love for Elizabethton’s professional baseball team goes way back to when he was tried to pick the number 11 for that.” Fast forward and McQueen started working as just a young boy in 1974, the first year the Twins a batboy for the Twins. Even though McQueen is a laid roots in Elizabethton. It was also the same huge Twins fan, he said he wanted to work in the year the Twins laid roots in McQueen’s 6-year-old visitors’ dugout. heart. “The reason being that I wanted to batboy for “I was fortunate enough to have a father 20
Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Maintenance Supervisor, David McQueen, has been a lifelong fan of the E-Town Twins. McQueen considers Joe O’Brien Field a second home and his fellow coworkers his family.
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Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Maintenance Supervisor, David McQueen, goes over the details of a work project at Joe O’Brien Field with his work crew.
the visitors’ side is because back then when a bat was broken on the Twins’ side it would go to the host family,” said McQueen. “On the visitors’ side, nobody was there, I would end up with the cracked bats.” Jumping to McQueen’s high school years, as a junior, McQueen found himself having to grow up quick. McQueen’s father became ill and suffered a heart attack. His father survived, but his family’s only source of financial income ended, leaving McQueen looking for a way to provide for his family. In June of 1985, McQueen, through a school program, started working for the Parks and Rec under then-director Carmen Dugger. And when the school program was over, McQueen stuck around. “I was a good enough employee that Carmon Dugger seen fit to keep
me on after the program’s time had run out,” McQueen said. “I was there for the rest of the season, and they actually kept me on that winter, also. I actually ran the adult basketball league. For a 17-year-old kid walking in and running an adult basketball league, I’m going to tell you, I felt the pressure.” To this day, McQueen still looks at Dugger’s choice to keep him on at the Parks and Rec as a blessing. “It was a blessing that he seen my work ethic then,” said McQueen. “I loved what I was doing, and I still love what I am doing today.” It is also fitting and important to add that McQueen met his wife, Shelby, through his work at the Parks and Rec. Today, the Elizabethton Parks and Rec is a busy department, and
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Elizabethton Parks and Recreation’s David McQueen, far left, is pictured with the work crew at Joe O’Brien Field.
as a maintenance supervisor, McQueen’s job entails a lot of different threads, and that is why he relies on his work crew and coworkers to help him keep everything tied together. “Dave McQueen is a just a spoke in the wheel,” McQueen said. “To be honest with you, I can’t do anything without those guys.” Since his beginning with the Parks and Rec, the department has been directly tied to the Elizabethton Twins as the department managed the team
and Joe O’Brien Field. On many summer nights, McQueen and his co-workers could be seen working the games. It didn’t look like they were working as they smiled and laughed. It looked like a family spending time together. This year, however, the Minnesota Twins made an agreement with a local sports management firm, Boyd Sports, to take over the management of the Elizabethton Twins, which will end the Parks and Rec involvement on game nights, which is a very bittersweet situation for McQueen.
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“That is the part I am going to miss because it is like a family,” said McQueen. “And you get a lot of satisfaction from that. When you have been here your whole life and it has been your life — it’s like having a kid. I don’t want to say I feel like I’m losing it, but in a sense, I am handing it off. It’s like having a child get married.” As things move forward, McQueen’s enthusiasm is still sky high, and he is quick to tell you he is living the dream doing his dream job.
High energy
Elizabethton student Will Bowers is currently working on a project to update the mural that is painted on the back of historic Douglas School in Elizabethton. Bowers is pictured in downtown Elizabethton in the breezeway where the barn quilt (pictured right) he created currently resides, which depicts the Douglas School mascot, the Dragons.
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Elizabethton’s Bowers reflects on playing ball, profiling murders, and representing his community
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* Story and Photos by Bryce Phillips *
Elizabethton Cyclones. “The senior or the past four years, Will class and the upcoming senior class are Bowers’ enthusiasm has two incredible groups. Coach (Lucas) been felt and seen on the Honeycutt has taught us a lot. Especially Elizabethton Cyclones about things in life. I feel like just being basketball team. a part of those teams since my freshman However, the Elizabethton High year has been big for me. It was incredSchool senior’s energy to do better isn’t ible.” just relegated to the basketball court. Another thing that Bowers was a part It is easy to call Bowers a highly of was the profiling of a possible suspect involved student. in the Redheaded Murders, a string of His current focus is the historic killings that took place in the 1970s Douglas School in Elizabethton. There, in Tennessee and surrounding states. Bowers, who is from the Douglas comThe killer’s profile was done as part of munity, hopes to transform the mural teacher Alex Campbell’s sociology class. on the back of the school into a more The profile garnered a large amount of updated version which he hopes will attention from media outlets due to the reflect his generation. profile’s detailed and thorough construcBowers, through EHS’s community tion. In May of 2018, Alex Campbell’s outreach class, is working alongside class did a press conference to release fellow student, Caleb Metros, to complete their findings. The press conference was the project which will have to get apdone at Elizabethton High School in proval from the Elizabethton City School front of local law enforcement and law System before it can be done. enforcement from surrounding states. Bowers’ vision of a new mural draws Bowers opened the press conference. inspiration from the Douglas High “It was unbelievable,” Bowers said. School mascot, the Dragons. Douglas “I pretty much had to set the stage School became Elizabethton’s first about what we did in class and how we African-American high school in 1936. came together and worked on this case. The school closed in 1965, and, today, I mean, it was pretty overwhelming at is used as the Elizabethton City School central office building. Hanging in downtown Elizabethton is the barn quilt first. Mr. Campbell just told me to be For Bowers, echoing the Douglas Elizabethton High School student Will Bowers made. The calm and just do it. It worked out just fine.” community’s past to today’s youth is very quilt depicts the Douglas School mascot, the Dragons. The Redheaded Murders project important. comes from a philosophy of teach“If you know your history, it is good ing called project-based learning which teaches students about topics to tell it and show it,” Bowers said. “Especially since most high schoolthrough not just reading but by getting the students involved in the real ers now don’t really know about Douglas High School. They just know world and doing hands-on work. Bowers said he feels like he has learned about the park. One of the biggest things is knowing your history and a lot through this type of instruction at Elizabethton High School. knowing where you are from.” “You don’t just learn things from books,” Bowers said. “You learn This won’t be the first time Bowers has looked to the Douglas mascot things from life. You learn how to be sympathetic to people you don’t for inspiration. Currently hanging in downtown Elizabethton is a barn know and have never heard of. I feel like that is one of the biggest things quilt done by Bowers depicting a rendition of the Douglas Dragon. that as a society we are losing — empathy and sympathy for people we “I thought it would be really cool because it’s one of those historic don’t know.” things that we haven’t talked about in a long time,” Bowers said. Bowers was born and raised in Elizabethton, a place he considers to For Bowers, his last season with the Elizabethton Cyclones basketball team came to an end recently when EHS lost in the 2018-19 Class AA Re- be close-knit. “If you are born here, you pretty much know who is from here,” Bowgion Tournament. During his run with the ’Clones, Bowers could always ers said. “It is one of those communities where you can proudly say, ‘I’m be seen encouraging his teammates on and off the court. an Elizabethton citizen.’” “It was an awesome experience,” Bowers said about playing for the 25
One of the main goals that Coach Ryan Presnell has encouraged is faith and being a family — not just a baseball team, something that the Cyclones have bought into.
A platform from the coaching box…
Elizabethton’s Ryan Presnell teaching more than baseball to Cyclones
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* Story and Photos by Ivan Sanders *
he Elizabethton Cyclone baseball program took on a new persona when Ryan Presnell was named the head coach of his alma mater. Not that the program had been struggling, but more so in the way the game was approached and how the focus shifted from the game to the way the young men that donned the Cyclone jerseys were being instructed in not only how to be successful ball players but young men in general. The life lessons were bought into and as a result, the team experienced a successful 2018 campaign that landed the team smack in the middle of the 2018 Class AA State Baseball tournament where they earned a thirdplace finish. With the finish, the returning players have come back with a renewed hunger to go back in 2019. “I think the most important thing for our team is knowing that we can do it,” said Presnell in regard to how the 2018 season changed the team’s perspective. “Personally, I’ve coached in a lot of sub-state games, but we never broke past Knoxville to make it to Spring Fling. The team we beat last year, Gibbs, was ranked #1 in AA all season and was widely recognized as one of the best teams in the Knoxville area, regardless of classification. Just knowing that Elizabethton is capable of playing with the best teams
in the state allows us to know that whatever happens during the regular season, if we can make it to Region and Sectional week, we can win that Friday game and get to state,” Presnell said. “And once you get to state, anything can happen! We also saw the best the state had to offer in AA, and we left Murfreesboro knowing we belong and that all the hard work and sacrifice that we have made is paying dividends when it comes to on-field performance.” The success that was experienced during 2018 has already showed as a new season just recently kicked off with the Cyclones sweeping Sullivan East in two games, but it started before that, as the team has put in the hours of hard work just getting ready to get a shot at a return trip not only on the field, but the classroom as well. “Once they experienced Spring Fling, from strictly a baseball perspective, we know that anything less will be disappointing,” Presnell said. “In the past, we set goals like make it to Region week or to a Sub-State game. “This year, they have been very unapologetic towards the fact that they believe they will go back this year. “However, they are also incredibly knowledgeable about the world around them and how things work and they know that if they are to have the best shot at making it back, then things like locker room morale and grades cannot be a concern to them,” Presnell. said. “So, it’s driving them to do better in all facets of their lives and has been a truly positive
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motivator.” For anyone who has had the privilege of speaking with Presnell, it doesn’t take long to know that as much as he loves the game, he also is rooted deeply in his spiritual walk with Jesus Christ. That love was evident in his post-game letter given after winning the sectional game last season, the way he surrounds himself with like-minded coaches who share a like faith, and how he instills more than baseball in his team. “Our coaches’ office is a special place,” said Presnell. “We have all agreed time and time again that we are doing more than calling pitches or hit and runs. We are actively seeking Christ amongst ourselves, and you can tell by how the kids react to us. “I know the Holy Spirit is with us in everything we say and do by the looks on their faces when we are speaking to them; they are perfectly tuned in,” Presnell said. “There are times when we miss
Head coach Ryan Presnell introduces his team during a “Meet the Cyclones Night” at Chick-fil-A.
as mortal coaches, but the kids always have our back because they believe in what we are building and they know that long after they’ve graduated and moved on, they will always have six men who love and support them. And that is priceless!” With the blessings of being able to experience a trip to the state baseball tournament, Presnell shared how that all the events that
unfolded last season has given him a much greater platform. “The success has made me realize more and more that if we are given a platform, we must use it to glorify Christ,” Presnell said. “To me, that’s the purpose of what the coaching staff and I are doing with this program. “We may win some games, but more importantly, we are making fathers, husbands, employees, soldiers, Marines and 27
all other categories of men. If we’re not doing that, who cares what we win?” Baseball, like many sports, takes a lot of time and commitment from not only a coach but also from that coach’s commitment as a wife or husband as well as being a mother or father. Presnell said his family has been very supportive of him as he heads up the Cyclone program.
“In short, we have made the ball park our second home,” Presnell said about how his family approaches his coaching duties. “My kids know the date for opening day and go around town telling people about March 11th and how excited they are about it. “My wife and I decided that even though I’m on the field and they are 100 feet away in the stands, that it is definitely family time. “She has shown an unbelievable amount of commitment to me and what I do and we have both agreed that this is our mission field and that we will do what it takes to make sure God’s will is carried out, regardless of the time or great inconvenience,” continued Presnell. “I miss a lot of things, but she and I also get to see a lot of things, and when we have that special time together, we absolutely make the most of it!” Some coaches have a tendency to reflect on what could have been done differently to perhaps of won a championship. Presnell was asked if he had perhaps changed his viewpoint on how something could have been done differently last season that he would bring into the 2019 year. “Not really, which sometimes makes me uneasy,” Presnell said. “Coming from the military and law enforcement world, you have to constantly adapt and change just to do your job. “In coaching, that can certainly be true sometimes, but I think the winning equation we had last year equates to success again this year. I’ve learned that the only kind of change that works in the coaching world is change that is accepted by the players and coaches. “And we have all agreed we may be changing a bunch of faces, but the approaches need to remain the same,” Presnell said. “That’s a testament to the legacy of last year’s seniors and the strength of our underclassmen to pick that hefty legacy up and run with it.” One of the things last year’s team will remember for the rest of their lives was how the Elizabethton community rallied around the team with
Coach Presnell going over the field ground rules with the umpires and visiting head coach during the 2019 opening game against Sullivan East.
many making the long trip to Murfreesboro to cheer on the Cyclones during their state playoff run. Presnell felt that support was a genuine reminder of how living in a small community like Elizabethton often is the difference in living in a small community versus a larger metropolitan area. “That support is what makes this town special,” Presnell said. “It’s why I left what I was doing and moved back here to raise my kids. “This place is uniquely and unapologetically ‘old school’ and the fact that this school is the center of our community shows that the people in this town have their priorities right. We as Elizabethtonians have unabashedly let people know everywhere we go that we have an incredible amount of Cyclone Pride. “That Pride makes everything we do here at EHS possible,” Presnell said, who added that he already is seeing a large amount of support for the 2019 season. “I am seeing an incredible amount of support and excitement. “When I took this job, I wasn’t scared to tell people that I wanted this program to be playing at an elite level every year. People bought in and have supported that vision with their time, money and talents on an amazing scale.” With the world trying to find someone to model their life around, Presnell is one to quickly share a number of people that made Ryan Presnell the man, coach, husband, father, son, and teacher he is today. “I don’t even know how to begin to compile that list, but I’ll try,” Presnell said. “My mom and dad and my grandparents were at nearly every game I ever played. And although that road may have been long and hard to get there, they were always there with smiles on and lots of love after the game. “It was incredible knowing I had that support behind me and made me Coach Presnell celebrates a big sectional win over Gibbs with one love the game even more. My wife and her commitment to excellence at of his players. 28
her job but balancing being a mother and coaches’ wife is something I can hardly fathom sometimes. She is simply incredible and a blessing from God. “Pappy Crowe coached me for six years and the way he gave everything he had was amazing to me,” Presnell said. “In these days of huge buy-ins for travel ball, I never paid a single penny to play ball for Pappy in all kinds of out-of-the-way places against the best talent in the U.S. I still don’t know how he did it. “Every time I walk through the door of the coaches’ office at Joe O’Brien, I get a huge feeling of reverence when I think about the other men who came before me who worked out of that office. Willie Church, Hack Hyder, Harold Ellis, Billy Trivette, Gill Payne, Chris Hambrick, “Pink” McKinney, JP Nix: I find it hard to believe that my name even belongs on that list. “Dr. Harold Stout is also someone I always want to emulate,” continued Presnell. “I’ll never forget sitting and listening to him speak about games he coached and players that played for him. I miss him dearly and I find myself reading about his pursuits quite often as an inspiration. Kenny Hardin is a sounding board that truly I don’t know what I’d do without. He is always willing to share his wealth of experience with me to make me better. “My college coach, Ron Smith, was probably one of the most knowledgeable men I have ever met,” Presnell said. “More importantly he displayed a level of loyalty to me rarely seen in today’s college game and he always came through for me and is the main reason I was able to get a degree from Furman. “Without him and his loyalty to me, I would have never been able to be a Paladin baseball player, something I’m incredibly proud of. “Gill Payne gave me my first coaching job and fostered a fire in me to not only win, but a fire to be the father God wants me to be, a truly priceless lesson,” Presnell said. “Harold Ellis loved me so hard sometimes it hurt! But I absolutely needed that as a wide-eyed sophomore trying to make it on the big stage and his example of love for his players motivates me every day. “Dave Rider’s pride in being a leader of Cyclone men gives me chills to this day; his ability to motivate young men was unmatched. JP Nix’s love for the innocence of the heart of a young man and his willingness to put himself in ‘harm’s way’ to maintain it, was eye opening to me. “I could go on and on, so many people have invested so much in me, I just hope I’m making good on that investment.” Presnell was asked what would he want his teams to remember about him as a coach 10 years from now and be able to talk about it when they got together. “Well, truth be told, they’ll probably be talking about my eccentricities and the ridiculous things I say sometimes to break the tension,” Presnell
Presnell questioning a ruling during last season’s sectional game against Knox Gibbs.
said. “But I hope they’ll tell stories about how much fun they had together. And I hope when they leave, they all tell me they love me. “But really our main goal as a staff is that they never really have to have a ‘reunion’ because they never really departed,” Presnell said. “We are really big on having alumni at every practice and our alumni finding places to coach, whether that is professionally or with a youth team on the side. “We are already seeing a lot of fruit from these efforts and our current players realize what a special fraternity they are a part of.”
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Teach the child, not the subject East Side Librarian Thomas Brown brings some winter fun to the car line.
East Side’s Brown brings fun to the library * Story and Photos by Bryce Phillips *
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rowing up, most people were told that libraries were supposed to be quiet. Well, that’s not the case in Thomas Brown’s library. Brown has been the librarian at East Side Elementary in Elizabethton for ten years, and during that time, Brown has become known for his fun-spirited approach to teaching and his enthusiasm. “You can ask any kid or teacher here, and they will say I’m not the most mature person,” Brown said. “I try to make it so the kids actually enjoy coming to the library. Even the fifth graders, who feel they are so much more mature, I try to make it fun for them, too.” So how does Brown make young kids enjoy reading? Well, he does more than just read a book to them. He gets them engaged and interested. “I’ll get up on tables and shelves to read and tell stories,” Brown said while sitting inside the library at East Side Elementary. “I will purposely bang my head on that light there and go, ‘Oh! I forgot it was there.’ “I’ll read a book and do a Yoda impression,” Brown said “We have a teacher here, Teresa Dugger, who teaches kindergarten. I think on a good day she might be 4’10, but you can hear her from a mile away. So I will do her voice. I will ask the kids if they want me to do her voice, and they all say, ‘Yes!’ I tell them, ‘Whatever you do, don’t tell on me.’ And they all go and tell on me.” From pirates to snowmen, Brown doesn’t care to dress up in hopes of brightening up a kid’s day. “It started way back with Dr. ( Josh) Wandell,” said Brown. “(Principal) Travis Hurley, he is into it, too. We dress up on special occasions. We have a special costume we are going to do at the end of the year, Mr. Hurley and I. It can make the car line fun and all that. Around Christmas, I had a Santa outfit that looked like Rudolf was carrying me around. We really get into it. You can count on us to dress up and have a good time.” 30
Thomas Brown, far right, is shown wearing a Saint Patrick’s Day themed suit.
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The kids’ reactions are always great, Brown said. “They love it and laugh,” he said. “We did Dumb and Dumber last year, and that was a great time.” Brown, who is originally from Rhode Island, said while growing up he had his share of teachers and educators that made a difference in his life, something he hopes to do for his own students. “I was fortunate that I had some great teachers growing up in kindergarten all the way through high school,” Brown said. “Some really good teachers. That can really make a big difference. I have two sons in school, and you always appreciate the teacher who is there for your kids and makes it so that they actually like going to school.” Brown has been in education for roughly 26 years, and over that time, he has learned a lot from being a professional educator. “There is a phrase that says, ‘Teach the child, not the subject,’” Brown said. “That makes so much sense. I learned that through my two sons. They are two different individuals, so you have to approach each one differently. You see that in any classroom environment. You get 20-plus kids in here, so that is 20 different personalities. You have to take that into consideration. You really have to figure out who your audience is.” Brown said that one of the best things about working at an elementary school is when students that have gone on to high school or college come back to visit. “It is always great when kids who are older, I mean have gone off to college, come back to visit you,” Brown said. “Or you run into them at the mall or something. That is always nice. I sometimes hear from parents, ‘My son or daughter said you were a little bit crazy.’ I always say, ‘I don’t know about that word ‘little.’ That’s always nice.” Brown came to East Side Elementary when Wandell was still the principal. Wandell, who was diagnosed with ALS, had to step down as principal. Wandell, through Team Wandell, now travels around to spread his message of “faith over fear” and to spread awareness of ALS. Brown, who is a good friend of Wandell’s, races with Team Wandell, which is a group of runners that pushes Wandell in races. Brown took a moment to look back at some of the things Wandell did as a principal that really stuck with Brown. “Josh, when he hired me, I was amazed about certain things he would do,” Brown said. “He is from this community, and he picks
Thomas Brown, far left, is pictured with Team Wandell. Brown, who races with Team Wandell, is close friends with former East Side Elementary principal Josh Wandell, who fell ill with ALS and now competes in races with his team to raise awareness about the disease.
up on a lot of things. He had a lot of common sense. “He would sometimes see a kid in the hall, and he would be like, ‘Hey, you are going have to help me eat my food. I can’t eat all of this’ He did that realizing that the kid probably couldn’t afford adequate meals. If a kid was acting up on the playground, Wandell would pull them to the side and give them tough love. He would say, ‘I worry about you when you act like this. You can’t act like this when you go to T.A. Dugger.’” Closing in on almost 30 years in education, Brown still approaches his job with enthusiasm. “When kids come to you in the library, they are right there ready to have fun, so we just have fun,” Brown said.
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Why I Love Carter County Michael Barnett is a lifelong resident of Carter County and the son of the late Harland Barnett and Pearl Roberts of the Burbank community of Roan Mountain. Michael began his career in the building material industry with the former Paty Lumber Company in 1977 and continues today with Big John’s Closeouts, a former subsidiary of the Paty Company which was formed in 1997. He currently resides in the Powder Branch community with his wife of 33 years, the former Lynne Williams of Johnson City. They have a son Christopher and his wife Brittney and are the proud grandparents of two beautiful grandchildren, Jordyn and Paxton. Michael was a graduate of Unaka High School, Class of 1974, and briefly worked in Johnson City before joining Paty’s where he worked in every aspect of the business from warehouse to management. He takes great enjoyment from all the wonderful friendships and relationships developed over the years with his cherished customers and employees. Michael is involved in numerous community organizations serving on the Board of the Women’s Center, Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter, Friend’s of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park, East Tennessee Spay and Neuter, Recovery Soldiers and the Friends of Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter. Big John’s is proud to support our community through charitable events and sponsoring numerous team activities from high school through little league as a means to give back to the community we love.
ethic and friendly attitudes they convey, our civic and non-profit organizations as well as our school systems and churches, that is what I believe makes Carter County a great place to live. What is your favorite place to visit in Carter County? I appreciate the historical significance of our community so Sycamore Shoals State Park is one of my favorite places. Since I’m from Roan Mountain, the park and going up to the top of the Roan, especially with the gardens in bloom, is always a treat. I actually learned to drive sitting in my father’s lap while he worked the pedals (I could not reach them at that time) going up to the “gap” which is a fond memory I hold dear. Do you think living in Carter County has changed you in any way? I do believe living here all my life has instilled a desire to continue to do what I can to make our community better and support those that work hard to make a difference in the lives of our people and pets. I know that my work ethic has been supported and encouraged by the many fine folks that have been a part of my work experience and most importantly the people that have been a huge factor in my Christian walk through their prayers, friendship and kind words. I am forever grateful and blessed. What is your favorite time of the year? I especially enjoy the spring as we see nature and the beauty we are surrounded by come back to life with all the vibrant colors and textures from the mountains to the lakes and parks. I find it very soothing and enjoyable to see the wonderful beauty in our area as it springs forth in all its glory.
What do you think makes Carter County unique by comparison to other places? I believe there is a number of factors that make Carter County a unique and special place. We have a tremendous amount of natural beauty that lends itself to numerous opportunities from boating, fishing, hiking to bird watching and so much more. We also have so much history associated with our community that many times is overlooked but shaped so much of what our nation holds sacred. Put these with so many wonderful people and the work
Why Do You Love Carter County?
If you were to meet someone planning a visit to the Carter County area for the first time, what places would you tell him or her not to miss? I would encourage them to visit our parks as well as Watauga Lake which offers so many recreational opportunities. I would also encourage a visit to our downtown and a look at our many historical homes within a short walking distance, and of course a visit to our beloved Covered Bridge.
Is it the wonderful natural resources? How about the historic downtown district? Perhaps it’s the people who make up our community? Whatever the reason, we want to know why you love it here. Tell us why you love Carter County and you could be featured in an upcoming edition of Carter County Living. Just send us a message telling us why you love Carter County. You can reach us by email at news@elizabethton.com or you can mail it to 300 N. Sycamore St., Elizabethton, TN 37643. 33
Larry Pearson has been giving out cross pennies for roughly 12 years, bringing with them a ministry that only happens if the recipient asks about it. He said believing in God is a choice, and God gives people that choice, so he said he will not take that away from people.
Hampton pastor gives out pennies as part of 12-year-long ministry to community
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* Story and Photos by Amber Wadovick and Contributed Photos * “Whenever I found them, I would he older gentleman was at make as many of them as I could,” a food bar in Myrtle Beach Pearson said. “They stopped doing them in South Carolina when he a year later.” saw the man sitting near Not wanting the concept to die so him. Deciding this was as easily, Pearson set out to find ways to good an opportunity as any, he walked continue producing them. over to the other man and gave him First, he went to a man in Indiana, a relatively small gift: a penny, with a who was able to make them for Pearson punched-out cross in the middle. for about one to two years. After that, “Let me show you something,” the rehe went to a woman in Texas, whose cipient replied, promptly flicking the cross husband punched them out one at a part of the penny away with his finger. time for six to seven years. However, he Larry Pearson has been the pastor of eventually blew his shoulder out and had to stop producing them. Elk River Baptist Church for about a year and a half, but his original After that, Pearson went to a friend in Louisiana, from whom he has ministry started roughly 12 years ago in his attempts to bring back something he could not find again: penny stations that would stamp out received his cross pennies ever since. “Brother Steve and I talk over the phone all the time,” he said. a cross-shaped hole in the middle. 34
The pennies have become central to the ministry Pearson leads in his community: a symbol of the simplicity in spreading the Gospel. “You never know what will touch someone’s heart,” he said. “I do not say anything about the cross penny unless they ask about it.” Pearson was at a Dollar General in Hampton when he saw a young woman. “You could tell she was stressed,” he said. After giving her a cross penny, he said her face lit up. “You do not know what this means to me,” the woman said. Pearson said they ended up praying a small prayer in the middle of the store. The next day was a Sunday of Baptisms, and so Pearson took his congregation to the nearby river to perform the sacrament like usual when they noticed another church group was already there, in the middle of a Baptism. When the other pastor lifted up the woman they were baptizing, Pearson realized it was the lady from yesterday, who, upon seeing Pearson, promptly ran up and hugged him. “I do not think I brought her to Christ,” Pearson said later. “I was just the opportunity to help her along.” The pennies themselves took considerable work to acquire, but another interesting challenge is in the little, plastic bags they come in. No more than an inch long or wide, he said he has to buy them as early as he can before the drug-dealers get them, and occasionally this confuses recipients as well. “My father-in-law and I go to Hampton football games, and I went to hand out cross pennies in the visitors bleachers,” Pearson said. “I go to the last two ladies, who said ‘No sir, we do not want any part of that.’” Acknowledging their deci-
Pearson (far left) has served his congregation for about a year and a half. He said he does not bring with him the seasoned experience the church needs, but the congregation accepted him as pastor anyway.
sion, he turned around to leave the bleachers without saying anything back. He barely made it to the bottom of the bleachers before the two ladies rushed to meet him. They had changed their minds and wanted two of them. “They thought I was selling drugs,” he said with a chuckle. He said the purpose of the cross pennies is not to start an argument. Instead, it is meant to be a simple symbol of love. “I do not get confrontational,” Pearson said. “I am not going to push my religion on you. I do not believe in SpiderMan, but I do not get offended when people tell me things about him.” He said this strength to continue his work even in the midst of sometimes biting rejection comes not just from God, but also his congregation. “They have supported me in everything,” he said. “If there is anyway they can help, they will.” The church has roughly 70 members on its roll, with half of them making regular attendance. “God called me to preach, but Brian was the pastor then, so I waited,” he said. “No one knew.
Elk River Baptist Church often performs baptisms right at the local river, just like John the Baptist did in the Bible. This was where Pearson met a young woman who had received one of his pennies the previous day.
I did not even tell my wife about this.” Six months later Brian resigned, and that was when Pearson announced his wish to assume the role. “I told the church they needed a seasoned leader, but they said they agreed with my calling,” he said. Pearson said his congregation “puts up with a lot” from someone with minimal ministry experience, but he said he has no plans to leave any time soon. “I plan to be there until I am called home or until they kick me out,” Pearson said with a smile.
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As for the fruits of his 12 years of labor, the man in Myrtle Beach was confused when Pearson calmly said nothing in response to the slight. “Are you not going to say something to me?” the man asked Pearson. “Friend, God gave you free will,” Pearson replied. “If you decide not to believe, that is your choice, and God gave you that choice, so why would I take that away?” The man thought about his response, took another look at the penny and said he would give it a second thought.
Sammon’s provides change to status quo to fast food industry * Story and Photos by Amber Wadovick *
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he little restaurant at the edge of town has been a Carter County Landmark for decades, but the new owner has made it his mission to revitalize the business, create a new experience and to prove to the county’s residents there is a better way of getting their fast food. Chris Davis took over Sammon’s in October of 2017, bringing with him 28 years of regional fast food leadership and a disenfranchisement towards the corporate chains and their day to day restaurant operations. Sammon’s sits at the western edge of Elizabethton on U.S. 321 near Milligan Highway, and Davis purchased the restaurant in October of 2017 and got right to work trying to make the company stand out. “We are trying to be different,” Davis said. “With chains, it is monkey see, monkey do. If one restaurant has late hours, everyone has to have late hours. Independent fast food is almost non-existent.” Davis has spent time updating almost every area of the restaurant and its operations. He added their current specialty “cheddar tots,” brought in chicken sandwiches in order to appeal to the “different tastes” that gravitate towards it, and he also added soft-serve ice cream, but with a twist: literally. Sammon’s new machines can produce a swirl of vanilla, chocolate or a swirl of both, a capability he said Sammon’s shares with only a handful of restaurants in the entirety of Tri-Cities. Davis comes from 28 years of fast food experience. Though he did not want the company he worked for named, he said the experience exhausted him. “Corporate tells you how to do everything,” he said. “A lot of times, corporate is run by politics.” He said on some days, he would spend half his days answering phone calls and emails. On top of that, he said corporate strategies often worked against the individual locations and their employees. 36
“Franchises get a part of your sales, so even if you lose money, they still make money,” Davis said. Running Sammon’s, however, is the opposite of sitting at a desk. “You have to do everything yourself,” Davis said. “You have to find items for the menu, create the signs and train new people.” Despite the added challenge, he said the change could not have been more positive. “It seemed like a perfect fit,” he said. “It is what I have always done.” He said the work he has put into Sammon’s keeps its contributions to the community alive and well. “It is good for your people,” he said. “Much of your staff is high school students, and a lot of your sales are not late at night.” Sammon’s opens at 9 a.m. each morning and is closed on Sundays, not much later than the fast food chains nearby, but Sammon’s closes at 9 p.m. Davis said he is not concerned with spending money if it means greater efficiency in the long run. An example of this is the two new shake blenders, which he said can make shakes three times faster than they could before,
Davis (top right) said he and the rest of his team work to provide quality food quickly, which he said is the whole point of fast food in the first place. He said the challenge is worth it if they can provide products customers will actually come back for.
which speeds up the service. “We got more video monitors so the employees can see the orders as they are rung up, and we are working on new registers, too,” he said. “We are always looking for things to improve.” He said their primary goal is quality, above all else. “It is all about quality product quickly,” Davis said. “That is the whole point of fast food. We are out to meet every challenge.”
Sammon’s has been a part of Elizabethton and Carter County for decades, but Davis said he has made changes he hopes will revitalize the business and bring in newer customers while retaining old ones.
Kaitlyn Williams has been working at the restaurant for only two weeks, and said she really enjoys talking with the customers, either by headset at the drive-thru or at the “hole in the wall” just outside.
Davis said he has one of the select few swirl ice cream machines in the Tri-Cities, one of many endeavors he said he hopes will make Sammon’s stand out from the other fast food chains in the area.
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Area Shopping, Dining, Entertainment & Services If you would like to advertise your business or service, call:
Brandy Trivett @ 423-297-9068 or Joyce Bartlett @ 417-294-5763
Cafe
MON - FRI 6am - 8pm • SAT 7am - 8pm • SUNDAY 7am - 3pm
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F
or much of the country, Easter Sunday typically falls during a time of year when the weather outside is still pretty chilly. But this year Easter falls on the third Sunday in April, increasing the chances that temperatures will be more springlike and less reminiscent of winter. Warmer temperatures on Easter Sunday means hosts tasked with cooking Easter dinner might be able to expand their culinary horizons and avoid the stove. Though they might not have considered it before, hosts might want to fire up their smokers to give their families something delicious and different to dine on this Easter Sunday. If the weather takes an unexpected turn for the worse, electric smokers can typically be used indoors, but check the manufacturer’s instructions to confirm that. Big meals are part and parcel for Easter Sunday, this recipe for “Pork Loin Roast with Hot Pepper Jelly Glaze” from Karen Putman and Judith Fertig’s “Championship BBQ Secrets for Real Smoked Food” (Robert Rose) is a great way to take advantage of warmer Easter weather while still ensuring everyone has a full belly by the end of the meal. Pork Loin Roast with Hot Pepper Jelly Glaze Serves 4 to 6 1 boneless pork loin roast (about 2 lbs.) 4 cups apple juice 1⁄2 cup Brown Sugar Rib Rub (see below) 1 cup hot pepper jelly Additional apple juice for spraying 1. Rinse pork under cold running water and pat dry. Place in a large sealable plastic bag and pour in apple juice. Seal bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours. 2. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry. Discard marinade. Sprinkle dry rub over the surface of
Fire up the smoker for Easter dinner this year
Pork Loin Roast with Hot Pepper Jelly Glaze
the meat, coating evenly. Set aside. apple juice every 30 minutes, for 3. Prepare a fire in your smoker. 1 to 11⁄2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the 4. Meanwhile, in a small thickest part of the pork registers saucepan, melt hot pepper jelly over medium-low heat. Keep warm 160 F for medium, or until desired doneness. Let rest for 15 minutes by the smoker. before slicing. 5. Place pork directly on the smoker rack, add wood to the coals Brown Sugar Rib Rub and close the lid. Smoke at 225 F Makes about 31⁄2 cups to 250 F, spraying with apple juice 2 cups packed dark brown every 30 minutes, for 2 hours. sugar or granulated maple sugar Brush with hot pepper jelly, close 1⁄2 cup fine kosher or sea salt the lid and smoke, spraying with 39
1⁄4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika 1⁄4 cup chili powder 1⁄4 cup ground lemon pepper 1⁄4 cup granulated garlic 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried thyme In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, paprika, chili powder, lemon pepper, garlic, black pepper, basil, and thyme.
Tasty bites for Easter meals
E
aster dinner is a special occasion, presenting an opportunity for family and friends to gather, celebrate their faith and give thanks for their blessings. Traditional dishes tend to find their way to the Easter dinner table, but no meal would be complete without some sort of deviled eggs appetizer. Deviled eggs make good use of hard-boiled eggs that may not have been colored, or even those that have been dyed and can now be safely repurposed as food. “Debonaire Deviled Eggs” from “Southern Appetizers” by Denise Gee (Chronicle Books) teaches home chefs how to craft tasty, aesthetically pleasing eggs. Debonaire Deviled Eggs Serves 8 to 12 12 large eggs 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional) 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish 2 teaspoons prepared mustard 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper Sprigs of fresh savory or another herb for garnish
Metro Services
Deviled eggs make good use of hard-boiled eggs that may not have been colored, or even those that have been dyed and can now be safely repurposed as food.
Turn the eggs bottom- (wider-) side up in the carton. Use a pushpin to delicately poke one hole squarely in each center. Fill a large saucepan or small Dutch oven with 2 to 21⁄2 quarts of water (enough to cover the eggs; use two pans if cooking all the eggs at once). Bring the water to a rolling boil. Use a slotted spoon to add six eggs to the pan (working quickly but carefully to get them in at the same time); boil the eggs for 6 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Let the eggs sit for 6 minutes for slightly soft yolks; add about 40 seconds for firmer yolks). Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and place it on a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining six eggs. Let the eggs cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, before peeling. (Store in the refrigerator, unpeeled, for up to 1 week; peeled for up to 4 days). Peel the eggs under cool running water. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, gently
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scooping out the yolks into a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, three-fourths of the crumbled bacon (if using), pickle relish, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine (and adjust seasonings as desired). Use a small spoon (or better yet, a piping bag) to insert the filling into the egg halves. Garnish with the remaining chopped bacon and savory, if desired, before serving. Note: Large eggs are best used for egg plates and are easier to eat in one or two bites.
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