385 Magazine Fall 2022

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385 Fall • 2022

Our People • Our Stories

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385

Volume 7 | Issue 1

Staff

Editor

Lindsay Pride lindsay.pride@herald-citizen.com Graphic Designer Amanda Loshbough Contributors Lindsay Pride Megan Reagan Advertising Roger Wells Stephanie Garrett

Ad Composition Becky Watkins Business Manager Sandy Malin Circulation & Distribution Pat Long

385 Magazine is a publication of and distributed quarterly by the Herald-Citizen, a division of Paxton Media Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without written consent from the publisher.

385 Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. 385 Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or changes in information. The opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its publisher.

Our mission is to promote the 385 zip code areas of the Upper Cumberland and to showcase their many attributes. We welcome ideas and suggestions for future editions of the magazine. Just send us a brief note via email. © 2022 Herald-Citizen

from the

Editor

No season compares to fall with the cooler temperatures and the falling of color-changing leaves as the perfect backdrop to some of most fun activities available in the Upper Cumberland area.

In this special edition of our quarterly 385 magazine, we focused on three business ventures that are quickly becoming must-visit destinations with their fresh takes on fall favorites.

Two Cookeville residents turned a love of costumes and elaborate parties into an increasingly popular costume rental business. Two Nashville residents take their experience working in haunted houses to create one of their own in Silver Point in western Putnam County, and just north of us in Overton County, a couple has established a first-generation family farm bringing back a traditional favorite with a new fruit orchard.

And in our regular column, “Why I Love ...” we feature Cookeville’s only second-ever female mayor, who writes about what she loves about our city, why she sought a seat on the city council and her plans for the future of the constantly changing place we call home.

Happy fall, and thanks for reading!

Lindsay Pride, Editor

on the

From left, Zoie, Harleigh and Sadie Huckeby pick pumpkins at the Middle Tennessee Autumn Festival

Cover

385 Magazine P.O. Box 2729 Cookeville, TN 38502 931.526.9715 Email: 385Magazine@herald-citizen.com Photo by Megan Reagan

4•385 •Our People•Our Stories

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Contents

8

14

16

Halloween Hollow

Little Red Orchard

Costumes

A Nashville duo has turned their longtime love of haunted houses into a new business venture in Silver Point.

A new family-owned orchard in Rickman offers peaches, pears, apples, local honey, jams and fresh baked goods.

Cookeville costume rental shop owners show that costumes aren't just for Halloween.

20•

Possibilities at Tech A scholarship program provides more opportunities for new freshmen.

21•

Haunted Half Marathon and Blues and Brews Two annual fall events benefit WCTE public television station in Cookeville.

6•385 •Our People•Our Stories

22•

Why I love...

Featuring Cookeville Mayor Laurin Wheaton

Fall •2022•7

HALLOWEEN Hollow

New haunted house in time for Halloween

A

Story and photos by Lindsay Pride

Nashville duo has turned their longtime love of haunted houses into a new business venture in Silver Point.

Erica McElroy and Carroll Moore recently opened Hal-

8•385 •Our People•Our Stories

loween Hollow just a couple of miles off Interstate 40’s Exit 276 on Old Baxter Road.

“We both have been working in haunted houses for a long time,” Moore said.

“Then COVID hit, and things got shifted around a bit. We

decided to open our own. We had a building in Cookeville, but that fell through.”

The property where they ultimately landed is also home to Defenders Retreat, a luxury camping site at 14400 Old Baxter Road, where

Erica McElroy and Carroll Moore built the corn maze at Halloween Hollow, a Halloween attraction that also offers haunted houses and a laser tag arena.

McElroy and Moore began nearly a year ago building three haunted houses, a corn maze, a vintage video store and a laser tag arena on approximately 50 acres of the property.

“Most of it has come to us,” McElroy said of all of the spooky props, vehicles and buildings.

“I’m really good at repurposing stuff,” said Moore, whose primary jobs are junk removal and working at a wedding facility.

“Some of the stuff came from the haunted house called Monster Mountain near White House,” he said. “That’s where I got my start.”

Halloween Hollow’s haunted houses include a 60-foot wide, 25foot tall “mansion,” a pirate shipwreck and Big Top Meats, which is based on the story of cousins Brinkley Skinner and Bubba Swine, who were laid off from meatpacking plant in Nashville and

Erica McElroy and Carroll Moore sit in front of the vintage video store at Halloween Hollow.

Fall •2022•9

At left, Erica McElroy and Carroll Moore show off the vintage movies in the video store at Halloween Hollow.

Below, a creepy clown holds a sign that says, "Big Top Meats" outside one of the three haunted houses.

decided to start their own. However, inspectors later discovered human remains on the site of the cousins’ business.

The vintage video store, complete with signs and shelving from a video store in White House, serves as the waiting area for admission to the haunted houses.

“We have a character named ‘Rewind’ who is full of pop culture knowledge,” Carroll said. “It’s cool to see people’s eyes when they walk in. We always try to have a movie playing.”

It takes a team of about 60, including actors, to bring the Halloween Hollow experience to life, according to McElroy and Moore.

All ages are welcome, and “no scare f lares” are available for children. Also, the corn maze is a “no scare” zone.

Halloween Hollow is open 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, with the final day for the season on Monday, Oct. 31.

“The first year is always the hardest,” Moore said of opening the haunted house. “The community has been supportive, and we want to make sure everyone is happy we’re here.”

In their time off from their full-time jobs, Moore and McElroy said they’ll continue to work on expanding and improving their haunted houses until it’s time to reopen again for the next Halloween season.

“You’ve gotta crawl before you walk,” Moore said.

“Eventually Halloween Hollow will be a town.”

For more information and tickets, visit halloweenhollowhaunt.com.

•385• 10•385 •Our People•Our Stories

Fall •2022•11

Harleigh Huckeby paints a pumpkin at the Little Red Orchard’s first Middle Tennessee Autumn festival.

Fall •2022•13

Apple spice and everything nice Story and photos by MEGAN REAGAN

“

We want this to be a place where people make memories.”

That is what Ken Grubbs said of Little Red Orchard, a new location for agritourism in Rickman, Tennessee.

Grubbs’ family has lived in Rickman for more than two decades, and the land the orchard sits on is adjacent to his family’s property.

“We really wanted another house near my mom’s house,” he said. “So we approached the landowners and asked if he would sell it, but only under one condition: we promised we wouldn’t let it go to development. The intent is that it would remain land, it would not be sold or be transformed into a housing development.”

After acquiring the property, Grubbs said one question came to mind.

“What do we do?” he said.

Grubbs said he thought it would be nice to have an orchard to gaze upon, but realized it could be so much bigger.

14•385 •Our People•Our Stories

“It could be more for the community, and more for us,” he said. “I hate to say something fun to do, but it is. It is a good thing to invest time in.”

Grubbs, a medical professional, said the idea came during the initial start of COVID-19 while he was finishing his doctorate degree.

“I went from having to dedicate a lot of personal time for my doctorate degree to all of sudden having additional time,” Grubbs added. “I thought I had too much time on my hands, and I’m not used to it. And that is how we ended up with this.”

Little Red Orchard, three years in the making, is a first-generation family-owned orchard that will offer peaches, pears, apples, local honey, jams and fresh baked goods.

But aside from the products, Grubbs said the orchard is about

making memories and giving back to the community.

Grubbs shared stories about memories he and his spouse have made throughout this process as well as things he’s learned.

“There’s so much to trees, and it’s interesting,” he laughed. “You know, we thought you just go buy a tree and put it in the ground, and it will just produce apples — but that’s not how it works, and there is actually some science behind it. I tend to be very academic, so I did some research and found that there are rootstocks that are pretty important.”

Grubbs laughed as he told a story about how he and his partner tried to

The Little Red Orchard team cut a ceremonial ribbon at the grand opening of their orchard Saturday, Oct. 15. From left, front, Alli Wolford, Ken Grubbs and Steven Gee, both owners, and Dakota Wolford; back, David Melton and Jackie Hedgecough. remove a barbed wire fence.

“We didn’t even think about something as basic as gloves,” he said. “We were out here committed to doing the work, and at one point, it was just me and my spouse taking down the fencing. We were trying to handle it very carefully, but we were getting poked and nicked. So, we walked into my mom’s house, and I said, ‘Mom, do you have any potholders?’ She said, ‘Why in the world do you need potholders?’

I told her we were going to use them to handle the barbed wire. We were out here with potholders, and the stuffing out of the potholders was just flying out.

“Now, if you talk to us, we know how to take down a fence. We know about rootstocks,” he added. “You would think the springtime is the ideal time to plant, but you really want them in there in the colder months. We’re not professionals, but we’re not novices either.”

The first phase of the orchard began in 2019 with the planting of more than a few hundred pear trees. And every year since, more trees have been added to Little Red Orchard, which is home to approximately 1,200 trees including

various varieties of apples, pears and peaches.

Saturday, Oct. 15, Little Red Orchard hosted their inaugural Middle Tennessee Autumn Festival with a pumpkin patch, hayrides, pumpkin painting, food trucks and much more — and Grubbs said this is only the beginning.

“If you think about it from a business perspective, the very first thing is you establish your mission,” he said.

“Yes, you need to be profitable because you have to keep the lights on. We want to have movie nights, music perfor-

mances, festivals ... We’d love for a couple to come to us and ask to have their wedding here. At the end of the day, we think this is about creating something for the community that creates an opportunity for lifelong memories.”

Little Red Orchard is located at 3238 Rickman Road, Rickman, Tennessee.

•385•

In addition to the various varieties of fruit trees, Little Red Orchard produces their own pumpkins.

Fall •2022•15

Costumes not just for Halloween

Story by Lindsay Pride photos by Lindsay pride and ron baker

Camilla Raper models a costume for an upcoming play.

16•385 •Our People•Our Stories

Costumes aren’t just for Halloween.

That’s the thought behind a joint business venture between a longtime costume designer and annual costume party hostess who opened Spotlight, the only costume rental shop in Cookeville, on West Jackson Street back in 2019.

A mutual friend introduced Amy Ing and Anthony Herd, well-known among the theater and dance community for his costume-creating skills that began when he was a child helping his mom and grandmother with a church puppet ministry.

“I started sewing, hand-sewing when I was 8,” Herd said. “I got my machine at 13 years old. I always ended up in the sewing room. Jennifer Dotson Creter and I sewed a lot of costumes together for Stage One (dance studio). I learned a lot from her as far as costumes go.”

Ing worked for many years at Ships and Trips and was known for elaborate annual parties.

“I had a different themed party every year,” Ing said.

“They said, ‘You need to talk to Anthony.’”

As Herd began helping Ing with costume and set design for her parties, they talked about how it would be cool to have their own costume shop.

Their dream became reality just before Halloween in 2019, but at first, customers weren’t sold on renting costumes rather than buying them.

“The first two years people didn’t get it,” she said.

“They didn’t want to rent. But now they get it. You only wear it once.”

Now, in addition to people just looking to dress up one night a year, Spotlight has grown to a steady business of supplying costumes for productions across the region, housing thousands of costumes, props and acces-

Carly Clark holds up one of the costumes at Spotlight costume shop at 880 W. Jackson St. in Cookeville. sories.

“We have a whole 'Frozen' section,” Ing said. “We do have unusual props, showgirls, chandeliers, a strolling table. If you’re thinking of a wow factor, if you want something unusual, come to us.”

Herd annually creates the costumes for Shakespeare in the Park at Cookeville’s Dogwood Park, including this year’s production of “Richard II” directed by Joseph Clark.

“The costumes for Richard were amazing,” Clark said. “They popped on stage. It was just wonderful.”

Clark was at Spotlight this month preparing for another production, Tennessee Tech’s Backdoor Playhouse premiere of “Crawlspace,” which opens Nov. 3.

Spotlight is also supplying the costumes for Cookeville Children’s Theatre’s production of “Beauty and the Beast,” which opens Nov. 4 at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center and Cookeville High School’s “The Man Who Came to Dinner” Oct. 27-30 and Nov. 3-5.

Holly Arms, left, and costume designer Anthony Herd work on a project.

Fall •2022•17

Mya Maddux, Hannah Boles and Kiera Stanley model costumes during an open house at Spotlight.

But of course, Halloween is still a reason many visit the unique costume shop, including Eric Edgemon, whose business hosts an annual dress-up day for its employees.

Edgemon was at Spotlight this month checking on their costumes for the band, Kiss.

“Last year we did the Addams Family,” he said. “We were able to come here and rent most of what we needed for a group of eight.”

Between theater productions and Halloween, Ing and Herd have brought on extra help from Billy George and Holly Arms, who was busy sewing some special-order costumes earlier this month at Spotlight, in their special workroom for costume creations.

“There’s a lot happening,” Ing said. “I hope this Hallow-

Anthony Herd, Amy Ing, Holly Arms and Billy George at Spotlight Costumes.

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18•385 •Our People•Our Stories

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Spotlight Costumes held an open house to celebrate the opening of their new location at 880 W. Jackson St., Suite H, in Cookeville. een is as good as last Halloween.

“The ‘20s and ‘70s are very popular,” Ing said. “Someone came in from Tech. They are doing a tailgate theme of old Hollywood glam. She said, ‘This is fantastic.

I’m going to tell my friends to come here.’”

Since Performance Studios costume rental in Nashville closed their brick and mortar store in 2020, people from across the state

have been seeking costumes at Ing and Herd’s shop.

“We modeled ourselves after Performance Studios and got a lot of their stuff,” Ing said. “We did ‘Newsies’ at Siegel High in Murfreesboro, and ‘Annie’ at the Smith County Playhouse.”

Because of their increasing number of inventory, Spotlight has moved from 135 W. Jackson St. to a larger space at 880 W. Jackson

St. Suite H, where they also accept donations of costumes.

“People are not storing their costumes in a good way,” Ing said.

“Here, they are well looked after.”

Spotlight is open 1-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and by appointment by calling 931-559-7767 or on Facebook at Spotlight‑Costumes, Props & Events.

•385•

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Fall •2022•19

Possibilities:

Tech scholarship program offers more opportunities More students will be walking onto the campus at Tennessee Tech University next fall thanks to increases in the Presidential Scholars program, which is offering more scholarships for more students — guaranteed.

“New freshmen coming to Tennessee Tech for fall 2023 will have even more opportunities with the increases recently made to this scholarship program,” said Tech President Phil Oldham. “All students must do is apply

by Dec. 15 and meet the GPA and ACT qualifications by Jan. 15. No additional scholarship application is needed for this specific award.”

This past fall, Tech welcomed 1,019 Presidential Scholars as part of the university’s freshman class. Awards for that group totaled more than $3.8 million.

Jake Officer, a freshman mechanical engineering technology student from Sparta, Tennessee said, “The scholarship shifted me towards Tech because it gave me the opportunity to focus on

20•385 •Our People•Our Stories

my studies and enjoy all Tech has to offer rather than stress over money.”

The new scholarship tiers include: $10,000 annually if the student has a 3.75-plus grade point average (GPA) and a 36 score on the ACT exam; $8,000 annually if the student has a 3.75-plus GPA and 35 score on the ACT exam; $5,000 annually if the student has a 3.75plus GPA and a 30-34 score on the ACT exam; $4,000 annually if the student has a 3.40-plus GPA and 25-29 score on the ACT exam; and $3,000 annually if the student has a 3.40-plus GPA and 23-24 score on the ACT exam. Once awarded, these Presidential Scholars awards are renewable for up to four years, as long as the student continues to meet the renewal criteria.

In addition to this new Presidential Scholars program, Tennessee Tech offers supplemental aid to support and recognize students. These scholarships and grants may be awarded to students based on their academic performance, community service, residency, finan-

cial need, leadership experience and other criteria as defined by the requirements of each award.

For example, the Golden Opportunity Grant is a $1,500 need-based grant for a limited number of students with the most significant, unmet financial need and meet the other requirements.

Also, nearly $4 million is awarded each year in departmental scholarships, which are based on a variety of criteria.

The university also offers the Tech Promise, which covers any outstanding tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying students.

To qualify for the Golden Opportunity Grant or the departmental scholarships, students must submit a scholarship application by December 15. This is a separate application that is completed after the application for admission, and the student has been admitted to the university. Find out more at tntech. edu/scholarships/how-to-apply.

For more information, visit tntech. edu/freshmenscholarships.

Haunted Half Marathon | Blues and Brews

MEGAN REAGAN | HERALD-CITIZEN

Hailey Allen, of Hix Farm Brewery, pours a glass for a Blues and Brews festival goer.

MEGAN REAGAN | HERALD-CITIZEN

Bob Burns, left, and Amy Hollars were among many volunteers for the annual Blues and Brews festival Oct. 15.

MEGAN REAGAN | HERALD-CITIZEN

Jessica Maynard, a WCTE volunteer, pours a craft beer.

LINDSAY PRIDE | HERALD-CITIZEN

LINDSAY PRIDE | HERALD-CITIZEN

Amy Litky of Cookeville was one of many race participants who dressed up in the Haunted Half Marathon.

Haunted Half Race Director Tracy Epps talks to runners before the start of the Haunted Half Marathon Saturday, Oct. 15, at Tennessee Tech, to benefit WCTE public television station in Cookeville

twinlakes.net | 800.644.8582 |

LINDSAY PRIDE | HERALD-CITIZEN

Cookeville Councilman Ali Bagci and Jim Fox rode their bikes alongside runners in the Haunted Half Marathon.

TN Cert #C-0026

Fall •2022•21

Why I Love…

Cookeville Mayor

Cookeville

Laurin Wheaton What do you love about your job as Cookeville mayor?

I love developing a deeper relationship with our citizens. I am a people person and getting to know our community better and what people love about Cookeville makes me want to serve this city even more. I’m excited about the rest of the council members and getting to work with such a great team over the next four years. We all have different backgrounds, which makes us more diverse, and I believe better equipped to lead our city. I love that our departments, directors and employees all want what’s best for Cookeville and work together so well to achieve that goal. The partnerships we have with other entities within the city and county is another thing I love about my job and is something that has been a key part of our success. I love that I am only the second female mayor of Cookeville and what that means for me to be a positive role model for opportunities in our city. And I love being the mayor of such a great place to live!

What prompted your interest in running for city council?

My husband, Wade, is from Cookeville, and he always knew he was going to live here. Once he moved me here — well, actually I moved us here — and I knew this

22•385 •Our People•Our Stories

was where we were going to raise our family, I felt like I had an obligation to be a part of Cookeville’s future and progress. I also thought I would bring a different perspective since I am not from Cookeville. I’m a wife, a mom and a Nurse Practitioner and those are all unique viewpoints that I could bring to the table.

Four years ago I was just looking to get on city council, and I was honored to be elected Vice Mayor. I had only been living here five years at that time, so I was humbled at the trust people placed in me. This last election I was ready to take a stronger leadership role and was ready to serve as Mayor. I wanted to use the experience and knowledge I gained to better lead our city. And again, I

was honored to be elected and this time to the Mayor position.

What’s your vision for the next four years as mayor?

I want to continue to see Cookeville grow in the planned, strategic way that we have been growing. I want better opportunities for our citizens when it comes to work and quality of life. But at the same time, I want Cookeville to still be Cookeville. I want to make sure that we continue to invest in our local economy and local infrastructure. This is a great place to live, work, raise a family, go to school, start a business, and I want to look back after these eight years on city council and see that I left Cookeville a better place than I found it.

Fall •2022•23

MORE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MORE STUDENTS. GUARANTEED. The Presidential Scholars program is reserved for high school students and prospective freshmen. A 3.4+ GPA and ACT score of 23-29 could qualify a student for $3,000-$4,000 annually, and a 3.75+ GPA and ACT score of 30 and above could qualify a student for $5,000-$10,000 annually. Just submit your application

by Dec. 15 and meet the qualifications.

Find out more at www.tntech.edu/freshmenscholarships.

TTennessee Tech does not condone and will not tolerate discrimination against any individual on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, genetic information, disability, veteran status, and any other basis protected by federal and state civil rights law. Tennessee Tech complies with Title IX and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities, admissions or employment. For inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, contact equity@tntech.edu; for Title IX, titleix@tntech.edu. The Tennessee Tech policy on nondiscrimination can be found at www.tntech.edu/ideaa. #OCM171-OCV-22