McMinn Life Summer 2021

SUMMER 2021

SCENIC DRIVES PISGAH INN

A MOUNTAIN GETAWAY

Ingles Table RECIPES

GAYLE FISHER

Passion Vine, Butterfly Weed & Flutterby’s

Life

ENTERTAINING ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL TAKE THE HOLIDAYS TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL

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YEARS IN BUSINESS

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FINEST QUALITY FURNITURE

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11105 Turkey Creek Drive • 865-777-4059 • info@bradens.com www.bradens.com

CRAFT VENDORS • CLOWNS • FUNNEL CAKES • BARBEQUE • CORN DOGS • PULLED PORK

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4th

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 5th

The 8th Annual Monroe Life Balloon Festival will return to East Tennessee at The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonore, Tennessee. Enjoy balloon rides, live music, food, games, an inflatable Kid’s Zone and much more all while supporting the Boys and Girls Club of Monroe County. The two-day Balloon Festival begins on Saturday, September 4th from 4pm – 10pm, and runs through Sunday, September 5th, from 4pm – 10pm. The finale each night will be a Balloon Glow set to music with colorful hot air balloons beginning at dusk. We invite everyone to come out and join in the celebration!

SEQUOYAH BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM, VONORE TETHERED RIDES START AROUND 4 - 5PM

GLOW AT DUSK WEATHER PERMITTING.

SANDWICHES • FRIED OREOS • HAMBURGERS • COTTON CANDY

BALLOONMEISTER

BANDS

SARA COLLINS 18th Season of the Voice!

A Regular at Blake Shelton’s Ole Red

HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE BALLOON Skip and Toni have been involved in ballooning since 2009, first as a private pilot flying for fun and then as a commercial pilot. In 2010, they formed Bluff City Balloon to give others the fun and enjoyment of a private hot air balloon ride. They are one of only 6 balloons in the country specially outfitted to take up folks with any special needs. Giving and sharing is a way of life for the Durhams, they are excited to be a part of the festival.

THE AUSTIN ZACHARY BAND Voted Best Male Vocalist in Georgia for 2 Years In A Row!

www.monroelifeballoonfestival.com

AND OTHER FUN FOODS!

VIP PASS

Limited Number of Tickets VIP Viewing Area and Parking, Dinner by Longhorn Steakhouse

ORDER TICKETS ON LINE NOW!

This is a rain or shine event. No Refunds. Balloons will fly weather permitting.

SUMMER 2021 McMINN LIFE

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48 GAYLE FISHER

MASTER GARDNER Passion Vine, Butterfly Weed And

Flutterby’s 40

Contents features

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THE BICENTENNIAL OF SEQUOYAH FINIISHING THE SYLLABARY

1821 - 2021

Ingles Table RECIPES

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WAFFLE HOUSE DIORAMA Local Artist, Nancy Kizer Wins Big THE CITY OF ATHENS

HIGH-INTENSITY HIGH-ALTITUDE FIREWORKS SHOW!

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MONROE LIFE SUMMER 2021

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30

Gulf Blau S C

60 E N I C

D R I VE S

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BLUE RID GE • CHEROHA LA • T A I L O F T HE DR A GO N • O C O EE SC EN IC B Y W A Y

departments

THE PISGAH INN Out of all the National Park Locations, This Inn is the Most Popular!

6 From The Publisher

22

Tennessee Celebrates 225 Years!

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8 East Tennessee Foundation

I N NEED OF A

HERO

27 Message From The Athens City Manager

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JUDY LAVOIE Painting Chosen for the Tennessee Watercolor Society’s Exhibition

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ADDY ER OF A

ow” Award

MARKETING

Briefly describe how long the Respondent has been providing the goods or services required by this RFP.

PUBLICATIONS: REACHING MORE HOMEOWNERS THAN ANY PUBLISHER IN ET

From The Publisher

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Since its inception The Bingham Group has been producing effective multi-media campaigns for clients.

YEARS OF BRANDING As the years have progressed, more services have been The mountains are calling!

In added EXPERIENCE to form a full-service advertising agency including execution of market this issue, we’ll take a journey to research, logo creation and development of marketing strategies. our beautiful neighbor nearby.

Thereports, Appalachian Mountains Additional work has included annual brochures, media kits, full of history and beauty,video, print ads, television and radio PSAs,are PowerPoint presentations, YEARS OF IN-HOUSE and there aremedia so many things social TELEVISION PRODUCTION CD-ROM, logo creation, website development, placement, to be seen within them. Here, media, digital marketing, collateral and in-house television production. we’ll take a refreshing stay at Representative clients have included the Smokies, R EGI O N A L M EDI A theRipley’s Pisgah Aquarium Inn, and itsofstunning Edfinancial, Oak Ridge Associated University, College, Knoxville views of theHiwassee Appalachian CUSTOM MAGAZINES A YEAR Wholesale Furniture and government agencies as the Tennessee countryside.

A scenic drive alongsuch the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway or the Cherohala Skyway offers Department of Transportation (TDOT), the Tennessee Department of quick day(TDCI), trips forthe theTennessee family. TheDepartment thrilling “Tail Commerce & Insurance of of Health the Dragon” on US 129 waits for you to try.

(TDH) and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

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EXP ER I EN C E • M O N R O E L IF E B A L L O O N F E S T IV A L

D

200

LOCAL AND NATIONAL ADDY

AWARDS Our master gardener, Gayle Fisher, brings in some The Bingham Group, Inc.,vivid is a Woman-Owned Smalland Business bright and flowers to be grown seen as certified by the Governor’s Office DiversityofBusiness and Tennessee in the lowofevenings these hotEnterprise summer nights. is celebrating the finished syllabary of Department of Sequoyah Transportation.

25NATIONAL YEARS OF INADDY HOUSE TELEVISION PRODUCTION: DOCUMENTARIES: KIPPY the Cherokee language this year! This wonderful BROADCAST AWARDS achievement marks its bicentennial. Also in this issue, several local businesses wait to be explored alongside some local artists who have gotten far.

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TBG’S MAIN OFFICE IS LOCATED IN FARRAGUT. The Monroe Life 1Balloon Festival returns this year! The festival benefits the Boys and Girls Club. Derrick Kinsey, the CEO, tells how Covid has impacted their fundraising along with what you can do to help.

I hope you enjoy all the stories in this issue, and your summer is full of exciting and warm memories. Thank you to all of our advertisers, readers, and sponsors. We are especially grateful for you. Whether it is an agency project or a magazine story - we love what we do. From working on the Anti-Meth campaign with Sheriff Joe Guy in Athens, having the state bomb squad blow up a camper, representing 20 years of boat work, or lighting a Christmas tree farm for a Braden’s commercial - every day is a gift with new, exciting adventures! I really appreciate my team and all our clients!

Have a wonderful Covid-free summer!!!

TOURISM EXPERIENCE: ANAKEESTA • RIPLEY’S • ANDERSON COUNTY

B

The Bingham Group Multi Media Campaign #2 Domestic Violence Campaign TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY 312 Rosa L. Parks Ave, Wm. R. Snodgrass TN Tower, 25th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243 Contract Number: 34901-00191 Contract Term: April 3, 2014 – April 2, 2019 Procuring state agency: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Megan Buell 615-251-8587 Megan.Buell@tn.gov The Bingham Group has a five-year contract with the State of Tennessee to create a domestic violence awareness campaign to include radio, television, visual print media, social media and other forms of non-traditional media.

TWENTY FIVE STATE CONTRACTS: ANTI-METH • DOMESTIC VIOLENCE • DON’T .

TE

Lisa AtkinsBingham Hard to watch, isn’t it?

Make The Call, 1-800-356-6767 6

McMINN LIFE SUMMER 2021

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, make the call. www.pcat.org/programs/domestic-violence-helpline

This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee, Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Criminal Justice Programs and supported by Award #_2015-MU-BX-0042 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, USDOJ.

2021 SUMMER

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A Memorial Dedication

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GAYLE FISHER

Passion Vine, Butterfly Weed & Flutterby’s

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Life

SCENIC DRIVE S PISGAH INN A MOUNTAIN GETAWAY

Ingles Table RECIPES

PUBLISHER

The Bingham Group

D I SPL A Y GR A PH ICS • EV EN T S • T RAD E SHO WS • WEBSI T ES • O T T

BROWN • THE SEAHAWKS • GATLINBURG STRONG • SOCIAL MEDIA

President Lisa Atkins Bingham Graphic Designers Jordan Graham Jason Bowers Lisa BIngham Laura Woodson Contributing Writers Deanene Catani Kayli Martin Gayle Fisher Contributing Photographers Brandon M. Johnson Ben Gibson JoPhoto Advertising Sales Mignonne Alman Tel: 865.523.5999 mignonne@binghamgroup.com

BR A N DI N G : B R Y A N T B O A T S • E D F I N A N C I A L • C L A Y T O N • K U B

ampaign #2

Subscription or Editorial Inquiries Tel: 865.523.5999 www.farragutlife.com The Bingham Group, Inc. 11921 Kingston Pike, Suite 201 Knoxville, Tennessee 37934

URITY ashville, TN 37243

meland Security

www.binghamgroup.com

nessee to create a ual print media, social

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TEXT & DRIVE • ANTI-TOBACCO • DIABETES • TDOT • TRANSIT AGENCIES

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ation, Office of Criminal Justice Programs and is e of Justice Programs, USDOJ.

SUMMER 2021 McMINN LIFE

7

THE PURSUIT OF EDUCATION

2 020 -202 1

Due to new scholarship criteria, an increased number of students are attending post-secondary vocational programs. Approximately $1.3 million is currently committed to ETF’s renewed and new scholarship recipients. Over 200 selection committee volunteers helped select scholarship recipients.

Scholarships at a Glance

$1.3

million is currently committed to ETF’s renewed and new scholarship recipients.

213

students (representing 218 ETF scholarship awards) are attending 41 different post-secondary institutions in fall 2020.

Pictured above are members of the Abbie Jane Harper Memorial Scholarship selection committee during their meeting held on March 10, 2020. This was one of the last of only five in-person meetings for scholarship selections prior to enacting ETF’s Business Continuity Plan. Remaining meetings moved online for the remainder of our scholarship selection period.

8

129

new scholarship awards

McMINN LIFE SUMMER 2021

Summer Magazine 6-11.indd 46

6/14/21 9:27 AM

1 9:27 AM

2021 IS THE BICENTENNIAL OF SEQUOYAH FINISHING THE SYLLABARY IN 1821.

Never before or since, in the history of the world, has one man, not literate in any language, perfected a system for reading and writing a language.

Sequoyah had announced in 1809 in his blacksmith shop that the Cherokee could create a writing system to put their Cherokee words on paper. He spent 12 years of his life trying to create a writing system. We know he tried different types of writing systems, but these different systems would not work for him.

When Sequoyah discovered the sounds of the Cherokee language, he then realized that he could take each of the syllables and give it a symbol. He then could sound out the Cherokee word and using his symbols, could write any Cherokee word.

The Cherokee speaker could spend some time learning the symbols and then could sound out and read or sound out and write their Cherokee words on paper.

February 21, 1828 was the first issue of the Cherokee Phoenix, 193 years ago. The Cherokee press and type were shipped by water from Boston in November, 1827. They arrived at Augusta, Georgia, via Savannah, and finally reach the New Echota in January, 1828 after an overland trip by wagon.

The Press, a small royal size, was like none I ever saw before or since. It was cast iron, with spiral springs to hold up the plates, at that time a new invention. We had to use balls of deerskin stuffed with wool for inking, as it was before the invention of the composition roller. . . John Candy, a native half-breed . . . could speak the Cherokee language, and was of great help to me in giving me the words where they were not plainly written.

The absence of newsprint caused a delay in the publication of Volume I, No. 1, of Tsalagi-tsi-le-hisani-hi, the Cherokee Phoenix. A supply finally was obtained from Tennessee and, on February 21, 1828, there appeared the inaugural issue of the father of America’s aboriginal newspapers.

It was a journal of four five-columned pages measuring 21 by 14 inches. The vignette included a representation of the fabulous phoenix, the Egyptian bird which lived for 500 years, was consumed by a cleansing fire, and arose from its own ashes in all its youthful freshness. That first issue announced that the weekly Phoenix could be procured for $2.50 a year paid in advance, or $3.50 paid at the end of the year. Rates were reduced to $2 and $2.50 for non-English readers. This was a description of the press by John Wheeler, the first printer. This is from an email that Duane King, Ph.D. sent Lyn Henley, the museum exhibit designer, during the design phase.

It mentions “The absence of newsprint caused a delay...” this was due to the Press weighing so much and the newsprint was left behind. Then it mentions, “A supply finally was obtained from Tennessee....” Does anybody in Knoxville want to guess? The paper was obtained at Papermill, near present day McKay’s right off of Papermill Drive.

With the guidance and expertise of Brian Baker, owner of Striped Light, we finally have got started organizing our syllabary type.

This year Sequoyah Birthplace Museum will be celebrating Sequoyah’s achievement throughout the year. Plan to visit Sequoyah Birthplace Museum and celebrate 200 years of Cherokee literacy with Sequoyah’s creation of the syllabary in 1821. Keep checking our website and facebook page for events.

Open Year Round Monday - Saturday: 9am - 5pm Sunday: Noon - 5pm (Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s)

(423) 884-6246 seqmus@tds.net www.sequoyahmuseum.org Highway 360, Post Office Box 69 Vonore, Tennessee 37885 Owned and Operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, it is Tennessee’s only Tribally-operated historical attraction.

SUMMER 2021 McMINN LIFE

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Photos by Brandon M. Johnson

SCENIC DRIVES

THE B L U E R ID G E P A RK W A Y inding its way through the rugged hills of Virginia and North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers travelers a relaxing drive into the stunning landscape of the Appalachian Mountains. The road stretches out for 469 miles and provides a link between the Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah National Parks. Often referred to as “America’s Favorite Drive,” the parkway invites visitors to experience not only the culture of the region but the exceptional and unique habitats of nature.

If a visitor’s legs begin to ache from the drive, there are several activities along the parkway that can stretch out those sore limbs. A hike on one of the trails can offer a closer look to the thriving forest around them and with over 369 miles of trails to choose from a hike

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McMINN LIFE SUMMER 2021

can be as long, or as short, as preferred.

Other activities are also available, such as: picnicking, fishing, biking, and camping.

The Pisgah Inn nearby offers a place to stay to make the most of the natural beauty of the mountains.

The Blue Ridge Parkway does more than offer scenic views and a promising getaway. It also protects and preserves the surrounding wildlife, historic buildings, and sites from destruction. Whether that means keeping a home for the mighty black bears or preserving a pioneer’s log cabin, the parkway creates a space for all to live in this landscape.

For more information, including alerts and conditions along the Blue Ridge Parkway, visit www.nps.gov/blri or www. blueridgeparkway.org.

CATAWBA RHODODENDRON (Rhododendron catawbiense): A medium shrub with pink to purple flowers growing above 3000 feet on exposed ridges. June — Early July

SUMMER 2021 MONROE LIFE

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BUILDING AMERICA’S FAVORITE DRIVE It is the longest road planned as a single unit in the United States. It is an elongated park, protecting significant mountain landscapes far beyond the shoulders of the road itself.

It is a series of parks providing the visitor access to high mountain passes, a continuous series of panoramic views, the boundaries of its limited right-of-way rarely apparent and miles of the adjacent countryside seemingly a part of the protected scene.

It is a “museum of the managed American countryside,” preserving the roughhewn log cabin of the mountain pioneer, the summer home of a textile magnate, and traces of early industries such as logging, railways, and an old canal.

It is the product of a series of major public works projects which provided a boost to the travel and tourism industry and helped the Appalachian region climb out the depths of the Great Depression.

Stretching almost 500 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge mountains through North Carolina and Virginia, it encompasses some of the oldest settlements of both pre-historic and early European settlement.

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A Blue Ridge Parkway experience is unlike any other: a slow-paced and relaxing drive revealing stunning long-range vistas and close-up views of the rugged mountains and pastoral landscapes of the Appalachian Highlands. Photos courtesy of the National Park Service. Above photo by Brandon M. Johnson.

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THE LAST PIECE OF THE PARKWAY As the last piece of the parkway to be completed, the Linn Cove Viaduct is a marvelous feat of engineering and environmental protection.

Completed in 1983, at a cost of almost $10 million, the Linn Cove Viaduct is 1,243 feet long and contains 153 segments weighing 50 tons each. The American Society of Civil Engineers designated it a National Civil Engineering Landmark.

ESTABLISHING THE ROUTE The exact route location of this segment, commonly referred to as the “missing link,” created a lengthy and heated controversy between private individuals and the National

Park Service. Finally, North Carolina Governor Dan K. Moore negotiated a compromise location. A key factor in this controversy was environmental concern over Grandfather Mountain. Engineers were faced with a serious question: How do you build a road at an elevation of 4,100 feet without damaging one of the world’s oldest mountains?

National Park Service landscape architects and Federal Highway Administration engineers agreed the road should be elevated, or bridged, where possible to eliminate massive cuts and fills. Figg and Muller Engineers, Inc. developed the bridge

design and construction method. The result: the most complicated concrete bridge ever built, snaking around boulder-strewn Linn Cove in a sweeping “S” curve.

“I know nothing with any certainty.

But the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

—Vincent Van Gogh

SUMMER 2021 McMINN LIFE

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FLAME AZALEA (Rhododendron calendulaceum): A medium shrub with bright orange to red flowers. Azaleas are in the rhododendron family.

June — July

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McMINN LIFE SUMMER 2021

SCENIC DRIVES

T H E C H ERO H A L A SK YW A Y ruising through the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests, the Cherohala Skyway is a curving and wild ride. The roadway is a thrill ride for bikers and sports car drivers to not only test the curves but to see open views of the scenic ridges. Traveling through Robbinsville, North Carolina up and down the hills to Tellico Plains, Tennessee, Cherohala Skyway is a 43-mile adventure into the backwoods of the mountains.

The road itself is not the only attraction.

Hiking trails and captivating waterfalls lurk off the pavement waiting to be explored.

They can offer a refreshing resting place for the heat of the asphalt. Local businesses and hotels off the skyway also give motorists a space to unwind from the twisting lanes.

The Cherohala Skyway has no buildings or facilities other than a few restrooms along the 43-mile strip— so make sure the tank is full before you go! While this could be daunting to some, to others, it strips civilization away.

Along this stretch of road, it’s just mountains and a passing visitor.

For more information about the Cherohala Skyway, visit www.cherohala.com.

Photos by Brandon M. Johnson

DR I VE S S CE NIC

Photo by Roger Canada

JUST OFF THE CHEROHALA SKYWAY: The Tellico Ranger District of the Cherokee National Forest contains 151,083 acres in Monroe County, Tennessee. The Tellico River area boasts remote backcountry surrounded by three rivers and their tributaries, where fishing for brown rainbow and brook trout is excellent.

The Tellico River Road offers intimate views of the river and 90-foot Bald River Falls. Many campsites are available along Tellico River or Indian Boundary Recreation Area just off the Cherohala Skyway. Stop by the ranger station for information or a map, they are open 8am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday.

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Photo by Joe Atkins

JUST AT THE END OF THE CHEROHALA IS JOYCE KILMER MEMORIAL FOREST This forest is one of the Nation’s most impressive remnants of old-growth forest. The forest contains magnificent examples of more than 100 tree species, many over 400-years-old, and some more than 20 feet in circumference and 100 feet tall. This 3,800-acre forest was set aside in 1936 as a memorial to the author of the poem “Trees,” Joyce Kilmer, who was killed in action in France during World War I. This forest, part of the Joyce Kilmer-Slick Rock Wilderness, is maintained in its primitive state. The only way to see this forest is on foot.

A 2-mile trail leads to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial and loops through giant trees. A restroom and picnic tables are located at the trailhead.

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SCENIC DRIVES

TA IL O F T HE DR A G O N omething lurks inside the mountains. The beast that lives there is ruthless to those who are unprepared.

While many have faced it, not all have made it passed its deadly tail. Surrounded by the Great Smokey Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest, US 129 has become known for its tight curves and dangerous turns.

Nicknamed “Tail of the Dragon,” the 11 miles have attracted motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts for years to test their luck against the serpent in the mountains. The 318 curves making or breaking all those who journey along the black scales of the pavement. Something roars within the ancient hills. Do you dare face the Dragon?

LOOK FOR THE TAIL

Conveniently located in the Foothills of the Great Smoky Mts. only a short scenic ride from Cherohala Skyway Loop, Tail of the Dragon, Great Smoky Mountains, Cades Cove, Foothills Parkway, Thunder Road, Devil’s Triangle and many other off the given path rides.

Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson is only 2 minutes away, offering a great place to hang out, plus lots of area attractions.

Our spacious suites offer kitchenettes, breakfast buffet and our venue is located near lots of restaurants and shopping too.

(865) 983-9839 • www.luxburyinn.com

SUMMER 2021 McMINN LIFE

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Most navigation systems will take you miles out of your way. We are located on the parkway at milepost 408.6. If your GPS is telling you to get OFF the parkway, it’s probably telling you to go the wrong way.

N 3 5 . 4 0 0 2 5 W 8 2 . 75444

S

PisgahInn

MILEPOST 408.6

urrounded by sun-loved treetops and heaven blessed mountain peaks, the Pisgah Inn sits shining at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway. Named after Mt. Pisgah where it rests, the Inn takes its guests away from the urban world to the wilds of North Carolina.

Where it is the natural winds of the mountains that serve as air conditioners, and the quiet air covers it all like a blanket.

A little over an hour away from Asheville, NC, the Pisgah Inn offers nature-lovers a paradise. With several hiking trails surrounding the Inn, guests can experience the mountain first-hand with basic trail maps offered by the Inn. A dining room provides meals for the whole family to enjoy, and The Grazing Deer Café offers a selection of sandwiches, pastries, picnic supplies, and hot take-out meals straight from the chef’s kitchen.

The Country Store also comes with camping supplies and groceries alongside gifts for the ones back at home.

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BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY If cabin-fever sets in, just drive down the road!

Within miles of the Inn there are several hiking trails and scenic routes to be found. There is also The Cradle of Forestry, a forest museum 15 miles away, and the dazzling Looking Glass Falls.

Exploring the life of North Carolina is also a breeze with neighboring towns close-by.

In the end, a guest might stay up on the mountain.

Views of the ridge and valley can enrapture the imagination and bring this growing fast-paced world to a standstill. Enjoy the dawn creeping in with the bright colors of an artist over the aging, Appalachian mountain with a steaming cup of coffee right from your balcony.

The Pisgah Inn is only open for a limited season beginning April 1st through October. If you want to experience your next vacation here, be sure to go online and make your reservation. www.pisgahinn.com

HISTORY OF PISGAH INN Before the European Settlers entered this part of North Carolina, these mountains and valleys were the exclusive domain of Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees had their own names for Mount Pisgah and the Pisgah Ridge. The mountain was Elseetoss and the ridge was Warwasseeta, and around them the land was rich in game and lush with trees and other plant life.

The name Pisgah comes from the Bible, Deuteronomy 3:27. The Lord ordered Moses to the top of this mountain and told him to look in all directions, thus revealing the Promised Land to the tribes of Israel. There are at least two stories as to how this Biblical mountain’s name came to be applied to this sylvan eminence in Western North Carolina: In 1776, General Griffith Rutherford led an expedition against the Cherokees. Accompanying this expedition as a chaplain was one James Hall. The men of the expedition saw the mountain from the French Broad River valley and saw a rich land around it – a land of milk and honey, a promised land. James Hall, preacher and soldier, is credited with drawing the parallel with the land that Moses saw from Pisgah and applying the Biblical appellation to this mountain.

Newton was a Presbyterian minister who lived and taught in the late 18th and early 19th centuries at what became Newton Academy in Asheville. Reverend Newton is credited with naming Mt. Pisgah. Because of the extensive view in all directions over a rich land, Reverend Newton felt there was similarity between this mountain and the one on which Moses stood.

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Phyllis O’Connell, current owner recently built a handicap accessible deck for all visitors to the Pisgah Inn.

Thomas Lanier Clingman was state legislator, United States Congressman, United States Senator, Confederate General, and somewhat given to controversy. Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is named for him. He left his mark in the history of North Carolina through his famous argument with Dr. Elisha Mitchell (for whom Mt. Mitchell was named). He has been described as “an intrepid man of most arrogant and aggressive character, greatest self-confidence, unlimited assurance, prodigious conceit, stupendous aspiration, immense claims, more than common ability, no considerable attainment or culture, great boastfulness, and much curiosity.” Mr. Clingman owned 300 acres on and around the top of Mt. Pisgah. He owned this land from the 1830s until shortly before his death in 1897, when he sold this land to George W. Vanderbilt. George Washington Vanderbilt was the grandson of the “commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Mr. Vanderbilt began buying land South of Asheville in 1888, and by the time he finished, he owned about 125,000 acres, including Mt. Pisgah. Near Asheville, he built his famous Biltmore House, the grounds of which Frederick Law Olmsted landscaped.

Two other famous names are associated with Vanderbilt and Biltmore Estate. In 1891, Gifford Pinchot, recently returned from studying forestry in Europe, became Chief Forester of Biltmore. Here, with Mr. Vanderbilt’s strong support, he introduced scientific forestry to the United States. In 1898, Pinchot was named head of the Forestry Division of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Carl A. Schenck of the University of Darmstadt came to the United States to

succeed Pinchot. When Dr. Schenck came to this country, there were fewer than half dozen trained foresters, and all had studied forestry in Europe. There was no place in the United States to study forestry.

With George W. Vanderbilt’s support, Dr. Schenck founded the Biltmore Forestry School in 1898. Classes first met in the village of Biltmore, upstairs in what is now the headquarters of the Biltmore Company. This building is a Registered National Historic Landmark. The field school for the Biltmore Forestry School was near the foot of Mt.Pisgah. The United States Forest Service has done an excellent reconstruction of this school at the Cradle of Forestry in America.

In 1911, the United States Congress passed the Weeks Act. This monumental piece of legislation permitted the US Forest Service for the first time to purchase forest lands. In 1914, the Forest Service purchased nearly 80,000 acres including Mt. Pisgah, from Edith Vanderbilt as a part of what is now the 479,000 acre Pisgah National Forest.

In the Mount Pisgah area, the Vanderbilts kept 471 acres in Buck Springs Gap, about a mile from Pisgah Inn. Here, George W. Vanderbilt had constructed a popular log hunting lodge. The main lodge had four bedrooms, a breezeway-connected building had two bedroom suites, and the kitchen/ dining building was connected to the other two. There were several buildings near these buildings. Mr. Vanderbilt built the Buck Springs Lodge just before the turn of the century, and all of the buildings were razed in 1961.

The Mt. Pisgah area has been a popular

resort area for a number of years. The first Pisgah Inn opened about 1918. This rustic old Inn was a welcome journey’s end for thousands of travelers escaping from the heat of the lowlands in the summer. Development of the modern Pisgah Inn began in the early 1960s. The original Inn was disassembled in 1990 due to safety concerns.

Most of the Blue Ridge Parkway in this area was built across land transferred from the U.S. Forest Service. The exception was the 471 acres around Buck Springs Lodge. The State of North Carolina purchased the land and the lodge in 1959 and transferred the land to the United States for the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway through the Mt. Pisgah area was opened for travel in the mid-1960s. The present Pisgah Inn was built in 1964.

From 1964 until 1978, the Inn was owned by Aaron Prevost. Under his able ownership, a series of different managers directed operations. In 1977, the manager, Mr. Wright, passed away leaving open the position of Manager. In 1978, the O’Connell family came on board. Tom and Phyllis were retired hotel operators. Bruce, their son, had just graduated from the Cornell Hotel School. Together, they took the helm with Bruce running the food operation and Tom running the hotel division. Phyllis was the anchor that held the whole place together.

Tom passed away in 1985 leaving Bruce and Phyllis to manage the Inn. Bruce O’Connell runs the Inn with the help of his mother.

FOR MORE STORIES FROM SIX BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY RECREATION AREAS GO TO: www.pisgahinn.com/history-of-pisgah-inn/

View of Parksville Lake in Cherokee National Forest. Photo by Brandon M. Johnson.

coee Scenic Byway, the first National Forest Byway in the nation, winds through the Cherokee National Forest, passing Parksville Lake and traveling through the scenic bluffs of the Ocoee River Gorge. One section of the byway climbs to the top of the Chilhowee Mountains in Tennessee. From here, you capture magnificent views of the Tennessee Valley, the Cumberland Plateau, the Blue Ridge Province, and on a clear day, views of North Carolina and Georgia.

Along with scenic views, the byway offers a variety of recreational opportunities. Parksville Lake (Lake Ocoee) provides visitors with opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing and camping.

Ocoee River, on the other hand, attracts whitewater adventurists. Canoing, rafting, and kayaking are popular activities at the Ocoee Whitewater Center along the Ocoee River, site of the 1996 Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom competition.

SCENIC DRIVES

OC O E E S C E N IC B Y WA Y LENGTH:26 MILES

And if whitewater adventure is not for you, visit the historical remnants along the byway. The area, once inhabited by the Cherokee Indians, and later a Civil War site, is rich in history. The byway was also once a part of the Old Copper Road, where horse-drawn wagons transported copper ore from Copperhill and Ducktown to Cleveland Tennessee.

From high adventure, to scenic views, to rich history, there is something for everyone on the Ocoee Scenic Byway.

Plan To Spend Your Vacation With Us

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School has ended for the term and, for my two angels, this marks a momentous occasion for graduating second graders. They are leaving the only school they’ve known so far in their educational career, beloved Ingleside.

We live in the historic residential district, and have loved being able to do what seems to many as a pastoral American dream: walking our children to school.

the Ingleside School building and other school properties. As I look back on my family’s home selection when we moved to Athens, walkability and access to this historic school was a key factor. As our community collaborates to envision the future of these historical assets, we will focus on how to continue to use these properties in service to our community.

The Friendly City has tremendous neighborhood assets that we continue to enhance and upgrade. As my children leave Ingleside, I note part of our neighborly walking crew has younger children who will be the last class to graduate the school as a result of our move to educate all our children in a single central campus. While many may be forlorn over the loss of the school, the building will remain, and the property will still be open to the public.

In Fall 2023, our children will be together – no longer separated by neighborhood – in a single campus where they will spend their entire educational career in the Athens City School system. This new structure is unlike any the Friendly City has experienced. To me, this consolidation, builds a community character and a cultural enhancement for collaboration and togetherness that will pay dividends for the future of the Friendly City.

In the coming years, we will invite the public to join a conversation and share their dreams regarding what might be next for

As I watched my sweet angel proudly carrying a fresh cut peony inside for her teacher, I was filled with hope for the future. I cannot help but be excited as these long-held community dreams are now being realized.

Together, we continue to move Athens forward.

Genuinely, C. SETH SUMNER City Manager Office: (423) 744-2702 http://www.cityofathenstn.com

On Friday, May 21, 2021 I walked my twins to school on Friday for the last time. I reflected on the seasons coming to a close for my family and our community.

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THE CITY OF ATHENS

HIGH-INTENSITY HIGH-ALTITUDE FIREWORKS SHOW!

AREA EVENTS Smokn’ The Fourth of July Celebration The most extravagant event of the night is watching fireworks light up the sky, and this year families may want to head over to Athens for their Buddy Liner Fireworks display.

This isn't a bottle-rocket show. Instead, officials promised it's going to be a huge event that people will be able to see across the city. The first firework will shoot off around 9:30 p.m. from Athens Regional Park. "It will be a high-intensity, high-altitude show," said Athens Parks and Recreation. Due to the safety risks involved with lighting the fireworks, the park itself will be closed to the general public.

However, the show will be visible from any nearby location such as Athens campgrounds or nearby North Mouse Creek. Austin Fesmire, the Director of Park and Recreation, said the fireworks will even be visible from sections of State Route 30. “This high-level show will explode above the tree lines, so there is really not a bad place to watch from,” said Fesmire.

This is the second year sparks are flying high in Athens. It was one of the only cities in the area who launched fireworks in 2020. The pandemic slowed overseas manufacturing and shipping, which left many towns struggling to obtain any fireworks at all. To safeguard their show in 2021, Athens Parks and Recreation planned ahead for the event.

“We were advised early that fireworks would be at a premium, during 2021, due to overseas manufacturing and shipping. To ensure Athens had a quality show, we worked with Pyro Shows at the beginning of the year," Fesmire said, "Since we were one of the only cities to shoot last year, Pyro Shows made sure we were able to secure a great show.”

In addition to the massive chrysanthemums that are sure to light up the sky, there will also be choreographed music for the show. The soundtrack can be heard on WSJQ 101.7 FM and WLAR 1450 AM and 95.1 FM.

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A Fun-Filled Day on the Banks of Watts Bar Lake 3pm - 10pm Food and Craft Vendors will be set up all day with live performances by grammy winner Johnny Neel (formerly of the Alliman Brothers Band). The Royal Hounds. Cereus Bright & The Temper Evans Band

Festival on the Fourth World’s Fair Park 3 - 10 pm Traditional 4th celebration with food, all types of bands with live entertainment.

The Knoxville Symphony and fireworks cap off in the evening.

Parking is available in lots around The World’s Fair Park.

Downtown Asheville Independence Day Celebration Pack Square Park Starting at 2pm Children’s Activities, Splashville and Bouncy House 2 - 6pm. Live Music after 5pm. Ultimate air dogs at 2, 4, 6 and 7:30 pm. Fireworks at 9:30pm can be best seen from the park.

Tennessee’s Statehood Celebrating 225 Years in 2021 Two hundred twenty-five men made history when they put quill to parchment and boldly declared that Tennessee was a state. It was an audacious plan; brazenly electing a governor, two senators and one at-large congressman, and simply showing up at the United States capital­–then in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before the creation of Washington, DC— and essentially saying, “Hi-we’re you’re sixteenth state!” But that’s exactly what William Blount and his compatriots did. The “Tennessee Plan,” as it came to be known, eventually worked; after dithering for a few weeks about whether to accept this state into the family, both houses of congress granted their consent, and Tennessee was admitted to the union on June 1, 1795-known

Check out even more photos at www.brandonmjohnson photography.com Use code: SML to save 15% on entire purchase FEEL FREE TO FOLLOW ME Facebook: Brandon M Johnson Landscapes

thereafter as “Statehood Day” in Tennessee. You might say Tennessee broke the mold!

UNTOLD TENNESSEE Visit tennessee225.com for details on the 95-county roadshow, share an untold story or read featured stories on Tennessee’s past. Join us as we commemorate #TN225 with a year full of festivities stretching from Memphis to Mountain City. Learn more at Tennessee225.com.

Instagram: brandon_m_johnson _landscapes

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Nancy Kyzer Wins Arts Center Competition ARTIST STATEMENT FOR “GRANDKIDS’ NIGHT OUT”: This memory box commemorates when our three grandsons, then aged 5, 7, and 9, spent Friday nights with us and we went to dinner at the Waffle House. We said they could order anything on the menu – and they did – and gave them quarters to choose songs from the jukebox.

Now all are in college. The Purdue cap is worn by our AF ROTC senior (even at 9, he always chose patriotic music); the middle grandson, also at Purdue, still playing trombone, is signified by the drum major hat; and the letter jacket with 4 soccer chevrons represents the youngest.

Nancy crafted the furniture from foam core and then painted it. Ron helped Nancy by taking hundreds of photos.

She used copper wire and pliers to shape the high top chairs, painted them black and made the red seat using baked clay. Each tile was hand made using clay - even the waffle irons were made from clay. The handles on the waffle irons were made by wrapping wire around the tip of a pencil. Condiments and coffee cups were also made from clay. Nancy cut a hotel shampoo bottle in half to create the orange juice dispenser.

Winning Is Just The Beginning Of The Story!

Last year, retired art teacher, Nancy Kyzer won the Blue Ribbon at the Arts center. This was just the beginning of a very big win.

Richard and Elaine Newman, the parents of Waffle House’s corporate legal counsel, Greg, live in Athens and saw the piece on display. They sent Greg loads of photos.

The Waffle House Vice President then called to ask if they could exhibit it in Atlanta at Waffle House’s corporate office.

In exchange, Waffle House gave Nancy and Ron an amazing vintage Waffle House juke box, complete with records, loads of Waffle House t-shirts, caps, mugs, waffle mix, and, who knew, even a Waffle-Opoly game!

Vice President Mike Pence even got a tour of the piece when Waffle House sponsored a small business event during Covid - Greg sent a video of Pence’s visit to the Kyzer’s, which they thought was pretty impressive!

The diorama is still on exhibit in Atlanta.

Waffle House Corporate asked for all of the construction photos so they could make a book covering Nancy’s process, and since it was made to honor the grand boys, each of them received a copy. Waffle House corporate has been extremely gracious!

Winning the Arts Center competition opened many doors. Ron has now joined the Arts Center board and they have met some great folks in the Athens area. Ron and Nancy have retired to a small mountain in Tellico Plains which they absolutely love.

Plus they’ve become great friends with Richard and Elaine Newman - definitely a God thing!

Nancy is not new to winning: she and her daughter actually won the National Gingerbread House competition a few years ago at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville.

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HALEY HAYES @lauralynnobsessed

THESE RECIPES ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY INGLES, STARTED IN 1963 BY ROBERT P. INGLESquash AND COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE. Butternut Pasta

Shopping List: 1 butternut squash, cubed 1 fennel bulb, cut into small slices Salt and pepper to taste Drizzle of olive oil 1 box penne pasta 1 cup goat cheese 1 cup pumpkin seeds (or another preferred nut), toasted

JALAPEÑO POPPER HASSELBACK POTATOES

Cooking Instructions: Preheat the oven to 425°. Prepare the squash by cutting it into small pieces and placing them on a cooking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Cut up the fennel and add to the cooking sheet. Pour a drizzle of olive oil over the squash and fennel and add salt and pepper. Toss to make sure everything is evenly coated. Bake for 45 minutes. Cook the pasta reserve a bit of pasta water. In the pot with the pasta, stir in goat cheese, pumpkin seeds, and cooked squash and fennel. Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat later.

A DECADENT DISH YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME OR OVER A CAMPFIRE. SERVES: 6

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

2. Cut parallel lines down the length 5 - 7 medium baking potatoes of your potatoes. Do not cut all the 2 tbsp. olive oil way through the potatoes.

1/2 ground black pepper 1 tbsp. kosher salt 3. Lay your potatoes in a greased cast ingles-markets.com 1/2 cup cream cheese iron skillet and brush them with oil.

3/4 cup cream Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 4 - 5 jalapeños, finely diced (seeded) for 1 hour. You want to make sure 8 oz. sharp cheddar, sliced your potatoes have fanned out.

1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated 4. In a bowl, mix together cream 1/2 cup mozzarella, grated cheese, cream, jalapeños, grated 12 strips of crispy bacon, cut into thirds cheese, salt, and pepper.

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5. Fill each pocket of the potato while alternating a slice of bacon and a slice of cheddar cheese. Top potatoes with the cheese mixture.

6. Cover your potatoes with foil and put them in the oven for 20 minutes.

Uncover potatoes and place back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

KAITLYN BAKER Nashville Recording Artist/Songwriter

MINT PESTO 1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds 2 cups packed mint leaves, stems removed 1 cup packed parsley, stems removed 1/3 cup olive oil (plus 1/4 cup water if too thick) 2 tsp. lemon juice 1/4 tsp. salt pinch black pepper

1. Put almonds in food processor and pulse a few times, then add mint, parsley, and lemon juice; mix until smooth.

2. Add olive oil to food processor, a little at a time, until incorporated. Add ¼ cup water if too thick to drizzle.

3. Taste for seasoning; add salt or pepper if needed.

MEAL,

TOMATO WATERMELON CHEESE SALAD:

SERVES: 4-5

3 Roma tomatoes, cut into 9 slices

APPETIZER,

1 - 1 inch thick center round slice of seedless watermelon, cut into small circles with biscuit cutter (the size of tomatoes and cheese circles)

SERVES: 8-9

1 - 8 oz. log chèvre (goat) cheese, cut into 9 rounds handful of fresh mint leaves, for garnish sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste

WATERMELON TOMATO CAPRESE SALAD WITH MINT PESTO Pair With Fresh-Baked French Bread, From The Ingles Bakery, and a Chilled Rosé for a Great Spring Lunch.

1. Place watermelon, tomatoes, and cheese on a serving platter, alternating as shown in the picture.

2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Drizzle down the center of each row with mint pesto.

DEBORAH ADAMS French Food Made Easy Trained in France then Adapted for the Busy American Family

AIR FRYER BLACKENED FISH TACOS SERVES: 4 1 lb. bag mahi-mahi fillets, defrosted 3 tbsp. Laura Lynn unsalted butter, melted 8 flour tortillas, street taco size 2 key limes, quartered blackening seasoning sriracha mayonnaise Laura Lynn canola oil cooking spray

1. Pat fish dry with paper towels, then cut fish fillets in half lengthwise.

2. Brush both sides of fish with butter, then sprinkle all sides of the fish liberally with blackening seasoning, press into the fish.

3. Spray air fryer basket with cooking spray.

Place fish in air fryer, do not overlap or crowd basket.

4. Air fry at 400°F for 5-6 minutes. Fish is done when internal temperature reaches 140°F. Remove fish from air fryer with spatula or tongs.

McMINN LIFE SUMMER 2021

1/2 cup Laura Lynn mayonnaise 4 tbsp. Unicoi Preserves Apple Cider Pepper Spread 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt 1 apple, diced 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 2 tbsp. jalapeño, diced 1 (14 oz.) bag tri-color deli coleslaw mix

5. Warm tortillas, covered with a damp paper towel, in microwave 15-20 seconds.

1. Make the dressing by whisking together mayonnaise, Apple Cider Pepper. Spread,and salt in a small bowl.

6. To assemble tacos, top each tortilla with 1 piece of fish, slaw (recipe above), a drizzle of sriracha mayonnaise, and a squeeze of key lime.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine apple, cilantro, jalapeño and coleslaw mix. Pour the dressing over the veggies and stir to combine.

No air fryer? No problem! Spray an aluminum foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray and bake fish in a preheated 400 F oven for 8 - 10 minutes.

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CABBAGE AND APPLE SLAW

UNICOI PRESERVES Suzy & Clark Neal

BRUCE BROWN Chef/Owner, Bruce’s Fabulous Foods Star of ABC’s “Carolina Kitchen”

SHRIMP PAD THAI SERVES: 4 8 oz. dried rice noodles 3 tbsp. soy sauce (or sub 3 tbsp. fish sauce) 1/4 cup lime juice 2 tbsp. chili sauce (sriracha preferred) 1 tbsp. brown sugar 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1-1/2tsp. vaegetable oil 16 oz. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 tbsp. vegetable oil 12 oz. tofu,1/2 inch dice 1 cup carrots, julienne 1 cup scallions, diced (whites only) STREET 1/2 cup red bell MEXICAN pepper, seeded & julienned Joe Lasher Sr. 1 tbsp. garlic, minced 1/2 cup jalapeño or poblano peppers, (use red or green bell pepper for less heat) seeded and julienned

CORN

1 cup bean sprouts 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped 1 cup scallions, green only – thinly sliced 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves, minced

1. In a bowl, rehydrate rice noodles in warm water, ten minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, chili sauce and brown sugar. Set aside.

3. Heat a skillet over med-high heat until hot.

Add 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add beaten eggs and cook, spread out. Remove from skillet to a cutting board.

Once cooled, roll up the eggs and thinly slice into ribbons. Set aside.

4. Add 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil to a wok over med-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, removing to a bowl when done.

5. Add 1 tbsp. vegetable oil to the wok. Brown the tofu cubes in the oil, about three minutes, constantly stirring and flipping.

Add the garlic, carrots, bell peppers, scallion whites and stir fry until softened, another three minutes.

6. Add the noodles and half of the sauce, stirring to combine. Simmer for one minute.

7. Add the egg ribbons and shrimp, lightly tossing to combine.

Warm all ingredients thoroughly before laying on a serving platter.

8. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the dish, garnishing with the julienne peppers, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, green scallions and fresh cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

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TACO STUFFED AVOCADOS A low-carb “taco” loaded with a powerhouse of flavor. Perfect for lunch or a light dinner!

SERVES: 4-8 4 Avocados, ripe 1 lime, juiced 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 lb. ground beef 2 tsp. cumin ½ cup jalapenos, chopped 2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. pepper ¾ cup Abby J’s Roasted Garlic Salsa ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded ½ cup lettuce, shredded ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced ½ cup black olives, sliced 1 dollop of sour cream on each avocado cilantro, for garnishing

1. Halve and pit avocados. Using a spoon, scoop out a bit of avocado to create a larger well. Set avocado aside to use later.

2. Squeeze lime juice over halved avocados.

3. In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions, jalapeños and cook about 6 minutes until tender.

4. Add ground beef and cumin. Season with salt and pepper, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Cook until the beef is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain fat.

5. Add Abby J’s Roasted Garlic Salsa and mix well. Fill each avocado with beef mixture, then top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and olives. Garnish with cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.

CHEF ABBY J Founder of Abby J’s Gourmet / Proprietor Blackhawk Flyfishing

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CITRUS AND SALMON SALAD WITH POPPY SEED DRESSING SERVES: 4-6 1 lb. salmon fillet 1/2 cup buttermilk 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1-1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds 2 medium navel oranges, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick 1 medium grapefruit, peeled with sections cut into thirds 1 avocado, sliced into wedges 1 tbsp. chives, chopped for garnishing 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lay the salmon fillet skin side down on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes, until just cooked through. Let cool, then flake into large chunks, discarding the skin.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk buttermilk, olive oil, and poppy seeds.

Season dressing with salt and pepper.

3. Arrange salmon, oranges, grapefruit, and avocado on a platter or plates. Drizzle some of the dressing on top. Garnish with chives and serve.

CHEF ABBY J Founder of Abby J’s Gourmet Proprietor Blackhawk Flyfishing

THIS LIGHT AND HEALTHY SALAD PAIRS WELL WITH A CRISP SAUVIGNON BLANC.

SUMMER 2021 McMINN LIFE

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1911 S CONGRESS PARKWAY ATHENS TENNESSEE • 423-745-2630

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McMINN LIFE SUMMER 2021

HERO I N NEED OF A

900 KIDS • PANDEMIC • CLOSED

The Boys and Girls Club of the Ocoee Region overflows with life. In helping children learn and grow in subjects ranging from STEM and the arts to personal finance, the staff that works for the Bradley, Meigs, Monroe, and Polk counties hears it all. Whether that be hundreds of footsteps playing a game, their laughter, or babbling chatter, it is never quiet. Then the pandemic hit, and all those sounds of life went with it.

As with the rest of the world, every location within the Boys and Girls Club closed down.

The 900 and more kids coming in everyday whittled down to zero.

The transition to virtual teaching and activities was done overnight.

Trips and events planned months in advance were cancelled. It was a time that in his 27 years at the club CEO, Derrick Kinsey, had never seen before.

“It was a struggle to create policies you didn’t have before,” said Kinsey. “We had to learn on the fly what it looked like for us.”

In between making hundreds of videos available online for the kids, staff pushed to keep

helping the community by offering drive-by lunches and dinners. When locations were set to open back up at a limited number, cars were lined up down the streets. A sight that moved Kinsey.

“I pulled over at a car wash to gather my emotions,” said Kinsey. “We became a family last year.”

However, even after opening back up for the summer and school year other troubles loomed. The Boys and Girls Club operates on grants, event funding, and donations.

When everything shut down so did the fundraising events. Some never coming back.

“2021 hurt us more. Business are gone, and it’s still a struggle. We lost $200,000 [dollars] across the board for events,” said Kinsey.

In the face of these new challenges, the club learned to adapt. Events were rescheduled but also held online. Mostly notably, the 2021 Bronco Raffle. Through the price of the ticket, anyone can win a 2021 Ford Bronco on August 14. Tickets for the event can be purchased online and from anywhere. The money spent goes back to help the club build and grow future programs.

On top of other events to help the club, such as the Monroe Life Balloon Festival, those who want to help but can’t make the events can make a difference nevertheless.

By mailing into the club or signing up online, those who want to can become an Everyday Hero through monthly donations benefiting the kids in the club.

After all, even if the pandemic distanced us, everyday heroes pulled us together again. This time, it’s a hero for a child’s future success.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A SUPERHERO TO HELP A KID,” SAID KINSEY. If you would like more information about the club, or where to donate and participate in the raffle, go to www.bgcocoee.org.

w w w . bg co co e e . o r g .

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T PICTURE THIS Picture This is a new phone application that can instantly identify any plant, flower, tree, or weed! Graze your garden or yard with a personal botanist in your pocket. The online plant encyclopedia can identify 10,000+ species and has an accuracy rate of 95 %. With nearly 5 years of research, over 80 Botany and Garden Scholars studied 17,000 local species and 450,000 global species.

For less than $0.1 a day you can identify, learn about, and properly care for your greenery. The app gives you a care guide, condition requirements, and tips from Garden Coaches for a proper plant maintenance. Picture This also provides images, descriptions, characteristics, scientific classification, pests and diseases and uses of the plant. The app will alert you of any toxic plants for animals. Fun aspects of the application include the name story behind the flower, interesting facts, symbolism, and the ability to save your collection and share your plants with friends and family.

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his is a familiar plant to me; but I was unaware that gardeners were growing it in cultivation. I enjoy finding this plant in the fields, in front of my house and along the edge of the woods. I even have this flower on my Portmeirion botanic dishes.

fence. The tops will be killed off during winter, but if you mulch deeply, your passion flower plant will return with new shoots in the spring.

Since passion flowers can reach 20 feet in a single season, this die back will help keep the vine under control.

In doing a little research I found there are over 400 species of tropical passion flowers (Passiflora spp.) Sizes range from 1/2 inch to 6 inches across. They are found naturally in the South and through Mexico. Early Spanish missionaries to these regions used the distinctly colored patterns of the flower parts to teach about the passion of Christ; hence the name. The passion flower was a visual with the curiously constructed flower symbols showing the Crucifixion, the three crosses, the crown of thorns, nails and cords.

Religious or not, this plant is spectacular in the garden, shading a porch, a deck or find them growing in a field.

Tropical passion flower needs full sun and well-drained soil. Give your plant two applications of a well-balanced fertilizer per year, once in early spring and one in midsummer. Even though it looks delicate it has no pest problems.

Other common names are: the maypop, the wild apricot and the Ocoee. The last is the Indian name that has also been applied to the Ocoee River and Valley. The Indians prized the Ocoee as the most abundant and beautiful of all their flowers. Their vibrant colors and heady fragrance make the passion flower plant a welcome addition to any garden.

The passion vine was proposed as the State of Tennessee flower in 1919. Then the Nashville area pushed the Iris to become the state flower in 1933. A compromise was achieved in 1973. The legislature decided that blue-flag iris would continue to be the state flower and now we would have the Passion vine as our state wildflower.

Because they are vines, the best place for growing passion flowers is along a trellis or

Passion flower propagation can be achieved through seeds or stem cuttings in spring, or by layering in late summer. Keep seedlings out of direct sunlight until they develop their second set of leaves. Don’t expect instant blooms with seed-grown plants. Seeds sold on the internet were around $6.00 per seed and they sounded difficult to germinate.

This year I am going to try to root some stem cuttings. Maybe you are lucky and you have a friend that is already growing this plant. Take a cutting in the softwood stage, when they can break off easily when bent. Use a sharp pair of pruners and clip off about 4- to 6-inch cuttings just below the node. Strip off the bottom-most leaves and tendrils and then dip the ends in rooting hormone. Stick the cuttings about half an inch into well-draining potting mix or an equal mix of sand and peat. Lightly water and then cover with a clear, ventilated plastic bag.

Include stick supports if necessary.

This beautiful vine, with its exotic tendrils winding around trellises, makes a quick green screen that very soon has spectacular, purplish flowers. With good sunlight, heat, and humidity, (we always have plenty of heat and humidity). It is easy to be passionate about the Passion Vine.

Passion V I N E

Butterfly Weed GA Y LE FIS HE R

mastergardner

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A

drought tolerate plant that is beautiful in our landscape is Butterfly Weed. This is a native plant here in Tennessee, and comes complete with the Tennessee big orange color. This hardy sun perennial produces a group of tiny flower clusters that together have a very showy impact. Butterfly Weed or Asclepias tuberose is the brightest native member of the milkweed family.

Once established in the garden it is long lived in well drained soils. This is a common roadside plant that blooms along with Queen Anne’s lace and our white Yarrow. If you try moving one of these from the local cow pasture, you’re going to need some serious digging tools. The roots are thick, fleshy tubers that run deep. I’m sure this vast root mass is why this plant is drought tolerant, but also why it is so hard to transplant.

the fall in a protected location. Transplant the seedlings as soon as they have two sets of leaves. I know this seems early but if you wait, they will develop those great taproots and you’ll have more difficulty moving them and getting them to live.

One year my garden club was asked to participate in an Interstate 75 beautification project. Butterfly Weed was the native that we were supposed to propagate. Our ladies sat with stunned looks on their faces as seeds were passed out at the November meeting with a page of instructions on how to start Butterfly Weed using a refrigerator.

No one seemed very excited about giving a shelf in their refrigerator to germinate seeds.

I had a teenaged son living at home and knew that my contribution might easily be

eaten (if boys are unsure exactly what is in a container, beef gravy would be applied).

Butterfly Weed needs at least five hours of sun daily. This wildflower has a spread of one to three feet and grows to a height of about a foot. This plant is tough once established and needs no fertilizing only to be cut back in the winter. It almost seems to thrive on neglect.

Don’t hesitate to cut the flowers for use in the house, they make a great cut flower and the cut stem will fork and make two new flowers.

As the name suggests, Butterfly Weed is a magnet to butterflies, particularly monarchs and swallowtails, it also attracts hummingbirds.

This plant blooms in the heat of summer and is alive with activity making it a treat to just sit and watch.

You will probably have better luck removing the tapered okra-like seedpods at the end of summer before they split and release their winged seeds. If you have butterfly weed already growing in your garden and want more, simply rake or till the ground around your plant in late summer, then scatter the seeds from the pods and sprinkle with a light layer of loose soil. You can also collect the seeds and sow them in pots outdoors in

SUMMER 2021 McMINN LIFE

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Flutterby’s GI V E M E BU T T ER F L I ES

B

utterflies and moths belong to the order of Lepidoptera. Within the order butterflies and moths are separated from each other by their wing venation, body structure and habits.

Butterflies fly during the day, while most moths are nocturnal. The best way to tell the difference between the two is a Butterfly at rest tends to hold their wings vertically over the back. In contrast moths may fold their wings tent like over the back, wrap them around the body, or extend them to the sides.

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McMINN LIFE SUMMER 2021

A butterfly’s eyes are large spherical structures.

These are compound eyes consisting of thousands of hexagonal shaped omatidea.

These collective omatidea are directed in every direction so the butterfly see up and down forward and backward, left and right (virtually every direction simultaneously). There is a price to pay for having an exceedingly small brain and Omni vision. Butterflies cannot focus their vision so everything is a blur; I had this same experience before I was fitted with glasses as a child.

Butterflies are not important pollinators; the workhorses of pollinators are bees.

If you want to increase the butterfly supply next year, you need to plan to have some of these plants growing in your garden: fennel, dill, parsley, Queen Anne’s lace, violet, passion vine, milkweed and sassafras. All are common plants in Tennessee that butterflies love.

They also enjoy things not as elegant to eat such as mud, cow dung, water and tree sap.

GA Y LE FISH ER

mastergardner

Gayle Fisher is a Master Gardener for the State of Tennessee, an accredited Flower Show Judge.

A student consultant for landscape design, and a member of the American Horticultural Society. A published gardening writer and a member of the Garden Writers Association.

We have Black Swallowtails, Cloudless Sulphur, Giant Swallowtails, Great Spangles Fritillary, Monarchs, Red spotted Purples, Red Admirals, Viceroys, and Zebra Longwings, just to name a few.

The famous Monarchs, which are in trouble, are programmed with an amazing pattern for survival. In the fall the Monarchs come out of their cocoon knowing that they must seek warmth in Mexico. These fall butterflies do not mate and lay eggs until the next spring.

Otherwise solitary, they often cluster at night while moving southward. Their only food is milkweed. If they linger too long, they won’t be able to make the journey, because they are cold-blooded and unable to fly in cold weather. The fat stored in the abdomen fuels

their flight of 1,000 to 3,000 miles and must last until next spring when they start north to mate and die.

I love to read about traditional English landscape gardens of the 17th and 18th centuries reading I continually noticed the term flutterby’s. What a descriptive and eloquent word for butterfly. Each time I read the word I smiled at the picture it created. I don’t know when we changed the name or why but I have decided to revert to Flutterbys.

It sounds like their flight pattern and it suits my ears.

A garden featuring various nectar-producing host and shelter plants arranged at varying

heights will draw a larger variety of butterflies than single-story plants of the same size. For example, taller bushes and vines such as the glossy abelia, viburnum and honeysuckle might serve as a backdrop for the zinnias and lemon balm. Fill the fringes with low-growing thymes, violas and sedums.

Herbs with tubular-shaped flowers like thorn apple and foxglove are attractive to humans, but not to butterflies. The length of a butterfly’s tongue determines the type of flower it can dine on. Moths, which usually have longer tongues than butterflies, can draw nectar from long, slender flowers. Butterflies are stuck with the shorter lunches.

SUMMER 2021 McMINN LIFE

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McMINN LIFE SUMMER 2021

Judy Lavoie Earns High Honors for Artwork “This is a very very powerful piece,” are the words used to describe Judy Lavoie’s painting “Distress,” an award winner among 50 paintings chosen for Tennessee Watercolor Society’s 2021 Online Juried Exhibition.

Juror Cathy Hillegas said the Monroe County artist’s painting “conveys emotion while still being somewhat open to interpretation.”

Nearly 200 entries by the state’s best watercolor artists competed to be in this exhibit. “I created ‘Distress’ with symbolic images, for viewers to translate into their own meaning,” stated Lavoie. “I’m delighted to have it recognized in this way.”

Lavoie’s mastery of different art media, subjects and techniques is now being showcased in several other regional and international exhibitions: • Two of her finely detailed scratchboards, “Curious” and “How Sweet It Is,” are currently featured in the 2021 Online Exhibition of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists.

• A large watercolor of a single poppy flower, titled “Remembrance,” is among just 41 original artworks chosen from 484 entries for “Arts In The Airport,” displayed at McGhee Tyson Airport in Alcoa now through October.

• Another of Lavoie’s scratchboards, “Ruby-Throated Hummer,” has been singled out from three she is showing in the Tellico Village Art Guild Spring Art Show. Kimberly Winkle, Director of the School of Art, Craft & Design at Tennessee Technological University, praised this painting’s “intensity of colors which work perfectly with the subject,” in her Gallery Talk for the show.

Judy Lavoie lives in Tellico Plains. You can learn more about these paintings and see more of Judy’s fine art on her website: https://judylavoieart.com.

Judy Lavoie’s paintings are displayed at Fuller’s Frame Shop & Art Gallery in Athens. Her watercolors will be included in an Exhibition of the Eastern Tennessee Members of the Tennessee Watercolor Society, to be held at the Athens Art Center from July 5-August 20, 2021, with opening reception on July 16, 2021, at 5pm.

SUMMER 2021 McMINN LIFE

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Saving Money Has Never Been Easier For Farm Bureau Members!

McMinn County

Download your TN Farm Bureau Member Savings app or register at www.tnfarmbureau.org/membersavings to start saving today Find out about great savings from these partners and many more:

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DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR WANT MORE INFORMATION ON BECOMING A MEMBER? Contact McMinn County Farm Bureau • 208 Congress Pkwy S • Athens, TN • 423-745-4521

What might you find at

sweetwater general?

Cool Men’s Stuff? Yup. Bath & Body? Check.

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Check us out on Facebook or give us a call 423-836-9004

SUMMER 2021 MONROE LIFE

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McMINN COUNTY IS AN IDEAL PLACE TO DO BUSINESS McMinn County is located along a major transportation corridor (Interstate 75) in both the Chattanooga and Knoxville regions in Southeast Tennessee. We offer a great location, a workforce eager to tackle the demands of advanced manufacturing, low cost taxes in a debt-free county, abundant industrial properties, a favorable quality of life, and support services that are hard to match. The McMinn County Economic Development Authority works to attract new investment and jobs in McMinn County and provides life-long support to our existing industries. Please browse our business advantages and community assets to see for yourself why so many industries choose to “Make It In McMinn.”

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McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2018