2C • farragutpress Thursday, September 14, 2017
Fall on the Road
Hawks
Muddy Pond is a small community near Monterey, Tennessee, about 90 minutes from Farragut. Many of the residents are of Mennonite descent Submitted
Muddy Pond From page 1C
they enjoy having people watch the process and appreciate their product. They usually kick off the season over Labor Day weekend, but Jenny isn’t sure about this year. Since the cane grew slowly due to cool, wet weather, they may have to postpone it a little. She said it’s best to call Muddy Pond Sorghum Mill at 931-445-3509. “The guys start at 6 in the morning,” Jenny said, “but it’s a while before the juice is even on the pan. By 9 o’clock it’s in pretty good swing. The best time to be there is between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.” “I grew up with very high moral standards and a very high work ethic,” Mark said. “No TV, no radio and no music. I was 13 years old before I heard music. I’m not saying music is immoral, but my parents would have felt that way. (Just vocal singing at church.) No foul or vain language whatsoever. Not any naughtiness — and honest and truthful. There was lots of hard work. I was 6 years old before I knew there was such a thing as Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. Those days meant nothing to us. Most would say it’s a sheltered life, but it was good.” There are a few other stops you need to make in Muddy Pond. “The variety store [Muddy Pond Variety Store] is open all year,” said longtime resident, Jennifer Horst, 28. The store is owned by Mark Guenther’s parents, John and Emma Guenther. For hours call 931-445-3357. There’s also Muddy Pond General Store (931-445-7829); Aaron’s Bauman Leather Shop (931445-3234); Jay’s Custom Leather (where Horst is the manager); The Country Porch, a deli and gift shop open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sunday; and Troyer’s Café open Thursday through Saturday 8 a.m.
Photos Submitted
Clockwise top left: Josy Troyer, owner of Troyer’s Café in Muddy Pond near Monterey, Tennessee, holds a Muddy Pond latte. “It’s a delicious latte served hot or cold containing a dreamy amount of Nutella,” says longtime resident, Jennifer Horst, “and her fried pies and donuts fly out the door.” Top right: Mark Guenther feeds sorghum cane into a small mill as Mattie the mule, named for one of his wife’s grandmother’s, provides horsepower at the Wilson County Fair on Aug. 24. The Guenthers go to several fairs and festival in Tennessee to demonstrate how their sorghum syrup is made. Above right: At the Country Porch in Muddy Pond, a Mennonite community near Monterey, Tennessee, Mary Troyer, Amy Troyer, Elisabeth Horst and their coworkers enjoy baking, working the deli and scooping ice cream for happy customers. Above left: The sorghum boils under a steam boiler stoked all day with wood.
to 4 p.m. (801-636-7558), that specializes now in coffees, but also has baked goods. “They have a really great latte called ‘The Muddy Pond,’ made with Nutella,” Horst said. “It’s
a must-try. “We are located right beside the general store,” she said about Jay’s Custom Leather, where she’s the manager. “Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Satur-
day 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. At our store, here we do mostly custom saddles. We’re also the founder of a bag brand called Urban Southern. We also have different wallets, knife sheaths, belts. People come from all over
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just to buy the belts made from real leather, not a bonded leather. “My boss is a thirdgeneration leather artisan and next door is his father’s store, Aaron’s Leather Shop,” she added.
“There are so many different types of things you can do with leather, it works really good.” Horst said Muddy Pond was a “very country, very peaceful place to grow up. Charming.