Feature Stories

The Beta Iota Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha held its annual “Taste and Tell” event, featuring dishes and recipes shared by members....

June is the perfect time of year to grill out and have a barbecue in the back yard or a picnic. It's not too hot yet and with Father's Day and the 4th of July coming up, they are great times to celebrate. We often think of potato salad and coleslaw as sides to grilled meats or burgers but there are many options out there...

A stranger is just a friend you haven't yet met, the saying goes. The same is true for the unfamiliar vegetables that will be showing up at farmers markets and in community supported agriculture (CSA) boxes this summer. As the national movement toward eating more fresh and local produce grows, so does the need for more variety. Other, less nutritive foods are tempting if you grow bored with a limited roster of vegetables and recipes...

Granddaughters Andi Jo and Emma Kate Sublett love riding the tractor with their granddaddy, whom they call “Farmer Andy.” (Submitted photo)

Kinzley Whitworth and Adam Whitworth enjoy some time shopping. (Submitted photo)

The Bedford County FFA of Shelbyville Central High School has announced its 2018-19 officers: He is the son of Rodney and Dixie Harden. Brett chose to be an officer because he wanted to lead the chapter that he has been very passionate for since his freshman year...

On Monday, May 28, 2018, the Bedford County FFA Chapter of Shelbyville Central High School traveled to Doyle, Tennessee to attend State FFA Leadership Camp at Camp Clements. ...

Shelbyville resident Laura Pewitt achieved a nearly 15-year-long dream when her children's book hit shelves last summer. She is still amazed by the whole process, even as "Wally, the Wayward Sea Turtle" approaches its first birthday. The book focuses on a newly hatched sea turtle, Wally, who makes a mistake and follows a street light further ashore instead of following the moonlight into the ocean with the other turtles...

On May 5, Cascade FFA held its annual banquet at Cascade High School. The chapter celebrated the year's accomplishments and presented several awards. The banquet not only recognized the members, but the parents and community as well. Emily Houle introduced the 2017-2018 Cascade FFA officer team as they entered to conduct the opening ceremonies. ...

William Shakespeare once proclaimed "all the world's a stage," and Jonah Jackson is working as hard as he can to perform on as many stages as he possibly can. Jackson was a familiar face in theatrical productions at Shelbyville Central High School and continued to hone his craft on the way to a dual B.F.A degree in acting and directing in 2016 from Lipscomb University. ...

Joshua Wade has been named the 2018 June Dairy Month Chairman for Bedford County, for the second year. June Dairy Month activities are designed to communicate the value of milk and dairy products to Tennessee consumers and Chairpersons play a vital role in spreading dairy's message in their community...

Shelbyville Central High School's 2017-18 valedictorian was Madelyn Marie Northcutt. As a freshman, she received academic excellence awards in honors English I, honors physical science and Spanish I, as well as an honors geometry award. As a sophomore, she received academic excellence awards in Spanish II and honors English II; a science award of excellence in honors biology; and an honors algebra II award...

Soldiers who “gave their last full measure of devotion,” is how President Abraham Lincoln described the 51,000 Americans who died in the horrific three-day battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in July 1863. Memorial Day is too often mischaracterized, celebrated as a holiday, a long weekend to be devoted to family parties, marking the unofficial start of summer. ...

On Memorial Day local veterans, their friends and family and other community members gather at Willow Mount Cemetery to pay their respects to those who have fallen while in service to our country. The 2018 Field of Heroes Ceremony will be held May 28 starting at 9:30 a.m. ...

Mr. Guy Winfrey Hill, 77, of Shelbyville, passed away Friday, August 11, 2017.
 He was born November 28, 1939, in Bedford County, to the late Guy F. and Betty Winfrey Hill. He was retired from South Central Bell, a veteran of the United States Army. ...

Two historic Bedford County family farms are now part of the Tennessee Century Farms Program, administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, and are being recognized for keeping continuously owned family land in agricultural production for at least the last 100 years...

Sixty years ago, 118 students, the CHS class of 1958, graduated from Shelbyville Central High School and began new adventures that would take us to all parts of the world. A few married classmates, some became successful business men and women and farmers in and around Shelbyville, some became successful engineers, lawyers, architects, nurses, accountants, and soldiers, and seven finished university with PhD's and became award winning scientists, professors, and entrepreneurs, spreading their influence from coast to coast. ...

Cladie Johnson celebrated her 90th birthday on April 28, including a dinner with a her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews at her home in Shelbyville. (Submitted photo)

The annual Shining Stars event serves two purposes -- it's a fundraiser, generating money to be used to assist individuals with special needs, but it's also, first and foremost, a chance to celebrate those with special needs, to cheer them, to remind them that they have special assets as well...

With the cooler, wet weather the growing season is behind this year. At the farmers market vendor meeting the other day, most said they won't have much until mid-June or so and the strawberries have been delayed as well. But spinach loves the cool and so we'll focus on this fabulous vegetable and have some Florentine dishes until the rest comes in. The dictionary defines Florentine as served or dressed with spinach and that's exactly what I did to my chicken this week...

The members of Beta Sigma Phi, Laureate Delta Chapter, recently met to celebrate Founder’s Day. Front row, from left: Charlotte Daniel, Pat Sherrill, Barbara Brown, Alice Durio. Back row: visitor Frances Baucom, Alice Russell, Renee Kowalski, Pam Birtcil, Charlotte Presley, Nancy June Brandon, Vavial Jamison and Debbie Kee. (Submitted photos)

Last Saturday, Community Aviation Day drew an enormous crowd to Shelbyville Municipal Airport to see aircraft from many places throughout Tennessee and surrounding States. "I can't thank the community enough for the tremendous support," says airport director Paul Perry. ...

Boys & Girls Club of Bedford County members attended a Nashville Sounds baseball game on April 29, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Prince. Club members had a pizza party, ice cream, and seats behind home base and beside the dugout. (Submitted photos)

The CG Freck Foundation, at the Paddlin’ for Paws festival on April 29, supported the long-term animal rescue efforts of Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association with a $500 donation. Christine Abbey-Carlton, left, treasurer of the Shelbyville-Bedford County Association, accepts the check from Kim Council of the Foundation. The funds will be used to enlarge the dog training area and play area at SBCHA’s no-kill shelter. (Submitted photo)

Thomas Magnet School held its annual family night extravaganza last month and received a wonderful turnout. Packed with fun-filled events, each grade was able to show off their artistic abilities throughout the hallways of the school. The kindergarten classes focused on ocean life; first grade was accompanied by the Adventure Science Center and their digging for dinosaurs; second grade focused on weather-theme STEM activities; third grade planned projects of STEM roller coasters; fourth grade made snowball catapults and handmade snowflakes; while fifth grade wrapped it up with complex paper airplanes, slime and bingo.. ...

Wednesday is the day for "The Big Payback," an annual fund-raiser in which a number of Bedford County not-for-profits are participating. The event is organized by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. For 24 hours, the participating not-for-profit agencies will encourage donors to go to thebigpayback.org and make online donations to their chosen charity. (Donations can also be pre-scheduled starting April 25, so that they take effect during the 24-hour period.)...

Autumn Tucker models fashions available at Autumn Grace Boutique in Antiques, Art and Collectibles Mall on the square in Shelbyville. Accessories on both mannequins (Kentucky Derby hats, pashminas, purses and jewelry) are from Davorka Whiteside’s booth 5. The antique furniture is from booth 190 (vendor Lana Palmer). (Submitted photo)

Leadership Bedford held its agriculture day recently. Class members visited M&L Greenhouse, Nash Family Farms and Dairy, Fancy Free Farms, Precious Memories Farms, Vannetta Farms, the UT Extension Office, the Normandy Fish Hatchery, and Tyson Foods.

Bedford County has a new archivist. Anna Frazier, who is originally from McMinnville and currently living in Nashville, took the reins on Feb. 26. Two years ago, Anna and her husband, Rick, were drawn to the beautiful rolling hills and endless landscape of the Bedford County area in order to find more of a simpler life outside of the ever growing city. ...

The one thing I enjoyed the most while Speaker of the House at Congress was the experiences. The ability to meet new people and make friendships is priceless. Being able to stand where the present and all the past Speakers of the House for Tennessee have stood was exciting and a whole lot of fun...

Have you ever just sat down and thought about what your government does for you, or even who the governor is? Do you know your state capital? Do you know whom the Speaker of the House or the Senate is in Tennessee? Most people reading this probably don't, I know I didn't until I attended State 4-H Congress!...

Shelbyville Central High School held its annual National Honor Society induction ceremony on March 6. Giving a presentation on the NHS emblem and The Four Pillars of NHS were: Jacob Pruitt; Jay Blackburn; Trevor Reese; Kobe Simmons; Jai Trice; and Anna Brannon...

Each month Eakin Elementary School holds a drawing in each grade of the students who had perfect attendance the month before. Students whose names were drawn for February were as follow. Front row (from left): Catarina Tomas Sebastian, Juliette Rosas Navarro and Isaac Creson. Back row (from left): Chelsea Zavaleta, Aliyah Presley and RJ Howey. (Submitted photo)

Ethan Jolley and Brennan Sanders of Community High School FFA go over the Ten Commandments of Tractor Safety with fourth grade students. (Submitted photo)

On Thursday, March 1, the Bedford County FFA Chapter of Shelbyville Central High School competed in the District X Agriculture Mechanics CDE held at the Shelbyville Central High School CTE Annex. The team placed 1st in the District. Team members were:...

On March 14th, the Youth Leadership Bedford class went to Nashville to tour the Tennessee Capitol and the State Museum while dressed in their business apparel. They also met Gov. Bill Haslam.

Three Cascade FFA members competed in the District X Ag Mechanics Skills contest on March 8 at Shelbyville Central High School. The contests are designed to recognize students with agricultural technology and mechanical systems competencies important to the modern workplace...

You might say Pat Marsh kept on trucking to find a career in Shelbyville. Marsh was born in Fayetteville, Tennessee, one of six children. He attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he majored in transportation and business. "Penn State and Tennessee were the only two schools with transportation majors at the time," Marsh said. "I started out in pre-dentistry but I didn't like it."...

The name Don Embry is synonymous with Bedford County education. Embry has served as superintendent since April 2013. He moved to Shelbyville in 1981 to teach general math at Shelbyville Central High School, gradually teaching Algebra One, business math and pre-algebra...

Spring is here. Easter weekend was absolutely beautiful. And with spring comes asparagus. You know how Easter always signals the wearing of white? Well for me, asparagus always signals the start of spring. My grandfather worked in the asparagus fields of Michigan as a young man and I always think of him when I have asparagus. ...

On March 20, we celebrated National Ag Day. As part of the celebration, the Tennessee State 4-H Council helped serve food for the legislative Ag day supper at the Cordell Hull building in Nashville. Bedford County 4-Her Jacob Wade was present to serve as part of the state council and promote agriculture and 4-H to the legislature...

In the movie The Graduate Dustin Hoffman's character, Benjamin Braddock, was given one word of advice from a family friend -- "plastics". Hoffman's character didn't listen. Michael Burrows had a similar situation in a discussion with a doctor. Burrows did listen. ...

If there was a DNA test to identify a gene that would lead someone to be a county extension agent, there is no doubt John Teague would possess it in large quantities. "I was a 4-Her when I was growing up," Teague said. "I took part in a lot of 4-H activities including some leadership building and other projects."...

CommUNITY Pastors' Association will present a Good Friday service, "Seven Last Words," 6:30 p.m. Friday at Bright Temple COGIC, 516 Elm Street. Speakers will include Robin Kimbrough, Jimmy West, Glenn Forsee, Abe Zimmerman, Darryle Hood, Anthony Booker, Sandra Avent and Randy Williams...

A sixth-grade student with Spina Bifida has been touching lives all his life. Logan Davis, who will be 13 in April, was born with Spina Bifida myelomeningocele, hydrocephalus, and clubbed feet. His proud mother, Andrea Miller-Davis, said she does not want his life to be defined by his condition but by his "awesome" personality and the "cool things" he has done, echoing the idiom, "Don't judge a book by its cover."...