Feature Stories

There's a catch phrase: "Bloom where you're planted." Shelbyville Central High School substitute educator Carolyn Buckingham has strong convictions that is what she's doing in her life. "I'm glad God put something in me to blossom out," said the 65-year-old. "God has opened avenues ... allows me to come to this school every morning."...

Second graders at Liberty School recently participated in Duck River Electric Membership Corp.’s Louie the Lightning Bug safety presentation and coloring contest. Eighty students learned how electricity is made, how it travels and how to use it safely via a 10-minute video and presentation by DREMC’s Gina Warren, communications and community relations coordinator. All second grade students received special Louie the Lightning Bug prizes for participating in the coloring contest; first place winners in each classroom were received a collectible Louie stuffed toy and certificated signed by the cooperative’s Interim President and CEO Charles McDonald. First place winners were, from left, Zander Smith, Jackson Pyrdum and Layklyn McKin. Not pictured is Gabby Price. (Submitted photo)

Chloe DeLease and Connor Prim represented Cascade High School at the 2019 All-State Music Ensemble at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. This is the second year both have earned this honor, DeLease for the clarinet and Prim for the trumpet. (Submitted photo)

Learning Way Elementary teachers had a pep rally April 12 to encourage students to do well on the TN Ready test. There were games, a spirit stick competition, and a musical performance by fifth grade students and principal Kathy Reed.

Hazel Gordon, 102, enjoyed another birthday celebration Wednesday with family and friends at Celebration Way Senior Living Center. The Lynchburg native married her sweetheart, Richard J. “Cracker” Gordon, who served on Bedford County Commission and passed away in 2010. They were together 69 years, she says, living a good life filled with church activities, farming and rearing two daughters. (T-G Photo by Dawn Hankins)

Bedford County native Mary Jo Graham considers herself a Christian artist and author -- titles which she admits came about rather unexpectedly while sharing her faith. Since moving to Murfreesboro, Graham has spent time in her fine art studio, where she paints what she calls "messages of hidden crosses." It wasn't until 10 years ago when she explored abstract painting...

One of the current trends in cooking vegetables is steaks. No, not beef steaks with vegetables on the side. Instead, the vegetables are cut into thick, steak like slabs and then roasted until tender and served with a sauce drizzled over the top. No, they don't taste like beef steaks but they make an easy, flavorful side dish or even a vegetarian main dish. Cauliflower and cabbage are two vegetables that work well for steaks...

Bedford County Family and Community Education Clubs celebrated their achievements for the 2018 club year with the theme "A Night for Southern Women." Audra Spence, owner of Redeemed Home, gave a very interesting program on home decorating and how she started her business. President Louise Armstrong of the Four Corners Club presided over the evening with Mary Ann Davis giving the devotional. Members and guests enjoyed favorite southern refreshments served by the committee...

Local extension agent Whitney Danhof has become part of the Master Craftsman program, a certification with the Embroiderers' Guild of America. Danhof, who works with the University of Tennessee/Tennessee State University Extension on Midland Road, said the program is designed to promote excellence in embroidery. In addition, it provides the accomplished needleworker the opportunity to demonstrate skills and become certified as a master in an area of expertise...

"First Baptist Church of Ivy Gap," a sentimental southern comedy by Ron Osborne, will be presented by the Shelbyville Woman's Club at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Fly Arts Center on South Main Street. The play, directed by Kay Rose, is the story of six women who gather at the church to roll bandages as part of the World War II effort and plan the church's 75th anniversary...

Fawn Weaver calls herself the most recent of four storytellers helping to keep alive the memory of Nathan "Nearest" Green. When a very young Jack Daniel hired on as a "chore boy" on Dan Call's farm, it was Call's slave Nathan "Nearest" Green who taught Daniel the art of distilling whiskey. Call told Daniel that Nearest Green was the best whiskey-maker Call knew...

Community Middle School Band is having an eventful spring semester. In January, members auditioned for, and then were selected to perform with, the 45th annual Tri-Lakes Honor Band. On March 1, the Concert Band performed at the second annual Tri-Lakes Concert Festival and received a superior rating (they were one of two middle schools in attendance to receive the highest ranking)...

Wayne Dillingham, retired from a long career in the military and then in education, made his first solo flight as a pilot fifty years ago, at age 16, in 1969. He celebrated the official anniversary -- March 15 -- with a flight, courtesy of his friend, corporate pilot David Robinson of Murfreesboro...

In college basketball there is the "Sweet 16". In the National Hockey League there is the "Original Six". In the world of Hot Wheels cars, the first 16 models made available to the public by the Mattel Corporation in 1968 are referred to as either the "Sweet 16" or the "Original 16"...

Every Thursday evening, Tina and Jerry Armstrong meet at Lotus Sports Bar on North Main Street for a leisurely game of cornhole. The two fine tune their game locally, but travel near and far as professional competitors. While many play cornhole in the backyard or at a tailgate party, the Armstrongs travel and play professionally as part of the American Cornhole Organization -- and they've gotten pretty good along the way...

On March 1, the Bedford County FFA Chapter of Shelbyville Central High School competed in the District X Agriculture Mechanics CDE held at the SCHS CTE Annex. The team placed first in the District and those team members were as follows: l Block Laying, Brett Harden, first place...

On Feb. 16, the Bedford County FFA Chapter of Shelbyville Central High School competed in the Middle Tennessee FFA Proficiency Contest at Tennessee Leadership Camp Clements in Doyle. A Proficiency Application is a 20-30 page document that highlights the member's Supervised Agriculture Experience Program as compared to other members from around the Middle Tennessee FFA Region. ...

Real Men, Real Talk is a men's support group started in 2017 by Believers Faith Fellowship Church and led by the Rev. Allium Black. It meets every Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Arts and Crafts Room of Shelbyville Recreation Center. According to organizers, it's a space "where men can come together in a safe environment and talk about community and family through biblical teaching."...

In its 25th anniversary season, Community High School's Smokestack Theatre troupe will present Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic "The Sound of Music" 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Set in the serene mountains of Austria during the tension of World War II, the play is certain to tug at the heart strings of any family...

I think of March as a transitional month. The cold, winter air gives way to the fresh, lighter, warmer air of spring. Foods can transform as well. This week I had some hearty pulled pork barbecue sandwiches and had some of the meat left over. So I transformed it with some vegetables into great pulled pork tacos...

Caregiver Relief Program recently extended appreciation to the men of First United Methodist Church, and in particular Andy Borders, for their long-time support of Caregiver Relief Program’s annual pancake supper. The men of First UMC have cooked for the event for more than 15 years, with Borders as lead cook. Borders, right, was presented a certificate recently by Caregiver Relief Program board chair Charlie Williams. This year’s pancacke supper, silent auction and bingo night will be held April 9 at First Baptist Church on Depot Street. Tickets are $6 and are available from board members or by calling 931-685-9039. (Submitted photo)

Some kids spend their weekends gaming, or playing sports. Four local students combine the best of both worlds by building competitive robots. Small Town Robotics Team Number 14291 recently presented their award-winning robot at an engineering banquet at the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma. Robot inventors on hand for the special night were team members Joshua Rains, Seth Thompson, Mauricio Reyes Sanchez and Jake Thompson...

Ryan House received his Eagle Scout Award at a recent Eagle Court of Honor with Scout Troop 390. (Submitted photos)

The cast of the upcoming Shelbyville Central High School spring musical, "The Wiz," said on the heels of their first public appearance that they realize they're "not in Kansas anymore." Keeping their nervousness in check, 11 drama members gave a preview of their spring play at the Wednesday Shelbyville Woman's Club. The team will now head into rehearsals where they'll spend countless hours over the next 2 1/2 months...

Cascade FFA is participating in the Tennessee ATV Safety program, the only one of its kind. The top six counties in Tennessee ranked on the number of ATV accidents reported at Vanderbilt were invited to participate. The Cascade FFA and Bedford County 4-H are collaborating to promote ATV safety. The members attended an eight-hour workshop in September and were assigned several activities to complete...

Cascade FFA and the Cascade Agriculture classes give back to the community while applying classroom philosophy to real-world situations. Cascade Canine Care is a student-run project at Cascade High School. The students and FFA members enrolled in Small Animal Science and Veterinary Science wash and dry, board, trim nails and conduct health checks on dogs as part of their curriculum...

Members of Cascade FFA have made agriculture literacy a priority for the 2018-2019 school year. P.L.O.W (Passing Literacy OnWard) chairperson, Farrayn Arnold, has worked with the members of Cascade FFA, administrators at both Cascade High School and Cascade Elementary on several projects during the school year...

As executive director of the Community Development Center, Anita Teague burns more than her share of gas and runs through tires at a quicker pace than most. She travels 17 counties overseeing a variety of programs under the CDC umbrella. It all started back in 1972 with the Child Development Center. ...

Christian Women Conference (CWC) of Middle Tennessee will present "Among Friends," an inspiring day with contemporary Christian artist Kathy Troccoli March 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 304 Depot Street. As organizers worked feverishly Monday on preparations, some said they believe the opportunity to bring Troccoli to Shelbyville is all part of "God's perfect timing." Troccoli (pronounced truh-COH-lee) is busy right now traveling cross-country but happened to have an opening in her "Stay Amazed" schedule for the second Saturday of March.. ...

Sulema Sosa-Cruz, Keeli McClain, and Harlee Taylor, seniors from Cascade High School’s FCCLA club, are competing in a Star Events project called Advocacy. After researching the number of traffic fatalities due to drivers not being buckled up, they decided to work with the administration to change the student handbook to require students next year to be buckled up on campus. To promote the project, they stopped cars leaving school, presenting drivers with a wristband and candy if everyone in the car was buckled up. (Submitted photo)

Trace Reed is impacting lives all around Middle Tennessee with his winning attitude even as he battles congenital heart disease -- and he's not even in kindergarten. Trace, who turned 4 last August, has fought congenital heart disease most of his short life. ...

Hasselback potatoes are accordion cut potatoes bathed in butter and sprinkled with breadcrumbsand baked until crispy on the outside and creamy in the center. It is a technique that comes from Sweden and the Hasselbacken Restaurant in Stockholm. The slicing creates a mixture of a baked potato and the crispiness of roasted potatoes.They are fancy looking but relatively simple to make...

"Eat your peas!" Who didn't grow up with this tableside mantra? I have to admit, I was one of those kids who loathed green vegetables, especially peas. There were those evenings when you spent most of the family conversation time hiding the round oddities in a mound of cold mashed potatoes...

Members of the Criminal Justice Student Organization at Shelbyville Central High School submitted letters of interest and participated in panel interviews for the position of sergeant. Of the 15 who applied for promotional positions, only six were selected. They will play leadership roles within the organization. From left are criminal justice instructor Christopher Hobbs and students Jhoana Rivera, Emma Rose, Rafael Thorpe, Hunter Harris and Cobye Hernandez. Student Jadyn Cochrane was not present. (Submitted photo)

Sandra Anderson received a Christmas card recently from a Southside Elementary student simply addressed to: "Miss Crossing Guard." "I thought that was so cute," Anderson notes, following a rainy Wednesday morning of directing school traffic. Though students may not know her by name, her face is most familiar. Anderson has literally watched Southside students grow up before her eyes over the last three years...

On Jan. 17, Bedford County FFA of Shelbyville Central High School attended Agriculture Night at the Nashville Predators game against the Winnipeg Jets at Bridgestone Arena. Back row, from left: Ian Alcox, Haley Henson, Khloe Davis, Elizabeth Atonsa, Lawson Lemmon, David Carben, Brett Harden, Ryan Dye, Cayla Lynch, and Cali Mason. Front row: Faith Williams, Bella Reed, Brooke Minnick, Payton Costello, Emily Crabtree, Allison Davis, Allison McCarty, Dorothy Brandon, Nick Moore, and Kelli Neese. Chaperones were Sallie Lemmon, Sam Davis, and Kelly Skelton-Weise.

To celebrate the 100th day of school, Eakin Elementary held a canned food drive to help those in need in our community. The school collected 752 cans of food in one day. The class that brought in the most cans received 100 extra minutes of recess to be used over the next four months. Audrey Jett’s fourth graders were the winners. (Submitted photos)

Wartrace United Methodist Church celebrated Horace Hittson’s 90th birthday on Sunday, with good wishes from family, friends, and church family. Hittson was born Jan. 24, 1929. (Submitted photo)