Stories from Sunday, September 9, 2018

Nearly 114,000 people helped consume tons of Optimist Club doughnuts, ice cream and a stadium full of drinks during the 80th Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. To Mike Inman, TWHNC Chief Executive Officer, those numbers are not horse feed. He believes it sends a message that the industry isn’t going away, but only getting stronger...

The Fly Arts Center gets its name from the manufacturing facility that used to be located there, and the family that made it possible for Bedford County Arts Council to transform the building into an event space, museum and theatre. But the butterfly has been a symbol of the building ever since it became an Arts Center. ...

The highlight of my forecast this week is the temperatures are going to come down a little bit and the rain chances are going up. Showers and thundershowers are likely on Sunday and then a 50 percent chance will continue from Monday through Wednesday. Monday will be the coolest day with highs in the upper 70s, otherwise I expect low 80s on most afternoons...

Two suspects face theft charges after allegedly stealing vehicle batteries at a Meadow Drive home Thursday morning. The victim told police he arrived home to find Kristy Lynn Danorovich, 41, of Columbia and Eddie James Collier, 62, who is listed in a police report as homeless and from Shelbyville, with two batteries...

McMINNVILLE – After a slow first half, Shelbyville Central took over Friday night’s game in the second half, rolling to a 41-13 victory over Warren County in a non-region contest. The Eagles (2-1) had a number of players sitting out a quarter for each practice they missed during the horse show break. The coaching staff knew it would be a challenge in the first half and focused on a way to keep the score close at halftime...

UNIONVILLE – In their previous game, the Community Vikings were hurt by four costly turnovers. On Friday night, the Vikings turned the tables by forcing four Richland Raider turnovers and held on for a 22-19 win. The Vikings did not have a turnover of their own in notching their first victory of the season...

My green thumb friends have homes that sing with certain exuberance from growing orange marigolds, sunny sunflowers, purple phlox and showy hydrangeas. One of the most stunning, yet easy, plants to grow is the sunflower. That is, if you can keep the deer away from them. (Right, Becky Nichols?)...

Plans are already well underway for one of Bedford County's most unique and rustic annual events, the 17th annual Halls Mill Sorghum Squeeze. This one-day festival will be held Oct. 6 at 225 Paschal Road in Halls Mill (if you're using a GPS or smartphone mapping system, input 225 Paschal Road, Unionville). Activities begin at 9 a.m...

The horse show is over and the winner crowned. The children are back in school. The white pants are packed away until spring. Yes, it's the beginning of fall and that means fall flavors on the table. Nothing says fall better than acorn squash. Just the name conjures up visions of colorful leaves and scampering squirrels...

Tony and Dena Usher of Spring Hill announce the engagement of their daughter, Samantha, to Myles Anderson of Franklin. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of James and DeLila Usher and Randal and Lynn Humphrey, all of Spring Hill. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and is employed by Northwestern Mutual in Franklin...

Eric and Sherry Perryman of Unionville announce the engagement of their daughter, Allison Brooke Perryman of Unionville, to Jovanny Garcia of Shelbyville. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Nancy Perryman of Unionville and the late Eugene Perryman, and the late Leonard and Mary Nelle Helton. She holds a 2017 bachelor's degree and a 2018 master's degree, both from Middle Tennessee State University...

Brian and Courtney Bogle of Shelbyville announce the birth of a son, Landon Wilder Bogle, Aug. 23 in Tullahoma. He weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and is a brother to Carter, 2. Grandparents are Gene and Shelia Ray, Mike and Karen Bogle, all of Shelbyville. Grat-grandparents are Larry and Connie Hasty and Cathy Cawthron, all of Shelbyville...

The last week of August, there were several memorial services and funerals held for two prominent Americans. Those two people came from two completely different realms. One from the world of music and pop culture, and the other from the world of politics and public service...

Don't get me wrong, I've always loved horses. I grew up showing them and the root basis of my moving to Tennessee from upstate New York was related to my love of horses -- show horses. However, I never really intended to spend my life -- with two of the most important weeks of my life each year being the Celebration -- indirectly tied to them...

I think trains are cool. As a child, I was thrilled to find out that my grandfather was a train conductor, and even more thrilled when Santa gave me an electric train set for my 4th Christmas. I kept trying to put our kittens in the open boxcars, but that idea was not received with much enthusiasm from my feline playmates...