Stories from Saturday, December 7, 2019

Cindy Newman and Scotty Benson of Shelbyville announce the birth of a daughter, Adriana Skylar Benson, born Oct. 27. Grandparents are Edward and Barbara Newman and George and Ruth Prince.

Bears are weighing heavily on my mind this week. I'm particularly thinking of three bears. Three different species of bears, not the ones that took center stage with Goldilocks. The bears on my mind are polar, koala, and panda. Please take a little time from your busy holiday season and do a bit of reading about what is happening to these majestic, and precious, treasures of the animal kingdom...

After a hugely successful first decade, the volunteer board behind FAST (Foundation of Advancement and Support for the Tennessee Walking Show Horse) knew it was time to take their mission of promoting the Tennessee Walking Horse to the next level -- little did I know at the time I would be the lucky one involved with that lofty goal...

This time of the year so many people are thinking about ways they can give to others. Some people are focused on what they can receive, but I believe there are more people out there who are planning ways to be generous. An annual event at Shelbyville Central High School involves the student body collecting canned goods and paper products to give to the needy people in our community...

If you're tired of running around in circles to find a Christmas gift for the dog lovers on your list, I know just the thing for you to fetch. The charming softcover book "It's A Dog's Life: Tales from A Dog Named Max," by Max, with help from Nina Hershberger, is now available from Amazon...

NOTE: See the story about Community High School's "Girls of 1973" in today's issue of "Bedford County Moments & Memories," included with the print edition of today's Times-Gazette, and available over the next few weeks at various locations around town...

The holidays are such a busy time. With family meals to prepare along with potlucks, finger food parties and large family gatherings, it seems like we're always in the kitchen making something. Convenience products can be a big help during this month to save time and effort...

Much like the Halls Mill mother church, Crowell's Chapel Lutheran, two old cedar trees have maintained deep roots within the community. Now at the end of their prime, the wood has been turned into what friends and neighbors are calling "something beautiful."...

The 46th Annual Shelbyville Christmas Parade will be held 4 p.m. today, presented by Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce and Shelbyville Jaycees. The parade route begins at the intersection of Lane Parkway and Cannon Boulevard, proceeds south on Cannon to Holland Street, east on Holland to the public square, north on Main to Madison and then east on Madison to Celebration Drive (Handy Dandy Market)...

Claude Dean, who died in September 2018 at his home in Shelbyville, was a boatswain’s mate second class serving on the U.S.S. Helena, a light cruiser, at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which President Franklin Roosevelt called “a day that will live in infamy.” The Japanese attackers originally confused the Helena for the battleship Pennsylvania, one of their targets, and began bombing it. They broke off the attack when they realized they had the wrong ship, but not before killing 34 and wounding 69. Dean served for the duration of the war, returning to Tennessee after his discharge in 1946. A native of Marshall County, he was a retired employee of American National Can in Shelbyville, now Cebal Americas. He was 98 at the time of his passing.