Shelbyville Times-Gazette: News : Arts, Entertainment and Culture

Arts, Entertainment and Culture

Teens' play practice shot down (02/08/12)
There was a plot, sort of. But, for teens rehearsing William Shakespeare's "Macbeth," real life intermingled with the classic play -- and one actor was arrested. A deed of dreadful note. -- Shakespeare, from "Macbeth" The thespians descended on H.V. Griffin Park Monday, armed with memorized lines and a stage prop -- a BB gun...

July 4 show may return (02/03/12)
Fireworks for the 4th may be returning this year and will be up for a vote next week before the Shelbyville city council. A motion will be before the council next Thursday to conduct a fireworks display at H.V. Griffin Park on July 4, and will also ask for authority to approach the county to split the costs of any contract they enter into...

A high-flying hobby (01/24/12)
Shelbyville Rotary Club member Mark Cannon recently spoke to the club about his model airplane hobby. An accomplished pilot and builder of model airplanes, Cannon exhibits his collection and flies model planes across the area at shows and swap meets. Also participating in the program was Cannon's fellow enthusiast, Michael Young. From left are club members Ricky McConnell, Ivan Jones and Chad West; Cannon; and Young. (Submitted photo)

Reaching for a star: Kacey Smith hopes to become next country sensation (01/22/12)
There's a small buzz brewing in music circles in Nashville. A young singer and songwriter has been in development for most of the past year, and she's getting ready to break loose in 2012. The industry insiders who have heard her sing recognize the "It" when they hear it, and a launch into the country music stratosphere isn't so far-fetched an idea...

Bell Buckle performer lets the music flow (01/15/12)
If her dream out-of-the-blue phone call arrived, it would be from a big sponsor offering a world tour. For now, Emilie Burke is content with the "Arrival" of her independent-release CD by that name. The album was produced in "Big" Mike Griffin's home studio in Nashville...

Emoting 'The Odyssey' (01/11/12)
Students in Amanda Thompson's World History class at Cascade Middle School have been studying Ancient Greece. While covering the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" these fourth period students used their bodies to portray emotion through the characters of the Trojan War epics. (Submitted photo)

Winning play by Titan star (01/10/12)
There's no doubt that Tennessee Titan cornerback Cortland Finnegan loves Shelbyville. And for the hundreds of fans who showed up to meet him at a local restaurant on Saturday afternoon, Finnegan is now one of their favorite players, if not their favorite...

A wonderful life: Family, holiday fun (01/08/12)
My family and I had a wonderful holiday season. My oldest son, Gabe, came home from California in time for Thanksgiving, and has been with us through the New Year. I have really enjoyed having the whole family together. During the holidays, we have certainly enjoyed some good entertainment...

New Year's babies (01/05/12)
Bedford County's newest resident of the new year is Andres Navarro, a baby boy born at 12:58 p.m. Sunday to Teresa Arellano Gomez, according to Stephanie Speegle, director of marketing at Harton Regional Medical Center in Tullahoma...

Europe comes alive: College student learns while experiencing new lands (01/01/12)
How would you like to visit London, Paris, Alicante, Barcelona, Venice, Florence, and Rome all in the span of one month? Many college students are able to travel the world and get college credit for it. Kelly Pietkiewicz, a senior at the University of Memphis, had the experience of a lifetime this summer traveling through Europe...

Not a sleigh, but holiday fun (12/28/11)
Charlie Coffey enjoys a Christmas Eve ride through Shelbyville in his horse and buggy. He said the buggy, made by the Amish in Ethridge, was a gift from his sons Mike and David Coffey. (T-G Photo by David Melson)

Santa spreads gifts...and love (12/23/11)
NORTH POLE -- In November of this year, physicists had an argument over whether an experiment in a particle accelerator had shown that neutrinos could travel faster than light. According to Einstein's theories, nothing can travel faster than light, and eventually scientists said their original result had been a mistake...

Sparkling Christmas: Unionville display wins Chamber contest (12/22/11)
For the past 14 years in Unionville, Sonny Ballard has been carrying on a Christmas tradition started by his father. Each October he begins the process of preparing more than 11,000 lights for a holiday display at the home he shares with his wife Tammy. It's four weekends of work before the lights come on just after Thanksgiving -- but the light display has become an anticipated event for their friends and neighbors near Copeland Cove...

More to see... (12/22/11)
If your Christmas Eve tradition includes a night-time drive to view local lights, we've included a list of nominated displays that may take you off the beaten path, but are sure to delight. We've also mapped the locations online. Visit www.t-g.com/christmasdecor2011...

Hope shines brightly on a winter night (12/20/11)
Donna Orr takes her spot above the living Nativity Scene offered by Edgemont Baptist Church over the weekend. (T-G Photo by Tracy Simmons)

Religious music OK'd for schools (12/20/11)
In a community where faith-based values are treasured, educators attempt to maintain a careful balance during a time of year traditionally set aside by Christians to honor the birth of Jesus. When the student council of Shelbyville's Central High School set out to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by playing student-requested holiday songs in the cafeteria, they were reminded to keep the music strictly secular...

Carrier IQ revelations may be just a tempest in a tea cup (12/07/11)
Last week's big technology story was that of Carrier IQ, a company whose software was revealed to be on many cell phones. That software records a large variety of specific information about how those phones are used, including capturing keystrokes. There are differing reports over whether the software records keystrokes in text messaging mode or only in dialing mode...

Lisa's gift to Shelbyville (12/07/11)
In 1948, when Morton Renegar brought his bride Lisa back to Tennessee from her native Germany, he wondered how she would be received -- after all, World War II had ended just three years earlier. He needn't have worried; Lisa won people over, and within a few years was modeling clothes for two department stores owned by Jewish families...

Guitar master and 'Australia's Got Talent' winner wows Normandy audience (12/07/11)
Joe Robinson looks like just about any 20-year-old with a guitar and a dream of making it big. However, in his case, "making it big" happened for this young Australian at an age when everyone else worries about getting their first date and passing their driving test...

Holiday decor nominations needed quickly (12/06/11)
If "Griswold" is in your Christmas lexicon, this one's for you. The Shelbyville-Bedford County Beautification Committee launched a new effort for December -- they seek to recognize and award local homes or businesses who decorate for the holidays. The contest replaces the December beatification awards which the Chamber awards monthly to homes and businesses around town...

Christmas on parade (12/06/11)
Locals flooded the Shelbyville square and parts of North Main and Madison streets on Saturday to watch the annual Christmas parade, which is sponsored by the Shelbyville Jaycees. A new time (it started at 4 p.m.) along with beautiful weather were likely factors in the great attendance of this year's parade...

A Christmas mood (12/04/11)
Anyone looking to get into the Christmas spirit had plenty of activities to choose from Saturday morning. From breakfasts with Santa to bazaars and Christmas parades, locals jingled across the county all day long. Look for more coverage of the Christmas parade in Tuesday and Wednesday's Times-Gazette...

Christmas Parade ready to roll Saturday (12/02/11)
The 38th annual Shelbyville Christmas Parade, sponsored by Shelbyville Jaycees and Shelbyville & Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday with a rain date of 2 p.m. Sunday. The theme will be "Old Fashion Christmas," and State Sen. Jim Tracy will serve as grand marshal...

Arsenic...for laughs (11/30/11)
The comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace," by Joseph Kesselring, will be presented by the Bedford Players as a dinner theater Friday, Saturday, and Dec. 9 and 10 at the Fly Arts Center on South Main Street. Dinner is at 6 p.m. with the play beginning at 7. Many people are familiar with the play from the movie adaptation, which starred Cary Grant...

School plays carry children into a fantasy world (11/17/11)
It had to happen eventually -- Fairy Tale Land is a small close-knit community -- so its no surprise that Goldilocks eventually ran into the Three Pigs. The pigs are living together in the remaining brick house, and feeling a bit cramped, when they discover Goldilocks hiding from a witch...

New, future legends flow through River (11/15/11)
You can't miss Nikki Mitchell's River Caf� as you cross the railroad tracks in Normandy. But the place just isn't for good food on the weekends, It's for great music as well. For example, this Saturday visitors have a rare opportunity to hear an artist who opened for the Beatles during their 1964 American tour...

Ready for the Country? (11/15/11)
Nashville may be the center of the country music scene, but tucked away in the tiny community of Normandy is a company representing one of the industry's icons. That connection has resulted in the little town coming alive on weekends with live performances from some surprising sources (see related story)...

11*11*11:11! (11/11/11)
The number 11 is brought to you today by two Bedford County students who share a birthday. Timothy Page, a student at Southside School, and Haylie Parker at Thomas Magnet, are each 11 years old today, on 11/11/11. Not only do the students get the day off from school (it's a system-wide staff development day), but there's a parade being held in their honor. At least that's what Timmy's dad has told him for years...

Car club swap meet moves to new day (11/10/11)
Celebration City Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America will hold an indoor swap meet Saturday beginning at 6 a.m. at Calsonic Arena. This is the third year for the annual event. According to club president Jerry Clanton, the event was moved to Saturday this year in hopes of attracting more walk-in traffic from the public. It had previously been held on a Sunday and attracted mostly attendance from various AACA members...

Parade, programs to salute veterans (11/09/11)
Friday, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day and the annual parade will be held 11 a.m. Friday along the normal parade route. The parade will begin at the intersection of Cannon Boulevard and Lane Parkway, proceeding south on Cannon to Holland, east on Holland to the square, north on Main to Madison and east on Madison to Celebration Drive...

Louvin featured in collection of New York Times obits (11/09/11)
Country music legend Charlie Louvin, a resident of Wartrace who died in January, is the subject of one of the obituaries included in "The New York Times: The Obits -- Annual 2012," a collection of notable obituaries from the Times published between August 2010 and July of this year...

'Old Fashion Christmas' Parade set for Dec. 3 (11/08/11)
The 38th annual Shelbyville Christmas Parade, sponsored by Shelbyville Jaycees and Shelbyville & Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, will be held 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, with a rain date of 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. The theme will be "Old Fashion Christmas."...

TWH museum involves public in planning (11/04/11)
Wartrace will be having a "Night at the Museum" soon, but it's not the kind seen in the movies where exhibits come to life. Instead, the new home of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Museum is asking for the public's input as to how to tell their story...

Halloween's almost here (10/27/11)
Raggedy Ann made a stop in Shelbyville recently for a special meeting of the minds, along with Batman, Spider-Man, several animals, a few princesses, a pumpkin and several other creative characters. The eclectic group met over cookies, crayons and a special reading by Jessica Osborne, Argie Cooper Library's children's librarian...

From the dark side: Story, drawing winners share their creativity (10/26/11)
The Times-Gazette's annual ghost story contest again attracted a most creative group of entries from the dark shadows and corners of the county. And entries this year were again spectacular -- or rather, spooktacular. Peyton Spence, a fifth-grader at Southside Elementary School, won our drawing contest, for children in fifth grade and younger, with a depiction of a cracked, bloody skull inside a graveyard. ...

Fragments of faith (10/25/11)
You can hold a fragment of history in your hands this week during Bible & Literature Missionary Foundation's 43rd annual Scripture Conference, which ends today. Morning sessions have been held at Faith Baptist Church, with evening sessions at Victory Baptist Church. It's part of a celebration honoring 400 years of the King James Version of the Bible...

Countrified rapper gives back to Community (10/23/11)
Amaria Smith is a student at Community Middle School, whose parent-teacher organization needed a boost. Her father John is an area native, a businessman in the process of launching a national brand, and one vested in growing his community. So when Susan Haynes, president of the school's parent-teacher organization, approached Smith to help, he knew baking cookies wasn't an option...

Game (not quite) over (10/20/11)
This Halloween decoration at 1403 Fairfield Pike takes you back to the days when you had to put 25 cents into an arcade machine to play a video game. For those in today's plugged in generation who are too young to remember, it was called Pac-Man and was one of the most popular games of the early 1980s. It contained no mature content or themes - just a munching circle and a bunch of ghosts in a maze. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely)

State of the art (10/14/11)
On a quiet and sunny fall morning earlier this week, as folks trickled into their offices and began sifting through papers, projects and the day's to do list, Eric Parker made his way into an office of a different kind. Parker and his 66-year-old friend Frank Sheffield laid out their wood panels, lined up their palettes and got to work. The duo would be working at Fisherman's Park...

Touching the sky (10/13/11)
Marty Bartlett, who grew up in Shelbyville and now lives in Texas, experienced the thrill of a lifetime recently -- tandem jumping with the Golden Knights, the elite U.S. Army parachute team. Bartlett was chosen with several other Texas civic leaders because of significant work done in conjunction with the Army in San Antonio. ...

Arts alive! It's Webb Craft Fair time in Bell Buckle (10/12/11)
The Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce and The Webb School are excited about the 35th anniversary of one of Tennessee's favorite festivals. The Webb School Art and Craft Festival will kick off Saturday at 9 a.m. "More artists will be attending this year's event than ever before with a field of artistic talent that is sure to please and impress," said Jenny Hunt, the town's vice-mayor...

Saddle 'em up! Strolling Jim Trail Ride draws hundreds (10/06/11)
The Strolling Jim Memorial Trail Ride, now in its 12th year, will be held this Saturday in Wartrace. An average of 500 riders attend the family-friendly event each year, according to organizer Ray Pimental. "Once you come, you're hooked," Pimental said Wednesday as he ticked off name after name of riders who attend year after year. ...

'Here's killing you' -- with laughs (10/06/11)
It would be difficult for me to do an objective review of "Here's Killing You, Kid!", the first production from the South of Broadway Players, since I was the lead in a production earlier this year with the same director and several of the same cast members...

Knitters hang around with Molly (10/02/11)
Three ladies of Shelbyville have taken their passion for knitting to new levels, thanks to an afternoon session of Ms. Frances' knitting group. Last year, Cindi Lindsey, Judy Thelen and Susie Henderson were present at a monthly meeting of Ms. Frances' Sit & Knit Group and Fleece on the Duck (river) Fiber Guild. While there, the three discovered they all had a fondness for the Harry Potter movies...

Pleasin' squeezin': Sorghum event returns to Halls Mill (09/29/11)
One of Bedford County's sweetest annual events will take place on Saturday: the Halls Mill Sorghum Squeeze. The day-long festival is a demonstration of a piece of cultural history. Sweet sorghum cane grown on Paschal Road in Halls Mill will be squeezed for its juice on a mule-driven press which dates back to the 1800s. ...

Fired up for barbecue (09/28/11)
The Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce held its annual Firehouse Barbecue from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Once again, the event was a great success, full of great food and fun for all who attended. More than 150 people attended the dinner and fundraiser, held at the Tennessee Fire Service and Code Academy dining hall on Unionville-Deason Road...

Dogs, critters get together for fundraiser (09/27/11)
The weather could not have been better for the Shelbyville Bedford County Humane Society's seventh fall fundraiser at the Bedford County Agriculture and Education Center. Pet Celebration fans saw dogs judged in a variety of classes, including cutest tail, color class, cutest dog and rescue class for dogs that have been adopted through the Humane Society or a shelter...

Library luncheon speaker is Southern to the core (09/25/11)
Good food, good friends and stories about a South that is fading into memory are on tap for supporters of the county's library. Be sure to mark noon Tuesday, Oct. 4 on your calendar as the Friends of the Argie Cooper Library hold their annual box luncheon at Blue Ribbon Circle on the Celebration grounds, featuring Jimmie Meese Moomaw, author of Southern Fried Child ... In Home Seeker's Paradise...

Equinox arrives: North America falls into autumn (09/23/11)
The autumnal equinox, the beginning of fall by the astronomical calendar, took place at 4:04 a.m. local time today. According to the web site timeanddate.com, the equinox is the point in the year when the sun is directly over the equator at solar noon for any given location...

Dogs and Darth for a good cause (09/18/11)
Want to show off your pooch, support a good cause and get your picture taken with Darth Vader's thugs? If so, Saturday will be the day for you as the Shelbyville Bedford County Humane Society will be holding their seventh fall fundraiser at the Bedford County Agricultural Center...

State's best found around Bedford County (09/18/11)
If you're looking for the "Best of" middle Tennessee and you live in Bedford County, you don't have to travel far to find it. Tennessee Magazine, published by the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and Duck River Electric recently announced the winners of its annual Best of Tennessee Readers' Choice Awards, and both Bell Buckle and Wartrace made their presence known...

Leadership through words (09/16/11)
The meeting ended without a single "ah" -- according to the ah-counter's report, and overall the participants had made proper use of their allotted time and kept from making grammatical errors while speaking. It was a meeting of Toastmasters of Bedford County, one of the 13,000 Toastmasters International clubs in 116 countries around the world...

Tree house gets a second lease on life (09/15/11)
When T.J. Hall saw some of his 26 grandchildren hauling scrap lumber into the black walnut in his backyard 16 years ago, he thought they had a pretty good idea -- but their engineering skills needed a little bit of help. So he built them a tree house...

It's all about the words at library (09/13/11)
There's more happening at the Argie Cooper Library these days and children's librarian Jessica Osborne couldn't be happier. "I wanted to do some new things," she said. "Especially for the children I call the Tweens, the ones between 8 and 12 years old. I feel like the Tweens get left out of a lot. They aren't old enough for the teen activities, but they're too old to be read to at Story Hour -- or at least, they think they are."...

Local luthier featured in Farm Bureau magazine (09/08/11)
Stephen Gallagher, like his father Don before him, grew up surrounded by guitars. Gallagher guitars, of course, beautiful works of art and music crafted by the family's company in Wartrace. There have been countless photos in the media of Stephen, Don, and Don's father and founder of the company, J.W., bent over work tables, making the instruments...

Celebration offers three-night box seat combination (08/24/11)
The Celebration begins its 2011 Walking Horse pageantry on today with a Celebration day performance and the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association National Futurity beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Celebration is making a special effort to encourage the community to purchase tickets...

Butterflies are Free ends run at Community (08/17/11)
Photos by Renee Powell

Kaylea King as "Jill Tanner" in Butterflies are Free. (08/17/11)
Kaylea King as the flower child, "Jill Tanner" in Butterflies are Free, which recently ended its' run at Community's Smokestack Summer Theatre.

"Mrs. Baker", played by Tawny Helton, confronts "Jill Tanner" in a scene from Butterflies are Free. (08/17/11)
Tawny Helton played "Mrs. Baker", the conservative but opinionated mother of Dalton Reeves' "Don".

Jordan Powell, Tawny Helton, and Kaylea King in Butterflies are Free. (08/17/11)
When yet another man appears in Jill Tanner's life, Mrs. Baker's anger reaches a boiling point.

Help for Will: Bull riders have a heart for boy with multiple surgeries in future (08/17/11)
Next week Will Shaw celebrates his first birthday. Just last week, he was undergoing open heart surgery in a Nashville hospital. The son of Mandy and Haven Shaw of Bell Buckle was born with complex congenital heart defects. From his fourth day of life through last week, he has undergone six surgeries to repair heart defects...

Kindles and cucumber sandwiches: Book club marks six decades (08/14/11)
The Thursday Book Club, a Shelbyville institution that has brought women and literature together for six decades, was one of nine clubs nationwide selected by More magazine to participate in a live videoconference with best-selling author Meg Wolitzer about her book "The Uncoupling."...

Good wins out in the end (08/14/11)
My earliest memories of movie going were made at the Empire Theater in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The first movies I remember seeing were all animated and they were all Disney movies. There was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty...

Chocolate fantasy: for local chef, image and taste go together (08/14/11)
If the man immediately seems familiar, it might be that he bears an uncanny resemblance to a childhood icon. Dressed always in a jaunty top hat, tuxedo jacket close at hand and wearing cuff links shaped like dollar signs, he brings to mind Rich Uncle Pennybags, the old man in a top hat who has adorned the Monopoly box since 1936...

'Butterflies' in the round at Community (08/05/11)
When Community's Smokestack Summer Theatre opens its production of "Butterflies are Free" next week, there won't be a bad seat in the house. In fact -- there won't be anyone sitting in the house. "We're doing a theater-in-the-round," said Director Tony Davis. "Everyone will be seated on the stage in an arena-style production."...

From Bedford to Broadway (07/31/11)
While some teenagers may be spending these last precious days of summer vacation at the pool or the lake, there's about a dozen or so who have been slaving away down at The Fly Cultural Arts Center on this year's Bedford Youth production, "Bedford to Broadway."...

Wilting in the heat (07/29/11)
It was almost too hot to play at Celebration Station Thursday afternoon, but Juan Jos� Guzman managed to get a little swinging in. (T-G Photo by Mary Reeves)

Philosophy club is a matter of opinion (07/29/11)
Just think about it. No, seriously -- that's what Brannon McConkey wants you to do -- think about it, then talk about it and listen to what others are saying about it. The "it" doesn't matter as much as the dialogue. McConkey wants to start a philosophy club, where members can sit around in casual circumstances and just talk about things, from politics to ethics, from metaphysics to physics...

Karate...but not the Kid (07/27/11)
There was no "wax on, wax off" when Ray Wiser was learning karate, even though his teacher was the student of Mr. Miyagi. The real Miyagi. Miyagi Chojun -- the founder of Goju-Ryu Karate-Do. Wiser studied under one of Miyagi's star students, but never did have to wax a classic car...

Smoking Tractor Pull will be held Friday (07/26/11)
Well, the Smoking Tractor Pull didn't. Smoke, that is. The rough weather that shut down the Bedford County Fair Thursday night also shut down the pull, one of the favorite events held at the annual fair. "We'll be having the Smoking Tractor Pull Friday night," said Fair Director Judy Gambill. "We'll be honoring all the family passes and Thursday night passes that people had."...

A chili day in summer heat (07/22/11)
Although there's such a thing as "Cincinnati chili" -- often with hints of cinnamon or clove, and served over spaghetti -- retired firefighter Bill Donovan of Cincinnati, Ohio, won't be entering it in the chili cookoff Saturday on the Shelbyville square...

Chocolate lessons, movie on the schedule (07/22/11)
Chocolate lovers have an opportunity for a special treat this Saturday, when local resident Daniel Hooberry demonstrates his craft on the square. A master chocolatier with classical culinary training, Hooberry will educate visitors about the history of chocolate and how to evaluate its taste...

Fun, confusion at Fair (07/21/11)
Confusion broke out at the Bedford County Fair when several persons were briefly stranded on rides after a malfunctioning generator shocked a carnival employee Wednesday night. At the same time, a woman passed out nearby in an unrelated incident, bystanders and rescue workers said...

Chili, chocolate, chicken! (07/20/11)
Grab a spoon and head downtown Saturday morning for a local foodie's dream: The Chili, Chocolate and Chicken Cookoff, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the courthouse square. The chili part of the event features 20 teams from 10 states and Canada. Late entries may be received through the end of day on Friday...

Butterflies are Free, a comedy/drama at Community High (07/17/11)
Kaylea Lauren King makes an entrance as "Jill Tanner", a free-spirited "hippie" who moves in next door to a straight-laced young man in the comedy/drama "Butterflies are Free" coming August 12-14th from Community High's Smokestack Summer Theatre.

The cast of Butterflies are Free, the summer play at Community (07/17/11)
Tawny Helton as "Mrs. Baker" wrecks havok on her son's life when she attempts to stop a budding romance with "hippie" wild-child "Jill Tanner" (Kaylea King). Dalton Reeves (sitting) plays the son, "Don". Jordan Powell rounds out the cast as "Ralph" an assinine off-broadway director...

Rehearsals are now in progress for "Butterflies are Free" (07/17/11)
Kaylea King and Dalton Reeves rehearse a scene from Butterflies are Free, a "psychodelic" comedy/drama set during the summer of Woodstock! Tickets are $3 and can be purchased through any of the actors or by calling 212-7867.

Kaylea King and Dalton Reeves star in "Butterflies are Free". (07/17/11)
"Jill Tanner" (King) and "Don Baker" (Reeves) get to know each other in an early scene from "Butterflies are Free". The show will be presented "theatre in the round" style on August 12-13th at 7:00 pm and Aug. 14th at 2:00 pm.

Bedford County Fair now underway (07/17/11)
The Bedford County Fair has begun at the Bedford County Agriculture Center on Midland Road. Now in its 14th year, festivities kicked off Saturday afternoon with the Fairest of the Fair pageant. Home economics and agriculture exhibits will be on display this afternoon and Monday and the official opening ceremonies will be held at 6 p.m. Monday...

Joneses are a Fair family (07/17/11)
For the Andy and Mary Jones family, the Bedford County Fair represents a legacy their three now-grown daughters may carry forward to the next generation. Since the girls were in elementary school the Jones family fair entries have been a staple of submissions in categories such as garden produce, crafts and baking...

Student artists color their world (07/10/11)
Go into any elementary or middle school in Bedford County and you're going to find budding young artists. You will find them helping with murals to cover stucco and concrete block walls and competing for the honor of having his or her art adorn the covers of yearbooks or student agendas...

Be prepared to laugh yourself silly at 'The Comedy of Errors' (07/06/11)
Spoiler alert. I can't keep it a secret any more, so if you really don't want to know what some of the funniest parts of the Tennessee Shakespeare Festival's "The Comedy of Errors" are, stop reading now. Of course, even if I do tell you about the character of "Nell," the twin-switching scenes and the wonderful steel magnolia purring cat fight between the abbess and the wife, it wouldn't matter-- there are more funny moments than I can squeeze into my column, and all are subject to change...

Diverse cultures unite for celebration (07/06/11)
Celebrate USA 2011, a cultural festival which celebrated not only American patriotism and independence but also the various cultures that contribute to America's diversity was held Saturday at H. V. Griffin Park on Saturday. "We had over 1,000 people attend the event," reports organizer David Carrera, pastor of Beth Sar Shalom Ministries...

Bell Buckle celebrates Independence Day (07/05/11)
Organizers estimated approximately 1,500 people -- more than three times last year's number -- attended Bell Buckle's July 4 celebration on Saturday night.

Wartrace gets museum (06/30/11)
The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration announced Thursday afternoon that Wartrace, the "Cradle of the Tennessee Walking Horse," is now the home of the Tennessee Walking Horse Museum. Originally based in Shelbyville, the museum was moved to Lynchburg when a location was made available and because members of the museum board felt there would be more tourist traffic to the free venue. ...

Sever'd from my bliss... (06/30/11)

Dive into the 'ocean' -- at The Fly (06/26/11)
One of Shelbyville's newest treasures is now on display at the Fly Arts Center through the end of July. Members of Shelbyville's Fleece On The Duck River Fiber Art Guild have spent the last year crafting an underwater garden reef entirely of crochet, knit or needle-felted items...

Amateur radio demonstrations to be held (06/24/11)
Bedford County's "hams" will join with thousands of amateur radio operators who will be showing off their emergency capabilities this weekend. Over the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected emergencies in towns across America including the California wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events worldwide...

Rain greets the Bard (06/23/11)
"With a hey, ho, the wind and the rain ...." When William Shakespeare penned this line for "Twelfth Night," he must have been peeking into the future, when Lane Davies would produce his plays on the grounds of Webb School. The end of the quote is "For the rain it raineth every day," which has been the case as the Tennessee Shakespeare Festival gears up for opening night on Friday...

Discs fly at Griffin Park course (06/23/11)
The disc golf course at H.V. Griffin Park will host its first tournament Saturday since the tournament which accompanied the facility's grand opening in 2009. But that doesn't mean the course isn't being used. "It's worn a path," said Bryan Dial of Shelbyville Parks and Recreation. He said response to the course has been terrific, both from local citizens and disc golf enthusiasts from surrounding areas...

Rain can't reign in Bell Buckle (06/21/11)
WKRN-TV (Channel 2) weatherman Justin Bruce had two reasons to keep a close eye on the skies Saturday morning. Besides the fact that it's his job, he knew he was riding in an open convertible as the King of the RC Cola & Moon Pie parade in Bell Buckle, with WKRN anchor Anne Holt as the queen...

Kids get serious about play (06/19/11)
"Here comes Peter Cottontail, Hoppin' down the bunny trail..." Most people know the song, but do they know the play? If they get to the Fly next weekend, (June 24-26), they will. The children's theater group is putting on their own version of "Peter Cottontail," and it's got less to do with "hippity-hoppity" and Easter than it does with B'rer Rabbit and B'rer Fox...

RCs, MoonPies fuel Bell Buckle this weekend (06/15/11)
Roads around Bell Buckle will be crowded early Saturday morning as the RC Cola & MoonPie festival gets underway with the traditional MoonPie 10-Mile Run. "We've got more than 900 runners signed up," said Joe Sheetz, president of the Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce. "It's going to be awesome."...

Fishin' time (06/12/11)
See our photo gallery.

The Bard reigns at Bell Buckle festival (06/12/11)
What ho, varlet! Man, I love this time of year. When else do I get to use words like "varlet?" Or hang out with Lane Davies and Jerry Winsett. Or spend waaay too much time in Bell Buckle ... Strike that last one. Saying you spend too much time in Bell Buckle is a lot like saying you eat too much chocolate. Bwahahahahaha!...

The Bard's back in Bell Buckle (06/12/11)
Two sets of identical twins, a shipwreck, feuding cities, music and ... puppets? Once again, actor/director Lane Davies brings a unique perspective of Shakespeare to Bell Buckle for this year's Tennessee Shakespeare Festival. It opens June 24 and runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until July 10...

Celebrating the USA -- and much more (06/09/11)
The City of Shelbyville cancelled the annual Independence Day fireworks display at H.V. Griffin Park due to budget constraints, but local minister David Carrera hopes to provide another fun holiday weekend activity: "Celebrate USA 2011," a cultural festival that will celebrate not only American patriotism and independence but also the various cultures that contribute to America's diversity...

Hook, line, sinker ... and fun (06/08/11)
The annual "Take A Kid Fishing on the Duck" event will be held Saturday from 9-11 a.m. at Riverwalk Park. The park is located along the Duck River behind Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewerage System on South Main St. This is the third year for the event, according to Jennifer Swann of Shelbyville Parks and Recreation. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the parks department organize the event with the support of numerous community sponsors...

Heavy Bonnaroo traffic invades Bedford County through weekend (06/07/11)
Just because Bonnaroo is on the other side of a neighboring county, don't think it won't affect you. According to a suggested route from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, many of the drivers wanting to avoid the traffic backup on Interstate 24 outside of Manchester are being redirected -- through Bedford County...

Hot sounds fill air at Wartrace Musicfest (06/05/11)
Some folks will go quite a distance to catch some good bluegrass music, but few can match the air mileage Don Andrews put on this weekend. "I came from Seattle just to see the show," he said. Well, not just the show. Andrews became friends with Patsy Stovall four years ago on a cruise and the two have been visiting each other ever since. But he was just here a few weeks ago and he did turn around and come back for Musicfest in Wartrace...

Recipe contest adds to Moon Pie fest ingredients (06/02/11)
What could be better than a Moon Pie and an RC Cola? That's the question they ask in Bell Buckle this time each year, as the RC Cola & Moon Pie festival rolls around. This year, they've come up with an answer. A special treat, made with Moon Pies or RC Cola...

Farm comes to city (06/01/11)
Farmers may be early risers, but consumers often take a different view. The 2011 Bedford County Farmers Market will open tomorrow at a new time -- 3:30 p.m. -- at the pavilion on Celebration Drive just off Madison Street. "The market day and time is new," said Bedford County extension agent John Teague. "The original market was open on the weekend in the early morning hours, but the new day and time is more customer-friendly. Folks can run by after work and shop."...

Musicfest crew storms into action (06/01/11)
It's been less than a week since high winds ripped the roof off the Musicfest stage in Wartrace, and it's only two days before Musicfest is slated to begin, but fans, fear not. Thanks to a cooperative insurance company and the Belfor construction crew out of Nashville, which Musicfest organizers hired, the show will go on -- with a stage...

Bedford's beauty on display at Chamber Garden Tour (05/31/11)
The Shelbyville Bedford County Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Garden Tour on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour, which includes eight of the county's most treasured gardens and creative landscapes, will begin on the Webb School campus and end on Ashe Road in Riverbend Country Club. Featured on the tour:...

School's out: Time for summer fun to kick into high gear (05/29/11)
On the last day of the school year, students shared their plans for the summer with Times-Gazette readers. "Play at the playground. Go to the aquarium in Atlanta." -- Nicola Zuasnava, first grade, Cascade Elementary "Swim. Go on a trip." -- Lane Jackson, third grade, Learning Way Elementary...

Kids travel world without leaving home (05/27/11)
Hey, kids, are you ready to go around the world? Relax, parents, you aren't going to have to get a second mortgage to buy gas for the voyage. Just get them to Argie Cooper Library every Wednesday from June 1 to July 13 for the library's annual summer reading program...

Songs in the wind (05/27/11)
Come high winds or high water -- the show will go on. That's the message from Wartrace Mayor Ron Stacy who woke up Thursday morning to find a little glitch in his plans for the Wartrace Musicfest scheduled for next weekend at the horse show grounds...

VIDEO: Winds damage Wartrace Music Fest stage (05/26/11)

Day for the dogs -- and poets, too (05/24/11)
There were some pedigreed pooches lounging in the shade Saturday at Bell Buckle, but there were just as many mutts monopolizing the Mayberry of Moon Pies. As it should be. The inaugural celebration of Bell Buckle's "Mutts in May" was not about the best-bred dogs, but about the fastest, longest, smallest, biggest, ugliest, cutest, and the ones who resembled their owners the most...

Going to the dogs (05/19/11)
The Dog Days are here -- and it isn't even summer yet. Bell Buckle is hosting its first-ever Mutts in May celebration, a day-long event that will provide fun for families as well as their furry friends. "We thought it would be something different," said Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce president Joe Sheetz, who gave credit for the idea to Maggi Vaughn and Annie Rooney. ...

Heat's on for state chili championship (05/19/11)
Ch-ch-ch-changes... Ch-ili, ch-icken and ch-ocolate changes, that is. That's what you can look forward to at this year's Tennessee State Championship Chili Cookoff on the square in Shelbyville July 23. It's the fourth year the city has hosted the event -- which provides Tennessee's only entrants into the International Chili Society cookoff held in October...

Car show draws beloved classics, admirers (05/15/11)
The annual Celebration City Region Antique Automobile Club of America car show was held Saturday on the Celebration Drive parking lots. Frances McClenney, left, and Jan Hammack look over a 1966 Ford Mustang convertible. Hammack said it brought back memories of her first car, a '66 Mustang hardtop in identical colors.

Documentary to show in Nashville (05/13/11)
Residents of Shelbyville have another opportunity to see the documentary "Welcome to Shelbyville" Saturday afternoon when it is screened at the Nashville Public Library. The documentary is scheduled for more than 60 screenings across the country this month before it debuts on National Public Television's Emmy Award-winning series "Independent Lens" on Tuesday, May 24. Nashville Public Television has scheduled it at 9 p.m...

Cool rides on display (05/11/11)
This Saturday's Celebration City Region Antique Automobile Club of America Car Show will be a big event, to be sure, attracting exhibitors and spectators from throughout Middle Tennessee and beyond. The show will feature 29 classes and seven special awards; it's free to spectators, and open to anyone who's got a vehicle they'd like to show off, even if it's not the ultimate show car...

High note: Symphony, Cascade and Motlow bands delight crowd (05/04/11)
The crowd for Tuesday night's "Symphony at the Celebration" concert featuring the Nashville Symphony and the Cascade High School Band was so large that the box office ran out of printed tickets, according to organizers. No firm estimate of the crowd was available, but it appeared to be one of the largest ever for the annual event. ...

Past meets present (05/03/11)
George Hill said he was "saving gas" as he took Phyllis and Clifton Green for a horse and buggy ride down busy North Main Street late Friday afternoon. The Greens said they were riding in better style than Great Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton, who were married the same day.

McGee receives Professional Woman honor (04/28/11)
Despite heavy downpours and the threat of tornadoes, Shelbyville's professional community assembled at the Blue Ribbon Circle Wednesday to honor four exceptional women. Now in its 18th year, the Professional Woman's Luncheon, sponsored by WLIJ-AM/WZNG-AM, celebrates service, volunteerism, administration and professionalism...

Symphony tickets still on sale (04/28/11)
Tickets are still available for Tuesday night's concert by the Grammy Award-winning Nashville Symphony in Calsonic Arena on the Celebration grounds. The casual, family-friendly concert, beginning at 7 p.m., includes performances by the Cascade High School band and the Motlow College Jazz Band...

Traveling back and changing stories (04/24/11)
China has banned all movies about time travel. Apparently, the same people who think ground-up rhinoceros horn makes Viagra look like a chick flick and eating years-old bird nests made of out of spit is good for you think that time travel movies show a disrespect for history...

A Faire-y tale world (04/24/11)
In a few months, Lane Davies and the Tennessee Shakespeare festival folks will be bringing the Bard to modern people with "A Comedy of Errors" in Bell Buckle. In a few weeks, the folks in Triune will be doing just the opposite. They'll be taking modern people back to the Bard's time at the Tennessee Renaissance Festival. ...

Planting spring (04/17/11)
Oh, the weather is warm, the sun is bright, and everyone with a green thumb is itching to exercise it. Even some of us without green thumbs are yearning to see spring colors blooming across the landscape. So far, we've had daffodils and dogwoods, some early azaleas and irises, besides the usual fields of grape hyacinth, spring beauties, buttercups and violets. ...

Symphony will bring Broadway to Shelbyville (04/14/11)
Selections from some of the most beloved musicals in theatre history will highlight the Nashville Symphony's annual concert in Shelbyville, planned for May 3 at Calsonic Arena. The annual "Symphony At The Celebration" concert will also feature the Cascade High School Band and the Motlow College Jazz Band...

Audio to computers, it's all at Argie Cooper Library (04/10/11)
With the growing popularity of electronic books readers such as Kindle or Nook, doomsayers have been forecasting the death of the public library. But there's a lot more to your local library than books. Stop by the Argie Cooper Public Library some morning and watch the front desk for a while and you'll see...

Where will Tennessee Walking Horse Museum land? (04/06/11)
In less than a month, the Tennessee Walking Horse Museum in Lynchburg will be closed, and its board of directors are still searching for a new home. The current location is a building owned by Jack Daniel's Distillery. Jack Daniel's didn't charge any rent, but now needs the space for commercial use, said Doyle Meadows, CEO of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration...

'Cash' delivers hilarity (04/06/11)
When Shakespeare wrote "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive," he could well have been talking about the British farce "Cash on Delivery." Only the complication, confusion and conundrums in that play aren't just tangled webs -- they are tumbleweeds wrapped up in cobwebs and tied off in a Gordian knot...

Out of a possible 10, 'Cash on Delivery' rates a solid 11 (04/06/11)
My first and only public performance was as Mrs. Cratchit in "A Christmas Carol" many moons ago. I didn't even have a first name-- I was just "Mrs. Cratchit." I had a great time and probably would have done more community theater, but I was 12 at the time, and middle school, puberty and a massive case of social ineptitude landed on me the next year like a California mud slide. (The wet, muddy kind, not the Kahlua kind. That kind caught up with me in college.)...

McWherter carved time for sculptor (04/05/11)
"They'll have to have a big church to hold all the folks who will want to be attending," said Bell Buckle sculptor Russ Faxon of former Gov. Ned McWherter's funeral. Faxon was the artist commissioned to do a larger-than-life statue of McWherter, who died Monday at age 80. Throughout the year he worked on the statue, Faxon had several meetings with McWherter and came to know him well...

Biscuit queen rakes in dough (04/03/11)
There is something about Mary Cobble's biscuits that even with identical ingredients sets them apart and above the rest. She is Shelbyville's queen of biscuit-making and she holds court most mornings at the Hardee's on Madison Street. Last week, she was rewarded for 30 years and about 12 million biscuits with a certificate for her tenure and another for her baking prowess...

Statuesque performance: Cascade makes it in the Big Apple (04/03/11)
Every two years, according to Cascade High School band director David Lucich, the band takes a big out-of-town trip. This year, based on feedback from students and parents, the trip was to New York City; after all, as the song lyrics suggest, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere...

City manager to be chosen by reality TV (04/01/11)
Representatives of NBCUniversal and Shelbyville City Council are close to signing an agreement to have Shelbyville's next city manager chosen by means of a televised reality show competition, according to unnamed sources....

Hope for Pope's (03/31/11)
In 1946, a diner opened up on the Shelbyville square, and for the next 40 or 50 years, Pope's Cafe came to be the place to be if you wanted good food, friendly visits and a family atmosphere. It was considered the best kept secret in the country and rave reviews for the menu, a meat-and-three featuring good, down-home cooking, turned up in travelogues and magazines -- even on web sites in later years. ...

Hee Haw & Howdy offers cornpone for a cause (03/30/11)
The real Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones and Junior may have gone on to perform at the Opry in the Sky, but the tradition of country music and down home fun they built on the old show "Hee Haw" continues in Shelbyville. The annual cornpone review "Hee Haw and Howdy" that benefits the American Cancer Society is back, and if you missed last week's shows, don't worry -- this year, extra performances have been added and you can catch the show in Central High's auditorium at 7 p.m. ...

Twinkle, twinkle, little star; Billy Hix knows what you are (03/30/11)
The forecast for Saturday night is clear and (almost) warm -- the perfect night for a Star Party. And what, you ask, is a Star Party? No, it doesn't involve A-list celebrities and irresponsible behavior. The stars featured at this party have been around even longer than Larry King and on a clear night, shine a lot brighter. Well, they have been happening for more than 3,000 years. One takes place on the first Saturday of every month at the Hands On Science Center in Tullahoma...

A new beat for Wartrace Musicfest (03/27/11)
All you fiddlers, pickers, strummers, pluckers and dancers out there need to start practicing, because early June will be your time to shine. The Wartrace Musicfest will take place June 3-4 and there are a lot of changes in store -- including competitions for all you fiddlers, pickers, strummers, pluckers and dancers...

Musgrave plant plays role in movie (03/23/11)
A second-unit film crew for Walt Disney Pictures' "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," starring Jennifer Garner, shot scenes of pencil-making equipment on Tuesday at Musgrave Pencil Company in Shelbyville. According to Claire Raskind, a publicist for the production, principal photography for the movie is taking place in and around Atlanta. ...

History, fun gel for students (03/20/11)
There are two points during the annual tour of Washington, D.C., when Tim Harwell knows for certain that his flock of eighth graders will be quiet. One is the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. "You can hear a pin drop," said Harwell...

Spring break plans, or lack thereof (03/20/11)
Spring break for Bedford County Schools will be March 28-April 1. Other overnight school trips scheduled during the spring break period include FFA members from Cascade and Shelbyville Central high schools attending a convention in Gatlinburg and Technology Student Association students from Cascade attending a convention in Pigeon Forge, both on March 27-30...

Sunny and Yellow: Daffodil Day returns (03/16/11)
Saturday is supposed to be warm and partly sunny -- a perfect setting for Bell Buckle's Daffodil Day. "It was a little wet last year," said Debbie Sheetz, who runs three Bell Buckle businesses with her husband Joe, the Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce president...

Brush with greatness ... on Twitter (03/16/11)
One of the fun things about Twitter is that, every now and then, it gives you a chance to interact with personalities or authors you admire. When I read my copy of "The Sheriff of Yrnameer," a satirical science fiction novel by Michael Rubens, I tweeted my appreciation, and Rubens acknowledged it. ...

Son and Shakespeare would have gotten along famously (03/16/11)
My middle son, Ben, was born too late. Not as far as I was concerned -- in fact, the little stinker could have shown up two weeks earlier and made me, my back, and my bladder a lot happier. But he was born in the wrong time period. He's letting his hair grow out again, after cutting off more than a foot of it less than nine months ago to donate to Locks of Love. ...

Youth club's debut nears (03/09/11)
Years of work to bring a Boys & Girls Club to Bedford County will be realized when the club opens for children beginning Monday, according to Roger Harrell, area director for the club. A lottery will be used to select the first group of children to become members...

Yes, they're actually waiters (03/09/11)
What do hippies, hula dancers and home builders have in common? Answer: They all served lunch at the third annual Celebrity Waiter luncheon, held Tuesday at the Blue Ribbon Circle to benefit Relay For Life. A representative for each businesses or organization who sponsored the event also donated their talents -- or not -- by making a career change for the day and waiting tables...

Book 'em when they're young (03/06/11)
It's never too early to read to your baby -- or too late. "My daughter is 20 years old and we still read together," said Teresa Winnette of the Child Development Center. "I'll be cooking dinner and she'll read a chapter of a James Patterson book to me, and then I might read another chapter to her later while we're sitting on the couch."...

Cuddly Alpacas fill Calsonic Arena (03/04/11)
The difference between alpacas and llamas is like the difference between cats and dogs, says Gerdi Laems. She should know -- she has several alpacas, llamas, cats and dogs in her Sims Spring Road farm. "Llamas, like dogs, will come up to you and always want attention," she said. "Alpacas are more like cats. They'll pay attention to you if they want attention, otherwise -- no."...

No fireworks on 4th (03/03/11)
A tight budget year for both the city and county will mean no fireworks display this July 4. Shelbyville and Bedford County have pooled their efforts in the past to sponsor a fireworks display at H.V. Griffin Park for Independence Day festivities. But that won't be happening this year after the city council decided that $4,750 for their half of the contribution for the pyrotechnics is too much of an expense in this tight fiscal year...

Come together and let it be (03/02/11)
If you like live concerts and if you enjoy the Beatles' music in particular, Shelbyville Central High School's theater is the place to be on Friday night as Eaglepalooza 2011 takes a new twist from the original spinoff of the video game "Rock Band" to live performances from Central students and local performers...

Art comes alive for book illustrators (02/27/11)
When children show a certain amount of artistic talent, they're almost always praised and encouraged -- but not necessarily told to make a career of it. "Starving artist" is not what most parents want to see on their children's resumés. Luckily for George S. Smith, a writer who lives in Arkansas, the Bedford County art teachers are a little more supportive than the norm...

Enjoying the warm weather (02/22/11)

Coupon workshop at T-G (02/19/11)

Fishing time (02/20/11)

Chamber presents awards at annual banquet (02/18/11)
The Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards meeting and banquet Thursday at the Blue Ribbon Circle. The annual ceremony recognizes community members through four awards given out while new Chamber officers are welcomed on board during the luncheon...

McLean saga will be broadcast tonight (02/16/11)
The case of Murfreesboro financier Bob McLean, who took his own life in Shelbyville in 2007 as his financial empire crumbled around him, will be documented tonight on the cable channel CNBC as an episode of the series "American Greed," narrated by Stacy Keach of "Prison Break" and "Mike Hammer" fame...

Everything's coming up roses for Valentine's Day (02/13/11)
If there's one thing that's certain during times of uncertainty, it's roses. "You might expect (sales) to be down, but it's income tax time and so people have a little extra money in their pockets," said Brenna Jones, owner of Creative Touch Florist in Shelbyville. "People have done without all year and on Valentine's Day they say, 'We're gonna go all out and knock it to them (their significant other).'"...

Hunger pangs? Relax. Girl Scout cookies are arriving (02/10/11)
Spring may be taking its time about showing up in Bedford County, but there's another annual tradition that will be here Saturday -- snow or no snow. "The Girl Scout cookies are coming!" said Virginia Dennis, service unit manager for the Bedford County Girl Scouts...

O say, can you sing? 'Star-Spangled Banner' is sometimes star-mangled (02/08/11)
Recording artist Christina Aguilera has taken criticism for flubbing the words of the National Anthem before Sunday's Super Bowl, but Register of Deeds Johnny Reed, who is also a vocalist, can sympathize. Reed has sung "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Celebration, the Spring Fun Show, and other local events...

Tumbling to the top: Young gymnast sets sights on stardom (02/06/11)
"We basically talk to him upside down," said Alex Johnson. Alex has gotten used to looking at her son's feet because at 8 years old, Jackson Jones spends hours a day doing hand stands and back handsprings. He's already an accomplished gymnast, most recently topping the competition in his age group last weekend in Franklin...

Big wheels in Bell Buckle (02/01/11)
There were thrills and spills and lots of laughter filing the new gymnasium at Webb School in Bell Buckle all day Saturday as the second annual Rollin' Round Robin Classic wheelchair basketball tournament continued. The University of Alabama's men's team took top honors, defeating the team from the Shepherd's Center in Atlanta. Earlier, Shepherd beat the two-time national champions, the Alabama women's team, in a surprising upset...

WEB UPDATE: Louvin funeral is open to public (01/28/11)
NASHVILLE (AP) -- The family of Charlie Louvin has opened the country music pioneer's funeral to the public. The 83-year-old Louvin, half of the Country Music Hall of Fame duo The Louvin Brothers, died early Wednesday after fighting pancreatic cancer...

Country stars to sing and...play (01/28/11)
If you're expecting to hear "Little Good-Byes," "This Woman Needs," or "I Will... But" when the country music trio SHeDAISY performs at the Rollin' Round Robin Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Bell Buckle Saturday, don't. The three Osborn sisters, Kristyn, Kelsi and Kassidy will only be performing one song -- but Kassidy promises you won't be disappointed...

A legend is silent: Louvin remembered in his adopted home county (01/27/11)
Country music legend and Bedford County resident Charlie Louvin died Wednesday morning after battling pancreatic cancer throughout the last year. "I'm very sad," said Valerie Smith, another country music performer whose studio and home are in Bedford County. "I keep thinking I'm through crying and I just start up again."...

Charlie Louvin dies at 83 (01/26/11)
NASHVILLE (AP) - Charlie Louvin, half of the Louvin Brothers whose harmonies inspired fellow country and pop singers for decades, has died due to complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 83. Brett Steele, his manager, said the Country Music Hall of Fame singer died at his home in Wartrace early Wednesday morning...

Moments for a hero (01/21/11)
MURFREESBORO -- The courthouse square in Murfreesboro was crowded with fire trucks and police cars Thursday morning, but there was no emergency. What there was, was a special ceremony to honor those who respond to those emergencies -- and especially those who have lost their lives in doing so...

On the fitness trail: New Year's brings new exercise (01/05/11)
The first of the year means lots of things to lots of people, from preparing income tax forms to cleaning out closets. For many businesses, it's a slow time, with Christmas and after-Christmas sales over and done, and people trying to stick to those New Year's resolutions about saving money...

A few words to live by in 2011 (01/02/11)
Since the T-G began the "Sunday Conversation" feature in its print edition almost two years ago, dozens of fascinating stories have unfolded on the pages. Included in the life stories have been golden nuggets of wisdom, favorite mottoes and great truths of life the subjects shared with the readers. Here are only a few of them...

Chapter One: Words spring to life for medical student (01/02/11)
Going into the new year, Drew MacQuarrie has a lot for which he is grateful. The 2006 Shelbyville Central High School graduate is not only a first-year medical student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., but he has recently become a published author as well...

Cannon seen in national ad (12/23/10)
Sharp-eyed Times-Gazette readers might have seen a local face in Sunday's issue of Parade magazine, which is included in the print edition of the Times-Gazette and more than 500 other newspapers each week. Calvin Cannon, whose program to provide prom tuxedoes to needy young men received a grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project, can be seen in a montage of grant recipients on the first page of a two-page Pepsi ad in the magazine. ...

Celebrate Christmas with The Fly on your tree (12/21/10)
You may think you've finished up your Christmas shopping, but there's one last stocking stuffer you ought to get. The United Way's annual Bedford County-related Christmas ornament is finally here, and this year it features The Fly Arts Center. "We send pictures off to the company and they create artwork out of it," said Dawn Holley, director of the Bedford County United Way. "The ornaments are 24-karat plated."...

Books on wheels: Librarian drives into a world of reading (12/19/10)
The 1984 Chevy box truck needed a little extra time to warm up on a bitter cold morning last week, so Santa's elf arrived at work a few minutes early. Once the engine warmed up, Margaret Petty, all dressed in elf, got behind the wheel for a busy morning of spreading holiday cheer...

Christmas spirit (12/16/10)
The Webb School Choir and String Ensemble performed to a packed house on Thursday, Dec. 9, at the annual celebration of Lessons and Carols. In addition to music and song, the service of Lessons and Carols included the reading of nine Bible passages by select members of the Webb faculty and student body. The same Bible verses are read each year; they tell the story of the fall of mankind, God's redemptive grace and His ultimate gift of Jesus Christ...

UPDATED: In search of the star of Bethlehem (12/15/10)
"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." Since the beginnings of Christianity, the story of the Christmas star has been a favorite. From Christmas carols ("Do You Hear What I Hear?") to made for TV Christmas specials ("The Littlest Angel"), the star has been the subject of many a study and story...

Lights, camera... (12/10/10)
When he accepted his award for "Best Director," there wasn't a 30-second warning flashing on a TelePrompTer in front of him and there weren't any celebrities waiting in the wings. Instead of some massive theater in Hollywood, Josh Heflin picked up his award at the Green Hills Regal Cinema, and the prize itself was more academic than Academy...

Floats, runners team for a perfect parade (12/07/10)
Sweet Pea Academy Preschool's float won the Grand Marshal's award in Saturday's Shelbyville Christmas Parade. First place went to Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church with Pam Smith Painting and Shelbyville Parks and Recreation Department taking second and third respectively. See more photos in Wednesday's Times-Gazette and a photo gallery and video now on www.t-g.com...

A bite of success: Defensive dog goes to Spain (12/07/10)
When Bell Buckle's Krista Wade began training German shepherds for Schutzhund trials, she never realized how far she could go with it. Literally. In October, Wade and her dog Berlin were named alternates to the team that would represent the United States in the International Schutzhund trials in Sevilla, Spain...

A festive gathering at The Fly (12/03/10)

Players put the 'fun' in funeral (11/30/10)
Some folks will tell you that funerals are no laughing matter -- but then, those folks haven't seen "Dearly Departed," the latest play being offered by The Bedford Players at The Fly Cultural Arts Center. "We say it's a comedy, but someone dies in the first five minutes," said Leslie Talbot, who plays the sudden widow, Ranelle. "It's a loving look about coping with grief -- and family."...

Holiday magic for young ballerina (11/26/10)
The holidays are hectic for almost everyone, especially for a mother of three young children, ages 2, 5 and 8. This year, the holidays are going to be even more hectic for that particular mom, Tracy Neal Martin, and her husband, Michael, but they don't mind a bit...

Talkin' turkey: Shoot it, cook it, add whipped cream (11/25/10)
Thanksgiving is all about tradition, and one favorite newspaper tradition is getting turkey recipes from the youngest chefs around -- kindergartners. The recipes from the kids at Liberty School, way out in the country, were as varied as can be expected, but it was an interesting note that when children living in town are asked how to cook a turkey few of them mention going out and shooting it first...

Time for a holiday break (11/23/10)
A variety of local offices and facilities will close for the Thanksgiving holiday. Here are some closings of broad interest: Bedford County Courthouse, Bedford County Courthouse Annex and Bedford County Office Complex will close Thursday, Friday and (where applicable) Saturday...

Early holiday spirit (11/21/10)
'Tis the season -- to be busy. With Thanksgiving next week, Christmas next week, and an Indian Summer all around, people in Bedford County took advantage of the weather to get out and about Saturday. There was a lot of getting out and about to be done, too. Church bazaars, high school plays, community Thanksgiving dinners, the events ranged from the cultural, such as the Trees of Christmas exhibit opening at The Fly, to the social, such as the ham breakfast at the Senior Center...

Up late for Harry (11/19/10)
It's midnight -- do you know where your children are? About two dozen of them were in the Capri Theatre in the wee hours of this very morning -- all with parental approval, and all ready to see the next-to-last installment of the Harry Potter movies. The Capri Theater offered a special showing of "Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, Part I" as soon as it was permissible, which was just after midnight on Nov. 19...

Visual art graces new gallery at The Fly (11/19/10)
The Bedford County Arts Council is often associated with the performing arts -- music, dance and theater. But the council also wants to promote the visual arts -- and the visual artists -- which is why there is now The Gallery at the Fly Cultural Arts Center...

Cascade play portrays nosy neighbor conundrum (11/18/10)
Do you think you have nosy neighbors? They can't possibly be as bad as the busybodies who invade the new country home of retired actress Myra Marlowe. In fact, they've gotten so bad she's had to call upon her acting skills to create a diversion -- a homicidally crazy "sister" -- to scare them away so she can write her autobiography...

RockMelt puts social networking right into the browser (11/17/10)
In general, I don't like gimmicky offshoot web browsers, but RockMelt -- which has the backing of Netscape co-creator Marc Andreesen -- has been getting so much attention that I wanted to at least try it out. I went to the web site and signed up for the invitation-only beta, and within a few hours, an online friend saw my request and sent me one of her invites. Soon after that, I was up and running...

A Normandy invasion (11/09/10)

New businesses make it easier to buy locally (11/07/10)
This time of year is jam packed with things to do. If you didn't get out last weekend you missed out on beautiful weather, and activities galore. Shelbyville came alive not with horses, but with block parties, kiddies making stops at all the merchants that stayed open all day and runners spooking their way through a 5K...

Tom's on the scene (11/04/10)
When you think of Tom Sawyer, you tend to think of more innocent days, when boys could spend lazy summer days on a raft without life preservers, DCS summonses or attacks from giant, flying Asian carp. But those days, and the adventures of that fictional boy, weren't as innocent as we tend to recollect. ...

City slickers, country crooners (11/03/10)
If he's a little bit country and you're a little bit ... well... Broadway ... The Fly and the Bedford County Arts Council are offering the perfect solution for both of you Friday night. "Denim and Diamonds is a music revue," said Fly director Janice Cole. "Half of the show will be country music and the other half will be show tunes."...

Lovin' Louvin: Krauss, others assist Opry legend (11/02/10)
It was standing room only at the Bell Buckle Banquet Hall Saturday night as dozens of country and bluegrass musicians took the stage -- and hundreds watched from the audience. The event was a day-long benefit concert and silent auction to help the legendary Charlie Louvin, member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, in his battle against pancreatic cancer...

Wings fly toward the top (10/29/10)
The third annual Poultry City All Wings Cookoff warmed up South Main Street on Thursday evening, with professionals and amateurs competing for bragging rights and a year-long free web page on www.bestofshelbyville.org. "It was awesome, by far our best yet," said Calvin Cannon, event organizer. "It was our biggest crowd so far so we're definitely growing. Most people came right after work. Those people had seen it in the paper and made it a point to come out."...

Krauss to perform at Louvin benefit (10/29/10)
Bluegrass legend Alison Krauss has joined the star-studded line-up for the Charlie Louvin benefit concert at the Bell Buckle Banquet banquet hall Saturday night. Hall manager Martha Akers made the announcement Thursday. The concert and auction will be held from noon until 9 p.m. Saturday at the Bell Buckle Banquet Hall...

Haunted hotel hosts horrid tours (10/28/10)
The Walking Horse hotel is haunted. Okay, that's not really news. People have been saying the grand old establishment has had its share of ghosts for years now, including the one of former owner Floyd Carothers. What is new, however, is that the hotel is now being haunted by ghosts you probably know -- local theater enthusiasts, a grocery store clerk, or a retired lady who just likes to scare the bejeebers out of her neighbors, all in the name of good fun...

Back on the march (10/28/10)
All three high school bands are expected to participate in this year's Veterans Day parade, local Veterans Service Officer Gordon Warren said on Wednesday. The parade will be held Nov. 11 starting at 6 p.m. The bands were a focus of controversy last year, when Veterans Day fell on a Wednesday and band directors declined to participate. ...

Local kids reveal their Halloween costumes (10/28/10)
Halloween is all about make-believe and no one understands that better than kids. We recently asked some third-grade students at Thomas Magnet School what they wanted to be for Halloween. We got some pretty standard answers, such as vampires and superheroes, but there were also some real surprises...

Treats galore as Halloween arrives (10/27/10)
For the third year in a row, chicken wing chefs, both professional and amateur, will get their chance to strut their stuff on the Square. Thursday night is the third annual Poultry City All Wings Cookoff. Local business owner Calvin Cannon, who has headed up the event since the beginning, said participation has grown every year and he looks forward to seeing who competes this year...

Ghost story winners in our print edition (10/27/10)
Once again, the Times-Gazette's annual ghost story and scary drawing contest brought out the finest in fright. Kimberly Diaz, a fourth-grader at Southside Elementary School, won our drawing contest, for children in fifth grade and younger, with her depiction of a witch stirring a cauldron. The drawing can be seen on page 8B...

Sparks of support (10/24/10)
Five men and a lady are all fired up for Saturday's annual Spooktacular 5K run/walk, which will benefit United Way of Bedford County. Six Shelbyville firefighters will join the pack on Oct. 30, thanks to Kenneth Holley, husband of United Way Executive Director Dawn Holley...

A story to tell: First-time author takes dad's old tale (10/21/10)
The story of Little Black Bear and Little Gray Fox has been told in Suanne Polasky's family for more than half a century -- to children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins. And now, thanks to her first book, "Trapped!," she can share the story with every child, not just those in her family or her classrooms...

Fun, fright in the night (10/20/10)
Ogres and witches and werewolves, oh my! Halloween is almost here, which means there's a howling good time planned down at H.V. Griffin Park as the Shelbyville Parks and Recreation Department holds its annual Goblin Groove and Haunted Woods. Unlike the "undead" who will hunt the woods, however, the annual festivities are subject to change and this year is no exception...

Standing tall: Local sculptor crafts McWherter statue (10/19/10)
Former Gov. Ned McWherter, we'd like you to meet ... Gov. Ned McWherter. The former governor of Tennessee, 46th to hold that title, serving from 1987 to 1995, made his presence known on the courthouse lawn of his hometown Dresden Friday morning. The occasion was twofold -- his 80th birthday was being celebrated, as well as the installation of his 7-foot tall bronze doppelganger -- a beautiful statue in his image created by Bell Buckle's own Russell Faxon...

Crowds roam Bell Buckle (10/17/10)
"You couldn't ask for a better day," said Annie Rooney. "The weather is just perfect." Rooney, an alderwoman for Bell Buckle, is wearing another one of her famous hats this weekend as an artist and crafter, selling colorful, hand-painted items in her yard...

Fall is in the air (10/14/10)

Argie Cooper Library is books and much more (10/10/10)
Supporters of Argie Cooper Public Library beg to differ with those who think that libraries are becoming irrelevant in the Internet age. According to reports from a recent library board meeting, the facility circulated 19,475 books in July and August of this year, and had 11,395 total visits, plus an estimated 6,500 visits from those using the facility's computers...

It's fall at Cedar Rock (10/07/10)
If you're looking for family fun, pumpkins, scarecrows and corn mazes, look no further than Cedar Rock Farm at 1236 Warner Bridge Road. But while you're there, you can also expect to see the biggest, friendliest rabbits around, some brand new calves, and a rolling chicken house...

Hometown boy makes good (10/06/10)
David Thomas, a Shelbyville native who has become a successful author in the field of parenting books and books on marriage relationships, came home on Tuesday as the keynote speaker for the annual Friends of Argie Cooper Public Library luncheon at Blue Ribbon Circle on the Celebration grounds...

Do the Monster Mash at Fly's Halloween bash (10/06/10)
Are you ready to jump-start your Halloween spirit? The Fly is holding its annual Blue Jean and Goblin Ball Saturday night, a regular fundraiser -- and fun raiser -- for the cultural arts center at 204 South Main St. "It's always a fun night," said Janice Cole, director at the Fly and coordinator of the dance. "We'll have contests for the best costumes -- and the best blue jeans!"...

Web(b) of creativity (10/05/10)
Every region has its fall traditions. In East Tennessee, people drive into the Smokies to see the fall foliage. In West Tennessee, Oktoberfest partiers roll out the barrel on Beale Street. In Middle Tennessee, we head to Bell Buckle for the annual Webb School Art & Craft Festival. This year it will be Saturday, Oct. 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m...

Square gears up for fun fall fests (10/03/10)
October offers a wide variety of fun family outings in Bedford County, from the Webb School Art & Craft Fair to the pumpkin patch and corn maze at Cedar Rock. But you don't necessarily have to go out in the country to have a good time. The square in Shelbyville has several fun events lined up for the month...

Back on the trail (09/30/10)
Saddle 'em up and move 'em on out because it's that time of year again! About 500 riders and their horses will be enjoying the crisp October air and fall colors Oct. 9 as they participate in the 11th annual Strolling Jim Trail Ride in Wartrace. "It's a real family-oriented event," said the ride's founder, Ray Pimental. ...

Churches combine for annual Christian drama (09/29/10)
Edgemont and Fair Haven Baptist churches are, for a two-year trial period, combining their annual evangelistic walk-through dramas. This year, the drama will be produced by both churches and presented Oct. 4-6 and 8-9 at Edgemont under the name "Crossroads," which Edgemont had been using for its annual production. Next year's drama is tentatively planned to be held at Fair Haven, which has produced its annual drama under the name "Lifehouse."...

Opry returns to fixed-up digs (09/28/10)
NASHVILLE (AP) -- The Grand Ole Opry is ending its itinerant ways and returning home. An all-star slate of performers including Brad Paisley and Keith Urban is scheduled to celebrate Tuesday night when the restored building opens to the public for the first time since floods wrecked Nashville in May...

Dogs' own day (09/23/10)
For the past several years now, humans and best buddies have gathered the last Saturday in September for a day of good old-fashioned family fun. And it's really starting to catch on. "Believe it or not, this is our sixth annual," said Mary Jo Pitts, owner of Puppy Palace, event sponsor. "It's becoming a big thing. Last year it rained and that affected our turnout a little bit. I don't think people realized we were under cover."...

Scarecrow contest fun (09/22/10)

Bell Buckle performance art (09/19/10)

Fringe Festival invites Webb theater students (09/19/10)
Students from The Webb School in Bell Buckle are set to showcase their acting and theater production skills overseas next year, thanks to an invitation from the American High School Theatre Festival (AHSTF). The Webb Theatre program was recently selected to participate in the 2011 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. ...

Sand in his hands (09/17/10)

History takes flight: Shelbyville-based DC3 recognized (09/16/10)
Forget all those other celebrities who have called Shelbyville home -- there's a raving beauty taking up residence here that very few even know about. Not only has she appeared in film and television, she makes educational and motivational tours across the country every year...

Road Riders' poker run feeds families (09/15/10)
By the second weekend in October, the leaves should be changing color, the air crisp and cool, and the hills of Middle Tennessee filled with the low-pitched rumble of motorcycles. The Tennessee Road Riders have set Oct. 9 for the third annual "Cruzin' for a Cause We Care" poker run...

Movie screening held (09/14/10)

Firehouse BBQ moves to a real firehouse (09/09/10)
Shelbyville & Bedford County Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Firehouse Barbecue at a new -- and appropriate -- location this year: Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy. The barbecue will be Monday from 5-7 p.m. (the serving line will run from 5-6 p.m.) in the dining hall, and free tours of the campus will be available beginning at 4 p.m...

Senior connection (09/09/10)
"We have fun," said senior citizen Shirley Smith. "And we solved the problems of the world -- like this $11 garbage fee...." The other women laugh as they knit. And visit. And share everything from patterns to recipes. And, okay, maybe just a little ... gossip. But mostly, the knitting club at the Shelbyville/Bedford County Senior Citizens' Center connect, and that's the theme for the month...

All about the bling (09/07/10)
By now, the stalls on the Celebration grounds are empty, the flotsam and jetsam of the world's greatest horse show have been cleaned up and thrown away, and all that's left for many is just the memories. For others, though, there's more than that. The owners, trainers and riders of the champions aren't the only ones who walk away from Shelbyville the day after Labor Day loaded down with trophies. For many people, collecting souvenir memorabilia is just another fun tradition at the show...

Shelbyville is focus of new documentary (09/02/10)
A new documentary about Shelbyville, and its peaceful response to Somali immigration, will be screened for community leaders in Shelbyville on Sept. 12, and tentative plans are to have a public screening in October. The documentary, "Welcome to Shelbyville," will be screened at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Sept. 15 and will air on PBS stations nationwide next spring, as part of the series "Independent Lens." It was directed by Kim Snyder...

Trade fair underway at Calsonic Arena (08/27/10)
There are many traditions involved with the Celebration, from the formal wear of the awards presenters to the Optimist Club donuts. When thousands of visitors come to Shelbyville every year, they come for the whole package, not just to see the horses...

Video shoot will cook up fun at Capri (08/22/10)
Want to be in a music video? Your chance is coming up next Sunday when a country music artist and his crew will be shooting footage in front of Shelbyville's historic movie theater off the square. A film crew will be shooting footage for Mark Cooke's first music video "Can't Cheat in a Small Town" in front of the Capri Theatre Sunday, Aug. 29, and the producers want a crowd to come out and participate...

Unexpected finish at Fairest of the Fair (08/12/10)
When her name was called out as one of the top four in Bedford County's Fairest of the Fair competition's last month, Deana Garrett was shocked. Truth is, this fast-pitch high school softball star doesn't even consider herself the "pageant" type. "I don't like to be in the spotlight," said Garrett, 19, a 2009 graduate of Shelbyville Central High School who said she didn't even decide to enter the pageant until just a few weeks before it took place...

Plans rev up for car show (08/12/10)
The Antique Automobile Club of America will hold its 2012 Grand National Show, as well as its southeastern regional show, on the Celebration grounds in June 2012, and representatives of the national organization visited Shelbyville on Tuesday to begin a two-year planning process...

Encore, 43 years later (08/08/10)
In music, when a theme is repeated over and over again, it's called a "motif." In The Fly's upcoming production of "The Music Man," the motif for three of the actors is "It's deja vu all over again." "They did this 43 years ago at Shelbyville Central High School," said Janice Cole, director of the play. "Three members of our cast were in that production."...

At the movies (08/01/10)

American Idol audition is a great way to make new friends (08/01/10)
Columnist's Note: Part II of the American Idol Saga, as promised, although it took some nagging, whining and threats to get it here on deadline. Poor Ben has discovered that 1 40-hour work week doesn't leave as much free time as he's used to.....

'Wedding Singer' will steal your heart (08/01/10)
Who can forget the red jacket, the moussed hair, and the smarmy stylings of Robbie Hart the Wedding Singer, in the Adam Sandler movie of the same name? The movie, made in 1998, but based in -- and celebrating -- the 1980s, was later turned into a musical, and now that musical can be seen here in Bedford County...

Wartrace prepares for yard sale (07/29/10)
It may be a month away, but Wartrace is already getting ready for their annual town-wide yard sale and is inviting out-of town vendors to participate. It's the 15th year for the yard sale, which takes place Friday and Saturday, Aug. 27-28 and is sponsored by the Wartrace Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Wartrace...

Soo-wee(t) night at fair as kids pounce on pigs (07/20/10)
I'm sorry it's so hot. Maybe we'll get lucky and it will rain cool things off a little," said Judy Gambill. president of the Bedford County Fair at the opening ceremonies Monday night. "Just not too much," said someone in the audience. "And not at night!" called another...

Organizers 'thrilled' by city's party (07/20/10)
"Thrilled" is the word used the most by organizers to describe how well this past Saturday's big birthday bash on Shelbyville's public square went. Hundreds turned out for the shindig, giving them a chance to look a bit at the city's history and have some fun as well...

Louvin to play Wartrace show before surgery (07/20/10)
Country music fans everywhere were saddened recently when they heard about the legendary Charlie Louvin's battle with pancreatic cancer. The 83-year-old Grand Ole Opry star will undergo a six-hour surgery Thursday -- but before that, he'll undergo one more concert...

Shelbyville celebrates 200th with street party (07/18/10)
With everyone blowing out the candles, Shelbyville celebrated its 200th birthday Saturday, and there was plenty for everyone to do. People were still streaming into the public square as of press time and after a week of sweltering heat, the clouds gave everyone a break by keeping the temperature lower...

Children's artwork to be auctioned for Arts Center (07/15/10)
Are you needing a new painting for your living room? Maybe you need a new knick-knack box, or a stuffed snake ... An artistically stuffed snake, at that. On Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the Fly's gallery, you have the chance to bid on these works of art. All money raised will benefit the Bedford County Arts Council...

Taste of the Fair (07/13/10)
Does anything go better together than ice cream and the county fair? As much a tradition as livestock classes, clogging, the Tilt-a-Whirl and canned peaches, ice cream deserves its own spotlight at the fair. This year, it will not only be getting a spotlight, it may be getting some national television coverage. ...

County fair entry deadlines approach (07/11/10)
The Bedford County Fair is coming up quickly, so if you've got some entries, it's time to get them in. The dates this year are July 19-24, but the Fairest of the Fair pageant is slated to kick off the week Saturday, June 17. Entries must be received by Saturday -- no exceptions -- and applications can be picked up at the Times-Gazette, J. Jordan's and the Chamber of Commerce. They should be delivered to Jerri Lynn Smith, 808 Shelbyview Drive, Shelbyville, TN 37160...

'Survivor' with a Christian twist (07/11/10)
When you think of the television reality show "Survivor," the description that comes to mind isn't usually "Christian." After all, the series is based on selfishness, with every individual scheming, plotting and betraying to make sure he is the ultimate survivor. Not exactly Vacation Bible School philosophy -- or is it?...

Words of wisdom: Teacher-turned-author visits Shelbyville (07/11/10)
Just because Mike Shoulders isn't working in a school system anymore doesn't mean he isn't still teaching. The Clarksville resident teaches everything from reading and counting to Roman history and natural science through his colorful, entertaining children's books...

Last weekend for Shakespeare Festival (07/09/10)
It was the last night before the Tennessee Shakespeare Festival's final weekend and you'd think the cast and crew, professionals that they are, would be walking through a pick-up rehearsal, or at least reading lines, getting psyched for the last three performances of "Two Gentlemen of Verona (Tenn.)"...

A fresh coat of paint (07/07/10)

A fabulous Fourth (07/06/10)

Perryman to headline 'Fly Before The Fourth' (06/29/10)
Local musician Chase Perryman is making a return visit Friday at the Fly Cultural Arts center for a special concert. Called "Fly Before the Fourth," the event will give everyone the chance to come down and enjoy his music, an eclectic blend of rock, blues, and folk, as well as a sneak peek at some of his video work...

Bitten by the acting bug (06/27/10)
Almost all of the professional actors currently spending their weekends in Bell Buckle for the Tennessee Shakespeare Festival have impressive r�sum�s, from director Lane Davies' work in film and television to up-and-coming Patrick Waller's work in musical theater...

Swann rocks on: 'Hunter' finds his prey in the ground, on mountainsides (06/27/10)
Kenneth Swann used to be what he calls "a religious hunter." "I hunted deer, birds, you name it," said the Normandy man. "I did a lot of fishing, too." But 34 years ago, Swann found another quarry to pursue. In fact, you could even say he was pursuing a quarry. In one brief expedition along Sugar Creek near Petersburg, he found his calling and became a rock hound...

Review: Scene stealers abound in updated version of Shakespeare comedy (06/23/10)
There is an old saying in the acting world that you should never share the stage with kids or dogs because they'll always steal the scene. Someone should have told Diesel the Dog not to share the stage with Jerry Winsett. I always know I'm going to get a huge laugh when he shows up, but I'm never quite sure what directions it's going to come from. He can droop a subtle eyebrow and wave extravagant arms in comic gesture, but he's always going to make me laugh...

Piece of the pie (06/22/10)
Billy Phillips is over the moon. Moon Pie, that is. "I've never seen such a response, and the crowd stayed longer than it ever has before," said Phillips. Until recently, he was president of the Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce and he coordinated this year's RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival, as he has done for many years. Phillips also owns two of Bell Buckle's favorite businesses, the general store and the ice cream shop...

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