Happy New Year From Hickman County!

It is hard for me to believe that this year is over. My dad always said that as you get older, time flies. Well, I guess he was right again. It amazes me that it has already been ten years since we were all worried about the millennium bug. But we survived that, and many more things during this first decade of the 21st century. I am sure that all the media outlets will be giving their top ten lists of the best and worst of this year and this decade.

Just let me say that I hope the new year brings you everything that you could want and need.

From the Taylor house in Centerville in Hickman County, Tennessee to yours, Happy New Year!

Santa Claus is Coming on A Boogie, Woogie, Choo Choo Train!

Santa has decided to visit Centerville in Hickman County by train. He will arrive at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 10. This has been an annual event for several years and the children of all ages have a good time. Come out and enjoy the fun.

Centerville Chosen to Participate in Program

Centerville, in Hickman County, along with 11 other communities has been selected to participate in a revitalization program according to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, Matt Kisber. You can read the announcement here.

https://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/6440

Although this may be a good program, the focus of revitalization should be an increase in jobs. Jobs in Hickman County needs to be revitalized. There are several vacant buildings that would make good locations for new industry. And, there are plenty of unemployed persons that would love to have a job here. I realize that Tennessee has been hit hard during this recession, but our organizations that are in charge of recruitment of industry need to go out and recruit.

East Hickman Christmas Parade In 2010

"It's the most wonderful time of the year." The East Hickman County Christmas Parade is scheduled on December 12 and will begin at East Hickman Elementary School in Lyles, Tennessee and end at East Hickman High School on Highway 7. The Grand Marshals will be the "Friends of Buford McCord Park."

For more information or to take part in the parade, contact Dwight Sullivan at (615) 418-2995 or Sharon Sullivan at (931) 996-9384.

Twas The Night Before Christmas Parade In Centerville

The 2010 Christmas Parade in Centerville, TN in Hickman County will be held on Saturday, December 4 at 6:00 p.m. The route will be the same as in years past beginning and ending at the Centerville Church Of Christ just off the square.

The theme of the parade will be "twas the night before." For more information or to register to be in the parade contact Rob Mitchell at (931) 729-5491 or email him at ramitchell6639@yahoo.com .

Store Closing In Centerville

Once again the news is not good for the citizens of Hickman County. Donna's Cee Bee store in Centerville is closing its doors on November 7, 2010. After about 60 years in business, and changing hands a few times during that time, the grocery store will be missed by the local people who sometimes walk to it.

A casualty of rising rent and unable to negotiate another lease, the present owners believe that it is better to close now than to wait any longer.

If anyone out there would like to build another store that is definitely needed, I can help you find a good location. Just let me know. I would not recommend that location, but, I think that the opportunity to make lots of money is there. According to one study I saw, there is an $18,000,000 opportunity in the Lyles, Bon Aqua area alone.

Grinder's Switch Hour On Tennessee Crossroads

The Grinder's Switch Hour, named in honor of Minnie Pearl's fictious hometown, is held in Centerville, TN every Saturday has been featured on Tennessee Crossroads on the local PBS TV station. The segment has been uploaded to Youtube.com. You can catch the radio show live from Hickman County on CountryKIX96.com at 10:00 a.m.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_YQsr93tyo

Remote Controlled Electric Meters

According to an article online at The Tennessean website, early next year, the Dickson Electric Service will begin installing remote controlled electric meters for all 28,000 residential and 6,000 commercial customers. Dickson Electric Service provides electricity to about 4,000 customers in the Lyles and Bon Aqua area of Hickman County. According to Darrell Gillespie, the General Manager, the DES should realize a savings of $650,000 per year and the upgrade is expected to pay for itself in five to seven years.

The entire article from The Tennessean can be read here.

It's Hickman County!

Small towns usually do not have big acts to perform on the local stage. However, Hickman County - at times - seems to be the exception. Hickman County has been home to some big country stars throughout the years.

Minnie Pearl was born in Centerville, Tennessee and Grinders Switch was her fictitious home in her comedy routine. Del Reeves lived here for decades. Mark Miller of Sawyer Brown lived here for a few years. Alan Jackson, Ed Bruce, and Blake Shelton have all called Hickman County home.

And, last Saturday night the Crickets which includes drummer and songwriter J. I. Allison, who lives in Lyles, TN, played at the Ag pavilion in Grinders Switch. Although not as many people attended as I would have liked to have seen, they put on a great show. It was billed as "Saturday Night In Hickman County" and was a fundraiser for victims of the "Great Flood" in May.

And The Winner Is...

This past Saturday was the 1st annual Banana Pudding Festival in Hickman County. If you did not attend, you missed a treat. The lady that won the contest has written a blog post and you can read all about it in her blog here. The festival was a big success and I hope it grows bigger every year. However, I have a feeling that roads will need improvment to support the increaed traffic through Centerville and Grinder's Switch. But, that is a good thing.

Car Show, Quilt Show, Banana Pudding Festival - Whew, I'm Tired!

Yesterday was a busy day in Hickman County. Usually in small towns, people seem to complain that there is not much to do, however, if you were anywhere near Centerville, Tennessee you knew something was going on. People were everywhere.

While my wife, George Ann was at the quilt show, I started out at the Car Show at the Hickman County Justice Center. Even though this has been held for over two decades, I have never taken the time to go there. I know how to put gas in and change the oil. That's about it. But, walking by and seeing these cars - many from years ago - really was fun. I liked the '56 T-bird convertible and the Austin Healy (that is the one Jill had on Home Improvement.). There were lots of Corvettes that I would get a ticket in if I owned one. And there were plenty of trucks. Some of the vehicles looked as though they were handled with "kids gloves."

Next, we - my youngest son Zack and I - walked to the quilt show. A lady at the door handed us a piece of paper and said to pick out the quilt we liked the most. I don't know anything about quilts other than when I was young they would keep me warm at night. However, I know what I thought was pretty so we wrote down a number. There were lots of quilts there and to my surprise, I spent a little time looking at them. I could not imagine how long it took people to make a quilt in the "old days."

From there we drove to the Banana Pudding Festival at the Ag Pavilion and Fairgrounds in Grinder's Switch - the place Minnie Pearl made famous in her comedy routine. I really did not know what to expect and wondered if very many people would show up. Wow! What a surprise. When we arrived, the lady collecting money at the gate said that it had been lots of people through there. We parked in a field and walked to the main pavilion where there were hundreds of people listening to music. People were everywhere. I would like to know exactly how many were there, but I bet throughout the day there were thousands. There were two areas for live bands, a small area for children with the bouncy things, food of all kinds. Free Ice cream from Purity. I ate the rib-eye sandwich from the Lions Club - it was delicious. We ate the banana pudding and put our dollar in the one we thought was best. George Ann and I disagreed - which is not unusual. But, she has the right to be wrong.

I was happy with the way the day turned out. I had a good time although I was tired by the end of the day and I look forward to next year. After seeing the crowds in Centerville yesterday, maybe better days are ahead for Hickman County.

Centerville In The Fall Car Show

If you like cars, Centerville, TN will be the place to be on October 4, 2010. The annual Centerville in the Fall Car Show will be held at the Hickman County Justice Center, just off the Centerville Square. There will be 42 awards with 10 special awards. The show is open to all makes and models and Dash Plaques will be given to the first 125 entries. Door prizes will be given and food will be available. If you need more information, call (931) 729-4576.

Drew Luckett Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser In Centerville, TN

On Saturday, August 21, 2010, the Drew Luckett Memorial Scholarship fundraiser will be held at the Skyview Country Club in Centerville, TN. The entry fee is $200 per team in the 4-person golf scramble. The tournament begins at 8:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Shotgun Start. Lunch will be served 11:30 until 1:00 and is only $5.00

$5,000 cash will be given for the 1st hole-in-one and there will be prizes for the longest drive contest and closest to the pin contest. Free demos by Ping, Mizuno, and Callaway Golf are available.

For more information or to reserve your spot contact Tim Luckett (931)209-6944, Buzz Maddox (931) 729-4548 or the Skyview Country Club (931) 729-2444. All proceeds go to the Drew Luckett Memorial Golf Scholarship fund which benefits the Hickman County High School.

Fair On The Square In Centerville, Tennessee 2010

The Grinder's Switch Music And Arts Festival on the Centerville, TN square begins at 9:00 a.m. and musicians will be playing to around midnight on September 11, 2010. This is the 18th annual festival that has been held and promises to be a fun day for everyone. Admission is free. Opening ceremonies begin at 10:00 with a live broadcast of Grinder's Switch Hour on KIX 96 radio station to follow.

Several local bands will perform including the Grinder's Switch Skillet Lickers, Brothers in Christ, Double Down, Bobby Marquez, Raw Country and the Grinder's Switch Ensemble. Photos from the Grand Ole Opry will be displayed by photographer Jimmy Moore.

Plenty of food - from barbecue to hamburgers will be available.

Come on out to Centerville and Hickman County and enjoy the fun.

Hickman County Fair

The Hickman County Fair has been scheduled for August 25-28, 2010 at the Hickman County Agricultural Pavilion and Fairgrounds in Centerville, TN. The Ag Pavilion is in Grinders Switch - a small area in Centerville that was made famous by Minnie Pearl in her comedy routines. I'm not sure of the activities but I will post them as soon as I hear about them.

Come one, come all and ride the rides and eat the funnel cakes and cotton candy (my favorite) and have a good time.

Finally! Election Results In Hickman County

It's Over! After what seemed like months and months of campaign signs, radio ads, TV ads, door knocking and mail, the local election is finally over for another year and a half until it starts over again. There were a few local surprises in the Hickman County Commission races, but otherwise not much has changed.

Steve Gregory, the incumbent County Mayor, defeated four other candidates with 42% of the vote. Randal Ward, the incumbent Sheriff is still the sheriff this morning having outlasted four other candidates. And the new Road Superintendent is Ronald Coates, who has worked for the Hickman County Highway Department for over 30 years.

The vacant position of County Court Clerk goes to newcomer Casey Dorton in what some have called the East vs West Contest, and East won. There were six candidates including Dorton vying for that position. It seems as though the West vote was divided and East voted as a block.

The Circuit Court Clerk position(Dana Nicholson) and the Register of Deeds position (Patty Sisk) keep the incumbents, both winning handily. Cheryl Chessor was unopposed as Trustee. There will be a few new faces on the Hickman County Commission when they meet in September. The list of all the winners follow.

District 1 Blackwell, Chilton and Leeper

District 2 Collins, Haynes and Gammons

District 3 Thomasson, Booker and Mangrum

District 4 Nash, George and Deal

District 5 Ward, Jordon and Capps

District 6 Puckett, Hassell and Sullivan

District 7 Bates, Atkinson and Murray

The Highway Department members will be as follows.

District 1 Rudd

District 2 Sullivan

District 3 Potts

District 4 No Candidate

District 5 Mathis

District 6 Creech

District 7 Cook

Each district also elected Constables, although most of them were incumbents and unopposed. They are:

District 1 Bowman

District 2 Warden

District 3 Harness

District 4 Deal

District 5 Long

District 6 Lancaster

District 7 Qualls

I guess that wraps it up until the next election. Thanks to Steve Turner of KIX 96 radio station in Centerville, Tennessee for broadcasting the results. I remember that it used to take several hours for most of the results to be known, however, with the technology of today, votes are counted rather quickly.

These results will not be certified until Monday. FINALLY!

Run For The Paws In Hickman County, Tennessee

On August 7, 2010 the Centerville Public Square will be the place to be if you ride motorcycles. Registration for the Poker Run begins at 8:30 a.m. and continues until the start of the ride at 10:00 a.m. which ends at 5:00 p.m. in Lyles at the park.

The entrance fee is only $10.00 per bike and all proceeds go to the Hickman County Humane Society, which is an all volunteer organization. A $50 prize will be given to the rider with the best hand and a $25 prize will go to the person with the worst hand.

Barbecue meal tickets will be sold for $5 and will be served at the end of the run in Lyles.

For all your motorcycle event information, check out the website www.motorcyclemonster.comand enjoy the ride.

Hickman County and East Hickman County High School Football Schedules

Here is the 2010 Football schedule for the Hickman County High School Bulldogs in Centerville and the East Hickman County High School Eagles in Lyles. Here is the legal info that I am required to give since I am a Realtor. I am a Realtor with Crye-Leike, Realtors in Fairview. Equal Housing Opportunity. You can reach me at home at (931) 670-5316 or at the office: (615) 799-6288.

Go Bulldogs. Go Eagles.

I love football and I hope that this is a good season. One of my neighbors is the coach for the Bulldogs and I would love to see him do well. I would also like to see the Eagles do well. I went to Elementary School at East Elementary and was proud to be an Eagle.

See you there at some of the Football Games. I'll be the one wearing Red and Blue.

Sign Of The Times In Hickman County, Tennessee

I was driving out Highway 7 near the East Hickman High School in Lyles, Tennessee earlier today when I noticed all of these election signs across from the school. I had to take a picture of them. I don't believe that I have ever seen as many election signs in one place as was there. Candidates did not have just one in the area, they had several; some of them were connected together. I guess when you are running for a $55,000 job you will do just about anything to attract attention.

I will be glad when this election is over, although I don't know how much will change. I believe that in most cases, people think that their vote does not make much of a difference. However, I remember several years ago, when the school superintendent election was decided by only four votes. That position paid about $80,000 and now is near $100,000. However, now only a few members of the school board hire the person for the position.

One thing I am not going to tell you is who to vote for. I hope you vote for the person that you think will do the best job. I have my opinions and I am sure that you have yours. I know that in a small county such as Hickman County, people tend to vote for who they know and not necessarily the person that will do the best job. But remember, when you enter that booth, no one but you knows who you mark that block for.

Does Bigger Always Mean Better?

I hope you like the title to this post. I don't know if you have noticed it or not, but it is election time in Hickman County Tennessee. And, signs are everywhere. Not too many years ago, I was one of the people that placed signs at every crossroad and yard that I could find. I believe that it is a necessary evil to remind voters who is running for what.

But, this year seems to me to be different. Perhaps there are more people running for offices than usual. There must be thousands of signs out there and they are getting bigger. That seems to me to be yelling. Sorta like using all caps when posting on Facebook or any website.

I don't know, but maybe the election will help to stimulate the local economy - the sign-makers anyway. Of course, I have also heard some complaints that many of the candidates haven't bought there signs locally, but have gone out of Hickman County to other counties to purchase their signs. To me, that is WRONG! How can you expect people to vote for you when you don't even support local businesses. Kinda like the manager of Vision 21 not even living in Hickman County. That is WRONG!

Anyway, GO VOTE!

This Is Not Good News For Hickman County

Just about everyone in Tennessee knows that Hickman County has been hit hard the past few years with high unemployment and low- paying jobs and has not recovered yet. According to Realtytrac.com, these high unemployment rates and low-paying jobs have taken a toll on the citizens of Hickman County. Hickman County has the third-highest foreclosure rate in the state of Tennessee. One out of every 359 houses received a foreclosure filing in May - twice the state average.

I don't want this blog to become a negative thing - although you need to hear the bad news with the good news. But, I believe that the people of Hickman County need to "sell" the idea that Hickman County is a great place to live and do business. I know that during this recession, it has been hard to attract new industry and business, but I don't think that much of an effort has been made.

FEMA Extends Flood Aid Deadline In Hickman County

According to Gov. Phil Bredesen, Tennessee requested and received a 30 day extension on the deadline to file for aid through the FEMA programs. Instead of July 6 as the deadline, individuals will now have until August 5 to apply for assistance. Forty-six counties were eligible for disaster relief from FEMA.

Hickman County is slowly recovering from the Great Flood of 2010 although there is plenty of work left to do. The baseball and football park for junior pro in Centerville and probably Lyles still needs lots of repairs and some roads are still barely passable. Several churches are still waiting on being repaired. But sooner or later, everything will get back to normal.

For more information about the filing deadline you can read the article from The Tennessean here

Look What I Found!

I was trying to clean out my basement the other day, but it seemed as though the more I moved stuff the messier it got. And, I wasted a lot of time looking at things that I had not looked at in several years. But, one thing that I came across was an autographed baseball card from Mike Smithson.

Most of you may know that Mike graduated from Hickman County High School and then played baseball for the University of Tennessee and went on to play baseball professionally with the Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins in the eighties. Mike is now the athletic director for the Hickman County High School. Several years ago, Mike was helping out at a charity event and signing baseball cards for a donation to the charity and I got him to sign this card.

I just thought I would share this story. You just never know what you may find when you look in my basement.

Pete Springer Day In Hickman County

The Hickman County Democratic Party has scheduled an event to celebrate Pete Springer Day. He was a long-time state Senator from Lyles, Tennessee. Tickets to the June 19 BBQ dinner are $10 and all candidates for any office are invited to join in the festivities. It is scheduled from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the East Hickman Community Center on Highway 100.

Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, Pete was a "good ole boy." that lived near my parents for many years and no matter where I saw him, he would always take the time to ask about my folks.

If you want to hear a lot of bull, I think that you will hear plenty of it at this event.

Find Me On Facebook

I have been trying to get this image to work as a link, but I haven't been able. As soon as I get it to work, I will change this post.

Highway 50 E In Hickman County To Reopen

According to one of my "friends" on Facebook, Highway 50 E from Centerville to Columbia is supposed to reopen today. This road has been closed since the flood of May 1-2. In order to get to Columbia from here, you had to take a detour through a chert road, or you had to go Highway 7 which had its own detour through Santa Fe. I guess you could have even gone to Hohenwald and gone through that way. There was no easy way so the opening will help a lot of people that live in Hickman County and work or shop in Columbia.

If I can figure out how, I am going to put the Facebook logo on this blog where you can become my "friend" if you want to. I don't post much there, but what I do post is positively worth reading :)

New Blog For Hickman County, Tennessee Created

I have written a blog for a year or two. I started out and titled it centervilletn.blogspot.com. You can check it out here: http://centervilletn.blogspot.com , but lately, I have written more about Hickman County, Tennessee than just Centerville. Therefore, I decided to create a blog that was more about the whole county than just one area of it. I don't know how often that I will post to it, although usually I post every week or two. Sometimes, I may make a statement that you don't agree with. That is OK. There is an old saying that if two partners agree all the time, one ain't needed.

If you have any comments, you can add them, although I review them before I post them.

I will post stuff about real estate from time to time, because that is what I do. Although, the blog will not be about real estate. But, to get my plug in the first thing, if you are someone you know is thinking about buying or selling real estate, let me know. I can help.

There, I said it. Now, as time goes by, I hope to have interesting things that you want to read.