THE CHURCH parking lot is full. Fire trucks, ambulances, police and sheriff ’s department cars, and other emergency response vehicles encircle the property and overflow into areas surrounding...
Sometimes life just isn’t what it seems. There are situations where we view each other through the fishbowl of life. We watch from outside, sure of what we’re seeing. Meanwhile, inside, life is its...
THE SHELBYVILLE Garden Club has been cultivating beauty — not just in flowerbeds, but in friendships and civic pride — since April 27, 1955. Whether they’re planting flowers at The Fly Arts Center,...
FIVE DAYS after her 17th birthday, on June 14, 1942, Muriel Moyers nervously squeezed Leonard Coble’s hand. “How old do I have to be to get married?” Leonard asked the justice of the peace in...
Medina Stackpole fluffed her pillow, then jammed it between her aching back and the headboard. She patted the empty spot on the mattress and whispered, “We miss you, Rick.” The words of her eldest...
“Cooking With a Veteran” began with hunger — an ache that Dave Rogers knew too well. Before he enlisted in the U.S. Army and for a short time after his honorable discharge, Rogers faced...
“Mrs. Heather, please don’t cry Because toys you didn’t have to buy Sometimes the shelves get kind of bare But because of love for Mandy and children, people did share Stuffed animals, blankets,...
YOU ARE loved. You are valued. Imagine hearing these words from a stranger, or receiving a gift bag and discovering these words have been lovingly penned inside a card. Whispers of Hope Founder...
FOR KAY Templeton, the insurance industry has been her life’s work, a career spanning over 40 years that began when she graduated from Shelbyville Central High School (SCHS) in 1966. After attending...
THE RHYTHMIC clatter of pins and the squeak of shoes echoes across the wooden floors of the Shelbyville Bowling Alley. The buzz of conversation — and sometimes lively songs coupled with overly...
THE SPLASHING of the waterfall is a welcoming melody to Dorris Turrentine as she savors the sweet, earthy perfume of iris blooms carried by the evening breeze. Tricolored orange, white, and black...
THE SUN dips behind the Shelbyville Recreation Center, casting shadows across the baseball field, dotted with soccer players at H.V. Griffin Park. Marc Betzelberger leans forward, elbows on his...
LYNDA JOHNSON settled into the wheelchair as the nurse swaddled 4-month-old Natasha before placing her in Lynda’s outstretched arms. Although Lynda and her husband, Alfred, already had four...
STEP INSIDE the newly remodeled JW Boutique at 203 N. Cannon Blvd., Suite C, and discover a wide array of trendy yet budget-friendly clothes, jewelry, and accessories. Though Jennifer “Jen” Whitson...
BACK WHEN she was a student, Jennifer Jordan Thompson examined every detail of the photo in her marketing book. The overhead spotlights illuminated a stage where rows of picture-perfect models were...
WHAT IS your vacation budget? When do you want to go? Do you have a preferred destination or region? What type of activities do you enjoy? Imagine answering similar questions and then having a...
WHEN SHE was a little girl, Katybeth Beasley Bobo wiggled her toes inside her father’s dress shoes and admiringly gazed up at him. Though H A Beasley’s shoes would always be much too large for her...
WHETHER YOU dream of owning your own micro-farm or raising cattle on hundreds of acres, the Shelbyville-Bedford Co-op near the Duck River on South Cannon Boulevard has exactly what you’re looking...
AS A single parent raising three boys on her own, Cam Farrell’s mother had no choice but to work long hours. Farrell and his brothers often lacked supervision, but sometimes, it takes a village to...
"I SAW MYSELF as a teacher, in a bank, as a doctor — never prisoner number 00660725 at the Bedford County Correctional Complex,” wrote Shawna Barrier. “My pathway to becoming a habitual offender...
DURING HIS formative years in Maryland, Kasey Kesselring’s mother and three siblings gathered around the dinner table each evening, taking turns reading from the devotional “Our Daily Bread.”...
NINETY-YEAR-OLD MARY Sadler’s eyes twinkle as she studies the eager faces around the kindergarten classroom at Cascade Elementary School. Every morning, she lovingly delivers the bags of hot...
POLLY WOODARD drank in the scent of sliced oranges. She scooped them into her gloved hand and filled the row of lunch trays. She smiled in quiet anticipation. Soon, the first group of hungry...
COMMUNITIES ACROSS the nation are grappling with a severe shortage of school bus drivers — a crisis that has deepened in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here in Tennessee, the situation is...
OPEN THE door of Yesterday’s Treasures on the corner by the Bedford County Courthouse at 105 Public Square W., and more than just your senses will come alive. The spicy aroma of apple and cinnamon...
JAMIE DICKERSON lifted her palm from the steering wheel and waved goodbye to her 9-year-old grandson. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she assured him. “If we’re going to open the grief center, I...
“I NEED YOU to pray that I have a brain tumor!” Linda Nichols clasped hands with her friends as they bowed their heads inside her home. After everyone left that evening, her husband, Howie, asked,...
SOMEONE IS unresponsive and has quit breathing. A loved one is struggling to breathe or appears to be experiencing a heart attack. A child is choking on a grape. Any one of us could find ourselves...
THE SKY blushed with shades of peach and coral above the metal bleachers of Shelbyville Central High School (SCHS). Wild honeysuckles sweetened the slight summer breeze. One by one, the stadium...
AFTER DAYS of nonstop chemo infusions, Ezralee Swing was much too weak to open his eyes. Above the metal headboard of his hospital bed, a machine beeped. Had he finally completed his seventh day of...
Courtney Clardy awoke before her alarm clock. All five of her children were still sleeping, but there was another child who needed her. She quietly settled into the dining room chair and reviewed...
Jeremy Smith, the lead pastor of The Experience Community Church’s (ECC) Shelbyville campus, has dedicated his life to serving both his faith and his community. Married to his wife, Kelly, for...
JFigurines from your favorite games and movies, such as “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Star Wars,” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” alongside colorful backpacks adorned with iconic characters, such as...
"You've got to get up here to the First Baptist Church. They’ve got one of the best-looking groomsmen in this wedding…” After what she’d heard her sister say, Barbara quickly set the rotary phone on...
In a time where true love often feels like a fleeting dream, Joyce and Bobby McGee’s story stands as a testament to enduring romance and lifelong friendship. In November, they celebrated 61 years of...
The year was 1965, and 22-year-old Leonard “Junior” Donegan had just returned home from serving in the United States Air Force. He smoothed back his dark hair to set the pomade and took one last...
Buddy Carter settles into the seat facing the sewing machine. Turning the handwheel, he ensures the needle pierces the folded edge of the purple and blue calico fabric. He pushes the toe of his...
Prior to Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty,” the Brothers Grimm published the original folktale in 1812 titled “Briar Rose,” and prior to prescription medication, families relied on gathering wild herbs to...
Kimberly Williams ripped open the envelope and frantically scanned the letter from the College of Nursing. Her excitement shifted to bitter tears as she dialed her mother’s number. When the phone...
At Creekside Farm on the outskirts of the Flat Creek community, the aroma of freshly mowed hay mixes with the salty sweat of the horses. They stamp their hooves on the dirt floor, begging Angela...
Mackenzie Respress “kneaded” a way to nurture herself during a turbulent time in her life, so she turned to the art of baking sourdough. As her confidence in the kitchen rose, along with her...
Amy Neese Jones grabs her buzzing phone from her purse and presses the answer button. Before the “hello” brushes her lips, a dear friend on the other end unravels a series of heartfelt pleas. “My...
Darren and Deena Delin scanned the young man’s application, and their eyes widened. Although they, along with Les Price, oversee the one-year mentorship program for boys at Riverbend Ranch and...
After fastening the gold buttons of his dress blues in October 2020, Col. Mike Corrado plunged his fingers into the snow-white gloves that he and other United States Marines reserved for formal...
Henry Ford, who started the Ford Motor Company in 1903, was a firm believer that history should be absorbed — not through textbooks but by seeing and experiencing it firsthand. Ford believed that we...
The measure of a man’s life is not in the riches he accumulates, but in the friends he gathers along the way. Manuel Rodriguez scratched out a living alongside his parents in Dolores Hidalgo in...
During his first mission trip with Appalachian Outreach in 2000, Steven Flippo surveyed the condition of the property assigned to his team, and his heart ached. “We were tasked with doing repairs...
The parking lot of Gateway Church on Madison Street is abuzz with activity as homeschooling parents unbuckle their toddlers and strap them into their strollers while their other children grab their...
WHEN SOMEONE mentions Emmy’s Restaurant, my taste buds become excited. I immediately begin fantasizing about the hand-cut sweet potato fries served with a dipping bowl of melted butter and brown...
For Harris Middle School (HMS) librarian Megan Lawell, extending kindness to others is more than an incentive to focus on one week out of the year. For her, it’s a way of life worth teaching to...
This past June, as temperatures hovered above the 90s and rainfall was scarce, a group of teens from Bell Buckle United Methodist Church (BBUMC), Shelbyville First United Methodist Church (SFUMC),...
Christmas day was rapidly approaching, and my husband and I were seniors in high school. Warm candlelight bathed the stucco walls as the waiter jotted down our orders. When he emerged sometime later...
WHEN THE late Kenneth “Kenny” Cooper opened his first shop with two employees, his dream was simply to make a better life for his wife, Faye, and two sons, Gary and Barry. He had no idea the impact...
AS A native of Shelbyville who began his career in public service over 50 years ago, police Chief Jan Phillips is deeply rooted within the core of our community. He started his career as an EMT at...
“I DIDN’T CHOOSE this career. Honestly, it chose me,” said Detective Lt. John Sweeney with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office. “I never thought in a million years I would ever become an officer,...
NO MATTER WHAT time of day it is, the emergency room at Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital is constantly abuzz with activity. Since the acquisition of the hospital by Vanderbilt in 2021, the daily census...
AFTER PREVIOUSLY giving birth to her two sons, Kohen and Hollis, paired with a background in obstetrics, Abby Reed had few concerns about the upcoming delivery of her third son, Whitt. But on June...
FIRE CHIEF Matt Doak has been a firefighter either in Bedford County or for the city of Shelbyville for 31 years. He diligently worked his way through the chain of command, beginning his career as a...
ALMOST 25 years before Regis Philbin began asking players of the popular 1990s game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” if they wanted to “phone a friend,” Donald Floyd and Wickey Parker have done...
THE TENDER sweet corn grazed young Edgar Kane’s hip as he pressed his tennis shoe into the imprint his grandfather’s boot had left in the soil. When the older man fed the cows, slopped the hogs,...
ASHLEY POTTS blew a warm breath across the cover of a book, arousing dust particles into the air. Overwhelmed by a mixture of anticipation and sadness, she studied the other items that belonged to...
SOFT LINEN tablecloths, colorful stemware glasses, an eclectic mix of chairs and benches, and jars bursting with zinnias were the perfect backdrop for the first Farm-to-Table Dinner sponsored by the...
VANESSA YENTZ is fulfilling a legacy. It isn’t just for herself or for her husband, Eric, but for their children, grandchildren, and everyone who comes in contact with the Yentz Family Farm. ...
SINCE THE mid-1800s, through the Hawkins line, four generations of the Curl and Lee families have farmed the Garrison Fork River Valley in the unincorporated community of Fairfield. Don Curl and his...
ROB MCGILL dreamed of being a pilot. He even majored in aerospace at Middle Tennessee State University. After graduation, jobs in the airline industry were scarce, so McGill, who had been working in...
HAL SKELTON drove over the railroad tracks for the first time in 1966 and scanned the thin row of buildings. As a recent college graduate, he’d accepted the position sight unseen. Could this be...
IN THE 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz,” a tornado whisked Dorothy from the hayfields of Kansas to a colorful, whimsical land where she faced many challenges and gathered new friends along her journey....
ANTICIPATION FILLS the air like the smell of donuts, onion rings, and smoked brisket. As the gate opens, a hush falls over the crowd. A snow-white Tennessee walking horse carrying a rider adorned in...
JOHN ALLAN Callaway is the only trainer in the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration (TWHNC) history to win the World Grand Championship four years in a row. In fact, the name “Callaway” has...
TEN-YEAR-OLD J. French Brantley IV scooted to the edge of the seat and gazed toward the organist in the center of the arena. The melodies flowing from Larry Bright’s fingers carried J. to an...
BETH NICOLAY dedicated 31 years to raising her five children. Originally from Ohio, Nicolay dined at the Barrelhouse BBQ in Lynchburg while visiting her oldest daughter and grandchildren five years...
THE SUN shone brightly over Jekyll Island as Andrew Reeves, a sophomore at The Webb School (TWS), swung his golf club, striking the white ball with a hard thud. A surge of joy filtered through him...
RECOVERING FROM drug and alcohol addiction is not only possible, but life can be even more meaningful and beautiful afterward. Just ask Tyler Bowman, founder and CEO of Brooks Healing Center (BHC). ...
INSPIRED BY their own experiences and unique challenges, students from Youth Leadership Bedford recently made a lasting impact by hosting the first annual Benefit For Hope on April 15 at Shelbyville...
THE CALSONIC Arena, located at the Celebration grounds, has a new identity — the Cooper Steel Arena. The exterior and the interior received much-needed updates, including fresh exterior paint, an...
IT WAS a Friday evening in early June, and varsity baseball player Jaxon Sheffield had recently graduated from Cascade High School (CHS). Most young men his age might be out on the town celebrating...
BRANDI SMITH said she was an unusually talkative and wild child who teetered somewhere between Scout from "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Idgie Threadgoode from "Fried Green Tomatoes." "I talked too...
WHILE THE years have flown by too quickly, and Amanda Shelton has begged for time to pause and let her catch her breath, she’s never stopped being in awe of her daughters, Alyvia and Alyssa Smith....
SINCE 1979, Lazarus Lake has organized the annual Strolling Jim Ultra 40 Marathon in Wartrace, Tennessee. According to Lake, some of the best runners in the world have been to Bedford County for the...
AMY EDMISTON, creator of the digital scrapbook “Pretty Old Places”, invites you to pull up a rocking chair on the wraparound porch of the old homeplace where stories line the shiplap walls like...
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