by Amanda E. West | Jun 11, 2026 | Feature, Shelbyville
TOWERING TREES hugged both sides of the narrow driveway as gravel crunched beneath the tires of my minivan. Each time I traveled Old Nashville Dirt Road, I had admired this two-story farmhouse with its wraparound porch and brick chimney poking through the center of...
by Amanda E. West | Jun 11, 2026 | Feature, Shelbyville
“When your pawpaw, Willie B. Davis, was younger, he used to make moonshine.” Michelle leaned closer, looking puzzled. “Are you serious, Nanny?” “Back in them days, ‘fore he worked at the highway department here in Bedford County, your pawpaw was what they used to call...
by Amanda E. West | May 14, 2026 | Feature, Shelbyville
IT’S ONE of the busiest days of the year — the Saturday before Thanksgiving. In kitchens all across Shelbyville, steam will rise from the fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies cooling on the counter. Apples will be cored and sliced, then sprinkled with cinnamon and...
by Amanda E. West | May 14, 2026 | Feature, Shelbyville
IN 1997, Susan Haynes had spent a decade working for Union Planters Bank, and though her husband, Andy, had a dependable job, one question kept circling inside his brain — “What if I started my own business?” “When Andy approached me in 1997 with the desire to go...
by Amanda E. West | Apr 9, 2026 | Feature, Shelbyville
TINA CORLEY looked on in grateful awe at the rows of pallets stacked near her husband, Ryan, and their adult children, Chloe and Caden. Every pallet was stuffed with school supplies for the Bedford County Adopt a Teacher campaign. The July heat — coupled with no air...
by Amanda E. West | Apr 9, 2026 | Feature, Shelbyville
BEYOND THE doorway of the classroom, hurried footsteps echoed in the tiled hallway of Shelbyville Central High School (SCHS). “Must be nice,” someone seated in the back of the room whispered. “I bet she gets the answers to every test ahead of time,” another replied...