Explore Summer’s Invitation to Escape and Explore.
SUMMER’S NOT just for outdoors! Fellowship with friends and family while experiencing our area’s best arts and entertainment, indoors and out. Don’t forget the fireworks, but there’s more than...
Area Activities Welcome Families to Make the Most of Summer.
FINDING SOMETHING the whole family can do during the summer can be challenging. The beach is too crowded, and the amusement parks are too far away. And both can be astronomically expensive. You are...
Discovering a Local Legend – Laura Trescott Ledbetter Was Ahead of Her Time.
AN OLD ledger-turned-scrapbook testifies to the tenacious and adventurous spirit of a woman ahead of her time. Glued to the aged pages is a series of encouraging quotes, more roadmap than sentiment...
Letter From The Editor – Your Local Summer Guide
THE AIR is thick and heavy, like a woolen blanket draped over the landscape. The sun blazes down, casting a golden glow over the world below. The grass is tall and green, swaying in the breeze like...
Community Elementary Installs a Tool to Increase Literacy.
PROGRAMS LIKE Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library are a blessing, putting books into the hands of children from birth to 5 years. But once a child enters school, their library may not continue to...
Nearest Green Distillery Is Home to the Guinness Book of World Records’ Longest Bar.
NEAREST GREEN Distillery’s local and worldwide influence expanded when it opened its doors to The Humble Baron on March 23, 2023. With something for everyone, The Humble Baron features a 17-station,...
Foster Grandparent Program Sends Seniors Back to School.
AH, RETIREMENT! We dream about it, save for it, and imagine how we’ll fill our days. While many seniors and retirees find countless ways to spend their time, others discover extra time on their...
Billie Crowell Connects to the World and Us Through Music.
IT’S A life of song. Spend 15 minutes with Billie Crowell, and tell me you don’t walk away with a song in your heart, a smile on your face, and a pep in your step. She says music is God’s gift to...
Don’t Be a Silly Goose — Stop and Grab the Perfect Lunch at the Blue Goose.
IT’S A modern love story. Love at first bite, if you will. It all started with a chicken bacon ranch quesadilla. My love grew stronger with the Kitchen Sink fries, then tragedy struck. The Blue...
The Positive Actions Program at Eastside Elementary Creates Opportunities for Conversations With the Potential to Change Lives.
FIFTH GRADE is a time of transition — the end of elementary school and the threshold of middle school. It’s a practical time to offer students tools for the prevention of substance abuse like...
Teacher Kelly Heflin Is at Home at Local Elementary School.
MUCH OF education, it feels, centers on a correct answer. Knowing the answer is the key to success, and fourth grade teacher Kelly Heflin gets it in more ways than one. Many children answer...
Nelson Holliman – Teenage Hobby Turned Successful Career
A CAMERA’S VIEWFINDER in the hands of a shy, awkward 14-year-old became the portal to a successful professional photography career for Shelbyville’s Nelson Holliman. What began as another way to...
The Old Red Barn Connects Confections and Contentment.
DRIVING THE gentle, rolling hills of southwest Bedford County, nature will stop you in your tracks if your spirit is open to its invitation to slow down. Nestled within these hills is the old red...
Local Foster Closet Works With the Community to Meet the Urgent Needs of Children.
WE TAKE it for granted. A hot shower or a long bath at home, endless choices for snacks and meals in the pantry and fridge, a closet filled with clothes, a warm coat — so many everyday provisions...
Craig & Wheeler Realty & Auction – One Family’s Cornerstone to Success
TODAY, YOU can buy a new home from the comfort of your old one. The internet has transformed how we conduct most business, but at Craig & Wheeler Realty & Auction, one thing has remained...
Bell Buckle Café – Cooking With Love Provides Food for the Soul
FOR THE pinnacle of country cooking, look no further than The Bell Buckle Café. This world-famous restaurant is serving meals reminiscent of eating at Mama’s table for dinner — soul food only found...
Habitat for Humanity Ball Raises Money for the Organization.
A LOCAL ORGANIZATION, Bedford Builds for Habitat for Humanity, works year-round to help those in need in Bedford County. Their tireless efforts never cease, and they always look for ways to help the...
LP Automotive LLC – Local Small-Business Owner Perseveres and Gives Back to the Community.
THE COMMUNITY had seen very few Hispanic families in Shelbyville in 1993. The schools had no translators, and our curriculum had no English as a second language (ESL) courses. Leo Solis was a...
Maleah Claxton Stays Plugged Into Her Community.
SOME CAREERS begin with a dream or a plan, but Maleah Claxton’s insurance career began, she said, as sheer dumb luck after moving to a new town and needing a job. A Shelter Insurance office hired...
Letter From the Editor – The Impact of ‘Shop Local’
THE ECONOMIC Policy Institute reports that for every dollar spent at a locally owned business, 68 cents of it stays in the local economy. Compare this to 32 cents staying in a local community when...
Letter From the Editor – Education in Bloom
I THINK OF education the same way I think of the spring season. In that time of year, out of season and lifeless-looking trees begin to bloom and become like new. The new nutrients, new water, and...
Earth Bar, Shelbyville’s Newest and Freshest Food Venue, Is Ready to Serve You a Satisfyingly Vibrant Meal.
WHETHER YOU’RE on the go or wanting to eat a meal that’s packed with good for you ingredients, Earth Bar has your back with their multiple options of smoothies, açai bowls and fresh juice shots....
Erica James-Hernandez Adds Small Business Owner to Her Title – Fresh Fold Laundry Co.
LAURENCE J. Peter said, “It’s better to have loved and lost than to have to do 40 pounds of laundry a week.” Erica James-Hernandez, the owner of Fresh Fold Laundry Co., agrees and doesn’t want you...
Dr. Lucas Bowling – A Busy Life Is Not Always a Bad Thing
FAR FROM home while deployed to Iraq, Dr. Lucas Bowling received a call that changed the trajectory of his life. Not the kind you answer with your cell phone, but a call that doesn’t use Verizon’s...
Lynna Miller – A Lifetime Teacher Teaches for Life
LYNNA MILLER’S students are a part of her life forever, each becoming one of her kiddos. But some put the “special” in education — a field Miller has been actively involved in for more than 30...
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