Going Beyond Academics
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...
Hoop Dreams and Home-Town Heroes
The arena's din does little to break his concentration. Keon Johnson drives toward the basket, his eyes locked on its rim. With a swift pivot, he creates space as his body twists, the ball arcs...
Shattering Expectations Through Time & History
On the corner of Shelbyville’s iconic square, Glass Hollow Table & Tavern emerges as a beacon of fine dining, transforming the former Knox Pitts Hardware into an elegant and refreshing culinary...
Emmy’s Restaurant Provides Free Meals on Christmas Day
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...
2024 Mission Possible
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),...
Cooper Steel: A Thriving Enterprise With Humble Roots
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...
A Tale of Christmas Past and the Present Rescued By Lowery Jewelers
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...
Letter From The Editor
SHE FLASHES her lights and pushes the gas pedal a little harder. The walkie-talkie is too quiet, so she spins the dial and makes her bulletproof vest a little more comfortable. She worked hard to...
Matt Doak: I Look Up To Those I Lead.
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...
Jimmy West: A Badge, A Bear, And A Lasting Bond
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...
Homegrown Hero Jeri Clements Wears Scrubs
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...
Brews, Bites & Brushes
On the corner of Shelbyville’s square, Arty All the Time is a refreshing fusion of creative expression and cafe confections. The bright blue facade is impossible to miss, beckoning both locals and...
John Sweeney: A Lifetime of Making A Difference
“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,...
How an Emergency Birthed a ‘Lion’
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...
Jan Phillips: Selflessness, Service, and Sacrifice
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...
Donald Floyd and Wickey Parker: Bonds of ‘Family’ Know No Bounds
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...
E&D Farms: Sowing More Than Seeds
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,...
Annual Bedford County Fair Farm-To-Table Dinner
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...
Cook Family Farm: Un-Bee-Lievable!
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...
Garrison Valley Farms: United by Geography, Guided by Tradition
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...
Letter From the Editor
OUR FOOD nourishes us, from the soil beneath our feet to the table where we gather with family and friends. The hot sun beams from the sky into the field of sprouting seeds. Farmers rise early,...
Yentz Family Farm: All Things Farming
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. ...
The Shelbyville Snack Shop: A Bunch Of Crunch
PREPARE TO throw everything you thought you knew about candy out the window. The Shelbyville Snack Shop provides a new and delicious way to experience your favorite candies. Stepping into...
Rob McGill: From Runway Dreams to Golfing Greens
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: The Champion Who Forged a Path for All Champions
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...
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