DeKalb County has been selected to receive $8,117.00 to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county.
The selection was made by a National Board that is chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from The Salvation Army; American Red Cross; United Jewish Communities; Catholic Charities, USA; National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA; and, United Way of America. The local board charged to distribute funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country.
A local board made up of community representatives will determine how the funds awarded to DeKalb County are to be distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local service agencies in the area. The Local Board is responsible for recommending agencies to receive these funds and any additional funds available under this phase of the program.
Under the terms of the grant from the National Board, local agencies chosen to receive funds must: 1) be private voluntary non-profits or units of government, 2) have an accounting system, 3) practice nondiscrimination, 4) have demonstrated the capacity to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs, and 5) if they are a private voluntary organization, they must have a voluntary board. Qualifying agencies are urged to apply.
The EFS Local Board will meet in the lower courtroom of the DeKalb County Courthouse at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 13, 2017 to consider applications for funding. Applications must be delivered to the DeKalb County Senior Center in Smithville by 1:00 p.m. that day or may be brought to the meeting by a representative, who is welcome to present the application to the Local Board.
Further information about the program and an application may be obtained by contacting, Pam Redmon, DeKalb County Senior Center Director, located at 718 South Congress Blvd., Smithville, TN 37166 Phone: (615) 597-7575.

The Summer edition of Reeling in the Years will air Saturday (July 8 from 6-10 p.m. on WJLE.
“We’ll be playing many of the songs that many listeners will remember as teens and young adults,” former WJLE announcers and hosts Dennis Stanley and Shawn Jacobs said. “Our playlist will include the “Song of the Year” in 1968 and the Number One song the week of July 8, 1973. It’s those little details we usually incorporate into our show to make it even more enjoyable.”
Remember, it’s Reeling in the Years on WJLE Saturday (July 8) from 6 to 10 p.m.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is offering free entry into participating day use areas Saturday, July 8 at Center Hill Lake, Cordell Hull Lake, Dale Hollow Lake, and J. Percy Priest Lake during “Life Jackets Saves and Pays Day.”
“Life Jackets Saves and Pays Day” is a local event held each year by USACE to emphasize the importance of wearing a life jacket when around water. During last year’s event more than 450 visitors brought their life jackets to 11 participating Nashville District day use areas. Presenting a life jacket, each visitor enjoyed a free one-day admittance to the area.
“This is a twofold event,” explained Park Ranger Ben MacIntyre at J. Percy Priest Lake. “It allows the public an opportunity for a free day at the lake, plus by having boaters show us their life jackets, they then have them out, inspected, and ready to use, as opposed to keeping the life jackets stored or hidden away.”
As always, USACE park hosts and park rangers encourage visitors to not stow their life jackets away, but instead keep them out, or better yet, wear them. Many boaters do not plan on swimming and statistics show that most drowning victims had no intention of being in the water, and were often within 10-30 feet of safety. Wearing a life jacket could make the difference between drowning or returning to shore and family.

The DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department was summoned to DeKalb Market on Highway 70 west to help extinguish a grease fire Monday afternoon.
County Fire Chief Donny Green told WJLE that a grease fire in the deli forced an evacuation of the building. A customer grabbed a fire extinguisher and attacked the blaze. Chief Green arrived and finished putting out the fire with an extinguisher.
Members of the Main Station and Cookeville Highway Station also responded. Middle Tennessee Natural Gas was called to send a crew to shut off the flow of natural gas to the building.
According to Chief Green, although the fire was contained smoke spread throughout the store. Fans were used to ventilate the building. No one was injured. The store later re-opened.
Members of DeKalb EMS and the Sheriff’s Department were also on the scene.

A Sparta man was seriously injured in a one car crash early Sunday morning on Highway 70 east near the Midnight Express.
Sergeant Eric McCormick of the Tennessee Highway Patrol told WJLE that 24 year old Jackie Sullivan was driving east in a 2013 Ford Focus when the vehicle went off the highway and into the woods.
Sullivan was taken by DeKalb EMS to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital. He was to have been airlifted but weather conditions at the time prevented it.
Alcohol was involved and charges are pending.
The accident was investigated by Trooper Jason Cobble of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Former Nashville Mayor and Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean will be in Smithville for a potluck dinner hosted by the DeKalb County Democratic Party on Thursday, July 27 at 6:00 p.m. at the high school.
Dean will speak at the event along with United States Senate candidate James Mackler and Holly McCall, the Recruitment Coordinator for Emerge Tennessee. Music for the evening will be provided by Jake Hoot.
“I decided to run for Governor of Tennessee because I think we need to bring economic opportunity to every Tennessean,” said Dean. “ Tennessee is a great state that is poised to continue moving forward if we focus on the right priorities. As Governor, I want to create opportunity for all Tennesseans, regardless of where they live, and that starts with education and jobs.”
“Having managed a city through the Great Recession and a historic flood, I learned that problem-solving doesn’t begin with one person. I also know there is no Democratic or Republican solution to problems. It begins with all of us working together and that’s the foundation on which we’re going to build this campaign,” Dean continued.
“A good job and a great education are not rural or urban issues, they are Tennessee issues. As governor, I will not rest until a good job, thriving business, and quality education are the standard in Tennessee”.
According to the Dean Campaign, “Karl Dean led the city of Nashville to unprecedented economic prosperity that it’s experiencing today. As Mayor for eight years, he led the city through the Great Recession and the devastating floods in 2010, with Nashville coming out stronger as a result. Karl’s pragmatic approach to leadership focused on jobs, education and public safety”.
“He kept taxes low while making significant investments in public infrastructure, paving the way for new economic development in all parts of Davidson County. He made business recruitment and retention a priority. He increased funding for public schools and teacher pay, invested in after school programs and brought more public school choices to Nashville. Karl’s experience makes him the right person to bring the same opportunities to every Tennessean,” according to the campaign.

The annual Fiddler’s Jamboree Craft Awards were presented Saturday
Phillip Howard of Sparta received the “Best of Show” award for his display of art work and furnishings crafted from repurposed tailgates, truck cabs, pallets, house doors, benches, etc.
The “Best Newcomer” Award went to Rachel Moore of Pleasantview for her display of repurposed old books. “I take the covers off and I re-bind them with new paper. You can use them as sketch books, journals or anything you wish. You are only limited by your imagination. I also make paper flowers. I take pages from books and make forever flower bouquets,” said Moore.
Roger Pfalzgraf of Staunton, Illinois received the “Best Display” award for his three string guitars made mainly from cigar boxes, bed pans, oil cans, and lunch boxes.
The awards were presented by Emma Adkins, the Fiddler’s Jamboree Director of Crafts along with Olivia Norton and Ellie Adkins.
(TOP PHOTO)
BEST OF SHOW: Phillip Howard of Sparta
PICTURED: Olivia Norton, Phillip Howard, and Emma and Ellie Adkins
(SECOND PHOTO FROM TOP)
BEST NEWCOMER AWARD went to Rachel Moore of Pleasantview
PICTURED: Olivia Norton, Rachel Moore, and Emma and Ellie Adkins
(BOTTOM PHOTO)
BEST DISPLAY: Roger Pfalzgraf of Staunton, Illinois
PICTURED: Ellie and Emma Adkins, Roger Pfalzgraf, and Olivia Norton

Harpeth River of Franklin won the Square Dancing Competition Saturday night during the 46th annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival.
(VIEW VIDEO BELOW OF THEIR PERFORMANCE SATURDAY NIGHT)

The Grand Champion Fiddler of the 46th annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival is Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro, Tennessee. She repeats as Champion after first winning the title last year.
(VIEW VIDEO BELOW OF HER PERFORMANCE IN THE FIDDLE OFF SATURDAY NIGHT)

Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro, Tennessee has repeated as the Grand Champion Fiddler of the Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival. Phillips, who won the title for the first time last year, took home the Berry C. Williams Memorial Award Saturday night after the Grand Finale Fiddle-Off between the best Junior and Senior Fiddler. The two day festival came to a close a few minutes before midnight.
Phillips made it to the fiddle off by winning, for the second year in a row, the Junior Fiddling competition and she won the Grand Championship by beating the winner of the Senior Fiddling contest Tony Haley of Mount Juliet. Phillips also repeated as the winner of the Contest Fiddle competition and the Neil Dudney Award. She received that award from members of Dudney’s family. Dudney is a former long time Coordinator of the Fiddler’s Jamboree.
Phillips is a two time Jamboree fiddling champion of the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners in 2012 and 2013.
Winners in the Saturday session of the Fiddler’s Jamboree are as follows:
Junior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages up to 39): First Place-Chris Stewart of Lebanon; Second Place- Jason Wade of Paris, Tennessee; and Third Place- Hillary Klug of Shelbyville.
Senior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages 40 & Over): First Place-Ruth Alpert of Santa Barbara, California; Second Place- Danny Campbell of Murfreesboro; and Third Place- Eileen Stewart of Cumberland City, Tennessee.
Senior Buck Dancing (Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Ruth Alpert of Santa Barbara, California; Second Place Traci Warren of Burns, Tennessee; and Third Place-Tommie Scruggs, Jr. of Hartsville.
Senior Clogging (Ages 40 & Over): First Place-Tammy Scruggs of Gallatin; Second Place- Darrin Stryker of Crossville; and Third Place- Tommy Jackson of Franklin.
Bluegrass Banjo: First Place-Tyler Collins of Allons, Tennessee; Second Place-Trevor Holder of Ringgold, Georgia; and Third Place- Kurt Stephenson of Dyersburg
Junior Fiddlers (Ages 13-39): First Place-Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro; Second Place- Hillary Klug of Shelbyville; and Third Place- Tyler Andal of Nashville.
Flat Top Guitar: First Place- Tyler Andal of Nashville; Second Place-Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro; and Third Place-Daniel Amick of Centerville.
Contest Fiddle (Neil Dudney Award): First Place- Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro; Second Place- Tyler Andal of Nashville; and Third Place- Hillary Klug of Shelbyville. The Neil Dudney Award was presented to Phillips by Dudney’s grandsons Dylan, Ethan, and Brandon Shaw and great grandson Carson Shaw.
Bluegrass Band: First Place- Mountain Cove Bluegrass of Signal Mountain; Second Place- Lonesome Highway of Bumpus Mills, Tennessee; and Third Place-Blue Collar Bluegrass of Sparta.
Senior Fiddlers ( Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Tony Haley of Mount Juliet; Second Place- Marcia Denton of Murfreesboro; and Third Place- Richard Dahl of Logan, New Mexico
Square Dancing: First Place-Harpeth River of Franklin; Second Place- Rhythym N Motion of Cookeville ; and Third Place- Sarah’s Stompers of Dickson.
A Henry, Tennessee girl won the top Jamboree award Saturday as the best fiddler in the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners.
Iris Shepherd won the coveted James G. “Bobo” Driver Memorial Award, named for the man who started the children’s competition during the 1980’s as part of the annual Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival. Driver’s son Jimmy Driver and granddaughter Kim Luton presented the award to Shepherd.
Meanwhile Brayden Chunn of Greenbriar was named “Entertainer of the Year”. The award is presented to the best overall instrumental entertainer among winners in the dobro guitar, mandolin, five string banjo, and flat top guitar competition.
Chunn placed first in the Mandolin and Clogging competition; second in Dobro Guitar and Buck Dancing, and third place in the Fiddle and Flat Top Guitar contests.
(VIEW VIDEO BELOW OF SATURDAY’S SQUARE DANCING WINNER HARPETH RIVER OF FRANKLIN)

The National Championship for Country Musician Beginners showcases the talents of children up to age twelve in seven categories of competition.
(VIEW SEPARATE STORY FOR PHOTOS OF WINNERS)
This year’s winners are as follows:
Fiddle: First Place- Iris Shepherd of Henry, Tennessee; Second Place- Hailey Bryant of Grenbriar; and Third Place- Brayden Chunn of Greenbriar.
Buck Dancing: First Place- Kaelin Wade of Paris, Tennessee; Second Place- Brayden Chunn of Greenbrier, and Third Place- Jacob Ferrell of Dickson
Clogging: First Place- Brayden Chunn of Greenbrier; Second Place- Arlee Fowlkes of Hurricane Mills, Tennessee; and Third Place- Emily Brown of Hartsville.
Dobro Guitar: First Place- Maddie McKenney of Cullman, Alabama; Second Place- Brayden Chunn of Greenbriar; and Third Place- Darrah Ramsey of Smithville.
Mandolin: First Place-Brayden Chunn of Greenbriar; Second Place-Maddie McKenney of Cullman, Alabama; and Third Place- Kevin Beddingfield of Flag Pond, Tennessee.
Five String Banjo: First Place- Conner Derryberry of Shelbyville; Second Place- Cooper Brown of Smithville; and Third Place- Kevin Beddingfield of Flag Pond, Tennessee
Flat Top Guitar: First Place- Robert Wheeler of Smithville; Second Place-Mary Davis of Knoxville; and Third Place- Brayden Chunn of Greenbriar