Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has announced the appointments of 165 Tennesseans to 62 state boards and commissions including one from Smithville.
Dr. Melvin Blevins has been named to the TennCare Pharmacy Advisory Committee. The advisory committee meets quarterly to make evidence-based recommendations to the TennCare Bureau regarding medications to be included on the Preferred Drug List.
Earlier this year, the legislature passed Haslam’s recommended reforms to many of the state’s boards and commissions, and most of those changes take effect between July and October.
The governor continues his review of the state’s complete range of boards and commissions to determine other potential reforms that might be made to improve efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.
“I appreciate the willingness to serve the state and the commitment of these men and women,” Haslam said. “Tennessee will be well-represented on these boards and commissions, and I look forward to continuing our review to make sure Tennesseans have a government responsive to them.”
Appointment terms are varied due to differing statutory requirements or term limits determined by specific qualifications.

Beginning Friday, July 13, registered voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballots for the August 2 state primary and county general elections. DeKalb County Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley is encouraging voters to take advantage of early voting.
“Early voting is a convenient way for voters to be sure their voices are heard,” said Stanley. “With this kind of flexibility, I hope that our voters will not miss this opportunity to exercise their right to vote.”
Early voting will be conducted at the DeKalb County Courthouse. Hours are: Mondays Noon until 5:00 p.m.; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.; Thursdays 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 9:00 a.m. until Noon. A “Sample Ballot” can be viewed at http://www.dekalbelections.com/. You may contact the DeKalb County Election Commission office at 597-4146 for more information. Early voting ends Saturday, July 28.
“I am grateful to the county election officials, poll workers, and others who are willing to put in the time and effort that goes into a successful election,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “Their hard work and dedication ensures that all Tennesseans have an opportunity to exercise their right to vote.”
Voters are reminded that they will need to present a state or federal issued photo ID in order to vote in person, whether during early voting or on Election Day.
Examples of acceptable forms of ID, whether current or expired, include driver licenses, U.S. passports, Department of Safety photo ID cards, U.S. military photo IDs and other state or federal government photo ID cards. College student IDs are not acceptable.
If you would like more information about early voting or the new law, call 1-877-850-4959 or visit the Division of Elections web site at www.GoVoteTN.com.

The 41st annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree was historic in the sense that for the first time a mother and daughter competed for the most coveted prize of the festival, the Berry C. Williams Memorial award, presented to the best overall fiddler.
Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro, who took the Junior fiddling title earlier in the day Saturday, went on to win the fiddle off against her mother, Marcia Denton of Murfreesboro, who had earlier won the senior fiddling competition.
M2U00730 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Fiddler’s Jamboree Coordinator Jack Barton presented Maddie her award at the conclusion of the festival, which ended around 10:45 p.m. Saturday night.
Winners in the Saturday session of the Fiddler’s Jamboree are as follows:
Junior Fiddlers (Ages 13-39): First Place-Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro; Second Place- Hillary Bevels of Shelbyville; and Third Place- Corrina Logston of Nashville.
M2U00731 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Junior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages up to 39): First Place- Chris Stewart of Nashville; Second Place- Kris Jamison of McEwen; and Third Place Jacob Campbell of Murfreesboro.
(PLAY VIDEO OF ROCKY TOP REVUE)
something from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Senior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Ruth Alpert of Santa Barbara, California; Second Place- Jay Bland of Kennesaw, Georgia; and Third Place- Stanley Reece of Whitleyville,
Senior Buck Dancing (Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Jay Bland of Kennesaw, Georgia; Second Place- Stanley Reece of Whitleyville; and Third Place- Ruth Alpert of Santa Barbara, California.
Bluegrass Fiddle (Neil Dudney Award): First Place- Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro; Second Place- Hillary Bevels of Shelbyville; and Third Place- Corrina Logston of Nashville. The Neil Dudney Award was presented to Denton by Mr. Dudney himself..
Senior Clogging (Ages 40 & Over): First Place-Tammy Scruggs of Bethpage; Second Place-Sherry Guenther of Monterey; and Third Place- Eileen Stewart of Nashville
Bluegrass Banjo: First Place-Kurt Stephenson of Dyersburg; Second Place- Weston Stewart of Anderson, Alabama; and Third Place- Jeremy Stephens of Danville.
Bluegrass Band: First Place- The Grasscutters of Cookeville; Second Place- The Ward Family Bluegrass of Columbia; and Third Place-Ellis Porch of Dyersburg.
Senior Fiddlers ( Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Marcia Denton of Murfreesboro; Second Place- Perry B.C Cooper of Knoxville; and Third Place- Don Saddler of Cookeville
Square Dancing: First Place-Rocky Top Revue of Franklin; Second Place- Harpeth River of Franklin; and Third Place-Tennessee Toe Tappers of Adams.

A girl from Chapmansboro took home this year’s top Jamboree award as the best fiddler in the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners.
Ivy Phillips was crowned the Grand Champion fiddler Saturday and 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. The award was presented by members of Mr. Driver’s family including Russell Ambrose, Adam Driver, Jimmy Driver, and Bert Driver. Phillips also won first place for beginner buck dancing and clogging and second place in beginner dobro guitar.
fidd from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Meanwhile Kyle Ramey of North Vernon, Indiana, for the second year in a row, received the “Entertainer of the Year” Award, which is presented to the best overall instrumental entertainer among winners in the dobro guitar, mandolin, five string banjo, and flat top guitar competition. Ramey took home first place in all four of those categories and placed second in another, fiddling.
The National Championship for Country Musician Beginners showcases the talents of children up to age twelve in seven categories of competition.
This year’s winners are as follows:
Fiddle: First Place-Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro; Second Place- Kyle Ramey of North Vernon, Indiana; and Third Place- Jalee Roberts of Murfreesboro.
Buck Dancing: First Place- Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro; Second Place- Ally Johnson of Springfield, and Third Place- Jalee Roberts of Murfreesboro
Clogging: First Place- Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro; Second Place- Brayden Chunn of Greenbrier; and Third Place- Amy Fisher of Smyrna.
Dobro Guitar: First Place- Kyle Ramey of North Vernon, Indiana; Second Place- Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro and Third Place- Jake Ramsey of Smithville.
Mandolin: First Place-Kyle Ramey of North Vernon, Indiana; Second Place-Bethany Ward of Columbia and Third Place- Anna Claire Stockoff of Brentwood
Five String Banjo: First Place- Kyle Ramey of North Vernon, Indiana; Second Place- Josiah Newman of Scottsville and Third Place- Wallace Layman of Kodak.
Flat Top Guitar: First Place- Kyle Ramey of North Vernon, Indiana, Second Place- Bethany Ward of Columbia; and Third Place- Anna Claire Stockoff of Brentwood.
(TOP PHOTO: IVY PHILLIPS WINS BEGINNER FIDDLING COMPETITION)
(SECOND PHOTO FROM TOP: LEFT TO RIGHT: RUSSELL AMBROSE, ADAM DRIVER, JIMMY DRIVER, AND BERT DRIVER WITH IVY PHILLIPS)
(THIRD PHOTO FROM TOP: KYLE RAMEY WITH NOLAN TURNER)
(REST OF PHOTOS SHOW KYLE RAMEY IN THE CATEGORIES HE WON INCLUDING FIVE STRING BANJO, DOBRO GUITAR, MANDOLIN, AND FLAT TOP GUITAR)

The annual Fiddler’s Jamboree Craft Awards were presented Friday.
Jayne Vinsant of Sterrett, Alabama received the “Best of Show” award for her hand painted glasswork and mixed media wearable art jewelry, created from vintage pieces made into new contemporary works.
Jonathan Griffith of Murfreesboro, formerly of Liberty, received the “Best Appalachian Craft” award for his functional and decorative handcrafted pottery.
The “Best Newcomer” Award went to Carolyn Whittenburg of Portland for her display of fine art (decorator) gourds and rain sticks.
Dana Godsey and Ann Hill of Crossville received the “Best Craft Display” award for their primitive art work and paintings, rustic looking handmade frames. They also do hand stitching on aged fabric.
The awards were presented by Emma Adkins and Tabitha Farmer, the Fiddler’s Jamboree Directors of Crafts.
(Top Photo: Emma Adkins, Jayne Vinsant, and Tabitha Farmer)
(Second Photo from Top: Tabitha Farmer, Jonathan Griffith, and Emma Adkins)
(Third Photo from Top: Carolyn Whittenburg, Emma Adkins, and Tabitha Farmer)
(Bottom Photo: Tabitha Farmer, Ann Hill, Dana Godsey, and Emma Adkins)

18 year old Matthew Cleveland of Danville, Illinois was the overall winner of the Fiddler 5K and One-Mile Fun Run on Saturday.
Cleveland ran the course in 16:53
17 year old Morgan Voyles of Sparta, best among women, ran the course in 21:59
Overall Masters winners (age 40 and up):
54 year old Jimmy Dawson of Cookeville at 19:07
40 year old Sarah Hart of Nashville at 23:58
One-Mile Fun Run:
12 year old Hunter Jennings of Smithville at 7:27
11 year old Ellen Bandy of McMinnville at 8:21
This year’s 14th Annual Fiddler 5K and One-Mile Fun Run featured 426 participants, another record turnout.
Funds raised will support Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County
Complete results are available at www.fiddler5k.com

An American Samoan woman, Myra Bates received a United States flag while Lynn Rickard of Seattle Washington and Roger Wolfe of Memphis were presented a Tennessee State flag during the Fiddler’s Jamboree on Friday evening
The flags, which have flown over the state capitol, go to the persons who travel the greatest distances, both from inside and outside the country, to get here.
The flags were presented by State Senator Mae Beavers and State Representatives Terri Lynn Weaver and Mark Pody.
The first day of the 41st annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival ran non-stop from about 9:00 a.m. Friday morning until close around 10:30 p.m. Friday night.
(PLAY THE FOLLOWING VIDEO OF THE YOUTH SQUARE DANCING WINNER MAIN STAGE FUSION OF SPRINGFIELD)
M2U00716 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Preliminaries were held in sixteen categories of music and dance competition followed by the finals featuring the top three acts in each event.
The following are the winners in each category:
Old Time Appalachian Folk Singing (Solo/Duet):
First Place- Graham Sherrill of Nashville
Second Place-Daren Gallman of Shelbyville
Third Place-Sierra Tomlin of Springfield
Flat Top Guitar:
First Place-Andrew Rigney of Normandy
Second Place-Rob Pearcy of Smyrna
Third Place-Jonathon O’Neal of Onieda
Junior Clogging (Ages 13-39):
First Place-Chris Stewart of Nashville
Second Place-Tanner Dunn of Cookeville
Third Place-Kris Jamison of McEwen
(PLAY VIDEO TO SEE WINNER OF OLD TIME FIDDLE BAND: SLIM CHANCE)
M2U00708 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Junior Buck Dancing (Ages 13-39):
First Place-Jacob Campbell of Murfreesboro
Second Place-Sierra Tomlin of Springfield
Third Place-Kody Hash of Elk Creek, Virginia
Dobro Guitar:
First Place-Weston Stewart of Anderson, Alabama
Second Place-Rob Pearcy of Smyrna
Third Place-Jason Sanders of Lancaster
(PLAY VIDEO OF GOSPEL DUET WINNER KURT AND CORINNA OF DYERSBURG)
M2U00723 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Mountain Dulcimer:
First Place-Rob Pearcy of Smyrna
Second Place-Kurt Stephenson of Dyersburg
Third Place-Sarah Morgan of Sharps Chapel
Hammer Dulcimer:
First Place-Kyle Paxton of Thompson Station
Second Place-Howard Friedman of Knoxville
Third Place-Beth James of Newport
Novelty Event:
First Place-Hillary Bevels of Shelbyville
Second Place-Nate Clark and Payton Clark of Cookeville
Third Place-Tara Guinn of Gaston, Indiana
Youth Square Dancing:
First Place-Main Stage Fusion of Springfield
Second Place- Main Stream of Springfield
Third Place- Main Stage Explosion of Springfield
Old Time Fiddle Band:
First Place-Slim Chance Old Time String Band of Smyrna
Second Place- The Hogslop String Band of Nashville
Third Place- Keg County String Band of Lyles
Autoharp:
First Place- Bill Rothe of Estille
Second Place-None
Third Place-None
Gospel Singing (Solo):
First Place-Matthew Campbell of Murfreesboro
Second Place-Sarah Jane Cripps of Smithville
Third Place-Samantha Lewis of Smithville
Country Harmonica:
First Place-Daniel Amick of Pleasantville
Second Place- Isaac Vick of Lyles
Third Place- Rob Pearcy of Smyrna
Old Time Banjo:
First Place- Graham Sherrill of Nashville
Second Place- Daniel Rothwell of Smyrna
Third Place- Daniel Amick of Pleasantville
Gospel Singing (Duet, Trio, & Quartet):
First Place- Kurt and Corinna of Dyersburg
Second Place- Larry and Cheryl Chunn and Lindsey Batts of Greenbrier
Third Place- Sierra Tomlin of Springfield.
Mandolin:
First Place-Daniel Amick of Pleasantville
Second Place- Abby Ward of Columbia
Third Place- Rob Pearcy of Smyrna
The Fiddler’s Jamboree resumes at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 7th with preliminaries in the following categories:
Junior Fiddlers (ages 13-39); Junior Old Time Appalachian Flatfoot dance (ages up to 39); Senior Old Time Appalachian Flatfoot dance ( ages 40 and over); Senior Buckdancing (ages 40 and over); Senior Clogging (ages 40 and over); Bluegrass Banjo; Bluegrass Band; Bluegrass Fiddle, Senior Fiddlers (ages 40 and over); and Square Dancing. The winner of the Bluegrass Fiddle will receive the Neil Dudney Award, named for the former longtime President and Coordinator of the Fiddlers Jamboree.
Preliminaries will be held in each event and then the top three finalists will be called back Saturday night to compete for first, second, and third place.
The winners of the Junior and Senior Fiddling competition will square off for the Grand Champion Award, the Berry C. Williams Memorial Trophy at the conclusion of the festival.
Meanwhile, the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners will be held Saturday afternoon during the Jamboree featuring competitions for children, up to age twelve, in the categories of Buck Dancing, Clogging, Dobro Guitar, Mandolin, Five String Banjo, Flat Top Guitar, and Fiddle.
Preliminaries will be held in each event and then the top three finalists will be brought back to compete for first, second, and third place.
One child will receive the Best Overall Instrumental Entertainer and the top fiddler will get the James G. “Bobo” Driver Memorial Trophy.
WJLE will broadcast the on-stage entertainment LIVE and on-line at www.wjle.com.
In addition to music and dancing competitions onstage, the Fiddlers Jamboree also features hundreds of crafts displayed along many of the downtown streets, plenty of delicious foods for sale at local food booths, and lots of shade tree picking around the town square.

Strong winds from passing thunderstorms downed trees and power lines in parts of DeKalb County Thursday afternoon. Many customers of Caney Fork Electric and Smithville Electric reported being without power after the storm and during the night.
A tree fell across highway 70 near Sligo bridge, bringing down utility lines and hampering traffic.
Central dispatch also reported trees or tree limbs down on a home at V.L. Wilson Loop Road off Holmes Creek and on Petty Road off Adcock Cemetery Road, along with a church building on Bright Hill Road. Another tree fell across the road at Wolf Creek.
High winds also posed some problems for several setting up booths and tents around the public square in preparation for the fiddler’s jamboree, which starts today.
Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker said the winds toppled over a few tents. Some reported minor injuries but no one had to be transported to the hospital. “We had a pretty good wind gust that came through. We had a lot of people setting up their tents on the square. A lot of them (tents) were flipped upside down or blown over. They were hanging onto them. We had a couple of injuries with debris flying around. One person was hit in the head by a two by four. It was a little chaotic there for a few minutes while the wind came through town followed by a short burst of rain. Nobody was hurt seriously. There were only minor injuries. Nobody was treated. We also had some power lines that were down. Some tree limbs took some power lines down. A couple of transformers blew, one on Main Street and the other on Congress Boulevard, all about the same time this storm was going on. It kind of caught us by surprise. We were really lucky,” said Chief Parker.
Later, a fire was reported in the Johnson Chapel, Backbone Ridge Road area, where a campfire had reportedly spread to the woods.

A fire starting from a compactor kept firefighters busy for several hours Thursday at the landfill as the blaze spread to garbage inside a cell area.
County Mayor Mike Foster said a landfill worker was operating the equipment inside the landfill cell, compacting garbage when the fire ignited. He jumped off without injury, but the fire destroyed the compactor. According to Foster, a hose may have burst in the engine compartment of the compactor causing fuel or hydraulic fluid to leak out onto the manifold, triggering the blaze.
Members of the Johnson Chapel, Midway, and Short Mountain Highway stations of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with a tanker and brush truck. The Cassville Volunteer Fire Department in White County provided mutual aid assistance, bringing a tanker truck and additional manpower.
County Fire Chief Donny Green said firefighters spent three hours and used about 40,000 gallons of water on the garbage fire. Fire trucks refilled at a hydrant on Billings Road near the landfill to keep the water coming.
Once the fire was out, the cell area was covered over with dirt.
The compactor destroyed in this fire is a 1995 model, some ten to fifteen years newer and much more efficient than the only other compactor the landfill is now left with, according to County Mayor Foster. But, he said the county can get by with just one compactor until the one lost in the fire can be replaced.
Foster said he wants to thanks the firefighters, both locally and from Cassville, for their work in putting out the fire.