Shopper Blog: A new park in Hardin Valley should open by summer

WEST KNOXVILLE

A new park in Hardin Valley should open by summer

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

With spring just a few days away, there’s some good news from Hardin Valley. Two new playgrounds will be opening in the next couple of months.

Commissioners Kim Frazier and Terry Hill explain Melton Hill Park will get an enhancement while a whole new playground, Hardin Valley Community Park, is planned for Hickory Creek Road

“Hardin Valley is the fastest growing area in Knox County, but we haven’t kept pace with the greenways and parks,” Frazier said. “I’ve lived in Hardin Valley for 27 years, and for as long as I can remember we have needed some enhancements, new builds, and gathering places for Hardin Valley families. Now we’re going to have that.”

Frazier and Hill’s push for recreational enhancements in Hardin Valley has been going on since they got behind the Northwest Sector Plan and Mill Creek Middle School.

Hill said the problem with recreational enhancements in Hardin Valley has been the cost of property, which has skyrocketed.

The Hardin Valley Community Park will sit on six acres that initially held the Hardin Valley Community Center years ago.

Before Frazier was elected to the Knox County Commission, Hill took Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs to the plot of land already owned by the county and challenged him to put in a playground.

The Hardin Valley Community Park will have some inclusive features and a community center. According to Hill, the playground portion should be complete in about two months with the community center to follow.

“Commissioner Hill and I really pushed for the playgrounds to be completed before summer so the residents can come and enjoy the park, some physical activity, and family time. We’re doing that through traditional playground equipment and some sensory driven features,” Frazier said.

Melton Hill is set for enhancements, but there are safety concerns currently being addressed. Officers now cruise the park on a regular basis.

Hill said Knox County Parks and Recreation hopes to pour the surface at Melton Hill by April.

The projects are being partially funded by pandemic relief funds earmarked to enhance communities.

Hill said there was a surprise third project for Solway Park on 3206 Solway Road, which has a ballpark but has been highly underutilized. Any day Parks and Recreation will be replacing the lighting. This summer the fence will be upgraded, returning the park to its former glory.

POWELL

Powell High academy launches freshmen toward future careers

Al Lesar, Shopper News

In the fall of 2024, there won’t be any students at Powell High School who had their high school years interrupted by the pandemic.

This spring’s seniors were freshmen during the year when there was an option between online or in-person attendance.

It makes it a good year for Powell to start with its academy program.

“I’ve had seniors say they struggled so much that freshman year (online) that their GPA couldn’t recover,” said Elizabeth White, Powell’s college and career specialist. “That was a difficult time for everyone.”

The Knox County Schools have started the academy concept of education, similar to what’s in place in Nashville. The implementation has gone in stages.

Next year is Powell’s time to start with a freshman academy. After that, it will gradually increase to cover the entire school.

Micaiah Smoker, in his seventh year at Powell, is the school’s first academy coach. He will oversee the transition for the entire school.

How Powell High academy differs

During his previous six years at Powell, Smoker taught an ACT prep program. The focus was preparing primarily sophomores for the standardized college entrance exam.

Tucked inside that class were aptitude tests that helped students figure out what they might be good at and what direction they may want to go after high school.

Smoker said more than half of high school graduates don’t go to a four-year college. In Tennessee, the Tennessee Promise − which allows for two years free from tuition at any community college or trade school − could be a reason for the numbers.

“Lots of students have a hard time turning down two free years of college,” White said.

One thing the freshman academy will focus on will be helping the young students with the etiquette of writing emails, shaking hands and other aspects that are part of developing the maturity of the student.

Employed, enrolled or enlisted

White and Smoker have heard the stories of local tradesmen offering new grads the opportunity to learn a skill while on the job, yet being turned down and unable to find applicants.

They’re hoping to form relationships with those businesses as well as the two- and four-year institutions and trade schools to provide the best opportunities available.

“We will figure out what curriculum we have, what students are interested in and who’s hiring,” said Smoker. “Those are all things that go into putting this together.”

White said the plan is to go with the three E’s before a student graduates: Employed, Enrolled or Enlisted.

“What I’ve noticed is that this generation is way more interested in the military than others,” White said. “Usually we’ll have a couple enlisting after graduation. This year, we’ve got seven or eight.

“Either kids are more interested or the recruiters are better.”

Smoker said that throughout the school year there will be academic fairs, when colleges and trade schools are at the school to answer questions. In April there is a hiring expo where a student could actually leave the fair with a job.

These Tennessee basketball players left a very good team. How's that working out? | Strange

POWELL

Creekside Crafts has your carpenter bee problem covered

Al Lesar, Shopper News

Finding the right tool for the job is the key to any project.

The way Jason Rich looks at it, that’s the physical tool as well as the mental tool.

Jason and his wife, Amanda, operate Creekside Crafts out of their home in Powell. It’s a woodworking business that focuses on the popular items − carpenter bee traps, laundry basket racks, tall planters and welcome planter hanger − but is available for any custom designs that customers may have.

“After five years of doing this, I’ve learned that the right tools make all the difference in the world,” Jason said. “I try to learn something new every day.

“In terms of the physical tools, you can’t put together a planter with a rubber mallet. With the mental tools, with all the information that’s available today, there’s no excuse to not know something.

“If you have a question, there’s somewhere on the internet where you can go to get an answer. Anything that’s possible can have a solution.”

Bee traps bread and butter

If there’s one item that could sustain Jason and Amanda, it would be the carpenter bee traps. Popular in the spring when the bees inflict the most damage in wood around a house, 4-inch by 4-inch pieces of wood and a Mason jar will do the trick.

For $8, a problem will be solved.

Rich said by the end of the season he will have sold about 5,000 of the traps.

“The traps are our bread and butter,” he said. “Every year it amazes me how popular they are.”

Jason said tools here have become an issue. Five years ago, he started with a circular saw and a Walmart drill, along with a hammer and a chisel. Since then, the process has evolved to a miter saw, which allows him to work more efficiently.

“When I first started, it was much more time consuming and dangerous,” Jason said. “I can cut a bunch of them. It’s easier now.”

Tough on entrepreneurs

Just because the process is easier doesn’t mean the plight of the entrepreneur is any easier post-pandemic.

“Today is harder than ever (to make a business work),” Jason said. “So many new businesses have popped up. All these guys who were tinkerers during the pandemic are big builders now.

“It’s a lot more difficult to establish yourself in today’s economy. I went through a learning curve five years ago when the economy wasn’t so bad. I could allow myself to skate by with the bare minimum knowledge and the wrong tools. I was still able to weather the storms.”

Jason said it’s not rare for him to see one of his designs being sold by someone else on Facebook Marketplace. He can’t patent them, but he feels his quality makes the difference.

“I’ve learned that craft fairs are an enormous waste of time,” he said. “They’re good for networking, but it’s much easier to make a sale from home.”

Thanks to a custom design from a client, Jason came up with a planter that allows seniors to do gardening without bending over. Those are priced at $85 for pine and $95 for cedar.

A laundry unit that’s built to hold three baskets is $175. A welcome planter hanger is $75.

For more information or to make a purchase call 423-912-2221 or 423-912-2229.

FARRAGUT

Farragut harpist Joanna Seiber is in demand

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

When Joanna Seiber sat at her sister’s feet as she practiced playing harp, Seiber knew she wanted to follow in her sister’s footsteps. In fact, she dreamed of playing at Carnegie Hall.

That dream came true in 2022.

“I started playing piano and harp at about 3; by 6 I knew what I wanted the rest of my life to look like,” said Seiber.

“I remember as a little girl I could play my instruments for hours on end. It gave me a sense of satisfaction and peace. I also knew it was a gift from God and I wanted to make it extraordinary,” she said.

Currently, she has a studio in Farragut, in Hardin Valley, and in Fountain City. She has a waiting list for piano and harp students and is fully booked for wedding season.

She set up the studios last fall, but she’s been teaching in Farragut for about two years.

Seiber travels extensively to provide harp for several symphonies including Carson-Newman University, Knoxville Symphony, East Tennessee State University and, of course, Carnegie Hall.

She just launched a harp trio that will be touring this summer.

As if she weren’t busy enough, Seiber launched an entertainment business where she books musicians for events around the South. She has soloists, vocalists, musicians, etc.

In the spring of 2025, she’ll be going on a European tour.

Seiber studied with Rebecca Smith, p rincipal h arpist for the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in Washington, D.C.

She studies now with Cindy Emory, principal harpist for Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.

She graduated in May 2023 from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, with a degree in Commercial Music and an emphasis on harp, then went on to graduate from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Seiber’s business motto is about joy and “blooming in music.”

She writes on her website: “Life is a beautiful journey and I strongly believe in making the best of each day and cultivating joy in the simple moments. Each day, I seek to serve my Creator and to encourage my Family. Blooming in song. Music is a passion for me, and I enjoy the opportunities it brings along the way.”

Info: JoannaSeiber.com.

HALLS

After 3-year search, Halls History Museum has a home

Al Lesar, Shopper News

Halls history finally has a home.

Almost three years of searching for the right place to honor the past of Halls ended when the Halls Crossroads Historical Museum committee board of directors settled on a location.

The first home for the museum will be in three rooms in the building at 7119 Afton Drive, not far from the corner of Maynardville Pike and Norris Freeway.

“This gives us an opportunity to remember history,” said Carol Bayless, president of the museum committee. “It was wonderful to have finally found a place.”

The new home will help carry on the dream of Hubert LaRue, a 1958 Halls High School graduate. LaRue was adamant about preserving the past and finding a way to take pictures of pictures that would preserve their historical value.

Chris Vandergriff, a Halls native and legendary Halls High wrestling coach, said LaRue may have had more than 3,000 photos.

“Hubert (who died in 2021) had a rental house on his property,” said Vandergriff, a board member. “He decided to just fill that house with the photos and other historical items.”

A grand opening sometime in the summer is anticipated.

Inventory next challenge

The notion of a Halls Crossroads Historical Museum was born from the preservation committee of the Halls Crossroads Women’s League. Once the idea started gaining traction and progress was being made, the group became autonomous. It created its own nonprofit status and its own board of directors.

Now that a suitable location has been found, next comes the hard part.

“We have to catalog and tag everything we have,” said Doris Smith, the board’s vice president. There’s going to be a lot of work to do. We have a lot of items to consider.”

“We’re keeping Hubert’s memory alive,” said Vandergriff. “It was his dream to have some sort of a museum.”

Bayless said sometimes the boundaries of Halls can be a bit vague. She said they work under the impression Halls extends to Black Oak Ridge to the south, the Union County line to the north, Dry Gap to the west and Browns Gap to the east.

Artifact donations sought

Besides the thousands of photos LaRue has had reproduced over the years, the 1,000-square-foot space is a blank slate waiting to be filled.

Public input is being sought for donations of any significant items that would be museum worthy.

Starting with original settler Thomas Hall and his grandson Pulaski Hall, there could be plenty of artifacts to enhance the experience. There’s a vintage long rifle just waiting to be put on display.

“The first thing I brought over, the day we signed the lease, was a copy of the charter Thomas Hall was given for the 2,000 acres (on which Halls Crossroads was created),” Bayless said. “I couldn’t come here for the first time empty-handed.”

Since that first day, other artifacts have made it over. There’s a large, framed photo of Gatewood Hall, principal at Halls High in the early 1900s. Lots of newspaper clippings, an old telephone and even a chamber pot were among the offerings.

Digitized recordings and photos will add to the interest.

Annual memberships starting at $25 are available. Other upcoming fundraisers for the museum will include a spaghetti dinner in the spring and car show in the summer.

To donate museum items or funds for the museum call Bayless at: 865-405-0380.

NORTH KNOXVILLE

High school tech competition draws students from around US

Jack Coker, Shopper News

Students from around the nation gathered March 3-6 at the Civic Coliseum in East Knoxville for one of the most respected technology competitions in the STEM field.

With nothing but mats separating them from the ice rink, the students and their home-brew robots competed in set strategic competitions for a chance to make it to an international championship.

The competition was organized by the FIRST international youth organization, whichstands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.” FIRST runs the FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) for high schoolers across 26 nations.

The organization was started by Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers in 1989. Flowers would give his students at MIT a random assortment of parts and ask them to solve various challenges with them. This teaching style may seem unorthodox, but it mirrors how problems are dealt with in the real world.

Michael Rizzo, event coordinator for FIRST, explained that the FRC is the “roboticscompetitions for the high school level.” The students receive a challenge at the kickoff on New Year's, and then have a few weeks to fully develop robots to tackle the task.

“The challenge is different each year,” Rizzo explained, “so it’s not like most sports, when you know you have to train for this or that. Your training is learning how to use CAD, milling, or machining. You are learning how to come to decisions quickly, build the robot, test it, and get it here to the competition.”

This year's challenge was called “Crescendo,” and was inspired by STEM’s adaption ofan arts component, making the new acronym “STEAM.” The robots were tasked with moving musical “notes” (rings) into “speakers” (boxes) at various points in an obstacle course.

Students develop their machines in many environments. “Some people build ina barn, some people build in a garage or warehouse,” Rizzo said. “My team had a janitorial closet. We had to pull things into the hallway to work on and then put it all away.”

A student's involvement in FIRST can have a big impact on their future. Many employersin the technology sector like to see involvement in FIRST and prefer applicants who have some experience with the program.

Said a former project manager at Lockheed Martin, and current mentor to Michael Rizzo’s team, “It’s amazing how far ahead students in this program are. They get their resumes bumped up every time.”

Those who make it out on top earn the highest award in FIRST, the Impact Award. Itsignifies that a student has worked to advance the appreciation of science and technology in their team, school and community.

While those competing have a great time, the work the students do is extraordinarily complicated. In the words of founder Dean Kamen, the competition is “the hardest fun you’ll ever have.”

OPINION

Life lessons from Buttercup

Leslie Snow, Shopper News

It’s a cool, foggy morning and Buttercup and I have the park to ourselves. As we walk, I wrap my arms around my torso for warmth, but I can’t shake the chill in my bones. “I needed another layer this morning,” I say aloud to my Great Dane. “Maybe we should cut our hike short today.”

At the sound of my voice, Buttercup stops to look at me. Her tail is wagging, her tongue is lolling, and a string of drool is wrapped around her snout. I laugh at the sight of her. “I guess you don’t mind the cold,” I say when she barks at me to keep moving. There will be no cutting our hike short today. The boss has spoken.

While we walk, I sort through a mental list of my latest worries and responsibilities. I need to make a doctor’s appointment for my mother. I need to find more in-home care for my mother-in-law. I need to do a better job of staying connected to my friends. I need to gather our tax documents. I need to buy birthday presents for Clara and Elliott. I need to do more and be more. My heart is racing, but it’s not from exertion.

Then Buttercup sees a squirrel. I watch her bound through the woods at full speed to chase it up a tree. When she stands on her hind legs, front paws resting on the trunk of the tree, she turns to look at me, her tail wagging proudly.

“You’re living right, girlfriend,” I say with a wry smile. “I can learn a thing or two from you.”

When the words come out of my mouth, they strike me as true. There are life lessons to be learned from my dog.

She knows how to find joy in simple things, like finding a stick and sniffing her friends. And no matter how many times we take the same walk, she always discovers something new to delight her.

She takes every day as it comes, living in the moment, never worrying through the best parts of her day.

She takes time for herself, reveling in her comfy bed or snuggling under the covers in mine. She knows the value of a long nap and a simple meal. She never says no to a treat.

Buttercup approaches everyone she meets as a potential friend, whether they have four legs or two. There are no strangers in her world, just good friends and best friends.

She’s comfortable in her own skin.

She listens more than she talks.

She’s not afraid to get dirty.

She never forgets the importance of playtime.

And no matter how many times Buttercup tries and fails to catch a squirrel, she never gives up. There’s no “quit” in my dog. The chase is the prize, not the squirrel itself.

By the time we reach the end of the trail, the sun is shining, and my worry list is tucked away. On a whim, I make my way to the lakebed to find a good stone for skipping. Buttercup leans against me while I watch the stone slap the water, one, two, three times before it sinks beneath the surface.

“Not bad,” I say to her, “but not great.” She wags her tail and I’m reminded that skipping stones is a lot like chasing squirrels. The reward is in skipping the stone, not in the number of times it bounces.

I rub Buttercup’s soft ears. “You’re pretty smart for a dog,” I tell her. And I feel certain she agrees.

Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com .

Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green vacillates on the border issue – and his constituents | Ashe

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper Blog: A new park in Hardin Valley should open by summer