Centerville, Tennessee Christmas Parade 2011

The Centerville, TN Christmas parade has been scheduled for Saturday night on December 3. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will follow the usual route with the participants lining up at the Centerville Church of Christ parking lot and circling the Centerville Square. This is usually a big event in Hickman County, Tennessee..

The theme for this year's parade is "Toyland." Since the parade is at night, lighting on the floats is encouraged.

Those wanting to participate must register. You can do so by calling Rob Mitchell at 729-5941 or emailing him at ramitchell6639@yahoo.com.

According to the November 21 edition of the Hickman County Times, float riders may distribute candy but can only do on the side of the floats.

Come on and have a good time!

Quilt Show, Car Show, Banana Pudding Festival, Oh My!

This is the weekend for the Centerville In The Fall Car Show, The Quilt Show, and the Banana Pudding Festival in Centerville in Hickman County in Tennessee. Each of these events have their own websites or Facebook pages where you can find out all the information. Check them out.

http://bananapuddingfest.org/

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155602921125692

http://www.hickmanco.org/component/content/article/186-hickman-co-quilt-show

I will be there at the various activities throughout the day. If you see me, say hello.

Drew Luckett Memorial Golf Tournament

The ninth annual Drew Luckett Memorial Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, August 20, 2011 at the Skyview Country Club in Centerville, TN.. Tee off is at 8:00. The proceeds go to a scholarship for a Hickman County Student.

Spaghetti Supper to Support Hickman County Bulldogs

Come meet the players and Coach Rewis! The Hickman County Bulldog Quarterback Club is hosting a spaghetti supper on August 18, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $6.00 per person and can be purchased at the door. The supper is being held in the Hickman County High School cafeteria in Centerville, Tennessee and will help the quarterback club provide meals for the Bulldog football players prior to the games. Come on out and show your support the Bulldogs.

Good Morning, Hickman County TN Students!

The Hickman County Tennessee School Board has made a few changes to the school calendar this year. The Hickman County Schools in Centerville and Lyles will begin on Friday, August 5, 2011. This is a change because usually the first day is only a 1/2 day. This year it is a full day.

Students will not get a fall break as they usually do, but instead will be off the entire week of Thanksgiving. They will only get two days for spring break instead of the whole week. This is to allow more instruction time before the standardized TCAP test that the students are required to take each year. To view the entire school year calendar, you can visit the Hickman County Schools website.

Banana Pudding Festival In Centerville, TN

The date has been set for the Hickman County's Banana Pudding Festival has been set. It will be held October 1, 2011 at the Grinder's Switch Ag Pavilion just outside of Centerville. Last year was the first year of what I hope will be many for the festival. Someone estimated that over 3,000 people attended the event.

Last year's event coincided with the Car Show and the Quilt show. I have not heard whether they all will be on the same day or not. However, it makes sense if they do. It provides a chance for a lot of tourists to visit Hickman County.

I will keep you informed and maybe it won't be too long, before I find out.

KKK On Centerville, TN Square

I never thought I would see it. It always happened somewhere else. Not in my hometown. We are above that. But today there they were, covered up just like roaches hiding in the dark.

I started not to write anything about them because I don't want to give them the publicity that they want. But as Edmund Burke said "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

I consider myself a good man and I may not be able to do much, but if this blog can shed light on the injustices that continue today then I will do my part. I do not agree with what the KKK stands for, but as an American, I agree that they have the right to free speech - just as I do.

I am sorry that my friends witnessed today's display of ignorance, but this should serve as a reminder to all that there is still plenty of work to be done.

I don't see many problems in Hickman County and Centerville between the races. Are some there? Probably. But, what I see is everyone here concerned about the economy and jobs and the wars we are fighting - not whether someone is black or white.

I copied a picture off of Facebook that a friend of mine made and started to post it here, but I changed my mind because everyone knows what a roach looks like.

Snow Again and Again

WOW! It snowed again today in Hickman County. I don't know how many times it has snowed so far this year, but the weathermen are predicting another snowstorm for Wednesday evening into Thursday. The school system only has two more days that they can miss before they start taking Spring Break days. The roads in Centerville, TN are clear though. I guess the temperature was warm enough before the snowfall that it didn't stick to the roads. However, just to be safe, schools were dismissed 2.5 hours early.

I don't know if all school systems have the automatic calling system to let you know what is going on at the school, but Hickman County started it about three years ago and I really like it. I usually receive a text message on my cell phone, an email, and a phone call on my home phone. They make sure that I am aware of the situation. I think it is one of the best ideas in a long time.

Fish Camp Reopening in Centerville

Eight months after the flood that completely destroyed so many houses and businesses in Middle Tennessee and Hickman County, Fish Camp Restaurant is reopening today. I know that it has been a long road for the owners and workers. The picture that is attached is from the Fish Camp Page on Facebook. I hope they don't mind that I "stole" it, but at least I am giving them a "plug."

If you are ever in Centerville, TN and are in the mood for fish, this is a good place to eat. This is not to say that there are not plenty of other good places to eat, because there are. This is just a way of helping out. I hope for them the best in the new year and beyond.

Snow Again?

I have just been sitting here and decided to post on this blog. I haven't in the new year. Sometimes it is hard to think of what to say. In a small town, it is not always easy to come up with new ideas.

In case you didn't know it, Hickman County, Tennessee has already had another snow fall. I only mention this because it is unusual for us to receive that much snow. It was about 3 inches on my deck. The entire south received quite a bit of snow. I am tired of snow already and am ready for Spring to arrive.

I watched the Weather Channel the other day and the weatherman said that the reason that we were having this snow storm was because of....global warming. Apparently, there is a high pressure system near the arctic that is pushing the jet stream way to the south. Well, it can just stop being a bully and let the cold air go back where it is supposed to be - in the North. I have had enough cold weather in Centerville, TN already this year.

Happy New Year From Centerville, Tennessee

Whew, I am glad that this year is over. As a Realtor, it has been a tough year. Although I had several sales that I am thankful for, it could have been better. I can tell that the real estate market is beginning to improve, and it is about time.

The news media will give you their top ten of the year and the first decade of the 21st century. I, however, will just wish you a Happy New Year from my house in Centerville, Tennessee in Hickman County.

I will also remind you that if you or someone you know is looking for a house or want to sell yours, give me a call and I will be glad to help you out. You can check out my website http://www.HickmanCountyRealEstate.com for more information.

The Train To Grinder's Switch Is Running Right On Time!

Santa Claus is coming to Centerville, TN on a train on Saturday, November 11 at 10:00 a.m. For several years, this has been an exciting event for the children of Hickman County. Come on out and enjoy the fun.

Centerville Selected To Participate In Program

Matt Kisber, the Economic and Community Development Commissioner in Tennessee announced that Centerville has been chosen as one of 12 communities to participate in a community development program. You can read the full announcement by Kisber at https://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/6440 .

Revitalization is a good idea, but if the organizations that are charged with community improvement would get some jobs in Hickman County, revitalization would take care of itself. It doesn't matter how many places there are to spend money, if you have to go outside of the county to work you will spend your money on your way to and from work.

I believe that Hickman County should have organizations that try to improve the county, but what is there to show for it. In today's economic climate, we cannot afford to wait for business to come to us, the people in charge must go out and find it.

Fish Camp Update In Centerville

I have received several inquires about Fish Camp Restaurant lately. As most of you know, Centerville as well as most of Middle Tennessee was flooded on May 1 and 2 of this year. By some official estimates by The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Hickman County received as much as 18 inches of rain over the two day period. If you haven't seen the pictures, you can click on the archives of this blog and view many of the Centerville area.

Well, I have some good news to report. Fish Camp will open during the next few weeks. I haven't heard an exact date, but according to some "reliable sources" it will be soon. I am including a picture of the new building.

Thanks to the ones that have kept up with us in Hickman County and that read my blog. I know I only update about once every week or two, but there is not usually that much to spread the word about. If any of you have anything that you would like me to cover, you can comment or email me: paul.taylor@crye-leike.com or call me: (931) 670-5316. It may take me a few days, but I will get to it.

2010 Christmas Parade In Centerville, TN

The Centerville, TN Christmas Parade in Hickman County will be held on Saturday, December 4 at 6:00 p.m. The route will be the same as in years past - beginning and ending at the Centerville Church of Christ.

For more information, or to register to be in the parade, contact Rob Mitchell at (931) 729-5491 or email him at ramitchell6639@yahoo.com .

Centerville Grocery Store Closing

After about 60 years in business, a local grocery store is closing on November 7, 2010. Donna's Cee Bee is the latest casualty of the recession in Centerville. The store has changed hands several times during its history, but this time it is closing.

Channel 5 in Nashville carried a story about the local business. You can view it here

One only needs to take a look around the town to see the that the recent past has not been kind. There are plenty of vacant buildings around the Centerville, TN Square. Many are in disrepair and are perhaps casualties of the American appetite for cheap China-made goods that one finds in the big box stores. Over the last few years, many of the older stores have closed and some that just moved in a few years ago have already closed.

Until jobs return to the smaller towns, store closings will continue to be common. It has been that way in Hickman County and Centerville and probably most small towns for years. With Donna's closing, there will be twelve more people that need a job that is not here.

Tennessee Crossroads in Centerville, TN

Centerville has been featured on the local PBS show Tennessee Crossroads. The Grinder's Switch Hour, carried live by Country KIX 96 radio station on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m., is showcased during one of the segments of the show. The segment has been uploaded to Youtube.com and can be viewed at this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_YQsr93tyo

Centerville, located in Hickman County, was the birthplace of Minnie Pearl, the comedienne of the Grand Ole Opry.

A Little Disappointed!

I tried hard not to write this blog entry; I waited several days before I finally decided to.

This past Saturday was a fund raiser for the victims of the "Great Flood" in May. It was billed as "Saturday Night In Hickman County." I suppose this was a reference to the Johnny Cash song by the same name. The concert was held at the Ag pavilion in Grinders Switch - home of Minnie Pearl. Several local acts were performing there and then there was the Crickets - as in Buddy Holly and the Crickets. The drummer, J. I. Allison lives in Lyles, just up the road from Centerville in Hickman County.

Signs were in most business windows around. The information was passed around on Facebook; it was on the radio. So what happened? Where were the people? It only cost $5 to enter and then you could give a donation. I don't know how many showed up throughout the day, but for the Cricket concert, there were only a few hundred.

People in small towns generally don't have a lot of money and perhaps it was too close to the Banana Pudding Festival the week before - at the same location. It drew thousands.

Perhaps it was too long of a day - I only came a couple hours before the Crickets. But, the acts that I heard were great and gave performances fit for an audience of thousands. Thanks to all of the acts that performed, all of the volunteers, and all that came out. I wish more had.

Banana Pudding Festival Winner

The winner of the Banana Pudding Festival in Hickman County, Tennessee is... You can read about the winner on her blog about the festival. Centerville, TN and Grinder's Switch was the place to be. If you missed it, you missed a treat (pun intended).

Centerville In The Fall Car Show

If you like cars, Centerville, TN will be the place to be on October 4, 2010, . The annual Centerville in the Fall Car Show will be held at the Hickman County Justice Center, just off the Centerville Square. There will be 42 awards with 10 special awards. The show is open to all makes and models and Dash Plaques will be given to the first 125 entries. Door prizes will be given and food will be available. If you need more information, call (931) 729-4576.