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.

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.

Poker Run In Centerville, Tennessee

On August 7, 2010 the Centerville Public Square will be the place to be if you ride motorcycles. Registration for the Poker Run begins at 8:30 a.m. and continues until the start of the ride at 10:00 a.m. which ends at 5:00 p.m. in Lyles at the park.

The entrance fee is only $10.00 per bike and all proceeds go to the Hickman County Humane Society, which is an all volunteer organization. A $50 prize will be given to the rider with the best hand and a $25 prize will go to the person with the worst hand.

Barbecue meal tickets will be sold for $5 and will be served at the end of the run in Lyles.

For all your motorcycle event information, check out the website www.motorcyclemonster.com and enjoy the ride.

It's Football Time In Hickman County - Are You Ready?

Here is the 2010 Football schedule for theHickman County High School Bulldogs inCenterville and the East Hickman County High School Eagles in Lyles. Here is the legal info that I am required to give since I am a Realtor. I am a Realtor with Crye-Leike, Realtors in Fairview. Equal Housing Opportunity. You can reach me at home at (931) 670-5316 or at the office: (615) 799-6288.

Go Bulldogs. Go Eagles.

I love football and I hope that this is a good season. One of my neighbors is the coach for the Bulldogs and I would love to see him do well. I would also like to see the Eagles do well. I went to Elementary School at East Elementary and was proud to be an Eagle.

See you there at some of the Football Games. I'll be the one wearing Red and Blue.

Back To Normal In Hickman County?

It has been about 11 days since the flood. I could have put hundreds of pictures on here, but I figured that most people had seen the Local and National News broadcasts. I have helped tear out carpet and paneling at the Twomey Church Of Christ in Centerville. Man, that is hard work. I have seen workers at Fish Camp restaurant tearing out everything. There are dumpsters all over the county where people are gutting the insides of the buildings.

I went to the ballfield Saturday morning to help there, but the one that oversees the ballgames said that they were going to wait until FEMA arrived so they could see the destruction. The fence around the ballfields are down and mangled. There are hundreds of places that were either partially or totally destroyed. One bright spot is that Hickman County has a small population so the devastation was not as bad as it could have been had this area been densely populated.

The Red Cross has been helping out and the Churches in Centerville have set up shelters and have been feeding about 2400 people three times a day. Churches from Lyles, Bon Aqua, Dickson, and Columbia are all helping by doing whatever they can. One church sent a trailer truck load that they had collected and had more to come.

The schools are mostly closed, although students in the 10, 11, 12 grades had to return today so they could take "End of Course" exams. The superintendent will decide on Sunday whether the rest of the students will return for the last few days.

Here is an article that will help you to understand better what is going on in Hickman County.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100512/NEWS01/5120371/Already%20struggling%20Hickman%20County%20tries%20to%20claw%20out%20after%20flood

This is the first time that I have seen this amount of destruction, and it just goes to show that Mother Nature only allows us to live here and we better take care of what we have.

Snow, Snow, Go Away!

Well, it snowed again. School's out in Hickman County and most of Middle Tennessee and the kids are happy. Although this is the eight day they have missed due to snow. I hope they don't miss many more or they will have to make up some days. Our school system adds 11 days that they can miss due to weather. Usually we don't have much snow and they have several days left over, but this year has been unusual.

Centerville does not have the equipment to keep the roadways clear and the least bit of snow causes major problems. Most people in the Hickman County area - Lyles, Centerville, Bon Aqua - must drive elsewhere to work and it makes it hard on them. They can stay home and lose a day's work or drive and take a chance of wrecking their car.

Usually the real estate market is slow during the winter months, and this year is no exception and the weather has made it even tougher for a Realtor than usual - although I see signs that things are beginning to pick up. So, if you are looking for a house, or want to sell yours, give me a call and I can help you. Now is the time.

Christmas Parade Time

The annual Christmas parade will be held in Centerville, TN December 6, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Join as dozens of floats, bands, horses, cars, and Santa make the trek around the Centerville Square. Be there to collect lots of candy that will be thrown out by the participants.

The East Hickman County Christmas parade will be held the following Sunday on December 13 from the East Elementary School in Lyles to the Highway 7 area. Sponsored by the Keg County Cowboys the parade will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will be fun for all.

Come on out and enjoy the fun at both of these Christmas events.

Grand Opening Of Health Center In Lyles, TN

Today is the grand opening of the Three Rivers Community Health Center in Lyles in the East Hickman County area. The clinic is a nonprofit organization and delivers medical care on a sliding scale which is based on the Federal Poverty Level.

According to information provided, U. S. census statistics show that more than 18.5% of people ages 18-64 have income below the U. S. poverty level and 20% lack health insurance. The addition of this clinic to the area will be a benefit to citizens that usually travel to Centerville, Dickson, or Columbia for medical care.

Quilt Show In Centerville, TN

Hickman County will host its fourth annual quilt show in Centerville, TN on October 2nd and 3rd. This year's theme is "Remembering Hearth and Home" and will feature Log Cabin Quilts among many other designs. Old and new quilts of all sizes will be shown.

The Quilt show is being held at the Centerville First Baptist Church at 100 Murphree Avenue and show admission and parking are free and open to the public from 12 pm - 5 pm on October 2, and 9 am - 4 pm October 3.

For further information, you can contact Ruth Ann Carathers at (931) 670-4998 or Bettye T. Griffin at (931) 729-5437.

Hickman County Earns Photo Op With Governor Bredesen

According to Daryl Phillips, the director of the Hickman County Economic & Community Development Association, Hickman County once again earned the three-star certification from the state. This certification is given to communities that meet certain criteria that the state deems necessary for economic growth. According to Matthew Kisber the "ECD is proud to support Hickman County in its dedication to long-term economic growth and success.”

This is great! However, for several years in a row, Hickman County has received this certification and I have not seen very many changes that have been brought about because of meeting this criteria. While surrounding counties seem to grow without limits, we have changed very little in the last 20 years and very little because of meeting state criteria. But, at least Mr. Phillips had the opportunity to have his photo taken with the Governor.

You can read Mr. Phillips blog here: http://blog.hickmantn.org/2009/09/hickman-county-earns-three-star.html

Hickman County Bulldogs and East Hickman Eagles Football Schedule

GO BULLDOGS!
GO EAGLES!


Schedule provided by:

Paul Taylor, Realtor
Crye-Leike, Realtors
(931) 670-5316
(615) 799-6288

Visit these websites:
HickmanCountyRealEstate.com
BonAquaTNRealestate.com
LylesTNRealEstate.com
MiddleTennesseeProperty.com
DicksonTNRealEstate.com

Whether you are looking to buy or sell real estate in Lyles, Centerville, Bon Aqua, or any other location in Hickman County or Middle Tennessee, give me a call and I can help you to find the home of your dreams.