Model T Ford Club of America USA National Tour coming to DeKalb County

July 31, 2019
By:

The Upper Cumberland region will be welcoming the Model T Ford Club of America USA National Tour to Tennessee as they explore our unforgettable, scenic backroads traversing the Highland Rim of the Upper Cumberland Plateau from August 16th to 22nd.

On Sunday, August 18th, the Model T’s will be visiting DeKalb County. In the morning, the tour will take the backroads through Buffalo Valley to the Center Hill Dam and Edgar Evins State Park. Lunch will be at the Appalachian Center for Craft’s Blue Water Grill on the Hill, and a little shopping at the Craft Center’s Gallery. After lunch, the Model T folks will head to the public square by way of “town hill” around 1 PM to visit the downtown Smithville stores. Next stop will be for ice cream at Webb’s Soda Fountain and other local places of their choice. They will travel down the Old Snow’s Hill Road on their way to Temperance Hall and Lancaster communities where State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver will have lemonade waiting for them.

“Currently, there are 140 cars and 270 people registered to be a part of this upcoming Model T tour. We are thrilled to be included. I have been meeting with this trip’s tour coordinator, George Akins, for over a year. In April 2018, several members of the Tennessee Model T group made an early visit in their vintage cars to work on the itinerary. It is such an honor to be included as a point of interest for this wonderful group of people,” said Chamber Director Suzanne Williams. Sara Beth Urban, Middle Tennessee Division Manager at Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, was invited by the Chamber to the initial visit and was so excited to be part of the Meet and Greet. Sara Beth has provided Tennessee Welcome and Informational Packets that will be ready for them as they arrive. Williams continues, “We encourage our local businesses with message signs to post ‘Welcome Model T Club’ to show appreciation to our guests and to encourage them to visit again in the future. And to everyone else, if you see them driving by, be sure and wave.”

Sponsored by the Tennessee T’s, this will be a perfect opportunity to showcase the beautiful state of Tennessee and the Upper Cumberland region to the rest of the country through the windshield of a Model T Ford.

July 30, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

After registration for the new school year Tuesday evening, sixth graders at DeKalb Middle School and their parents got to shop for clothes as the Saint Bernard Boulevard Clothing Market opened for business in the gym.

Suzette Barnes and Angela Johnson, sponsors of the DMS Student Council said the clothing market was started two years ago as a way of serving students who were in need of clothes and shoes.

“We saw a need at the beginning of the school year a couple of years ago where students needed clothes and shoes so we felt like it was a worthy cause. We started working together to get people to help us volunteer to make it happen,” said Johnson.

“We collected clothes during the summer and have now set up a store in our gym where the students can shop,” said Barnes.

After the clothes and shoes were collected, they were sorted and grouped according to sizes and displayed in the gym where the students can now shop free of charge.

Sixth graders and their families got the first opportunity to shop Tuesday evening. Seventh and eighth graders will get their turn Thursday morning, August 1st after registration.

“This is for Middle School sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students and we allow their families to shop too if they need clothing or materials. Any child is eligible. We open it up for our entire school. Any of our students can come and participate in it. We try to furnish shoes, jackets, and any type of clothing as well as backpacks,” said Barnes.

“We have also collected personal hygiene products to send home with some of the students such as deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.,” added Johnson.

“It has really been successful in the previous two years we have done this. We even have grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and they need clothes and supplies so we have been able to supply them during their times of need when they bring the kids in to register for school,” Barnes continued.

July 30, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

For more than two decades, Tennessee’s County Health Councils have provided critical leadership in bringing people together to improve health outcomes in our communities. In January 2019 Tennessee became one of the first states in the nation to launch a community-informed, county-level health assessment process called the County Health Assessment or CHA initiative.

By participating in Tennessee’s first round of CHAs with the Tennessee Department of Health, the DeKalb County Health Council has identified the county’s top health priorities they will work to address over the next three years. The priorities include:

•Frequent Mental Distress
•Substance Misuse
•Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

The DeKalb County Health Council includes individuals with backgrounds in health care, education, local government, business, public health and other areas. The CHA process challenges health councils to engage with local stakeholders in order to gather relevant data and listen to residents’ health concerns. Now that these priorities have been identified, the DeKalb County Health Council will review strategies that can be adapted and implemented to address these health priorities.

“The goal of our health council is to improve availability, accessibility and affordability of quality health care and the County Health Assessment has been a great way to identify health concerns in DeKalb County and improve the health of the people who live here.” said Lisa Cripps, County Health Council Member.

“Each county has different health priorities and the CHA process has been extremely valuable to identify these priorities and to bring community partners together to find solutions that will improve the health of people in DeKalb County.” said Michael Railling, DeKalb County Health Department Director.

DeKalb County is one of 16 counties in Tennessee participating in this year’s County Health Assessment and over the next three years, all 89 rural counties in Tennessee will conduct a CHA. The results from these assessments will be used to support the TDH mission to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee.

From start to finish, the CHA process puts community members in the driver’s seat and creates an exciting opportunity for communities to come together to identify and address local health issues.

For more information on DeKalb County’s CHA, visit www.tn.gov/vitalsigns or contact the DeKalb County Health Department at (615) 597-7599.

Visit the Tennessee Department of Health online at https://www.tn.gov/health.

Connect with TDH on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn @TNDeptofHealth!