Senator Mark Pody invites community to meet TN Commissioners of Agriculture and Tourism on July 25th

July 21, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) invites the citizens of DeKalb County to attend a community gathering on July 25^th where they can meet the TN Department of Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher and the TN Department of Tourism Commissioner Mark Ezell.  Local leaders and engaged citizens are invited to participate and learn about opportunities and programs for their county administered by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Tourism. Also in attendance will be Representative Teri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster) and Representative Clark Boyd (R-Lebanon).

“The Department of Agriculture is the number one revenue generator out of all state agencies, and the Department of Tourism is number two,” said Senator Pody. “I think it is very important for rural counties to build relationships with these two departments, so I invited the commissioners to Dekalb County to initiate those relationships and ensure the county is taking advantage of all the state has to offer from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Tourism.”

Both Commissioner Hatcher and Commissioner Ezell are newly appointed to their positions by Governor Bill Lee.

The event will take place from 2:00p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the DeKalb County Complex (712 South Congress Blvd., Smithville).

“This will be a great opportunity for Dekalb County residents to get to know these commissioners as well as interact with local leaders and elected officials,” added Pody.

July 20, 2019
By:

For more than half a century Larry Steffee has preached the gospel from Pennsylvania to Florida to Tennessee. He is also known here as an educator.

Larry Steffee from dwayne page on Vimeo.

Steffee, the focus of this week’s WJLE Preacher Feature, is currently the pastor of Center Hill Brethren in Christ Church, a congregation that will soon celebrate 20 years of service to the Lord and the community. Steffee will also reach a milestone next month—52 years of pastoring churches, 39 of which have been in DeKalb County.

“I felt the call to the ministry when I was in my first year in college at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania,” Steffee said. “I was there for one year then I transferred to Messiah (College) because that is our church college. It will become a university next year.”

It was at Messiah College where Steffee met his future wife Reta, though they had gone to the same school district in the York, Pennsylvania area.

“My wife and I both went to the same school district for a while but we never met until we got to college,” Steffee said. “When I was in the ninth grade I transferred to a different school district. We met at Messiah College which is where we both graduated. We married right after she graduated a year ahead of me.”

The first church Steffee pastored was in northeastern Pernnsylvania. “It was a little mission church in a place called Schuylkill County,” he said. Then we moved to Orlando, Florida, which was a big change in a lot of ways. “We served at the first church for seven years.”

In 1980 the family moved to Smithville and Steffee pastored Pomeroy Chapel for 18 years. Then in 1999 he started Center Hill Brethren in Christ Church.

“Basically when we started this church in 1999 our emphasis from the very beginning was to try and reach out to people who didn’t go to church rather than trying to get people from other churches to come join us,” he explained. “We wanted to get people started in church who hadn’t been to church, or who hadn’t been in church for a long time.”

Steffee fondly talks about his work and the history of the church.

“A couple, the husband has since passed away, had not been in church for 48 years and we met them in a local restaurant and got to be good friends with them and eventually they came to church,” he said. “I met another lady and her sister at a local restaurant one time and they found out I was a pastor and said they were looking for a church so I invited them to come to our church and they have been coming ever since.”

“One couple who comes to our church moved here from out of state,” he continued. “They were both in prison and accepted the Lord and they came to church and are members now. One couple who attended Pomeroy Chapel came to help start Center Hill, along with others who are no longer living. I have been their pastor for 39 years, the whole time I have been in Tennessee. I think there are five or six people presently attending the church who were part of the original start of the church. Everybody else has either moved or passed away.”

The church doors are open every Sunday with Sunday School starting at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. “We normally have 25 to 30” people and have been “growing gradually over the last few years,” he said.

While the anniversary was in January, “we are not celebrating until September,” Steffee said. “We want to meet outside with a 40×40 tent.” There will be a cookout after the morning service and then an afternoon celebration service. We plan to have the Heritage there to sing.”

Steffee said he has always been a part-time pastor and has served the community in other areas.
“I have always worked for the public otherwise, except in Orlando I worked for the church because we had a daycare center and I was the director,” he explained. “In Pennsylvania I worked as a social worker for the department of welfare and when we moved to Tennessee I got back into teaching and have stayed with it ever since.”

“We really like it here. It’s a lot like where we grew up with the country side and everything,” he said. “The people here are really great and being in the school system I felt like I was in a good position and didn’t want to move away. I have always taught math. I started at the high school in 1984 and retired from there in 2010. Before that my wife and I subbed at the middle school. In 1989 I got my Masters Degree from MTSU and in 1990 I was offered a job to teach part time at Motlow (College) so I did both—the high school and Motlow. I am still teaching at Motlow and just finished 29 years there.”

“A long as I am in good health I will continue pastoring,” he continued. “I take the same attitude toward teaching at Motlow, to continue there as long as I am able.”

Steffee and his wife have two children, son Richard Steffee, who lives in Huntsville, Alabama, and daughter Melissa Wannamaker, who lives in the same local neighborhood as her parents. They have two grandchildren, and a great granddaughter.

More information about Center Hill Brethren in Christ Church can be found on-line at www.centerhillbic.org. “There is a link to the general brethren in Christ church that is not only nationwide, but international,” Steffee said. “We have Brethren in Christ churches all over the world (including) Japan, Africa, South America and Central America.”

July 20, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Five thousand dollars will be given away tonight (Saturday) as the DeKalb County Fair closes out its weeklong run for the year.

(View Photo Gallery of the DeKalb County Fair by clicking link below)

2019 Photo Gallery

(Video below is of “Funky Cowboys” who performed on Memory Lane Stage at the Fair Friday Night)

IMG_8464 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

Mevolyn Farless and Joseph Pack each won $500 Monday night but there were no winners on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday nights. All the money scheduled to be given away on those nights will be given tonight.

Drawings for $500 each will begin at 9:30 p.m. at the Lions Club Pavilion on the fairgrounds and you must be present to win. Since this is the last night of the fair, drawings will continue until all the money is given away. Your admission ticket to the fair is your ticket for the cash drawings.

Meanwhile the schedule of entertainment today is as follows:

Saturday, July 20:
*Horseshoe Tournament: Noon at the Tot Kelly barn
*Gospel Singing: 6:00 p.m. at the Lions Club Pavilion
*Super Tractor/Truck Pull: 7:00 p.m. at the T.C. McMillen Arena
*Cash Drawing-9:30 p.m. at the Lions Club Pavilion

Take a stroll down Memory Lane and enjoy entertainment at the Memory Lane Stage in Memory Village which features replicas of Prichard’s Motors, DeKalb Telephone Cooperative, Jennings’ Barber Shop, DeKalb Community Bank, Alexandria Drug Store, Jennings Produce, Alexandria Mercantile, and DeKalb County Fair Veterans Building.

Come see and hear this year’s performers sponsored by Wilson Bank & Trust.

Saturday, July 20:

6:30 p.m. Mid State Cloggers Team

7:45  p.m. Sadie Faith

Rides on the Midway will be provided by Prime Time Amusement. Unlimited rides will be available for $18.00.

Admission to the fair is $5.00 per person. Children age four and younger will be admitted free! Gates open at 4:00 p.m.. The exhibit building is open from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Parking is Free!