Krispy Kreme Hot Light to shine soon

I received this press release and thought you might be interested.

KRISPY KREME HOT LIGHT TO SHINE IN SMYRNA
Public Invited to Celebrate Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting of New Store on Thursday, April 9

SMYRNA, Tenn. – Fresh, hot doughnut fans save the date: the Krispy Kreme Hot Light will soon beam bright in Smyrna with the opening of the newest Krispy Kreme Doughnut Factory and Kremery, located at 434 Sam Ridley Parkway on Thursday, April 9.

The store will open for business at 6 a.m. and you’d better arrive early: the first customer to walk through the door will receive a free dozen Original Glazed® doughnuts every week for a year; the next 11 customers will receive a free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts every month for a year; and the first 100 customers will receive an official Krispy Kreme Smyrna T-shirt.

Customers at the new Smyrna store will enjoy Krispy Kreme’s unique offerings, including its one-of-a-kind doughnut varieties; signature coffees and espresso drinks; and Krispy Kreme Chillers® and iced beverages. The new Smyrna location will be the first store in the Nashville area to offer Krispy Kreme’s brand new Kool Kreme® soft serve menu of traditional cones, shakes and specialty doughnut sundaes, all paired with a toppings bar.

It is nice to see a new business in town.

Chickens on my mind...and illegal

To think the fight for chickens crosses borders. Canadians also fights the good fight.

Here is a criminal Canadian.

Sadly they show the neighbor that I feel we all have had to suffer at one point in our existance. That's why my Good Neighbor policy depends on 80% to take care of the hold outs who would find fault in anything.

Here are some chickens that are described as

"These are my illegal backyard chickens. I built this coop. Our weather is good so all they need is summer shade, some protection from rain, wind and predators. There are two americanas, one barr... "

Illegal eggs taste the best.. I promise.



I wonder if I should get my neighbors in on it and have my own little criminal enterprise here in Smyrna? I figure if they don't complain then should I really worry.

School Project test post II

Looks like too many players in one post might mess them up. This is the last two parts of the interview.

Section three


Section four


All sections can be directly gotten to and downloaded at a website I set up to host the files temporarily.

School Project test post

A little over a week ago I sat down with a group of refined people and started to talk about the history of the streets of Smyrna. here is the first section of that group discussion. The sound is bad, and you can hear us rattling the two large maps we had, but it was a fun experience.

Section one


Section two



I had to lower the bit rate to get the files to a managable size, and that does lower the quality some. I am using a free MP3 player that is simplicity in itself to use.

This coming week I should have two more interviews, one with another Johns who is a historian, and one with an ex-mayor of Smyrna. I did have an interview this last week with Frank Johns, but the digital recorder refused to record so I cannot share that one.

Currently I have a pile of notes, a long recording, and some maps set up. Less then I wish I did, but still moving forward.

Employment numbers

The numbers for February here locally are not good.

According to statistics released on Thursday, more people are looking for work as the unemployment rate for Rutherford County for February was 9.3 percent, a half point increase from January. In February 2008, the rate was only 4.8 percent.

The unemployment rates for Murfreesboro (11.2 percent), Smyrna (10.9) and La Vergne (9. 3 percent) increased marginally from January, but significantly since February 2008, either doubling in percentage or landing just shy of the figure.

The state’s unemployment rate for February was 9.1 percent, up 0.5 percentage point from the January rate of 8.6 percent.

I'm surprised how high the number is for Smyrna. The national rate for February was 8.1% and I had thought that Smyrna was bucking the storm of jobs a little better than most.

School Project

Today I went and had an interview with Frank Johns of Frank Johns Realty. The Johns family has a long history in Smyrna that goes back to the founding of the town.

He also is a developer and has named many streets for family members. There are several streets in town that are named for children, his grandchildren to be specific, that are still in elementary school, still infants, and in high school.

My column for this week came out and I have gotten some good feedback in comments online and in emails. This project has hit the fancy of many here in Smyrna.

For those interested here is my Smyrna AM column.

Sam Davis is the “Boy hero of the confederacy” and Sam Ridley was once the mayor of Smyrna and because of that, streets are named after them. It would seem logical that influential people would have streets named after them.

But looking at a map of Smyrna, you come to realize there are a lot of streets named after people you don't know. Late last year, I asked a simple question: Who is Ken Pilkerton? I asked because Ken Pilkerton Drive is off of South Lowry between the Jack in the Box and Kroger. That is when I realized how many streets were named after people I — and likely you — don't know.

As part of my degree at MTSU/Regents Online Degree Program I had to choose a finishing project. I decided to try to connect the people to the streets.

I called Town Council member Mary Esther Reed and she got me in touch with her dad Kenneth W. “Coon” Victory. He and a group of older residents – wait, more seasoned residents – met with me in the Smyrna Public Library and talked for an hour about the streets and people of Smyrna.

John Hager, John Moore, Martha Ann Morgan, Tillie Hager and MC Steele joined Coon and I in discussing the people streets are named after. John Hager told about his grandfather Sam Hager, after whom Sam Hager Street is named.

They told me that the previously mentioned Ken Pilkerton was a long time employee of the town codes department and ran a Western Auto where Johns Appliance is now. He was originally from the Memphis area.

When Smyrna a.m. editor Taylor Loyal, who was raised far from Smyrna first got his job here, his grandmother told him her cousin William DeLacey, a colonel and highly decorated commander of the 839th Air Division at Sewart Air Base, had a street named after him.

In the last 25 or so years Smyrna has doubled in size and most of the new residents do not have a strong connection to the history of our town. We are about one generation away from losing a lot of historical details about the people who made up the early part of Smyrna, one street at a time. These details need to be saved and with that said, I need your help.

Does Steve Roberts Drive have meaning to you? Does David Collins Drive bring to mind certain memories or do any of the numerous other streets in Smyrna have connections to people? If so, comment on this blog and share your stories with the rest of us.

I will be posting writeups on some of the streets as I construct them and any feedback from you will be welcome.

Hmmmmm! Glaze!

Coming soon

School Project

I'm doing a school project that might be of interest to a few of you. Smyrna is a town with a lot of history, but nothing you would call ground breaking. No giant ports of calls, no majorly famous individuals, or even historical events, but that does not mean we don't have a history worth saving.

A lot of roads in Smyrna are named after people who are part of that history and few know of them. My project is to create a website that tells a little of their history, and hopefully have it grow with community feedback.

Here is an example of what a page on the website would look like. I have yet to find a face shot of him, but hopefully in one of the archive of the local papers I can find one.

William H DeLacey

Publish at Scribd or explore others: literature OF

I might ask for some website hep from others. I'm going to be using a basic WYSIWYG HTML editor to start, but how to get the material from the disc to a website hosting service might require some assistance.

Because of this project and others the posting here will be less than normal.

Body Snatchers

Maybe the town council has been switched with pod people and we need to look for the shrunken husks of the originals....but I like the replacements so let us keep these new ones for now.

The town council met this week and formalized the final version of the liquor ordinance and damned if I am left in shock and awe.

The first item is the residency requirement.

The Town Council will likely loosen residency rules for those looking to operate a liquor store..
..........
The state only requires anyone who desires to open a store has lived in Tennessee for two years

Out the door. I can understand the feeling that this would be the best for the towns residence, but it had no real purpose in an ordinance and I'm so glad to see it gone.

The next item uses a phrase that simple dazzled me.

...as well as eliminate a cap on the number of stores in town.
...
Officials initially discussed allowing one store per 10,000 residents, but decided that it would be best to allow the market to determine how many stores should be open.

Yes! The limit on numbers was one of the more bothersome things put forth and to see it die simply is glorious. The people and market place should decide. Yes!

They still have a setback of 500 feet. I thought I had heard that 1000 feet was being bantered around, but 500 is better then that.

In the end the new package liquor ordinances as reported in this news article is not as regulatory as I worried it would be. By removing a few of the more goofy parts I'm pretty happy on how the town performed.

Get Well Mayor

I have heard the mayor of our great city was in the hospital and this just confirms it.

The mayor, 73, previously said he was preparing to exercise at his home Feb. 27 when the incident occurred. He remains hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said Tammy Barrett, his personal business assistant of 14 years, on behalf of the family.

"He's not totally blind in that eye, but they found some blockages in the arteries in his neck, so they had to do surgery on March 6 to put a stent in the right side of his neck," Barrett said. "During that procedure, he had a second slight stroke that caused some weakness in the left side of his body. The family's asking for prayers."

To make matters worse, while Spivey was recovering from the surgery, he developed a lung infection a few days later, she said. It has now cleared up, but doctors are running additional tests.

"We just want everyone to know where we are. The doctors wouldn't initially say it was a stroke, but they were leaning that way. This week is when they've definitely let us know what was going on," Barrett explained, adding that visits are still limited to family only.

For the writers of the site we want to wish him well and hope the family stays hopefull that he can return home soon.

for more info on this story please read the article from the DNJ!

Stimulus for teens

For the word on the street, I hear that the Cumberland action group of Rutherford County is getting stimulus money from the Gov and this summer they are planning on putting 250 teenagers to work. They are going to pay for workers compensation and taxes.

I want to know why give these teenagers the stimulus money when there are grown adults out there loosing their homes while the teens will just use it for things that aren't a necessisty.

These jobs are temp through the summer months and if a company hires them or puts them to work the regular employees will have their hours cut because this will be free labor to the companies that hire them. This isnt fair to them!

I would love to hear some input on this subject.

The cops will be out

Tomorrow is Saint Patricks Day and the police in all forms will be out in force.

Smyrna Police Boost DUI Patrols For St. Patrick's Day

Watch for extra police cars and sobriety checkpoints on the roads tomorrow. Smyrna Police will be conducting Sobriety checkpoints tomorrow night around town for St Patrick's Day along with DUI Saturation Patrols. SPD will be working in conjunction with Tennessee Highway Patrol on this effort. Don't Rely on the Luck of The Irish. Designate a Sober Driver.

Be careful and please had a designated driver.

Hello Smyrna. Rhetorically I ask if it could get any prettier outside. A lovely nip in the air and yet just the right amount of sunlight. Simple glorious.

Our town government has the following scheduled for this week.

Parks Advisory Board: March 17, 2009 -6:00 PM
Board of Zoning Appeals: March 19, 2009 - 5:00 PM
Liquor ordinance workshop: March 19, 2009 -5:00 PM

Odd that they have two meeting scheduled for the same time.

In local events...not much.

Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee Boys Basketball Championships
March 18, 2009 - March 21, 2009
Held at Murphy Center, MTSU campus, Murfreesboro. Tickets on sale at the gate. Boys' high school basketball teams competing for state championships. Contact: TSSAA, (615) 889-6740
www.tssaa.org

Just one item listed by the Rutherford county chamber of commerce.

That's it people. A slow week ahead. Be careful driving tomorrow due too St. Patricks day and the resulting increase in idiots on the road.

Teachers have the tools.

As a homeowner and tax payer I know that my money is going for schools. I don't have children but know of many children that are in school and having trouble with grades.

My question is this: I have seen the websites that are given to teachers to let the students and parents know what is going on in the classroom each week. Well many teachers are not using the websites to let us know. I saw a teacher at one of the middle school at the start of this school year and this teacher had pictures posted of her daughter's wedding. Why are you using this site to post family pictures and not using it as it was meant to be. I talked with a parent recently and he stated that he talked with a vice principle of the school his child attends and stated that he knows the teachers are not using their websites as they should. If the tools are there for you to use to help the students then use it!

The parents of children who are struggling in school are not able to see what they can do to help their children or even do extra credit. Extra credit is not given unless it's needed is what was told by one parent recently. If a student is failing then why not give the child a chance to do extra credit?

On another note, if a child is doing poorly why not have a parent teacher confernce but on the report card it states none needed at this time? It seems to me that we need to hold the school system accountable since they are being paid by us!

I would love for you to comment and let me know your thoughts!

Baseball for kids

From the towns Parks and Recreation website

Bases Loaded
Sponsored by Smyrna Youth Baseball Academy
ages 7 -12 years old
Saturday, March 14, 2009 from 10am - 2:30pm
at Todd Lane Baseball Complex and the cost is $40
This camp is designed to teach all aspects of the game of baseball, specifically hitting, pitching, infield play and base running. Coaches include current and former professional baseball players Clay Snellgrove, Eric McNamee, and others. Players are asked to bring cleats/running shoes.
T-shirts and lunch are included. For more information contact Monty Perkins at 459-9742 at extension 2612 or Clay Snellgrove of Basesloaded at 545-7434

I went to check to see if a new newsletter was out and I saw this.

Not chicken Wednesday - A smile on my face

I recently was looking at some property that was cheap and my wife and I thought of purchasing it. After our agent showed us the property we drove off and did some running around town. We then decided to drive by again and look at the area a bit more.

The neighbor in the next house was out and we paused and talked to him/her. I asked how the neighborhood was and as we were talking I noticed in his/her backyard a small pen and 3 or so chickens in it. I smiled and exclaimed "you got chickens!". He/she put on a sheepish smile and said "yeah! A few". I told him/her I was also thinking of getting some chickens if we bought the property...if the neighbors did not mind because it was technically against codes.

He/she just smiled and said "I've had no complaints".

It makes me feel good to know that a certain amount of lawlessness is rampant in our town and being a good neighbor is not the same as following the regulations.

Hello all. This looks like a great week ahead as my school is out and the weather is great.

Locally in town government the following meetings are scheduled.

Beer Board: March 9, 2009 - 7:00 PM
Project Assistance: March 10, 2009 -5:00PM
Next Town Council Meeting is: March 10, 2009 - 6:00 PM

The scheduled meeting on the package liquor sales did not occur due the mayor having health problems. No reschedule as of yet.

In local we events we have the following..

Music

Musical Traditions of Rutherford County Program
March 12, 2009
Held at the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, 225 West College Street, Murfreesboro.7:00 p.m., Hear about the various music traditions of Rutherford County, featuring an exhibit showcasing John Work, III, folk music collector. No admission charge. Contact: Heritage Center, (615) 217-8013
http://histpres.mtsu.edu/tncivwar

Horses

Lone Star Rodeo
March 13, 2009 - March 14, 2009
Held at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum, 304-B West Thompson Lane, Murfreesboro. Contact: Shana Risinger, (615) 494-8879

Cows

2009 Tennessee Beef Agribition
March 13, 2009 - March 15, 2009
Held at the Tennessee Livestock Center on the MTSU campus, Murfreesboro. The three-day cattle show and sale event also features one of the largest trade shows in the Southeast, giving participants a look at new products and the direction of the industry. Contact: Jim Hinton, (731) 669-5277

History

Celebrate La Vergne History Day
March 14, 2009
Held at Civic Auditorium, La Vergne City Hall, La Vergne Contact: Angie Mayes, (615) 287-8690

This week looks like fun.

Page change

I have been noticing that a lot of videos and images have been shoved to the right for some reason. The last Chicken Wednesday video had 20% of it cut off behind the information column on the right. The new coding that Google/Blogger uses is unknown to me so I cannot figure out what is wrong. The set width of the old template when it came to article column width was the main problem.

This new layout has a central column that is the width of your moniter. That will allow extra space for material to show.

It is not as snazzy as the older one, but is more reader friendly.

update
To heck with it. Some of the last video is cut off and I do want more then a single color bare layout...so here is the one we will stay with for now.

I'm going to be looking online for some others and you might find by Monday a nicer website, but the otpions from blogger are rather limited.

Chicken Wednesday - The fight

While our intrepid town only looked at local towns when I brought the issue in front of them the truth is that you should not look at the laws. Laws follow social changes and normally have to be dragged into the future kicking and screaming.

Other towns have the same problem. People that KNOW that they can have chickens and be a good neighbor....like Tom and Julie.



The link goes to an article about Tom and Julie and a town government that reminds me of our own.

Art Show this Saturday

Just a quick note to let my fellow Smyrna neighbors know that I have a solo exhibition coming up this weekend in Springfield at the Talents Coffee Studio. (www.talentscoffeestudio.com) I'll be there for the opening reception on Saturday afternoon, from 1 - 3, at least. I'd love to see you there!

If you can't make it, some of the art I'll be showing is also online at www.davidthegood.com.

Peace!

-DG

Last Day

I'm off to submit the application to stay on the Storm Water Advisory board and maybe apply for another. Today is the last day so please think about giving a little of your time to make a small difference in our town.

Hello Smyrna. Welcome to the regular (mostly) weekly update for our humble town and surrounding area.

Down to business. Our local government is a bit busy this week.

Sister City Committee: March 3, 2009 -6:00 PM
Beautification Committee: March 3, 2009 - 6:30 PM
Planning Commission: March 5, 2009 - 7:00 PM
----
NOTICE OF SPECIAL WORKSHOP
OF THE SMYRNA TOWN COUNCIL
The Town Council of the Town of Smyrna will conduct a special workshop on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. at Smyrna Town Hall, located at 315 South Lowry Street, Smyrna, Tennessee relative to package liquor stores.

The special meeting will be the last before the ordinance goes to a Council Meeting for its first vote. Hopefully after that a draft copy will be added to the town's website so we can view it...hopefully

In local events.

Teddy Bears

Teddy Bear Tea
Saturday, March 7

Dress in your Sunday best and bring along your favorite teddy bear as we invite you to attend the Teddy Bear Tea in the Creek House on Saturday, March 7, 2009 from 10 a.m. until 12 noon. This tea party will be a wonderful way for young ladies ages 4-10 to spend a few hours with their favorite bear and special lady, whether she be her mother, grandmother, aunt, older sister, or anyone else they wish. Young ladies will have the opportunity to introduce their teddy bear while enjoying delectable treats and savory teas. Activity time will allow all the young ladies to make a creative craft to take home for their special friend. Cozy up with your teddy bear in front of the fireplace as Mrs. Jane Simmons Davis takes you on an adventure in Story Time! Tour the inside of the Sam Davis Home with Andromedia Davis as she shows you where the young ladies of the house once played and sipped tea.

The Teddy Bear Tea is $8 per guest, excluding teddy bears, and can be paid for the day of or prior to the date. Reservations are required.

Books

Read Across America Day at Discovery Center
March 07, 2009
Held at Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, 502 S.E. Broad Street, Murfreesboro. Free admission from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Contact: Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, (615) 890-2300

Music

Friday, March 6
The will have a special concert at 7 p.m. at Abiding Faith Lutheran Church, 10411 Old Nashville Highway (next to Stewartsboro Elementary) in Smyrna. For more details, call 615-220-9258 or check the Web site at www.abiding-faith.org.

Well that is it for this week in Smyrna. I hope to go to the Seminary Choir performance and hope to see some of you there.

Upcoming Art Show - "Untitled" Turns 18!

In case you're not familiar with the Untitled Artists Group, they're a long-standing organization that's been putting on art shows and bringing art to non-traditional locations around Nashville. I recently accepted a nomination to become part of their board of directors. It looks like this upcoming show is going to be incredible. The number of artists signing up, the amazing location, and the buzz is impressive.

Attached is the poster and the press release. They need more Smyrna artists - so if you're out there, jump in!



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BARELY LEGAL ART SHOW COMES TO NASHVILLE

(Nashville, TN) – Somewhere… deep in the heart of Nashville… an 18-year-old is getting WAY too crazy! It’s Friday night – do you know where YOUR local arts organization is? You do now! Come join the Nashville Untitled Artist’s Group for its 18th birthday at ICON in the Gulch. That’s right – the groundbreaking artists collective is all grown up!

The party happens on March 13th from 6 – 10PM. Enjoy great art, cold cocktails, and fascinating people in a relaxed non-traditional environment. A wide variety of artists are participating and most of the works are for sale. Street art, traditional art, sculpture, photography… if you can dream it up, it’s probably been at one of our shows.

Even better? This show takes place at the hippest development to hit Nashville since the cotton gin. ICON in the Gulch is a creative person’s dreamscape, featuring luxury loft living in the midst of Music City. Once you step in you won’t want to leave. Tours of ready-to-move-in units will take place throughout the evening. You’re also invited to a special cocktail reception in ICON’s ultra lounge on the rooftop pool deck. Show up early and take a tour… or just hang out high above the city, chatting up artists and enjoying the ambience. Let ICON treat you like a celebrity.

Also participating in “Barely Legal,” the Nashville Film Festival will be screening some celluloid magic with its “Best of the Fest” shorts collection, showing adjacent to the gallery space. And Music City’s favorite music man, DJ Synapse Trap, will be serving up a hot helping of fresh and funky grooves.

Bring your best pair of eyes, your beau, and your bad self on down to “Barely Legal.” We guarantee you’ll fall in love with the Nashville visual arts scene during Untitled’s 18th Birthday Extravaganza. I mean, seriously… we’d show up for your birthday!

“Barely Legal” takes place at 600 12th Avenue S, Suite 4. Find out more at www.untitlednashville.org or e-mail info@untitlednashville.org.

About UNTITLED:

UNTITLED Nashville has introduced new artists to the community since 1991, is comprised of several hundred artists, and has left an indelible stamp on the burgeoning Nashville art scene. UNTITLED members include staff and exhibiting artists from Zeitgeist, Dangenart, Plowhaus, Twist Gallery, and (fov) gallery. UNTITLED members also include art faculty, students, and graduates from Watkins College of Art and Design, Belmont University, Vanderbilt University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Florida Atlantic University, Lipscomb University, TSU, Fisk University, MTSU and many other fine institutions.

UNTITLED is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting artists, reaching new art audiences, and offering alternative visual arts experiences in the Nashville community. The group's meetings and shows provide opportunities for artists to connect, collaborate and learn from each other. All artists at all levels and in all media are invited to attend weekly meetings every Wednesday at 7:30, and to participate in quarterly exhibitions as well as the group’s annual glow-in-the-dark fundraiser “The Glow Show.” The deadline for artists to register for “Barely Legal” is March 6th. New artists are highly encouraged to show! For more information about this show and the Untitled Artists' Group and its programs to support and promote the visual arts, please visit our website at www.untitlednashville.org or email us at info@untitlednashville.org.

BARELY LEGAL POSTER
Designed by Ginny Edwards
myspace.com/vedwardsgraphics

(More images online here: http://www.untitlednashville.org/barelylegal/press.htm)

Visit untitlednashville.org for more details.