CASA Celebrates At The Princess Theatre

Saturday afternoon and well into the evening, the Princess Theatre, and three annex buildings on Roane Street, were open and buzzing with activity, as CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of the Ninth Judicial District held its 2nd annual Winter Blast."  This utilization of the Princess Theatre is arguably one of the best uses of this space in the history of the theater complex.  It was all about children; children that truly need someone in this world to stand up for them!

Three to four hundred area supporters came together for an evening "on the town", with food, fellowship, and entertainment.  The annual event benefited the children CASA supports in the Ninth Judicial District.

Along with other donations and the event proceeds, Tim Duff presented CASA with a check for $2,250 at intermission.  The check was from Subaru of America on behalf of the efforts of Earl Duff Subaru during the Share the Love event during the recent holiday season. 

Standing with Tim Duff, General Manager of Earl Duff Subaru, is Lisa Corcoran-Pierson, District Sales Manager for Subaru, Tim Rogers, District Parts and Service Manager for Subaru, and on the far right is Sandra Weaver, Executive Director, CASA of the 9th District.

Tennessee CASA is a nonprofit organization established to support the development, growth and continuation of programs, which recruit and train volunteers to serve as advocates representing the best interests of abused and neglected children.

Tawny Spinnelli, who is now the Asst. Director, of the Tennessee Children's Cabinet, told the audience what it's like to be a child in need, and what CASA has meant to her.  She told them that she would not have been standing before them had it not been for CASA in her youth.  She thanked the group for supporting CASA and children in the state like her.

It's hard to say which part of the CASA event was the biggest hit.  Some would say it was the three pre-show parties; each having its own venue, catered food (Caramella Catering, Lincoln's Sports Grille, or Ruby Tuesday), and special music, while others may have enjoyed the following concert by The Fairview Union.

Regardless, as an impartial viewer, it all was loads of fun.  People roamed up and down Roane Street checking out the three venues beginning at 4:30 and enjoyed themselves right up to show time at 7PM.

Many could be seen carrying their food up the street to another venue with their kind of music, or just stood and talked to friends as they ate. 

Outside, music also played on the outdoor speakers, so goers were never without entertainment.

Once inside, the audience awaited the start of the concert, and Becky Ruppe, Chair of the local CASA Board of Directors, quickly welcomed them and introduced the evening's entertainment.

The Fairview Union hit the stage and began rocking those in attendance with their "today" country music!

The group was new to me, but I soon understood that they are a well rehearsed and accomplished group, that is sure to make a name for themselves.

The group's members are:

Chad Wilson	Lead Vocals, Guitar
Kelli Wilson	Lead Vocals, Keyboard
Mike Barnes	Lead Guitar
Chris Potocik	Drums
Neal Foster	Vocals, Bass

Here are a few of the stills I made at rehearsal and during the concert:

 

Chris Potocik recognizing his favorite photographer!

 

And, I must recognize our own local member, Melanie Duff, who accompanied the band on "Cowbell"!  Cowbell is a song on the group's new album "Bona Fide" coming out on February 22nd!

*The event was produced by the Princess Theatre Foundation, with all proceeds going to benefit CASA in the Ninth Judicial District.  The event was presented by Earl Duff Subaru and Citizens First Bank.

   

VISITING A SUPERFUND SITE IN HARRIMAN, TENNESSEE

Over the past 5 or 6 years, I've been documenting the condition of the area along the Emory River, in Roane County, Tennessee, now known as a "Superfund site".  To locals the site is the old "paper mill" location, a work place for area residents since 1929.

This post was prompted by a recent visit to the site, with another local photographer Chris Oliver (his photos are HERE.)

We found, me more than Chris since I've been visiting since 2008, that many of the old mill buildings are now on the ground.  Some waste material and asbestos have been removed, although there are still remnants scattered throughout the site.

The waste chemicals and oil drums I first saw in 2008 were removed in 2011.  I like to think the above photo had something to do with that removal! 

{Much of the following explanation of the site comes from 

the National Priorities List (NPL) at this URL.}

The Clinch River Corporation site consists of approximately 30.5 acres and is located on the banks of the Emory River/Watts Bar Reservoir in Harriman, Tennessee.

The Clinch River Corporation site operated as a pulp and paper mill from 1929 until 2002 under various management companies.

The following companies owned and/or operated the paper and pulp mill throughout its operational history: the Mead Corporation, Inc.; the Harriman Paperboard Corporation; the Clinch River Corporation; the Gibson Group; Mid-South Cogeneration, Inc.; Power Paper, Inc.; Power Paper, Limited; Power Paper Recycling, Inc.; and American Kraft Mills of Tennessee, LLC (AKM).  AKM, being the last operator, receives the brunt of current criticism locally and in the media, but all have contributed to the legacy we have in Harriman today.  

Byproducts of the manufacturing process include spent processing liquids (black liquor), coal tar constituents (polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs), and piles of wastepaper.

Recent investigations suggest that off-site migration from contaminated source areas of dioxins, furans, PAHs and several metals into Watts Bar Reservoir, may have affected the fishery.  The Emory River (Watts Bar Reservoir) is used for recreational and subsistence fishing.  An estimated 54,750 pounds of fish are harvested annually from the Watts Bar Reservoir.  In addition, the Emory River/Watts Bar Reservoir is a habitat for three federally designated endangered mussel species, including the Finerayed Pigtoe mussel, Purple Bean mussel and the Alabama Lamp mussel.

 

In September 2011, the EPA conducted an emergency removal at the site. The EPA removed 63 drums of hazardous material, contaminated soil from the drum storage area, and 20,000 gallons of black liquor from the site. (I like to think I had a little something to do with that...having posted photos back in 2008!)

The state of Tennessee referred the site to the EPA to allow for a comprehensive cleanup to address all the human health and environmental risks posed by the site. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at this time. The EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the state.

The long abandoned paper mill on the Emory River has been proposed as a federal Superfund site.

If the former Clinch River Corporation's property is added to the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List of Superfund sites, it could force the owner to pay for cleanup.

Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.

The EPA identifies the companies or people responsible for the clean up and requires them to either clean up the site or pay to have it cleaned up.

The site is now under a 7-year program to finally clean up the entire site.  These first two years have shown some good progress, so I hope the work continues.

Under the operation of American Kraft Mills, the paper miller employed 50 to 100 millwork employees that once processed 120 tons of wood pulp per day. American Kraft Mills ceased operation in 2000, and sold much of the equipment in 2002. A fire gutted portions of the plant in 2004.

Recently some efforts have been put toward cleaning up the site, with several of the old buildings being torn down. There is much left to be done, over the next 5 years.

See all photos taken on 3 separate visits to the old "Paper Mill" location in Harriman, Tennessee HERE.  These photos show the condition of the site, as it was in 2008, 2009, and 2014.  (Older photos appear at the top of the set.) 

You will also note as you can compare the older shots that many of the old buildings are now missing. 

That’s a start!

Merry Christmas To All From Harriman, Tennessee

I LOST ANOTHER GREAT MAN THIS WEEK

If I could have chosen any other man to be my father, it would have been James Keebler.  James was my uncle by marriage, not blood at all, but I loved him as if he were my father.  I lost him Tuesday to, what else, cancer, the curse of mankind...it seems.

James in 1974, posing for my camera.

Anyway, I won't get into all that, I just wanted to say that I loved this man. 

He taught me more about how to love my wife, my child and my grandchildren than any other influence in my life.  He was there with support, he was there with love, he was there with compassion, and coated it all with a little touch of humor that could make you miss the moment if you didn't pay close attention.  His lessons in life were subtle and strongly rooted in family.

These were the good days; days of sharing food and fellowship.
We loved being with one another and looked forward to the next time.  

  

He loved the family gatherings, the holidays, the cook-outs, the birthdays, the food, the laughter, the children, the football games, the family slide shows, and especially the fun in the backyard afterward.  He could always be heard laughing, and/or just standing, smiling, and soaking in the fleeting moments. 

James and Wilma Keeber - 1969

As for his own wife and daughters, none were ever loved more.  You could see it in his eyes.  His eyes always locked on yours and you knew that he saw you, understood you, felt for you, and loved you.  You could not turn away, didn't want to turn away, when he spoke to you.

I was never very close to my own father, and we often had words and would spend days not talking.  During one of these times I once told James that I wished he had been my father.  He looked shocked, and for a moment didn't say anything.  He knew what I was going through and what I yearned for in my relationship with my dad.  Then he said, "Don't say that.  Your father loves you...he just don't know how to tell you."

I knew then that I was wrong.  However, it was years before I understood where my dad was coming from, and why.  By then it was too late.

James and I often had deep conversations about life.  We also had great moments of laughter.  We always got each others jokes.  Like me, he wasn't ashamed to let the "little boy" inside him out.  He loved our bottle rocket shot-outs, our games of badminton, horseshoes, and lawnmower-polo!  He even once built a snow sled by screwing a lawn-chair to a pair of water skis, just because I suggested it.

He laughed at Bill Powers, is son-in-law, and me as we wildly zipped down the snow covered slop behind his house.  I don't remember if he tried it or not, but I'm sure he did; he couldn't have resisted!  He could never let us have all the fun.

James was strong, but the kids were his soft spot!

I don't think I've ever known as stronger man either.  Yes, he was gentle with us, but he was a strong man.  One of the toughest things I remember about him was the two times he got his hands, up to the wrist, caught in an offset printing press...the big kind that printed newspapers.

Once at the Harriman RECORD, I walked in from my advertising sales route to see a trail of blood leading out the front door and down the street to the hospital.  I asked what had happened and was told about how James got one hand caught, reached in with the other, and pried up on a bar to release his hands.  He had walked himself the two blocks to the emergency room!

It happened again a few years later at the Roane County NEWS, and again both hands were nearly crushed.  It took weeks for the skin to grow back, but the pain never left his joints, especially in his golden years.  Cold winter days must have been agonizing for him!

However, after both incidents, he never showed any pain.  He kept that locked inside.  His tolerance for pain was remarkable, but it was his love for his family that was the medication he used to hide it.

Family was his thing.  Christmas time was his favorite time.

A happy day for James and Wilma when his daughter married.

He loved the time with all the grandkids...here he feeds Corey.

James loved "photo bombing"!  We were a tight bunch.

James boost Brandon to see the parade, and you can see he enjoyed everything!

Another "photo bomb" moment!

As these few photos I found of him show, he loved us all.  It's in his eyes, in his smile.

I just wish I could remember it all, word for word, but it has been too many years.  I'm just thankful for all the years he was in my life.  He'll never be forgotten, but he'll be sorely missed.

I love you James!

DAY TRIP THROUGH EAST TENNESSEE

Okay, haven't done this in a while, so give me a little time to get back in the grove!

Yes, I've been down and out for the last four and a half months, recovering from back surgery.  So, blogging hasn't been on the front burner.  Also, my photography has taken off and what little time I've had to get out this rainy summer, I've spent it taking some shots and posting them on my photographic art page, Paul's Art!

Also, last year, before the surgery and rain, I purchased a toy that I have always wanted.  Granted, it isn't the '69 version that began the lust, but it is a GT 500, and a beautiful Grabber Blue 2010, I've dubbed "Thunder Mule".

He, it's too mean to be a she, loves the road, especially those with lots of banked curves and frequent straight stretches.  Last winter, about a week before my L4/L5 fusion surgery, "he" did an admirable job on "The Dragon"!  He ate up the 318 curves in 11 miles.

My wife and I loaded up some snacks, my camera, and headed out for a four hour tour of Morgan/Scott Counties, Tennessee.  The whole circular trip was about 140 miles, from Harriman to Rugby, Jamestown, Pall Mall, and Crossville.

I loved the trip up to Wartburg the best, because the road is winding, and new.  We rolled through Wartburg and on down hill (seems like even though you are traveling north) through Sunbright, and on to Elgin, where we made the turn toward Rugby, Tennessee. 

Rugby Visitor Centre 

Nestled among tall pines and oaks just south of the Big South Fork National Park, lies Historic Rugby, Tennessee; a British-founded village whose Utopian dream of a better life in America has never quite died.

Christ Church Episcopal Rugby

Kingstone Lisle House

Rugby School

Rugby Library

Christ Church Episcopal Rugby

British author and social reformer Thomas Hughes, famous for his classic novel  Tom Brown’s Schooldays, dedicated the Rugby Colony amid great fanfare on October 5, 1880.

It was a beautiful day, rolling along, windows down, and listening to the engine make that beautiful Shelby noise.  No, it ain't noise, it's something else to this "sixties kind of man", it's music to the ear, and the reason I rarely play the radio, or a CD.  The back-off sound alone is worth stopping at a red light or stop sign, and then, another opportunity to go through the six gears!  Even this 67-year old loves working the clutch and effortless movement of the shifter.

So, we roared on to Jamestown, took a hard right and headed north to Pall Mall, Tennessee.

Alvin C. York & Sons General Merchandise

What is in Pall Mall?  Not much, but it is near the home place of  Alvin C. York.  Sgt. York, a hero of mine since I saw the Gary Cooper movie years ago.  It was an inspiration for my "let's play war" days as a kid, and to be where he breathed the East Tennessee air was down right cool!

The York Roller Mill and pond

Roller machines that were belt driven in the York Mill

The Alvin C. York Roller Mill, with intake in foreground

Alvin C. York (roller) Grist Mill

Alvin C. York barn and silo

Alvin C. York Minneapolis-Moline tractor

Trips like this are made much better if you look for the little things, things that you expect to never find, but you have to look up and down, and take in the entire experience.

It's the small things that make a trip, like the slab of sandstone leaning against the general store, on which someone had painted the Ten Commandments! 

Or maybe it's the little Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) growing down my the pond behind the York Grist Mill.  

Or possibly the vines about to overgrow the R. M. Brooks service station residence.  You have to get out of your "Thunder Mule" and walk around a little to see it all, but it's there.  However, it won't be there long.  It will either be over grown or decay and fall, and you will have missed it!

And, you must walk all the way down to the York Grist Mill pond and falls.  The water fall is spectacular, especially on such a summer's day as we found it.  The intake has long since been closed and the pond overflows almost constantly during rainy seasons.

Ignore the Statue of Liberty on display on the York property.  It seems so out of place, but I guess someone was trying to convey Sgt. York's love of country.  However, there is no need for it...if you saw the movie, or read about him, you know he loved his country, even though he saw no sense in leaving East Tennessee to go off to fight.  After all, he barely knew about the world situation.

M247 Sergeant York

Yes, there is even a tank there, but the most important small find there is the 1969 Lincoln Mark III behind the house.  Like I said, you have to get out of your car and walk around.

The world has to look hard to find you in the East Tennessee hills...only a draft can find most young men (like York) like it found me.

Swinging back around through Crossville and down I-40, you again come to Roane County, Tennessee.  There are lots of overlooked items of interest in your own backyard.

1954 Federal Fire Engine

 Like the vintage fire engines I found on the way home!

  You can see more photos from my trip here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23056599@N00/sets/72157635115537162/

and here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23056599@N00/sets/72157635121922651/

 

MY BREAKING BAD MOMENT!

Okay, I'm no Walter, or Hal, (a.k.a. Bryan Cranston), nor do I care to be, but today I had one of those "Ah, shit!" moments!

I normally wear my hair buzzed off, but I usually stop at a 3/8" length.  That was the plan today when I made my first swipe, on autopilot, but as I landed the second one, I saw the blue 3/8" plastic guard fall before my eyes, and then heard it hit the ground below my deck, where I usually cut my hair.

As "auto" arm completed the second and third plow, I saw a huge tuft of white hair also fall slowly to the ground.  It was only then that I could regain control of my arm and stop the unwanted and deep furrowing!

I ran into the house to confirm what I thought I saw in my hand mirror, and Judy only had to say, "Ooooh!"  I knew then that it wasn't a dream...it really happened.

There was only one thing to do; make it all match the clear-cut behind my right ear.  So, here is the result...waddle and all!

It seems that I am making mistakes more and more often these days, and I can only blame it on my advancing age.

How in the hell did I get to be 67 years old!  I thought long ago, after receiving my orders for South Vietnam, that my life would be short, and I would die young and pretty!

But NOOOOOooo, here I am looking at a stranger in a mirror with short, super short, grey hair.  Who is he?

I suppose I really know the answer to that question, having documented my "life and times" in this blog (Mushy's Moochings).  However, I just don't feel like I know that fun loving dude anymore.  He's gotten old, and I never really liked old people, so how can I love me now?!

I guess I will though...carry on, that is.  Memories are all I have left now and they are good ones, great ones.  Wait, I think I can make a few more before I suck it in for the last time!

After all, there are grand-kids, and I have a Thunder Mule in my stable.  So, let's ride it into the sunset.  Giddy up, get it, go, gone!