The Historic William Walton Harvest Festival will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026, on the Historic Courthouse Square in Smith County.

The festival will feature local music, craft vendors, pioneer demonstrations, historical displays, a kids area, cake walk, and a “Dixie Man Call” competition. Visitors can also enjoy an authentic costume contest and a heritage quilt show and competition.

The event will also celebrate America’s 250th birthday, making this year’s festival a special opportunity to enjoy Smith County history, community traditions, and family-friendly activities.

The Pleasant Shade Community Center will host a fish fry on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the community center, located at 743 Pleasant Shade Hwy.

The meal will be cooked by Helen’s Rest and will include a choice of fish or chicken, hush puppies, two sides, dessert and a drink for $15.

A children’s plate is also available for children age 8 and under. The $10 plate includes two pieces of fish, hush puppies, French fries and a drink.

Everyone is invited to come enjoy a good meal and support the Pleasant Shade Community Center.

Registration for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s (TWRA) Tennessee Biodiversity Summit will remain open, with walk-ins accepted on the day of the event until capacity of 900 attendees is reached. Those interested in attending must register before Oct. 1 to receive lunch at the event. Those registering after Oct. 1 will not receive lunch with the registration package.

The Tennessee Biodiversity Summit, an event celebrating Tennessee’s rich habitats and many species, will occur on Oct. 21, 2026, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Central Time at Middle Tennessee State University. All wildlife enthusiasts, including experts, birdwatchers, hunters, and anyone interested in nature, are invited to participate in this experience packed with opportunities to learn about wildlife, habitats, and conservation in Tennessee.

Eight dynamic speakers, including Keynote Chris Wood, Director of eBird, will deliver presentations centered around this year’s theme, “Moving the Needle, Wins in Conservation,” which celebrates many positive conservation accomplishments throughout the state. Participants will receive an update on the Red-cockaded Woodpecker reintroduction announced at last year’s event and the State Wildlife Action Plan, a federally guided blueprint to prevent biodiversity decline. Attendees will also learn about Conservation Opportunity Areas in which they reside.

Over 20 educational booths will be set up during the event, highlighting those committed to protecting the rich biodiversity and providing actionable resources for attendees. The event will also include time for networking and a silent auction of incredible excursions to learn firsthand about wildlife.

The main sponsor for the event is the Greg A. Vital Center for Natural Resources and Conservation at Cleveland State Community College. More information and registration are available at tnwildlife.org.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving fish and wildlife species for the benefit of Tennesseans and visitors. The Agency also maintains public safety through law enforcement and safety education on waterways.

Are you in the market for some high-quality laying hens to start or grow your own backyard poultry flock?

Members of the Smith County 4-H Chick Chain project would like to invite you to join them at the Smith County Ag Center on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, for the annual 4-H Chick Chain Poultry Show and Sale, where you can purchase some young, hand-raised laying hens and support a group of hardworking young people in the process!

This year, nearly 40 4-H’ers are participating in the 4-H Chick Chain project. Each participating 4-H’er received up to 24 two-day-old baby chicks in early April and has been responsible for raising them throughout the spring and summer.

On September 29th, 4-H’ers will select their three best hens to enter into the show. The breeds that will be available for purchase this year are Black Star and Red Star.

The show will begin with the judging of the pullets at 5:30 p.m. with the auction to follow at approximately 6:00 p.m. If you are interested in buying, please arrive by 5:30 p.m. so that you can check in and receive a bidder number.

Each 4-H’er is required to bring three pullets to be judged at the county show and may bring more for the auction. We should have a nice selection of laying hens to bid on! All proceeds from the sale go directly to the 4-H members to help with their expenses in raising the chicks.

Please consider coming out and supporting our 4-H Poultry Project members on September 29th!

For further information about the 4-H Chick Chain Project or our upcoming Show & Sale, call the Smith County Extension Office at 615-735-2900 or email rpetty@utk.edu.

Submitted by Rachel Petty – UT Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development

There is still have room for a couple more teams to make chili. Baked goods donations will also be accepted for the Bake Sale Tent.  All proceeds will be used for projects within the park.  This year’s project is to make some repairs to the old home place inside the park.  This house was build in approximately 1921.  There are plans to turn it into a venue for gatherings, or a display so visitors can see what a small farm in that time frame would have looked like.

The annual Smith County Foster Children Dinner & Auction will be held Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the Smith County Ag Center, located at 159 Ag Center Lane in Carthage. The event will help provide Christmas assistance to Smith County foster children.

Dinner will be served at 4 p.m., followed by the auction at 5 p.m. Chicken and fish will be provided by Helen’s Restaurant.

Items available at the auction will include tools, canned goods, home décor, gift certificates and much more.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children and may be purchased at the door or in advance at several local businesses, including Citizens Bank, Williamson Bank, Ed & Eddie Hawkins, Pat Nixon, Bank Tennessee, Eddie Dale Sykes, Wilson Bank & Trust, Laura Piper, and Deborah West.

Community members are encouraged to attend this special event and help make Christmas brighter for foster children in Smith County.

BrushCre

A rummage sale will be held Saturday, September 19, beginning at 8 a.m., at 69 Brush Creek Rd., Brush Creek, TN. The sale will feature items from the estate of Jerry and Sarah Smith.

Shoppers will find a variety of household and vintage items, with prices available on a faithful donation basis. All proceeds will benefit the Gordonsville Church of the Nazarene in memory of Jerry and Sarah Smith.

The community is invited to stop by, shop for a good cause, and support the church.

The Carthage Junction Depot welcomes visitors to this month’s  exhibit, “The Wild Life: Art celebrating the Outdoors and Outdoorsmen”.  This one day event is free and open to the public Saturday, September 19 from 10am-4pm. This event is generously sponsored by Colby McKinney, real estate agent for Underwood Hometown Realty.

Featured artists at this event include:

Tina Gantenbein, owner of Warrior Camo gun store and outdoor range in Chestnut Mound, TN is also an accomplished painter and incredibly talented photographer. Photos from her trips in Africa will be on display alongside carefully hand painted wildlife on turkey feathers.

Scott Clemons, hunter, fisherman, respected Gordonsville High School coach and Gordonsville Elementary vice-principal, will display a selection of his hand-painted fishing lures.

Hunter Clemons shares his father’s love of the outdoors and has put his creativity and knowledge of wildlife to use in his own business: Built To Kill game Calls, a line of his own beautifully hand-crafted turkey calls which will be on display at the exhibit.

Alex Dobrinski, the creator  of Dobrinski Duck Calls, will have samples of his handcrafted calls as well.

JoAnn Mathews is a nationally awarded artist residing in Lebanon, TN. Always open to experimental techniques, she often includes gold leaf, weaving, or collage into her paintings which creates lively textures in each image, created with care and love for every creature.

Samantha Wosinski, travel photographer and vlogger known as TravelingWithTheBrunette presents a selection of images  that remind the viewer to savor each moment and not rush past the beauty along each roadside and trail.

Joey Green, local bladesmith and leather artist, states  that he is just doing things he likes for the people he loves. His humility  can’t dim the shine of his impressive craftsmanship and creativity evident in the knives and leatherworks he will have on display at this event.

Tabatha Edwards, owner of Cub Knob Creations, specializes in pyrography and has recently extended the ancient art of wood burning beyond her beautiful wood jewelry and into burned paper artworks featuring meticulously detailed fins, feathers, and petals. We look forward to seeing what carefully observed details will be in the work she brings to this event.

Big Mama’s Taxidermy, located in Hickman, TN, provides taxidermy services for deer, waterfowl, spring turkey and euro mounts. Examples of her work will be keeping watchful eye over this event.

The Carthage Junction Depot is also home to a small railroad museum and hosts a selection of local artists’ work available to shoppers at every event. The Depot is located right beside Crump Paris Ball Parks at 185 Gordonsville Hwy, Brush Creek, TN. More information about upcoming events can be found on the Carthage Junction Depot Facebook page.

The GHS Band and Tiger Football Booster Club will host a Community Movie Night featuring Hocus Pocus on Saturday, October 3, at Turney Ford Field. Gates will open at 6:30 p.m., with the movie beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is a $5 donation, with all proceeds benefiting Mrs. Brown and her family as she continues her fight against breast cancer. Community members are encouraged to wear pink to show their support.

Concessions will be available, and guests are encouraged to bring blankets and enjoy the movie on the field. All concession donations will also go toward helping with medical expenses.