The Pleasant Shade Community Center will host its 9th Annual Fall Festival on Saturday, November 19, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

A turkey dinner with all the fixin’s will be served at the festival. Take-out or delivery orders can be placed between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Dine-in meals will be served from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Concessions will also be available for purchase at the event.

The cakewalk will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Please bring donated items to the cakewalk by 6:00 p.m. Any item is okay to donate. It does not have to be food!

All proceeds from the Fall Festival will be used to maintain and keep the Pleasant Shade Community Center open. The Pleasant Shade Community Center is located at 743 Pleasant Shade Highway in Pleasant Shade, Tennessee.

If you have any questions, please contact Wesley Rigsby at 615-677-6514 to Ann Gregory at 615-677-6388. Leave a message if no one answers.

On Saturday, November 5th the first ever public paranormal investigation will be held at the Historic Smith County Courthouse. The evening event will be held from 7 p.m. – 12 a.m. and include pizza and soft drinks for a ticket price of $45. All proceeds for this event will be donated to the Smith County Humane Association.

The event is hosted by Mid-Tenn Paranormal. The company is the result of a shared passion turned business venture for paranormal investigating couple and Smith County residents Stephen and Terry Denson. The couple along with other team members have visited numerous destinations to investigate paranormal activities. They have captured a strong following on social media. Visit their facebook page for more information.

You can get tickets for the November 5th Event and November 19th Event at Eventbrite.

For the past 15 years, the first Saturday in November has typically been a busy morning on the campus of Gordonsville High School as members from all throughout the community gather for the annual Chad’s Run 5K.

Chad’s Run was established to support Chad Hunter, who was involved in an automobile accident on February 14, 2004, that left him needing around-the-clock care. Proceeds from the race go into the Chad Hunter Trust, which provides financial support for Chad’s continued care.

Each year, Chad’s Run also awards scholarships to one senior at Gordonsville High School and one senior at Smith County High School who wishes to pursue a career in the medical field.

The first Chad’s Run was held thanks to the inspiration of Brother Mark Stinnett, who was training to run the Music City Half Marathon at the time of Chad’s accident. After running the marathon in Chad’s honor, Stinnett proposed having an annual run to further help with Chad’s needs. Soon after, a Board of Directors came together and the first race was planned.

Saturday’s race will be the 16th year that the community has gathered in support of Chad.

“Chad looks so forward to this every year,” says Maxine Hunter, Chad’s mother and caretaker. “Trying to find the right words to express the gratitude we feel for the love and support this community has shown us is humbling. We are so grateful for all the participants, board members, and sponsors each year.”

Chad’s favorite thing about the race is getting to see everyone. He especially recalls the first race, where all of his teammates and classmates came out to support him.

“Chad doesn’t sleep much the night before the race due to the excitement he feels. To see him happy and smiling makes all the preparation well worth the effort,” says race organizer Mark Medley. “Due to Chad’s brain injury, he and his mom face daily challenges only they know. Thanks to Chad’s Run we can all help them meet those challenges.”

In 2022, Chad’s Run is back in person for the first time since the pandemic. The race will begin at 9:00 a.m. at Gordonsville High School on Saturday, November 5, 2022. Race day registration begins at 8:00 a.m.

The Smith County Drug Prevention Coalition will host a Drug Take Back Event on Saturday October 29th at the Carthage Walmart from 10AM- 1PM

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Clean out all of your expired medications and drop them off on for safe disposal.

American Legion Post 57 will hold the 2021 Veterans Day parade on Sunday, November 6th, on Main Street in Carthage, TN. The parade is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm.

All veterans are welcome to walk with fellow veterans. If you have an antique car, we encourage you to come out and drive one of the veterans who are unable to walk. Other veterans are also able to ride on one of the parade wagons stationed on Carmack. The line up for the parade begins at 1:00 pm in front of Powell Meadows Insurance Company along Carmack Avenue. The parade will proceed down Main St. from Carmack Ave to the Historic Smith County Courthouse.

A ceremony will be held on the Historic Smith County Courthouse steps following the parade. A special concert performance by Tennessee Outlaw Country and Beautifully Broken will begin at 2 p.m. at the Historic Smith County Courthouse.

You are invited and encouraged to come out and line the streets of Carthage in honor of our Veterans! If you are unable to attend the parade, you can watch live coverage of the parade on Smith County Insider’s Facebook Page.

The Harlem Wizards, the most interactive, fun, community basketball event in the world is coming to Gordonsville High School. The world-famous Harlem Wizards will visit the Gordonsville High School gymnasium on Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 7pm (doors open at 6pm) for an evening of great fun and fundraising. The Wizards will play a game against a team of teachers ,principals and community leaders. The event is a fundraiser for the Gordonsville High School Baseball team.

Pre-sale tickets can be purchased from any baseball player for $13 each. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $15 each. There are also a limited number of court side tickets for $30 and VIP tickets for $80 available for sale.

The energy at a Wizards game is electric. The laughter is infectious. The dunks are rim-rattling, high-flying and awe-inspiring. The hoop artistry, ball-handling, tricks and teamwork are mesmerizing.What really takes it to another level is the hometown participation from the kids on court experiences, to the teachers, principals and other community leaders who take on the Wizards as the “hometown heroes”.

Besides cheering for their teachers, the kids are involved all night long. They will all have a chance to get on the court! Pre-game, any child or teen with a Wizards jersey can warm-up with the Wizards! Throughout the game audience members will be asked to volunteer in different contests and acts. And the end of night final moments includes an invitation to all students to come onto the court for a dance celebration with the Wizards.

The experience at a Wizards game is the community, the school coming together fora night of good, pure fun and excitement and it’s a fundraiser.The event will feature a variety of fun interactive extras to complement the Wizards’ dazzling demonstration of hoops artistry: Pregame “Wiz Kids” warm-up, contests, comedy, awesome slam dunks, audience participation, merchandise giveaways, and more. The game will conclude with the Wizards’ signature dance celebration that will have the parents on their feet and the kids moving to the beat.

The first of two Tennessee young sportsman deer hunts for the 2022-23 season will be held the weekend of Oct. 29-30.

Youth ages 6-16 may participate. Participating youth can use gun, muzzleloader, or archery equipment.

Young sportsmen must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 21 or older who must remain in position to take immediate control of the hunting device. The adult must also comply with the fluorescent orange regulations as specified for legal hunters. Multiple youth may be accompanied by a single qualifying adult.

Youth ages 6-9 are not required to have a license or hunter’s education certification. Youth ages 10-12 must meet hunter education requirements or have a Type 12 apprentice license. In addition to the requirements for youth 10-12, youth 13-15 must have young sportsman hunting license and youth 16 and over must have the appropriate adult licenses.

Archery season began in the state on Sept. 24 and the first segment ends Oct. 28, the day prior to the opening of the young sportsman hunt. The second segment of archery only season is Monday, Oct. 31 through Friday, Nov. 4. Muzzleloader/archery season starts Nov. 5. In Unit CWD, gun/muzzleloader/archery season begins Oct. 31. The statewide gun/muzzleloader/archery season has the traditional opening date of the Saturday before Thanksgiving which this year is Nov. 19.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency recommends that all hunters obtain a 2022-23 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide lists license requirements, the counties and bag limits for each of the different deer management units. The guide is available on the TWRA website, www.tnwildlife.org, the TWRA App, and where hunting and fishing licenses are sold.

The Smith County Events Committee is at it again with their 3rd annual Hometown Halloween! Here is what they have in store for us this year: the iconic Maze that started it all, a Haunt area, a pumpkin carving contest, costume contest, pet costume contest, yard games, bounce houses, Slime-A-Ghoul fundraiser, and of course, Trunk-or-Treat.

You may have noticed Smith County Events Committee popping up earlier in the year with Shop Late Local and their first annual Back-to-School Bash where they supplied students all over the county with free school supplies. SCEC is a 501c3 under the umbrella organization Smith County Living. They are devoted to building community through hosting events for Smith County by Smith County residents. Money made from the Slime-A-Ghoul fundraiser at Hometown Halloween will go toward funding next year’s B2SB. They are recruiting Smith County schools’ teachers and staff to participate in the event. Similarly, they used funds from B2SB’s Soak-A-Candidate to stock the county ‘s school food pantries. However, upon stocking these pantries, they found some in disrepair or were gone altogether. To remedy this situation, they are hosting a Pumpkin Carving contest to raise funds to repair and replace the pantries as needed.

The Maze first popped up in 2020 when founder and chair of SCEC, Stephanie Winfree, set up in the parking lot on Main Street. The spark of Hometown Halloween and Smith County Events Committee. This Maze isn’t a knock-your-socks-off scream event. It’s just spooky enough to feel the season and fun for everyone. Now, if you’re looking for a good scare, you can wander over to the other side of the courthouse to find The Haunt. Run this year by SCHS Drama Club, The Haunt is not for the faint of heart or those sensitive to clowns or strobes. Enter if you dare!

In addition to all of the spooktacular activities we’ve already mentioned, there will also be two costume contests. One for creatures of the human variety and the other for our furry friends. The pet costume contest will be hosted and sponsored by Smith County Humane. Speaking of additions, last year, you all asked and they answered! There will be a map available with a Trick-or-Treat Trail through town! If you intend to hand out candy and would like to be included, you can register for the Trail via the link on SCEC’s Facebook page. Some of our local businesses will be open late to trick or treat us as well. Those participating will be marked on the Trick-or-Treat Trail.

But that’s not all! There will be ghoulish yard games and bounce houses for all the kiddos to enjoy. We are also in the works with a beloved local farmer to have a Not-a-“Hay” ride through town. Last but not least, of course we can’t leave out the candy! Trunk-or-Treat will be set up on Main Street starting in front of the Historic Courthouse.

Hometown Halloween is Monday, October 31st, from 4pm to 7pm on the Historic Courthouse lawn. Bring the whole family out to enjoy all the spooky festivities! You can find links to pre-register for contests on the Smith County Events Facebook page. Can’t wait to see you there!” (article submitted by Smith County Events Committee)

Looking for a fun and creepy way to enjoy this Halloween season? The Gordonsville High School Baseball team has just the thing… “The Return of the Scream Factory!”

Located at 110 Main Street E in Gordonsville (inside the visitor’s football locker room underneath the elementary school), The Scream Factory is a haunted house that will be open to the public on October 29 and October 31. 

The Scream Factory opens at 6:00 p.m. and closes at approximately 10:00 p.m.

The Scream Factory schedule and admission prices are as follows:

• October 29 – 6pm-10pm
• October 31 – 6pm-10pm

DO YOU DARE?

Follow The Scream Factory on Facebook for more information.