Front Row (L to R): Sammy Potapov, Lucas Potapov, Christina Wilson, Peter Chartier, Jake Myers, Titus Chartier ; Middle Row (L to R): Emmy Bibbings, Luke Chartier, Katie Wilson, Evie Wilson, Kylee Allmon, Josie Harville, Tana Harville, Avery O’Brien ; Back Row (L to R): Easton Bibbings, Turner Harville, Owen Meeks, Kyler Yerge

Recently, 17 Smith County 4-H’ers got a little wild at the 2026 Central Region 4-H Wildlife Judging Contest, which was held on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. 4-H’ers spent the day at the beautiful Cheatham Lock and Dam Campground in Ashland City, Tennessee, enjoying nature and testing their knowledge.

By participating in 4-H Wildlife Judging, 4-H’ers learn how to identify native species of Tennessee wildlife by appearance, as well as tracks, skulls, pelts, scat, and calls. They also learn best practices for conserving and managing habitat for wildlife while practicing their listening skills, reading comprehension, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.

At the Central Region Wildlife Judging contest, 4-H’ers were asked to identify and answer questions about 20 different wildlife species as well as apply the appropriate wildlife management practices for 6 different species based on verbal scenario during an observational hike through the woods.

Our Senior High Team, made up of Easton Bibbings, Emmy Bibbings, Turner Harville, and Owen Meeks, placed 1st in their division and earned a bid to the State 4-H Wildlife Judging Contest in June. Turner was the overall 1st Place High Individual, with Easton placing a close 2nd. Owen was the 4th place individual, and Emmy placed 10th overall. Also competing in the Senior High Division were Tana Harville and Avery O’Brien.

In the Junior High Division, our Smith County Team A, made up of Titus Chartier, Luke Chartier, Josie Harville, and Kyler Yerge, placed 3rd in their division, with Luke placing 8th individually. Our Junior High Team B, made up of Kylee Allmon, Evie Wilson, and Katie Wilson, placed 6th in their division.

The Smith County Junior Team, made up of Peter Chartier, Lucas Potapov, Sammy Potapov, and Jake Myers, placed 5th in their division. Christina Wilson also represented Smith County in the Junior Division.

4-H Wildlife Judging allows 4-H’ers to embrace the great outdoors as a classroom, and we could not be prouder of these 4-H’ers for the way they represented themselves and Smith County!

We hope that by participating in Wildlife Judging through 4-H, our 4-H’ers are more conscious of their environment and practice and rely on these skills throughout their lives as they birdwatch, hunt, fish, enjoy nature, or even go on to pursue careers in the natural resources sector.

Special thanks to volunteer coach and 4-H Alumni Carson Meeks for sharing his time and knowledge with our group this season!

Best of luck to our Senior High team as they prepare for the next level of competition this summer.

For more information about 4-H Wildlife Judging or any other 4-H activities offered in Smith County, please call 615-735-2900 or email rpetty@utk.edu.

Jacky Carver, Sr. (center), recipient of the 2026 Good Scout Award is flanked on the left by Phillip Piper (Chair, Cumberland River District Friends of Scouting) and Jake Pedigo (Eagle Scout, Troop 367).  On the right is David Bass (Troop 367, breakfast sponsor, Eagle Scout) and Vivian Reynolds (Troop 367 Committee Chair).

Local businessman Jacky Carver Sr. received the 2026 Good Scout Award at the Smith County Friends of Scouting breakfast recently held at the Carthage United Methodist Church.  The Good Scout Award is the Middle Tennessee Council’s highest honor for individual or corporate citizenship in local communities.  The award recognizes individuals who exemplify the spirit of the Scout Oath and Law; who are found always doing their best to help others; and whose personal and public contributions enhance our community and the world in which we live.   After Carver’s decades-long history of community service was read, the gathering of community leaders and businesspeople had no doubts that Carver has done his best and is still doing his best to fulfill a tenet of the Scout Oath and Law he promised in his youth:  “to help other people at all times”.

Logan Crocker of Troop 367 gave the invocation and administered the colors with assistance from Canan Barnhart and Maddux Wallace. Phillip Piper, Cumberland River District Friends of Scouting Chair, emceed the fundraising event and Carlton Kinslow, Cumberland River District Commissioner, reported Middle Tennessee Council achievements. Local Troop 367 leader Sherrie Hughey spoke of her reasons for joining to help administer the program.  Eleven-year-old Casey Lawson gave a summary of the five top reasons he likes Scouting in Troop 367.  As a recently “minted” Eagle Scout, Jake Pedigo spoke of his 12-year history in Scouting that included his recent Eagle Scout project at the Carthage Depot.

Vivian Reynolds introduced the recipient and gave a summary of Carver’s achievements as proof of his worthiness to receive the Good Scout Award: A Defeated Creek native and the son of the late Duard Carver and Judy Reece Carver, Jacky Carver Sr., is married to the former Jackie Stafford of the Sykes Community.  They have a son, Jacky Carver Jr., two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Jacky is a 1965 graduate of Smith County High School and a 1966 graduate of John A. Gupton College where he has served on the Board of Directors since 1985.  He currently serves many roles at Sanderson Funeral Homes, including Chairman of the Board. He is Past-President of the Tennessee Funeral Directors Association and served on the Tennessee Board of Emergency Medical Services under the administration of Governor Blanton. He is now a member of the Smith County Library Board, Smith County Chamber of Commerce, and the Upper Cumberland Council for the Aging.

For 32 years, he served as charter president and is the last surviving charter member of the Smith County Rescue Squad, which was established in 1976.  He was awarded emeritus status in 2010. For 15 years, from 1990-2005, Jacky served as Director of the Smith County Emergency Management Agency and currently serves as Assistant Director.  He is also Chairman of the Smith County 911 Board. For 45 years, Jacky was the Charter Chief of the Smith County Fire Department, established in 1976.  He oversaw growth from a single truck to the implementation of countywide E-911 and the formation of a rural fire plan establishing fire districts across Smith County.  As a result, fire rating classifications were improved, response times were reduced and Smith County residents saw lower insurance premiums and less property damage when a fire occurred. In 2021, Jacky was awarded emeritus status. Since 1992 (34 years), he has served as an elder at the Montrose Church of Christ where he has taught Sunday School for many years.

BankTennessee will dedicate its Lebanon office building at 355 South Hartmann Drive in honor of Tom Paschal, a longtime Middle Tennessee community banker and Carthage area resident, during a ceremony on Wednesday, May 20, at 2:00 p.m.

Haley Dunn-Fultz has officially announced her write-in campaign for the Smith County School Board District 4 seat, focused on accountability, student success, transparency, and stronger communication between schools and families. With four school board seats up for election this year, Dunn-Fultz says the community has a meaningful opportunity to bring fresh leadership and new ideas to Smith County Schools.

“Our students, teachers, and families deserve leaders who will listen, work hard, and put education first,” said Dunn-Fultz. “I believe meaningful progress happens when we focus on common-sense leadership, accountability, and doing what is best for students every single day.”Dunn-Fultz says her campaign priorities include supporting teachers, improving communication with parents, encouraging transparency in decision-making, and ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed. “I want to be a steady, reliable voice for all students and families in District 4,” she said. “This campaign is about building stronger schools, stronger partnerships, and a stronger future for our community.” Dunn-Fultz encourages voters to participate in the upcoming election and support positive change within the district. “Together, we can create a school system that truly works for every student, every day.”

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has confirmed that a new state record for a Largemouth Bass has been established, breaking the previous mark, which was set more than 11 years ago.

Darren Nunley (pictured above) caught the record fish in Nickajack Reservoir on Feb. 28 that weighed 15 pounds, 7 1/2 ounces, and was 27 7/8 inches in length. The new mark surpasses the previous record of Gabe Keen, who caught a largemouth weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces on Friday the 13th in February 2015, which at the time had broken a record which stood for more than 60 years.

A resident of Whitwell, Nunley made his record haul at 8 a.m. on a jackhammer chatterbait lure. He was using a 17-pound fluorocarbon test line and a Shimano reel.

The fish was weighed on a certified scale at a grocery store in Whitwell. TWRA sent a fin clip for genetic testing, with official results finalized on May 9.

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.

In the presence of family, friends, dignitaries, and members of the community, at 3 PM on Sunday May 17, 2026, Jacob Adam Pedigo will be awarded the Eagle Scout Medal during an Eagle Court of Honor at the Aubrey Harwell Leadership Center, Camp Stahlman at Boxwell Scout Reservation.  He becomes the nineteenth Scout from Troop 367 Scouts BSA since 2007 to attain this honor and ranks in the upper 7% of Middle Tennessee Scouts in his accomplishment.

Pictured above – Jacob Adam Pedigo, Eagle Scout, Troop 367 Scouts BSA, stands in front of the Carthage Junction Depot, the historic Smith County landmark where he made significant upgrades through his Eagle Scout Community Service project.

For his Eagle Scout Community Service Project, seventeen-year-old Jacob Adam Pedigo of Troop 367, Scouts BSA chose to make upgrades to a historic Smith County landmark, the Carthage Junction Depot located at Pipers Ford Kayak Access, 185 Gordonsville Hwy, Carthage, TN 37030.  A dedication ceremony was held onsite on August 21, 2025, in which the Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason provided national, state, and county flags for display on new poles installed in concrete pillars built by Pedigo.  For months, Pedigo had been refurbishing a very old train depot baggage cart, now proudly displayed alongside the depot.  Pedigo also installed three new benches along the elevated walkway around the building. He also painted and installed a semaphore signal pole on a previously constructed engraved pillar.  In addition to being a train and history museum, the depot hosts local artists and craftsmen.  Pedigo’s project has greatly enhanced the venue for area citizens and tourists.

The Eagle rank was bestowed on March 1, 2026, by members of the Cumberland River District Advancement Committee of the Middle Tennessee Council, Scouting America who conducted an interview and review of Pedigo’s project and found him worthy to advance to the highest rank. 

As the younger son of Josh and Karen Pedigo of Lafayette, Jake joins his father and brother Coleman who also are Eagle Scouts.  His Scouting career began with Pack 402 where he earned the Arrow of Light, the highest award in Cub Scouting.  Since joining Troop 367 Scouts BSA in April of 2019, Pedigo has served over 2,000 days in leadership positions within the troop, two weeks total on staff at two winter camps at Boxwell and a total of twenty-five weeks on staff at five summer camps, also at Boxwell Scout Reservation.  A 2026 graduate of Home Life Academy, Jake has joined the family business, Next Generation Builders, LLC of Lafayette.

Information provided by Vivian Reynolds, Scouting America Leader

Pictured seated (l-r):  Danny Ray, Lynn Ray, Charles Watson, Earl Crausaz, and Jim Boswell, Scouters from Wilson County; pictured background (l-r): Josh Pedigo, Jake Pedigo, Coleman Pedigo, Karen Pedigo