On September 15th, 2023, Sgt. Robbie Woodard, was notified by Sgt. Junior Fields of a vehicle all over the roadway on Interstate 40 westbound. Woodard made contact with the vehicle just before the Gordonsville exit and observed the vehicle to have a non-working tag light and bouncing from the fog line to the center line on the interstate.

Woodard activated his emergency equipment to conduct a traffic stop at the 258 Mile Marker. Upon making contact with the driver, a Hispanic male, he had glassy and bloodshot eyes. As well as an odor one would associate with alcoholic beverages emitting from his person.

The male gave the name of Juan Alonzo Perez. Once Sgt. Fields arrived to translate Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, Mr. Perez attempted the tests but due to his intoxicated state could not follow instructions. 

There were also 2 juvenile children in the vehicle. Mr. Perez was read the implied consent form in Spanish by Sgt. Fields, and did grant consent for chemical testing. He was placed into custody, and transported to Riverview Regional for the blood draw. Once it was completed he was transported to the Smith County Jail for processing. 

The vehicle was towed from the scene by Dale’s Towing. The other passengers in the vehicle were transported to Pilot to safely wait for a ride due to no person in the vehicle having any identification or a valid drivers license. 

Mr Perez was charged with a DUI and two counts of Child Abuse/ Neglect.

The Smith County Chamber of Commerce and Smith County Heritage Museum have a limited supply of the Smith County History Books (3rd Reprint). The cost is $125.00 (cash or check).

Stop by the museum or the Chamber of Commerce to pick one up.

Museum hours: Thr-Sat, 10-2.

SC Chamber Hours M-F 8-4

The 49th Annual Smith County Chamber Banquet was held on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at the Smith County Ag Center. Over 100 guests and members were present.

Several awards were given to citizens and business leaders. Over two dozen new chamber members were welcomed this year. Appreciation was shared with continuing members some who have been part of the Chamber since 1974.

The annual Smith County Shrine Paper Sale roadblock fundraiser will be held on Sunday morning, October 22, 2023 from 8-10:30am. The Paper Sale Road Block will take place in front of the Historic Smith County Courthouse in Carthage, Tenn. 

The annual event is a benefit for Shriners Hospitals for Children, which provides high-quality medical care at no cost to children age 18 and younger. Shriners Hospitals for Children are changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. Their health care system provides advanced care for children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate.

During the paper sale, area Shriners accept donations to the hospital network and provide the donors with the latest copy of the Shrine newspaper, which contains the touching stories of children who have received care at a Shriners Hospital.

If you are unable to make it to the road block, but would still like to contribute, you can do so by visiting this link.

ELMWOOD, Tenn. (Oct. 10, 2023) – Local communities, residents and officials celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Cordell Hull Dam Oct. 7 by paying tribute to residents that were displaced, featuring historical aspects of the dam’s construction, and noting the benefits that were realized for future generations when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impounded the lake.

Underneath a large tent on the shoreline near the dam’s navigation lock, Rep. John Rose, Tennessee 6th District, gave the keynote address recognizing Cordell Hull Dam.

“And just as folks who gathered here at this spot did in 1973, we too will likely take a lot of pictures here today,” Rose said. “That’s important. We should remember events like this because they show our common bonds, our common history,” Rose said. “We’re all impacted by the Cordell Hull Lake in some way, as well as the lock and the dam.”

Rose said the region continues to benefit today from the hydropower, the recreation opportunities, and definitely the flood control that this project affords people in the region. He stressed that when it comes to critical infrastructure like this dam, there should be very little cause for politics or disagreements.

“Today, we’re all just Tennesseans, celebrating the achievements of the engineers and the contractors, and yes, even the public policy makers of the time, who made this project possible,” Rose said.

The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1946 and Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized the Carthage Dam Project, estimated at $41.8 million. On Aug. 28, 1958, Public Law 85-843 approved the renaming of the project from Carthage Dam to Cordell Hull Dam after one of America’s outstanding statesmen.  Hull served in the Tennessee and U.S. House of Representatives (same district as Congressman Rose), and U.S. Senate.  He served as Secretary of State under President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1944 and negotiated the “Good Neighbor” policy toward Latin America.  He is largely responsible for the creation of the United Nations. For his efforts towards promoting world peace and harmony, he received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1945.

Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady also spoke at the celebration and said he remembered living as a young boy on a 100-acre dairy farm in the late 1960s where he and his father and brother milked 50 Jersey cows twice a day. 

“I can remember when we had to move. I didn’t understand it, but I was like, ‘Why do we have to move?’ I loved being on that farm,” Heady said. “But the Corps had bought our land. They were flooding the river and they took all that good crop land.”

Heady explained that for a long time the Cordell Hull Dam and losing all of the property wasn’t always a good sentiment in Jackson County, and people fought the project for years and said it wasn’t a good thing.

“But I’m going to say this, ‘Progress is never easy. It is always a challenge. And true leadership will even lead when it is hard times, when it’s hard to get it done.’,” Heady said. “Back then they (Corps of Engineers) fought a hard fight in getting that land, because those farmers did not want to give that land up.”

Looking back today, Heady said he thanks the people that had the foresight to do what was important for the local communities in the long run, which meant constructing Cordell Hull Dam to provide flood risk management, providing hydroelectricity, recreation, and tourism revenue.  

Smith County in Tennessee is where Cordell Hull Dam is located. Mayor Jeff Mason said the dam has been more than a concrete and steel structure.

“It has been a lifeline for our communities,” Mason said. “It’s been a guardian against floods and a provider of energy and a hub of recreation and tourism.”

Mason’s connection to the dam is also a source of family pride, as his father Jackie Mason helped construct Cordell Hull Dam in the early 1970s.

“I can still see that yellow building suit and hard hat he wore while helping pour that concrete that is the Cordell Hull Dam,” Mason said. “I still get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when I come here, because this place reminds me of my daddy.”

President John F. Kennedy, 36th president of the United States, visited Nashville, Tennessee, May 18, 1963. At a Founder’s Day ceremony at Vanderbilt University, President Kennedy pressed a gold telegraph key that remotely exploded the first charge of dynamite at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District’s construction site of Cordell Hull Dam. Congressman Joe L. Evins and District Engineer Col. James B. Newman broke ground for Cordell Hull Lock July 6, 1964. Tennessee Gov. Winfield Dunn and Tricia Nixon Cox, daughter of President Richard M. Nixon, spoke at the dedication of the Cordell Hull Dam Oct. 13, 1973. The event also featured Country Music Sensation Dolly Parton, who performed “A Coat of Many Colors.” It is estimated about 2,000 people attended the dedication, according to an Associated Press report.

Terrell Stoves, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District’s Mid Cumberland Area manager, gave a little history lesson on how the Corps of Engineers evolved since the Revolutionary War to when the Corps constructed Cordell Hull Dam and supported environmental stewardship of the project and public lands.

He said recreation areas and campgrounds followed so the public could enjoy the lake. The dam’s purposes include hydropower production, navigation, flood risk management, recreation, water supply, water quality, and environmental stewardship, he added.

One of the notable and important purposes of Cordell Dam is generating hydroelectricity for communities in the region. Wesley Butler, Hydropower Plant superintendent, said even with a lot of original equipment that has exceeded life expectancy, the dam continues to generate power to this day, not only for the citizens of Carthage, but also for west Cookeville and all the way to Gallatin, Tennessee.

“It continues to provide that level of reliability because of the dedicated men and women who work hard each day to ensure the power is there when it is called upon,” Butler said.

Cordell Hull Dam is located on the Cumberland River at mile 313.5 and rises 87 feet above the streambed. The combination earth fill and concrete-gravity dam is 1,306-feet long with a hydroelectric plant that generates 350,000,000 kilowatts of hydroelectricity annually. The navigation lock is 84-feet wide and 400-feet long with a lift at normal pool of 59 feet. The lock holds 20 million gallons of water. The dam forms Cordell Hull Lake, which is 72-miles long with 381 miles of shoreline at summer pool. The lake has a total of 28,383 acres of land and water. Cordell Hull Lake features three recreation areas, two campgrounds, 22 boat ramps, two hiking trails, horseback riding trail, and mountain bike trail.

Kenny Claywell, Cordell Hull Lake Natural Resource manager, said Cordell Hull Lake lies in Smith, Jackson, Clay and Putnam Counties in Tennessee, and Monroe County in Kentucky. He said the first tract of land acquired for the project was COR-100, which consisted of 157.5 acres. The Corps of Engineers acquired it May 14, 1963, from I.G. and Lois Bennett. It was only four days prior to when President Kennedy detonated the first charge of dynamite from Vanderbilt University.

“We are currently standing on a portion of that tract of land today,” Claywell said. “An additional 1,233 tracts of land were acquired totaling 26,703 acres of fee property, and 441 acres of easement lands over the next eight years.”

Claywell noted the acquisition of property for the dam, mostly from farmers, was certainly contentious in the rural communities in the area.

“The acquisition of property meant taking away their best river bottom lands and their primary source of income,” he explained.

Two other notable tracts acquired in 1963 were COR-229 consisting of 112 acres and COR-231 consisting of 124 acres. These tracts, previously owned by Horace West and Garland Chambers, consisted of river bottoms, tobacco barns, springs for water, stock barns, and their homes. These properties are the present-day location of Defeated Creek Campground, which began operating May 18, 1974.

The Corps staff at Cordell Hull Lake operate Defeated Creek and Salt Lick Campgrounds with a combined 305 campsites, six recreation areas, 22 launching ramps, 72 picnic sites, seven group shelters, and six trails totaling 115 miles on the shoreline. Since the pandemic in 2020, visitation and revenue continue to rise. The lake exceeded $1 million in revenues this year for the first time in history, which goes directly into the U.S. Treasury for re-appropriation.

“Currently Defeated Creek Campground is ranked number one in the Nashville District and number five nationally among all Corps of Engineers campgrounds with a 76 percent occupancy rate,” Claywell said. “Defeated Creek had a gross user revenue of $733,000 in 2023.”

The first park ranger at Cordell Hull Lake also attended and spoke about his memories working at the project. R. Gerald Lee transferred from his position at J. Percy Priest Lake to Cordell Hull Lake in August 1971. He retired in 2004 with more than 37 years of federal service and continues to live in the area and enjoy what the lake has to offer, including its majestic views. He wore his original uniform to the anniversary festivities as he reminisced about the early days before and after the construction of the dam.

Before the impoundment of the lake 50 years ago, Lee said the first thing he did was stand up at the old overlook where a sign provided information about the dam construction project, and enjoyed the view when the Cumberland River still meandered through the bottom lands. He also shared memories of crossing the river on ferries at Granville and Fort Blunt, and spoke about seeing Tricia Nixon arrive when he worked traffic duty for the dedication.

“My main thing I was doing – I was kind of watching for Dolly,” Lee said, referring to Country Music Artist Dolly Parton, who sang at the dedication. “Dolly didn’t come in that way. I didn’t see her.”

At the conclusion of the anniversary event, officials actually played a video of Dolly Parton performing at the dedication in 1973, courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Park Ranger Lee did finally get to see her performance. Dolly also provided a video message in honor of the 50^th Anniversary.

The Corps of Engineers thanks Billy Woodard, who served as master of ceremony; Mia Miller, who sang the National Anthem; and The Friends of Cordell Hull Lake; for their support that made the event especially memorable and special for all in attendance.

(The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps. The public can also follow Cordell Hull Lake on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cordellhulllake.)

Over 1200 children have benefited from Santa’s Shoppers in Smith County since it began nine years ago. Thousands of dollars are raised each year thanks to the very generous support of the community, individuals and area businesses.

Officers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Gordonsville Police Department, the South Carthage Police Department, the Carthage Police Department, TWRA, Smith County Sheriff’s Office and several other agencies participate in the program. They are excited to offer the program again this holiday season.

If you are interested in supporting the program you can make donations. at the Smith County Justice Center at 322 Justice Drive in Carthage.

Smith County Agriculture News – By Katie Martin, Smith County Extension Agent

If you caught the news last week, you may have heard about the confirmed detection of a Spotted Lanternfly in Davidson County. Spotted Lanternflies are an invasive insect that was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014. Tennessee is the 16th state with confirmed detection of this non-native planthopper. The Spotted Lanternfly can be harmful to a variety of crops and natural resources.

Adults typically are 1-1.5 inches long and have beige or grey front wings with black dots. The hind wings have red, black, and white markings, making them recognizable especially when the front wings are spread.

If you see a Spotted Lanternfly or an egg mass, take photos, then complete the form on Protect Tennessee Forests website at www.tn.gov/content/tn/protecttnforests/resources/report-a-pest.html. Then, ensure you kill the insect and destroy any egg masses by smashing or dousing with rubbing alcohol. It is vital we find and eliminate Spotted Lanternfly before they spread further throughout the state.

For more information on invasive species or any other agriculture topics, please contact the Smith County UT Extension office at 615-735-2900.

My little “dinosaur” is ready for Halloween. My husband and I are so excited about taking our daughter Trick-or-Treating for the first time. Candy and treats are a big part of Halloween fun and the FDA has some safety tips to remember before Trick-or-Treating.

· Do not eat candy until it has been inspected at home.

· Eat a snack before heading out to avoid the temptation of nibbling on a treat before it has been inspected.

· In case of a food allergy, check the label to ensure the allergen is not in the ingredient list. Tell children not to eat anything that is not commercially wrapped.

· Parents of very young children should remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys from the Halloween bags.

· Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.

It is also important to consider logistics of walking from door to door for a safe Trick-or-Treating experience. Safe Kids Worldwide gives the following safety tips.

· Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right and left again when crossing. Keep looking as you cross.

· Put electronic devices down and keep heads up while walking-not running- across the street.

· Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.

· Always walk down sidewalks or paths. Walk facing traffic as far left as possible, if there are no sidewalks available. Children should walk on direct routes with the least street crossings.

· Teach children to never to run out into the street or cross between parked cars.

Drivers should be extra cautious on Halloween, especially in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited about Trick-or-Treating and may move in unpredictable ways. It is a good idea to turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from further distances. Peak Trick-or-Treating hours are 5:30 p.m.-9:30p.m. Be extra mindful of children’s whereabouts during those hours.

For more information check out www.fda.gov and safekids.org. Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Lime Jell-O Salad

1 pkg Lime Jell-O

1 cup hot water

½ cup cottage cheese

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup crushed pineapple

¼ cup walnuts

Boil water then mix the hot water with the lime Jell-O. Whisk until the gelatin is dissolved. Let Jell-O sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Mix in the cottage cheese and mayonnaise until thoroughly combined. Stir in the pineapple and chopped nuts in the cottage cheese mixture. Pour into a bowl or mold and refrigerate for 2 hours until firm (if making in a Jell-O mold, double the recipe). Serve with whipped cream and top with a cherry.

Submitted by Beasley’s Bend FCE Club

Check out the October 2023 edition of the Smith County Chamber Corner Show!

This month’s show features local businesses, community organization and events going on in and around Smith County.

If you would like to promote your event or local business on the Smith County Chamber Corner Show, contact the Smith County Chamber of Commerce by calling 615-735-2093 today. 

Watch the full show below, or catch it on DTC3 TV.

NASHVILLE, Tenn – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District announces the area below Cordell Hull Dam known as the Right Bank Tailwater Recreation Area is closing today for 90 days while construction work is underway to stabilize the rock bluff below the dam. The closure area starts at the end of Turkey Creek Nature Trail parking lot near the Resource Manager’s Office. The impacted amenities will be the restroom closest to the dam, the parking lot that oversees the lock and dam, and any land based tailwater fishing.

This project is going to remove any loose or severely eroded rock that could pose a hazard to the public. Any participants of scheduled dam tours will have to park and meet on the lock side of Cordell Hull Dam. The lock’s address is 24 Cordell Hull Park Road, Elmwood, TN 38560.

The Right Bank Tailwater Recreation Area’s walking trail, nature trail, volleyball count, tailwater boat ramp, shelter, and fish cleaning station will remain open. Customers who have reserved the Tailwater Shelter and
feel this closure effect the indented reservation feel free address this.

For additional information, or to contact an application via e-mail, contact the Cordell Hull Lake Resource
Manager’s Office at 615-735-1034. Follow Cordell Hull Lake at http://www.facebook.com/cordellhulllake for
more news and information.

The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District
on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on
Twitter at www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest employment and contracting
opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.