Smith County Chamber Corner -September 2026

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hi, this is Bill Woodard and we're at the Hotel Walton. This is the September edition of the Smith County Chamber Corner. Well, we've had the privilege of being here at the Hotel Walton, and we're glad this is. Well, Rick, tell them who you are and what your title is. [00:00:47] Speaker B: My name is Rick Clark. I'm the general manager here at Hotel Walton and Restaurant Hall. [00:00:52] Speaker A: Okay. And Rick's been gracious enough to allow us to come in and kind of look the place over, and we're hoping to get some footage of some of the other amenities here. But, Rick, this has been a quite a project and it really looks outstanding. I can't, in fact, I think words fail me to be able to express how beautiful I think this is. [00:01:15] Speaker B: Well, that's, that's really good to hear. Yes. It's been a long, long time coming, you know. Former Vice President Al Gore bought the property in July of 2023, and when I came aboard, it was projected to be about a six month renovation. And here we are in 2026 and we're finally open as of, as of yesterday. [00:01:34] Speaker A: Well, and that is a wonderful thing. And I'll just say this up front. I've had meals in the restaurant, I've walked around and I've seen the rooms, and I don't know how you could ever go anywhere that would be any better on any of those items. So we're going to talk about that, that more here as we go along. I think I'd like to start at the beginning, though. You mentioned that Mr. Gore bought the hotel in 2023, is that right? [00:01:59] Speaker B: That's correct. [00:02:00] Speaker A: And you did a soft renovation when you came in. And I'd like you to kind of give us a timeline there, maybe up to the present or at least past the soft renovation about kind of how things went and the decision making that was there. [00:02:17] Speaker B: Certainly, yeah. I mean, to the best of my ability, I can do that well. Yeah, I came aboard September of 2023 to kind of help get the place ready for Mr. Gore's guest. Of course, he hosts his Climate Underground conference every year at Caney Fork Farms. And so we were getting the hotel read, like you said, a soft renovation. We gussied up the place real nice, but didn't do any of the hard work of knocking down walls or anything, and hosted some guests that one weekend in October of 2023. And everyone loved the space and it looked beautiful, but there was still a lot more work to be done. And like I said, it did kind of morph and evolve into a lot more. A lot of that was the decision around putting an elevator was something I was very supportive of. [00:03:11] Speaker A: Well, and I'd like to add the soft renovation to me looked better than the hotel had ever looked before. And I was kind of, well, shocked, you know, when they started doing the tear out. But I realize now that there was a lot of the bones needed to be fixed. [00:03:28] Speaker B: Yes, the skeleton was, you know, 120 years old in 20, 24. So we're at 122 now here in the hot hotel. And yeah, you know, it was the original plan for renovation. On the harder side of things, as they say, was to expand some of the guest bathrooms, make those a little roomier. You know, once our team, Mr. Gore's team, got into the walls. You know, it turns out 120-year-old wood in a building like this tends to get worn out. So, yeah, we really kind of rebuilt the place from the inside out, careful to maintain as much of the historical footprint and the facade and the appearance of the building as much as possible. [00:04:15] Speaker C: But. [00:04:15] Speaker B: But, yeah, we've. The. The skeleton that we've got here now is. Is there's still some original wood in the. In our ceiling beams and in. In some other spots. But where. So we kept. We kept things intact wherever possible, but we really did rebuild a lot in terms of, you know, making sure this place could last another 120 years. [00:04:34] Speaker A: Oh, and there's no doubt it will. I've had the privilege. You took me on a tour, and for instance, one of the things that you did, and it needed it on the backside, you actually added 10 or 15ft in the building and bricked that all in properly and put an escape. [00:04:51] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Yeah, we had some space on the rear of the property in Futrell Alley there, and I think we added about 18ft to give us room to have a bigger kitchen so we could have the kind of restaurant that we've got down there now. And also some much needed storage space for the hotel side up here for. For our housekeeping team. [00:05:11] Speaker A: Okay, well, you mentioned the restaurant. We're going to go to that in a minute. But to continue with the hotel, you kept the balcony out front so guests can come in. And we're in. What would you call this room is this. This is not a boardroom. [00:05:24] Speaker B: No, no, this is our guest lounge. So it's just more public guest space, kind of a space for guests to come and relax. Normally there's, you know, music playing in here. And as you'll see if you Come visit the property. We don't have any televisions on site. Well, we've got a loaner in a closet somewhere in case somebody and really has to watch the football game or something. But, but no, it's just a kind of more quiet space. The original plan three years ago was to turn this into two separate guest rooms with private balcony access. But Mr. Gore's guests in that, that weekend in October of 23 really love this space so much as a kind of shared space that Mr. Gore decided to keep it as is. And I think that was a great decision. I love that all of our guests can go out and sit on the balcony in the mornings, you know, have a cup of coffee and relax and, and yeah, it's, it's just a, a very beautiful space. Lots of books and we've got some games. A local woodworker made a chess board for us, and we're gonna have that in here. So, yeah, it's, it's a nice, nice place to relax. [00:06:23] Speaker A: Well, and you kept some of the partnerships, like for instance, Rockabilly Coffee is, is in the building, so to speak? Yes, but yet they're going to do your morning, I guess, like a breakfast type amenities or whatever for the guests? [00:06:37] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. Yeah, we, Al Gore is very cognizant of the fact of how important Rockabilly Coffee is to this community. And since they've been here, you know, they just had their five, six year anniversary. [00:06:47] Speaker A: Six, I believe. [00:06:49] Speaker B: Five, five. And so yeah, they, they're, they're technically a tenant of our property, but, but yeah, we wanted to, to keep them there and, and, and not compete with them. We want, we want to be good neighbors. So we're, we're purchasing our coffee from Rockabilly. For that we'll be providing for our guests in the, in the lobby there. And then the French press that we'll be doing at the restaurant, that coffee comes from Rockabilly as well. And then, yeah, we're gonna be, we're not doing breakfast at the restaurant, just lunch and dinner. And we're gonna be encouraging the guests who stay at the hotel to, you know, go next door and grab a delicious latte and one of those cinnamon buns and have, have a good time there. [00:07:28] Speaker A: Well, and Virginia's a local lady and her family has roots here, so it's good for that tie in as well. She's been here many years and done a lot in the community, so that's a good t. Now, the hotel itself, how many rooms did you wind up [00:07:44] Speaker B: with in the remodel, just the 10 rooms? Yeah, we had I think 11 before. Which one of those was the, you know, quote handicap room that was downstairs, which I think was originally maybe a manager's office. But yeah, we've just got the 10 rooms upstairs. And now because of the elevator, we are able to have our handicap accessible room up here with the other rooms as well. [00:08:06] Speaker A: Oh, and I might add as a caveat right here during the interview, you're open for business and if you're a walk in and you want to stay at the hotel and you have a room, they can get a room. [00:08:16] Speaker B: Yep. Yeah. In fact, we, we had a walk in on our very first night being open, which, which was unexpected. So last night we did have some folks drive over from Hendersonville, I believe, and just wanted to check the place out. So yeah, we've, we, we recommend making reservations because it is such a small property and the, the reservations are, you know, prepaid. But we are happy to take walk ins if you've got the space right. [00:08:40] Speaker A: And like you say, if you're walking, you may or may not get a room. [00:08:45] Speaker B: Sure. [00:08:46] Speaker A: The hotel restaurant, the hall restaurant, it is the same way you have. You're open for business and you can do a walk in, but it'd probably be best to do a reservation as well. [00:08:57] Speaker B: It's a good idea, especially for dinner. Yeah, we've had a lot of our first couple of days. You know, they've got lunch going on right now. Yesterday and today we've had some good walk in business at the restaurant and we can seat up to 46, I think in there at any given moment. So, you know, a small town like this, I think it's, it's good for, for lunch walk ins, but for dinner especially, we've been trying to encourage folks to make reservations. And there's a link on hotelwalton.com on the, on the whole page where you can just click on that and it'll take you right to our, our restaurant reservation link as well. [00:09:30] Speaker A: Okay, well, now let's talk about the restaurant a little bit more kind of. What's your elevator speech for the whole restaurant? [00:09:39] Speaker B: You know, I think we like to say that it's elevated southern fare with elevated southern hospitality. You know, we, and I would agree with that. We want it to be a place where, you know, it's not white tablecloth, but it's, you know, just maybe a step below that in terms of the style and the mood we're going for, but with a lot more warmth. I think that was some of the best feedback we got from that VIP dinner we had last week was, you know, a couple folks mentioned how it didn't seem stuffy, it seemed warm, but definitely at an elevated level of service, which is what we're going for. My background in hospitality was with Mary International for a long time. And my favorite part of working in hospitality is connecting with people and making them feel cared for. And so while we want it to be a beautiful, nice space for you to come, we don't want it to feel like it's too fancy to get comfortable, too formal. [00:10:39] Speaker A: So it's an informal, nice atmosphere. The one thing I appreciate is you have hired a lot of local folks. [00:10:48] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:10:49] Speaker A: To work in a restaurant. [00:10:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And I was frankly blown away at the. The response we got when we started posting our jobs on online. You know, that was over these three years of getting this ready. That was the one thing that kept nagging at me. I was like, what's. What's staffing gonna be? Like, how's hiring gonna be? I. I most recently was in Charlottesville, Virginia, before I moved here, which is a big hospitality town. And before that, I was in Northern Virginia, where there's, you know, however many millions of people looking for jobs. So I was a little curious as to see what we were going to get here in terms of response. And I think when Erica Ebel, our dining room manager, and I first posted the jobs for the hotel and the front of the house at the restaurant, we received, I want to say, 320 applications in the span of about two weeks. And a lot of those folks were locals. We were also getting applications from folks in Nashville and Murfreesboro. But we found. I was really delighted at the quality of applicants and the quantity as well, obviously. But, yeah, we found so many of our staff here are local to Smith county or just in one of our neighboring counties, and they've just been fantastic. I could not be happier with the team we have. [00:12:05] Speaker A: Well, you know, when you live in a place, sometimes you may have a tendency to think that you're not on the level of other places, but we've got some pretty astute people here. And when you think about it, Mr. Gore, his ancestry and his background is from here, and he's done great things. And so did Cordell Hull. [00:12:24] Speaker B: Yes, sir. [00:12:24] Speaker A: Who came from here. In fact, I read a statement in a historical document that said Cordell Hull was one of the people that saved the world. And I honestly believe that because of what happened in World War II. So there's some pretty Sharp people here in the local area and we appreciate you supporting them and hiring us and putting them in a hotel. [00:12:48] Speaker B: No, absolutely. Yeah. And I knew there were, I just figured they all already were working, so. But we found some really, really wonderful people. Just from my housekeepers to the kitchen staff, we've got a phenomenal executive chef who came to us and top all the way down to my part time front desk team. It's just been a wealth of talent and people who are really invested in what we're doing here and really want to put in the effort and make this something special. [00:13:19] Speaker A: Well, and it truly is now if we step out the door, it's not ready now, but there are some future plans for the general store that's going to be there and then I think a bakery in the bottom. [00:13:32] Speaker B: That's right, yeah. I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to talk about it, but I do believe it's common knowledge now, or at least we're not keeping it too secret that adjacent to, to the hotel here in the old Ree Brothers Pharmacy is going to be a kind of an old style general store. And, and a bakery is going to go in that basement that's going to service. It's going to provide fresh bread for our restaurant. I think it'll also potentially benefit the Candy Fork Farm CSA and they'll be selling goodies out of the, out of the general store there. Launch Hospitality, our management company also has several restaurants out in East Tennessee and Sevierville and Maryville and they're gonna, we're actually gonna be shipping bread out to them as well. They've. Launch has already hired a baker who apparently is just the best. She, she comes from a Michelin starred bakery and, and has already been baking out there and sending us bread coming west. But soon enough, hopefully early next year she'll be out, out here and we'll be sending bread back east. [00:14:31] Speaker A: Well, if the roll that I had with my meal that I had here the other night is any indication, it's gonna be outstanding. [00:14:38] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty excited. And our chef, Jeff Brown has a background in baking and pastry and if you haven't had one of his sweet potato biscuits yet, please grab one as [00:14:51] Speaker A: soon as possible on the streets. Some other folks have mentioned. That's good. [00:14:56] Speaker B: I'm glad it's on the streets. Yeah, they're delicious. [00:14:59] Speaker A: Well now, and you may not be able to speak to this part of it, but the csa, Caney Fork Farms has been operating for quite some time and I believe People have signed up, like folks in Nashville, Wilson county all around have been signed up for that and they're obviously going to continue with that and that be a part of the support for the hotel, for the food. [00:15:19] Speaker D: Right? [00:15:20] Speaker B: Yes. In terms of Hull Restaurant or Restaurant Hull, however we're saying it, we're trying to get as much protein as possible from Caney Fork Farms and certainly a significant amount of our vegetables. I think we're going to be getting a lot of fresh herbs from them. They've got a phenomenal herb garden. We just did a full tour of the hotel and restaurant staff A couple a few weeks ago. We went over and, and the Caney Fork crew were, were nice enough to show us around so that our servers and our, everyone from, you know, front desk, housekeeping, they kind of know the Cany Fork story and can you know, kind of communicate that to our, to our guests and our patrons. But yeah, we're, we're, we're really trying to incorporate them as much as possible. And you know, it's a eight minute drive down the road. So, you know, you know, the term farm to table really kind of gets overused sometimes in the restaurant industry. We are trying to be as truly farm to table as you can get. [00:16:16] Speaker A: Yeah. And you've got a good start here because I know Kenny Fork Farms has been here several years in, in operation and so they, they've got that down to a science and have been doing really well with it. In fact, Rockabilly Coffee, one of their pickup spots is a, is a table back there. Yes. [00:16:34] Speaker B: Yeah. You'll see, you'll see the crew from Caney Fork every week stopping by there and you. They're another extremely talented team of folks. [00:16:43] Speaker A: Well, one thing I would like to say, and I think he realizes this, but Mr. Gore has really done us an honor by restoring Walton Hotel. Walton, to be honest with you, glory that it probably never had before. And it's such a wonderful thing that he's come back to his hometown. And I know there's another project that we, neither one of us can probably speak about because we don't know. But I know he bought the Cordell Hull home. [00:17:12] Speaker B: I've heard that. [00:17:13] Speaker A: Yes, I understand there's some things going on there that are going to be great. So thank you, Vice President Gore. [00:17:21] Speaker B: Yeah. I feel so blessed to have been chosen to kind of head this project for Mr. Gore and for launch hospitality. That was one of the first things that kind of sold me on, you know, picking up and moving from, from Virginia to, to Carthage Tennessee is because it was. It's very much a passion project for him. He, I think I can say pretty safely that he, he wanted most of all for this to be something that injected some life and some and, you know, jobs and, you know, energy into Main street of, of his hometown of Carthage, Tennessee. So I really appreciated what he wanted to do here. And it's, it's, you know, we want it to be successful in every way, but regardless, we. We want it to be something that kind of lifts up Smith county. [00:18:12] Speaker A: Well, and, and Smith county has a rich, deep history, and, uh, I think that's a wonderful thing. Uh, we got a renovation going on across the street with the courthouse that. [00:18:21] Speaker B: That's right. [00:18:22] Speaker A: Sort of, uh, goes along with this. And, and I think, uh, the downtown area is, you know, over the last 10 or so years, have been, you know, improving as we go along. So I think this fits in with the direction that we've been headed, and I really appreciate it being there. [00:18:40] Speaker B: Yeah, there's a lot of other new businesses since I've just. Since I've been here. And I'm, you know, at three years as of, you know, in two days, I'll have been here for three years. And, yeah, Main street even since then has gone through some changes, and there's a lot of exciting young business owners around. [00:18:58] Speaker A: Okay, well, if someone wants to get a reservation at Restaurant hall or Hotel Walton, how do they get in contact? What do they do? [00:19:08] Speaker B: They can go to hotelwalton.com we're also on Facebook and Instagram. HotelWalton HotelWalton.com has a book now button right in the top right corner of the page on all of that. Every page on that website. And then if you go to the whole section, we've got a little menu at the top. And if you click on Hull and scroll down, there's a link directly to the reservations. You can also call us. I've got somebody at the. My front desk at Hotel Walton 24 hours a day. The phone number is 615-706-8070. You can also email me rickotelwalton.com and Erica, of course, is overseeing the restaurant. And you can call them directly at 615, 489-4404. But the online booking system is nice and easy, too. So any of those options, we're happy to talk to you on the phone, but hop online and make a reservation anytime. [00:20:01] Speaker A: Okay. And it doesn't matter if you're local or out of the county or out of the state or even out of the nation. [00:20:07] Speaker B: That's right. [00:20:08] Speaker A: Guys are here to give hospitality. Tennessee hospitality. [00:20:12] Speaker B: That's right. We, like I said, we want a warm, elevated Southern hospitality, and we just want our hospitality to be as rich as Smith County's history. [00:20:23] Speaker A: Yeah. And I'll have to say my experience has been you will enjoy visiting here and being here at Hotel Walton and eating at the restaurant hall. So, Rick, thanks for letting us talk with you, and we'll look forward to seeing what else you guys have. [00:20:38] Speaker B: Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Bill. [00:20:40] Speaker A: Okay, Don, we're here at the Hotel Walton. It's pretty impressive, isn't it? Wow. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. That was the words I had first. First time I walked in after the. They finalized the remodel. And it is truly amazing. I've been telling people out there, if they get a chance, they need to come in and do the tour. You know, September 26th is Walton Days, and the hotels are going to be open that day, and they're going to let people come through, and I think they're going to do some mini tours or whatever, and the restaurant will be open, so it'd be a good day for them to come. [00:21:15] Speaker D: That's great. [00:21:16] Speaker A: In fact, that's what you're here to talk about. [00:21:18] Speaker D: Yes, yes. [00:21:19] Speaker A: All right, now we are lining up entertainment for Walton Days. I think the festivities are going to start at what, 10 o'? Clock? [00:21:28] Speaker D: Start at 10. And we've got the DAR which is going to be. Have a program and some different things, hopefully. Let's see. I know we're going to do a ceremony with the flag and that type of thing. And I'm. I'm working on, I hope. Keep y' all fingers crossed. I'm hoping that I get Ms. Terry Lynn to do God Bless America. [00:21:50] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, she does a great job on that. And then from over in Lancaster, that little town that time forgot, but the decades couldn't. That day couldn't improve it because it didn't need it, Right? [00:22:02] Speaker D: That's right. Anyway, now you want me to go on from there? [00:22:06] Speaker A: Well, we're gonna do entertainment, so I guess you can talk about that. But we forget, forgot, folks, this is Mr. Don Knapple. And Don, his claim to fame is the spot. He works there, and you do a lot of work with kids and adults doing music and just working with entertainment. And Mr. Don and his wife Barbara, you go around a lot of the nursing facilities here, and you do a lot of work in that area, just kind of entertaining people. Is that right? Okay, well, talk about Walton Days kind of what you've got planned, say, from after the opening ceremony and the flag and all of that, what's going to be happening that day? [00:22:51] Speaker D: Well, we're trying to concentrate on the community. You know, something I really believe in is they say america's got talent. Carthage's got talent. [00:23:02] Speaker A: You're right, it does. [00:23:02] Speaker D: And you know, it's right here in our own city. We don't have to go outside and go find it somewhere. And we're blessed to have group that I call the ukuleles, which is the seniors that have never played hardly any music at all in life other than the radio and have come together. And they're going to be playing early in the morning. As soon as they get. We get them through, we're looking at a cakewalk. [00:23:33] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Beta sigma phi, I believe, is going to put the cakewalk on this year again. They've done it for the last, what, three years? [00:23:39] Speaker D: Yes. And what's beautiful about. Oh, they put a lot of work into it. And you need to come and see, just to see. I mean, the cakewalk is fun, but boy, some of the desserts and stuff that they come up with. Oh, my goodness. I'm sitting here getting hungry thinking about it. [00:23:54] Speaker A: Yeah, well, they have some great stuff. And those ladies are really good cooks. The thing I love about it is all the money that they raise in every one of their things. It all goes 100% toward charity or. Or something that they feel like is worthy of, you know, getting support. [00:24:13] Speaker D: Yes, yes. And so, like I said, that's fun. That's just good old fashioned fun, you know, get your ticket, walk around, you know, and just, you know, what's numbers? When's that music gonna stop? You know, And I've been on the other end of that when, you know, you look, seeing everybody's kind of looking at you like, then you hit the button, the music stops and everybody looks where they're at, you know. [00:24:32] Speaker A: Yeah, it is a lot of fun and a lot of people enjoy that. So. So that's going on. And then after the cakewalk. Cakewalk's probably going to be around noonish time. Right, right. And then after that, you got some other bands hooked up. [00:24:46] Speaker D: Well, here's what we've got. We've got. We're constantly finding a spark in a lot of the kids at the spot and find out, you know, we got. We found that one little girl can just belt out a song. I mean, beautiful, beautiful. And some of the ranges that she hits. I got another young lady that has been taking drum lessons and she's going to be. And we're kind of, we've kind of put together little, little spot, spot talent, you know, type thing and so. Well, that'll, we'll be kicking that off, you know, and we, we try to work with. I got different kids gonna be doing different, different things and not a long, not a long time but, but then we roll right on into. We got Samantha Gentry that's going to take and do a set of songs. She used to, yeah, she used to play with us for the Little one came around and so anyway, she had to take a leave of absence. But anyway, we get together every once in a while with her and then River City Dreaming is going to bring on some good old rock and roll and country. I don't, I don't know what all they've got. [00:25:46] Speaker A: They've got a good set and it's pretty eclectic, I believe is the word. [00:25:50] Speaker D: Right. And fun. [00:25:52] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. So they do a good job with that. And that's going to be going on till about 4:30, 5:00'. Clock. [00:25:59] Speaker D: Well, probably closer to the 2:30 area. What I want to do is we want to bring community back into it. J.R. smith is working with the. [00:26:10] Speaker A: Oh, that's right. [00:26:11] Speaker D: With the theater and hopefully they'll bring something to kind of a preview to their latest play. [00:26:17] Speaker A: So the kids from up at the high school are going to come down and do some stuff then. [00:26:21] Speaker D: Right, right. And then I really, I've got April Law who is over the Smith County Fine Arts and it's another little theater that, that they were used to. [00:26:34] Speaker A: Bill Reese, he founded that and they used to be in the courthouse before the remodel. [00:26:39] Speaker D: Right, right, right. And so she's going to make an announcement and let everybody know when their next play is. And so, so Smith County's got a lot of good, like I said, got a lot of talent and good stuff going on. [00:26:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, and then that's another thing to mention is that the Smith County Courthouse is being remodeled and so it kind of cut out some of the stuff that could be done inside because it's not put together yet. [00:27:02] Speaker D: Right. [00:27:03] Speaker A: But that should be finished up toward, well, the end of the year, first of next year and then we'll see what happens with that. But we're still able to have it on the front steps and we've still got our electricity and our PA system and everything. So Walton Day's is going to go on unimpeded and we'll have, well, the, the kiddie. What do you Call those things where they jump in bouncy houses. [00:27:29] Speaker D: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:27:31] Speaker A: We'll still have the bouncy houses, and we'll have a lot of vendors and. And a lot of things like that. And then we've got a car show coming. [00:27:37] Speaker C: Coming. [00:27:38] Speaker A: It's actually not a car show. I should call it a cruise inn. [00:27:42] Speaker D: Okay. [00:27:42] Speaker A: We're going to work toward doing a car show, but we're going to do a cruise in. And if you want to get involved in that, Mr. Jerry Solomini is the one to contact. And if you don't have his contact number, just call us at the chamber 615-735-2093. And we can get you guys hooked up with that. But we had a good showing, and last time that we had that, a lot of folks have some unique vehicles around here, and it's really good to have them come in. So, Don, I don't know, is there anything else that we've missed as far as entertainment going on? [00:28:19] Speaker D: Just come and have fun. [00:28:20] Speaker A: Okay, that's it. There are a lot of vendors, food trucks, everything. So, hey, folks, if you got questions, you can look us up. It's the William Walton Harvest Festival, September 26, and Don is going to be there with his keyboard and with the PA system ready to roll. And we want to thank Mr. Mike Nesbitt. He's a young man that's been around here and he's doing our sound for us and really appreciate his help. His dad and Scott, they do gospel music, and I guess they have a name, but I don't know what it is. The Nesbit's, I guess. The Nesbitt family. Yeah. And a lot of folks know them. And if you're out there, encourage Mr. Scott Nesbit to maybe start doing a Sunday afternoon thing after Walton Days. I think that would be great. [00:29:11] Speaker D: Of course, they do a few things on the courthouse. [00:29:15] Speaker A: Yeah, they do, as a matter of fact. So we're hoping we can get a lot of things happening on the weekend of the William Walton Harvest Festival. And I know the museum is going to be open and those folks are going to be doing something. We forgot to mention that. So there's a lot of things happening for Walton Days, but Don here, he's lining our entertainment up. And, Don, we really appreciate your help. [00:29:37] Speaker D: Glad to do it. [00:29:38] Speaker A: All right. Thank you. [00:29:40] Speaker D: Thank you. [00:29:41] Speaker A: Okay. Hotel Walton. What did you think when you walked in? Is this the first time you've been here? [00:29:47] Speaker E: Yes, this is the first time I've been here. It was magnificent. I thought it was beautiful. [00:29:51] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. It's amazing. When you come in the foyer down there, there's a piece on the wall over there. It's over 140 years old. [00:29:58] Speaker B: Wow. [00:29:59] Speaker A: That they've restored and put in there for the reception area. [00:30:04] Speaker E: That is amazing. It was gorgeous. When I walked in, I didn't realize it was that old. [00:30:08] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. This, this hotel, I think it's 120. And they got that piece from another hotel that was actually a little bit older and brought in and put it in. So it's pretty amazing. Anyway, introduce yourself. Tell them who you are and who you're with. [00:30:21] Speaker E: Alright. Hi guys. My name is Caitlin Williamson and I am a youth engagement coordinator for the Community Wellness alliance here in Carthage. [00:30:28] Speaker A: Okay. And tell them. I think you were about to tell them what Community Wellness alliance does and means. [00:30:34] Speaker E: Yes, the Community Wellness alliance was the Sweet County Drug Prevention Coalition. We just renamed it, gave it a more community kind of name. We like helping out our community, giving them drug, alcohol and mental health facts and just giving the information out there and helping those in recovery and being there for the community. We do all ages. I specifically with Preston London, we work with the youth and we get them to have a. What's it called? We get them to have a voice in the community. That's the word if I can ever think today. [00:31:08] Speaker A: Yeah. Well. And Preston's a great guy and he works here locally. And then of course your boss is Tammy. [00:31:14] Speaker E: Yes. [00:31:14] Speaker A: And we need to get. You tell Tammy we need to get her down here for another interview. [00:31:18] Speaker E: I will let her know. Yes. [00:31:19] Speaker A: Yeah, we always asking about that. Well, what have you got going on September, October that you wanted to talk about? [00:31:25] Speaker E: Well, we will be there for William Walton Day. We'll be setting up and we'll have resources like lockboxes and daterra set up for everybody to pick up. It is free for everyone. So we hope you come out and get you some resources. We are doing a thrive meeting at the office at 611 Main Street north here in Carthage, Tennessee. It will be on Monday, September 14th from 5 to about 6pm and that will be a time where we're doing a communication and leadership training with the kids and kind of getting them in the leadership aspect so they can be leaders in the community here in the next few years. We'll be having a bunch of fun and then we are also doing an event in October, our walk for Recovery that we do every year. It is on October 22nd and it is at 6 o' clock at Rails to Trails near the Gazebos, where we start, we're going to have resources, a bunch of different vendors there and a bunch of people set up and thrive. Always does a fun event every year. [00:32:23] Speaker A: Okay, and you do that every year? [00:32:25] Speaker E: Yes. [00:32:25] Speaker A: Yeah. And if you don't know where that is, that's the walking track over there. Rails to trails in South Carthage, Tennessee. And it's, it's a good event. I know you guys have been doing that for several, several years now. [00:32:35] Speaker E: Absolutely, yes. [00:32:36] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, you guys also are involved in the schools and just about everything else that's going on here in the community. You still have. I know I ask about them every time. There's still some drug drop off or take back boxes that are still here in the county, I believe. Is that still a thing? [00:32:57] Speaker E: Yes, I believe so. I believe one is at the sheriff's department. That's the one that I currently know of right now. Some of the other ones have not been available recently. But if you drop it off there and we have a drug take back day coming up. I don't know the exact date right now, but I will make sure to let you know. [00:33:11] Speaker A: Okay. And one time you did it at Walmart in the parking lot. I think somebody did back years ago. So you'll be announcing when that is. [00:33:18] Speaker E: Yes, and we've been doing it for the past couple of years at Smith County Drugs here in front of the hospital. So watch out for that. [00:33:24] Speaker A: Okay. All right, well, is there anything else you want to cover while we're here in. If not, tell them how to get in touch with you. [00:33:31] Speaker E: All right, I think that's about all I have today. Our office is at 611 Main Street north here in Carthage, Tennessee. And our phone number is 615-588-1622. And you can follow us on social media, Community Wellness alliance, on Facebook and Instagram. [00:33:46] Speaker A: Okay. And if you or somebody you know needs, has questions about this or maybe you know somebody that needs some help, these guys are the people to call because they, they're invested in the community and they want to help. [00:33:57] Speaker E: Absolutely. [00:33:58] Speaker A: Thank you, Caleb. [00:33:58] Speaker E: Thank you, Bill. [00:33:59] Speaker A: It's always a pleasure to have the folks from UT extension come by. Will, tell them who you are and who you're with. [00:34:05] Speaker C: Yes, sir, My name is Will Herbert. I am the A and R agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent for Smith county and part of utsu. Smith County Extension. [00:34:15] Speaker A: Right. And we're at the Hotel Walton. And this is quite a place, isn't it? [00:34:21] Speaker C: Yes, sir, it is. I've never been in here before before. All the remodeling. But man, it does look nice in here, Bill. [00:34:26] Speaker A: It sure does. And I've never been this comfortable on an interview before. This is pretty nice as well. [00:34:32] Speaker C: We might have to take this couch wherever we go. [00:34:34] Speaker A: Yeah, especially these pillows. Anyway, you got some things going on. You want to talk about that? [00:34:40] Speaker C: Yes, sir. If you don't care, I've got a couple of programs going on within Smith County. So our lunch and learn for this month, we're going to be talking about fall gardening tips for. And tricks. So if you're looking into gardening through the fall season, maybe look towards, you know, leafy vegetables, you know, cabbage, lettuce, those kind of things, carrots maybe. And we'll have a speaker come out on that and talk a little bit about what you could do to help you in the process of that. And our speaker is from our neighboring county, Lucas Holman from Wilson County. So we'll have a good time, if not, if nothing else will be entertaining. So that'll be a good lunch and learn. And then later on this month, September 21, from 5 to 8, we'll have a forage field day. And that's going to be located at Eddie Pascal's farm, which is in Gordonsville on River Lane. For those who don't know who that is, he's a beef cattle guy, does very well with his forage here in Smith County. And if you're interested in learning more about rotational grazing, forage management, and doing soil tests and caring for your soil and all those different things, definitely call our office and we can get you signed up for that. [00:35:59] Speaker A: Well, and I'd like to mention we've been over their leadership a few times and Eddie's talked to him and I don't know if he is, but he's got me convinced that he is a forage expert. [00:36:11] Speaker C: And he'll tell you that if nothing else, he's a. He's a great guy and he cares about what he does. You can tell when he starts talking about something that he cares. He cares deeply about it, and he cares deeply about the cattle that he's raising as well. And it's always funny when it comes to farming and you have cattle and all those things, you're a grass farmer first and you're a cow farmer second. [00:36:32] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:36:33] Speaker C: So when you're taking care of your grass, your cattle are taken care of. [00:36:36] Speaker A: He emphasizes that. And it's true. [00:36:38] Speaker C: It's absolutely true. So if you're interested in that, that's Monday, September 2021, from 5 to 8. And please call our office if you're interested. And I don't think if I mentioned Bill, but for the Lunch and learn, that's on September 10th from 12 to 1. [00:36:52] Speaker A: At the Chamber of Commerce. [00:36:53] Speaker C: Yes, sir. At the Chamber of Commerce. [00:36:55] Speaker A: Chamber of Commerce. And it's 939 Upper Ferry Road in Carthage. [00:36:59] Speaker D: Yes, sir. [00:37:00] Speaker C: Thank you, Bill. [00:37:01] Speaker A: All right. You're welcome. I actually remembered the address. [00:37:04] Speaker C: I wouldn't have remembered it, so I'm [00:37:06] Speaker A: glad you got me covered, but. Okay. Anything else going on? [00:37:10] Speaker C: That's everything. That's within this month. When we start looking towards the rest of the year, please keep a lookout for more lunch and learns throughout the rest of the year. Right now, for our. For October, it'll be October 6th. It'll be from 11 to 1. We'll have the Caney Fork Farm Lunch and Learn, and that'll be located at Caney Fork Farms. So if you're interested in attending that, please call the office. And we're going to be giving out that address as you sign up. So there's limited spots for that one. So if you go. If you're interested, go ahead and call us and get your spot reserved. [00:37:46] Speaker A: Okay. And oddly enough, here, Hotel Walton Canney Fork Farms supplies a lot of the restaurant food that they use here. And of course, people have CSAs that they deliver and go out, so that'll be a good one for them to. To figure out, you know, where some of the food comes from when they get to tour that, of course, like you said, it's a kind of a limited group. [00:38:12] Speaker C: It is a limited group, and that's just because we plan on taking a trailer around with us, and there's just limited spots and seats on that trailer. But that's a good point, Bill, connecting it back to the Hotel Walton and the business here. So if you guys are interested in the Hotel Walton and the food and seeing the, you know, the side that comes before the restaurant, that would be an interesting tour to take. [00:38:36] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, a lot of people, they go to a restaurant and they don't realize how much work and how much equity goes into getting that meal that's sitting right there in front of them. You know, a lot of. A lot of times I think we don't realize how difficult it is for people to raise and get things right, get it correct. And that's where you guys come in. You help people do that. [00:39:01] Speaker C: Well, we all try to get you connected to the right resources. If we don't know ourselves, we're just trying to get to Know the people within the county better and establish those relationships, you know, good relationships to where we can talk. Like a conversation between you and me, Bill. And it's one of those things that, you know, being an extension that we value pretty, pretty heavily. And when it comes to agriculture, whether it be Family consumer sciences or 4H, we want to make sure that we're extending that the best of our ability. And through agriculture. You know, my side of things, you know, if it's sitting down with the farmer and looking over a soil test to see how much fertilizer we need to apply to some land or how. What kind of forage we need to graze for our cattle, what best fits their operation. So we love doing all those kinds of things within extension. [00:39:45] Speaker A: Yeah. And you guys are. Are gracious enough that even if it's lawn questions, you'll help them with that, right? [00:39:51] Speaker C: Yes, sir. Yep. There's a lot of sod questions. I had one the other day. She lives in a small neighborhood and she had some problems with some weeds growing in her garden, a little bit more than she wanted to, and it started to get into her lawn and she was wondering how to treat that without killing her grass. So, yes, we're happy to answer those questions. [00:40:10] Speaker A: Okay, I'm going to ask a question you may have to tell me. Well, this is off camera. Yeah. Or the answer may be no, but I'm starting to have a lot of cuckoo bears come up in my yard and around the house and stuff like that. Is there a secret to getting rid [00:40:26] Speaker C: of those things other than trying to mow down before they go to seed or applying with a chemical, if you're okay with that. Bill, in a lawn setting, if you have pets and things like that, I understand. But there's ways to manage that, whether that be manually, you know, trying to cut them before they go to seed head or trying to get it with a pesticide. [00:40:52] Speaker A: Yeah, I know when I was a young boy, I remember one of the farmers there, he shake his head, he said, you know, I got cuckleburs in my hay field and I can't get rid of them. And so I've never forgot that. And then all of a sudden, sudden I'm walking around the house the other day and there they are. And I thought, lord, this is going to be an issue. [00:41:11] Speaker C: And there are chemicals out there that you can help get rid of those. At least manage them. And I'd be happy to give out those resources and talk to whoever that is. [00:41:20] Speaker A: But yeah, well, an interesting thing, and hopefully this Will be interesting to the folks out there. You can buy these granules, like if it's around your house where you've got the. The stones or whatever, if you throw them in there, will that kind of control that stuff and not hurt your shrubs? [00:41:39] Speaker C: As far as the pellets are you talking about, is it like a fertilizer? [00:41:43] Speaker A: Not a fertilizer. It's actually a herbicide, I think that [00:41:46] Speaker C: you can pellet form. So there's some pesticides out there that are formed in those pellets. And more often than not, when they sell you in that dry form, they want you to mix some water or something along with those. And if you're casting on the soil, it's going to rain on it eventually and take care of that. But the ones that I've seen that are in granular form, you have to apply some water to. But if it doesn't ask for water, then I would say that that's okay. As long as it's okay for you to apply to the plant, then I [00:42:19] Speaker A: think it would be okay. That's a homework subject for both of us. [00:42:22] Speaker C: Yes. And I will say there's a guy in Smith county who put down some of those pellets that I think that you're talking about. When we were talking, it kind of came to mind. He said he put some down and it ended up landing in a part of the collar of his corn that he was growing and ended up burning it. So just be aware of that. And so if you have a pelleted, it might be better to dilute it a little bit to. To the point where it's more of a liquid than a solid. Because if you get into that standpoint, if it lands on the leaf, you might end up burning it. [00:42:56] Speaker D: Right. [00:42:56] Speaker A: Because the stuff is strong. [00:42:58] Speaker C: Yes, sir. [00:42:59] Speaker A: Will, I think we've covered everything. Lunch and learn. We'll reiterate that if they've got questions, how do they find out about this? [00:43:07] Speaker C: Yes, sir. So they would need to call our office at 615-735-2900. Just go to our website, Smith, Tennessee, Edu. Find us there. All of our staff are listed. If you want to send us an email that way, there's multiple ways to reach us. You just got to find one that best fits you, and it fits us, too. [00:43:28] Speaker A: Okay. And these guys, they want to help you. And the best part about it is you're free. [00:43:34] Speaker C: Yes, sir. That's right. That's right. Any consultation that we do have, we're happy to do that. That's something that we like to do. We'd like to get out and visit you when it comes to soil tests and everything. Sending off that might have a little small fee. Not something that's super expensive. We're talking about $15, $17. But outside of that, everything else is free. Please call us. [00:43:56] Speaker A: All right, Will, thanks for coming by. [00:43:57] Speaker C: Thank you, Bill. [00:43:59] Speaker A: Okay. She'll probably argue with me, but we're here with the best 4H agent in the state of Tennessee, Ms. Rachel. Rachel, tell them who you are. [00:44:06] Speaker F: Well, that is a high compliment, Bill, and I really appreciate it. [00:44:09] Speaker A: I'm in it. I really did. [00:44:11] Speaker F: Well, there are lots of us working throughout the state, lots of great4H agents in every county. But I am partial to our Smith County 4H'. ERS. I think that they're the best in Tennessee. I'm Rachel Petty. I'm one of the four H agents here at the UTSU extension office in Smith County. [00:44:27] Speaker A: Well, Rachel, I know you got a lot of things going on. Cause school just started, what, two weeks ago? [00:44:33] Speaker F: Yes. [00:44:33] Speaker A: Yeah. So a lot of things going on. Why don't you kind of go through what you got going on? Maybe in the next month, in the [00:44:39] Speaker F: month and a half, for sure. So September is the start of our 4H club meetings back in the school. So the day after Labor Day, we hit the ground running. We've been coordinating with teachers over the past few weeks, trying to figure out that schedule. I know teachers are busy, and we really appreciate them making time for 4H in their classroom. There's been an administration change, but the new administration, the board of education, has been so supportive of 4H and our mission. So we're just so thankful for our school system and all of the teachers and principals and administration that work really hard to give our students a high quality educational experience. And we're really glad that 4H can be a part of that. So 4H in the classroom in the fall looks like our intro meeting. So when we meet the kids in September, we tell them all the different things that they can do in 4H, all of the projects that they can expect, as well as our after school activities. We elect four H club officers. So some of the students get to take a leadership role of their class. And they get really excited about that. And that really helps them develop leadership skills that they can use throughout the rest of their life. And then in October, it's all about public speaking. So we tell students the best things to do to give a speech as they prepare to give their 4H speech in November, so the fall is pretty cut and dry. And it's laid out. We'll have three meetings before the end of the year and then the rest of the school year. We continue to meet January through March as well. So we'll be busy in clubs from here on out. We've also got all of our after school activities. We just wrapped up with forestry judging. So that's one of my favorite groups to lead. We've got some former national forestry judging competitors that come back and help coach. So I'm really thankful for them. But we had five students participate. That was actually held this year, the Central Region contest as part of the Tennessee State Fair. Since it was the year of forestry at the fair. So five Smith county, four hers got to compete. And everybody from Smith county was in the top 10 in their age division. So we were really proud. [00:46:41] Speaker A: That's truly amazing. That speaks well of both you guys or all of you guys. [00:46:45] Speaker F: Yes. So good, good kids that put in a lot of work. We've got a good framework, got those older four hers that are helping. And actually September 1st was the start of my fourth year in this job. So finished up year three, starting on year four, which is hard to believe, but I feel like I'm kind of getting my feet under me too, Building up some of that infrastructure so that I can really prepare the kids as I learn the information as well. And then right now we're practicing with our poultry judging group. So a lot of these are our chick chain kids that have backyard chickens at home. And they can learn more about the poultry that they are raising. So we learn all about eggs. We learn about retail cuts of poultry. We learn about further processed poultry products like chicken patties and chicken strips, things that you buy in the freezer section of the grocery store. We talk about live birds and how to evaluate good egg layers. So kind of from start to finish, the poultry production process. And a lot of kids get a lot out of that if they are raising backyard birds, if they're just like chickens, if they think they want a career in agriculture, they can really learn a lot through that. [00:47:54] Speaker A: Well, that's a wonderful program you have. And that's the intent is to give people or these children choices between what they do when they get out later on. A lot of the 4H things that you have, I think adults would like to get in on if they could. Because there's some of that stuff that you mentioned. I thought, you know, I'm not sure I know how that comes about. So it's wonderful. [00:48:19] Speaker F: Right and one of the things we hear, I hear from parents sometimes, you know, their kids come home and they're so excited because they're learning the different leaves. So they take their parents out in the woods on a hike and, you know, they can find the yellow poplar and the white pine, and they can tell their parents how to identify these trees and share with their families what they're learning. So that's always really rewarding when I hear, you know, people say that their kids are teaching them things because of what they're doing in 4H. [00:48:42] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely. And that's got to be rewarding. Now, you. You work with homeschool as well and work in this school. So you. You're basically covering all the kids in Smith County. [00:48:52] Speaker F: Yes. If there is. If you are a child in Smith county, if you have a kiddo In Smith County, 4th through 12th grade, there is a way to get them involved in 4H. You can call our office, 615-735-2900, or you can email me at rpettytk. Edu. Or our other 4H agent is Lexi Tipton. Her email is ltiptontk.edu. and either of us are able to help with any of the 4H questions that you have, and we would love to help you get plugged in with the Smith County 4H program. [00:49:23] Speaker A: Okay. And in deference to Lexi, I said you were the best, but you guys are best together, right? [00:49:28] Speaker F: We're the best team. That's right. [00:49:30] Speaker A: There you go. There you go. Well, Rachel, thank you for coming. Coming by. Is there anything we missed? [00:49:34] Speaker F: So there is. There's one more thing that I want to mention. I was not able to be at the chamber taping last month, but we do have some success from over the summer that I do want to mention. So we had A group of 4 senior high 4 hers compete in the 2026 National Wildlife Judging Contest. It was held in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the last week of July. And our Tennessee team was actually the national championship team at that competition. So they won the regional contest back in May. They won the state contest in June, and then they competed at the national level as representatives of both smith county and Tennessee 4H. And then they came home with that national championship title. So those students were Emmy Bibbings, Easton Bibbings, Owen Meeks, and Turner Harvell. They've put a lot of years into 4H wildlife judging. So we were so glad to see them succeed at such a high level. Turner was the fifth place individual at the contest. Owen Meeks was the third place individual, and then Easton Bibbings was the first place individual at that contest. So we are so, so proud of them for finding that level of success on the national stage. Because that is so exciting for me as a 4H agent, which I had help coaching the team as well. Carson Meek of 4H alumni was really instrumental in training up those kids. Gabe Harvel came back. Wildlife was always his thing, so he came back and worked with that group as well. So we had a lot of help. Those kids had a lot of help and a lot of dedication and work ethic. They put in the time. So really exciting to bring that national championship title back home to Smith County. [00:51:12] Speaker A: That's very impressive. And at the risk of taking a little too, or taking time, what exactly? Kind of give the elevator speech on wildlife judging. [00:51:22] Speaker F: Right. So this is designed for any four H'ers who are interested in the outdoors. That's kind of how we pitch it. If they want to go outside and know the bird calls that they're hearing, be able to identify the critters, if they like hiking, if they like hunting, if they like fishing. So this is for our outdoorsy kids. And we study all about wildlife. So native wildlife species, as well as some invasive plants and things like that that can actually be negative factors in our environment. So we're thinking all about wildlife habitat. So what does wildlife need to thrive and what can prevent them from thriving? So they are studying both the animals. So how to recognize animals by things like bird calls, by tracks, by skulls, by pelts, by scat. So all of those kind of classic wildlife identifier. So that's part of the contest is actually knowing what they're looking at, being able to identify those wildlife species. And then they learn how to manage habitat for wildlife. So we talk about different best practices that people who work in the wildlife and natural resources sectors actually use. So things like prescribed fire, removal of invasive species. So things like that that conservationists actually use to manage wildlife habitat. So they learn how to apply those different practices to a certain situation. And then at the state and national contest, the team actually puts together a written wildlife plan. So they come together as a group of three or four, and they kind of scheme up a plan, they write it out, they have to defend it. So they have to sit through an interview about their plan, they draw a map about how they're going to to use all their different practices and where and with what species. So a lot of different skills that go into that, but it's a really fun contest. It gets the kids outside and learning about nature. [00:53:14] Speaker C: Okay. [00:53:14] Speaker A: And that is a wonderful program that you're talking about there, and it teaches them quite a bit about outdoors. I know Gabe. He's been. It's been several years since he was here, but he was really into that and he did our in the Wild program for quite some time. [00:53:30] Speaker F: Yes. So if you ever watched in the wild, Gabe was probably drawing on a lot of his wildlife judging experiences. So the things that he was learning, he was able to use for that. So, yeah, that's a perfect example of what our four H'ers might do. And then Gabe is at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, studying wildlife and fisheries right now because of his involvement in 4H wildlife judging. [00:53:49] Speaker A: So the influence continues throughout the life. Yes, that's wonderful. [00:53:54] Speaker F: That's our goal. [00:53:55] Speaker A: Yeah, that's wonderful. Well, all right, Rachel, thank you for coming by. And tell them the phone number once again if they need information. [00:54:03] Speaker F: Yes. So you can reach the UTSU Extension office in Smith county at 615-735-2900. [00:54:10] Speaker A: All right, thank you. [00:54:11] Speaker F: Thanks, Bill. [00:54:12] Speaker A: We hope you enjoyed our program today. It was a lot about the Hotel Walton and the Hull Restaurant, and we hope you get a chance to come by and see that. We also had. Well, the guys from UT Extension are always great and Community Wellness alliance, but if you get a chance to come into Carthage, it would be great for you to come by here and just Visit the place. September 26th is Walton Days. We got a lot of wonderful entertainment coming up. There's going to be vendors up and down the street. It starts at 10 o' clock in the morning, goes to at least 4 or 5 that evening. And there's a lot of things going to be going on. So don't forget September 26th, William Walton Harvest Festival. We hope you'll come by and be with us. So until next time, may God bless you. And remember, Smith county is a great place to live, work and make your living. [00:55:17] Speaker B: Sam.