A sheep gets a haircut as visitors watch during last year’s sheep-shearing event at the Museum of Appalachia on Andersonville Highway in Norris. This year’s event will take place over the next three Fridays, starting this week (April 26). - G. Chambers Williams III
It’s sheep-shearing time again at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris.
For anyone who’s never watched sheep being sheared, now’s the chance.
The museum’s annual sheep-shearing exhibition will be held on each of the next three Fridays, beginning this week (April 26), followed by two successive Fridays, May 3 and 10.
Each day, the event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with at least two-dozen of the wooly beasts getting haircuts for the visiting crowds each day.
“We’ve done this for nearly 15 years,” said Will Meyer, the museum’s marketing director. “We say it’s to help welcome the warmth of spring.
“And as for the sheep, just like us they need a haircut, too,” he said. “This also gives kids an up-close, first-hand look at where their clothes and blankets might come from.
“It’s an excuse for us to welcome tons of school kids, and bring artisans and craftspeople to the museum to demonstrate their work,” Meyer said.
“We’re expecting about 1,000 students each day,” he said. “We’ve even had some to come here from parts of Kentucky and Virginia.”
Fun for families and their dogs will be on tap this Saturday, April 27, as the annual Paws for a Cause Pet Expo takes place at the Carden Farm Dog Park in Clinton.
The event, at 410 Riverview Drive in South Clinton, will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will include vendors and activities, including a pet costume contest, an agility course for dogs, K-9 demonstrations, kids’ games and crafts, food trucks and more.
Organizers say they are expecting thousands of people to attend the event. There is no admission charge.
There will also be animal shelters and rescue groups on hand with adoptable pets and low-cost vaccinations and microchips available for all.
Led by the city of Clinton, the key sponsor is the Anderson County Animal Rescue Foundation.
Proceeds from the event will be used to help “animals in need from our community,” the sponsor said. That includes veterinary care, pet food and other forms of aid.
More than 60 vendors have signed up for the pet expo.
Visitors check out street vendors on Market Street during the 2023 Clinch River Spring Antique Festival, which returns to downtown Clinton next weekend. - G. Chambers Williams III
Downtown Clinton will get quite busy next weekend as the 19th annual Clinch River Spring Antique Festival takes over Market Street on Friday and Saturday, May 3-4.
The popular big event will be held from noon-6 p.m. on Friday of next week, and will continue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
It will include street vendors and food trucks on Market Street, along with a variety of activities throughout the downtown area.
This event is presented by the Historic Downtown Clinton Merchants Association.
There is no admission charge, and plenty of free parking is available in the city parking lot on Commerce Street.
Antique vendors will line Market Street rain or shine, and the downtown brick-and-mortar stores will be open to visitors, many offering specials for the event.
All of downtown loves to take part in the Spring Antique Festival, which kicks off the summer selling season for the stores, and brings thousands of visitors – most of them from out of town – to Historic Downtown Clinton.
“Nobody does antiques quite like Clinton; just ask Martha Stewart!” says a post on the Historic Downtown Clinton website.
Besides antiques vendors and stores, there will be food trucks and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy, the sponsors say.
Mary Hammond of Norris celebrated her 100th birthday April 13 and was honored with a party at Norris First Baptist Church. Norris Mayor Chris Mitchell made an appearance at the event read a proclamation he signed declaring April 13 as Mary Hammond Day in Norris.
Mary Hammond of Norris celebrated her 100th birthday April 13 and was honored with a party at Norris First Baptist Church. Norris Mayor Chris Mitchell made an appearance at the event read a proclamation he signed declaring April 13 as Mary Hammond Day in Norris.
We love celebrating our seniors and the major milestones of life. Engagements, weddings, births, silver and golden anniversaries, and 100-year birthday celebrations can be sent to: editor@mycouriernews. Or, stop by our office at 233 N. Hicks St. with your photos and information.
The Anderson County Library Board has made a change to the juvenile library card application.
This application now includes an additional signature from parents or guardians to allow their children access to all materials in the library, as some materials within the library may contain adult-themed content.
All patrons under the age of 18 will be required to have this new application completed by Dec. 30.
Parents/guardians will continue to take financial responsibility for their children.
The library board encourages all parents to stop by the nearest Anderson County library branch to update each child’s application.
In observance of National Safe Digging Month in April, PCUD today announced results from a recent national survey revealing that over half (51%) of U.S. Homeowners plan to complete an outdoor do-it-yourself project that involves digging in the next year, but 26.9 million Americans do not plan to notify 811 ahead of their next project, putting themselves and their communities at risk by not contacting 811 before digging.
Digging without knowing the approximate location of underground utilities can result in serious injury or death, inconvenient service disruptions, and costly fines and repairs.
Making a free request before digging online at tenn811.com or by calling 811 will help everyone who digs maintain essential utility service for their communities, while keeping themselves and their neighbors safe by reducing the likelihood of accidentally digging into buried utility lines.
