The Museum of Appalachia in Norris has received a $55,000 grant from the state of Tennessee for some electrical improvements to its facilities. - G. Chambers Williams III
Four museums in Anderson County have been awarded a total of nearly $133,000 in grants from the Tennessee State Museum’s capital maintenance and improvement program.
The money comes from a pool of $5 million in grant funds for museums appropriated by the Tennessee General Assembly in the state’s 2025-26 fiscal-year budget.
Grant recipients are:
• Museum of Appalachia, Norris, $55,000 to support an electrical-improvement project.
• American Museum of Science and Energy, Oak Ridge, $17,000 to support visitor access and ADA accommodations
• Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, $18,850 to support a plumbing-improvement project.
• Coal Creek Miners Museum, Rocky Top, $42,063 to support building foundation work and ADA accommodations for visitors
There were more than 170 grant applications submitted, totaling $12 million in funding requests, according to the Tennessee State Museum.
The State Museum has made full or partial awards to 99 museums across the state, representing 46 counties.
In the three years of the program, the grants have supported 173 museums in 73 counties across the state.
People young and old walked, ran and even pushed strollers along Riverside Drive and Riverbend Road during the SL Tennessee Clinton 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run on Saturday, Oct. 18.
The event, which began and ended at Lakefront Park, served as a fundraiser for Clinton City and Anderson County schools.
In the 5K, the top male finishers were Clinton resident Cooper Bostrom, 16, first; Baylor Cool of Knoxville, 14, second; and Clinton resident Jeremy Sexton, 48, third.
The top female finishers were Clinton resident Grace Raison Kastens, 25, first; Lily West of Clinton, 14, second; and Heather Kibler of Knoxville, 52, third.
In the 1-mile race, the top male finishers were S. Brooks, 12, of Knoxville; N. Bray, 11, of Clinton; and T. Foster, 11, of Clinton.
The top female finishers were Jessica Weatherford, 38, of Clinton; N. Murray, 12, of Oak Ridge; and E. Kerr, 11, of Clinton.
Complete results are available at clinton5k.com.
Kelly Johnson, director of Clinton City Schools, said proceeds from the event will help fund health and wellness program grants for both Clinton City and Anderson County school systems.
“All teachers in both systems may apply, but the project must be connected to student health and wellness — physical or mental,” Johnson said.
“If kids don’t come to school healthy and ready to learn, then we can’t make academic progress.”
Johnson said the race continues to strengthen community bonds.
“It’s a great community event,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for families to come together and participate in something that supports health.”
The 88th-annual charity Fall Bazaar sponsored by the Norris Religious Fellowship will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the church.
Located at 23 Dogwood Road, the non-denominational Norris Religious Fellowship is the original church set up when Norris was created by the Tennessee Valley Authority during construction of nearby Norris Dam.
The bazaar will include “white elephant” items, linens, home goods, holiday decorations, and baked goods for sale.
There also will be a snack bar for participants.
Proceeds of the event will be used to support Good Neighbors, Vacation Bible School, the Norris Food Pantry, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, and the Green Thumb garden program.
For more information, contact the church at 865-494-7131.
Visitors to the recent Norris Halloween Trail event check out the decorated entrance to the spooktacular hike route through the woods next to the Norris Community Building. - G. Chambers Williams III
Erick Dugger (left) recently won a private drum lesson with rock drummer Gregg Bisson, who is currently touring with Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band.
Local drummer Erick Dugger of the Medford community recently had a brush with rock royalty when he won a private drum session with Gregg Bissonette — the world-class drummer currently touring with Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band.
Dugger attended the “Music City Drum Expo” in Nashville, a two-day event packed with drumming talent including Ray Luzier of Korn, Donald Barrett of Lady Gaga’s band, Bill Gibson of Huey Lewis and the News, and heavy metal drummer Jay Weinberg, whose father Max Weinberg famously plays with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.
During the expo, Dugger entered a drawing sponsored by Dixon Drums for a one-on-one drum lesson with Bissonette. A few weeks later, he got the surprise personal call from Bissonette himself, telling him he had won.
There’s one more chance left for people to participate in this year’s Norris Lions Club Turkey Shoot, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8.
Entrants will compete to win their own birds for Thanksgiving in one of the club’s biggest fundraising events of the year.
The is held at its regular location in Andersonville along Route 61 about one mile east of the traffic light at the entrance to Norris.
With shotguns, 12 contestants per round will shoot at paper targets 90 feet away on a range.
The shooter whose shot comes closest to the center of the target wins the round.
All shotgun shells are provided by the range staff, and are $5 per shell for turkey rounds, and $6 for ham rounds. Shells will be provided for a range of gauges.
Winners receive a $20 Walmart gift certificate for a turkey round, or a $30 certificate for a ham round.
Participants may bring their own shotguns, or use one provided by the Lions Club.
The range setup and experienced personnel ensure that the event is conducted with everyone’s safety in mind.
For anyone who would like to win a turkey certificate but can’t participate in the shoot, Lions Club members will be selling target sheets, each with eight individual targets.
Anyone can purchase a single target for $5 and have a one-in-eight chance of winning, or purchase additional targets to increase your odds. For only $40, someone may buy the whole target and win a bird, all while supporting the Lions Club.
Targets will be shot by the Lions at the end of each day, and the winners notified.
This is a popular event and a family tradition for many in the Norris area, the Lions Club says.
In the event of rain, a contingency day has been scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 15.
A crowd in signature yellow vests joined the Anderson County Commission and Mayor Terry Frank as they declared Nov. 5 as Clinton Lions Club Day, in horon of the club’s 85thanniversary.
Frank read a proclamation resolution giving details of the club’s history and thanking the club for going “above and beyond to serve others,” during the commission’s Oct. 20 meeting.
The club was organized July 2, 1940, and chartered that Sept. 10.
It is one of 250 Lions Clubs in Tennessee.
The club supports vision screening for students in Anderson County Schools and some daycares. It sponsors the monthly Anderson County Veterans Appreciation Breakfast.
Other projects supported include Learning Ally in Oak Ridge, Operation Kid Sight Outreach, Tennessee School for the Blind, Tennessee School for the Deaf, East Tennessee Lions Eye Bank, Leader Dogs for the Blind, diabetes awareness and childhood cancer research.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, which curtailed a lot of community events and activities, the Clinton Lions Club never stopped serving,” the resolution stated.
“The members simply pivoted and focused on providing gift cards to Food City and donations to fire departments and food pantries as well as providing meals for shut-in residents of our community,” it said.
“May their efforts continue for many years to come,” Frank said.
Gwen Cole, the club’s president, addressed the commission.
The day was also her 79th birthday.
“We’re honored to be here and honored to accept this,” she said.
The club’s 85th anniversary celebration took place at the Museum of Appalachia.
