The Clinch River Community School’s annual plant sale is held in the school’s greenhouse on the hill behind Anderson County High School. - G. Chambers Williams III
The annual plant sale at the Clinch River Community School will begin on Wednesday, April 1, in the school’s greenhouse behind Anderson County High School.
Staged each spring to raise money for the agriculture programs at the school, the sale’s proceeds go right back into those programs for Clinch River students, said Kendra McCoig, agriculture teacher at the school.
The school’s greenhouse is up on the hill next to the school, and is not connected with the separate greenhouse along Charles G. Seivers Boulevard next door to the high school.
McCoig said the school has been holding the plant sales since it opened at the current location in the 2012-13 school year.
Sales hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, and the school accepts cash and checks, but no debit or credit cards.
McCoig said the plans are to keep the sale going until May 1 or whenever the stock of plants runs out, whichever comes first.
“We have Boston and Macho ferns, a dozen types of tomatoes and peppers, a host of other fruits and vegetables (watermelon, cantaloupe, cabbage, okra, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, etc.), and a variety of herbs,” the school’s Facebook page says.
“Also available are annual and perennial bedding plants, and gorgeous hanging baskets,” the school said.
Alzheimer’s Tennessee is inviting families, friends and neighbors from across East Tennessee to take part in three community walks this April to honor loved ones, celebrate “Tennessee Originals” and raise support for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
The Knoxville Walk will be held Saturday, April 11, at Knoxville Catholic High School in Knoxville.
The 5 County Walk will take place Saturday, April 18, at Lakefront Park in Clinton.
The Foothills Walk is set for Saturday, April 25, at Alcoa High School.
Each event offers the community an opportunity to participate, remember loved ones and help support Alzheimer’s Tennessee’s work across the region.
For many in East Tennessee, the walks are personal.
“Alzheimer’s Tennessee is very special to me,” said Connie Lane, co-chair of the Knoxville Walk. “Before my mom passed in 2008, I lived the worst day of my life. That’s when I reached out to Alzheimer’s Tennessee, and they were there to help me.”
Lóre Stevens will discuss spirituality and its relationship to political power as the guest speaker at the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club meeting Thursday, March 26.
The club will host Stevens, minister of Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, at 5:30 p.m. at the Scarboro Community Center, 148 Carver Ave., Oak Ridge.
Stevens will explore religion as the organized community aspect of spirituality and the sense of connection that leads people to act with compassion, nonviolence and determination for the well-being of others.
She said religion has been used throughout history as a tool for power and control, including today, when Christianity — which challenges its adherents to love their neighbors and enemies — has been used to justify xenophobia and cruelty.
Stevens also will discuss how democracy in the United States was founded on the principle of separation of church and state, and how that principle is sometimes misunderstood.
Stevens, who is of Mexican descent, grew up in Powell.
She holds a master’s degree in gender studies from Eastern Michigan University and a master of divinity from Harvard University.
She has received the UU History & Heritage Society’s Research Prize for UU Leaders and the Dana Greeley Sermon Award. She also was a finalist for the Harvard Divinity School Billings Preaching Prize.
Pizza will be available for $5 per person at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m.
A special Volunteer Day cleanup event for the Museum of Appalachia in Norris is coming up on Wednesday, April 1. - G. Chambers Williams III
Getting ready for its run of annual events, including Sheep Shearing Days on April 24 and May 1, the Museum of Appalachia also will hold a “Volunteer Day” next Wednesday, April 1.
The Volunteer Day will focus cleanup efforts on the museum’s Display Barn, a two-story space filled with thousands of artifacts from everyday Appalachian life, the museum said in an announcement on social media.
“It takes a lot to keep it clean and ready for guests, and we could use your help,” the museum said, adding that it’s a “great opportunity for students to earn volunteer hours.”
Hours for the cleanup will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will include such tasks as “sweeping, dusting, spot cleaning, vacuuming, and general tidying,” the notice said.
Volunteers, who must be at least 16 years old, will be treated to lunch at the museum’s restaurant.
Recommended attire includes “comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, closed-toe shoes, dust masks, and gloves.”
The annual Sheep Shearing Days at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris will be held on two consecutive Fridays this year, April 24 and May 1.
