Santa Claus Comes to Sewanee for Two Tree Lightings on Dec. 6

The University and the Sewanee Business Alliance have joined together to host the first annual Mountain Lights Festival. Two Christmas trees will be lit, and the shops of downtown Sewanee will light up on Friday, Dec. 6.

Students and community members will gather at 5 p.m. to light a tree in the Quad. Santa will then lead a procession down University Avenue with the Sewanee Cambiata and the Sewanee Chorale singing Christmas carols. 

 At 5:30 p.m. in Angel Park in downtown Sewanee, folks will gather for the lighting of the Village Christmas Tree. 

Bonnie and John McCardell will be on hand to help light the trees. Santa Claus will be available for photos with the kids under the music pavilion. There will be cocoa and cookies.

Please bring unwrapped toys for Operation Noel. Gifts of money and nonperishable food will be collected for the Community Action Committee (CAC).

Decorating of the Christmas tree at Angel Park will be at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 4. All are welcome to come help with this festive activity. 

Operation Noel: Providing Abundant Holidays for All

In just a few weeks, it will be Christmas. While many are already planning ahead about the gifts to buy and the food to eat, there are those not so fortunate. In our area, there are children who may not get presents and families that may not have an abundant holiday meal.

Each year the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) in conjunction with FROST (the department’s Fund Raising Operational Support Team) organizes the purchasing and distribution of food and toys for these families. All items are delivered Christmas Eve morning by the SVFD and FROST. 

But this important program cannot happen without help from our community. Please consider making a donation of money, nonperishable food items or new toys to Operation Noel this year and give back to your community this Christmas season.

Families eligible for Operation Noel must live in the following communities: Sewanee, Midway, Jump Off and Sherwood Road to the top of Sherwood Mountain (but not into Sherwood).

Every family needs to fill out a new application, even if they have received from Operation Noel before. An application ensures that organizers have all the pertinent information so they can provide for everyone in need. The application is on page 6 of this week’s issue of the Messenger. The deadline for returning applications is Monday, Dec. 9.

If you would like to make a donation of money, nonperishable food items or new toys, please take items to Fire Chief David Green’s office, located in the Sewanee Police Department building or Print Services in Van Ness Hall. 

For more information call 598-3400 and leave a message.

Families Share Camp Discover Reunion

Tracy Elementary School students who participated in the 2013 Camp Discover in June gathered with their families and community members on Nov. 11 to share memories of camp and enjoy a variety of activities. 

The mission of Camp Discover is part of an ongoing community partnership project designed around the natural connections that exist between literacy and the development of social connectedness, with an emphasis on exploring, sharing and celebrating the community’s stories and heritage.

“The excitement about the reunion had been building for weeks at Tracy,” said Emily Partin, coordinator of the Grundy County Schools Family Resource Center and a community partner. “The kids remember so much about the summer camp and can tell wonderful stories about their time in the community. They are already anxious to learn where we will visit next year!” 

Community volunteers who participated in the reunion also included wildlife rehabilitator Margaret Matens, who brought snakes and turtles for students to hold; State Park Ranger George Shinn, who provided information about their different habitats on the Plateau; and A.J. Gulley, who cooked up a large kettle of mulligan stew for the group to sample and told the history of frontier cooking.

Photographs were collected to create a community calendar that celebrates the camp and provides additional information on locations campers visited and books they read for families that may want to visit or read together. Students and their families had a chance to see the calendar on Monday for the first time and were encouraged to reflect on and write about some of their special memories.

In addition, student photographs were on display in an exhibit in Tracy Elementary’s new Learning Lab. Sewanee art professor Pradip Malde and College student Chandler Sowden worked with students this fall to write reflections on the photos they took. The exhibit will move to the University in January for a show at Stirling’s. In the future, the Learning Lab will offer a space for students and families to complete school project assignments in a supportive environment.

University of the South Executive Chef Rick Wright shared a no-bake apple cookie activity, and Christopher Faults told stories of Tracy’s history as students rode a hay wagon around the town.

The evening ended with a barbecue dinner for everyone prepared by Priscilla Graham, while the Bazzania band provided entertainment. Sherry Guyear, one of the camp’s lead teachers, shared the book “Owl Babies,” and all students received a bag of books and calendar provided by Scholastic, along with some special treats.

More than 60 Tracy Elementary students in grades 1–7 participated in the 2013 Camp Discover, which is part of an ongoing collaboration between the University, Yale Child Study Center, Scholastic and Tracy Elementary. Funding from the Friends of the South Cumberland and University of the South Environmental Studies, rangers from South Cumberland State Park, and curriculum, program materials, and books supplied by Scholastic supported the two-week program.  Plans are underway for the 2014 Camp program. For more information email <southcumberland​families@gmail.com>. 

—Special to the Messenger

Franklin County School Board Reviews Policies

by K. G. Beavers, Messenger Staff Writer

The Franklin County school board met in regular session Nov. 18 to discuss new policies and changes in existing policies, including facility planning, student transportation and curriculum.

Prior to the meeting, James Leonard Clark was awarded an honorary high school diploma. Clark is a Vietnam veteran and served his county instead of graduating from high school. High school diplomas may be issued to veterans whose education was interrupted by service in World War I, World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War. 

Louise Cromwell spoke before the board concerning the mold problem at Clark Memorial School. Director of Schools Rebecca Sharber said appropriate measures are being taken, including suggestions from the EPA such as removing wet carpet and thoroughly cleaning. Sharber said the board of education and the school would continue to monitor the mold problem.

A new policy recommended by the Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA) is Policy 3.208 Facility Planning. This policy allows the director of schools to assess the needs of each facility including building and site deficiencies, technology or utility needs, safety concerns, maintenance concerns and special community needs. Also included in this new policy is an Asbestos Management Plan. Sharber said the school system is already incorporating most of these things to help with long-range maintenance planning. The school board approved this new policy.

School board Policy 2.404, School Support Organizations, and 3.206, Community Use of School Facilities, were approved on second reading. Policy 2.404 includes the language that “Parent organizations and Parent-Teacher Organizations are neither school-sponsored clubs nor student-initiated clubs. They are considered independent, ‘outside clubs or groups,’ which must meet the terms of this policy to be able to use the name, mascot or logo of a school or the school district to solicit or raise money, materials, property, securities, services or other things of value. Neither principals nor teachers of any school shall be on any parent organization or Parent-Teacher Organization board of directors.” 

Policy 3.206 was changed to include “School facilities shall not be used primarily for religious purposes on a permanent basis (as determined by the Board).”

Policy 3.400, Student Transportation Management, is a new policy recommended by the TSBA. It includes that school buses shall be maintained and operated in accordance with state laws and state board rules and regulations. The policy also included a plan for replacement of buses. It was approved on the first and second reading.

Policy 3.600, Insurance Management, was changed to include payment of 100 percent of annual premiums for single medical insurance for qualifying full-time classified employees. The change in the policy was approved on first and second reading.

Regarding Policy 6.304, Student Discrimination/Harassment and Bullying, “We had already clarified some of this language in a previous meeting,” said Chris McDonough, school board member. “This includes that students would be provided a learning environment ‘free from discrimination/harassment based on gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion and physical condition or appearance.’ That needs to be put back into the policy.” The policy was approved with those changes.

For the review of Section 4 Instruction Services policies, “these changes are being recommended to continue to align our policies with practice and changes within rules and laws,” said Sharber. All section 4 policies were approved with the exception of 4.200, Curriculum Development, and 4.203, Advanced College Placement. For policy 4.203, the criteria defining an academically gifted student had been removed. The board wanted exactly what determined a gifted student back in the policy.

Most of the language in Policy 4.200 was removed; the state board of education adopts the curriculum standards for each subject area in grades K–12. These approved standards are the basis for planning instructional programs for the school system. Experimentation with newer concepts of curriculum designs, scheduling and instructional techniques is encouraged but must have prior approval of the principal and director of schools.

Most of the school board members objected to the removal of “a presentation be made to the school board.”

“So much of the curriculum is decided by the state already, and we have little input or control,” said McDonough. “In light of the new reading program, more information is warranted before such programs are put into place. A full, formal presentation is probably not necessary, but the board needs to be fully informed.”

Discussion will continue at the next board meeting, to be held in January. For more information, go to <www.fcstn.net>.

Civic Association Hears Updates on Parks and Community Chest

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Members and guests attending the Nov. 13 dinner meeting of the Sewanee Civic Association heard updates on the Community Chest fund drive, the historical marker commemorating the desegregation of Sewanee Elementary School and the renovation of Elliott Park. Robie Jackson, performing arts coordinator for St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School (SAS), gave a slide show presentation about the SAS Players’ summer trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. 

The Community Chest fund drive, sponsored by the Civic Association, has reached half of the $108,000 goal for the 2013–14 academic year. Civic Association Vice President Kiki Beavers stressed that every dollar donated to the Community Chest “stays here” and will help finance the needs of 28 area organizations and programs, if the goal is met.

The Civic Association has received approval from the Tennessee State Historical Commission for a historical marker to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Sewanee Elementary School (SES). The 1963 lawsuit brought by eight Sewanee families was unique for involving both black and white plaintiffs. The marker will be unveiled at a commemorative ceremony at 2 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 19, at SES. Elizabeth Clark Duncan and Cameron Swallow chair the planning committee and invite community involvement.

The marker was paid for with subscription fees to Sewanee Classifieds, a community email list sponsored by the Civic Association. To subscribe to Sewanee Classifieds ($10/annually) visit the Civic Association website, <sewaneecivic.wordpress.com>. For more information email <sewaneecivic@gmail.com>.

Board member Steve Burnett said the Parks Committee was researching playground equipment for the renovation of Elliott Park. The committee sent a  Request for Information to several playground equipment companies. Burnett received an inquiry about the disrepair of the grills in the pavilion at Lake Cheston. The grills have since been removed. Burnett will look into possible remedies.

SAS Performing Arts Coordinator Robie Jackson teaches theater to sixth- through twelfth-grade students. Jackson praised the SAS theater program for making it possible to nurture aspiring actors over the course of six years. In 2011 and again in 2012, SAS was nominated to participate the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2012, Jackson “felt like we were ready” and undertook the demanding application process. SAS was among only 50 high schools accepted to participate out of 1,099 applicants.

The next hurdle was financing the trip. The cost was $6,075 per student with each student’s family required to contribute $2,000. The SAS theater program raised $68,000 through benefits, a rummage sale, theater productions and an online campaign.

The 12 students and their SAS chaperones arrived in the United Kingdom on July 30 and after two days in London, headed for Edinburgh. The Fringe Festival includes over 1,800 performances of theatre, dance and comedy during its three-week run. The SAS players gave four performances of “The Ants” on four consecutive days. SAS film instructor (and Jackson’s husband) John Holleman wrote the play.

The next meeting of the Sewanee Civic Association is scheduled for Feb. 5.

Burial Liturgy Set for Cushman

Mary Sue Cushman, longtime Sewanee resident, died Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013, at her home in Sewanee.

The burial liturgy will be at 1 p.m., Monday, Nov. 25, at All Saints' Chapel. The committal will be in the University Cemetery;  reception will follow in the Mary Sue Cushman Room of the Women's Center. 

A full obituary will appear in the Nov. 27 issue of the Messenger.

Mountain Goat Trail Could Have $1 Million Annual Impact on Local Economy: Babson Center Issues Economic Analysis Report

The completed Mountain Goat Trail could bring more than $1.2 million in annual economic benefits to the area, according to a report issued Nov. 20. The economic impact analysis was written by students who are part of the Babson Center for Global Commerce at Sewanee. The trail, when completed, will connect Cowan to Palmer.

“All the stakeholders connected with the Mountain Goat Trail—elected officials, business owners and private citizens—have always believed that the trail would bring economic as well as health benefits to the Mountain. Now, thanks to the Babson Center and the University of the South, we have research to support that belief,” said Janice Thomas, board president of the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance.

The report was prepared by the Babson Center’s class of 2015 Carey Fellows. Data used in the report included studies of other rail-to-trail projects, local demographic statistics and statistically relevant formulas for calculating effects of tourism on a local economy.

“The Mountain Goat Trail offers unique opportunities to connect communities, as well as attract tourists from across the Southeast. The construction of the trail also benefits the local communities in many ways, ranging from offering a habitat for better outdoor education for local schools to offering community members a place to exercise,” the report stated.

The Mountain Goat Trail is a rail-to-trail community outdoor recreation project to convert the abandoned Mountain Goat railroad right-of-way into a multi-use recreational corridor connecting Grundy, Marion, and Franklin counties. Donations to the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance are tax-deductible. For more information, go to <www.mountaingoattrail.org>.

Community Fund Launches New “Light Up Lives” Project

The Community Fund of the South Cumberland Plateau is offering holiday donation cards for purchase at many area businesses as a creative alternative to empty holiday gift giving. For a $10 donation, folks will receive a “Light Up Lives” card that reads: “A gift to the Community Fund of the South Cumberland Plateau has been made in your honor.” The person who purchased the card then fills in the name of the family member or friend they want to remember and mails the card in the envelope provided.

“This is truly a way to give the gift of community,” said Bonnie McCardell, the Light Up Lives project chair. “A donation to the Community Fund is a simple way to remember people during this season while investing in those who live on the Cumberland Plateau.”

During the last two years, the Community Fund’s grants to schools and nonprofit organizations have changed lives, McCardell said. 

“The grant recipients have begun new grass-roots initiatives in health, jobs and education. 

Grants have helped well-established nonprofits—the Mountain Goat Trail, Blue Monarch, Mountain T.O.P., Folks at Home and many more; and they have also encouraged those with ideas and energy to step forward and launch new projects,” she said. “The Light Up Lives holiday cards are a perfect way for people to support the Community Fund during this season of giving.”

Light Up Lives cards will be available for purchase at businesses across the Plateau. Look for cards at the Blue Chair, Citizens State Bank, Citizens Tri-County Bank, Dutch Maid Bakery, the Grundy County Courthouse, the Grundy Heritage Center, Julia’s Fine Foods, the Monteagle Mountain Chamber of Commerce, the Monteagle Inn and Southern Community Bank. 

“We are pleased with the many donors who give to the Community Fund,” said Chair Scott Parrish. “And we hope that offering these holiday cards will be a way to include many more in our ranks of supporters. “Though $10 is a small amount, when you use it to purchase a card, it makes a big statement about our community and how we care for each other.”

SAS Wreath Sale Continues

The eighth annual St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School sixth-grade holiday balsam wreath sale is continuing. Proceeds from the sales will benefit several different outreach projects, including ongoing support of students at Amazing Grace Orphanage in Uganda and a project in Haiti. In addition to these predetermined causes, each sixth-grader will be given the opportunity to research three charities and select one for his or her own donation. 

The balsam wreaths are shipped fresh from Maine. They measure at least 22 inches and come with a big red bow, six pinecones and several sprigs of red berries. The wreaths cost $24 and will arrive during the week of Dec. 11–15. 

To order wreaths, contact any St. Andrew’s -Sewanee sixth-grade student or contact Cindy Potter by email <cpotter@sasweb.org> or call 598-5651, ext. 1019. The final date for ordering a wreath is Wednesday, Dec. 4.

Organist Filsell Performs at All Saints’ Chapel Tonight

Jeremy Filsell, acknowledged as one of only a few virtuoso performers on both piano and organ, will perform at 7:30 p.m. (tonight) Friday, Nov. 22, in All Saints’ Chapel as part of the University of the South’s Performing Arts Series. 

Filsell was an organ scholar at Keble College Oxford and as a graduate, he studied piano at the Royal College of Music, later completing a Ph.D. at Birmingham Conservatoire. He has taught at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at universities, summer schools and conventions in both the U.K. and U.S., and has performed around the world. He now combines international performing and teaching activities with being artist-in-residence at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Gramophone magazine has called Filsell’s recordings of Marcel Dupré’s complete organ works “one of the greatest achievements in organ recording.”

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for students. (Admission is free with University of the South ID.) For more information go to <perform​ingarts.sewanee.edu/>.

SUD Reviews 2014 Budget

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Nov. 19 meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Sewanee Utility District of Franklin and Marion Counties, the board reviewed the 2014 budget. The utility hopes to complete the automated meter reading (AMR) installation without taking out a loan.

AMR will enable SUD to retrieve customer meter data via a radio transmitter system. By replacing aging meters which are typically inaccurate, SUD projects a revenue increase. SUD Manager Ben Beavers budgeted a 2 percent increase in water and sewer sales and said the added revenue could be as high as 8 percent. 

The cost of implementing the AMR technology will be spread over two years, $250,000 in 2013 and $100,000 projected for 2014. Beavers said SUD has sufficient cash reserves to implement AMR without taking out a loan, although cash reserves will drop to $850,000. Beavers projects it will take four to five years to build the cash reserve back to its present level of $1.4 million. The revenue increase will come from more accurate metering data and a 3 percent rate increase beginning in 2015. No rate increase is budgeted for 2014.

Beavers said SUD’s consulting firm, Raftelis Financial Inc., recommends the cash reserve should not drop below 25 percent of the operating budget, projected at $1.03 million for 2014. The commissioners questioned whether cash reserves should equal 100 percent of the operating budget. Beavers will seek the advice of the state comptroller and report at the Dec. 17 commissioners’ meeting.

The AMR system will be the first capital improvement accomplished without a loan. SUD is also undertaking repair to the sewer system and, likewise, plans to accomplish this project without borrowing money. Taking out a loan to implement AMR would cost the utility $25,000–$30,000.

In 2006, when SUD went to self-operation, ending its contract with the management firm Severn Trent, it had no cash reserve. SUD has built the cash reserve over the past seven years with careful management practices.

Beavers reviewed other budget highlights. He anticipates revenue will remain relatively flat, increasing from $1.3 million in 2013 to $1.37 million in 2014. Operating expenses will increase from $1.02 million in 2013 to $1.03 million in 2014. Beavers attributed 17 percent of the increase to rising health care costs. For SUD’s employee health insurance plan to qualify, it was necessary to add visual and dental care for children to the plan.

SUD budgeted $261,000 for debt expense in 2014 (the new water plant loan) and $420,000 for capital improvements, nearly half for AMR and sewer repair.

The board will vote on the budget at its December meeting after reviewing the comptroller’s recommendation on cash reserves.

In other business, Beavers reported that the $2,200 repair to the water tank was $1,200 less than expected.

Two SUD commissioners will be elected in January to fill the at-large seats for District B and District C. The SUD commissioners currently holding these seats, Randall Henley and Karen Singer, will seek re-election. 

All SUD customers are eligible to seek election to the board. Potential candidates must present a nominating petition with the signature of ten SUD customers by Dec. 12. Nominating petitions are available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, at the SUD business office.

Vegetable Arbor at Farm in Need of Repair

One of the most lovely places on the Domain was in jeopardy of falling in on itself until Paul Mooney intervened to save what is known as the Vegetable Arbor, a gazebo at the historic entrance to the University Farm.

“I remember this place from my whole life,” said Mooney, who is a native of Sewanee. “Everything has grown up around it, and the termites are eating it up, and it looks terrible. I hope we can get it redone. It means a lot to me.” 

At the age of 14, Mooney started working at the University Farm driving a tractor and working in the fields. When he got a driver’s license, he started working for the University Dairy, delivering milk around Sewanee and to people in Palmer. Mooney worked his entire career at the University; he retired in 1997 after 50 years of service.

The gazebo and fence on Old Farm Road was constructed by Martin Johnson, who was the manager of the University Farm. Johnson is also the craftsman who created the stunning ironwork weather vane with Purple Martins on the top of the structure.

Professor Gerald Smith has been looking into the history of the arbor, too. Smith’s “Religion and Ecology” class in 1999 did some restoration work to the structure, but it is in need of full replacement now.

In his book “Sewanee Places,” Smith described the University Farm this way: “From 1899 until 1965, the University farm supplied meat, dairy, poultry, fruit and garden products to the dining halls and to the Supply Store. Much of this garden produce was used fresh in the dining halls or canned for off-season use.

“For convenience in storing baskets of vegetables coming out of the fields, an open-sided wood shelter, or arbor, was built at the edge of the road across from the gardener’s house. Later, this shelter was used to display vegetables for purchase by people who came out to the farm on Saturday mornings. The Vegetable Arbor was constructed of rough-hewn timbers in notched timber-frame style and had a pyramidal roof covered in oak shakes,” Smith wrote.

“This place is where my granddaddy brought the vegetables,” Mooney said, standing in the cold autumn air earlier this week. Mooney’s grandfather, John Samuel Mooney was the farm manager at one time. Mooney lived with his grandparents at times as a boy, when the farm was thriving.

“When I was small I ran around out here with my cousins Ronnie and Larry Goodman,” he said. “We all want to see it restored.”

The project is expected to cost about $9,000. Mooney and friends have collected more than $4,000 so far. Donations can be made to the project by sending them to Gift Records, University of the South, 735 University Ave., Sewanee TN 37375.

SCC Benefit Reading

The Sewanee Children’s Center will present a reading of “The Bone Orchard,” a screenplay written by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, the Tennessee Williams Playwright-in-Residence and an SCC parent. The reading will be at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 21, in the Proctor Hall Theatre at the Tennessee Williams Center in Sewanee. A reception will follow.

Tickets are $25, with a limited number of student tickets for $10. All proceeds will benefit the Sewanee Children’s Center. The reading will run approximately 90 minutes with no intermission and is not recommended for children. For tickets, please email <sccbenefit@aol.com>.

The reading will be performed by a cast of student actors and members of the Sewanee community, including Elise Anderson, Al Bardi, Marcia Mary Cook, Oliver Crawford, Charlotte LaNassa, David Landon, Heather Layne, Karen Pelfry Smith, Peter Smith, Cameron Swallow and Hunter Woolwine.

ACA Info Sessions

The Community Engagement Program of the University of the South and the Sewanee Business Alliance will host two information sessions on the Affordable Care Act today, Nov. 15. 

The first session will be at 2 p.m. in Convocation Hall, at the corner of University and Georgia avenues. The second session will be at 4:30 p.m., at the Blue Chair Bakery. Computer stations will be set up to offer individuals a chance to see the cost of the exchange’s insurance plans for local counties.

The sessions will offer basic information about how the new health insurance marketplace works, who will benefit from it, cost of the policies and how to sign up. 

Wes Brown, senior vice president of Willis Global Insurance, and Myron Douglas, a designated health insurance marketplace navigator for Tennessee Primary Care Association, will be available to answer questions.

Pearl’s Earns Rising Star Award from Small Business Center

Pearl’s Foggy Mountain Café and owners Joy and Dan Hickey were honored with the Rising Star Award at a Nov. 6 meeting of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC), part of Chattanooga State Community College.

Honoring owners for their economic development contributions to the community, the awards are decided by the TSBDC staff and are based on overall business management, jobs created and retained, as well as capital infusion. 

“We appreciate everyone’s support in making Pearl’s work,” Joy said. 

The Hickeys reopened Pearl’s in 2012 after it was closed for a number of years. They renovated the space, expanded the menu and incorporated some new things.

“We have tried to design a customer-friendly environment with a warm, welcoming bar as you come in with quiet, simple dining rooms, trying to keep the feel of the old Pearl’s. We left some of the old menu ideas and incorporated new things,” said Dan.

“We are a different group of people than the old owners, so we are working with our staff and our experience in this endeavor,” said Joy. “We are thrilled to have an excellent team of chefs, cooks, wait staff and bartenders to make Pearl’s a success.” 

Other recipients of Rising Star Awards for 2013 were Manufacturing Repair and Overstock, Inc.; RMJ Tactical; Senior Tech, LLC; and Variable, Inc. The group also recognized Jennifer Stone of International Coffee Group (formerly Stone Cup Roasting Company) as Business Person of the year. Helping small businesses succeed is a hallmark of TSBDC. For more information about the center, go to <www.chattanoogastate.edu/our-campus/tsbdc>.

Curty Honored for Humane Society Work

The Franklin County Humane Society presented the Jeane Patton Humanitarian Award to Amanda Curty at the 2013 Fall Party for Paws on Nov. 9 at IvyWild Restaurant.

Curty is practice manager and co-owner of Animal Care Center in Winchester. She began volunteering with Animal Harbor in 2003 and served on the board of directors from 2005 to 2011, part of that time serving as the board president. She continues to be an active volunteer and supporter. 

The Jeane Patton Humanitarian Award was established in 2003 in honor of Jeane Patton, who provided initial support for the creation of Animal Harbor. This award is presented to one or more persons who have made a significant contribution towards The Humane Society’s mission to rescue homeless pets, reduce pet overpopulation and improve the lives of companion animals in Franklin County. 

Cumberland Presbyterian Calls Pittenger

Ronnie Pittenger has accepted the call to the Cumberland Presbyterian Churches in Sewanee and Cowan. 

Pittenger grew up in Winchester Cumberland Presbyterian Church and was a member of the football squad at Franklin County High School in the early 1960s. He attended Austin Peay State University, where he played football in 1963–64, and graduated from Bethel University. He attended Memphis Theological Seminary.

He has served Nashville’s Tusculum Cumberland Presbyterian Church for the last 37 years.

He and his wife, Rena, will live in Cowan. She also has connections to Franklin County: her grandparents and mother lived in Cowan. The Pittengers have two grown children, Renee and Marcus, and three grandchildren, Marlee, Macy, and Patrick.

Pittenger will preach at the 9 a.m. services at Sewanee Cumberland Presbyterian Church beginning on Nov. 10. Sewanee Cumberland Presbyterian Church is located on Bob Stewman Road.

Nov. 11 Veterans Day Events

Veterans Day, Nov. 11, is a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Federal, state and local government agency offices are closed, as are banks and the post office. Public schools, St. Andrew’s-Sewanee and the University of the South will hold classes, and their offices are open. The Sewanee Senior Center will be open. 

Veterans Day will be celebrated beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, at the American Legion Hall, 36 University Ave., in Sewanee, with a covered-dish meal, followed by a program. The speaker for the evening will be Bobby Clark, Veteran representative for Franklin County. 

Also, American flags that are torn, tattered, or otherwise “unserviceable” can be brought at this time to either be buried or burned, and weather permitting, flags will be burned. American Legion members, Auxiliary members, friends and the public are welcome at the event.

Every year at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School the “Chocolate Bells” are rung at 11:11 a.m. on Armistice Day, a yearly remembrance of peace and a reminder of the unusual way the bells in the St. Andrew’s Chapel came from New Jersey to Tennessee more than 90 years ago. Students gather to meet at the appointed hour and walk to the chapel for the ceremonial ringing. This year, that will be Monday, Nov. 11. 

Animal Harbor is offering a veteran’s special on pet adoptions. Learn more on page 14.

Many businesses offer Veterans Day specials and discounts. See page 12 for a list of some of these specials.

Housing Sewanee Building 16th Home • Project Includes Sustainable and Local Materials

by Mark Flournoy C’16, Special to the Messenger

More than 300 students, members of the Monteagle Sewanee Rotary Club, and skilled volunteers from the Sewanee community have donated their time to Housing Sewanee Inc.’s latest project on Jump Off Road. This is Housing Sewanee’s 16th home, which is being built for a local resident whose family has owned the property for more than 50 years. It is an isolated lot that has required substantial infrastructure work by volunteers; clearing for a driveway, power line and water line. The framing was started by a group of University students who spent their fall break off-time on the project. 

Unlike the previous 15 houses, this project is incorporating non-conventional building practices, following environmental goals aligned with the University’s Sustainability Committee.

Before the proliferation of plywood in 1940s residential construction, home builders used one-inch thick solid wood boards for subfloors, exterior sheathing and roof decking. These boards were often installed on 45-degree diagonals for strength. This exterior sheathing can be seen running at an angle in older homes missing siding. 

“Our subfloor is 1- by 6-inch poplar, almost 50 percent less expensive than plywood although it takes two to three times longer to install,” said Dixon Myers, Housing Sewanee president.

“The poplar we are using was cut in Keith Springs, south of Cowan, milled in Elora [32 miles from Sewanee] and trucked to our site. In plywood manufacturing, the raw material can come from one country, be manufactured in another and sold in the United States. The environmental impact from the transportation cost alone contrasted with the Keith Springs-Elora-Sewanee model offers an interesting comparison,” Myers said. Housing Sewanee is also using local poplar for framing the floor joists and studs. 

The home will also feature reused materials, a concept popularized by the organization Rural Studio in Hale County, Ala. Myers has been taking students on field trips to see the Rural Studio homes for years and was excited about finally working this concept into Housing Sewanee’s building procedures. 

“We are utilizing a set of double-insulated windows, kitchen cabinets, countertops, and a shower unit that have all been donated. We went into the old Sewanee Inn before it was torn down and took out a lot of solid oak and pine paneling that will go into the interior space,” he said. The home will have one-inch foam on the exterior and blow- in cellulose in the walls, two state-of-the-art insulating practices. It will be completed in the summer of 2014.

Housing Sewanee Inc. (HSI) is a nonprofit organization, modeled after Habitat for Humanity. For fourteen years, HSI has built a house each year. Clients have included the elderly, the sick, the physically or mentally disabled, and grandparents raising their grandchildren, to name only a few. HSI accepts applications and selects recipients based on need and their ability to sustain a no-interest mortgage. Recipients are expected to volunteer when possible. 

Affordable Care Act Info Sessions on Nov. 15

The Community Engagement Program of the University of the South and the Sewanee Business Alliance will host two information sessions on the Affordable Care Act on Friday, Nov. 15. 

The first session will be at 2 p.m., in Convocation Hall, at the corner of University and Georgia avenues. The second session will be at 4:30 p.m., at the Blue Chair Bakery. Computer stations will be set up to offer individuals a chance to see the cost of the exchange’s insurance plans for local counties.

The sessions will offer basic information about how the new health insurance marketplace works, who will benefit from it, cost of the policies and how to sign up. The insurance policies offer free preventative care and substantial discounts for individuals and families within established income ranges. For example, individuals making between $11,490 and $45,960 will be eligible for discounts, as will a family of four making between $23,550 and $94,200. 

Wes Brown, senior vice president of Willis Global Insurance, and Myron Douglas, a designated health insurance marketplace navigator for Tennessee Primary Care Association, will be available to answer questions from individuals whose employer-based health insurance is not deemed affordable by the new law and provide information for people who do not currently have health care insurance. For more information contact Jim Peterman at 598-1482 or email <ce@sewanee.edu>.

The Mountain Goat Trail: A Diamond in the Rough

Eli Lavender, C’17, Special to the Messenger

Imagine holding seven figures, a handsome stack of greenbacks. Grasp, if you can, a greater fortune lying within your reach, a stone’s throw from the heart of Sewanee. Realize this treasure shrouded in the surprising guise of the Mountain Goat Trail has never been riper for the taking. 

The trail is the abandoned rail bed of the Mountain Goat Railroad which once carried coal from Palmer, through Monteagle and Sewanee, toward its culmination at Cowan. With the closure of the last coal mine in the 1980s, the rail ties were torn away and the local economy stripped of the mining jobs which fueled it. Many of Sewanee’s neighbors felt the force of this loss firsthand. To this day, many communities endure depression. 

The Cumberland Plateau is not the only victim of a rusting industrial sector. Countless rail beds across the nation have fallen into disuse. Today, the rails-to-trails movement aims to reverse this misfortune. According to the website of the nonprofit organization Rails-to-Trails, their mission is “to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines to build healthier places for healthier people.” Understated here, the movement’s benefits reach far beyond physical health. More remarkably, trail tourism builds healthier economies.

The impact of trail tourism is real. In Leadville, Colo., the closure of the local mine produced a paucity of employment not offset until the completion of the Mineral Belt Trail. Opened in 2000, the trail roams about lush aspen groves, tracing the route of the region’s long-standing mining lines against the towering backdrop of the Sewatch and Mosquito Mountains. Months after its dedication, the awe-inspiring scene had become a tourist magnet, with the town already reporting a 19 percent increase in sales tax revenue. And, the trail is popular among many locals who claim they receive customers who travel to Leadville solely to experience the trail. Thanks in no small part to the trail’s presence, Leadville has again struck prosperity. 

The Virginia Creeper Trail, which worms through 34 miles of Appalachian Virginia, is another example of the rails-to-trails movement’s success.

While the Mountain Goat Trail has not reached its completion, the Mountain Goat Trail Association (MGTA) is working to bring the same success to this local abandoned rail bed. Janice Thomas, the president of the MGTA board, said the completion of the trail will provide a throughway separated from speeding auto traffic that will allow adults, children and stroller-strapped infants the opportunity to intermingle amid the natural marvels of our forests. Funding this enormous undertaking has been a challenge; state funding was secured through the Tennessee Greenways grant, which has provided the finances necessary to join Sewanee to Monteagle. 

Finances are not the only concern of MGTA. They are also concerned with tourism. Often, at least 20 miles of finished trail are necessary to draw strong tourism. To fully conquer the tourist market, cyclists must be enticed off the trail into local towns and stores. Other programs have accomplished this by creating cycle-friendly urban spaces, complete with bicycle racks and cycling lanes. However, the greatest reward for the program would be tapping the overnight cycling market. Overnight cyclists spend an average of $100 a night in local restaurants, hotels and a variety of other businesses. 

Rural trails earn between three and four times the profits of their urban counterparts. Nestled under the unspoiled canopy of the Cumberland wood, the Mountain Goat stakes a prime location. 

Though neglected, the Mountain Goat Trail has not been forgotten. Presently, the potential of this gem glistens under a verdant variety of flora. Once completed, the polished product will unite distant communities as a source of recreation and revenue. With greater funding and broader support, the Mountain may soon welcome many familiar faces and distant patrons alike along the Mountain Goat Trail. 

Rare Reading of “Divine Comedy”

The Italian department at Sewanee is hosting a rare complete reading of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” at the new Italian House named in honor of Doug Paschall, located at 85 Louisiana Circle. The reading will begin at 2 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14; it will last until approximately midnight.

Maggie Fritz-Morkin, visiting assistant professor of Italian, said she believes this will be the only public reading of the full text in the United States this year. 

Faculty, students, staff and community members will take turns reading the 100 cantos that travel through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. There will be refreshments and comfortable seating, and participants are invited to drop in and out as they please. 

There are still unclaimed cantos, Fritz-Morkin said, “especially in Purgatory and Paradise, so any soul wishing to participate can either drop by the event” or send an email in advance to <mafritzm@sewanee.edu>. 

The group has a Twitter handle (@SewaneeItalian) so that people can track the progress of the event throughout the evening.

CFM Hosts Taste of the Market on Saturday

The Cumberland Farmer’s Market (CFM) will host “Taste of the Market,” 1–3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Sewanee Community Center. This is an opportunity to meet the growers and artisans of the market, as well as learn more about the products and services it provides. Tickets will be available at the door; Tickets are $10 for the first ticket and $5 for each additional ticket (ages 12 and under are free). 

Since 2007, CFM has been providing Sewanee and Monteagle residents with online access to local growers and artisans. Many residents are not aware that the market provides products year-round, and others have yet to take advantage of this local resource.

The event will offer tastes of many of the fall products grown by local farmers. On the menu are salads with homemade dressings; deviled eggs; many baked goods, including scones, breads, muffins, cookies, pies and pastry; local artisanal cheeses; and smoked brisket. The Christmas baskets prepared by the Community of St. Mary in Sewanee and Thistle Farms of Nashville will be available for order at the event. For more information call (931) 592-3399 or email <cumberlandfm@gmail.com >.