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City to decide about underwriting TV show
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Lisa Hobbs
Updated: Mar 22, 2013, 1:13 AM
Published: Mar 22, 2013, 1:14 AM

Bluegrass Underground the TV series could once again see financial assistance from the city of McMinnville, with possibly less resistance than it was given in 2012.
“I think we need to send a thank you letter to the producers of Bluegrass Underground,” said Vice Mayor Ben Newman. “They held their taping last weekend and it was impressive. It appeared to be a success. Those guys did a great job.”
Filming was held March 8-10 in the Volcano Room of Cumberland Caverns. The three-day event featured 12 bands performing to be included in season three of the TV series.
Officials voted last year to underwrite the production of Bluegrass Underground for season one with $50,000. Newman says he is thankful for the decision.
“I’m so glad the city decided to fund it,” said Newman. “Bluegrass Underground’s success is good for the city and good for the community.”
As underwriters of the show, meaning it purchased advertising, the city was allowed to request free passes to filming sessions. In attendance were Newman, as well as Mayor Jimmy Haley and Aldermen Billy Wood, Jimmy Bonner and Mike Neal.
The production also drew visitors from far and wide.
“Did you see the license plates on some of the vehicles?” asked Wood. “I saw ones from South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.”
Newman added, “I saw ones from New York, Wyoming, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana and California.”
The measure to underwrite Bluegrass Underground did not pass unanimously in 2012. Instead, it split the board 4-3, with Dr. Norman Rone and Aldermen Billy Wood and former aldermen Clair Cochran and Everett Brock voting in favor of it, and Mayor Jimmy Haley, who was an alderman at the time, and Alderman Rick Barnes and former alderman Junior Medley voting against it.
Haley’s vote may be changing.
“I think we need to make sure we put it into our budget,” said Haley. “I don’t know how much it will cost. When talking to county this week, I’m not sure if it was in their agenda to fund Bluegrass Underground this year.”
Warren County sponsored the show’s first season with TECH-REDI (the Regional Economic Development Institute at Tennessee Tech University) money.
“If that’s a motion to double what we gave last time, I second it,” said Wood.
With laughter from the board, Haley stated, “I did not make a motion. I just need to make sure it’s in our budget to be considered.”
It is unknown at this time how much advertising will cost in the third season of the series.
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Published: Apr 2, 2025, 11:31 PM

Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community