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Little Miss, Little Mister crowned
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Keira Rain Reynolds and Oliver Maxwell Snowden were named Little Miss and Little Mister Warren County Saturday evening at the annual pageant sponsored by the McMinnville Jaycees.
Reynolds, 5, is the daughter of Blaka and Nikki Reynolds; and Snowden, 5, is the son of David and Marlena Snowden.
The winners were both asked the same question, “Who is your hero?” Reynolds didn’t need much time to reply her mommy and daddy were her heroes, because they are family. Snowden did take a moment to ponder the question, but replied “Me, and I’m five!” 
Joining the new Little Miss in the court is Chalee Mackenzie Womack, first runner-up, daughter of Jonathan and Shelly Womack; Meah Jolea Sewell, second runner-up, daughter of Dana and Ryan Sexton and the late Mickey Sewell; and Adisyn Presley Bonner, third runner-up, daughter of Breu Bonner and Candace Keaton.
Reynolds also won the People’s Choice voting, and Bonner was named Miss Photogenic.
In addition to the court, those named to the Top 10 list are Dallis Rayne Melton, daughter of Josh and Peggy Melton; Aspen Tai Adams, daughter of Lee and Jamie Adams; Kyleigh Marie Ramsey, daughter of Dewayne and Candy Ramsey; Heavan Leigh Horn, daughter of T.J. and Shonda Horn; Paisley Shelle Wanamaker, daughter of Matthew Wanamaker and Shelly Wanamaker; and Autumn Brook Wilson, daughter of Daniel and Heather Wilson.
Little Mister Snowden was joined in the court by Jackson Lee Crain, first runner-up, son of Joshua and Ashly Crain; Richard James Manning, second runner-up, son of Jessica and Jerry Wakefield; and Jaxson Layne Jones, third runner-up, son of Jeremy and Holly Jones. Also participating was Aiden René Cano, son of Ismael Cano and Melissa Volner.
It was a very exciting night for Snowden, as he also claimed the People’s Choice award, and was named Mister Photogenic.
Both pageants were emceed by Krista Payne, and Jaycee President Dale Sneed provided the welcome and invocation. 
The 2011 Little Miss Leela Kate Beaty, and Little Mister Alex Matthew Tallent crowned the new royalty and escorted the contestants to the stage. Tallent was assisted by Aiden Chase White as escort.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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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