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Half marathon draws over 200 runners
Viola Half2
With some of the proceeds going toward Viola Valley Dogs, its fitting one would join the race. Volunteer Zane Thaxton bends down to hydrate the thirsty dog at her teams water station Saturday morning.

Despite the discouraging downpour that occurred just hours before the Viola Valley Half Marathon on Saturday morning, over 200 runners showed up from all over America to run the hilly course.

“We have lots of local runners, but also many from places we’ve never had here before,” said assistant race director Kevin Deason. “There is a lady from California and another lady from Hawaii who flew in to run. She’s trying to run a half marathon in every state and ours fell on her calendar.”
The money raised from the Viola Valley Half Marathon goes back to the community to help local residents going through a difficult time, to support Viola Valley Dogs, and to improve community buildings.

Runner Anthony Shelly, who has completed the 13.1-mile course five times already, said he’s drawn to this race because of the atmosphere, support and pretty scenery. For him, the most difficult part isn’t the course, it’s the travel to get to Viola.

“I live in Smyrna and I’m in a running group in Nolensville,” said Shelly. “I got up at 3:30 a.m. to get ready and I like to arrive a little early.”

The race course was saturated with volunteers who cheered runners on while holding posters saying things like “Toe nails are for losers” and “I’m an athletics’ supporter.” Many runners couldn’t wait to jump through the sprinklers and get sprayed with water guns toward mile nine.

“I need four more miles. Who wants to take over?” joked one sweaty runner in passing a volunteer.

Volunteer Zane Thaxton continually filled cups at her water station while blaring “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa in hopes the lyrics would motivate runners toward the finish. At one point, she even squatted down to hydrate a local dog that had joined the fun.

This year’s top female finisher came from Nashville. Stephanie Amack finished the course in 1:33:36, while Knoxville resident Bobby Holcombe was the overall winner with a speedy time of 1:28.37.

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