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Here's Johnny
'Ring of Fire' starts at Park tonight
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Seth Wright photo The cast of "Ring of Fire" performs a rousing rendition of "Jackson." Pictured are, from left, Tyler Morton, Kenny Johnson, Jonathan Womack, Shelly Womack, Allie Morton, Delanie Sullivan, Mary Wanamaker, Yvonne Hendrix and Kimberly Hunt.

For a show "hotter than a pepper sprout," check out Warren Arts' performance of "Ring of Fire" this weekend at the Park Theater. 

"Ring of Fire," a jukebox musical based on the music of the "Man in Black," Johnny Cash, features a wide array of songs from the iconic singer's career performed by talented locals. Show director Kennette Dixon is pleased with how rehearsals have been going. 

"We have a fabulous cast and we can't wait for everyone to come out and appreciate the amount of work they've put into this show," Dixon said.

"Ring of Fire" brings back much of the cast which starred in the February, 2020 production of the show at the former home of Warren Arts at 5482 Manchester Hwy. The show features such Cash classics as "Five Feet High and Rising," "Jackson," "I Walk the Line," and "I've Been Everywhere."

Warren Arts Executive Director Gregg Garrison is enthusiastic about not only reviving a previous Warren Arts performance, but about bringing the show to McMinnville's historic theater.

"I'm very excited for the show," Garrison said. "The sound system here is going to make it so much better."

The cast takes the stage Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 plus sales tax and charge card fees at mcminnvilleparktheater.com or at the door.

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