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Jamboree to kick off this Friday
Smithville Jamboree file photo original
The famous Smithville Jamboree is set for this Friday and Saturday, July 6-7, in downtown Smithville.

It’s showtime in Smithville as the Jamboree returns to town this Friday and Saturday with thousands expected to flock to the internationally acclaimed festival.

“We’re getting all geared up for the 47th annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival coming up Friday, July 6 and Saturday, July 7, starting at 9 a.m. each day,” said Chamber of Commerce director Suzanne Williams.

At the core of the event is bluegrass and old-time Appalachian-style music. “Smithville, Tennessee, downtown, is the place to be,” she said, noting some 200 craft vendors will be in attendance.

Making things a little more comfortable for attendees this year will be a 40-by-60 dining tent sponsored by St. Thomas DeKalb Hospital. The tent will be manned by 27 junior Jamboree volunteers who will be bussing tables. The tables are viewed as a welcome addition so visitors have a more relaxing place to eat.

Williams says one of the most prevalent questions she gets around Jamboree time is where can visitors park?

“Around the square there are several paid parking lots that charge $4 or $5 for parking,” Williams said. “You are welcome to pay there and walk straight in.”

As for free parking, there are usually spots on Cookeville Highway and West Main Street and any of the merging streets leading into town. She noted visitors can park on the side of the road (out of traffic) as long as there are no signs banning parking in that area.

“This is the best free family event around,” Williams noted, adding the jamboree has been named the official jamboree and crafts festival of the state of Tennessee and United States of America.

Competition will kick off at 9 a.m. Friday with the old-time Appalachian Folk Singing contest and run through the old-time fiddle band competition, the last of 16 categories on the first day. The finals of the Friday events usually begin between 5 and 7 p.m. depending on weather and number of contestants.

Saturday will kick off at 9 a.m. and have numerous competitions. The event will conclude with the Junior and Senior Fiddlers’ Fiddle Off for the Berry C. Williams Trophy and Jamboree Grand Championship. Like Friday, the finals of Saturday’s competition usually begin between 5 and 7 p.m.
Contestants may register for events backstage with registration beginning at 8 a.m. Friday. All competitors must register at least 15 minutes before the category begins.

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