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Tennis complex named after coach David Dunlap
David Dunlap original
The courts at McMinnville Civic Center have been named in honor of longtime coach David Dunlap, who continues to organize tournaments there.

Renovation at The David Dunlap Tennis Complex will be complete in the next several months.

The McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen has voted to name the complex in recognition of David Dunlap. A court will be named after his grandson, Jackson, who passed away at age 14.

“I know some folks have asked for it to be the Jackson Dunlap Memorial Complex and I think that is a wonderful gesture,” said Vice Mayor Ben Newman. “I also feel David Dunlap has put a lot of time, effort and years in getting the tennis program where it is now through the ups and downs.”

A recommendation out of the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee was to name the complex after Jackson.

“I know this is different from what came out of committee,” said Newman. “This seems to be more fitting.”

David Dunlap served as an educator, mentor, and as coach to tennis players in the community for decades. He spent 23 years as coach of the WCHS tennis teams and continues to give tennis lessons and organize tennis tournaments today.

The complex has four courts. Suggested was naming one of those courts after Jackson.

“I’d like to know how the family feels,” said Alderman Steve Harvey. “Either naming the complex after Jackson and a court after David or the complex after David and a court after Jackson.”

David was emotional in addressing the board.

“It’s hard to talk about it,” said David. “Jackson was so loved by everybody. It’s fine if you do it after Jackson or after me. Whatever you want to do. I appreciate the thought. It’s so hard to even talk about Jackson.”

McMinnville Parks and Recreation director Scott McCord stated his belief the complex should be named after David and a court after Jackson.
Alderman Ryle Chastain turned that into a motion which he, Mayor Jimmy Haley, Newman and Aldermen Harvey, Kate Alsbrook, Mike Neal and Everett Brock approved.

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