Editor’s Note: Luke Cameron has been a Southern Standard contributor for the past two years and a Warren County resident for about 10 years.

The grass literally does not get any greener than Warren County, the Nursery Capital of the World. This is a terrific place to live, work, uh, do whatever I guess. 

As someone originally from elsewhere, there are certain things this writer has learned about the area. These observations will be presented now:

1. Todd Willmore, WCHS athletic director, has some of the best hair of anybody in the county.

2. Chris Sullens, head WCHS basketball coach, is a borderline miracle worker.

3. Ryan J. Moore might take over the world one day.

4. Adam Wood could be a GQ model.

5. Levi Glenn, roads superintendent, and his team fix potholes like nobody’s business.

6. Lisa Harvey does great work as director of the Hamilton Street Activity Center of McMinnville Housing Authority.

7. The county executive and a county commissioner or two need to put on those sumo suits you see at Project Graduation and settle their differences that way.

8. A common refrain heard from big-city-minded folk is that “there is nothing to do” in Warren County. A rebuttal to this would be that there is a golf course, a bowling alley, many eateries, a college, a cinema, two playhouses, a greenway, many parks, boutiques, a lively downtown, a summer concert series, a hospital, and rivers to kayak/canoe. One could make the case there is plenty to do.

9. Todd Stewart is a terrific doctor.

10. WCHS is in good hands with a person of integrity like Clark George at the helm.

11. Gerald Tidwell is closing in on a successful decade as principal at WCMS.

12. Ben Bailey did a wonderful job serving Central Church of Christ as pastor.

13. Bryan Denton has served honorably during his time as McMinnville Chief of Police.

14. Director of Schools Grant Swallows lettered in two sports as a student at Tennessee Tech: football and baseball. That is kind of cool.

15. C.J. Taylor, in addition to being a tremendous athlete, is a fine young man.

16. Rose’s in the mall is actually a nice, usually-not-crowded place to shop for essentials.

17. Watching softball games on spring/ summer nights at Midway is great fun. Midway has the whole package: great food, umpires smoking between innings, and spirited-but-fun-competition.

18. Warren County is blessed with a wonderful public library, Magness Library, and Brad Walker does a great job running it.

19. The fountain thing in downtown McMinnville is cool, and the city has a neat square.

20. Bill Zechman is a first-class person. He is kind and wise, like Dumbledore.

21. The Pioneerettes are amazing and are the pride of the county.

22. Anthony Lippe is trying his darnedest to build back up the WCHS Lady Pioneers basketball program. Outside of his coaching skills, though, Mr. Lippe is a really good person whose positive impact on his players is as meaningful and important as his coaching ability.

23. Wally Bigbee has done much work to ensure there are hiking trails (among them the Bigbee River Trail at Rocket Park) and recreational opportunities available to area residents. For these efforts he deserves many thanks.