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Racing to register
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Runners who want to be first to the finish can now be one of the first to register for the second annual Viola Valley Half Marathon.
Registration began Dec. 1 for the race to be held May 18. The early bird registration fee is $40 and the event is open to both runners and walkers.
“We gave away $1,400 to charity and we feel like that was really good for a first-year event,” said race treasurer Keri Nunley. “We’re hoping to double that with our second race.”
Approximately 350 runners competed in the first Viola Valley Half Marathon. The rural course that spans three counties will remain unchanged.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from our surveys,” said Nunley. “They loved the scenery and the views on the course.”
Nunley also said many runners enjoyed participating in a smaller half marathon where they weren’t packed shoulder to shoulder with other runners. Because of the desire to keep the small-time charm, Nunley said the total number of participants will be capped at 650.
“We want all of the local runners to know about the registration first because we don’t want anyone here to miss out on the opportunity if they are interested,” said Nunley.
Among the $1,400 in charity donations was $1,000 given to Viola Valley Dogs, a no-kill animal shelter.
One change this year will be an earlier start time that’s been moved up to 7 a.m. The 13.1-mile course will be kept open for four hours in hopes that will give everyone a chance to finish. The four-hour window equates to a pace of 18 minutes and 19 seconds per mile.
The race starts and finishes on Court Square in Viola. It travels through Warren, Grundy and Coffee counties. In addition to Nunley, other race officers are director John Nunley, assistant director Kevin Deason, secretary Molly Mann, and sergeant at arms Shane Hollis.
For more information, visit www.violavalleyhalfmarathon.com. There is a link on that website to register.

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