July 4th in Rugby
One of my favorite things to do on July 4th is to take a little excursion from Rugby about 15 miles away to the town of Deer Lodge for its annual parade – with people on horseback, fire trucks, marching bands, etc. Deer Lodge is a small town, with an interesting history and a number of Rugby connections.

They put on quite a parade and this year’s promises to be even more special as the town is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The parade welcoming ceremony starts at 10:45 a.m. and the actual parade starts at 11:00 a.m., but I would suggest going a little early in case it is crowded. And it is always good to claim a spot in the shade for viewing the parade.

They also have lots of booths and vendors. They also usually have a barbecue lunch at one of Deer Lodge’s historic landmarks, The Weidemann Hotel, which is also the location of an exhibit about the history of Deer Lodge. Here is a link to an article in the Morgan Count News :
http://www.morgancountynews.net/cgi-bin/c2.cgi?163+article+News+20090519161248163138

Janet Farrar's house in Rugby decorated in bunting for July 4th

Of course, if you don’t want to have barbecue twice that day, you could go back to Rugby and have lunch at the Harrow Road Café. I hear that lately some of their vegetables have been fresh out of the Rugby vegetable garden – like their squash casserole.

After lunch on July 4th, it is sort of a tradition for us to go down to Rugby’s Gentlemen’s Swimming Hole and cool off in the water.

And then in the evening it is always great to go the July 4th Picnic at the home of John and Kathy Hicks. Bring a dish and enjoy the barbecue and live music.

There used to be a tradition in Rugby that Will Walton would fire a small cannon on July 4th. I am not sure what happened to the cannon, but I gave George one about 10 years ago. Maybe he will fire it this year!

Recent Visitors

Visitors have flocked to Rugby lately. Late last week Senator Howard Baker was seen in town. I was also told that artist who did the mural in the new Rugby Visitor Centre will be in town. And I have heard that DeAnn Kirgan of Louisville, Kentucky has been here with some of her family. As I mentioned earlier this year, DeAnn has purchased the lot where the historic Rugby house known as Yandilla used to be, and plans to reconstruct it.

Welcome New Rugby Residents

Tiffany Terry, daughter of Linda and Bill Jones, has recently moved to Rugby with husband Gary and children Kellie and Wesley. They bought the house located behind Cumberland Avenue Motor Lodge that had been owned by Gail Sparks of Jamestown. Gail had called the house Lennie Mae’s Place and had made it available for lodging for Rugby visitors.

Tiffany says she is not sure what they will call the house, if anything, but she is very happy to be in Rugby and is excited that the kids will have a good place to play and ride bikes.

Summer Concert Series Starts July 11

Historic Rugby’s Summer Concert Series start Saturday July 11 with An Evening Of Traditional Country with singer Logan Murrell. Logan is a 12-year-old musical prodigy from Knoxville who started singing when she was only 23 months old. She’ll wow you with her renditions of songs by Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton and more…and she might be joined by some other young rising stars. Tickets $10. Showtime is 7:45 pm Eastern. Tickets with reserved seating now on sale at Historic Rugby - call 423-628-2441 or toll-free 888-214-3400.

Hike Around Rugby

Longtime resident and experienced hike leader Eric Wilson will be leading the next hike for the local chapter of the Tennessee Trails Association on Saturday July 18. Everyone is welcome to join this “Hike Around Rugby” which will be a great introduction to all the hiking opportunities available in the green belt that surrounds the village of Rugby.

The TTA newsletter says this about the hike: “Total distance, divided into several segments, is about 8.5 miles, rated moderate because of some steep climbs and stream crossings, but there are several points where you can return to the village without completing the entire hike….We’ll stop for lunch at Harrow Road Café, or bring your own.”

See the Calendar of Events below for more details.

Birthdays

June 29 - Wil Thornthwaite
July2 - Bob Hemminger
July 4 - Jim Meadows

Calendar of Events

July 4 - 11th Annual Fourth of July Picnic from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Lizzie's Place (John and Kathy Hicks’ home in Beacon Hill). This will take the place of the monthly potluck. All in the Rugby community (and family) are welcome. Bring a dish to share. John and Kathy will provide barbecue, buns, drinks. Pray for dry weather.

July 10 – History Club – Howard Ray Duncan will appear in his late 1800’s costume and tell about life as a businessman in the Big South Fork. (This performance was supposed to be at the June dinner meeting, but had to be delayed) 7:00 p.m. at the Friendly House.

July 11 – An Evening of Traditional Country with Logan Murrell at Historic Rugby’s Johnson Theatre at 7:45 p.m. Eastern. Logan is a 12-year-old musical prodigy from Knoxville who began singing when she was only 23 months old. $10

July 18 – Hike Around Rugby with Eric Wilson. This hike is sponsored by the Big South Fork Chapter of the Tennessee Trails Association. Total distance, divided into several segments, is about 8.5 miles, rated moderate because of some steep climbs and stream crossings, but there are several points where you can return to the village without completing the entire hike. Meet at the Harrow Road Café at 9:30 a.m. Eat lunch at the Harrow Road Café or bring your own. Dress appropriately for the weather and bring plenty of water and bug spray. For more information contact Eric Wilson at ericavi@nxs.net.

July 25 – Josie, A Mountain Portrait - a theatre event at Historic Rugby’s Johnson Theatre 7:45 p.m. Eastern. Kentucky actress and folk musician Jennifer Rose presents Josie in story and song as a composite rural Appalachian woman from the age of 14 to 50 in this very special theatre event. $14

August 8 – Book Club at 7:00 p.m. at Debbie Harris' house. The book will be The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Please let Debbie Harris know if your interested at harrisdl1@hotmail.com

Exercise Group – Monday and Thursday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern at the Friendly House

Quilters Group - Wed. and Sat. 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern at the Friendly House

HRI Workshops
(For more details about workshops go to Historic Rugby Website at http://www.historicrugby.org/ )

July 11-12 - Creating With Clay - Instructor June Watts Two-day pottery workshop will focus on hand building and sculpting in clay and is perfect for beginners or those with limited experience.

July 18 - Kudzu Vine Basketry Instructor: Fuzzy Orange Learn to weave a basket from Kudzu vines harvested in Rugby and take home your basket to enjoy for years to come.

TO REGISTER FOR WORKSHOPS:Call (423) 628-2441 or Toll-Free 1-888-214-3400. Lodging is available at Historic Rugby with a 10% discount to all workshop participants.

Nature Notes
By Linda Konig

A couple of mornings recently I watched a male Eastern Tailed Blue Damselfly at a local pond. He was kept fairly busy trying to keep other males out of his territory while he looked for a likely female. He was a beautiful specimen with deep blue and thorax and bright sky-blue knobbed tail, smaller than most dragonflies and damselflies.

Donna Heffner is currently featuring this kind oand other dragonflies and damselflies in intricate detail on the gourds she’s making and selling at the Spirit of Red Hill shop in Rugby.

This Week’s Editors - Rick Murphy and George Zepp