By Cheryl Cribbet
I attended a pre-construction meeting about the Rugby Bypass project last week at LaFollette. Representatives there included the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Tennessee Department of Conservation and Environment, Blalock and Sons (the contractor for the project), utility reps and all subcontractors. Work is to begin immediately with the first phase to be completion of the two bridges over the White Oak and Little Creek.
Construction will enter from the Elgin side of the project and work east to west. Signage and staking for bridge access will begin any day as weather permits. Actual clearing and grubbing for the roadbed will not begin until spring.
Pyrite has been identified at the site and will be disposed of in the Scott County Landfill as provided in the contract. Testing will be done throughout the project and monitored by TDOT and TDEC. (More about pyrite at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrite )
Both the White Oak and Little Creek are considered protected as both empty into the Big South Fork, so assurances were made that all precautions will be taken to control runoff. All bridge work must be done from the banks, as no pads or piers will be allowed within the creeks.
Project completion date is December, 2012.
Photo of the Week
Well, here is another photo of the Newbury Pond with one of the recent snows. The snow that fell early last week was one of the prettiest ones as it was wet and clung to the trees. Photo by Rick Murphy
This photo shows the area to the left of the Thomas Hughes Library that has recently been cleared of vegetation that was growing too close to the building. The clearing is part of the Firewise program to prevent fires from spreading to Rugby's Historic Buildings. Photo by George Zepp
Friday, January 14 – Rugby History Club meeting 7:30 p.m. at the Friendly House. The program will consist of a show-and-tell time featuring artifacts and tidbits of Rugby's past. This is also the meeting to discuss ideas for future programs, field trips, and projects.
Saturday, January 15 – Book Club at the home of Kit and Candy Howes. Book selection is AMERICAN LION by Jon Meacham. 7 p.m. Eastern Time, 6 p.m. Central Time, at 446 Big Creek Rd. For information call 931.879.5067.
Also - English Country Dancing Sunday
By Mary Hemminger
English Country dancing gets started again at the Friendly House on Sunday, January 16 at 7:00. Come join us for the first time or for the 16th time! Dancing will not usually be on Sunday, but because of a packed weekend already and my extra day off, we are coming to Rugby and will dance on a Sunday this time.
Free Medical/Dental Clinic Jan. 22 and 23
Remote Area Free Medical Clinic is offering a medical and dental clinic in Oneida on Jan. 22 and 23. Services provided will include dental fillings, extractions, cleanings, denture repair and relining, vision checks, eyeglasses, medical exams, flu shots and mammograms. Services are offered free on a first come, first served basis. Patients must go to the HBD Industries parking lot, 240 Industrial Lane, Oneida, TN 37841 and obtain a number before being seen. Numbers will be handed out starting at midnight Friday and Saturday nights. Patients will be taken by bus to the Boys & Girls Club for services. Vans/buses will shuttle you back after treatment.
This is a great opportunity for anyone needing free medical treatment – it is also a wonderful volunteer opportunity since many volunteers are needed.
If you would like to volunteer, please call Lilly Stein 423-286-2502 to sign up or lillyrstein@aol.com . Please arrive by 5:30 am. Volunteers only may park at the Boys & Girls Club and adjacent areas. Please follow the attendant’s instructions as parking is limited. Volunteers ages 14-16 must have a parent with them at all times; between ages 16-18 must have parent on site. If you would like to help provide food and/or snacks, please contact Tilda Bowling 423-627-2881
For questions, please call the office of Appalachian Life Quality Initiative (ALQI) 423-569-2677 or email ALQI@highland.net
By Jessie Gully
Well, I was faithful to my diet and lost 5.8 pounds last week. It wasn't so bad. I didn't mind the food. But I have a real dislike of the green tea which I drank with every meal. It does not warm my heart the way a morning cup of coffee with cream and sugar does. Even though coffee now often gives me indigestion, there is nothing so good.
I can remember so much of my life through coffee: Mama's coffee perking on the stove, that first cup enjoyed alone before waking the rest of the family. But my favorite memory of coffee is in New Orleans. I was visiting my sister, who lived there at the time. It was spring. We were walking the French Quarter and got caught in a downpour. I was chilled to bone and shaking, so we stopped at a nondescript French Quarter restaurant. We ordered shrimp gumbo and coffee. The coffee was served first, and I drank it as the finest cup of coffee I have ever had.
Green tea doesn't produce memories. My mother would never have drunk green tea. Do not tell me if you like green tea. I don't want to know.
Editor's Note: The photo of Jessie above shows her wearing a red wig for the play Emmie and Granny which she performed in last year.
BIRTHDAYS
Jan. 14 - Drew Martin and Charles Crabtree
Jan. 15 - Margaret Erickson
CALENDAR
Friday, January 14 – Rugby History Club meeting 7:30 p.m. at the Friendly House. The program will consist of a show-and-tell time featuring artifacts and tidbits of Rugby's past. This is also the meeting to discuss ideas for future programs, field trips, and projects.
Saturday, January 15 – Book Club at the home of Kit and Candy Howes. Book selection is AMERICAN LION by Jon Meacham. 7 p.m. Eastern Time, 6 p.m. Central, at 446 Big Creek Rd. For information call 931.879.5067
Sunday, January 16 - English Country Dancing, 7 p.m. at the Friendly House
Saturday, January 22 - HRI Board Meeting - 1 p.m. Eastern at the Community Building
Sat. and Sun., January 22 and 23 – Licensed massage and energy work by Jessie Gully’s daughter, Elizabeth Bosse. For appointment, call 423-628-6090 or 931-260-3352. Details at http://www.ehbosselmt.massagetherapy.com/
January and February 2011 – Historic Rugby Winter Hours: The Schoolhouse Museum will be open Monday – Friday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (weather permitting). Weekday and weekend historic building tours can be arranged by advance reservation by calling our toll-free number, 1-888-214-3400. Lodging will be offered throughout winter on a self-catering basis. The Café, Visitor Centre and Commissary (including the Post Office) will be closed for repairs and rearrangement. Normal operations will resume in March.
January and February 2011 – Grey Gables will be open for meals Friday and Saturday nights in January and the first two Friday and Saturday nights in February. A limited menu selection will be offered, but they hope it will give you a choice for food service during the time that the Harrow Road Cafe is closed for rejuvenation. Reservations are not required, but appreciated.
March 1 – Commissary will reopen – post office services will resume.
Quilters Group - Wed. and Sat. 2-4 p.m. Eastern at the Friendly House
Nature Notes
By Linda Konig
Well, I haven't had a chance to get back down to the area just south of Crossville to look for Short-Eared Owls and Northern Harriers yet. The weather doesn't always cooperate with my plans. Can you imagine? Still hope to get there, though. I figure I have about seven more weeks to do so before they start migrating northward or westward again. There they will mate and raise families.
The Northern Harriers (sometimes called Marsh Hawks) should be fairly easy to recognize. They fly low in their search for mice, voles, amphibians, reptiles and such, and their wings are generally held in a V-shape while in flight. Their faces look a lot like owls’ because, unlike other hawks, they have a distinct facial ruff around the eyes. Just as with the owls, the ruff helps them hear the tiny squeaks and rustles of mice and voles, and so their hearing is quite acute. Though male and female Northern Harriers have different coloring, both have a prominent white rump. Unlike some hawks and other birds of prey, Northern Harriers do not attack poultry.
They roost on the ground in groups in winter. A couple from Virginia who saw them a few weeks ago said they spotted four or five. So I hope to get down there soon, binoculars at the ready. Meanwhile, we'll have to content ourselves with looking at photos of them on the web. I couldn't find any really outstanding close-up photos on the web or in books, but you can see a good many pictures at www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier .
Pig Song
A couple of months ago Rugby Week received the following ode to the wild pigs of Rugby written by noted author, educator and Beacon Hill resident Hadley Hury. Rugby Week has been waiting for a slow news week to share this. Apparently Hadley was taken with one of our many articles about the pesky porcines. He wrote:
“The pig piece really got my week off to a rip-snorting start! Do you remember an early '60s pop tune, ‘My Boyfriend's Back’ by some group like The Angels or some such?”
Here is Hadley’s version:
The pigs are back,
They’ve been on a vacation;
Hey la, hey la,
The pigs are back!
The pigs are back,
They’ve got quite a reputation,
Hey la, hey la,
The pigs are back.
The pigs are back,
They’re gonna cause a lotta trouble,
Hey la, hey la,
The pigs are back.
They’re gonna trash your yard,
And they’re gonna eat your bushes,
Hey la, hey la,
The pigs are back.
They’ll gobble up your bulbs,
And make a mess of your perennials,
Root, root, root, root!
The pigs are back!!
(…sorry I can’t remember the “vamps” or bridges between the stanzas.)
This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp
