Hendersonville Produce and Sumner County Tourism will hold Sumner County’s first annual Farm to Table Dinner event at 6 p.m on Saturday, Sept. 22. at the Comer House, home of the Sumner County Convention & Visitors Bureau in Gallatin.

The dinner will consist of produce provided by the farms of Sumner and surrounding counties and the menu will be prepared by Sargent’s Catering.

Local artisans and farmers will be present to welcome guests. The evening will begin with wine tasting and appetizers which will set the mood for a casual dinner and music.

“Representing local farms and bringing together good food, good music and a good time at a beautiful location is exciting,” said Regina Gammon, organizer of the event and owner of Hendersonville Produce. “I am happy to be sharing this opportunity with my community and my hope is that this event will bloom and grow into something that people will look forward to each year.”

Hendersonville Produce, located at 760 East Main Street in Hendersonville, is recognized by their commitment to providing the freshest homegrown produce to Sumner County and surrounding communities.

Entertainment will be provided by La Tresa of Nashville. Bluegrass Unlimited says, “LaTresa combines elements of bluegrass, traditional country, and blues to create a fresh sound. LaTresa’s vocals exude an earthy quality that ventures far beyond the boundaries of bluegrass.” LaTresa has recently performed at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge.

Tickets are $42 and are available at Hendersonville Produce or online at www.hendersonvilleproduce.com. For more information, call 826-0033. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Volunteer State Community College toward an agricultural scholarship fund. The Comer House is located at 2310 Nashville Pike in Gallatin.

After 28 years at the Hendersonville Arts Council, former Executive Director Emma Dye retired late last year. Searching for a candidate that was up for the challenge, artist Alexander Brindley was brought in as the new executive director to give the arts council a new perspective.

Starting July 1, Brindley was more than ready to dive deep into the needs of the Arts Council with new ideas and excitement about the possibilities. An artist with a background in historical preservation, Brindley is in the best of both worlds.

“I’m coming in with new ideas and new energy. As soon as I got here I started thinking what I can do,” Brindley said of his new job. “I really want to make an immediate impact by working on diversifying all classes and workshops which most will be in September and October. I was shocked that everyday somebody would call or come by that didn’t know this place existed.”

Brindley, 25, intends is to bring a fresh, new viewpoint in overhauling various aspects of the Art’s Council. He has just complete on the council’s website’s redesign to draw in an assorted crowd from Hendersonville and surrounding areas.

 “Alexander, being an artist himself, brings an understanding as to the sensitivities of artists and their needs,” said Jerry Tachoir, vice-chairman of the arts council. “His youth will hopefully introduce some interest with the 20 - 30 age group that the arts council has not had the privilege of their company.”

Local Questers chapter donates quilt for auction

Members of the Sarah Michie Smith Chapter of Questers recently donated a beautifully crafted quilt as a fundraising project for Historic Rock Castle Collections Committee. 

John Nyberg, executive director of Historic Rock Castle accepts the quilt from Melinda Gaines and Cathy Lampman of QuestersThe project was taken on by all members and each one pieced one square each. The fabrics selected are Civil War era reproduction and are 100 percent cotton and it is filled with cotton batting. The pattern selected was a Variable Star block with a chain and it has a triple border.  The colors selected are red, white, and blue. After the quilt was assembled it was taken to Scottsville, Ky and machine quilted by Rhonda Bachschmidt of Sew Fine Quilts and Fabrics.  The quilt will be auctioned off by way of a silent auction at Daniel Smith Days event at Rock Castle on Sunday, Sept. 16. There will be a minimum bid in place. Size of the quilt is 81 ½” square, which is slightly larger than a queen size bed.  For more information on the quilt auction, contact Cathy Lampman at 822-2224.

Questers is a national organization begun in 1944.  The headquarters are located in Philadelphia, Pa. and the purpose of the organization are to educate by research and study of antiques, and to donate funds to the preservation and restoration of artifacts, existing memorials, historic buildings, landmarks, and education purposes. 

This year rather than being confined to the colonial era, the committee decided to enlarge the time period to include specifically the time that Daniel Smith lived on the land in Hendersonville (1784 – 1818). The volunteers of the War of 1812 will be honored with a tribute since this year marks the 200^th anniversary. If you visit Daniel Smith Days on September 15 and 16, you will find tented taverns, musicians, dancing, crafts demonstrators and Polly’s Playground for the children. This year there are many new features of the event focused on children’s interest, plus the textile demonstrations located at the pavilion.

In 1955, children who were diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, a life threatening genetic disease, barely made it to see the days of their elementary school years. Apart of a medical wonder, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s (CFF) efforts have improved the lifespan of CF patients well into their late 30s. CFF continues to persistently pursue the cure for this disease. Even though this disease affects roughly 30,000 Americans, nearly one in every ten people secretly carry this symptomless gene. Two-year-old Charlotte Charlee Skaggs, daughter of Jerry and Melissa Skaggs of Hendersonville, is one of the 30,000 carrying CF that attacks the lungs and digestive system.

This fall, Jerry Skaggs will be participating in the 2^nd annual CF Cycle for Life. It is a one-day bike event where cyclists will have the option of a 12.35-mile or 62-mile route in support of finding a cure for CF. Tiffany Kerns, CFF’s Development Director, explains, “We are hoping for more than 100 participants and to raise $50,000 this year.”

Skaggs explains the driving force behind his participation, “Charlee takes 32 pills a day. Those are just one of her medicines – the enzymes. Every morning when she wakes up, she does a 30-minute vest treatment, which vibrates her whole upper body to break up the mucus. Then before she goes to bed, she does another 30-minute vest treatment and a 15-minute breathing treatment. She is my motivation. I figure if she can get through this, I can get through 12 miles.”

At the tender age of seven days old, Charlee Skaggs’ test results came back positive for CF. Melissa Skaggs shares, “When I was pregnant with Charlee, her pancreas began to stop working. By the time she was born, she was losing weight and wasn’t absorbing any fat or vitamins.” As Charlee Skaggs ages, her medications will begin to increase. No two CF cases are alike, and doctors cannot pinpoint the severity of the case until she is older. Earlier the diagnosis is for the child, the better the outcome.