MCT 9-5-24

The Marion Tribune, Thursday, September 5, 2024— 3A This postcard of the new road to Wonder Cave at Monteagle dates from about 1909. The town of Monteagle is unique in that its city limits include portions of Franklin, Marion, and Grundy counties. Memories of Marion R ecently, Marion Coun- ty FFA took 19 mem- bers to the Tennessee State Fair in Lebanon to participate in a wide va- riety of career and leader- ship development events thanks to the generosity and sponsorship of com- munity members and organizations. Generous fi nancial donations made by Jake Young, Financial O ffi cer, Farm Credit Mid- America, Chattanooga branch, and Farm Bureau Insurance Marion Coun- ty, made it possible for the FFA members to travel by charter bus and enjoy lunch at the State Fair at no cost to the students. Previous donations made it possible for the members to attend the event out fi tted in FFA T- shirts created at Marion County High School by Teresa Lofty and her Mar- keting Management stu- dents through the school store known as the Toma- hawk Stop. While attending the State Fair, Marion County FFA members competed favorably in the Poultry (Addy Quarles and Alex- is Ramirez), Livestock (Team A: Tabitha Perry, Olivia Allen, Branden Cartwright, and Ian Dick. Team B: Miracle Blair, Chasity Carter, Skyler Clay, and Xavier Fulfer), Meats Evaluation (Lib- erty Rogers and Brianna O’Neal), Veterinary Sci- ence (Kat Hanson and McKenzie Lockhart), For- estry (Zaylee Salisbury and Dylan Thompson), and Environmental (Bri- anna Webb and Brianna Hamilton) judging team contests. Braylan Span- gler attended the event as an alternate. Follow- ing their competitions, the students were able to enjoy exploring exhibits at the large agricultural fair. The FFA members were accompanied to the event by Hope Ashburn, Chap- ter Advisor. To better prepare stu- dents for the competi- tions, several community members stepped for- ward to assist with train- ing the di ff erent teams. Dannie Bradford, County Director and 4-H Agent of UT TSU Extension Marion County, assisted in preparing the Poultry, Livestock, and Veterinary Science teams while Wes- ley Brewer, 4-H Agent, also of UT TSU Extension Marion County, assisted in preparing the Meats Evaluation team. Tommy Pagels, Senior Procure- ment Forester for Smur fi t Westrock, worked with the Forestry team, and Cody Brown, District Con- servationist for the USDA Natural Resources Con- servation Service, helped to train the Environmen- tal team. Thanks to the support of the local agricultural community, each team made a solid showing for the fi rst time the newly established FFA Chapter has fi elded teams in com- petition. Marion County FFA members pose with their FFA T-shirts while attending the Tennessee State Fair in Lebanon. MCHS FFA Chapter Competes at Tennessee State Fair SP Rotary Club donates $500 to local Interact Clubs T he Marion County High School, South Pittsburg High School, and Whitwell High School Interact Clubs would like to thank the South Pittsburg Rotary Club who generously donated $500 to each club. This money will help send eight students to the Youth Leader- ship Camp in September for the MCHS Interact Club and support other projects for SPHS and WHS. Experience the beauty of fall in f Tennessee T ennessee residents are fortunate to experience all four seasons, with a cli- mate that remains relatively mild throughout the year. While everyone may have a favorite season, there is no denying the breathtaking beauty of fall in the heart of Tennessee. The vibrant fall foliage is always a sight to be- hold, especially in Southeast and Middle Tennessee. Resi- dents don’t need to travel to the Smoky Mountains to wit- ness the stunning colors of autumn; the South Cumber- land Plateau and the valleys below offer some of the most vivid hues and spectacular vistas. Even simple drives can turn into scenic adven- tures, and it’s worth taking a few minutes each day to ap- preciate the quickly changing Marion County High School South Pittsburg High School Whitwell High School