Crime Victims Week not so festive
I felt like I’d been back jumped in the parking lot after reading the ruthless attack mounted against me by Duane Sherrill in his Wednesday column. Apparently my victory over Duane for Best of the Best columnist didn’t sit well with him.
Here I am, a hard-working guy just doing what I can to try and make this newspaper better, and Duane calls me a cheater for winning the contest. My victory will forever be tainted.
Actually, I hadn’t planned to even mention my Best of the Best victory because gloating is not my style. Anybody who reads this column realizes I care nothing about self-promotion. OK, so I might enjoy putting my picture on coffee cups and kites, but I wasn’t going to say a word about Best of the Best.
That was before I was attacked first. I think what really stirred Duane’s anger was the way Standard employees celebrated my victory. I was stunned, and actually a little embarrassed, at how everyone went full tilt to decorate the office for me. For that extreme effort, I want to extend everyone a warm thank you and put this Best of the Best turmoil to rest.
As for other odds and ends, the mail coming across my desk has been especially humorous this week. A press release sent to me by Office Team informed me last week was officially Administrative Professionals Week.
After giving me that vital tidbit of information, Office Team was quick to point out 46 percent of the companies in the U.S. and Canada don’t recognize Administrative Professionals Week. Another 9 percent don’t even know the week exists.
The same could be said for Crime Victims Week, which, according to a press release sent to me by Gov. Don Sundquist’s office, just ended yesterday. Of all the things to honor with a special week, I wouldn’t think being a crime victim would be one of them.
I had my lawn mower stolen from my garage a few years back and don’t particularly care to remember the event each year with my own special week in April. Do aggravated assault victims really want a special week to commemorate the time they were beaten up and left for dead?
But the piece of mail which takes the proverbial cake came courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service. A postcard, which was mailed to me here at the Standard, said the post office was having “a problem delivering mail to the address printed at the right.”
When I looked to the right, there was my name and the Standard’s correct mailing address. What I don’t understand is why postal officials – if they were having trouble contacting me through the mail – decided to mail me a postcard. If there really was a problem, how would I have received the notification?
That’s my say for the day. Now here’s this week’s Business Pulse.
Inn at Harvest Farms offers outside dining
Beginning this Friday night, the Inn at Harvest Farms will introduce its new patio buffet. If you’re in the mood for gourmet food and want to enjoy it in the night-time air, owners Diane and Freddie Morton have just the thing for you.
“Freddie and I eat down at the dock a lot. It’s a whole different world down there,” said Diane. “It’s an atmosphere you can’t get by going to a regular restaurant.”
Diane is right. She and Freddie have done such a nice job landscaping their place for weddings, it makes for great scenery. Combine that with the natural beauty of the lake and you’ve got an atmosphere that spells romance. It’s a different setting than pulling up to a drive-thru window and ordering burgers between gasps of car exhaust.
Tables will be available on the patio and dock. You’ll also be able to eat in the gazebo.
“I like doing things different and that’s what keeps us unique,” said Diane. “A lot of people told us we should have catfish night, but everybody has catfish on Friday nights.”
Instead of the standard catfish fare, Diane says she has a baked chicken in cream sauce recipe that always gets rave reviews. She says she plans to offer three meat dishes, the other two usually being beef and fish. There will also be a salad bar and trays of homemade desserts.
Asked about how she became such a good cook, Diane didn’t hesitate. “It comes from being the oldest of six girls with a mother who worked all the time,” she said.
Freddie said Diane is perfectly capable of cooking beans and cornbread that will knock your socks off, but said they want Friday nights to have a different feel.
“Every place in town specializes in what I call mama cooking,” said Freddie. “And that’s fine, but we want to be a cut above that. This is something you can’t get at most restaurants.”
It all starts this Friday night and Diane asks you call and make a reservation if you plan on coming. The number is 668-1099 and the cost is $14.95. Dinner will only be available on Fridays for starters, but Freddie and Diane are hopeful it could expand to other nights if the demand is great enough.
Handy Rental now has more than heavy equipment
Handy Rental owner Alan Lynn says the rental business has been gradually shifting. People still want backhoes, dozers and big guy things, but more and more folks are wanting to rent games and other party supplies.
It’s with that in mind Alan now offers a variety of carnival games, concession machines and even bounce rides.
“The party rental part of the rental business is growing five times as fast as the equipment rentals,” Alan said. “We’ve got all types of packages available for different budgets.”
The way Alan has it set up, you can either rent party supplies individually or rent several at once if you want to throw a really big bash. You can even rent a sno cone machine, which is something I want to look into renting for the office. I don’t want it for any special customer appreciation day. I just want to see how many sno cones I can put back in one day.
As for other rentals, there’s a dunking tank, duck pond, and potty toss. For clarification purposes, the potty toss doesn’t entail throwing toilets. Instead, the object is to toss a plastic ball through the open lid of a toilet.
There’s also cotton candy and popcorn machines, along with inflatable stuff like a giant slide and one of those big bouncy things for the kids. For anyone who was at Bobby Ray’s spring festival a few weeks back, Alan provided some of the equipment for that.
If you want to rent the dunking booth, for example, the cost is $100 a day. If you want to rent the dunking booth and three games for the day, the cost is $150.
Alan also has several tents available with the largest size being 20 feet by 40 feet. He has tables and chairs that will seat up to 400 people. If all this sounds good to you, give Alan a call at 668-3046.
Gary gets settled at his new studio
He started cutting hair at 19 and is still going strong some 25 years later. And now Gary Barton has his own studio on High Street appropriately named Gary’s on South High.
The studio has its own unique flavor, from a mascot named Toby in the lobby to a chandelier and toolbox filled with hot rollers in the styling room. The salon is an interior decorator’s dream come true.
“This is all stuff I pulled from my house,” Gary said modestly. “It all just came together.”
Before moving to his new location several months ago, Gary had previously been at V’s Salon. He said it was time for him to have his own studio and to do his own thing.
“I’m just thankful I’m staying busy,” said Gary. “I’ve got to at this point because I’ve got a daughter who is getting ready to go to college.” Gary’s daughter, Mandy, is a high school senior who is headed to UT next year.
Gary does cuts, colors and perms for men and women, and says a 12-hour work day is the norm for him. Give him a call for an appointment at 507-7070 and don’t miss his picture on the next page.
That’s all folks
I’ve had a request to track down what’s being built across from Carrier and I will try my best to have that information for you next week.
It’s also my moral obligation to bring you this warning now that summer is on its way and there’s much mowing and garden work taking place in the yard. The Consumer Products Safety Commission reports each year around 75 people are killed and another 20,000 injured in lawnmower-related accidents. One out of every five deaths involve a child. The commission also reports 230,000 people are injured every year by a garden tool.
I bring you this message because it’s Sunday and I figure a number of folks probably have plans to work in their yard. Just make sure when you work in the yard to come back alive.
For business tips, give me a call at 473-2191 or send me an e-mail at [email protected]. Last week, I received three tips I’m in the process of tracking down.
I also got a call from a Cookeville woman who wanted to know more about the airbrush tanning place she read about in this column. I can’t believe people read this column in Cookeville.