The hunt for snake charmers, nice preachers
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That?s because preachers are jovial and caring folks. They are always happy to help members of the congregation, no matter the chore.
Church-goer: ?Hey, could you come by my land this afternoon and help me dig 200 fence post holes.?
Preacher: ?I?d love to.?
This sort of always-pleasant behavior may seem harmless enough, but apparently it?s not. The Church of England has released a report that suggests many priests are developing what it calls Irritable Clergy Syndrome.
This is a syndrome, the study says, that results from priests having to be nice all the time to everyone, even when people are ugly to them. The result is these priests become consumed with negativity and hostile thoughts.
The study stops short of suggesting priests are on the verge of going postal, but it does say this is a syndrome that needs to be addressed, not ignored. The study also says the condition is only likely to intensify because people are becoming more accustomed to nastiness at church and priests are either the target, or caught in the middle.
My solution: have preachers incorporate a few insults into their sermons. It might make people pay more attention if they think Preacher Joe might verbally attack Carl after reading from the book of Job.
Speaking of religious predicaments, the longstanding tradition of snake charming is in danger of becoming a lost art in India where it once flourished just a few decades ago. Until recently, snake charmers could count on it being a profitable career because of the massive number of tourists who always flocked to their performances to see the creatures rise from a basket as if in a trance.
Because of recent government campaigns to protect wildlife, snake charmers in India are increasingly unable to work with live snakes. If they are caught, they face heavy fines and the government is actively enforcing this rule.
But here?s where the story gets wacky. Snake charmers are hoping to continue to earn money from tourists by performing the same rituals ? except without snakes.
Excuse me, but doesn?t a vital part of snake charming involve a snake. If there?s no snake, it?s just a guy sitting there playing the flute. Who wants to see that?
It would be like a lion tamer performing without a lion, a trapeze artist performing without a trapeze, or a football game without a football.
I hate to hear snake charming is at a crossroads, but I think the industry needs to examine a better solution.
Medley buys
Hillis Market
Less than two weeks after Baxter Hillis closed his longtime Centertown store, Hillis Market, the store has a new owner.
Billy Medley bought the store Friday afternoon and downplayed rumors he is trying to take over Centertown.
?I think it will be easy for me to maintain both stores since they?re so close together,? said Billy, who is also the proud owner of Medley?s Diner. Both stores are on Nashville Highway, about a mile apart.
?This will be an entirely different store than the restaurant,? said Billy. ?I?m going to sell groceries, get a beer license. We?re going to upscale it a little bit.?
Billy says he will be open for business tomorrow morning. He said gasoline was delivered Friday so the fuel pumps will be up and running.
To my knowledge, the market is the only place in Centertown where you can buy gas, and I know every shortcut, back road and goat path in the greater Centertown area.
Medley?s Diner is widely popular and I have no reason to think the market won?t share that same success under Billy?s direction.
Since Billy bought the store, it proves my prediction from last week was wrong. In the interest of full disclosure, my record of successful business predictions now falls to 72-17. You win some, you lose some.
Will Smithville Wal-Mart
hurt our Wal-Mart?
Ribbons were cut and joy was in the air Monday in Smithville when the town?s first Wal-Mart opened for business.
While I don?t normally report on Smithville business news, the opening has local significance because so many DeKalb County residents had shopped at our Wal-Mart. And naturally, those folks often grabbed a bite to eat while they were here, or stopped at another store to do additional shopping.
In short, it?s positive news to have out-of-towners visiting McMinnville to spend money. I think it?s safe to say anyone who wants to spend money here is always welcome.
However, McMinnville Wal-Mart manager Steve Phillips says all is not gloom and doom. In fact, he fully expects local business to remain steady.
?We know we?re going to lose a few folks,? said Steve. ?But so far it hasn?t been what I thought it would be and that?s good news for us. We?re going to keep doing everything we can to take care of the customer.?
Steve said sales did dip a bit early in the week, but said there was a positive increase Thursday. He said Friday morning he?s anxious to see how sales are affected over the weekend.
Of significance to the entire community is sales tax dollars. When people come here to spend money at Wal-Mart or anywhere else, 2.75 cents of every dollar goes to local government. DeKalb County officials are hopeful their new Wal-Mart helps their sales tax revenue.
?Hopefully, the people who live here and were already shopping at a Wal-Mart will spend their money here where the tax dollars will be used here instead of driving to McMinnville and these other surrounding counties,? said DeKalb County Mayor Mike Foster.
Let?s not discourage them from shopping in McMinnville too much. To show the value of sales tax dollars, $845,584 in sales tax revenue was distributed in Warren County for December. That includes $663,916 that went to the school system.
While a new Wal-Mart in Smithville is not going to make those figures crumble, the less sales tax collected locally is less money for our schools. And I think most of us are united in the belief we need quality, well-funded schools.
Another interesting fact, and I never realized the number was nearly this high, is our Wal-Mart employs 325 to 340 people. Steve told me as many as 100 people can be working at the store at one time.
Hawkins opens antique
store that?s Golden
Janell Golden Hawkins said she came up with the name for her antique store, Golden Oldies, around five years ago. Now after considerable planning, Golden Oldies will open its doors this Saturday, Feb. 3.
?I really thought I?d have it open two years after retiring,? said Janell. ?But I enjoyed retirement too much.?
One fascinating aspect about the store is it?s located in the home where Janell was born and raised in the Wayside community. The home has been in the family for 68 years.
While Janell grew up in Warren County, she?s lived in several different Midstate cities while working as a teacher. She spent 18 years teaching at Tennessee Tech and has taught at Motlow two different times.
She?s being helped by Patsy Webb, also of local education fame. Patsy was a Warren County art teacher for 20 years before retiring and she has quite an impressive antique collection.
?It?s going to be tough for Patsy to sell anything,? said Janell. ?The way she holds onto it all, she doesn?t want to let any of it go.?
Admitted Patsy, ?I?m a pack rat.?
Between the two of them, they have a store overflowing with antiques. Items include: glassware, baskets, vintage figurines, clothes and linens, collectible plates, furniture, hats, stuffed animals like Raggedy Ann and Andy, and even some old albums by artists like Merle Haggard, Kenny Rogers and The Oak Ridge Boys.
Golden Oldies is located at 1844 Bluff Springs Road, about two miles past Faulkner?s Factory. Regular hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or you can call 668-8534 for an appointment.
Smartt named to Co-op
board of directors
Prominent local farmer George Smartt has been elected to serve on the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative board of directors. This prestigious board oversees all 63 Co-op retail stores in the state, which amounts to a $525 million annual business.
In honor of his election to the board, George made the cover of January?s Tennessee Cooperator, a magazine distributed to Co-op patrons throughout the state. Smartt?s five-year term began in November.
?This is a unique opportunity and an awesome responsibility,? said George. ?This is really what farming has always been about, one farmer helping another.?
George is one of three directors in Zone 3, which covers mainly the eastern part of the state. Warren County?s Co-op is the most western store in Zone 3.
As a board member, George handles questions and concerns from Co-op patrons and either provides an answer or points them in the right direction. He?s also a good sounding board for new ideas or new products customers would like to see.
For local Co-op customers, a great benefit of George being on the board of directors is he has the inside track to get any necessary changes or improvements made to our Co-op.
?No matter where you are, you remember where you?re from,? said George, who was nominated by the local Co-op. ?It?s not hard for me to remember who brought me here.?
George raises poultry for Purdue Farms, has nursery stock, and has a 130-head, cow-calf beef operation on more than 400 acres. He and his wife, Tammy, have four children, Alex, 19, Jac, 16, Madison, 11, and Will, 7.
That?s all folks
Remember the phone number to call with all your business news is 473-2191. I know someone out there must have a hot tip just waiting to phone in.