Next week’s grand opening that gets underway at 6:30p.m. will include holiday entertainment and the official lighting of over 1 million lights by Mayor Johnny Piper. Special guests including Santa Claus, the Channel 4 News Snowbird, Charlie Brown and Mrs. Tennessee International Cydney Miller will be at the ceremony to visit with the children.

Christmas on the Cumberland officially opens November 24 and runs through January 1. It will be open to the public nightly from 5-10p.m. and 5-11p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission to the event is free.

Walking through a garden of holiday lights...

Santa Claus will be at Christmas on the Cumberland visiting with from the children every night from 5-9p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 5-10p.m. with the exception of December 11 and 12.

This year’s Christmas on the Cumberland will feature two nights of family fun in Santa’s Workshop. On December 18 children and parents can come and decorate their own Christmas cookies supplied by Kroger. Children and their parents can return the following night on December 19 to create wooden Christmas ornaments with materials provided by Lowes Home Improvement. Participation in Santa’s workshop is 6-8p.m. or until supplies run out. in the RiverWalk Museum.

Visitors can also enjoy performances by local dance academies during Christmas on the Cumberland. On November 27 Christy’s Dance Connection, Natalie’s Dance Network and Acro Dance Express will perform beginning at 6p.m. Lana’s Dance Center will perform November 28 at 6:45p.m.

Christmas on the Cumberland is presented by the City of Clarksville and is sponsored by Wendy’s, The Leaf Chronicle, Charter Communications, Clarksville Family Magazine, WJZM, Lamar Advertising, TVClarksville.com, Q108 FM, The Beaver 100.3 FM, Eagle 94.3 FM, and Z97.5 FM, among others.

For more information on Christmas on the Cumberland visit www.christmasonthecumberland.com or call Clarksville Parks and Recreation at 931-645-7476.

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The purpose of the ISA Certification Program is to improve the level of knowledge and standard of practice within the tree care profession.  It is designed to assist the public in identifying those professionals in arboriculture who have demonstrated, through a professionally developed examination and education program, a thorough knowledge of tree care practices.  All Certified Arborists carry a wallet identification card for verification.  *Certification is valid for three years.  The ISA program tests and certifies an individual’s knowledge in the field of Arboriculture.

The International Society of Arboriculture is a scientific and educational organization devoted to the dissemination of information in the care and preservation of shade and ornamental trees.

ISA’s Certification Program is designed to promote the professional development of those involved in the field of arboriculture or tree care.  When contracting for your tree care needs, contact individuals who are certified through this voluntary program.

The grant will be used to plant forty trees within the large, circular ramp loop at the intersection of Ft. Campbell Boulevard and 101st Airborne Division Parkway. Three tree species have been selected for the project. Twenty shumard oak (Quercus shumardii), ten Kentucky coffee trees (Gymnocladus dioicus), and ten bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) will be planted.

These extremely hardy, native trees are large-growing, long-lived, and well suited for urban tree planting. The objective of the planting is to provide rain interception, improve air quality, and help counter the “heat island” effect of this heavily paved area. A secondary objective is to promote the use of native species and also the use of groves in our City as an alternative to only planting single trees and rows of trees.

The project design consists of a large star-shaped grove of trees encircled by a ring of trees. The five point star is an important ideogram which is commonly used in the Western world, with strong military and patriotic associations. The pattern will be readily recognized from the sky, and is intended to honor Clarksville’s 101st Airborne Division while at the same time functioning as a working grove that will eventually fill in the entire site with a closed canopy.

The City Forester, Clint Patterson, designed the project and applied for the grant with the support of Clarksville’s Tree Board and with help from City Grants Coordinator Ron McClurg.

The Mayor of Clarksville Tennessee, Johnny Piper

“This is great news for Clarksville. Our city continues to be a state and national leader in many economic respects,” said Mayor Johnny Piper. “More and more people are discovering what we’ve known all along, that our community not only offers a tremendous quality of life, but that our business and economic environment is one of the bright spots in our country’s economic climate.”

Clarksville, the fifth largest city in the state, was the only Tennessee city to appear on CNNMoney.com’s list of 50 best places for businesses. The list measures various small business indicators and is produced by CNN’s Fortune Small Business magazine.

An aeriel view of the Historic Downtown in Clarksville Tennessee (May take a few seconds to load)

Fortune reported that fast-growing small companies have historically led the U.S. economy out of recession. According to the article, only 42 percent of U.S. entrepreneurs believe that their current location is the best place for them to thrive, based on a Fortune/Zogby International poll.

Believing that number was much higher, Fortune partnered with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to identify the 50 most business-friendly communities in the nation.

Fortune rated cities based on per capita income, hourly wages, work force quality, crime rates, taxes, foreclosures and population size. It also reviewed factors such as why entrepreneurs choose locations based on proximity to major cities, smaller, close-knit community size and intellectual/cultural factors.

Clarksville also made CNN’s top 25 list of U.S. cities with the fastest local GDP (gross domestic product) for the five-year “boom” period from 2001 to 2006. GDP is a measure of economic health based on the total expenditure for final goods and services produced. Notably, Clarksville was ranked 22 on the list with a 57 percent increase in GDP during the period, even before Dow Corning/Hemlock Semiconductor Inc. announced its $2.5 billion investment to build a polysilicon manufacturing plant there.

Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division pass in review at the Fort Campbell Army Base

The article credited Fort Campbell Army base, Austin Peay State University and Hemlock, with its expected 800 initial manufacturing and 1,000 construction jobs, as major growth generators.

Clarksville was also recognized recently by Forbes, MSN Money, Fox News, Reuters, AOL Money News and many other media outlets for additional bullish indicators of recession recovery. Moody’s identified it as one of 23 cities of 381 nationally that has a moderating recession based on its Adversity Index.

A recent home pricing report revealed that the city’s median home price actually increased 2.9 percent in 2008 as opposed to the national slump of 18.7 percent. The same report, by Manier and Exton in Nashville, showed the average Clarksville home price was $147,137 (compared to $142,870 in 2007).

“These kinds of stats prove that Tennessee’s Top Spot is not just a slogan; it’s proof that Clarksville is a city on the right track for many reasons,” commented Piper.

For more news and information, contact the mayor’s office at 931-645-7444 or visit the city’s Web site at www.cityofclarksville.com.

The cost is $5 per person. All funds raised go to the Friends of Dunbar Cave for use in protecting, promoting, and preserving the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area. The price includes the cave tour and hot chocolate or hot cider. Parking is free. You can park in the Dunbar Cave parking lot, or if that is full park at the Swan Lake Golf Course and walk to the visitor’s center. Tours leave the visitor’s center every 15 minutes. No reservations are required. Each person needs a flashlight – bring your own or rent one at the event. Each person must be able to walk on their own, including children, unfortunately the cave cannot be made handicapped accessible.

The 2009 Haunting History Tour Actors

The three skits performed in the cave Haunting Facts, Haunting Memories and Haunting Questions.

Haunting Facts is a fast and fun look at the bats that live in Dunbar Cave and other caves.

Haunting Memories is about people sharing their memories of Big Band music and Country music and experiences living around the cave.

Haunting Questions asks about the Native Americans who made the ancient pictographs inside Dunbar Cave. Who were they and what does their art mean?

If you would like to become a member of the Friends of Dunbar Cave, you can signup while at the event!

The Friends of Dunbar Cave would like to thank The City of Clarksville, and Golf Pro Jeff Vaughn for allowing the Friends of Dunbar Cave to use the Parking lot at Swan Lake for overflow parking for the Tours.

This month’s free concert starts at 7 p.m. and features the Z-Soul Band. The band blends original and natural sounds of soul & blues with their own funky twist. They are sure to provide the perfect tunes to groove to and have a good time.

The Z-Soul Band

As always, some of Clarksville’s favorite downtown restaurants will have outdoor dining available for Jammin’ in the Alley patrons. Grab a seat and a bite to eat while enjoying live music.

Jammin’ in the Alley takes place the third Friday of every month through October.

Strawberry Alley will be closed to through traffic in front of City Hall starting at 1 p.m. on the day of the event. US Bank’s drive-through and City Hall parking lots will be accessible.

For more information, call 645-7476 or visit www.cityofclarksville.com

In order to have your yard debris picked up, you must contact the Clarksville Street Department by telephone at (931) 645-7464 between 7:00 A.M. and 3:30 P.M. Monday thru Friday.

This has to be one of the funnest events to watch during the entire festival. The shoreline was packed with people all on hand to cheer on their favorite teams.

Here’s how it went down. The teams were called out and their boats carried down to the courtesy boat dock. Once all boats were in place they were gingerly placed into the water and team members carefully boarded their vessels. Once all three boats were situated at the starting line the horn sounded and the teams feverishly paddled their boats down river towards the McGregor park Boat ramp. The first boat to reach an orange flag placed on the shoreline near the boat ramp was the winner of that heat.

The boats  are raced in individual heats of three boats per run. The following Prizes are awarded

• The Ship Shape Award for the most creative boat design
• The “Cardboard Queen” Award which goes to the prettiest boat in the Regatta
• The Team unity Award for most spirited and most organized team (Looks don’t matter here!)
• The Team Attire Award for the team with the most creative costumes
• The Titanic Award which is awarded on the basis of the most spectacular sinking of the day.

This was in addition to the first, second, and third place awards for each heat. Regatta results are at the bottom of the article below the photo gallery.

The City Council Boat

A can of Whoop Ass

The City council boat featured a catamaran hull, and they brought along a secret weapon a case of whoop ass. Council Members David Allen (Ward 8), Joel Wallace (Ward 9), Bill Summers (Ward 10), and James Lewis (Ward 3) crewed the boat, seeing them off were Councilmembers Geno Grubbs (Ward 7), Candy Johnson (Ward 5), and Deanna McLaughlin (Ward 2).

For the last few years the Parks and Rec Department and the City Council have been swapping out the cardboard City of Clarksville Regatta Trophy. This trophy is exclusively for City Department participants as they are ineligible for the other awards offered in the Regatta. This year, Parks and Rec Department took the Titanic award because as Kevin said during the awards, “We get the award because we had the only boat that sank, and the plaque is dated so he had to get rid of it.” Better luck next year!

Missy Graham looks on as the Parks and Rec crew is fished out of the water

The Clarksville PD boat

The Police Department’s boat was crafted into the form of a giant beaver and was named Leave it to Beaver. The crew members including Chief of Police Al Ansley all wore beaver 100.3FM t-shirts.

Other organizations that raced included Clarksville High School, The Riverview Inn, Clarksville Highs Junior Civitan Club, The Kennedy law firm and their boat the Legal Eagle, the Hilldale Kiwanis Club, the Clarksville Fire Department Explorer Troop, the energetic Paco’s Taco, The Actus team represented Fort Campbell which took home several awards. There were too many teams to recognize them all here but they all did a great job on their boats, showed great sportsmanship during the races, and hopefully everyone had a really great time!

The Kennedy Law firm boat Legal Eagle

Following the Regatta the rest of the days’ entertainment beckoned.

The inflatables

As you walked from the Regatta towards the performance stages you passed through the kids area with its multitude of inflatables. Early in the day there was almost no lines, but by evening time you had to spend a bit of time waiting in line at each of them. There were tables and bleachers provided to allow the worn out parents to relax, as their children enjoyed the activities.

Around inflatables’ area you found other things for the kids to enjoy. A booth offering caricatures, another Airbrush tattoos. Booths offered many free games some with prizes for the kids. Then of course always a crowd favorite is the petting zoo, and pony rides.

Katherine Kolodzie and the Roxy Theatre booth

The Roxy Regional Theatre was on hand in the children’s area and ably represented by its new Director of Public Relations & Development Katherine Kolodzie, who told Parents about the Theatre, the shows suitable for young people, and their “School of the Arts”, and in the process she raised awareness about this fount of culture in our community. Some of the great Children’s shows that the Roxy has put on include “A year with Frog and Toad”, “Seussical the Musical”, “Cats”, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”, and they will soon be showing the hilarious “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” starting on September 18th. The show features six young people competing in a spelling bee, with parents who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, in the process the children learn that winning isn’t everything, and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser.

Now we move on to the River of Culture!

Clarksville Family Magazine sat on the border of Toddler town and the River of Culture, and this was quite fitting. They introduced and sponsor the Toddler Town area which provides age appropriate activities for the younger children. Clarksville Family Magazine has left their mark on the yearly Riverfest Festival, and that deserves special recognition! Their high quality magazine is aimed at parents and families, and the businesses which want to reach them. Clarksville Family Magazine is published by Carla & and Cliff Lavergne. They started publication in April of 2007, and currently publish and distribute 10,000 issues a month, which are available free of charge at various locations around Clarksville. If you are interested in advertising with them you can contact Rachel Phillips at (931) 216-5102.

Riverfest is fast becoming the place to highlight the diverse mix of cultures that make up our community, and to allow the attendees to discover first hand the benefits that our city gains from them. This amazing diversity brings new ideas, new talents, new visions, and perhaps best of all new foods to try into our city. Toreros Fine Mexican Foods gave Riverfest visitors free samples of Churros, a tasty pastry item that originated in Spain. This dish is popular in Mexico, and is becoming popular in the United States. The pastry is fried into long ribbons and frequently topped with a light dusting of sugar and cinnamon.

The colorful Ballet Folklorico Viva Panama dancers

Clarksville Online has frequently identified the colorful Ballet Folklorico Viva Panama dancers as area favorites, and they didn’t disappoint at Riverfest. Joining them in that very selective favorites list are the Jezzebellies with their lithe and exotic dances, and the Hui Hawaii O Tenesi Hawaiian Civic Club with their graceful hulas.

Chris Monhollen

After a bit of midday break, We returned to the Festival in time to catch the Beaver’s Country Idol competition. Featuring 17 very talented local singers, the competition had the crowd singing along to the tunes, dancing in the aisles, and all in all having a great time. Chris Monhollen ended up taking home the $1000 dollar prize for the 2009 Beaver Country Idol contest.

The Beaver broadcasts with 100,000 watts at 100.3 on the FM dial, and features some of the best in country music. They are part of the 5 Star Radio Group which also operates Q108 107.9FM, The Eagle 94.3FM, Everything that Rocks Z97.5 FM, & The Fan 540 AM.

After the Beaver Country Idol Contest was over, it seemed as if time began moving twice as fast.

Clarksville Online was fortunate to attend a meet and greet for the headlining performers for the evening, The Trailer Choir , and Jack Ingram. Both of whom graciously allowed us to take the photos used in this story.

The Trailer Choir

Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper with Country Singer Jack Ingram

Following that we made our way back through the River of Culture catching the start of the Hui Hawaii O Tenesi Hawaiian Civic Club’s last performance of the evening. As time was growing short we could not stay long, but grabbed a couple of quick shots. We were also lucky to run into some of the Ballet Folklorico Viva Panama dancers, and got a great picture of them as well.

The Pistols

We made it back to the Budweiser stage just before the end of the Pistols performance so we were able to catch a couple minutes of their show before heading on up to the Gateway stage to catch a bit of the Atmoic Blonde performance. They were tearing that stage up, and had the audience all the way up to the front edge of the stage, forming what was to all extents a mosh pit. It was nice to see an audience so engaged in the performance.

We returned to the Budweiser Stage and caught the introduction of The Trailer Choir by Fletch and Bailey from the Beaver 100.3 FM. On the Trailer Choir let me say this, you have to see that big man strut his stuff on the stage. The group mixed humor along with down home country jams. One of their songs facetiously invited the audience to head on down to the Waffle House with them after the performance.

The Trailer Choir performing

After listening to their couple of songs, we headed down to the Gateway stage and caught the first act in the Step Exhibition. Step is a form of dance where teams of dancers directly compete with each other each group trying to out perform the other.

As flash photography and video were not permitted of the headlining acts after 8:00pm we headed back to the Budweiser stage and was able to catch the lighted boat parade before heading out for the evening.

Many of the groups that performed during the 2009 Riverfest have music that is available online or on services such as Amazon’s Mp3 Store or iTunes, You can personally say thank you for coming to Clarksville and performing at Riverfest, by buying some of their songs. We have already purchased Off the Hillbilly Hook by the Trailer Choir on iTunes, and are looking forward to purchasing a couple of Jack Ingram albums in the next day or so as well!

Photo Gallery

The pictures from Saturday start on Page 2 of the gallery

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Regatta Results

There will be plenty for the entire family to learn and experience. Children will get the chance to crawl through a smoke trailer filled with theatrical smoke to experience the limited visual capability. Firefighter equipment and other safety related items will also be on display. Children from Kindergarten through 2nd grade are especially encouraged to drop by.

Shuttle service will be available to and from the river and fire station. It’s all free to the public.

Be sure to bring to family by and help kick off Fire Prevention Month.

Nashville – Centerstone, the nation’s largest provider of community-based behavioral healthcare, has received an $8,840 grant from the City of Clarksville to provide housing and transportation assistance for individuals with mental illness who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Housing assistance includes rental fees, house payments and utility deposits. Transportation assistance includes bus vouchers for transportation to employment interviews, employment training and the first 60 days of work.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“This grant will allow Centerstone to provide vital assistance for an often underserved population,” said David Grimes, Centerstone’s Vice President for Adult Services. “Centerstone provides mental health services to more than 4,500 individuals in Clarksville, many of whom live at or below 50 percent of the average median income. By providing housing and transportation assistance, we have the ability to prevent homelessness in the community and provide a fresh start for families in need.”

The one-year grant will serve approximately 115 individuals and families in the City of Clarksville.

About Centerstone

Centerstone, a not-for-profit organization, is the nation’s largest provider of community-based behavioral healthcare. With a history that spans over fifty years, Centerstone provides a full range of behavioral health and related educational services to more than 64,000 individuals of all ages and their families annually. Children, adolescents, adults, seniors, and families all receive help from a multitude of different programs in more than 120 facilities and 150 partnership locations in Indiana and Tennessee. Centerstone is accredited by The Joint Commission in Indiana and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in Tennessee. For more information about Centerstone, please call toll free at 888-291-4357.

The trees will be planted along the North edge of the park either this fall or early next spring. The primary purpose of the tree planting project will be to provide a wind break for the soccer fields, as well as to provide beautification along 101st Airborne Division Parkway. Several species of evergreen trees; including Southern Magnolia, will be used.

The City Forester, Clint Patterson, applied for the grant with the support of Clarksville’s Tree Board and with help from City Grants Coordinator Ron McClurg.

The stamp in question

Clarksville Tennessee’s Mayor, Johnny Piper has sent an inflammatory anti-Islamic email to employees of the city, encouraging them to boycott a stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service.

According to the U.S. Postal Service, the stamp in question commemorates the two most important festivals—or eids—in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. On these days, Muslims wish each other “Eid mubarak,” the phrase featured in Islamic calligraphy on the stamp. “Eid mubarak” translates literally as “blessed festival,” and can be paraphrased as “May your religious holiday be blessed.” This phrase can be applied to both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

The email in question is the equivalent of a chain letter, which according to the Snopes Urban Legends web site was first seen in 2002. The letter was modified in August 2009 to falsely accuse President Barack Obama of ordering the U.S. Postal Service to issue a 42 cent first class stamp in honor of these Islamic holidays. In fact the stamp was first issued on September 1st 2001, and has been re-release several times since then. Mayor Piper’s email painted everyone of the Islamic faith with the same brush as those who carried out the various terrorist bombings over the years.

Several questions arise regarding the Mayor’s actions in sending this email that must be answered….

• Did the sending of this email by an elected official violate any local, state, or federal laws.
• Did this email violate city policies.
• What action would have been taken under current city personnel policies had another city employee sent the same email.
• Did the sending of this politically oriented email using city computers, on city time, to city email addresses constitute misuse of city computing resources.
• What was the cost to the city in time and resources from this incident, and will the Mayor reimburse the city for these costs.
• How do we prevent this from happening again.

Mayor Piper has since attempted to defend his actions, but they are simply indefensible. Muslims are a integral part of this country. They serve honorably in our armed forces, defending our nation, and our freedoms. No one should be treated like a second class citizens based on their religious beliefs, or the actions of a radical fringe. This incident created by our Mayor  has been an embarrassment for our City, our State, and our Country.

It is time for the City of Clarksville to establish a clear policy of non-discrimination, and to prohibit the City of Clarksville, the municipality’s elected officials, and city employees from engaging in activities or personal conduct which discriminates, or directly encourages discrimination by others on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, age, medical condition, ancestry, marital status,sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a Vietnam-era veteran or special disabled veteran. The penalty for the violation of this policy this should be termination for employees; and removal from office for our elected officials, who should be held to a higher, not lower standard of behavior.

In accordance with state water pollution control and environmental protection laws, today, the City of Clarksville’s Gas, Water, and Sewer Department has applied to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for an Aquatic Resources Alteration Permit, (ARAP). The permit is sought as part of the utility’s plans to perform preparatory infrastructure work at the Hemlock Semiconductor project site.

With the application for the ARAP being formally posted on TDEC’s website, the public comment period is officially in effect. Any persons or parties interested in the details of the permit application or wishing to make comment on the proposed site alteration or wishing to request a public hearing should visit the TDEC website, for more information.

The permit application announcement

NRS09.187 – The City of Clarksville Gas and Water Department proposes to install 14,305 linear feet of gravity sewer line for the Hemlock Semi-Conductor Industrial site and future forecasted growth that will require five crossings of Spring Creek and four tributaries; Clarksville, Montgomery County.

The application described above has been submitted for Aquatic Resource Alteration Permits under The Tennessee Water Quality Control Act of 1977, T.C.A. §69-3-108. In addition, a federal permit may be required from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers or from the Tennessee Valley Authority under §404 of the Clean Water Act and §26a of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act , respectively. Section 401 of the Clean Water Act requires that an applicant must obtain a water quality certification from the state when a federal permit is required. These notices may cover applications subject to §401 or navigation permitting (Rule 1200-04-08).

No decision has been made whether to issue or deny these permits. The purpose of these notices is to inform interested parties of this permit application and to ask for comments and information necessary to determine possible impact to water quality. Persons wishing to comment on a proposal are invited to submit written comments to the department. Written comments must be received within thirty days of the date that the notice is posted. Comments will become part of the record and will be considered in the final decision. The applicant’s name and permit number should be referenced.

The permit application, supporting documentation including detailed plans and maps, and related comments are available for review and/or copying at the department’s Natural Resources Section.

To comment on this permit

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation- Division Water Pollution Control can be reached by writing: