Topic: Community

Local artist unveils “Rugby Gates”

December 9, 2008 |

Two large columns serve as the gateway into Rugby Gates, a public art project in Memphis designed by Gregg Schlanger. Photo provided by Gregg Schlanger.

In the last two years, Gregg Schlanger, professor of art at Austin Peay State University, has processed 75,000 pounds of Memphis mud to make 7,000 bricks for a community-based public art project he was commissioned to build.

And after countless trips to Memphis for research, meetings and hard labor, the effort – which proved to be a true example of community involvement – is complete.

At 3 p.m., Dec. 13 in Memphis, a dedication ceremony will unveil Rugby Gates, a series of brick gateways along a main road in the Rugby neighborhood of Memphis. Schlanger will be among Memphis dignitaries and local residents to attend the event.

Rugby Gates marks a neighborhood where the original brickyards of Memphis were located. The project was commissioned by The Urban Art Commission, which administers the public art program for the city of Memphis. The concept for the project developed following several meetings with city officials, neighborhood organizers, local schools and extensive research on the history of the area.   «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Events, News | No Comments

Thistle Farm products soften holiday stress

By Kitty Madden | December 3, 2008 |

Founder/Director & Episcopal Priest Becca Stevens

The spirit of the “holiday season,” which is kicked off by Thanksgiving, is buoyed by hopeful, upbeat music and encouragement to express good will to all, but is often squelched by frenetic desires to do too much. That overwhelming energy zap can be circumvented in at least three inspirational ways by the women of Magdalene House, who will speak on Sunday, December 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clarksville.

What can this program do for you?

1. You’ll give yourself the gift of absorbing astonishing stories of hope and even self-redemption. Even though I contend personally that we’re all already “redeemed” just as we are, I’ve noticed that a process of self-acceptance (“love” if you will) must be honored. Magdalene House offers women who have fallen into prostitution and drug abuse the opportunity to change those influences through group support. In a November 3 Nashville City paper article, Nate Rau quotes a Magdalene House participant, “. . . it’s the love, the support. . . They’re not judgmental.” The success rate of approximately ¾ of graduates never returning to prostitution or drugs speaks for itself. Founder/Director and Episcopal priest Becca Stevens told Rau, “We ask people to give in gratitude for all they have been given.” «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Business, Spirituality | No Comments

DMC Task Force to host juvenile justice community forum

By Terry McMoore | October 24, 2008 |

The Montgomery County Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Task Force will sponsor a juvenile justice community forum on Monday, October 27th, at the Montgomery County Public Library from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m..

• FACT: 3 out of every 5 kids are in the Juvenile Justice system.
• Why are so many of our youths getting into trouble?
• Is your child taking drugs?
• Are you concerned about gang problems?
• Are you a single parent that needs help? «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Education, Events, News | No Comments

Kiwanis Lone Star Rodeo rides into town

By Turner McCullough Jr. | August 17, 2008 |

Downtown Kiwanis Club and Lone Star Rodeo Tour bring two days of excitement to Fairgrounds Park. 

Wild west Chuck wagon Race at Kiwanis Rodeo

This weekend brought two days of rodeo excitement to Clarksville at the Fairgrounds Park. Friday was the opening night and Wendy’s Restaurants sponsored it’s Kids Night at the Rodeo.

Kiwanis Chairman Glenn Childers

Glenn Childers, 2008 Downtown Kiwanis Club Chair, gave a brief rundown of this year’s rodeo, adding that the Kiwanis Club, with its 128 members, are proud that this was their 24th year bringing the rodeo to the Clarksville community. This rodeo was a very family-oriented and family-friendly happening, with the proceeds the Downtown Kiwanis Club raise dedicated to aid children and youth programs.

The pageantry of rodeo is colorful, dramatic, patriotic and exciting. Mark North, rodeo announcer, does an excellent job of informing the crowd of what is going on in the arena and encouraging everyone’s participation and appreciation for the athletes’ performances on display, both human and animal. Livestock takes on an entirely new meaning when 3,000 pounds of bucking steer animal is in your face ! «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Business, Events, News, Sports | 1 Comment »

Jazz On The Lawn: Breezy cool at Beachaven Winery

By Turner McCullough Jr. | August 17, 2008 |

Local winery is site for relaxation, communal camaraderie, musical inspiration, diverse mini-buffets and flowing fruits of the vine! May Bacchus be praised!

The local phenomenon known as ‘Jazz On The Lawn” rolls on, to great appreciation! Beachaven Winery plays hosts during the summer and early fall to a series of free music concerts on its back lawn, as it were. People of all stripes, shapes and divergent humanity find their way to the soft lilting sounds of music flowing from Dunlop Lane. They come with an immense array of cultural delicacies and favorites to share with friends, along with blankets, lawn chairs and an equally immense appetite to enjoy conversation, friendship and music. Saturday’s concert featured the big brass sounds of Hypertension. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Business, Events, News, Opinion, Spirituality, Technology | No Comments

Fireworks, music, family fun slated for city’s 4th of July celebration

June 29, 2008 |

The City of Clarksville’s Independence Day Celebration will be a celebration for all ages, featuring music and fireworks for the Grand Finale! The event takes place July 3rd at McGregor Park• 5:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. A spectacular fireworks will cap off this holiday celebration.

The display on the river includes is choreographed to a patriotic soundtrack and will be broadcast on Q108, The Beaver 100.3 FM, Z 97.5 and Eagle 94.3 radio stations during the show. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Events | No Comments

Rubber-stamped travel: Corporate cloning of America’s landscape

By Christine Anne Piesyk | June 26, 2008 |

On the Road in America is an occasional and serendipitous column about people, places and observations, with publishing predicated on the random availability of internet access or lack thereof.

Being On the Road in America can sometimes be a bore.

Oh, there’s a great deal of beauty to be seen, from the Green Mountains of Vermont to the rolling farmlands across Ohio, from the rugged Rockies and the dramatic coastline of California’s 17-mile drive. That’s not the issue.

As implied in Josh Neuman’s Lemmings (right) ,what is troubling is the growing lack of identity, of uniqueness, of individuality, as one moves from state to state. North, south, east or west makes not a whit of difference. Commerce in America is cloning itself at breakneck pace, mass-producing blueprints for hotels, motels, box stores, shopping malls and restaurants that increasingly lack a sense of their own identity and certainly have no ties to community heritage or culture.

I’m on the road again, as Willie Nelson would sing, and I am heading for one of the few bastions of non-traditional development — via the central midwest to the rural northeast, home of green mountains, clothing optional backwoods beaches, interstate bike paths, and those perpetual golden arches relegated to the outermost borders of some cities. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Business, Opinion | No Comments

Juvenile Justice Director raises the question: What about the children?

By Terry McMoore | May 23, 2008 |

The citizens of Clarksville were treated to a wealth of information at a recent community forum hosted by the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Task Force. The program was held at the Clarksville – Montgomery County Public Library and included a reception for speakers and guests. Ms. Debrah Stafford, Juvenile Justice Director for the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, opened the forum with a strong power point presentation titled What About the Children?

Every day in America, 540 children are arrested for various crimes, though in many cases there are mitigating situations that cause these children to come in contact with the system. Ms. Stafford suggests that we must not be “in such a hurry” to just lock up a child.

One major finding by juvenile justice professionals is that more attention should be paid to the mental heath of the child. Children in juvenile justice often have mental health and substance abuse problems, have a higher percentage of learning disabilities, have frequent histories of trauma abuse/neglect, violence in the home, and/or have parents with substance abuse problems. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News | No Comments

Looking back on Rivers & Spires 2008

By Bill Larson | April 21, 2008 |

Rivers and Spires 2008 is over, with a final day (Saturday) that remain cloudy, cool but relatively rain-free. Several thousand visitors flocked to Franklin Street and Public Square in Downtown Clarksville for the festivities, taking time to browse the booths, ride the rides, listen to the music, watch the dancers and mingle with family and friends.

We offer this final collection of Rivers and Spires photos for your enjoyment. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News | 2 Comments

Clarksville unveils new “Brand” as “Tennessee’s Top Spot!”

By Turner McCullough Jr. | April 12, 2008 |

Extensive research and consultation yields latest update to city’s world market projection.

In a well-attended reception on the fifth floor of the new Farmers and Merchants Bank Tower, Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper jubilantly invited the guests to witness the unveiling of the city’s new brand. Branding is a marketing term that encompasses a municipality’s slogan and logo as a unified identity characteristic. The invited audience was filled with luminaries of all stripes, to include Jim Durrett, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, State Senator Rosalind Kurita, Mayor Pro Temp Barbara Johnson, APSU President Tim Hall, City Council members Geno Grubbs, Deanna McLaughlin, Jim Doyle and Wayne Harrison, Arthur Bing of the Clarksville Transit Systems, C-MC Schools System Director Michael Harris, CPD Deputy Chief Frankie Gray, as well as Interim Co-City Attorney Tim Harvey.

Mayor Piper opened the reception with welcoming remarks and thanks to the members of the City Council’s Communications Committee which had worked so diligently on this project. Council members Deanna McLaughlin and Geno Grubbs gave the story of the development of this new brand. McLaughlin spoke of how the idea of a new brand came to be and development of the concept and focus which it should address. Grubbs added that committee members had worked through an extensive amount of public comment and input and then reviewed that data with the marketing firm of MMA Creative. Mayor Piper he was confident everyone would be impressive with the new brand/logo.

Council members Geno Grubs and Deanna McLaughlin address reception guests.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, News | 1 Comment »

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