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Two of the county’s most anticipated Easter celebrations are returning this weekend.

At the north end of Unicoi County, The Buffalo Valley Historic Association is taking guests back in time with their Old Fashioned Easter event at the Bogart-Bowman Cabin.

“We hope to have a lot of kids and good weather for the event,” said Buffalo Valley Historic Association President Leisa Willis.

Willis said that the Easter Bunny will be making an appearance. The event will most likely provide a chance to also meet some woolly sheep.

The Association’s “Old Fashioned Easter” will also feature an egg hunt, games and many more surprises.

Willis hopes the community comes out for a day of celebration and to consider joining the ever-growing group that makes up the Buffalo Valley Historic Association.

“If it wasn’t for our dedicated members and volunteers we couldn’t have any of our events,” Willis said. “We are trying to preserve as much history as we can for future generations. We meet on the second Thursday night each month, at 6 p.m., inside the Bogart-Bowman Cabin.”

Willis welcomes anyone who wants to learn more about the group. The Buffalo Valley Historic Association’s Old Fashioned Easter is scheduled to take place on Friday, April 15, from 1 to 3 p.m., at Bogart Bowman Cabin, in Unicoi.

In Erwin, a popular hometown business is looking to give back this spring.

Erwin Apparel recently hosted free Easter pictures with Hopkins the Bunny on April 8 and Erwin Apparel Owner Amanda Galleher is already working on her next big Easter project.

The second annual Community Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for Saturday, April 16, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is completely free for guests.

“This is our second year,” Galleher said. “Last year we had over 550 people attend. This is an event we look forward to as a business. We love to see the children happy, it is beyond amazing. We do it to honor the Lord for allowing us to share the true meaning of Easter. We pray before we have the hunt.”

Galleher is excited to expand this event for 2022.

“This year we added extra inflatables and more Zappa,” Galleher said. “We have over 10,000 eggs filled and have lots of prizes and drawings planned. This year we also have some tents as a meet and greet for adults to get to know our community.”

Erwin Apparel has joined up with more than 25 other local businesses and organizations to hold this event.

“I have to give a huge thank you to all the sponsors and to Unicoi County Schools for allowing us to have this event for our children,” Galleher said.

The second annual Community Easter Egg Hunt will be held at 600 S. Mohawk Drive.

For more information, including a list of all sponsors and photographs from Hopkins’ visit follow Erwin Apparel on social media, including Facebook.

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Fighting opioid abuse is getting a boost of support from people who have overcome the same dark addiction in the past. As of this month, a program under the TN Together plan will get to pair people who were revived from a drug overdose with so-called recovery navigators in Nashville.

Posted at 5:24 PM, Oct 12, 2018

and last updated 4:30 PM, Oct 12, 2018

Fighting opioid abuse is getting a boost of support from people who have overcome the same dark addiction in the past.

As of this month, a program under the TN Together plan will get to pair people who were revived from a drug overdose with so-called recovery navigators in Nashville.

Recovery navigators are people who have been in recovery for at least two years and completed the Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Program.

Their goal is to connect with patients at the hospital and get them much needed help and support.

"Once they're able to give consent, the doctor will ask them if they would like to speak to someone and want help. Then they will call one of us, and we respond. We give them resources, share a little bit of our story of how we've been there and what we've been through, and just that there is hope and this is not the end," Coon explained.

Coon recovered from her opioid addiction four years ago at Buffalo Valley. She admitted herself to the treatment center after she overdosed on heroin laced with fentanyl.

"I remember praying for God to please let me wake up, and I wouldn't do this again," she said. "I knew at that point I did not want to live like that anymore."

Since then she went from being a client to an employee. She jumped on the opportunity to become a recovery navigator because she knows the importance of making a connection.

"Doctors, counselors, and psychiatrists tried to get me sober for a long time until I got my counselor, and she had been through the same thing I've been through. That makes a difference, so I know it makes a difference," Coon said.

Currently, there are 11 recovery navigators across the state. Four of them are in the Mid-State.

Under TN Together, $25 million focuses on providing treatment to drug users. Part of it includes the expansion of peer recovery specialists in targeted, high-need emergency departments.

The program first started in upper East Tennessee and made its way to Memphis and then Nashville. Chattanooga and Knoxville are next on the list.

St. Thomas and TriStar Skyline Medical Center are two hospitals who are a part of the program. The state hopes to include more hospitals in the future.

To learn more, including how to apply to be certified, click on this link.

Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Photo By Leon Roberts | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is hosting a public scoping... read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 23, 2018) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is hosting a public scoping meeting 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 3, 2018 at the Buffalo Valley Community Center to present information to the public regarding a current Dam Safety Modification Study (DSMS) to further reduce risk at Center Hill Dam. The center is located at 2717 Buffalo Valley School Road, Buffalo Valley, Tenn.

Since 2008 the Nashville District has worked to reduce risk at Center Hill Dam from a foundation seepage issue.

“More recently, however, operability issues have been identified with the 70-year old main dam spillway gates that add project risk during a large flood event” said Corps Project Manager, Linda Adcock.

In the early 1990’s a self-eroding structure called a ‘fuse plug’ was built into the top of the saddle dam to add the ability to safely pass a rare, extreme flood downstream.

“If the main dam spillway gates don’t operate as intended, the fuse plug on the saddle dam could operate at a smaller flood than intended,” Adcock added.

Currently, risk of this occurrence is higher than the Corps deems acceptable. A study is underway to evaluate spillway gate repair alternatives and potential changes to standard gate operations during a large flood. Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Corps of Engineers is initiating scoping and preparing a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to support the DSMS. The study will produce a recommended plan to reduce potential project risk. The Corps seeks public input on the array of alternatives being considered.

Examples of measures, either individually or in combination, that have potential to affect structures or operations of the dam may include:

a) Replacement of the current gate machinery with hydraulic machinery that can operate under water; b) Addition of equipment to the current spillway gates to keep them open if the operating machinery is underwater; c) Modification of the spillway gates or gate machinery to allow operation from the top of the dam; d) Relocation of the gate operating machinery to the road level, which would require raising or relocating Highway 96 that crosses over the dam; e) Modification of the emergency operations plan in the water control manual that determines how to manage floods at Center Hill Dam; and f) Other measures as identified by on-going engineering studies, the public, and agencies.

The announcement seeking public input is located on the Federal Register at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/04/20/2018-08291/intent-to-prepare-a-draft-environmental-impact-statement-for-the-dam-safety-modification-study. This announcement includes information on how to provide comments to the Corps of Engineers regarding this study.

To read more on the dam safety project, visit the Nashville District webpage at http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Current-Projects/Construction/Center-Hill-Dam-Safety-Rehabilitation-Project/ . For more information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, visit the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and http://www.facebook.com/centerhilllake , and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.

Unicoi County has two new residents that former Town of Unicoi Mayor Johnny Lynch is proud to welcome to Farmhouse Gallery & Gardens, which he owns with his wife, Pat.

Lynch welcomed two baby buffalo calves to his herd earlier this month.

“We had two calves born a little over a week ago,” Lynch told The Erwin Record.

Centuries ago thousands of buffalo journeyed through the valley and created most of the paths that are used as roads today throughout East Tennessee. As they did in most areas, the large but agile animals gradually disappeared from the eastern half of the United States.

“Originally the buffalo roamed free from the Eastern Seaboard all the way to the Rocky Mountains,” Lynch said. “There were an estimated 60 million buffalo. By 1901, there was something like 700. They almost became extinct.”

However, the American buffalo, also known as bison, roams in the Buffalo Valley once again after the arrival of several buffaloes to the area thanks to Lynch’s efforts.

Lynch said he brought the first buffalo back to the Town of Unicoi several years ago.

“We now have 14 buffalo here,” Lunch said. “Overall in the United States, there are about 500,000 buffaloes today.”

One of the biggest obstacles he faced when relocating the buffaloes was getting a fence that could hold the wild animals.

“Not only are they large and wild, but buffalo are extremely fast and agile,” Lynch said. “They can outrun a horse and stop on a dime.”

Once the fence was in place, the buffalo followed. The females were brought in from Paint Bank, Virginia, and the bull was brought in from Wolcottville, Indiana. Lynch stated that it is currently mating season, which can run up until October. If the mating takes, then in nine months there may be new additions to the Unicoi herd.

Due to the size of the buffalo, the birthing process occurs naturally with no outside help. Lynch said that the mother will separate from the herd to give birth.

After the calf is born, the mother will keep the calf away from the herd for a few days to allow it to get acclimated. The calves are cinnamon colored when they are born and eventually become a darker shade of brown.

The proud father, Sammy, is happy to pose for photos while the cows and calves are a little more reserved. Buffalo live to be around 30 and the oldest ones on site are about three years old.

There are many other features besides the main attraction to see while visiting Farmhouse Gallery & Gardens. Roaming around the grounds are numerous peacocks, bees, otters, rabbits, groundhogs and other wildlife that live in or around a series of ponds on the property.

Classes from all over the region, including East Tennessee State University, come to study the ecosystem cultivated at the local attraction.

“The students love seeing the buffaloes,” Lynch said.

Not far from the pond is a bakery, complete with an earthen oven. Pat Lynch bakes fresh bread and other items in the bakery, often filling the air with the scent of cinnamon.

For more updates and a schedule of events at the Lynch Farmhouse Gallery & Gardens, please visit the Facebook pages of both the Town of Unicoi and Farmhouse Gallery & Gardens.

(Left to Right) Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason, Park Ranger Luciana Arena, Park Ranger Brad Potts, Cordell Hull Lake resource manager Kenny Claywell, Natasha Deane, owner of Wildwood Resort & Marina and chairperson of Friends of Cordell Hull Lake, and Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady cut a ribbon to dedicate Periwinkle Hiking Trail March 25, 2023, at the Indian Creek Archery Range Trailhead in Granville, Tennessee. (USACE Photo by Lee Roberts)

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GRANVILLE, Tenn. (March 28, 2023) - The communities of Smith County, Jackson County and the “Friends of Cordell Hull Lake” dedicated Periwinkle Trail March 25, 2023, at the Indian Creek Archery Range trailhead. The newly constructed trail provides hikers a new path to experience the outdoors and creates a bond between the two counties.

Periwinkle Trail is 2.5 miles long and spans across Smith and Jackson Counties. Additional trailheads are accessible at Indian Creek Campground, and near Wildwood Resort & Marina at Highway 53. The trail experience includes a variety of fauna and flora for the public to enjoy, including wildflowers, carpets of cedar moss, and lichens.

The “Friends of Cordell Hull Lake” organized the dedication ceremony with additional help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, which manages public lands on the shoreline, as well as the many volunteers who blazed the new trail.

In her opening remarks, Natasha Deane, chairperson of “Friends of Cordell Hull Lake,” expressed her gratitude to the group, its board members, USACE, volunteers and the public that gets to recreate on Periwinkle Trail.

“This trail is for you to enjoy and maintain for many years to come,” said Deane.

When the Corps built Cordell Hull Dam 50 years ago, the trail crossed over farmlands and generations where several communities began. Scenic views on the trail reveals old stone fences, country roads, and an old well pipe on the creek.

Cordell Hull Lake Resource Manager Kenny Claywell voiced his appreciation for all the hard work and dedication that the Friends Group put into the Periwinkle Trail.

“My main focus for this trail is the partnership between the Corps, the Friends Group, and the communities of Smith and Jackson County,” Claywell said.

Claywell added that the origin of the trail connecting Indian Creek Campground with Wildwood Marina started when the Marina held its grand opening in 2020. Marina visitors and campground campers requested the trail and volunteers ultimately put in a lot of sweat equity in 2021 and 2022, working on National Public Lands Days and numerous days and weekends.

Claywell said, “This trail has brought together the two lease areas, USACE, and the Friends Group of Cordell Hull. It is outstanding that we were able to make this possible.”

Mayor Jeff Mason of Smith County and Mayor Randy Heady of Jackson County also spoke at the dedication, and both were very glad to be a part of the event.

Mason stressed that the power of volunteers and desire of the people can achieve many goals, and he is honored to have a trailhead in Smith County.

“It helps both of the communities of Smith County and Jackson County,” said Mason.

Mayor Randy Heady noted that he had the opportunity to witness the Friends Group begin to form in 2021 and is so excited to see how far this group has come. He said the “Friends Group of Cordell Hull Lake” will have a lot of opportunities to make similar impacts around the lake as a non-profit organization.

“I’m really glad the trail begins in Smith and ends in Jackson, that shows a true partnership that you see through the whole thing,” Heady said.

Following the dedication, ribbon cutting, and photographs marking the occasion, more than 80 people set down the path of the trail together. After the hike, Wildwood Resort & Marina supplied transportation back to the starting point to those who didn’t want to make the return hike.

Park Ranger Brad Potts said the public gave positive feedback that the trail was beautiful, a must hike, amazing, and a lot of fun!

In addition to the Periwinkle trail, Cordell Hull Lake offers a six-mile Bear Waller Gap hiking trail, 18-mile Holleman Bend Horse trail, half-mile Turkey Creek Nature trail and over six-mile Bear wheels Mountain Bike Trail for public use.

The park ranger staff plans to host another community hike in celebration of Earth Day 8 a.m. April 22 at the Bear Waller Gap hiking trail at the Defeated Creek Recreation Area Trail Head.

The Corps of Engineers park rangers at Cordell Hull Lake manage 381 miles of shoreline, which includes 22 boat-launching ramps, two campgrounds, and three recreation areas with plenty of opportunities for wildlife viewing, water sports, picnicking, hiking, fishing, biking and boating.

(The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps. The public can also follow Cordell Hull Lake on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cordellhulllake. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.)