Community
October 7, 2026 by Jake Nichols
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, two children led more than 100 golfers onto the course at Willow Creek Golf Club in Farragut for the 14th annual tournament benefitting Variety, the children’s charity of Eastern Tennessee.
Variety provides mobility equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, special adaptive bikes, prosthetics and cranial helmets for children. It also handles grant funding for local organizations where funds are specially placed for direct programming that serves at-risk children and children with special needs.
Along with proceeds from this charity event, sponsors Regal, BGIS and LTCI allow Variety to put on life-changing programs like Kids on the Go! — which has provided more than 200 pieces of mobility equipment to local children needing specialized care in 2026.
The tournament has been held every year since 2005,
and with 114 golfers participating, this year’s event raised the most money ever recorded for the total amount: $416,500.
“Without them,” Variety executive director Carol Fusco said of the sponsors, donors and more than 30 volunteers, “this would not be possible.”
Children Damian and Piper were on hand with their tricycles for the event, showing off machines giving children with different abilities a new outlook on life.
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October 7, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
A crowd lined up at Mayor Ralph McGill plaza to hear Nashville singers and songwriters when All Nashville Roadshow came to Farragut Friday, Sept. 25.
All Nashville Roadshow is a traveling Americana music festival, bringing the Nashville experience to smaller communities across the country.
“This is our second year,” producer John Cook said. “Our owner, Scott Colson, is also one of the artists [with band Slaw]. We started it last year … they brought me on a few months ago to help produce it.
“We bring a taste of Nashville and music, food, beer, wine, all that fun stuff from Nashville to towns all over the Southeast,” Cook added.
“We take local singers, songwriters from Nashville, generally Americana, country, bluegrass — all the things that encapsulate Nashville sound — and we take them on tour,” assistant producer Jackson Cavadnaro said. “We generally kind of stick to Southeastern smaller towns.
“We’ll go as far as North Carolina and Florida, but there are a lot of Georgia [towns], Alabamas,” he added. “We kind of provide the atmosphere. People can buy food, get drinks, enjoy live music.”
About coming to Farragut, “we heard about it; we always wanted to tour and it’s been a good experience so far,” Cavadnaro said.
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October 7, 2026 by Staff reports
The high-schoolers’ T-shirt designs for MEDIC Regional Blood Center are in, so now people can vote for their favorite design.
Voting will take place online at https://ahaslides.com/99P7N between now and Friday, Oct. 23, for the first round and Saturday, Oct. 24, through Saturday, Oct. 31, for the final round.
“Regional students have been working hard designing the March MEDIC T-shirt,” said Kristy Altman, MEDIC vice president of communications and public relations.
With the first round, the designs will be narrowed to a top three, she said.
After the final round, the winner will be announced in November. The winning design will be featured as the shirt design for March 2027, and the student will receive a $500 E-Gift card.
“MEDIC is the primary blood product provider for 24 hospitals and air and ground medical transport services across 23 counties,” Altman said. “MEDIC services Prisma Health Blount Memorial Hospital, Covenant Health System, Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital, Tennova Healthcare and University of Tennessee Medical Center.
October 7, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
As The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints completes its temple off Kingston Pike in Farragut, it announces a public open house for the Knoxville Tennessee Temple will be from Wednesday, Jan. 27, through, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2027 (excluding Sundays).
“We are grateful for the blessing of the first temple in East Tennessee, and we warmly welcome the public to tour it before its dedication,” said David Sexton, the leader for Church members in the Knoxville area. “For Latter-day Saints, temples are the house of the Lord and the most sacred places of worship on earth.
“They help us live the gospel of Jesus Christ, draw closer to Him and learn how families can be united forever,” Sexton said. “We look forward to sharing this special event with our friends and neighbors.”
Along with the public open house, a media day for the temple will be Monday, Jan. 25, followed by tours for invited guests on Tuesday, Jan. 26, according to Jeffrey Pizzino, assistant communications director of media and social media for the Church.
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October 7, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
The public recently had two opportunities to learn more about how the Declaration of Independence justified war with Great Britain.
Dr. Chris Magra, a professor of Early American History at University of Tennessee and director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War, spoke about the military history of the Declaration of Independence at Farragut Museum’s History Hour in Town Hall Tuesday, Sept. 22, and to Rotary Club of Farragut members at their meeting in Fox Den Country Club Wednesday, Sept. 16.
He also shared information on his new book, “America’s First War.”
“We are pleased to welcome back Dr. Magra,” said Kristi Vining, Farragut historic resources coordinator. “He has been a strong supporter of the Farragut Museum, and he’s a true asset to our community.
“We appreciate him sharing his love of history and his knowledge with us,” Vining said. “There has been a focus this year on the 250th anniversary of our country, and the military history of the Declaration of Independence goes along with that theme.”
The museum’s History Hour events are free.
To Rotarians, Magra said he was thinking about the country’s 250th anniversary and the Declaration of Independence and discovered “no one has written about the Declaration of Independence,” he said, adding, “The Declaration of Independence is a military document through and through.
“It’s about a war that was ongoing,” Magra added.
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