Faith Lutheran to host annual Cookie Walk & Craft Fair
November 26, 2025 by Tammy Cheek
Gingerbread men, sugar cookies and more are being made for this year’s Faith Lutheran Church Cookie Walk & Craft Fair.
The church is welcoming members and the community to come choose cookies around the tables the first Saturday in December. This year, Gabriel Figueroa, Faith Lutheran’s director of communications, said the cookie walk will take place from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Dec. 6, in the church, 225 Jamestowne Blvd., while the craft fair will begin at 8:30 a.m., giving attendees time to shop before buying cookies.
“We are expecting 20,000 of all sorts of variations (of cookies),” Figueroa said. “We have a lot of members from the church and even a lot of our friends and families contributing to baking cookies.”
He advises people to come early to get their best choice of cookies and crafts.
“That’s the exciting part about it,” he said. “The appeal is as opposed to you coming in and we just hand you a box (of cookies), you get to pick out your own cookies.
“So if all you want is a box of chocolate chip cookies, then go for it,” Figueroa added.
Even more fun, “you can fill your box up as much as you can as long as the lid closes,” he said.
When a person comes in, he or she pays $20 for a 9-by-9-by 2-inch box then they get in line to get their cookies.
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Diabetes Awareness Month feature: Part 3 of 3
November 26, 2025 by Tammy Cheek
Tennessee ranks among the higher states for diabetes rates, according to information from Tennova Healthcare Systems.
“Diabetes is a condition that damages the heart, kidneys, nerves, eyes and blood vessels,” said Mikayla Huxley, a primary physician with Tennova Medical Group West Hills Clinic.
“For individuals, awareness could mean catching diabetes early before it causes this damage,” she said. “For the community, awareness is essential for prevention and empowerment of our members. When people understand risk factors and symptoms, they can take control of their health and improve their quality of life.”
“Tennessee ranks 45th in diabetes prevalence, with lower rankings indicating less rates of diabetes,” Huxley said. “As of 2023, about one in seven adults — 14 to 15 percent — in Tennessee have been diagnosed with diabetes. That’s more than 800,000 people statewide.
“Here in Knox County, diabetes is a leading health concern, with about 37 deaths per 100,000 residents linked to it each year as of 2020,” she said. “On top of this, there is a high rate of pre-diabetes in our area, which indicates a significant risk for developing diabetes in the future for these patients.”
According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is an epidemic in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 38 million Americans have diabetes.
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