farragutpress

Gibbs, Webb ‘Our Town’ an FHS PAC production

April 23, 2025 by Tammy Cheek

Farragut High School Admirals Performing Arts Company’s advanced acting students will be taking on a touching production of Thornton Wilder’s play, “Our Town.”

The production, which is open to the public, will be presented beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, and Friday, May 9, in FHS’s Vickie B. Wells auditorium, 11237 Kingston Pike.

Tickets cost $5 cash and will be sold at the door the night of the production. There will be no advanced sales.

Twenty-three students, a majority of whom are seniors, make up the cast, of which one is a student director. Among the cast members are seniors Molly Barber, who plays Julia Gibbs; Hayden Toon, who plays George Gibbs; Tiyanna Dudley, who plays Stage Manager No. 1, an actual character in the play; Evan Beeler, who plays Dr. Frank Gibbs, George’s father; Addison Garrett, who plays Rebecca Gibbs; Eva Rogers, who plays Emily Webb; Jase Martin, who plays Charlie Webb, Emily’s father; and sophomore Rafika Amlani, who plays a variety of characters, including Sam Craig.

APAC director Tony Wooley, theater teacher, said the students selected the play.

“(Wooley) called the senior class up and had a discussion about the play we wanted to do,” Barber said.

“We were looking for a play that could fit our cast of around 20 people,” Toon said, adding Wooley suggested “Our Town,” but said he didn’t think the students would be interested because “it might be kind of slow sometimes.”

FHS Old School memories part 2

First Saturday in May Grand Reunions remain special for grads of Old FHS; next one is May 3

April 23, 2025 by Matthew McFeE

(Final of two parts)

My father (Alfred McFee, Class of ‘49) and his four siblings had all attended Farragut High, and some years back during the 1970s began gathering at the school cafeteria on the first Saturday of May.

They, along with many of their classmates, would gather there all morning over coffee and doughnuts to reminisce about their glory days attending Farragut High while growing up in the Concord community.

They talked about family, football, baseball, basketball, homecoming queens, plays held in the auditorium, pranks played on the principal, the horse stables below the gym, agriculture strategies with the Future Farmers of America, home economics in the cannery and so much more.

Many of them brought old annuals, old football and basketball programs, pictures of the school buildings, various letters and report cards — and everyone shared stories about their glorious teenage years and life in high school in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.

As they grew older, some went off to college, some went to war, some got married, some became teachers, coaches, dentist, pharmacists, doctors, professors, scientist and community leaders — yet they somehow continued to keep meeting in the cafeteria on the first Saturday of May to share memories, tell stories and sometimes complain how so much change had come to their beloved farming community.

Many of their parents attended Farragut School as well. My grandfather, along with his three brothers and sister — as well as my grandmother (Ellen Belle Russell) and her siblings — also graduated from FHS.

The community population was sparce with multigenerational family farms spread across the west end of Knox County. Families, such as Galbraith, Hall, Hobbs, McReynolds, Marion, Justice, Shanks, Shipley, Ivey, Blevins, Strange, Williams, Hensley, Boring, Fox, Bondurant, McCarter, Starkey, Kimsey, Swicegood, Hunt, Scarbrough, Donovan, Loy, Johnson, Smith and more made up the community of Concord.

This long traditional gathering affectionately became known to these old timers as “The Grand Reunion,” and everyone knew that on the morning of the first Saturday of May, to show up at the school cafeteria.

At one point, the high school administration wanted to charge the group for use of the cafeteria, apparently to cover the cost for the electricity and custodial clean-up, so for the last decade or so the event has been held at Virtue Presbyterian Church as many of the organizers and attendees were members of Virtue.

The church opened its doors, provided access to their community center along with the coffee and doughnuts for those attending the “Farragut Grand Reunion” at Virtue.