The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint on Friday, Jan. 27, starting at 6 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 58 and Lamontville Road in Meigs County.
The scheduled checkpoint is contingent upon manpower and weather conditions.
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A Valentine’s Dinner Dance will be held at the Niota Depot on Friday, Feb. 10, starting at 6 p.m.
The cost to attend is $30 per person or $50 per couple. Tickets must be purchased in advance at the Niota Depot.
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MEDIC Regional Blood Center is celebrating its annual Roll Up Your Sleeve Week with mobile blood drives, including at Food City, located at 105 South Hill Street in Athens, on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The community is welcome to donate. To make an appointment, visit www.tndonor.org or call 865-524-3074.
All donors will receive a free MEDIC gift and coupons to Texas Roadhouse and Salsarita’s restaurants. Donors will also be entered in a daily drawing for a $25 Food City gift card. One donor from the week will win a $500 Food City gift card.
The blood drives will also be in competition with Texas Blood Center to see which entity can collect the most blood units ahead of the UT vs. Texas men’s basketball game on Jan. 28.
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The Athens Public Works Department announces the following closures:
The areas to be affected are the sidewalk and parking spaces 155, 156, 157 and 158 on White Street, from Washington Avenue to Madison Avenue. There will also be an intermittent closure in the right-hand lane of N. White Street during the construction period. These closures will last until Friday, May 19, at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of this closure is for building renovations.
Motorists are advised to use extreme caution and watch for detour and traffic control signage, pedestrians and work crews, equipment, and construction material. Motorists should allocate additional time for traffic delays when traveling in this area. Pedestrians are advised to use alternate sidewalk routes and avoid the construction zone.
For more information, contact the Public Works Department at 423-744-2745.
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The Athens Public Works Department has announced the second and final round of Leaf Vacuum Season began on Jan. 17.
Leaf crews will vacuum leaves placed curbside for pick up until Friday, Feb. 10, after which time, leaves must be bagged for pick up. Bagged leaves are picked up throughout the year during junk routes.
If you would like your leaves collected during this final round, rake them three to five feet from the edge of the road. Do not place leaves in the road, in drainage ditches, or on the sidewalk. Doing so creates hazards for motorists and pedestrians, and risks clogging up storm drains that could result in flooding. In areas where there are sidewalks, leaves should be placed behind the sidewalk and leaf crews will pick them up. Also, do not place leaves on or around obstacles such as mailboxes, trees, fences, poles, yard decorations, water meter lids, and vehicles. Leaf piles around or behind obstacles will not be picked up by the leaf crews, as the leaf vacuum may potentially damage the obstruction or the equipment.
For information on which zone the leaf crews are currently working or to find out your zone, call 423-744-2745 or visit www.cityofathenstn.com/publicworks for more information. To view the leaf season map, visit Leaf Collection, Athens, TN (cityofathenstn.com).
For faster service, you are encouraged to bag your leaves and the Public Works Department will collect them on the regular junk route.
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UT Extension of McMinn County is offering a new cooking school for 2023, “Fresh Plate: A Taste of the Mediterranean.”
Two classes will be offered, each one from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at a cost of $25 per class.
• Jan. 24 will be an overview of Mediterranean cooking and everyone will create a mezze board. The class will also be making the special Mediterranean herb, de Provence.
• Jan. 31 will provide education on using olive oil, including a taste test of different varieties. The class will be making Tzatziki and pita chips for a taste testing.
These classes will be held at the McMinn Higher Education Center, located at 2345 Denso Drive in Athens.
Register and pay online at secure.touchnet.com/C21610_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=2702&SINGLESTORE=true
You can also register by calling 423-745-2852.
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The Athens Public Works Department announces the following street closure:
The areas to be affected are parking spaces 161, 162, and 163 on Madison Avenue, from White Street to Jackson Street, and parking spaces 109, 110, and 111 on White Street, from Madison Avenue to Bank Street. These closures will last until Friday, April 14, at 5 p.m. The purpose of this closure is for building remodeling.
Motorists are advised to use extreme caution and watch for traffic control signage, pedestrians, and work crews. Motorists should allocate additional time for traffic delays when traveling in this area.
For more information, contact the Public Works Department at 423-744-2745.
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The Good Faith Clinic will be open on the campus of Christ Community Church, located at 18 S. Congress Parkway in Athens, on Tuesday, Jan. 24 and 31. Refills at 3 p.m. and doctor visits at 3:30 p.m.
The Good Faith Clinic is primary health care for residents of McMinn and Meigs counties, ages 18-64, who do not have any form of medical insurance, including TennCare.
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Athens Parks and Recreation will host the 37th Annual Daddy Daughter Dance on Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, in the McMinn County High School cafeteria.
Ticket sales for this year’s event have begun online at athenstn.gov/parks
In-person sales have begun in the Athens Parks and Recreation office.
The four dances will be held Friday, Feb. 24, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 25, at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. Doors will open one hour prior to each dance for photos. There are only 500 tickets available for each dance, and tickets will not be sold at the door.
Tickets are $12 per person, and each person attending must have a ticket to enter. Professional photography packages, which include two 5x7s and eight wallets, are also available for $14 per package. Photography packages may be purchased with tickets or during the dance. All tickets are now digital and will be sent by email after purchase. They can either be printed or scanned from the purchaser’s mobile device at the door. Tickets are available for purchase until they are sold out, including on dance day, however no tickets will be sold at the door.
All dads and daughters will receive a free commemorative pin at the dance. Door prizes will also be awarded during each dance.
For more information, contact the Office of Parks & Recreation at 423-744-2700, opt. 3.
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Registration is now open for Junior 4-H Camp, which will be held May 29-June 2, 2023, at Clyde Austin 4-H Center in Greeneville.
The registration deadline is May 19, 2023, at 4:30 p.m.
This camp is for youth who are in fourth through sixth grade as of Jan. 1, 2023. The five-day camp will include swimming, shooting sports, mini golf, group sports, zip-line, tubing, nature hikes, crafts, woodworking, T-shirt, airbrushing, gaa-gaa, four-square, wildlife, music and more.
Registration forms must be finalized at the McMinn County UT Extension Office.
Camp spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once quotas are filled, registrations will cease and a waiting list will be established. You will be notified of your status. Camp fees are non-refundable.
The cost is $300 per camper and tickets may be purchased online at https://secure.touchnet.com/C21610_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=2799&SINGLESTORE=true
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Families are invited to join the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program at E.G. Fisher Public Library.
This program is a nationwide challenge that encourages parents and caregivers to regularly read aloud to their children. By reading just one book a night, families can reach the 1,000-book goal in three years and provide their children essential early literacy skills.
Research shows that the most reliable predictor of school success is being read to during early childhood. Reading to children from an early age can help close the vocabulary gap and prepare children to enter kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed.
The program is free of charge and available to all families with children between the ages of birth and five years. Registration is now open.
For more information, call the library at 423-745-7782, or visit fisherlibrary.org
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