As Tennessee's oldest municipal

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Giles County with its industry-friendly environment and its beautiful country-side setting, is located near the interstate corridor between Nashville, Tennessee and Huntsville, Alabama.

PES currently serves nearly 15,000 customers and operates over 1,200 miles of line. We provide service to the City of Pulaski and the communities of Lynnville, Elkton, Minor Hill and Ardmore.

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s you travel throughout Pulaski-Giles County it’s not unusual to see a horse in every yard.

In fact, horse enthusiast Bobby Bowers says it’s unusual to not see one. As soon as someone moves into the area and buys a few acres, he says, they almost inevitably adopt a horse or two.

That’s why Bowers and his wife, Bernadette, moved to Giles County from just outside Nashville in mid-2007. Though his commute to work is 80 miles each way, he considers it “worth it, and

more, to be able to live right here.”“We live in a horse community, where friends can just ride

to your house or you can ride to theirs without trailering or going to any trouble,” he says. “It’s a way of life. It’s just the way we like things.”

Bowers says his wife got him started in fox hunting a few years ago, and now they both participate at least twice a week.

“I guess it’s considered a hoity-toity thing to do, and a lot of people who are into it do have a lot of green, but a lot of people are like me – who have to do it on a budget,” Bobby Bowers says. “It’s totally worth it. It’s almost like snow skiing – a really big adrenaline rush. Once you feel that, you just want to keep going out there.”

A fellow fox-hunting enthusiast, Keith Jackson, often leads the riders on Wednesday excursions across 30,000 acres.

“You hear the hounds barking and the other riders – it’s very exciting,” Jackson says. His day job as equestrian director at Milky Way Farms gives him free rein of 1,100 acres. While the barns and training track of the Depression-era property are still being restored, they are being put to good use, and the 12 miles of riding trails provide ample exercise for the resident

horses and those who come in from neighboring farms. A polo practice field also attracts riders.

Jackson’s own farm, about four miles from Milky Way, typically houses about 30 horses. His wife is active in endurance racing, and they also raise large-breed horses for hunting.

Jackson listed some of the other equine offerings in the area: a driving association, a dressage association, several trail-riding clubs and numerous shows and rodeos.

Another organization, the nonprofit Leg Up Therapeutic Riding Center, provides recreational horseback riding to bring physical, cognitive, social and emotional benefits to the riders, says founder Rebecca McManus, previously a public school teacher for 20 years.

“Because our community has such a true love for horses, most people already know how much the animal/human relationship helps them and could help others,” McManus says. “Just about everyone has had contact with horses – [they] have at least seen them or petted them or maybe even ridden them – so those first sessions are easier.”

The rider helps groom the horse then rides for 30 to 45 minutes, surrounded by a team of a leader and one or two side walkers. The horses are carefully selected for temperament then trained for the therapy program.

For those with physical disabilities, the horse provides a sense of freedom and accomplishment, McManus says.

“The rhythm of the horse mimics the human gait, so if you don’t have the use of your legs, this can be very close to the feeling of walking – and very exciting,” she explains.

Jackson says he expects additional horse-related businesses and organizations to sprout up around the area.

“The appeal here is the beauty, the rolling green hills and spectacular views,” Jackson says. “There are endless things for the horse enthusiast to do in this area, but the riding is the key. Mostly, I encourage everyone to just get on their horse and ride and remember why they love doing that.”

749 F2 Town and Grown Dream.indd 14 10/23/08 11:08:33 AM

hen the Martin Methodist College RedHawks play at home, they can count

on something that athletes at many small institutions don’t – the cheers of town residents.

“For a small college market, the Giles County-Pulaski community supports Martin Methodist College better than any community in our TranSouth Athletic Conference,” says Martin Athletic Director Jeff Bain.

With 14 competitive sports, the RedHawks give local boosters reasons to put their hands together. For example, the women’s soccer team nabbed the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship in 2005 and repeated the triumph in 2007.

“They can play some soccer. There’s no question about that,” says one of Martin’s most ardent supporters, Pulaski Mayor Dan Speer.

Founded in 1870, Martin has been an educational hub with its campus literally in the center of Pulaski since 1875.

“Martin Methodist College is,

without question, Pulaski and Giles County’s greatest asset. In addition to having a very positive economic impact on our community, to have a college in your town where local citizens can obtain a college degree is invaluable,” Speer says, adding that the college “contributes significantly to our quality of life by providing educational, cultural and recreational opportunities.”

That’s music to Ted Brown’s ears. In March 2008, Brown celebrated 10 years as Martin’s president, leading the college’s evolution from a junior college to a four-year school.

“This is a very dynamic time in the life of the institution, and the community

has something to do with that. This was just the right time for the college to make the move to the baccalaureate status, and the community has been overwhelmingly supportive,” Brown says.

Related to the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church, Martin is known as “a true liberal arts college,” according to Brown. In addition to traditional studies, such as English and history, Martin boasts strong business, education, science, criminal justice, physical education and nursing programs. It is also known for its programs for students pursuing Christian vocations.

The college’s unique sports management program includes internships with the NFL Tennessee Titans, the NHL Nashville Predators and professional teams in Huntsville, Ala.

Surprising for a college its size, 15 percent of Martin’s student body is made

up of students from across the globe. “That’s a fairly recent phenomenon

in American higher education to have that kind of international connection, and yet on this campus, it’s a long-standing tradition. It’s a wonderful thing for a small college to have this kind of dynamic,” Brown says.

Dynamic could also describe Martin’s growth, with a student population approaching 1,000 for the first time. The college is also growing physically. In 1998, Martin purchased 44 acres, now dubbed the East Campus, where facilities for all outdoor athletics will eventually be located. A lighted soccer field is already on site. After $1.2

million in renovations, the Grissom Natatorium was reopened in May 2008. Meanwhile, the old gym will undergo $3.2 million in renovations to transform it into the Gault Fine Arts Center. The music and cultural venue will feature a geothermal heating and cooling system, the first of its kind in the county.

Brown credits Martin’s growth in no small measure to the people of Giles County.

“I’ve worked on seven college campuses, six of them in small towns. In terms of town-gown relations, this community really understands what it means to be a college community and what an asset a small college can be in a small town like this,” Brown says. “They are so responsive to what we are trying to do here at Martin. Anytime we ask for help, they do everything they can to make that work.”

hh … life in Lynnville.The 350 residents who

call this town home truly care about their

surroundings and preserving the place so it will appear as it always has. Visitors might even feel as if they’ve stepped back in time if they frequent the downtown business district, which is entirely listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“What I hear most from visitors is how charming the community looks, and how it looks like a throwback to an earlier time,” says Tim Turner, tourism director for Lynnville and Giles County. “If you took a black-and-white photograph today of how Lynnville looks, you might not know if the picture was taken in 2008 or 1908. It really hasn’t changed much in appearance.”

Lynnville is a tiny country town – a low-key, often-overlooked day-trip destination – that delivers spectacular scenery, fine examples of pre- and post-Victorian-era architecture and

family-centered fun [think blackberry festivals and a railroad museum].

You won’t be overwhelmed with too many tourist attractions, restau-rants or lodging options here. There are just a few places to visit and a few places to stay, and therein lies the charm of this community where a slow-paced, Mayberry-esque lifestyle is alive and well.

“People want to protect the home-town feel of Lynnville, but we also want visitors to stop by because we are proud

of our town and want to showcase it to people,” Turner says. “It’s worth the hour drive from Nashville or the half-hour drive from Huntsville to see what Lynnville is all about.”

A must-see Lynnville draw is Soda Pop Junction, an old-fashioned soda fountain and burger café. Decorated with old vinyl records, antique bicycles, farm tools and vintage bottles, Soda Pop Junction has been featured on The Food Network and The Discovery Channel.

Specializing in steaks, burgers, old-

fashioned ice cream and lots of Southern favorites [grilled bologna sandwiches, anyone?], the café is housed in a block-long strip of old buildings built in the mid-1880s.

Next to Soda Pop Junction on Mill Street are three historic storefronts recently restored by the Col. Littleton company, which makes internationally famous heirloom leather goods, knives, hats, jewelry and other items. Local resident and entrepreneur Col. Garry Littleton moved part of his operations to the downtown site in 2007, and the pristine restoration brought even more media focus, including a segment on the Tennessee Crossroads PBS television program.

All the publicity has attracted lots more traffic to this sleepy town, and now a $400 million proposed develop-ment for Milky Way Farms is in the works on the 1,100 acres of nearby farmland, complete with a golf course, equestrian club and restaurant. But even though some developments are coming, residents want to preserve Lynnville’s character, charm and front-porch-style atmosphere as much as possible.

“We value the history and character of our town,” says Mayor Troy Hood. “We’re growing, but not too much because we want to preserve this healthy, hometown atmosphere. We want to share what we have with all generations.”

n the fifth try, the builders of the Giles County Courthouse got it right.

The structure, which will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2009, is actually the fifth building to carry that name. The first four were lost to fire, the last of those blazes in 1907.

The fifth incarnation, on the same site as the previous three on the square in downtown Pulaski, has not only defied history but also made it. The three-story building, designed by architect B.B. Smith and built by George Moore & Sons, has developed a reputation as one of the finest in Tennessee.

“When they built it, they said it would last 100 years,” says Mitchell Birdsong, the courthouse’s retired main-tenance supervisor and former vice

mayor of Pulaski. “They knew what they were talking about.”

During his time working for the county, Birdsong was responsible for leading tours of the courthouse for visitors. The tourists were attracted to the building’s impressive Corinthian columns, stone and marble interior and fantastic detail. The special touches, including gold leaf throughout the interior, brass door pulls with “Giles” inscribed on each and 16 caryatids, or female faces, supporting the stained-glass topped rotunda leave most courthouse guests awestruck.

“It’s definitely a draw,” says Tim Turner, tourism director for Giles County. “And if they’re not here for the beauty, they’re here for the history.”

The third floor of the building houses much of the county’s records, which residents and out-of-town guests sift through for property deed information, genealogical records and other historical documents.

The structure is topped by a two-ton bell in the cupola, which strikes on the hour. The bell is an ode to courthouse’s past, as one of the few items to survive the fourth fire.

The building was constructed at a cost of about $130,000, a figure some thought exorbitant at the time, Birdsong says.

“If they were around today, they’d be appreciated,” he says of the county leaders who pushed through the courthouse project.

discovered the land, it changed the course of his career. Previously, he had planned to make a development in East Tennessee his final project.

“His vision is to preserve all that Mr. Mars started,” says Sims Curry, a spokesman for the project. “He has a great mind for preservation and conservation and doing as little as possible to disturb the land.”

Ausburn’s vision is to create a residential community, golf course and equestrian club while preserving as much as possible of existing structures. PGA Tour professional Jay Haas is also being mindful of the property’s natural features as he designs the site’s cham-pionship golf course.

Full development of the property could take as many as 15 years.

“We’re looking to build the community up. We see it as a great opportunity to have a second home, and long-term, a place to call home,” Curry says.

candymaker’s kingdom was enough to draw a retiring

developer out for one last creation.Milky Way Farms was built by Frank

Mars, the founder of Mars Candy Co., and named after his signature confection. In the late 1920s, Mars bought 2,800 acres here and by the early 1930s had constructed a 25,000-square-foot home called the Club House. Soon, the farm was enormous, with several operations and hundreds of employees. The jobs Mars

provided saved many local people from the throes of the Great Depression.

After Mars passed in 1934, his wife, Ethel, kept up the farm, phasing out saddlebred horses for her preferred thoroughbreds. In fact, she owned the 1940 Kentucky Derby winner, Gallahadion, which was raised and trained there.

In 1945, the Mars Co. sold the property and since then it has been sold in parcels. When established South Carolina developer Charles Ausburn

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he Trail of Tears was not a proud moment in American history, but

it’s one that Giles County officials believe should never be forgotten.

From 1938-39, the Cherokee people were forced to leave their homes in Georgia for the western United States. Two of the trails they followed, the Bell’s and Benge’s paths, went through Giles County and intersected in Pulaski. The Tennessee Preservation Trust has identified the Trail of Tears as the state’s most endangered historic site.

The county’s tourism foundation is undertaking a $1 million project to create a memorial to ensure that future generations know the story of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The project will be funded by a combination of state and federal grants and donations from across the county and state.

When finished, the memorial will feature a Trail of Tears Interpretive Center near the site where the trails intersected. The Interpretive Center building is the historic Immaculate Catholic Church, a 1941 structure built by the Mars family. The Pulaski First Baptist Church donated the building to the Trail of Tears project.

Inside the center, 2,000 square feet will be dedicated to multi-media exhibits that tell the story of the Cherokee’s passage through the area.

Outside the center, a life-sized bronze statue of a Native American family will be on display. The statue is being created by Pamela Sue Keller and Gail Bergeron, art professors at Athens State University in nearby Athens, Ala.

Keller says the subjects of the sculpture are modeled after old photos and artistic interpretation. She says the commissioned piece is a tremendous challenge, given the event’s historic significance.

“This takes a lot of skill. We really have to rise to the occasion,” Keller says.

Musicians, athletes and other celebrities are lured to participate each year by the area’s unparalleled turkey hunting and provide star power.

“It has to be one of the best days of the year here, and we just want to make it bigger and bigger,” Allred says.

These days, Giles County’s turkey flock has grown to include larger, less mobile birds. A fundraising effort developed through the Giles Leadership program has placed 10 fiberglass turkey sculptures at different businesses throughout the city. The money raised through sales of sponsorships has gone to developing a youth leadership program similar to the one for adults.

The turkey displays are part of the effort to earn the Turkey Capital of Tennessee designation, while also serving as a magnet for curious tourists, according to John Patel, who spearheaded the program.

n Giles County, it’s always time to talk turkey. The community prides itself

as the Turkey Capital of Tennessee, a distinction it is hoping to formalize, and it has the wild bird population and the events to back its case.

In April, during the second week of hunting season, Giles County is the home base for the annual Governor’s One-Shot Turkey Hunt, a five-county event that attracts hunters from all over Tennessee. These hunters, accompanied by a local guide, are taken out to sites in

Giles, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall and Maury counties with the goal of bagging a turkey with a single shot.

Finding their prey is never a problem. “Those five counties have the largest

f lock anywhere in the Southeast,” says John Allred, event co-chairman.

The hunt concludes each year with a banquet and auction in Pulaski. The event raises money for clay-target trap teams at the local high school, as well as for a planned public shooting range in the region.

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n his younger days, Butch White was a blacksmith, traveling the country

shoeing horses. But in 1989, he put away his blacksmithing tools to forge a career in barbecue.

The Giles County native purchased a game room with the idea of returning the building to its roots as a restaurant. The facility already had a small barbecue pit on site. White put in a bigger one, the better to serve his now legendary barbecue pork and ribs.

Since then, Hickory House Barbecue has grown from a Giles County favorite to a regional delicacy. White’s staff caters to hungry diners anywhere within a two-hour radius of Pulaski, making regular trips to Nashville, Huntsville, Tullahoma and all places in between. The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. weekdays, at 7 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday. It closes at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, at 8 p.m. Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday and Monday.

“People don’t pay attention to that,” White says. “They come in whenever they want something to eat.”

And White is all about catering to his customers. For nearly 20 years, he has opened his restaurant, and his heart, to the needs of Giles County citizens. If a sports team or church group or sick child has needed a way to raise funds, Hickory House has always been there to help.

“I always thought I owed everything I ever made to the people of Giles County, and I try to give back what I can,” White says.

White’s giving attitude is being repaid in kind. The father of four and grandfather of seven with his wife, Renay, is battling bone cancer that has required regular bone marrow transplants. So far, his doctors have been amazed at his body’s response, which White credits to the prayers and well wishes he’s received from the people of Giles County.

“I told the doctor I had everybody in Giles County praying for me. He said, ‘You keep them praying, and I’ll keep giving you the medicine,’” White says.

– Stories by Dan Markham

lthough this is a relatively small, rural community, the business climate is thriving. And perhaps no one understands the concept of good things coming in small packages better

than two area business successes, the Texas-based snack food manufacturer Frito-Lay Inc. and printed materials provider Bert-Co.

The Frito-Lay plant in Pulaski employs a team of more than 500 people who turn out a variety of baked products, including crackers, pretzels and popcorn. The plant also bakes the hugely popular line of Grandma’s Cookies using real eggs, real peanut butter and real milk chocolate chips for homemade taste and quality. All the Grandma’s Cookies found on store shelves across the nation are baked in Pulaski, with the plant turning out more than 1.5 million of the cookies daily in more than a dozen different f lavors.

Another Pulaski company, Bert-Co., also has nationwide appeal. If you’ve bought a DVD lately, the packaging very well may have been created by Bert-Co. The company is a leading provider of printed materials ranging from consumer product and cosmetic packaging to packaging for DVDs, CDs and video games.

Bert-Co. began in Los Angeles in the 1930s and located a second facility in Pulaski in 2005.

“The company started as a printing business that printed matchbook covers,” says Nick George, president of Bert-Co. “In the ’50s and ’60s, the company started printing center labels for records and then morphed into printing record jackets. We were making the Beatles record jackets at one point.”

Bert-Co. added the Pulaski location to get closer to one of its biggest clients in Huntsville, Ala.

“Most of the entertainment people don’t make DVDs on the West Coast anymore,” George explains. “It’s all moved to the South and the Midwest.”

The same assets that are driving success for companies such as Frito-Lay and Bert-Co. are sparking interest among those who are considering new ventures or relocating, as well.

“Our location is a prime factor, along with our interstate accessibility,” says Dan Speer, mayor of Pulaski and executive director of the Pulaski-Giles County Economic Development Commission. “Being between Nashville and Huntsville is attractive, and we’re situated in the middle of the state on U.S. 64. The quality of the labor force in Giles County is exceptional, and we’re very proud of that. It really helps businesses be successful and profitable.”

And that sets the stage for growth. On that front, Frito-Lay recently announced the addition of a new line of health-conscious snacks to be made at the Pulaski plant, including TrueNorth, a new brand of 100 percent natural nut snacks available in three varieties – nut clusters, nut crunches and whole nuts.

As companies expand, the city and county have programs in place to ensure they have access to a ready supply of skilled, hardworking employees.

Bert-Co. employs about 110 people during its peak season,

and George cites the great workforce as an incentive to doing business in Giles County.

“People here want to work; they have a good work ethic, and they’re not afraid to work hard,” he says.

Yet another incentive for businesses is Giles County’s new fiber-optic broadband network that was developed in 2007

by the Pulaski Electric System. The network provides television, telephone and broadband high-speed Internet service to both homes and businesses in the area.

“We’re the smallest city in America that’s taken on a project this size,” Speer says. “It brings information technology beyond the 21st century. It’s getting the

attention of many industries that need this type of technology because it well exceeds Internet speeds offered by phone and cable companies.”

Giles County’s other assets include designation as a HUB Zone by the U.S. Business Administration, a low crime rate and a high quality of life.

“The lifestyle is slower and more genuine here than in urban areas, people know each other, and you have freedom,” Speer says. “If you want a farm with horses, you can do that easily. And at the same time you have a revolutionary fiber-optic network. We like to refer to ourselves as ‘Mayberry, wired.’ ”

Most pharmacies have undergone a massive transformation since the 18th century. On selected fronts, Reeves Drug Store in Pulaski has resisted those sweeping changes – and people who go there will tell you that’s a good thing.

A visit to the North First Street drug store is a step back in time, as the staff offers the familiar personal service, gifts and yes, an old-fashioned soda fountain with a counter and tables.

“The chains have done away with service,” says Fagan Sneed, whose family is the fifth to operate the 116-year-old downtown institution. “That’s the reason we’re successful.”

Reeves Drug Store is truly a family effort, as Sneed’s wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Suzanne Lamon, are also pharmacists there. Altogether, he employs 30 people, including two other pharmacists, at the 3,500-square-foot store.

In addition to the services inside the walls of the business, Reeves Drug Store cares for its customers throughout the community. The pharmacy offers free delivery inside city limits and is available

24 hours a day for emergencies.Reeves Drug Store is open from 8

a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

When Nashville’s best singer/song-writers are in Pulaski, they can often be found at Kathy’s Tavern.

In 2004, the family-owned tavern and grill got its first visit from Richard Leigh, who penned “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” and other country gems. Leigh soon told other friends, who also began making Kathy’s Tavern a regular destination for an evening of good food and good music.

Those impromptu appearances led to the Richard Leigh Concert Series, featuring regular visits by both veteran and up-and-coming artists. The popu-larity of the shows soon outgrew the seating capacity and moved to other venues, though the concertgoers and performers still head to Kathy’s as an after-party site.

Tavern owners Kathy and Doyle Scoggins offer a full menu, but it’s the

half-pound of ground beef that attracts the most attention.

“The burger is what we’re known for,” Kathy Scoggins says.

Kathy’s Tavern, located at 311 N. First St., is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with closing time on Friday and Saturday subject to change.

Richland Trace has redefined the convenience store. Where else can a customer fill up the gas tank, check in a deer, grab groceries and listen to music while chowing down on barbecued ribs?

“There’s nothing typical about us,” says Ritchie Rose, who runs the store with his wife, Mary Carter Rose.

Richland Trace offers all the staples of the traditional convenience store and complements them with a full deli counter, catering service and one of the county’s largest deer check-in stations.

In the evenings, the store stays open to provide scrumptious dining and is well known for its homemade country cuisine and ample dessert line. Every Thursday night, Richland Trace hosts

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Pickin’ and Grinnin’, an event where local musicians gather to play selections of gospel, country and bluegrass music.

Rose says the store’s varied offerings evolved by both accident and necessity.

“You can’t depend on just one thing,” Rose says.

For more than 60 years, the Sun Drop Bottling Co. has been keeping Middle Tennessee refreshed.

The company, the third-largest Sun Drop distributor in the U.S. and the largest in Tennessee, does business in Giles County, as well as in 10 surround-ing counties. It moves its beverages from a 50,000-square-foot warehouse in Pulaski’s industrial park, while also maintaining a second warehouse here.

Besides Sun Drop products, Sun Drop Bottling Co. distributes other products that are affiliated by virtue of also being owned by Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc., including 7UP, RC, Welch’s, Canada Dry and A&W. The company sells the drinks to retail establishments throughout the area, while also performing vending throughout the entire region with its 50 employees and a f leet of more than 40 vehicles.

The company was founded in 1947 as

the Nesbitt Spur Bottling Co., and aligned with Sun Drop in 1961.

“The business is always changing,” says President David Johnson Jr. “But it’s still basically selling soft drinks.”

The Outlook is the last of its kind in downtown Pulaski – a clothing store for all. Opened in 1989 as a men’s clothing store, The Outlook has evolved to outfit everyone, from grandkids to grandparents.

The department store occupies five connected building spaces in the 100 block of North First Street, with each space maintaining “its own personality,” says Jeff Harwell, the store’s owner.

The store has departments for women’s and girls’ clothing, formal and everyday wear for boys and men, and shoes for all. It also has big-and-tall, athletic wear and hip-hop departments.

“We try to provide Pulaski with the clothes they like, the brands they want and ones they can afford,” Harwell says, himself a fourth generation downtown retailer. “Variety is what we’re about.”

The Outlook is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, plus select Sundays.

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American Lathe (53” over ways, 38” over carriage, & 288” between centers)

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1905 Mines Rd. • Pulaski, TN 38478(931) 424-3900 Ext. 240

Fax: (931) 424-0089

Contact: Ron Rogersrogersr@richlandllc.com

Direct: (931) 424-2354

Machining: Professional Machining by our in house affiliate S & R Machining, LLC. Most recent equipment additions include:

he civilians are coming, the civilians are coming.A total of 4,900 civilian employees with the U.S.

Department of Defense will be moving to the Tennessee Valley during 2009, 2010 and 2011. Most of those employees are in the engineering field and will be relocating from Virginia to Redstone Arsenal near Huntsville, as part of the Base Realignment and Closure initiative.

BRAC is a program introduced by the Department of Defense in 2005 that will ultimately result in the closure of several U.S. military bases, sending their personnel to other existing facilities throughout the country. Once completed, the relocation to Redstone will result in one of the largest economic development initiatives ever undertaken in the state of Alabama.

So if Redstone Arsenal will be the workplace for these people, why is Giles County interested?

“We want some of these folks from Virginia to think about settling in Giles County as they transfer to Redstone,” says Dan Speer, mayor of Pulaski and director of the Giles County Economic Development Commission. “Redstone is only about 20 miles from the southern portion of Giles County, and about 40 miles from Pulaski. It is an easy countryside commute, and our county offers many attractive amenities.”

Speer acknowledges that a large number of the relocating employees will simply live in Huntsville to be close to work. But he points out that others would enjoy life in Giles County, away from a bustling metropolitan environment.

“One way we are promoting our community is with this magazine,” he says. “We are hoping to get this particular magazine into the hands of all 4,900 of these people who will be transferring, to hopefully get them interested in Giles County.”

And there are several interesting aspects of Giles County to consider, according to Donna Baker, executive director of the Giles County Chamber of Commerce.

“First of all, there is a nice quality of life here,” she says. “This is a friendly, comfortable community that is historic and beautiful. I moved here eight years ago because I wanted some land and fell in love with the people.”

Speaking of land, Giles County offers an attractive cost of living, where housing costs and property taxes are low.

“People can get 10 acres for a reasonable amount of money in Giles County,” Baker says. “Another positive is that we are on the Tennessee-Alabama border but are geographically in

Tennessee, which does not have a state income tax. Giles County also doesn’t have a wheel tax. Residents aren’t nickel-and-dimed here until their wallets are empty.”

Baker says several longtime current Redstone Arsenal employees already live in Giles County, and so do many retirees from the base.

“It’s no secret – we aren’t bright lights, big city here, but we don’t want to be,” she says. “Giles County is a peaceful community where you can see the stars and rolling hills and enjoy the sunsets.”

– Kevin Litwin

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o see an exciting, high-energy play or musical in Giles County, performing arts patrons need

only go to the same place like-minded people turned 140 years ago – the opera house on Pulaski’s town square.

The historic building is the new home of the Southern Tennessee Area Arts Repertory, a nonprofit community theater group that presents a different play or musical every six weeks.

“The opera house building was built in 1868, and it’s the oldest standing opera house in the South,” says Tammy Pierchoski, past president and financial developer for STAAR. “Our 10-year plan is to restore it. It’s such a jewel on our square.”

The building saw many years of prosperity, serving as an opera house until the 1940s. It featured extraordinary architecture, including intricate wood-

work and a domed ceiling. “We have photos of people performing

on stage there from 1925,” Pierchoski says. “Estimates to restore it have been around $1.5 million.”

STAAR currently performs from the ground floor of the building, which the group has transformed into a dinner theater with approximately 100 seats.

“We have a lot of people come from out of town and even out of state, so we like to give them a full evening of entertainment, including dinner,” Pierchoski says. “We use local caterers, and usually dinner is a buffet with your choice of meats, veggies, rice, rolls, desserts, coffee and tea. We also offer a full concession stand for folks who just come for the show.”

STAAR has approximately 200 members of all ages.

“There’s a lot of family involvement.

You might have mom and dad building sets, and the kids are in the show,” Pierchoski says. “It gives kids and youth the opportunity to get up on stage and build self-confidence in a clean, safe environment.”

Past productions have included Bye Bye Birdie, Steel Magnolias and 1776.

“We recently did High School Musical with middle and high school students, and we had a cast of almost 80. And we had 48 students try out for Grease,” says Mary Ann Trimble, president of the board of directors for STAAR. “This is truly a community theater. Everyone is welcome, and we have some wonderful talent. To have such great entertainment here locally is outstanding. We’ve had tremendous support, so that’s been encouraging. It looks like theater is alive and well in Giles County.”

– Jessica Mozo

hen Canada-based National Steel Car announced in early 2007 its intention

to build a railway freight-car manu-facturing operation in the northwest corner of Alabama, it didn’t take long for the Tennessee Technology Center at Pulaski to get on board.

Within six months, TTCP launched its third welding-technology program, this one in southern Lawrence County near the Alabama border, to help answer the call for the 1,200 welders the $350

million facility will need when it opens in 2009. TTCP’s main campus in Pulaski and another campus in Lawrenceburg already offered welding education, meaning TTCP graduates from across the area will be building boxcars soon.

TTCP Director Jim Dixon says the efficient response to a new market opportunity was the result of one thing: partnerships. The Tennessee Department of Labor, local government officials and private and nonprofit investors pooled resources, while TTCP and Lawrence

County Schools agreed to handle salaries, fringe benefits, equipment and operating expenses.

With classes offered in seven locations, TTCP is the area’s workforce-training engine.

“The highlights of the last 10 years would be our growth in the number of students enrolled and the number of programs offered. We have more than doubled the number of programs,” Dixon says. “We have also enhanced accessibility, creating off-campus sites so students don’t have to drive to Pulaski if they live in other counties.”

Classes are organized into trimesters, with an average annual enrollment of about 1,200 students.

TTCP offers 16 full-time preparatory programs designed for adult students working toward a certificate or diploma. Subjects include business systems technology, injection molding, industrial electricity and practical nursing – one of TTCP’s most popular programs.

“We have more students applying for that program than we can accept,” Dixon says. “Placement is an automatic after students finish and receive their LPN license from the state of Tennessee.”

A new program is advanced-manu-facturing education, a subject in which students may choose from four career paths: robotics automation, program-mable logic control, thermoplastic injection molding or computerized numerical control. The center also offers refresher courses to help workers upgrade skills and a special industry training program that provides contracted, customized training annually for industries.

Dixon says all TTCP programs are “based on labor-market demands, community needs and the future needs relevant to recruit new industry into the community. Sometimes there may not be a demand for the job today, but to recruit new industry, you’ve got to be at the top of the ladder with high-tech programs and health-care programs that will attract new industries into your community.”

– Sharon H. Fitzgerald

202 Hillside Dr.Pulaski, TN 38478(931) 207-8397Fax: (931) 207-8394www.mykidscareonline.com

Kimberly M. RohaleyM.D., F.A.A.P.

Monday thru Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Closed for Lunch: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.Saturday: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

nce a month, Hillside Hospital is all about knees and hips. The medical facility in Pulaski added a joint and orthopedic program in January 2008 and

performs knee and hip replacement surgeries one day every month. Virtually the entire surgical focus of the hospital on those particular days is on replacements.

“These kinds of surgeries are almost always elective for patients, so we can schedule them monthly all on one day – and our pre-operative and post-operative staff can concentrate solely on these procedures,” says Jim Edmondson, CEO of Hillside Hospital. “After the first six months of introducing this program, Hillside has quadrupled the amount of joints replaced on a monthly basis. The information about our replacements is getting out simply by word of mouth.”

Edmondson says Hillside performs the most high-tech, progressive procedures thanks to its dedicated staff, who trained for nine months specifically for these surgeries.

“This all came about after Hillside found out about Marshall Steele, a doctor in Maryland who has developed a protocol for doing minimally invasive knee and hip surgeries that are as advanced as it gets,” Edmondson says. “We sent a lot of our staff to Baltimore where [Steele] practices and where this technology was developed. After intense training, we are now the joint replacement specialist of the Tennessee Valley – and beyond.”

Edmondson says the first patient who underwent double knee replacement surgery at Hillside was walking the next day.

“All of our patients get physical therapy together in a group

setting, and therefore can be inspired by each other’s progress,” he says. “Sure, there is pain and discomfort involved, but group therapy is a big positive aspect of the program. Sometimes younger people are inspired by how the older patients are aggressively going about their therapy, and vice versa.”

Another focus of the program is on pre-education, with the Hillside therapy department providing training to family members about how they can help the patient once they leave the hospital.

“I’m sure that one day I’ll have this done because I have really bad knees, and I will get them replaced at Hillside,” Edmondson says. “Our joint replacement center isn’t an actual building on our campus; it’s a dedicated set of rooms. It is certainly the place to be if a patient wants quality work performed on their hips or knees.”

In addition to the joint replacement program, Hillside also introduced a new digital mammography unit in 2008. The unit’s acronym is WISH, which stands for Women’s Imaging Suite at Hillside.

“We are the only hospital in Tennessee between Nashville and Chattanooga that has digital mammography,” Edmondson says. “The suite is comfortable, containing the new digital mammography unit, state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment, two dressing rooms and a consultation room. It provides privacy and the availability to perform stereotactic biopsies in a self-contained setting. Like our joint and orthopedic program, the digital mammography unit makes Hillside even more advanced than it already was.” – Kevin Litwin

iles County is a rural community with a great deal of open space and it ranks as one of the top counties in Tennessee for deer harvests each year.

“Deer hunting is just one of those things that people who enjoy the outdoors love to do here,” says David Mayes, president of the Giles County Deer Hunters Association. “When deer season runs from late September to January, it’s a popular time in Giles County.”

The Giles County Deer Hunters Association was formed in the early 1970s with 30 members, and today the membership stands at more than 350. It is the largest and oldest deer-hunting club in the Volunteer State.

“We promote safe and ethical hunting, which includes hosting a juvenile hunter safety class before the season starts for young hunters ages 16 and under,” Mayes says. “Then we schedule a short season just for juveniles, who must be accompanied on a hunt by an adult. The adults cannot have a gun during this season – they are simply there to supervise.”

The overall deer-hunting season in Giles County begins with archery, then muzzleloader and finally rif le. The Giles County association seasonally awards cash prizes for the top harvests in a variety of categories, and hosts an awards banquet for its membership every February.

“We also make an annual financial donation to the Wakefield Scholastic Trap Club, which is a team of local high school and junior high students who practice for deer season at a trap range in Giles County,” Mayes says. “They shoot guns and participate

in competitions, and learn the proper way to hunt.”Meanwhile, for target-shooting enthusiasts, a popular

organization in Giles County is the Good Ole’ Boys Air Gun Club. The club simulates hunting by firing at inanimate animal targets to score points at competitions.

“Competitors shoot air rif les, which some people think are BB guns, but they are sophisticated rifles produced in England and Germany,” says Roz Sumpter, who serves as match director for the Good Ole’ Boys Air Gun Club. “They are extremely accurate, upscale products that fire lead projectiles shaped something like a bullet.”

Sumpter says participants shoot at metal animal targets from distances of 10 to 55 yards.

“Objects are the size of 1/8-inch to 1 1/2 inches, and in the center of each metal animal is a small round hole with a triggering device,” Sumpter says. “If the projectile hits the triggering device, the animal falls f lat and the shooter gets a point. Competitors get 60 to 150 shots per match, depending on the prestige of the event.”

Sumpter hosts local and regional target-shooting matches on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at his Roz Hollow property near Pulaski.

“Hunting and target shooting are popular in Giles County,” Sumpter says. “It’s just the way it is for many of us around here. The outdoors are beautiful, and many Giles County residents love what our outdoors offer.”

– Kevin Litwin

CENTER OF PULASKI

(931) 424-4014www.ttcpulaski.edu

Off ering over 17 programs.

Campuses located in Giles, Marshall and Lawrence counties.

Workforce development ... it’s what we do.

TECHNOLOGYTENNESSEE

For Information and Registration,

Contact Director/Owner Sandy Slayton-Mavrotheris

(931) 363-7181

www.pulaskipac.com

Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Pointe

Age 3 and Up

Also Offering: Vocal Performance Classes and Music with Mommie

Located Next Door to the Chamber of Commerce

On the Square in Pulaski

Serving Giles County since 1989

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Everyday moments can be learning moments with your kids. For more tips, visit bornlearning.org.

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