Reelfoot Forward

A few years ago, Ana Edmaiston was on her couch watching “Cake Boss” when she had the realization that she, too, wanted to be the cake boss. She now owns her own business in downtown Union City called “Tiny Baker” that has sweetened the community since opening in 2018. Ana’s decision to pursue her dreams of becoming a baker eventually landed her where she always wanted to be: back home with family...

In June 1917, 1,250 men volunteered to become the first African Americans to receive training and begin military service in World War I. Many hoped that they would be rewarded with equal rights at the end of the war. Adam Wilson, the director of the University of Tennessee at Martin online and author of “African American Army Officers of World War I,” shares the difficult story of the impact of ra...

Charles and Crystal Meade changed the course of their family’s life when they purchased a Northwest Tennessee nursery that was in much need of some TLC. Today, Soleil Garden Center includes a nursery, a retail showroom featuring regional artists and a recording studio. In this episode, Charles and Crystal share what inspired them in the early years as they were “growing” their family-run small bus...

As a child, Karen Campbell looked down the road of her Northwest Tennessee hometown and couldn’t wait to get out and explore. Campbell, who today is the communications director for Weakley County, Tennessee Schools, shares her entertaining story of leaving home and of the exciting world she found working and writing for a variety of publications including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Star Telegram....

Have you ever wondered the importance that a cotton mill would have on a community? Danny Walden from Dyersburg, Tenn., who was on a previous episode about the missing town of Minglewood, joins Scott to discuss the impact the cotton industry had in the small community of Dyersburg right before the Great Depression and how the town continued forward even after the depression. He also gives us some...

Have you ever wanted to know what it was like behind-the-scenes before Discovery Park of America even opened? In today’s episode, Katie Jarvis stands in as the guest host of Reelfoot Forward and interviews Mary Nita Bondurant, who is the marketing director for the park. She gives some insider information on how it was working with Robert Kirkland as Discovery Park was being built, the team that wa...

Jason Stout grew up in Martin, Tennessee, and always knew he was talented in the arts. As a child in elementary school, his teachers would give his artwork a little bit more attention than the rest of the kids, and he soaked it up. His inspiration came from sitting at the railroad tracks in the car, watching the trains coming in from Chicago and observing the fun 80s graffiti that was displayed on...

What do the Eiffel Tower, catfish races and a missing resort all have in common? They call Paris, Tennessee home. Travis McLeese, the executive director of the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, discusses his passion for tourism, the love he has for his community, and the world’s biggest fish fry. And later, learn more about Mark-14 torpedo that is on display in our military gallery.

Born-and-raised Kansan Bill Minihan sang, danced and produced his way through the live entertainment business and now runs the Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. His high-energy recollection of how he found himself in show biz, from performing in Branson shows to renovating charming theaters, will keep your ears entertained. He tells Scott the day he met a man who just happened to be the...

Agriculture. It’s important not only in the West Tennessee area, but also for the rest of the world. Lindsey Parham, the supervisor of Career Technical Education for the Weakley County school district, stresses the importance of teaching students about agriculture. She and Scott discuss the benefits to students of Future Farmers of America (FFA), her new role in teaching education in Weakley Count...

Born and raised in Crockett County, Lieutenant General John “Glad” Castellaw (retired) always knew he would come back home to farm. He eventually came home after a successful 36 years in the United States Marine Corps, where he was the chief of staff for the U.S. Central Command at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, flew more than two dozen different aircraft, commanded the Marine Med...

Take a listen to today’s episode with Teena Lairy-Jarmon, who is the director of the Promethean Foundation in Obion County. Scott and Teena discuss her time growing up in Union City and how she found herself working at the Promethean Foundation, which was funded by Robert Kirkland. Find out why it is named after the Greek Titan Prometheus, how children from Obion County can benefit from this found...

Dr. David Coffey is chair of the department of History and Philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin. If the Civil War is one of your passions, you’ll love this episode where just one of the many topics is the six-volume American Civil War: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection to which Dr. Coffey contributed more than 40 entries. He also touches on other books, West Tennes...

From traveling around the world to finding his way back home in West Tennessee, Robert Spencer is a man who has done a little bit of everything. Robert lets us in on some secrets about how life was in the military, his appearances on Saturday Night Live while in New York City, his personal encounter with Burt Reynolds and more in this week’s episode. Later, learn about the history behind the charm...

The mission of Discovery Park of America is "to inspire children and adults to see beyond." The mission of the West Tennessee Regional Art Center is "to provide opportunities to participate in, and education through, the arts." These two powerful mission statements combined in this podcast episode make for a great conversation with the WTRAC’s executive director Bill Hickerson. Both Scott and Bill...

Do you like antique tractors? Have you ever wanted to know how to get involved in collecting these unique treasures? Scott interviews Wes Collier and Randy Deweese in front of a live studio audience and asks them how they got involved in collecting tractors, advice on how to start a collection of antique tractors, as well as how to instill the love of collecting these tractors in the next generati...

In 1901, Andrew Carnegie donated $70,000 for the construction of a library in Jackson, Tenn. Today, the ornate building is devoted to telling stories in a different way. In this episode, John Reitzammer takes us behind-the-scenes of the renovation of the building that now tells the stories of West Tennessee's musical history. As part of the Americana Music Triangle, the Tennessee Music Museum high...

Rusty Robinson combined two of his favorite things to create one of the most unique museums in the world, Rusty’s TV and Movie Car Museum in Jackson, Tenn. Rusty’s passion for both cars and entertainment has led to a museum with more than 26 cars on display that have been used in movies and television shows along with lots of entertainment memorabilia. The list of movies represented there is long...

John Sellers is a young dad, husband, philanthropist and entrepreneur who, with his wife Courtney, runs Martin Coffeehouse along with six other successful West Tennessee businesses. In this episode, find out what drives John to jump in and make things happen and where his passion and inspiration come from. He also talks about their projects in Nepal and Kenya that bridge the literacy gap through s...

If Old McDonald is your idea of a farmer, you will want to listen to this episode featuring Emily Workman. Over 2.1 million farms dot America’s rural landscape and about 99 percent of U.S. farms are operated by families, individuals, family partnerships or family corporations. Because these farm and ranch families comprise just 2 percent of the U.S. population, many people today live their entire...

Julie Hill, Chair of the Music Department at the University of Tennessee at Martin, does more than just talk about her passion for the arts; she puts that passion to work in West Tennessee and around the world as a performer and leader in many different arts-related initiatives. A performer and scholar who has received worldwide recognition and is principal percussionist with the Paducah Symphony...

If you love West Tennessee heritage, don’t miss this conversation with Sonia Outlaw-Clark from the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center. She covers topics like the importance of cotton to the area, the riches of the Hatchie River, Sleepy John Estes and the riverboat queen herself, Tina Turner. She also discusses the beginnings of the center and how they acquired the home of bluesman “Sleepy” John...

The history of the “Minglewood Blues” is as long and complex as the difficult-to-locate Menglewood, the West Tennessee river town it was named after. Danny Walden, president of the Dyer County Historical Society, shares the origin, location and details of the town that was the site of the Mengel Box Company. Walden also sheds light on the history of the song written by Noah Lewis then first record...

Take a step back in time as Scott talks with Marti Doss, who was in on the action when the first conversations were had about the wild idea to build a 100,000SF museum in the middle of a cornfield in Union City, Tennessee. Marti lets us in on how the Obion County Museum played a big role in the development of Discovery Park of America. She is now a volunteer artist at the park, and talks about the...

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to quit your job in the city and create a whole new world in a friendly rural community, you’ll love hearing Kathy Dumont’s story. After searching for a place that would offer a simpler, more peaceful life, she and husband, Michael, found what they call “paradise.” In addition to their 400-acre hobby farm, complete with restored farmhouse, where they r...