Byrdstown-Pickett County Update June 18, 2021

From press release:

Happy Fathers Day & Summer 2021!

 

Sunday, June 20 is not only Fathers Day, but the official beginning of Summer! Plus we are only 2 weeks from the Independence Day Holiday Weekend! If you haven’t prepared for either or just need to pick up a few items, you can find most of what you will need right here in Pickett County. There are so many great places to shop right here in our area.  Plus lots of great places to eat. Browse around www.dalehollow.com/chamber-members and use the filter to narrow your search if you like. Congratulations to The Stephens Center on their Grand Opening today at 102 West Main St. next to Rustic Roots Boutique! Welcome to Byrdstown! June Business of the Month is below today! Congratulations!

 

This weekend and soon! Trivia & Karaoke at Obey River Grill tonight (Friday evening) beginning at 6:30PM. We have a Farmer coming to the Farmers Market Saturday from 8-10AM. We will also have a yard sale out there. Live Music Friday and Saturday evening at Dixie Cafe, The Steel Coop and Sulphur Creek Resort/Mike’s Landing Restaurant and Lounge. Family Fun Night at the Byrdstown Activities Park will include vendors and “The Incredibles” on Saturday evening June 19th beginning at 6PM. You can find our member places to dine at this link as well: www.dalehollow.com/dine. Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park has a variety of workshops this weekend and beyond. Space is limited so you need to register for the one(s) you are planning to attend! Good Neighbors Theatre will be having a Barn Dance in Byrdstown NEXT Saturday, June 26 from 5-9PM (FREE)… more information below. They are also having Drama Camp in July and are taking sign ups now. Call Missy Davis at (931) 704-1894 for more information or to register. They just announced the date for the Gala! It will be September 18. More to come! Don’t miss the great Independence Day Celebration in Byrdstown. It is BACK July 3!!! Also, the Pickett County Library will be having the Summer Reading Program coming up in July. Find more information here. The Town of Byrdstown 3K/5K to benefit St. Jude will be held the 2nd Saturday in October. Mark you calendar for that as well. That will be Oct. 9, 2021. We invite any of our members to let us know if they have anything special going on or vacancies to fill to please let us know and we will help get the word out.

 

UPCOMING MEETINGS:

DAV will meet at the Welcome Center on the second Saturday of each month at 9:30AM

The Rescue Squad meets the 1st Thursday of each month at the Rescue Squad Building at 7PM

The County Commission will meet on June 21 at 6PM at the Pickett County Library

Congressman John Rose’s Office will be available to assist constituents on June 23 at 11AM at the Pickett County Library

July Chamber Board of Directors Meeting will be held on July 8 at 11AM at the Bobcat Den.

***Offices will be closed on Monday, July 5, 2021 in Observance of Independence Day.***

FREE FREE FREE

 

An evening full of family fun

 

Date:  June 26, 2021

 

Time: 5-9 pm

 

Place: Byrdstown Pavilion

 

We will have line dancing, with instructions, By Richard Grimberg

 

And he will be calling some special dances for the kids

 

The Cross Brothers Band will be performing between sets of line dancing

 

Hot Dogs, Chips and Water will be served until we run outP

 

So grab your boots and hats and Come On Down

Sponsored by Good Neighbors Theatre

The Byrdstown – Pickett County Chamber of Commerce would like to congratulate K&S Farms for being selected as the business of the month for June 2021.

 

Karl and Sue Lado relocated and retired from Connecticut to Tennessee because they love the “south”. Karl was born in Alabama, and Sue in Germany, both being military “brats” as they called themselves, Karl also has family in Oak Ridge and Harriman, TN.

 

They have been in driving commercially as a horse drawn carriage business since 2007 in the north and wanted to continue this business once they retired. Since they knew they wanted to live in the south they began hunting for the perfect farm to bring their carriage business and to add lavender to the farm. After looking at many properties their real estate agent knew the farm which is now K&S Farms was going to be listed and they purchased the property in 2015.

 

They started working to make the old tobacco barn into a structure which could hold their 2000 pound Clydesdales and in 2016 Karl moved Sue and the animals south. After starting her original lavender plants in spring 2019, Sue has become a master gardener and has joined the United States Lavender Grower’s Association. Amazingly none of the lavender plants are in the soil, but in boxes which have had the soil amended to the plants with lime gravel and bone meal. They now have about 75 plants and want to add an additional 100 plants in the future. Sue has always been interested in serving veterans, and she found many medicinal purposes for lavender for its calming effects and other uses.

 

They funniest thing is when they would come south for the first several months before relocating, they always came south on route 81 and would exit on route 127 towards Jamestown. One day Sue suggested checking out Cookeville and they discovered there is a lake in Pickett County much to their surprise.

 

Sue and Karl both say “this is the right place at the right time”. They love the area, they love the people and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Everything grown on the farm is used in their products. From lavender, loofas, honey from their bee hives, all their products are produced on this farm. Karl and Sue also went through the process of having the farm certified as the only state sponsored agri-tourism destination farm in the area. They have had a great turnout from the lavender and response to the farm.

 

Karl and Sue both agree they want the farm to be a destination experience. A young gentlemen “Googled” Clydesdales and Lavender and the farm popped up. He contacted Sue and told her he was planning on asking his girlfriend to marry him. Sue said tell me the date and we will take care of the rest. They made it look as if they were just getting a tour of the farm, the animals and finally the lavender where he asked her to marry him.

 

Finally, they want to mention they prefer if folks phone ahead for a proper tour, but if they do come up to the farm don’t be put off by the gates being closed. They are closed to keep the animals which roam the farm in and not to keep folks out. Their phone number is on the gate, please call and they will do their best to accommodate everyone’s needs.

 

Located at 8554 Faix Road, Byrdstown, Tennessee

 

Phone number: 860-608-1536, 931-864-0504

 

Email: ksfarm@comcast.net

 

Ksfarmcarriages.com

 

They are a veteran owned and operated family farm specializing in Lavender and Lavender products. Enjoy a walk through the gardens, snap a pic with the Clydesdales and visit our Shoppe, Georgia Mae’s.

 

 

If ANYONE needs any help, questions answered, etc., please reach out to our office (931) 864-7195, the County Executive’s Office (931) 864-3798 or Mayor Gibson’s Office (931) 864-6215.

 

Bill Robbins, Byrdstown-Pickett Co. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director

Janice Neal & Donella Beaty, Assistants to the Executive Director