Community Notes:

The family-friendly event will take place at "The Shed," Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson and Buell’s 16,000 square foot covered music pavilion. There will be candy for the kid all day and the SMH-D staff will be decked out in costumes. The party will kick into "high gear" at 7 p.m. when "The Ghosts" take the stage. A costume contest will be held during the concert so those planning to attend are asked to don their coolest Halloween-worthy threads and get ready to compete for prizes!
As part of the festivities a MEDIC Regional Blood Center blood drive will also be conducted for those who wish to donate blood.

For more information about Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson’s Freakin’ Halloween Party and other upcoming events please call 865-977-1669 or visit online at www.smh-d.com.

Maryville Rotary holds second annual chili cook-off
The Maryville Rotary Club will hold their second annual chili cook-off from 6 - 9 p.m., Friday Nov. 3, at the Rotary Pavilion in Pearson Springs Park.

Each contestant must make a minimum of 2 gallons (large crock pot) of chili. Contestant should have extra toppings at their booths. Bowls and spoons will be provided by Maryville Rotary Club. All money collected from the chili cook-off will go
toward the Maryville Rotary Club’s Dictionary Project.

Contestants will be responsible for supplying their own heat source and cooking utensils. Electricity is provided at the pavilion, but each contestant must supply their own extension cord.

Any type of chili is accepted with or without meat. Chili can be prepared off-site and brought to the cook-off and contestants must be willing to taste their own chili.

Entry Fee is $35 per team. There will be prizes awarded for the team with the most votes for first place, second place. and hottest chili

The public can purchase a ticket for tasting chili for $5 and they will also receive two chips, one for voting on their favorite chili and a red chip to vote for the hottest chili. There will also be hotdogs and beverages available for $1 each.

For more information or to enter the contest, call Dana West at 865-273-5717 or email her at dwest@blounttn.org org.

Scary goings-on planned for parks and rec
The Everett Recreation Center will be haunted Oct. 28, but the ghosts and goblins will be laughing and enjoying prizes, games and other activities.

According to a press release, the Maryville-Alcoa-Blount County Recreation and Parks Commission will host a pre-Halloween event from 6 -9:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Everett Recreation Center.

There will be scheduled activities throughout the evening, so guests are asked to arrive early in order to take part in the majority of the activities. The event is for children ages 3 to 12, and children must be accompanied by an adult.

The event, dubbed "Halloween Fun", gives parents and children an alternative to the hassle and worry of door-to-door trick or treating. Activities include a candy hunt, carnival games, magic shows a maze, Halloween crafts, balloon animals and lots
of prizes, costume contests, door prizes and a grand prize drawing.

The cost for the event is $5 per child through Friday, Oct. 27, and $7 the day of the event . Pre-registration is taken at the Parks and Recreation office at 316 Everett High Road, Maryville, or online at www.parksrec.com. For more information, call the Parks and Recreation office at 865-983-9244.

Motorcycles for Moe benefit ride Saturday, Oct. 28
Moe Myers, a member of the "Bike family" of Blount County for many years had a terrible motorcycle accident on June 8, 2006. Not only were his injuries severe, but he had no medical insurance and is self-employed.

A benefit ride for Myers will start at 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28 from the Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson and Buell, located on West Lamar Alexander Pkwy., in Maryville and will end at Rocky Branch(School) Community Club in Walland at approximately 5 p.m. A $20 per bike donation will be taken up at the beginning of the ride and all who participate will receive an armband and given a free cornbread and bean dinner at the Rocky Branch benefit.

There will also be food, gospel singing, cakewalks, door prizes and a live auction, including a $250 helmet donated by Mountain Adventures Honda.

For more information, call Bill Coppinger at 865-981-3956.

October Fall Festival dance set for Fairview UMC
Folks will be swinging, swaying and dancing throughout the night from 8 - 11 p.m., Friday, Oct. 27 at October Fall Festival dance sponsored by the New Creations Singles Class of Fairview United Methodist Church. According to a press release, the event is open to all, singles and married couples alike.

Participants are asked to invite their friends, make new friends or simply make it a date night. Folks who don’t dance are invited to come and watch others dance or simply enjoy the music.

There will be line dances, East and West coast swing, two-step, Western, ball room cha-cha, ball room , western waltz, a line dance waltz, mixer dances, slow dances and possibly even the Twist.

Suggested donation is $5, and all donations from the event go for missions work. This is a non-smoking, non-drinking event. Sodas and snacks will be provided as welll as a free dance lesson at 7:30 p.m. before the 8 p.m. start of the dance.

Drees is costume-optional or jeans to casual dressy. The church is located at 2508 Old Niles Ferry Road.

Heritage center hosts Scarecrow Tales
The outdoor amphitheater at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend will be the place for Halloween fun at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28.

According to a press release, visitors are invited to sit out under the October skies and harvest moon to listen to folk tales and ghost stories told by Elizabeth Rose and learn to square dance to the calls of Ron Schneider.

Elizabeth Rose has thrilled children and adults alike with her vivacious storytelling in classrooms, festivals and conferences around the country. She taught elementary and middle school for 19 years and is currently the principal at Dyllis Elementary School in Roane County, TN.

Ron Schneider began calling in Cleveland, Ohio in 1950 as a teenager. Over the years he has staffed most all of the major festivals and conventions along with the major square dance resorts. Schneider has a reputation as being one of the best callers in the country and is presently one of the staff callers with the Knoxville Squares.

Admission is free for all students 16 years old and younger, as well as Heritage Center members. General admission is $4 at the door.

Blount County Beekeeper’s well represented at fair
The Blount County Beekeeper’s Association was well represented at the 2006 Tennessee Valley Fair Honey Show. The fair is held each September in Knoxville and competition is open to anyone in the region. The honey show awards excellence in many different categories giving beekeepers an opportunity for recognition for the hard work they have put in all year long.

Blount County showed strong this year, winning ribbons in 13 of 25 classifications. First place ribbons were won by Glendon Davis, Earl Seay, and Wilma Seay(2). Other winners included Doug Hardwick, Michelle Greenway, Dale Hinkle and Virginia Hardwick. In the comb honey competition Doug Hardwick and Earl Seay received first place ribbons. Many other categories were also judged including beeswax, products made from beeswax, frame honey and live bees. Blue ribbon winners
included Earl Seay(frame honey) and Dale Hinkle(educational exhibit), Paul Cunningham third place(live bees), Dale Hinkle fourth place(frame honey), and Judy O’Dell fifth place(homemade beeswax products). The Blount County Beekeepers Association also won first place in the County Display category thanks especially to the efforts of Richard Furgerson.

The Blount County Beekeepers Association meets at 6:30 p.m., the second Monday of each month, at the Blount County Library. Call Coley O’Dell, president for more information 865-984-5393.

Annual Townsend Christmas parade scheduled
The Annual Townsend Community Christmas Parade will be at 2:30 p.m., Sunday Dec. 3.

The theme this year will be "Christmas Creatures Great and Small", and is sponsored by the City of Townsend.
Parade Marshall, Steve Phipps, president and founder of Blount County Humane Society

The parade will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the Nawger Nob Craft Settlement area on East Lamar Alexander Parkway, (Line up will begin at 1 p.m.). The parade will follow the same route it has in years past, proceeding north on East Lamar Alexander Parkway and ending at the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum.

A program of Christmas music will be presented at the museum site following the parade. Free refreshments will be served and prizes will be announced.

Prizes will be given for first, second and third place winners in each of the following categories:

• Large Floats
  
• Small Floats (motorcycle, golf cart, decorated four-wheeler, horse-drawn vehicle, automobile)
  
• Children’s Event (decorated bicycle and/or pet and owner)
  
• Horse or Pony and Rider

There is no fee to enter. You MUST pre-register in order to participate.

Registration forms may be picked up at the Townsend City Hall or at the Mary E. Tippitt Memorial Library. Forms may be mailed to: Christmas Parade, 316 Domar Drive, Townsend, 37882; Return to the Mary E. Tippitt Memorial Library, 120 Tiger Drive, Townsend, 37882, by mail or in person; or faxed to the Mary E. Tippitt Memorial Library at 865-448-1875
For more information, call David Wietlisbach at 865-448-0765, Ron Palewski at 865-448-0619, or the library at 865-448-
1441.