The Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree & Crafts Festival Board of Volunteers wants to remind the community of the upcoming deadline for non-profit organizations to register their food booths for the July festival. The board allows all not-for-profits to have the first chance to reserve a prime spot around the square. Following the April 9th deadline, all for-profit vendors will be allowed to register for the remaining available spaces.

“We always make the local non-profits our first priority. In addition, we want to spread the word that many churches and organizations partner with an established commercial food vendor. These partnerships allow the charitable organization to make a profit, without having to gather volunteers, or bear the burden of setting up a booth. I encourage anyone who may be interested in this type of partnership/fund-raising to reach out to me prior to the April 9th deadline. It’s a wonderful way to raise money for your organization.” said Bill Shaw, Director of Food Services for the Jamboree.

In addition, the Jamboree is recruiting Volunteers (20 & up) and Junior Volunteers (14-19 yrs.) to donate a few hours of their time during the two-day event on July 6th & 7th, 2018. “We were very excited to have 27 Junior Jamboree Board Members last year, along with a handful of dedicated adult volunteers,” said Emily Burklow, Junior Jamboree Board President, “With the addition of a new eating area at the Jamboree for 2018, we need even more volunteers to step up to serve our community.”

For more information, or to volunteer: call the Jamboree office at 615-597-8500, or message their facebook page @SmithvilleJamboree.

A Smithville man was seriously injured in a pickup truck crash Tuesday night on Dale Ridge Road (Highway 96) about a mile from Highway 70.

According to Trooper Sean Tramel of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 70 year old Robert Page was driving south in a 1993 Nissan pickup truck when he went off the edge of the roadway while going around a curve. As the truck slid sideways, Page overcorrected and the vehicle clipped the end of a guardrail before going down an embankment. The truck then crashed into a tree.

Although there were no eye witnesses to the wreck, Trooper Tramel said Richard Summers, a resident closeby, heard the crash but didn’t see the truck at first when he went outside his home to investigate. A short while later, Summers spotted the truck from the lights of a passing car on the highway and alerted authorities.

Members of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Team were summoned to the scene to perform extrication as Page was trapped in the truck.

Page was taken by DeKalb EMS from the scene to a helicopter landing zone on Highway 70 at the top of Snow Hill. From there he was airlifted to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga.

Members of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department were also at the scene of the crash to provide traffic control and other assistance.

The investigation was conducted by Trooper Tramel and THP Sergeant Eric McCormick. Trooper Tramel said Page was wearing his seatbelt.

The price of the property for a new DCHS Soccer playing field is costing the Board of Education a little more than originally anticipated.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the county commission approved a budget amendment of $6,677 to allow the school board to buy an additional acre of land. This includes $5,000 for the property and the rest to cover costs associated with the purchase.

The initial deal was for five acres of property adjoining the northside of the high school campus to Allen Ferry Road at a cost of $25,000.

Although the school board had the funds in capital outlay to make the purchase, approval of a budget amendment by the county commission was required last fall to transfer the money for the land purchase from the capital outlay line item in the budget.

County Mayor Tim Stribling explained Monday night that after a survey, it was discovered that the five acres did not extend all the way to Allen Ferry Road and that an additional acre would be needed to square up the property.

The school board had already voted to ask the county commission to approve the new budget amendment.

The soccer teams have never had a playing field to call their own. They use the high school football field to play their regular season games in the spring and fall.