Smithville Church of Christ Gearing Up for Annual Work Camp to Help Others

May 28, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Need some minor fix up, cleanup projects done around your home?

The Smithville Church of Christ Work Camp may be able to help. This event is set for June 10-13. The work camp is an annual home rehabilitation and beautification effort organized by the Smithville Church of Christ. The church started the work camp 12 years ago as a means of helping less fortunate residents of the county.

“The week of June 10-13 is when we will have the work camp. We are doing this on behalf of the church. We are trying to show Christ’s love through this while promoting the Smithville Church of Christ but you don’t have to be a member of the church for us to help you,” said spokesperson Casey Midgett.

“All the application forms are out at the local banks. You can stop by any bank and pick up a form or you can go by our church location and get a form. Just get the forms back in by June 1,” said Midgett.

During the week of the work camp, members of the church load up on church vans and head to the homes of residents to perform a variety of tasks.

The work camp is primarily for those who own their homes and are in most need of help.

“Its based-on need but even If you have the means to do it and can’t because you’re too feeble we can help. The skilled crew will build handicapped ramps and help make light repairs to people’s houses that need it. The unskilled crew will go out and cut brush out of people’s yards, clean their gutters, pressure wash their houses and things like that,” said Midgett.

“Its for people who own their homes. We’re iffy about improving rental houses. If you own your home, you are eligible to talk to us about it. There are certain cases where we have done rental homes before but its very tough for us to do that,” Midgett explained.

“A lot of times people are reluctant to ask for help,” said spokesperson Chad Colwell. “People need to get past that. If you need assistance give us a call and we’ll look at it”.

Getting around to all those who apply sometimes depends on logistics.

“For example, if we get 80 applicants we may have to select. If we have more homes in a specific area its more feasible for us to get to those, than one house here or there. It’s a schedule that is ever changing. Sometimes when you are working on a yard there are unseen challenges that will extend your time. If you allot an hour to be there and it takes three hours then that’s a domino effect for the rest of the day,” said Colwell.

“We never give them a specific day when we will show up. We just say it will be June 10-13,” added Midgett.

The Smithville Work Camp concentrates its efforts in the Smithville-DeKalb County area. If you would like to have your home considered for the project, contact the church at 615-597-4159 by Saturday, June 1 to acquire an application and release form. The church is located at 520 Dry Creek Road, Smithville.

May 27, 2024
By:

The Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival has awarded Sister Sadie the Blue Blaze Award for the 53rd annual event. The Blue Blaze Award is given to artists for continuing and promoting bluegrass music as well as participating in the past Jamborees.

Comprised of original members Deanie Richardson (fiddle), Gena Britt (banjo & vocals) and newcomers Jaelee Roberts (guitar & vocals), Dani Flowers (guitar & vocals), and Maddie Dalton (acoustic bass & vocals), Sister Sadie has combined the varied talents of each of the individual women in the lineup to create something that is far more than the sum of its parts. It is a sound uniquely their own. The first gravitational shift came in finding a new lead vocalist in 2020—someone whose voice had the power and confidence to hold court and capture an audience. Fortunately, Jaelee Roberts had all the above and more. Roberts had been near the members of Sister Sadie for her whole life: Richardson played with her dad, Danny Roberts (another Jamboree favorite) in New Tradition and Britt had played with her mom in Petticoat Junction. The original Station Inn lineup formed the core of the band for the majority of the first eight years, featuring Dale Ann Bradley, Beth Lawrence, Tina Adair, and of course, Deanie Richardson and Gena Britt. In 2019, following the release of their second studio album “Sister Sadie II” on Pinecastle Records, they had their debut on the Grand Ole Opry, won their first IBMA award for Vocal Group of the Year, and received a GRAMMY nomination for Bluegrass Album of the Year. In 2020, Deanie was named the IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year (the second woman to win that prize in the 30-year history of the awards), and the band took home the top prize as the Entertainer of the Year. Sister Sadie also was named Vocal Group of the Year for the second year running.

“We are thrilled to give this year’s award to Sister Sadie. Four out of the five band members have been at the Jamboree – Deanie Richardson, Jaelee Roberts, Dani Flowers, and Gena Britt. What an honor to give this award to a group of women who have been involved with the Jamboree over the years and have been successful in their musical endeavors ever since,” stated Jamboree President Kim Driver Luton.

“I started going to the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree when I was a young girl,” said Deanie Richardson. “I was the first fiddler to win the National Beginner Fiddler Championship at the age of twelve. That win also awarded me my first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. I cannot tell you what this Jamboree means to every young person who plays an instrument and works all year to prepare for this competition. I have made lifelong friends that I still talk to and play music with that I met at the Jamboree. I now have students of my own that attend the Jamboree and I get to go with them and accompany them when they compete. That is the ultimate experience for me to get to relive it and feel their excitement about being there as I did when I was their age. I am thrilled to get to be there this year with our band, Sister Saide and accept the Blue Blaze Award for 2024”, continued Deanie.

In 2021, Sister Sadie was featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s American Currents exhibit. That same year, the band took home a third consecutive IBMA Vocal Group of the Year award, and new member Jaelee Roberts was awarded the IBMA Momentum Vocalist of the Year award. In 2022, Gena Britt was recognized as the SPBGMA Banjo Player of the Year and Sister Sadie signed with Mountain Home Records to begin work on their third studio album. In 2023, Jaelee Roberts took home the honor of SPBGMA Female Vocalist of the Year. The band continues to work on the third album which is set to be released soon.

“Sister Sadie is an inspiring musical collaboration bringing together some of the best women bluegrass music has ever claimed.” ~ Alison Krauss.

The Blue Blaze award will be presented on Saturday, July 6th @5:00 pm – followed by music provided by Sister Sadie. The Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree & Craft Festival is free to the public.

For more information about Sister Sadie, go to Sister Sadie (sistersadieband.com). Visit smithvillejamboree.com for more info about the Jamboree. This year’s Jamboree will be held Friday, July 5th & Saturday, July 6th.

May 27, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The annual Miss Jamboree Pageant is set for Saturday, June 15, featuring categories from 1 day old to 20 years old.

The first pageant begins at 9 a.m., at the DeKalb County Complex. It is open to all Tennessee girls and baby/toddler boys. The deadline to enter is Friday, June 7.

The pageant is a fundrasier for the Last Minute Toy Shop.

Arista Isabella Rigsby was crowned the 2023 Miss Jamboree in the age 17-20 category. Rigsby is the 19-year-old daughter of David and Tyroma Rigsby of Lebanon.

The fee to enter is $25 per category, plus an additional five dollars for optional categories you may choose to enter, including “prettiest eyes,” “prettiest hair,” “prettiest attire,” “prettiest smile” and “most photogenic.” A “People’s Choice” winner will be named in each category determined by the most money raised in the contestant’s “People’s Choice” box. Winners in the 11-13, 14-16, and 17-20 year old pageants are required to participate in the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree & Crafts Festival to distribute trophies, flyers, etc.

The categories are:
Boys and Girls – 1 day to six months,
Boys and Girls – 7 to 12 months
Boys and Girls: 13 to 24 months
Boys and Girls: 25 to 48 months
Girls: 4 to 6 years
Girls: 7 to 10 years
Girls: 11 to 13 years
Girls: 14 to 16 years
Girls: 17 to 20 years
Applications are available at The Smithville Review (615-597-5485)

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