Smithville Police Cite Woman for Providing Alcohol to Minors

July 4, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A woman was recently issued a citation by Smithville Police for providing alcohol to minors.

40-year-old Jessica Hunter of Smithville is cited for three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins said that on June 18 police were dispatched to Snow Street where parents reported alcohol having been bought for three juveniles. During an investigation, officers found evidence that Hunter had purchased alcohol for the minors. Her court date is July 11.

40-year-old Kelly Gibbs of McMinnville is charged with public intoxication. Chief Collins said that on June 13 an officer assisted EMS with an unruly person on Meadowbrook Drive. Upon arrival police observed Gibbs yelling and being belligerent toward EMS workers. Gibbs was unsteady on her feet, and she smelled of alcohol. Gibbs was placed in custody. Her bond was set at $2,000.

61-year-old Rodney William James of Alabama is charged with driving under the influence. Chief Collins said that on June 21 an officer while on patrol pulled over a red Jeep Wrangler on East Broad Street for traveling 58 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour speed zone. The driver, James had watery eyes. His speech was slurred, and he smelled of alcohol. According to Chief Collins, James admitted to having just left a club on Sparta Highway where he had consumed three alcoholic beverages. James refused to submit to field sobriety tasks or comply with the implied consent law. James was then placed in custody and a search warrant was obtained for a blood sample from him. He was also cited for speeding and violation of the implied consent law. Bond for James was set at $3,500 and his court date is July 11.

23-year-old Markus J. Majka of the Loop, Smithville is charged with evading and resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search. Chief Collins said that on June 24 an officer pulled over a black Chevy S-10 pickup truck. During the investigation a passenger, Majka jumped out and fled on foot into a back yard on Hooper Street. After a short search, Majka was found and placed in custody. His bond is $6,000 and he will be in court July 11.

July 4, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A Celebration!

The Community Chorus and Mary Ann Puckett’s Clogging and Square Dance Teams invite you to join them at the Evins Park Amphitheater downtown Smithville this evening (July 4) starting at 6 p.m. for an Independence Day Celebration.

Evins Park is located across from Justin Potter Library and the Smithville Post Office.

The Community Chorus, under the direction of long-time Director Faye Fuqua, will take the stage first featuring a patriotic-themed program but you’ll want to bring your own seating and get as close as possible because the concert will be held without a full sound system.

Fuqua explained that this performance is really a rehearsal for the featured performance of the chorus to be held on Friday night, July 5th on the main Jamboree stage at the east side of the courthouse during the opening ceremony starting at 6 p.m.

“We will do a fanfare of patriotic music first followed by a salute in honor of the military. This year our tribute is Roots music with tunes like “Will the Circle be Unbroken” and we will feature blues, folk, country, gospel and it will include a performance from children and even cloggers. Its all part of who we are in this area,” said Fuqua.

The community chorus’ involvement with the Jamboree, Fuqua explained dates back to the beginning in 1972

“Three of the Jamboree founders, Berry Williams, Congressman Joe L. Evins, and James G. “Bobo” Driver approached me and said they wanted to have a patriotic program around the 4th of July, and they asked me to help organize it. They especially wanted to involve high school students. I said let’s use people of all ages from the churches and they agreed. At that time were we doing the lighting of the tree at Christmas time, and I had put together a group for that so this is how it all began and from that I assured those three men that we would always have a patriotic program at the Jamboree,” Fuqua explained.

Jackie Smith, another community chorus veteran, said its an honor to be part of something that has become a tradition and is now known far and wide.

“I got involved around 1972 right after my husband Wade and I came back from overseas while he was in the service. I may have missed one or two performances but its something I look forward to each year. One thing we are very honored about is that the Jamboree was named some years ago as the official state festival,” said Smith.

Immediately Following the performance of the community chorus tonight (Thursday) at Evins Park 5 Square Dance Teams, led by the Square-Dancing Queen herself, Mary Ann Puckett, will dazzle the audience.

The performing Square Dance teams include:

•Smithville Select (who recently performed on The Grand Ole Opry stage)

•DeKalb Dancin’ Delights

•Center Hill Hoedown

•Caney Fork Circle Eights

•Ragland Bottom Roundup

July 3, 2024
By:

DeKalb County will have 39 local cloggers across five square dance teams take the stage this Friday and Saturday to compete in the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree. Under the direction of DeKalb county native Mary Ann Puckett, four teams will compete in Youth Square Dance on Friday and one team will compete in Adult Square Dance on Saturday. The local Youth Square Dance teams are the award-winning DeKalb Dancin’ Delights (who took second place at the Wilson County / Tennessee State Fair last August and who placed second last weekend at the Robert Spicer Tennessee State Buck-Dance Championship in Dickson, Tennessee), Center Hill Hoedown, Caney Fork Circle Eights, and Ragland Bottom Roundup. Smithville Select will be competing in Adult Square Dance this year.

Director Mary Ann Puckett said, “These teams have been practicing hard since March at the Evins Park Amphitheater and are ready to bring their routines down the street to the big stage. I’m truly inspired to see so many of our local kids interested in old-time dance. We are lucky to have this world-class bluegrass festival right here in our hometown. The Jamboree undoubtedly sparks a tremendous amount of local interest in Appalachian dance. It’s almost like the Jamboree stage was built for square dancing, and we can’t wait to get up there!”

The teams performed at the DeKalb County Fair last Saturday evening and danced for the residents at The Webb House and NHC on Monday of this week. The square dance teams will perform at the Evins Park Amphitheater on Thursday, July 4th. The Smithville Community Chorus will start the festivities at 6:00 P.M. with the dancing to follow.

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