A Cookeville man lost his life on Center Hill Lake Wednesday.

57 year old Kenneth Farron Young of Spring Street, Cookeville apparently drowned while swimming in the Mine Lick Creek area of the lake in the Austin Bottom Community. Although there is no boat ramp there, the incident occurred just off shore at the end of a road in an area used by boaters to access the lake.

According to Joe Johnson of the Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad, a boater witnessed the man go under the water and then float back up. The victim could not be revived at the scene.

Johnson said the rescue squad was on another call when word came of this incident.

“We were at a boat wreck when we got another call about a drowning at Austin Bottom. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Rescue Squad went by boat to the scene. When we arrived, two people were doing CPR on the victim, giving him mouth to mouth resuscitation. The victim was lying in the edge of the water. He wasn’t breathing and we couldn’t find any pulse. TWRA Officer Joe Fortner and I took over CPR efforts, giving the victim mouth to mouth resuscitation until Putnam County EMS arrived. When they got there, they continued with CPR,” said Johnson.

In addition to the TWRA , Rescue Squad, and Putnam County EMS, Park Rangers of the Corps of Engineers and officers of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department were also on the scene.

Meanwhile, six people were injured in a boating accident Wednesday on Center Hill Lake.

TWRA officers said two boats collided just northeast of Davies Island. Those injured were transported by TWRA boats to the Johnson’s Chapel Recreation Area where ambulances were waiting to take them to the hospital. None were believed to have been seriously hurt.

According to Johnson, the Rescue Squad was called to the scene and had just arrived at Johnson’s Chapel when they learned that the victims had already boarded the TWRA boats.

“When we got there and launched our boats, TWRA officers had just got the people out of the water and boarded them in their boats so we turned around and followed them back to the bank and then we helped get the people up the bank to the ambulance,” said Johnson.

The 20th annual Fiddler 5K and One Mile Fun Run, sponsored by Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County will be Saturday, July 7. All proceeds from the race are used in building another Habitat for Humanity home in DeKalb County.

The race on Saturday, July 7 will begin promptly at 7:00 a.m. RAIN OR SHINE. The course will continue along the same path as last year beginning and ending on Church Street in Downtown Smithville.

“We are so excited about this year’s Fiddler 5K because it’s our 20th and we feel very grateful to have achieved this milestone and to have had all these great runners over the years,” said Race Director Tecia Pryor.

“Our pre-registration numbers are up over the last few years and I am seeing lots of new names but I am also seeing names of folks who have run with us really since the very beginning. I do think we have a few runners and walkers who have participated in all 20 races. We will be recognizing those folks Saturday,” Pryor said.

This year’s Fiddler 5K will be a qualifying race for the Run the Cumberland Medal Series of Races.

A new tee shirt is being made available this year thanks to the sponsors Janney & Associates, Stonehaus Winery, Wilson Bank & Trust, First Bank, Star Manufacturing, the Pharmacy at Family Medical, Center Hill Realty, Glenda Davis, CPA, Federal Mogul, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital and Ascension, DeKalb Dental Center, DeKalb Animal Clinic, and Los Lobos.

Sign sponsors include Stonehaus Winery, Hilton Conger, Attorney at Law, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, NHC Healthcare Center, Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Pack, 3rd District County Commissioner candidate Jenny Trapp, 2nd District County Commissioner candidate Nora Harvey, and Federal Mogul. Special thanks to Evins Mill for donating the bottled water to the runners and to the volunteers who help each year.

Anybody who is interested in participating either in the one mile fun run or the 5K may go to www.fiddler5k.com where you’ll find a printable registration form that provides all the details of registration and a link to online registration. A course map is also available there.

(CLICK LINK BELOW TO ACCESS REGISTRATION FORM)
http://www.fiddler5k.com/pdf/2018_5K_Reg_Form.pdf

The deadline for online pre-registration is midnight Wednesday, July 4

“The Fiddler 5K course begins at the Smithville First Baptist Church Life Enrichment Center and goes down town hill by the golf course and swimming pool, by the hospital, to Main Street, and then back to town. The finish line is at Love-Cantrell Funeral Home,” Pryor said.

Participants may sign up on race day, July 7 starting at 6:00 a.m. (please bring your completed form) in the parking lot of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home near the finish line on Church Street but it costs a little more. The cost of race day registration is $30 and $25 for those age 18 and younger. For early registration it’s $25 for adults age 19 and older and for youth its $20 for ages 18 and younger. Pre-registered participants receive a commemorative t-shirt. All participants receive free refreshments and are eligible for door prize giveaways before the awards ceremony.Strollers are welcome in the race but should line up at the rear. No pets allowed.

“A perk of pre-registration is that you can show up on Friday night, July 6 from 5-7 p.m. at the Smithville First Baptist Church Life Enrichment Center and pick up your packet which includes your bib and t-shirt. That way you don’t have to get up quite as early on Saturday morning to check in. But you can check in as early as 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning if you pre-register,” Pryor continued.

“For our awards, we give an overall male award and a female award for the fastest runners. We also give a Masters award which is for the fastest male and female age 40 and older We present the top three awards in the age categories of nine and younger, and then go up from there in five year increments. We give ribbons for those categories. For the Fun Run, we only give awards for children who are age twelve and younger. We give overall awards for male and female and then we give ribbons to the top three. Everybody gets a nice ribbon and the overall winners get medals,” she said

The course is certified, chip timed and professionally managed by Tennessee Race Timing of Cookeville.

For more information call 615-597-7370, email director@fiddler5k.com, visit www.fiddler5k.com, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/HFHDeKalbTN.