Last week was one of THOSE weeks for a lot of people in Whitley County…LOL.
Last Tuesday, Patterson Creek Volunteer Fire Department had a structure fire. Then one of their firefighters, who was directing traffic, was struck by a vehicle, and had to be flown out by emergency medical helicopter. Then a vehicle transporting someone with a gunshot wound pulled up to the fire scene. The person with the gunshot wound also had to be flown out.
Later in the afternoon a garbage truck collided with a train in the Rockholds’ area, and the garbage truck driver had to be flown out.
Late last Tuesday evening, we learned a Williamsburg police sergeant was taken into custody for alcohol intoxication and disorderly conduct following an incident outside his residence.
Thursday afternoon, the body of a person reported missing days earlier, was found in a local creek.
Whitley County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Tony Dingess is the lucky soul (sarcasm intended…LOL), who got to investigate the firefighter struck by the vehicle, the guy with the gunshot wound and the missing person found dead in the creek.
Whitley County-Laurel County Emergency Management Director Jerry Rains was involved in assisting at the scene for most of these events too.
If you see Tony or Jerry out and about this week, let them know they are doing a great job.
Plus, Old Fashioned Trading Days took place in addition to football under the Friday night lights and various other more minor incidents.
As the Shirelles sang in the early 1960s, “Mama said there’ll be days like this.”
Old Fashioned Trading Days
My hat is off to the organizers of this year’s Old Fashioned Trading Days festival, which was in it 43rd year.
The burned buildings from the Jan. 20 blaze were torn down just in time to temporarily reopen South Second Street between Main Street and Cumberland Avenue for traffic.
Next comes removal of the debris and the rebuilding.
I thought everything went well in terms of what I attended and photographed. Thursday night’s gospel singing on Stage One at Bill Woods Park seemed to go well with some first rate singers. Country and rock acts took Stage Two at the Green Space on Main Thursday, including the Dalton Dailey Band, Low Down South and 8 Daze Sober. What little I heard of the Dalton Dailey Band was impressive. There are some young artists in this band, who could make a name for themselves.
Speaking of young artists, Friday morning’s performance by the University of the Cumberland’s Marching Band was impressive. The Williamsburg High School and Whitley County High School bands did not have large numbers, but each put on a pretty good performance.
Participants were down Saturday morning for the antique car show but given the rainy weather this was kind of to be expected. The participants, who took part, had some beautiful vehicles.
My friend, Jim Moss, sent me a picture of Main Street early Sunday morning. If you did not already know it, you would have never guessed a festival took place there just a few hours earlier.
My hats off to not only the organizers of Old Fashioned Trading Days, but also all the participants, the attendees and everyone, who did a great job to clean it all up.
9/11 Remembrance Event
In addition, let me give a shout out to the organizers of the University of the Cumberlands’ 9/11 remembrance event Friday. This was a very nice, well organized ceremony, which did a great job honoring the memory of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the 25th Anniversary.
Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley, who less than one week after the attacks traveled to Ground Zero to work, did a great job speaking.
He touched on not only remembering the victims and the sacrifice of the first responders, who worked at Ground Zero, but also on how the event united the country.
“We were not divided by politics, background or differences. We were simply Americans. We were reminded of the things that connected us were far greater than the things that divided us. That lesson is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago,” Croley said.
