“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, and the problem is I don’t know which half” – British founder of Unilever, Lord Leverhulme In September 2008, just after my team and I opened the Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott at Exit 407 near the Bass Pro Shop, I set out one bright Saturday morning to meet my new neighbors. By lunchtime, I had met most of the   Read More ...

“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” – Thomas Jefferson On Thursday February 17, I attended my very first Tea Party event in Sevier County . The column about Mike Carmichael’s intention to found The Sevier County Constitutional Society inspired officials of the local organization to invite me to attend. Flattered by the invitation, I made it a point to go.   Read More ...

I am the grandson of a Choctaw Indian man who married a German woman and a Frenchman that married a Mexican senorita.  After explaining this to a young college student in Nashville about a decade ago, she looked at me totally perplexed and asked, “Well, if there was a world war, which would you fight for?” Once the shock of her bizarre question subsided, I replied, “I am an American.”   Read More ...

Abraham Lincoln was born 202 years ago this week on February 12, 1809 in a small log cabin on Nolin Creek, in Hardin County , Kentucky . Our Country’s 16th President remarkably rose from those very humble beginnings to become President at a time of great national crisis. His challenging journey was certainly the classic American success story, as the unlikely road he traveled to the White House was rarely   Read More ...

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Jesus Christ I learned when I was young that for someone who has faith, no explanation is necessary and for others without faith, no explanation will suffice. But, just as the years teach what single days do not reveal, I have seen over time the remarkable experiences of the   Read More ...

Constitution signer James McHenry of Maryland once wrote in his diary, “Outside Independence Hall when the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, ‘Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?’ With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, ‘A republic, if you can keep it.” In May of 2009, I told the story of a remarkable man who has lived in Sevier County   Read More ...

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”- Abraham Lincoln Clyde Anthony Rennie Jr. was born on March 19, 1973 and raised in Grand Rapids , Michigan . Always engaged, the middle child of his parents’ three children was athletic, studious and musical. Consequently, Clyde graduated from Tri County High School in 1991 as the Student Counsel President. During young Rennie’s junior   Read More ...

“On hay in a manger, she watched her baby sleep… Too young to know, He was born a King… Safe for now, there at His mother’s side… A stable for a castle, His reign began… Behold the Son of Man; hope is in his hands…” n the fields, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds by night while they were tending their flocks. The angel announced that the   Read More ...

“The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” – George Bernard Shaw In the late spring of 2009, Rachel Watson retired from the only profession she has ever known. After 15 years with the Smoky Mountain Tour Connection, and more than 20 years in Sevier County ’s tourism industry,   Read More ...

“Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.” – Elvis Presley After nearly a decade as a Sevier County realtor and broker, on October 1, 2010 Tracy Manning has joined the rapidly growing EXIT Advantage Realty as a co-owner. The move has offered Manning the opportunity to take her career to the next level with a company that has a bright future and a reputation for excellent service. Tracy Lee   Read More ...