My mother was a devoted fan of educational trips, usually within a day’s driving distance from our Newport home.

When I was a lad, back in the 1950s and early 1960s, my mother was an active member of Sinking Creek Home Demonstration Club.

We’re getting ready for Let the Stories Be Told: Part V, to be published at the end of January.

A few weeks ago, members of Alpha Omicron chapter, Alpha Delta Kappa, celebrated the Golden Anniversary of its charter with an elegant tea at Parrottsville United Methodist Church. Lula Jean Hartsell and Lucille Smith hosted the event.

Over the course of Cocke County’s 200-plus years of history, we have been blessed to have hundreds of outstanding teachers devote themselves to the instruction of our children.

Members of the William Cocke Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution continued their active ways in August and September through their participation in numerous events.

It’s almost time to ring the bells.

When the grand CCHS Class of 1969 gathered recently for our 50-year reunion, we asked our class members to share one things about themselves that no one else knew.

Preparation for the Newport Plain Talk’s yearly special edition Smoky Mountain Homeplace continues apace.

Well, folks, we did it!

This coming week, Wednesday, August 21, 2019, to be exact, our little family will celebrate a milestone when Connor Dash O’Neil crosses the threshold into kindergarten.

As we prepare for the October edition of Let the Stories Be Told, I, too, am scrolling through my family’s tales looking for a few to share. Many of them involve the episodes of Robert and Zollie Sisk and their seven children.

Hurricane Connor, aka Connor Dash O’Neil, our grandson, and his mom recently spent a few days in East Tennessee.

This past Friday, July 5, members of the Costner clan found themselves front and center at the popular Celebrating Cosby: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow events at the Cosby Campground Amphitheatre in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

It’s the first of July, the time of year when plans start falling into place for the Newport Plain Talk’s annual special edition Smoky Mountain Homeplace.

The other day the conversation turned to summer camps, and boy, did that bring back a flood of memories.

I love holidays and especially the pomp and pageantry that come with them.

It’s that time of year again when the Cosby Junior Beta Club members hit the road for their annual trip.

Warmer weather brings all sorts of get-togethers, what with church homecomings, class reunions, and club picnics.

Cocke County lost a priceless bit of history recently when a tree fell over near the golf course.

Members of the William Cocke Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution honored 14 students from fourteen Cocke and Jefferson County elementary schools recently for their qualities of good citizenship. They are as follows:

It’s a year of celebration for the East Tennessee Baptist Association.

To me, one of the greatest pleasures in researching my family tree is finding a personal story about a particular ancestor.

I’ve never met a century-old newspaper I didn’t like.

It’s official.

Last Sunday, like millions of others, I remained glued to my television and watched with joy as Tiger Woods claimed his fifth Masters title in Augusta.

The past year has brought significant milestones to Rev. James Suggs, pastor of Cave Hill Baptist Church.

It’s been over 50 years since the publication of the blockbuster novel Christy by Catherine Marshall.

The visit of an American President, Vice-President, First Lady, and/or other dignitary today calls for hours of strategic planning, security clearances, and down-to-the-minute itineraries, complete with Secret Service details, sharpshooters, and press.

The name “Leonard” appears many times in the two hundred-plus years the Huff family has lived in what would become Cocke County, Tennessee. Three Huff brothers, John, Peter, and Joseph, settled in the Del Rio, Bybee, and Cosby communities respectively. Each branch of the family tells the sto…

Today’s column is one of several articles that had to be omitted from Let the Stories Be Told: Part III, because of space restrictions.

Judy McGaha’s dreams of saving Laurel Springs Primitive Baptist Church from the ravages of time took a giant step forward this week when Lindsay Crockett, East Tennessee Development District’s Historic Preservation/Housing Planner, pronounced, “The odds are pretty good.”

One’s family history is composed of countless stories.

Have you ever played a game in which you’re asked, “If you could have a conversation with any deceased person, who would it be and why?

Did you enjoy Let The Stories Be Told – Part II?

Most readers know about the Swaggerty Fort, one of Cocke County’s most historic structures. It stands alongside the old Hwy. 321 between Parrottsville and Greeneville. A state historical marker identifies it in the following way:

The tragic fire this past Wednesday that destroyed Beechwood Hall, one of Cocke County’s oldest dwellings, left a void in our local history.

It won’t be long before the Newport Plain Talk publishes Let the Stories Be Told – Part II. The special collection of tales handed down from generation to generation by local families will appear at the end of January and promises to be filled with more fascinating stories, some dating back …

I’ve been working on my family’s history for over half a century now and I’m still learning.

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions.