What local parents need to know about the Tik Tok Benadryl Challenge

It seems harmless but too much of the over the counter medicine can lead to disastrous results. Parents should stay alert to the Tik Tok Benadryl Challenge, local health officials say. {File Photo}

You’d think they’d know better but sometimes teenage brains don’t work the way we think they should. Health officials warn parents about a another teen challenge that could end in disastrous result, the Tik Tok Benadryl Challenge.

The Benadryl Challege on the social media app started circulating several weeks ago. In this new “challenge,” teens encourage each other to take a hallucinating inducing dose of Benadryl while filming their experience.

It’s a dangerous gamble said local health officials. While taking too much of the popular allergy medication can induce hallucinations, it’s also easy to cross over into a medication overdose that can cause long term health effects like coma, or even death, health officials said. Other possible side effects are heart attack, seizure, and stroke, which can lead to permanent brain damage.

Health officials say if you suspect your teen has taken too much Benadryl the first thing you should do is call 9-1-1 because it’s not something that can be treated at home. It requires emergency care. It’s also important to proactively talk to teens about peer pressure and things like social media challenges. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Moore County … covering Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, the Lynchburg Music Fest, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}

Local Farmers: Required Beef Quality Assurance classes held Sept. 12-15

If you need to attend a Beef Quality Assurance class to qualify for state ag grant dollars, one will be held in Franklin County on September 12-15. {File Photo}

FRANKLIN COUNTY — Attention Moore County cattle farmers: Planning on applying for state agricultural grant dollars? Then you’ll need to plan to attend one of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) classes planned in Franklin County next week.

The two-hour class covers cattle management and care and is sponsored by the Tennessee Cattle,man’s Association. BQA classes are volunteer based but must be completed to qualify for state dollars.

The annual Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) application period is October 1-7 and grant seekers must complete a BQA class to qualify.

Th state established TAEP in 2005 to provide cost share dollars to agricultural producers in the state. It’s goal is to invest in both Tennessee farms and their communities. Over the past 15 years, the state program invested more than $185 million in over 60,000 Tennessee farmers. On average each dollar invested generates $6.09 in local economies, according to the state.

Classes will be held at the UT/TSU Extension Office in Winchester on September 12 at 8 a.m., September 14 at 9 a.m., and September 15 at both 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. UT Extension will limit class size to 15 participants for each class so reserving your spot is important. To RSVP, call 931-967-2741. According to state ag officials, online classes are also available.

Questions? Contact Moore County Extension’s Larry Moorehead at lmooreh1@utk.edu.

Reporting changes cause COVID data confusion

{Graphic Provided by the TN Department of Health}

STATE NEWS — Today the Tennessee Department of Health released new numbers based on changed modeling and it’s causing confusion with both state and county leaders as well as media across the state. The TDH is reminding residents to consider case trends over several days and not just the daily COVID counts as it makes adjustments to the way it monitors cases counts in the state.

On Thursday, the afternoon COVID numbers supplied by the state showed Moore County’s COVID-19 case count jumped by 18 from 97 to 115. That large fluctuation is just a correction to the numbers, state officials explain.

The Tennessee Department of Health made changes to the way COVID-19 data is reported today. For example, the state will no longer provide numbers for “recovered” cases and instead TDH will report the number of “Inactive/Recovered” cases. This will include cases who are 14 days or more beyond their illness onset date (or for asymptomatic individuals, their specimen collection date) and who are not deceased.

The state also reported the there are an approximate 1,700 cases for whom the county of residence needs to be corrected and that correction will happen all at once.

They also explained that occasionally a commercial laboratory will experience issues with sending results electronically. When this occurs and then gets resolved, TDH uploads a batch correction as quickly as possible but those corrections sometimes result in a large fluctuation in the daily numbers.

It’s unclear which (if any) of these changes caused the big jump in Moore County numbers.

It’s also important to note that Moore County’s active case count, according to the state, went from 36 to just 15 even though the total increase overnight was 18 cases. Clearly THD new reporting parameters is experiencing growing pains. The Lynchburg Times will continue to closely monitor these number over the next several days. •

Local book club “heads West” with September pick

The MCPL’s Brown Bag Book Club picked *The Outcasts* by Kathleen Kent as their September read. {Graphic Provided}

EVENTS — The Moore County Public Library Brown Bag Book Club picked a historical fiction for their September read. The local book club will read The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent this month.

The Dallas-based author has authored three best-selling, historical novels including The Heretic’s Daughter, The Traitor’s Wife, and this novel. She say she was inspired to write by reading a lot of Dickens, Poe and James Michener as a child.

Here’s the summary provided by the publisher:

It’s the 19th century on the Gulf Coast, a time of opportunity and lawlessness. After escaping the Texas brothel where she’d been a virtual prisoner, Lucinda Carter heads for Middle Bayou to meet her lover, who has a plan to make them both rich, chasing rumors of a pirate’s buried treasure.

Meanwhile, Nate Cannon, a young Texas policeman with a pure heart and a strong sense of justice, is on the hunt for a ruthless killer named McGill who has claimed the lives of men, women, and even children across the frontier.

Who – if anyone – will survive when their paths finally cross? As Lucinda and Nate’s stories converge, guns are drawn, debts are paid, and Kathleen Kent delivers an unforgettable portrait of a woman who will stop at nothing to make a new life for herself.

Normally the book club meets each Friday at 1 p.m. but there will be no meeting this Friday, September 11. The group ends and begins a new book on the last Friday of each month, so they will discuss The Outcasts on both September 18 and 25.

For more information, visit the Moore County Public Library’s Facebook page or call them at 931-759-7285. •

Master Distiller Jeff Arnett leaving Jack Daniel’s

After 20 years with Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Jeff Arnett is stepping down from his position. No official word yet on what’s next for the distillery’s seventh master distiller or who will replace him. {Photo Credit: Jack Daniel’s Distillery}

Jack Daniel’s announced Thursday morning that following a 20-year career at the distillery – including the last 12 years as master distiller – Jeff Arnett was stepping down from his position with the company. According to sources, employees were informed via a company wide email on Wednesday.

Arnett took over the position in April 2008 and was the distillery’s seventh master distiller following a long line of whiskey makers including Jess Motlow, Lem Tolley, Jess Gamble, Frank Bobo, and Jimmy Bedford. Recently, the distillery’s also recognized that its founder Jasper Newton Daniel named a freed slave, Nathan Nearest Green, as his first master distiller.

As Master Distiller, Arnett was responsible for the overall whiskey-making operations in Lynchburg. Prior to that position, he oversaw quality control and the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel program. Throughout his time at the distillery, he worked in a variety of capacities including warehousing, maturation, distillation, charcoal mellowing management, barrel quality and bottling, and enjoyed a long tenure on the Master Tasters’ panel. He also traveled the world as a brand ambassador for the distillery.

“When Jeff became the master distiller, we said that he would carry on the long tradition of folks who have made the world’s best whiskey for more than 150 years, and that’s exactly what he’s done,” said Jack Daniel Distillery SVP and General Manager Larry Combs. “He has worked tirelessly on behalf of the distillery and brought with him the creativity and the expertise that makes Jack Daniel’s the most valuable whiskey brand in the world. We thank him for his leadership not only at Jack Daniel’s but in the whiskey industry and wish him all the best.”

According to a press release from the distillery, they will name Arnett’s replacement sometime in the next few weeks. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}

Tourism up and COVID counts down several weeks after Jack tours resume

According to numbers provided by both Jack Daniel’s and the Tennessee Department of Health, tourism number are up in Moore County since the Visitor’s Center resumed public tours while active COVID cases are trending down. {Photo Courtesy of Jack Daniel’s Distillery}

LOCAL NEWS — Maybe it’s too soon to tell, but the re-opening of Jack Daniel’s Distillery to public tours doesn’t appear to be causing a local spike in COVID-19 numbers.

In early August, the distillery quietly resumed public tours at the Visitor’s Center and re-opened both the Hardware and General Store on the square and Miss Mary Bobo’s Restaurant, though all three modified things a bit. Masks are required. Hand sanitizer is at the ready, and in order to encourage social distancing, the number of folks allowed in all three at one times has been greatly reduced.

So we wondered, what effect (if any) is this having on both local COVID numbers and the many local business that cater to tourism in Lynchburg.

Weekly COVID numbers trend down in Lynchburg

Despite the fact that Jack Daniel’s draws tourist from not only around the state but around the world, the weekly numbers reported by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) seem to be trending down. Just prior to the reopening, Moore County gained 17 new COVID cases for the week ending August 7. Since then, that number has been trending down. For the week ending August 14, there were 13 new cases, 11 new cases the following week, and just eight new case the final week in August.

As of Wednesday’s 2 p.m. COVID numbers provided by the TDH, there were just 36 active cases in Moore County — a decrease from the previous week.

Small businesses get bump but still struggle

We spoke to three historic district small businesses recently and all three reported seeing a small increase in foot traffic but numbers that were no where near 2019.

“Last year on this day, I was $500,000 in sales above my sales today,” one small business owner said. “The COVID situation has really impacted our businesses.”

Another local business manager said she’d noticed a slight difference but no major increase in foot traffic since tours resumed. In part, she attributed this to the fact that the Visitor’s Center stopped utilizing buses on tours as a COVID 19 precaution. This means the distillery is not currently dropping off tourists on the Lynchburg Square as the last part of its public tour.

“We’ve seen a slight increase,” she said. “But it hasn’t been huge.”

Another business owner estimated that her business was up by about 25 percent since tours resumed.

“We would love for things to be back to ‘normal’, but we are optimistic that things will get better,” she said.

Situation that’s constantly evolving and monitored

Distillery officials say the active case counts and trends are something they are monitoring weekly.

“In terms of the COVID numbers, we evaluate these on a weekly basis as well as being informed anytime there is a new case,” Jack Daniel’s senior leadership told us. “Our HR team is responsible for tracking and contact tracing. This team includes our onsite nurse who serves as point for this work. We have a Homeplace review every Friday and this is one of the factors considered. Ultimately, senior leadership will make the decision if we adjust any operations in response.”

Jack Daniel’s say they would not hesitate to shutdown public tours again if that’s what the data suggested was in the best interest of both the distillery and the community but at the moment the numbers seem to be trending down. When we asked them what impact (if any) resumption of tours had had on local COVID numbers, they responded with a confident, “none.”

“In terms of resumption of tours impacting COVID cases in Moore County, we are confident it is none,” distillery officials told us. “The daily cases have dropped considerably.”

Distillery officials say they believe the summer spike was completely driven by the summer vacation season.

This graphs provided by Jack Daniel’s Distillery shows that there has been no real spike in new COVID-19 cases in Moore County since the Visitor’s Center re-opened to public (if modified) public tours in early August. {Graphics Provided}

“Daily guest count continues to climb as COVID cases have dropped back to near zero as vacation season wrapped up.”

Officials say the next trend they’ll monitor will be the impact of return to school.” •

{The Lynchburg Times is an independently owned and operated newspaper that publishes new stories every morning. Covering Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}

Even with social distance precautions, charm unchanged at Miss Mary Bobo’s Restaurant

Miss Mary Bobo’s Restaurant sits inside a historic Greek Revival home that originates back to a time before even the distillery existed. It’s dining with a slice of southern culture served with a side of local history. {*Lynchburg Times* Photo}

Written by Tabitha Evans Moore | Editor & Publisher

In ordinary times, lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s Restaurant in Lynchburg isn’t just a meal … it’s a slice of southern culture served with a side of local history. Diners pass heaping platters of Lynchburg favorites around large tables, family-style, as local hostesses regale with tales about Jack Daniel, the Motlow family, and Miss Mary Bobo herself.

In March, the local restaurant closed it’s doors along with public tours at the distillery and the Lynchburg Hardware and General Store due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Ever mindful of not only its local but also global interest, Jack Daniel’s parent company, Brown-Forman, decided to shut down the marketing side of the distillery while continuing to make whiskey in the hollow — but with a few extra precautions.

In July, Miss Mary Bobo’s re-opened but with some social distanced changes to make sure everyone – from its local staff to its guest from Lynchburg Tennessee, the U.S., and around world – stayed safe. You’ll get your temperature checked at the door. Masks are available for anyone that doesn’t already have one and hand sanitizer is at the ready. The long, family style tables are gone, replaced by smaller, antique tables and chair. Seating is a bit more limited, so you’ll probably want to make a reservation.

Today things are a little different … but just as charming.

A slice of local history

Miss Mary Bobo’s exists as one part restaurant and one part museum of Jack Daniel’s storied history in the community. Framed copies of Arnold Worldwide’s famous Postcard from Lynchburg ad campaign grace multiple walls along with historic photos. It’s one of the longest-running advertising campaigns in history featuring both local characters like Mayor Bonnie Lewis and famous faces like Frank Sinatra and Queen Victoria.

Even the restaurant itself is a slice of local history, as it existed well before Jack Daniel licensed his now famous distillery in the hollow in 1866. Originally built in 1820 around a natural spring that still exists on the property, the two story Greek Revival building possesses a certain unmistakable charm.

Miss Mary, her husband, and two children bought the home from the Salmon family in early 1900 and turned the unused bedrooms into rooms for rent. One of her most famous (and most frequent) boarders was Tom Motlow, Lem Motlow’s younger brother and the founder of Farmer’s Bank. He boarded at Miss Mary’s for more than 40 years until he died at the age of 96.

Miss Mary continued to host boarders until 1970 and continued to oversee the kitchen right up until her death in June 1983 just one month shy of her 102 birthday. Jack Daniel’s Distillery bought the house soon after and re-opened it as a public restaurant in May 1984.

Southern charm and social distancing

So what’s it’s like to eat at Miss Mary Bobo’s without storytellers at the head of each table. We decided to grab a reader, Jill Estfon, the winner of our Lunch with the Editor contest and find out.

For the time being, guests dine at smaller, more intimate tables spaced further apart. Instead of family-style presentation, one of Miss Mary’s scholarships students serves each table. If you aren’t familiar, the restaurant boasts a long history of supporting Moore County students. Each scholarship student is a MCHS graduate attending Motlow State Community College while Jack Daniel’s provides the work experience, books, and labs fees.

The service is friendly, attentive, and completely unobtrusive. Servers wear masks for guests protection. The tables, each adorned with fresh flowers grown by Miss Mary’s Bobo’s manager Debbie Baxter, still feel like Sunday morning.

During our visit, Jill and I were seated in the far left corner of the Evans Room. It didn’t take us long to strike up a conversation with Chris visiting from Salt Lake City across the room. It seems whether hostesses are seated at the head of the table or not the restaurant still inspires meeting and mingling … even at a distance.

“I love the pace and the ability to just sit and enjoy a meal,” he said.

A taste of Lynchburg

Though the menu changes often, crispy, southern-style fried chicken is often on it. Diners choose from a meat, and two or three sides. All meals come with bread and iced tea. {Photo Credit: Laura Zimbrick for Miss Mary Bobo’s}

Miss Mary’s menu changes frequently and features two meats, five sides to choose from, fresh-baked bread, and iced tea. Dessert is optional. All meals are created by a culinary team headed by Jack Daniel’s great great-grand nephew, Chris Dickey. Entrees include items like Boarding House Meatloaf, Southern Fried Chicken, Chicken Pastry, Fried Catfish, and Country-Style BBQ Ribs. On our visit, Jill enjoyed the meatloaf while I dug into the fried chicken.

“The meatloaf tastes super moist with a tangy, spicy bit of heat,” Jill said.

You can get a taste of our famous local product at the distillery. You can also get a southern-inspired taste at Miss Mary Bobo’s. The Lynchburg Candied Apples made with a touch a Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is a must if you want the full Lynchburg experience.

Other sides include seasoned greens, fried okra, broccoli rice casserole, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and, of course, every meal is served with a fresh-baked biscuit or cornbread.

Our *Lunch with Editor* winner, Jill Estfon, raved about Miss Mary Bobo’s fudge pie recipe. “This is on par with what my grandmother made,” she said. {*Lynchburg Times* Photo}

For dessert, Jill and I both enjoyed the Fudge Pie topped with homemade whipped cream.

“My grandmother set a high bar,” Jill said. “This fudge pie is on par with what my grandmother, Elizabeth Smith, used to make.”

Other featured desserts include chess, pecan, oatmeal, or buttermilk pies.

Miss Mary Bobo’s Restaurant is located just off the historic Lynchburg Square at 295 Main Street. Seatings are generally available every 15 minutes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday but reservations are highly recommended and can be made at 931-759-7394.

They also boast an impressive gift shop perfect for a little early Christmas shopping. For more information, check out their Facebook page or visit the Jack Daniel’s website. •

Raiders face first test at Cornersville on Friday

The MCHS Raiders prepare for their first conference match up this week in Cornersville. The away game kicks off at 7 p.m. {Photo Courtesy of the Moore County Sports Network}

SPORTS — If you’ve been paying attention so far this season, you’ve noticed that new Head Coach Kris White is well on his way to creating a memorable season for his 2020 Raider team. He has managed to lure a host of athletes from other sports to play football. The MCHS roster is now packed with not only returning stars from last year but also starters from the basketball and baseball teams plus a class of freshman talent who won the state middle school championship last year.

Players are excited to play for Coach White and his assistants, TJ Christian, Manny Buchanan, Randy Morey, Wes Black, and Schuvaud Whitaker. In fact, just last week the Raiders added three new players: Noah Blankenship, Will Baker, and Landon Lavergne.

So far this season, MCHS has stacked up two early season non-conference home wins: a 15-0 victory over Cascade and a 41-8 shellacking of Community. On Friday, they travel to Cornersville for their first conference match up against a rival with a winning streak and an eye on the playoff.

The Bulldogs beat Community 36-6 at home on August 21 and glided past Eagleville 35-13 in Cornersville last week.

So what’s the trick to maintaining their winning streak?

The Raider spread offense has played smart, consistent football so far this year but the Bulldogs’ hard-hitting defense isn’t likely to just lay down. The Raiders will need execution on both the rushing and passing side of the offense to keep the Cornersville D on it’s heels.

Led by Bulldog left-handed QB Jackson Farler the Cornersville offense clicks on several fronts including tight end Eli Welch, who is both big and fast, as well as, Alex Hilliard, who ran for 106 yards against Community. They are helped by a O-line led by Brady Callahan and Cason Warner that does not yield.

Friday night’s game could end up being the battle of the safeties. Cornersville boast two ball hawks protecting it backfield. But Moore County boasts it’s own defensive weapons — the White brothers. Freshman free safety Dawson White and senior strong safety Kaden White have combined for 22 tackles and an interception through two games.

If they can keep the Raiders from being burning by the long pass, the defensive line led by Donavin Pearson (20 total tackles, 10 solo tackles) and Tyler Smith (17 total tackles, 8 solo tackles) can handle the inside run game, hopefully preventing the dynamic Cornersville offense from gaining momentum.

The Raiders played mistake football against Community with zero fumbles and zero interceptions. It’s a trend that will need to continue for the Raiders to come back to Lynchburg with a W on Friday night. Cornersville has won the past three straight match ups.

Coach White says that Cornersville will be returning numerous players including their QB and several defensive players.

“We’ll have to be able to stop the run,” he says. “Based on film through two games, they like to run the ball and do so almost 80 percent of the time,” he said.

Coach White also said that one of the keys to success will be for Moore County’s players not to get rattled by a loud away game.

“They have a DJ who plays music in between plays. It’s loud,” Coach White says. “It’s an awesome game atmosphere but one that can’t serve as a distraction.”

The game kicks off in Cornersville at 7 p.m. If you can’t travel to the game, it will be broadcast live on Raider Country 105.1 and 95.5 FM, on the NFHS Network, or The Lynchburg Times will post live score updates on our Facebook page.

Lynchburg Music Fest announces Justin Moore as it’s final headliner

Igniter Productions announced Saturday that Big Machine Records performer Justin Moore will headline the Lynchburg Music Fest on Saturday. The three-day festival is planned for October 2-4. {Photo Provided}

LOCAL EVENTS — On Saturday, the Lynchburg Music Fest announced Justin Moore as the final of its headliners for the three-day music festival planned for October 2-4. Moore will headline of Saturday. Josh Turner will headline on Friday night and Kip Moore will headline on Sunday night.

Igniter Productions, the events promoter, announced months ago that the festival would expand to three days and move to a new venue in its second year. This year’s three-day festival will take place in “Music Hollow” a sprawling, rural farm located near Louse Creek Road in Mulberry.

Arkansas Native Justin Moore should be a familiar name to country music fans. He’s produced five studio albums and now performs under the umbrella of Toby Keith’s Big Machine Records. He’s charted 16 times since his self titled debut in 2009 including hits like “Small Town USA”, “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away.” and “You Look Like I Need a Drink.”

He also won the Academy of Country Music Awards New Artist of the Year in 2014.

Moore plays to the rowdy kids with a good heart from a small town crowd and is a perfect fit for a music festival in the most famous small town in America.

Igniter has not announced the complete 2020 lineup but promises those details are coming soon. For more information, visit their social media pages. To buy tickets to this years event, visit the Lynchburg Music Fest website.

TWRA: Dove season opens September 1

Dove season is a favorite among Moore County hunters. The season kicks off on September 1. {File Photo}

September means many things to many people … cooler nights, the kick off to college football, county fairs, and to area hunters, the beginning of dove season – one of the state of Tennessee’s long-standing outdoor sports traditions. The first segment of Tennessee dove season open on Tuesday, September 1 and closes on Monday, September 28.

According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA), mourning doves are a popular game bird and one of the most widely distributed and abundant birds in North America. More mourning doves are harvested than all other migratory bird species combined in 39 of the continental states. In Tennessee, an estimated 15,500 hunters harvested approximately 277,000 mourning doves last year.

Moore County exists in Region 2 with wildlife managed dove fields located at Pickett Farm in Franklin County and the William’s Farm in Lincoln County. For a complete list of TRWA managed fields, click here.

The TWRA reminds dove hunters that it’s illegal to hunt on a baited field – meaning no additional grain, salt, or other feed has been added to the field to attract doves. To learn more about baited field regulations, click here. Hunter will also need need a state permit to harvest birds.

The second dove hunting segment will take place October 10 through November 1 and the third and final will happen December 8 through January 15. For more dove hunting info, visit the state’s migratory bird page but clicking here. •