This is the weekend of the annual Christmas at Shakertown show and sale of Christmas crafts and antiques at South Union. Those attending from 7-8 p.m. tonight will get first pick of the items offered for sale. Exhibitors are among the area's best and participate by invitation only. Some potential vendors wait years to be accepted. Those attending will also hear performances by the South Union Quartet and enjoy the dessert and coffee bar. The fee is $10 and reservations are required at 542-4167 or 800-811-8379.
Tomorrow, Saturday, the hours of Chritmas at Shakertown are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The admittance fee is a monetary donation or canned food donations for local families in need.
This is the fifth year that Turner Valley Crafts will be a vendor at Shakertown. Elaine and Lindsay have created some wonderful items for sale, most of them from gourds that they grew on the farm. Come see the Crhistmas and winter scenes inside the large African kettle gourds and the ornaments and jewelry painted on miniature gourds.
Here are some other events coming up as Christmas nears:
Saturday, Dec. 5
Christmas on the Square in Adairville
Christmas on the Square will be held in Adairville today. Caroling will begin at 6 p.m. The park in the middle of the square has been remodeled in the past several months.
Christmas at the Bibb House
The Logan County Garden Club will serve as hosts at an open house at the historic Bibb House on Eighth and Winter streets in Russellville from 3-5 p.m Those attending can view the home and learn more about Garden Club activities.
Barn dance at Schochoh
For the third straight year, the Schochoh Christmas Barn Dance will be held at the Schochoh Community Center the night before the parade. Clay Bilyeu will provide the entertainment. Admission is free and concessions will be available.
Sunday, Dec. 6
Schochoh Christmas Parade
The always popular Schochoh Christmas Parade is always held the first Sunday afternoon in December. It begins at 2 p.m. in downtown Schochoh.
Auburn Christmas Tour of Homes
The annual Christmas Tour of Homes in Auburn will be held from 2:30-5:30 p.m. The Auburn Museum will be one of the stops along with the homes of Kay and Krista Isenberg on Blakey Street, Eloise and the late Vernon Hadden on Maple Street, and the home of Mr. and Mrs. Donald McPherson on Stonewall Drive. Tickets are $10 for those over 12.
Monday, Dec. 7
Adairville Home Decoration Contest
Judging for the annual Adairville Home Decoration Contest will be held tonight.
Friday, Dec. 11
Farmers' Market Craft Show
The annual Farmers' Market Craft Show will be held at the UK Ag Extension Complex in the building attached to the Farmers' Market location. It will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. A free soup lunch will be offered for customers. For information, contact Wanda Grayson at 726-8816.
Saturday, Dec. 12
The annual Farmers' Market Craft Show will be held at the UK Ag Extension Complex in the building attached to the Farmers' Market location. It will be from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. today. A free soup lunch will be offered for customers.
Lewisburg Christmas Parade
The Lewisburg Christmas Parade will be held today.
Live nativity scene in Adairville
A live nativity scene will be on display in the Adairville Square Park today with caroling at 6 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 13
Auburn Christmas Parade
The annual Auburn Christmas Parade will begin at 2 p.m. A jubilee will be held downtown afterwards.
Tuesday, Dec. 15
Russellville Home Decorating Contest
The annual home decorating contest will be held in Russellville tonight. Any city resident who would like to have a home decorated should notify Russellville Parks and Recreation at 726-5033.
Friday, Dec. 18
Final day of classes
This is the final day of classes in the Logan County and Russellville school systems for 2009. Classes will resume
Saturday, Dec. 19
Caroling in Adairville Park
For the third straight Saturday, caroling will be held on the Adairville Public Square, beginning at 6 p.m.
The 54th Annual Holiday Open House will be held in downtown Russellville today, Sunday, Nov. 22 from 1-5 p.m. The trolley will be picking up and dropping off shoppers, originating at the 4th Street Theater. Main Street Russellville Manager Darlene Gooch is coordinating this.
One of the places that should attract a lot of attention is at the Recreation Center (the old armory) on Winter Street next to the post office. That's where the ninth annual Christmas in November will be in its second day. Everything on sale is hand-made, not mail-order resale items.
You can find hand-painted gourds made into lamps, ornaments and wreaths. They are from Elaine and Lindsay Turner at Turner Valley Produce. Turner Valley will also have baked pumkin bread for sale Sunday and will be taking orders for pumpkin and apple treats and desserts for Thanksgiving during the show today and at the home base, 726-3983, all week. We still have plenty of pumpkins if you need some for decorations or to make your own pumpkins goodies from scratch. The Tennessean this week said there is a national shortage of pumpkins, but that's not true here.
Also available at the craft show are lots of jewelry, knitting materials and knitted items, soaps and lotions, handmade purses, signs and sayings, and lots of hand-painted items
The craft show runs from 1-5 p.m.
A Community Thanksgiving Service will begin at 6 p.m. at Second Baptist Church, sponsored by the Logan County Ministerial Association. Musical presentations, scripture reading and worship will be involved. Any donations will be given to Good Samaritan.
On Tuesday, Auburn Baptist Church will be the site of the Auburn Community Thanksgiving Service, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The church's pastor, Brother Barry Corder, will be the speaker. All attending are asked to bring a canned food item for the Auburn Baptist Food Pantry.
Then on Wednesday, again this year, the public is invited to a free Thanksgiving meal at Crittenden Drive Church of Christ from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. No reservation is needed. Anyone who would like meals delivered to their homes can let the church office know in advance at 726-6583. Worship will follow at 7 p.m. for those who would like to attend.
Adairville has a Thanksgiving dinner giveaway planned for Thursday.
A Community Dinner will be offered at Cardinal Cafe in Adairville. This dinner is for those who have no place to go for Thanksgiving or can’t afford a meal. For more information, call Vicki at 539-2233.A multi-church project is involved in preparing the annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner in Russellville on Thanksgiving Day. It's an outreach to shut-ins, elderly or anyone else in need. Deliveries will be made from 10:30 a.m. to noon out of the United Methodist Temple. Dinner will be served from 1-3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Walnut Grove Baptist Church is partnering in the project.
Anyone who wants to be included or knows someone who needs Thanksgiving dinner can leave a name, address, phone number and how many are in the household on an answering service at 270-847-8278 or at First Presbyterian Church at 726-6027. This can also be done by emailing mealsofthanksgivign@live.com.
Donations still needed: Turkeys, green beans/green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, dressing, pumpkin pie and desserts are requested.
Volunteers are needed for setting up, peeling and cooking potatoes, delivering food and clean up at the Methodist Temple and First Presbyterian. A turkey cutting party will be held at First Presbyterian on Tuesday, beginning at 6 p.m. It is requested for workers to bring as many electric knives as possible. (Volunteers are needed.) On Wednesday at 9 a.m. they will be preparing and cooking the dressing and decorating tables. (Volunteers are needed.)
Amy Munday, director of Impact Internation Ministreis, says, "There are many different areas and time frames in which to volunteer this Thanksgiving holiday. All volunteers and contributions are truly appreciated!
"This is such a perfect opportunity to reach past boundaries that usually keep the brothers and sisters of Christ divided! Someone in this community needs your help this holiday, whether it is through your hands, your giving and/or your prayers. I pray that you all will consider reaching out this Thanksgiving with our minds renewed and our spirits refreshed. Let’s reach out with the heart of Jesus and make an impact on God’s Kingdom that will bring Him glory!"
Using a ball-control rushing attack and timely passing, the Russellville Panthers won their fifth straigh Clash of the Cats on Halloween night at Rhea Stadium by a 28-13 count.
Coach John Myers' team carried the ball on 47 of its 53 offensive snaps. The Panthers had four backs to gain 30 or more yards on the way to 211 rushing yards. Quarterback D.J. Quarles passed only six times, completing half of his aerials. Two of them, however, accounted for 81 yards. All four Panther touchdowns came on running plays.
The Panthers finished with 301 yards total offense.
The Cougars ran the ball just 23 times. They passed almost half of the time, putting the ball in the air on 20 plays. The rushing plays produced 95 yards while junior quarterback John Logan Dockins hit 8 of his 19 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. The twentieth pass involved trickery, with halfback/wide receiver Thomas Washington trying to connect with Dockins, but the play took too long to materialize and Washington threw high over the spot where Dockins was standing.
The emphasis on the ground game also allowed the Panthers to control the clock late in the game. Although Logan was on offense 30 seconds longer than the home team in a balanced first half, Russellville was in charge in the second half, holding possession 16 minutes and 17 seconds as compared to the Cougars' 7:43. Russellville ran 30 offensive plays in the second half and Logan half that many at 15.
One reason for that disparity was a quick score by the Cougars that gave the visitors a glimmer of hope in the fourth quarter. After a four-plus minute RHS drive finished on a quarterback sneak by Quarles, and Browning Smith's fourth successful conversion kick made it 28-7 with 4:22 remaining in the game, Logan struck quickly, needing just 21 seconds to cut the lead by six.
After Corey Jones' 19-yard kickoff return, Dockins found Reuben Rawlings-Watson along the sideline. Rawlings-Watson broke a tackle and sped for a 51-yard touchdown. Corey Jones attempted a pass on the conversion, but it was intercepted.
Logan tried an onside kick by Justin Rone, but Quarles downed it at his 49. Then he guided his team to four minutes of ball control, never giving the ball back to the Cougars.
The first quarter gave no indication that this would be one of the more competitive Cat Clashes in the series. Russellville led 14-0 with 1:04 remaining in the quarter. In fact, the first action of the game made it seem the Panthers would dominate.
Myers was determined not to let Washington-- one of the state's top tracksters-- touch the ball on kickoffs. Smith kicked the ball hard and low toward the south sideline. It bounced off Cougar lineman Jeremy Rager's chest and was recovered by the Panthers' ever-present Damien Elam at the Cougar 47.
The Panthers picked up three first downs and a touchdown on a 10-rush, 47-yard, 5:35 drive that concluded with Devonta Bryant scoring on a three-yard sweep to the left. Smith's kicks were deadly accurate all night.
Logan moved the ball on its first possession. Senior Nathan Oberhausen ran for a 16-yard first down, and classmate Jonathan Barbee broke a tackle to give his team four more downs on a fourth and two at the Panther 46. Three incomplete passes in the next four drives ended that possession, however, and gave the Panthers their second great starting field position at their 40.
Russellville needed only four plays to cover the 60 yards. Bryant ran for nine yards, and then Quarles hit his own version of a quick Washington-- sophomore Seth-- with a 44-yard bomb to the LCHS seven. Bryant scored from five yards out on a sweep identical to his first scoring sprint. Smith made it 14-0 with 1:04 in the first.
Logan then mounted its only extended scoring drive of the game to stop the Panther onslaught. After Oberhausen returned the kickoff 23 yards to midfield, Thomas Washington tried a sweep. As was the case often during the game, Bryant caught him from behind and threw him for a four-yard loss. An official ruled, however, that the tackle involved an illegal "horse collar," and Logan had a first down at the RHS 36 instead of a second-and-14 at its own 45.
That appeared to have been wasted when Barbee ran for no gain before Josh Cates, Layton Bush and Alex Hardin sacked Dockins for a five-yard loss. Cates and Dudley Bouldin dropped Dockins down for no gain on third down. The Cougars went into punt formation with three backs in front of the punter. The snap, however, went to Dockins, who hit Rawlings-Watkins up the middle for a beautiful 41-yard touchdown pass. Diego Garcia's conversion kick cut the Panthers' lead to 14-7 with 10 minutes left in the half.
Phillip Stratton's kickoff was fielded by Victor Hampton just in front of the goal line, and Hampton's 45-yard sprint gave the Panthers their third straight super field position at the 46. The Cougar defense suddenly appeared and forced the Panthers into the game's first punt. Logan Anderson's pulling the scrambling Quarles down played a big role in that change of possession.
The Cougars appeared to be on the verge of driving for the tying tochdown. Barbee ran 10 yards for a first down. Dockins hit Rawlings-Watson on a 5-yard pass for another. A personal foul on the Panthers produced a third first down. Dockins hit Rawlings-Watson on a 35-yard pass to the one, but that was nullfied because Dockins had crossed the line of scrimmage before he released the pass.
On two impressive plays beginning with a third and 19 at the 45, Dockins hit consecutive passes to Rawlings-Watson and Twin Lancaster for a few more inches than the team needed for another first down. The drive stalled there, though, on three consecutive incomplete paases.
Russellville got an 18-yard run from Quarles when he was almost sacked by Oberhausen, but the drive ended when the Panthers failed on a fake punt of their own.
Logan took over on the RHS 42 with 12.1 seconds remaining in the half. They had already used up their timeouts. On second down, Dockins and Lancaster teamed for a 36-yard pass, but time expired with the Cougars on the Logan six.
The Panthers moved the ball to start the second half, highlighted by a 37-yard catch and run on a Quarles-to-Elam combination. That drive ended on a fourth-and-six play at the Cougar 27 when Todd Haley broke up Quarles' pass.
Any hopes of scoring on their next possession ended for the Cougars when Thomas Washington was thrown for a seven-yard loss and the ball scooted loose. The official ruled he was down before the fumble, but the players apparently didn't hear his whistle. Players from both teams kept jumping on the ball, and a Cougar was whistled for a personal foul along the way. A play that had begun on the 45 cost Logan 22 yards and a down.
Russellville then gave itself breathing room with a 9-play, 65-yard drive that ended on Bryant's third touchdown sweep to the left. Smith's kick made it 21-7 with 1:25 in the third.
The Cougars mounted one more drive. Barbee had runs of 15 and 11 yards, and Oberhausen ran 13 yards for a third first down. Facing a fourth-and-six situation at the RHS seven, Dockins tried to hit Rawlings-Watson for a touchdown. But Bryant, who may have put together the best game of anyone on either team with offense and defense combined, intercepted the pass and returned it 27 yards.
That was the starting place for the Panthers' fourth scoring drive. A 34-yard sprint by Elam and three runs by Kevin Temple for 20 yards set up Quarles' one-yard keeper.
Elam finished with 70 yards on 12 carries, and Bryant was right behind with 67 yards on 15 tries. Temple added 39 and Quarles 30 on nine carries each. Quarles was 3 of 6 for 90 yards. Elam made two of the catches for 46 yards and Seth Washington had the other 44-yard catch. The Panthers gained 13 first downs, two more than the Cougars.
Of Dockins' eight completions. Rawlings-Watson hauled in four for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Lancaster had 48 yards on three receptions with Washington getting the other. Barbee led Cougar rushers with 53 yards on 8 carries. Oberhausen averaged over eight yards per carry with 33 yards on four tries, and Washington gained 14 yards on seven carries. The Cougars had 266 yards total offense.
The Class 3A district champion Panthers (6-4) will be home again next Friday against winless Webster County as the playoffs begin. Logan (4-6) will go to Hopkins County Central to start action in the Class 4A playoffs.
Logan & Beyond
Before the game, seniors in fall sports and band were recognized. They were as follows:
Golf: Oliver Townsend and Paul Neal Sansom
Soccer: D.J. Watkins, Quenton Gilbert, Julie Sweeney, Chris Phillips, Sherrod Todd and Ethan Edwards
Cheerleading: Brianna Shelton, Chiquita Rose, Courtney Dickeson, Kelsey Cross and Callie Roche
Football: Quinlyn Bell, Cates, Darren Murphy, Cooper Ray, Smith, Hardin, Bouldin and Bryan Harris
Volleyball: Keisha McDowell
Band: Eric Goddard, Emily Guffey and Brayden Haskins
The only thing better than opponents' turnovers is taking advantage of them. The Russellville Panthers did that and more Friday on the way to a 34-14 win at Butler County, sealing the Class 3A Region I, District 2 football championship.
The first three times the Bears had the ball, they coughed it up on fumbles. The fourth time they had possession, they were trailing RHS 21-0 midway through the second quarter.
Although the home team was able to cut the margin to 21-14 early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers scored two late touchdowns to put the win and the championship away.
Butler County was moving the ball consistently on the game's opening drive when Panther Davonta Bryant caused a fumble that teammate Dudley Bouldin recovered on his own 31.
Five plays later, Russellville put the game's first points on the board on a 56-yard pass play from D.J. Quarles to Damien Elam with 5:51 remaining in the first quarter. The kick failed, keeping the score 6-0.
The Bears were marching again when Bouldin caused another fumble. RHS was ruled to have recovered the ball, which led to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the home team. The Panther offense took over on Butler's 39 yeard line. A 15-yard run by Elam led to Quarles' second touchdown pass, this one for 10 yards to Bryan Harris. Kevin Temple caught Quarles' 2-point pass to make it 14-0 with 15 seconds left in the opening stanza.
The third fumble was recovered by Victor Hampton at the BCHS 43. Harris almost caught what would have been Quarles' third TD pass, but he was stopped at the 1 yard line. That pass came after a double reverse that put Quarles in passing position. Bryant scored the rushing touchdown, and Browning Smith's conversion kick made it 21-0 with 5:06 remaining in the half.
That was the score at half's end. Bryant was 4 of 6 passing for 117 yards in those first 24 minutes.
Butler County took advantage of a semi-turnover to start the second half when Jacob Oliver recovered an onside kick at the Panther 46
Quarterback Cole Tynes completed two passes to receiver Eli Embry, the second for a 5-yard touchdown. Layton Bush stopped the Bears' Jack Daugherty on the conversion run, making it 21-6 with less than three minutes expired in the second half.
Butler tried another onside kick, but it didn't work this time. Yet Russellville turned it over on first down when Josh Knight picked off a Quarles pass.
The Bears reached the Panther 22, but Hampton recorded his second gain for the team by intercepting Tynes' pass.
This time RHS didn't take advantage of the turnover. In fact, the third straight turnover by the two teams was converted into eight points by the Bears. They blocked Bush's punt, and Embry returned the ball 54 yards for a touchdown. He also ran the conversion, cutting the lead to 21-14 with 11:04 left in the game.
The third consecutive onside kick by the Bears was covered by the Panthers near midfield. On a third and long, Quarles ran for a 29-yard touchdown. Smith's kick gave Russellville breathing room at 28-14 with 6:43 left in the game.
Coach John Myers' team sealed the win and the title when Elam ran for a 39-yard score with just 69 seconds remaining. The kick failed but the 34-14 lead was much more than enough.
Russellville is a Class A size school. The Panthers have won all 12 regular season games against the teams in their district since opting to play up two classes three seasons ago.
The Panthers (5-4) will entertain Logan County in the Clash of the Cats Friday at Rhea Stadium. The Cougars (4-5) played well offensively Friday but lost 48-30 to visiting Franklin-Simpson for second place in their Class 4A district. The Cougars are in third place.
Both teams will enter the playoffs on Nov. 6 with Logan County on the road and the Panthers at home.
Despite all the things that went wrong-- four interceptions, a fumble near their own goal line, and an onside kick that didn't work to start the game, the Logan County Cougars were impressively competitive Friday in a version of the Mud Bowl at Allen County-Scottsville.
Not until a pass sailed through receiver Corey Jones' outstretched hands along the sidelines with about four minutes remaining in the game was it clear that highly regarded AC-S was going to remain undefeated and wrap up their Class 4A district regular season championship.
The loss was the first in district play for the Cougars and evened their record at 4-4. They are guaranteed a playoff spot, but to have home field advantage on Nov. 6 they must win Friday over visiting Franklin-Simpson, which eliminated Warren East from district contiention Friday in a 62-14 blowout.
At Scottsville, the Cougars played a strong first quarter, finishing the first 12 minutes in a 14-14 tie. They were in good position in the second quarter to go into the intermission trailing only 20-14.
Then a series of disasters struck.
Phillip Stratton, who had a super game on defnese, recovered a Patriot fumble at the Cougars' 37, giving his team good field position to start a potential tying or go-ahead drive. On second down, quarterback John Logan Dockins' pass was intercepted, ending that opportunity quickly. The Cougar defense held again, stopping AC-S back Hunter York inches from a first down at the Logan 23.
Aided by a Patriot penalty, Logan picked up a first down at the 31. On first down, however, Dockins' pitch to Thomas Washington and a blitzing Patriot arrived at the same time. The ball flew loose, and AC-S' Houston Bunton recovered at the Cougar 20 with a minute and a half remaining until halftime.
The Cougar defense almost averted the seemingly inevitable, holding Allen County to a fourth and four. Instead of relying on the run this time, the Patriots passed, with quarterback Corey Cooper finding Jacob Costellow open in the end zone. AC-S also hit an open man, Zach Tabor, for the two-point conversion. Instead of trailing by a mere six points at the break, the Cougars found themselves down 28-14 before the long homecoming ceremony began.
The second half opened the same way as the first had with an onside kick and AC-S in possession of the football. The difference ws that Allen County fielded Logan's kick to start the game, but the Cougars couldn't handle the Patriots' short bouncer to open the third period.
Cougar kickoff receptions were a highlight for most of the night, however. After AC-S scored on three rushing plays following the opening onside kick, Logan's Washington sped to a 95-yard kickoff return to pull his team within 7-6 just a minute and a hlaf into the game.
The Patriots never let Washington near another kickoff, but upbacks Aaron Baldwin and Logan Anderson did a good job of securing short kicks to give their team favorable starting position repeatedly.
Following another Allen County touchdown on a short rushing drive (using a kickoff return to the Logan 45 and four running plays), the Cougars marched 63 yards on seven plays for their second touchdown. Dockins completed all three of his passes on that drive for 56 yards. One was to Washington and the other two to sophomore Twin Lancaster, who scored on a 35-yard strike. Washington refused to go down on a two-point conversion run, tying the score at 14-14 after just eight and a half minutes of action.
Logan's defense was strong the final three quarters with Cameron Collier, Nathan Oberhausen, Jonathan Barbee, Stratton, and Washington leading the way, but the offense never got going again until late in the third quarter.
AC-S had gone up 40-14 when Zach Stinson returned an interception 35 yards for a score. Reuben Rawlings-Watson knocked down Cooper's conversion pass.
Barbee ran for 18 yards on first down of the ensuing posession. The first down was the Cougars' first not aided by a Patriot penalty since the scoring drive a couple of hours earlier. Then Dockins hit Washington with a 16-yarder for his first completion since the touchdown pass on that opening drive. Rawlings-Watson also caught a pass before Dockins threw his second touchdown pass of the night, this one to Washington for 19 yards. With two seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Cougars were now halfway toward a tie at 40-20.
Another big hit by Stratton stopped the Patriots' next possession, and Logan initiaed another drive. A 9-yard run by Barbee and a penalty produced a Logan first down, but on third and 14, Dockins found the ball difficult to grip on the rainy, muddy night and threw another interception.
The Cougars got the ball back in a hurry on a Barbee interception, which he returned to the AC-S 46. On fourth and 15, Dockins' deep pass to Jones went incomplete, and Logan's chance for the upset was out of time.
It was a far more competitive game, however, than last year's 46-0 drubbing the Patriots handed the Couars, and this is a much better AC-S team than last year's.
So are the Logan County Cougars.
LCHS to honor senior athletes
Logan County High School will honor its 2009 Fall Sports senior athletes in a ceremony to be held prior to the start of the Logan County –vs- Franklin-Simpson football game on Friday, Oct. 23.
The ceremony will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. with the football kickoff set for 7 pm.
This fall the school will recognize and honor 22 senior athletes in the sports of cheerleading, cross country, golf, football and volleyball. The seniors to be recognized are:
Cheerleading
Cross Country: Macie Dye, Kelsey Hinton, Dustin Skipworth and Kyle Latham
Golf
Football
Volleyball
Athletic Director Hugh McReyonds says, "The school cordially invites everyone in the community to join the school and athletic department as we recognize this group of student athletes for their accomplishments on the field, course or court and for their representation of Logan County High School and our community while playing sports for the Cougars."