Mountain Dew’ Short Mountain Distillery Ranks As 2012’S Top Story MIKE WEST Sales Tax Referendum Failed 3,122 to 1,438

Happy New Year Home of Ralph West 128th YEAR - NO. 36 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2012 ONE SECTION - 50¢ PER COPY Farm census TV show to promote comes around Upper Cumberland, every four years Cannon County Column: Page 6 Story: Page 9 ‘Ol’ mountain dew’ Short Mountain Distillery ranks as 2012’s top story MIKE WEST sales tax referendum failed 3,122 to 1,438. Courier Editor In Tennessee, package stores are Hoopla, debate and the opening of Short governed by the policies of the Tennessee Mountain Distillery ranks as the Cannon Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which Courier's top news story of 2012. requires applicants to go through a lengthy The distillery owned and operated by the licensing process. Woodbury has passed its Kaufman brothers has brought regional, licensing procedure on first reading. The and perhaps national, exposure to Cannon measure opens ownership of the stores to County. people who live "We want to work outside Woodbury directly with local and does not limit farmers and busin- the number of stores. esses as we grow," While voters went Billy Kaufman said to the polls in local, when voters gave a statewide and pres- green light to his idential elections, project. "We want to wrangling over the share our local history composition of the with the world, and Cannon County Elec- we want tourism to tion Commission bring new opport- continued to be a unities for local major story. Much of businesses." the dispute is due to MIKE WEST photo Kaufman is the the Republican Party Short Mountain Distillery opened to the public last April and proved to be an great-grandson of assuming control of instant hit. From left Billy Kaufman, Christian Grantham, Shaina Byers and Jesse Shwayder, the the Tennessee Legis- Ben Kaufman. founder of another lature in 2008 and well-known American replacing several example was the restructuring of the brand Samsonite 100 Democratic Party- Cannon County Industrial Devel- 2012 stories with impact years ago in 1910. controlled county opment Board. Their grandfather, MIKE WEST photo election commissions In June 2012, the County 1. Short Mountain Distillery. Louis Degan, ran The ongoing work on an expanded with Republican Commission voted to reconstitute the 2. Legalized liquor stores. Samsonite's state Route 70S was a major topic of majorities. IDB, naming Randall Reid as 3. Election Commission dispute. Murfreesboro location interest during 2012. In Cannon County, chairman of the board. Also named for decades employing Republican Stan to the IDB were Doug Bodary, who 4. Fuss over IDB and 911 board. many Middle Tennesseans. Dobson replaced Mary Lynn Bush as will serve as Vice Chairman; Mindy 5. The Veterans Bridge. The distillery opened for business in Administrator of Elections, but was Gunter, Treasurer; Corey Davenport, 6. Cash Express robbery. April 2012. dismissed from the post in July 2012. He secretary and Neal Appelbaum, Dean Opening the distillery paved the way for was subsequently replaced by his assistant, More and David Vance. 7. Shooting on the Square. another major story of the year when Dorinda Mankin on an interim basis. Over the last eight years the IDB, 8. Adams Library expansion. Woodbury voters approved retail liquor On Dec. 9, Election Commissioners voted which met only quarterly, had only 9. Deaths stores. to keep Mankin as Administrator of two meetings where a quorum of its Passage of the measure caught local Elections until April 2013. At the same members was present. Those past 10. Academic excellence. officials off guard leaving Woodbury session, commissioners tabled a motion boards conducted meetings, made leases. scrambling to enact appropriate city code calling for reinstatement of former decisions and continued with business as In late November, the IDB hired categories to deal with liquor sales. administrator Dobson. usual despite a lack of the required number Murfreesboro attorney Sumner Bouldin to The liquor referendum passed 407 to 327 County government also had its share of of members now causing issues with in Woodbury only. A similar county-wide controversy during 2012. The prime industrial owned buildings and tenants' See SHORT, page 9 Foster pens electrifying book KEN BECK "I was actively writing fiction for generating electricity," said Foster. For The Courier adults, teaching kindergarten and "He told me that my granddad moved Woodbury's Connie Foster took a didn't think I wanted to write that their family into the Readyville small chapter from her father's youth kind of book," said the supervisor of community when he was a boy in the and put an optimistic spin to it to attendance and coordinator of school early 1930s, and they lived in a house produce a fictional children's book health in Cannon County. wired for electricity but never got the surrounding the 200-year-old "Then I started teaching at Bradley power. Readyville Mill. Academy [in Murfreesboro] and was "He had to move back to Short Titled The Readyville Mill, the 34- exposed to this wonderful list of Mountain without experiencing the page book, illustrated by Carl children's books and really enjoying luxury of electric light. I thought how Carbonell of historic Hatch's Show reading those aloud to third graders fascinating to be so close to the mill Print fame, made its debut Saturday and thought, 'This is the kind of but never getting electricity. at the Readyville Mill where Foster children's books I should be writing.'" "I took that seed and wrote the story signed and sold copies of the book Foster initially began her tale as a for my dad. I took what he told me ($20). poem, but then discovered that her and created this fictional tale that When first challenged by family had a personal connection to would change my dad's childhood Readyvillian Thea Prince to tackle the mill --- well, almost. story about his time there in KEN BECK photo such a project, Foster, who grew up "One random day I asked my dad Readyville." Connie Foster holds one of the first copies of her new Connie Gannon in the Eastside [Carmen Gannon], who was from the The storyline she says "is about a children's book The Readyville Mill in front of the historic community of Cannon County, was Short Mountain area, if he ever visited boy longing to discover the mystery mill that sits on the East Fork of Stones River. not overly enthusiastic. there at mill when they were See FOSTER, page 9 PAGE 2 CANNON COURIER DECEMBER 26, 2012 CANNON OBITUARIES Joan Woods Carey Tyree Allen Nokes Ronnie Ramsey Joan Woods Carey, age 69, of Readyville, died Sunday, Tyree Allen Nokes, 32 of Dowelltown died Wednesday, Mr. Ronnie Elgin Ramsey, 23, of Woodbury died December 2, 2012. She was a native of Baltimore, MD and December 19, 2012 at Skyline Medical Center in Nashville. December 15, 2012. He was born in Murfreesboro, TN on the daughter of the late John Eugene and Bessie Mae Boyd Funeral services were held Saturday, December 22 at January 19, 1989. Head. DeKalb Funeral Chapel with Bro. BJ Thomason and Bro. Survivors include his parents, Doug and Sherry (Smith) She is survived by her husband, Ernest Lee Carey, son, Tommy Curtis officiating. Burial was in DeKalb Memorial Ramsey of Woodbury; grandmothers, Ernestine Smith Eddie (Cherie) Woods of LaVergne, Sherry Kuehlthau of Gardens. Bryant of Woodbury and Ethal Elizabeth Russellville, grandchildren, Josh Helms and Jonathan Tyree was preceded in death by his paternal Ramsey of Belvedere, TN; sister, Denise (Emma) Helms, and many other loving family members grandparents, Gleaves and Freda Nokes, maternal and Daniel Young of Portland, TN; and friends. grandparents, Hoyte and Sarah L. Tramel; aunts and uncle, uncles and aunts, Nevin and Darlene Memorial service were 3:00 pm. Saturday at Woodfin Sarah Tramel and Carolyn and Mike Young. He was a Ramsey of Belvedere, TN and Mike and Chapel, Smyrna. 615-459-3254. w.ww.woodfinchapel.com factory worker and attended The Edge Worship Center. Rhondy Ramsey of Palicous,TX; niece Survivors include his parents, Michael “Moose” and and nephew, Jessica Roller and Victor Cannon Courier, December 26, 2012, Woodbury, Tennessee Becky Nokes of Dowelltown; brother, Jake Nokes of Roller, Jr.; "bestes cousins", Jonathan Dowelltown; aunts and uncles, Eddena and Harry Hale and Smith, Ethan Smith, Corey Smith and Andrew Smith; as Dora and Ronald Lawson, all of Woodbury, Cynthia and well as several other cousins and many friends. Eddie Taylor of Smithville, Kenneth Tramel and Jerry and He was a member of the Church of Christ. He was a Carolyn Tramel, all of Smithville, Eddie and Debbie Tramel graduate of the Cannon County High School Class of 2007 Our thoughts are with you of Alcoa and Joyce Hendrixson of Dowelltown; cousins, and a member of the FFA. He had recently begun working Leslie (Tracy) Cannon and Hunter of Dowelltown; a host of at the Lion's Den. Ronnie loved riding and racing 4- during this holiday season. cousins and friends. wheelers and had won trophies for racing. He enjoyed All the guys at In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Dowelltown music of all kinds and had taught himself to play guitar. Baptist Church or The Edge Worship Center. Singing was something he liked so much he even did it in Pallbearers were Chris Pack, Shannon Pollard, Chris his sleep. Playing X-Box with his cousins and friends was A & K Termite & Pest Control Tramel, Josh Tramel, Ben Tramel, Wesley Young, Steven something he did often. Watching the Tennessee Titan's 6166 Shelbyville Road Hale and Craig Hale. with his family and friends was always a good time for him. DeKalb Funeral Chapel in Smithville was in charge of His dog's name was Chiller and he spent a lot of time with Morrison arrangements.

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