Update: August 25, 2011

Good Afternoon MJ:

Wow, check out the progress on North Mt. Juliet Road this week! Work crews are entering one of the more difficult sections of the project, the intersection with the train tracks and West Division, but things are going really well right now. There’s lot of things going on all along the road, so remember, take it easy on the speed and drive with care.

As a reminder, Wilson County Mayor Hutto and County Veteran Affairs Officer J.C. Satterfield hold office hours once a month (the last Wednesday of the month) at MJ’s City Hall, starting at 8:30. You can make an appointment with the Mayor’s assistant at 443-1383 or drop in. The next visit will be this coming Wednesday, 31 August.

The MJ Animal Shelter is running a special for these “dog days” of August. All dogs are $55.00, and that includes all required shots and spaying or neutering. You can check out the animal inventory on-line at the city’s web page (www.cityofmtjuliet.org) Speaking of deals. This Saturday, starting at 8:00 a.m., is MJ’s “World Famous” Flea Market/Yard Sale. This promises to be a good one, because as of this writing we’ve got nearly 40 vendors. There’s still a couple booths left and time to purchase them. Call 758-6522 for details. Vendor or buyer, this Saturday morning (from 8:00 till 1200) the place for your early holiday shopping is right here in MJ at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center.

Movies in the Park: Our next and final film feature of the summer will be Friday, 2 September, at the amphitheater at Charlie Daniels Park. Bring your family and friends out at dusk for an evening under the stars with that “Better than the Average Bear” Yogi, and his trusty sidekick, Boo Boo.

Cook’s United Methodist Church will be selling barbecue and ribs on Saturday, September 3. Pulled pork sells for $7.50/lb. and a slab of ribs (approximately 4 lbs.) sells for $25. Sounds like a mouth watering deal doesn’t it! The meat will be available for pick-up at the church from 12-3 pm on Saturday. Proceeds will be used to support the needy in our community. Orders may be placed by contacting Joyce Gaines at kwgain@yahoo.com. Or call Joyce at 513-4318.

Since 1971, 26 August, has been declared “Women’s Equality Day” in the U.S. The date was selected to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York. Observance of Women’s Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality. Well done Ladies.

There’s a couple of church affiliated organizations conducting African mission trips in the near future that I’d like to mention as we close out this week’s update. The first EMI, Engineering Ministries International, will be taking on upgrading three hospitals in Freetown, Sierra Leone. EMI partners professional, Christian engineers together for construction or restitution efforts in third world countries. This year, 10 engineers will travel to Freetown to work on the infrastructure of several hospitals in one of the poorest nations on the globe. Spearheading the Nashville-based contingent is Mt. Juliet’s own Mr. Marlin Keel, BS, MS, Vanderbilt University. The team departs in a couple weeks.
Another mission with a sizeable Mt. Juliet team will head for Zimbabwe in early October. Operating under the auspices of the United Methodist Church, the “Project Tariro Awareness Tour” travels to the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, focusing their work on HIV and AIDS prevention and control while also establishing a sewing ministry for residents. At one time nearly a third of Zimbabwe’s population had AIDS or HIV, and even today close to 15% do. The average life span in this nation under 40. As part of their program, the Project Tariro group will be purchasing manual sewing machine ($90.00 each) once they’re in country; taking them to the city of Mutare, where they’ll provide classes and instruction on sewing infant diapers and other essential clothing items.
Want to help? For EMI’s Sierra Leone mission, call Mr. Keel at 758-2560. POC for Project Tariro is Dr. Paul Van Buren, a Mt. Juliet resident, who can be reach at 758-4635. Remember, Tennessee is the Volunteer State. For so very little you can make a huge impact in the lives of those who need so much.

Remember, share this note, and how to sign up on Nixle with your family and friends. Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.

R. Robertson