Update: July 30, 2011

Good Morning MJ:

Here's a few items of interest and FYI's:

1. Parents: if you haven't checked out the new Tot Park inside Charlie Daniels Park then take the kids out this weekend for a real treat. Thanks to the work of many and the kind donation by the Clark Family in honor of their son better known as "Squirrel", MJ's Charlie Daniels Park has added a whole new state-of-the-art play area for our youngest citizens. We hope to dedicate the play area to "Squirrel" next week, but from all indications the concrete will be dry on the area walkway this weekend, so check it out.

2. Movie in the Park, next Friday, starting at dusk. We're between 150 to 200 film buffs each month at our family oriented films. This one should be particularly fun to the young and young at heart . . . so says Yogi and Boo Boo! It all takes place at the amphitheater in Charlie Daniels Park, Friday, 5 August.

3. Calling all Volunteers: Your Animal Shelter needs you. It's summer and the numbers are up; adoptions are down. Right now there's a wide variety of dogs, and even more cats to choose from. Want to do more; consider being a Shelter volunteer or give to the Shelter's non-profit. It's tax deductible! For more info just call or stop by the MJ Animal Shelter on Industrial Drive. Speaking of Animals, between 12:00 and 3:00 pay a visit to the MJ Dairy Queen on Lebanon Road today. $1 of every "Blizzard" sold goes to the Shelter's non-profit, and there'll be dogs ready for adoption. It promises to be a great day for a cool treat.

4. School is back in session this Monday so commuters should plan accordingly. Remember to give yourself a little extra time, particularly if your trip involves travel on North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR). Speaking of NMJR, things are really starting to take shape there; curbing, sidewalks, sod, and even asphalt is starting to go down. The end is in sight.

5. With the help of the MJPD, MJ will celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, 2 August. National Night Out is a family oriented event that couples various businesses around the city, the MJ community and the MJPD together for an evening of fun. Be at Providence Market Place this coming Tuesday, starting at 5:00 p.m. There'll be tons of freebies.

6. Lookin' for something different to do? Bring your four legged best friend to MJ South Park (off Belinda Parkway) and check out the MJ Bark Park. Usually Fido will see lots of others friends playing at this hidden city jewel. Not into dogs? Try a round of Frisbee Golf at Mundy Park. It's free! Don't have just the right disc? You can even rent them at Charlie Daniels Park and drop em' right there at Mundy.

7. Wondering what's all the construction on Lebanon Road? TDOT is repaving Lebanon Road from the Davidson County line to Park Glen Road. This $1.2m project is expected to take 45 to 60 days, but all work is scheduled to be done between 8:00 p.m. at night and 5:00 a.m. in the morning. As an added benefit look for new bike lanes and associated signage when the project is done. Thanks TDOT!

8. Can you say "Community Resilience?" There'll be much more on this over the next few months, but MJ has the unique opportunity to be one of 10 cities in the United States selected to participate in a federal pilot program examining how a community prepares and recovers from a terrorist attack, man-made or natural disaster, and even an economic catastrophe. Pretty timely stuff considering what recently happened in Joplin, Missouri; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and last week, Oslo, Norway. Keep tuned.

8. On a final note, a personal thanks to the men who make up the MJ contingent of volunteer firefighters at Station 3 of WEMA. These trained and ready professionals have done an exceptional job supplementing the full timers at Station 3 for now going on 2 years. With all the recent media and talk about fire and emergency services the last few months, we don't hear much about these outstanding fellows who volunteer on their own time. Thanks for all you do Gentlemen.

Take care and talk with you later.

R. Robertson

Update: 11/30/09

Good Morning MJ:

A couple short notes for the post Thanksgiving weekend:

Something happened on Friday that never has occurred in Mt. Juliet. In fact, I suspect we are one of just a handful of cities across the United States in which something like this has occurred, but thousands of other cities wish it would happen in their own back yard. What was it? For the first time since the doors have opened to the MJ Animal Shelter, it was completely cleared of pets. Thanks to the creativity and hard work by a lot of people, we had our own “Black Friday Clearance Sale” at the MJ Animal Shelter. And it truly was a “sale” because the pets were free. As a result 22 dogs and 9 cats found new homes, and we were left with a temporarily empty shelter. See the link below for more on this story. Thanks to all for setting the standard other cities wish they could imitate. But if you didn’t get the animal you desired, don’t let that deter you because new ones come in daily, and pets make fabulous Christmas gifts.

http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=11581895"

A second bit of good news was the opening of Mt. Juliet’s first and only Frisbee Golf Course at Mundy Park on Friday. Over 30 players were on hand ready to throw the first disc after the ribbon was cut. Thanks to the course designers, I.T. Director Travis Taylor and Corporal Alan Carver of the MJPD, and to the great men and women of the MJ Parks and Rec Department for turning their design into a reality that certainly seems to have found a nitch for many in our city.
Finally, Don’t forget to register and ask your friends and family to do the same for our “push” data and info service, “Nixle”. Just go to the city’s web page for further details.

Have a great week, take care and remember to “Shop Mt. Juliet” during the holidays.

R. Robertson