Carsyn Smith is Miss Pre-Teen, Zoie Terry is Miss Teen Fairest of the Fair
Plus: Oneida mayor asks County Commission for dialogue on rails-to-trails, and weather rearranges Oneida High School's homecoming schedule
Good Thursday evening! This is The Weekender, a final look at this week’s news from the Independent Herald. The Daybreaker (Monday) and The Weekender (Thursday evening) are our two news-first newsletters. We publish several other newsletters throughout the week, as well as our regular E-Edition on Thursday and our Varsity E-Edition on Sunday (during sports season). If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) any of these newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so!
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Buckeye Home Medical Equipment. Serving Scott County and several other communities in the Upper Cumberland region, Buckeye is a full-line DME providing home health equipment to its patients.
Carsyn Smith is Miss Pre-Teen fairest of the fair
ONEIDA | Carsyn Skylie Smith, the 10-year-old daughter of Isaac and Christa Smith of Oneida, was crowned Scott County’s Miss Pre-Teen Fairest of the Fair at the 99th annual Scott County Fair on Tuesday.
Carsyn was crowned from a field of 20 contestants that was first trimmed to 12 and then six by the judges before they made their final decisions.
The first runner-up was Audrey Rose Abbott, 11-year-old daughter of Tyler and Haley Carson of Oneida. Second runner-up was Jaxlynn Smith, 12-year-old daughter of Dakota and Ali Smith of Oneida.
Also making the cut into the group of six finalists were: Rylee Austyn Anderson, 10-year-old daughter of Mark and Kelly Anderson of Oneida; Madison Jace Douglas, 12-year-old daughter of Josh and Sasha Douglas of Pioneer; and Raegan Overton, 10-year-old daughter of Denny Overton and Taylor Overton of Oneida.
Making the first cut into the field of 12 semifinalists were Charlee Grace Burke, 11-year-old daughter of Dustin Burke, and Grace and Blake Murphy of Winfield; Paisley Faith Garrett, 11-year-old daughter of Cody and Brooke Yancey of Oneida; Lila Belle Gibson, 11-year-old daughter of Seth and Jennifer Gibson of Oneida; Brinleigh Ann Jeffers, 10-year-old daughter of Adam Jeffers and Brook Jeffers of Oneida; Atalia Lewis, 11-year-old daughter of Erik and Tiffany Lewis of Winfield; and Remy Jo Terry, 12-year-old daughter of Jeremy and Heidi Terry of Helenwood.
The photogenic winner was Isabella Marie Hatfield, 12-year-old daughter of Dustin Hatfield, and Sean and Jerrica Mubarak, of Helenwood. The photogenic winner was chosen by the judges prior to the start of the pageant, based on photographs submitted by each contestant.
The fan favorite was Remy Jo Terry, based on monetary votes to raise money for charity during the pageant.
Zoie Terry is Miss Teen Fairest of the Fair
ONEIDA | Just 48 hours after her younger sister handed off her crown as the 2024 Miss Pre-Teen Scott County Fairest of the Fair, Zoie Skye Terry was crowned Miss Teen Fairest of the Fair at the 99th Scott County Fair on Thursday.
Zoie, the 14-year-old daughter of Chance and Jessica Terry of Oneida, was crowned from a field of 14 contestants that was first trimmed to seven finalists before the judges made their decision.
First runner-up went to Seleia Anderson, the 14-year-old daughter of Ryan and Michelle Anderson of Winfield. Second runner-up went to Jayden Shontah Gray, the 14-year-old daughter of Tim and NaRicka Gray of Helenwood.
The judges trimmed the field of 14 contestants to seven finalists that also included Braleigh Shae Douglas, the 15-year-old daughter of Adam Douglas and Dedra Douglas of Oneida; Kylee Ellis, the 14-year-old daughter of Travis and Bethany Ellis of Pioneer; Gracie Johnson, the 15-year-old daughter of David and Kenya Lorang of Oneida and the late Phillip Johnson; and Bailey-Kate Lay, the 14-year-old daughter of Brad Lay, and Tyler and Haley Carson of Oneida.
The fan favorite in Thursday’s pageant was Kinsey Grace Billingsley, the 14-year-old daughter of Jacob and Ashley Billingsley of Oneida. The fan favorite award is determined by monetary votes that are donated to charity.
The photogenic winner, determined by judges before the start of the pageant based on photos submitted by each contestant, was Kylee Ellis.
Miss Congeniality, voted on by the contestants, went to Bailey-Kate Lay.
Other contestants in the pageant included Preslei Mae Bowling, the 14-year-old daughter of Thomas and Casey Bowling of Oneida; Jackie Loretta Gibson, the 13-year-old daughter of Seth and Jennifer Gibson of Oneida; Anisten Harvey, the 14-year-old daughter of Alex and Summer Harvey of Oneida; Chloe Shandayle Lay, the 13-year-old daughter of Corey and Raysa Lay and Whitney Carson of Oneida; Railey Montgomery, the 13-year-old daughter of Amy Montgomery and Aaron Pennington of Huntsville; and Kentleigh Reynolds, the 14-year-old daughter of Korey Reynolds and Felicia Reynolds of Robbins.
Huntsville Post-Acute & Rehabilitation Center offers short-term or long-term care … on your terms. Learn more. (Sponsored content.)
Homecoming festivities shuffled by OHS
ONEIDA | With rain expected to increase in probability as Friday night progresses, football homecoming festivities have been moved from halftime to pregame of Oneida High School’s game against Bledsoe County at Jim May Stadium.
A homecoming queen will now be crowned at 7:30 p.m., just before the Indians kick off against the Warriors.
Oneida, off to a 2-0 start to the season, will host the 1-1 Warriors for a non-region game. Scott High, which is 1-0, will be at 1-1 Monterey at 8 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on the IH Sports Network, with the Rogers Group Pregame Show beginning at 6:30 p.m. Coverage can be found on Facebook, YouTube, and SFN Channels 190 and 191 for Highland Media cable subscribers.
Oneida mayor asks County Commission to maintain dialogue on rails-to-trails
HUNTSVILLE | Oneida Mayor Lori Phillips-Jones appeared before Scott County Commission at a Monday workshop here to ask commissioners to keep an open mind on a proposal to transform the abandoned Tennessee Railroad line into a 41-mile recreation trail between Oneida in Scott County and the former coal-mining town of Fork Mountain in Anderson County.
“As a representative of the Town of Oneida, which owns land next to this, I feel that there’s some important discussion that we’re not having about this,” Phillips-Jones said. She added that it’s an issue that’s “going to impact our county.”
County Commission is on record — as is the Town of Huntsville — in opposition to the trail. Commissioners voted unanimously earlier this year to pass a resolution of non-support for efforts to transform the more-than-century-old coal-hauling railroad into a recreational trail for cycling and hiking.
R.J. Corman, a Kentucky-based corporation that has owned the railroad since 2009, announced its intent in 2020 to abandon the railroad, and is currently contracted with National Salvage to remove the rails and timbers from the railroad, a process that is nearing completion. Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, an Oak Ridge-based non-profit, jump-started efforts to transform the old rail grade into a recreational trail by filing what’s called a Notice of Interim Trail Use with the federal Surface Transportation Board. Through rails-to-trails legislation passed by Congress in the 1980s, a NITU requires rail beds to remain intact for recreational use.
Trust for Public Lands, a national conservation organization that has signed on to assist TCWP with its efforts, is currently negotiating with R.J. Corman to acquire the old rail bed. The STB has established an April 2026 deadline for an agreement to be reached before the NITU expires. In the meantime, a local group — Echoes of the Tennessee Rail Foundation — has purchased and placed barriers that it says are intended to keep ATV traffic off the railbed.
The rails-to-trails proposal has drawn stiff opposition from landowners whose property borders the rail bed up and down the former Tennessee Railroad line.
Phillips-Jones said that she’s worried that the commission’s resolution of non-support “may not have the effect that you intend it to have,” adding that it’s unlikely that ownership of the railroad right-of-way will ever be transferred to neighboring property owners.
“My worst fear upon fears,” she said, is that R.J. Corman will opt to sell the property in one fell swoop to private investors if a rail-banking agreement with Trust for Public Lands falls through.
“I’m just being realistic about it … I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Phillips-Jones said of the possibility of Corman selling or otherwise transferring ownership of the property to its neighbors.
Phillips-Jones said she was not asking County Commission for money to support the project. “I’m just here to provide information and ask if we can continue a dialogue,” she said. “This can happen with or without the support of County Commission. You don’t have to support it to learn more about it.”
Shon Terry, who represents the 6th District — including Oneida — on County Commission, indicated his support for Philllips-Jones comments. However, 3rd District County Commissioner Sheila Buttram, whose property borders the railroad in the Paint Rock community, spoke up to maintain her opposition to the proposal. Fourth District Commissioner Shonda Gray, who sponsored the county’s non-support resolution, said Phillips-Jones needs to take her message to County Commission to the property owners themselves.
Mountain People’s Health Councils offers general practice dentistry for all ages, using the latest technology for dental imagery and digital scanning. Sliding scale fees apply! Learn more. (Sponsored.)
The weekend
🌦 Weather: It’ll be warm tomorrow, but another blast of cooler air is headed our way. We’ll struggle to get out of the 60s tomorrow with rain showers, and nice weather is in store for Sunday, with temperatures almost 10° below normal. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page — published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot.
—
📅 Community Calendar
• Friday: Oneida football will host Bledsoe County (7:30 p.m.) and Scott High football will travel to Monterey (8 p.m.). Both games will be broadcast live on the IH Sports Network, with the Rogers Group Pregame Show beginning at 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday: The Scott County Farmers & Crafters Market will be open from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. — rain or shine. The market is located at 600 Scott High Drive, Huntsville.
• Sunday: Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step program designed to help with addiction, co-dependency and domestic abuse, will be hosted by Fire & Purpose Ministries from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 27192 Scott Highway in Winfield. There will be food, fellowship, praise and worship. Childcare is provided.
The Community Calendar is presented by Citizens Gas Utility District. Citizens Gas operates natural gas distribution pipelines in portions of Scott and Morgan counties. Visit citizensgastn.com.
—
📢 Programming Note: Watch for our weekly E-Edition later this evening! You can always find our E-Editions here. The E-Edition is published on Thursdays (and on Sundays during the high school sports season) and includes all digital content from the week in an easy-to-read, flip book format.
Scenic Sale!
This week’s sale items at Scenic Foods in Huntsville! The sale continues through Tuesday. Sponsored content.
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be Friday Features tomorrow. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!
◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)