RaeZack's hopes to serve 1,000 on Thanksgiving Day
Plus: Masonic Lodge raises $2,000 for two local schools, and Huntsville Elementary is named a Reward School
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.
RaeZack’s hopes to feed 1,000 for Thanksgiving
HELENWOOD | RaeZack’s is hoping to serve 1,000 people tomorrow (Thursday) for Thanksgiving.
But it isn’t paying customers that restaurant owners Dan and Michelle King want. Rather, they’re hoping to serve 1,000 guests for free as they offer their annual Thanksgiving dinner to the community — no charge, for anyone who wants it.
The restaurant posted Wednesday that serving will begin at 12 p.m. and continue until 2 p.m. — or as long as supplies last. Food will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.
That means cars will begin lining up well in advance of 12 p.m. Last year, the drive-thru line extended well down the northbound shoulder of U.S. Highway 27 beyond the restaurant. The Kings request that those in line do not block their neighbors’ driveways or entrances.
As in years past, diners are welcome to drive through or dine in. No reservations or call-ahead orders will be accepted.
“This dinner is for anyone and everyone,” Michelle King posted Wednesday. “We hope to feed 1,000 people this year and we pray the food we have prepared will be enough to feed that many. We hope this dinner blesses each and everyone as much as it blesses us. We love you all and wishing everyone a blessed and safe Happy Thanksgiving.”
The free Thanksgiving meal is an annual ministry of the Kings that dates back to 2019. The restaurant is closed on Thanksgiving and the Friday after. But instead of spending the day at home with family, the Kings, many of their employees, and dozens of volunteers spend the day serving the community. The number of people served increases each year. It topped 500 in 2021, and last year neared 1,000. From the beginning, King has been adamant that the free meal isn’t just for those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford a Thanksgiving feast, but for anyone who wants to partake.
Huntsville Post-Acute & Rehabilitation Center offers short-term or long-term care … on your terms. Learn more. (Sponsored content.)
Masonic Lodge raises $2,000 to donate to local schools
Nick Massengale, representing Scott County Masonic Lodge No. 670, presents donations to Robbins Elementary School Principal Dana Storey and Fairview Elementary School Assistant Principal Laura Lloyd.
The Scott County Masonic Lodge No. 670 donated funds and school supplies to two local schools on Tuesday, presenting the donations at Fairview Elementary School and Robbins Elementary School.
Nick Massengale, representing Lodge No. 670, said the teacher supply drive netted $1,003.50 each to the two schools. The donations were presented to Robbins Principal Dana Storey and Fairview assistant principal Laura Lloyd.
Additionally, Massengale visited McKayla Miller’s kindergarten class at Robbins, where he read a book to the students.
Massengale said the purpose of the supply drive was to help reduce teachers’ out-of-pocket costs, and to support educators and students in Scott County.
“Freemasonry is at its best when it serves the community, and I hope efforts like this demonstrate the charitable spirit at the heart of our fraternity,” he said.
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.)
Huntsville Elementary named Reward School
HUNTSVILLE | Principal Lisa Sexton announced Tuesday that Huntsville Elementary School has been named a Reward School for the first time in its history.
“I have watched our faculty and staff work each day tirelessly to deliver solid classroom education grounded in Tennessee state standards,” Sexton said. “Enough cannot be said about our teachers who have strengthened instructional practices and expected growth for all students.”
Reward Schools are designations given to public schools in Tennessee that demonstrate exceptional academic progress and commitment to student success. It is based on improvements across various performance indicators, and is designed to highlight the school’s effectiveness in fostering student achievement.
“It is our shared commitment to collaboration, thoughtful adjustments, and going above and beyond for students that enable our school to continue reaching new levels of success,” Sexton said. “This well deserved honor belongs to the relentless efforts given every day by our teachers and staff, the support of our parents, and the commitment of our students. We began with the belief and followed by plans of action that we are here for every student every day.
“This honor epitomizes our belief in our students and will serve as motivation to maintain our vision for Huntsville Elementary and will fuel our passion to continue toward the path of excellence,” Sexton added.
The weekend
🌧️ Weather: The weekend will start cold, with temperatures only in the 30s on Friday, and end wet, with a cold rain on Sunday. Some snowflakes are possible at times, but it’ll be too warm for anything substantial. Rain continues into early next week. 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
• 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. CGUD will be closed November 27 and 28 in observance of Thanksgiving. Have a safe and happy holiday. Call 811 before digging! Visit citizensgastn.com.
—
📢 Programming Note: Watch for our weekly E-Edition Friday morning! 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. 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)