Rain may threaten to spoil annual Christmas parade
Plus: RaeZack's serves more than 1,000 for Thanksgiving
Good Monday morning! Welcome to a brand new week. This is The Daybreaker, the first of several newsletters that will be published this week by 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) this or any of our other newsletters, please do so here. If you need to subscribe, it’s as simple as entering your email address:
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Will rain threaten annual Christmas parade?
A storm system will impact the northern Cumberland Plateau region Friday and Friday night, and there’s a chance that rain showers could linger into Saturday, when Christmas parades are scheduled throughout the region.
In addition to parades in Wartburg, Jamestown and Whitley City, the 77th annual Scott County Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade is slated to step off from HBD/Thermoid on Industrial Lane in Oneida at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The parade will follow its traditional route, along Industrial Lane to Traffic Light #1, and then north on Alberta Street to Claude Terry Drive (Walmart) before disbanding in the Oneida Elementary School parking lot.
There’s currently a 40% chance of showers in the forecast for Saturday, with a high temperature of 46 degrees. According to the Independent Herald’s latest Eye to the Sky forecast, rain showers may move out early in the day as colder air seeps into the region. However, that forecast is subject to change.
The deadline for entries into the Chamber of Commerce parade is Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Organizers will meet Friday to set the lineup, and a decision on postponing the parade — depending on the weather forecast at that time — would likely not be made until that point.
Each year, the Chamber of Commerce builds an inclement weather date into the parade schedule. If weather were to force the parade to be postponed, it would be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, following the same route. Parade postponements are not especially uncommon and have happened three times in the past 20 years.
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RaeZack’s serves more than 1,000 for thanksgiving
HELENWOOD | RaeZack’s said Wednesday that it hoped to serve 1,000 Scott Countians with its annual free Thanksgiving dinner. And it did just that.
According to the restaurant, it served a total of 1,095 Thanksgiving dinners during the two-hour event Thursday afternoon, a new record.
At one point, the drive-thru line was backed up down the shoulder of U.S. Highway 27 to Stephens Road, a distance of nearly half a mile.
“We would like to thank each and everyone that hard a part,” the restaurant said in a Facebook post. “To all the ones that gave donations, that helped serve, to our amazing staff, to anyone that said a prayer, to anyone that gave a comment of encouragement, to all you who dropped off desserts, to the ones that picked up groceries, to all who even gave us a thought in the last couple of days, to the 1095 people thank you for letting us be a part of your Thanksgiving day, and most importantly we give thanks to the Good Lord for all his Blessing! Today like today makes us so thankful to be part of this great community that comes together and supports one another! We can’t say enough of what a great blessing this event has brought to hearts we love and thank you all.”
RaeZack’s Thanksgiving meal dates back to 2019. The restaurant will reopen for regular business on Tuesday.
First National Bank announces 'Pictures With Santa’ event
First National Bank on Friday announced that its annual “Pictures With Santa” event will take place on Friday, Dec. 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. That is the abbreviated school day for both local school systems leading into the Christmas break.
The bank invited kids to stop at its main office at the Alberta Street/Main Street intersection in Oneida beginning at 11 a.m. on Dec. 19 for pictures with Santa — and friends. Free, 8x10 pictures will be printed on site, and hot cocoa and cookies will be available.
ICYMI…
This week’s Friday Features visited Pike Cemetery in the Tunnel Hill community as part of the Sacred Ground series. Plus, Oneida High School Class of 1965 held its 60th reunion.
The Week Ahead
⛅️ Weather: Today will be mostly dry, with just a slight chance of isolated showers during the afternoon hours. Otherwise, we’ll be mostly sunny with temperatures in the upper 40s. Rain returns to the forecast tonight and tomorrow morning. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page — published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot — or always available at indherald.com.
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📅 Community Calendar
Monday: The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center in Huntsville will offer its walking program, puzzles and games, and massage chairs from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. today and every weekday this week. Congregate meals are also available on-site at 12 p.m. each day, and are free to seniors ages 60 and over. You’re asked to call ahead, 423-663-9300. Additionally, Bingo will be offered today at 1 p.m.
Monday: Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services’ Mobile Health Clinic will be in the Walmart parking lot in Oneida from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering integrated primary care and behavioral health. No insurance is not a problem. Call (866) 599-0466 for more information.
Monday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out. Phone: (423) 569-5972.
Monday: Scott County Commission will meet in work session today at the Scott County Office Building in Huntsville, beginning at 5 p.m.
Tuesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Tuesday: Pinnacle Resource Center’s food pantry (1513 Jeffers Road, Huntsville) will be open beginning at 10 a.m. There are no income guidelines; however, a photo ID and a piece of mail with a Scott County address are required.
Tuesday: Boy Scout Troop #333 will meet at the Oneida War Memorial Building on Alberta Street in Oneida beginning at 6 p.m.
Tuesday: In high school sports, Oneida will travel to Anderson County (6 p.m.) and Scott High will travel to Campbell County (6 p.m.). These games will not be broadcast on the IH Sports Network.
Tuesday: Wall Builders will meet from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church (1611 Glass House Road, Helenwood) for those struggling with addiction or striving to keep off drugs. There will be preaching, teaching, food, fellowship and personal counseling.
Wednesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out.
Wednesday: The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center in Huntsville will offer crafts at 1 p.m. It is limited to nine participants, who must pre-register.
Thursday: In high school sports, Scott High will travel to Loudon (6 p.m.) and Oneida will travel to Midway (6:30 p.m.). These games will not be broadcast on the IH Sports Network. However, Scott High wrestling will host a match (6:30 p.m.), which will be broadcast on the IHSN.
Saturday: The 77th annual Scott County Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade will begin at 2 p.m. and follow its traditional route from HBD/Thermoid on Industrial Lane in Oneida to Oneida Elementary School on Claude Terry Drive. The inclement weather date is Sunday at 3 p.m. The deadline to enter the parade is Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 4:30 p.m. at the Scott County Visitor Center on U.S. Highway 27 in Helenwood.
The Community Calendar is presented by Citizens Gas Utility District. You may recognize a natural gas leak by a rotten egg like smell or by a hissing sound. If you know of or suspect a leak, leave the area and then call your gas supplier or 911.Visit citizensgastn.com.
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be Echoes in Time 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 in Time (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)