That’s right, for all you “non-believers” progress on the “Princess Performing Arts, Education, and Conference Center” has begun! This week the old seats will be removed from the theater and stored until the refurbishing company is ready for them. Next week, you will see the old roof being torn off and the new 20-year roof construction begin!

After the roof, the real restoration work can begin inside.

So, keep your eyes on the Princess AND the blog…she’ll be smiling at us again soon! The dream IS happening!

MORE INFO AND PHOTOS ON THE PRINCESS BLOG!

I recently read about paranormal investigators spending time in the old Alexander Inn in Oak Ridge.

Now I find out that they have also visited the old Swan Pond Methodist Church and graveyard trying to catch glimpses of ghosts of the preacher that hung himself in the bell tower, and of the half a dozen good people that supposedly died after eating a fellowship supper there.

I also understand that some local teenagers have spent time on the hill trying to see and photograph these apparitions. My question is, "Have you done it? Do you have photos?"

Did anyone ever play around or explore the Rockwood/Westel train tunnel?

I never did...sadly. It took me nearly 50 years to finally stop and take a walk inside the tunnel and document my exploration with photos.

I'd love to hear some history about the tunnel, when it was built, etc.

All I was able to learn was that the floor of the tunnel was deepened back in '44 or '45 so large pieces of northern made equipment could be moved to Oak Ridge.

We also learned recently that ingenious railroad workers built a large metal frame to send through the tunnel ahead of trains to break the winter icicles. Joe Davis has that rig in his railroad collection. Click HERE to see it!

Also, does anyone know if the TC logo on the tunnel stand for Tennessee Central or was there more of the logo once that stood for Tennessee Iron & Coal?

I've seen a few swampy looking places around the county, but this one near K-25 is probably the largest we have. All we need are a couple of gators, and we could have another tourist attraction, complete with swamp buggy or air-boat rides!

If we're lucky, there won't be an increase in "West Nile" cases!

Larger view HERE!

I was wondering around the alley behind the Princess this week, thinking about the work that will soon begin. Upon this roof we should soon see men busily working on putting down a new 40-year roof. That will signal the start of the restoration work! However, the work inside cannot begin until a new roof is firmly in place.

Muse Watson and Gary Baker, among others, have been meeting with Frank Sparkman, and the finer points of the restoration blueprints have been worked out. A roofing contractor has been hired and the work should begin in short order.

More on the Princess Blog!

Somewhere around 1949 or 1950 my family moved to a "flat top" house on West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge. I can remember the area and much of what happened in those days, even at 4 or 5, but seeing an original "flat top" at the AMSE Museum Saturday did not bring back any memories of the interior of the house.

I wanted to remember details of the house, but the exterior is all that I can remember. However, the tour of the original 68 West Outer Drive unit did nothing else for me, except make me proud that I lived during this era.

This unit is on permanent display at the museum now and you should make it a point to visit it...just for the sake of history.

My family moved from Oak Ridge around '51 or '52, but I will always feel a little part of Oak Ridge and of all that history.

Number 68 was auctioned off in 1950 and taken to Tazewell an used as a weekend home by the Fitzpatrick family. They recently donated it to the museum and I think it's a great addition and wonderful way of preserving history.

At a cost of around $3400 each, 1622 of these Type B-1 Houses, with 576 square feet of living space, were built in Oak Ridge between 1943 and 1945 to house some of the 75,000 people working at the plants.

The Type B-1 House had 2 bedrooms, one bath, a kitchen with extended pantry, and a living room.

Obviously, the houses got their name from the flat roofs. Some of these still stand today. This one was originally located at #68 West Outer Drive.

It was sold in 1950 and used as a summer home in a nearby town. The family recently donated it to the AMSE Museum in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Take a tour: www.amse.org/content_wide.aspx?Article=1173&menu=66

More photos HERE:

TVA's Kingston Steam/Fossil Plant has changed it's profile over the years.

This first shot I took back in 1972, before the tall chimneys came on line in '76.

Toward the end of the construction of the 1,000 foot stacks, I was working at the Roane County NEWS when I took this photo.

Today the two new scrubbers are on line and doing the work the other 11 stacks couldn't! However, there will still be ash to throw out behind the building!

On the bright side, there is 95% less emissions and I'm sure glad my AC is cranking!

I spent a little early morning time in an alley in Harriman with my camera. The old Miller & Brewer loading docks made great still subjects.

Graduation at Kingston was supposed to be outside, but everyone got scared watching the forecast and began wishing it was going to be inside the gym. Their wishes came true, and it was the first time since 1994!

So, we all sat and sweltered, waving our programs at each other to stay cooler, while rude people filed into the gym and stood in the aisles in front of the seated first couple of rows.

And what's up with latest fashion trend of wearing a fancy dress and walking around with dirty bare feet?! Do we not respect ourselves and others anymore?

Thank God we only have to endure going back to school a couple times in our lives.

Back outside, as I broke the doorway, it was cool, with a clear blue sky, and the moon shining down.

We're never satisfied!

I had no idea what a big deal the Tennessee Strawberry Festival was in Dayton until I went Saturday. I knew there must be lots of local people having a good time, but I had no idea that thousands attend!

CLICK HERE if you want to see what I saw Saturday, click on "Slideshow"!

The attached video clip is about a wonderful place in Eunice, Louisiana called the "Liberty Theater"! Every Saturday night a Cajun music stage show is presented and aired over their own radio and television station.

These kind of restored theaters are quite unique and the plans are to make the Princess Theater a member of this elite club.

For more information on the Liberty Theatre and the plans for the Princess, CLICK HERE!

...the results are spectacular! Right?!

Yes, you still have tonight and Saturday, at 7PM, to see "To Kill A Mockingbird", and on Sunday at 2PM will be the last performance. It is a must see folks...a great cast and crew give an excellent performance each time!

One of the best kept secrets is that there is dessert offered during the intermission! You have never smelled chocolate like you'll smell as you pass from the auditorium into the lobby! Wow!

Bill Landry, Maggie Kohlbush, Maguire James, Elizabeth Rose, Logan Malicoat, Jerry Lemons, Jessica St. James, Rick Duncan, Bill Farnham, Nickea Jackson, Curtis Hanson, Harry Wade, and Marcus Carmon, the central characters (and not in any order of importance), do a wonderful job in bringing the emotion of 1935 rural Alabama to the stage. You will not be disappointed.

See more photos HERE!

Jennifer Gibson invites all her friends in Roane County, Sunday, April 18, 3 PM to Trenton St. Baptist in Harriman for the Roane Choral Society's 100 years of music!

It's for their Spring Concert & in honor of the Harriman Music Club. This concert consists mostly of show tunes, but also "Danny Boy", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", and more. Please come join them!

"What? What is going to happen?"

"Something wonderful."

*The character Dave Bowman, in the movie "2010", speaking to Dr. Heywood Floyd and telling him of "something wonderful" that's about to happen. Isn’t it the same with spring each year…something wonderful does happen!

That's kind of the way I felt last weekend. So many wonderful things were going on in and around Harriman, that I had a sense, and I think those around me had similar feelings, that "something wonderful" was about to happen. Something so unique and so good for us all that you could almost feel it in the air.

What is it? What is going to happen? Well, I don't know officially, but I do know that the TVA money has been received, and that the contract with Frank Sparkman has been “gone over with a fine-toothed comb”. So, it could only mean that our Princess should soon be receiving a brand new spring bonnet, and then soon after she will be redressed in a brand new fresh dress. Her dress should resemble her original frock, but underneath it will be supported by the latest in modern fire protection and technology. She will once again be ready to entertain us with live shows and events!

No, she will not be ready by the previously promised fall 2010, but will probably be ready about three months later than first thought.

I don't know about you, but as long as I know spring is coming, and I can see its first hints, I can wait for it! Just knowing our Princess will actually be restored is enough for me...I know it will happen! I know something wonderful is about to come true!

MORE HERE!

I shot photos at Bill Landry's 60th birthday party after the play Saturday evening, and went back today to see the production. I was quite impressed by Michael Golebiewski's production of the stage play. Mostly, I was taken by Bill Landry's portrayal of Atticus Finch. His plea for decency in the 1935 courtroom nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Here is the wonderful cast...they will be back next Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for their final performances. At $10 a head, you will not find better entertainment for your buck on Broadway! Support'em folks...they are our own!

GO VOLS!

I was tagging along with Doug Mills (long time WBIR employee on the Heartland Series) Wednesday, and he was on a little outing to gather video clips of the Obed Wild and Scenic River Valley. Accompanying us was David McCarthy, a student in Bill Landry's Media Production Class at RSCC.

Bill has assigned each student a "place to see" in Roane and surrounding counties to help promote the area to visitors coming to the planned TDOT Trailhead that will eventually be located in the Princess Theater lobby.

The students are to make a 3-minute video promoting their chosen area to run "on loop" in this kiosk.

David wanted to promote the Obed River area, so we were off to the valleys near Wartburg. We visited the Lilly Access and Lilly Bluff Overlook, and the Nemo Access area. It was a great time on a beautiful spring-like day.

At Nemo, the Emory runs under both bridges (old and new) after combining with Clear Creek and the Obed just upstream. Below the dam, the Nemo Rapids force a 90 degree turn and then back again south before flowing on to Oakdale and Harriman.

Check out my blog post by CLICKING HERE!

Check out other photos of the are HERE!

We all love to collect things, but how many of us collect things that weigh from less than an ounce to things over 30 tons at the same time?! Joe Davis, of Harriman, Tennessee, does and he has been collecting anything remotely "railroad" since he was five years old. Everything from old tickets, rails, train wheels, switching equipment, lanterns, crossing signs, depots and deport equipment, to full size authentic railroad cars!

Read more about Joe's wonderful collection HERE!

See more of his collection HERE!

I had a wonderful visit with Joe Davis Saturday. He the fellow with the railroad cars in his front yard in South Harriman. Gary Baker, Julian Ahler, and I toured his fantastic railroad collection. I will post photos of that adventure on my blog and on Flickr later in the week.

However, what I want to show you now are the neat old photos I found among his collection, made between 1901 and 1914 of the Waldensia Coal and Coke Company that was constructed off the Westel Exit of I-40 on Milestone Mountain Road.

The company built a dam across Mammy's Creek and used the water from the resulting lake to power their sawmill and coal washers. The coal was put into ovens and burned at high temperatures for several days before turning into coke. The coke was shipped by railroad to steel furnaces all around the country.

The dam, the lake, and the coke ovens are all that remain of this bygone day. It's history that made this country great...we should not forget what was done there.

GO HERE to see the entire collection of current and old photos.

Get out and enjoy it!

I hadn't been to Lake Waldensia and the associated "coke ovens" since my hunting days back in the 80s. Much has changed...Bowater sold the land to the state, and they sold it to someone else, and many private homesteads are springing up along Milestone Mountain Road.

If you remember Lake Waldensia as a "lake" and not a development, then you will have fond memories of its cool waters and shading hemlocks. However, today the lake sits on private property, which, until just recently, was still open for day hikers. However, someone stumbled on nature there, fell, and broke something! So, now there are "private property" and "keep out" signs, and a fence is being constructed.

Mr. Coley has advised his client to protect himself since the lawsuit, and you can't blame the owner.

I spoke briefly with the owner and he is a very nice man, but can't stand to be sued every time some fool falls on his property!

Anyway, long story short, I visited the area yesterday and took a few photos of the coke ovens, but, naturally, I could not get close to the lake, the dam, or the beautiful falls.

I wrote this little ditty on MUSHY'S MOOCHINGS, and posted other photos on my Flickr site. Hope you enjoy them.

UPDATE...NEW PHOTOS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE FLICKER PAGE!

Places like these should not be on private or commercial property. They should be protected and cared for as "wilderness pockets" for all to enjoy!

Brooks Benjamin invits you to the event "Boys of Summerville DVD release!!"...

Brooks says, "Hello everyone! Our latest film, Boys of Summerville, will be released in stores and online tomorrow (March 9th)! We would love to have your support by telling everyone you know!! And, if you haven't yet, be sure to join our fan page for updates!!".

This is an excerpt from a Princess Theater blog post!

These “theatre” classes are just a small glimpse into what Roane State will be able to offer from “PRINCESS PERFORMING ARTS, EDUCATION, AND CONFERENCE CENTER”. Once the dream begins at the Princess Complex, there will be hands on education and training in radio, television (Channel 15), movie and stage productions, lighting, sounding, and cameras.

What gets me excited is all the entertainment it will bring to Roane County. All the class projects, and all the local music, art, and acting talent, will have a beautiful venue in the Princess – its stage, studios, and broadcasting capabilities!

Students of the arts, and their dreams, will come to Roane County to learn and experience what they need for a career in arts and media!

There are other media production schools in the United States that can give you a better view into the Princess dream for our students. Schools like the Alpha Pacific Institute in Arizona, Full Sail University in Florida, and many others you can Google. However, none of these campuses offer a fully functioning and broadcasting radio and television station, sound studio, or a 900 seat auditorium with a state-of-the-art stage!

The dream is already coming true in the courses offered by Roane State – they are the ground work!

We should be hearing about TVA releasing the promised restoration money any day now. On that glorious day, the dream will begin to really come true!

Read more HERE!

Long time Roane County and Princess Theater supporter Muse Watson is in Oklahoma working on the male lead role in Tracy Trost's "Christmas Snow". Muse is having a ball and finally getting to show what he can do with a dramatic lead.

My wife and I just had to get out of the neighborhood today, so we took the truck out Riggs Chapel Road. I stopped on the Clifty Creek bridge and snapped a couple.

There are a few more HERE!

I think most are getting sick of snow, but I've missed it, therefore, I can stand a little more!

Couldn't believe it, but wife, born and raised in Harriman, had never been to Petros to see the old Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary! So, on today, that gloriously gloomy day, we took a little road trip from the house up Bitter Creek way, and turned onto Coal Creek Road and went to Coalfield, Tennessee.

In Coalfield we turned back toward Wartburg, Tennessee on 62 and then off onto 116 to Petros. The prison sets against the farthest mountain you can see driving back through Petros and is still guarded, but there is no public access.

I talked to the guard and an old gentleman standing at the main gate for a bit. The guard said there were a few tours just after the prison was closed, but nothing was being allowed in at this time. I told them of my 70's visit,
when the prisoners had been moved to Nashville, and about

Geronimo, the whitetail buck that was once a pet of the inmates. The older fellow remembered the deer and we enjoyed reminiscing about that little known fact, and the guard added that there were currently about 6 deer living within the fences at Brushy.

Even though the light was not perfect for photography, it was a good day for a circuit through Roane and Morgan Counties. It seems we look for more and more things to get us out of the house lately. The weather has locked us away much too long. After all, there is just too much beauty in our East Tennessee backyard to stay in all winter!

More photos can be found by searching my photostream for "Brushy Mountain" from HERE.

Frozen Head was beautiful Sunday. I posted some of my shots here!