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First ever Thundies Sports Awards are sold out

The Dream for Weave Foundation and Thunder Radio will be hosting the first ever “Thundie Sports Awards” for the Coffee County community on Saturday, May 21.
Tickets to the event have sold out.
The inaugural sports awards will honor the best athletes, coaches and teams of Coffee County Central High School, Westwood Middle School and Coffee Middle School. Doors for the red carpet event will open at 5:15 p.m. at First Baptist Church Gymnasium (1006 Hillsboro Blvd). Middle Tennessee State University head softball coach and the pioneer of the CHS Lady Raider softball program, Jeff Breeden, will deliver the keynote address.
Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. with awards to follow. Approximately three dozen awards will be handed out, as well as approximately $13,000 in scholarship funding from the Dream for Weave Foundation
“This is the type of event that Holly, myself and the foundation board envisioned when the Dream for Weave Foundation launched back in late 2020, it has just taken us some time to get there,” said Josh Peterson, vice president of Thunder Radio and treasurer of the Dream for Weave Foundation.
“We put a great emphasis on local sports coverage at Thunder Radio with our broadcasts, our daily sports coverage, photos, Thunder The Magazine and our weekly coaches show,” added Peterson. “As everyone saw last spring when the Lady Raider softball team made a deep run in the state tournament and just recently when the Red Raider basketball team reached the state tournament – athletics are very important to our community. This event is perfect to recognize and honor them.”
The Thundie Sports Awards are driven by Al White Ford Lincoln — the presenting sponsor.
Sponsor Peoples Bank & Trust is providing meals and t-shirts for winning athletes, and Unity Medical Center is providing dessert and admission for award-winning athletes. All athletes who are set to be honored have been contacted and invited to the event free of charge thanks to these generous sponsors. Awards will be decided based on decisions of the awards committee.
“There are multiple people who are putting in so much of their time to make this event possible for our athletes and if not for them and our great sponsors, it simply would not be possible,” said Rob Clutter, president of the Dream for Weave Foundation.
Dream for Weave Foundation
The foundation was formed in October of 2020, just 3 months after the sudden passing of Thunder Radio sports director Dennis Weaver after complications from a routine operation.
Beloved by all, Weave as the play-by-play voice for Coffee County athletics and one of the key contributors to the rise of the CHS softball program in the 90s. He was a graduate of Central High School.

His love for sports and the athletes who played them led to the formation of the foundation, which aims to ensure all children who want to play sports have the means and equipment necessary to play. The foundation also strives to provide scholarship funding to athletes departing CHS and pursuing higher education – whether in the college or technical fields.
About Keynote Speaker Jeff Breeden
Jeff Breeden is currently coaching his 10th season as Head Softball Coach at Middle Tennessee in 2022 and has seen improvement in his team in each of the nine previous years.

MT finished at 26-22 overall in 2021, including an 11-8 mark in Conference USA play, leading the Blue Raiders to their first winning record in league play since 2007.
Breeden is a high school state championship softball coach in Tennessee with over 700 career wins. He is largely credited with helping to build the Coffee County Central Lady Raider softball program, which had 1 win before his arrival. Breeden coached with Weaver for many years and together the two helped to build the softball complex where the Lady Raiders now play. He earned 341 wins as Lady Raider head coach from 1990-2003, and made two state tournament appearances before leaving for Riverdale.
LEMONADE DAY IS THURSDAY. Make your plans to visit elementary lemonade stands around town
Manchester will be the second community in Tennessee to play host to a global youth entrepreneurship program that teaches leadership and business skills by encouraging children to launch a lemonade business – the program is simply called “Lemonade Day.”
Manchester Chamber of Commerce is working in partnership with the Manchester City Schools to allow fourth grade students to study material, develop individual business plans and, for a day, run a lemonade stand at various locations in Manchester. Everyone in Manchester is encouraged to participate by visiting one of the stands.
There will be Lemonade Stands at the following locations on May 19:
Advantage Realty | 861 McArthur St.
Coffee County Administrative Plaza | 1329 McArthur St.
Coffee County Bank | 301 Murfreesboro Hwy.
First Bank | 1500 Hillsboro Blvd.
First Vision Bank | 2134 Hillsboro Blvd
Food Lion | 944 Hillsboro Blvd.
J & G Pizza & Steak House | 520 McMinnville Hwy.
Peoples Bank & Trust | 1203 Hillsboro Blvd.
Powers Plaza | 307 HIllsboro Blvd.
Walgreens | 806 McArthur St.
Westwood Elementary School | 912 Oakdale St.
The program is made possible by presenting sponsor SERVPRO of Coffee, Franklin, and Warren County, and the following additional sponsors: Coffee County Bank, First Bank, First Vision Bank, J & G Pizza and Steak House, Peoples Bank & Trust and Thunder Radio
CHS senior parade is May 23; graduation May 27
Coffee County Central High School will return to a conventional graduation ceremony this year after COVID-19 led to vehicle parades for the class of 2020 and 2021.
The concept of the parade was so well liked, however, there will still be a senior parade.
The senior parade will be Monday, May 23. It will leave Coffee County Central High School at 6 p.m. and finish at Carden-Jarrell Field behind Raider Academy for “senior sunset” festivities.
The parade route is as follows:
Leaving CHS at 6 p.m. and traveling on State Route 55 toward Raider Academy.
Turn left on US Highway 41, traveling southbound (wrong way lanes) to Spring Street.
Turn right onto Spring St.
Turn Left onto Main St.
Turn right onto Irwin St.
Turn right on to Fort St.
Turn right onto Woodland St.
Turn left onto Highway 41 (northbound (wrong way lanes).
Turn left at Highway 41 and 55 toward Raider Academy
Turn left into CCRA entrance
Traffic will be completely closed to thru traffic on US 41 between the intersection of Highway 41 & 55 and Spring Street and at the main intersection during the parade. Please avoid that area if possible.
Meanwhile, traditional graduation will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 27 at Carden-Jarrell Field behind Raider Academy.

Birthdays – May 13
Birthdays:
Sharon Rogers
Misty Weaver
Harold Huddleston
Bentley Adcock – 9 – Pizza Winner!
Hannah Harrison
Anniversaries:
Bubba & Amy Whitsett
Weekly Winners:
Cake – Savannah Wells
Flowers – Adam & Whitney Cutshaw
Mae Wanda Robinson
Mrs. Mae Wanda Robinson, age 85, of Manchester, TN,
passed from this life on Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Manchester, TN.
Mrs. Robinson was born in Manchester, TN, to her late parents Perry Thomas
Uselton and Theresa Mae Moran Uselton. She worked as social services
director at Crestwood and she was a member of the Church of Christ. Mrs.
Robinson was a great story teller and loved to sing songs. She had a sharp
memory that didn’t end. Mrs. Robinson loved watching old classic movies,
Godfather movies being her favorite. Her main hobby was yard work that she
very much enjoyed. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by
her husband, Fred Robinson; brother, Mark Uselton; sister, Jerri Uselton;
son-in-law, Mike Meacham; granddaughter, Samantha Clayborne.
Mrs. Robinson is survived by son, David (Claudia) Clayborne; daughter,
Teresa Meacham; grandchildren, Eric Erickson, Cody (Brittany) Clayborne,
and Shelby Clayborne.
Visitation with the family will be held Tuesday, May 17, 2022, from 10:00am
until 11:00am at Central Funeral Home in Manchester, TN, with funeral
services immediately following at 11:00am. Burial will follow in Manchester
City Cemetery in Manchester, TN.
Central Funeral Home is honored to serve the Robinson family, 931-723-7774,
centralfuneralhome.com
Ronald D. Kinney
Ronald D. Kinney of Tullahoma passed this life on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at
the Life Care Center of Tullahoma at the age of 79. Funeral Services are
scheduled for Monday, May 16, 2022 at 12 Noon at Daves-Culbertson Funeral
Home with burial to follow at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens. The family will
receive friends from 10 AM until the service time.
Mr. Kinney was born in Jenkins, KY, the son of the late Virgil and Mary
Hopkins Kinney. He was a U S Marine veteran and enjoyed carpentry,
woodworking projects and working on cars. His favorite times were spent
with his grandchildren and great grandchild.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brothers, Bobby and
Roger Kinney and sisters, Mary Beth Adkins, Joan Dameron and Sharon Hampton.
He is survived by his wife, Magdalena Kinney of Tullahoma; daughter,
Michelle Lydon (Brian) of Goodlettsville; grandchildren, Erin Morris,
Rebecca Lydon and Patrick “Kingston” Lydon and great grandchild, Easton
Fuller.
Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
David Hanley Pickens
David Hanley Pickens (AKA Tom) was born December 5,
1936, in Savannah, TN, to Kenneth Andrew and Mamie (Wilkerson) Pickens. He
was born smack dab in the middle of 8 siblings: Dean, Lorene, Ruby, Ann,
Bob, Lucy, and Calvin. They grew up in Tyronza, Arkansas, in his words
“poor as dirt,” in a time when horse-drawn carriages were almost as common
as cars, and he could buy a soda pop for 5 cents. He told us about how his
family picked cotton to make a living, and although it was a hard life,
what they lacked in money, they more than made up for with love. The
stories he told of his childhood were often reminiscent of Tom Sawyer and
Huckleberry Finn. Of course, we all heard about how he walked to school,
sometimes in the snow, sometimes uphill, and then sometimes both uphill and
in the snow at the same time.
When he became a young man, he moved to Indiana to find work and a better
life. While there he met the love of his life, queen of his heart, and
angel to all that meet her, Wilma. They say when you know, you know, and he
knew she was the one. They married September 20, 1957, after a lengthy
courtship of 3 months. Together they went on to have four boys, Donnie,
Billy, Larry, and Jimmie. A man of many hats, he became a fisherman,
gardener, carpenter, handyman, hunter, baseball coach, and all-around
superhero. As for his day job, he was an industrial worker, first for
Interoyle and later for American Seating, where he made many life-long
friends. Just when most couples whose children were adults would be looking
forward to an empty nest and doing fun couple things, Tom and Wilma adopted
a daughter named Christine (Chrissy) in 1984 when she was just three years
old. Later, when strangers would ask her where she got her red hair from,
Tom, with his jet-black hair, would tell her to say that she got it from
him. In 1985, they moved to Manchester where he built the home they still
live in today. There, he raised animals, planted a thriving garden every
year, fished every time he got the chance, dabbled in deer hunting,
attended church with his wife, Wilma, at The Tullahoma Church of God of
Prophecy, and never missed his daughter’s softball games. He became a
grandpa or papa depending on who you ask to Amber (Jason), Madison,
Russell, Josh, Jamison (Lindsey), Shane (Penny), Dustin, Alexis, Brianna,
and Lucas and a great-grandpa to Kylee, Jaythan, Aubriana, Paisley, and
Annabelle.
Eventually, he retired…well, sort of. He became the official neighborhood
lawn mower and handyman. He also worked part-time at the New Union
Convenience Center, and he spent a lot of his spare time at the Senior
Citizen Center socializing with his many friends and playing pool.
Throughout the years, he participated in many pool tournaments where he won
numerous trophies which he loved to show off to everyone who came to visit.
As a lifelong fan of Chicago sports teams, specifically the Cubs, Bears,
and the Fighting Irish, he was delighted to see the Cubs win the World
Series Championship in 2016. When he was not piddling around “The Farm”,
you could often find him in front of his television watching a sport,
Gunsmoke, Bonanza, or anything with John Wayne in it. Occasionally, he
would cut a rug and start singing a tune, usually “She’ll Be Coming Round
the Mountain” or “Green Grass Grew All Around.” He loved old country and
bluegrass music and went to many Bluegrass festivals throughout his life.
He enjoyed going back to where he grew up in Arkansas occasionally with his
brother and best friend Bob. Once, while visiting his family’s cemetery,
the group he came with stumbled into a nest of seed ticks which was a
miserable experience that he often brought up. Throughout the years, he
lost many loved ones including his parents Ken and Mamie, his siblings
Dean, Lorene, Ruby, Ann, Bob, and Lucy, his grandson Dustin, and his sons
Larry and Jimmie.
On May 12, 2022, he took his last breath after a heroic battle with cancer
at age 85. He was surrounded by his loving family. His wife, Wilma, his
children, Donnie, Billy, and Chrissy, his grandchildren, his great
grandchildren, and special feline friend, Frank. Throughout the months
after his diagnosis, we were visited and called by so many family and
friends – thank you for that. He often said that in this life, it was the
people and the relationships he had that mattered the most, everything else
was just the icing on the cake. You can find him somewhere in the pink and
orange hues of the rising sun, the smell of fresh cut grass and morning
dew, and perhaps, when you see a fluttering hummingbird, he will be there
too.
Visitation with the family will be held Sunday, May 15, 2022, from 12noon
until 2:00pm at Central Funeral Home in Manchester, TN, with funeral
services immediately following visitation at 2:00pm. Burial will follow in
Ragsdale Cemetery in Coffee County.
Central Funeral Home is honored to serve the Pickens family, 931-723-7774,
centralfuneralhome.com
GOLF: Coffee County Middle takes first place for regular season; waiting on opponent for championship
Coffee County Middle’s Golf team has wrapped up its regular season and found to be atop the standings among all CTC Golf teams.
The Raiders have now advanced to the tournament championship after a forfeit in the tournament. Now Westwood and Tullahoma will play at WillowBrook on Monday (May 16) to see who will meet Coffee County for a championship match, which is scheduled for May 23.
MIDDLE SCHOOL BASEBALL: Coffee County season ends after first ever sectional appearance
The first ever trip to the state sectional tournament ended in a tough 3-2 loss to Spring Station for the Coffee Middle Red Raider baseball team.
The loss ends the season with an 11-10 record for CMS.
Spring Station (no. 1 seed) was tied up with Coffee County before scoring a run on a ground out fielder’s choice in the bottom of the sixth.
Austin Gipson was stellar for the Raiders on the mound in the loss – allowing three runs on four hits over six innings while striking out five. Gipson went 2-for-4 at the plate – accounting for 2 of Coffee County’s 6 hits.
Birthdays – May 12
Birthdays:
Carson Riddle – 12 – Pizza Winner!
Peggy Arnold
Anniversaries:
Adam & Whitney Cutshaw – 15 Years