The annual Trees of Christmas 2020 will be presented by the Manchester Parks and Recreation Department. The Dig N Dream Garden Club has passed the torch to the parks and recreation department after 44 years heading up the event. The theme for this year’s event is “Childhood Dreams of Christmas”. The Trees of Christmas will be held as scheduled, November 30-December 6th at the Ada Wright Center in Fred Deadman Park. This will be the 45th year for the event. The Grand Opening of the 2020 Trees of Christmas, Monday, November the 30th at Noon. The Manchester Area Chamber...

The Manchester Board of Mayor and Alderman unanimously voted to appoint Roxanne Patton to fill the vacant alderman seat on the board. The vote to appoint Patton was unanimous and came without discussion. Patton in no newcomer to politics. She previously served as an alderman from 2008-2014 – under mayors Betty Superstein and Lonnie Norman. Patton is filling the alderman seat vacated by Marilyn Howard, who was appointed Mayor last month after the passing of Mayor Lonnie Norman. Patton will serve for the remainder of Howard’s term, which is through August of 2022. Patton was immedietely sworn in to...

Manchester’s board of Mayor and Alderman  passed a resolution Tuesday night to take responsibly for the operating losses for the Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center. The board voted 5-0 in favor of the resolution, which allows the mayor to take the proposal to the county government. Aldermen Chris Elam, Mark Messick, Bill Nickels, Bob Bellamy and Roxanne Patton all voted in favor. Alderman Ryan French abstained from voting. The center has long been contentious on the local political scene for its yearly operating losses that have been split between the county and city governments. Advocates often argue the financial impact...

Manchester Mayor Marilyn Howard announced on Tuesday that the Grand Marshal of the 2020 Manchester Christmas Parade will be Bonnie Gamble. Gamble, who is the director of the Parks and Recreation Department, announced earlier this year her plans to retire from her position next June. “This person is famous in my eyes. She’s a woman who is of integrity, a woman who has vision and is a woman of faith who walks it,” explained Howard at the Manchester Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Tuesday when she announced Gamble to be the Grand Marshal. The Manchester Christmas Parade, themed “Childhood Dreams...

Local businessman Jay Kalvala and current city resident Gene Holmes paired up to work on a project to show support for law enforcement officers at Manchester Police Department. They began this project in September, and last month were able to recognize four more officers. The officers were: Major Bill Sipe, Captain Devin Deford, Sergeant Keith Hendrix and officer Jon Holland. Mr. Kalvala and Mr. Holmes stated they intended to continue this project until every officer is recognized.  Pictured below are officers recognized last month. ...

Each year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars hosts two essay competitions. The Voice of Democracy contest is comprised of a typed essay, audio recording and must be 3 to 5 minutes in length. It is open to students in grades 9-12, and this year’s theme was, “Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?” The Patriots Pen essay competition comprised of a 300-400 typewritten essay. It is open to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students and this year’s theme was, “What is Patriotism to Me?” This year’s winners are as follows: Winners in the Patriots Pen Competition: 1st place: James...

Before heading to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3., the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office wants voters to have the information they need to cast their ballot in a safe, clean and secure fashion. On Election Day, polls open at various times. A list of when polls open in all 95 counties is available on sos.tn.gov. In Tennessee, all polls close at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST. In Coffee County, polls open at 8 a.m. in the morning and close when all other polls close, which is at 7 p.m. CST. Tennesseans can access voter specific information like polling...