This Week in White County History, April 7-April 13

2014

• Mayor Jeff Young announced the City of Sparta had been selected to receive Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Multimodal Access Grant in the amount of $1 million and the city would begin their sidewalk rehabilitation plan as soon as possible.
• Sparta Chief of Police Jeff Guth announced the city’s police department had received $11,552.11 from the Drug Enforcement Agency from a case that Investigator Allen Selby had worked on several years ago.
• After coaching in White County for the previous six years, Nathan Aaron announced he would be leaving and returning to his Alma Mater, Pickett County, to take over the high school’s boys’ basketball program.

2004

• White County Middle School announced they would be holding a Renaissance Festival. A $1,000 grant was awarded to cover the expenses for the festival.
• White County Industrial Board approved a 100,000-square-foot expansion of Big Bend Technology.
• A new library for Sparta was projected to cost $1.8 million to construct. A $100,000 grant from the state was awarded toward the cost.

1994

• Production manager, Eddie Bowen, announced the live-action film The Jungle Book would be coming to Sparta to shoot some scenes. Wild animals had already arrived, and a quarter of the movie was expected to be filmed in White County.
• David and Judy Todd announced the opening of Mountain Sno, a place to get New Orleans style snow cones, on Bockman Way.
• The construction of Sparta Amphitheater was near completion. Only the installation of the sound system, alley, and sidewalks remained.

1984

• White County School Board presented a $2.7 million plan to build an elementary school to replace East and West Sparta schools, as well as improvements to other county schools.
• White County Middle School was recognized as one of the top six middle schools in Tennessee and was honored during a ceremony in the school gym.
• Mary Little retired after serving 27 years as the first and only director of Caney Fork Regional Library Center and was honored by the Tennessee General Assembly in a join resolution commending her for outstanding contributions to the Caney Fork Region.

1974

• White County Court met in a special session and voted to use punch card voting machines and a computer-type counter during the upcoming May primary election and possibly in the August General Election.
• Nashville based Hardaway Construction Company won the bid to construct the new White County Courthouse at $903,336.
• Jackie Sorrell won second place in the Southern Twirlers Institute in Smyrna.