Explore Roane

Here at Explore Roane, we find excitement in everything our county has to offer.

We have lakes and rivers, parks and hiking trails, restaurants and food trucks, local businesses and boutiques, schools and churches — the list goes on and on! As the self-proclaimed biggest fans of Roane County, we’ve set out on a mission to shine light on all of the wonderful things it has to offer. So, whether you’ve lived in Roane County for only sixty days or for sixty years, this community i

s for you! For more information, questions or inquiries about us featuring your small business, company, practice, etc., please reach out via email.

02/22/2024

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭!

A few months ago, we had the pleasure of meeting with Danice Turpin, TCAT of Harriman's President. She took us through a tour of the classrooms, machine shops, welding stations, etc. We were originally there to gather information about TCAT and all that it has to offer. However, with the recent announcement of Danice's retirement after 34 years, we decided to use some of the info we gathered during our tour and instead make a post out of appreciation for her.

34 years in any career is highly commendable, but Danice didn't just clock in, mindlessly work away and then clock out at the end of the day. She spent 34 years intentionally working towards the betterment of the college and its students, both present and future. She has been the college's leader, advocate, and biggest fan, which has over the years helped a multitude of students achieve their goals.

TCAT, along with all of Roane County, has been made infinitely better because of Danice. We greatly appreciate each and every year of hard work that she put in, and we congratulate her on this well-deserved retirement.

From us here at Explore Roane and also on behalf of Roane County — Thank you, Danice!

08/03/2023

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐞📍

Owning a small business is tricky as it is, but California-native and small business owner, Jackie Greth, has had more hurdles than usual to overcome. Not only does she own a small business, but she uprooted that business, moved across the country to Tennessee, and has worked endlessly to continue the success of the business in a brand-new state.

Heavenly Treats by Jackie started 18 years ago in Southern California when Jackie ordered a 1st Birthday Cake for her son from a grocery store and was sadly disappointed in the result. So much so, that it sparked an interest in baking. With no prior experience whatsoever, Jackie figured she’d give it a whirl! At the very least, she was hoping to learn how to make basic cakes and desserts that friends and family could use for special events. However, little did she know, that little bit of interest in learning how to bake would one day be a full-blown business!

Fast forward 18 years, Jackie, her husband Tristan, and their five kids make the move to Roane County, TN, completely changing the scenery of their lives, but also her business. Jackie said that leaving her loyal clientele of Southern CA was hard and so, so scary, but that her faith in Jesus, her hard work, and their supportive friends and family have made all the difference.

Since making the move to East TN, she said she’s felt nothing but support for her business. Even though she had a good bit of uncertainty about how a brand-new small town would accept yet another “cake lady”, her uncertainty was met with love, acceptance, and cake order after cake order!

Heavenly Treats by Jackie specializes in cakes, but believe us when we say that literally everything she bakes is heavenly (maybe that’s how she came up with her name? :)). Cookies, cookie cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, tarts, cheesecake shooters, the list go on and on. She didn’t say this, but we’re willing to bet that if you can dream it, Jackie can bake it!

In closing, we wanted to encourage you, our community, to show the warmest welcome to Jackie, her family and her sweet small business, Heavenly Treats by Jackie! If you’ve got a birthday, wedding, bridal shower, baby shower, or even if it’s just a regular ol’ Friday night and you’re craving some cookies, make sure to reach out to Jackie.

Like and follow her page, give her posts a share, and trust us, you won’t regret placing an order with Jackie!

Heavenly Treats By Jackie

06/29/2023

𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫📍

When prepping for this interview, we read a study that said a whopping 88% of Americans now consider their pet as a member of their family. And with being a member of the family comes things like birthday celebrations, letting them share your bed, getting them gifts around the holidays, and most importantly, 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞! And that’s exactly what Animal Medical Center in Harriman and Kingston specialize in — providing top-notch medical care to our furry family members!

Animal Medical Center was originally started in Harriman back in 1977 by Dr. Jack Warner, and is now operated by him and his daughter, Dr. Breigh Burns. As we interviewed Breigh, she told us stories of growing up in the clinic alongside her dad. And that even though she drew her first W2 in her early teenage years with the practice, she really didn’t know she wanted to become a veterinarian until she did a marketing co-op program with the clinic as a senior in high school. That year of observing and assisting her dad fully changed her trajectory, though. She soon thereafter went to college, finished vet school, and has been with the practice ever since!

As the practice has grown, they've been able to open a satellite office in Kingston near Food City, which opened in 2003. And if things go as planned, they hope to open another satellite office around the area in the near future. The current satellite office only serves as a filter for the main location, though, offering services like vaccines, well-checks, etc. In the main Harriman office are the services like x-rays, anesthesia, surgeries, etc. The clinic has also grown in employment size, as they now employ many wonderful members of the community and three full-time veterinarians (𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒, 𝐷𝑟. 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑎 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘)!

In closing, we asked Breigh what she would want the community to know about Animal Medical Clinic, and her response kept going back to the quality of care they give to each and every one of their animals. The clinic has focused on continually improving their care with things like upgrades to their equipment, ensuring everything is state-of-the-art. They also make sure to offer extra monitoring for your pet during procedures and more diagnostics than ever before. All while keeping quality care at the forefront of their mission, which is what they take pride in and what you can feel the moment you walk through their doors.

So, if you’re looking for a new veterinarian, you can visit them at one of their two clinics.

Harriman: 105 Cardiff Dr., Harriman, TN 37748
Kingston: 1000 Ladd Landing Blvd, Kingston, TN 37763

Thank you to Dr. Burns and Dr. Warner for allowing us to interview them. What a wonderful place to have here in Roane County!

And to visit their page -- Animal Medical Center of Roane County

06/21/2023

𝐒𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫

If you’re anything like us here at Explore Roane, you’ve been attending Smokin’ the Water since before you can even remember. Whether you’re a teenager, adult or elder, if you’re in town on July 4th, you’ll likely be found in Kingston, TN come sundown — it’s just tradition!

And with photos dating back to 1952, it’s safe to say that Smokin’ the Water has been a Roane County tradition for a long, looooong time.

Well, we had the opportunity to sit down with Kingston’s Parks & Rec Director, JR Best, and the Athletics & Special Events Coordinator, Karly Page, to learn a little bit more about this special event that so many of us hold so near to our hearts.

In regard to planning and the budget, 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑜𝑜𝑧𝑦! Planning officially begins in December of the previous year, with final numbers coming in from their firework company, Pyro Shows, around February. Once the city receives the estimates, letters are sent out to donors, ads are run on the radio and television, and the planning wheels really start turning for the City of Kingston employees.

With a usual budget of nearly $55k in total, raising enough money is imperative to the event’s success. Within that budget includes city employees, security and police enforcement, of course the main attraction — fireworks, and other little things most of us wouldn’t even think about like cleanup, trash services, barricades, etc. To pull off an event of this magnitude, which mind you has been labeled “𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝐽𝑢𝑙𝑦 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑇𝑁”, is quite the task!

Aside from the budget, JR and Karly mentioned that this year is going to look a little different than past years. The City of Kingston has excitedly decided to expand the activities all the way down to the new Southwest Point Amphitheater with live music, which starts at 5pm. And as usual, you’ll see tons of vendors spread across the lakefront, which will of course include lots of delicious food trucks and local crafts!

We asked JR what his favorite part of putting on this event was. His answer was simple — 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚. JR has worked for the City of Kingston for over 22 years and still, year after year, he looks forward to Smokin’ The Water.

Families and friends together on their boats, local artists getting to share their musical talent, small-businesses and food trucks sharing their craft, and small children getting to experience what might be their first firework show — it’s a true joy to witness everything coming together in Roane County. It’s what community is all about!

So, in closing, if you'd like to donate to Smokin’ the Water, all you’ve got to do is make a trip down to the Kingston Community Center near Roane County High School or just give them a call at 865-376-9476. And to attend, just make your way down to Kingston on July 4th starting at 5pm! You can also find more information on their page at Kingston Parks and Recreation.

06/15/2023

𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 📍

Serving Roane County and surrounding areas, 𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 conveniently drops off and picks up their 11 cubic ft. roll-off dumpsters to your location of choice!

Locally-owned, small-town, and Chris & Ashley are just the best people. Cleaning up and cleaning out has never been easier than with Kitts!

To inquire about getting a dumpster delivered to you:
phone: 865-250-5577
phone: 865-805-0897
email: [email protected]

Kitts Dumpster Service

06/06/2023

𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐭𝐬 & 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 📍

The answer to any hot, summer day? Ice Cream! 🍦

Located at 535 Main St. in Oliver Springs, this family owned and operated business is the perfect place to enjoy not just ice cream, but goodies like hotdogs, hamburgers, pork sandwiches and so much more.

With a fun outdoor seating area, it’s great for families, friends and even your little furry friends to hang out on and enjoy.

They’re only open on Thursdays and Fridays, so make it a point to swing by and say hello!

Devaney’s Eats & Treats

05/31/2023

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 📍

Growing up in Roane County, we know how easy it is to overlook the little bits of history that make us who we are. Like the Harriman Historic Carnegie Library!

When Andrew Carnegie decided to donate money in an effort to build libraries all across the world, Harriman, TN just so happened to be one of the recipients. These libraries were called Carnegie Libraries, and Harriman's location was 1 of only 1,689 that were built in the United States.

With its opening ceremony dating back to the year 1909, this library has been equipping the citizens of Harriman and surrounding cities with endless education, information and connection for almost 114 years!

Nowadays, they have free Wi-Fi, public computers, meetups and events, and of course, lots and lots of books!

To visit the library, they're located at 601 Walden St. in
Harriman, and they're open:
Mon - Thurs: 9am - 6pm
Fri: 9am - 2pm
Sat: 9am - 1pm.

So, get out there, enjoy the Harriman Historic Carnegie Library, and Explore Roane!

05/24/2023

𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Roane County Youth Leadership, an incredible, seven-month program for upcoming sophomores, juniors and seniors from all over the county, including both public and private/homeschools. This week was Camp Week for the new class, so we got to sit in and learn a little about what they're up to!

Roane Youth Leadership is focused on helping the students within the program improve upon their leadership skills through different classes, activities and meetings with community leaders. They're then provided an opportunity to apply their newly learned skills in a community service project. And at the end of the program, they get to go through graduation!

(FYI, they've yet to have a student 𝑛𝑜𝑡 complete the program and graduate!)

As we talked more with Director, Kathy Parks, we were overwhelmed by her passion for not only these students, but for Roane County as a whole. She sees this program as a way to help develop future leaders, but also strengthen our county by the connections and relationships that are built between the students, community members, and everyone else involved. Kathy also helps with Roane Adult Leadership and the newest program called Roane Leadership Engage. Engage is a 2-day program for people that are new to the area, helping to enlighten them on our area, who we are, and what we do!

In closing, she mentioned a phrase that really stuck with us. "𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑹𝒐𝒂𝒏𝒆!", and we truly feel as if that single phrase encompasses all of the programs we learned about in our time spent with Kathy. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 — all of them were created to support and show love to the community by means of continued leadership and engagement within the county, and they've done exactly that!

So, if you're interested in any of these programs, you can check out more information at www.roanechamber.com/leadership-roane-county. Each of them is a great way to get involved in the community and create relationships!

05/22/2023

Have you ever taken a mini road trip through Midway, TN just to soak in the scenery?! Well, we did! ☀️

And my, oh my — what a gift these lush open fields, county backroads and picturesque views are to Roane County!

05/15/2023

𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗢𝗢𝗡: 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮 & 𝗥𝗩 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁! 📍

We had the pleasure of walking the grounds last week with innovative developer, Dan Barnett. He showed us some of the hundreds of boat slips and picturesque RV campsites that are currently under construction, while also talking with us about the fun rentals, the pool, the grill, and so much more!

He also spoke in great detail about things they've taken into consideration for the betterment of the land they're constructing upon and also the people that surround it. Things like keeping trees along the bank to allow those across the water to have a line of sight that's as unobstructed as possible. They've also minimized unnecessary lights throughout the park to keep unwanted beams of light from crossing the water and becoming an annoyance. They've even gone as far as to preserve a few wetlands that were naturally part of the land.

This project is so vast and so exciting, and it's all a result of the wonderful advocates for Rockwood and Roane County as a whole. And with weather permitting, they're announcing an anticipated opening date of July 1st!

We are so thrilled for the Rockwood Marina & RV Park, The City of Rockwood, Roane County as a whole, and for all of those from near and far that will enjoy this wonderful place. And you better believe we'll be back down there soaking in the fun and documenting every bit of it very, very soon!

05/11/2023

𝗞𝗨𝗠𝗖 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘁📍

A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of spending time with the wonderful people of the Kingston United Methodist Church Clothes Closet. We went to visit on a Monday, the day of the week where their volunteers spend hours upon hours going through donations, putting them on the shelves, staging furniture, and getting ready for the week ahead. They said that they usually process upwards of 700+ items per day by their volunteers. WOW.

As we walked throughout, we learned of the history of the Clothes Closet, saw endless aisles of clothes, shoes, household items, and more, and we even got to talk about their mission, which focuses on serving others through faith-based principles. And under that umbrella of serving others are over 71 mission groups they help support.

If their hearts for service weren't enough to get you through their doors, the environment alone will surely do the trick. With each volunteer we met, we felt increasingly welcomed with each one. Their warm smiles, kind words and even their suggestions of which earrings best match your blouse were the perfect touch to this already phenomenal establishment.

The Clothes Closet is open for shopping on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and they accept donations Monday through Thursday.

They're located at 125 S. Kentucky St, Kingston and they're looking forward to seeing all sorts of new faces walk through their doors!

KUMC Clothes Closet

05/04/2023

𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 📍

While we were browsing the store yesterday, owner, Sonya Thomas, said in passing, "𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒!"

And if you're someone like Sonya that loves antique, vintage pieces, 𝑂𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝐴𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠 could very easily become your happy place, too!

Antique stores are a dime a dozen, but when you step foot into Out of the Attic Antiques, you can immediately feel a difference. Sonya takes pride in rotating new, fun pieces and keeps it interesting for her community to enjoy.

And 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 at 7pm, you can join Sonya in a LIVE sale on her FB page Out of the Attic Antiques! Sonya will be displaying pieces from all vendors and cosignees within her shop, including Roane County Paws, which will get 100% of their booth's profit, helping them to continue caring for their sweet animals.

(& did we mention that every item in tonight's sale will be under $20?! WHAT!)

If you can't make the LIVE sale, we hope you can visit the store at 501 N. Roane Street in Harriman. Believe us when we say that you won't be disappointed!

Address

104.5 Cardiff Dr.
Harriman, TN
37748

Website

https://www.instagram.com/exploreroane/

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