Portland, Tennessee Blog

boo hoo

Did anyone attend the Winery's festival this past weekend?? It was recommended as a fun family event here in Portland,so my 4 year old and I went for our 1st year.We got there at 2:30 to sign him up for the grape stomping,which he was so excited about! We waited and waited, until after 4pm and they STILL hadn't got to him! We had to end up leaving because he was burning up,it was miserably hot and there was nothing else for him to do. I wish they would have had more than just 3 buckets for the stomping..That just dragged it on and on. And the only other activity they had for the kids was the bounce house..$2 to jump for 10 minutes! Kinda silly if you ask me, I don't think we'll be back next year, it wasn't at all what I expected.

Curios and Prove it! - Good Job! Very good point to keep in mind!

Hurricanes and Gas!! That's the ticket they've been waiting for I'm sure to quickly bring the price back up. I feel for Floridians and those in the Gulf Coast, I certainly hope Louisiana doesn't have to deal with Gustav but it isn't looking good.

Prove it, point made. Something for everybody to consider and keep in mind, I am sure.

How about the weather? Two tropical storms predicted to become hurricanes and hit either side of Florida in the next few days at the same general timeline. Anybody think this will drive up gas prices again? I noticed it's up again in town today. With gasoline the way it is, food prices sky high, electricity rates going up in October, I just don't know how I'm going to survive financially!

Thoughts?

Curious,
All I am saying is before you write something that is damaging to a person on a public website, check your sources. See if the story is accurate. How would you feel if it were you? Wouldn't you want someone to ask you if it were true before they spread it everywhere?

Prove it,
Since I know the person who claimed this personally, I wouldn't call it a rumor. This person has never lied to me before, why would they start now? Over something like this?

Dear Curious,
I too have also heard that story about the mayor snatching a sign out of someones yard. I think that like many other "stories" it may have gotten bigger than it really was. I know him and I am pretty confident that he would never do such a thing. Maybe you should get to know him as well instead of spreading untrue stories.

I had that happen to me at a station in Gallatin. Now when I am getting gas I stop at the 10 gallon mark and check the amount charged. If it's correct, I fill up. If not I go in and tell the clerk. The sore should fix the problem. If they don't........

To register a weights and measures complaint, consumers can contact the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at (615) 837-5109 (local) or toll-free at 1-800-628-2631, or visit TDA online at www.tennessee.gov/agriculture.

Thought I'de share this with anyone that is interested. How Accurate are fuel pumps when getting gas.

Over the weekend we were using our pressure washer and needed to fill the 5 gal gas can, we did this twice, both times the can was completely empty. The first time it was filled at Station X, needed 5 gallons prepaid cash @ $3.52.9 per gal= $17.65. The can was not completely full, but figured that even though it was a 5 gal can, it allowed extra space for whatever. Next time we go to station Y as we had run some errands in town. Prepaid for 5 gal @ $3.49.9 =$17.50 this time it filled the can up and into the nozle, kinda made us think.... station X was not calibrated right or Y was giving away free gas! It looked like X gave us about 1/4-1/3 gal of gas less when we got our 5 gallons of gas there. Hummmm, just found this puzzling, usually when we get gas in cars we fill r up.

Thank you to City of Portland for getting the flashing lights fixed at the Middle School.

Speaking of signs,when you come to the intersection of Hwy 76 and 109,there are so many signs that it makes it hard to make a right turn onto 109.These are business and church signs and I am in no way complaining about them being there.It's just with the way they're positioned,and at different heights,it blocks the view of 109 north.

Yes the judicial system let this little girl down, perhaps if the offenders landlord cared at all maybe he/she could do the right thing and evict them, or terminate their lease. That is unless he is living with family or friends and then it would be highly doubtful.

curious and aho, i agree whole hearted. if i have to see mcdowell and his birdnest tupee with that fake smile one more time on the front page, i'm gonna lose my lunch. as for the portland leader, its worth the 50 cents to house- train puppies or if you're in the woods and run out of t.p.

the portland progressive is still the best local paper, although can somebody tell me why the elvis wanna-be was headlined over the woman who is about to lose her mind because her daughters rapist is allowed to live 2 houses down from them?
can the progressive report on what moron allowed this to happen? to heck with yard sale signs for right now, everybody support this scared woman and her signs and honk on victor reiter pkwy. if you want an admitted, convicted, child rapist to get lost. i appreciate that the progressive did a lengthy, detailed story, but the biggest picture on the front page should have been the mugshot of the scumbag so we can all recognize it when we see it.(it being the scumbag)lets forget about mr oilman for a minute support this frightened single mother. if this was one of your kids, wouldnt you be wanting some justice. this crapbag did 6 months of a 8 year sentence? height of insanity.

Mr. Wilber,
I fully understand your concerns and I agree. These reasons and others is what led me to not support this in the first place.
Many times we get into trouble when we try to correct a problem caused by a few individuals.
Driven by citizen complaints and good intentions, many thought this was a right thing to do; but as with most things, if you please one group you anger another.
Signs would have never been an issue if people would take personal responsibility; but laws are made because some people simply do not care.
Sorry for the problems,
mike

Aho - I think that is in the County, lots of luck getting their attention. There's one on 52-E near the horse stadium and it is in the city and running their sales now for about 2 years!! How about all the signs on S/N Russell & 52E on both sides of 52 they are all over the poles, yards and left to blow in the wind. And let's not forget Fountain head at 109, signs, signs, signs! I agree with David, signs left after sale date should be picked up by someone from the city and sent a fine, yes most have the addresses on them. There ya go.... a new civic center! lol

Mr Callis,

I understand the city's reason for this ordinance but sometimes we need to go back and tweak the oridinance after we have watched it work for some time. Posting signs on the electrical and telephone poles is illegal no matter what the city's law states. Those are privately owned. If someone post a sign near an intersection close to the ground and it is not blocking the view of traffic, I do not see why it needs to be removed until after the sale. After the sale is over and the owner had not removed their sign, then fine them for littering, most have the address on them. I posted a sign on Thurs morning at College St and N Harris, when I put mine up, there were 2 more lying in the grass. My sign was took by the city. I went back to the intersection and the other 2 signs were still there lying in the grass. What is wrong with that? I will say, that not all my sign were taken, just a couple. Is the sign Nazi just wasting gas and not fully doing his/her job? Why are the real estate companies signs not being removed? I see them around town at intersections advertising sales or open houses and they stay there for days, if not weeks. I believe real estate companies litter more than most people I know. What are my tax dollars paying for?????

I was told this morning by codes that if I wanted to post a sign close to an intersection, it had to be in a residence yard(I assume it has to be out the right of way too, so then you move about 10 feet from the curb and you are in the middle of their yard, hmmmmmm) and I needed to have written permission from the land owner to post it. WHO WANTS TO GO THRU ALL THAT? Why not try to est a flea market area to help curb the yard sales? The city can have much more control on who and what sales at the site.

If we are to fill out the applications for yard sales, then there needs to be a link on the city's website that is easy to find and fill in.

There is a house at about 330 Fountain Head Rd that has been Having a Yard sale for the last 5 month's straight. It is a little to long for a yard sale. Looks like someone would have shut them down by now for not having a business license.

I never liked the ordinance either. That is why I voted no; but the thought was to stop perpetual yard sales by a few individuals.
There was no way of enforcement before the law. Since the law, violations are to be triggered by John Q. Public. When someone thinks their neighbor is overdoing it, they are to call codes and codes will look to see if a permit is on file; if no permit, they have the right to fine the individual.
Most yard sale signs are put up in right-of-ways and on poles; both illegal. And in an effort to help keep the city clean (as most people want) they will go around at different times and pick up all illegally posted signs.
I do not like regulating yard sales, but at the same time people should pick their signs up when finished.
thanks for posting,
mike

The best laid plans of mice and men....didn't John Steinbeck say that?

That was the stupidest ordinance in the whole world. And we did't have the money to hire yard sale police. Imagine that.

Are they still doing the registration for yard sales at City Hall? I didn't think they were by the amount of signs that are just everywhere, on poles, on the roads, left there for weeks on end, and the number of people that have yard sales over, and over, and over, and over (professional yard sellers) has been growing by leaps & bounds! Thought it was only 3 per year!

I hope you registered your yard sale with the city. I have heard horror stories about people having thier signs removed because they weren't registered. I know somebody who was very mad because the MAYOR snatched his signs up.

We are having a yard sale today and Saturday 8am till ? at 117 Gentry Dr Portland. I have lots of girls and boys winter clothes for toddlers, also other child items. We put signs up, but there seems to be a sign Nazi out there. I have had 3 signs taken or stolen.

MDL.....When I lived in Gallatin I always bought my meat at Terry's Grocery on old 109N. The meat was always fresh and very good. I have no idea if they are still in business.

Does anyone know of a good butcher shop around here that cuts to order, retail? We used to get everything at KFS in KY but then he went wholesale only. He recently moved and the new guy opened Country Meats, has good prices, but is wholesale too. The local groceries around here really don't have good cuts or good prices. Just curious if anyone knew of anywhere else?!?

Try calling the Police or hiring a Lawyer. Some towns have laws about how much a dog can bark in a givin time beleive it or not. If the dog barks to much in that time period the owner can get fined.

Anyway talk to the police and see what they say and if they can't help then talk to a Lawyer.

there is a neighbor who raises cattle dogs near me in city limits
dogs bark all night cant sleep not 1 or 2 dogs but 7-10 or more
how does the owner sleep
we are tired of the barking all night long can something be done
they have several acres of land but neighborhood right behind his house and dog barn
we cant sleep, someone screamed last night to shut the _ dogs up nothing was done
don't dare open windows its aweful we are prisioners to closed windows at night and ear plugs

Oh wow! The kids will love it!!! Has anybody actually ever ate there or just spent all their loose change on the games? Didn't care much for the ice cream -- I'll take Marble Slab Creamery in Hendersonville any old day!!!!!

I understand the building you speak of will be an offshoot of Hollywood's Grill in White House.

I have to agree about Ronnie McDowell ( Who cares what he does ). I for one wish I didn't have to hear about him or his bad wig for the rest of my life. Everyone thinks he is special I for one look at him and think LOSER. I wish the papers would take him and shove him up there......

I remember that photo. Wasn't the picture of cranes or herons or something. I saw that picture in the Examiner too. Somebody in town told me the bird watchers or whatever that group is (Audobon or something) was all excited because those birds never nest so close to mankind. Only in Portland. I guess somebody considered that news, huh!

Hey, by the way, I also enjoyed Mr. Wok's but didn't like the egg rolls. I had the shrimp with vegetables and the veggies were fresh.

Anybody know what's being built just north of Stroud's on 109?

Curious,

I agree with you that Ronnie McDowell should do his parties in Portland. The town could use the excitement.
But you can't blame the Progressive for covering an event that has a local interest. McDowell is connected to Portland and I am sure that's why they are covering him the way they have.

I have not been in Portland very long, but I would much rather see pictures of Ronnie McDowell on the cover of the newspaper than a picture of some birds nesting in a tree like the Leader ran a while back.

Curious... news is news and newspapers are suppose to cover it.

Does anyone know of a good butcher shop around here that cuts to order, retail? We used to get everything at KFS in KY but then he went wholesale only. He recently moved and the new guy opened Country Meats, has good prices, but is wholesale too. The local groceries around here really don't have good cuts or good prices. Just curious if anyone knew of anywhere else?!?

My wife and I tried the new Chinese restaurant this week (Mr. Wok's). I was very impressed with the food. I like Chinese food, but onions and peppers don't like me, so my eating it has always been difficult. However, they made me the chicken lo-mein cooked to order and it was excellent. I got the large portion and could only eat about half of it. My wife ate all her chicken teryiaki, she got the small portion of course, then finished my lo-mein the next day. Really good food pretty reasonably priced.

Curious, I wondered also why Ronnie has his "get togethers" in Red Boiling instead of Portland. Portland could sure use the revenue they would bring in.

As for the Progressive, Ronnie is news and newspapers print the news. I think the Progressive covers the news alot better than the Leader. I use to subscribe to both papers but I did not renew the Leader when it expired.

Am I the only one sick of seeing Ronnie McDowell on the front page of the Progressive each week? I know he is the hometown boy but none of these pictures are even from Portland?!?!?! Why can't Ronnie have his big-bang events in Portland anyhow? Has the Progressive become a Red Boiling Springs paper? I am done with the Progressive and will sign up for the Leader instead. I can only handle so much of Ronnie and he's been plastered in the Progressive EVERY WEEK for about two months now. Sayonara Portland Progressive. You've really gone down hill.

The moving sale has to be cancelled for now.

We are having a moving sale this weekend, Friday and Saturday from 8 AM to 4 PM. It is at 200 Wheeler Street in town. There will be a few antiques there.
Thanks!

Whatever happened to the new business' that were going on Main St? Seems like I remember somebody saying something about a coffee shop, a day spa, or something along those lines.

I hope they fix Main St up nice. It so drab right now.

Go to the Portland website:

http://www.cityofportlandtn.gov/

and vote for the business you would most like to see come to Portland.

Sounds like its Wal-Mart for Yuppies.

At less than a 10th of the size of the average Wal-Mart superstore, Wal-Mart said the new stores would be aimed at “the needs of a time-starved, higher-income consumer that is interested in convenience and premium fresh, natural and organic offerings”.

The approach contrasts with Wal-Mart’s experience with the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market stores it launched 10 years ago, which are about the size of a traditional US supermarket.

From what I read they are Grocery only, they're plan is to place 1,000 of them across the US starting this fall.

Judy, do you know how this WalMart Marketside project is different from the WalMart neighborhood markets like the one next to Old Time Pottery in Madison?

One of the reasons that I am going to the Gas Rally and Protest in RBS is because its a nice quite town and its like short family vacation. Plus I like good family redneck fun. So this will be perfect. I really don't think it will have a big impact, but it should be fun. I think the weather should be nice.

Saw this today on one of the internet news headlines,

*Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) has a new division and it expects the world from it. The company will launch its new small Marketside grocery stores this Fall.*

Maybe Portland could lasso one of those marketside grocery stores!

PRIOR POLITICAL, TAXES, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMENTS HAVE BEEN MOVED TO the topic for such.

Curious, MDL---

I think you hit it on the head...why drive all the way to Red Boiling Springs to protest gas prices? I would waste probably at least a quarter of a tank driving out there and back...Good point

Isn't the RBS Protest just a little 'festival' to promote his new song? Just something closer to home to do rather than drive into Nashvegas I guess.

Nope. Don't have the gas to drive to Red Boiling Springs. Kinda stupid to drive to RBS and waste gas to protest gas.

Sorry, I want to change the subject for a second.
I hope someone can help me with something!
I read in The Progressive the last few weeks about a protest of gas prices that Ronnie McDowell is doing this Sunday in Red Boiling Springs.
What is this all about? I guess I am wondering if it would be worth my time to go? Is anyone else going to it?

billyg - I read about that a few weeks back and thought what a great idea! Please update us, atleast the weather is going to cool down a bit so it should be tolerable. Have Fun!

I am packing the kids this weekend to go to the Gas Protest in Red Boiling Springs. It looks like a day of fun. Ronnie McDowell, Diana DeGarmo, and Phil Valentine. Maybe Phil will sing some his songs??

CD - We got take out at Mr WOK's the day they opened, I thought it was very good, we ordered, General Tso's Chicken, Sweet & Sour trio (Chicken, Pork, & Shrimp), Roast Pork LO Mein, and a PuPu Platter. The General Tos Chicken wasn't as spicy as I would like, but menu says they can alter the spicy to your liking. All and all everyone said it was very good, I myself didn't like their fried rice, the egg rolls were real good. The only Chinese place I found to be better is the little one in Gallatin that is in the plaza where the old wal-mart was. We will be back to Mr Wok's I'm sure quite often, I need to try their wonton soup & sesame chicken next.

Panther Fan,
I'm not sure which way I'm gonna vote yet either but there are some other candidates running besides McCain and Obama. I've been doing some research on Bob Barr and Wayne Root, the Libertarian Party candidates.

Has anyone been to Mr Wok and if so how was it?

Apparently the Panthers looked really good at Camp Nacome. The Panthers beat Station Camp 14-0 in a scrimmage. Station Camp is suppose to be the best team in Sumner County this year. Even though it wasn't a game, the coaches have to be happy. I believe this team might actually be decent this year. If not I think Portland will be looking for a new coach.

Until we have a sports vine up, I was just wondering what everyone thought about the possibility of the Portland Panthers going to the football playoffs?
I have been over to watch practice and I just can't get a good feel as to what type of team we're going to have.
Everyone that watches practice each day says Portland will be much better with Colton Williamson at quarterback this year. I hope so. I just don't know if there are any weapons to go with him???

Hey, since the election is later this week, I was just wondering which way Portland would go with a presidential race?
I am a dedicated Republican, however I don't know that I want to vote for McCain. On the other hand, I don't know that I want to vote for a Democrat, either.
Unfortunately, I am disheartened with politics in general because I think the current administration has got the country in a mess.
If I had to pick, I am probably learning toward Obama.
I hope all of my Republican friends will forgive me?

City Hall

Terry - Thanks for the information, the location will be? Thanks again.

There will be a public meeting of the retail committee on Monday,Aug.4 at 5:30pm.