What is pickleball? It could be described as a mix between tennis, ping pong, and even badminton. It is currently the fastest growing sport in the United States. Jackson’s pickleball scene is growing quickly with several hundred locals in the association.     The Jackson Pickleball Association has organized league play 3 times a year – spring, summer, and fall. Jackson currently has 6 public pickleball courts available for play at Conger Park; this is where the tournament will take place.   The Jackson Summer Classic Pickleball Tournament will be held at Conger Park from May 13 – 15, 2022.  This is the 5th pickleball tournament that Net Results Pickleball has held in Jackson. They started with 65 players and are now over 160. This tournament already has players registered from all across the state of Tennessee as well as from surrounding states including Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois.   The deadline for registration will be May 6, 2022.   The tournament will last 3 days with age groups and singles taking place on Friday, May 13, doubles skill groups playing on Saturday, May 14, and mixed doubles on Sunday, May 15.     You can register for the Jackson Summer Classic online now (https://www.pickleballtournaments.com/tournamentinfo.pl?tid=5962#). For information on organized league play, join the Jackson Pickleball Association Facebook group. For other information on Pickleball in Jackson, call 731-425-8333. In keeping with its tradition of community, service and fun, The Old Country Store will host the inaugural Casey Jones Village Festival Saturday, July 9, 2022. The free event will be from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. with vendors, food trucks and activities that include local artisans, children’s games, arts and crafts. The day will culminate with a concert at the Casey Jones Village Amphitheater featuring singer-songwriter Ellie Holcomb. Local faith-based artist David Ashley Trent will open for Holcomb. Tickets for the concert are$10 per person, gates will open at 6 p.m., and Holcomb will take the stage at 7 p.m.   Businesses, individuals and vendors are invited to be part of this historic Jackson-Madison County Bicentennial celebration. For more information about sponsorships or vendor opportunities, individuals may contact Brianna Kline at 731-668-1223 or email contactcaseyjonesvillage@gmail.com. “We are thrilled to partner with the Jackson-Madison County Bicentennial committee and so many regional leaders to make the Casey Jones Village Festival the premier event of the summer! Working together, we’ll celebrate what makes our community great by bringing families together for a day of food and fun,” Old Country Store General Manager Brooks Shaw said. “Guests will be uplifted and inspired by Ellie Holcomb’s and David Trent’s live performances that evening, making this a day of unity that we’ll all treasure!”   In 2005, Ellie Holcomb began performing with her husband, Drew Holcomb, and performing individually in 2011 with the release of the “Magnolia” EP, which hit the Billboard charts. Her second EP, “With You Now,” was released in 2013, and a year later Holcomb released a full-length album, “As Sure as the Sun,” and also won Best New Artist at the 2014 GMA Dove Awards. Holcomb’s second album, “Red Sea Road,” was released in 2017.   In 2018, Holcomb released two children's works accompanied by a companion EP: “Sing: Creation Songs” and “Who Sang the First Song?” For “Sing: Remembering Songs,” Holcomb won a Dove Award for “Children’s Album of the Year” in 2020. Her third full-length solo project, “Canyon,” was inspired by a trip to the Grand Canyon. “We all know what it’s like to have our hearts break and split wide open like a canyon, but there in the middle of our deepest pit of sorrow, there’s a river running through, a current of God’s love ever-present, ever-flowing, ever-ready to carry us through our darkest nights and our deepest ache,” said Holcomb. She and Drew raise their three children in Nashville. World Series Trophy
World Series Trophy - image via Sporting News
The Atlanta Braves have announced Jackson, TN as an additional stop of the World Champions Trophy Tour Presented by Truist.   The tour will travel throughout Braves Country through summer 2022 with a total of 151 stops, commemorating 151 years of Braves baseball. Stops will include the opportunity for fans to take photos with the trophy, as well as programming by the Braves entertainment teams, alumni, and more at select locations. The World Champions Trophy Tour will visit the Jackson Ballpark on Monday, May 2nd between 3:00pm – 6:00pm.  All baseball fans, especially those Atlanta Braves baseball fans, are invited to come to have your picture taken with the trophy. Join Play Ball Jackson at the Stadium!  Be a part of it!   In 2019, Deswick Bonds Jr. was the manager of a telecommunications company in Nashville, but had always wanted to become a Real Estate Agent. Out of this dream, he researched, prayed, set goals, and opened his own real estate school. (more…)