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09

The Unaka Rod & Gun Club was formed in the 1940’s. Now, six decades later, they’re still right on target with ammunition attitudes. 

At the Unaka Rod & Gun Club rifle range, they’re taking aim at a big benefit shoot this Saturday and Sunday.

“This is the Larry Tester St. Jude’s Memorial Shoot”, says the Club’s Charles Brumit. “We’re adding a black powder element to it this year”.

They’ll have food and beverages..and they’re shooting for donations.

“Hopefully we’ll have a good turnout all the money goes to St. Jude’s”, Charles says. “We’re a firm believer that you reap what you sew..and that’s what it’s all about is helping the children and that’s what we’re trying to do”.

They’ll show off their arsenal of antique guns.

“We’ve got rifles from 1800 and probably before that”, according to Charles.

“A Flintlock rifle like the type that was made in Jonesborough about 1830”, says Dr. Wayne Battle, as he shows me his prized firearm.

“These guns were made by Remington for the Union Army”, Pete Hostetler says as he shows me another gun. “They never got issued the war ended before they were delivered”.

“This was used in the buffalo hunts and for long range shooting out to a thousand yards”, says Dr. Battle, showing me another.

And for those elephant hunts, you should check out Colin Mullins’ elephant gun.

“This gun was designed for the big five animals, yes”, Colin says. “Elephants, lions, tigers”..and bears, oh my?, I ask. “And bears, too”, laughs Colin.

Fellow club members joke that Colin’s the reason there’s no elephants running loose around here.

“That’s right”, he laughs. “We’ve got all of them exterminated in East Tennessee”.

And I can see why, too just looking at the bullet for the elephant gun. I mean I think if Barney Fife had to keep this bullet in his pocket he’d tear the pocket off. In addition, they’ll show off their fine facility and firing range.

“I would say there’s not another range like this one between Knoxville and Roanoke”, says Pete.

They’ll show off their on-target togetherness.

“I enjoy shooting but I like the fellowship and the comraderie with the people”, according to Charles.

“So you shoot guns here but you also shoot the bull?”, I ask Don Davison. “Yeah, yeah”, he laughs.

They’ll show off the Tennessee tradition.

“It’s our history and the heritage of the Appalachian Mountains”, says Charles. “They’re just fun to fool with. You play Cowboys and Indians when you’re a little kid and when you grow up why you’re supposed to grow up but your toys just get more expensive”.

“This is part of our culture this is one of the few places in the world where you can shoot something like this”, Dr. Battle adds.

“Do you think it would help me shoot if I was dressed like that?”, I ask the leather and buck skin laden Don Davison. “Oh, definitely”, he says.

“To dress the part to try and keep it as authentic as possible is part of the fun”, says Pete.

When it all comes down to it, the aim of the Unaka Rod & Gun Club is triggered toward two things.

“If people don’t have the right attitude towards firearms it becomes an unsafe situation”, explains Charles. “So we’re wanting people to be safe with firearms and that’s what we teach, attitude and safety here at Unaka”.

The Tester Memorial Shoot gets underway this Saturday, Sept. 29 at 10:00 a.m. To get to the Unaka Rod & Gun Club, take the old Elizabethton Highway out of Johnson City to the Hilltop area just above Iris Glen Landfill. Turn left on Hilltop and follow the signs. 

Posted by Tim Cable

Rogersville’s Hale Vance says he started playing music at the age of eight when his Musician Daddy left an old guitar lying around the house. He picked it up and hasn’t put it down since. Now, over 60 years later, his musical notes have spread sunshine the world over. 

You might call Hale Vance, the “Bob Hope of Hawkins County”.

“There’s not a day passes that I don’t remember and think about those tours”, Hale says.

He’s talking about USO tours. Hale’s a veteran of nine of them.

“I was invited as a substitute member of another group from over in North Carolina to go the first trip”, according to Hale.

That was in ‘68 to Vietnam. That got the ball rolling and from there, he got groups together and applied for other USO tours. It’s taken him all over the world..trotting the globe from country to country.

“We did one of Europe which included the normal European countries”, says Hale. “We did one to the Mediterranean it included Turkey, Greece, Italy, Sicily and Germany..did one to the Far East which was Baharain, Kuwait, basically with stops again in Germany”.

The Carribean, Portugal and the Azores, Japan, South Korea, Guam, and Okinawa.

“We’ve been in countries where history is very, very prominent, previously that we only read about maybe in a history book or saw in a documentary or something like that”, Hale adds.

Closer to home, tours to Hawaii and Alaska..and all of this despite the fact that it can be hard to get on a USO tour to begin with.

“I’m told that it is but I have been just extremely fortunate with the USO and the Department of Defense and have never applied for a tour yet that I didn’t get”, says Hale.

He’s received loads of letters from servicemen thanking him for his group’s shows.

“Their expressions are very gratifying”, he says. “When you see how limited they are on things like entertainment and those amenities that home offers..it’s been the most gratifying part of my musical experience was playing for our troops”.

His last tour was around five years ago..he’s currently working on putting another one together.

“I love it, it’s been one of the highlights of my life”, Hale says fondly.

There’s been a lot of musical highlights in this 70-year-old Entertainer’s life. Although Hale says he was never a major name in professional entertainment, he’s been fortunate to have rubbed elbows and made friends with a lot of folks in the music business.

“Like for instance, Dottie West”, says Hale. “She gave me a key to her house so that I didn’t have to pay for a motel when I was in Nashville you know”.

Yes, music has meant a lot to Hale Vance.

“Music is the air that I breathe and it’s just that critical”, he says.

He says he’ll probably play and sing until the time they close that casket lid..and he won’t be taking any musical instruments with him.

“I’m more interested in leaving something here than taking something”, says Hale. “I want to leave a legacy of having loved the music”.

The Rogersville Review Newspaper asked Hale to do a book on the musical history of the area. It’ll be called, “A Celebration of our Musical Heritage” and it’s set to be released soon. 

Posted by Tim Cable