Like everybody else in the real world, my favorite columnist is Sam Venable, who writes for the Knoxville News-Sentinel. (available at www.knoxnews.com) Sam started out as a sports writer of the huntin''n fishin' variety. But that limited him a little, so he became a sort of unlimited columnist. Sam has been described as a sort of Dave Barry with a mustashe, but unlike Dave, Sam on rare occasions, becomes serious. This morning he was reporting on some of the stories that he heard at the Tennessee Fall Homecoming at the Museum of Appalachia. It seems they have an organization of Lying Hillbillies. If you think the jokes on RinkWorks are bad . . . .

Bill Foster said he was happy to report that the small town of Wedlock, Tenn. just annexed the area where his family had lived for three generations.
"Now I no longer have to tell everybody I was born out of Wedlock," he said.

Earnest Payne said he was driving down the road a few nights ago and saw two fellows fighting, so he grabbed his cell phone to call 911. He discovered, alas, that his phone didn't have an 11.

Ben Adams then asked to be recognized.
Several members agreed that, yes, he did look vaguely familiar, but that was as far as they were willing to go.

Knowing, Sam, I think it is likely that the people he mentioned are real East Tennesseans. Just wait until you read what Glen Greene said!
And Carlock Stooksbury.

Howard :-) :-O ;-)