KNOXVILLE – The unique stories of how the University of Tennessee System serves the state of Tennessee will come to life beginning in August as part of the “Everywhere you look, UT” tour.
Beginning Aug. 3, UT System President Randy Boyd will travel to more than 50 counties during the next three months learning and celebrating UT’s impact across Tennessee.
“Everywhere you look, we are making a sizeable impact in the communities we serve,” Boyd said. “I’m looking forward to visiting with our state’s difference-makers and community leaders as we remember the important role our campuses and institutes play in Tennessee.”
Weeks one and two tour stops:
Aug. 3: Davidson County
- Urban farming through UT/TSU’s Extension office
- 3:30 p.m. CDT – 1417 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville
- UT/TSU Extension serves the residents of Davidson County with educational programs in the areas of agriculture, family and consumer sciences, community resource development and 4-H youth development.
Aug. 4: Sumner County
- Crafton Farms mural visit – open to the public
- 11 a.m. CDT – 1036 TN-52 West, Portland
- Crafton Farms is known for strawberries and sweet corn, sold seasonally from a roadside stand on the Crafton family’s 300-acre property in Portland. The family’s strawberries are even famous in Knoxville, thanks to a community member who delivers several crates every year to UT Knoxville athletics. Now Crafton Farms will be known throughout the region for one more thing—a 20-foot “Everywhere You Look, UT” mural, visible to an estimated 3.25 million people a year.
Aug. 4: Robertson County
- Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center
- 1 p.m. CDT – 3181 Experiment Station Road, Springfield
- The Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center, established in 1943 and covers 615 acres, is known for its research in cow-calf management and dark-fired and burley tobacco production efficiency. The center conducts cow-calf research emphasizing forage utilization and breeding efficiency and fire and air-cured dark and burley tobacco breeding, management and
Aug. 10: Monroe County
- Genera
- 1 p.m. EDT – 167 Tellico Port Road, Vonore
- Genera, a Tennessee-based ag fiber manufacturer, works to simplify supply chains with domestically sourced and produced ag-based pulp and molded fiber products. Partnering with local farmers, Genera provides a sustainable farm-to-finished product solution for a wide array of applications including compostable food service tableware, to-go containers, packaging, paper, tissue and more.
Aug. 10: Meigs County
- Mural visit at the Historic Rockholt Building and Meigs Theater
- 4 p.m. EDT – 17209 TN-58, Decatur
- Built in 1948 by Calvin Rockholt’s grandfather, W.H. Rockholt, the Meigs Theatre was the weekend destination for local movie goers. In 1950, the Rockholt Building was constructed next door, housing a dry goods store selling furniture, appliances and clothing. The theatre closed in 1960 and was used for storage until the two spaces were combined. The Rockholt Furniture Store was in business for 58 years before closing in 2008. The Rockholt Building now bears the 50-foot UT mural visible to approximately 1.8 million travelers a year and is being renovated for lease to the State Departments of Children’s Services and Human Services.
Aug. 11: Cumberland County
- Plateau AgResearch and Education Center
- 9 a.m. CDT – 320 Experiment Station Road, Crossville
- Equal distance from Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center provides 2,100 acres in three locations for research in beef, fruits, vegetables, field crops and swine.
Aug. 11: Fentress County
- Highland Manor Winery mural visit
- 11 a.m. CDT – 2965 South York Highway, Jamestown
- Located on the Cumberland Plateau, Highland Manor Winery in has produced fine Tennessee wines for more than three decades. More than 8,000 cars a day travel past the 40-foot-wide mural on the side of the winery.
Aug. 12: Rutherford County
- Rutherford County Extension office
- 2 p.m. CDT – 315 John R. Rice Blvd., Murfreesboro
- Rutherford County Extension delivers educational programs and research-based information to residents of Rutherford County. Working with farmers, families, youth and communities, Extension helps improve people’s lives by addressing problems and issues in Rutherford County.
Aug. 12: Maury County
- Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center
- 4 p.m. CDT – 1000 Main Entrance Drive, Spring Hill
- The Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center conducts research and demonstration trials that provide solutions and education to the community, state and nation’s agricultural producers and the many non-agricultural producing public that rely on a safe and economical food supply, fiber and more.
For more information on upcoming visits, please visit everywhere.tennessee.edu/tour. Media wishing to participate in these events must RSVP in advance by contacting Melissa Tindell at mtindell@tennessee.edu.
The University of Tennessee is a statewide system of higher education with campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin, Memphis and Pulaski; the UT Space Institute in Tullahoma; the UT Institute of Agriculture with a presence in every Tennessee county; and the statewide Institute for Public Service. The UT system manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership; enrolls about 50,000 students statewide; produces about 11,000 new graduates every year; and represents more than 400,000 alumni around the world.