This is Steve Beverly asking for your help.

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It's all about home.

Glamorous award ceremonies, festive parades and traditions dating back decades.

Join channel 11 as we look back at the big local events WLJT covered this past year, as West Tennessee PBS remembers 2024.

What a year 2024 was busy, exciting, challenging, and yes, lots of fun.

Hello, I'm Peter Noll, the West Tennessee PBS general manager and CEO.

Thank you for joining us.

2024 was an especially busy year for everyone here at WLJT channel 11.

We launched many new local shows and specials, and we streamed even more local events from across West Tennessee.

For the next few minutes.

We'll be looking back at the big local events here at home.

Hello.

We are now joined by executive director of the Jackson Madison County African-American chamber, Don McCorry.

Don, thank you for coming by.

Thank you so much for the invitation.

Staying warm by our fire here.

As we look back at the big things of 2024 and 2024, represented the year where channel 11 did a couple of brand new shows for big events in our community.

I mean, we did the 61st annual NAACP Freedom Fund banquet, and we did the 23rd annual Jewel Awards, both of these for the first time.

I love a year first.

Yes, yes.

It was the first time that we had ever been televised, and now we were thrilled beyond measure to have, West TN PBS be able to broadcast that program for us.

Is was our pleasure.

It's such a great event and really recognizes lots of people throughout West Tennessee in the community that are doing great stuff.

Tell us a little bit of history of the Jewel Awards.

Oh, okay.

Jewel stands for Joining Entrepreneurs with Enterprising Leadership.

The organization itself is 25 years old.

And this event, the 23rd, was another opportunity for us to recognize and celebrate perseverance for business owners in West Tennessee.

We have four categories for which we recognize business owners.

The Ruby Award for five years of business or less.

The Diamond Award for 6 to 10 years.

The Emerald Award for 11 to 20 years.

And the jewel itself for more than 20 years of service to the community.

This is a way that we can get, you know, not only recognize individual businesses, but they can pat themselves on the back because as we well know, we went through a horrible period during the pandemic and some businesses did not survive.

So we want to take the opportunity to recognize it.

Well, thank you for allowing us to be there and share it with all of West Tennessee.

Let's take a look at some of those, moments from the Jewel Awards.

Tonight's event showcases minority owned businesses in Jackson and West Tennessee and celebrates them for their founding dreams, for their perseverance, and for their commitment to serving our community.

This event is the brainchild of the founding members of the Jackson, Madison County African-American Chamber of Commerce.

Over 25 years ago, a group of local community leaders and business owners shared a common frustration the absence of a local institution providing essential services to nurture their budding enterprises.

They reached out to existing organization, only to discover that the resources they sought were conspicuously absent, especially in West Tennessee, outside the confines of Shelby County.

Undeterred by this challenge, these leaders didn't just see a problem, they envisioned a solution.

They formulated a mission that to this day, stands as a testament to their profound impact on our community.

Their determination and ingenuity have given rise to an organization that continues to contribute and uplift and empower those it serves.

In December of last year, two of these remarkable founding visionaries made the decision to step back, allowing a new generation of leaders to carry forward their life's work.

Tonight, it is my distinct honor to extend an invitation to Miss Katie Brantley and to Mr. Clarence Boone to join me on stage.

Their contribution events have been nothing short of transformative, and their legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.

Please join me in celebrating these extraordinary individuals and the indelible mark they have left on our community for a lifetime of service to our community and to the City of Jackson.

We thank you, Mr. Clarence Boone.

It is my pleasure and my pride to be able to present this to you tonight for service beyond measure and a lifetime of achievement.

And the ruby goes to drum roll.

Sunshine Medical Urgent Center Plus, Dr. Allyson Anyanwu.

Thank you so much for this award.

It is my dream to serve the community, and I've always dreamed of having an urgent care center from 20 years back.

Bought the building some ten years ago.

And this hesitated but not allow it to go beyond.

And now I'm living and serving, and it is so beautiful to just change the lives of the community.

I go beyond and beyond this what the patient said.

You're going beyond the beyond.

And just because we make the difference, we experience the difference because I'm changing lives and I want people to help change the lives of others.

And with the blood pressures with the colonoscopies and the prevention, prevention.

And I want you guys to do the same.

And I appreciate all your business.

You need anything I'm there 504 North Highland for now.

For later.

Thank you so much for all your support.

Thank God and all of you.

Thank my husband and my family and everyone who helped make me as great as I am, as I make everyone else the greatest.

Thanks.

And the Diamond Award goes to.

Doxicom global.

Mr. Sidney Wilson.

Mr. Wilson could not be with us tonight.

Accepting this award on his behalf is our board president, Miss Clarissa Williams, the recipient of the 2024 Emerald Award goes to the beauty cage.

Miss Miranda Holland.

Good evening everyone.

I would like to say this is an honor as well as a privilege that the.

And I believe Miss Bernice Cunningham is looking down from the heaven.

Would be so proud of of this award for the beauty cage.

And I thank each and every one of you.

And I also thank my family for being here with me on tonight.

And thank y'all from the bottom of my heart.

The 2024 Jewel Award goes to the family healthcare of Jackson doctor Earl Stewart.

My sincere gratitude to everyone.

I want to thank God all my favorite patients and my hardworking staff.

God bless you all and thanks again.

As West Tennessee PBS remembers 2024.

We're now joined by our good friend Steve Beverly.

Welcome to West Tennessee PBS remembers 2024.

Tell you what, 2024 has gone by like a blip on the radar scope.

It has.

It has, and I believe back in August is when we launched Steve Beverly's TV Classics on Channel 11.

And I'm telling you, it has been so much fun because you're talking about shows, and I'm getting response from people all over West Tennessee, shows that remind them of when television was fun, and also because they can remember specific episodes when they see Sky King and they'll say, hey, I remember Saturday mornings when I used to gather around the set or the Roy Rogers show.

So they're the kind of things that I think people because we long for good memories today.

And I think that TV classics is one way we can do that.

So when TV classics like it had been airing for several years on, JEA's Channel six, and we just thought it would make a great we just thought channel 11 needs to air this show.

And you started doing special shows just for our viewers.

Tell us about that.

Well, it's it's really we do three hours a week on TV, actually six hours because we're on both Saturday and Sunday nights on JEA.

But when we decided to go in with the one hour format here for WLJT it allows us really to zero in and concentrate on a theme a lot more often, such as one week we had a theme about television fraud with the quiz scandals that happened back in the 1950s, and it's something that I feel like we can teach people about TV history, about how that was such a black market almost wrecked the entire television industry.

And then we've also been able to remember people who and sadly, they have left us, such as when we had the great Peter Marshall, the host of The Hollywood Squares, and I'd been a part of the game show Congress that honored Peter with a Bill Cullen Lifetime Achievement Award back in 2006.

So when that happened, we were able to draw from that material and be able to give Peter what I think was one of the fine tributes for what he meant to so many of us.

I mean, talk about a guy that every day and for ten years at night as well, but every day for 15 years came our way with the Hollywood Squares and there is no better person I know that could bring us these stories, that could bring us this information, that could get us the interviews with Harry Friedman.

A lot of these stars of the shows from yesteryear, you know, personally, you've met, you've talked to, and none of this is scripted out.

It's just all in your head.

Well, and sometimes that's a dangerous thing to have it all just in your head.

And I never have understood why it sticks up here.

It's just one of those things that I think it's because from the time I was four years old, I knew I wanted to have something to do with television.

I grew up as television was an infant, and before I started to school, my mother said that the first two words out of my mouth were detergent brands.

We're not supposed to mention brand names on here, but that's what she said.

And I can remember, though, that I was mesmerized by the people who were newscasters, who were the game show hosts and the people who really just played themselves.

And for me, it was just great because I felt like they were friends of mine that I watched at home.

So for me, that's what I'm trying to pay forward with TV classics.

I hope as we show these shows every week that I'm a person that can be like a guest in your home.

Well, we do thank you very much for bringing Steve Beverly's TV classics to our channel Eleven family and viewers and online.

A lot of people tell me they are streaming it every week or they binge it on the weekends.

So thank you very much.

And one last thing.

What is your wish for 2025?

My wish for 2025 is that everybody has a better year than 2024.

I think you always have to hope for that because you got a fresh start.

It's brand new.

Let's all work together to make 2025 one step better than it was a year ago.

Well thank you.

Happy holidays.

Merry Christmas.

Happy New Year and everything.

And thank you for being part of the channel.

My pleasure.

the New Gidget was one of those 80s comedies that had a lot of the texture and the flavor of the original Gidget.

They started actually in the movies with Sandra Dee, and then it was Sally field.

And then in the 80s, another revival comes back with the lady that you just saw and who is with us right here.

Caryn Richman and Caryn.

Caryn and I have been friends for a few years now, but I am so glad you took the time to be with us here on West Tennessee PBS.

Steve, I'm excited.

I first of all, I always love to see you virtually, and it's always a pleasure.

You are a plethora of knowledge, especially when it comes to classic television, so it's always so much fun.

Thanks for having me.

It's great to have you here.

Let's talk a bit about this.

You had already done daytime drama at the time that you had done, NBC soaps before.

Yes.

For the new Gidget came along.

Tell the audience which ones that you had done.

Well, they they NBC decided to launch a new soap called Texas.

Sadly, we only lasted three years.

But it was an incredible experience for those of us that were on it.

Was not a critical success per se, but we were a spinoff of Another World.

So a lot of us, started on another world.

Then they brought us over to our own storyline line, and we, our first episode aired in 1980 and our last in 1983.

You did the role as a singer on that in and, of course, many people, a lot of times when they have done daytime drama is you say it really cut your teeth for other kind of acting.

So let's fast forward another three years.

How did you end up becoming Gidget?

I to this day, I don't even know story.

You know, I was in New York and I was doing this soap, and I felt, you know, that it was incumbent on me to get out to where it was all happening.

At that time.

There was nothing going on in New York other than theater and soaps, and I had been incredibly lucky to have started on Broadway in the show grease, which is a whole other conversation.

But suffice it just to say that I was the luckiest actress in the world that that that's where I got my start playing Sandy in the Broadway show grease.

Then I did the soap opera, and then it was time to see about doing different, bigger, better, possibly.

And I remember they were auditioning for Gidget.

I told my agent, if I cannot get cast in this role, I probably should just throw in the towel.

This was a character.

I was this character at the time.

You know, she she's first of all, she has to be short.

That's so rare in this business.

So every actress that has played Gidget, I'm the seventh and last actress so far.

I'm waiting for them to do a geriatric version, or at least a new version of it with some hot new young actors.

But.

But you could play Gidget, mom now.

I could get Gidgets grandmother.

Are you kidding?

Anything?

So when they were auditioning for Gidget, I said to my agent, I've got to audition for this.

It's it.

She's sweet, she's perky, she's girl next door.

It was everything that my persona sort of gave out to the world.

It might not be who I really am, but we all have facade and we all have faces that we put on, and.

And mine was very much, you know, Pollyanna, Gidget.

That audition was went on for two months, which I had never heard of.

You know, usually in television especially, they move quickly.

But from my very first audition to the final, final callback was a two month period, and they saw every petite, perky actress in Hollywood.

And, I remember being at Columbia Pictures Television with a huge table of executives when they let me know that final call was down to three of us, and they said, you're you're our Gidget.

I just, I just I was bouncing off the walls.

We are joined by Julie Cook and Tyler Hawks talking about the 71st annual Fish Fry Parade.

Welcome to the show.

As we look back at 2024, you guys have been such great friends of WLJT.

What do you guys remember about this year's Fish Fry parade?

Well, you know, the, fish tent opens the night before the parade.

They throw out the first hushpuppy, which you've never seen.

That.

That's kind of a neat deal that they do a tradition that they do, and that fish is so good.

It's cooked right there.

And you have the mayonnaise slaw and the vinegar slaw.

The choice of that with French fries.

Hushpuppies.

I mean, just thinking about it, it is delicious.

It's so good.

I need there was a throwing out of the.

Oh yeah, it's a big a big, big.

So that's on the Friday night before the parade.

It's, Yeah.

I believe so.

Opening ceremony.

Yes.

I got to make sure I get up there next time, but I got to play the hushpuppies.

Oh, I could eat my weight in hushpuppies.

That's a lot of hushpuppies.

It's it's very good.

And and that's not the only thing.

I mean, the parade is fantastic.

The the streets are lined with people and a lot of a crowd there.

And, it's just a great tradition there in Paris.

It's kind of the, kind of the kickoff of almost summer, but not quite.

But it's almost like it's spring.

It's warm.

We're getting out again.

Yeah, yeah.

And I mean, yeah, it's amazing the amount of people.

I don't know if there's ever an estimate of just how many.

I don't know, but there's a lot of, dignitaries, you know, and we were talking, the other day about how if you're running for office, this is one of the places you go because you can see so many people at one time and shake hands and talk to constituents.

So it's a really good community event.

And I remember this year it was like perfect parade weather.

Like the year before.

It was a little misty.

I mean, the rain stayed away, but it was a little misty touch and go.

But this year it was perfect.

Just enough to get on your reading glasses.

Oh, it's a little tough to read, but, yeah.

And it's, you know, the communities come together, for all the parades around West Tennessee all year long, it's it's really neighbors putting on that effort.

And there's so much pride in the towns and, you know, you just you just love to go and see that because we need to get out and get in that environment.

Every once in a while, we all do.

And I think what makes the world's biggest fish fry, very special is, it's all volunteer put on by the Jaycees, all volunteer, a lot of hard work.

You know, Jennifer Starks and her team at the Jaycees, they are just.

It's all.

It's a labor of love.

Yeah.

So when you see something like that big of an event, and as long as it last, it's just part of the charm of it.

I think it's just the the teamwork and the things falling into place and everybody working together.

And it's just a it's a great, great feeling.

No matter how much fish you eat.

Well, let's take a look at some highlights from this year's, Fish Fry Parade.

Well, the fireplace is still burning.

And we're still looking back at the big events of 2024 here at WLJT and across West Tennessee.

Next up is the 86th annual West Tennessee Strawberry Festival.

And joining us to talk about that and remember it is Amanda Love from the Humboldt Chamber.

And Betty Langley, who is a good friend of the station and host of the Grand Floats Parade.

Welcome.

Thank you.

What do you remember about the 86th annual West Tennessee Strawberry Festival?

What sticks out in your mind?

To me I think it was the crowds.

We had huge crowds this year.

Great weather.

Yeah, and great weather.

It was almost perfect weather.

I mean, it was mean.

I'm always hot anyway.

But it was.

I mean, there's been some Strawberry Festival grand floats where it's like we're missing rain by minutes.

Yeah, yeah.

And this year it was sunny.

I mean, there were crowds.

I mean, by six, 7 a.m.. Yeah.

They're all I mean, it was huge.

We had a if you look back the Friday parade had about 130% increase year over year.

And if you look over 50 miles out, we're into the economic development part, which is me.

It was well over 600% increase year over year.

Wow.

So there were a lot of since we're talking about the economic impact of the Strawberry Festival on Humboldt.

Yeah.

And the area.

Yeah.

How much money are we talking about?

About $6 million in revenue.

And between city, county, state and federal, about $800,000 in sales tax.

Wow.

Just from tourists.

That's not the locals, that's tourists.

That's huge.

That's a big impact.

Yeah.

And let's remind everyone it is Tennessee's largest, longest running festival in the entire state.

Yeah, we do seven days of events, and Betty can tell you, oh, this year that mean all of the food vendors.

And every year the food vendors start coming in earlier and earlier.

We used to be like just on the weekend, and now they're in all week long and people plan their entire week.

I'm going to eat here one night and hear another night.

And to get in all of the good, good food.

It's.

What was your favorite food item?

Oh, gosh.

Probably like some Mexican or maybe.

Maybe a ice cream.

Oh, yeah.

And for those of you at home, if you haven't watched the parade, Betty is one of our hosts.

She knows, like everyone in the parade.

I mean, it's almost three hours long.

She knows everyone.

Well, it's it's fun to see people's kids and, you know, friends of mine and people that have been in Humboldt for years.

And it's just a lot of fun to bring that personal touch to it.

Yeah.

What is your favorite part of the entire parade?

Of the parade?

The Grand floats parade.

Like it.

Like, oh, this is my favorite.

Oh, me.

It's bands.

It's the bands.

I'm an old time band geek.

I love the bands.

Right.

And I love the bigger floats.

Yeah.

You know, years and years ago, big floats were a thing.

And, you know, it's just really expensive to put a float together.

But the bigger floats that people still, still, you know, make or just, you know, it's just unbelievable how much time and money people, people spend to to put a float into that parade.

We did a half hour special on the history of the Strawberry Festival on Channel 11.

And one of the things that we learned was about one of the original those grand floats was with the two horses that were either taxidermy or something on the floats.

I mean, they like, went all out.

They went all out.

They didn't have the, you know, all of the crepe paper and things that we have now.

They used what they had and... That's what they had.

And you can see from old photos, this was people like dressed up.

This was a tie and suit event.

Yeah.

Well I mean and didn't we used to dress up for a lot more?

People don't dress up now, you know, they come very casual.

But you know, in years past, 40, 50 years ago, I mean, it was the event and people really, really dressed.

And it's now we have the governor's luncheon and that's, that's a semi-private event.

But you can buy tickets to it.

But the old saying for us is that the road to to Nashville runs through Humboldt, because every politician comes there and they make deals and they talk to people and they get to see the governor or whoever they want to see.

So there are a lot of of big wigs if you want to, at the parade and at the events.

So.

And on election year, you know, everybody has a car, everybody that's running for office wants to be seen, wants to be seen and then come to the governor's luncheon.

So yeah, it's big.

It's really big.

Amanda and Betty, thank you for reminiscing with us about, the 86th annual West Tennessee Strawberry Festival.

And let's look at some of the highlights from the record crowds.

as we look back to the big events of 2024, we're remembering the 31st annual soybean festival, the Tennessee Soybean Festival.

And here to tell us about that, Brad Thompson from the city of Martin and Tyler Hawks, host of the show.

We look forward to that night.

It is a nightly, or a parade at night is a lot of fun and a lot of tractors because it is about agriculture.

And of course, the soybean is the center of attention.

What do you remember about this year's, parade?

The festival?

It was a really big crowd.

It's not just university students.

It's people from all over West Tennessee.

I mean, I saw some people from Jackson and Humboldt there, who are recognized.

And so it's a really, really big crowd.

I remember that.

Brad, what can you tell us about this year's festival?

Well, I mean, I heard they were like huge crowds.

Were they record crowds this year?

This year we did have record attendance.

Since we've been measuring, we have a, we use a metric with a group that we're able to partner with, and we partner with them made available through a grant through the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

And, they use, this measurement with placer AI what it is we can tell, like, who we can track people like where they're coming from into our festival.

And when they leave our festival, where they go after the festival and, it's very, a very neat thing.

And it's a really good estimate.

So we know that for that week, we had over 35,000 people come through, Martin, Tennessee, and attend the Tennessee Soybean Festival.

They spent an average of a little over 2.5 hours at the festival.

And then what it does not track, though, is people who don't have a cell phone or people who have their phone turned off, or people who, also are not using, any type of, you know, credit card or anything like that to attend the festival.

So we know that, you know, we have a good hard number and we have a good faith estimate that it was well over 35,000.

So that's a really big festival.

And, you know, unlike a lot of festivals around West Tennessee, that you have to be up at the crack of dawn and get your space on the parade route at like 4 a.m..

This is an evening, parade.

What's the history behind that?

So the the parade itself, we found that we have more participation, you know, in the evening hours, people off work, kids are out of school, you know, all of those things that you take into consideration and it's evolved into really like the kickoff of the festival.

So there's a lot of excitement.

You know, one thing that we've done as a festival committee is that we've evolved the festival to where it's more community focused, community oriented, and the first part of the week and really that hometown celebration.

And then we evolved into more of a tourist destination celebration for the Thursday Friday Saturday weekend events.

Yes.

I remember the first soybean festival in 1994.

It was, over at the arena.

They had the entertainment.

Susie Bogguss and, Tim McGraw and I got in line at seven a.m. Because you went to you went to UTM, right?

I'm a UTM Graduate.

Broadcast communications, by the way.

I guess I could talk about all my great love for that program.

That's right.

It's that's right, Dr. Robert Nanney, who is excellent.

So, I was there at 7 a.m..

I got ninth row seats for Tim McGraw.

All I remember is the Spontaneous Combustion Tour, and it was awesome.

He was really done.

He was doing the songs the Don't Take the Girl, and, Indian Outlaw.

You might remember that.

But anyway, I remember it very well is awesome concert and just a part of the Soybean festival.

It's really grown.

You were there at the beginning.

The very first one.

How many have you missed or have you been to all of them?

No, I I've missed a few over the years.

I come back because it's a great, awesome time.

It's kind of a homecoming for a lot of people who went to Martin or, live in Martin, who moved away.

They had to come back and have a good time there for the soybean Festival.

It really is kind of a reunion, and I know, the grand marshal was the Bell family, I think this year.

That's correct.

I know Anita, at monograms and more.

And it was just a it was a lot of fun because it is a big farm family, you know, a generational farm family.

And it's nice to see that celebrated, with the soybean festival.

Right.

And let me add in 7 a.m. for college student, that tells you the real commitment that the community has towards the festival.

I was rock and roll.

I really, really wanted to see, the big show come.

Yeah.

That's right.

Well, thank you both for joining us here.

As we look back at 2024.

And let's take a look at some of the highlights of the 31st annual Tennessee Soybean Festival Parade.

Well the fire is still burning here.

As West Tennessee PBS remembers 2024.

We're now joined by a good friend of West Tennessee PBS, Steve Bowers.

Thanks for coming on.

It's a pleasure.

I like the surroundings here.

Well, if we put a fresh log just on for you.

There are you have helped us out on so many big projects across West Tennessee.

And one of them that is one of Jackson's favorite events is the International Food and Art Festival.

What do you remember about this year's festival?

Well, I mean, it's exciting, I think, to see the growth of the festival.

One thing and the addition of the entertainment expanded hours this year, but the the real enjoyment of the parade is always just a big thrill.

And who, just to see all the different nations that have people here that are represented and it seems to be growing, it is.

The growth is the first year.

They talk about having an international festival.

It was downtown.

I thought, well, there'd be three, 500 people, maybe it would probably 2,000, 2500 people.

Their first step out of the gate and the Aztec, Mexican type theme band and all this stuff and parade and all the different countries and the colors and the uniforms and or clothing, like uniform clothing.

It was just an extraordinary event from the very beginning.

It just continues to grow.

A real highlight this year was the second year at the Jackson Fairgrounds, and they seemed to like, no, okay, we need to do traffic differently.

They expanded hours.

How do you think it went this year?

I hope it went well.

You know, we have fortunate with being part of it.

We get there early, you know, and so so we get to get a place good.

But having the events for children inside the pavilion building air conditioned and all that.

And then you got plenty of place around the track.

Now for all the vendors.

I hope it went well for the vendors as well, because that's a real key to this thing, the success.

But it it flowed well.

I thought that it's exciting event and they had a lot of the big ABBA act, ABBA, you know a group that was harkened back to the 70s.

It did which so it was the that's old music no to me that was new music.

Another big event that you're with us on is the Jackson Veterans Parade that goes on downtown Jackson.

I think last year it was on actually on Veterans Day, which is Saturday, this, But what do you remember about this parade, the previous you know, it it's still, I think, I think downtown is a great place to have the parade.

They did it out at the ballpark for for years.

Not anything wrong with that, but there's something cohesive about downtown and just the theme of it.

We got the great displays on Court Square, in honor of veterans and other things.

And so it's just it's a special thing, I think, Peter, to have it have it there.

What do you think?

We had beautiful weather.

What do you think it is about West Tennessee and Jackson, Madison County, that we really come together to support our veterans.

You don't see that everywhere.

Not everywhere.

It it's.

I've been in Jackson since 1983.

I did not from here went to work here and radio and people when I look at things that the child abuse center the the cerebral as was the cerebral Palsy Center, the Star center, all these services for children and people just come out of the heart is not somebody, oh, we got a $9 million federal grant that start a program.

All these programs start and they grow.

I think it's the same thing with the veterans.

Once it once it came out, it was like, there needs to be special recognition for the veterans.

You don't have to ask twice.

People just gravitate to it.

The event at Englewood the night before the parade, because the parade was kind of an add on to this.

And, you know, how are we going to put together a parade?

And so it just community response, I think it's I think it's from the heart.

And I think there's a special heart in Jackson and West Tennessee that I don't see everywhere.

We we worked with the West Tennessee Veterans Coalition on their Veterans in Crisis Fund to do a, video for them.

And we interviewed several of the veterans and family members of veterans that have been helped by that fund and yeah, I didn't meet you know, some of the veterans were brought to tears when you ask them what it means and that just that just comes from the people.

And you don't have to ask quite regularly anyway.

We have wonderful veterans service officers.

I think it was to say, I think the people in all these counties do a great job, and we've had one volunteer, but there are gaps.

And once they started talking about it's like, well, let's come up with a fund.

VFW.

6496 1840.

All these organizations just kind of jump in, gravitate to it and help facilitate it.

But like I said, it's I don't know, here.

It comes from the heart and people are not doing it to get out in front of a crowd or make themselves better known or whatever.

It's it's trying to serve.

And the year sort of wraps up with the Christmas parade in Jackson.

And you've been out here how many years?

We.

Well, I don't know.

I know because we started I started with, with, Eplus Broadband in 2004, but the parade coverage had already been on cable prior to that with TRTV.

So and I had worked some with them from the street.

So I've been doing this now 20 years with the parade, with, with Eplus TV six.

And this year they've invited me to be the grand marshal, which is kind of a double honor.

It was it's like, what is it?

What what are you going to do?

And I said, well, I'm riding in the car, I guess till I get up there, then I'm going to go to work, you know, but it's a great community showcase.

So I think it was the Jaycees years ago that brought it back and that goes back decades.

And then there was an independent committee that was formed, and then the city, with Mayor Gist.

They began to take charge, and that was recreation parks or Parks and Rec, as they call it now.

And they've done a splendid job with, with that, the staff of the Parks and Rec here, has just been splendid.

And they get excellent cooperation with all the other cities.

It takes a lot to put together a parade, especially the line up at the Civic Center.

I mean, that's a monumental task, and it's at night.

And it just it really brings everyone to downtown.

It does.

And that that was one of the benefits.

So because downtown went through that phase, you know, where, you know, the businesses had left and it was kind of in between there for a long time.

But the parade has been a constant and it's always been well done and well secured and so it's, it's just a real delight, I think highlight for the season, they talked about going to today at one time.

They thought about for a couple of years but then didn't.

And I think I think is where it belongs I do too, I do too.

Steve, thank you for remembering with us, back to the big events of 2024.

Let's take a look at some of the highlights.

Thank you for joining us for this look back at 2024.

We want to also thank West Tennessee for supporting channel 11.

We would not be here without you.

I'm Peter Noll and from everyone at West Tennessee PBS, we wish you and your family a joyous and blessed year ahead.

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It's all about home.