Discover Cocke County 2026

Cocke County

Features Inside

Mountain Carvings:

Eric Henderson turns his hobby into a career

A Del Rio man who was looking for a hobby ended up with a new career. Eric Henderson said that he started woodcarving in 2015, and didn’t know his aptly named business, Mountain Carvings, would become his full-time job

Henderson said he had been involved with arts his entire life. He said he has always enjoyed drawing and painting.

“As I got older, I decided to look for a new hobby. I wanted to do something where I could have fun and make some extra money,” he explained.

He started reading books and watching videos about woodcarving with a chainsaw.

“I kept practicing and it grew from there,” he said.

While he can make just about anything, bears remain his most popular item.

It takes three to four hours for him to create a two-foot tall bear. He can make bears as large as six feet tall. Some of his larger creations may take a week of work to complete.

He said 90% of the work is done by chainsaw. The rest is done by hand tools, such as a chisel, dremel tools or an angle grinder.

He puts safety first when he is carving, so he has never been cut by the saw. He said he has caught his fingers and clothing in the rotary tools.

“I have had some close calls,” he said. “It is very easy to get injured while carving. I always wear safety glasses and the proper clothing. I also protect my ears. Without earplugs and safety glasses I could very easily suffer eye injuries or hearing loss.

“I run a chainsaw everyday. When I get tired I quit. I believe you are more likely to make mistakes when you get tired, and then it is easier to get hurt,” Henderson said.

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Over the course of a year, Henderson makes more than 150 carvings. Last year he sold about 125.

“I do have some inventory on hand,” he said. “I think I have about 15 bears and maybe a few other carvings.”

When spring rolls around he starts heading out to shows and festivals. He said he attends eight to 10 shows each year throughout East Tennessee and North Carolina.

In addition to bears, he makes cardinals, dogs,

benches, tables and special order items. His wife, April, helps paint the carvings.

The Hendersons have two children, Noah, 10, and Riley, 3. Noah helps add the clear coat on some carvings. The carvings have become a family project.

Discussing how his hobby became his fulltime job, he explained he started out carving on weekends and going to a couple of festivals each year.

“This has become bigger than I ever expected,” Henderson said. “I have been doing this as my full-time work for three years now, and I don’t have any regrets. It is hard work, but I love what I do.”

He mainly uses red cedar and white pine for his projects.

Artists don’t get the proper value for the time and effort they put into their work.

“It can be tough in the arts and crafts world,” Henderson said. “But I make enough. It is reasonable.”

To learn more about Henderson’s work, visit his Facebook page, Mountain Carvings. All he makes and sells are displayed there. “You can do everything from that page. You can see what I have available. You can call me or message me if you want a special order,” he said. At the end of the day, regardless of how tired Henderson may be, he can say he is happy with his job.

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‘American Pride’ created in Cosby

The “American Pride” Chevrolet Camaro, which remains a popular vehicle at car shows, was created at Mountain Muscle Cars in Cosby by a talented airbrush artist and other automotive professionals.

Mountain Muscle Cars owner Greg Fodness recalled the details surrounding the vehicle’s creation.

He said he was contacted by Mickey Harris, a well-known freehand airbrushing professional, and agreed to partner with him for the vehicle being sent from General Motors (GM) to be painted in the Cosby shop.

They were required to have a $9 million insurance policy to complete the project.

A semi arrived to unload the vehicle for the project to begin, and it was a 2011 Camaro SS prototype.

“This vehicle had not been produced yet, and there was speculation as to whether the new Camaro would have a heads up display. As I drove the car into the building, I realized it had a heads up display,” Fodness said.

Because the vehicle did have the heads up display he placed a manila folder over the dash, so it couldn’t be seen by others.

“People were curious, and they wanted to know about the car and the project,” he said. “We had to be secretive about the prototype’s features.”

“It was a very hot summer, and we couldn’t run fans in the shop area because of the paint,” Fodness said.

He said Harris didn’t specify a theme that had to be painted on the car, but instead just said they wanted the Camaro painted to celebrate American pride.

Fodness said his wife, Shirley, helped pick out scenes and made suggestions as to what should be painted on the vehicle.

Harris painted scenes from all U.S. wars, including the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, World II, Korea and Vietnam. The trunk lid features a scene from Arlington Cemetery.

Fodness explained that Harris had painted a car for GM and GM does themed vehicles. After a while, the painted vehicles are then sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction.

He asked GM when the American Pride Camaro would be sold at auction, and he was told that this was one vehicle that would never be sold.

“Scott Settlemire, who was over the Camaro division, said the car would never be sold,” he explained.

Now, years later, the car remains the most popular vehicle requested for car shows, air shows and other events.

to see the car and were photographed with it at the Cosby shop.

Discussing the different features of the art on the vehicle, he pointed out that the soldier in the Korean War scene was wearing a wedding ring.

“The scenes were humanized, so people could connect with the images,” Fondness added.

The prototype vehicle had to be stripped down to do the work on it.

Retired Congressman Phil Roe was in office when the vehicle was painted, and he had an American flag flown over the US Capitol building and presented it to go with the car. That flag has become part of the car’s traveling display.

Roe and his assistant, John Abe Teague, came

He also recalled the time when they had gone home after a long day and then at 8 that evening Harris called him and said he wanted to go to the shop and paint Abraham Lincoln on the vehicle.

They

ended up returning to the shop that night and Lincoln is a prominent figure on the side of the vehicle.

Maurice Rogers added the clear coat on the vehicle, which made the car’s paint job come alive.

“He added a clear coat, and it had to be sanded. It takes someone who definitely knows

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what they are doing when you are putting a clear coat on and sanding a vehicle on top of a $100,000 paint job,” Fodness explained.

Rogers had been an automotive painter at Morristown Chevrolet, and was an award winner. They sent him to a special class, where he even perfected his skills even more.

As word got out about the project, several vendors made calls and offered free products in order to be mentioned or to have their name in photographs.

SATA sent Harris some of their high-end airbrush guns and 3M sent a buffing system. After talking with Chevrolet about the project, a new ground effects kit was sent to be picked up at Stinnett Chevrolet for the vehicle.

“There was a lot of pressure in getting this car ready. It was going to be GM’s No. 1 car. Usually GM will send the car to two car shows and then sell it, but they were going to keep this car,” he said. “And this car still makes its rounds today.”

Today the car is stored in a warehouse in Detroit until it is taken to different shows and events.

Newport Speedway has full schedule

Race fans can go ahead and mark their calendars.Newport Speedway has released a full schedule for the upcoming season, which will feature plenty of weekly racing, touring series and other attractions.

Track owner Chuck Ward said the facility’s 2026 momentum comes after a successful return to weekly action in 2025.

“Racing-wise, it probably exceeded our expectations,” Ward said. “We were thrilled with the number of cars we had. Our car count was amazing. Of course, we pay more than most people. And that makes a

difference when these kids are souping it for their supper. The more money you pay them, the better off they are and the better off they’ll come to you.

“They’ll race with you when they won’t race with other people because we pay more money to start and we pay more money to finish. The wins pay more money. We’ve got some good sponsors that have helped us along the way to build those purses and give bonuses.”

Four touring series will occupy six dates on the schedule this series, including the new IHRA Stock Car Series on May 30 and Sept. 26, the new Showdown Series on June 27 and Oct. 24, the ASA Stars National Tour on July 25, and the zMax CARS Tour on Oct. 3

There are 13 slots on the calendar for weekly

and local racing, including special events on April 18 for the Ted Caldwell Memorial, May 23 for the Memorial Day weekend race, July 4 for the Drew Ramsey Memorial, Sept. 5 for the Labor Day weekend race, and Oct. 24 for championship night. Fall Classic practice and qualifying will be held on Nov. 27, followed by the race on Nov. 28. Weekly racing also will occur on May 2, May 9, June 13, June 27, Aug. 8, Aug. 22, and Oct. 17.

Five scheduled special events are scheduled, starting with the Ponies in the Smokies Driving Experience from March 24-26, with the speedway hosting this portion of the annual Pigeon Forge-based Ford Mustang show. There will be a swap meet on March 28, followed by appearances by the Jeffrey Earnhardt Driving Experience on April 26 and the Tour of Destruction on June 6. The Overmountain Rally will return to Newport from Sept. 18-19.

“We’re going to do some more advertising and try to promote to more of a fan base,” Ward said. “This year is going to be crazy. We’ve got the ASA coming back, the CARS Tour is coming and the IHRA has started a stock car series that’s going to be nutty because they’re paying stupid-(good) money to start, stupid money to win and they’ve got two races on our schedule.

“We’ve got the Tour of Destruction coming. We’ve possibly got another concert that we’re going to schedule. There’s a lot of stuff going on there. I talked to the guys at NWA Wrestling the

other night, and they’re thinking about doing a date there. That’ll be nothing but good. It’s all good.”

The main thing the 4/10-mile Newport Speedway can hang its hat on is its ability to put on racing on its 26-degree high banks that elicits rave reviews from fans, drivers and officials and draws comparisons to another famous track in the area.

“I think the banking of the track gives us something that people are not used to,” Ward said. “It’s a super-fast racetrack. It’s one of the steepest-(banked) racetracks that (the CARS Tour) will go to. We’ve been compared to a little Bristol. That’s cool because not everybody is compared to Bristol.

“I think our first year was a trying year for a lot of reasons, just because the track had been closed for seven years. ... (The renovations) we did were completely different than what most people (before us) did. We spent a lot of money, over $2 million, remodeling the track.”

Ward said he feels like the current group running Newport proved itself to doubters because the renovations were quality, the advertised events were held as scheduled and the promised purses were paid.

“We hope that this year will be even better,” he said.

Follow Newport Speedway on Facebook and at www.thenewportspeedway.com. Newport Speedway is located at 767 Industrial Road in Newport.

You’re notdouble:seeing Newport man wins Col. Sanders Look Alike Contest

He traveled to London, Kentucky, to the World Chicken Festival, which is held every year on the last full weekend in September. The look alike contest is the opening event for the festival.

The contest has been held annually since 1990.

There were nine contestants — including a woman — in the competition this year.

If you thought you saw Colonel Sanders in Newport, your eyes weren’t fooling you. A Newport man won the Col. Sanders Look Alike Contest held during the World Chicken Festival.

James Head, who lives off Woodlawn Avenue, won the contest in September.

He also has the title of Kentucky Colonel.

A Kentucky Colonel is the highest honor awarded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, presented by the Governor for outstanding contributions to the community, state, or nation. While it is a lifetime, honorary title, it also signifies a commitment to serve as a goodwill ambassador and a member of the non-profit Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.

Head explained he received the honor from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Head’s father was also a Kentucky Colonel.

After several people said that Head looked like Col. Sanders, he decided that would enter the Col. Sanders Look Alike Contest.

When Head decided to enter the contest, he ordered a Col. Sanders suit from Amazon.

The contest judge was Mike Burdette of Moonshiners.

“He shook hands with all the contestants,” Head explained. “Then he stepped back about 50 feet. He kept looking at me while he was making his decision.”

“I enjoyed being in the contest,” he added. “I will reign until the new winner is chosen next year.”

He was awarded a chicken bucket and a $250 cash prize. He also got to meet the brand ambassador. The brand ambassador is paid by KFC to travel the world and visit KFC locations.

Head said he has learned that he does have several things in common with Col. Harlan Sanders, who founded KFC.

He said both he and Sanders were born in Indiana and both were the oldest of three children. Both had a brother two years

younger and a sister five years younger. Both worked in the insurance business and they both worked for a gas company.

Head and Sanders both served in the military and both were stationed in Cuba. Sanders was in Cuba in 1906 and Head was stationed there in 1969.

Both men were involved in a near death auto accident with Sanders’ accident being in the 1920s and Head’s accident being in 1999.

“After I started researching Col. Sanders, I

found out we had a lot in common,” Head said. “He was a very interesting man.”

As a first time entrant in the contest, Head said he was very surprised when he was announced as the winner.

Did he get free chicken?

“No, I didn’t get free chicken,” he said laughing.

He did take his pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Sevierville a bucket of chicken for pastor appreciation.

“I have to have some fun with this,” he concluded.

Smoky Mountains Golf in full swing

A future that was once uncertain now sounds quite bright for Smoky Mountains Golf.

After reopening this past July in Newport, golf course manager Brad Webb said the facility has received great support from the community and exceeded expectations from that starting point, particularly over the holidays.

“It has been great,” Webb said. “We had a great week of Christmas that really got

everybody outside and got them some sunshine. Everybody got a little exercise and a break from the weather.”

Aside from late January’s ice and early February’s snow, the weather this winter has allowed the golf course to keep working on a variety of infrastructure projects.

“We are automating the greens (water) pump right now,” Webb said. “It is a huge upgrade for the golf course. It had been priced out previously for millions of dollars, but we’re doing it ourselves for pennies on the dollar. We’ve got a really positive attitude about everything going on up here.”

Another project that’s in the works means that hitting golf balls soon won’t be the only outdoor sporting activity available to patrons of the course.

“We have got a contract with a pool person to recoat the pool, so we’ll be opening the pool in the spring,” Webb said. “We’re all excited about that and we’ve hired a lifeguard

who’s going to (East Tennessee State University).”

Webb said the upstairs portion of the course’s clubhouse has been opened up for reservations for parties and events, and plenty already have been scheduled.

Interest in making the golf course’s second opportunity a success has been there from the very beginning.

“We’re really excited about everything and can’t say enough about the support we’ve

gotten from our local community, especially all of Cocke County,” Webb said. “It’s gone above and beyond. We had people show up with weedeaters and say, ‘Hey, where do you want me to start?’ when we got started. And it’s never stopped.

“Like, today (on Feb. 6), we changed a water heater out and the members jumped right in and assisted and gave a hand, not asking to be paid. It’s been an overwhelming blessing of how everybody has treated us.”

As winter turns to spring and then into summer, Webb is optimistic that things will remain headed in an upward trajectory. In fact, he thinks the sport in general is doing so.

“I think it will continue,” Webb said. “Golf, since COVID, has really gained a lot of traction. Also, social media has really exploded golf. All the (content) creators and TikTok people, they want to get dressed up, they want to come video their match, they want to practice. We get a lot of people who come up to our driving range who don’t even play golf, they just want to come up and have a family night. A lot of people bring their kids. We’re working on our memberships.”

As those patrons continue to come out to play, the facility keeps adding the things needed to keep them comfortable and happy.

“We’ve added to our fleet of golf carts this year — we’ve added 10 more golf carts and we paid for

them outright. We bought a new sprayer.”

Add it all up and it sounds like an ace in the hole for Cocke County’s golfers.

For more information and/or to schedule a tee time call (423) 623-7321.

Rafting on the rebound following flooding

Rafting companies had to rebuild after the flooding of September 2024, but they still had a successful rafting season in 2025.

The trip down river had to be improvised because of Waterville Road, Trail Hollow Road and Hartford Road suffering severe damage. The rafting season started later in 2025, and new put-ins had to be built for the rafts to be put in the river.

The preliminary totals show 159,980 people made their way down the Pigeon River during 2025, which brought in a total of $268,580 in rafting fees for the county.

The records for 2024 show 211,717 paid customers went down the Pigeon River, bringing in $353,964 in rafting fees and $5,500 in permit fees. The year before, in 2023, saw 239,398 rafters go down the river bringing in $400,438 in rafting fees and $5,000 in permit fees.

The preliminary numbers show that 51,737 fewer people went down the river, but those numbers are expected to once again climb back up to the normal numbers in 2026.

The majority of rafting companies got underway Memorial Day weekend in 2025, and in past

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years, have started as early as March. Plans are for rafting to get underway earlier in 2026.

“Through the resilience of our commercial rafting companies assisted by our county officials, EMA Director Joe Esway and rafting committee, we were able to have a strong rafting season considering the obstacles that had to be overcome to even allow the companies to have a rafting season in 2025,” said Cocke County Clerk Shaleé McClure, who is also the county rafting agent.

Discussing 2025’s rafting season, Cocke County Tourism Director Linda Lewanski said the flood recovery process affected the numbers.

“It was a challenging year,” she said. “I am

proud of how our businesses have fought back, and I must say, our future looks bright.”

She explained tourism covers a wide range of jobs around the county, and there are many people who play an important role in the tourism industry.

“It involves everyone who serves tourists. It can be the person who works at the gas station, the cashier at the store, the server at the restaurant and the rafting guide,” she explained. “Each plays an important role in bringing people to our area.”

While there is still quite a way to go with flood recovery efforts across the county, she anticipates that the numbers will start to climb back up this year.

Cocke County A&I Fair a longstanding tradition

The Cocke County A&I Fair is a long-standing tradition in Cocke County. Held at the fairgrounds, which are located at 112 Fairground Circle right off Highway 25-70, the fair got its start more than 75 years ago.

Founded in 1947, the first fair was held in September 1948. The fair was established by the local Future Farmers of America (FFA). Initial events were held at Newport City Park before moving to the current site.The fair continues to

offer traditional exhibits and competitions, such as agricultural exhibits, cooking competitions, arts and crafts competitions and livestock shows.

The fair now includes tractor pulls, demolition derbies, a midway and live entertainment.

It is traditionally held each August. Visit the Cocke County A&I Fair Facebook page or cockecountyfairtn.com for more information.

Festivals, car shows, music abound throughout Cocke County

There are numerous events held around Cocke County throughout the

Newport Harvest Street Festival

The Newport Harvest Street Festival is traditionally held the first weekend of October. It is organized by the Cocke County Partnership Chamber of Commerce. This year’s event will take place Oct. 3-4.

Activities take place in downtown Newport. It is a festival filled with cherished traditions—arts and crafts, regional cuisine, beauty pageants, historic demonstrations, rides, entertainment, music and games.

Since the festival’s beginnings in 1986 as part of the “Tennessee Homecoming” celebrations, it has continued to thrive. This year will mark the 39th annual event.

Parrottsville Heritage Days

The second weekend in October is when Parrottsville Heritage Days take place. The annual event includes arts and crafts, vendors, food, beauty pageants, entertainment, a car show, a tractor show and much more. There is definitely something for everyone.

Parrottsville’s festival will kick off on Friday, Oct. 9 with a chili cook-off at the park pavilion.

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10-11, will have the festival running in full force with all the other activities.

The festivities take place in the middle of Parrottsville at Parrott-LaRue-Myers Park.

Grassy Fork/Hartford Fall Festival

The Grassy Fork/Hartford Fall Festival will take place the third weekend of October, which is Oct. 17-18.

Festivities take place at Smoky Mountain River Rat Rafting, 3630 Hartford Road, Hartford. There will be arts and crafts, vendors, food and entertainment. Top to Bottom Bluegrass is slated to perform all weekend.

Car shows are a popular event held in Cocke County throughout the year. The majority of these car shows are held at Newport City Park

CRUISE AGAINST CANCER

Celebrate Life, a local cancer support group, has its annual fundraiser - Cruise Against Cancerevery April at Newport City Park. It is set for Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All proceeds raised from the event benefit local cancer patients.

MOONSHINE ROD RUN

The Hard Times Street Rod Club hosts the Annual Moonshine Rod Run every year at Newport City Park. The 42nd Annual Moonshine Rod Run, which is open to vehicles from 1972 and older, is set for the third weekend of June. It features hundreds of classic cars and street rods.

Shadow of the Mountains Good Times Cruisers Car Show

The annual Shadow of the Mountains Good Times Cruisers Car Show benefits charities. It helps fund a scholarship for Cocke County High School and one for Cosby High School. It also helps purchase gifts for nursing home residents at Christmas. It is set for Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, at Newport City Park.

Rhythm on the River

Every year, the Chamber of Commerce hosts a summer concert series on the riverwalk in Newport. The dates and location can be found on the Chamber of Commerce website.

Concert-goers enjoy the final seasonal performance at the 11th annual Rhythm on the River series on the riverwalk July 24, 2024 in downtown Newport. The bi-weekly series presented by the Cocke County Chamber of Commerce wrapped up with a performance by Marques Puckett & 8 Second Ride.

Cocke County

HISTORY

Although Cocke County’s formal establishment came in 1797, a year after Tennessee entered the Union, settlers had entered the area over twenty years earlier, clearing land, plowing fields, and building homes.

Portions of Greene and Jefferson Counties were cut away to create the new county, named for Sen. William Cocke, a Revolutionary War veteran who eventually served in the governments of four states: Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

Native Americans, of course, were the first human residents of the county, and many proofs of their residency continue to be unearthed each year during spring plowing in the form of arrowheads and bits of pottery. Circumstantial evidence also points to Spanish explorer Hernando Desoto’s party have passed through the area.

White trappers and hunters began making their way into the area by the mid-eighteenth century. By the 1770s and 1780s more folks came and settled permanently. Many of these were Revolutionary War veterans who received

bounty land here in payment for the military service.

The earliest settlements, quite naturally, were along the three county’s three rivers: French Broad, Pigeon, and Nolichucky. Several forts, including Bell’s Station, Whitson, Huff, Wood, McKay, and Swagerty, were erected as safe havens from Indian attacks. Today, Swagerty Blockhouse, standing alongside Old. Hwy. 321 north of Parrottsville, is the only remnant of these structures remaining.

Legend accords John Gilliland the honor of planting the first corn crop in the county “at the mouth of the Big

Pigeon River.” This spot is now known as the Fork Farm. Gilliland also gave fifty acres of land to establish a county seat alongside the French Broad River at what we call “Old Town.”

Here stood the courthouse, jail, Peter Fine’s ferry, a hotel or two, and a few other businesses, such as Rankin and Pulliam’s store.

The only remaining structure from

this era is the Gilliland-Cameron-O’Dell house in Old Town. Across the river is the Roadman Cemetery, final resting place of many of the town’s earliest residents. Early leaders such as Peter Fine, Edom Kendrick, and William Roadman are interred there.

The pioneers brought a deep religious faith with them. In 1787, a full ten years before the county’s creation, Big Pigeon Primitive Baptist Church was established in the home of John English. Church minutes mention a cessation of meetings due to “Indians being troublesome.” The church still holds services once a month.

Within twenty-five years, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches were established, followed by Salem Lutheran Church’s establishment in 1845.

The only Revolutionary War skirmish known to have occurred in Cocke County was at the War Ford.

Because of the area’s topography, large plantations and the majority of slave labor were minimal. A few such holdings lined the rivers. Many families owned no slaves, with the average family holding a small mountain farm and ekeing out a living with the help of their large families.

By 1830, the county’s population remained small. Efforts to bring the railroad here periodically flourished and them ebbed until after the Civil War when the first train arrived in 1867.

When hostilities erupted, Cocke County citizens voted overwhelmingly to remain in the Union. However, young men allied themselves with both the Union and the Confederate armies, sometimes pitting brother against brother.

No major battles occurred here, but there were some skirmishes: the Battle of Shultz Mill on Cosby and another fracas near Parrottsville. Women, children, and the elderly suffered greatly at the hands of both armies plus marauding bands of bushwhackers.

After peace returned in 1865, Cocke County experienced unprecedented growth, and in the 1880s, after much controversy and a lenghty lawsuit, the county seat was moved from alongside the French Broad River to its present

site adjacent to the Pigeon River and near the new railroad.

Formal education arrived in Cocke County in the form of Anderson Academy, a brick structure built in the 1830s near today’s Northwest Elementary School. Dozens of one- and tworoom schools sprang up across the county; at one time over 80 such educational homes operated.

The end of the nineteenth century brought large logging companies here for the massive virgin timber which abounded. A tannery opened in the 1890s, and in the early 1900s Stokely Brothers, a canning factory, relocated here from nearby Jefferson County.

Over the past 200-plus years, Cocke Countians have done their part as “the Volunteer State,” with hundreds of men and not a few women answering their country’s call during the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, two world wars, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Charles McGaha of Cosby was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman for his World War II heroic service.

Now in the twenty-first century, Cocke County continues to grow and evolve. Some industries have closed; others have opened. Great strides in the local school systems have taken place. A more concerted effort to promote Cocke County’s tourist options continue to grow, and many retirees opt to settle here.

Who knows what the next century will bring?

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