Two years ago in the October edition of The Tennessee Magazine, my headshot first greeted readers, welcoming them to my first edition at the helm of our state’s most widely circulated monthly periodical. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since assuming my new role. Time flies when you’re having fun advocating on behalf of fine organizations like our state’s electric cooperatives.
Over the couple of weeks between the day this magazine goes to press and you receive it in your mailbox, the magazine staff will meet to revisit our editorial calendar and continue planning for feature articles highlighting more people, places and things across the Volunteer State. Another project we’re tackling is collecting your memories about The Tennessee Magazine, so I’m taking this opportunity again to ask you to please share your stories at [email protected].
Speaking of memories, you’ll want to check out Antsy McClain’s latest piece about trick-or-treating, clowns and laughter. See “My Tennessee Notebook” beginning on page 10.
Thinking now about how we remember those who came before and are no longer with us, we’ve revisited more of Tennessee’s historic cemeteries. We covered several last October (you can find that feature online at tnmagazine.org), and we explore more starting on page 28. The stories of these sacred places and the people laid to rest there are fascinating to me, and I wish we could explore them all. I hope this sampling will motivate readers to discover more on their own.
Our cover story features the Peabody Ducks that reside in palatial accommodations atop the Memphis hotel and spend their days in the lobby fountain. See page 12.
And Bill Carey is back with another column covering an interesting footnote from Tennessee history. This month, he tells us about the steamboat Lincoln that Fayetteville merchants purchased to navigate the Elk River. How did it turn out? See page 32.
Welcome to October! Enjoy the cooling temperatures after our sweltering summer. Cozy up beside a fire or underneath a warming quilt. And bring along your copy of The Tennessee Magazine to learn about more cool things happening in our state.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Kirk
Editor, The Tennessee Magazine
