Southside Elementary will present their play, Aladdin Jr. at Cumberland University's Heydel Fine Arts Center this weekend. The school canceled Thursday night's dress rehearsal due to weather.

There will be showings on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and also a Sunday showing at 4 p.m.

Fiddlers Grove Historical Village, located on the grounds of the James E. Ward Agricultural Center, Lebanon, has been named a designated historic site by The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities. 

The APTA is the oldest nonprofit historic preservation organization in the State of Tennessee and the fourth oldest in the nation. Since 1951, APTA has been working to preserve and maintain historic sites that played an important role in Tennessee’s rich cultural heritage. APTA’s mission is to promote and encourage active participation in the preservation of Tennessee’s rich historic, cultural, architectural and archeological heritage through restoration, education, advocacy and statewide cooperation. 

Currently, there are 11 chapters that administer 14 sites. APTA sites include:  Belle Meade Plantation, Nashville; The Athenaeum Rectory, Columbia; Buchanan Log House, Nashville; Crockett Tavern Museum, Morristown; Glenmore Mansion, Jefferson City; Ramsey House Plantation, Knoxville; Holy Innocents Cemetery, Arlington; Rachel H. K. Burrow Museum, Arlington; Historic Post Office, Arlington; Blacksmith Shop Site, Arlington; The Pillars, Bolivar; The Little Courthouse, Bolivar; Lee House, Memphis; and Woodruff-Fontaine House, Memphis.

Hawkins County and Rutherford County also have APTA chapters. 

As part of their program each year, APTA considers historical site nominations from each Grand Division of the State of Tennessee. Two nominations in each Grand Division are selected, and Fiddlers Grove was one of the sites selected in 2012 for the Middle Tennessee division. 

The Fiddlers Grove Foundation, Wilson County Promotions, and The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities (APTA) extends an invitation to all citizens to the dedication of the APTA Historic Site Marker at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, April 28, at Fiddlers Grove Historical Village, followed by a reception at the Jordan House. 

For additional information, contact James Jordan, chairman of the dedication committee, at 838-8524.

Friendship Christian School presents “Fiddler on the Roof Junior” this weekend at the Lester Family Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 11,Friday, April 12, and at 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. 

Set in the little village of Anatevka in turn of the century Russia, “Fiddler on the Roof Junior” is the classic tale of Tevye the Dairyman, and his struggle to hold onto tradition in the face of a changing world.

The beginning of the 20^th century was a time of great upheaval and change in Russia. It was the eve of what is known as the Russian Revolutionary period. The small Jewish villages that peppered Russia were subjected to unspeakable things. Such social and political unrest is the backdrop for the story that is the heart of “Fiddler On The Roof Junior.”

As Tevye's commitment to his family, religion and the tradition that created them is tested, we see the rich love and moral dedication that holds it all together. The play is based on the short stories of Sholom Aleichem, who the New York Times called "...the warm-hearted spokesman of the poor Jews in the Russian villages at the turn of the century." “Fiddler On The Roof” opened on Broadway in 1964, starring Zero Mostel, to rave reviews and a long Broadway run, before being made into a major motion picture in 1971 starring Topol.

The cast includes the following students:

TEVYE -- Ethan Kearney

GOLDE -- Katie Pulliam                             

TZEITEL -- McKayla Strickland                

HODEL -- Carolyn Wilkinson                    

CHAVA -- Abby Loring                              

SHPRINTZE -- Annah Smith                                              

BIELKE -- Peyton Smith                                                                 

YENTE -- Kelsey Warner                

MOTEL -- Cole Buttrey

PERCHIK -- Roman Ottinger

LAZAR WOLFE -- Sam Sherrill                             

MORDCHA -- Joshua Garnto

RABBI -- Jared Lukas        

MENDEL -- Braden Miller                          

AVRAM -- David Pitt          

CONSTABLE -- Drew Porth

FYEDKA -- Chandler Bastin

SASHA -- Austin Garrett

YUSSEL -- Cordell Bay

FIDDLER -- Sydney Dixner

FRUMA-SARAH -- Stacey Henderson

GRANDMA TZEITEL -- Christina Hankins

RUSSIANS -- Will Nolan, Andrew DiFillipo, Cameron Paschal

VILLAGERS -- Courtney Bates, Alex McDonald, Elizabeth England, Ashley Stillin, Mikayla Keopf , Grace Penner, Madisen Strickland, Amber Agee, Caroline Cardwell, Halle Ford, Kaitlyn Harper, Rebecca Kearney-Dunker

VILLIAGE CHILDREN -- Emma Bastin, Isabella Wittrig, Aisy Dixner, Bryleigh Miller

VILLAGE ADULTS -- Jason Miller, Bill Nave, Alan Smith, Donna and Rick Wittrig

Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for non-FCS students, $2 FCS students, and there is a $30 maximum per family. Performances are open to the public. For more information, call the school at 443-1573.

By SABRINA GARRETT
The Wilson Post

Ever witnessed a goat faint?

Locals have two chances to interact with Myotonic or “fainting” goats at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center on Saturday, April 13. The International Fainting Goat Association is kicking off their show season with two shows in Lebanon, at 9 a.m. and at 1 p.m.

Linda Harrison of Blessed Green Pastures said that for a number of years, the Tennessee Fainting Goat was listed as an endangered breed; however, through the efforts of breeders and the IFGA, fainting goats have been listed as recovering from endangerment by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

“Yes these goats fall over, but there is much more to this breed than falling down. They are an easy tempered goat that is hardy and much easier to keep inside fences since they don’t tend to jump or climb like other breeds,” she explained. “Many are attracted to the novelty of the breed, but there is so much more to love about them than that. Serious breeders do not make their goats faint for fun – it just happens naturally when they are startled.”

Other than being owned as pets, these goats are bred for their meat. “They are classified as a meat breed – often having a better meat to fat ratio than other meat breeds,” Harrison said. “Hard to beat a goat that can be a meat goat, makes a great pet, is easy to care for and you know you are helping preserve a breed deemed as an American breed.”

Breeders, including Harrison, from all over Tennessee, as far north as Illinois and Michigan and as far south as Florida will venture to Wilson County for the upcoming show. “These shows are a great change to meet other breeders and also to introduce this breed to the public. Every breeder will be happy to share their knowledge and enthusiasm,” she added.

The Lebanon High School Agriculture Department welcomes the public to an "early bird" opening of its annual greenhouse sale Saturday, April 13 between the hours of 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Plants and flats will be available Monday through Friday, beginning April 15, between the hours of 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the greenhouse located at the rear of the school, 500 Blue Devil Blvd.

Prices are as follows:
Flat of flowers $10; flat of vegetables $10; geraniums $3.50 per pot; herbs $2 per pot; hanging baskets $10; Wandering Jews small pots $8, large pots $12; Boston Ferns $13; Kimberly Ferns $10 to $13; small mix planters $20 and large mix planters $25.