- [Announcer] Good evening and welcome to The Upper Cumberland Camera.

Tonight we traveled to Gainsborough for a look at commercial tomato growing and to the Cookeville Drama Center, to talk to some people involved in the Cookeville summer theater production of "Annie."

But first we go to the Putnam County Fairgrounds for the Junior Livestock Show.

(upbeat music) - We're having the district livestock expo.

This is a showing of sheep including the breeding new, the market lamb, the steers and heifers for all of the 15 counties or district for the 4H FFA livestock expo.

This is probably been going on, it's changed over the years, you know?

And we've added things but it's probably been going on for at least 30 years.

- [Interviewer] How many young people are involved today and about how many counties are represented?

- There is 14 counties represented.

We have 256 head of livestock with about that I'd say, something like 150 boys and girls.

You know, that's the name of the game, the Boys and Girls.

The animals are just a tool that we use to help train boys and girls wear and the education business, you know.

And in developing boys and girls into better and more mature citizens.

And so that's why we were interested in.

And we use these animals as a tool to help do that.

That's a rallying point around which we can work with them you know, and help them to develop responsibility and these kinds of things.

- [Interviewer] How do the young people handle this?

Do they handle it maturely and with responsibility?

- They do a tremendous job.

You know, of course as you can say, some of them do a better job than others of training those animals.

You know, it takes a lot of effort and work and these little lambs can be awfully stubborn sometimes.

You know, they'll act like a goat sometimes.

And so it does take a lot of effort to get them to do right.

And these boys and girls spend many errors of grubbing and fitting and carding and training them to lead and to set up and show.

So it's a tremendous experience for boys and girls.

It teaches them to work.

It takes some responsibility and many things that they learned from the livestock project.

- I enjoy it, I think it's a lot of fun and I think it helps, you know, especially like people on farms and stuff to get to know how to raise different animals and stuff.

Like (mumbles) to start raising a sheep until about two or three years ago.

And last Easter, she had already been into the Market Lamb Show for quite awhile.

And then we started with the breeding.

So I think it helps to get you into different things.

- I'm about to show the sheep here.

- [Interviewer] Have you done this before?

- No, this is my first year.

- [Interviewer] How did you get involved in this?

- I got involved with some friends and we was talking when we were at a cattle show and I got involved through 4H and FFA.

- [Interviewer] What do you think about it?

Did you enjoy taking care of the sheep and getting him ready?

- Yes, it's a lot of hard work and a lot of time spent.

- [Interviewer] What do you have to do to get ready for a competition like this?

- Well, first of all, you got to feed this lamb from March to July and then you have to wash it and flip it and get it prepared and get it to use to leading and everything.

- I'd like to work with sheep.

I think it's a good experience.

- [Interviewer] What do you think this does for other folks?

- Give them some entertainment to watch people clean up and show sheep.

For people like farmers, I guess.

People who like to work with animals.

- They've employed me to try to place the market lambs to the best of my ability.

Looking for lambs that that has some frame size to them.

That is larger type lambs, but also some lambs that have some muscling and some thickness in their top, especially in the hindsight of which is consist of the loin and the rump.

And this is where your major hot price cuts come from in the lambs.

We also want lambs that are carrying adequate finish or fat cover, but lambs that are not overly conditioned.

On lambs, most of it is visual.

You can get a pretty good idea of what the animals make up is or composition is merely by visual appraisal.

Basically what we're doing when we touch is looking for minor differences, because the quality of the animals in these classes is such that a lot of times visual appraisal is not enough to distinguish between those excellent individuals from those pretty good individuals.

And by touching, we can more accurately determined fat cover or finish.

More accurately determine the length of the loin and rump, especially in lamps and therefore make a better decision on how the animals should be placed.

- [Interviewer] Do showmanship enter into this competition?

- Most certainly, an individual who can adequately show a lamb, maybe not the best showman in the world but can adequately show a lamb, can present that lamb to the lamb's best ability, present the lambs best attributes to the judge in such a way that the judge recognizes that lamb.

This brings the lamb to the judge's attention.

And a lot of times a good showman with a poor lamb can beat a real good showman or a poor showman with a real good lamb, because of the way he presents his animal.

- [Interviewer] These youngsters seem to spend a lot of time also grooming their animals.

Is that an important part of the competition?

- Yes, that is a important part of the competition.

That's part of showmanship having the animal groomed in such a way that he is very appealing, especially with shape.

You can use the wool if you have a minor flaw in the animal, to hide that flaw if you're a good groomer.

And a lot of these youngsters are getting very good at that.

And the judge has to really be on his toes sometimes to pick those differences up when they're hidden by a good groom job.

I think this livestock project is one of the better projects that 4H has to offer.

It teaches young children responsibility because they have to care for their animal.

It allows them to meet people and to interact with people.

Therefore they don't become recluses if they participate in this project.

They make contacts when they're youngsters and many friendships when they're youngsters in this project that will last them throughout their lives.

Maybe they may not follow a career in agriculture, but many of these children won't, but they'll still remain friends.

And they will always remember, especially if they win.

They'll always remember that, they'll always be a highlight in their life.

- [Interviewer] We understand that you're a beautician.

Isn't this a little different from your normal work?

- What different?

- [Interviewer] Why are you doing this?

- Because it belongs to my son (laughs).

I don't have much other choice.

- [Interviewer] Well, why does he want you to do this?

- Well, this has to be done.

This is part of the process of grooming an animal for show.

I think it has something to do with making him look taller.

Yeah, makes him look taller.

So when they get out in the rail, they'll have a taller appearance for the judges.

- [Interviewer] Well, do you do use any different technique than you do on your folks in your beauty salon?

- No, you just remember what you used to do to your hair back in 1960, when you tased it up in the beehive and you can feel those fine (laughs).

- And don't stand behind him.

- Yeah (laughs).

And they don't complain.

They kick but they don't complain (laughs).

- [Interviewer] You're spraying something on this brush.

And what is that?

- Oh, show foam, is something like most like women wear in their hair.

It's called Show foam.

And it's just does the same principle as most does for women's hair.

You know, if the hair style stand up and do their thing.

You know, do better.

- [Interviewer] What do you do when you get ready for a show like this?

- Roll her tail up, calm her down and give her a good wash.

It's ready to go.

- [Interviewer] How long does it take you to do something like that?

- A couple hours?

- [Interviewer] How many months possibly go into the planning of this type of an event?

- Now the Steer Show that'll come up a little bit later.

Those animals are a lot of times, they'll have them for over a year.

Now the Market Lamb Show it's a better for young kids because their attention span is shorter and you take about eight weeks with them and they'll be you know, ready to show.

But with the Breeding Hew Show, of course, it's a year round deal.

Just about any young person could benefit from this.

It don't matter whether you're gonna be a farmer or not.

You know, those experiences you learn about being responsible for something, knowing that if you take good care of it that it's gonna come out good.

If you take poor care of it it's gonna get sick or it's not gonna do well.

It's just as a good experience for a town youngsters as it is a country.

And you know, the lamb project we've had a few people that kept them in their backyard.

In fact, when we first started airs, we had a little 12 by 12 fence in the backyard, we've got an old garage door and put over for the cape to rain out, and that's all you need for this thing.

It don't take a lot of equipment.

It don't take a lot of money.

It just take some interest on the part of the adults to help these boys and girls grow and develop into outstanding citizens.

- [Interviewer] And if a young person should be watching and wants to get involved, how would they go about doing that?

- They need to contact their County Extension Office.

In Putnam County Courts, Mr. Scott ChadBo is the extension agent they'd wanna contact and he can help them find the animals.

He can tell them how to groom them, how to feed them and work with them closely.

One of the things they learned is, a lot of times is when they just have to give these animals up.

You know, they really learn to give up things in life that it's a good experience for this standpoint.

You know, we all have to give up things as we go through life.

And they learn, I know my two youngsters, I had two youngsters, he cried and had their mama crying and so forth when they gave up their first lamb.

But it's a tremendous experience for them.

- We got to Nashville, Tuesday and Wednesday and we show them, Tuesday or Wednesday night.

And they stay on Wednesday night and go to slaughter.

- [Interviewer] Well, how do you feel about that?

- It's gonna be hard to get unattached to him.

I'll probably cry and shed a few tears and stuff, but the money is what is the most happy thing about it.

(indistinct chatter) - All right, goodbye fellow.

We won't be seeing you much longer.

Have you heard what she says gonna happen to you?

You're gonna be somebody's lamb chops.

(indistinct chatter) (lambs bleating) - [Announcer] This time of year we all seem to get impatient with our home gardens and can't wait to taste those homegrown tomatoes.

Usually in the waiting process, we look at the tomatoes in the local supermarket and finally give in.

Well, even those supermarket tomatoes can be home grown or at least neighbor grown if you happen to be from Jackson County.

Danny Apple of Gainsborough has been growing commercial tomatoes for the past four years.

And although he trucks them to Monticello, Kentucky, they may very well end up in a supermarket in Cookeville, Crossville or Sparta.

Danny Apple talks about his crop.

- I'll sell them through common farm products in Monticello, Kentucky, and I just signed a contract and they guaranteed to buy my number ones plus whatever other tomatoes I have a market for.

- [Interviewer] Could you tell me what kind of a tomato that they generally want?

Is it a special brand or?

- Well, they take two types of tomatoes.

A freedom and a Floridate they are most the commercial tomatoes.

They're the ones that I ship good.

They're harder than soft tomatoes like, when you're growing.

They're a harder one, they have a shape better and just harder tomato.

- [Interviewer] When you ship the tomato, what does it look like?

- It's just us a spot on the bottom of it, they call it a breaker, just a little red spot on the bottom of it.

And they'll take them on up to their 90% rat but they're number two tomato.

- [Interviewer] And how do you go about growing this many tomatoes and taking care of them?

- Just like you grow them in the garden but on a larger scale.

Just plow the ground in the spring and set them out and fertilize and take care of them and spray them and stick them.

And spray them and pick them.

- [Interviewer] Most people that have a home garden go out and they buy tomato plants.

Now I presume that you don't do that.

Or do you try to see them from year to year?

- No, I've been buying them from commercial growers, either in Kentucky or Georgia, and they're coming what we call a potted trays.

And they're either seventy toes or 96, either something like that.

And I just take them to send them out with regular tobacco setter.

- [Interviewer] Now, after you planted tomatoes, do they need a lot of care?

If it doesn't rain like it's dry now, we'd go out and water them.

What do you do?

- Well, I'd like to water them, but I can't afford that now.

That is reason I tried this plastics here is supposed to conserve the water and make them grow a little bit better.

But to really grow them Rach, you need to keep them watered to get maximum performance out of it.

- [Interviewer] Okay, now this year you've tried an experiment, is that correct?

Half of your field is in plastic.

- Yes, that's right.

And the other half stone just like you'd grow them regularly.

And the ones on plastic right now, they're the ones growing regularly, two to one.

And they're a whole lot larger tomatoes.

- [Interviewer] So, what do you do?

Just wrap the plastic around the plant?

- Just before we set them out, I had a machine that just like he's putting out at the back of it canvas.

It goes along, knocks them, lays off too first and the plastic rolls out and it covers it up and it just makes a little sheet like a backer Bayer, tobacco Bayer, and then you come along with another machine that punches holes down into canvas and makes a hole and drops you tomato plant in there and then a roller comes on and it just sets it out.

And just, that's all there is to tell you.

- Do you think next year that your whole field will be in plastic?

- I don't know about the whole field but a whole lot of them will be.

- Because you've been successful.

Can someone do this at home?

- Yeah, you can get the plastic at most garden stores, hardware or your two farmer's co-op or wherever.

Part of mine come from the farmer's co-op up here at Coupeville and the rest of it come from Kentucky.

There's two different kinds.

There's one that's a slick.

Then there's one they call them Boston.

The Boston looks a lot better when it's laid down.

But as far as growing them there ain't no different in it.

- Jack McDaniel, UT Agricultural Extension Leader for Jackson County helps growers in many ways.

- I work with both the commercial land, small farmers and the recommendations of varieties, salt test testing, disease control, and insect control.

Anything that has to do with cultural practices, any problems they may have.

I even work also with marketing.

But I have been and get this a contract, I guess, about three or four years ago in Monticello.

So we do everything from land preparation, including weed control that up to market of the product.

- So you helped select like the best type of tomato plant to plant and then give them advice on diseases and things that might have occurred.

- Yes, we have a cerebral experiment stations throughout the State and we test different varieties for our commercial production.

And we have found as well as the marketing in Monticello that the Floridate and Freedom are probably the two most common ride.

The one that we're looking at today is the freedom variety.

And the reason we use this one is because it has nice shape to it.

It is a high producer, and of course this type of tomato has what we call determinant right into.

Doesn't get very tall.

When it gets about the half that is here today, it stops the lateral production of vegetation and it then goes into what we call fruit production.

And this makes it easier by picking, makes it easier about spraying.

It is very conducive to the commercial production to have this type of tomato.

And it also shipped real well too.

- [Interviewer] Is a tomato crop, a good crop to try to plant?

Does it need a lot of care?

- Well, it takes about 800 hours of labor including land preparation, staking time, pruning, spraying, picking.

I guess the biggest labor on this tomato production is the fact that it takes more time to pick than anything else.

Most everything else here was done by machine.

The plastic was led by machine.

The spraying is by, of course, mechanical sprayer.

But we haven't figured a way out to pick these by machine yet.

So it does take a lot of time.

800 hours is a much more than on tobacco, for example.

It takes less labor to produce tobacco per acre than it does tomatoes.

- [Interviewer] Why do you go through a person like, the gentleman or the distributor in Monticello?

Why doesn't Danny take his tomatoes and try to sell them to Kroger's and Big Star and in Cookeville?

- Okay, well, the first reason I'd say is, Danny doesn't have the time to do this.

He has to devote his time here to making sure that the insects don't eat everything up and he has to make sure they're picked.

He doesn't have the time.

And then secondly, the marketing of these tomatoes or the merchandise them, Collie states that they have Annapolis applied old hand and therefore it's necessary to have the distributor.

- Well, now I'm not going to insult you but there was a song last year, and most people like homegrown tomatoes, and I know yours are going to end up in a grocery store.

What is the difference, and why does it seem that a homegrown tomato tastes better?

- Well, I don't know.

It's just home grown, I reckon.

These right here I'd call them home grown 'cause I'm growing them here at home.

- And when you go and eat them, they taste good.

- They taste good.

(upbeat music) ♪ There ain't nothing in the world that I like better ♪ ♪ Than bacon and lettuce and homegrown tomatoes ♪ ♪ Up in the morning, out in the garden ♪ ♪ Get you a ripe one, don't pick a hard one ♪ ♪ Plant 'em in the spring, eat 'em in the summer ♪ ♪ All winter without 'em is a culinary bummer ♪ ♪ I forget all about the sweating and the digging ♪ ♪ Every time I go out and pick me a big one ♪ ♪ Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes ♪ ♪ What would life be without homegrown tomatoes ♪ ♪ Only two things that money can't buy ♪ ♪ And that's true love and homegrown tomatoes ♪ - [Announcer] Earlier this month, Cookeville Summer Theater opened its 18th season with the hit musical, "Annie."

We spoke with director, Marjorie Hargrove about the production.

- It's a play about a little girl.

Well, it's a fantasy, that's all there is to it.

And I think it was created at the time when this country needed affirmation and positive thoughts and things like this.

And it did a good, from what I've read about it, historically it did do a service to this country.

By making a little girl help everybody and making them see the bright side of life even during the depths of the depression and things like this.

And somebody a couple of years ago, decided to make it into a musical.

And goodness, everyone knows it's been a big hit ever since it'd been done from coast to coast by every little theater group around.

- [Interviewer] What made you decide to do this production with, I know you have to use a great number of children, obviously because the lead of the show is a child.

Why do this show?

- It's one of the few contemporary shows, musicals, that have been written in the last, I'd almost say 20 years that's possible to do in a small community.

And it's one of the few that we haven't done that's possible to do in Cookeville.

Besides I believe every two or three years, it's my duty to my community, to do one with children (laughs).

And I don't feel competent to deal with children but I think it's important that they learn the value of a stage experience.

And I must say, I have learned a lesson from these children.

- [Interviewer] And these kids have obviously learned a few things too.

("Annie Madley" by Ameritz Tribute Standards) Leading the cast of children, adults, and K9, our Daddy Warbucks played by Gavin Luster, Grace Barrel, Warbuck's secretary played by Caitlin.

Mrs. Hannigan, the orphanage supervisor played by Judy Duke.

And of course, Annie played by Erin McKee.

We asked the three leading ladies, how they feel about the show?

- Well, it's challenging.

That's for sure.

And it's fun to work with people.

I've had some flips ups there, the bad flip ups.

- I think it's been grateful and I've enjoyed it.

It's a big cast.

I think there's what, 30?

At least maybe more than 30.

And we've put a lot of hard work in it and I hope most of the people who come will appreciate all that.

The sets are lovely and there's a lot of set changes in this show and a lot of people to get along with.

It's been a great experience for me dealing with not only children, but adults, it's been fun.

- I think that's the main thing, is getting to work with and know people that you haven't got to work with before.

Got to work with Judy which I haven't been able to do before.

And that's been an experience.

(laughs) - That's for sure.

- [Interviewer] Tell me how you feel playing Annie.

This is probably a role, well, we know that a lot of young ladies here in Cookeville and around the area wanted.

But also a role with young ladies all over the country envy.

How do you feel about playing this?

- Well, it's certainly an experience and it's a lot of fun because you get to work with the dog and get to work with Judy and Kay, and a lot of other kids.

So it's something to do during the boring summer.

That's the for sure.

(laughs) It's a lot of hard work, but it all pays off.

- I think she's handled it very well.

It's a lot, a lot of work, and Erin just been exceptional, I think.

And the things that she has done.

- Thank you.

- I have to agree with that.

For a, what are you, 11?

- Yeah.

- You're really 11.

For an 11 year old, can I say child?

(laughs) For an 11 year old person to take on as demanding a part as Annie is, Erin has just been perfect, superb.

♪ She's sitting playing piano ♪ ♪ He's sitting paying the bills ♪ ♪ Betcha they're young ♪ ♪ Betcha they're smart ♪ ♪ Bet they collect things ♪ ♪ Like ashtrays, and art ♪ ♪ Betcha they're good ♪ ♪ Why shouldn't they be ♪ ♪ Their one mistake ♪ ♪ Was giving up me ♪ - [Announcer] Although many elements go into making a production, we asked Ms. Hargrove about the set and the musical direction.

- Well, Derek Baranowski and I, started planning the set two months ago.

And what we could do here on our stage which is somewhat limited and what seems to eliminate, I mean, you know, areas that the script calls we always eliminate things and put things together.

And, you know, we only had one room in this match and I think it called for four or something like that.

And we've tried to get the flavor of the various sets that we are using into what you'll see on stage.

Leslie Manfredo worked with the youth course so I've known her now for a year, not all that well.

And when I approached her to do this, she very graciously consented.

And I knew that I had to get somebody who could work well with children and she can and does, and as well as deal well with the adults.

She's been a pleasure to work with.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] The cast of "Annie" is made up of veteran actors as well as newcomers.

- I love it when I don't have to sit and tell everybody move here and move there and do this and do that and get Gavin and Judy, and some of these people you can just sort of turn them loose and they're great on their own.

It's great.

But there are a lot of new people.

We have a 79 year old woman on that stage.

So we have from six to 79, and I'm not gonna tell her name.

She might not like me after this, but you know, and some of the second, third leads are complete nervous still to the stage.

But just what I like, I like a combination.

♪ Little teeth, little cheeks ♪ ♪ Everything around me is little ♪ ♪ If I ring little neck, surely I would get a (mumbles) ♪ ♪ Some women are dreaming with diamonds ♪ ♪ Some women are dreaming will cars ♪ ♪ Lucky me, lucky me, look at what I'm reaping with ♪ ♪ Little, little girls ♪ - [Announcer] After all of this, if you're still wondering why you should come to this show take a tip from these lovely ladies.

- It's an exciting play, I think.

- It's a good show and I think it's something for the whole family and- - Not just meant for babies.

- Right.

Just to come and have an enjoyable evening.

- I will agree with them.

I think it's a show that has a happy ending.

- [Announcer] Cookeville Summer Theater's production of "Annie" runs weekends through July 27th at the Cookeville Drama Center.

For more information or reservations, call 528-1313.

("Easy Street" by Cameron Diaz & Bobby Cannavale)