APSU Professors’ Dream for Civil War Fort Comes True Three Decades Later
Clarksville, TN – In 1982, two young Austin Peay State University history professors – Dr. Howard Winn and Dr. Richard Gildrie – ventured up to the top of a forgotten hill overlooking the Cumberland River. What they found was a wild tangle of bushes and sapling trees, 10 to 12 feet tall, that blocked out the sun and made it nearly impossible to hike through without machetes and axes.
Judge Sam Boaz, who owned the land, had asked the two men to come take a look and see if it was historically important. Rumor had it an old Civil War fort was hidden somewhere in those weeds. The professors hacked their way into that dense mess until they found the old earthen walls and communication trenches of what was known in the early 1860s as Fort Defiance.
Austin Peay State University professors Richard Gildrie (retired), Phil Kemmerly, Howard Winn (retired) and David Snyder stand next to a monument with their names engraved on it at the city’s new Fort Defiance Interpretive Center. (Photo By Charles Booth/APSU Public Relations and Marketing)
City of Clarksville Parks & Recreation Department lines up activities for annual egg hunt
Clarksville, TN – The annual Spring Eggstravanganza will be back on April 23rd at Heritage Park Baseball Fields. The fun begins at 2:00pm with kids in four age groups hunting more than 30,000 eggs, hoping to find the one golden egg. The special egg entitles the finder to a free week session of swim lessons at one of Clarksville Parks and Recreation’s pools. Age groups; 2 years old and under, 3-5 years old, 6-8 years old, and 9-12 years old. [Read more]
APSU Percussion Ensemble Performs Free Spring Concert on March 31st
Clarksville, TN – Anyone familiar with Austin Peay State University music professor David Steinquest’s annual Percussion Ensemble Halloween Concerts, with their strange mixture of music and mayhem, won’t be surprised to learn that even the traditional spring performances he organizes are marked by a wild originality.
Audience members attending the free percussion ensemble concert at 7:30pm on March 31st in the Music/Mass Communication Building’s Concert Hall will be treated to everything from sisters playing part of the score to “Schindler’s List” to an orchestra performing the Pizzicato Polka using only plastic tubes known as boom-wackers. [Read more]
US Bank and APSU Art Department Host Exhibit Open to All Local Artists
Clarksville, TN – All artists over the age of 18 and living in Montgomery County will get the opportunity next month to exhibit and sell their work publicly, all while helping to raise money for college art scholarships.
That’s because US Bank and the Austin Peay State University Department of Art are hosting the 2011 Open Exhibition at the APSU Downtown Gallery from April 7th – 29th. The show, which has a $10.00 entry fee, is open to all local artists. All entries must be delivered to the gallery at 116 Strawberry Alley by 4:00pm, Saturday, April 2nd. [Read more]
Mathews Suzuki inducted into Suzuki Presidents Club
Clarksville, TN – Mathews Suzuki of Clarksville was inducted into the Suzuki President’s Club during a ceremony at the dealership. Presenting the award was Pat Murphy of American Suzuki Motor Corporation.
(L-R) David Carson, General Manager for Mathews Suzuki; Derek Davis, Finance Manager; Gary Mathews, partner for Mathews Nissan Suzuki; Matt Hall, New Car Sales Manager for Mathews Suzuki; O.B. Garland, Vice President of Mathews Nissan Suzuki; and Ron Reinhard, General Manager for Mathews Nissan Suzuki.
APSU’s Center of Excellence Celebrates 25th Anniversary with New Musical by Two APSU Professors
Clarksville, TN – One thing that really annoys Dr. Richard Gildrie, emeritus professor of history at Austin Peay State University, is when people commonly mistake Benjamin Franklin for a serious, pompous old man. Don’t even mention to him D.H. Lawrence’s essay criticizing the founding father’s seminal work, “The Autobiography,” unless you’re looking for an argument.
“That essay angered me so much, in which Lawrence took seriously the assumption in ‘The Autobiography’ where Franklin said he wanted to be perfect,” Gildrie said. “The whole thing is obviously a spoof. Few people understand that Ben Franklin was quite a comedian, and the Pennsylvania Gazette was a sort of ‘The Daily Show’ of its time.”
Retired Austin Peay State University professors George Mabry and Richard Gildrie joke around on the tavern set of their new musical “Ben and the Virtues.” (Photo By Charles Booth/APSU Public Relations and Marketing)
Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center to Open April 9th
Clarksville, TN – The City of Clarksville is excited to unveil its newest addition, the Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center. The park and related facilities, located at 120 Duncan Street, will open to the public on April 9th with activities planned the entire weekend in celebration of the Grand Opening.
Fort Defiance Interpretive Center, Clarksville TN.
APSU Senior Rodriguez’s ‘Aeffect’ Exhibit Opens April 11th
Clarksville, TN – When you look at a person, all you can see is what is on the outside. It is hard to imagine what they are thinking or feeling, or what they have been through to get where they are today. All a person sees is the physical, weathering effects that human experiences have placed on the human body.
Senior artist Jessica Rodriguez has decided to look deeper than a person’s outer beauty with her new exhibit “AEffect,” which opens with a reception from 7:00pm to 9:00pm on April 11th at the Trahern Student Gallery. The exhibit runs through April 15th. [Read more]
Land Ownership 101 Workshop
Montgomery County, TN – On Friday, April 8th, 2011 from 8:30am to 3:00pm the Montgomery County Extension Office will be holding the Land Ownership 101 Workshop.
Have you recently purchased property and want to farm but really don’t know how to get started? Are you interested in selling produce at the farmers market but need more information? What about taxes and incentive programs? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this workshop is for you! This program is funded by the University of Tennessee Center for Profitable Agriculture, University of Extension and Tennessee State Cooperative Extension programs. [Read more]
APSU app now available for Android smartphone
Clarksville, TN – Months after Austin Peay State University launched its first mobile app for the iPhone, the Peay Mobile 2 app is now available for Android smartphone users.
The new release for the Android is similar to the app released last August for the iPhone but with additional features: [Read more]
