To the editor:

It’s hard to believe, but it is almost time for the 2008 Cumberland Mountain Fall Festival. For 26 years, the city of Middlesboro has celebrated the harvest season by showcasing the best our area has to offer and this year is no exception. The Fall Festival kicks off Friday October 3rd and continues through October 5th, with great entertainment and activities, mouthwatering food and fun for our citizens and visitors of all ages!

Country music group Confederate Railroad tops the entertainment list, with other up-and-coming country and bluegrass stars, as well as talented local entertainers throughout the weekend. The Singing Cooke’s will perform gospel favorites on Sunday. Other festival attractions include a Car & Motorcycle Show, Miss Cumberland Mountain Fall Festival Pageant, carnival rides and games with Casey’s Rides, and much, much more!

The festival takes an enormous amount of time, hard work and community involvement to be a success each year. It's through the contributions from individuals, businesses and area organizations that allow us to offer well-known musical groups, quality demonstrators, and simply pay for the overall cost of putting on a festival of this size.

This year, sponsors will be mentioned from our main stage throughout the weekend and on signage throughout the festival grounds.

Our community always steps up each year and I am sure this year will be no different.

Please show your support for the festival by sending your contribution to The Fall Festival, P.O. Box 836, Middlesboro, KY 40965.

Thank you for your generosity — we look forward to seeing you at this years’ Cumberland Mountain Fall Festival.

Sincerely,

J. Bo Farmer

CMFF Chairman

Is nothing sacred?

Dear Editor:

Today I sit by my Dad’s graveside struggling to understand how anyone could be so cruel, heartless and disrespectful. Besides our precious members, all we have left is to be able to decorate my Dad’s resting place, and now some low life thief is taking that away from us. Our flowers are being taken and the advice we get is to leave cheap plastic flowers, they won’t take them because they can’t resale them. THAT’S RIDICULOUS! IS NOTHING SACRED?!

I’m begging families with loved one’s at Greenhill’s Memorial Gardens to be aware when you visit. Look for anyone lingering in their vehicles; get tag numbers. I’m getting the owners and staff to be more aware -- take some security measures, please! The MPD said they would patrol.

We’ve been robbed by loosing my precious Dad -- please don’t what little we have left to be able to do.

I’m asking for help, for my family and all the other families who are as mad and disgusted about their loved ones things being stolen off, what’s suppose to be their resting place.

Sincerely,

Lora Chadwell

Speedwell, Tennessee