[00:00:00] Speaker A: On this month's episode of the Local click, we welcome Dr. Melanie Cripps with Carthage Family Chiropractic as well as Ms. Beth and Mr. RJ from the Art center of Cannon County. Plus, Justin is here to help us save some money for Black Friday and tech tips and more things like that coming up as well. You don't want to miss it. It's going to be a fun show. Learn more about fun local events and interesting people throughout the heart of Middle Tennessee. With a dash of everyday tech talk thrown in for good measure, the Local Click starts.
Welcome to the November edition of the Local Click. The Local Click is the technology based podcast brought to you by DTC Communications each and every month where we talk all things technology and local people. And with me as we have on every episode is my cohort, Mr. Justin Malden. Hello, Justin. How you doing today?
[00:00:55] Speaker B: Listen, if I was doing any better, you know, I don't know, I don't know if I could, I can't.
[00:01:01] Speaker A: If you were doing any better, I couldn't stand it.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I, I can't think of a good way to describe it, but I'm doing fantastic just over here. Living the dream. How about yourself?
[00:01:09] Speaker A: Doing great. Doing great. You know, this year is getting close to being wrapped up. Are you ready for it?
[00:01:14] Speaker B: You know, as we plan this, it's November and it is hard to imagine that we are already almost to the end with just two months to go in 2025.
[00:01:25] Speaker A: You know, Thanksgiving is always the big holiday in November and I'm sure we all enjoy the, the fruits of our labor as far as cooking and that sort of thing.
As far as fun things going on around Thanksgiving time. I don't know about you and your family, but we always kind of enjoy some of the great TV watching on Thanksgiving Day. Do you guys watch a lot of television? Are you.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: We, we will have the Macy's Thanksgiving parade.
[00:01:50] Speaker A: Well, that was going to be one.
[00:01:51] Speaker B: Of the televisions I wanted to ask about that. It will come on. Jacob will want it on as soon as, as soon as he gets up, he will want to turn it on. And then, you know, when I was a kid, I don't remember it being on as early as it is, but that thing comes on pretty early.
[00:02:04] Speaker A: It comes on early morning. Yeah. In fact, it starts at 8:30 in the morning and will be on until noon on Thanksgiving Day. And that'll be on NBC and Peacock. But it's kind of fun to hear you say your kids look forward to it too. It's like a Tradition that keeps going.
[00:02:18] Speaker B: Yes. No. Yeah, we enjoy it. We want to know what, what, you know, we got. You have the floats. Okay, the floats. The floats are neat.
[00:02:26] Speaker A: That's a big part.
[00:02:27] Speaker B: But the best part is what balloons are you going to see? All right, what. What inflatable are you going to see and who are they going to come out with?
[00:02:34] Speaker A: Well, in addition to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, it's always fun to watch on television. It's a huge NFL game day as well.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I think it's a Thanksgiving tradition. And I will say this. DTC3 will be playing high school football.
[00:02:50] Speaker A: That's exactly right.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: On our local channel.
[00:02:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:02:53] Speaker B: So we will have a selection of high school football games from this season. Some, some recent games fe our teams playing on DTC3 during Thanksgiving because it is a Thanksgiving tradition.
[00:03:04] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:03:04] Speaker B: We want to make sure that we're following along in that we'll have some other special programming as well, but high school football will be a part of it. I don't know that it is well known as, you know, the Detroit Lions hosting the Thanksgiving game.
[00:03:16] Speaker A: Maybe, maybe not.
[00:03:17] Speaker B: They're the first game. They host a Thanksgiving game every single year. It's the first game that's on television each year, though they've had a lot more success recently than they have over the past couple decades.
[00:03:28] Speaker A: True, true. So basically, it's just a great time to be with family, to enjoy each other's company, eat some great food and have some great TV entertainment and just be thankful. Right. For everything that we have in life. So I hope everybody will enjoy some of this content and. And some of our football games as well and just have a good time with that.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: But.
[00:03:49] Speaker A: Well, it's going to be a great program. We're going to have an interview in just a few minutes with Ms. Beth McCrary and RJ Palhege, both at the Art center of Cannon County. They're going to talk about the remaining shows for 2025 as well as their schedule for 2026. So you don't want to miss that. But first, let's speak with Dr. Melanie Cripps with Carthage Family Chiropractic in Carthage, Tennessee.
And for this segment of the local Click, we're very lucky to have Dr. Melanie Cripps with Carthage Family Chiropractic and Carthage. Hello. How are you doing today?
[00:04:23] Speaker C: I'm well. Thank you for having me.
[00:04:24] Speaker A: We really appreciate the trip over to Woodbury to our studio to talk about your business and look forward to learning more about the chiropractic industry and some of the different services that you offer. I just find that fascinating, just as a whole.
[00:04:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:40] Speaker C: Wonderful.
[00:04:40] Speaker A: Tell us about yourself and your family and how you got started in the chiropractic career.
[00:04:46] Speaker C: My parents moved us down to Nashville when I was 3, and I grew up in Nashville, went to public school, played softball and soccer, mostly travel, softball growing up. And I went to Tennessee state on a softball and academic scholarship.
And I was pre med, but it's weird because I was going down a pre med path, but my injuries in softball, you just kind of push through when you're at. I mean, you just do it. You just do what you have to do.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: So ignore it and keep playing.
[00:05:18] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:19] Speaker C: So I had a lot of little aches and pains. Nothing huge. I mean, some dislocated shoulder, just neck pain, headaches, things like that.
So I was in the process of shadowing all these other doctors for my career, including an orthopedist I went to. I did some HIV research at Meharry and Vanderbilt, shadowed MDs, DOs, MPS, and I shadowed my dad's chiropractor.
And I saw that and I was like, man, this is really cool. Like, this is what I want to do. I think I really want to help heal people with my hands.
And he said, have you ever been under chiropractic care before? I was like, well, no. He's like, well, you can't do this without getting adjusted first. So in just a few visits, my headaches were gone, my shoulders were better, my back was better.
I was able to play at a level where I didn't wake up with aches and pains all the time.
And you mean you had 10 games a week and practice two times a day and you're lifting and you're sprinting? And so I could tell the difference in my performance. And I wish I would have had that all along.
[00:06:17] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:06:18] Speaker C: And so it was a no brainer for me. I was like, I want to do this for everyone.
[00:06:21] Speaker A: So it went from an interest to. You were totally sold.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:24] Speaker A: Because it helped yourself.
[00:06:25] Speaker C: Yeah. It changed my life.
[00:06:26] Speaker A: Well, what led you to Carthage, from that area and to being the owner of your practice?
[00:06:33] Speaker C: I was in Nashville in an internship and looking for jobs. So I had an offer in Huntsville. I had an offer in Mount Juliet. And I saw this chiropractic office for sale on this website from like a year before, and I was like, there's no way this is still living. So I reached out and she said, yeah, no, I'm still interested. And she was wanting to do some different things. And I came out to Carthage and I didn't know anything about Smith county other than the fact that I had played travel softball, and I had actually had a coach and a few teammates from there.
So I went around to a bunch of small businesses and just asked if there was a chiropractor here, you know, would you guys be open to it and what. What would that look like? And people were so friendly and encouraging and yeah, we would. And you know, we would just want availability to get in and we would want this, and we would. You know, they told me how open they would be to it. And at the time, the chiropractor that was there, she was unable to be there for those times. So I was like, okay, I think I could do that. So 11 years ago, I signed on the dotted line and walked in and put an air mattress in there and in the back. And I would just stay there so I could get up and clean out decor and old files and closets and just kind of breathe life into the practice itself. I think that's really what it needed was just for someone to care for it, just like any living thing. And I think that. I think the public noticed and they would come in and I'd start adjusting and getting people under treatment plans. But I think it was more of being there and caring about my patients and caring about the community and the health of the community itself. I definitely put roots down there. I mean, I'm married. My husband is Javen Cripps, he's an ADA out of Smith County. And I at the time, I was single when I moved to Smith county, but was easy to put roots down and stay there.
[00:08:22] Speaker A: That's great.
[00:08:22] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: Well, what are some of your most common services that you offer?
[00:08:27] Speaker C: So chiropractic care is definitely number one for the reason being of the nervous system. So social media, you know, has its down downfall. But some of the good things about social media is I think education is now out to the masses. And one another good thing is kind of COVID after that, after Covid hit, I think it really broadened people's horizons and opened people's minds to true healthcare.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:51] Speaker C: And not just sick care.
So you'll see a lot of things on social media about regulating the nervous system, nervous system, dysregulation, getting in a parasympathetic state. So that's what chiropractic care does. We are. We work on the nervous system. And that's what I tell all of my patients who come in the door. I get a lot of people that come in for neck pain and back pain. But just as I was as a patient, I didn't realize the chiropractor could do more than just work on neck pain and back pain. It wasn't until I got in there that he help my shoulder and he fixed my headaches.
[00:09:17] Speaker B: And.
[00:09:17] Speaker C: And so to educate people on what we do is we are taking pressure off of the nerves of the nervous system. We are helping the nervous system regulate itself. Because your body knows what to do. It just needs to have the correct environment to do so. And if you are having pressure on the nerves and on your nervous system, you're not able to heal. Your brain's not able to connect to your body correctly, and your body's not able to send messages to your brain correctly. So you're not able to function at 100%.
[00:09:45] Speaker A: Kind of describes maybe some of the less known but equally important services that you offer.
[00:09:51] Speaker C: So I noticed when I got to Carthage that of course I want to adjust my patients, but sometimes I would need them to go do other things and there was nowhere to send them.
[00:09:59] Speaker A: Right.
[00:10:00] Speaker C: So coming from Nashville, I would think, oh, I'd send them down the road or I'd find a good doctor to send them to for this. And I realized in the first few years of practice that if I really think that that's important, I need to carry that service myself.
So I went and got certified in dry needling.
I do a lot of dry needling on patients and have seen such fantastic success stories there.
We do spinal decompression. So any herniation of a cervical or lumbar disc in the back and neck, which can cause a lot of excruciating pain, but it can also cause a lot of weakness and atrophy in the muscles. So that's really important. We have cupping, we have a fantastic laser. So It's a Class 4 laser which removes inflammation. So it's really going to help you feel better in the moment. But more importantly, that laser will trigger the mitochondria of the cell to replicate energy a lot faster. So even though it might be a minute or two minute long treatment, that laser is affecting the cells for the next 24 hours. And so you are speeding up healing for an entire 24 hour period.
And a lot of people have, you know, crunch time. Not just athletes who are trying to get back on the field, but I have people who are like, hey, I have a cruise next week. I'm going to be walking with my family.
[00:11:08] Speaker A: I want to feel good when I'm on my next vacation, that sort of thing.
[00:11:12] Speaker C: I have a wedding or I have to get on a flight or I'm going to be driving across country.
So we know that that time is valuable to them and so we want to get them back into whatever activity it is as quickly as possible. So we have the laser. We also have something called a shockwave, which is radial pressure wave.
It's the same technology that you would see if you went to the hospital with a kidney stone and they break it up with a machine. It's same technology, it's just a little bit less intense. So instead of a calcification of the kidney, it's helping with any kind of tendinitis, fascia issues, calcification in the joint. I have seen serious miracle stories with Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis big time. It doesn't take very many visits, but we have people who swear by shockwave. It's fantastic. We also have some Normatec compression sleeves that are great for just leg like any kind of joint, swelling in the legs, blood circulation issues. We have a hyperbaric chamber, which is fantastic. It's pure oxygen. Yes. So a lot of our long Covid and post Covid symptoms, that's when we got it was for Covid. So a lot of that taste and smell stuff that they've lost from COVID and you throw them in the chamber and they come out and everything's better.
[00:12:25] Speaker D: Oh, wow.
[00:12:26] Speaker C: We have an infrared sauna, which also great for detoxification.
And then we have alt, which is assisted lymphatic therapy. So your lymph system is really everything that's taken out the trash in your body. And so that can kind of gunk up, for lack of a better term. So especially people who sit all day, especially for 40 hours a week.
So you know, your body is trying to get rid of these toxins and they're not moving, they're just sitting in the lymph system. So Emily, who is our therapist, will do like an hour long session to get that lymph moving. And it is phenomenal. It is. I mean, some of the results I've seen from there from patients or I mean anything from urinary and bowel issues, getting better to skin issues.
I have some people who use it instead of a flu shot because it gets them through the winter without getting sick, because we're moving all those toxins out at a very fast rate. So their bodies are able to fight and take out toxins instead of just letting.
[00:13:18] Speaker A: Just building it.
[00:13:19] Speaker C: Letting it build. Yeah.
[00:13:20] Speaker A: With that much going on, I'm sure it takes a good staff to help things move along. And I'm sure you probably lean on them. But describe your staff, if you will, and the importance that they bring to the practice.
[00:13:30] Speaker C: Our patients are the most important. Part of our practice for our staff is what really keeps them there and helps them to get the care that they need. Our staff is phenomenal. We're probably at about 13 or 14 of us across two practices at this point.
[00:13:45] Speaker A: That's great.
[00:13:46] Speaker C: Yeah. So our staff, I mean, everybody has a job, everybody has a system that they use, and it all works together. So I come from a team mentality. I come from a team upbringing, so I'm a team member like everybody else. When someone needs help, it's easier for someone else to step up because we know we're all working hard. And it's fun when you're all doing the same thing and you all have the same goals. It's so much fun because I know, I know that Emma and Ashley are going to be a rock star up front, and they're going to get everything done they need to do. So then when the patient comes back, then it's on me clinically, and then I pass them off to an assistant who's going to get them checked out and move to this table or move to this therapy, and then. And it all works so well together.
[00:14:26] Speaker A: That's great.
[00:14:27] Speaker C: We have a really great staff. And I think my favorite part is that everybody takes pride in what they do.
[00:14:33] Speaker A: People love success stories, right? Who doesn't love a great success story? So do you have a couple that you might could share with us, you know, not mentioning any names or anything, but where, you know, someone came in with, you know, a real issue and you were able to just really change their lives with the treatment?
[00:14:50] Speaker C: My favorite cases are the ones who go to everyone else first, and then they are like, I'm out of choices, and everybody just. I. You know, someone told me to try here, so I'm here. I mean, I love those last resort.
[00:15:07] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:15:08] Speaker C: I love the last resort cases because I. I know they're about to be wowed because if the other things didn't work, and I usually know what it is with, it's a joint issue or it's this nerve pressure or whatever.
Like, all right, let's do this. So they have. Because their bar is set so low, they don't think I can help them. Right. They're a last resort. No one else has helped them.
[00:15:24] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:25] Speaker C: So those are always my favorite cases. But some of our wow factor cases are we just had one last week. I mean, when they come in bent over, can't move, they don't know what they did.
They pick, went to pick up their car keys in the morning or they went to go tie their shoe and they're like, I can't get up. Okay.
And they usually leave upright and in such a better mood. So those are always really fun because you can see it and it's immediate. Yeah, yeah, it's immediate. So not only them, but it's always the people in the lobby too, because they saw them walk in. They're like, that's a different person walking out.
[00:15:56] Speaker A: It's hard to hide that.
[00:15:58] Speaker C: Yeah. So they're a walking billboard for the rest of the day of everybody who saw them that morning. So that's fun. People with some spinal cord issues doing some dry needling. So we've had someone who's wheelchair bound, who's got a lot more strength in legs and control of their legs with needling. I have somebody who was in absolute excruciating pain, couldn't brush their teeth, couldn't drink anything hot or cold, couldn't have any air on their face because of trigeminal neuralgia. And they call it the suicide disease because it is so painful. It's affecting a nerve in your. That exits your cranium so it comes out into your face and when it shoots, it will take you down. And our dry needling is what helped her. And not only that, I mean, her quality of life.
So we've got, we've got two of those right now. And they just swear by like, I don't even have to take ibuprofen. I just come in here and I get needled and life is better and I can spend time with my kids and I can work most of the.
[00:16:54] Speaker A: Most importantly, I really are life changing treatments.
[00:16:56] Speaker C: Yeah. And, and before 10 years ago, when I was in practice, I had a trigeminal neuralgia patient who. The only treatment, the only option was surgery. And so, I mean, they have to open your skull and go in there and try to relieve some area around the nerve. And it's, I mean, it helped him a little, but not a lot.
[00:17:12] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:13] Speaker C: So when I was able to add dry kn going to the practice and, and work on this, I mean, I've just seen such a big, such a big change there with our laser.
I've seen some incredible changes with sprained ankles, especially for my athletes. Sprained ankle is nothing to play with and it'll just lead to more things if you're not taking care of it properly. So in the middle of a season, especially in a post season or playoffs, it's a huge deal. So to see a patient, an ankle get better so quickly and be able to say, hey, you don't have to sit out this game. You can play.
[00:17:45] Speaker A: I mean, so we have a lot of athletes that come in for treatment, right?
[00:17:50] Speaker C: Yeah. So people ask me about demographic of what I see and what I treat. So I adjusted both of my babies in the golden hour. So that's the earliest adjustment was one hour old for me. And the oldest patient I've ever had is 104.
So I tell people from womb to tomb. So I adjust pregnant women as well. So from womb to tomb and. But athletes do play a special part in my heart because I know what it took.
[00:18:15] Speaker A: Oh, you understand?
[00:18:16] Speaker C: I understand it. And I know what it's like to play in pain because of the love of the game.
[00:18:20] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:20] Speaker C: So if I can help you stay out there and I don't have to pull you from your sport or if I pull you for just a little while, so. And you can go out there and perform even better than before, like, I'm on your side, I'm not, you know, I'm on the athlete side. Like, let's get you better.
[00:18:32] Speaker A: So what can someone usually expect on that first visit if they've never been before?
[00:18:39] Speaker C: So a first visit is going to be just kind of paperwork, what's bringing you in so that we can kind of cater to that. We do a great office tour because we do have a lot of services. And I have noticed that people have been with us. We're like, oh, I didn't know you offered this. I didn't know you offered that. So we like to give a tour and show all of our services.
I like to listen to them and see what's going on and then just telling them how we can help. Explaining chiropractic care and what we do and what that first adjustment is going to look like, or if there's another therapy that they're in there for what that's going to look like. And then just doing the. We do a physical exam, an orthopedic and a neurological exam as well.
And then we get them adjusted and we kind of talk about what it feels like after and what to expect. Sometimes people get sore, sometimes they don't. Most of the time they don't. Or it's very mild. It Also depends on if you drink a lot of water, if you eat well, if you move things like that. And then we write out a treatment plan. This is what I think it's going to take.
And then I just leave it up to the patient because it's really your choice. I'm not pushing you into anything. This is what I think it's going to take. Based on your goals, you know, is your goal to feel better and based.
[00:19:39] Speaker A: On your experience, too, helping others with similar instances.
[00:19:43] Speaker C: And if it's someone who walks in and they're like, oh, I've had this problem for 20 years. Well, it's. One adjustment's not gonna fix it. I'm like, I wish I could lay my hands on you, like Jesus, but I can't.
He was the only one.
[00:19:53] Speaker A: You have to be realistic on some things.
[00:19:55] Speaker C: Yeah, right. So I'm like, we're gonna. We're gonna work. We're gonna peel back the layers and get this fixed. This is what this looks like. If we don't have that time or availability, you know, we will make it work and we'll push it out to this. But we try to get on the same plan because I like, whatever the patient's goal is, also my goal. And I think sometimes as providers, we kind of get in our own head about what our goal is and does it line with what their goal is. So I try to meet you where you are and what's your goal? We accept all insurances. We're in network with most of them. If we're not, usually it's because out of network has better benefits for our patient. And so we'll drop that type of insurance, but we still take it for them. We try to do a lot of cash options and cash packages, and we accept hsa, fsa, because insurance wants to handicap and kind of handcuff what we can do and what the patient can do. So if we are in most. Most major insurances, we are in network. We do take Medicare, so those things, depending on the insurance, exams and adjustments are covered. Most therapies are covered. Cupping, dry needling, things like that. A lot of times those are out of pocket just because insurance doesn't cover them. So we try to do our best with cash packages there and try to do treatment plans so that if someone buys them in, how many we think it's going to take, we're able to kind of help them with that. And it's not a la carte every.
[00:21:10] Speaker A: Single time, but you're there to help walk people through those Options.
[00:21:13] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely.
[00:21:13] Speaker A: Kind of explain it, because I know that can be kind of convoluted sometimes, trying to understand kind of what's covered, what's not.
[00:21:18] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:19] Speaker A: From a business owner standpoint, talk about the importance of having, you know, a solid Internet system in place and phone system and just communicating and how technology helps run your business. Is that a. And would you say it is an important part of keeping things running smoothly?
[00:21:37] Speaker C: It has been a huge part. When I first moved to Carthage, I had whatever system was. It was in place, and it was not ttc. Yeah.
[00:21:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:45] Speaker C: And it was an absolute nightmare. I'm not gonna lie. And also, customer service, I mean, even just to get someone on the line or to help you or to take you seriously was really difficult. So the first minute that the practice itself was out of contract, we made the switch to dtc, and it was a game changer. So it has been very important not only for our Internet. Our entire electronic health record system is all cloud based. So years ago, it used to be system based, where you'd have to have this big, bulky system in your practice, and now it's all cloud based. So fast Internet is imperative because I chart as I go. I'm pulling up their charts in real time. A lot of people love to do their paperwork online, so I'm pulling that up before I go into the room with them. That's important. But also our phone systems, so we. We actually have multiple lines, and you guys just gave us a really cool thing that the girls love. So both of our practices are actually connected on, like, an inner kind of line. So we can call our Lebanon office without having to use our main line, and they can call us. And the. The staff thinks that that is the coolest thing ever. I don't know what it is.
[00:22:49] Speaker A: It's a small detail, but it's an important one.
[00:22:51] Speaker C: So we love it. And so they get to choose their own ringers. And it's cool, but it's. It's dependable. And I think what I love the most is anytime we have had an issue that we don't know if it's an issue with the line, we just know something's not going right. I mean, you guys are out there. You're in our office. I mean, hands. All hands on deck. You're telling us, hey, it's this. And you know, you're in our closet. Because I'll come around in this one closet.
[00:23:12] Speaker B: I'm like, hey.
[00:23:12] Speaker C: And I just. I know the faces, and we don't have to wait and Whatever it is, you guys are going to take care of it. So we love that.
[00:23:19] Speaker A: Share where you're located and your contact information and how to learn more.
[00:23:23] Speaker D: Sure.
[00:23:24] Speaker C: So our first location is Car Carthage Family Chiropractic. So we are at 906 Main street in Carthage.
I tell everyone we're across from Sanderson and Bass, right next to the flower shop. And our phone number is 615-735-9336. You can also find us online at carthagefamilychiro.com and we also have a Facebook and an Instagram.
Our Lebanon location is called Empowered Health and Chiropractic at 1028 West Main.
That's in Lebanon. And Dr. Grove is in our Lebanon location. And she was in Carthage with us for almost four years before she moved to our Lebanon location. So we still get a lot of Smith county people who either work in Lebanon or just choose. They live on that side of the county and so they'll pop over to Lebanon and vice versa. People who are in Lebanon who work in Smith county.
[00:24:14] Speaker A: Right. Well, Dr. Melanie, thank you so much for being with us today. And I've really enjoyed learning about your fascinating services. I just find that interesting, everything that you talked about today. And I got a feeling you're going to get a few calls after this glass.
[00:24:27] Speaker C: Yeah. We love meeting new people and serving the community as much as we can.
[00:24:31] Speaker A: Yeah, that's great. Well, thanks for being here and good luck with everything in the future.
[00:24:34] Speaker C: Thanks so much, everybody.
[00:24:35] Speaker A: Stay tuned. We've got more of the program in just a moment.
[00:24:38] Speaker B: Do you know what room the router's in? I can't get onto my Zoom meeting.
[00:24:42] Speaker D: Try it in our spacious new family room.
[00:24:46] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:24:48] Speaker B: Still not working.
[00:24:51] Speaker D: Try it in our beautiful backyard.
[00:24:54] Speaker B: Still nothing.
[00:24:56] Speaker A: Your new home Checked everything off your.
[00:24:58] Speaker E: List except for Internet from DTC.
[00:25:01] Speaker B: Oh, come on.
[00:25:03] Speaker E: Sign
[email protected] for fast and reliable Internet.
Ooh, I'll get it.
[00:25:11] Speaker C: Grandpa, Grandpa, wanna play my new game with me?
[00:25:14] Speaker B: Well, sure, I'd love to get a new game.
[00:25:19] Speaker A: Let's go.
[00:25:20] Speaker E: Gotcha.
[00:25:22] Speaker A: Get here.
[00:25:23] Speaker B: No.
I'm gonna catch you. I'm gonna catch you this time.
[00:25:32] Speaker C: Sharing memories while staying connected.
[00:25:35] Speaker A: DTC Internet makes it all possible.
It's time to hand this microphone over to Justin like we do each and every month for his segment we like to call Justin's Tech Tips.
[00:25:51] Speaker B: So I want to just talk about a few things on how can we prepare for this holiday season and be better holiday shoppers? So, okay, first and foremost, the thing you have to Think about from a planning standpoint is timing it to find the best deals. Because that's what we want to do, right? We want to find that, we want to find the best deals that there are. Black Friday is no longer the standalone, you know, shopping day, which, you know, fun fact. You know why they called it Black Friday?
[00:26:20] Speaker A: No.
[00:26:21] Speaker B: Because for a lot of retailers for their year, they would operate in the negative until Black Friday and that would get them back in the black and so that would turn them into a profitability status. Now again, that's from eons ago I would say at this point.
[00:26:37] Speaker E: Right.
[00:26:37] Speaker B: Because again, consumer trends have changed, but that's really where, where it comes from.
But sales are, I've already seen pre Black Friday, Black Friday sneak peeks and it will continue through Black Flat Friday, Cyber Monday and all the way through. But the big thing is if you're wanting a big ticket item like electronics, Black Friday still your go to.
[00:26:57] Speaker A: Yeah, right.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: Black Friday is going to be the time for that. Now smaller items, your stocking stuffers, the things that, you know, clothing, things like that, usually Cyber Monday somewhere around in there is usually where you'll find the better deals. Now there's the timing aspect too of you've got to think about stock on some of this because sometimes I, you know, in discussion, well, I'm going to wait and see if it gets a better deal somewhere else. I'm like, yeah, but you may want to buy it because they may not have it, period.
[00:27:24] Speaker A: That could be dangerous.
[00:27:24] Speaker B: You may not just miss a deal, you may miss it entirely. So depending upon what you want, you need to, you need to be thinking about, about stock. But think strategically, right? Plan what you you want to do and categorize, right. What are your must haves. I've absolutely got to have this, I would like to have this, but it's not necessarily as important. So again, be strategic, prioritize those hard to find things too early. Right. Because there's going to be certain things that are going to be, going to be more valuable. But how do you do it? Right, you're saying, okay, well you've told me all these things. Well, how do you do it? Let me introduce you. If you have never heard of this to deal aggregator websites. And so what these are, these are websites that exist out there who the only thing they do is they pull deals in from all sorts of retailers. That's why it's called an aggregator because it's not just tracking Amazon, it's not just tracking Walmart, it's not just Tracking Target or Best Buy. It's pulling in from all these different retailers.
[00:28:22] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:28:22] Speaker B: And aggregating the deals for kind of.
[00:28:24] Speaker A: Like a one stop.
[00:28:25] Speaker B: Yes. So that you, you know where to go and you can do it. And a lot of these are community driven. Now we have seen a transition to more AI based approaches which I, to me, I don't think the quality control behind them is as, is as good as efficient, is as well designed.
[00:28:43] Speaker A: Right.
[00:28:43] Speaker B: Your community driven sites where it's real people sharing their ideas and thoughts and people can vote them up or down. Right. So it's, it's real people saying oh yeah, this is a good deal, no, this is a bad deal. So you're seeing more quality products and getting rid of the junk things. Some known websites that are really good if you want a single search, a single point to go to is one of these aggregator websites and one that I know you use more than I do with slick deals. Right. So that's the first one.
Oh my favorite of mine, listen, it's used by, you know, you know it's like 12 million plus people a day go to this website. So I mean it's people all the time go into it and again it's, it's user controlled. Right. So users get to vote and say yes, this is good or not. But you can search for deals, you can set deal alerts. So if you're like hey, I'm looking for a specific item, I actually use that. Yes, it works and I want to know, right, whatever the product is or if it's a brand, you can set a customer alert and it will tell you, hey, you've been wanting to know about this and it's happening. So here's your real time notification. You better go find this.
[00:29:47] Speaker A: I will say this, when that deal alert hits for something you're looking for, you better not waste any time because if it's actually a really good, really good deal, it will sell out quick.
[00:29:56] Speaker B: So yeah, and there's the Brad's deals and some, there's some other websites out there. But Slick Deals is probably the, probably the go to that that I would recommend. And like you said, you got to be on top of it though.
[00:30:08] Speaker A: Yeah. Right.
[00:30:09] Speaker B: So that's why I say it is a real time notification.
But you're not going to be the only one probably getting that notification if there's 12 million people a day going to the site.
[00:30:17] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:17] Speaker B: So there, there's some others, you know, if you're big on Amazon and Woot is really good, but Woot is different because you can't search the website.
So typically you will have to find out about it through a slick deals or something or be or browsing it yourself if you want to. You can use browser extensions as well. So there's some browser extensions out there that will help.
Keepa is one that is really, really popular and what it does is it tracks price changes on items.
Now the caveat on any of these browser extensions, I gotta say is you've got privacy trade offs because it's going to track what you do. So understand that when you're using this and again you can sign up for alerts through it as well. So hey, on this website, if there's a deal on this, if it drops below this price, please, please notify me and let me know. But what's really interesting about it is you can see the historical data. You can see, oh, it went up, it went down. This is what it usually is on Black Friday, you know, those kind of things. So it's pretty interesting. There's coupon finders like Honey that exists to try to find you coupon deals to give you the best deal. If you're trying to save a few bucks, maybe you, you already know what you want to get. You don't want to wait, you don't want to do this alert, you don't want to try to find, you just want to get it. Now try to use Honey or some other coupon finder. It'll try to search for a coupon and find you a coupon code at least then there's also some cashback apps. I don't use any cashback apps specifically, but there are some quality ones out there. So if you're going to be spending the money anyway, you look for a cash back app. Rule one that I will say with this is, is plan accordingly and have budget discipline in whatever you're doing. Research plan you know, so that you can kind of make sure you're getting a good deal too. Because sometimes things will go up in price before they come down. With that being said, that many people are online, act quickly if you do find a good deal. But avoid fake urgency. Right, right. Avoid, avoid the right balance point things. Yeah. So to recap, plan ahead a time, use aggregator websites to try to find those good deals. Use other tools, you know, such as apps or coupon finders or price trackers to help you plan. And last and most importantly, stay disciplined.
[00:32:31] Speaker D: Right?
[00:32:32] Speaker B: Stay disciplined. Keep your focus on, on. On what, on what you want to do. And be careful.
We're recommending DLAG aggregator websites. And I've mentioned a few. Be careful to make sure that what you are using is trusted.
[00:32:46] Speaker A: Make sure it's a legitimate yes.
[00:32:47] Speaker B: And verify it beforehand. Don't trust everything you see on social media to, you know, to what's being shared because we see more and more of spam and we see more and more efficient attempts for them to pretend to be somebody that they're not. So be careful. You're probably going to be online doing shopping if you're listening to this. So be disciplined. Be careful too. But get some great deals while you're out there.
[00:33:15] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:33:16] Speaker B: You're going to be shopping anyway. So utilize this. Get you some good deals.
[00:33:19] Speaker A: Go save some money.
We're very lucky to have Beth McCrary and RJ Palhege, both with the Art center of Cannon County. Welcome back to the program.
[00:33:30] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:33:31] Speaker E: Great to be back.
[00:33:32] Speaker A: You know, if memory serves, I think it was about this time last year you guys were visiting us and telling us about all the great things going on in 2025. And if you can believe it, we're almost through the year.
[00:33:42] Speaker E: Yeah, we've started a little tradition now here at.
[00:33:48] Speaker A: We like it. We like it. Well, we have to get the word out because you guys, your schedule changes so you know so much every year. Every year it's always a fresh schedule.
[00:33:56] Speaker E: So fresh schedule with always a very, very new and exciting thing sprinkled in there. It's never a dull moment.
[00:34:05] Speaker A: Hey, that's the way we expect. That's how we like it. So before we get into some of the fun things going on, kind of for those that may have missed the last time you were on the program, if you would both introduce yourselves and kind of tell us your involvement with Art center, we'll start with you, R.J. if that's okay.
[00:34:20] Speaker E: Yeah. I'm the arts education director, so I'm in charge of our school shows and family shows. So we do three of those.
It sort of goes with the school year and those are all an hour long show, just perfect for families to go out and see it. We get a bunch of schools that come and see those shows during the week and we get a lot of young performers who get to be in those shows built specifically for them.
[00:34:46] Speaker A: What about you, Ms. Beth?
[00:34:47] Speaker D: Well, I am technically the chief operating officer there, which is executive director. It's just a fancier title.
So I'm kind of just in charge of all things. We had some really great shows this year. We had Newsies, which just Sold.
[00:35:02] Speaker E: Yes. Newsies did fantastic.
[00:35:06] Speaker B: Actually.
[00:35:07] Speaker E: We had.
I'm forgetting the young man's name, but we had whoever's playing Ponyboy on the national tour of Outsiders. Of the Outsiders. That was just at T. Pac a week or two ago. He came and saw Newsies and got and met some of the cast after the Outsiders. And also that was a big success.
The Mouse Trap with Agatha Christie was a really, really big success.
I really like that one simply because I was in it.
[00:35:34] Speaker A: So he might be partial, do you think?
[00:35:36] Speaker D: A little bit, yeah.
We have Million Dollar Quartet Christmas coming up, starting December 5th, and that one will be a big hit. That one has a lot of the. A lot of people in the area are familiar with the Shake, Rattle and Roll group that comes. Some of those guys are in it. Not all of them, but some of them are in it.
[00:35:54] Speaker A: So I've heard good, good things about that.
[00:35:56] Speaker E: And they've been. They've been practicing already. And it's, you know, it's gonna be good when they're practicing in August. And I'm still going home singing Jingle bell, Jingle bell, Jingle bell.
[00:36:06] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:36:07] Speaker A: That's a good sign, isn't it?
[00:36:08] Speaker D: Yes. Now, what we have coming up in right after Thanksgiving is our holiday bazaar, which will be in the hall. And there'll be approximately 24, 25 artists in there.
[00:36:19] Speaker A: Now, kind of describe that for us. For those who don't know about it.
[00:36:22] Speaker D: A lot of them are the White Oak artists that come in September. Some of them are not. Some of them are ones that are in our gift shop, and there's a couple that don't do either one. They just come to this, and they set up in the hall. If you've ever been in the big room in the hall and in the lobby a little bit. And they will.
They won't actually be there, but they will have all their wares for sale, and we monitor it and sell it for them.
[00:36:47] Speaker A: Right.
[00:36:47] Speaker D: But it's a great. So it's open when we're open. But it's a great Christmas shopping time.
[00:36:52] Speaker A: It's perfect timing for that.
[00:36:53] Speaker E: Yeah, it's a lot of great.
[00:36:54] Speaker D: So it runs until we close.
[00:36:55] Speaker E: Yeah, it's a lot of great. I hate to lower it to knickknacks, but that's sort of the best way I could describe it. It's just a lot of cool, interesting, handcraft, handmade things that you can't really find anywhere else except a place like the Art Center.
[00:37:08] Speaker A: See, I think a unique gift like that means more.
[00:37:11] Speaker E: Oh, yeah.
[00:37:12] Speaker A: To a Lot of people, don't you?
[00:37:13] Speaker D: Oh, yes.
[00:37:13] Speaker E: Great stocking stuffers.
[00:37:14] Speaker D: Yeah, there are a lot of stocking stuffers and there's just some very interesting things. A lot of jewelry, woodworking, soap cups, mugs, pottery, painting.
[00:37:24] Speaker A: And so anytime the art center is open, people can.
[00:37:27] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:37:27] Speaker A: Browse correct area.
[00:37:28] Speaker D: And it will be open until we close on the 21st. Is actually one million dollar quartet closes close for. For Christmas.
[00:37:36] Speaker A: What's 2026 looking at? Do you want to kind of give us some dates, maybe some things coming?
[00:37:42] Speaker E: I'm really excited about it.
[00:37:43] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:44] Speaker D: We got Music man and they're already in rehearsals. And it sounds so good. I don't know if you're familiar with the old movie.
[00:37:49] Speaker E: That's one that is great for the whole family. For the whole family to come and see.
[00:37:54] Speaker D: It's. It is pg, but it's. There's nothing in it that I can think of.
[00:37:58] Speaker B: No.
[00:37:58] Speaker E: It's a con man who comes to a small town and tries to convince him that he's a band leader and he's gonna sell him all this.
All these instruments and. But he's a fraud.
And only the. The town librarian seems to see through him and the shenanigans that they get up to. And there's about.
[00:38:17] Speaker A: Oh, that sounds fun.
[00:38:18] Speaker E: There's. There's about 40 people in that one.
[00:38:20] Speaker D: That's huge.
[00:38:21] Speaker A: That's big.
[00:38:21] Speaker E: Huge.
[00:38:23] Speaker A: Stage is packed on that one.
[00:38:25] Speaker D: Yes. But when you hear some of the songs, you'll go. That's where that's from. You know when you hear. Yeah, like 76 trombones. Yeah, yeah, that's where.
[00:38:33] Speaker A: That's okay.
[00:38:34] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:38:34] Speaker E: Trouble right here in River City.
[00:38:36] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah.
[00:38:38] Speaker D: So that one runs January 23rd to February. February 7th.
[00:38:41] Speaker A: So that'll be kicking the year off then.
[00:38:43] Speaker D: It will. Okay, Then we have children. This is our main stage. Then we have Children of Eden, which we did back in 2003. So it's been a long time ago.
It's based on the first few books of Genesis.
[00:38:56] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:38:57] Speaker D: A little bit loosely. Not totally, you know, not totally accurate, but. Because it's a musical. But it's a beautiful story and the songs are beautiful.
[00:39:06] Speaker E: Yeah. And the music's by Stephen Schwartz. So he did Wicked, which I know there's another Wicked movie coming out. So it's not as close to Wicked, but it is very, very.
[00:39:15] Speaker A: And you guys do such a good job with the music and the way they tie in with these musicals and stuff. It's not just the storyline that adds a lot to it, too. So that Would be a Great one.
[00:39:24] Speaker D: The 9 to 5 in June.
Familiar with that one?
[00:39:28] Speaker E: Oh, yeah, everyone should know that one.
[00:39:30] Speaker A: That's my era. I remember when that came out.
[00:39:33] Speaker D: Big Fish is in August. A lot of people are familiar with that movie.
[00:39:38] Speaker E: Yeah, the Tim Burton movie. And it's.
And that's another one that's gonna be sort of big and a little weird, but in a fun sort of weird, whimsical.
[00:39:47] Speaker D: I don't know if you're familiar with that one, but it's a.
It's basically kind of about tall tales.
[00:39:53] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:39:53] Speaker D: In a way, yeah. Is that what you would say?
[00:39:55] Speaker E: Yeah, tall tales.
This guy, his father would tell him these big outrageous stories. And so he never believed them. Well, some of these stories end up being true and they're just exaggerating. Fascinating characters and giants and stuff like that. And the biggest fish you've ever seen.
[00:40:11] Speaker A: Oh, wow, that sounds fun. I'd like to see that.
[00:40:14] Speaker D: It's a good show.
Then in October, getting ready for Halloween, we have Dracula.
[00:40:19] Speaker A: A classic.
[00:40:21] Speaker E: Oh, yeah.
[00:40:21] Speaker D: Not the musicals. It's just the classic Dracula.
[00:40:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:40:24] Speaker E: Yeah, I'll be directing Dracula.
[00:40:26] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:40:28] Speaker E: Very nervous, but it'll be fine. It'll be good.
[00:40:31] Speaker A: Now, were you a big Dracula fan growing up? You remember kind of watching the movies and that?
[00:40:36] Speaker E: Yes and no. It was more like he always popped up in every cartoon that I watched. And then it wasn't until I was older that I saw like an actual Dracula movie.
And this script is very close to the book. So if you're into that sort of gothic horror, the Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves movie, it's very similar to that.
[00:40:58] Speaker A: That'll be good.
[00:40:59] Speaker E: Yeah, it's gonna be.
I'm Swinging for the fences, so hopefully we're hitting it.
[00:41:04] Speaker A: That'd be a good one. Yeah, that'll be great.
[00:41:06] Speaker D: Well, the last one in December is a new one. It's called Christmas in Connecticut. Now, there is also an old movie with that, but it's a new play.
[00:41:15] Speaker E: New playing, new musical. And it very much has that heartwarming, Hallmark sort of feel to it.
[00:41:23] Speaker A: It's feel good story kind of thing.
[00:41:26] Speaker E: Yeah. It's a reporter who.
She has this alias and she's a big city girl, but she writes this column as if she's a good housewife on the farm, taking care of the family. And no one knows except her and the editor. And then the owner of the paper decides he's gonna send a war hero to the farm for Christmas. Cause the article got the war hero through the war. Oh, wow. So they have to go to the farm, and she knows nothing about farming and doesn't have a husband and a baby and.
[00:41:57] Speaker D: Yeah, so it's.
[00:41:58] Speaker A: It's hijink all around.
[00:42:01] Speaker D: It is like a Hallmark kind of movie.
[00:42:03] Speaker A: That sounds fun, though.
[00:42:04] Speaker D: It is fun.
[00:42:04] Speaker A: It's good for that time of year, too.
[00:42:06] Speaker D: It is heartwarming.
[00:42:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:08] Speaker E: And then again, we have Phantom Tollbooth going on right now, which is part of our school series. But continuing the school series in February, we have Junie B. Jones's Essential Survival School Guide to School. So it's a new Junie B. Jones musical because we did it about two years ago. So this is a whole new.
Same characters, but new story, new songs and everything. New script and everything. So that'll be in February, and then in May, we're doing an adaption of J.R.R. tolkien's The Hobbit on stage for the school shows.
[00:42:41] Speaker A: That'll be good. Oh, yeah, that'd be a lot of fun.
[00:42:45] Speaker E: I just sent a message to a haunted woods in Lebanon because they had a giant snake head in the haunted woods. And I'm like, hey, we need a dragon.
[00:42:53] Speaker A: Yeah, we could use. We could use that. Is that what you're saying?
[00:42:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:42:56] Speaker E: Halloween's over.
[00:42:57] Speaker B: Over.
[00:42:57] Speaker A: Yeah. Hey, help us out here. Yeah. Yes. That's fun.
[00:43:01] Speaker D: Yeah. And then, of course, we also have concerts coming up. We have a lot of those.
[00:43:04] Speaker A: You guys always have such great music shows.
[00:43:07] Speaker D: Ultimate Rewind, which is a local.
You know, they're in Manchester.
They'll be in January. And then the Eagle Maniacs, which is Eagles.
[00:43:15] Speaker A: All Eagles. Yeah.
[00:43:16] Speaker E: Can't wait for that one.
[00:43:17] Speaker A: That'll be good.
[00:43:18] Speaker E: I'm very excited for that one.
[00:43:19] Speaker D: And Sail on, which is a Beach Boys tribute. They've been here before, and they're a big hit.
[00:43:22] Speaker A: Oh, I bet they're good.
[00:43:23] Speaker D: They are very good.
Stairway to Zeppelin and I wonder who that could be. Yes.
And then into the Line, which is Allman Brothers.
[00:43:32] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
Is that the same group that was here a couple years ago?
[00:43:35] Speaker D: They were good.
[00:43:35] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, they were great.
[00:43:37] Speaker E: These bands are very kind, too. They put on great shows and keep coming back. So.
[00:43:43] Speaker A: Yes, that's a good sign, too, that it's good for both you guys and them.
[00:43:47] Speaker D: They rent our place. You know, they get the.
[00:43:49] Speaker A: The door.
[00:43:49] Speaker D: They get beyond the rental, that is.
[00:43:51] Speaker A: Yeah. And sometimes, you know, that's the only time that some of these local people get to go and have like that without, you know, really trying to drive to Nashville or other places where it's hard to get in and park and all that.
[00:44:03] Speaker D: You have to pay for parking. This is affordable, too.
[00:44:06] Speaker E: Yeah. Free parking and easy tickets.
[00:44:08] Speaker A: Talk about season tickets. You guys offer season ticket packages, right?
[00:44:11] Speaker D: We do. We start selling them typically in, like, we'll have either a season reveal or some kind of fundraiser. We'll start selling them then it's end of July or August for the following year.
[00:44:23] Speaker A: Gotcha.
[00:44:24] Speaker D: And right now, they're still $80, which is. Is a bonus.
[00:44:27] Speaker A: That's a good deal.
[00:44:28] Speaker E: Six shows for $80.
[00:44:30] Speaker A: Yes, it's a really good deal. That is a good deal.
[00:44:34] Speaker D: You can add in the kids shows, and I think it's another 30.
[00:44:39] Speaker E: Yeah, 20. 30 bucks.
[00:44:40] Speaker A: That's not bad.
[00:44:40] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:44:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:44:42] Speaker E: Where else can you go for.
[00:44:44] Speaker A: For that amount of money and have that many hours of entertainment?
[00:44:47] Speaker D: Because, I mean, all year, somebody gets their present.
[00:44:51] Speaker A: They're making memories all year. Yeah.
[00:44:53] Speaker E: And a lot of things that. That most of our season ticket holders do know, but I don't think a lot of people do know, is when you buy a season ticket, you have to buy whatever date you're going to, and it's okay. Something may come up in October. You know, we'll. We gladly move tickets. There's no charge to move a ticket. Just.
[00:45:14] Speaker D: Yes, you may. You may not get the same seat you've picked out. But we'll.
[00:45:17] Speaker A: But you work with people on that to try to.
[00:45:19] Speaker E: Yeah, we understand life happens, but we still want to make sure you can come and see the show.
[00:45:25] Speaker A: The shows are fun, but arts are a big part of your program, too. Talk about the galleries and the different ways that you try to support local artisans there.
[00:45:35] Speaker D: Yes, we do. That's a big part of our mission is visual arts. We have two galleries, and they change out about every six to eight weeks. Just depends on schedules and such. And Heather has been doing our galleries for us. Heather Moulder, who's also artist. Mm. And we have the gift shop, which is also local artists. We do take commission on the gift shop and gallery if anything sells, but we don't charge for people to show their work.
And they have artist receptions, too, you know, so bring more people in. We try to have those during a show, so there's a lot more people to meet the artists. We also have the holiday bazaar, and then we have the big white oak craft fair.
[00:46:16] Speaker A: That was gonna be my next question. Talk about that, because that's exciting, too.
[00:46:19] Speaker D: Yes. It's once a year. September. It's the second full weekend of September every year. And this last Year we had.
I believe it was 78 artists. Is that correct?
[00:46:30] Speaker E: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:46:32] Speaker A: We were.
[00:46:32] Speaker E: I think we were knocking on the door of 80.
[00:46:34] Speaker D: And we may change the format. Not format, but the layout of the map a little bit this next year. We've been looking at that.
And so we can accommodate a few more because we're having people wanting to come, and there's no charge except for parking.
And that goes to the rescue squad. They handle all our parking. We don't get any of that. They charge $5 and they get it all.
[00:46:54] Speaker A: And it helps you guys out.
[00:46:54] Speaker D: Oh, gosh.
[00:46:55] Speaker E: 100.
[00:46:56] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:46:57] Speaker E: We had some bands this year.
[00:46:59] Speaker D: We did our bands.
[00:47:00] Speaker A: Oh, wow. Okay.
[00:47:00] Speaker D: This is the second year we've had bands, and they're from Nashville and surrounding areas. And they're mostly. Would you say bluegrass, country type?
[00:47:08] Speaker E: Bluegrass country, traditional musical.
[00:47:11] Speaker D: That kind of fits the vibe.
[00:47:12] Speaker A: That definitely fits.
[00:47:13] Speaker E: I don't know where Heather found them. And I. For the life of me, I can't remember their name right now, but I thought it was like. Yes, the Brothers in Black. Brothers in Black.
[00:47:21] Speaker D: They were so good.
[00:47:22] Speaker E: They look like they were 12 years old and they were playing the best Johnny Cash music I may have ever heard.
[00:47:28] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness.
[00:47:28] Speaker D: Yes, that's right. She's scheduling. She has connections.
[00:47:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:32] Speaker D: And she's been scheduling music, which just adds a different layer to this fair, I think, you know? Sure.
[00:47:39] Speaker A: And that's always every September. Is that right?
[00:47:41] Speaker D: September the second, full weekend.
[00:47:43] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:47:43] Speaker D: So on Saturday and Sunday.
[00:47:45] Speaker A: Gotcha.
[00:47:45] Speaker D: So, yeah, next year, try to make it put it on your calendar because it is great shopping.
[00:47:50] Speaker A: That's good stuff.
Let's talk about education and how that ties in. Do you guys have any kind of classes planned for next year?
[00:47:59] Speaker D: Well, we do have a fiber class coming up. Look on our website. It'll be high. It's probably already on there. It's Roberta. She was at White Oak, and she's gonna have a class. It's actually two Saturdays.
[00:48:13] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:48:13] Speaker D: I mean, you come both Saturdays to finish your project.
[00:48:17] Speaker A: And so it's hands on.
[00:48:18] Speaker D: I mean, it's hands on. It's a good.
What she had there was beautiful. I don't know if you remember her in this in the hall. Anyway, we're also planning to have some acting classes this year.
[00:48:28] Speaker A: Oh, that's kind of neat.
[00:48:29] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:48:30] Speaker D: That's the goal for 26 middle school and teens.
[00:48:33] Speaker A: For those that maybe want to get involved but maybe don't have. Have a lot of experience yet and.
[00:48:37] Speaker D: Don'T know what happens or don't have the confidence yet to do it.
[00:48:40] Speaker E: You know, because all of our shows are open auditions. Anyone can audition. There's like a few shows that have a few sort of caveats to who can and can't just based on the character, the show, the characters, stuff like that, the rights, other classes.
[00:48:55] Speaker D: The only other thing we have is like our conservatory, which is also if kids don't feel comfortable yet auditioning, they can come and learn the audition process and they learn how to act, sing.
[00:49:09] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:49:10] Speaker E: All while putting on a show.
[00:49:12] Speaker D: And we're adding this year we have two juniors and then 6th through 12th, we have one senior conservatory, but we're adding after senior, we're adding a one week tech class for those who don't want to be on stage, which we have some of those. Which I'm one of those. Yeah. I wouldn't.
[00:49:29] Speaker A: That's important though.
[00:49:30] Speaker D: You need to have the tech person.
[00:49:31] Speaker E: Yeah. So learning how to do lights, how to how sound works, mixing. Mixing on the soundboard, building and designing sets, costuming, all that fun is.
[00:49:42] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:49:43] Speaker E: Planned for this summer.
[00:49:44] Speaker D: So that will be probably for. We're anticipating that be more like 8th grade and up.
[00:49:48] Speaker A: I got you. Well, people are ready. They want those season tickets. They want to learn more. What's the best way to keep in touch with everything going on? There's.
[00:49:56] Speaker D: Well, you can go on our website at Arts arts center of cc.com you can go on Facebook, Art center of Canning County.
We do have an Instagram. You can call us at 615-563-2787 or you can just stop in 10 to 4, Tuesday through Saturday.
[00:50:15] Speaker A: And I highly encourage people just to drop in from time to time. I mean with things changing out every six to eight weeks around there and also it's always be different.
[00:50:24] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:50:24] Speaker E: When we're open, the door is open. Like, I know we sold a lot of tickets to Mousetrap.
The crew of that built one of the most incredible sets ever. And it's. Hey, you want to come in and see what they're doing in the theater? Yeah, just come on in, check out what's going on.
[00:50:38] Speaker A: Well, rj, Beth, thank you so much for being on the program again.
[00:50:41] Speaker D: Thanks for having us.
[00:50:42] Speaker E: Yeah, it's great to be back.
[00:50:43] Speaker A: I hope you have a great Christmas season because that's upcoming and we'll look forward to seeing all the great fun things in 2026.
[00:50:49] Speaker E: Absolutely.
[00:50:51] Speaker A: Thank you, everybody. Stay tuned, stay tuned. We've got more of the program coming up in just a moment.
[00:50:58] Speaker F: Great communities attract talented people to live, work and raise their families.
We've deployed a high speed network that helps the best and the brightest enjoy better lives in our smart rural community.
Great small businesses provide jobs that help workers earn a good living and provide for their families while strengthening local economies.
We deploy fiber Internet that helps those businesses succeed.
Great doctor and patient relationships create bonds that lead to healthier lives.
We deliver secure connections so every home and rural health care provider can connect to the best health care options.
Great schools help knowledge hungry students learn, think creatively and follow their passions.
We've built a network that helps their dreams take off.
Great farmers provide the food that sustains and nourishes our nation and the world.
We keep those farmers connected to the technology that ensures their crops can thrive.
We've planned, engineered and constructed a cutting edge communications network.
We're committed to delivering future proof broadband so our friends, families and neighbors can live rich lives in smart rural communities across America.
Your community is our community.
We're your rural broadband partners.
You do great things, we make great things possible.
[00:52:45] Speaker A: Let's hand the microphone over to Justin again on this episode for his segment we call Tech News Roundup.
[00:52:53] Speaker B: Apple has launched their new products. So we talked last month the new iPhones came out, Apple watches. But they have now introduced, they have swapped over to Apple Silicon and they've introduced their next chip, the M5 chip which is in the iPad Pro and it's also in the MacBook Pro. Now all they're offering right now is their baseline M5 chip. So they haven't, they're not offering the Pro or the Max yet. It's going to come sometime next year. But we're seeing, you know, the stock on that seems to be going well. The stock on iPhone seems to be going well. They're selling them well except for the iPhone. Air. I actually saw a report that said it looks like they're already going to scale the production really of the iPhone. Air back. So that, that was interesting to me. I don't think that it was as much of a hit as they thought it would be releasing an ultra thin phone.
[00:53:40] Speaker A: Right.
[00:53:40] Speaker B: But they're not the only ones releasing phones. Google also Pixel 10 came out, it's hit the market.
It's got a great new chip in it.
Google is outpacing Apple by far in artificial intelligence incorporation with their Gemini product. That is also new and improved and we're seeing it in Google devices as well because Google Home has actually went away.
So our Google Home Assistant is gone. It's been replaced by Google Gemini on their devices. So it's the new, updated, new and improved form of artificial intelligence on home devices. And honestly, Amazon's done the same thing. They've updated their Echo line. Alexa is now not just Alexa, but it is Alexa plus is the new and improved version.
[00:54:27] Speaker A: It's got to be better because it's.
[00:54:28] Speaker B: Got the, got to throw that plus in there. So you're seeing this across especially the home assistant space, which I think is going, going to continue to grow smart homes. And now more than ever, it's how can you integrate this into your everyday life? I've been an individual who's had smart home features and I'm very peculiar about what I use specifically. But it's so convenient, you know, it is so convenient when a lot will come on or the door will unlock or my security system will automatically arm. You know, it's wonderful.
It's just going to be more and more user friendly. You know, that's a lot of what we're seeing is so it's so easy to use, it's so easy to get into it. Looking at the gaming space. We haven't talked about the gaming space too much, but we're finally getting into the point as we approach the holiday season. Nvidia graphics cards which have been out, their newest generation has been out since January, but we're just now starting to see the market stabilize where there's rental availability for them.
[00:55:31] Speaker A: Right.
[00:55:31] Speaker B: You know, so that, so those sales are up because people can get their hands on them and their full lineup.
[00:55:36] Speaker A: Just in time for the holidays.
[00:55:38] Speaker B: Just in time for the holidays.
[00:55:39] Speaker A: So sure, that was a coincidence.
[00:55:40] Speaker B: Yeah. So if you're looking to buy a new device, maybe that is a manufacturer built, maybe you'd like to build your own PC, you know, so you've got the opportunity to be able to go source those parts yourself.
Nintendo, though, in the home console space with the Switch 2, came out in June, is just continuing to blow out the sales of the Switch 2. The Nintendo Switch sold very, very well. And it's interesting because most hardcore gamers do not consider themselves to be somebody who would play the Nintendo Switch.
[00:56:13] Speaker A: Right?
[00:56:14] Speaker B: But there is something about the way that they are able to design their products and market their products that they continue to outpace Nintendo does. Last thing we'll talk about, OpenAI, the only real AI thing outside of the smart home stuff we're gonna talk about released a new artificial intelligence video generation software. So they had already released Sora. Well now they've released a newer model of it, Sora 2, that came out at the beginning of October. And it's limited access. Unfortunately, I don't have access to it because I refuse to pay for it because I'm trying to get an access code. So if you're out there listening and you have an access code that you can give out, please let me know.
But what this does, it's limited to 60 second clips, but its accuracy compared to other models is unreal. And this is where we're going to start to see the issues with copyright and using other people's likenesses come into play because its ability to copy other people's likenesses, both their physical features and even their voices and things like that, is unreal up to this point. Now, all of these videos that I've seen are watermarked so you know that it is AI but the way that it's able to synchronize the sound and the body movements and everything is, is very, very, very well done.
And so it is scary when we see this being done with artificial intelligence. It's interesting because you can make. Again, it's limited. So there's people piecing together videos and, and making shorts or reels with them, which is, it's interesting what you can do.
Scary, scary, scary, scary nonetheless. On what, on what may be done. So there's, there's, there's your recap of what's happened in tech news, a lot of it focused around. We're getting into the. To the holiday season.
[00:58:10] Speaker A: Well, thanks, Justin. I appreciate it. And now let's take a look at where DTC will be in the month of November with our segment what's up dtc?
Starting us off for this month is the Wilson County Career Quest at the Farm Bureau Expo center in Lebanon on Tuesday, November 11 and Wednesday, November 12.
And then to wrap it up, we have the Smith County Career day at the AgCenter in South Carthage on Wednesday, November 12th. So if you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by and see us and say hello. All right, I think that's going to wrap up this episode of the Local Click. Thanks, Justin, for all of your information and everything you bring to the program each and every month. And thanks to all of our guests as well. And we hope you go out and find some of those great bargains that are coming up soon for the holiday season as well as watch some great television and spend some great time with family on the Thanksgiving holiday. Hey, you can always watch the local clique on YouTube on Thanksgiving Day if you want to. If you run out of things to watch. Just watch us. So but having said all that, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and we will see you next month to talk all about Christmas. Learn more about the show by visiting us
[email protected] Also, be sure to subscribe to us on your favorite podcast or video platform so you won't miss our next episode of the Local Click. See you next month.
