JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Ketner’s Mill, located near Powells Crossroads and Whitwell on 628 Ketner Mill Lane, during its annual fair played host to a galore of festivities.
From Oct. 4 to Oct. 5, the historic mill played host to its annual fair, which first began in 1978 and quickly grew into a community favorite. However, in 2024 the property was sold to new owners, sparking concern surrounding the future of the event. Wendy Stone, a vendor of 15 years and co-owner of Stones Throw Alpacas, explained that not only will the new owners continue to operate the fair, but they have also made several key improvements to the property itself.
“Around the other farm where the food is, they’ve added some restrooms, and they’ve also added some fencing and gates and such. So they’ve done a lot of lighting and general improvements to the property,” explained Stone.
Additionally, Wendy stated the property owners also hired Shop the Market to oversee all vendor operations during the event. Shop the Market is a company out of Chattanooga that helps set up and oversee various art and farmers markets throughout the greater Chattanooga area.
Vendors of all kinds were in attendance during this year’s fair, with many recurring vendors while also new ones participating in the mill’s festivities. Among one of the many vendors participating was Jennifer Johnson of The Blue Juniper in Cleveland, a family-owned establishment out of Cleveland, Tennessee that specializes in resin-based artwork and crafts.
Another vendor in attendance was Michael Hudson of Rosemary Knoll Eatable Delights. Hudson explained that the business was established in 2007 in Georgia, where the business first started selling seasoned nuts and canned goods in Atlanta until expanding to southeastern Tennessee 13 years ago. This year’s fair serves as Rosemary Knoll’s second time participating, with Hudson and others selling an assortment of various seasoned nuts of different flavors, with their most popular being their Vermont maple bourbon pecans.
June Whatley, the author of Christian adventure novels, was also in attendance to show visitors her written works, alongside other vendors such as Robert Emery Chocolate out of nearby Signal Mountain. To provide activities for children to enjoy, a petting zoo as well as inflatable bounce houses and slides were set up, further culminating this year’s Ketner’s Mill Fair as a fun filled event for all during early fall.
Note: Michael Hudson of Rosemary Knoll is not Michael Hudson of the South Pittsburg Board of Mayor & Commissioners, and both individuals share no relation to one another.