Episode 3810

- [Announcer] "Tennessee Crossroads" is made possible in part by:

- [Narrator] Some of our biggest checks have also made the biggest difference. The Tennessee Lottery, proud to have raised more than $7.5 billion for education. Now that's some game-changing, life-changing fun.

- [Announcer] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways. Discover Tennessee's adventure, cuisine, history, and more made-in-Tennessee experiences showcased among these 16 driving trails. More at TNTrailsAndByways.com.

- [Announcer] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at MTSU.edu/CLA.

- [Announcer] Amazon, a proud supporter of programming on public television. Amazon focuses on building long-term programs that have a lasting impact in communities where employees live and work. More at aboutAmazon.com.

- This time on "Tennessee Crossroads," we'll visit a farm with some of Santa's helpers. We'll eat at, what else? A barbecue restaurant near the home of Jack Daniels. We'll check in on the Rocking Chairman, and finally, pay a visit to the Jefferson Street Sound Museum. Hi there, I'm Vicki Yates and welcome to "Tennessee Crossroads." When you think of Bowling Green, Kentucky, you probably don't picture an Arctic experience. But every holiday season, one family rolls out the red and green carpet and welcomes the public to come visit their farm. A farm with a North Pole twist, as Laura Faber explains.

- [Laura] From the moment you step foot on the property-

- Hello! Welcome to The Reindeer Farm.

- [Laura] You can't help but get into the Christmas spirit. You'll see snowball fights, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Santa's boots on the ground, and reindeer.

- We're at The Reindeer Farm in Bowling Green, Kentucky. This is my family farm, my husband, myself, and our three kiddos. This is kind of our dream.

- [Laura] Jessica Anderson and her husband, Russell, never thought they would actually end up owning a farm. They both had other jobs and careers, then they had three children in 3 1/2 years, and everything changed.

- [Jessica] This was a mutual decision. This was what was best for us. He hated that I was home alone. So then it started into being more present and being more purposeful with our time together as a family and kind of, like, what our priorities were.

- [Laura] The idea of combining farming with reindeer blossomed.

- [Jessica] I love Christmas. I always have. Even before we had children.

- [Laura] The Andersons visited a reindeer farm, and that was that.

- [Jessica] We started working toward all the permitting process. We purchased some land, we bought a soybean field. So where we're standing now was once upon a time just a soybean field. We built a home. We built all the barns that you're gonna be in today. Russell and I stretched all this fence by ourselves, all these fence posts. Even the fire pit benches, we built them ourselves. It's truly turned into a labor of love. It started as something just to do as a family, but we traveled to a reindeer farm, I thought, there are other people in our region, in this area, that would love to have the ability to do this and not have to travel that far.

- [Laura] The Andersons officially opened their reindeer farm to the community for the holiday season during COVID.

- [Jessica] It turned out to be a blessing, and we very much were embraced during that time of year because folks missed companionship and togetherness, and we could offer it in a unique experience where it was still safe.

- [Laura] The reindeer are the stars of the show, and the chance to get up close is special. Blitzen is baby Anderson's mother. Anderson is the first reindeer born on the farm. There's also Fireball, Mistletoe, Snowball, Rudolph, and Sprinkles, a female with an impressive set of antlers.

- [Jessica] Reindeer are actually a subspecies of caribou. Very unique in the fact that they are the only members of the deer family where females also have antlers. Antlers naturally shed, so that means they fall off and they grow a new set every single year. Reindeer are naturally very docile, really passive animals.

- [Laura] Nitro Christmas is a new male the Andersons hope he will sire more babies. And there is pretty Clarice, she's photographed a lot, along with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

- [Jessica] You're also gonna get to meet Flea. She's our matriarch.

- All of the reindeer used in the encounter experience are females from Alaska. This is Flea. She's 10 years old, the oldest girl on the farm, named because she was as small as a flea when she was born. She's actually been in a commercial for Jon Boat, and she's beautiful. And by the way, I think it's a rule that when you're doing a story about reindeers, you wear a reindeer sweater, right, Flea? You can visit The Reindeer Farm two weekends in May, and not again until November through Christmas.

- [Jessica] They are our pets at the end of the day. They're part of our family. It is magical for people to come see them, but we do have a lot of regulations and things that we do for folks to keep our animals safe. We want folks to have a fantastic time, but not at the expense of our animals.

- The reindeer farm employs Western Kentucky University Ag students and high school members of the Future Farmers of America organization. Beyond that, it's truly a family operation. Russell's mom greets you at the front window. Jessica's mom can be found anywhere she's needed. Her dad drives the train. Their son, Russell, can be found serving up hot chocolate and donuts. And their girls, Aniston and Ashlan are about the best ambassadors the reindeer could have.

- People ask, like, how old they are. Like they ask if the antlers are called horns. They ask, "What's the stuff that grows on the antlers? What's that clicking sound?" The clicking sound is a tendon in their foot that helps them stay together in blizzards out in the wild.

- [Laura] There are other animals to experience here too, like the llamas and more.

- We have donkeys, we have cows, we have a couple of chickens, we have bunnies and pigs too.

- [Laura] Pigs with names like Taylor Swift, Lizzo, and Notorious P.I.G.

- [Child] This is the most magical Christmassy thing ever.

- [Laura] The Andersons almost can't believe this is their life. A bit of goodness they get to share with others in the spirit of the season.

- [Jessica] There are days that sometimes after we close and we go inside and we sit down and eat dinner together as a family, that this little dream that came to be sitting in our son's nursery is a reality, and not just a blessing for us, but for so many people. And yeah, it's pretty spectacular.

- Thanks, Laura. Our next story takes us to the home of the most famous whiskey in the world. And while Cindy Carter didn't travel to Lynchburg for distilled spirits, your spirits will be lifted when you see the barbecue she found for you.

- [Cindy] All aboard! Today's destination, Lynchburg, Tennessee, as we ride the rails to some really great barbecue at the Barbecue Caboose Cafe.

- Well, thanks for being here. Good to have y'all.

- [Cindy] You'll know when you arrive, a warm greeting and the distinctive smell of barbecue await all who buy a ticket.

- I love seeing the people come in, have a good time, smiles on their face. It's great.

- [Cindy] Owner, Lori Frame, wanders from customer to customer, making small talk and talking up all the menu items that make the Barbecue Caboose a favorite spot for locals, tourists, friends, and family.

- Ccco Got your usual red beans and rice?

- Yeah, very good.

- Yeah, good deal.

- [Cindy] Lori and her husband took ownership of the cafe in 2022. Her father, Ken Fly, started the restaurant decades prior. No brick and mortar back then, just a wagon parked on the town square and some recipes.

- And on the square, when we put it over here, we pretty much knew what we were doing and built a pretty good business doing that.

- [Cindy] Eventually Ken took his business inside, serving up what he calls "special stuff" like barbecue sausage and ribs, which is what they were pulling off the smoker when we arrived.

- [Ken] Barbecue caboose, it's got red beans and rice and jambalaya and, you know, exceptionally good ribs and pork barbecue. So baked beans and coleslaw's all made right here, so it's all special.

- [Cindy] Pulled pork, smoked chicken, even barbecue pizza! Dessert? No problem. Lisa's got you covered.

- [Lisa] I make the desserts. We have a pecan pie, fudge pipe, red pudding, lemon pies.

- [Cindy] And not surprisingly, many of the recipes prepared in the Caboose kitchen come from within Lori's family. Something Lori believes sets them apart.

- Got the favorite pecan ? Yeah? It's good stuff.

- It's so good.

- Well, enjoy.

- The Jack Daniel's Distillery is less than 1/4 mile away, and certainly whiskey and barbecue go great together. But the Caboose was designed to be its own destination, independent of you know who.

- [Ken] But the idea of having Jack Daniels be in our draw was not the point. The point was to have the Barbecue Caboose to be a draw and have it be its own tourist destination. And so that's kind of what we work for. ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Put your load right on me ♪

- [Cindy] Ken and now Lori have also worked to create a strong presence in this community. Bringing music on board is a big part of that. In fact, live music has been a part of this operation since Ken started working out of his old wagon.

- [Ken] We had music and barbecue for years and that was primary really. 'Cause we've always played music, always liked music. And we've had live music. We've had live music for years, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

- [Cindy] If you happen to glance up, you'll see the little engine that chugs round the dining room. Look more closely, and you'll also see signatures from hundreds of customers who've stopped by the Caboose over the years.

- A guy from Memphis came in here and sit down and he said, "Hey, you run this place?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "That's the best red beans and rice and barbecue I ever eaten." I said, "Where you from?" He said, "Memphis." I said, "Sit right there. Don't move." I went back to the kitchen, I cut the top off a pizza box and I put "Best I ever ate" on there and laid it on the table. He said, "I'll sign that." So he did. I put it up on a wall and people started signing it. And that's where it all came from.

- [Cindy] And it all just seems to come together at the Barbecue Caboose Cafe: Small town, home cooking, good Tennessee barbecue and music, and the magic touch of a family committed to making this trip worth the ride.

- [Lori] Great service, great food, great atmosphere, just the whole package

- [Ken] Oh, when they walk in the door, they're the most important person in the building. They need to know that they're welcome and need to know what we got and feel like they're gonna have a good experience.

- Thanks, Cindy. When it comes to woodworking, some folks are all thumbs, heck, some folks might lose a thumb, but others seem to be born to do it. That's the case with our next story. Ed Jones met a Spring Hill man who lives up to his title as the Rocking Chairman.

- The idea is to look at the chair and have these hard lines and soft lines kinda pull your eye around the chair so that you get to enjoy the whole thing. And actually the chair, I think, if it's done well, kind of invites you to sit.

- [Ed] If anything is more inviting than Charles Brock's rocking chairs, it's the retired school teacher turned craftsman himself. Chuck is one of those genuinely friendly, easygoing types that's never met a stranger. And that laid-back temperament is perfectly suited for the labor he loves.

- I got started while I was teaching school with some tools I'd borrowed from a neighbor, and I just saw, "Wow, I can do this. I can have a vision, and I can build it." Building furniture made sense to me. And so I started in the late '70s, and I started doing projects for others. Building tables, and chests, and things like that, and really pushing my skills.

- [Ed] Chuck's skills would be pushed to new heights by a friend who asked him to build a rocking chair.

- So I got into looking at rocking chairs and trying to come up with something that he would like. And kinda after two years, I got to a point where I had something. I called him up, he came over and looked at it, and he said, "I'll take two." That was an opportunity to move from kind of general woodworking projects into a specialty. And so, all of a sudden, we're building rocking chairs and loving it.

- [Ed] And that love shows in every line around every curve of these functional works of art.

- I love them because I can make a rocker, and have a friend or somebody sit in it, and when they sit down, I'd say 999 times out of 1,000 they're going to smile. They're gonna feel comfortable, and that's what you're after. This is some great curly walnut here. When you put some oil and wax on it, you see all of these lines, these curls where the grain is reversing.

- [Ed] At this point in the story, it would seem that Chuck had found what he was after. But realizing his gift for making rockers that make people happy would not be the final chapter.

- I started getting close about 15 years ago to retirement, and a couple of things hit me: I had been a teacher, been a woodworker, and if we put those two things together, I can teach woodworking.

- [Ed] The popularity of Chuck's classes inspired him to reach a larger audience through video with his own woodworking series, and some pretty famous guests.

- This meant a lot to me. I started woodworking on a practical matter.

- Nick Offerman.

- Nice to see you, Chuck.

- Nice to see you. Tell you what? Last time I saw you, we were in New York City on a special show for woodworkers. What was that show?

- "Martha Stewart."

- Yeah, "Martha Stewart." "The Martha Stewart Show" thing was the only way I've ever won an argument with my wife. Now, this isn't gonna be on?

- [Ed] Oh, sorry, Charlie, I couldn't resist.

- I kept checking my phone, and she says, "Put that thing up. I'm so tired of you checking that phone. Nobody is going to call you of any importance this afternoon." About that time, she just finished with that, the phone rang, and the lady introduced herself as a segment producer for "Martha Stewart Show." So I hung up, and my wife said, "Well, who was that?" I said, "That was 'The Martha Stewart Show.' I'm gonna be on there next week." So she's never complained.

- [Ed] But fame hasn't changed Charles Brock one bit. He remains a humble craftsman content to share his incredible talent with others.

- The Lord had a better plan for me than I had for myself, and it really it's gotta be that because I went from the garage woodworker to teaching classes to being on the "Martha Stewart Show" to having my own show. So you can't really beat that, especially between the ages of 60 and 70 years old. All I have to sell, really, besides the chair to sit in, are dreams. That they can build it too, have a legacy.

- Nashville may be synonymous with country music, but for several decades, Jefferson Street had a live music scene teaming with rhythm and blues. Some of the biggest artists of all time appeared there. Nowadays, this music legacy lives on thanks to the tireless efforts of Lorenzo Washington and his Jefferson Street Sound Museum, as Joe Elmore discovered.

- [Joe] Travel down Jefferson Street today and you won't see many reminders of its glory days. A time when the excitement and energy of live music emanated from more than 20 nightclubs.

- This was a very exciting place to be on the weekends, man. I mean, you walk down Jefferson from Good Jelly Jones down at Fourth and come up Jefferson, and music coming out of the buildings and out of the doors.

- [Joe] Lorenzo Washington should know. He grew up here. He was part of the music scene as a fan and friend of the musicians. And later, even as a record producer.

- I saw Jimmy Hendrix walk down Jefferson Street with his guitar on his shoulder because he never had a case for his guitar.

- Hendrix played bass and guitar in several local bands that backed traveling artists from Aretha Franklin to Little Richard. If you're old enough, you might remember seeing Jefferson Street players on the locally produced television show, "Night Train."

- And Jefferson Street was a part of the Chitlin' Circuit, is what they called it back then. And that Chitlin' Circuit was where you could go to different cities and go to different clubs in these different cities, and Nashville was a perfect place because Nashville had Jefferson Street with over 20-something clubs and bars.

- [Joe] The heyday of Jefferson Street ended in the mid to late '60s, partially because of Interstate 40, which divided the street, but also because of a lesser-known reason.

- Most all the clubs back then had gambling rooms, either upstairs, in the back, or somewhere there was a gambling room. And Ben West was sheriff, and he said he was gonna clean the city up. And he did. You know, he would go in and raid these nightclubs up and take axes and tear up the tables. Just like you'd see on TV in one of these gangster movies, you know?

- [Joe] In 2010, Lorenzo single-handedly set out to preserve the area's musical legacy, here in what's now the Jefferson Street Sound Museum. One of the museum's main features is this tree connecting the nightclubs with the many musicians who played in them.

- I put the clubs on paper, and then I start adding the artists that actually played in those clubs. It's about 150 names on that tree. But that's only a portion of the folk that actually played on Jefferson Street and played in those clubs.

- [Joe] Thanks to items donated by musicians and other supporters, the museum has grown, now with artifacts that range from musical instruments to countless photos.

- [Lorenzo] I've got a guitar in there that Jesse Boyce had wrote a platinum song on, "Firefly" by the Temptations. I've got some artifacts from Marion James, shoes, dresses, that kind of thing. I've got some artifacts from Jackie Shane. Jackie Shane was one of the first transgenders to come out as a woman on stage here in Nashville, because back then, you know, that was a no-no. A person came over and donated a mixing board. And this mixing board was used at WLAC radio to mix the music that went out over the radio. But John R. and all those guys used this mixing board.

- [Joe] Preserving this musical heritage is an ongoing mission for Lorenzo Washington. Part of that mission is ensuring future generations appreciate what was once the glory years of the Jefferson Street sound.

- I'm going on 80 years old now, I say. So I'm gonna only be able to do so much, but I'd like to partner with one of the schools because I think this is something that should be a curriculum; teaching this history and to make this a part of the curriculum would be my legacy.

- Music is timeless and we're out of time for this week. But please visit TennesseeCrossroads.org for more stories and be sure to download the PBS app. Until next time, take care, and thank you for joining us.

- [Announcer] "Tennessee Crossroads" is made possible in part by:

- [Narrator] Students across Tennessee have benefited from over $7 1/2 billion we've raised for education, providing more than two million scholarships and grants. The Tennessee Lottery, game-changing, life-changing fun.

- [Announcer] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways. Discover Tennessee's adventure, cuisine, history, and more made-in-Tennessee experiences showcased among these 16 driving trails. More at TNTrailsAndByways.com.

- [Announcer] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at MTSU.edu/CLA.

- [Announcer] Amazon, a proud supporter of programming on public television. Amazon focuses on building long-term programs that have a lasting impact in communities where employees live and work. More at aboutAmazon.com.