Sparta Speaker Series Rebooted

The Sparta Speaker Series has made a comeback, focused on the nature, culture, and history of the Upper Cumberland.

Virgin Falls Park Manager Stuart Carroll founded the series, which takes place every first and third Thursday of the month. Carroll said the series originally started four years ago.

“We were asked to pull it back together,” Carroll said. “But also we saw the need because some of these stories and some of these things that these people have to share, they are sensitive and they can disappear, so we wanted to get as much of it preserved as we could.”

The series covers stories like the time famous songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix spent time in Sparta after he left the military. Carroll said he has lined up multiple speakers including former Chief Manager of Tennessee State Parks Shane Petty who will talk about some of the search and rescue missions he was a part of in the Upper Cumberland.

“We look at the history too,” Carroll said. “The cultural history of interesting things that have gone on here. We had a great presentation about the different factories and industrial developments on the Calfkiller River over the many years.”

Carroll said since bringing the series back, it has been successful with many people attending.

“At the end of the presentation, I watched the folks in there and you can see them break out into different groups and share stories, questions, and conversations among themselves. There was not any rush to get out of there even after the program was over.”

The series will continue until December and resume in January. The event takes place at the White County Courthouse third floor at 7pm.