Brentwood Home Page lives!

Dear BrentWord readers,
It's been a pleasure sharing news and nuggets about life in Brentwood here at brentword.blogspot.com over the past several months. But today I'm happy to announce that Brentwood Home Page (www.brentwoodhomepage.com), Brentwood's only independent, online "newspaper" is now live and my blog will move over to that site immediately.
This site will remain active in case anyone wants or needs previous posts. Who knows, I may even post fresh news here once in a while just to keep life interesting.
In the meantime, please check out our new website. The official launch date is Sept.1, but we activated our beta site in order to get feedback, constructive critiques and suggestions from people like you, and to tackle technical issues we didn't know existed until the site went live. For instance, if you are on a Mac, we've learned the home page runs really wide, though inside pages seem fine. We hope to have that solved ASAP.
I'll still be twittering @brentword, but we have a Brentwood Home Page twitter account too, @brentwoodhomepg. Please follow us! We'd also love for you to become a Brentwood Home Page fan on Facebook. Our goal is 500 fans by Sept. 1.
Thanks to all who have mentored, coached, supported and second-guessed Kelly Gilfillan and I as we've undertaken this venture. More than one of you has told us we won't take a vacation for the next three years.
Good thing Brentwood's such a great place to live.

Post 200: Breaking and exclusive news from the BrentWord home office

This is my 200th BrentWord post! Hard to believe that's possible.

On April 13th, I started BrentWord in order to cover the Brentwood City Commission race and Brentwood in general (http://brentword.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-day-dawns.html). Over the past four months, the blog has grown into something much more. But I've also experienced a growing frustration with it. The format is too limiting, and the pay ... well, suffice it to say the Leathers' last emergency fund is on its last leg.

So this seems like a most appropriate time and place to share what I hope is big news. My business partner, Kelly Gilfillan, and I have formed BrentWord Communications LLC and will launch Brentwood Home Page -- http://www.brentwoodhomepage.com/ -- "the go to place for everything Brentwood" in the weeks ahead.

I'm a professional reporter, editor and 27-year veteran of the newspaper business. Kelly has an impressive background in marketing and sales. Our goal? If you live or work in Brentwood, we want to be your home page. We want to be where you come to find news stories and pictures and party news about Brentwood. We'll have business news and obituaries and tomorrow's weather forecast. Sorry, no comics, but for at least a time after we launch, I expect there will be a few funnies to laugh about. Please laugh with us, not at us, as we learn the ways of the Web and grow our content.

Already you've gotten a taste for what we hope to include on a regular basis -- information about what's going on in your neighborhood. I toot my own horn that BrentWord was the news leader in coverage of the recent home burglaries that have taken place here and the subsequent police investigations and actions that led to the arrest of five suspects. Expect more of the same in the months ahead.

And remember Jill Burgin, whose column was long a favorite of Williamson A.M. readers every Sunday morning? She's going to be one of our featured columnists, along with a few others I'll wait to surprise you with.

But we can't do it alone. Brentwood Home Page will need input and information from every corner of the city, and every club, sports team, house of worship and school to truly make it a community "newspaper" --- without the paper, that is. If you have news or a calendar item to share, mail it to Brentwood Home Page, P.O. Box 3704, Brentwood, TN 37024-3704. Our new email system will be set up soon but in the meantime, feel free to email items of interest, story ideas and party pics to brentword@comcast.net. Just put Brentwood Home Page, or BHP as we've started calling ourselves, in the subject line. Don't forget to include your name and a daytime telephone number.

Remember I mentioned that almost-empty emergency fund? Brentwood Home Page is the perfect place to advertise your business, your sports team, your professional practice. For more information, email Kelly at Kelly@brentwoodhomepage.com.

So there it is. A scoop from the BrentWord home office. Stay tuned for details as they develop. And in the meantime, if you have news tips, ideas or comments, please don't hesitate to share them. Until the launch of Brentwood Home Page, BrentWord.blogspot.com, and Kelly's blog at www.outsidethebrentwoodbubble.blogspot.com are still alive and well.

Thanks for being part of this wonderful ride. We are truly blessed to live here.

Susan

Today's news is HOT. I'm fired up....

Coming your way shortly, lots of hot news about our city's fire department, Citizens Fire Academy, fireworks and more.

Check back in a bit for sizzling new posts.

In the meantime, you might want to check out these interesting stories from today's Williamson A.M.:
Class of '84 gets double reunion: After sophomore year, half left fo Brentwood High School
http://tinyurl.com/BHSreunion
FYI: Kelly Gilfillan, Outside The Brentwood Bubble blogger, was a member of the BHS class of '84 and will be writing more on the reunion as it approaches. You'll find her blog at www.outsidethebrentwoodbubble.blogspot.com.

TV spot reflects county's serious approach to DUI.
http://tinyurl.com/BWclickit
Did you know that according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Brentwood had 120 DUI arrests in 2008? This weekend is a big one for parties. Let's all be careful out there!

If you missed the week's early posts on Fourth of July activities, T-shirt sales and crime reports, just scroll down and check them out.

Brentaroo, free home tour, and more...

I'm wondering if the black stretch limo I saw driving down Concord Road this week was on its way to pick up one of our Brentwood superstars for a CMA Music Fest/Fan Fair appearance?
Love living here, love seeing the tour buses at Harris Teeter (guess all the new action at Brentwood Place made it too busy to accommodate them) and wondering who's getting on, who's getting off and where they're headed.
Love seeing stars shopping in Kroger and TJ Maxx and having dinner at Peter's just like the rest of us, and because they can, without worries of being deluged by autograph requests.
Love this place.

Don't miss Brentaroo on Sunday
If you didn't make it to Bonnaroo and the CMA fest is too much for you, just head to Crockett Park Sunday night. 7 Bridges: The Ultimate Eagles Experience will be in concert beginning at 7 p.m. Last week the Eddy Arnold Amphitheater filled up fast, so get there early. As always, bring chairs, blankets and bug spray.
You can learn more about 7 Bridges, and hear some of their music, at http://www.7bridgesband.com/.

Cornerstone home tour
Ever gazed at Cornerstone, the beautiful estate on the corner of Granny White Pike and the entry to McGavock Farms? Its owners are hosting a free home tour from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. today and tomorrow. Guests may see furnishings that include French settees, an architectural table designed with angels, Pembroke tables, Chippendale chairs, Russian cut glass and much, much more.
Your tour guide? Berenice Denton, estate sale queen. Park on McGavock Road.

Neighborhood sales
Speaking of sales, two neighborhood sales are being held this weekend.
The huge Brenthaven subdivision between Concord Road and Moore's Lane is today and Saturday. Princeton Hills homeowners will open up their garages Saturday from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. At least 20 families are expected to participate. Enter from Franklin Road or Murray Lane.

Etta at Arrington
Feeling the need to break out of Brentwood? Check out Kelly Gilfillan's blog, http://www.outsidethebrentwoodbubble.blogspot.com/ for details on tonight's Etta James concert at Arrington Vineyards. That's the winery owned by former Brentwood resident Kix Brooks.

A memorable weekend for sure...

What a great weekend ...

Congrats to Anna Kiser and Will Baugher Jr., BHS sweethearts and new Belmont grads who were married on Saturday. Anna's mom, LeAnn, is a media specialist at Brentwood High. Dad Jimmy is quarterbacks coach at Vandy (think Jay Cutler). Will grew up in Meadowlake and has scored his dream job already -- working with reptiles at the Nashville Zoo.
And how is this for being a great big sister (and new brother-in-law): Anna and Will postponed their honeymoon a day in order to see sister Jamie graduate from BHS on Sunday.

***

Congrats to all of the graduates of Brentwood, Ravenwood and Brentwood Academy high schools. Go far and don't let anyone or anything hold you back. (But consider coming back to Brentwood when you're ready, we need bright young people like you living, working and paying taxes here!) And remember, especially if you are heading off to a school without a posse of high school buddies -- this is a new start. Be whoever you want to be.

***

Speaking of graduates, shout outs to five of the most wonderful young women I know, five Ravenwood grads I've had the pleasure to work with over the past few years as part of a church small group.
Cory Smeltzer is headed to Auburn, where I expect her to be a leader the minute she steps on campus. Can't wait to see what awaits her there.
Lauren Walsh is headed to Eastern University outside of Philadelphia, Pa. Lauren, who has already been on two international mission trips may help save the world (or at least a little piece of it).
Stay well until Leanne Justus graduates from pharmacy school at Samford. She's definitely someone you want taking care of you.
Look for Chloe Morelli on Project Runway in a few years. Chloe switched from MTSU to UT-Martin after a late visit when she fell in love with the smaller campus. If only she had visited Emory & Henry ...
And finally, there's Nicole Brooks, who lives within shouting distance of the Williamson County line but graduated from Overton. Nicole is headed to the University of Evansville in Illinois and wants to take the business world by storm. No doubts from me that she will.

***

Treading on friend Kelly Gilfillan's blog turf a bit, the Leathers ventured outside the Brentwood Bubble yesterday. We heard Abe Lincoln give the Gettysburg Address and share his thoughts on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; saw a short Civil War re-enactment; and paused in our busy lives to remember all those who have served in the armed forces. We also said hello to John Hartford and Jimmy Martin among others.

We had spotted an ad in the paper about a Memorial Day celebration at Spring Hill Cemetery in Madison. Being fans of cemeteries and the stories they tell, we decided to check it out. So glad we did.

Did I mention they invited everyone to a free cookout too? This is a definite "must-do" if you're in town next Memorial Day.