By CHRIS MENEES
Staff Reporter
It’s show time.
Chimes for Charity’s annual radio/TV telethon begins its four-night run tonight at Second Baptist Church on Everett Boulevard in Union City.
Chimes for Charity — sponsored by the Union City Jaycees and J’Cettes and supported by community contributions — is in its 78th year of providing food, clothing and toys to less fortunate families around Obion County at Christmas.
The telethon will be staged from 6-7:30 p.m. today through Thursday and is a major fund raiser for the charitable organization.
The 90-minute programs will feature local entertainment each evening and will be broadcast on AM radio station WENK-1240 and local television channel WOBT. Listeners and viewers will be asked to phone in pledges to benefit Chimes, with many contributions often made in honor of entertainers or in memory of loved ones.
Donations should be mailed to Chimes for Charity, P.O. Box 661, Union City, TN 38281.
Chimes’ goal this year is $55,000, an increase of $5,000 over last year’s goal.
Going into tonight’s telethon, Chimes has so far received $5,800 in contributions, according to Chimes secretary Regina Hendon.
Chimes organizers hope to receive a major boost from this week’s telethon, which will feature local guests and entertainers each night.
Telethon emcee Jim Adcock, 1977 Jaycees president, will be joined on tonight’s program by Union City Director of Schools Gary Houston, Union City Elementary School principal George Leake and Catherine Nailling, a past J’Cettes president and past Chimes chairman. Prayer will be led by Dr. Vann Kissell, pastor of Troy First Baptist Church.
Entertainment on tonight’s program will be presented by Pleasant Valley Preschool from 6-6:30; the Obion County Children’s Chorus from 6:30-7; and Exchange Street Church of Christ’s children’s group from 7-7:30.
Tuesday night, Adcock’s guests will include Vencent Bell, CPO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Tennessee; and past Jaycees members Robin Wood and his father, Robert Wood, also a past Chimes chairman, and Steve Goodrich. The Rev. Melvin Poe of Calvary Baptist Church will lead in prayer.
The lineup of entertainers Tuesday night will include Calvary Baptist Church’s Singing Hands group from 6-6:30, followed by First Friends Preschool from 6:30-7 and Immaculate Conception Preschool from 7-7:30.
Chimes will also receive a boost later this week during its designated night at Santa’s Village at the University of Tennessee at Martin’s ag pavilion. The local organization will benefit from nonperishable food items and toys collected as admission to the holiday event Friday from 6-9 p.m.
Chimes’ programs to help those in need at Christmas include pre-Thanksgiving shopping tours to provide new clothing and toys for children and a Christmas Eve food basket delivery which will benefit 350 families and individuals.
The community’s help will be needed with the upcoming basket delivery, with volunteers needed to help with sorting, packing and delivery. The sorting of basket items will begin at 1 p.m. Dec. 22 at the county school bus garage in Troy, followed by packing Dec. 23 at 1 p.m. at the bus garage.
The food basket deliveries will begin at 7 a.m. Dec. 24 around Obion County, with routes to be announced at packing.
For more information, call the Chimes office at 885-2098 or email chimesforcharity@yahoo.com.
Staff Reporter Chris Menees may be contacted by email at cmenees@ucmessenger.com.

Published in The Messenger 12.3.12