Marion Senior High School's Caden Burchett adds his signature to the paperwork.
Marion Senior High School's Caden Burchett adds his signature to the paperwork.
Hundreds take part in Smyth County's Older Americans Day
Attendees to Smyth County’s 23rd annual Older Americans Day heard presentations on safety, good health, and living well. They could visit vendors from an array of organizations and non-profits, picking up information and an array of promotional items. Then, there were prize drawings and free food.
Held in the Chilhowie Town Park, the event attracted hundreds of visitors on Thursday.
As much as older Americans gathered information, they also connected with friends and neighbors.
Also, the Marsh Regional Blood Center’s Mobile Blood Bank hosted a community blood drive.
Older Americans Day was open to all Smyth County seniors at no cost.
This event is made possible through the partnership of the Smyth County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Chilhowie and its Public Works Department, the towns of Marion and Saltville, and Smyth County.
Chilhowie teammates celebrate with Gavin Walker after his home run hit against Honaker.
Chilhowie teammates celebrate with Gavin Walker after his home run hit against Honaker.
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Keesling tapped to serve as Marion Fire-EMS chief
Richard "Dickie" Keesling
Richard “Dickie” Keesling is once again serving as Marion Fire-EMS’s chief. The news of his promotion came on Thursday morning.
Keesling is no newcomer to the department.
Later this year, he will mark his 36th year with the department. He joined when he was 21, then the minimum age for new members.
Town Manager Andrew Keen said that the three candidates interviewed for the post. Ultimately, the council chose to appoint Keesling with an 8-0 vote.
Keen made the announcement to town staff Thursday morning.
In an email, Keen said, “Chief Keesling has been a fixture in our organization for nearly 40 years and has demonstrated a selfless commitment to not only the Town of Marion, but to the greater Smyth County community, and to organizations across the state in regard to public safety. Please congratulate Chief Keesling when you see him next. I know that I speak for both myself and our Town Council when stating that we are proud of Chief Keesling and confident that he will follow and even enhance the organization’s dedication to departmental excellence.”
Thursday afternoon, Keesling said, “It feels great to be the Chief. I have a lot of tremendously talented people that work here full time and part time. They genuinely care about the Town and County citizens and together we strive to help everyone we come in contact with.”
In a 2024 interview, Keesling said he was following in his father’s footsteps when he joined the department. These decades later, the chief said he believes he was put here to do emergency response work. “When you can help someone on the worst day of their life, it’s something you can’t replace,” he said.
This is not the first time Keesling has led the department. He was chief for a stint when Marion Fire-EMS only employed a part-time chief.
In late 2023, the town decided to shift to a full-time chief after it entered an agreement with Smyth County in which the county would fund some of Marion and Chilhowie’s EMS expenses. As part of the final agreement between the county and two towns, Smyth County asked Marion to consider moving from a part-time chief to a full-time position.
Twenty-two candidates from five states vied for the position. The council tapped Rusty Hamm as chief and Keesling as deputy chief. In early April, Hamm took a job with the state government. Keesling was tapped immediately to serve as interim chief.
Keesling was one of five first responders who helped save the life of an 11-year-old boy swept away in floodwater caused by Hurricane Helene.
