LAFOLLETTE, TN  (WLAF) – From Pop Woodson to his son and grandson and from a tiny Woodson Grocery Store on East Central Avenue to the massive Woodson Mall, it’s been quite a first 100-years for the Woodson Family and the community around it.  And tomorrow, the community comes together to celebrate those 100-years.

“They’ve employed about everybody in Campbell County at one time or another,” said Mickey Woods, a longtime butcher for the Woodsons.  Woods remains the butcher at the former Woodson’s Super Market, now the IGA.

Many very successful careers began at Woodson’s.  Successful careers like Kenny Baird, now the general manager of the La Follette Utilities Board, and J.R. Kitts, owner of JR’s Tires, to name a few.

In the late 1970s, the landscape along the highway between La Follette and Jacksboro forever changed when the Woodson Mall opened.  Up to that point, the Woodsons had only sold groceries to about everyone who lived in Campbell County and had employed countless Campbell Countians.  However, the mall was a major game changer for the community and to this day continues to be the hub becoming a more visited location than ever before.

Woodsons has been an advertiser on WLAF since the station came on the air in 1953.  Rob Woodson’s father, Bob, was not only an innovator in the grocery business, he was also very savvy at marketing his business from the famous Woodson W to the W grocery cart to the way he advertised on WLAF.  Woodsons aired regular commercials daily promoting weekly specials, but Woodson aired what Bob Woodson called a “time check.”  Each hour on WLAF, the announcer would announce the top of the hour time and then say, “It’s time to shop at Woodson’s Super Market on Highway 25W south in La Follette.”  Woodson was always ahead of his time.

Rob Woodson welcomes you to join in the fun tomorrow, June 8, from noon until 3 pm at Woodson Mall – Food City Center.  A gigantic tent will be set up on the La Follette side for mixing and mingling plus live music from the Parrott Brothers.

Woodson, who represents the third generation of his family’s business, said, “This is about the employees.  This is a day for them, because you can’t have a business by yourself.”  He encourages everyone to attend.

There’ll be food, drinks, music and awards plus prizes given away during tomorrow’s 100-year celebration.  The prize list includes a television, laptop computer, gift certificates and gifts from Woodson Mall-Food City Center merchants along with a Grand Prize of a weekend get-a-way to the Smokies.

WLAF plans to broadcast live during Saturday’s noon to 3 pm celebration.  Everyone attending is encouraged to stop by the WLAF broadcast location, under the drive up window at the corner bank building, and be on the air with us.  Tune-in over AM 1450, FM 100.9, WLAF-TV 12 and 1450wlaf.com.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 06/07/2019-6AM)

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