Description: The set is a three-piece condiment set on a tray.

  • The tray is shaped like Tennessee and displays the state’s nickname, “The Volunteer State,” across the front. The Tennessee River and the Great Smoky Mountains are on the right. Knoxville is identified with a dot.
  • The shakers are black bears. The volunteer bear, wearing bib overalls and an Army cap, has a gun slung across his back. The other bear, dressed in a red shirt with a blue T and a coonskin cap (for Tennessee native Davy Crockett), has a moonshine jug in his hand and a white-strapped banjo on his back.
  • The mustard is a wood-fired still. It has a traditional real copper coil imbedded in the lid and a spoon spout for the moonshine to flow into the jug held by the bear.

Shaker Manufacturer: Red Peppa Studio, Ruthie Denney
Number Manufactured: 300
Convention Theme: Shake Down in K-Town
Convention Location: Knoxville, TN
Hosts: Southeastern Chapter
Original Price: $55

September, 2009 Club Newsletter article by Sylvia Tompkins:

Kurt Sebert and Sylvia Tompkins were the Convention Set Committee.  Club member Ruthie Denney, Red Peppa Studio, is the producer of the set. She was also involved in the planning and design. We are very pleased that she agreed to produce the set for our Club. Now, a little information about the set.

Do you know why Tennessee is called the Volunteer State? Because throughout early American history, Tennessee was known for having more than enough volunteers whenever their nation called. A large number of volunteers from Tennessee went to fight the British in the War of 1812, especially in the Battle of New Orleans. Then they fought at the Alamo when Mexican General Santa Ana captured the garrison with no survivors; again at the Battle of San Jacinto when Texas defeated Santa Ana and won its independence from Mexico. In the 1840s, Mexico disputed Texas independence and decided it wanted the territory back, starting the Mexican War. The U.S. President called for 2600 men from each state to form an American army – 30,000 volunteered from Tennessee alone.

We tried to incorporate as much of Tennessee as possible into the convention set. The front of the tray, basically shaped like the state, says TN The Volunteer State and includes musical notes. On the right side are the Tennessee River that flows through Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains where black bears live – only black bears, not any other kind. Knoxville is identified with a dot. The shakers – surprise! – are black bears. The larger volunteer bear wearing bib overalls, with an Army cap and gun slung across his back, is proudly on his way to fight in the latest skirmish. He is smiling wistfully as he has to leave without having any moonshine. Waving goodbye and tending the wood-fired still mustard is the moonshine bear, dressed in a red shirt with a blue T and a white-strapped banjo on his back. To honor the state animal, the raccoon, this bear also sports a coonskin cap, the same type worn and made famous by TN resident Davy Crockett. The mustard has a traditional real copper coil imbedded in the lid and a spoon spout for the moonshine to flow into the jug held by the bear.

The music score and banjo are for Nashville, the Music Capital of the World, home of the Grand Old Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame; for Memphis, Birthplace of the Blues, home of Elvis Presley’s Graceland and Beale Street; and for the many music and arts festivals hosted by Knoxville. We assume there have been moon shiners in the moon shiners in the mountains, and perhaps still are.