🩺 Turn It Down a Notch, a Teal Pumpkin by the Door and a Free Church Health Fair Saturday: Your Healthy Valley Report

Or: Save Your Ears for the Bluegrass, Share Treats Every Child Can Enjoy, Get Checked in Chattanooga and Rest Easy About This Week’s Food Recalls

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Some weeks the health news comes in like a summer storm. This week it’s more like a slow drizzle on a tin roof: steady, gentle and nothing to run from. Most of it is good news and simple habits, the kind you can take care of between the morning coffee and the noon dinner bell.

Here’s what’s in today’s report. October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, and Vol fans just set a college record of 130.3 decibels at Neyland Stadium, so it’s a fine time to think about leaf blowers, mowers and the TV volume. With Halloween on a Saturday this year, the Teal Pumpkin Project offers an easy way to make sure kids with food allergies get treats, too. Four Chattanooga churches are hosting a free Community Health Fair this Saturday, Oct. 24, with screenings and a mammogram coach. UTC is offering free, walk-in hepatitis C and HIV fingerstick tests on Tuesday, Oct. 27. And here’s a calm one: the newest food recalls this week were not sold in Tennessee, though two reached stores in Georgia.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Protect your ears: Health officials say to wear earplugs or earmuffs for noise at or above 85 decibels. Leaf blowers, chainsaws and farm equipment can get there.
• Teal pumpkin = allergy-friendly: A teal pumpkin on the porch means you offer non-food treats like stickers or glow sticks.
• Free health fair: Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Olivet Baptist Church, Chattanooga. Mammograms by appointment: 423-495-4040.
• Free hepatitis C and HIV tests: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Eastern, UTC Center for Wellbeing. Walk-ins welcome; results in about 20 minutes.
• Food recalls: This week’s new FDA recalls (a Lidl gelato, a smoked salmon and a raw cheddar) did not list Tennessee.

🦻 Save Your Ears for the Banjo: October Is Protect Your Hearing Month

Football fans across the Valley heard it, even through the TV: the University of Tennessee says the Neyland Stadium crowd hit a scientifically verified 130.3 decibels during Saturday’s win over Alabama, the loudest crowd ever recorded at a college sporting event. UT says fans topped 120 decibels 105 times that afternoon. And this week, the IBMA World of Bluegrass festival has music going all over Chattanooga.

It all lines up nicely with National Protect Your Hearing Month, which the Hearing Industries Association and its BetterHearing.org campaign observe every October. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health, offers these easy rules:

• The magic number is 85. NIDCD says to wear hearing protectors when noise is at or above 85 decibels (dBA). Sounds that average 70 dBA or lower over a day are considered safe for most people.
• Louder means faster. NIDCD says noise is more likely to damage hearing at 85 dBA for a few hours, at 100 dBA for about 14 minutes, or at 110 dBA for about 2 minutes.
• Everyday culprits: NIDCD lists leaf blowers and farm equipment, along with sporting events, concerts, fireworks and shooting sports.
• Quick test: If you have to shout so someone an arm’s length away can hear you, or your ears ring afterward, it’s too loud.
• Three fixes: Turn down the volume, move away from the noise, or wear earplugs or earmuffs.

What it means for you: Your hearing is like a good pocketknife. Take care of it and it lasts a lifetime, but you can’t buy the same one back. At home, keep a pair of foam earplugs in the truck, the barn and the junk drawer so they’re handy when the leaf blower or chainsaw comes out. During deer season, hearing protection at the range is worth the trouble. At work, if you run a shop, a sawmill or a lawn crew, a box of earplugs by the time clock is one of the cheapest safety tools there is. And if the TV keeps creeping louder, it may be worth a hearing check. Just ask your doctor.

👉 Read more (NIDCD: How loud is too loud?) · BetterHearing.org: October is National Protect Your Hearing Month · SValleyNow: Loud Tennessee fans set new record

🎃 A Teal Pumpkin on the Porch: Treats Every Child Can Enjoy

This is a new angle on Halloween, not a repeat of our costume and candy-check tips from Oct. 17. For children with food allergies, a bag full of candy can be tricky. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ HealthyChildren.org points out that many popular Halloween candies contain common allergens like peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, sesame, soy or wheat. It also says “fun size” candies can have different ingredients or be made on different equipment than the full-size bars, so a brand a child ate before might not be safe this time.

That’s where the Teal Pumpkin Project comes in. It’s run by the nonprofit Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). A teal-painted pumpkin on your porch tells families you have non-food treats available. HealthyChildren.org suggests inexpensive goodies like:

• Glow sticks, spider rings and vampire fangs
• Pencils, stickers, stencils and bookmarks
• Bubbles, bouncy balls, finger puppets and whistles

For families of kids with allergies, HealthyChildren.org says to read every label before eating, politely pass on home-baked treats, never let a child with allergies trick-or-treat alone, and make sure their epinephrine (like an EpiPen) goes along.

What it means for you: It’s like setting an extra plate at Sunday dinner. It costs next to nothing, and it makes somebody feel welcome. At home, grandparents handing out treats can keep a small bowl of stickers or glow sticks next to the candy. At church trunk-or-treats and school parties, a teal pumpkin or a “non-food treats here” sign is an easy kindness. Store owners handing out treats on Main Street can do the same. And glow sticks do double duty, because they help little ones get seen after dark, too.

👉 Read more (HealthyChildren.org: Avoid a food allergy scare on Halloween) · FARE: The Teal Pumpkin Project

⛪ Saturday in Chattanooga: A Free Community Health Fair Hosted by Four Churches

Chattanoogan.com reports that four area churches are hosting a Community Health Fair on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Olivet Baptist Church, 740 East M.L. King Blvd., Chattanooga. The hosts are Greater Faith Temple S.H.E. Ministry, Greater Friendship MB Church’s Nurses Guild, New Zion MB Church Women’s Ministry and Olivet Baptist Church’s Health/Nursing Ministry.

• Health screenings and health care vendors
• The CommonSpirit Mammogram Coach on site. To schedule a mammogram, call 423-495-4040.
• A Chattanooga Fire Department community relations representative
• Chair exercises, line dancers, door prizes and a food truck

Organizers say all are welcome. The times listed are Chattanooga time (Eastern), which is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. our time.

What it means for you: It’s like a church homecoming, only the covered dish is a blood pressure check. If you’re already headed to Chattanooga Saturday morning, maybe for Drug Take Back Day or the bluegrass festival, it’s a friendly, low-pressure place to get a few numbers checked. Women who have put off a mammogram can call ahead and knock it out the same day. Chair exercises are a nice reminder that moving counts, even sitting down.

👉 Read more (Chattanoogan.com: Community Health Fair set for Oct. 24)

🧪 A Simple Fingerstick: Free Hepatitis C and HIV Testing at UTC Oct. 27

UTC’s events calendar lists free hepatitis C and HIV testing on Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. to 1 p.m. our time) at the Center for Wellbeing, University Center room 207-C, above the Mocs One Center at 615 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga. The testing is provided by Choice Health Network: Positively Living. No appointment is needed, there’s no blood draw (just a small fingerstick) and results come back in about 20 minutes.

Why it’s worth knowing: the CDC recommends that every adult 18 and older get tested for hepatitis C at least once in their life. Many people with hepatitis C don’t feel sick for years, and the CDC says treatment can cure most people. A one-time test is simply part of a good grown-up checkup, like knowing your cholesterol number.

What it means for you: It’s like checking the attic for a leak before it shows up on the ceiling. Most of the time everything’s fine, and now you know. If Chattanooga is too far, ask your doctor or the Sequatchie County Health Department (423-949-3619) about testing. Tennessee’s county health departments list STD/HIV screening among their basic services; call ahead to ask about hepatitis C.

👉 Read more (UTC: Free HIV and hepatitis C testing, Oct. 27) · CDC: Testing for hepatitis C

🧊 Good News From the Fridge: This Week’s New Food Recalls Skipped Tennessee

We check the FDA recall list so you don’t have to. The newest food recalls posted in the past week did not list Tennessee among the places they were sold. If you shop over the state line in Georgia, two are worth a glance:

• Lidl Gelatelli Coffee & Vanilla Gelato (16-ounce pint, lot 085261, best by Mar. 26, 2028), recalled Oct. 16 for possible Listeria. Sold at Lidl stores in Delaware, D.C., Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. No illnesses reported. Return it to Lidl for a full refund, no receipt needed. Questions: 844-747-5435.
• Starfish Seafood Premium Cold Smoked Norwegian Salmon (8-ounce frozen package, lot D080-148, best before Nov. 27, 2027), recalled for possible Listeria. Distributed in New York, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio. No illnesses reported.
• Family Farmstead Dairy Raw Mild Cheddar, recalled for possible E. coli. Sold in seven Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. No Tennessee or Georgia stores were listed.

Still on your list from yesterday: the big Kayem Foods recall of hot dogs, sausages, bacon and deli meats we covered on Oct. 20 was shipped nationwide. If you haven’t peeked in the meat drawer yet, the FSIS recall page has the full list.

What it means for you: It’s like the weather radio staying quiet all night. No news is good news. At home, you can skip a fridge check this week unless you shop at Lidl or Georgia seafood counters. Small grocers and restaurants can rest easy on these three, too. Sign up for free recall emails at FoodSafety.gov if you like hearing it straight from the source.

👉 Read more (FDA: Recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts) · FDA: Lidl gelato recall · FDA: Starfish smoked salmon recall · USDA FSIS: Meat and poultry recalls

📅 This Week’s Sticky Notes

Quick reminders for the calendar by the phone (Chattanooga events are on Eastern time, one hour ahead of us):

• Wednesday, Oct. 21 (TODAY): Mobile mammograms at Morning Pointe of Hixson, 5501 Old Hixson Pike, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, by appointment: 423-495-4040.
• Wednesday, Oct. 21 (TODAY) and Thursday, Oct. 22: Bloodanooga blood drive, UTC Tennessee Room, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern.
• Thursday, Oct. 22: MobileMOC free clinic and diabetes class, Grandview Community Center, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern. Call 423-425-1657.
• Saturday, Oct. 24: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Year-round drop box at Dunlap Police, 119 Church St.
• Saturday, Oct. 24: Community Health Fair, Olivet Baptist Church, Chattanooga, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern.
• Tuesday, Oct. 27: Free hepatitis C and HIV testing, UTC Center for Wellbeing, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern. Also MobileMOC at Piggly Wiggly in Decatur, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern.
• Friday, Oct. 30: CHI Memorial mobile lung screening bus, Dunlap Walmart, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 423-495-5864.
• Saturday, Oct. 31: Halloween. Put out a teal pumpkin if you have non-food treats.
• Sunday, Nov. 1: Clocks fall back one hour, and HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment begins.
• Monday, Dec. 7: Medicare Open Enrollment ends. Free help from TN SHIP at 1-877-801-0044.

✅ Your Healthy Valley Checklist

• ✅ Tuck foam earplugs in the truck, the barn and the junk drawer.
• ✅ Remember 85: if you have to shout to be heard, it’s time for ear protection.
• ✅ Pick up a few stickers or glow sticks and set out a teal pumpkin for Halloween.
• ✅ Kids with food allergies? Read every label, and send the epinephrine along.
• ✅ Headed to Chattanooga Saturday? Stop by the free health fair. Mammogram appointments: 423-495-4040.
• ✅ Never had a hepatitis C test? Walk in at UTC on Oct. 27, or ask your doctor.
• ✅ Haven’t checked for the Kayem meat recall yet? Take two minutes today.

Practical rule: Protect what you can’t replace. Your ears, your health numbers and a child’s good Halloween are all easy to look after this week.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor, pharmacist or a trusted health professional about what’s right for you and your family. In an emergency, call 911.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Health Glossary

• Decibel (dB or dBA): A measure of how loud a sound is. Every 10 decibels up sounds about twice as loud to your ears.
• Noise-induced hearing loss: Hearing damage caused by sounds that are too loud or last too long. It usually builds slowly and can’t be undone.
• Teal Pumpkin Project: A campaign by Food Allergy Research & Education where a teal pumpkin signals non-food treats are available.
• Epinephrine: An emergency medicine, often given with an auto-injector like an EpiPen, used for a severe allergic reaction.
• Anaphylaxis: A severe, fast allergic reaction that can cause trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling of the lips or tongue, and dizziness. Call 911.
• Hepatitis C: A virus that affects the liver. Many people don’t feel sick for years, which is why a one-time test is recommended for adults.
• Fingerstick test: A quick test using a tiny drop of blood from your fingertip instead of a full blood draw.
• Listeria: A germ that can grow in cold foods and is most risky for pregnant women, older adults and people with weak immune systems.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How loud is a leaf blower or a chainsaw?

It depends on the machine, but NIDCD lists leaf blowers and farm equipment among the everyday noises that can put your hearing at risk. A good rule: if you have to shout to be heard at arm’s length, wear earplugs or earmuffs. The owner’s manual may also list the noise level.

Can lost hearing come back?

NIDCD says noise-induced hearing loss is permanent, but it’s preventable. If you notice speech sounding muffled or your ears ringing, ask your doctor about a hearing check.

Do I have to paint a pumpkin teal?

No. Any teal pumpkin, a printed sign or simply keeping a bowl of non-food treats next to the candy works. The point is to let families know there’s a safe option.

Do I need an appointment for Saturday’s health fair?

Organizers say all are welcome for the screenings. For a mammogram on the CommonSpirit Mammogram Coach, call 423-495-4040 to schedule.

Who should get a hepatitis C test?

The CDC recommends every adult 18 and older get tested at least once. People with ongoing risks may need testing more often. Your doctor can help you decide.

Do I need to check my fridge for this week’s recalls?

The new FDA recalls this week (Lidl gelato, Starfish smoked salmon and Family Farmstead raw cheddar) did not list Tennessee. If you shop at Lidl or buy specialty seafood in Georgia, check the lot numbers. The nationwide Kayem meat recall from last week is still worth a look.

🔗 Other Resources

• NIDCD: How loud is too loud?
• NIDCD: Hearing protectors
• BetterHearing.org: National Protect Your Hearing Month
• UT Athletics: Neyland hits 130.3 decibels
• SValleyNow: Loud Tennessee fans set new record
• HealthyChildren.org: Avoid a food allergy scare on Halloween
• FARE: Teal Pumpkin Project
• Chattanoogan.com: Community Health Fair, Oct. 24
• UTC: Free HIV and hepatitis C testing, Oct. 27
• CDC: Testing for hepatitis C
• Tennessee Department of Health: Southeast Region county health departments
• FDA: Recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts
• FDA: Lidl Gelatelli gelato recall
• FDA: Starfish smoked salmon recall
• FDA: Family Farmstead raw cheddar recall
• USDA FSIS: Meat and poultry recalls
• Chattanoogan.com: Mobile mammography at Morning Pointe of Hixson, Oct. 21
• Chattanoogan.com: Bloodanooga at UTC this week
• UTC MobileMOC: Clinic calendar
• DEA: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Oct. 24

🌻 Quiet Ears, Kind Porches and a Calm Week

Earplugs in the drawer, a teal pumpkin by the door, a health fair for those headed to town and a fridge that can stay closed this week. None of it calls for worry. It’s the same kind of good sense your grandparents had: take care of what you’ve got, and look out for the little ones. Pick one thing from today’s list and let the rest wait its turn.

We’ll keep watching for clinics, screenings and helpful services so you don’t have to. Read Dunlap.Today and sign up for our newsletter for plain-English Valley news, and find local businesses anytime on Dunlap.Directory.