Newnan-Coweta Magazine Sep/Oct 2008

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MAGAZINE

A Times-Herald Publication

You & Your PLUS,

Fall Home & Garden Ideas September/October 2008 | $3.95

• Saving it • Spending it wisely • Investing it • Collecting it

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At Piedmont Newnan Hospital, there’s one person who’s respected more than the doctor. The patient. Our doctors and medical staff are truly exceptional. They’ve earned their reputation by combining years of expertise with true empathy. The fact is, everyone at Piedmont is committed to making hospital seem more

like hospitality. Knowing all along that world-class healthcare is even better when it’s down to earth. It’s

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Cancer Knows Many Faces . . .and Radiation Oncology Services knows patients do not have to travel to major medical centers for excellent cancer care. In fact, we know all about combining compassionate care with state-of-the-art technology in a warm friendly environment. . .close to home.

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MAGAZINE Established 1995 A publication of The Times-Herald President

Vice President

William W. Thomasson

Marianne C. Thomasson Publisher

Asia U Europe Alaska U Hawaii U Tahiti Canada/New England Caribbean U Panama Canal South America/Antarctica Australia/New Zealand

Sam Jones Editor Angela McRae Art Director Deberah Williams Contributing Writers Megan Almon, Janet Flanigan, Holly Jones, Meredith Leigh Knight, Amy Lott, Tina Neely, Elizabeth Richardson, W. Winston Skinner, Martha A. Woodham Photography Bob Fraley, Jeffrey Leo, Tara Shellabarger Circulation Director

More escape for less.

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Call for industry best rates. Sales and Marketing Director Colleen D. Mitchell Advertising Manager

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Doug Cantrell, Stefanie Dowda, Candy Johnson, Jeanette Kirby, RoseMary Reid, Christine Swentor Advertising Design Debby Dye, Graphics Manager Sandy Hiser, Jonathan Melville, Sonya Studt FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION, call 770.683.6397 or e-mail colleen@newnan.com. Newnan-Coweta Magazine is published bi-monthly by The Times-Herald, Inc., 16 Jefferson St., Newnan, GA 30263. Subscriptions: Newnan-Coweta Magazine is distributed in home-delivery copies of The Times-Herald and at businesses and offices throughout Coweta County. Individual mailed subscriptions are also available for $23.75 in Coweta County, $30.00 outside Coweta County. To subscribe, call 770.304.3373. Submissions: We welcome submissions. Query letters and published clips may be addressed to the Editor, Newnan-Coweta Magazine at P.O. Box 1052, Newnan, Georgia 30264. On the Web: www.newnancowetamagazine.com © 2008 by The Newnan Times-Herald, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Member:

Local “Coupon Mom” Holly Williams is so good at saving money, others have asked her for lessons in thrifty shopping. – Cover photo by Bob Fraley 4

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MAGS MAGAZINE ASSOCIATION OF THE SOUTHEAST

WINNER OF FOUR 2008 GAMMA AWARDS (for issues published in 2007) Gold Award for General Excellence, Gold Award for Best Single Issue, Gold Award for Best Profile, Bronze Award for Best Photography

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ON OUR WEBSITE www.newnancowetamagazine.com

Special Features Web extras you’ll find only online. Look for the computer icon throughout every issue to lead you to the special content at newnancowetamagazine.com.

Book giveaways Online Surveys Guest Book Recipe Box Podcasts Blogs Links of local interest

Have you read the book The Shack by William P. Young? It’s been generating a bit of controversy. See what our Book Nook book blogger had to say about this surprise best-seller, and add your own comments! 6

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Advice You Can Trust With a 118-Year-Old Investment Firm Equities Trust & Estate Planning Financial Planning Retirement Plans Managed Accounts Investment Banking Unit Investment Trusts Corporate Bonds

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Call us for more information on our products and services, or visit us at one of our offices. Dan Anderson, CPA, PFS – Vice President/Investments Bobby Doerr – Vice President/Investments Dill Williams, CFP® – Vice President/Investments Tammy Malone Sellers – Financial Advisor Beth Headley – Registered Sales Assistant 115 Broad Street, Suite 1 s LaGrange, Georgia 30240 s Toll-Free 13A Jackson Street s Newnan, Georgia 30263 s Toll-Free

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contents 14 THE COUPON MOM If you’re looking for a good deal on ketchup or toothpaste, Holly Williams can tell you where to find the best deals in town, thanks to her well-cultivated skills in clipping and redeeming coupons.

34 THE COIN COLLECTOR For Newnan numismatist Gary Hall, coin collecting is a hobby that just makes cents.

22 A BREATH OF FRESH AIR When $4-a-gallon gasoline began to put some stress on Charles Dotson’s wallet, he took to the open road — and to a local motorcycle shop.

38 DEN RE-DO ON A BUDGET Finances may be tight, but homeowners still want to have an attractive, comfortable home. Find out how some local homeowners redecorated while keeping the family budget in mind.

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THE RESTORATION OF THE SENSES Ron and Carol Stephens’ garden in Newnan was a big hit with visitors on the Master Gardeners’ spring tour. See their garden in a different season on the Oct. 25 Fall Garden Gate Tour.

28 FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR WOMEN Did you know that 93 percent of women will be singly responsible for household finances at some point in life? Certified Financial Planner Jean Raines helps women – and men – plan responsibly for the future.

62 FALL IN COWETA Times-Herald and Newnan-Coweta Magazine photographers Bob Fraley and Jeff Leo share some of their favorite scenes from fall in Coweta.

64 SWEET MUSIC John and Lalla McGee make beautiful music together, and the Newnan couple are set to release their second CD soon.

92 CHILDREN & LITERACY A bike ride in memory of beloved local writer Lewis Grizzard will help raise funds to promote literacy in Coweta County.

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52 THE THOUGHTFUL GARDENER An Old South favorite, the camellia is a flower with a history that’s as fascinating as the flower is lovely.

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70 MEET A READER Meet Tyrone B. Power, a colorful substitute school bus driver who’s fallen in love with the special needs children on his route.

72 COWETA COOKS For her family of seven, Rachael Henderson buys and cooks in bulk. For some great fall comfort food, try her popular Shepherd’s Pie.

76 SADDLE UP Local children enjoy their time on the horses at a historic Roscoe barn thanks to the generosity of Brown and Marie Powell of the Coweta Organization for Riding, Rehabilitation and Learning (CORRAL).

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82 LOCAL HERITAGE

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The Literary Ladies of the Newnan Reading Circle have a milestone anniversary coming up. Follow along as we take a look back at the group’s first 100 years.

88 FAMILY FUN

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Always a hit with the kids, a trip to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta is a fun and educational family treat.

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14 10 EDITOR’S LETTER 95 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 96 THE BOOKSHELF 98 10 THINGS I’VE LEARNED

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> FROM THE EDITOR

don’t know about you, but fall is one of my favorite times of year to decorate. After the pastels and brights of spring and summer, there’s something very soothing about everything turning all earthtoned and warm and golden. The only thing I don’t like about fall is that it’s not a season that is filled with roses, but a recent trip to an antique mall solved that problem. I found an old platter with pink roses amid oak leaves and acorns, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier combination that says fall. A few months ago, we had an article about Tina Neely’s children’s rooms that drew more attention – among female readers, at least – than just about any decorating feature we’ve published. A short while later, a friend who attended a luncheon at Tina’s sent me photos of the décor, and so I barged right back into Tina’s life and asked if it could appear in the magazine as well. Women loved it, just as I’d hoped they would. I asked Tina to contribute more regularly to the magazine, and when she agreed I was just delighted. In this issue, she pulls together a “Den Re-do on a Budget” that I think is just spectacular. When you see the before-and-after photos, I think you’ll see why some local homeowners were thrilled to get a fresh, new look while not exactly breaking the bank. To keep you from breaking the bank in these challenging times, we’ve come up with some

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practical ways to save money that everyone can do. While I’m simply not adventurous enough to start riding a motorcycle to work, I’m impressed with the local man who is. And because I love getting a good buy more than anyone you’ll ever meet, I especially like the story of a local coupon queen who takes intelligent shopping to a whole new level. Her family must be very proud of her! Speaking of family, a member of our TimesHerald family has suffered a loss since last issue. Jeff Leo is a newer member of our newspaper and magazine staff who quickly endeared himself to us. In August, his newspaper photographer father, James Allen “Jim” Leo of Washington state, passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Leo family in their loss. It’s a Jeff Leo photo, by the way, that appears on the cover of our just-released Coweta Living newcomers guide, and I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve accepted on his behalf. Everyone keeps talking about the unique angle of his shot. I’ll bet his father would be proud. We sure are. Warmly,

Angela McRae, Editor angela@newnan.com

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Holly Williams is so well known for her coupon-clipping skills, she has mentored friends and family who want to learn to save money. Perhaps her most eager student is daughter Riley, age 3.

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Tips from a

By Meredith Leigh Knight | Photos by Bob Fraley

olly Williams has an addiction, but it’s a positive one. She is addicted to deals, and boy, does she know how to get them. This stay-at-home mom clips, snips and saves thousands of dollars per year. “My husband says I shouldn’t call it an addiction,” says Williams. “He says that makes it sound like a bad thing, but it is an addiction. I get so excited about it!” A typical Sunday evening for Williams includes going through the coupon inserts found in The TimesHerald and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Williams uses three dividers to break the coupons down into the smallest category that she can. “I’ll have a section for shampoo or soap, not just ‘beauty needs,’” explains Williams. “I

don’t want to spend a whole lot of time digging at the grocery.” Williams also separates the individual store coupons as well as the buy-one, get-one-free coupons. The grocery store where she shops splits up the price, so here's how she shops: • Item's regular cost: $3. • With buy-one-get-one promotion: $1.50. • Using a $1 off coupon: 50 cents. • Amount saved: $2.50. The next step for Williams is to go to the coupon insert web sites to find even more deals, although there is a limit to how many you can print. “If you really like a product, you can go to their web site and e-mail the company letting them know how much you like it, and they will e-mail you a coupon,” says Williams. Williams became a savvy shopper after the birth of her three-year-

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old daughter, Riley. When Williams decided to quit her 16-year job as a postal worker to stay home with the baby, the family’s income was sliced in half. With the help of web sites such as www.couponmom.com and the

Holly and Riley Williams work on clipping the latest coupons.

“If you really like a product, you can go to their web site and e-mail the company letting them know how much you like it, and they will e-mail you a coupon.” – Holly Williams

support of coupon-clipping blogs, Williams soon developed a knack for saving money. “It’s a learning experience,” says Williams. “It’s not like I started and knew everything about it. I feel like an amateur compared to some.” In addition to coupons, Williams enjoys going to yard sales. Usually, she looks for things her family or friends can use, but occasionally she runs across items that she can resell on eBay. Once she found a pair of inversion boots, antigravity boots that fit in a bar across the doorway, for 50 cents, which she resold for $60.

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Even at age 3, Riley Williams knows that using coupons is a smart way to save money.

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“I suggest people stick with what they know, something they are already buying, for example, kid’s clothes, when it comes to finding deals at yard sales,� says Williams. If you are interested in really getting into using coupons, be prepared to stockpile, warns Williams. She keeps shelves in her garage and basement for the nonperishable items as well as a deep freezer. “You don’t want to run out and then have to pay full price. Just watch the dates,� says Williams. “We have our own grocery store.� Not only does the Williams family benefit from her savings, so does the community. When Williams notices that she has too much of an item, she will donate it to the food pantry. “It’s like a game,� says Williams. “It’s fun to go and get something for practically nothing – stuff we use. It also gives us an opportunity to use new products. It

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Holly Williams found her daughter’s playhouse, in excellent condition, at a yard sale for almost nothing.

Tips from Coweta’s

• Watch expiration dates. “Thank goodness they expire!” says Williams. “Imagine how many I would have if they didn’t.” • Many rebates can now be done online instead of through the mail. Do them quickly while fresh on your mind, so they don’t slip past the expiration date. • Milk, bread and butter freeze well if you find a good sale. “I wish gas did!” says Williams. 20

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• When a store is out of a sale item, always ask for a rain check. • Coupons can sometimes be found on the product, so be sure to use them. “A man in front of me at the store was paying full price for lotion when there was a coupon on the bottle,” says Williams. “I wanted to shout, ‘Use your coupon!’”

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Shoppers who aren’t brand loyal find the best deals. For those who are, Williams recommends waiting for a good deal and stockpiling the item. “Heinz ketchup is the only item my husband (Jeremy) insists we be loyal to,� says Williams. With today’s economy coupled with high gas prices, sometimes dining out is the first expense to go. Williams suggests clipping restaurant coupons, which can “save on the tip if nothing else,� or going online to the restaurant’s web site for online coupons. In addition, many restaurants, particularly Mexican ones, will honor competitor’s coupons. Williams serves as a mentor to many of her friends who are interested in her unique pastime. Perhaps her biggest fan, however, is her young daughter, Riley. “When we are in the grocery aisle and there is a coupon in the machine, Riley gets so excited to get it for me,� says Williams. “I tell her ‘You’re learning!’ I’m glad I can instill the concept of savings into her.�

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By Amy Lott | Photos by Bob Fraley

Amid skyrocketing gas prices, a struggling economy and rampant energy speculation, Coweta motorist Charles Dotson – fueled by the need to cut gas costs – decided to ride outside for a breath of fresh air.

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Charles Dotson on his new customized trike

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In April, when prices at the pump were already soaring toward $4 per gallon, Dotson, 47, knew he had to make a commuting change. Filling up a diesel pickup truck for backand-forth trips between home in Senoia and his job at the Coweta County Prison in Newnan was taking its toll on his wallet. “When gas prices started shooting up, I said ‘I’ve got to do something,’” he said. That is when Dotson, a motor grader operator for the prison’s Road Department, decided to park his personal gas-guzzler and purchase something infinitely more economical and definitely more fun: a 2002 Honda Goldwing GL1800 customized trike. The three-wheeled vehicle bought from Georgia Motor Trike on Franklin Road is similar to a traditional motorcycle, only more stable. According to Dotson, however, the allure of the machine – originally assembled as a traditional cycle and later “triked out” by the bike shop with a conversion kit – has more to do with dollars saved than safety sense – at least for him. “My wife, Donna, said she would get on a trike, but not a bike,” he says. Understandably pumped by his new conservative approach to fuel consumption, Dotson says that while his truck gets only 17 miles per gallon of gasoline, the frugal trike gets 40. “It’s a noticeable improvement,” he says. “I got it specifically for that reason.” Prudence aside, Dotson, who admittedly hasn’t ridden in a “long, long time,” is also riding for the sheer joy of it. With a laugh, he says he didn’t waste any time hitting the open road on his new budget-savvy trike once he picked it up. “I was riding it the next work day,” he says. Dotson loves to ride the trike with his six-year-old grandson,

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Rising fuel prices prompted Charles Dotson of Senoia to seek a more budget-friendly ride to work. Now, instead of driving his pickup truck to work at the Coweta County Prison in Newnan, where he is a motor grader operator for the prison’s Road Department, Dotson is driving a customized trike.

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night ... you’re out there on the open road, and you appreciate things more. You see more.” Having a trike has also opened up a world of opportunities for giving back to the community, chances he never had before the trike. “I participate in a lot of benefit rides,” Dotson says. Earlier this year, he rode with the Union City Masonic Lodge for Southwest Christian Hospice, a facility that cares for terminally-ill patients and provides respite for families of children with special needs. Dotson wanted to attend the recent “Ride for Hannah,” an event in Newnan in August benefiting cancer patient Hannah Currence, but he had to work. While having high-octane fun and avoiding running on empty are indeed big motivators for Dotson, he

While average prices per gallon in Georgia dipped a bit from July to August, the lowered prices still do not measure up to $2.669, the average a year ago. Tension from the monetary drain, while less powerful, is still palpable. “A lot of things we don’t get to do like we used to,” Dotson says. “We don’t go out to eat as much.” No matter how riotous oil prices may get, Dotson, for one, is no longer over a barrel. With the wind rushing by and scenic vistas almost tangibly unfolding, he cannot imagine riding out the gas storm on anything but his trike. “I would recommend one to anybody who would enjoy riding and wants to save money,” he says. “I’ll be riding mine for a long time . . . I know now why a dog hangs his head out the window.” NCM

admits he does appreciate the safety aspects of his trike, too – and no more so than when he was recently clipped by an automobile driver while trying to make a left-hand turn on Poplar Road. Thankfully, he was uninjured. “You’ve got to wear your helmet and leather chaps,” he says. “And you need good boots and leather gloves, too.” Dotson recommends classes for beginners. “They’re a good idea for people just starting,” he says. For inclement weather, Dotson wears a rain suit. Heated gloves and hand grips are available for chilly days, too – not that he minded those chilly morning rides to work last spring. “I loved when it was 35 degrees,” he says. Despite a gradual decline in the once-meteoric gas prices, many are still left muttering “How crude!”

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Financial planning for

By Janet Flanigan | Photos by Bob Fraley

Jean Raines displays some of the remains of credit cards she keeps in her office, a pleasant reminder of the many clients she’s helped eliminate debt.

t can be frightening, almost insurmountable, and it’s a circumstance Jean Raines is all too familiar with. A woman comes to see her, widowed unexpectedly, sometimes at an early age, with absolutely no idea of her financial situation. She’s never paid the bills, doesn’t even know if her husband had life insurance or how much. In a trembling and grieving voice she’ll admit she doesn’t know the extent of the credit card debt, and often there’s no will in place. If there is life insurance, it may take three to eight weeks for payment, and many times the reality is that there is no “safety net” of savings in place to carry the suffering and worried survivor through until her finances can get straightened out. “What am I going to do?” she’ll lament. Certified Financial Planner Jean Raines of Newnan will calmly help her figure things out, but in the back of her mind she’ll know it would have been so much easier had these

families prepared a financial plan that could have eased some of their burden during this difficult time. Raines works for First Command Financial Services, an international financial services organization, at their Tyrone office. First Command was actually created out of such a tragedy. In the early 1950s, a B-36 Air Force Bomber crashed near Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas, killing five crewmen. The widows of those airmen were left with insurmountable debt, and Lieutenant Colonel Carroll Payne couldn’t bear this thought. He took early retirement and in 1958 founded First Command to improve the financial well-being of American military families. Today, clients come from all walks of life, and the company’s financial services are intended to help middle class Americans. “We don’t expect you to come in with $500,000 to invest,” says Raines. She says 93% of all women will be responsible for all the money in

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Jean Raines of Newnan works with a client on some financial planning. Raines is also a quilter and says one reason she enjoys quilting is because of the math involved in measuring and cutting the pieces.

their household at some point in life, whether it’s through divorce, death, or choosing to remain single. Many women even have the attitude that “I just pay the bills, but my husband plans the money.” Actually, she says, women really control the money because they control most of the household expenditures. “All Americans, no matter what their financial status, should have a financial road map prepared by a certified financial planner,” says Raines. Before she writes a financial plan, she sits down with the client to

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talk. If she’s working with a married couple, she’ll ask them separately (while sitting together) to discuss what financial issues are important to each. Often, she says, “the answers are a surprise to the other.” Important issues to consider include freedom, security and independence, family, community and church. “When you boil it all down,” Raines says, “it has nothing to do with how much money you have but with behavior and how it relates to money.” Raines likes to begin with a comprehensive written plan. She and the woman or couple she’s helping will discuss the main areas of financial responsibility, including current cash flow and needs, current emergency savings, if there are any, and then “the biggie – debt, and this includes credit card debt and how to get out of it.” Raines has a small glass jar filled with the cut-up remains of credits cards that her clients have “given up.” She’ll also discuss assets and “the best way to deploy them” and then, finally, risk management, which includes all kinds of insurance including car, disability, life and long term care. Raines always had a head for numbers. Armed with a degree in Accounting from North Georgia College, she headed to Georgia Tech for her Master’s Degree in Industrial Management. “Math was just one of those things I was always good at. It’s probably why I like quilting – there’s so much math involved in quilting. If you don’t cut your pieces just right from the beginning, your quilt will never turn out right. I just love facts and figures.” Raines’ husband Charles, who is retired from a 20-year military

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In addition to her work as a certified financial planner, Jean Raines has also shared information on women and finance with General Daniel Newnan Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, of which she is a member.

career, is now a science teacher at East Coweta High School. Her oldest son, Charles II, is a Lieutenant (Promotable) serving in Iraq and is expected to be promoted to Captain at the beginning of October to become an Army Captain in the Transportation Corp. Her youngest son, Christopher, is a senior at Georgia Southern. As her children grew, Raines developed her talents as well, adapting her skills to jobs as the Army moved them

• Have a will. If you don’t have a will your estate will go into probate, often tying up property for months. There can also be problems in certain states regarding the distribution of property between spouse, children, parents, brothers and sisters. This can all be easily remedied with a valid will.

• Plan carefully following divorce. If the re-registration of assets post-divorce isn’t properly handled by a financial planner, the tax burden can be insurmountable.

• Pay yourself first. Even if it’s just $20 or $50 a week you save, you will then have that much more to invest each year. Decide what your priority is. Can you give up going to the movies and rent one instead, putting that money in the investment jar? How about giving up going out to dinner and grilling out, putting that money in the investment jar? It will add up.

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around the country. Most frequently they seemed to end up at Fort Bragg, N.C., and Raines taught at a technical school located nearby. The school created a Statistical Quality Control Department, and Raines was their superstar. She was hired out to major corporations such as Black & Decker, Purolator and Kelly Springfield to determine when breakdowns and problems would statistically occur during the manufacturing process. These situations in the business world taught her how important it is to get your own financial house in order. The Raines boys have held jobs since they were teens. Raines says, “They might be the only ones I know of who took their paychecks at Kroger to purchase Roth IRAs!” She’s been a First Command client herself for 26 years and received her Certified Financial Planner’s license and joined the company as an advisor in 2000. “I truly believe that this is my purpose in life, to help other people become financially successful.” She says you can tell a family’s priorities by looking at their checkbook, but a certified financial planner can help them get on the right track and the road to financial success. NCM

It’s simple really. How well you retire depends on how well you prepare today. Whether retirement is down the road or just around the corner, if you’re working toward your goals now, the better off you’ll be. Preparing for retirement means taking a long-term perspective. We recommend buying quality investments and holding them because we believe that’s the soundest way we can help you work toward your goals. At Edward Jones, we spend time getting to know your retirement goals so we can help you reach them. To learn more about why Edward Jones makes sense for you, call or visit your local financial advisor today.

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T he

Co i

n

Gary Hall of Newnan is a coin collector who’s been enjoying the hobby for some 45 years.

l o C

r o t c e l

By Elizabeth Richardson | Photos by Bob Fraley

T

hroughout American history, U.S. currency has been inextricably linked to the nation’s political, economical, artistic and social trends. It’s no wonder over the years that so many people have found value in collecting these tiny annals of history. Newnan’s own self-described numismatist, 53-year-old Gary Hall, has been collecting coins from the U.S. Mint for the past 45 years – a hobby born of his own history. Hall remembers when he was 8 years old visiting his grandfather in Virginia and getting to see his coin collections. “Part of the fun of going to Virginia was that every time I visited, he’d show me his coins,” said Hall. “He got me interested – I really just fell into it.” Looking back, he’s not even sure of the quality of his grandfather’s collection because all coins resemble treasure to an 8-year-old. When his grandfather died relatively young, Hall’s interest in collecting was kept alive by a pharmacist in his hometown of Cartersville, Ga. “This old-time pharmacist bought and sold coins, and he taught me a lot,” recalls Hall. Hall grew his own collection by “sifting” through anyone’s change who’d let him – and that included looking through rolls of pennies at the bank. “I started with pennies, because I was an 8-year-old kid and that was my budget,” jokes Hall. His first “find” was a 1955 penny minted the year of his birth. Hall’s collections graduated from pennies to nickels then silver coins. The U.S. Mint discontinued silver coins in 1964 and they became more difficult to find. Years went by and Hall stopped collecting. Then he’d have spurts of renewed interest. He’s been collecting of late and is currently a subscriber to Numismatic News and Coin World. “There’s a little bit of profit in coin collecting, but I do it for the fun,” said Hall.

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Local coin collector Gary Hall examines one of the pieces in his collection. Above are some stacks of coins as well as individually mounted pieces in his collection. Below are some of the magazines he reads for coin news.

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Hall’s hobby allows him to make his own rules and set his own pace. It doesn’t make him much money, but it doesn’t usually cost him either – “There’s a safeness about it.” “It’s a thrill to find a coin that you know is hard to find,” said Hall. As time goes on, the silver and gold coins become rarer as they’re cashed in and melted down. According to Hall, the government has original numbers of production, but no one really knows how many are left. In Hall’s own collection, he has a rare silver dollar – not rare because of the number minted, but because it’s an uncirculated coin in excellent mint state. He estimates its value anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000. He’s also proud of a 1955 “double dye” penny, meaning the Mint stamped it twice. Its value ranges between $2,000-$3,000. But you won’t find these coins at his house, since for security reasons Hall keeps his most valuable coins at the bank. Perhaps the holy grail of coins is the 1933 Double Eagle $20 gold piece that once sold for $7.59 million. Another rare and valuable coin is the 1913 Liberty Head nickel

minted from 1883 until 1912. It last sold at auction for $5 million, according to Hall. Once, Hall found in a friend’s inherited collection a $5 gold piece minted in Dahlonega, Ga. in 1862 during the Civil War. His friend sold it for $45,000. Hall and his wife, Peggy – a retired Newnan High School teacher – met at West Georgia College and moved to Newnan in 1979. Hall has worked in banking and real estate. Since 2000, he’s independently managed rental residential and commercial properties. One day while “just messing around on the computer,” he created a business card for “Newnan Numismatic” and a side-business was born. He does a little advertising locally, looking to buy and sell coins. “I have my collection, then I have others that I would sell,” said Hall. He may someday reconsider selling his collection because his children – Brittainy and Christopher – aren’t eager to get involved in his hobby. “My wife and children have no interest in collecting, but they

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encourage me to,” said Hall. These days, “you don’t hear much about coin collectors.” Hall admits this is a “hot and cold hobby” for him – and he means that literally, as he finds he’s more apt to start collecting again during winter months when it doesn’t interfere with golf or working on rental properties. In the future, Hall thinks it would be fun to have his own booth at a coin show. Atlanta has a coin club that meets monthly, and there are a lot of regional and state shows in Georgia for interested coin collectors. “It’s fun to go – and, who knows, you may get interested yourself.” Anyone interested in collecting can purchase Whitman’s Redbook most anywhere. The book tells you what’s rare and what the retail values are. If you want to know the mint state of a coin, Hall advises sending

W

“

the coin off to a professional grading service. “A coin in excellent condition can be worth as much as a rare coin in bad condition,” said Hall. Hall says the appeal of collecting is all the different ways you can go about it.

“You can decide to accumulate all the Lincoln cents ever made, just Lincoln Wheat Ear cents from 1958 to 1909 or uncirculated coins,” said Hall. This hobby is whatever someone decides to make it – and for Hall, it just continues to make cents. NCM

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before

Redecorating the den on a budget By Tina Neely | Photos by Bob Fraley

t’s probably easier for people who have an instinct for decorating and design to start from scratch with a room – no furniture to work with, no family mementos and no preconceived notions. When I’m designing for others and work with a brand new space, I work extra hard to make sure the personality of the family shines through. I love to design all types of spaces and create party themes, and I truly believe that God gave me a gift to be able to create beautiful spaces. Because my husband Matt and I built a house from the ground up, I know how much everything costs and can work with most every budget.

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Many people want to redo certain rooms in their homes, but finances or even personal attachments to furniture can determine what to work around. Recently, I was asked to redo a family room where the homeowners wanted to keep several pieces of furniture. By modifying some furniture with paint to tie it into the room’s new color scheme, we created a fresh, new appearance. This room had never been formally “decorated” but had been pulled together based on comfort and ease for a family that enjoys spending time together. The mother had long wanted a more finished look for the room, but still needed a place where

after

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after The homeowners painted the room themselves to save money. They used Valspar high gloss on the fireplace and trim work, after using oil based primer to cover the old wallpaper and bricks.

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her family and friends could informally gather. We chose a new yellow paint color and then fabric for the window treatments and pillows. I gave her three different fabric choices from Frugal Fabrics with coordinating patterns and fringes. These fabrics would go on the window treatments

and be made into pillows for the sofas and chairs, replace the current seat cushions in the fireplace seating areas, and recover an old worn-out ottoman. Ultimately she chose Alhambra Slate from Western Textile and a coordinating plaid. Going through the entire room, I

asked what she wanted to keep and what she wanted to get rid of. First on the list for removal was the big, overstuffed chair that had served the family well for many years. The only other chair was an old family rocking chair which didn’t work well for seating. The homeowners requested matching club chairs with a cleaner look, and I found a perfect pair in a lovely coordinating color at Interior Repeats in downtown Newnan. We decided the picture rail would stay, because guests often comment on the unusual family photo arrangements when they walk into the room. However, the homeowner expressed her desire to pare down the number of photos and have one central frame color. I suggested pulling in a couple of different colors in order to pick up on some of the beautiful fabric colors, and then I spray painted some frames to match. Were there any other items that had to stay in the room? She really wanted to keep one painting by a

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after The homeowners requested matching club chairs with a cleaner look, and I found a perfect pair in a lovely coordinating color at Interior Repeats in downtown Newnan. 42

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Tina Neely is pleased with the way this den re-do on a budget turned out.

looked at it (it was too small) when out of the blue, I found THE rug for the room. It is a beautiful handhooked rug in all the right colors and so comfortable under the feet that it was a better choice. The last and most creative part was buying all the accessories to pretty up the room, and I did it while the family was on vacation. From antique stores to Homegoods, Target, T.J. Maxx, Lowe’s and Ross, I looked for pictures, accessories, candles and plants. The final result came together perfectly. We searched together for a few weeks for our finishing touch, the perfect fireplace mantel, and we found it at Miss Wendy’s in Brooks. I wasn’t there when the family walked in from their vacation, but from the excited phone calls I received I could almost imagine the

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after When I first met with the homeowners, I saw a small, pretty topaze-blue and gold cabinet with distressed paint. It was one of her favorite things, and I used it as inspiration in selecting colors and accessories.

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By Janet Flanigan | Photos by Bob Fraley

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Ron and Carol Stephens at their garden in Newnan

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he early 20th century landscape artist and illustrator Hanna Rion once wrote, “The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.” Never have the five senses come more alive than when one is invited into the garden “rooms” on the acreage behind Ron and 48

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Carol Stephens’ Coweta County home. Ron Stephens was actually born in an adjoining house on the property and has lived on this farmland all of his life. “My granddaddy had 300 acres when I was a little boy, and the property backs up to the historic Cureton Springs. We grew cotton, corn – just about everything people grew – plus a full orchard.” Carol was born in Wisconsin and lived in New York but moved to

Georgia as a young girl, so for all intents and purposes she’s been here most of her life as well. Ron’s parents gave them seven acres in 1972 when the two were married so they could build a house of their own, and the family all lived side by side – grandparents in the big farmhouse where Ron was born, his parents next door (where Ron’s mother still lives), and then Ron and Carol’s ranch style home next to that. “Gardening was the last thing on my mind,” says Ron. The two were

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Ron and Carol Stephens’ garden was on the Master Gardeners’ spring tour and was so popular, visitors asked to return and see it again in the fall.

raising their children Danny and Bonnie, and if Ron had time at all for a hobby, it was fishing. “I really didn’t know a perennial from an annual, but I originally just wanted to put a row of azaleas in for some landscaping and that was it,” Ron laughs. “I started reading gardening magazines and going to the original Country Gardens and somehow my interest just took off. I never went fishing after that!” Ron and Carol are both Master Gardeners, which means they have

each passed the Master Gardener program offered by the Coweta County Extension Service. Carol highly recommends the program to anyone interested in taking their gardening to the next level. “The Master Gardener program has wonderful speakers and incredible people. I think sometimes folks are intimidated by the title ‘Master Gardener,’ but nothing could be further from the truth. We did get a big book to study for the test, but we didn’t have to know everything in it

and our membership has been so much fun,” she says. Part of the fun of being a Master Gardener is being asked to have your “masterpiece” on the garden tour, and the Stephens’ hard work was on the spring 2008 tour and will be repeated on the fall 2008 tour as well. “The garden club took a survey, and visitors wanted to see the gardens in two different seasons,” Ron said. When the visitors return to the Stephens’ many-roomed garden, they’ll find it very different from the SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

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spring visit, but no less dramatic. Gardens are nothing if not everchanging. Ron and Carol do not follow the French parterre philosophy with clipped hedges, little or no flowers and tight borders. In fact, if a bird happens to “plant� a flower or shrub in a spot and it is pleasing to the eye, they leave it there. This is not to say that their garden is laid out willy-nilly. It follows a thoughtful design. There are stone-edged paths with rocks that Ron picked up all over Heard and Coweta County. “It used to be legal to pick up rocks and stones and carry them home – you can’t do that any more. But I do have some beautiful pathways from those wonderful outings. It about broke my back though,� he chuckles. Carol describes their “Garden of Whimsy� by noting, “We like to

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We put a gnome out here when our first grandchild Aric was little. We’d move the gnome around so Aric would think he was real. – Carol Stephens come out here and sit after walking around through the whole garden. It’s just so nice and cool. Guy Emerson, who is another Master Gardener and a friend, helped us get

the water feature working just right before the spring tour; his wife Susan created the special ‘waterfall’ – isn’t it great?” A string of pearls cascades out of a water pump in an ever-streaming

The Master Gardeners’ Fall Garden Gate Tour will be Saturday, Oct. 25. Tickets, which include a tour of several rural and subdivision gardens and a catered dinner, are $30. For information, call 770-254-2620.

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“flow” of water – perfect during this time when we are in want of actual water. And the story of the gnomes hiding in the Whimsy Garden? “We put a gnome out here when our first grandchild Aric was little. We’d move the gnome around so Aric would think he was real. We added more gnomes as well as another grandson, Aric’s brother Alex, so now we have the whole bunch of gnomes.” The Stephens’ garden rooms include a vegetable garden, and Ron and Carol use newspapers under the topsoil to keep weeds down. They use Liquid Fence to keep away what they call their ‘deer friends,’ plus a lot of Roundup for weeds around the property. While they certainly have many flowers around the acreage, they are huge enthusiasts of shrubs and trees. They’ve even created their own nursery system for their shrubs and plants which they call “take-froms.” When they find a spot for those baby plants, they “take from” the others as needed. “These divided plants and shrubs are rooted in a section of our property which is ironically the original area which was supposed to be landscaped with azaleas. We’re working our way to it!” Carol says. Ron seems to remember the history of every single plant on each square foot of his land, and he might have been the inspiration for writer Linda Solegato when she wrote “When one of my plants dies, I die a little inside too.” But of course it’s the celebration of life and again those five senses that come fully alert here in the Stephens’ gardens. And maybe there’s even a sixth sense that can be added to the mix, if it can be called a sense, and perhaps it can – happiness. NCM

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The Camellia Story, photos and artwork by Katherine McCall

he humidity had flown with the flocks of migrating birds, and the air was sparkling and crisp, punctuated by lazy drifts of vermilion, umber and cadmium yellow leaves. A friend and I were enjoying a late afternoon glass of pinot noir on her porch. “Your camellias are lovely this year,” I complimented her. The delicate bushes spread over her garden with thousands of simple white orbs, highlighted by the arching, dark foliage. “Sasanqua,” she gently corrected as she took a sip of her wine. Almost imperceptibly, I hesitated and with a slight 54

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It has become eponymous with the South, a symbol similar to magnolias and Spanish moss.

upturning of the nose (literally and figuratively) commented, “I’ve always called them camellias.” She, wisely and graciously, turned the conversation to a less troublesome area: the current political race. As I am sure you have already surmised, my dear friend was correct in the naming of her beautifully prolific shrubs. The fall blooming camellia is the sasanqua. The confusion for me came from the fact that I was calling all the plants by their genus: Camellia. It would have been more appropriate to call them by their specific name – the species. This is tantamount to addressing everyone in my family as McCall, which would be correct, but we would never know to which individual you were referring. Fortunately, in 1735, Carl Linnaeus published his Systema Naturae setting forth the principles of his binomial nomenclature so that we are able to name SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

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any plant or animal by its specific name. It was in the Systema Naturae that the camellia first received its English name. Up until this time, it was called Tsabekki by the Japanese with whom it originated. Linnaeus named it after a German Jesuit missionary to the Philippines who was also a naturalist, Georg Kamel. The camellia enjoyed much popularity throughout Europe before arriving on the American botanical scene in the late 18th century. By the mid 19th century the camellia had become well established with southern growers because our climate allowed it to flourish outdoors rather than in the greenhouse. It has become eponymous with the South, a symbol similar to magnolias and Spanish moss. There are four species generally available in the U.S.: Camellia

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japonica, Camellia sasanqua, Camellia reticulata and Camellia sinensis. We will focus on the japonica and the sasanqua. More classic and formal, the japonicas are the camellias we think of as Old South, adorning our grandmothers’ gardens and the church altar in winter. Here in Coweta, it blooms from December to April. Normally, it can reach heights of 6-12 feet, but some of the older bushes have been known to reach heights and widths of 20 feet. The list of cultivars is long and goes far back in history. One of the first grown at Middleton Place in Charleston, Reine des Fleurs, is still growing there today. The Southern Living Garden Book has an excellent list of cultivars that includes the date introduced, bloom time, hardiness for our area, and a description of the bloom. Steve Bender of Southern Living proposes that the sasanqua is a better choice for today’s garden because it boasts a “laxity, grace, and airiness unmatched by common camellias.” Other advantages are that it will tolerate more sun, heat and a wider range of soils. The sasanqua can be upright or spreading, with numerous blooms starting in late summer through the fall and reaching a height of 6 to 15 feet. It can be trained as an espalier or a standard, or used as a screening or informal hedge. As with the japonica, The Southern Living Garden Book provides a wealth of information on cultivars. The charming flower forms of the camellia are a unique characteristic of the shrub. The American Camellia Society recognizes six forms: single, semidouble, anemone, peony, rose form double and formal double. The Society goes on to say, “It is well

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worth considering the overall form of the bloom in placing the plant. The single japonica (and to a lesser extent semi-double) form is perhaps the most natural looking and along with the sasanqua the best suited in a woodland setting, while the more elaborate anemone and peony bloom forms will perhaps fit best in formal gardens and closer to the house. The formal doubles cry out to be placed where their blooms can be inspected closely.� When planting the camellia, as with any shrub in our area, the addition of organic matter is essential. That and well drained soil will give your shrub the best possible start. In Coweta County, we can plant the camellia in the fall or

spring, always adding a good layer of mulch around the base but not up on

hand picking the leaves and then moving on to a horticultural oil or insecticidal soap if needed. Now that we have our genus and species figured out, peruse our local nurseries and indulge yourself in the very southern names of these spectacular shrubs. The old varieties are especially melodic – Lady Clare, Alba Penta, Debutante, and some American Camellia Society favorites: Adolphe Audusson, Guilio Nuccio, Drama Girl and White Frills. The garden writer Linda C. Askey says it well, “They drawl in our memory’s ear as they fall from our forebear’s lips, bringing not only the recollection of a flower, but a day spent with a beloved parent or grandparent.� NCM

The old varieties are especially melodic – Lady Clare, Alba Penta, Debutante, and some American Camellia Society favorites: Adolphe Audusson, Guilio Nuccio, Drama Girl and White Frills. the trunk. The most serious pest of the camellia is the Tea Scale. This is a very small insect which attaches to the undersides of leaves and sucks the sap. An infestation appears as “cottony masses of oblong white male and brown female scales on the leaf underside.� Treatment can begin with

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A fall photo essay by Bob Fraley and Jeffrey Leo, featuring scenes from the Coweta countryside as well as trick-or-treating in downtown Newnan

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Lalla and John McGee perform at Espresso Lane in downtown Newnan. 64

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Sweet Music THE MCGEES’ LOVE SONG

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ll the heads sipping their various forms of toasted and roasted libations in Newnan’s Espresso Lane on this shimmering morning suddenly snap around to seek the source of the glorious sound coming from the back lounge area.

By Janet Flanigan | Photos by Bob Fraley John and Lalla McGee are usually evening performers at the downtown coffee bar, and this weekend’s morning patrons are entranced by the sweet blending of voices and guitar. The McGees, who perform

under the professional name J L McGee, have entered the professional music arena a little later than most, but that might make their journey a bit sweeter. Both have loved and performed music for most of their lives, but it is modern technology

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Lalla and John McGee

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that brought the two together. “Yes, we actually met online,� laughs Lalla. “On our first date we went to see a band, if that tells you anything about our love of music. We have so many mutual interests, including, of course, music and going to concerts, but we love other things also, like being in the outdoors and gardening, so we are a perfect match.� The couple has been together for six years and married for four. John says they never intended to perform together. “I go to church in LaGrange and have helped with the music program down there for years. They knew Lalla is an accomplished organist and pianist, and one time they asked her to fill in for their organist and they suddenly asked if we could perform a duet. I had sung for the church before, but we had never sung together. We threw together two or three gospel songs and it went over very well.� Very well indeed. After that service, church parishioners asked where they could purchase the couple’s CD. Of course, there was no CD – yet. The McGees were then asked to play more private and public venues and their following began to grow. Lalla was just a little girl of 2 or 3 when she first realized her family had this beautiful, gleaming piece of furniture that also made noise when you pressed down on its thin black and white planks. That piano enchanted her, and then a favorite aunt taught her how to play a whole song on just the black keys and she was hooked. From age 7 to 18, Lalla took lessons and also developed strong vocal talents. After high school, she was determined to go to college to

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Lalla McGee

become a music teacher. “I decided to audition for Georgia State’s music program so I could teach music professionally,” Lalla says. To be accepted, you had to perform a live audition. It was, Lalla says matter-of-factly, a devastating experience. “To this day I’m not really sure what happened. I don’t know if it was stage fright or what, but it was awful. I tried to sing and nothing would come out. I looked out and saw an instructor with her head down, shaking it slowly back and forth.” She never returned to Georgia State or to college, but instead started a meteoric career path that began as a bank teller and has led her up the corporate ladder all the way to a Vice Presidency at SunTrust Bank as Community Reinvestment Manager. “I love my job; I love my company and love what I’ve done with my life.” “I can enjoy music fully because it is simply an avocation and not a vocation,” she says. Lalla has played the pipe organ and piano for many area churches, has performed with the Atlanta Women’s Chorus with Newnan’s own Dr. Lyn

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and the excitement generated by fans, Schenbeck, and has always found Patton wanted to produce a second time to sing in her church choir, CD of all original recordings. The where her lovely voice has been a duo are currently in the studio with a standout among the trilling angels. second offering that should be out John grew up in a family that soon. never turned off the radio. His The McGees have often father’s work had the family traveling performed the works of others, but a during his younger grades, but high school years were spent in LaGrange. friend recently suggested John enter one of his songs in a lyric contest “We listened to mostly published in American Songwriter Country/Western but the stations Magazine. He submitted his song back then were a mixture, so you’d hear some country and western, then “What You Answer To.� Meanwhile, he and Lalla continued with their Sinatra and next there’d be a evening performances at Espresso Broadway show tune. It was a good Lane and Senoia Coffee background.� He grew up singing the Company, good old Baptist Kavarna church hymns, Coffee and but in the Wine Bar in advent of Decatur, television To hear the McGees’ The Hungry something original song “The Wind in Ear, The Loft clicked. “I saw the Kudzu,� visit in Columbus shows like newnancowetamagazine.com. and Eddie’s Hullabaloo and For more information on the Attic in bands like McGees and their music, visit Decatur. Buffalo Springfield www.myspace.com/jlmcgee. One rainy play on them, and I day, he was knew then that I thumbing through a wanted to play guitar.� current edition of American John actually became a Songwriter and saw in the back professional musician early in his of the magazine that not only had his musical life. After learning to play song won him a top quality Martin guitar, John and some LaGrange Guitar, but also he is one of only six High School buddies formed a rocklyricists being considered for the top and-roll band that played gigs prize of a trip to Nashville to spend together for 15 years. Years later a few of them formed a bluegrass band the day with a professional songwriter and in a professional called the Liberty Hill String Band Nashville studio recording songs. “I and performed together for another also got a three month subscription six years. to the magazine,� he says with a But it is as a songwriter, with smile. Lalla as his muse, that John seems Would a little recognition for most at home. When they finally cut their efforts be nice? Sure. But it’s not their first self-produced CD, Open the reason they get up to sing and Arms, with LaGrange record play. Their music is an expression of producer Pat Patton, there was only love – for each other, for the music one original song, “The Wind in the Kudzu.� On the strength of this song and for the life around them. NCM

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What is it with the hats?

I used to drive the regular bus and I decided to wear a funny hat to please them. They seemed to get a kick out of it, so I wore another one and it grew from there. Now I drive the special needs bus and they really enjoy the hats too. Where do you get all of the headwear?

I have bought some, but I’ve made some by adding crazy little things that Polly and I pick up on our travels. It’s fun. Like my Mojo Hat (a black hat with “googlie” eyes) – that’s one of my favorites. A tradition that the kids like is at Halloween, starting on the first day of the month, I promise the kids I will wear a different hat each day and they check each day to see if I have kept my promise! You mentioned your “MoJo Hat.” Do you have any other favorites?

My hat with an alligator head and

Meet a Newnan-Coweta Magazine

TYRONE POWER

School bus driver a ‘Powerful’ influence Photos by Bob Fraley 70

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When watching the classic movie “Forrest Gump,” many viewers see Forrest’s iconic school bus driver Dorothy Harris and wish for such a special person to carry them or their children to and from classes each day. Do such people exist? Maybe you haven’t met Mr. Tyrone B. Power yet. This native Cowetan was schooled at Sargent Elementary, Newnan Middle School and Newnan High School. He then went straight into the Navy from 1959 until he retired in 1978. From 1978 to 1998, he worked at Owens Corning and then he retired a second time. In 1998 he started as a substitute bus driver for Coweta County. He is certified to drive special needs children and has a passion for his charges. (He is currently on a long-term substitute assignment for a driver out on a surgical medical leave.)

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feet has literally caused people to run out of a restaurant to check it out. Kids love to feel the teeth. I also have a Possum hat with babies on its back – it’s pretty funny.

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You have a real passion for “your� kids (the children he drives), don’t you?

Most all of us bus drivers love our kids, and sometimes people don’t hear about how much. My hats are just a little way of showing it. Special needs drivers have to go through special background checks and some training by the state called community based instruction. I enjoy attending events like Special Olympics and other events that my kids participate in. They are great. What do you enjoy in your free time?

I don’t really have any big hobbies. I’ve got a fishing pole and my wife and I fish a little bit. We do love to travel and go with the Young at Heart Club at Royal Baptist on some good trips. We went to Savannah on the Paula Deen tour which was fun. And we discovered a great hat store down there so it was a terrific trip!

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He and his wife Polly have four sons and eight grandchildren (seven living). Polly was a teaching assistant at Evans Middle School for 21 years until her retirement, but she still substitute teaches. Coweta County is filled with many dedicated professionals who ensure the children arrive safely and happily at school each day. Power has taken it up a notch. NCM

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> COWETA COOKS

Meal Planning

MOM By Janet Flanigan | Photos by Bob Fraley

R

achael Henderson is a Coweta cook who traded her glamorous life as a professional party planner at Digex (precursor to Verizon) for the job of wife and mother. The former party pro once met George Clooney at a blackjack table in Vegas while at a work event. That fast-paced life hasn’t slowed much, it’s just that the Hollywood faces have been replaced by those of her five sweet smiling children. As a divorced mother of one son, Trevor Sawyer, now 11, Rachael didn’t dream four years ago that she’d also be the mother of Andy (Drew II), age 2, and Parker, 1, and stepmother to Jacob, 10, and Savannah, 5. But true love waits for no one, and her organizational skills learned as a party planner have paid off as her family has grown by leaps and bounds. “I had planned on setting my husband up with my good friend, but somehow he just kept calling me and they never connected and we did,” she laughs. Her generous nature comes through in her personality and is obvious, even though with five children she’s probably extremely busy. She still volunteered to organize the creation of the first Newnan Presbyterian Preschool Cookbook. Meal planning seems to be one of the areas that many homemakers struggle with – either with not being repetitive, or in organizing the

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shopping, or simply in getting the kids to eat healthfully (or at all!). But Rachael has formulated a pretty successful system that has worked very well for her and keeps her family of seven running smoothly. Her system allows them to get to scouts, football, doctor appointments and everything else they still need to do. “I plan my menus one to two weeks at a time and then go to BJ’s to buy everything in bulk,” she says. “I also save time cooking lots of meat at once. For example, when I prepare my very popular Shepherd’s Pie, I’ll cook up all my ground beef for the week and refrigerate or freeze the extra until I need it to add to another dish. Same goes with chopping onions and other veggies and grated cheese. It’s a big time saver.” “I also save the ends of cheese blocks and cut those into little cubes and put them into little baggies for snacks,” she says. Rachael says she is big on baggie snacks because her children are grazers. “Grapes in baggies, vanilla wafers.” Her biggest snack tip is to prepare a large pot of Pasta Alfredo with elbow or curly noodles. She says the sauce sticks to the noodles, and she also puts this into baggies so her children can pluck the noodles out of her trusty baggies to eat when they are hungry. Rachael prefers this homemade snack to the less healthy chips or cookies when the family has a later than normal dinner hour. There seems to be little doubt Rachael feels that trading hobnobbing with Gorgeous George for becoming a mom of five was a definite “trade up.” Her husband and children would definitely agree that they received the best part of the deal.

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BAMBI’S SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

In memory of Ethel Dunnells “Bambi” was Rachael’s grandma, and this is one of her family’s favorite recipes. This recipe appears in the Newnan Presbyterian Preschool Cookbook.* 2 (16-ounce) packages regular breakfast sausage (not link sausage) 6 servings of white rice, cooked 1 green pepper, diced 1 medium onion, diced 1 can cream of celery soup 1 small can of mushroom stems and pieces, drained 1 packet dry noodle soup 1 cup water Ground pepper to taste Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown sausage in a large skillet and then drain. Combine in a baking dish the sausage, rice, green pepper, onion, cream of celery soup, mushrooms, dry noodle soup and water. Stir until well blended. Bake for 20 minutes. Season with pepper and serve.

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Marie Powell rides a horse in front of the historic Roscoe barn.

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There’s at this barn

By Martha A. Woodham | Photos by Bob Fraley

ack in the 1920s, magic came out of that unusual barn in Roscoe, the magic of greasepaint and footlights, the magic of the theater. Now, more than 80 years later, Marie Powell and her husband, Brown, are creating another kind of magic in that historic building that anchors the little community of Roscoe in northwest Coweta County. Roscoe is a long way from Broadway, but in the days before the Great Depression, most of the Southeast was a long way from any kind of theatrical entertainment. An SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

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When the old Sewell barn came up for sale in 1987, it was a sign to Brown and Marie Powell to start CORRAL.

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Atlanta booking agent, Wayne P. Sewell, inherited land in Roscoe, where his vaudeville actress wife, Hettie Jane Dunaway, created a theatrical training center and a lushly landscaped garden. (The restored garden is now open to the public as Dunaway Gardens.) The enterprising Sewells built a magnificent barn that became the production center for their Chautauqua circuit touring company. They sent shows – complete with scenery and costumes prepared in the barn – to small towns throughout the South. Today the old barn, once home to actors practicing their roles, houses nine horses and ponies with unique skills: They are therapy horses, able to carry physically handicapped children with the utmost care. The Powells operate CORRAL (the Coweta Organization for Riding, Rehabilitation and Learning). Every day they see the magic of little miracles as children escape the limitations of their physical handicaps and build their self-confidence through horseback riding. The riding sessions also improve the young riders’ balance and coordination while strengthening and relaxing their muscles. “I can’t change the situation these kids are in,� says Marie Powell, “but I can make a difference for just a little while.� Marie has always been a horse person. As a child, she rambled along Coweta’s then-dirt roads on her Tennessee Walking horse, Big Red. “He was every child’s dream for a first horse. He didn’t spook,� she recalls. “If I fell off, I had to put him in a ditch to get back on.� Although he did some riding in his youth, Brown was never the horse lover that his wife was. What

intrigued him was helping handicapped children. It was really Brown who got the Powells into the business, if you can call a non-profit organization that, of therapeutic riding, when he volunteered years ago at a program in Palmetto. For two years he spent his Saturdays helping children, and when the program closed, it left a void. When the old Sewell barn came up for sale in 1987, it was a sign to the couple to start CORRAL. Now, with the help of dedicated volunteers and certified instructors, CORRAL offers riding therapy to 150 children with disabilities in the Coweta County School System and to other qualified individuals. CORRAL depends solely on donations and funding from United Way. “It’s not a paying job, but it’s a seven-day-a-week job,� Marie says

with a laugh. But CORRAL is more than therapy: It’s a wondrous childhood that not many children – even the able-bodied – experience today. The Powells have expanded their handicapped-accessible facilities to include a dock where the children can fish and a tree house. Of course, there are the animals to be patted and loved – the horses and ponies, the donkeys, the many dogs and cats that seem to congregate naturally around a barn. And Brown, who is now retired, often takes the children on nature walks, where they discover feathers, turtle shells and the sheer joy of being in the out-of-doors. “These are the kids who never get out,� says Marie. “The teachers love it, too. They don’t get to experience it either.� Much of the credit for CORRAL’s success has to go to the

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Marie Powell and Linda Ballard lead 5-year-old Jayla Ketelsen on a ride on the horse.

Brown and Marie Powell at their barn in Roscoe

Marie Powell and Jayla Ketelsen enjoy a visit at CORRAL.

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horses, blessed with what Marie calls “horsenality,� a willing personality and strong work ethic, a desire to please. “You don’t train a therapy horse,� she says. “They are either therapy horses or they aren’t. If they don’t have the personality for it, they aren’t going to be therapy horses.� When they first come to CORRAL, the horses are often apprehensive about the riders, who may have an ungainly gait or can’t control their limbs. The horses may fear wheelchairs and walkers or the equipment used in the program – balls, pylons and other gear. Some of them never adjust. “Sometimes it takes months [for them to become familiarized],� she says. “Other horses come in and settle right down.� Nipsey was one horse that the Powells initially feared did not have the horsenality to make it as a therapy horse. He was bred for foxhunting, galloping after hounds, not patiently carrying physically fragile children around a ring. “He was a little apprehensive. Then he figured it out,� says Marie. “He has been an invaluable horse.� One of the horses at CORRAL is a different kind of therapy horse: Dixie is in therapy herself. The chestnut Tennessee Walking horse had been abused and starved when Marie discovered her. “She was just so pitiful,� Marie recalls. “She had the saddest look on her face. We got her home and ... she had a lot of trust issues.� Through patient training, often assisted by her neighbor, trainer Karen Jones, Marie has built up a relationship with the chestnut mare with the blaze face. On days she doesn’t have time to ride, Marie simply plays with her horse, who does not have the horsenality for the program. “If we had not taken her, she would have ended up in a can of dog food,� Marie says, matter-of-factly. “With horses, it’s a learning experience every day. I learn something from each of my horses every day.� The Sewells may be long gone, but the barn they built still produces magic – for people and horses. For more information about CORRAL and its programs, call 770-254-0840 or visit www.corraltrc.org. CORRAL is located at 52 Oliver Potts Rd., Roscoe. NCM

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> LOCAL HERITAGE

These 1923 members of the Newnan Reading Circle include, at front, Mrs. Ysabel Odom, Mrs. L.S. Sewell, Mrs. T.E. Atkinson, Mrs. Sam Banks, Mrs. M.B. Mooney, Miss Bessie Arnold; second row, Mrs. John Hardaway, Mrs. B.B. Mabson, Mrs. T.B. Parks, Miss Corinne Simril, Mrs. R.A. Fields; back row, unidentified, unidentified, Mrs. A.E. Wilkinson and Mrs. N.B. Hudson.

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The

Newnan Reading Circle celebrates a century By W. Winston Skinner | Photos courtesy of Newnan Reading Circle

Happy Birthday, Newnan Reading Circle! The grand old lady of local clubs is officially finishing her first century of programs, readings and socializing. To be technically correct, the Reading Circle group first gathered in 1908, but officially organized the following year. The Reading Circle is the oldest women’s club in Newnan, maybe in all of Georgia. To call it a “book club” would fall far short of the mark of accuracy. The Reading Circle is no more a book club than the Piedmont Driving Club is a place where people eat dinner or the High Museum is a building where someone had put a bunch of paintings on the wall. While the definitions are technically true, they fail – miserably – to fully encompass the meaning and purpose of those entities. A treasure of Newnan history can be found in the carefully preserved minutes books that chronicle – meeting by meeting – the unfolding history of the venerable Reading Circle and of the vibrant,

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changing community in which it has thrived. The Reading Circle, in fact, typifies several facets of Newnan’s personality. There is the emphasis on things intellectual and cultural. Margaret Iwamoto, who grew up in Newnan and now lives in Maryland, talked to me once about the trips 84

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people of her parents’ generation made regularly to Atlanta to hear the “grand opera.” Charles Longino Thompson, in what has become a local story of mythic proportions, had the gumption to write Andrew Carnegie and get funding for a library before the steel baron officially set up a foundation to give

away his millions. The interest in events and experiences that feed the mind and fuel the imagination can still be seen today in how the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts has so quickly become enmeshed in community life. The Centre brings to us many of the experiences for

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In 1959, members of the Newnan Reading Circle included, at front, Miss Mary Ella Camp, Mrs. Irene Banks, Mrs. N.B. Hudson, Miss Annie Mae Robertson, Mrs. Hart Odom, Mrs. Richard Hardaway, Mrs. J.O. St. John, and at back, Mrs. Peter Manning, Mrs. A.M. Bowen, Mrs. H.M. Melton, Mrs. Sam Freeman, Mrs. K.O. Cole, Mrs. D.B. Blalock and Miss Carrie May McElroy.

which Newnanites once journeyed to Atlanta – experiences celebrated by the Reading Circle over the last century as it has sought to fulfill its objective of “mutual improvement and the pleasure of its members.” A second typically Newnan aspect of the Reading Circle is its being a group for women. Founded in an earlier day when those who ran the town were almost exclusively male – the owners of the cotton mills, the executives at R. D. Cole, the bankers – the Reading Circle is the prime survivor of a number of groups which once brought together women who read, thought and worked to make their town the best it could be. There once were numerous such organizations with varying social, historical or religious purposes, headed and peopled by the wives and daughters of Newnan’s captains of industry. Members of the missionary SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

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societies of the downtown churches, Newnan Chapter 599 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Newnan Hospital Auxiliary – all have over the years, like the Reading Circle, not only read, discussed and sipped tea but mounted projects which made Newnan truly “the City of Homes.� Finally, the Reading Circle has that ultimate Newnan mark – exclusivity. When people are thoroughly Newnanized, they like being part of exclusive groups and events. Observe the excitement of those at an invitation-only reception after an arts show or concert. Commemorative items sell better in Newnan if they are numbered and have a limited supply – making them something rare to show to a future generation. The Reading Circle is the ultimate in this regard. The group does not have – and never has had – more than 20 members. When one member is promoted to the Reading Circle of Heaven, the Newnan group selects a kindred spirit to join its number. The mathematics of it all means most people will never be invited to join. Traditions are strong in the Reading Circle, as they should be. I was intrigued with the fact that some Reading Circle documents today still use the formal Mrs. Jack Camp, Mrs. John Sides and Mrs. Billy Thomasson for my friend Liz Camp, my neighbor Claudette Sides and my longtime boss and colleague Marianne Thomasson. I’ll admit I was a bit relieved that the current minutes and the list of new officers use given names. A history of the club proclaimed it “synonymous with culture and congeniality – with sensitivity and serious and sensitive study – with intellect and interest.� Those are all things which Newnan – and all communities – need. As it begins its second century, I wish the best to The Newnan Reading Circle. The officers this year are, president, Genet Barron, longesttime-member with 46 years; vice president, Melba Sport Barron, 27 years; recording secretary and treasurer, Audrey Wright, 6 years; corresponding secretary, Ann Gilbert, 12 years; and parliamentarian, Charlotte Harvey, 26 years. During the coming year, Newnan-Coweta Magazine will be taking a look back at this unique group, its accomplishments and its legacy. Newnan Reading Circle, long may you meet, greet, read, think – and share the talents of your members with our community. Happy, happy birthday! NCM

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> FAMILY FUN

By Meredith Leigh Knight | Photos courtesy of Fernbank Museum of Natural History

he Fernbank Museum of Natural History remains a family favorite at my house. We have been on numerous occasions, and my three children, ranging in ages from teenage to seven, have enjoyed every visit. “Have you noticed it always rains when we go to Fernbank?” asked my 10-year-old daughter, Ansley. Indeed, Fernbank makes for an excellent rainy day getaway. Our recent trip featured an added treat – free ice cream samples and snowrelated crafts in honor of Sunday

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Snow Days, offered the second Sunday of each month through December. Despite their sweet tooth, for my children the museum’s main attraction remains the dinosaurs. The bones belong to a 47-foot-long meat eater called Giganotosaurus, preparing to make a meal out of the largest dinosaur ever discovered, the 123-foot-long Argentinosaurus in the museum’s Great Hall. Pterodaustro, a small species of flying reptile, loomed overhead, but the kids scarcely noticed, having become engrossed in searching for the 150-million-year-

old fossils embedded in the museum’s limestone floor. We then toured the special exhibit “Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins,” where my son, Carson, donned a penguin suit and slid down an artificial glacier slide. Yes, mom took photos that are sure to embarrass him later in life! The exhibit is hands-on with many artifacts and specimens as well as multimedia experiences. I will say that I did not find it as appealing as the chocolate exhibit a few years ago, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. Next we explored the Walk

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Through Time In Georgia exhibit. My daughter wanted to stop and read everything while my son made a beeline for the lifelike dinosaur display. Having been to the Okefenokee Swamp as well as Jekyll Island, both children liked the recreation of these areas complete with faux alligators, snapping turtles and aquatic life. The kids were anxious to traverse the stairs to the Sensing Nature gallery on the third floor (elevators are available) for the hands-on science experiments, their favorite part. The kids enjoyed making bubbles, touching the lightning ball, pretending to be a weatherperson on television and learning about acoustics by sitting in hollowed out spaces across the room

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from each other to have a conversation. The Martha Hodgson Ellis Discovery Rooms can be found on the upper level as well, providing a Fantasy Forest geared toward ages 3-5 and a fishing hole plus more for ages 6-10 at the Coca-Cola Adventure area. You don’t want to miss the IMAX movie. Arrive early enough to enjoy the 900-gallon aquarium, the World of Shells and the Star Gallery outside the theater. Choose a seat somewhere in the middle section for best viewing of the 72-foot-wide, 5story-high screen. We saw “Antarctica,” which was great for older children, but I noticed many of the younger audience members became restless by the end of the film. “Antarctica” runs through Jan. 2 and features some amazing footage of the only place on Earth with no permanent human inhabitants. NCM

Address: Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Admission prices: Varies. There are several options to choose from: Museum only ($15 adults, $13 children 3-12), IMAX only, Museum/IMAX combo, value passes, group, field trip and membership rates For grown-ups, try Martinis and IMAX, offered Fridays through November. Enjoy cool cocktails, stunning films, live music and creative cuisine under the world’s largest dinosaurs. For more information, visit www.fernbankmuseum.org or call 404-929-6300.

Maximize your entertainment at Fernbank’s IMAX® Theatre and SAVE!

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767 Clifton Road, NE Atlanta, GA 30307 fernbankmuseum.org

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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ IJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS

Children & Literacy Ferst Foundation commemorates a beloved author while helping kids By Megan Almon | Photos by Bob Fraley

KLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ VWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ CARSON TABOR is a typical 4-year-old boy in almost every way. He’s into Thomas the Tank Engine and dinosaurs, hot dogs and chocolate chip pancakes. And, true to 4-year-old-boy form, everything Carson does is done with enough extra energy to power a small city. That is, until mom Diane Tabor selects a book from the shelf – one of many Carson has received from the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy, an organization that provides age-appropriate, free books each month to registered children in Coweta County. As soon as the cover is lifted and Diane’s animated voice reads the first words of Keiko Kasza’s My Lucky Day, Carson promptly parks his rear on the cushion next to hers, his expressive blue eyes zeroed in on the pictures. Though he’s heard the story hundreds of times – which is apparent in the way he “reads along” with his mother – his infectious

Bikers at a previous Lewis Grizzard and Catfish bike ride take a break at the Old Mill Museum in Moreland.

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Diana Tabor helps son Carson read one of his Ferst Foundation books.

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giggles and hand motions give the impression of absolute enthrallment as he acts out the tale of a very smart pig taking advantage of a hungry fox. Most impressive for Diane – who registered Carson to receive the Ferst books shortly after his birth – are the significant advances in his vocabulary and speech she’s witnessed because of them. Carson, born at only 23 weeks gestation and weighing in at a pound, is Piedmont Hospital’s tiniest preemie survivor, Diane said. Though doctors told the Tabors their son would most likely be deaf and blind, severely mentally handicapped and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Diane and Derek’s – literally – bouncing baby boy has shown only some cognitive delays, though all indicators show that he’s continually advancing in “the right direction.” Carson is one of nearly 2,000 children in Coweta registered with the Ferst Foundation. He’ll continue to receive a new book in the mail each month, a day he always highly anticipates, until he enters kindergarten. With a goal of providing books to the estimated 7,000 children in the county who qualify to receive

them, the Ferst Foundation is resurrecting the Lewis Grizzard and Catfish Memorial Bike Ride. 94

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Young reader Carson Tabor

The Ferst Annual Lewis Grizzard and Catfish Memorial Bike Ride will be Oct. 5. The ride will begin in Moreland at 9 a.m. Registration is $25 per rider, or $30 at 8 a.m. the day of the ride. Riders can choose between a 12-mile, 25-mile or 66-mile route. Commemorative bike ride T-shirts are guaranteed to riders who register by Sept. 26. For more information, visit www.cowetaferst.org.

The ride’s inaugural year was 1994. Originally sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce, it

needed a name. “Everybody in this area knows Lewis,” said Moreland’s Allyn Bell, one of the ride’s original participants. As the event grew over the next eight years, the full course was routed through Moreland, Grantville, Bear Creek Farms, Turin, Senoia and Sharpsburg, incorporating nearly all of the local towns and making the ride a community effort. Its reputation grew, attracting between five and six hundred riders each year. “Several people have moved to Coweta County because of this ride,” Bell said, crediting the sights riders took in along the way. When the popular Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) made Coweta a regular stop, the Grizzard ride dissipated. When the Ferst Foundation Board of Directors decided the program needed an annual fundraising event to provide more books to an ever-growing population, the once-popular ride was an obvious solution. Many people registered just to get a T-shirt with a caricature of Grizzard and his dog. For a fun-loving writer with a yen for Moon Pies and a dog named Catfish, pairing with a children’s

literacy organization might just be a match made in heaven, no pun intended. NCM

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS These are the people who make Newnan-Coweta Magazine possible. Please let them know you appreciate their support!

Advanced Aesthetics Plastic Surgery

Hollberg's Fine Furniture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Center, P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Keep Newnan Beautiful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Applause Salon & Spa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Kemp’s Dalton West Carpets, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . 44

Archadeck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Kimble's Events by Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Artisan Jewelry Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Lee-King and Lee-Goodrum Pharmacies . . . . . 87

Ashley Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13

Legacy Too Furniture/Accessories/Antiques . 59

Bank of Coweta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Long Orthodontics, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

BB&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Main Street Newnan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Bennett’s Antiques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

McIntosh Commercial Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Jay S. Berger, M.D., P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Morgan Jewelers/Downtown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Newnan Academy Preschool & Child Care. . . 87

Brian’s Paint and Body Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Outpatient Imaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Cardiovascular Consultants of Georgia, P.C. . . 27

Panoply Interior Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Center For Allergy & Asthma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Parks & Mottola Realtors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Center Stage Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Phillips Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Chin Chin Newnan Chinese Restaurant . . . . . . 73

Piedmont Newnan Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Coweta-Fayette EMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Radiation Oncology Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Coweta Pool & Fireplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Roscoe Jenkins Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Crescent Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Scott's Book Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Crossroads Podiatry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Shell Investment Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Delta Community Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Signature Kitchen & Bath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Discovery Point Child

Simple Treasures Children’s Boutique

Development Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

& Gifts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Downtown Church of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Southern Crescent Equine Services . . . . . . . . . 81

Edward Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

The Southern Federal Credit Union. . . . . . . . . . 25

Farm Bureau Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Investment Services . . . . 7

Fernbank Museum of Natural History . . . . . . . 91

The Times-Herald.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

FoxHall/Forestar Real Estate Group . . . . . . . . . 11

Traditions in Tile & Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Fresh-N-Fit Cuisine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Uniglobe McIntosh Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Georgia Stained Glass, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Watts Furniture Galleries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Griffin Dental Specialties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

W. Daly Salon Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Heritage Quilts & Fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Wedowee Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Heritage Retirement Homes of Peachtree. . . . 71

West Georgia Center for Plastic Surgery . . . . 59

Hogansville Hummingbird Festival . . . . . . . . . . 51

West Georgia Sleep Disorders Center . . . . . . . 26

November/December Advertising Deadlines Published: November 7, 2008; Contract Ads: September 24, 2008; New Ads: October 3, 2008 Call 770.683.6397 for details and advertising information. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

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THE BOOKSHELF

The Sugar Queen By Sarah Addison Allen Bantam, $22 Reviewed by Holly Jones With a first chapter entitled “Everlasting Gobstoppers,” you know Sarah Addison Allen’s latest novel has to be magical, and The Sugar Queen doesn’t disappoint. The story begins with 27-year-old Josey Cirrini finding a strange woman hiding in her closet. Josey knows who Della Lee Baker is. After all, Josey has lived in Bald Slope, N.C. her entire life, and her father turned the town into the ski resort it has become. But she and Della Lee have never crossed paths, and are complete opposites. Della Lee is a waitress “at a greasy spoon called the Eat and Run,” a place where Josey is not allowed to eat. Della Lee “haunted bars at night,” while Josey has never been inside one. Della Lee “was rough and flashy and did whatever she wanted – no reasonable explanation required.” Josey does, says and wears exactly what her mother tells her. And although she never requires an explanation for her mother’s demands, Josey would like to know why Della Lee chose 96

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her closet, and when the unwelcome visitor plans to leave. She would like to know because something else is hidden in that closet – Josey’s stash of candy, junk food, romance novels and travel magazines. Josey’s mother knows nothing about the stash, and Josey hopes her mother won’t learn about Della Lee. Then Della Lee starts sending Josey on strange errands, mostly involving food. Della Lee threatens to expose the closet’s secrets if Josey doesn’t bring back a grilled tomato and cheese sandwich from a particular shop in the courthouse. And Chloe, the girl who runs the sandwich counter, has to make the sandwich, Della Lee insists. After a few sandwiches, Josey and Chloe become friends – or at least Josey thinks so. She’s never had a friend before. But Chloe is going through a breakup, doesn’t have any family (she knows of ), and Josey does seem to show up at the sandwich shop when Chloe most needs a friend. Soon, Josey finds herself disobeying her mother, just to hang out with Chloe or Adam, a gorgeous extremesport junkie Josey’s had a crush on forever. Della Lee encourages Josey to talk to Adam, and more and more, Josey finds herself relying on Della Lee’s advice. By the end of the story, Josey has learned more than she wanted to know about her past, her parents, and especially herself. But she also learns life can be sweet – even without “Everlasting Gobstoppers.”

Flies on the Butter By Denise Hildreth Thomas Nelson, $14.99 Reviewed by Holly Jones On her 2003 CD, What the World Needs Now is Love, country music star Wynonna has a song called “Flies on the Butter (You Can’t Go Home Again).” Denise Hildreth said the first time she

heard that song she “had to pull my car over so I could cry.” Fans of that song, those who know every word and sing along in the car, can hear the words again. Every word in the song’s verses is echoed in the pages of Hildreth’s novel of the same name, Flies on the Butter. But if Hildreth’s main character, Rose Fletcher, had heard those same words on her drive from Washington, D.C. to Mullins, S.C., she would have turned off the radio. Rose doesn’t want to go home. Her life – the one she’s created for herself as a lobbyist for child advocacy in D.C. – is in shambles. She cheated on her husband, with a senator no less, so now her marriage, her job and her reputation are in serious jeopardy.

This forced trip to South Carolina – a place Rose would like to forget – couldn’t have come at a worse time, not that Rose believes there is a good time to see her mother. But Mamaw is summoning, and Rose has never been able to refuse Mamaw and Granddaddy. Still, there’s no need to spend too much time with her family, so Rose drives down, to “clear her head.” She passes the time talking to her cousin Charlotte. Charlotte is already at Mamaw and

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Granddaddy’s and anxious for Rose to arrive. Charlotte’s calls to Rose for updates are becoming more frequent and impatient, because Rose isn’t making much progress. Her first stop is just outside D.C. – and involves a speeding ticket. Her other stops she rationalizes with gasoline, a drink and snack, dinner at a greasy spoon, and even a pause to clear her head. But each stop takes much longer than Rose plans, and involves a person she never expects to meet. More than that, though, each person and each stop remind Rose of her childhood – happy recollections that aren’t painful and don’t remind her of her father’s death or her mother’s betrayal. With each memory she realizes that she didn’t have the horrible childhood she’s always blamed on her mother, and if she still “can’t go home,” it doesn’t hurt to “dream about it every now and then.”

Poor Man’s Provence By Rheta Grimsley Johnson NewSouth Books, $23.95 Reviewed by Angela McRae Lots of good things have come from Louisiana: New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebration. Tabasco sauce. The muffaletta and beignets. Harry Connick Jr. and Ann Rice. (My husband!) But there’s one region of Louisiana, Acadiana, that is especially beloved by Rheta Grimsley Johnson, the former Atlanta newspaper columnist. She and husband Don Grierson now live in Iuka, Miss. and Henderson, La., and it is Henderson that stars in Johnson’s memoir, Poor Man’s Provence: Finding Myself in Cajun Louisiana. If Cowetans don’t remember when Johnson first appeared as an Atlanta columnist, she certainly does: one month after Lewis Grizzard died. Her column appeared in space previously occupied by Grizzard’s, and Johnson says if she’d saved all the hate mail she could’ve written a book called Grizzard Is Dead and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself. A few years later, Johnson is in Louisiana writing about a bachelor-party boar hunt. When the hunt ends quickly and - worse for a columnist - dully, she and Grierson explore the Atchafalaya Swamp. A smooth-talking salesman tries to sell them a houseboat called The Green Queen. Back in Atlanta, they decide they need the boat. For Grierson it’s a duck-

hunting camp; for Johnson it’s a refuge from deadlines. During trips to Henderson Lake, where the boat resides, Johnson discovers the best place to get a po boy or crawfish etouffee. She sees the locals spend every last nickel on colorful, exuberant Christmas decorations. She learns her new neighbors would give her the shirts off their backs.

She and Grierson sell the houseboat and buy a house there. Johnson is at her best while observing the people’s simple ways amid a life that is often one of poverty. She befriends the local latch-key kids, providing them with books, arts and crafts, and occasionally some mac ’n cheese. Johnson sees her new Cajun friends warts and all and is unafraid to speak of the drug problems, the lingering racism. But she also waxes preachy at times. She recalls the northerners who move south and tell everyone “how we did things back home,” then goes on to criticize her Henderson neighbors for not keeping their yards tidy. She hasn’t much use for conservatives (“the Grand Wizards have all morphed into Young Republicans”), so it’s amusing to watch this “progressive” justify her need for two homes. Still, if you’ve ever visited Acadiana, or simply want to, you will enjoy the “visitor tours” Johnson gives her houseguests, whether they’re visiting alligators in the swamp, eating a meal at the local diner, or touring the Tabasco factory. It’s a tour well worth taking, and Johnson makes an affable guide. NCM

IF YOU’RE A BOOK LOVER, BE SURE AND VISIT OUR BOOK NOOK ONLINE BOOK BLOG. GO TO: NCMAGBOOKNOOK.BLOGSPOT.COM

Historic Downtown Newnan’s Premier Bookseller

SCOTT’S BOOK STORE Ser v i ng Ne wn an Since 1976

Visit us in historical downtown Newnan — We are your independent book store Special Orders Personal Service Book Clubs Welcome -ONDAY &RIDAY s 3ATURDAY

28 SOUTH COURT SQUARE, NEWNAN, GEORGIA 30263

770.253.2960

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things I’ve learned ... as a Food Inspector As told to Elizabeth Richardson

Sherry Beasley is Coweta County’s Environmental Health Specialist Level IV Supervisor. It is her job to issue permits to food service establishments and tourist accommodations, then re-inspect them on a cycle of six months. Beasley has been a food inspector here for eight years. She and one part time helper are responsible for regulating Coweta’s 250-300 foodrelated businesses. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Spelman College.

(1) During my childhood, people would thaw meat in the sink at room temperature and leave food on the stovetop until each family member got home. As I transitioned into this profession, I learned that that is a violation of the rules. I stay on the family about “you can’t do this and you can’t do that.” Sometimes they say “Get out of my kitchen.” (2) Before becoming employed by the Health Department, I never thought I’d change the way I view one of my pastimes – eating at my favorite restaurants with family and friends. But, there’s more to it than just the food. I get calls from friends in Newnan looking for a restaurant. They ask me, “Is it okay to eat here?” (3) I find it interesting to view the food flow as it moves through the facility to become the delicious meal that is served to the table. Some prep areas are maintained as beautiful as the dining areas. Some food handlers handle the food as though it was their very own meal. (4) Most people in the food service industry have a common goal – to prevent food-borne illness. I consider myself a team member because I help establishments provide safe food. I work with the public to determine which places need more of my attention. (5) The public pays attention to the inspection score more than I realized. As a result, the awareness of food safety has increased for both the food service industry and the public. (6) I could eat a free lunch every day, but I want to be fair and do my inspections by the book. Anything else would be unethical. (7) Training never ends. There are always more classes to take to stay abreast of changes in the rules. Food service employees also continue to receive training. The more trained they are, the easier my job becomes. (8) The growth of incoming food service establishments can seem overwhelming. More and more food service applications come in – some wanting to open yesterday. When I’m busy trying to get those last inspections done for the sixmonth period, I become a juggler tossing things around to accomplish them all. When I reach my goals, I breathe a sigh of relief – then it’s time to start all over again. (9) I’m sometimes viewed as the bearer of bad news, because the major part of my job is to bring attention to others’ deficiencies. No one likes to hear about his or her shortcomings. I try to accentuate the positive. Sometimes I feel like a parent must feel when they praise good behavior – in my case, corrections from the previous inspection. (10) I think a large part of life is about personal growth and touching the lives of others. Before this job, I did not consider myself a people person, and I didn’t like making decisions. I try to treat people with respect, which is the way I want to be treated. Sometimes we have to be pushed to grow to our fullest potential. NCM 98

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Founded in 1972, Bank of Coweta remains determined to offer the finest in financial services. Over the years we have made quality, service, and convenience a tradition. We’ve grown from one branch on Jefferson Street in Newnan to six branches in the areas of Newnan, Senoia, and Thomas Crossroads. Our affiliation with SynovusŽ gives us the flexibility of making local banking decisions while providing stronger financial services.

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