Newnan-Coweta Magazine, May/June 2008

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MAGAZINE Established 1995 A publication of The Times-Herald President

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CONGRATULATIONS KIM SEWELL OF NEWNAN! Kim is the winner of our most recent book giveaway, Private Gardens of Georgia.

contents F May/June 2008

eatures

16 A COWETAN IN CHINA Going to China for the Summer Olympics? You won’t want to miss Kendall Marchman’s account of the year he has spent teaching at a university in China.

15 COWETA TRAVELS 36 A MAMMOTH ADVENTURE It’s the world’s longest cave, and Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is also one of North America’s oldest tourist attractions. Join the Knight family of Newnan on their mammoth caving adventure.

40 A CHILD’S WONDERLAND The bedrooms Tina Neely has designed for her children are truly delightful, and now this “it girl” of local decorating

22 MUSH YOU HUSKIES! Join Janet Flanigan on a Girlfriend Getaway to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she and some gal pals went dogsledding in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

shares some of her latest design ideas that are sure to spark bedroom envy.

48 SUMMER AMUSEMENTS Michelle Landrein, a longtime TimesHerald Teen Board member, polls her classmates about their favorite summer amusement parks.

52 TIME FOR VBS Almost the minute school lets out, churches all over the county open their doors for Vacation Bible School. Find out what’s hot in the high-tech world of VBS today.

64 HISTORIC SENOIA PROJECT Senoia has been undergoing something of a renaissance, and nowhere is the effort on display more than Main Street in Senoia.

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28 CZECH THIS OUT After serving as a host home for Czech exchange student Alena Krejcova a few years back, it was time for Liz Barnett of Newnan and some friends to visit Alena on her home turf in the Czech Republic.

Restaurants and retail shops are already open, and a new residential development is in the works.

68 A MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATION Senoia will pay tribute to veterans at the town’s annual Memorial Day Celebration on May 26.

76 MY FRIEND JIMMY William F. Starnes is the winner of the Second Annual Newnan-Coweta Magazine Writing Contest.

80 FILLING THE AIR WITH SONG Roy Yancey has been playing the harmonica since age 7, and it was quite natural that he became a collector of the instruments as well.

D epartments 60 FAMILY FUN

84

Twice the size of its predecessor, the new World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta displays many never-before-seen artifacts relating to the popular soft drink. Not surprisingly, kids love it.

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72 COWETA COOKS Carol Wieting doesn’t particularly like to cook, but family and friends know this busy Surgical ICU Nurse is actually quite gifted in the kitchen.

84 MEET A READER Dr. Phillip Swords reveals a hankering to live in Wyoming and his favorite local sandwich.

86 SADDLE UP

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Elsa Sibley thought she was giving up riding horses to concentrate on her painting, but this horse lover soon realized she needed both passions in her life.

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92 LOCAL HERITAGE Dr. John Henry Jordan was Newnan’s first black doctor, and the Newnan house he called home turns 100 this year. Read a tribute from his greatgranddaughter.

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92 14

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

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> FROM THE EDITOR’S PEN

Words that matter

H

aving had the pleasure of reading all the entries in this year’s Newnan-Coweta Magazine Writing Contest, I’m a little more wordobsessed than usual these days. Some of these writers really know how to turn a phrase, and I love that. It inspires me to think about my own writing, and the words I use, and the thoughts I hope to convey.

There’s another source of writerly inspiration I’ve been mulling over here in Coweta County, though: the lowly bumper sticker.

My commute home is a 20-25 minute sojourn that typically involves a 5:30-ish backup near Greison Trail and a pause or two along Lower Fayetteville before I finally break through the traffic at Thomas Crossroads and arrive home. That means I see quite a few bumper stickers in a typical week.

The one I found most intriguing was on a white van and said simply, “Packaging Matters.” Packaging? What kind of packaging?

Did someone say packaging doesn’t matter? Do we have some packaging inferiority complex going on?

I was thinking peanuts-and-bubble-wrap packaging, but a girlfriend suggested the bumper sticker means packaging as in gift-wrap.

“Of course it matters, especially to people like

me and you!” she proclaimed. Indeed it does, but I just want to know what that bumper sticker means.

Politically, may I just say that we are a dull bunch these days? I see a few faded “W” stickers, the occasional “Kerry-Edwards” bumper sticker, and two bright shiny “Obama ’08” bumper stickers (spotted downtown, if that matters). Maybe it’s just too early in the season …

One morning, I got behind a car with a Carroll County tag that had an interesting combination of messages. On top of the back window was one of those creepy “COEXIST” bumper stickers sporting a hodgepodge of religious symbols indicating that the driver believes in everything (or nothing, depending on how you look at it). It was accompanied by two more stickers, one reading “I (Heart) Zombies” and another reading “Go Vegan or Die.” Another day, I hit paydirt. The cling-style stickers on the car indicated an artist was inside, and I grabbed the notebook I keep with me at all times and wrote down the web address. If all works out, you’ll be reading about her work in our November/December issue.

Keep those bumper stickers coming, please.

They make the drive a lot more interesting!

Fondly,

Angela McRae, Editor Newnan-Coweta Magazine Congratulations to William F. Starnes, winner of the Second Annual Newnan-Coweta Magazine Writing Contest. His winning essay, "My Friend Jimmy," begins on page 76.

Our second place winner was Angie L. Lovell of Newnan for “Bagpipes in Town Square,“ and third place was Amy Fuster of Grantville for “My Hero, The Fifth Grader.“ Their entries can be read online at newnancowetamagazine.com.

Congratulations to all our winners!

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A Cowetan in China | 16 Czech it out | 28

Mush You Huskies! | 22 A Mammoth Adventure | 36

Newnan’s Marchman ending year of teaching in China Story and photos by Kendall Marchman remember tossing and turning the majority of the night before I left for China. I was leaving to teach English at a university in a “small” suburb in China for one year. My mind could not take a break, and I wasn’t sure what was motivating it — excitement, anxiousness or fear. It was the first time I would be living in another country.

Once I arrived, I realized it wasn’t like living in another country at all, but another world. Rarely, if ever, is a white, middle-class Southerner in any sort of minority. In China, however, I truly was “the other.” Heads would turn when I walked down the street, people would snicker or shout “Hello!”, and strangers would want me to pose for a picture with their child. At first these experiences were uncomfortable, if not frustrating, but as I overcame my culture shock and began to realize the warmth of the people, and the richness of the country’s land and heritage, China evolved into a life-long passion.

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Clockwise from top: Beautiful Mt. Tai in Tai'an; a panda in Chengdu; Prayer Garden at the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai.

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China has long been a popular destination on the world travel scene.

Since the days of the romanticized Silk Road, tales of the zhong guo (middle kingdom) have sparked the imaginations and wanderlust of Westerners. China’s history is crowded with famous travelers and conquerors – both Asian and European – yet a distinct Chinese identity has survived through all the turmoil. The identity is found not only in the people but also the land itself resonates it, as if it were aware of its own beauty and uniqueness. In spite of all this, many Westerners, especially Americans, have lost their affinity for this once mysterious land – mostly due to China’s politically troubled 20th Century. That is why China and Beijing are putting every resource into the 2008 Olympic Games in hopes of restoring the world’s infatuation with its rich heritage.

Traveling to China is as easy, and inexpensive, as ever. Many airlines offer non-stop flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from select American airports. Perhaps the only remaining difficulty is planning where to visit. Trying to visit all of China in a single trip is all but impossible. However, China’s cheap, reliable railways and fast-developing

From top: Kendall Marchman poses at a snowy city wall in Xi'an overlooking classic Chinesestyle buildings; The Great Wall; and Kendall in Sanya.

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airline industry can ensure that good trip planners will be rewarded. Do not let the language barrier be a reason to stay home; many Chinese are very happy to have an English conversation with an actual American (not to mention a Cowetan). That said, a simple phrase guide can be invaluable in train stations, airports and taxicabs if you don’t speak any Mandarin. Here are a few more travel tips you will need to be aware of: Visas are necessary to enter China, but there are many companies (like Amerivisa) that can get one quickly.

Some immunizations are recommended, but none is required.

Hop in a taxi and take a “crash course” in the dangers of being a complacent pedestrian in China before walking the streets. And lastly, do not drink the water lest you desire a plague that would make even Montezuma faint.

China offers something for each type of traveler — sightseers, history buffs, outdoorsmen, gourmands, and of course, shoppers. The Great Wall is arguably the most fantastic humanmade site on earth. There are many different areas of the wall to visit, though most tourists see the wall at Badaling, northwest of Beijing.

However, I highly recommend

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The Gate of Heavenly Peace sports its famous portrait of Mao. MAY/JUNE

2008

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China’s famous Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an

getting away from crowds and visiting the wall at Mutianyu.

I remember gasping unexpectedly the first time I spied the Wall snaking along the peaks of the rugged mountain range. Pictures hardly served as preparation for the magnitude of its length, or the beauty of its scenic surroundings. Hiking atop the wall was one of those surreal, yet defining, moments in my life; however, steep climbs and dangerous descents soon demanded my full concentration. After completing my hike, I happened upon a toboggan ride back down the mountain.

Zipping down away from the wall and through the lush forest is an experience I highly recommend. Also, don’t forget to purchase the essential “I Climbed the Great Wall” t-shirt; I bought a few just in case.

The majority of travelers to China wind up in Beijing, Shanghai

or Hong Kong, and for good reason; those cities can entertain even the most finicky of tourists for weeks.

However, I have found that true Chinese culture is best experienced away from those hyper-modernized cities. Xi’an, in the center of China, is a wonderful city that provides travelers with a modern environment yet has not lost touch of its authentic Chinese culture. Xi’an boasts a rich history, and one of the only remaining city walls in China.

The huge wall surrounds the

heart of the city and really gives it a unique feel. Within the walls, many of the buildings showcase that instantly recognizable Chinese architecture. Xi’an also has a mustsee site, the famous Terracotta Warriors. The archaeological marvel can really jumpstart your interest in Chinese history, a fascinating subject.

If you like to shop, the city has a Muslim quarter where hundreds of vendors sell everything from designer handbags and watches to traditional Chinese mementos. Although the Muslim quarter is one of the cheapest places to buy mementos in all of China, always bargain! The vendors expect it, so they normally raise their prices, especially for the waiguoren (foreigners).

I have hardly begun to touch on the limitless travel opportunities in China. The Gobi desert, complete with two-humped camels and oases, lies to the northwest of Xi’an. In Dunhuang, the adventurous traveler can “sandboard” the dunes of the Gobi. If beaches and coconut milk are more your style, visit the incredibly relaxed beach town of Sanya on the southern island of Hainan. The scenery and beaches rival other popular beach retreats, and numerous five-star resorts and spas have taken residence.

Whether you desire adventure, relaxation, or just something entirely new, China will deliver. Personally, this journey continues to be an unforgettable experience that defines who I am and will become. What will it do for you?

Kendall Marchman will return to the States in July after a year in China.

Someday, he hopes to run into a fellow Cowetan on a Chinese street. Kendall will be starting his Ph.D. in religions of Asia at the University of Florida in August. NCM

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You Story and photos by Janet Flanigan

The Girlfriends’ Getaway to Jackson Hole, Wyo. included Rose Alexander, Janet Flanigan of Newnan, Cathy Pursley, Portia Hendrick and Susan Darby.

n our house growing up, I used to hear the unusual phrase “Mush you Huskies, Mush!” but it was always used in the context of cheering on my dad’s college football alma mater, the University of Washington Huskies. This past January, the term “Mushing” took on a whole new meaning when some of my best girlfriends and I went on an exotic adventure we aren’t likely to ever forget – we went dogsledding in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest!

It all began innocently enough – doesn’t it always? – when we planned a “girls’ trip” to Jackson Hole. The friends hail from Newnan (me), Atlanta (Portia, Rose), Augusta 22

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(Susan, Cathy) and Charleston (Mary), and we’ve begun to get progressively more adventurous in our trips the older we’ve gotten.

We’ve done beach trips and mountain getaways for years, like so many women do, and we’ve always had a fantastic time.

In the fall of 2007, we changed things up with a luxe and relaxing escapade to St. Lucia, British Virgin Islands, which caught us snorkeling to peek at octopus, island-hopping on rickety wooden watercraft and waving to someone at Mick Jagger’s house from a speedboat. So the trip to Jackson Hole had a lot to live up to ... but we knew it would be incredible from the get-go because our creative artist-friend Portia was the instigator.

Her unique perspective opens everyone’s mind to new experiences and different types of people.

When planning our outdoor adventure, we recognized we aren’t big skiers, so we looked at a website offering other ventures including snowmobile trips into Yellowstone (awesome, but 12 hours long), snowshoeing treks (hmmm) and dogsledding (Yes!). We all thought this sounded great and we were on board.

We were actually picked up at our house by a man named Ron and driven about 45 minutes to the southern edge of Jackson Hole to Jackson Hole Iditarod Sled Dog Tours. Frank Teasley is the 23-year dogsledding veteran who operates this company. He is a six-time Iditarod competitor with a sixth place finish in 1991. Frank won the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award for the best cared-for dog team, and it is obvious his staff clearly value and love their 170 Alaskan sled dogs as family members.

When you first walk into the

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building at Frank’s place, the first thing you notice is … the smell.

Honestly, it’s quite overpowering. But what smells, quite literally, is hundreds of pounds of dog food that they keep inside the building to prevent it from freezing. We are not talking about regular kibble here, but all varieties of ground-up protein mixtures. Don’t ask.

If you arrive woefully underdressed for the cold, or it is even colder than normal, like our day (26 degrees below zero — yes, you read that correctly!), the staff will make sure you are properly outfitted to prevent hypothermia and frostbite.

Next, you meet the dog teams, eight dogs per team, whiskers coated in icicles, pulling against their traces, howling and playing, ready to go. A guide will then break you up into groups of two, assign you to a sled, give you instructions and then — you’re off!

Someone in our group said riding on the trails was like “being inside of a snow globe,” which was a perfect description. It was almost an out-of-body experience — the sun was brilliant against an azure sky; the evergreens were glistening and heavy with snow. All you could hear was the dogs panting and the sled runners shooshing through the snow.

We each had an opportunity to both ride and drive the sled. At first, I was a little nervous about this mushing stuff. Even though the dogs are highly-trained, they still like to run right up on dogs in front of them, so I had to constantly slow mine down.

One time a racing team of dogs came up suddenly on our left, and I had to immediately get my team over to the right of the trail so our dogs wouldn’t tangle. It was very exhilarating!

The tours offer full-day trips, complete with meals and a soak in mineral hot springs or a half-day with a hearty lunch served around a little campfire (we did the half-day, which was plenty for us). It was truly an opportunity I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the outdoors.

Jackson Hole is known for its incredible shopping, and we certainly primed the economy a bit, but I don’t think we bought nearly as much as the shopkeepers hoped, considering all that we tried on and debated. And being the good friends that we are, we even talked each other out of some purchases that seemed like a good idea at the time

but wouldn’t have seemed so prudent back home – the saying “that’s what friends are for” wasn’t invented for nothin’! We ate some incredible meals and ordered in a couple of times, and all in all it was a perfect time spent with great friends.

I know that I am truly blessed in my life to have such amazing women that have been in my life for many, many years. I am fortunate to go on these wonderful adventures with them and laugh so hard that my stomach muscles literally hurt for it. I have had the greatest of good fortune to be married to a wonderful man who not only says “yes, go” but encourages these vacations because he knows how much it means to me and makes me happy. And I am lucky to share these adventures with you, so maybe you will be able to become inspired to go “mush some huskies”

or some other adventure you never dreamed of doing. Then write and tell me all about it — we’re waiting to hear your tales! NCM

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it out

Cowetan visits her former exchange student in the Czech Republic Story and photos by Liz Barnett

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OCTOBER 17, 2007 – I’m sitting at the Atlanta airport with my travel companions Judy Moore, her daughter Katie Harrison and Sharon Ingram. We are on our way to the Czech Republic to visit Alena Krejcova, an exchange student who lived with my family back in 1994 and attended East Coweta High School. Judy and Katie were especially close to Alena and had already visited her in Czech many times. My friend Sharon also knew Alena and was ready for our big adventure.

OCTOBER 18, 2007 – Prague! We made it! The flight was as smooth as my Ambien-induced dream. My first lesson in Europe is that not everyone speaks English, and apparently many of the Czechs feel a bit of the resentment we presumed they would.

My second lesson is, we Americans pack way too much “stuff.” When we arrived at our flat (I love referring to this as our “flat” instead of our “apartment”), I realized there was no “lift” (elevator), just huge concrete steps for us to climb with all that luggage.

The ceilings are high, the floors are old wood, and it is so European yummy I’m in love already. Katie sleeps. Judy, Sharon and I decide to explore. Katie knows 50 words of Czech, we know zero. We explore the area for a while and decide to get something warm to eat before heading back to our flat.

Our first meal in Prague is Goulash because it’s the only word on the menu we recognize other than “Pig Knuckle.” Alena meets us at the apartment, I mean “flat,” and after kisses and hugs she leads us to the Metro. We are going to dinner at an Italian place she knows. I’ve always wanted to “mind the gap” (watch your step) at the Metro Station.

OCTOBER 19, 2007 – The dollar is weak … bummer. But it does mean less “stuff ” to drag back to the States. Judy drops our cell phone, and people are staring at us as we stand in the street and Sharon puts it back together. Hey, did I just hear someone say “Blby Americané”? (“Stupid Americans.”) We are at the Charles Bridge.

It is a pedestrian bridge and is decorated by MAY/JUNE

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The Charles Bridge is known for its statues, including the one below depicting the blinded clockmaker, Master Hanus.

Georgians traveling in the Czech Republic include, front from left, Sharon Ingram of Gay, Judy Moore of Moreland and daughter Katie Harrison, and Liz Barnett of Newnan with her former exchange student, Alena Krejcova. At back are some friends of Alena.

A view from Prague

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St. Vitus Cathedral

Vetrnik, a glazed roll with fresh cream in the middle, at left, was Liz Barnett’s favorite culinary find on her visit to Czech Republic. Above, Sharon Ingram and Liz out sightseeing, and at right, a window at St. Vitus Cathedral.

numerous groups of statues. The bridge winds through two huge gates, one facing Old Town and the other Lesser Town, both in Gothic style. Most of the statues at the Charles Bridge have been replaced with replicas, and the originals are in the National Museum, but you’d never know it. We meet Alena, Katie

and many of Alena’s friends to go to the village Alena grew up in and where her parents live, Pribram. We will be staying a few days, so here we go again with all our luggage.

The little cars we are traveling in look as if they will drag the ground.

In Pribram, Alena’s mother is outside waiting for us. She speaks

only a few words of English but is delightful. She ushers us in to a table full of food. She says one of the few English words she knows, one I will hear the entire time at her house: “Eat!” Later, we attend a dinner in our honor with Alena’s family and friends. Everyone is so gracious.

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with my collection at home. These would be my favorite â&#x20AC;&#x153;findsâ&#x20AC;? of the trip. I also find beautiful teacups for my friend Angela. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll love them. Alenaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dad takes us out for dinner. Sharon is ecstatic to see French fries on the menu! I have to admit, they taste delightful.

OCTOBER 24, 2007 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Back to Prague!

Judy has purchased many bottles of wine as Liz and Mrs. Krejcova Musicians on the Charles Bridge

OCTOBER 23, 2007 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; We went to the square of Pribram today to shop. It was so lovely walking down cobbled streets in the snow. I do love snow! We stopped in an antique store, where I must admit I felt faint with delight. I bought some old metal spice canisters with the names of the spices written in Czech, and an old wind-up clock to go

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The Jewish Cemetery in Prague

gifts, and her suitcase looks as though it will burst at the seams. “Do you think this suitcase is over 50 pounds?” she asks me. “Absolutely,” I say. She takes out 8 or 10 chocolate bars. “What about now?” she asks. “Blby Americané,” I say.

OCTOBER 25, 2007 – Katie and Alena decide to ditch us, but no matter. Judy, Sharon and I set out to explore Prague on our own. We start at Prague Castle, a gigantic architectural complex which is almost a city within a city. Then it’s on to Schwarzenberg Palace, one of the most perfect expressions of Czech Renaissance style in Prague. I was speechless, moved, in awe. It seemed there was not one inch of Prague that didn’t

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A scenic view from last fall in Prague

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have some spectacular architecture, some extraordinary view, some rich piece of history.

However, in the midst of all this beauty, was it my imagination or could you still feel the remnants of oppression left from the communist rule?

OCTOBER 26, 2007 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; It was snowing and we were running! We were trying to make it to the Astronomical Clock by the top of the hour so we could watch the skeletons pop out. The Astronomical Clock was built in 1490 by Master Hanus. It is truly a mechanical marvel. Legend has it Hanusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; eyes were gouged out by the reigning government so he could never duplicate the clock for any other country. We made it to the clock in time (no pun intended) and moved on to the Jewish Cemetery. Up until 1787 the cemetery continued to be used to bury the dead of the Jewish community. The space became insufficient to hold new tombs. The Jewish religion bans desecration of tombs, so nothing could be moved.

The solution at the time was to stack the coffins on top of each other, at least 14 layers deep. Inside the museum were pictures drawn by children of either themselves or their parents being taken away to the concentration camps. Out of all the splendor, marble, history, and architecture of Prague, it is here I was moved the most.

IS RELOCATING TO THOMAS CROSSROADS JUNE 1ST! We’re moving from 58 Hospital Road, Newnan to 20 Francis Place, Sharpsburg.

OCTOBER 28, 2007 –Home!

We have had a great trip but are all missing our families and home. As we board the plane in Prague, a flight attendant looks at me and says “Hey honey, are you ready to get back to good ole Atlanta GA? You look like you could use a nice big Coca-Cola.” I thought I might cry, or at the very least lay my head on her shoulder, which was going to be awkward for everybody. I was so happy not only to hear English but that good old Southern accent!

On the way home, we briefly discuss what our next trip might be. Maybe Ireland. I could use a good sweater made from sheep abiding in the Irish countryside.

When we arrive in Atlanta and go through customs, I anxiously await those words I long to hear anytime I leave my country. The agent looks at me, looks at my passport, and with a big smile says “Welcome home.” “It’s good to be here,” I answer. NCM

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A

Adventure

By Leigh Knight | Photos courtesy of Leigh Knight and the National Park Service

e had talked it up for four months, three days and the entire six-hour car ride from Newnan to Cave City, Ky. In fact, ever since we found out about my husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family reunion in the area, we spoke of little else. Yet, here I stood frozen, having plunked down money for my husband, me and our three children, then ages 4, 7, and 15, to take the historic tour.

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“Expect to spend two hours in the cave,” the ranger said. “Tours start in five minutes.”

Panic hit me. Despite the talk, I had been uneasy about visiting a cave, even one called Mammoth Cave.

“Two hours in a cave – with kids!” I whispered vehemently to my husband. “What about potty breaks?”

“It’s up to you,” he said, which is code for “Don’t blame me later if this goes wrong.”

My children grabbed my hands and pulled excitedly in the direction of the guide. Curiosity got the best of me and down, down we went.

As we followed our guide through an expansive, highway-like tunnel known as Broadway Avenue, I realized we had chosen wisely. This was no ordinary cave. With 365 miles of mapped and surveyed passages and no end in sight, Mammoth is by far the world’s longest.

The cave wasn’t stuffy as I imagined. Quite the opposite, in fact. The air was fresh, clean and a comfortable 54 degrees year round.

So comfortable that early Methodist settlers used to have church services inside.

Time passed quickly as we learned of its amazing history. The cave is one of the oldest tourist attractions in North America, with tours being offered since 1816. Over 2,000 years ago, Indians went inside the dark cave to scrape a white mineral called gypsum off the walls and ceilings. One such Indian was “Lost John,” whose visit ended tragically when a five-ton rock fell and killed him. Lost John lay perfectly preserved in the cave air for hundreds of years until 1935 when two cave guides discovered him.

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Lodging at the park includes campsites and the Mammoth Cave Hotel as well as several nearby bed and breakfasts. The kitschy town of Cave City offers several newer hotels, but none as unique as the Wigwam Village Inn #2, where guests can sleep in (what else?) wigwams. The wigwams are spacious enough for one and two double beds, with original furnishings dating back to the 1930s. The Wigwam Village Inn #2 is the patented idea of Frank A. Redford. Only three of the seven original inns remain.

The other two can be found in Arizona and California.

Jellystone Park Camp Resort, located four miles from Mammoth Cave, offers great campsites and cabins as well, complete with waterslide, pool and miniature golf. When we rode through the gate past Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, my daughter exclaimed, “So, this is Yellowstone!”

What to do?

You can’t miss Dinosaur World – literally. It’s marked by a bigger than life Tyrannosaurus Rex that can be seen from the interstate. This outdoor park has over 150 life-size models of dinosaurs on display. For adults it may seem over the top, but for a four-old-year boy it is awe-inspiring. My husband said our son never let go of his hand during their entire visit. For more information, visit www.dinoworld.net or call 270-773-4345.

Guntown Mountain overlooking Cave City brings to life the old west, with live entertainment, gunfight reenactments, magic shows and more. Notorious outlaw Jesse James is said to have dodged the law amidst the caves and hills of this part of the country.

Just south of Cave City in Bowling Green is the GM Corvette Museum and Assembly Plant where visitors can watch workers build their favorite sports car.

In addition, this area abounds with caves and other fun-filled activities.

For more information on these attractions and others, visit www.cavecity.com.

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Oh, Dick. Look, look.

Look, Mother, look.

For more information on Mammoth Cave, visit http://www.nps.gov/maca or call 270758-2180 Tour prices vary as do duration and degree of difficulty. Our historic tour cost $12 for adults and $8 for youth up to age 12.

Look, Jane. Run, run, run.

One, two, three.

After being on display for many years, Lost John was given a proper burial at an undisclosed location within the cave.

We carefully passed by the “Bottomless Pit,” a pit thought to be bottomless by early explorers because their lantern lights were not bright enough to see the bottom. We tiptoed by the “Giant’s Coffin,” a large rock shaped like a coffin and then squeezed through “Fat Man’s Misery,” twists and turns in the rock formed by water, before climbing the 138 stairs to daylight.

Once on the surface, after a picnic lunch, we took advantage of the 70 miles of scenic trails overlooking the Green River Valley that this national park has to offer.

Above ground was beautiful, but the kids were already planning another trip below.

I looked at my husband and said, “See, and to think, you were worried!” NCM

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Oh, oh, oh.

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Award Winning Author Mae Nunn Invites You To Experience Christian Romance With A Kick!

Coweta resident and Texas native Mae Nunn announces the release of her fifth novel, Lone Star Courtship. When a stuffy Englishman encounters a determined American business woman he finds Camelot in the last place he ever expected – Galveston, Texas! Lone Star Courtship is the latest installment in Mae Nunn’s popular series, Texas Treasures.

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www.MaeNunn.com Facing Life with Love, Laughter and a Whole Lotta Faith!

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ome folks have it and some folks don’t. Tina Neely is definitely one blessed with the “it” factor. In this case, “it” is the ability to imagine a beautiful interior space down to minute details and then carry out her plan to exact specification – while looking fabulous doing it!

Five years ago, Tina and her husband Matt were rapidly outgrowing their Welcome Road farm house. They knew they needed to add square footage to the historic structure to accommodate

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Newnan’s ‘It Girl’ has created her

By Janet Flanigan | Photos by Bob Fraley

the lifestyle demands of son Jackson and twin daughters Elizabeth and Hannah.

“When we first decided to update and remodel, we only had one strict requirement and that was to save our hardwood floors downstairs. Hope Shirey’s granddaddy laid those floors 80 years ago and they were staying!” Tina said as if again needing to emphasize their commitment to keeping the floors. Builder after contractor told the Neelys that the home’s footprint with the floors couldn’t be saved, but then they met Richard Crawford of Cornerstone Construction. “He said he could do what we asked! So I basically designed everything that I wanted and Richard did

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the framing and drywall. Then we took over.â&#x20AC;?

Tina, Matt and family members literally built their home themselves â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the wiring, plumbing, insulation, painting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; everything. It took a year, but the result is spectacular and exactly to Tinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s liking.

The girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bedroom is a candy pink fantasyland and in this case the result is times two. The length of the room holds all the built-ins the girls need and is supremely stylish to boot.

Two regular-size bed nooks fit cozily into the wall and are flanked by twin book shelves on either side. Between the beds, a television set sits inside a

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colors by local artist Trish Fountain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We help out with the youth group at First Baptist Church, and the teen girls all fuss over who gets to stay in this room when they come spend the night with us!â&#x20AC;? No wonder.

But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all lightness and air upstairs at the Neely home. It can get rough and tumble down the hall in brother Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room, which is the envy of his friends at Western Elementary.

Tina was inspired for Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room when her parents gave Jackson a small, classic-looking riding fire truck as a gift several years ago. She thought the fire truck motif would be perfect for a boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room and found a quilt and some other accessories at Pottery Barn Kids.

Certainly Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room is decorated smartly by any standards, but the eye is immediately drawn to a firemanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pole that leads from the middle of his bedroom into a â&#x20AC;&#x153;hidey holeâ&#x20AC;? in the ceiling. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wanted to give Jackson a special place all his own, so we created the secret space in the attic with the firemanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pole for him,â&#x20AC;?

Tina explained. A tiny ladder hidden

in the closet leads up to the special space decorated in a Spongebob Squarepants theme (adults can use the attic ladder), complete with a small tent for sleepovers. Tina says the â&#x20AC;&#x153;secret roomâ&#x20AC;? has the best view in the house! â&#x20AC;&#x153;The firefighters down the street

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have told us they really like Jackson’s room too,” Tina joked. “They all saw the room when the paramedics had to come and check on Jackson when he jumped out of the hidey hole instead of using the pole! (He was fine). Of course, now we have the strict rule, use the pole! No jumping!”

The focus in the Neely home is their children, and the kids’ rooms are all about fun and love. The playroom/art room is a dream space for budding Michelangelos or Mary Cassatts. Tina used a special paintby-numbers style pattern to create a huge, colorful barnyard mural on one wall of the room. She layered Sherwin Williams’ magnetic paint and then chalkboard paint to create a magnetized chalkboard directly on an adjoining wall so the children can

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A firetruck theme prevails in Jackson Neely’s bedroom, right down to the fireman’s pole and “hidey hole” up above. At right, a family friend demonstrates how to safely slide down the pole.

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create masterpieces when they’re inspired. There are cubbies and containers for everything so supplies are easily accessible when creativity strikes.

Speaking of inspiration, the children really need look no further than their mother for their muse. She is an artist in the truest sense.

Completely self-taught, she creates beautiful things simply for the pleasure it gives her. She’s found a creative outlet in her company, BellaChristine, designing custom jewelry, handbags and many other decorative items and she’s now helping people with home interiors as well.

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A TEEN’S TAKE ON

By Times-Herald Teen Board Member Michelle Landrein | Photos courtesy of Six Flags Over Georgia If you want to find a horde of teenagers when school’s out, the first place you should search is an amusement park. A redundant reason for this would be that amusement parks are designed for the purpose of, well, amusement!

Within the different amusement parks in Georgia, both families and teenagers can be spotted. I conducted an informal survey in my English class to discover what theme park was everyone’s favorite, and why. Out of 14 participants, 12 voted for Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, north of Atlanta. Somehow, I had a feeling that this would be the case.

Since 1967, Six Flags Over

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Georgia has been providing thrills, spills and chills for people throughout the South. It’s no wonder they’re so popular; they are the only Six Flags in the South, with Texas being the next nearest location. Plus, Six Flags Over Georgia has had over 40 years of time to improve and make new additions.

I received several enthusiastic responses at the mere

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Several raved about the numerous Coke Zones that are distributed around the park. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true that on a hot July afternoon in Georgia, a cool mist raining down on you is extremely refreshing!

And due to the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enormity, a new feature is discovered on every visit. I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t aware of the fact that Six Flags hosts its own Laser Tag game center until John and Michael mentioned this as one of their

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favorite attractions.

My Mom has a T-shirt depicting a frantic hen furiously attempting to escape a rollercoaster ride. The giant purple letters read: Coaster Chicken.

Both my mother and I are, indeed, rollercoaster chickens, and most likely forever will be. Unlike my mom though, I can handle a few twists, turns and dives.

Nauseating loops, flips, or other movements defying my natural sense of balance are a different story though! So, desperate to rid myself of my fright of roller coasters in general, I turned to my friends for advice. Unanimously, their answer was the Scream Machine, the simplest of all â&#x20AC;&#x153;adultâ&#x20AC;? roller coasters at Six Flags.

Naturally I had already been on another popular family rollercoaster called

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... instead of staying at home, go and enjoy yourself ... the Dahlonega Mine Train. Last summer was a milestone for me since I ventured beyond the kiddie coaster and bravely fastened myself into the seemingly perilous ride, the Scream Machine. I must admit to others who are terrified of attempting to ride a rollercoaster, it is truly worth it to give it a shot on the Scream Machine. Of course there are people whose views are the polar opposite of mine when it comes to what I call pure fright.

Take my friend Kristin for example.

“Six Flags Over Georgia is definitely my favorite amusement park because of the thrill and rush I get while riding the roller coasters!

Just walking through the front gates and seeing all the excitement around

me is reason enough,” she said.

Besides Six Flags, there are several other amusement parks that teenagers enjoy. One of them is Stone Mountain, a popular destination for families and tourists.

The most popular attraction at Stone Mountain is by far the laser show. This is a must for everyone, especially Georgia newcomers, as I was seven years ago, because it’s truly spectacular. And if you’re looking for something to do with your family that’s closer to home, check out Dixie Land Fun Park in Fayetteville!

So this weekend or this summer, instead of staying at home, go and enjoy yourself at your favorite amusement park! NCM

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A SUMMER FAVORITE:

Creative themes part of Coweta kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Vacation Bible School in 2008

By W. Winston Skinner | Photos courtesy of The Times-Herald

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Joanne Underwood works with children to complete a blanket as part of the "Fiesta"-themed Vacation Bible School last year at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church. The blankets — which featured "Jesus Love Me" In English and Spanish — were donated to Community Welcome House.

MY FIRST MEMORY of Vacation Bible School was at White Oak Associate Reformed Presbyterian on Gordon Road.

That was 44 summers ago. Mom was expecting my twin brothers. In retrospect, I realize my grandmother, who grew up attending White Oak ARP, saw a way for me to have fun, Mom to get some much needed rest and White Oak to up its VBS enrollment by one.

A striking memory from that 1964 Bible School is the “TV program” we made. Someone had cut a “screen” out of a large box. We drew pictures with crayons, and our art was taped into a long strip that ran between two dowels. It wasn’t a DVD, but it used the technology and creativity of teachers and VBS pupils of that day and time.

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Vacation Bible School began in 1898 when a Baptist lady, a doctor’s wife, started a summer outreach to children on New York’s East Side. The idea took off, and soon VBS became a tradition for children throughout the United States.

In Coweta County, Vacation Bible School represents a major effort for most churches — large and small. Myra Wells of Oaklawn Baptist Church has been involved in VBS training for the Western Baptist Association for more than a decade.

She got started in 1996 to help Debbie McKoy, who took a leadership role in the association’s VBS emphasis for years. Debbie had a VBS legacy herself.

Her mother, Catherine Hill, was a strong believer in VBS as long as I knew her.

Today’s VBS programs are creative and appeal to youngsters who live in the computer game, electronic entertainment world.

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Laura Farmer, director of childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs at Cornerstone United Methodist Church at Thomas Crossroads, told me Cornerstone uses Group literature for most of its programs. This summer, Cornerstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s volunteers will be mounting Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PowerLab VBS, which will use science to add a new layer to the summer tradition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are higher

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expectations these days,” Laura said. Children have much more exposure to books and entertainment, and teachers expect more — and see that children are ready to do more — than in the past. Laura noted that even younger VBS children often have been in some kind of preschool program.

David C. Cook has “Cosmic City” this summer, with an outer space theme. Gospel Light’s VBS offering is SonWorld, which has a theme park setting. Other themes for 2008 use the rainforest, the beach and a treehouse as starting points for sharing the gospel with children.

I remember some pictures a few years back of Mike Lettau donning a fedora to be “Indianapolis Jones,” an adventurous character, at a Zion Lutheran VBS that bore a resemblance to some popular

770 -251- 8940 Daniel Ausbun Jr. checks out the 167 pounds of pennies gathered by boys during VBS at First Baptist Church of Moreland.

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Harrison Ford films. Then a few years later at our church â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mt. Zion Baptist near Alvaton â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Lory Pendergrast mounted a massive, fun, ocean-themed VBS. The curriculum feaured some cartoon fish who had to come from the same family tree as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Finding Nemoâ&#x20AC;? cast.

Creativity is important. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really think it does help to attract the kids,â&#x20AC;? Laura Farmer said.

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s VBS from Lifeway, the Southern Baptist publication arm, is Outrigger Island, which has a Hawaiian flavor. Myrna noted that today, Lifeway provides a list of crafts which are made from easily purchased materials and which relate to the theme.

She and I both recalled the many crafts made from egg cartons, toilet paper rolls and paper plates. It was popular for awhile there to glue pasta on something and spray paint it gold, and I still wonder how long it took Mrs. Louise Arnall to gather empty ice cream gallon containers and wallpaper swatches for us to

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Fifth graders from VBS at First United Methodist Church of Newnan spend a morning helping Derenda Rowe at the Coweta Community Food Pantry. From left are, front, Jay McNight, Seve Gaines, A J Rector, Brady Barnes, Jay Robeson, Alex Hall, Joshua Morse, Joan Exner; middle, Kinsey Adams, Rebecca Barron, Emily Exner, Nora Powell, Arden Jobe; top, Margaret Miller, Tori Loveless, Isabella Plonk, Rowe.

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make wastepaper baskets at Luthersville Baptist for youth VBS 35 years ago now.

Most churches hold VBS at night nowadays. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So many of your mothers in your church work. Mothers work just as much as daddies do,â&#x20AC;? Myra reflected. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the time to put things together that our mothers did.â&#x20AC;?

Laura noted that the evening VBS time also allows people who do not have children to take part. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It takes quite a few workers,â&#x20AC;? she said.

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___ [\WVMJZQLOM MTK KWU Music is a fun part of Vacation Bible School. These energetic singers are at First Baptist Church of Newnan.

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Emma and Audrey Huddlestun enjoy popsicles with their mother, Jenny Huddlestun, during Vacation Bible School Family Night at First Baptist Church of Newnan.

VBS offers fun, food and creative crafts, activities and songs.

The spiritual truths emphasized at Vacation Bible School tend to be the basics. Laura Farmer said Cornerstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s VBS is not very sectarian. The enrollment â&#x20AC;&#x201D; last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high attendance was 186 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; includes children who attend Cornerstone regularly, youngsters from the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preschool program and children from the area who do not usually come to church there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely across the board,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Myra Wells noted that VBS offers an opportunity to tell children â&#x20AC;&#x201C; children who otherwise might not hear â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that Jesus loves them. She said statistics indicate as many as a third of the children who accept Jesus as their Savior each year do so at Vacation Bible School.

Myra said she canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pinpoint all the reasons why so many youngsters get to Vacation Bible School but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t attend Sunday School, worship or other church activities regularly. In any case, the creativity and fun bring children closer to the Bible and its message of love. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Lord,â&#x20AC;? Myra said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;works that way.â&#x20AC;? NCM

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> FAMILY FUN

By Leigh Knight | Photos by Leigh Knight and Jeffrey Leo

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the best day of my life,â&#x20AC;? says my ecstatic 6-year-old son, Carson, downing another swig of fizzy Coca-Cola.

As a child who gets soda as a rare treat, he means it.

He and his sisters have just made their way through six different stations dedicated solely to Coca-Cola brands at the NEW World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta. They have sipped, mixed and savored up to 70 different products from around the globe. My daughter found that she loved Sprite Ice from India, while my son decided that there is no better soft drink on Earth 60

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NEWNAN-COWETA

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than Coca-Cola Classic, formulated right here in Georgia.

The NEW World of Coca-Cola shares a space with the Georgia Aquarium on a 20-acre complex named Pemberton Place for the pharmacist who invented Coca-Cola in Atlanta in 1886. The stateof-the art museum is conveniently located across the street from Centennial Olympic Park, offering a great venue for the kids to burn off their sugar high after their tasty tour.

If you visited the previous World of CocaCola at Underground Atlanta, you are in for a treat. The new facility is approximately twice the size and features more than 1,200 artifacts from around the world that have never been displayed to the public before. In fact, only about 50 artifacts from the previous museum are showcased.

Included in the treasure trove is an original Norman Rockwell oil painting that was created for a Coca-Cola calendar in 1931 and a collection of vintage vending machines as well as Coca-Cola print and outdoor advertisements from across time and around the world.

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2008

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61

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WORD TO THE WISE: The approximate tour time is only 90 minutes. You may want to plan another activity before or afterwards such as a picnic in the park or a trip to the aquarium. After our visit, we walked to the CNN Center for lunch. NCM

to get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the bottling process. Guests are given a special commemorative bottle to keep as a souvenir or, if preferred, to consume.

Be sure to stop by the Pop Culture Gallery. The Andy Warhol exhibit is on loan from Pittsburgh’s Warhol Museum through May. You’ll also see the unique art of Gerald Byrd (see photo below) from Carrollton and, perhaps, gain a few ideas of what to do with those empty soda cans. NCM

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Residential, commercial development creating buzz in Senoia

By Jeff Bishop | Photos courtesy of The Times-Herald

hen “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns” recently debuted on over 2,000 screens across the U.S. and became the number two movie in the nation, raking in tens of millions of dollars, it brought a little slice of Senoia to the rest of America – but it also brought a piece of the film industry’s economic pie to Senoia and Coweta County.

The front of the former Hutchinson Hardware building on Main Street was transformed into a bus stop for the film. Crews also filmed on one of the lots owned by Historic Development Ventures, the partnership of Scott Tigchelaar and Paul Lombardi of RiverWood Studios.

It is that partnership that is the driving force behind an ongoing renaissance in the small town. The Historic Senoia Project, begun about two years ago, brings residential and commercial “infill” development to downtown Senoia, blending into the town’s existing century-old buildings.

The ambitious initiative is basically turning the quaint turn-ofthe-century town into a kind of massive period backlot for the studio, which has brought a large number of major film projects –

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New to Main Street in Senoia are Kristie Brooking and Cathy Willis of You’re Invited stationery and invitation shop, far left, and near left, Patricia Wright, owner of the new Steel Magnolias Boutique and Salon in Senoia and her mentor Brenda Pugh. The businesses are among those in the newly renovated building, below, that was for many years home of Hutchinson Hardware.

At left is Frank Maguire of Maguire's Irish Pub in Senoia, which opened St. Patrick’s Day to a capacity crowd, below.

and celebrities like Kevin Costner and Kathy Bates – to the area over the past 20 years.

The idea behind the Historic Senoia Project is to create “shootable” towns for the film and TV industry, Tigchelaar explained, while allowing people to live and work there between the film and TV projects.

When Tigchelaar returned to Senoia several years ago to run RiverWood, an opportunity arose that paved the way for this reinvention of the town. An unfortunate series of events involving stored paint solvent at the historic McKnight cotton gin left the gin’s owner facing financial ruin, Tigchelaar explained.

“They literally had a clock ticking and a gun to their head,” he said.

Tigchelaar acquired the troubled property and now his innovative 11-acre “Gin Property development” is nearing completion. It will have factory lofts, live/work urban townhomes, brownstones and single-family homes, all designed to fit the early 1900s architecture.

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The residences will be built with back alleys to allow for the area to be used as a live â&#x20AC;&#x153;backlot,â&#x20AC;? where film and TV productions can simulate whatever town they need for their production. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be foolish not to lay it out in order to be more conducive for film projects,â&#x20AC;? Tigchelaar said.

He explained with the brownstones, the production companies simply need to park some New York taxicabs and some faux subway entrances to recreate New York City â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an expensive location to shoot. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The (subway platform) stairs donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go anywhere, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll look like it,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The Gin development is located at the southern end of Main Street, just across the park from the Senoia Coffee Company. Charles Sykes, owner of the coffee shop, loves the effect the movies are having on the town. While â&#x20AC;&#x153;Meet the Brownsâ&#x20AC;? was filming last fall, his business was up 50 percent.

Movie crew members arrived in droves, he said, as did the residents watching the filming. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how it affects the other businesses, but for us, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great,â&#x20AC;? Sykes said.

He thinks the movies naturally generate interest in the town. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When word gets out that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re filming here, people will come to Senoia to see whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on. And then theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll come back and shop,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It adds a little excitement to peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. It does to mine, anyway.â&#x20AC;?

While Tigchelaar was able to secure the McKnight Gin Property for the residential infill, he felt it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to complete the vision he had for Senoiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revitalization. Tigchelaar pursued

Senoia furniture store owner Frank Hollberg and eventually wound up with 22 lots in downtown Senoia.

The former Hollberg properties on Main Street were developed into Senoiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first three-story building for a restaurant, bar, country radio

Casey and Melissa Smith have been doing a brisk business since opening their new Redneck Gourmet location in Senoia, below and at right.

station 92.5 “The Bear,” and a medical clinic.

“It has the only elevator in Senoia,” Tigchelaar said.

MaGuire’s Irish Pub occupies the basement, and is now the only restaurant in Coweta County that can legally pour drinks on Sundays. The Redneck Gourmet’s second location opened in late March, and the restaurant is getting in on the film theme by featuring a surfboard from the classic film “Apocalypse Now.” Paul Lombardi did special effects for the film and is the owner of the surfboard.

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Other developers are also getting in on the act.

The historic Hutchinson Hardware building on Senoia’s Main Street was sold last September to John Barrow of Peachtree City and now serves as the home of the new “Shoppes on Main Street.”

“John did a wonderful job,” said Geneva Hewett, owner of Table Talk Home Decor, one of the retail shops at the new development. “Everyone is raving about the building.”

The flurry of activity in Senoia has not gone without notice. This winter the Historic Senoia Project won the Revitalization Award at the South Metro Development Outlook conference.

Meanwhile, the Gin Property brownstones, slated to be finished by the end of June, already have a waiting list of 145 people for the 110 homes.

Tigchelaar said most of the interested tenants are Peachtree City empty-nesters who are wanting to downscale from 10,000-square-foot homes.

“They are looking for a walking town,” he said.

“They love the idea of being 25 miles and 100 years from Atlanta, which is our motto.” NCM

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By Alex McRae | Photos courtesy of The Times-Herald

mall town doesn’t mean small time anymore. Ask anyone who’s visited Senoia lately. Especially on Memorial Day. In recent years, downtown Senoia has undergone a transformation as new shops, restaurants and commercial buildings have sprung up, renewing the sense of prosperity and progress locals took for granted before Coweta’s cotton boom busted in the late 1960s.

But Senoia’s success doesn’t stop at new commercial, retail and

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residential offerings. Even as change brings new optimism and opportunity, Senoia remains more committed than ever to honoring its past.

This new attitude is reflected in the city’s Memorial Day celebration, which was revamped two years ago and has quickly become an example of how to do a Big Day right.

“When we were planning the event, we wanted to make sure everything we did reflected on Senoia’s historic character,” said Suzanne Helfman, chairman of

Senoia’s Downtown Development Authority. “We wanted to give the Memorial Day event an old-time feel and so far, people have been very happy with the results. Now it’s something people talk about and look forward to.”

Memorial Day was set aside by Congress years ago to honor all American veterans who died in service to their country. Senoia’s celebration, while centered on veterans, is also a celebration of small town life at its best.

The day-long event opens at 10

a.m. on Monday, May 26, 2008 when artists, craftsmen and vendors pack the sidewalks with merchandise ranging from used CDs to brand new hand-crafted sandals.

No matter your age or interest you’re sure to feel right at home. The Senoia celebration draws a crowd that includes everyone from babes-inarms to senior citizens, and there’s an activity to suit everyone.

History buffs will enjoy the living history exhibit or chatting with Civil War and Revolutionary War reenactors. Auto lovers can drool over the vintage car display, and kids can choose from a variety of activities that include face-painting, sand art, pony rides or a turn on the “big bounce” inflatables.

If they’re lucky, livestock lovers might even spot a few live goats or chickens checking things out.

Official activities kick off at high noon with brief introductory remarks by local officials and honored dignitaries.

The highlight of the day is the 2 p.m. parade. And the Senoia event doesn’t take a back seat to its bigger, brassier counterparts. This year, local World War II veterans will serve as the Grand Marshals, but military veterans of all ages and all branches of service will be honored guests, including the military’s next generation, as represented by the Marine Corps ROTC unit from East Coweta High School.

“It’s a wonderful way for the entire family to celebrate the great contributions of the many veterans from our area,” Helfman said. “We owe them all so much and this is a great way to say thanks for their service and sacrifice.”

The U.S. Army Ground Forces Marching Band from Ft. McPherson will serve up plenty of precision

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marching and military music, but don’t be surprised if you see your friends and neighbors strutting their stuff down Main Street. This parade is definitely not limited to professional marchers.

Local Shrine clubs will be on hand to provide their special brand of parade fun, and local participants will include casual walkers, horseback riders and even a well-mannered (and well-leashed) dog or two.

Public safety and military vehicles will share the street with horse-drawn carriages, vintage autos, decorated golf cars and floats representing dozens of service groups, scout organizations and churches.

After the parade, the Army band will present a concert and the entertainment continues with upand-coming recording artist Marianne Allison.

The day doesn’t end until after dark, with a huge fireworks display at the ball fields on Howard Road.

Memorial Day is the official kickoff to summer. If you’re looking to celebrate the occasion, you won’t find a better place than Senoia. If you’re lucky, you’ll even find a reminder of just how sweet small town life can still be. And if you haven’t been to Senoia in a while, don’t worry. Even if you’re not a neighbor, you’ll be treated like one. NCM

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> COWETA COOKS

THE RELUCTANT CHEF:

By Janet Flanigan | Photos by Bob Fraley

C

arol Wieting is probably representative of many cooks.

Asked to be featured in our magazine, she was somewhat stunned not so much because of her culinary talent but because she doesn’t really like to cook!

“I’m told I’m pretty good at it, but I’d rather spend my time doing something else,” she confided with a laugh. “My cooking style is to stock the freezer for the week with healthy things that my family likes, and then it’s easy when I get home from work.”

If Carol sees chicken breasts on sale, she’ll purchase 35-40 of them and then spend the week assembling main courses to freeze. Then when needed, “I can transfer food to the fridge and be ready to go!” She also looks for recipes with fewer yet healthy ingredients to cut corners whenever possible.

This reluctant chef is probably like a lot of the general population – all people don’t necessarily love being in their kitchens but attempt to feed their families well out of necessity and love.

Carol and her husband Kevin moved to Coweta County from their beloved home state of Maryland for work reasons. And while they miss “the Old Line State,” they and their four

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Carol Wieting children, Nick (18), Carly (14), Zach (11) and Elizabeth (8), have become active residents of Coweta County.

Carol is a member of Walking in Joy Bible Study and recently contributed 30 recipes to the ministry’s cookbook, Cooking in Joy, to support the effort. Many of the recipes she submitted came from Karen Horton, her best friend since nursing school in Maryland. Karen also now lives here in Newnan, and Carol insisted that Karen really should have been our “Coweta Cook” this month.

She says Karen taught her the stocking-the-freezer method and gave her many of her recipes (so possibly watch for Karen in a future issue!).

Carol learned how to cook from her mother and grandmother. She says her mother is an effortless cook who seems to pull meals together from nothing, even for 9 or 10 people. “Me, when I peel onions, I cry, and I don’t know if it’s the onion or the idea of cooking!” she said.

Possibly an exaggeration, but for this busy Surgical ICU Nurse at Grady Memorial, mother, wife, friend, school volunteer, Bible Study devotee and woman of many other activities, she’s found a system that keeps her family happily fed.

Like the generations before her, family means everything. Whether she enjoys cooking or not, she shows her love through her meals, by taking the time to prepare delicious, healthy food for the ones she adores.

Note: Copies of the Cooking in Joy cookbook are available for $20. Go to www.walkinginjoy.org for details.

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13-inch pan. Place 5 lasagna noodles on top, overlapping if necessary. Layer the cheeses next, placing a tablespoon of cottage cheese every three inches or so.

Repeat layers with final layer of sauce on top. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through. Freezes well. Makes two lasagnas.

spread in a layer on a large platter or casserole. Layer tomatoes, jalapenos and olives evenly over top. Generously sprinkle cheese blend over top and serve with tortilla chips. (Tostitos Scoops work well.)

PUMPKIN BREAD

Carol got this recipe from Jeanne Molz and claims her kids go wild over it. She loves it because she can sneak the healthy pumpkin in there!

4-1/2 cups sugar 1-1/2 cups oil 6 eggs 3 cups (or one large can) pumpkin 1/2 cup water 3 teaspoons baking soda 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 3 teaspoons cinnamon 3 teaspoons nutmeg 5-1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (if desired, but makes it really good!)

CAROL WIETING’S LASAGNA

This recipe is a Wieting family favorite.

2-1/2 pounds lean ground beef 2 medium onions 2 heaping tablespoons garlic, chopped 20 lasagna noodles 1 (23-ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 (23-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste 1 large (16-ounce) bag or 1-2 small (10-ounce) bags frozen chopped spinach ( thaw and drain if necessary) 1 pound Swiss cheese 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese 1 (24-ounce) container small curd cottage cheese Place ground beef, onions and garlic in a large pan and brown on the stove. Add tomatoes, paste and spinach. Allow to simmer 15 minutes. Cook lasagna noodles 2-3 minutes less than package directions (may use oven-ready noodles if desired). Slice Swiss cheese in approximately 1-inch by 1/4-inch pieces. Beginning with a layer of sauce, cover the bottom of a 9 x

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THE DIP

That’s what this is called. Carol credits Carla Sterns, her former co-worker, with this recipe. Every time there is a school function, she says she has to bring “The Dip.” 8 ounces cream cheese 8 ounces sour cream 1 package dry ranch dressing 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped 1/3 of a 12-ounce jar of jalapeno slices 2.25-ounce can sliced black olives Fiesta blend shredded cheese Tortilla chips Mix cream cheese, sour cream and dressing thoroughly and

Mix all ingredients, adding flour last and then chocolate chips, if incorporating. May put in miniloaf pans or regular loaf tins.

Spray loaf tins with non stick spray for easy removal. Makes several loaves. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Freezes well.

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In a heavy saucepan, heat half of the chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate and margarine until melted, stirring occasionally. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla and baking powder. Mix in melted chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoons two inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.

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By William F. Starnes

When I was young, living on Reese Street in Newnan in the late 1940s, we had doctors and their families living on both ends of the street. Dr. Jim Arnold had a son, Jimmy. They lived on the LaGrange Street end. Dr. J.O. St. John, on the Greenville Street end, also had a son Jimmy. Both Jimmies were my friends. I lived in the middle of Reese Street, and I alternated in playing with the two Jimmies. The alternation cycle was finely tuned to my acute sense of their parents’ tolerance threshold. “Go home, William,” I heard more than once.

This is dedicated to the Greenville Street Jimmy – Dr. St. John’s boy.

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he St. Johns were good people, always kind and patient with me, and totally dedicated to their only child Jimmy. There was Dr. St. John, “Miss” Virginia (Jimmy’s mother), “Miss” Irene Banks (Jimmy’s grandmother), Jimmy, and the “help.” The “help” was comprised of Cora Mae (the maid), Mammie (the cook), and Irvin and Nathaniel (the

yard men). Jimmy called his grandmother Nannie and the cook Mammie. After many years of friendship I was finally able to distinguish between the two.

The St. Johns had a big, white two-story house with formal gardens and outbuildings. It was a wonderful place for little boys to play, and play we did. It is now the location of Something Special, an apt name for

so memorable a home.

There are so many wonderful things I remember about Jimmy and his family that it is difficult to know where to begin. His back yard is probably a good place to start.

What a great place to play — soft, green grass under a canopy of large pecan trees. We collected large cardboard boxes, like those refrigerators were shipped in, and

made things out of them — boats, forts, hotels — limited only by our imaginations. In warm weather, we would “camp out” in our cardboard creation.

Jimmy’s grandmother, “Miss” Irene Banks, was the aunt of William Banks. That made Mr. Banks and his wife Evelyn Jimmy’s cousins. It was common for younger cousins to call their much older cousins “Aunt” or

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“Uncle,” so Jimmy addressed “Miss” Evelyn as Aunt Evie. Jimmy and I were occasionally carted off to Aunt Evie’s at Bankshaven for quality time “in the country.”

Jimmy was probably “dropped off” to give his parents a break. I tagged along as the fortunate playmate and can’t remember it causing Aunt Evie much consternation. We spent most of our time outside — swimming in the big pool, fishing in the big lake, flying model airplanes on the big yard.

Occasionally we’d go inside for a light lunch and Coca-Cola. Boy, did we have fun!

I’ve described the St. Johns’ house as “two-story.” It actually has three stories. There is a large, floored “attic” — with stairs for access — above the second floor.

Here Dr. St. John set up an electric train with village on a large, wooden platform. It was huge to my small eyes, and Jimmy and I spent many pleasant hours playing with his train set.

Windows in this attic also gave us access to the roof. We would climb on the roof armed with crabapples and throw them at cars on Greenville Street. More than one irate driver screeched to a stop, jumped out angrily and searched for the culprit — while we scrunched down behind the crest of the roof.

Spending so much time at the St. Johns’ put me in close contact with the “help.” I got the feeling I was merely tolerated because it was expected. In fact, I got the feeling Jimmy was merely tolerated because it was expected.

I sure didn’t see much affection, as one might have seen in Gone With the Wind. On one occasion of seriously poor judgment, Jimmy

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shot Cora Mae in the rear with a BB gun. I always thought her abrupt administration of discipline bordered on simple assault, and I was surprised “Miss” Virginia didn’t fire her. But, in those days it was common for the help to participate in the household justice system. Her message was clear — from that time on we were careful never to shoot anyone with a BB gun.

I remember only one occasion when “Miss” Virginia really got mad at me. Jimmy and I were Cub Scouts and must have been working on the use-a-hatchet merit badge. Jimmy had this little beginner hatchet, and we chopped everything in sight. In the kitchen was an antique biscuit box. The large, wooden box of beautiful heart pine was on legs about three feet high, with a top that opened up and backwards on hinges.

Inside was a big granite or marble slab for rolling dough, cutting biscuits, making pies, etc. I didn’t know it was antique. It looked like a piece of wood, an appropriate object for hatchet practice. Big mistake! I can still see myself looking up into “Miss” Virginia’s bright red face and glaring eyes as she vented her rage before sending me home. I always blamed Jimmy for that little lapse in judgment — he stood right there watching me chop that biscuit box and never said a word.

On another occasion I was a bad friend to Jimmy, and it haunts me to this day. Jimmy had a small, brown dog he loved, Scooter. One evening, Scooter ran into Greenville Street and was run over by a car. Jimmy burst out crying and begged me to go into the street to fetch him, and I refused. I

wasn’t about to run into a busy street to drag out the carcass of a dead dog. Jimmy did it himself, with cars screeching and swerving from both directions. Afterwards I watched “Miss” Virginia cry, not over the dog but from Jimmy’s close brush with the damnable cars. Dr. St. John kindly and gently told Jimmy Scooter was gone, and I watched Jimmy heave with renewed sobs over the loss of his beloved pet.

I felt ashamed for thinking only of myself. True friendship is such a hard thing to master.

I’ve mentioned Irvin and Nathaniel, the two yard men. Irvin was older and probably the head yard man. He brought in coal and kept the fires going in the bedrooms during cold weather. I don’t think Nathaniel worked for the St. Johns very long, but I shall always remember him for bailing us out of trouble once. As little boys do, we had developed a fondness for playing with matches. The tall, dry grass behind my house was the perfect place to experiment with the “wonder of the match.” One hot, windy afternoon we had a raging grass fire spreading fast. Frantic when we couldn’t stomp it out, we ran up Reese Street toward the St. Johns yelling for help. Out of the big, white house flies Nathaniel, and Jimmy manages to squeak out that we’ve set my yard on fire.

Nathaniel flew down Reese Street, pulling off his jacket as he ran, and quickly beat out the fire with his jacket. As an adult, I am humbled at the magnanimity of his act.

Nathaniel, wherever you are, thank you for coming to our rescue.

As we approached puberty Jimmy and I built a little den of iniquity in the attic space above the coal storage area in an outbuilding.

It had mattresses, boxes for shelves and electric lights. We stocked it with the usual items considered important by prepubescent boys â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a fair share of â&#x20AC;&#x153;dirtyâ&#x20AC;? books with pictures of beautiful women we could ogle. Dr. St. John began to keep a closer eye on Jimmy, and me by default. This is the age when young boys can really get in trouble, so I appreciated Dr. St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intervention. I especially appreciated him not blaming me for being a bad influence on Jimmy. Jimmy acquired well over half of those â&#x20AC;&#x153;dirtyâ&#x20AC;? books without any encouragement from me.

We began to drift apart when we started middle school. Jimmy was a year ahead of me, and as we got older our interests were different. Jimmy was smaller and less athletic than I was, more inclined toward band and academic clubs. Yet we always spoke to each other when we passed in the halls of high school, and that bond of friendship was always there â&#x20AC;&#x201D; recognized by both, openly acknowledged by neither.

As time wore on we graduated from high school and went our separate ways. Only on rare occasions did we gather again at the St. Johnsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; house â&#x20AC;&#x201D; when Jimmy was married and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Missâ&#x20AC;?

Virginia had a party, when Dr. St. John died of leukemia, when Jimmy and his wife died in a plane crash, and when â&#x20AC;&#x153;Missâ&#x20AC;? Virginia died of heartbreak.

Yes, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all gone now â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that good and kind and wonderful family. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll always remember them with great fondness. What a privilege it was to know the St. Johns, and to have a friend like Jimmy. NCM

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Roy Yancey, playing the harmonica since age 7

By Janet Flanigan | Photos by Bob Fraley

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he harmonica’s thin, reedy tone and melodious, train-like chords are instantly recognizable. In fact, according to The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica

by Peter Krampert, harmonicas are the most popular instrument in the world.

Newnan’s Roy Yancey has been carrying a “harp” around in his pocket since he was just a little boy, around seven years old.

Roy recalls. “My brother is the music director for a church in Memphis, and I was a music major (trumpet) in college at the University of Tennessee and I taught high school music for a couple of years out of school.”

Now a sales executive, Roy quit playing the trumpet some time ago but never gave up on his love of the harmonica. He eventually mastered the difficult “pucker method” in which the player puckers the mouth to free up only the one note that he is playing and draw air in

“My father played all his life and he taught my brother Jim and I how to play the popular tunes of the 1940s,” says Roy. The two brothers used to lie in their shared bedroom at night, figuring out those long, lonesome notes on their own harmonicas, filling the night air with songs and dreams.

“We were a musical family,”

and out of that hole. It requires quite a bit of practice to be good at puckering. Roy says the other style of play is the “tonguing method” in which the player uses the tongue to block holes, then draws the stream of air in and out of the note being played.

About 10 years ago, prior to his death, Roy’s dad gave him his

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incredible collection of Hohrner harmonicas. According to Roy, Hohrner is the gold standard in the industry, but unfortunately, several years ago the company was purchased by a Japanese interest and the quality of the instruments has declined while the price for new instruments has risen.

Roy became concerned about the diminishing quality of the Hohrners, but he came up with a solution: he contacted Dick Gardner – the last of The Harmonicats. The Harmonicats just might be the most famous harmonica group ever to perform. In 1947, they cut the #1 record in America called “Peg ’O My Heart” which ultimately sold 25 million copies.

The Harmonicats played the world over until Dick was the only

A harmonica

is easy to carry. Take it out of your hip pocket, knock it against your palm to shake out the dirt and pocket fuzz and bits of tobacco. Now it is ready to play.”

— John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

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remaining Harmonicat still living.

He decided to retire from touring and has since become “The Man” when it comes to repairing classic harmonicas — if you can persuade him to look at yours.

He repairs harmonicas for the likes of performers such as Stevie Wonder and many other professional musicians, so he is in great demand. Roy almost had to audition, but when he told Dick that his father’s favorite harmonica song was one Dick wrote and recorded himself, Dick actually played it for Roy over the phone and he knew he was “in” and his harps would be repaired.

Several presidents were harmonica players, including Calvin Coolidge, Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. Ronald Reagan learned to play “Red River Valley” while he recuperated following the attempt on his life.

Roy plays his harmonica for his church, Newnan Presbyterian, and is asked to play for many other organizations and venues. But he also enjoys playing for playing’s sake.

“I don’t play all the time,” he confesses. “Just when the mood strikes.”

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Dr. Philip Swords may not have been born in Coweta County (he was born in Birmingham, Ala.) but he moved to Coweta County in the 1970s and was a student at both East Coweta and Newnan High School (graduated Newnan). He knew he wanted to be a dentist since he was young, so he majored in biology first on a scholarship to Clayton Junior College and then he studied biology at Alabama.

Swords has been active in public service since high school and while earning his D.M.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston), where he was voted most outstanding student government leader. In addition to his dental partnership with Coweta Dentistry, Swords has found his early political experience served him well, as he has been a dedicated public servant for many years. He has been a Newnan City Councilman; a Board member for EMC Foundation for Coweta-Fayette Trust; Bank of Coweta Board member; and board member at Landmark Christian School among many other duties.

He and wife Lorri, married for almost 15 years, have four children: Connor (13), Annie (11), Emmy Rose (9) and Reeves (7). Philip coaches his children in football, basketball, soccer and baseball.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a wonder with all of his extracurricular activities that he has time for his practice, but Swords is extremely committed to his patients and his staff. He says one of his proudest accomplishments was working to make sure that the C.E.C. offered the Dental Assistant Photo by Bob Fraley curriculum and degree, and he says fully half of Coweta Dentistryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dental assistants are graduates of the program.

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If you were given a credit card with no limit and 24 hours to spend on it, where would you go and what would you buy?

Hmm, I have to spend it in 24 hours?

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard! Okay, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d buy a ranch in Wyoming with horses and cattle (it would have to be fully-equipped because I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time to shop for everything).

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> SADDLE UP

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A Woman with two Passions

By Martha A. Woodham | Photos by Bob Fraley

P

ainter Elsa Sibley has two passions in life — art and horses. For the past eight years, she has blended those enthusiasms as she made a life for herself — shared with horses and dogs who need her — in Coweta County.

A member of an old Atlanta family, Elsa grew up in Buckhead, with happy memories of riding her pony on her grandfather’s Cobb County farm. Her late grandfather, John A. Sibley, was a well-respected Atlanta attorney who advised governors and other civic leaders.

During the tumultuous ’60s, he led the commission that helped Georgia peacefully integrate its schools. But his heart was in his farm along the Chattahoochee River where he kept horses and cows.

“All of my family rode – cousins, parents, siblings,” Sibley says. “My grandfather rode a paint (horse).” She

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recalls her bay Welsh pony, King Tut, following her grandfatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s horse on the trek to a riverside pasture â&#x20AC;&#x153;to count the cows.â&#x20AC;?

Her teenage years were spent riding and giving neighborhood kids lessons on horseback. In college, her interest in art blossomed, nourished by a great-aunt who painted and inspired Sibley to become a portrait painter.

She eventually specialized in painting children. Over the years, Sibley captured dozens of Georgia youngsters in oil and pastel, and her paintings hang in some of Atlantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest homes. A devoted animal lover, she also painted treasured pets, especially horses and dogs.

As Atlantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s northside developed, jammed with subdivisions and strip malls, the bucolic Sibley farm on Paper Mill Road was sold. Tract mansions sprouted where the Sibley cousins once rode their ponies, so Elsa had to find a new home for her horse and her dogs. She found her little spot of heaven on 10 acres on Bear Creek Road. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bear Creek is a painterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paradise,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I designed my house to accommodate my studio.â&#x20AC;? Her Southern vernacular house overlooking the creek is surrounded by porches, its top floor a studio set above the trees to catch the light.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would prefer to live in a tree,â&#x20AC;? Sibley says with a laugh, explaining why her open, airy home â&#x20AC;&#x201C; shared with four dogs, three of whom are rescues â&#x20AC;&#x201C; has 20 sets of French doors.

Sibleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current horse, Early, an Irish Thoroughbred, lives within walking distance on another farm on Bear Creek Road. Sibley doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t keep him at her place because he would be lonely. Horses are herd animals, needing to be with their own kind.

Since she bought Early about a year ago, Sibley has been developing her own relationship with the chestnut, who once competed as an eventer. Eventing, a triathlon for horses, is a true test of a horse and riderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skills in jumping and dressage. But somewhere along the way, Early lost his confidence as the jumps got bigger.

Through hours of gentle handling and riding, Sibley has rebuilt his confidence and trust. Like Sibleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dogs, Early needed her. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was not the jumper people thought he would be.

His talents lean more towards dressage,â&#x20AC;? she says. Dressage is a series of training movements at the walk, trot and canter. There is no leaving the ground to soar over an obstacle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fine with me. Now that I am older, it suits me not to jump. I have a wonderful horse now.â&#x20AC;?

Earlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unusual name comes from the fact that he came into Sibleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life too â&#x20AC;&#x153;earlyâ&#x20AC;? after she had experienced the traumatic deaths of two other beloved horses. Splash, a flashy chestnut that she brought with her from Atlanta, died unexpectedly of colic, leaving a void that sent Sibley rushing to replace him. She found St. Seaver, yet another four-legged creature who needed her kind touch.

Seaver was a bay Thoroughbred of illustrious breeding: His grandsire was Alydar, a race horse who was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the Triple Crown, a feat not repeated before or since. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seaver was the most beautiful horse I had ever seen,â&#x20AC;? says Sibley. She had gone to look at the horse, knowing he might need rescuing from an abusive situation. It was love at first sight, and Sibley had to have him.

The first time she swung a leg over Seaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back, he threw her as soon as she was in the saddle. His abusive past had left its marks. Her elegant horse with the sweet demeanor was a bucker. She turned to trainer and Olympic rider Mike Winter, who took Seaver back to the basics, reteaching him to accept a rider.

With Winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help, Sibley was eventually able to ride and show Seaver successfully. But just three years after she bought him, Sibley noticed a slight change in her horse,

who always whinnied when he saw her. When he stopped eating, she knew something was dreadfully wrong. Veterinarians discovered a large, inoperable tumor. Nothing could be done to save him.

After a heart-broken Sibley said her goodbyes to Seaver, she vowed no more horses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After I lost him, I was not going to ride again,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was just going to paint, my other passion.â&#x20AC;?

Sibley turned to her art for solace, taking up plein-air painting with another Coweta artist, Millie Gosche. Plein-air artists paint from life, using every sense to absorb the outdoor scene in front of them.

Sibleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plein-air landscapes are on view at CM Frames and the Jefferson House in downtown Newnan.

Today, Sibley laughs about her vow to give up riding. That was forgotten when fate stepped in, sending her a chestnut horse with a white blaze who needed someone to trust. He may have been â&#x20AC;&#x153;early,â&#x20AC;? but he was just what she needed, too. NCM

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> LOCAL HERITAGE

A Great-grandfather’s Legacy The home of Newnan’s first black doctor turns 100 as his great-granddaughter pays tribute

By Karen Jordan | Photos by Jeffrey Leo and courtesy of the Jordan family

N

ewnan has always been a second home for me. Having spent the good part of most summers there growing up, I have a special fondness for its friendly people and warm environment. One of the things I treasure most about it is an important part of its past: the legacy my great-grandfather, Dr. John Henry Jordan, left behind. The John Henry Jordan Homes on West Washington Street are named for him. A mural

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downtown depicts his likeness (along with other historical figures).

The thing most important to him, the house he built in Chalk Level still stands marking its 100th anniversary this year. It is hard for me to believe it has been in my family for that long. It was my greatgrandfather’s dream house. The son of slaves could never have imagined he would get as far as he did in life when he was growing up in

Hogansville. He decided from a young age that he wanted to be a doctor. It’s amazing he had the foresight to come up with the idea.

His father, Berry, a sharecropper thought it nothing short of foolish.

Although his father was adamantly against it, John could not be dissuaded.

From a young age, he took the necessary steps to further his education as best he could. After

completing all the schooling possible in Hogansville, he took classes near Owensbyville before enrolling at Clark College, now Clark Atlanta University, in Atlanta. His path eventually led him to Meharry Medical College in my hometown, Nashville, Tenn.

It was a difficult road for him.

While he excelled in the classroom, he bore the added stress of wondering how he would be able to pay his tuition, not to mention room and board. His fears of not having enough money were realized when he was forced to drop out of school in his third year.

With no support from his family, he persevered, working hard to save enough to return to school a year later. His story was entirely different from that of his role model, Dr. Edward Ramsey, the first black doctor in Troup County. Ramsey also attended Clark and later Meharry Medical College from which he graduated in 1880. However, being the son of a well-to-do mulatto farmer, Ramsey had the means to attend medical school without any financial restrictions. John patterned his career after Ramsey’s. By the time John returned to Meharry, he was so determined that he graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1896.

Having a medical degree meant the world to him, and he hoped to use it to help the black population of his own hometown. That may have been his intent, but the reality was it was not meant to be. After working in his hometown for two years, he ended up relocating to Newnan where there were more opportunities. Upon his move, he also achieved another lifelong dream: marriage. His bride was Mollie Emma Ramsey, the older daughter of Dr. Edward Ramsey.

John and Mollie had two sons, the younger of whom, my grandfather,

Edward, was the only one who survived past infancy.

“I could save all these people, but I couldn’t save my own child,” was what my grandfather recalled John painfully saying.

John did a lot to help other people though. He built the first hospital in Newnan for black

Dr. John Henry Jordan with his wife, the former Mollie Emma Ramsey, and son Edward

patients, and he started a medical organization to teach his patients about the importance of proper hygiene and preventive healthcare.

Perhaps the pinnacle of his career came when his expertise was sought after by a wealthy white family in town. The father was anxious to elicit John’s help after other doctors in the area remained stumped as to figure out how to remove a marble lodged in the pharynx of his young child. As the story was told to my grandfather, John had to enter the man’s house from the back of it, the servant’s entrance. He closely examined the man’s son, then John, known for his practical approach, lifted the boy up and shook him, MAY/JUNE

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ended up following in the footsteps of his grandfather and greatgrandfather before him by also graduating from Meharry Medical College. He has spent most of his career at Meharry. That is how Nashville became my home. Even though I no longer live there and don’t get to spend as much time in Newnan as I’d like, I still treasure the stories I’ve been told of my greatgrandfather. My father never tires of talking about him and his love of

Dr. Jordan’s home still stands on Pinson Street today, a cornerstone (below) marking the year he built the home.

causing the marble to come out of the child’s mouth. The father was said to be so grateful, he told John, “You can come through the front door the next time.”

John decided, probably as soon as my grandfather was born, that he wanted him to become a doctor as well. He even began training my grandfather from a young age, teaching him how to perform that day’s version of anesthesia, dripping ether on a cloth draped over the patient’s face. John’s dream of seeing his only son follow in his footsteps was dashed one cold September night in 1912. On his way to a house call,

John’s car suddenly stopped. As he opened the gas tank to try to find the source of the problem, a bystander struck a match, thus igniting the gas tank which exploded in John’s face. His burns were so severe that he died two days later. He was 42. My grandfather, whose own mother died a little over a decade later, never became a doctor.

However, all hope was not lost.

His son, my father, Harold, did. He

Karen Jordan is a Los Angelesbased freelance writer and a former television and newspaper reporter.

She is a cum laude graduate of Wellesley College and has a master’s degree from Stanford University. She is also co-founder of her family’s skincare line, EmmGerri.

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Newnan. Though neither of us knew John, we can’t help but love him. My great-grandfather’s story will forever inspire me. NCM

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Accessible Health Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Advanced Asthetics, P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Animal Medical Clinic of Newnan. . . . . . . . . . . 34 Applause Salon & Spa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Archadeck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Artisan Jewelry Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Ashley Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13 Baby Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Bank of Coweta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 BB&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Bennettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Antiques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Jay S. Berger, M.D., P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Bumper To Bumper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Cardiac Disease Specialists, P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Carriage House Country Antiques & Gifts . . . . 66 Center For Allergy & Asthma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Center Stage Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Charles Schwab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Chin Chin Chinese Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Cleland Periodontics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Country Inn & Suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Coweta-Fayette EMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Coweta Pool & Fireplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Crescent Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Crossroads Podiatry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Discovery Point Child Development Center. . . 56 Downtown Church of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Edible Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Steven E. Fanning, Attorney-at-Law . . . . . . . . . 47 Farm Bureau Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 First United Methodist Church of Newnan . . . 59 Fresh-N-Fit Cuisine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 FoxHall/Forestar Real Estate Group . . . . . . . . . 11 Foxxhollow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Fresh-N-Fit Cuisine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Georgia Stained Glass, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Heritage Quilts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Heritage Retirement Homes of Peachtree. . . . . 4 Hills & Dales Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Hollberg's Fine Furniture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 It's A Small World Children's Dentistry . . . . . . . 7 Kimble's Events by Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Lee-King Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Legacy Too Furniture/Accessories . . . . . . . . . . 35 Long Orthodontics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Mae Nunn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Main Street Newnan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Massage Envy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 McIntosh Commercial Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Morgan Jewelers/Downtown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Newnan Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Nick's Pizzeria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Newnan Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Outpatient Imaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Panoply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Parks & Mottola Realtors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Patricia A. Recklett, DVM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Phillips Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Piedmont Newnan Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Protran Transmission Specialist . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 R.S. Mann Jewelers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Radiation Oncology Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Rocky's Barber Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Roscoe Jenkins Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Scott's Book Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Sentry Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Signature Kitchen & Bath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Simple Treasures Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Boutique & Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Southern Crescent Equine Services . . . . . . . . . 90 The Southern Federal Credit Union. . . . . . . . . . 21 Stonebridge Early Learning Center . . . . . . . . . . 58 Superior Walls of Greater Atlanta. . . . . . . . . . . 90 Tanner Health System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 The Times-Herald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Traditions in Tile & Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Uniglobe McIntosh Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 University of West Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Vaillancourt's Pest Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Von Salon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Watts Furniture Galleries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 W. Daly Salon Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Wedowee Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 West Georiga RV Center, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 West Georgia Sleep Disorders Center . . . . . . . 57 Your Chef to Go, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 1-800-Got Junk? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

July/August Advertising Deadlines Contract Ads: May 21, 2008, New Ads: June 6, 2008 Call 770.683.6397 for details and advertising information.

MAY/JUNE

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THE BOOKSHELF

The Romance Readers’ Book Club

By Julie L. Cannon Plume Books, $13 Reviewed by Holly Jones Tammi Lynn Elco wants passion, love and excitement.

The problem is she’s not likely to find those things in tiny, rural Rigby, Ga. — especially not in a drought. But water is not what 15-year-old Tammi needs to sustain her life. And when she can’t find what she’s looking for in her sheltered world, she goes looking in other worlds.

Julie L. Cannon’s novel, The Romance Readers’ Book Club, starts on Halloween 1974. After prayer meeting, Tammi decides she and her Uncle Orr must go trick-or-treating. “Orr is in his late 30s, but according to the doctor his mind is stuck at around seven years old.”

Trick-or-treating is sinful according to Tammi’s grandmother. Granny is Orr’s mother, Tammi’s guardian and an extremely religious person. So Tammi and Orr have never trick-or-treated, and neither knows how. They visit just one house and instead of candy, end up with a stack of romance novels.

In them, Tammi finds the world she’s

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always wanted. She knows Granny will be horrified, but Tammi can’t help it. Within those paperback pages are her excitement, her passion, and her idea of love.

So Tammi starts the Romance Readers’ Book Club. At first she and Orr are the only members, and she reads the books aloud. Soon, she decides Orr is not getting the same thing from the stories.

He hears tales of cowboys and death-defying situations. She hears star-crossed lovers, secret rendezvous and heartbreak.

Trying to explain things to Orr just gets too complicated.

So the club is opened to other members: her aunt Minna; LaDonna, a girl Tammi knows from school; and LaDonna’s cousin Parks. LaDonna is a shy girl who thinks the novels are overdramatic and offensive. Parks is older, wilder and thinks the books are works of art. And Minna is her own person. Her decorating style lends itself to hot pink and leopard print, but she is also Granny’s daughter. And she is realizing how hard it is for Tammi to live with her grandmother.

Through the club, Tammi learns about love, though not necessarily the way she’d hoped. She learns about friendship, and how to love your friends. She learns about her family, and how to be loved by them. But most importantly she learns to love herself — a strange lesson to learn from romance novels, but a great one to learn from The Romance Readers’ Book Club.

the fire.

Jake doesn’t have much to eat, and Ted discovers his new friend loves scrambled eggs. So Ted brings Jake some eggs.

Ted later learns, through Jake, about Poudlum’s family. They were swindled out of their cow and have no milk. So Ted buys them milk with his paper route money.

And when Poudlum’s family help Ted’s uncle pick his cotton, Ted decides to pick in the row beside Poudlum. They are the youngest in the field, and the slowest, why shouldn’t they keep each other company? Ted certainly doesn’t care if Poudlum’s skin is black and his is white.

So why is everyone looking at Ted like he’s crazy?

A Yellow Watermelon

By Ted M. Dunagan Junebug Books, $21.95 Reviewed by Holly Jones Ted Dillon doesn’t understand why everyone looks at him so strangely. All he did was help a few people. What’s strange about that?

While playing in the sawmill one Saturday afternoon — something he’s not supposed to do — Ted meets a black man named Jake. It is Jake’s job to keep the fire going at the sawmill and watch over the place when the workers aren’t there.

He lives in the back room and cooks over

On the last page of Ted M. Dunagan’s A Yellow Watermelon, the main character Ted Dillon says, “My mother was standing in the yard at the edge of the porch with her big butcher knife facing the ripe melon in front of her. When she cut into it, it made a popping sound like it just couldn’t wait to burst open.

“When the two halves fell apart, I was stunned to see that instead of being red inside, it was yellow.”

Poudlum tells Ted, “’Dat melon is

like people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it may be a different color, but it still be a watermelon.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

To Ted, a watermelon is a watermelon, just like help is help â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter what the person looks like.

However, it does matter how that person acts towards others. And when Ted discovers one of the richest men in town is not only trying to swindle Poudlumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family out of their land, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bootlegging whiskey, Ted decides heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to help the law, by putting this man in prison.

Through an elaborate scheme, Ted also helps an innocent man gain freedom, a family secure their home, and helps his mother stop worrying. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want credit, but he sure wishes folks would stop staring like that. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just trying to help.

Miscarriage of Justice

By Kip Gayden Center Street, $22.99 Reviewed by Angela McRae It was â&#x20AC;&#x153;ripped from the headlines,â&#x20AC;? as we like to say, one of those stories that has it all: wealth, greed, deception, a scandalous love affair, a mystery or two â&#x20AC;Ś and murder.

And it happened in 1913.

Miscarriage of Justice, the debut novel

by Nashville circuit court judge Kip Gayden, was inspired

by Nashville newspaper accounts of the March 1913 gunning down of Charlie Cobb by his former lover, Anna Dotson, wife of a prominent doctor and mother of two.

A sweet romance formed at summer camp results in marriage for Dr. and Mrs. Walter Dotson. When children come along, however, Anna finds her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s affection and attention have all but disappeared. She amuses herself with social functions and shopping, but what sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desperately craving is the husband who, when heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not at work, stays over-busy

with various church and civic activities.

She is, in other words, ripe for an affair.

A candidate appears in the form of newcomer-to-town Charlie Cobb, a charming fellow with wit, style, and a plan to steal Anna from her boring, inattentive husband. While Charlie Cobb is by no means her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social equal, what he lacks in class he makes up for with exciting daytime dalliances and nighttime trysts.

Gayden does a great job of showing the slow, steady seduction of Anna Dotson in all its passion and glory, followed by the subsequent horror of the psychological meltdown of a woman exposed.

Though rumors of adultery donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always raise eyebrows when discussed today, back in the day such rumors were shocking and shameful. If Gaydenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s readers are slightly sympathetic to Annaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s affair at its outset, they will certainly join her on the emotional freefall that results from her sin.

But the author makes sure this fallen woman does not fall alone.

Charlie is certainly credited with his role in the affair, and Gayden also persuades the reader to ask whether a negligent husband didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play a great role in this tragedy.

A subplot of the book involves Annaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s participation in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suffrage movement, perhaps the only scenes in the book that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite ring true. That said, it is indeed possible that the larger womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suffrage movement â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and public perception of it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; did play some role in the outcome of Annaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s murder trial. It gives the reader much to think about in the judgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first book. NCM

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Online Book Club

You are invited to join Newnan-Coweta Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online book discussion group, "The Book Nook" led by Liz Barnett.

Each month Barnett reads a new book, and readers are welcome to post their thoughts about it. Some of the selections are bestsellers, while others may be by authors new to you. Check it out at newnancowetamagazine.com.

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2008

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things I’ve learned ... in Retirement

As told to Elizabeth Richardson

Nelda Boren retired as an educator in 2000 after teaching in Coweta County for 32 years. Boren had taught first grade at Elm Street Elementary and retired as the Elementary Curriculum Director. Since then, she’s stayed busy as the chairman of the FERST Foundation for Childhood Literacy, the director of her Sunday school class at First Baptist Church, and the treasurer of both her teaching sorority — Delta Kappa Gamma — and Coweta’s Kiwanis Club. She’s also involved in a book club, an investment club and as a volunteer at Elm Street. Boren’s husband, Jerry, is also a retired educator, and together they have three children and eight grandchildren.

(1) I lived and breathed education for more than 30 years, but now I have learned that I can carry on a conversation with people about things other than school. (2) I had dreaded retirement because of the thought of idle time or not being pushed.

I have found that there are unlimited ways to serve your family, your church and your community. (3) All those things I planned to do when I retired — clean closets, wash windows, unclutter the basement — those things are still there and will probably be there tomorrow. (4) There are still not enough hours in the day or the week because I really want to do it all. (5) I took courses on time management and stress management, and in retirement I still keep a calendar and have a to-do list.

(6) Teaching gets in your blood. I still want to talk to, read to and converse with children. I love to observe parents and teachers and the way they relate to their children. (7) I appreciate people who have encouraged me and given me opportunities to grow. I hope they know how much I appreciate them. Also, family is so important and to be cherished. One cannot have enough true friends. (8) Even when you get old, you can learn something new every day. (9) My husband and I have traveled a lot. There are so many interesting places to see in the world. Most people respond to a smile and can communicate even though they speak a different language. (10) In retirement, I wanted to find at least one television show that I could get addicted to. I’m still looking. NCM 98

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You only think about us when the lights go out.

We think about you all the time.

For over 50 years, we’ve been working hard to supply your electricity at the lowest possible cost, and think of new ways to better serve you. – like our promise that our crews are on the job within 45 minutes of the report of any outage in our service area. And bringing you the option of purchasing environmentally-friendly power through Green Power EMC; and responding to your requests by now offering natural gas via our wholly-owned subsidiary, Coweta-Fayette EMC Natural Gas. We also offer products and services through Relyco®, including residential and business security, as well as local monitoring, at very competitive rates. Remember, we keep your lights burning brightly – and a whole lot more.

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Bank of Coweta’s President Steve Stripling pictured above with Mike Butler, V.P. of Investments, and Melissa Blamire, Sales Assistant, both of Synovus Securities.

You’ve worked hard for your financial success. Bank of Coweta has been working hard for you since 1972. Bank of Coweta and Synovus Securities are both part of the Synovus Family of Companies.

Together, we are in business to create lasting relationships. We’d like to help you with your investments to brighten your future. It’s not just about investing. It’s about building lasting relationships.

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SECURITIES 770-253-1340

770-254-2333 Synovus Securities, Inc., Synovus Trust Company, N.A., and Synovus Insurances Services. The registered broker-dealer offering brokerage products for Synovus is Synovus Securities, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment products and services are not FDIC insured, are not deposits of or obligations of any Synovus Financial Corp. (SFC) bank, are not guaranteed by any SFC bank and involve investment risk, including possible loss of principal amount invested. Your Synovus bank, Synovus Securities and Synovus Insurance are all part of the Synovus Family of Companies.