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From the Publisher
S
Photo by Me
pring is right around the corner, isn’t it? Didn’t the groundhog tell us it was? I am not sure I paid attention. I enjoyed the recent snow. It was a perfect one. It came quick, blanketing the earth with pure white snow. The birds loved finding food in the feeder and this cardinal posed for me.
This month we share our service professionals with you from cabinet makers like Toddy Ramey who’s work is on our cover to a local appliance repair business like Deal’s Appliance. We have featured two magnificent properties in this issue. We talked about the history of the telephone in the mountains. The joy of the party line, right? Mark your calendars there are events happening all across northeast Georgia. Locally there are art classes planned at Sunshine & Sawdust and Lulu & Tully’s Mercantile, so get creative, it’s good for the soul! Oh and Celebrate Clayton is coming next month! We are glad to hear that you love the recipes and this month Lorie and “Scarlet” have shared some great ones! Peter has a great adventure for you and our Doc. Jarrard has written another informative health article. I am so thankful for all who contribute to our magazine. All of them combined make for a great local magazine enjoyed by thousands!! I also Publisher/Editor - Tracy McCoy appreciate you, our faithful readers! This magazine is a community effort and a beautiful reflection of our part of the world. It’s yours! Art Director - Dianne VanderHorst Thank you for allowing me to bring your awesomeness to the community!
Tracy McCoy Cover photo shows cabinetry by Ramey’s Custom Cabinets photograped by Jim Kane Photography
Graphic Designer - Lucas McCoy Website/Social Media Specialist - - D’Anna Coleman Office Manager/ Account Executive - Cindi Freeman Account Executive - Melynda Hensley Photographer/Writer - Peter McIntosh Contributing Writers: Mark Holloway, Steve Jarrard, MD, John Shivers, Rev. Michael Rogers, Jan Timms, Dick Cinquina, Karla Jacobs, Kendal Rumsey, Irene Bynum Faith, Lorie Thompson, Liz Alley, Emory Jones, Noel Shuman,
Georgia Mountain Laurel Mailing: PO Box 2218, Clayton, Georgia 30525 Office: 2511 Highway 441, Mountain City, Georgia 30562 706-782-1600 • www.gmlaurel.com
March 2020 • Volume Seventeen • Issue Three Copyright 2020 by Rabun’s Laurel Inc. All rights reserved. The Georgia Mountain Laurel Magazine is published twelve times per year. Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publishers and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to GML magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs and drawings. Every effort has been made to assure that all information presented in this issue is accurate, and neither Laurel magazine or any of its staff is responsible for omissions or information that has been misrepresented to the magazine. The Georgia Mountain Laurel maintains a Christian focus throughout their magazine. Rabun’s Laurel, Inc. reserves the right to refuse content or advertising for any reason without explanation.
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In This Issue Arts & Entertainment 10 14
Toddy Ramey - Ramey’s Custom Cabinets Featured Artist - Cornbread
Mountain Homes 24 28 30 32 33
Harry Norman REALTORS® Featured Home Poss Realty Featured Home Deal’s Appliance Company Wood’s Mercantile The Fireplace - Clayton, Georgia
Faith in Christ 36 37 38 39 40
Life is a Blessing RCHS - HOSA R4G - Rev Michael Rogers River Garden Grandma’s Prayer Journal
A Taste 42 46 48
Bon Appetit The Family Table What’s Up at the Soda Fountain
Life & Leisure 50 52 53 54 55
Of These Mountains By the Way The Animal Whisperer Sheriff ’s Department New App Lovin’ the Journey
Outdoors 56 58
Adventure Out Paws 4 Life
Affairs to Remember 60 62
Mountain Happenings Event Calendar Celebrate Clayton
Health & Wellness 64 68 70
Live Healthy & Be Well YourTime Fitness Solasta Spa
Yesterdays 72 74
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Hey, Can Your Hear Me Now? Rabun County Historical Society
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Ramey’s Custom Cabinets
Cover Worthy Work! by Tracy McCoy
T
he story of how Toddy Ramey got his start includes two of Rabun’s finest, one being his own father, builder “Babe” Ramey and the other, expert cabinet maker, Robert Garland. “I worked with my dad through high school and I learned so much from him about building. After Elaine and I got married I knew I needed more dependable work not dictated by the weather. So I told my dad I was going to work with Robert Garland in his cabinet shop. I took notes and I learned everything I could from Robert who was one of the best at his trade.” Toddy Ramey’s work is well known for quality and truly gives custom a whole new definition. We decided to talk to some of the folks that he had worked with. Clients Jim and Donna Harris had this to say… “We hired Ramey’s Custom Cabinets to design and build all the cabinets and builtins throughout our new home, including kitchen, bathrooms, den, office and even the fireplace mantle in the bedroom. The quality of workmanship was outstanding and we couldn’t be happier! The compliments we receive never stop. Just as important to us was they came when they said they would. We would highly recommend these people to anyone!” Toddy and Elaine started Ramey’s Custom Cabinets 34 years ago. The couple work well together. Elaine keeps the office end running smoothly and Toddy does what he does best, build cabinets! At the cabinet shop you’ll find family and friends who have worked alongside Toddy for years. Also in the shop
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is.an abundance of really unique woods collected over their 33 years in business. There are pieces in varying stages of completion and tools from the most basic to advanced machinery. The professionals at Ramey’s Custom Cabinets build exceptionally creative, quality cabinetry and furnishings. In fact this came from Brett and Kindle Bowen… “It was such a pleasure to work with Toddy Ramey and his entire crew! They exhibit nothing but professionalism and their workmanship is the best cabinet work we have ever seen. Our kitchen far exceeded our expectations and they brought our dreams to life. Its both beautiful and functional!” On the cover, the home of Johnny and Josie Keener is featured. Josie is Toddy’s daughter and Johnny works with him at the cabinet shop. The couple’s entire home is truly a showcase for the quality work done at Ramey’s Custom Cabinets. Johnny has done a good bit of the work himself and his expertise combined with that of his father-in-law make this home cover worthy! The Keener’s home combines wormy chestnut, wormy oak, rustic barn wood, tile and hardwood. It has a modern farmhouse feel with blasts from the past beyond the vintage lumber used throughout. As soon as I saw the kitchen I wanted to share it with you. Thanks to Josie and Johnny for allowing us to do so. I might also mention that Ben, Toddy’s son also works at Ramey’s Custom Cabinets.
Toddy’s list of clients range from old friends and people he has literally known all of his life to famous football coaches and country music singers who live in the mountains. He has outfitted the finest lake homes with cabinets and custom furniture and with the same attention to detail he has crafted cabinets for the homes of my own family members. The true measure of a business is repeat customers and Ramey’s Custom Cabinets certainly has many of them. In fact I had the pleasure of speaking with Mrs. Pam Reeves (wife of former NFL Coach Dan Reeves). She was so glad I called to ask about her favorite cabinet maker. This is what she shared with me... “When Dan and I were building our house, Toddy was the best. He had such creativity and great ideas! Everything he did for us is still perfect. He did all of our cabinets and he built a beautiful, rustic table that seats ten for my porch and I love it! I would go by his shop with questions or ideas and all of the men who work there were always just delightful. I have nothing but praise for Toddy. He is truly a very gifted man and has become a good friend. I don’t expect to build another house, but if I did, I’d use Ramey’s Custom Cabinets again for sure!” If you can dream it, they can build it. I heard a rumor that Toddy is thinking of taking on select whole kitchen and bath remodels projects in the future. Can you just imagine what that could look like? Give Ramey’s Custom Cabinets a call (706.782.6384) to discuss your plans. For more info take a look at their website www.rameyscustomcabinets.com or follow them on facebook @rameyscustomcabinets.
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Finding Art
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“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.” Neil Gaiman
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What Is Up With These Birds? The World of John “Cornbread” Anderson
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uineas, yes guinea chicks and hens, have made Georgia folk artist, John “Cornbread” Anderson famous around the world. You can expect to see his guinea paintings anywhere and everywhere – magazine exposés, restaurants, hotels, private collections, etc. All this squawking about a three-pound bird! When purchasing a Cornbread painting, for most collectors, the guinea painting, in some variation, is generally their first acquisition of his work. For folks who are not familiar, the plumage of the guinea is gray/black and speckled with white. They have many specific characteristics common to only them. Guineas are the best pest control one can have, eating all kinds of insects, ticks, fleas, fire ants, spiders, worms, crickets, grasshoppers, etc., anything they can get their beaks on. They are very self-sufficient, foraging for their own food. Another characteristic can save you lots of money. You can’t have a better security system than a flock of guineas. They are very territorial and do not like intruders. Unsuspecting visitors will be greeted by the fowl running and flying toward them chirping, screeching and squawking with such loud, harsh calls that it proves quite the challenge for intruders!! As for entertainment, guineas can be extremely comical; they have a personality all their own. Guineas love to watch their own reflections and can spend hours in self-absorption viewing themselves in glass windows and doors. Some owners place mirrors around the yard the guineas claim as their space. For city dwellers and folks not accustomed to farm fowl, upon first seeing Cornbread’s guineas, they think it is a made-up “fun” bird painting, but to country folks, guineas are a way of life. At the gallery, we wish we had a nickel for every time a patron recants a tale about their youthful experiences on their grandparents’ farms, making these pieces of artwork a source of nostalgia for many. Since Cornbread draws his art from his own personal experiences with nature and the world around him, guineas top the list as his most “frequent flyers”, as he spent his childhood living with a yard full of these loud squawkers! His first pieces were very realistic and true to the color of the actual fowl, but over the years, he has had fun painting them in different colors, where they take on the comical feature that is their nature. To see a plethora of Cornbread’s guinea paintings, in both the original black and white or the fun, funky multicolor, stop by the gallery, Around Back, at Rocky’s Place at 3631 Highway 53 East in Dawsonville, Georgia. Call 706-265-6030 or check online at www.aroundbackatrockysplace. com. Gallery hours are Saturdays 11-5 and Sundays 1-5. Oh, and p.s., the gallery also has many other paintings of various fowl and other critters by Cornbread.
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L Tina Anzo REALTOR ® 404.964.2363 809 Hwy 441 South Clayton, GA 30525
www.TinaAnzo.com
Avoid March Madness! List your home early before the spring rush! NEWLY PRICED FOR SPRING!
Lake Burton 354 Collins Ln OVER 300FT DEEP WATER! PRICED BELOW APPRAISAL $1,195,000
Fee Simple!
68 Old Bridge Ln Lake Burton - FEE SIMPLE MLS 8590996 $750,000
Recently Renovated
Under Contract
251 Shakespeare Dr. Kingwood Unit 321 MLS 8638337 $139,000
5050 Crow Creek MLS 8718570 $249,000
Under Contract
135 Seabrook Ln MLS 8734415 $624,000
Seller’s review: “Tina was the only agent able to sell our home, after using 2 others. She was very determined and hard working. She kept our home looking presentable for showings as we live in another town. She went above and beyond anything that we expected from a realtor, she treated our home as if it was hers. I would highly recommend Tina and will use her again!
SOLD!
SOLD!
SOLD!
88 Paco Ln $262,000
92 Gleneagle $212,000
234 Raindance $442,000
SOLD!
2562 Burton Dam Rd $450,000
I love what I do, give me the opportunity to work for you! March 2020 - 17
BUILDER MEMBERS Rabun Austin & Butler Builders, Inc. Jeff Butler 706-490-1360 jeff_butler@windstream.net Bear Gap Construction Chrissy Laws 706-968-0775 chrissy@lawsrealty.com www.beargapcabins.com Bill Griffin Construction Inc. Bill Griffin 706-982-0259 wng@windstream.net C.H. Builders Inc. Andrew Hunt 706-982-1700 chbuilders@windstream.net Charles Moore Builders, Inc. Chuck Moore 706-490-2098 cmbuilders@myemc.net Clay Contracting Chris Clay 706-982-2793 clay_chris@yahoo.com www.claycontracting.com
Dresser & Associates Jay Dresser 706-490-2742 dresserj@windstream.net
R & B Concrete Company, Inc. Rick Buchanan 706-490-2626 rickbuchananconstr@windstream.net
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Faletti, Inc. Paul Faletti 404-234-7987 pfaletti@bellsouth.net www.rockfordfarm.com
Rabun Builders, Inc. Kurt Cannon 706-746-3723 rbi@rabunbuilders.com www.rabunbuilders.com
G Vickers Enterprises, Inc. Gregory Vickers 404-427-1140 greg@gvickers.com www.gvickers.com
Rabun County Board of Commissioners Erik Blalock 706-490-1555 eblalock@rabuncounty.ga.gov
City Plumbing & Electric Supply Co. 706-746-2890 www.cpesupply.com 4505 Highway 441 North Rabun Gap, GA 30568
Jeff Eller Construction Jeff Eller 706-490-2683 jeffellerconst@yahoo.com
Rabun Co. Habitat for Humanity Marcus Booker 706-782-9203 mkbooker@windstream.net
Kilby Construction, Inc. Jerry Kilby 706-746-2459 salk@windstream.net
Rabun Remodel, LLC Jim Bogle 706-982-9114 www.rabunremodel.com
Larry Gipson Construction Larry Gipson 706-782-2448
Wood Brothers, Inc. Barry Wood 706-782-5689 abarrywood@gmail.com www.woodbrothers.org
Larry Horton LTD Larry Horton 706-782-6735 hortonltd@windstream.net www.hortoncustomhomes.com
Covenant Homes Inc Scott Williams 706-968-4833 swilliams@covenantcom.net mycovenanthomes.com
Little River Home Builders Inc. Chet Darnell 706-982-9235 chetdarnell1@gmail.com
David Dickerson Builders LLC David Dickerson 706-490-3953 ddickersonbldrsllc@yahoo.com
McCracken Builders, Inc. John McCracken 706-490-1976 mccrackenbuilders@gmail.com
Dennis Thompson Construction Jamie Thompson 706-490-0064 DTCCI@windstream.net www.lakemontdrydock.com
Morgan Fazzary Fine Homes Morgan Fazzary 706-308-3557 morganfazzary@gmail.com
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York Builders Tommy York 706-782-7422 twyork@windstream.net Towns Brown Haven Homes 706-970-2456 info@brownhavenhomes.com www.brownhavenhomes.com The Dernehl Co. Bob Dernehl 706-970-0176 bob@dernehlcompany.com www.dernehlcompany.com
Appliances
Automotive Duvall Automotive John Bradshaw 706-982-0929 jbradshaw81@hotmail.com www.duvallautomotive.com Banking First American Bank & Trust 706-782-3232 www.firstamericanishere.com 550 Hwy 441 S, Clayton, GA 30525 Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association 706-782-3738 www.oconeefederal.com 221 Hwy 76 E, Clayton, GA www.oconeefederal.com Rabun County Bank Dan Free 706-782-4571 dfree@rabuncountybank.com www.rabuncountybank.com 121 Rickman Street Clayton, Georgia 30525 South State Bank Shanon Stewart 706-782-1010 shanon.stewart@southstatebank.com www.southstatebank.com continued on page 20
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Georgia Mountain Home Builders Association Members continued United Community Bank 706-782-7100 www.ucbi.com
RJ’s Concrete Inc. Ronald Brewer 706-982-0049
Building Supplies
Taylor Concrete Foundations Max Taylor 706-782-4652
Pella Windows & Doors Terry West 404-759-3864 twest@pellasoutheast.com www.pellasoutheast.com Reeves Building Supply Steve Weinelt, David Ramey, 706-782-4219 sweinelt@reevesacehardware.com www.reevesacehardware.com Supply Mart Randy Humphries 706-782-4495 supplymart68@gmail.com Cabinets & Countertops Gillespie Cabinet Shop, Inc. Danny Gillespie 706-490-1911 dannygillespie@windstream.net www.gillespiescustomcabinetry.com Ramey’s Custom Cabinets, Inc. 324 Babe Ramey Road Clayton, Ga. 30525 706-782-6384 www.rameyscustomcabinets.com Concrete Foundations Bleckley Concrete Foundations, Inc. Scott Bleckley 706-782-9979 Morgan Concrete Co., Inc. John Morgan or Adam Brady 706-746-3011 or 706-969-8429 adambrady@morganconcrete.com www.morganconcrete.com
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Disposal/Site Recycle
Geothermal Byers Well Drilling Inc. Lon Dillard 706-781-4582 byers@brmemc.net www.bryerswelldrilling.com Grading/Excavation
Metro Site, Inc./Metro Site Recycle Fred Mansfield 706-335-7045 fmansfield@metrositellc.com www.metrositellc.com
McCrackin Contracting Madison McCrackin 706-782-5087
Mountain Lakes Rolloffs Steve Jones 706-949-9845 mountainlakesrolloffs@gmail.com
McKay Grading Warren McKay 706-490-3153 kwmckay@windstream.net www.mckaygrading.com
Electrical Supply City Plumbing & Electric Supply Co. 706-746-2890 www.cpesupply.com 4505 Highway 441 North Rabun Gap Ga 30568 Electrician Burrell Electric Ronnie Burrell 706-782-1650 Exterminating American Pest Control Tim Culpepper 706-782-4113 timc@ampest.com www.ampest.com
Nichols Contracting, Inc. Will Nichols 706-782-7798 Heating & Air Northeast Georgia Heating & Air Randy Speed 706-782-7825 negahvac@windstream.net www.negahvac.com Insulation-Spray Foam AirTight Insulation of Northeast GA Chad Keller 706-202-5513 chad@airtightnega.com www.airtightnega.com
Ash/Welborn Insurance Tim Smith 706-778-2244 info@ashwelborn.com www.ashwelborninsurance.com Wayah Insurance Group Hunter Strickland 828-524-4442 strickland@wayah.com www.wayah.com Painting JMZ Painting Co 706-982-1906 jmzpaintingco@gmail.com www.jmzpainting.com Paint-Retail Clayton Paint & Flooring Center Keith Toller 706-782-2741 135 E Savannah St, Clayton, GA claytonpaint@windstream.net www.claytonpaint.benmoorepaints.com Reeves Building Supply Tommy Shriver 706-782-4219 118 Chechero St, Clayton, GA tshriver@reevesacehardware.com www.reevesacehardware.com
Go Green Spray Foam Professionals Greg Reece 706-633-7591 gogreensprayfoam@gmail.com
Sherwin Williams Jasen Meil 706-782-5930 120 E Savannah St, Clayton, GA www.sherwin-williams.com
Floor Covering-Wood
Insurance
Plumbing
Country Wood Works Wood Floors & More 706-778-WOOD(9663) 706-424-2689 m www.countrywoodworks.com
A W Adams Insurance Agency Allen Adams 706-782-5100 awadamsins@windstream.net www.awadamsins.com
All American Plumbing of Clayton Henry Radford 706-782-9804 www.aapofclayton.com
Bleckley Plumbing Bryan Bleckley 706-782-7132 Propane Gas & Appliances Blossman Gas & Appliances, Inc. David Deal 706-782-8305 ddeal@blossmangas.com www.blossmangas.com
Georgia Power Land Dept. Cheryl Parker 706-782-1450 Water Filtration/Purification Metro Water Filter Co. Tom Matthews 706-499-5146 www.metrowaterfilter.com
Real Estate
Welding
Georgia Mountains & Lakes Realtors Association 706-776-1551 information@gmlrealtors.com www.gmlrealtors.com
Rabun Metal Products, Inc 706-782-4224 www.rabunmetal.com 4428 Old 441 S Tiger, GA
Remodeling
Well Drilling
Dresser & Associates Jay Dresser 706-490-2742 dresserj@windstream.net
Byers Well Drilling Inc Lon Dillard 706-745-2166 byers@brmemc.net www.byerswelldrilling.com
Morgan Fazzary Fine Homes Morgan Fazzary 706-308-3557 morganfazzary@gmail.com www.morganfazzaryfinehomes.com
Sam Davis Well Drilling, Inc. Brian Jordan 706-782-3782 waterwells@windstream.net
Rabun Remodel, LLC Jim Bogle 706-982-9114 www.rabunremodel.com Roofing Georgia Mountain Roofing Jerry Taylor 706-490-1121 jerry@gmroof.com Septic McKay Grading Warren McKay 706-490-3153 kwmckay@windstream.net www.mckaygrading.com Stonework North GA Stone, Inc. Larry Oden 706-745-5532 Email: larry.oden@northgastone.com Utilities Blue Ridge Mountain EMC Sonny Mahan, Darrin Ingram 706-379-3121 sonny.mahan@brmemc.com www.brmemc.com
Windows & Doors Pella Windows & Doors Terry West 404-759-3864 twest@pellasoutheast.com www.pellasoutheast.com Reeves Building Supply Steve Weinelt, David Ramey, Jeff Godwin 706-782-4219 sweinelt@reevesacehardward.com www.reevesacehardware.com Woodworking/TimberFraming/ Carpentry Work MoreSun Custom Woodworking Inc. Stephen Morrison 864-647-1669 steve@moresunwoodworking.com www.moresunwoodworking.com Otis & Company Keith Ivester 706-754-8332 Email: hww@windstream.net Yonah Mountain Timber Frames Neal Binder 706-282-0047 info@yonahmountaintimberframes.com www.yonahmountaintimberframes.com
Georgia Power Company 1-888-660-5890 www.georgiapower.com
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301-HN Home-March 2020-617
The Vintage Advantage at Paradise By John Shivers
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ossibilities for the circa 1908 neoclassical home at 220 Paradise Park Drive outside Cornelia in Habersham County are numerous, as numerous as the number of folks who can sleep there. Twenty weary heads can easily find rest in this awesome manor house. The elegant, two-story home with double front galleries overlooks a 50± acre spread of rolling lands and woods, with unforgettable seasonal views at all points of the compass. Massive, majestic hardwood trees cradle this 6,400± square foot piece of housing history that has earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places. A spring-fed pond and creek, established blooming gardens, and an in-ground pool only add to the opportunities for you and your guests. From the moment you approach the home clad in white, hand-sawn clapboard, the main entrance with its windowed surround beckons. Inside the heritage plays out in ways both great and small, and continues to proclaim the home’s authenticity. Classic six-panel interior doors original to that era, over-the-door transoms, many elegant but different crystal chandeliers, striking original millwork, original wavy glass window panes, and period appropriate hardware and accouterments further validate this home’s storied past. Ten fireplaces, all with different beautiful surrounds further the ambience of an early twentieth century upscale dwelling. Factor in nine-foot ceilings in most of the generous size rooms and you can accommodate as many as sixty
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guests for parties or receptions. Or you’ve got a versatile home for a large family. The manor house is handicapped accessible from outside. There are five bedrooms, three full baths and two half-baths. The master suite is on the main level, adding even more flexibility to the home’s livability. Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of a bed & breakfast inn with you as the innkeeper? Or, perhaps you’d like to host weddings or corporate events? There’s even a partially finished attic area, with the potential for additional living space expansion. With a formal dining room that easily seats twelve or more, or the adjacent parlors that allow for several small round tables, whether it’s the Christmas feast or a special seated dinner, you’ve got it covered. An oversize kitchen with large work areas, a full complement of appliances, and generous pantry storage make that meal preparation an easy task. An original fireplace is non-working today, but adds instead to the story of the house. A windowed breakfast room is at one end of the kitchen, with a huge, ultra-comfortable family room next door. A wood stove in this area makes those cold winter nights warm and cozy. There’s a dedicated in-law suite or apartment, an office/library, and a secondary kitchen that further expand the flexibility of this floor plan that flows the people easily. The term “back yard” doesn’t do justice to the vast expanse of lawn to the rear that has seen more than one bride and groom exchange vows of love and commitment. Then, just as soon as the echo of the “I do’s” fades into the mountain heights, those same newlyweds and their guests can party down in the refurbished barn. With some 6,000± square feet of wide-open space, this multi-purpose structure offers not only reception and party space, but can also do double duty as another venue for the ceremony itself. A prep-kitchen will make the caterer happy, and a lounge and accessible restrooms will make the guests happy. String lights, draperies and chandeliers create a setting for gracious but enjoyable entertainment. Harry Norman, REALTORS® Luxury Lake and Mountain Agent Meghann Brackett is the one to talk with about this becoming lord of this manor, MLS#8699071. Contact her at (cell) 706-968-1870 or (office) 706-212-0228.
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Services
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Old Lake Character, Love, and a New Lake Lifestyle By John Shivers Inside, three large bedrooms and two full baths form the foundation for a comfortable living experience. Whether you’re weekenders or your mail’s delivered full-time, charm and character await.
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hen the current owner of the sprawling ranch style “cabin” on Seed Lake first saw the property in 2003, it was love at first sight. “The character grabbed me,” she confesses. A visitor who saw the 7.94± acres at the same time cited the overwhelming love he felt immediately. Seventy-five years have passed since a small cabin with no bathroom at 5100 Crow Creek Road in Lakemont came to be. Over the years, it’s grown in size to 1,776 square feet. Modernization has happened, but without sacrificing any of the integrity of that original little lake house. What’s more, the “lake lifestyle” those first owners enjoyed has grown as well. Whoever purchases this home will inherit a laid-back legacy that’s automatically conferred along with the deed.
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The master suite in this one-of-a-kind home truly is sweet. It has enough square footage to make a king size bed look small, a spacious en suite bath, master closet space enough you’ll have to buy more clothes, a linen closet, and a true seating area with built-in bookshelves. Then it gets even better. There’s direct access to the outdoors, to some of the most pristine, breathtaking, four-seasonal Rabun County landscape to be found. So what about that landscape? Are you a walker? You’ll be in heaven. Is curling up with a good book on the huge covered back porch or deck more your speed? Knock your socks off! Or do you need a place to keep and ride your horse? Between the pastures, the lake, and the stocked fishing pond, you’ll find plenty of ways to enjoy your personal kingdom.
Split-rail fencing sets the tone for the outbuildings, including the vintage dovetailed log barn that holds a workshop, tack room and storage. There’s a gardener’s cottage, chicken coop and a new carport. A small creek runs through the property, and the owner says when she returns from the barn in manureencrusted boots, she walks through the creek to get them clean. Go figure: a house with an automatic environmental boot washer! As enjoyable as the outdoors are, when it’s time to retreat inside, you’ll find an equal degree of comfort and livability. The interior is a wood-lover’s dream. Honey-colored rustic board-n-batten harken back to this vintage home’s heritage. The great room is just what the name suggests: a GREAT room in size, livability and comfort.
counter tops, and is blessed with abundant work space and pantry storage. There’s room for at least two cooks to work comfortably. A mudroom and laundry area are adjacent, and there’s even a home office. The present owner is downsizing, but has her memories. Now’s the time to begin to make some of those same memories for yourself. Bring your horses, boats, ATV’s, campers, but most of all, bring your family and friends to feel the love. Check out MLS #8702230. To see this property, contact Poss Realty Agent Susan Rickman at 706-490-2077, or at the office at 706-782-2121.
Two wood-burning fireplaces, one with vented inserts, the other with a stove, supplement the central system, lending a warmth that far surpasses the temperature, the owner says. There’s even a generator… just in case. But what great room would be complete without a kitchen to prepare meals to be enjoyed in the dining area, within sight of the TV and the living area? The oversize space allotted for the resident chef is fully 2020 equipped, has solid-surface
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Deal’s Appliance Services Integrity is a Family Tradition Here! By Tracy McCoy
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onnie and Joyce Deal, the owners of Deal’s Appliance Services have been providing appliance sales and repair in Rabun County since 1973. Ronnie had worked with Georgia Power Company as an appliance repairman as a young man. When the time came that Joyce’s father Grover Free needed a little help with his gas and convenience store on the side of Highway 441, they rose to the call. Ronnie and Joyce, with their children Ronald and Rita came home to Rabun County. They opened their business soon after. Their business model was a simple one, sell the best brands and always do the right thing! Ronnie Deal has built his business on honesty, integrity and treating customers and his employees like family. Hiring men that are trustworthy and skilled to repair and install the appliances they sell, has been a must. Ronnie’s son Ronald Deal, Anthony Patterson, Terry Bradshaw and Bobby Burt offer repair and delivery. Ronnie’s brother Oss Deal helps with delivery when needed, and in the office, Maria Shirley and Lynn Lovell keep things moving along. These ladies can show and educate you on anything in the showroom, they can schedule your delivery or repair, order parts and will definitely make you feel at home.
Ronnie and Joyce Deal
Deal’s Appliance Services sells quality brands like Maytag, Amana, Kitchen-aid and Whirlpool. They service most major brands and can order parts for those who wish to do their own repairs. If your appliance can be repaired, Ronnie will recommend that before he tries to sell you an appliance you don’t need. It’s that fact that has helped him gain such a stellar reputation. He is going to treat you right because that is what is in his heart. His company and family, which are one in the same, stand behind their work and you can feel very good about trading with them. In my own home, my stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer all came from Deal’s Appliance Services. I got the best possible price, excellent customer service and if I needed a repair, I’d know who to call! “Some mornings someone will walk in to work singing a hymn and we’ll all join in. There are bibles on the shelf in the office so if a question comes up we might just stop and look up the answer and before you know it, we’re having church!” Maria Shirley said. “I am proud to work for such a great company and be part of this family.” She went on to say, “Some of us are related to Ronnie and the rest have been ‘adopted’ by all of us.” This family atmosphere extends to the customers and in today’s world this is a great reason to choose Deal’s Appliance Services! You’ll find their location at 5418 US Hwy 441, in Wiley, Georgia 30581. For information you can visit their website www.dealsapplianceservice.com or call 706-782-3760.
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Wood’s Mercantile opens La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio in Clarkesville, Georgia
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ood’s Mercantile, located in Downtown Clarkesville, announces the opening of Northeast Georgia’s newest La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio. The newly-renovated, 6,000 square foot space includes hundreds of in-stock items and endless customization options. Their large fabric and leather gallery includes nearly a thousand choices, including family-friendly iClean fabrics. Customers can even choose wood colors and pillow patterns to complement their homes. Little details like customizable cushion firmness or the addition of downfilled pillows point to the amazing versatility of this trusted furniture brand. Wood’s is not new to the La-Z-Boy line, however. The sixty-year-old furniture store has partnered with La-Z-Boy since the 1970s. Owners Kevin and Melissa Wood are excited about the increase in the number of promotional specials that they can now offer their customers. “By raising our level of partnership with La-Z-Boy, we are now able to offer our customers twice the number of sales a year,” Wood’s Mercantile marketing director Melissa Wood states. “La-Z-Boy offers a great product at an affordable price.” The skilled sales associates at Wood’s Mercantile are available to help clients craft their perfect space. “My love for people is the best part of what I do. By helping them when they have doubts and listening to what they need and want, I am able to direct them to make the best decision,” says sales-manager Jessica Miller. From the selection of the product, through delivery, Wood’s Mercantile prides itself on customer service. Ronald Wood, a 35-year veteran of Wood’s Mercantile and a certified La-Z-Boy technician handles any issues with La-Z-Boy bought at Wood’s. Customers can purchase with confidence knowing that they are getting an Americanmade product that is delivered and serviced by their locally-owned and familyrun furniture store. Wood’s Mercantile is proud of their small town, personalized service. Wood’s Mercantile is located in downtown Clarkesville, Georgia. They are open Monday through Saturday 9am – 5:30pm and can be reached by calling 706-754-4144 or view their website at woodsmercantile.com.
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Bringing Comfort & Warmth to the Home
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he Fire Place in Clayton, Georgia was opened in 2000 by Lyle and Barbara Powell. The Fire Place is a Hearth retailer, specializing in fireplaces, gas logs, wood stoves, parts and accessories. Offering quality heating options to their customers for eleven years, Lyle and Barbara made the decision to retire. Their daughter and son-in-law, Bill and Susan Swager took the business over and moved to Clayton. Bill shares, “Without Lyle and Barbara we would not be in business today. Susan and I are so thankful for them. Our customers are also to be thanked. We realize the trust they put in us and we know how valuable that is. We truly bring warmth and comfort to their homes through the hearth!” The Swagers are now engrained in the community having made many friends and are great supporters of the Rabun County Wildcats. The Fire Place recently relocated to 128 Duvall Street, Suite G in Clayton. They are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays from 8am – 5pm, Wednesdays from 8am – 4pm and Saturdays by appointment. You can call 706-782-1864 for more information or visit their Facebook page.
The Fire Place
Bill Swager thefireplace@windstream.net
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Life is a Blessing
You Were Represented By Tracy McCoy “And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.” Luke 43:38-47
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oday I saw something that I had not seen in 40 years of studying God’s Word. I have been thinking about the thief who believed while facing death, who asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His Kingdom. He was saved by faith right there on the cross. Christ extended grace to this man who had lived a horrible life, robbing and stealing from others. A sinner, not fit to hang beside Jesus Christ. Instantly saved by grace. Bound for paradise that very day! Then I looked at the other guy, how vile and disgusting to blaspheme my Lord. Ignorance exposed through hateful words spewed from his filthy mouth. Been there? A sinner, not fit to hang beside Jesus Christ. Choosing unbelief. Hell bound that very day! You’ve seen the picture, three crosses on a hill. We usually focus on the Man in the middle, in any depiction of that day the middle cross is most prominent because it is most important. That middle cross is life saving, life giving, blood soaked, sin saturated and it means that somebody as insignificant as an old dirty thief and a sinner such as myself can live forever. But..... Look to the left, then to the right. You and I were represented at Calvary that day. Either on the left or on the right. Both men sinners, so are we. One chose to believe, one chose to blaspheme. The sin of unbelief is the one sin that will send you to hell. Oh, I know no one wants to talk about hell these days, well I love you enough to talk about hell. Those two thieves were not there by coincidence, they are symbolic of you and me. Which one represents you? The thief who chose to burn in hell was above the need or the desire for a God. Like so many people today, the need for a God seemed foolish and any who would follow after such an idea was foolish. He wanted Jesus to prove to him who He was.
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The second thief who chose Jesus that day realized the need for a savior, he was repentant for his sin. I don’t believe he thought that to cry out to Jesus would do one thing in his favor. He most likely thought it was too late for him. He had sinned too much. Been there? No one is too far gone for God unless the last breath leaves your body and you choose unbelief. This sinner saved by grace wasn’t baptized, he didn’t “work in the church”, he didn’t dress right, not cuss, wear a tie, carry a bible, he didn’t wear a cross or have a fish sticker on his camel. I know that is a stretch but you get my point. All of the things we think are required or help our cause can add nothing to our Salvation and if done for show is useless. I think our salvation is so gloriously simple and it is a finished work that we can not add one thing to. To know Christ you recognize your need for a Savior, you admit your sin and you express a desire to know him. “Remember me Lord, I am sorry”. You know that He died for you that day on Calvary and you know He would do it again because He loves you that much! We also see that this new Christian tried to get the guy on the other side to see who he was hanging beside. He would have told others about Jesus if he had lived long enough because of the love of Christ that filled his heart. To know Jesus and to live for him is better than anything you’ll ever know on this earth. When I share Christ with you it is not to try to change you, it is to share with you a love purer than pure, deeper than any other love you’ve known. It is a glimpse of the eternal joy that is promised to believers. To know Jesus is the single greatest decision you could make. To turn your heart from Him and to deny Him is the single act that will send your soul to hell for eternity. He is right there in the middle, waiting for you. You have nothing to lose yet eternity to gain. Eternal life is a blessing.
RCHS - HOSA
Medical Mission Experience in Guatemala
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abun County High School’s HOSA (Future Health Professionals) have planned a Medical Mission Experience. Nine students and two adults from RCHS HOSA will be traveling with the mission organization Identify to Guatemala. The trip is planned for April 3-11, 2020. Students will be assisting in pop-up clinics in rural areas, working in city clinics, performing triage, managing a mobile pharmacy, providing health education and holding hygiene clinics. The heart of these students led them to want to do more, see more and make the world a better place. Guatemala provides a unique medical mission experience because of the accessible and great need in the small developing country. There are needs and this is where you can help. Below is a list of things that are needed for the trip. Each students must raise $2,000 to go on the trip. So money is the biggest need. Anyone wishing to donate to assist these students, you may do so by making contact with amccracken@rabuncountyschools. org. Donations can be made directly to Rabun County High
School directly or you can visit https://identifythemission. manageadmissions.com/Donations/Donate/44064. Needs: Prayer, donations, OTC medications, hygience kits (see list) • Small soaps • Shampoos • Combs • Washcloths • Nail clippers • Feminine pads • Toothpaste • Toothbrushes • Bandaids • Multivitamins (child and adult) • Tums Medications and hygiene kit supplies can be delivered to RCHS or Wolffork Baptist Church, Attn: Alicia McCracken Let’s do what we can to help these students help others.
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The Giant Gentle Warrior By Michael Rogers, pastor of Wolfcreek Baptist Church
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n the fall of 1997, I stood in the parking lot of Head of Tennessee Baptist Church admiring the beautiful foliage and listening to the crunch of the already fallen leaves, about to walk inside where the Tri-State Bible Institute had set up a satellite campus. This night would be a far more important night than I could have ever imagined. A couple years before this moment, I had walked into Bethel Baptist Church and began sitting under the preaching of Tim Hunnicutt. Tim’s expository preaching lit a fire under me hotter than anything I had experienced in my former revelling life. I decided to join Tri-State Bible Institute and learn a little more about a book I had only dusted off a few times prior. As I walked into the academic building, the fluorescent lights blinded me on my way to my seat as I came face to face with a man I’d never set eyes on before. Inside I was a bundle of nerves for I had never been a student of anything that excited me. Now I found myself taking my turn at a heavy subject I could hardly spell. Old Testament Theology was the subject and after six weeks of intense study, I knew I had set under the smartest man I had ever heard. Dr Jim Britt was a brilliant man with a large frame and a huge heart. He was the most loving and caring man that anyone could ever know. He later became my pastor and mentor. Growing up in Ashburn, Georgia, Dr Britt was raised by parents who owned a grocery store. Being the quiet, shy South Georgia boy he was, no one would have ever believed he would be called into the Gospel Ministry. His first sermon at 14 years old drew nearly the entire student body and teachers from his school because no one believed that a boy who normally would take a zero on an oral report for fear of getting in front of a crowd would ever be able to preach. They were right. That night, all he could do was cry. After clearing his eyes that were filled with tears, he saw an altar full of people crying out and giving their hearts to God. As the sun set over Ashburn, Georgia that night, a shy kid had become a mighty warrior who was in love with the One whom had created him. After a few years, he acquired many degrees
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and he began to Pastor churches around South Georgia. Later in life, he separated himself from the norm by cashing in his retirement to fund W. JIM Brit Ministries. He spent the rest of his life traveling all over the world preaching the Gospel in cities, to tribal groups, and students, all while pastoring small churches back here at home. I accompanied him on a mission trip in 1998 and I saw first hand his love for all people and all groups, all over the world. I could write a long book filled with stories of the adventures that he experienced during his ministry. I’m still amazed how a book we call the Bible has the greatest truth man will ever read or hear. What’s even more amazing is how it changes lives and sets a path that one would believe he or she would or could trek. Found intertwined throughout the Bible is the beautiful theme, story, and truth we call the Gospel. This Gospel is what transformed that 14 year old boy into a warrior who championed it. Through Dr Britt’s life, the lives of many have been changed and will never be the same. I’m a product of his preaching and I am thankful for the sovereignty of God to allow me to cross the path with a man that was in love with the Gospel and through his love for it, invested in me and thousands more so we could find our path in carrying the Gospel for the rest of our lives so that we may do the same.. The apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:8, ‘Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ’. During my years at Tri- State, I sat under some amazing people. Dr Jim Britt, Dr Bob Burney, Dr Edith Burney, and Dr Lurice Jennings. All of these people had given their lives to the Gospel and through their lives, they brought many men and women to a place in life where they could say that which the apostle Paul said in Romans 1:16a, ‘For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth’. Michael Rogers is the pastor of Wolfcreek Baptist Church located at 652 Wolf Creek Church Road, Tiger, Georgia 30576.
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Grandma’s Prayer Journal What to Do First? By Karla Jacobs May 31, 1967 Today I am confused. I have so many things to be done, I don’t know where to start. The garden is to be hoed, some more to be planted, the corn to be planted, strawberries to be picked, laundry to be done, some mending and sewing that has been put off during the strawberry season. What to do first? Then I pray…Dear Father, please help me to put first things first, knowing if I do this all else will fall in place. For you have said in your word, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added. Father, remove this confusion and help me put my mind and schedule in order. Give me strength to carry out each task set before me and help me to rejoice in the fact that I’m in your favor. Bless the children everywhere Father and especially our boys in Vietnam. Amen. --Claudine Cantrell
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oly cow, do I feel this almost every single day. What to do first? Where to start?
Prayers to organize and bless the workday are common in Granny Cantrell’s journals, and these entries have always been among my favorites. They were particularly meaningful to me when I was a stay at home mom with two preschool children and my daily life looked much like the one she describes above—laundry, mending, food prep— except I bought my strawberries at the grocery store. I was overwhelmed with the volume of work to do with two young children at home and underwhelmed with the personal satisfaction I got from it. Housewifery is both monotonous and never-ending, and while competent at the domestic arts, I don’t particularly enjoy many of them. I once threatened to make my family go naked for an afternoon just so the laundry would be completely finished for a few blessed minutes. We talked a lot about life at home in my Bible study group when so many of us were in the same place with small children and mountains of laundry. We had been out in the work world before children and had enjoyed the challenges of our careers and the accolades that came with a job well done. It’s tough to leave that behind—at least it was for me—even for all the intangible benefits of being at home with my kids. No one has ever given me a plaque for doing a bang-up job cleaning the toilets, although I’m certain I’ve earned one. In one of our studies we ran across Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for
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the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ that you are serving.” We latched on to this passage and came back to it again and again throughout the years as our children grew. This inspired our friend, Jan’s, “Doing Laundry for Jesus!” mantra that kept us focused and made us laugh. It seemed an attitude adjustment was all we really needed. My life is very different now. My kids are in high school and can mostly take care of their basic needs. They even do their own laundry. As a freelance writer and professional volunteer, I find the work I’m doing fulfilling and worthwhile. However, it means I’m juggling multiple projects for at least three organizations at a time while still managing household duties at home and chauffeuring kids to school events and piano lessons. I occasionally find myself overwhelmed by my schedule despite my best efforts to tame the to-do list with technology, and I can’t figure out where to start. My grandmother took the time to quiet her mind and pray over her tasks for the day. Maybe that is what I should learn to do first.
Karla Jacobs is a freelance writer, a soccer mom, and a community volunteer with deep family roots in the North Georgia Mountains. When not writing about pop culture, policy, and politics, she can often be found hiking backcountry trails with her family. She lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband and their two teenage children.
March 2020 - 41
Bon Appétit Welcome to the Green Holiday – A Holiday That You Can Celebrate Whether or Not you are Irish! By Scarlett Cook
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think that everyone enjoys celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day even if they don’t have a drop of Irish blood. The food is good and the best part is that you get to wash it down with ice cold beer. Even dessert is better when served with coffee and Bailey’s Irish Crème. So put on something green – you don’t want to get pinched do you? – settle down and enjoy the day; because it only comes once a year. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to you!
Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner 4 – 6 servings One 2 – 21/2 Pound corned beef brisket 2 Bay leaves 1Teaspoon whole black peppercorns 3 Medium carrots – quartered 2 Medium red onions, cut into wedges 10 – 12 Whole tiny red potatoes – about 1 pound – cut in half 1 Small cabbage – about 1 pound – cut into wedges Remove brisket from wrapping and rinse. Discard seasoning packet. Place in a 4 – 6 quart pot with enough water to cover meat. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer covered, about 2 hours or until meat is almost tender. Add carrots and onions; return pot to boiling and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Add potatoes and cabbage to pot. Cover and cook about 20 minutes or more or until all vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves and remove meat from pot. To serve the brisket, slice the meat across the grain. Put meat and vegetables on a serving platter.
Fruit Salad 4 servings One 15 Ounce pineapple chunks, drained 1/4 Cup raisins 1/4 Cup chopped pecans 1/2 Cup vanilla yogurt 2 Tablespoons orange juice 1 Peach or nectarine – cut into very thin slices 1 1/2 Cups Romaine torn into pieces In a medium bowl combine pineapple, raisins and pecans. In another bowl stir together yogurt and orange juice. Pour yogurt mixture over pineapple mixture, cover and chill at least 4 hours. When ready to serve divide Romaine onto 4 salad plates. Stir sliced fruit into pineapple mixture and divide among the 4 salads. Chocolate Swirled Brownies 8 servings Brownie mix Batter or homemade brownie batter – for an 8”X8” dish Prepare batter by box instructions. 1 8 Ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature 1 Large egg Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease the baking dish. In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese and egg. Pour two thirds of the brownie batter into the greased pan. Drizzle cream cheese mixture on top of batter. Drop remaining brownie batter on top of cream cheese mixture. Using a knife, swirl the batters to create a marbled look. Bake 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
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A Taste of the Mountains
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March 2020 - 45
The Family Table M By Lorie Thompson
arch is very often an exciting month in North Georgia. If you don’t like the weather in March, just wait five minutes, and it is sure to change! Rabun’s most significant snowfall was in March, and yet, my family has also enjoyed wonderful, mild-weather camping trips in March. You just never know what this month will bring. One thing it will bring is Pi Day! 3-14 would
be a great day to make a Pie! Any excuse for a Pie is a good one! Let me tell you about a couple of my favorite pies. My Mama made what she called, Shepherds Pie using leftover mashed potatoes and ground beef. It was kind of bland. I would eat it, but it was not my favorite meal. I thought of it sometime back and started researching recipes. Here is what I found. Shepherd’s Pie uses lamb or mutton. Cottage Pie is similar and made with beef. My recipe below uses ground venison. I will call mine a Hunter’s Pie. Whichever meat you choose or whatever you want to call it, this is comfort food at it’s best! I have ramped up the flavors in this version called Hunter’s Pie. Serve the Pie alongside fresh spring greens and garlic bread and enjoy. To make the fluffiest mashed potatoes you have ever had, start with 4-5 medium (2-3 pounds) Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. Peel and cube the potatoes, placing them in cold water. Rinse them a couple of times to rinse off the excess starch. Bring cold water just to the top of the cubed potatoes. Add 1T of salt and 1-2 minced garlic cloves. (of course, I add a red pepper pod, too) Bring to a boil and simmer the potatoes until they are very tender. Drain and rinse again in cold water to remove any remaining starch. Add the potatoes back to the pan and dry out over low heat for just a minute to remove any remaining water. Mash the potatoes in the pan using a potato masher until they are smooth. In a small saucepan, warm 2T of butter, and 2-3 T milk. Add to the potatoes, 2T of softened cream cheese along with warm milk and butter. Whip for 1-2 minutes on low speed with an electric mixer.
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Add more milk if needed to make the potatoes fluffy. Gently stir in 1 Cup of sharp cheddar cheese. For the meat mixture, chop 1-2 onions and sauté in 2 T of butter. Add 1 C of diced carrots, 2-3 T of minced garlic. Lightly salt and add pepper to taste. When the onions are soft, remove from the pan. Brown 1.5 to 2 pounds of lean ground meat, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add dried seasonings to your taste; Pepper, Rosemary, and Parsley. Add 2 T of flour or corn starch to browned meat and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Optionally, add 2 T of anchovy paste (you will not taste this but, it adds a beautiful depth of flavor) and 2 T of tomato paste. Add the onion mixture back into the meat and add 1 1/2 C of Beef or Chicken Broth. Add I bag of frozen, green peas. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the broth has thickened slightly, and the peas are warm. Taste the meat. It should be very flavorful. Spread the meat and veggie mixture out evenly in your skillet or a glass casserole. Top with dollops of the mashed potatoes. Cover the potatoes with an additional Cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Optionally, add crushed Ritz Crackers on top of the cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until it is bubbly. Turn on the broiler until the cheese and crackers are toasted. Enjoy this comfort food at its finest! One of my favorite, easy desserts is Impossible Buttermilk Pie. It is so easy a child could make it. The recipe was on the back of the Bisquick box for years. The key to any food that has a minimal amount of ingredients in it is to use the finest quality ingredients you can find. High-quality eggs, butter, and whole buttermilk are essential in this Pie. To make it, butter a pie pan. In a blender, add 1.5 C of sugar, three eggs, 1/2 C Bisquick Mix (I used Gluten-Free), 1 tsp of Vanilla, and 1/3 C of butter. Blend for 15 seconds and pour into the buttered
pie dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with berries, or jam and whipped cream. Freezer jam is excellent to use! Fresh raspberry sauce is easy to make and delicious with this Pie. To a saucepan, add 1C of fresh raspberries, 2 t of water, 1 t of lemon juice, and 1/3 C of sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until sugar is fully dissolved and berries are soft. Press through a fine-mesh strainer to remove seeds. Serve the sauce with a dollop of whipped cream on the Pie. Make your family a pie; Shepherd’s Pie with spicy lamb or mutton; Cottage Pie with beef or a Hunter’s Pie with venison or rabbit. Any of them will be great topped with fluffy, cheesy mashed potatoes. Follow it with the easiest dessert ever, Impossible Buttermilk Pie with berries. Your family will love it! Enjoy March. Maybe we will get more snow, or perhaps Spring will arrive with warm days. Whatever the weather, I hope you will make my pies and enjoy them with people you love at your family table. May God bless you and keep you. Lorie Thompson is a REALTOR at Poss Realty in Clayton, Georgia. Her expertise in her industry is second only to her culinary talents. Lorie is a dynamo in the kitchen. Honestly if she prepares it, it will likely be the best you’ve ever had! Lorie and her husband, Anthony (Peanut), make their home in the Persimmon Community. She is the proud mother of Joe Thompson and Kendall Thompson.
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Clayton Pharmacy - Soda Fountain Doing It Better
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hat is happening at The Soda Fountain at Clayton Pharmacy? There’s a new guy behind the counter and a new upgraded menu, a focus on fresh, never frozen, food and more for local kids! “We wanted to take what we do and do it better!” said new Soda Fountain manager Jason Bowen. When he applied for a position at Clayton Pharmacy he thought he was applying for a short order cook, he was surprised and excited to learn that the available position was as soda fountain manager. With over 20 years in the food service industry, Jason is a perfect fit. He has worked for the Southern Baptist Convention for many years and lives in Toccoa, Georgia. Jason feels that God opened this door for him and he is very thankful. The staff at the soda fountain, Mike and the pharmacy staff all invite you to come in and try some of the new menu items. You’ll find homemade dressings to top fresh salads, burgers with many new toppings and many of the same sandwiches and specialties they’ve been known for. A new offering is “Happy Hour” for kids from 3 pm – 5 pm with 10% off! The coming weeks and months will welcome a jukebox, some arcade games and more booths. The soda fountain will be expanded better able to serve more diners. Their hours have changed to 10:30 am – 5:00 pm. Clayton Pharmacy and the soda fountain is owned by S.S.S. one of the oldest pharmaceutical companies in America, based in Atlanta, Georgia. The S.S.S. company has owned the pharmacy for many years. You can expect great personalized service from the pharmacy to the soda fountain. Stop in and welcome Jason and enjoy lunch! Bring quarters for the jukebox! Clayton Pharmacy is located at 102 Main Street in Clayton, Georgia. For more information please call 706-782-3211
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Of These Mountains
New Adventures By Kendall R. Rumsey
As I continued to grow the brand, I found I missed the customers and co-workers more and more, but I also knew I really missed having “the store.” I sat about to find the perfect storefront, one that would be a showcase for the Of These Mountains brand but give me the opportunity to continue with our online sales, festivals and events and growth to other retail outlets. I found that storefront recently in Downtown Clarkesville.
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was having a conversation with my 26-year-old nephew this past weekend and he told me he didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up. I informed him that I was 55 and still didn’t know either. We had a conversation about life goals and career choices, and I related to him conversations that I had with contemporaries. It seems many of us go through life and never know what we really want to be when we grow up. The way I see it, we have a couple of choices, we can find a job that provides stability, or we keep searching, looking to fulfill our passions. I don’t believe either choice is right or wrong, it’s just finding what works for us. I have always led with my heart, I have had amazing jobs and not so great jobs in my lifetime. It just all comes down to what’s right in a particular season of life. This past year was one of major changes for me. I sold a business that met my needs, parts of it I loved, others I didn’t. I struggled with finding a way to get rid of what I didn’t like and keeping what I did. In the end, I sold the business, but kept my passion project, the “Of These Mountains” brand we had created. With this new direction, I was able to put my energy into the creative end of the business without having to worry about the parts I didn’t like. I have been fortunate with the OTM brand, having it carried in a number of stores, working festivals and events and selling online. But as I moved into this new phase, I realized something was missing, the day to day interaction with customers and the people I worked with.
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With the help of my niece, we found the perfect location, a small 1,200 sq. ft space that I have been able to make into what I want. It’s been fun getting back into a retail space, slap dab in the middle of a vibrant event filled downtown shopping district. We are still pulling everything together, but as the store grows, not only will we feature our Of These Mountains brand of clothing and accessories, but also a select number of locally resourced gifts as well. I’m excited about the store. This new chapter is allowing me to do what I enjoy, like grow the brand while keeping me active in the community and working with customers and vendors. Who knows, maybe at 55 I have finally found what I want to be when I grow up, a career and passion that allows me to be creative, work with the public and continue to thrive with my own entrepreneurial spirit. It’s fun, discovering who and what we should be. You never know. We may never find it, but the journey getting there can be really rewarding when you follow your heart! Y’all make sure and stop by the new Of These Mountains store, located at 1345 Washington Street, Clarkesville. We are across the street from The Attic Restaurant. Come in and check it out and as always, thanks for your support and appreciation for “Of These Mountains.” Kendall Rumsey is a resident of Clayton, Ga. He is owner of the lifestyle brand Of These Mountains and author of the blog, Notes from a Southern Kitchen. www.ofthesemountains.com www.notesfromasouthernkitchen.com
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By the Way...
A Big Screen for a Little Pig
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f i n a l l y bought my pet pig, Cunningham, his own television.
I know, I know—I should have done that a long time ago. And you’re right. But I’m bad to procrastinate about putting things off. Anyway, my wife, Judy, was finally fed up with him hogging the remote. Plus, she was sick of watching reruns of that movie, “Babe.” Since they were having a big Ground Hog’s Day sale at the store, I put Cunningham in the truck and headed for town. As I’d expected, the place was filled with holiday shoppers, but we found the television section without even asking. The manager could tell we were serious buyers because he came over immediately and watched us test the various models by turning them on and off real fast. When it comes to electronics, that’s the equivalent of thumping a watermelon.
By Emory Jones “Do you want to buy a television set?” he asked, looking intently at Cunningham. “Is that the only way they come?” I asked back. “Because we only need one. It’s for my pig.” “Your pig?” “Yes. Can you recommend something that would look good to a pig’s eye? Black and white would be fine. I mean, if it’s cheaper.” “You want a black and white TV? For your pig?” I covered Cunningham’s ears before I answered. “Yes. I haven’t told him yet, but he’s colorblind. Paying extra for color would be a waste of money.” “Your pig watches television?” “Way too much, if you ask me. Anyway, I want him to have his own.” In the meantime, Cunningham sat down in front of a demo model that was playing the “Three Little Pigs” movie, which I immediately turned off. “Why did you do that?” asked the manager, somewhat crossly. I chalked it up to the holiday stress he had to be under. “To a pig, that’s a horror movie. It’ll give him nightmares.” “I don’t care,” said the manager, turning the television back on. “Oh, sure,” I said. “You’re not the one who’ll have to get up tonight and read Hamlet for an hour to get him back to sleep.” “Doesn’t he have a pig pen?” “Well, he did, but it broke, so now he just uses a pencil.” I guess the manager was in a big hurry to help other customers because he sold us a color TV for the same price as a black and white model. He even ran it out to the truck for us at no extra charge. Cunningham was so excited he jumped up and down on his little pork butt and cried wee, wee, wee, all the way home. Once Judy got the television working up in the spare room, I wrapped Cunningham in a blanket and settled him down to watch “Pigtail Chronicles” on AmiPork Prime. I would have watched it with him, but the doctor said I should get off the couch more. So, now I only watch TV in bed. I don’t know how we ever managed without TV shows. I asked my grandmother once what people did for entertainment before television. She said she didn’t know. Then I asked each of her seven brothers and nine sisters, and they didn’t know either.
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The Animal Whisperer “I Shot Him...” By Noel Shumann
“I
shot him, and I need help to fix him back up again” says the young girl to the veterinarian. Only an animal lover who was pressured into duck hunting would go rescue the very duck she shot and bring him to the vet. To be inside the mind of this 13 year old is a mystery to me. This animal lover happens to be my wife as a young girl. From the wounded animals that the cat drags in to the neglected hermit crab (which we have had for three years) that we adopted from our grandchild, the rescue attempts just keep going. One rescue that comes to mind is when my wife and I had returned to our home at about 8pm after an evening dinner. At the entrance to our home my wife discovered a baby bird with no feathers, on the ground unconscious at our driveway. No feathers on a chilly evening meant little chance of survival. She brought the bird inside to give it warmth and to keep it alive. Not wanting her to get her hopes up, my first question of the evening was how and with what was she going to feed the bird. I was concerned the bird would not survive the evening, but in the small likelihood that it would survive I wondered what in the world she as going to do. I didn’t want a wild bird hanging around the house for another three years like the hermit crab. My wife quickly replied, “I found it, so it is my bird. I will figure the rest out as we go along.” She placed the bird in an empty shoe box with a wash cloth for comfort. In the morning, that bird not only survived, but was eagerly waiting with beak open (to convert our house like the little shop of horrors, you know.. “feed me Seymore”) for whatever my wife had conjured up as food. For the next 10 days the bird’s diet, as prescribed by my wife, was dry cat food ground up with a little bit of water. Ground up cat food was certainly equal to a filet mignon to this bird. Much to my annoyance, it worked! The bird was eight inches tall and fully feathered. All systems were a go. It was ready for its first flight. My thoughts ran with the question of how this bird was going to survive in the wild when all it had eaten was cat food. For the first time ever, my wife and I were on the same page as she agreed with my concern and began to devise a new plan. After several days of a NEW diet of worms, grubs and cat food, the second flight was a success. Just when I thought it would end there, the bird started making visits to its mother (my wife) any time she would go out on
the deck. As soon as she was spotted, the bird would fly and land on her shoulder to receive the attention any child would want from its mother. As I mentioned before, my wife already had a reputation in the neighborhood of healing wounded animals. Her resume included two horses, a goat, three or four dogs, a hermit crab, and now a bird! Just to liven things up, I decided to take advantage of her animal whisperer capabilities to stretch the truth a bit. I knew just what to do to create a show! I began to spread the rumor that my wife could go out on the back deck and call for any animal and that it would come, no need to mention a trained bird at this point. To my wife’s surprise, the neighbors started flocking (no pun intended) to our house to see the show. She was quick to pick up where I was headed and shot me two laser beams with her eyes, silently letting me know there would be reprisals for my exaggerated statements. The woman had no sense of humor about the subject. As the old saying goes, I was “in for a penny, in for a pound.” I had really stepped in deep, so I decided to go all in and gently suggest she go out on the porch and see if an animal would come to her. After all, we had guests to entertain! Now I was really in trouble, but my wife followed suit and walked out onto the porch calling “here bird, here bird.” I lucked out as the bird flew in, making a two point landing on her shoulder, like a P40 landing on an aircraft carrier. She turned back with the bird on her shoulder and smiled. The bird hopped up and down as if asking for applause. Our guests about fell out of their seats. For the grand finale, with her index finger pointed out, she raised her hand to her shoulder for the bird to make its perch. With a flick of her finger, she sent the bird on its way. The audience was standing now as if not to miss anything. Two neighbors hugged my wife immediately as if congratulation her for being “mother of the year”. My audience reacted just how I had hoped they would. We were famous! As to whether or not I ever told those sweet neighbors how all this happened… why ruin a good reputation!
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Rabun County Sheriff’s Office Introduces New Mobile App
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ne of the things I have tried to do since being elected Sheriff is to utilize technology to improve our efficiency and communication. We now have laptop workstations in every patrol vehicle that allows deputies to do incident reports, accident reports, and issue citations straight from their vehicle. These laptop workstations are serviced by Verizon aircards, and when deputies are in an area with no service, our reporting system continues to allow the reports to be completed and uploaded once service is regained. We were able to upgrade our radios, allowing for better coverage and transmitting ability in our mountainous setting. At the detention center, we have started video visitation, which allows inmates to remotely visit with friends and families. I am most excited about our next advancement in technology that is just for you, the citizens of Rabun County! The Sheriff’s Office is happy to announce that we have our own smartphone app that is available for FREE through the Apple Store or Google Play. This project has been in the works for almost a year and is now available for download. There is so much information available on the app, including inmate search capabilities, inmate visitation rules and schedules, sex offender registry, submit tips, the divisions within the Sheriff’s Office, our event calendar, and employment opportunities. We have also included a drug tab within the app that describes the different types of drugs, signs and symptoms of use, and available resources for those seeking help to fight addiction. You will also be able to sign up to receive push notifications from the Sheriff’s Office via the app. This is a brief overview of the app, so I encourage you to download it and take advantage of this free resource. It was created with you, our citizens, in mind! Thanks for allowing me to serve as your Sheriff. I look forward to serving you for many years to come! Your Sheriff, Chad Nichols
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Lovin’ the Journey Tail Wagging
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By Mark Holloway
’m an excitable man. I’m even like a young pup wagging his tail. Springtime is about to reveal a renewed earth.
When you live in the forest, new life is easy to see. Bright green tips on the ends of hemlock branches is one of many clues. Springtime in the mountains is such a marvelous and exciting time. Trails beg me to lace up my running shoes, mount my mountain bike, or throw my rock climbing gear in our SUV. The earth starts all over in springtime. Everything is fresh. My lungs love spring. Thankfully, I’m not bothered by pollen.
An ancient theologian and prolific writer, Paul, encourages us about renewal. I can be new in Christ. Old ways and old patterns can be displaced in my soul by a newness unmatched even by winter’s yielding to spring. No songbird or blossom can erase my soul’s burden of dark living. But when I surrender, and that’s hard to do, a renewing churns deep inside. Somewhere at the crossroads of my spirit and soul, a regeneration takes place. And the joys of spring only amplify that inner symphony. I don’t have to wait until spring to be renewed. The Savior invites me to unload my sin. Getting to repent is actually a gift. Oswald Chambers describes it best as a “white funeral”. It’s not until I die to my own foul plans that I truly begin to live...and live I do, without regrets and dirty little secrets crammed away in a closet of shame. Spring simply feels new. Spring lures me to a place of second chances. I’ve lived where there is no real change of seasons. I grew up part of my life in Hawaii, and later in south Florida. No fall leaves, no smoke rise from a cozy cabin. And no sense of spring’s second chance. But here, winter bends its knee with a servant’s bow or a maiden’s curtsy. Spring is the new sheriff in town and cold bitter winds are sent away. “Ooshie” will soon get packed away like granny’s quilt and wool sweaters. Sure, winter lingers into spring. But the promise of evenings on the back deck loom ever closer. I’ve ridden my mountain bike through snow and run ice-covered trails. But springtime champions my heart. My tail wags a bit more. See you on the trail. Mark and his wife, Carol, are the owners of Fresh Start, a company dedicated to stewarding the property and homes of their clients. They aspire to be your eyes, ears and hands while you are away, and your resource for anything you need, whether you are a full or part time resident of the area. Mark can be reached by calling 706.490.7060.
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Adventure Out Opossum Creek Falls By Peter McIntosh
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n this adventure we’re going to Opossum Creek Falls in South Carolina, a multi-tiered, 60 foot cascade that’s about 1/3 mile upstream from where Opossum Creek joins the Chattooga River. Several books rate this trail as strenuous but I would say it’s moderate to easy most of the way with just a few steep spots as the footpath nears the river and a total length, there and back, of just over 5 miles. This is a well maintained trail and is in excellent condition. From the trailhead on Turkey Ridge Road (there are Carsonite markers reading “CHATT RVR 2.2 miles” and “OPOS CRK” as well as a forest service information board) the path descends gently on switchbacks before coming to a small stream. The trail, almost level now, follows the stream through what is primarily a hardwood forest. About 1 mile in, the creek is a bit larger and the surrounding forest transitions from hardwoods to massive conifers, mostly Hemlocks and a few White Pines. This is an especially beautiful trail in the spring when wildflowers such as the Partridge Berry and Birdsfoot Violet are in bloom. (You may want to bring a wildflower book.) The trail reaches the Chattooga River at a camping area, with Opossum Creek joining the river right in front of you. There is a nice sandy beach just across the stream here, offering nice views of the Chattooga River both upstream and down. It’s easy to understand why this is a popular picnic spot. The trail to the falls follows Opossum Creek, on your left if you’re facing the river, back upstream for about a 1/3 mile, crossing over a small creek by stepping stones and scrambling over some boulders near the base of the
cascade. And up by the falls, there is always a cool breeze so this would be a nice place to come back to in the summer for some natural air conditioning. But if it’s a cool day, enjoy the falls for a bit and then head back out to the sandy riverside and warm yourself in the sun. On towards evening, the scenery is even more dazzling with the late afternoon sun filtering through the trees on the ridge line. Happy Hiking. And my poem for March: Let’s hike through the forest and down to the river, Where the cool river water might give you a shiver. Then back up a short trail where we take a peek, At a lovely waterfall named Opossum Creek. Getting there: From Clayton, go 8 miles on US 76 east to the Chattooga River. From the Chattooga River bridge go just over 2 miles to Orchard Road on right. Go approx 2.5 miles to dead end at Battle Creek Road. Turn right on Battle Creek Road and go 1 mile to Turkey Ridge Road. (Gravel Road - FS 755 - go slow, it’s easy to miss) If you come to a sign reading Tugaloo Boat Ramp, you’ve gone too far. Go 2.3 miles on Turkey Ridge Road to a parking area on left. The trailhead is back up the road about 50 yards and well marked. To see more of Peter’s photos or if you have a question or comment: www.mcintoshmountains.com
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PAWS 4 Life - Can We Crash At Your Place?
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im Skelton never imagined when she walked into Paws 4 Life to adopt a single cat that she would end up saving the lives of four more.
As she was looking at the available cats she overheard the shelter director explaining to staff that a box of kittens had just been left at Paws without a mother. The kittens were tiny, very sick, and would not survive the night without someone to care for them. They would require bottle feedings until they were old enough to eat solid foods and would need to be constantly watched for any medical complications due to their small size. This would be difficult at the shelter, and the only chance of survival the kittens had would be to go to a foster home until they were strong enough to live at Paws. Kim, without hesitation, looked into the box containing the four black kittens and offered to foster them immediately. The kittens were brought to Kim’s home and given a warm, nurturing environment. She and her family nursed the cats and provided them a safe place to grow for three months. Being in her home also allowed the kittens to become accustomed to people and being handled regularly. When they were old enough, Kim returned four healthy, friendly, rambunctious kittens to the shelter so that they could find their forever families. All of the cats were adopted quickly and are now living in loving homes of their own! Kim’s experience highlights the importance of fostering to Paws 4 Life. Foster homes are needed because some animals need extra help before they can be adopted. These animals may have special medical needs, require socialization, or need care that can better be provided in a home environment instead of the shelter. Animals that benefit from fostering include: • Mother dogs or cats with litters of puppies or kittens • Puppies or kittens too young to be adopted • Frightened or abused animals that need extra attention • Animals with behavioral challenges • Terminally ill animals that need hospice care • Animals recovering from an illness • Animals that can benefit from being away from a shelter environment. Fostering is beneficial for the animals, the shelter, foster parents, and forever homes. Fostering also provides
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the opportunity to have loving animals in your life without the permanent commitment of adoption. It is a great way to volunteer at the shelter from the comfort of your home! Most foster families believe that it is one of the most gratifying things they have ever done. Foster mom June Chamberlin says, “Nothing is more rewarding than knowing you’ve been a part of saving a little life that might not have had a chance to survive.” Foster programs are integral parts of successful shelters, and Paws 4 Life is in dire need of foster families. Please consider opening your heart and home to some of the shelter’s neediest animals. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, contact Paws at 706-782-5422 or email mollykeaton@gmail.com.
Franklin, North Carolina
Visit our shelter at 261 Boen Creek Road, Tiger, GA 30576. Call us for information, or to report lost/missing/found animals in Rabun County 706.782.5422. Donations for the care of our animals are always appreciated. Mail to PAWS 4 Life – PO Box 216, Clayton, GA 30525
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Mountain Happenings
March and April, 2020
March 20th - 29th 2020 Georgia Wine Highway Week Wineries in Northeast Georgia Info: georgiawine.com STEPHENS COUNTY March 6th green, jeans & Irish cuisine NGTC Currahee Campus Toccoa Info: 706.754.7702 The Ritz Theater Toccoa Info: www.ritztheatretoccoa.com March 6th A Night of Jazz with TFC March 13th Gregg Erwin - A True Tribute to Outlaw Country & Southern Rock March 14th Southern Gospel Music: The Troy Burns Family March 19th - John Conlee April 4th - Cherry Cherry April 11th Southern Gospel Music: The Homeland Boys April 18th Night at the Ritz: Fleetwood Max HABERSHAM COUNTY March 14th St. Patrick’s Celebration Grant Street Music Room Clarkesville Info: 706.839.7467 April 4th Photos with the Easter Bunny Mauldin House, Clarkesville Info: 706.754.2220 April 4th - 5th Clarkesville Gun Show Habersham County Fairgrounds Clarkesville Info: 706.754.2220 April 9th - 12th, 16th - 19th “The Odd Couple” - Female Version Habersham Community Theater Clarkesville Info: 706-839-1315 www.habershamtheater.org April 17th and the third Friday of each month through September Friday Night Live Downtown Clarkesville Info: 706.754.2220
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WHITE COUNTY March 22nd - 23rd Alpine Helen Songwriters’ Festival Helen Info: 706.878.2181 March 28th 31st Annual Trout Tournament Helen Info: 706.878.1908 April 2nd - 4th Outdoor Painting Weekend SNCA Sautee Nacoochee Info: 706.878.3300 Hardman Farm State Historic Site Sautee Nacoochee Info: 706.878.1077 March 1st Hardman Farm Opening Day Farm Animal Fun Day Emory Jones Book Signing March 28th Remarkable Georgia Women April 11th Natural Egg Dying Farm Animal Fun Day Emory Jones Book Signing Babyland General Hospital Cleveland Info: 706.865.2171 cabbagepatchkids.com March 14th St. Patrick’s Day Celebration April 4th Magical Easter Eggstravaganza RABUN COUNTY March 14th The Malpass Brothers in Concert Rabun County Civic Center Clayton Info: rabuncountyeventvenues.com April 9th Easter Egg Hunt Rabun County Recreation Dept. Tiger Info: 706.782.4600 April 25th - 26th Celebrate Clayton Downtown Clayton Info: celebrateclayton.com
April 10th Sunset Easter Egg Hunt April 18 - 19th, 25th - 26th May 2nd - 3rd, 9th - 10th, 16th - 17th Aesthetic Water Releases TOWNS COUNTY March 7th Big Prom (Scholarship Fundraiser) Young Harris College Young Harris Info: 706.379.5318 April 18th GET OUTDOORS! Expo Towns County Recreation Center Young Harris Info: 706.896.4966 Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds Hiawassee Info: 706.896.4191 georgiamountainfairgrounds.com March 28th The Drifters, Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, The Platters April 11th - May 16th A Blooming Affair at Hamilton Gardens Info: 706.970.0011 UNION COUNTY April 18th and the 3rd Saturday of the month thru October Cruise-In on the Square Car Show Downtown Blairsville Info: blairsvillecruisers.com April 18th Blue Jean Ball, SAFE Fundraiser McDowall Acres, Blairsville Info: 706.379.1901 April 23rd Trout Dinner Fundraiser Meeks Park, Blairsville Info: 828.837.5414 CLAY COUNTY, NC April 11th Easter Egg Hunt Hayesville Info: 828.389.3704 John C. Campbell Folk School Brasstown Info: 828.837.2775
Tallulah Gorge State Park Tallulah Falls Info: 706-754-7981
March 7th, 21st April 4th, 18th Contra & Square Dance
April 4th - 5th, 11th - 12th White Water Releases
March 13th - Sara Grey March 20th - Jeff Furman
March 21st Empty Bowls Fund Raiser March 26th Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express March 28th, April 25th English Country Dance Series April 3rd - Ted White April 10th - Stringer’s Ridge April 17th Junior Appalachian Music Program Student Concert Peacock Performing Arts Center Hayesville Info: 828.389.2787 thepeacocknc.org March 6th - 8th, 13th - 15th “Out of Order” March 28th - Vintage Vixens April 4th Legacy Motown Review April 18th Song Writers Showcase 30 MACON COUNTY, NC Cowee School - Arts & Heritage Ctr. Franklin Info: 828.349.1945 March 21st and the 3rd Saturday SEBA Jam March 28th - Contra Dance Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts Franklin Info: 866.273.4615; 828.524.1598 GreatMountainMusic.com March 6th - Sister Hazel March 27th - 28th Disney’s Aladdin Jr. A Youth Theatre Production April 3rd - 4th A Glimpse of His Last Days April 5th - Golden Dragon Acrobats April 17th An Evening with Clint Black April 18th Hotel California A Salute to the Eagles April 25th Ray on My Mind The Music of Ray Charles Highlands Performing Arts Center Highlands Info: 828.526.9047 March 14th Wahner’s Der Fliegende Hollander April 11th Puccini’s Tosca
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Celebrate Clayton Art Festival, April 25 and 26 Benefitting Our Community Since 1999
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he last weekend in April, thousands of visitors will be attracted to Clayton and Rabun County. Why? Because, that’s when our town hosts the annual Celebrate Clayton Art Festival. Presented by the North Georgia Arts Guild, we are proud to continue the tradition of bringing art and fine crafts to the mountains of North Georgia. The popular, family-friendly, festival welcomes visitors to stay all day or all weekend to shop and dine throughout the community. The festival offers much to do and see: shop the juried Artist Market lining the center of Main Street where more than 100 artists and artisans exhibit their arts and fine crafts; sample tasty, traditional festival fare; relax on the shady Rock House lawn and enjoy live local music; and visit the kids art activity corner and student art competition in Veterans’ Park. No event of this magnitude can enjoy success and longevity without the support of the community. The number of volunteers who dedicate their time to plan and work the festival is great – the time and energy of every individual is needed and appreciated.
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The generosity of the long list of local business sponsors and individual donors ensures continued funding for the North Georgia Arts Guild’s scholarship and community outreach programs. Annually we award scholarships to Boy and Girl Scout troops and artistically talented high school seniors. This year we have launched our outreach program with art classes/workshops for elementary age students. We invite you to join the ranks of volunteers, sponsors and donors to support your community and give back to Rabun’s youth. If you cannot volunteer your time, please make a donation, perhaps in honor of a scout, friend or family member. Celebrate Clayton is presented by the North Georgia Arts Guild, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All donations are tax-deductible. For more information, visit CelebrateClayton.com or contact Kathy Ford, Celebrate Clayton Chairman, 706212-9958.
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“Live Healthy and Be Well” - Bladder Cancer Information
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Stephen Jarrard, MD, FACS
recently visited with our amazing Publisher of this great magazine, Tracy McCoy. She was concerned about someone she knew that had recently been diagnosed with urinary bladder cancer. I told her it was not that uncommon, at least some forms of it, and that maybe we should research and write one of these articles to share the info with all our gracious readers. She agreed and this month’s article is on that very topic. By the time you read this, The Ides of March will be upon us, Coronavirus hopefully under control, and we sincerely hope you survived the winter without any serious illness such as the flu or pneumonia. Advance reminder that the new updated 2020 flu vaccine will be available in the fall, and we really recommend you get it by Halloween as a general guide. Bladder cancer is a type of tumor that arises from the tissues of the urinary bladder located anteriorly in the pelvis. The bladder receives and stores urine from the kidneys via the ureters on each side. Normally, when it comes to hold a certain amount, you feel the urge to urinate and pass the water out through the urethra. The bladder is made of smooth muscle, which has the ability to stretch to be larger, then contract to help push out the urine, and is smaller when empty. Bladder cancer, like any cancer, is a condition of abnormal (uncontrolled) cell growth, which causes problems both locally in the bladder and urinary system. It may also become “metastatic” and spread to other parts of the body. Common initial symptoms include blood in the urine (may be microscopic), painful urination, and low back or pelvic pain. The most common age group is 65 to 84 years of age, and males seem to be more at risk than females. 95% of bladder cancers are classified as transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), with the other 5% being squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, sarcoma, or metastatic deposits from other cancers. As cancers go, it is not a particularly deadly cancer – with 5-year survival rates (considered a “cure”) in the US being 77%. There are good treatments available, and the type of therapy depends mainly on the stage of the tumor when it is found. These treatments may include, or be combinations of, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy. A Urologist will often make the diagnosis and plan or initiate treatment, but an Oncologist may also be consulted, especially if there has been distant spread of the tumor. The main causes of bladder cancer, and thus risk factors, include tobacco smoking, occupational exposures, certain or frequent bladder infections, and those exposed to radiation such as external beam radiation for prostate or female cancers. Besides lung cancer, which is more
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obvious, smoking is a major risk factor for bladder cancer. Of those diagnosed with bladder cancer, about half the men are regular smokers, and one-third are women. The risk seems to increase up to about 15 cigarettes a day, then plateau. That does not mean that if you smoke 14 per day you are low risk, but it does mean that the risk does not seem to increase further after 15 per day. It is interesting to note that as smoking rates have decreased over the years, so has the rate of bladder cancer. Also, any type of tobacco use increases risk – even cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco. It is not yet known if “vaping” increases risk – but it is safer to assume it does until found otherwise. Another major risk factor for bladder cancer (up to thirty percent) is among those people who are occupationally exposed to certain industrial agents that are known carcinogens. The clothing and textile industries are at risk, mainly because of dyes used to stain the cloth. Certain materials used in the rubber and plastics industries are also implicated, as well as those who work with the materials used to make these substances as well as the end products. Thus, occupations at risk include such things as rubber and plastics workers, blacksmiths, leather and shoe workers, machinists, textile and garment workers, bus drivers, mechanics, painters, and even hairdressers (frequent exposure to dyes and aerosols – thus also more prone to respiratory issues). Frequent bladder infections, or anything causing irritation or inflammation of the bladder, can result in a cancerous change over time. Certain parasitic organisms, namely “Schistosoma” are also implicated because the eggs laid in the wall of the bladder cause chronic inflammation. Fortunately, this is not common in the US, but is a factor in other areas of the world. This is not to worry you too much if you have UTIs often, but if this is the case you should be referred to a Urologist for evaluation and management of your condition. Symptoms along with risk factors may lead to further study and likely result in referral to a Urologist, where an exam and biopsy will be arranged. Visualization and biopsy of the lesion will normally be accomplished through a cystoscopy – which is to insert a light, camera, and biopsy instrument into the bladder by means of the urethra. Once diagnosed and properly classified and “staged” there are a variety of treatment options, such as various surgeries, possibly with a radiation component, or chemotherapy with medicines. Certain agents that can stimulate the immune system to fight the cancer are also used, and this is known as “immunotherapy.” The Physician directing treatment will know the proper and best technique for therapy depending on your overall situation. If you notice blood in your urine, don’t worry too much – as there are many causes of this condition, and most are temporary and benign. However, this is something to see your doctor about and have further evaluated. If you have the risk
factors we talked about above, such as being an older smoker and/or have worked in one of those occupations, and notice blood in your urine – even more reason to be checked by your provider. Even if you don’t notice blood in your urine that you can see (known as “gross hematuria”), you should occasionally be checked for blood you cannot see (microscopic hematuria) at least maybe once a year at your annual wellness check – this can be done in most offices with a simple urinalysis. We really do enjoy hearing from you with any questions, concerns, or ideas for future columns and/or health and wellness related issues for the Georgia Mountain Laurel. Please send an email to rabundoctor@gmail.com, or call us at 706-7823572, and we will be sure to consider your input. This and
previous articles can be found on the web at www.rabundoctor.com in an archived format. If you use Twitter, then follow us for health tips and wellness advice @rabundoctor, and on Facebook see the page rabundoctor. Until next month, live healthy and be well!
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YourTime Fitness –by Tracy Home of a Healthy Body McCoy
olly Ramey opened YourTime Fitness in it’s current location in 2015. She discovered her love of fitness years earlier when she owned and operated Genesis 24 Fitness in Clayton. Even before Genesis 24 Fitness, she was eager to gain her certification and become an instructor. “Helping people become more physically fit so they could enjoy a higher quality of life was very appealing to me” Dolly said. Since entering the world of fitness, she has helped hundreds, if not thousands of people change their lives. Dolly is a great encourager and motivator, you can see her running most days, in the gym working with clients and planning how she can improve the YourTime Fitness experience and serve the community in a greater way. A certified personal trainer, body sculpting teacher and step instructor, Dolly Ramey has 30+ years experience in the fitness industry. When planning to open YourTime Fitness she knew what she wanted In a fitness facility and that is what she and Lester have created. She wanted the best equipment and plenty of it, she wanted classes that were convenient for everyone, and qualified, highly trained instructors. From as early as 5:30am to 7:30pm there are classes going on in the classrooms inside the gym. There are 20+ certified trainers and instructors teaching classes and working one on one with clients. The atmosphere of YourTime Fitness is one of wellness and good health. Affordable membership, 24/7 access and free classes with membership are just a few of the reasons YourTime Fitness is a great choice. Awarded “Best Gym” by readers of The Clayton Tribune 5 years in a row is another. Active Military and Reserves can enjoy the gym and all classes with no fee. College and high school students can join with no registration fee. Plus our men and women in Blue get a large discount. If all of this is not enough to convince you, how about the fact that YourTime Fitness strives to offer members a challenging workout on state-of-the-art machines. In fact, Dolly told me there are new machines that will be on the floor by the time this magazine hits the street. Whether meeting your fitness goals involves group fitness, personal training, gaining strength after surgery or to just enjoy becoming more active, you are personally invited by Dolly and Lester, and the staff of YourTime Fitness to stop in and enjoy a day pass to the gym or visit a class. The gym is located at 675 North Main Street in Clayton, Georgia. Their website is www.yourtimefitness.com and for additional information call 706.782.6010
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The YourTime Fitness Team of Professionals Justin Jordan - Dance Fitness Instructor Dana Thiele – Yoga Instructor Mark Gerrells, Sr – Martial Arts Instructor / Certified Personal Trainer Lester Ramey – Certified Spin Instructor Angie Cheek – Certified Step and Body Sculpting Instructor Tiffany Austin – Certified Zumba Instructor Diane Monroe – Silver Sneakers Instructor Lisa Ramey - Certified Zumba Instructor Carol Means – Registered Yoga Teacher, Dance Fitness Fred Gehrisch – Kickboxing Instructor Linda Johnson – Certified Zumba Instructor Debbie Beaty – Silver Sneakers Instructor Leslie Bleckley – Certified Zumba Instructor Mandy McDonald – Zumba and Zumba Strong Certified Lisa Ezzard – Yoga Instructor Nicole Borth – Yoga Instructor Dolly Ramey – Certified Personal Trainer / Body Sculpting Instructor Joe Henry – Certified Personal Trainer Theron Stanford – Certified Personal Trainer Robert Webb – Certified Personal & Group Fitness Instructor Kelly Page – HIIT Instructor Classes Offered at YourTime Fitness There are approximately 160 scheduled classes each month at no additional charge to the members. Zumba: A high impact dance fitness class Dance Fitness: Alternative to Zumba that is not as intense Body Fit: strength class designed to work the entire body Yoga: The grouping of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines *Silver Sneakers: variety of exercises designed to increase muscle strength, range of movement and activities for daily living. *Silver & Fit: This class is part of the Silver Sneakers. Cardio Fit: A low impact aerobics class geared towards seniors. Step: A form of aerobics used with an elevated platform HIIT: High intensity Interval Training including. Quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. Kickboxing: Group of stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching ForgeFit: A one-hour class in the morning with a high cardio focus and Olympic style lifting Zumba Strong: combines body weight, muscle conditioning, cardio and plyometric training moves synced to original music that has been specifically designed to match every single move SPIN: Coming soon *Silver Sneakers and Silver & Fit memberships are at no cost to the member if they are age 65 or older and qualify with their insurance company. The gym membership is paid by their insurance company and class participation is not required. Drop by the office to see if you quality.
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Solasta Spa – A Hidden Gem Not Too Far Away
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estled in the Blue Ridge Mountains right in the heart of the beautiful Sautee-Nacoochee Valley sits a hidden gem…...off the beaten track but not too far away. Solasta Spa at Valhalla Resort Hotel is an intimate boutique and unpretentious day spa that focuses on providing a heavenly experience for their guests. Offering exceptional spa treatments from hot river stone massages, couple massages to therapeutic deep tissue work, they boast some of the best and highly trained massage therapists in the region that are committed to their guests. What sets Solasta Spa apart from other day spas is they are a clinical skin care spa where their guests receive not only relaxing facials but transforming skin care services as well. The array of skin care services offered range from Signature Medical Facials, Oxygen Facials, Dermal Edge resurfacing and peels for all skin types and sensitivities. Problems successfully treated are hyperpigmentation, melasma, antiaging, sensitivities to products and skin prone to breakouts or acne. A professional consultation is performed so that the service is customized to fit the clients needs. Solasta Spa is proud to be a certified Societe’ Clinical Skin Care spa and our estheticians are certified in all treatments They are excited to announce that due to popular requests, injections and fillers will be added to their services in the Spring by a certified and highly trained medical professional. Keep watching their posts on Facebook for the announcement! Other guest favorites are our signature pedicures, body wraps and aromatherapy experiences. Solasta Spa is a popular girls get-away destination and they welcome parties of up to 20 and offer group rates to parties of six or more. They are accepting reservations now for groups and are booking through the year. Amenities offered to all spa guests include complimentary valet parking at the resort, access to The Quiet Room for relaxation before or after services, access to gym and work out space and access to The Eucalyptus Steam Experience. An outdoor whirlpool is being added to their amenities and will be available to their guests by Spring. Their most popular amenity that guests love is the beautiful pool and private cabanas during season. All spa guests have access, and this makes for an unforgettable excursion. Guests love to come for their spa treatments then enjoy lunch from the poolside Cabana Bar, relax sipping a cocktail in their
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private cabana and then shower and dress in their fully appointed dressing rooms. The best part is Solasta Spa and Valhalla Resort Hotel is an adults only resort so it is a great romantic get-away for a couples retreat whether just for the day or for the weekend where guests can stay in one of their luxurious and well-appointed suites or bungalows. Husbands that may not want to visit the spa are welcome to book a tee time at Innsbruck Golf Club while the wives are having a great spa day. The resort has something for everyone! After enjoying a day of spa, golf or just relaxation, stay for dinner in The Caledonia or Sky Bar and enjoy a romantic and delicious meal. Reservations are suggested. Solasta Spa at Valhalla Resort is open to the public and books up quickly on weekends and holidays. They offer local discounts on all services and a Loyalty Program so that their frequent guests earn free services. Their local market consists of Rabun, White, Habersham and Towns counties. Visit their website at www.valhallaresorthotel.com for a full menu of their services and packages. Call or email for group rates and reservations. Their direct number is 706-8782200, ext. 4 or email spa@valhallaresorthotel.com for more information. Solasta Spa is open Tuesdays – Sundays and will offer extended evening hours starting in May. Come and enjoy in their wonder!
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Hey, Can You Hear Me Now? by Tracy McCoy
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asically limited to receiving and sending one message at a time, the telegraph had been an established means of communication for some 30 years when Alexander Graham Bell began tinkering with it. He had an extensive knowledge of sound and music and believed that he could improve on the existing product. His efforts led to the harmonic telegraph which he continued to work on. He worked more than a year on his invention with the help of an electrician by the name of Thomas Watson. When Mr. Watson attempted to loosen a reed he had wound around a transmitter he accidentally plucked it, transmitting a sound along the wire that transmitted into the next room where Alexander was working. That ‘twang’ was all that these gentlemen needed to accelerate their work. The following year Mr. Bell recounted the critical moment in his journal: “I then shouted into M [the mouthpiece] the following sentence: ‘Mr. Watson, come here—I want to see you.’ To my delight, he came and declared that he had heard and understood what I said.” This, my friends, was indeed the first telephone call. From this moment in 1876 until today Alexander Graham Bell’s efforts have evolved to the point where we can talk to anyone anywhere at anytime in seconds. We can call without touching the phone by simply stating a desire to make the call, (thank you, Siri and Alexa!). The 144 years that have passed have seen advances that are simply astounding! A year after Bell’s device was patented, he founded Bell Telephone Company. As the industry took off, other companies cropped up. The initial telephone system, although an amazing invention, was primitive compared to the system of today. Meanwhile in rural Georgia many families remained isolated. In doing some research I found (thanks to the Rabun County Historical Society) that initially there was a company called Clayton Telephone, owned by a man named Mr. Tom Roane. They were bought out in 1927 by Western North Carolina Telephone Company who had offices in Sylva and Franklin. They completely tore down the existing poles and installed new ones in the business district with promises that they would reach the rural areas as soon as possible. Their tagline was “Use the Telephone”, but telephone service was not as popular as they had hoped it would be, due to the expense. The following year, in fact, The Clayton Tribune reported that Western North Carolina Telephone company agreed to lower their rates hoping more people would get a telephone. The lower rates were approved by the Mayor of Clayton and the City Council. The local paper encouraged their readers to call them with news and information. Their number was a simple 21. Typically an operator was on hand to put the call through by plugging a cord into the switchboard, thus connecting the call. At press time in the August 18, 1927 paper, they reported there were 39 telephones installed and they offered a list with the numbers. The telephone company encouraged callers to call by number not by name. This made the operator’s job much easier. The list shown on this page was the list of phones in Rabun at the time, I found it interesting and thought it worth sharing. Party lines were the standard available, unless customers wanted to upgrade to a private line. A party line serviced entire communities, meaning if your neighbor was on the line and you needed to make a call, you picked up and he or she would hear you and get off the line. There were some who really enjoyed the telephone and one might have to ask to use the line. Others
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Bank of Clayton Bearden, W.S. Bearden, Mrs. W.S., Res. Bleckley, L.M. Blue Ridge Hotel Buchholz, Mrs. L.E. Bynum House Cannon, J.H. Co. Clayton Chevrolet Co. Clayton Hotel Clayton Service Station Clayton Gro. Store Clerk’s Office Cook, H.Y., County Agent Cross, L.P., Res Central Office Pay Station Davis, J.T. Res. Derrick Motor Co. Dockins, B.T. Dover & Green Drug Store Pay Station Earl House Green, Dr. J.A., Res Green House Hunter, P.A., Off. Hamby Hotel Keener, M.L. & Son Landford, Dr. W. J., Off Landford, Dr. W.J., Res Laurel Falls Camp Nicholson, R.C., Res Ordinary’s Office Roane, T.E. Sanitary Grocery Store Stonecypher & McCurdy T.F. Ry. Co Tribune Office U.S. Forest Service, Off
25 18 41 19 29 34 45 37 20 22 23 28 36 30 47 150 48 33 43 140 46 35 24 38 42 32 44 50 10 50 36 16 49 27 39 21 31
saw the phone as something you only used when necessary. Dianne Lovell VanderHorst said her mother Mary Lovell got a phone when she was working outside the home and her children were home alone, she felt it was a must in case they needed her. Dianne says she never remembers anyone sitting around talking on the phone, it was something you used only when you had to. Note that in the list there are “pay stations” listed, those were manned by an attendant and the money was collected after the call ended and the operator told you what you had to pay. There were slots in the top of most pay stations where you deposited your coins. They were made with nickle, dime, quarter, half-dollar and dollar slots for increases in the overall cost in the coming years. The cost of the pay stations ranged from a desktop model for around $5.50 to $35.00 for a full floor model. In 1951, Western North Carolina Telephone Company announced a new office in Clayton, behind the Dover & White Drug Store, servicing Rabun County from Clayton instead of Franklin, NC. They planned to upgrade from the old type system to the dial system. In other words instead of picking up the phone and telling the operator who you wanted to call you would actually dial the number yourself. The lines would be housed in a small metal cable eliminating “trouble”. This also brought with the purchase of each new phone, a telephone directory. The Clayton Tribune reported that the new system was a vast improvement over the old system, which was “overcrowded and probably somewhat outmoded for the number of telephones used through the system.” Another newspaper article printed in September 1954 reported that nineteen Warwoman residents were requesting service be brought to their community. Mrs. E. Nicholson claimed that phone service was needed as many women were left alone while their husbands worked out of town. She felt a phone would add a layer of security for these women. Mr .R.E. McKelvey, the manager of the telephone company, responded that the company would consider the Warwoman community’s request. The Tribune went on to say that many were complaining about service. Mr. Bill Wilson, local business man and Tourist Court operator, had removed two phones from his business the week before. Mr. Wilson had this to say… “Pay phones should be placed over the lines, and a closer check made on the charge system on long distance calls. Persons now can call from any phone on a particular line without the owner of the phone being charged knowing anything about it.” On a side note, Mr. Wilson started the Tiger Drive-In, still in operation today by his daughter and son-in-law Tom and Sherryl Major. Mr. Jack Smith’s wife, Lilian, began working at the telephone company in 1958 and he recalls there being 500 phones in the county at that time. She worked for many years in that position and retired from the telephone company. Story after story was shared on my recent visit to the Rabun County Senior Center to visit with my friends there. Wesley Taylor told of a time when his dad Melvin went to pick up a family who helped with bean picking each year. The woman and her children came out but her husband did not. Melvin asked,“Where’s George?”, to which his wife answered, “We got our telephone in yesterday and he is staying home in
case someone calls.” It was an exciting time for families who had never had a “line” to the outside world. My grandparents lived 10 miles out Warwoman raising 12 children with no outside communication. Can you imagine? Families spent much more time together in those days. There was little to no entertainment either. A phone was a luxury but even more so was a television or a radio. Families had to pay attention to the cost of everything as jobs were scarce and there were lots of mouths to feed. Karen Lovell was raised in Satolah even further out than my folks. She remembers always longing to live closer to town and in later years after she married and left home, her mother talked her daddy into buying a home in town. Karen was working at the drive through window of the Bank of Clayton in downtown Clayton when her dad came through the line to say “We just bought a house in Tiger.” To which she replied,’You gotta be kidding me!” Albert Thrasher remembers that on Wednesday evenings he would get on the phone looking for a date for the weekend. One Wednesday he called a gal he’d had his eye on and he made small talk and then said “What are you doing this weekend?” To which the young lady replied she had plans, but another voice on the party line advised Albert to “Call Nancy. I don’t think she has plans.” Many times people listened in on conversations. Most were respectful but there were a few who listened in. In fact Jack Smith told a story about a lady who worked for him and his wife. She was as Jack put it “slow as smoke.” Jack said she did a good job but wasn’t the fastest. She would listen in on the party line and one day while doing so, two neighbor ladies were talking about hiring someone to help with the ironing. One lady advised the other “Don’t hire her, she is so slow. It takes her forever.” Imagine holding your tongue when you were the subject of the conversation, true or not! Wesley Taylor, Janie P’s son, shared that with three sisters there were always boys calling. He would answer and his sister would ask who it was and if she didn’t want to talk to that particular boy, she would motion that she wasn’t there. “Now, I knew better than to lie, mama wouldn’t allow that, so I’d ask the caller to hold while I ran whichever sister it was out the door. Then I would return and tell them she wasn’t there.” Young people today have no idea how long it took to dial a phone number on a rotary dial phone. To be bound by a cord is unthinkable. In the world of unlimited talk and text, cellular phones that take photos, work as computers, talk to us and even allow us to video chat or Facetime, can you imagine sharing your line with all of your neighbors? What would Alexander Graham Bell think about the iPhone? He may have given Apple a run for their money! In the rural Northeast Georgia mountains there are still places where cell service is spotty or non-existent but can you believe how far we’ve come? Thank you to the Rabun County Historical Society, and my friends at the Rabun County Senior Center who so graciously share their memories and knowledge with me.
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RABUN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Of Railroads and Tourism: Or How the Tallulah Falls Railroad Transformed Clayton
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By Dick Cinquina
t the turn of the twentieth century, Clayton was barely a speck on the map with a recorded population of only 199. And one historical account paints a rather dismal picture of that tiny village. “Before the coming of the railroad, Clayton was a ramshackle town,” according to Rabun County historian Andrew Jackson Ritchie. “There were no paved streets. The few houses it had were scattered around with wide vacant lots between them… The town had no paved sidewalks, no public waterworks, no electric lights, and no telephone or telegraph.” In other words, Clayton was like most other crossroads towns in the Georgia mountains in the early 1900s. But things started changing rapidly when the Tallulah Falls Railroad finally made its way to Clayton. The railroad reached Tallulah Falls in 1882, transforming “the Niagara of the South” into a major tourist attraction. The rail line was extended to Clayton in 1904, which opened the way for tourism in the north Georgia mountains. Within several years, Clayton’s Main Street was lined with hotels and boarding houses, while several others were located within a short buggy ride of the train depot, located where Keller Furniture now stands on East Savannah Street. Here are the stories of three notable establishments back in the day. Bleckley House: From Courthouse to Hotel Rabun County’s first courthouses were located on Public Square at the intersection of Main and Savannah Streets. In 1907 the county took bids for the construction of a new courthouse on the square, and the existing building was auctioned off to the Bleckley family. The courthouse was moved to South Main Street, directly across from what is now Reeves Hardware. J.F. Earl and J.E. Bleckley remodeled the building into the Bleckley House hotel and opened it in 1908. Bleckley House was moved again five years later. The Clayton Tribune reported in 1913 that “a crew of hands has finished moving the old courthouse just across the railroad tracks to the top of the pretty little knoll east of the train depot.” On today’s map, Bleckley House would be found on East Savannah Street roughly across the street from Keller Furniture. The same Tribune article added: “No prettier place for a summer boarding house can be found anywhere around than this little knoll upon which this building has been placed. We hope to see scores of summer tourists on this little hill promenading on broad verandas, swinging in lawn chairs and enjoying life in our beautiful little mountain
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The Bleckley House located on the hill across from the Tallulah Falls Railroad depot in Clayton, circa 1930 town of Clayton.” Another Tribune article from June 5, 1930 reported that an eighteen-hole miniature golf course was under construction on the lawn of the Bleckley House. And an ad from 1931 boasted that the hotel “Has beautiful grounds and sits in the center of a five-acre tract away from noise and dust…We serve everything good to eat and plenty of it. Special rate to families.” The Bleckley House operated as a summer hotel and yearround private residence until Highway 441/23 was built in the early 1960s. With the railroad having ceased operation in 1961, the hotel went into decline. After it closed, the “pretty little knoll” on which the hotel stood was graded down in 1964 and Savannah Street was extended east to the new highway. The Bleckley House was moved and now stands as an office building on Old Livery Street, looking much like the old courthouse it once was. The Bynum House: Walt Disney Dined Here Thaddeus L. Bynum, a Clayton attorney and member of the Georgia legislature, and his wife Irene opened their farmhouse to summer vacationers in 1913. Over the next 57 years, the farmhouse was expanded into a three-floor, 48-room hotel. Several cottages also were built around the main house, some named for regulars who visited each summer. By 1932, the Bynum House’s eight acres was home to Rabun County’s only swimming pool open to the public and north Georgia’s first golf course. A hotel brochure described Bynum House, which was located on Highway 76 West, as sitting “on a promontory of Black Rock Mountain in West Clayton. The Bynum House overlooks the town. Magnificent views of the encircling mountains can be seen on every side…There is a paved
Guests playing croquet at the Bynum House on US 76 West
A postcard photo of the Bynum House with the swimming pool and tennis court
sidewalk from The Bynum House one-half mile into the village.”
known as “drummers.” And because the Blue Ridge was just a few steps from the courthouse on Public Square, the hotel was crowded with judges, juries and lawyers during the biannual court weeks.
A rate card from the 1920s quotes a daily room for two with a private bath at $10.50-$12.50. The rate for a room for two “near a bath” was a real bargain at $9.25-$10.25. Room rates included meals and recreational facilities. The hotel’s brochure proudly stated that meals featured “home-cured country hams, fried chicken, country eggs, garden-fresh vegetables, choice meats and dairy products including old-fashioned churned buttermilk from the Bynum House farm.” On some days, the kitchen would serve 200 to 300 guests and locals. Apparently, the place was so popular that it attracted Walt Disney and his crew, who dined at the Bynum House while filming The Great Locomotive Chase in 1955.
There was a huge fireplace in the hotel’s front parlor, so big that one tree would provide only two or three logs for it. When the fireplace was removed in 1926, it was reported that “Court officials who have been gathering around from time immemorial expressed disappointment at having to look around for a cuspidor or a convenient place to spit, now that the fireplace is gone.” Badly in need of repair, the venerable Blue Ridge Hotel was torn down in 1949.
The Bynum House closed at the end of the 1970 season. In an interview, Roslyn Bynum Strickland said, “It was time to close. It would have had to have had a lot of work done to it.” Blue Ridge Hotel: Lunch for 75 Cents A log trading post on what is now North Main Street was built around 1860. It was sold to H. Raleigh Cannon in the early 1900s, who, with his son Cecil, turned the trading post into the Blue Ridge Hotel. The Cannon’s opened another Main Street landmark in 1909, a mercantile store that operated for decades as Cannon’s Department Store. The Blue Ridge had 26 rooms and porches on both floors that ran the length of the building. It was known for its “good eats.” In a 1991 interview, Mildred Cannon Story recalled, “The conductor on the (Tallulah Falls) train would call my mother somewhere down the road to tell her how many people to prepare for lunch. An old black man called Uncle Charlie worked for us and he would put on his white starched coat and his white trousers and go down to the depot station. He would ring the dinner bell and call to the people and tell them he was taking them to the Blue Ridge Hotel. The price for a meal at that time was 75 cents for a midday meal.” The Blue Ridge also was known as “Home of the Traveling Man,” since it was a favorite stopover for traveling salesmen,
The Blue Ridge Hotel on Main Street in Clayton in 1907 These three hotels along with many others are long since gone, but their stories remind us of a time when the Tallulah Falls Railroad opened up this area to thousands of tourists. By transforming Clayton, the railroad put the town on the map. Become a member of the Rabun County Historical Society and help keep our history alive for generations to come. Memberships and complete information about the Society are available at www.rabunhistory.org. Our museum at 81 N. Church St. in Clayton is open 10-2 every Monday and Friday and admission is free. You also can visit us on Facebook. The Society is a not-for-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, making your membership dues and donations fully tax deductible.
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