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From the Publisher
The holiday season is here. It’s time to buy the turkey and ingredients for your recipes for the Thanksgiving meal. If you have not already begun shopping for Christmas, now is the time and the mountains are the place! No matter who is on your list, their gift is waiting in the stores, galleries, restaurants, spas and salons, and then there are always gift certificates! A great gift for those not fortunate enough to live nearby is a stay in the mountains; we have many B&Bs, inns, resorts, hotels/motels and rental cabins that offer quiet peaceful get-aways no matter the season. Shop local this year, to do so will support your friends and neighbors and the local economy will benefit. This is a time when we stop, clear our minds, look around us and express thanks for all that we’ve been given. From your family and friends, to good health and all the beauty that surrounds us here in the mountains, we have much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is the perfect time of the year to celebrate our faith in a loving God. This issue is dedicated to Jesus, my Lord and Savior. In love, I share my faith never boastfully or with ill intent. I hope that you will catch a glimpse of the Spirit of God through this issue while enjoying our regular features as well. Happy Thanksgiving! Tracy
Publisher/Editor - Tracy McCoy Assistant Editor - D’Anna Coleman Art Director - Dianne VanderHorst Graphic Arts - Lucas McCoy Office Manager/ Account Executive - Cindi Freeman Account Executive - Melynda Hensley Photographer/Writer - Peter McIntosh Contributing Writers: Beck Peterson, Mark Holloway, Susan Brewer, Steve Jarrard, MD, John Shivers, Emory Jones, Cliff Lewis, Jan Timms, Lorie Thompson, Liz Alley, Emory Jones, Noel Shumann, Joel Hitt, Beth Frierberg
Georgia Mountain Laurel Mailing: PO Box 2218, Clayton, Georgia 30525 Office: 2511 Highway 441, Mountain City, Georgia 30562 706-782-1600 • www.gmlaurel.com
November 2019 • Volume Sixteen • Issue Eleven Copyright 2019 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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Faith in Christ 12 14 16 18
Camp Meeting at Mossy Creek Campground R4G - Cliff Lewis - Clayton Baptist Church Life is a Blessing River Garden
Arts & Entertainment 22 26
Cover Artist - Honor Woodward Book Review - Creation Praises God
A Taste 30 34
Festive Dishes for the Holidays The Family Table
Yesterdays 36 38 44
New Face of Wood’s Mercantile The Way of Worship Rabun County Historical Society
Affairs to Remember 46 48 50
Mountain Happenings Event Calendar Clayton Ushers in the Holidays Footsteps for the Future
Outdoors 52 54 56 58 74
Adventure Out Paws 4 Life Out of the Blue Ridge Hitt the Outdoors Mountain Nature
Mountain Homes 60 64
Poss Realty Featured Home Harry Norman Realtors Featured Home
Health & Wellness 66 70
Live Healthy & Be Well Macon Tracs
Life & Leisure 71 72 73 74 75
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Major Fun Under the Stars The Language of Fall Noel Shumann Lovin’ the Journey By the Way
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Camp Meeting – Worship Under the Old Oak Trees by Tracy McCoy with insert by John Kollock
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ack in August I got a very special invitation to visit with Alicé Head and her family at Mossy Creek Campground. It was Camp Meeting week and I was going to visit the Head Tent. I have to admit I knew very little about Camp Meeting and every tent I’ve ever been in was canvas and on the ground. That is not the kind of tent the Head family gathers in. It is a wooden structure with four sleeping areas, a large kitchen/living area, a couple bathrooms and a “back porch”. The floors are dirt covered in wood shavings, the walls bare wood, the light bulbs hang with string switches. The sink was an old enamel one and the stove dated 1980s. The water heater was older than Methuselah, but still produced! The table where they sit for meals was long! “My husband, Rogers, wanted a table long enough to fit the whole family so he built this one.” Alicé said pointing to the 10+ft table.
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“It was big enough for one year then we outgrew it again.” This family loves coming to Camp Meeting. “My grandchildren would rather come to Camp Meeting than have Christmas!” The history of Mossy Creek Campground and Camp Meeting was written by famed artist John Kollock to accompany his Mossy Creek Campground print. So I share this text from www.mossycreekcampground.com: In 1833 White County was still a part of Habersham County. The area had only been opened to settlement in 1818 after a treaty with the Cherokee Nation. There was no town or village of any size in the area. Gold had just been discovered in 1829 on Duke’s Creek bringing in a flood of miners along with those seeking new land on which to build their homes. Even as the settlers were breaking
The years that followed brought change to the community. In 1861 the White County Marksmen numbering ninety boys and men met at the campground and marched to Atlanta to join others of Company C of the 24th Regiment to serve in the Civil War. Forty-nine died in that war. There were no services held at the campground for the next two or three years. After the war the summer gathering continued to grow. In 1883 a Woman’s Missionary Society was organized at the campground. In 1884 they sent $10 to the conference treasurer from the society. ground for their new fields, a group of Christians were thinking ahead to the spiritual needs of the people. That year Aaron Brown sold a parcel of land to them for $44.00 that eventually became Mossy Creek-Campground. The first trustees were Clemmond Quillian, Andrew Dorsey, Elisha Askew, Daniel McCollum and Jacob Duckett. The site chosen for worship was located near a good spring. The original meeting place was, no doubt, under a simple brush arbor. The benches would have been only hewn logs with no backs. There were no song books. At night burning pine knots set on scaffolds would illuminate the area. Families came from their homes by wagon or, on foot. The roads, where there were any, would have been little more than a cleared space between the forest pines.. The worshipers slept under their wagons or in tents made of sheeting or sail cloth with a campfire for cooking. Over the years families began building simple wooden shelters in which to spend the week. The floors were usually only red clay covered with fresh straw to settle the dust. Beds were just wooden platforms on which a feather tick and pillows from home were placed. Quilts and coverlets were hung to give privacy. Chests and trunks filled with clothes lined the tiny hall space. Hams might be hung from the rafters. Everything needed for the family had to be brought from home. Iron pots and cooking equipment were essential. To provide fresh meat and eggs a coop of chickens might also be in the wagon. The family milk cow would come on the journey tied behind the wagon. She would be tethered behind the building with the horses and mules. Fresh milk and butter would be stored in crocks and kept fresh in the spring. Meals were shared together on long trestle tables under the old oak trees.
In 1908 the first automobile was seen at the campground. In 1912 The Gainesville and Northwestern Railroad began service between Gainesville and Robertstown to serve the new lumber mill established in what became the little village of Helen. The arbor had to be moved out of the oncoming path of the railroad about 1910 or 1911. The railroad brought new worshipers to the services. On Saturday and Sunday during camp meeting extra coaches were added twice a day. As automobiles became more numerous this accommodation was discontinued. From its beginnings Mossy Creek grew into an annual week long revival in mid-August -during “lay by” time on the farm. Here under God’s own tabernacle of trees, hard working settlers found spiritual renewal as well as an emotional release from the daily demands of running a farm. It was a time to renew old friendships and share in the fellowship of singing and prayer. Even today the arrival and setting up of camp meetings take on a holiday atmosphere as neighbors greet each other. Now, however, the “tents”, as they are still called, may be a little more comfortable. Electricity and running water make life a little easier. But the sense of tradition and worship are the same. The children will be running and playing games on the broad green meadow; the older members will find companionship in the shade of the tin roofed porches; and there will be plenty of preaching and voices raised in the evening twilight singing well loved old tunes to the glory of God. As in the beginning, camp meeting is still a time to leave the stress of daily life and be in a community of God’s people, sharing His love. While I visited, friends stopped in the Head tent to speak and hugs Continued on page 15
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Yes, You Can, and Should be Singing By Cliff Lewis, Associate Pastor of Worship and Music, Clayton Baptist Church
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any people will sing in the shower. Some will sing while they’re driving. Others will sing the alma matter of their university on Saturdays in the fall with hundreds of other people around them. However, in many churches on a given Sunday morning, you would be hard pressed to find most of the congregation actually singing the hymns or worship songs together. Some do sing...and sing loudly. Others will sing when they really like a song, but many will just sort of mouth the words a little. Still others won’t sing at all. Why is that?
it’s all over the Bible. But, being commanded to do anything in our current American culture is usually met with an immediate, selfish, and proud response. Our hearts and emotions well up inside us to say, “Nobody tells me what to do!” But, if you surrendered your life to Christ as Lord, that means that you committed yourself to follow Him as King no matter what He tells you to do. He’s King. The Christian life isn’t a democracy. God commands; we obey. Anything else is disobedience, and in reality disobedience to a king is treason. Yes, TREASON. So, buckle up for this one...not singing praises to God is treasonous. Let that sink in.
Finding people who can sing, and sing well, has become an obsession in our culture. It seems Secondly, singing those hymns and like every major television network worship songs focused on God in has a yearly, nation-wide singing the presence of others actually competition show airing in primehelps to teach one another those time. On top of that, many of the truths that we are singing. This viewers are asked to send in their is one of the most beautiful and votes to see their favorite singers go mysterious blessings that God on to the next week of competition. gives through the gift of music Don’t read this and hear me saying and singing. As a worship pastor, that competition is bad; it isn’t. I get the privilege of teaching new Competition drives many to excel songs to the kids, teenagers and and push the limits of their abilities. Cliff’s Song Suggestions adults in our church family. I take But all this critical focus on singing “Count Your Blessings” / “Jesus, Thank You” that responsibility very seriously. can have unintended consequences. “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow” If the songs we sing are going to One consequence of this constant teach us something, I want to critique is a hesitance on the part of make sure that they are teaching the truths that God gave us in many people, who may not have a great singing voice, to sing His Word. That is why I shy away from using some songs that at all. This is tragic. are being played over Christian radio airwaves in corporate For followers of Jesus Christ, God actually doesn’t make it worship services. Some songs may sound good, and may even optional for people to sing or not. Psalm 96 begins, “Sing to be musically beautiful, but if they are written with little biblical the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth.” When truth, or worse, with lyrics that can mislead or even deceive, I the apostle Paul was writing to the church in Colossae, he would be doing my church family a horrible disservice to teach wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching those songs for them to hold onto. I only want the best songs and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms that I have access to, to penetrate and permeate the hearts of and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your the people that God has given me responsibility to teach. hearts to God.” So, singing is part of God’s good design for Lastly, Paul wrote that singing these songs expresses a thankful every human being. And singing to the Lord is commanded, heart to God. If for no other reason, please sing songs of praise not suggested. Also, God gave us the gift of singing as a way to the Lord because it encourages our hearts to be thankful to encourage each other...when we sing together. And, maybe to the God that created us and loves us. Let me make a most importantly, it expresses a thankful heart to God. Let’s suggestion. When you sit down to eat your Thanksgiving meal, look more deeply at those 3 main reasons given for singing. why not sing a song of thankfulness to God before you say a First, singing is a command! We saw it earlier in Psalm 96. prayer of blessing. And get your friends and family to sing with And that’s not the only place where God commands us to sing; you!
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Mossy Creek Campground Camp Meeting
were given, hands shook and a bite of food shared. The love of God was definitely present and as I visited with Alicé I was struck by the carefree happy atmosphere. Screen doors slammed as children ran two and fro. On the walls of the Head tent there were handprints outlined with dates for each grandchild and now great grands. This particular year there were four generations in the tent. Alicé is very grandmotherly, a woman with a kind smile and a twinkle in her eye. The kids scampered to sit beside her for the evening meal. “I have come here my entire life, I have only ever missed one Sunday in 86 years. I hated to miss then.” Alicé told me. Born in Quillian’s Corner, just inside Hall County on the Cleveland Highway, in 1933, Alicé Quillian was the 6th of 7 children. She grew up knowing that the third week in August was set apart to attend Camp Meeting. The event began on Monday and ended the following Sunday. Each day was filled with music, preaching and fellowship, lots of great fellowship! The families whose tent make up the worship community are all
denominations and come from all over. They stay all week but come and go as they need to for work and school. There are currently 30 tents on the property. They take turns feeding the preachers. There are youth events and programs, ice cream socials, penny wars, special singing at every service in the open air pavilion. The children run and play, catch frogs, lightning bugs and they swing and slide. This is a week of reunion, revival and renewal of old friendships and chance to form new ones. According to Hank Haynes, chairman of tent holders, a family can join by application, build their tent and as long as they attend it can be handed down through the generations. Alicé has four daughters, eight grandchildren and eight great-grands. The future of this tent is solid. I imagine that the memories made here are some of the sweetest this family has made and that they will sustain them through the years. The laughter, the praise, the singing and bringing of the word of God has shaped the lives of many families. I am thinking of adopting Alicé, just so I can go next year.
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Life is a Blessing! Be one too! by Tracy McCoy
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t’s that time of year when we take a look at what we are thankful for. Gratitude is something that we all strive to be more aware of. As Americans we take too much for granted. Recently I read a thought provoking piece that I’d like to share with you.
“If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world. If you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or torture, or the horrible pangs of starvation you are luckier than 500 million people alive and suffering. If you can read this message you are more fortunate than 3 billion people in the world who cannot read it at all.” That certainly provided perspective for me. This is a great time to make a list of all of the things in your life that you’ve been blessed with. By things I am not speaking of material possessions. I mean even the most basic things like clean air, sight and the ability to move. Keep that list where you’ll see it all year long because we should not reserve gratefulness to one day of the year; it should be practiced daily. We live in a society driven by “more”. More stuff might make us happy, more weight loss (guilty), more work, more play, more, more, more. I have found that I am a constant work in progress, always learning what’s important. Living my life differently is a primary goal for me. I want to make God the center of everything I do. I want to please Him more than I want to please you. I want to treat others with respect, kindness and love. I want to start each day with quiet time in prayer and I want to express to my Heavenly Father all that I am thankful for. I hope to put that before the concerns and requests that I make known to Him. That means that I stop and backtrack often when I talk with God, redirecting to offer praise and thanksgiving for all that I have instead of all that I think I need. Before I pray for the needs of my family I thank God for them. I think that my quick prayers full of God I need and God I need are disrespectful to Him. I want to spend more time in thoughtful conversation, instead of hurried or memorized prayers. It is good for me to spend time in God’s presence. I want to take the minutes after the “Amen” to listen with my heart and to hear what God has for me. I have not mastered this, but in daily practice I know I’ll grow. The same way that I strive to care for my body I want to care for my soul. My body will die but my soul will live forever. Corrie Ten Boom was a very Godly woman who spent much of her time connecting with God. She was a Dutch watchmaker and Christian who, along with her father and other family members, helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II by hiding them in her closet. She was imprisoned for her actions. Her most famous book, The Hiding Place, is a biography that recounts the story of her family’s efforts. Living conditions while imprisoned were brutal, with meager rations and harsh discipline. Even so, her sister Betsie and Corrie conducted secret prayer services in their barracks, using a smuggled Dutch Bible. The women voiced prayers and hymns in whispers to avoid the attention of the guards. Worship is a gift not afforded to many and one that tops my Thankful List. I am grateful that I am free to worship God and talk of Jesus. Some might say that this right is in jeopardy, that Christians like me are not well tolerated. That may be because so many speak with self righteousness and point fingers. They forget their own shortcomings and sin and are quick to point out the sins of others. Love is a commandment from God. Jesus told his followers over and over again to “love one another.” When asked what was the greatest commandment He told them “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” Where along the way did we forget this? Corrie Ten Boom taught love and forgiveness just like her Savior did. Both are good for the human soul. I am thankful for women like Corrie who lived with boldness, showing gratitude and offering forgiveness where others wouldn’t. Her life was a reflection of Christ, that is my goal. I have fallen far short of that but I will continue to practice it. This Thanksgiving, make that list and focus on it. Practice gratitude, shower grace instead of condemnation and spread joy everywhere you go. These things are good for you and those around you. Be a better human!
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A place where new life springs forth out of despair, failure and death. A place where God brings physical, emotional and spiritual healing to you.
Claim Your Inheritance With Thanksgiving As a child of God, your Heavenly Father has already provided all that you need in this life. You are an heir and are in line to inherit many very valuable things now, but first you must find out what you have inherited and claim your inheritance which He has given to you. You claim your inheritance by appropriation and you can do this by studying the Bible, which is a record of His Last Will and Testament, and personally accepting in prayer what is recorded in the scriptures that describe what you are to receive now as His child. He has made wonderful provision for you! Trust in the Lord and, speak His word of His inheritance over yourself and thank Him for it. This is how you claim your inheritance. The Lord is waiting for you to discover His Word as His will for your life. It is supernatural! Nothing happens in Heaven or Earth unless God allows it. He cares for you and He has everything under control – trust Him! He made provision centuries ago for all you will ever need, because He knows the end of things from the very beginning. Some people are bound by fear and hopelessness, but you can gain new joy today. “Whatever things you ask in prayer, believe that your have them and it will be so”. Mark 11:24. This is possible when you study the Bible and discover what your inheritance is, then you will be able to “believe that you have them”. If you inherited a large estate from your earthly father, you would read his Last Will and Testament to find out what a huge estate you have inherited. You will never find out what a huge estate you have inherited from your Heavenly Father until you read God’s Will and Testament. A proclamation is something you shout forth with the authority of heaven behind you because you are an heir and a believer shouting forth the living Word of God, your Heavenly Father. However, your proclamation MUST be in line with what the Word of God says you can have. You literally make a confession of the Word, in prayer to God. Confession here means: “to agree with what the Word of God says”. ***When you speak God’s Word in prayer to God with faith, believing God will do what He says He will do for you, then the power of God comes in and you can claim your inheritance from Him! Get into His Word and find what wonderful things He has for you. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made…And the Word was made flesh,
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“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” Psalm 119:105
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotton of the Father, full of grace and truth, and of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” John1:1-3, 14,16,17. We can see from these verses that Jesus Christ is the Word of God and the world was made by Him. He spoke the world into being, He is the Logos of God. It is written that God’s will is His Word. It is stated in the Bible that God wants us to have certain things and we can count on it! If your earthly father left specific things for you in his will, you would believe it! Things God wants us to have are spoken of in His Word. His Word says it is His will for us to have good health and prosperity. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” Colossians 3:16. Claim the following as God’s will for you! “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2. “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold I will heal you.” 2 Kings 20:5 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.” Psalm 103:2-4 “With His stripes you are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 “Heal me, O Lord and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved…” Jeremiah 17:14 “I will come and heal him.” Matt 8:7; “He sent His word and healed them.” Ps. 107:20 “And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.” Romans 4:21 God tells you as His heir to find His promises in the Bible, receive them, and speak them over yourself and others who are His heirs, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. RIVER GARDEN P.O. Box 112, Lakemont, Ga. 30552 706.782.5435 706.490.3063
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Honor Woodard
Integrative Body Worker, Artist, Dream Worker “There are so many facets to being healthy and whole, and just one of these being out of balance can affect all the others. I feel strongly that it’s important to address all aspects of an individual – from brain and body to spirit and soul. We can work from the outside in or from the inside out, and this work extends into the community.” - Honor Woodard
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alking into Honor Woodard’s office in Clayton Health and Fitness offers tranquility before you ever make it to the massage table. Her studies of the healing arts began early in her journey. She remembers being fascinated by the human soul and first thought her calling might be psychology. Whatever her future held, Honor was sure it involved service to humanity co-mingled with art. Of her photography, Honor’s friend and fellow artist, Laurence Holden, said, “We don’t find things unless we are open to them. Thus, a basic reciprocity in our interaction with our world is affirmed. You walk into the woods, into an old vacated place. How you approach makes all the difference, to you, to the place, to you and the place together. One way, you walk into a place and occupy it. Another way, you walk into a living presence. This is the way Honor walks, and delightfully for us, she brings back messages from that meeting. These messages are true gifts, because through such a vicarious tutelage we too can then learn to walk into the world somewhere to such a meeting.” After a summer at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Honor earned a BFA in Photography from Washington University in St. Louis, later becoming a photo editor for Sports Illustrated. But still there was a longing within to connect with the human spirit. She studied Qi Gong and the Alexander technique while still in New York, and upon leaving the big city, entertained the idea of studying Chinese Medicine. In fact, she drove across the country researching schools, but along the way felt deeply called home to the Southern Appalachians. Within a day back in Rabun, she found a 200 year old cabin that felt like home and that is where she settled. Having paid attention to her dreaming since young, Honor found a book in our library about dreams and this led her to pursue dream work as a personal practice, and she began facilitating dream circles in our community. “Dream work is an inspiring and transformative portal to learning about the wider arc of one’s life story and decoding one’s own unique symbolic language,” Honor shares in her writings on her website, www.honorwoodard.com. Honor attended The Florida School of Massage in 2011, and has studied extensively with her primary teacher,
Deane Juhan, whom she assists in teaching his Resistance and Release work. She also has trained since 2015 under mentor Giorgia Milne in Biodynamic Cranial Touch. Her website points to blogs she has written over recent years where those interested in her work can gain great insight. Honor’s work is at the core of who she is. She incorporates nature into her daily life and feels that connecting with the earth and the universe is integral to the balance she speaks of. Her love of the Chattooga River is no secret - having focused her photography on water and its qualities for over a decade - and her work with organizations who support the preservation of nature are a direct reflection of that love. Several winters ago, Honor was in St. Augustine, Florida, and discovered a game called petanque played on Sundays at the lighthouse park. She joined in a game and fast became a fan of petanque.
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Immediately aware of what a diverse and interesting group of people this was, she noticed that there were players ranging from 13 to 80 something years old, all playing at a wide range of expertise and enthusiasm. There were bankers, construction workers, retirees, educators, artists, engineers, golfers, healers - professionals of all sorts, and retirees from various parts of the country. ANYONE can play and play well - regardless of age, condition, skillset, occupation or economic status. In the last several winters, Honor has competed in a variety of regional and national tournaments, bringing home six medals. She says of petanque, “I have met some of the most interesting and delightful people and have become part of a network spanning the globe - from Los Angeles to Portland, Quebec, Miami, Seattle, New York, Texas, Maine, the Carolinas, Europe and beyond.� Honor has started a local club and hopes to grow it this coming year. Check it out at: https://www.facebook. com//groups/190983408214560 Honor invites you to discover her photography, art, to explore wellness and awareness on a deeper level and would be pleased to assist you in that transformative process. She seeks to work deeply with her clients addressing mind, body and soul. You may reach Honor by phone at 904.315.2917 or through her website www. honorwoodard.com or you may visit with her at Clayton Health and Fitness (69 Seed Tick Road, Clayton, GA 30525). Appointments are necessary and available.
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Creation Praises God – A book of poetry by Leroy Carpenter
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eroy Carpenter was born in Rabun County, Georgia and has lived all of his life in the Western North Carolina and Northeast Georgia mountains. He has known hard times and struggles but counts himself a blessed man. Hard times were a way of life for most families here during those years. Leroy graduated from Rabun GapNacoochee School in 1965,
A Parent’s Influence What do we give to our children so their life won’t go amiss We may study for days on end on how to handle this Do we teach them to be deceptive in order to gain the world Or show them how to be an honest boy or girl Do we work to leave them fortunes placed on a silver platter And fail to furnish opportunities for things that really matter Is it money, land or houses that bring them wealth and fame Or an example set that reveals the worth of a good and decent name Do they see love and respect and compassion every day Or if someone’s in need do they see us turn and walk away Are they taught that no matter what to always be a winner Or let them feel how good it is to feed a poor man dinner We have the power to influence them on every value set What they see, whether right or wrong is what they won’t forget So the choice is up to us which lessons we impart We can store it in their bank accounts or write it on their hearts
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he then became a produce broker, he grew cabbage and worked construction jobs. Leroy became a licensed contractor in the mid-eighties. Leroy has been writing poems most of his life, a gift given by God to convey messages in verse. For decades he has saved these rhymes up and finally made the decision to put them together in a book. He wanted to raise awareness of the beauty of our area, the need to care for God’s creation. Leroy and his wife Marilyn live in Scaly Mountain, North Carolina, the community they both grew up in. They attend the Church of God, A Worldwide Organization (COGWA), in Jefferson, GA. He is still building homes and still writing poetry. Leroy’s book Creation Praises God is very well done, published by Catch the Sprit of Appalachia, Inc. and containing nature photography by Amy Ammons Garza. The book contains 65 poems that will inspire you to reflect on God’s creation and other poems to ponder. Leroy encourages us to preserve nature for the coming generations. We wanted to share one of Leroy’s poems with you, but first we want you to know that you can get a copy of Mr. Carpenter’s book by calling 828.526.3610
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Festive Dishes for the Holidays Browned Butter Smashed Potatoes with Butternut Squash Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes 1 pound (3 medium) Wisconsin yellow-flesh potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks 1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks water 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional, to taste, divided 3 tablespoons butter, divided 8-10 fresh (2-3-inch) sage leaves, stacked and cut into 1/4-inch strips 1/2 cup 1% milk freshly ground black pepper, to taste In 3-quart saucepan, cover potatoes and squash with water; add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. In small saucepan over medium heat, mix 2 tablespoons butter and sage. Tilting pan and watching closely, cook about 3 minutes, until butter foams and begins to brown; keep warm. Thoroughly drain potatoes and squash, return to pan and shake 1-2 minutes over low heat. Using hand masher, roughly mash to create chunky mixture.
Over low heat, gently mix in remaining butter and milk. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon into serving bowl and drizzle with brown butter and sage.
Find more dishes for your holiday gatherings at eatwisconsinpotatoes.com.
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Black Forest Cake Servings: 8 Cherry Filling: 1/2 cup Domino Golden Sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/2 cup water or unsweetened cherry juice 2 cups fresh or frozen pitted tart (Montmorency) cherries 2 tablespoons cherry brandy (optional) Cake: 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cup cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups Domino Golden Sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups buttermilk Stabilized Whipped Cream: 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin 2 tablespoons cold water 2 cups (1 pint) heavy whipping cream 2 tablespoons Domino Golden Sugar chocolate curls or shavings, for garnish (optional) To make cherry filling: In medium saucepot, whisk sugar and cornstarch with water or juice then bring to boil over medium heat. Stir in cherries and cherry brandy, if desired, and boil 2-3 minutes, stirring, until sauce is thick and
translucent. Drain cherries from sauce and set both aside. To make cake layers: Heat oven to 350 F. Line bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour bottoms and sides. In medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar 2 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 1 minute. Stir in flour mixture and buttermilk. Pour batter evenly among cake pans and bake 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and remove layers from pans. To make stabilized whipped cream: In small pan or microwaveable bowl, combine gelatin and cold water; allow gelatin to bloom. Heat until gelatin melts and dissolves; set aside. In chilled bowl, whip cream with chilled beaters until soft peaks form. Add sugar and gelatin; beat until stiff. Prick tops of two bottom layers with fork and brush cherry filling over layers. Sandwich bottom layers with a 1/4-inch-thick spread of stabilized whipped cream. Sandwich second and top layer with same whipped cream. Spread remaining whipped cream over top layer and sides. Garnish with shaved chocolate, if desired, and decorate with any remaining whipped cream.
Find more holiday dessert ideas at dominosugar.com.
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Family Table
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by Lorie Thompson
ooler weather has finally arrived in Rabun County! That in itself is cause for celebration! It was the most extended summer I can ever remember. In September of past years, it was not unheard of to have frost. This year it was still swimming weather. I had the pleasure in September of cooking a meal for my 40-year class reunion. I wanted the food to be simple and delicious. One of my dishes was Dilled Red Potato Salad. (See the recipe in the August 2016 edition of the Laurel.) While preparing it, I asked my daughter to cut the fresh dill from my herb garden. She returned with several leafy fronds and chopped it for me. I added all the ingredients, including the finely chopped dill. I stirred and tasted. I thought it tasted a little flat, so I added extra salt and called it done. This is a recipe that gets better after a couple of days, so I expected the flavor to get better. I have made this potato salad a hundred times, and I made it the same as always. I cooled it and packed it away in the refrigerator, ready to be taken to the reunion.
I never tasted it again until I made my own dinner plate at the reunion. As I sat and ate my meal, I was so disappointed as this was not my usual potato salad. It was bland. I could not figure out why this batch was different, but in the excitement of visiting with my classmates, I forgot about it. A few days after the reunion, I asked my husband to go down to the herb garden and cut some fresh dill and parsley. He told me that the dill had gone to seed a while back and was gone. I argued with him and told him Baby Girl had picked some only the weekend before. He invited me to walk down to the garden with him and show it to him. About 20 yards out, I could see what I thought were dill fronds. I said, “I can see it from here.” Mountain Man laughed and said, “You might want to look a little closer.” My dill was, in fact, asparagus tops. I had loaded my Red DILLED Potato Salad with fresh asparagus and no dill! Along with letting my Mac and Cheese get dry, I kind of bombed. The BBQ was good, though, and the company was great! After my reunion, I needed a little positive reinforcement that I still have some decent cooking skills, so I have been feeding Mountain Man pretty well. Let me tell you what I have cooked in the past few weeks that has been good.
I love sheet pan suppers. They offer an easy way to prepare an entire meal for your family. You can change up the meats, the vegetables, and the seasonings to make it your own. Let me share an easy Chicken Sheet Pan meal with you. Begin by washing the chicken. Be sure to pat the chicken completely dry with a paper towel. This is key to getting it to roast well. For a weeknight meal, use small chicken thighs and cut the vegetables small to shorten the cooking time. Also of note, is that adding frozen vegetables instead of fresh extends the cooking time. The ingredients and the size of them will directly affect the cooking time of your meal. Larger pieces take longer to cook, and frozen vegetables add to the cooking time, too. Place potato wedges, carrots, onions, and frozen brussel sprouts into a bowl. Add 2 T of olive oil and toss. Spread the vegetables out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Season vegetables. Season a 3-pound chicken cut down the backbone and breastbone, with garlic salt, parsley, lemon juice, and lemon slices, fresh rosemary, (chopped fine), and crushed red pepper. Place in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees. For a 3-pound chicken, cook for approximately 1 hour or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Pour off all the chicken fat into a discard bowl. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Return vegetables back to the oven and cook for 15 minutes with the last 3-5 minutes under the broiler to crisp vegetables. If you use the small chicken thighs (at Andy’s Market), Cut your vegetables into thinner slices. Cook time will be reduced and will be in the 35-45 minute range.
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I love making homemade salad dressings and experimenting with different flavors. Pear Salad is my latest binge. Let me share it with you. In a blender or food processor, add 1 large garlic clove, 2 T of Dijon mustard, 1 shallot, 2 tsp of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of crushed red pepper, 1/2 large pear seeded but not peeled. 1/3 C of Pear Vinegar (sold at Ingles.) Blend until pureed. Add 2/3 C of oil of your choice (a light oil is best with this dressing.) Blend until the oil is fully emulsified. Serve over fresh Arugula or bitter greens with toasted pecans or walnuts, sliced pears, and blue cheese or goat cheese. The sliced pears can be placed in a bowl with 2 C of water and 1 tsp of salt mixed in. The salt will keep the pears from turning brown. Drain well on a paper towel. Great cooking, as in many things in life, is all about relaxing and being willing to stretch your boundaries. When you quit stressing, you will find joy in the doing of it. Cooking has an immediate reward. If you are successful in your efforts, your family will love it. If you are not, they will love frozen pizza, and you know the next meal will turn out great. It will not always be perfect, but there is another meal to try. Try a sheet pan dinner tonight with your favorite vegetables. Make your own homemade salad dressing and impress your family! Wishing you a wonderful Fall season!
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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Come see the new face of Wood’s Mercantile in Downtown Clarkesville!
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by Melissa Wood
y husband, Kevin, and I purchased Wood’s Furniture in January 2019 and have spent this last year updating all aspects of the store. Preserving the history of our 58-year-old business while moving it forward into the exciting future that we have envisioned was crucial for us. The re-branding of Wood’s Mercantile from Woods Furniture and Gift Shoppes was completed intentionally with respect for the excellence that Wood’s has always provided. Kevin’s line of the Wood family has been in Habersham for over 150 years! We understand the value that tradition holds in our community. It was important to us that the new branding reflect both the past and future. We have accomplished so much in the first three quarters of 2019 and have great plans for the future of Wood’s Mercantile.
Renovations have begun on the inside of the building. We have a new mattress area where our customers can try out our comfortable beds in a private setting. Our updated windows allow natural light to come in and showcase our beautiful home furnishings. Remodeled walls, floors, and lighting enhance our customers’ experience in our showroom. Kevin brought in a private-label mattress line we proudly call: The Habersham Collection. The beds’ names reflect natural places in our beautiful Northeast Georgia region. Much of the downstairs showroom is transitioning to a 6,000 square foot La-ZBoy Comfort Studio during the fourth quarter. While we already have an amazing selection of La-Z-Boy products in stock, we can’t wait to show you all of the customization options offered through this well-respected brand. Wood’s has a long history with La-Z-Boy and we are excited to take our partnership to the next level. Look for our La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio Grand Opening in the middle of December. Wood’s showcases lovely home furnishings in a variety of brands. Carefully selected artwork, accessories, rugs, and lamps complement your room design. Our experienced sales staff will take all the time you need to help you create an inviting and beautiful space. Our team is amazing! All members of our team support our vision. Our friendly sales associates, office personnel, and warehouse staff seamlessly create highclass homes through a small-town experience. This superb customer-service experience is what sets us apart from the big-box city stores and online companies. We want to be Northeast Georgia’s place to shop for beautiful home furnishings. From our personalized, custom-design options to our excellent home-delivery, we are confident that you will love the experience of shopping with us. We look forward to helping you…Bring Comfort Home.
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Worship in the Mountains by Tracy McCoy
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o tackle the history of worship in Rabun County was a lofty goal. I enlisted the help of a panel of seniors at the Rabun County Senior Center. I could have filled every page with the topic because worship and praise are two of my favorite things. We serve a God worthy of both. The early settlers of these mountains were aware of that fact and they gathered together in homes to sing hymns and read God’s word. Early on there were circuit riders who traveled spreading Methodism across North Georgia. Spreading the gospel message of Christ. Traveling preachers with the Baptist faith came into towns to preach the Word of God. Baptist preacher and missionary Steven White traveled the hills of North Georgia and Western North Carolina preaching to the Indians. Seeing the destitution and need for hope, Minister White was integral in the founding of The Franklin Baptist Church and may have had a hand in the founding of Head of Tennessee Baptist Church in 1819. Around that same time The Stekoah United Baptist Church in Clayton was founded, later becoming Clayton Baptist Church. Steven White was also mentioned as having helped establish this church. The men of the communities gathered to build the churches. Much of the land being donated by local land owners. Church services were typically held once a month with the congregation staying all day. Food was prepared and brought and a meal was shared after the morning service. These monthly church meetings were quite the social event as well. A time when the community came together in fellowship. Many churches were built with two doors in the front of the church this was to separate the men from the women. The
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men sitting on one side of the church and the women and children on the other. Men were allowed to speak in church and the women were not. A woman was to ask her husband if she had any questions once they returned home. The church also acted as a court in disputes among members of the community. School was also usually held in the church building during the week. Wolf Creek Baptist historian Jane Thomason said “They would haul the organ in a wagon so that they could have music each time they gathered. After the day was over they would load it up and take it back home.” The church records reflect the practice of “churching”. If a church member accused another of improper practice, that member would be “churched” meaning they would be ostracized until such time that the church would allow them to return. Hmmm, wonder what Jesus thought about that? Lakemont resident Jack Smith told of a time when his father had been cutting timber at his sawmill on Sunday. He had an order to fill for the Military during WWII and he had to get them cut. One of his neighbors reported him for working on Sunday and he was in danger of being churched. When he provided documentation of the order and the deadline he was not churched. “I was a teenager and I remember that. I was scared and confused about why my Dad was in trouble. I was glad it didn’t happen.” Mr. Smith remembered. When a preacher could not be there many congregations had Sunday School, singing and a meal. Many churches didn’t have the money to pay a preacher so they worshipped on their own. Transportation in the early years was an issue limiting the ability to attend a church outside of your community. Once cars were more available Sunday services
increased. First Baptist Church of Clayton had a larger congregation, a regular preacher and even provided a home for him. Other churches had members who “put the preacher up” in their home. Tiger resident Peggy Thrasher, a lifelong Methodist, spoke of “pounding showers” for new preachers. Each church member would bring a pound of something to shower the new clergy. A pound of sugar, pound of coffee, pound of flour, etc… For decades, Rev James Turpen and Rev Doug Volk preached at four Methodist Churches (Tallulah Falls, Tiger, Antioch and Dillard). Each Pastor would preach and walk straight out and on to the next church and on to the next. Keeping the congregations connected into a larger family yet keeping them in the communities where they originated.
Mountain Grove Baptist Church
Wesley Taylor was in charge of ringing the church bell in the Tiger United Methodist Church. In 1976 for the Bi-Centennial of America Wesley manually rang the bell 200 times. Janie P., his mother had many wonderful stories about the family’s time at the little white church in Tiger. She told about three-legged organ stool collapsing sending the organist (herself) to the floor. Another tale involved Melvin Taylor announcing the entrance of a black and tan hound during the delivery of the Benediction. Mary Elizabeth Law grew up in the Clayton Baptist Church, where she is still a member. She remembers the church discussing installing air conditioning in the 1970s. The treasurer piped up and asked, “how can you preach hellfire and damnation in an air conditioned church.” M.E. says the Law family always sat on the end of the pew closest to the window to catch a breeze. Faith in God and church history is as much a part of who we are as a people as any other aspect of mountain life. Praying mothers and grandmothers and fathers who read the Word by lamp light were at the core of many families. The love of God has sustained many mountaineers through some very difficult times and still does today. The churches of Rabun County give countless dollars and man hours to help others in the area by providing food baskets to the elderly and shut-in. They take
Old Head of Tennessee Baptist Church
Wolffork Christian Fellowship Church
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fruit and socks and blankets to the nursing homes. Give funds when folks are in need. They have provided shelter and food, guidance and relief. Following the Word of God. Today there is a group of churches who have come together to support each other and spread the gospel message. They are Rabun for the Gospel (R4G) and they provide articles monthly in our magazine. The dozen or more churches meet for services in one of their locations weaving together a network of members who can support each other with prayer for each other and our county, our state and our nation.
Old Tiger United Methodist Church
Wolf Creek Baptist Church
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Rabun County Churches Antioch Methodist Church 1875 Battle Branch Baptist Church 1942 Bethel Baptist Church 1892 Betty’s Creek Baptist Church 1897 Blue Heights Baptist Church 1900 Camp Creek Baptist Church 1885 The Chapel of Covecrest 1882 Chechero Baptist Church 1849 Clayton Baptist Church (Stekoah United) 1819 Clayton Christian Community Church 2003 Clayton Church of God 1929 Clayton First Assembly of God 1987 Clayton First United Methodist Church 1842 Clayton Presbyterian Church 1953 Dillard United Methodist Church 1875 Flat Creek Baptist Church 1875 Grace Bible Church 1988 Head of Tennessee Baptist Church 1819 Ivy Hill Baptist Church 1913 Joy Baptist Church 1940 King Memorial Presbyterian Church 1927 Lakemont Baptist Church 1830 Liberty Baptist Church 1853 Mountain City Church of God 1883 Mountain City United Methodist Church 1875 Mountain Grove Baptist Church 1875 Mount Pleasant Methodist Church 1881 New Hope Methodist Church abt 1835 Peoples Baptist Church Persimmon Church of God 1921 Persimmon Baptist Church 1828 Pleasant Hill Baptist Church 1851 Rabun County Church of Christ 1991 Rabun Gap Presbyterian Church 1929 Rocky Grove Baptist Church 1836 Saint James Episcopal Church 1958 St. Helena Catholic Church 1956 Tabernacle Baptist Church 1974 Tallulah Falls United Methodist Church 1972 Tiger Baptist Church 1908 Tiger United Methodist Church 1903 Timpson Presbyterian Church 1930 Wayfarers Unity Church 1986 Wiley Church of God 1950 Wiley Presbyterian Church 1924 Wolf Creek Baptist Church 1851 Wolffork Christian Fellowship Center 1960 Wolffork Baptist Church 1905
Dr. Andrew Ritchie, author of Sketches of Rabun County History, wrote about the early churches of Rabun County giving good history and naming those who contributed the land and efforts. Another very valuable book about our history is Rabun County and It’s People with articles contributed by family members and community leaders. Both books are available at the Rabun County Historical Society in Clayton, Georgia. We would like to share with you as complete a list of churches in Rabun County as we can compile with founding dates, if by chance we have missed one please forgive us. Thank you Frank Smith, Jane Thomason, Beverly Mason, Marilyn Balew, Peggy and Albert Thrasher, Wesley Taylor and Mary Elizabeth Law for your insight and willingness to share your knowledge.
Franklin, North Carolina You’ll find there’s no holiday quite like a mountain holiday in Franklin, NC. Bring the family and enjoy all the music, lights, fun and holiday cheer of Winter Wonderland in Historic Franklin, North Carolina. Winter Wonderland is held rain or shine but subject to snow. November 30th and December 7th, 5pm - 8pm townoffranklinnc.com for more information
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Rabun County Historical Society Rabun County Volunteer Firefighters: A History of Service
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by Beck Peterson
hat happens when a village, city or county is unable to afford a full-time fire department? If you are fortunate to live in a county like Rabun, there are 12 fire stations under the umbrella of Rabun County Fire Services. These fire stations are strategically located throughout the county and staffed by volunteers comprised of your friends, neighbors and folks you do not even know. Before there was any kind of fire department, people were dependent on family and neighbors to fight the fire and salvage what belongings could be saved. In the 1920s Clayton residents were dependent on volunteers to respond to fires. In an article written by Archie McKay for the Clayton Tribune, J. H. “Jadie” Cannon tells of the unique fire alarm system used to alert citizens of a fire. He says, “we had a night policeman and if there was a fire, he would fire his pistol in the air. My mother, at the Blue Ridge Hotel, had a big dinner bell out front. They would ring that thing and you could hear it for miles around at night.” The “fire truck” was a fire hose cart pulled by hand. The cart had two wagon wheels with a reel of hose and tools in between with two shafts up front connected with a crossbar. Managing the fire hose cart was tricky business. It was hard work going uphill, and if the cart was going too fast downhill, one risked being run over. The fire hose was hooked up to a water hydrant and with a turn of the wrench the water started flowing. The water supply came from two storage tanks on Valley Street on the slope of Black Rock Mountain. The tanks were high enough that the gravity flow provided the needed water pressure. Most buildings in Clayton at this time were constructed of wood. It was not unusual that once the buildings caught fire, they were often destroyed before volunteers arrived with the hose cart. Fire destroyed two of Clayton’s well-known lodging establishments, the Hamby Hotel and the Earl House. Both
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Hose reel wheels - These big wheels were used by Clayton volunteer firefighters in the 1930s and 40s to haul a reel of heavy hose to area fires.
1941 Ford, 1st fire truck
1954 - Open top fire truck, K. Keener
In the 1970s as the population of the county’s outlying communities increased, additional volunteer fire departments were organized. Tallulah Falls and Lakemont/Wiley were early communities to organize. Soon to follow were the fire departments of Warwoman, Satolah, Chechero, TallulahPersimmon, Sky Valley, Lakes, Wildcat and Dillard. In 1993 the last fire department, Tiger, was organized.
Clayton Fire Department, late 70s or early 80s buildings were a total loss and never rebuilt. In 1936, the Clayton Tribune wrote about the need for better firefighting equipment. They described the situation as “… Clayton now had an ample supply of water and a good distribution system, but lacked in the proper equipment to fight fire.” In April, 1941 the Clayton Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD} was formed. Improvements were made with a new fire alarm system and purchase of a modern LaFrance fire truck. The new fire truck was housed in the basement of the Community House, now called the Rock House. The fire department was financially supported by city funds and community fundraisers. In 1954 a second fire truck was purchased for $14,000. It was housed near the county jail since there was no room at the Community House. Eventually the Community House basement received a heated addition that enabled both trucks to be housed together. Over time new trucks were purchased and the firehouse remodeled. Later the fire department moved adjacent to the Clayton Police Department.
Today, twelve fire stations comprise Rabun County Fire Services. This department consists of six paid employees, Fire Chief, Assistant Chief and four full-time firefighters each working a 24-hour shift. The rest of the department consists of 200 volunteers. Their firefighting equipment includes 17 fire engines, 11 tankers, 11 mini pumpers, and three fire boats. Eleven of the 12 stations are equipped with extrication tools and all stations have members who are medical responders. The department is funded by the county and many stations sponsor fundraisers to supplement the county funds. We are grateful to the people who volunteer their time and energy as well as putting themselves at risk to protect us and our property. To show our support, the next time you hear that a fire station is fundraising with a fish fry or chicken dinner, take that opportunity to buy that dinner to help those who help us.
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Mountain Happenings November 8th - 10th North Georgia Arts Tour Galleries in Habersham, Rabun, Towns, Union & White Counties, GA and Clay County, NC Info: artstour.org STEPHENS COUNTY December 6th Christmas Fest & Lighting of the Tree Downtown Toccoa Info: 706.898.5777 December 7th, 14th “Christmas at the Inn” Traveler’s Rest Historic Site, Toccoa Info: 706.356.4362 www.gastateparks.org/travelersrest The Ritz Theater Toccoa Info: www.ritztheatretoccoa.com November 9th Southern Gospel Music Debra Perry & Jayden’s Call November 14th Night at the Ritz: Truett-McConnell University Orchestra Ensemble November 16th Night at the Ritz: Bennie Wheels & Walkin’ the Line, A Johnny Cash Tribute November 18th, December 16th Open Mic Monday December 5th, 20th, 27th Christmas Movies at the Ritz December 7th Night at the Ritz: Wilson Fairchild, Country Christmas Show December 12th Southern Gospel Music: The Troy Burns Family HABERSHAM COUNTY November 4th Program Preview North Georgia Technical College Clarkesville Info: 706.754.7700 November 28th - January 1st Christmas Lights Spectacular Cornelia City Park, Cornelia Info: 706.778.4654 December 5th - 8th, 13th - 16th “AMAHL and the Night Visitors” Habersham Community Theater Clarkesville Info: 706-839-1315 www.habershamtheater.org December 6th Grinch Movie Night Downtown Cornelia Info: 706.778.8585
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December 12th - 14th Christmas in Cornelia Cornelia City Park, Cornelia Info: 706.778.8585 December 14th Downtown Clarkesville Christmas Downtown Clarkesville Info: 706.754.2220 Grant Street Music Room Clarkesville Info: 706.754.3541 grantstreetmusicroom.com November 8th A Tribute to Eric Clapton
December 14th Breakfast with Santa SNCA Sautee Nacoochee Info: 706.878.3300 www.snca.org November 2nd and the first Saturday of each month Blacksmithing Demonstration November 16th - 17th Lilies of the Valley December 13th - 14th Murder Mystery Dinner Theater
December 21st Ralph Roddenberry and Donna Hopkins
Hardman Farm Historic Site Sautee Nacoochee Info: 706.878.1077
December 31st - Steve Bryson Band
November 9th Farm Animal Fun Day
WHITE COUNTY
November 9th, December 7th Emory Jones Book Signing
November 12th Fireside Storytellin’ & Full Moon Hike Anna Ruby Falls, Helen Info: 706.878.1448 November 29th Annual Lighting of the Village Downtown Helen Info: 706.878.2181 November 29th - 30th Mistletoe Market Helen Arts & Heritage Center Helen Info: 706.878.3933, helenarts.org November 30th - December 1st December 7th - 8th 12th Annual Christkindlmarkt Downtown Marketplatz, Helen Info: 706.878.1908 December 7th Christmas in the Mountains Celebration and Lighted Parade Cleveland Info: 706.865.5356 December 14th Helen’s 50th Celebration Christmas Parade Helen Info: 706.878.2181 December 31st Dropping of the Edelweiss Helen Festhalle, Helen Info: 706.878.1908 Unicoi State Park & Lodge Helen Info: 706.878.3985
November 10th Veterans’ Appreciation Day November 29th - 30th December 6th - 7th, 13th - 14th December 20th - 21st A Victorian Christmas in Nacoochee RABUN COUNTY November 29th Christmas in Downtown Clayton Info: 706.212.0241 December 7th Christmas Parade and Centennial Birthday Party Downtown Clayton Info: 706.212.0241 December 12th - 15th “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some)” North Georgia Community Players Dillard Playhouse, Dillard Info: 706.212.2500 ngcommunityplayers.com Rabun County Civic Center Clayton Info: 706.782.5271 November 7th - Veterans’ Dinner November 24th - Photos with Santa November 29th - 30th Holiday Shopping Expo & Festival of Trees
November 2nd, 9th Music Concert Series
Northeast Georgia Food Bank Clayton Info: 706.212.0241
November 13th - December 7th Festival of Trees Info: 706-878-2201
November 11th December 9th Junior Chef After School
December 7th Holiday Farmers’ Market December 14th Santa at the Food Bank Tallulah Gorge State Park Tallulah Falls Info: 706.754.7981 November 2nd - 3rd, 9th - 10th, November 16th - 17th Whitewater Release November 2nd, 10th, 16th Whitewater - Watching Hike November 12th, December 12th Full Moon Suspension Bridge Hike December 7th Christmas at the Gorge TOWNS COUNTY November 1st - 2nd Reelin’ it in for Vets Fishing Tournament GA Mtn. Fairgrounds Boat Ramp Hiawassee Info: 706.896.4966 November 29th - December 1st Holiday Arts & Crafts Show Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa Young Harris Info: 800.201.3205 Mountain Home Music Theatre Hiawassee Info: 706.896.3624 November 2nd John Cochran & the Cowboy Band November 9th, 30th Mountain Home Music Band November 16th Barry Evans with South Wind Band December 7th Roy Perrin (Elvis) Live December 14th - Christmas Show Crane Creek Vineyards Young Harris Info: 706.379.1236 November 1st and each Friday Friday Evening Aperitivo & Live Music December 21st - Winter Soltice Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds Hiawassee Info: 706.896.4191 georgiamountainfairgrounds.com
UNION COUNTY
CLAY COUNTY, NC
November 2nd Salute to Veterans Car Show and Fund Raising Auction Blairsville Farmers’ Market Blairsville Info: 863.414.5276
November 9th - 10th Candy Cane Market Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Hayesville Info: 828.389.3704
November 7th and the first Thursday of the month Shop Late Thursday Downtown Blairsville Info: 706.754.5789 November 13th Dress With Style Fashion Show Union Co. Chamber of Commerce Blairsville Info: 706.754.5789 November 23rd - 24th Mistletoe Market North Georgia Technical College Blairsville Info: 706.896.0932 December 1st - 31st Tour of Trees Union County Community Center Blairsville Info: 706.745.5789 December 6th - 7th Blairsville Holiday Stop & Shop Union County Civic Center Blairsville Info: 770-789-2044 December 7th 2019 Holly Jolly Christmas Breakfast with Santa Union County Community Center Blairsville Info: 706.745.5789
December 14th Clay Co. Progress Christmas Parade Hayesville Info: 828.389.3704 John C. Campbell Folk School Brasstown Info: 828.837.2775 November 2nd Blacksmith and Fine Craft Auction November 3rd 9 String Theory November 8th Warren Wilson String Band November 9th, 23rd December 21st Contra & Square Dance November 15th The Pressley Girls November 30th - Fireside Sale December 6th Sarah Morgan December 13th Brasstown Ringers Holiday Concert Peacock Performing Arts Center Hayesville Info: 828.389.2787 thepeacocknc.org
December 7th Kris Kringle Mountain Market Union County Farmers’ Market Blairsville Info: 706.439.6043
November 2nd - 3rd The Return: Beatles Tribute
December 7th Christmas on the Square & Parade Downtown Blairsville Info: 706.347.3503
MACON COUNTY, NC
December 14th Christmas Tree Lighting Vogel State Park Blairsville Info: 706.745.2628 Paradise Hills Resort and Spa Blairsville Info: 706.745.7483 November 2nd and each Saturday Live Music
November 9th Tommy James & The Shondells
November 29th Sip and Shop
November 28th - 30th and each weekend through December Mountain Country Christmas
December 14th Open House and Cookie Contest
December 14th Lisa Rock: A Carpenter’s Christmas
November 8th - 10th Highlands Food & Wine Festival Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, Highlands Info: 828.526.5841 highlandsfoodandwine.com November 11th Veterans’ Day Parade & Ceremony Downtown Franklin Info: 828.524.2516 November 30th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony Kelsey-Hutchinson Park Highlands Info: 828.526.5841 November 30th, December 7th Winter Wonderland Nights Downtown Franklin Info: 828.524.2516
December 1st Franklin’s Annual Christmas Parade Downtown Franklin Info: 828.524.2516 December 7th Highlands Olde Mountain Christmas Parade Downtown Highlands Info: 828.526.5841 Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts Franklin Info: 866.273.4615; 828.524.1598 GreatMountainMusic.com November 8th - 9th, 15th - 16th The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Musical November 22nd Petra Ballet Company: REBORN December 5th Andrew Peterson BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD December 10th Steven Curtis Chapman December 13th Leann Rimes - You and Me Christmas Tour December 19th SMPCA’s Singing Christmas Card December 21st Scott Thompson Christmas Back Home Cowee School - Arts & Heritage Ctr. Franklin Info: 828.349.1945 November 16th, December 21st SEBA Jam December 1st - Cowee Christmas Highlands Performing Arts Center Highlands Info: 828.526.9047 November 1st - GAOS: Guaguin November 2nd - 42nd Street November 9th MET: Madama Butterfly November 23rd - MET: Akhnaten November 29th Maureen McGovern “Christmas Concert” December 6th GAOS: The Prado Museum December 12th Highlands Cashiers Players Holiday Reading December 14th National Theatre Live: Small Island
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Clayton Events Usher in the Holidays by Cricket Werkheiser
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he air in Clayton is crisp...maybe even a little more than crisp... but that is part of what we do best in the beautiful Northeast Georgia mountains – have wonderful weather and fabulous scenery all year long. Better get your running shoes dusted off for the Clayton Merchants and Business Association(CMBA)’s Clayton Cluckers’ Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning, November 28. It’s for a good cause-- Food 2 Kids by the Food Bank here in Clayton. Yes, there are kids who go hungry in Rabun County so this will help purchase food for their weekend meals. Donations are always welcome (CMBA, P.O. Box 25, Clayton, GA 30525 or the Food Bank). There’s time to put the turkey in after the 5K since it starts at 9 AM at Fromage and Other Fine Foods on Earl Street, Clayton (contact Jenny at Fromage for registration 706-212-7349), then winds through downtown so the runners can glimpse our new shops, businesses and restaurants then ultimately break through the Finish line, grab their prizes and head home to enjoy family and pumpkin pie! Yum, yum! Best holiday- costumed runners win too! Brace yourself for the kickoff of the Christmas Holiday Season with the CMBA’s Christmas in Downtown Clayton on Friday, November 29 from 5-8PM. Shops and restaurants are open, carolers (any group interested in performing?)and music by Sam the Bagpiper will be playing as you meet and greet old and new friends, shop for Christmas gifts, munch goodies at the shops or enjoy dinner at one of our many downtown restaurants offering everything from fish tacos to steaks, beer or exotic libations and enjoy the holiday as only our small town can do it! I’m sure you will glimpse Santa in the midst of a swarm of kids! The Festival of Trees and Holiday Art & Craft Shopping Expo will take place on Friday and Saturday, Nov 29-30 at the Rabun County Civic Center. (Contact Annie at 706-782-5271 for details) This year the Rabun County High School Cheerleaders will be the beneficiary of the Festival of Trees so come enjoy! Place your bid on the fabulously decorated Christmas trees on November 29-30 and enjoy your Holiday Shopping all in one place! Watch the kids’, old and young, eyes light up as they watch the Chamber’s Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 7 at 5PM on Main Street, Clayton. This year’s theme is “Two Hundred Christmases in Rabun County” to commemorate our Bicentennial. Come to Rabun County’s Birthday Party at the Rabun County Civic Center after the parade to celebrate our 200 years! Then we will be waiting for snow which makes the mountains in January truly a winter wonderland. Come enjoy Clayton in the winter when shopping is more relaxed and you can leisurely enjoy our wonderful city – Clayton is on a roll. Come see what all the buzz is about...
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“Footsteps for the Future”
he sisters of ADK Beta Psi will have the 2nd Annual “Footsteps for the Future” Walk on Saturday, November 23rd at 9 a.m. at the Rabun County Schools Campus. Registration and sign-in will be at the tennis courts and participants will be shuttled to the starting line. Beta Psi, the local chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, an honorary society for female educators, gives annual scholarships to RCHS Seniors interested in pursuing a career in education. The Footsteps walk was envisioned to follow the same path that our students follow as they travel through our school system. Mrs. Mildred Whittaker, retired educator and Beta Psi charter member, came up with the name, “Footsteps for the Future” and we honor her memory as we walk. The 2019 Footsteps Walk would also like to honor the memory of Mr. David Smith and his
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contributions as a long serving school board member and supporter of Alpha Delta Kappa. Our 1st Annual Footsteps walk in 2018 raised $2075.00 and we would love to see an increase in funds and participants in 2019. ADK would like to welcome anyone who would like to participate or donate. Businesses can be a sponsor for $50.00 and have their name on the event t-shirt and banner. Participants that register with $25.00 by November 8th will receive an event t-shirt. Please contact Deana Dunn at 706-490-4878 or ddunn@ rabuncountyschools.org if you would like to participate, sponsor the event or simply make a donation.
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Adventure Out
A Salute to Blackrock Buddies by Peter McIntosh
n this adventure, we’re showcasing one of the crown jewels of northeast Georgia, Blackrock Mountain State Park. And we’re doing this to spotlight the efforts of the volunteer organization, Black Rock Buddies, who help take care of this beautiful natural resource. They not only do maintenance, but also make improvements on the trails and public areas. The group was originally formed nearly two decades ago by Dwayne and Norma Campbell, Debbie Chisholm and then park superintendent, Anthony Lampros. (Norma Campbell was the park naturalist at the time and there is a small loop trail bearing her name at the campground. More about that trail and Norma and the Marie Mellinger Center, one of the original projects conceived by Black Rock Buddies, in a future article.)
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This organization has been recently revitalized by a hard working bunch headed up by Dan Herrick, Don and Kris Martin, and Randy and Bill Scott. When you visit Blackrock Mountain State Park, be sure to pick up one of their informative brochures to find about how you can help this hard working crew. (Shameless self promotion here, many of the photos in the brochure are by yours truly.)
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There are many hiking trails at the park and two of my favorite are the Blackrock Lake Trail and the Tennessee Rock Trail. The lake trail is a .85 mile loop and the Tennessee Rock Trail is a 2.2 mile loop. Hike them both and you’ve walked a little over 3 miles. The lake trail is a nice level footpath with a few nice wooden bridges to cross over. There are benches all along the trail to rest or have a contemplative moment. The Tennessee Rock Trail is a moderate hike with one fairly steep ascent up to the top of the mountain. There’s a stone marker at the very top, but the real payoff is just a little bit farther, the Tennessee Rock Overlook, one of the most spectacular views in the North Georgia Mountains. Before you hike the Tennessee Rock Trail, be sure to pick up an interpretive booklet at the visitors center which explains the flora and fauna with corresponding numbered markers along the footpath. But if you don’t feel like hiking or have mobility issues, there are several lovely vistas at Blackrock that are handicapped accessible. The park has much more to offer but I want you to read about it in the new brochure. Pick one up at the Blackrock visitors center or trading post at the campground. There’s still a lot of fall color out there so go visit Georgia’s highest state park and be sure to find out how you can support the park’s volunteer organization, Black Rock Buddies. Happy hiking!
Be of good cheer, my November poem is here: The vistas at Blackrock are vast and sweeping, A great place to do some late season leaf peeping. This park’s a great resource, let’s all do what we can, And think about giving Black Rock Buddies a hand. Getting there: From US 441 in Mountain City, follow the Blackrock Mountain Parkway into the park entrance. There is a $5.00 fee but I encourage everyone to purchase an annual pass, good at all of Georgia’s state parks, for $50.00. And if you’re a senior or a veteran, you get a great discount. The annual pass gives the park much needed funding. On the web: http://www.gastateparks.org/BlackRockMountain Blackrock Buddies: https://friendsofgastateparks.org/ parks/black-rock-mountain Facebook: Black Rock Buddies To see more of Peter’s photos or if you have a question or comment: www.mcintoshmountains.com https://friendsofgastateparks.org/parks/black-rockmountain
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Wander with Purpose by Alex Brown – Wander North Georgia
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hen we first started our “brand” we never had any goals of opening a store. We simply began with the idea of trying to to tell the stories of the people and places that call North Georgia home with our personal blog and social media. That loose framework has evolved into a platform that we hope continues to grow beyond a store. We count ourselves lucky and humbled and everything in between that locals from all across North Georgia and visitors from all across the state, the region, and beyond find us interesting enough to support our small, family run business. The more we get plugged in and put down roots in our particular place of Rabun County, the more it has us trying to find ways to make the world a little bit easier on someone else. One of the ways we’ve been able to leverage that interest and support is by donating to some special non-profits in the county that are near and dear to our heart. Beginning in 2018, we began donating 1% of every sale, every day to local Rabun County nonprofits. This allows our mission to support the mission of so many great people and initiatives here locally in the community. It was important for us that this donation was pulled from our total sales and not our profit so even when there are months that we are not profitable (small business life up here is awfully seasonally), we still donate 1% of our total sales each month. So on the first weekday of the month, it’s the first thing we pull and the first check we write. This is a helpful reminder to us to ensure that our community always comes first in all of our decision making. In less than 2 years we’ve been humbled by the opportunity to donate just under $30,000 to groups like Paws 4 Life, the Sid Weber Cancer Fund, our local VFW Post, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, the Chattooga Conservancy, and more. One of our favorite non-profits and one that holds a special place in our hearts is Rabun Paws 4 Life. Rabun Paws For Life is an open admission, no-kill animal shelter that has adopted out or transferred for adoption over 4,000 animals in the last 6 years. They have a truly amazing team that devotes endless effort, time and energy in
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caring for these sweet animals who just need a chance. It’s also important to us that we find ways to get involved beyond simply writing a check. So we’ve had the awesome opportunity to partner with Paws 4 Life for a series of adoption events at our shop over the past year. Through these adoption events at the shop, we have helped play a very small part in helping find forever homes for some of the shelter cats and dogs. Even though some animals do not get adopted at the event, it provides great socialization for them and an opportunity to step outside the shelter and be outside for a bit. We also got to spend a few hours one evening with the Paws 4 Life staff and volunteers sharing training and best practices with how we use social media to better connect with our audience. The Paws team has such a great story that we really just helped them refine their message and find some creative new ways to use Facebook, Instagram and more to connect their passion for these animals with their audience. Our goal is to continue to support Rabun Paws For Life however we can, whenever we can. They are an amazing asset to our community and I am so proud of their continued efforts to help the animals that need it the most.
Out of the Blue Ridge “Take Me to the River” with Nancy Chafin by Beth Fierberg
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ave you ever been white water rafting and experienced the effects the river has on your mind and body? If you haven’t or it’s been a while, I encourage you to catch up on missed time on the Nantahala and meet some awesome people at Adventurous Fast Rivers located at 1965 U.S. Highway 19 in Topton, North Carolina.
The whitewater experience will be greatly enhanced by your river guide’s unique personality. As new river guide, Daniel Bonds advised me, my guide today, Nancy Chafin has a joy about her. She always brings her smile, and I was really looking forward to spending three hours on the Nantahala with her and our group. And what an experience it was! The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful, the water refreshing and Nancy regaled us with information regarding the forestry surrounding us, Indian lore, and humor that made three hours seem like minutes. One of her guests was rafting for the first time. He appeared extremely quiet and shy and barely spoke a word. However, midway down the river he was smiling and chatting up a storm. That’s the effect Nancy has on people. Nancy was born in South Georgia and moved up to Toccoa about twenty years ago. She and her husband and five kids bought a cabin near the Nantahala about two years ago. Since she was twelve, Nancy had been coming up to this area where she went to camp, had her first experience rafting the Nantahala and was hooked. Fast forward to two years ago, Nancy applied to Fast Rivers, had an interview, was hired and began training the next day. The training process takes about four weeks consisting of swift water rescue, first aid and CPR which all river guides must accomplish before they are qualified to take people down the river. “I enjoy sharing the river with others and I feel so privileged that they allow me to take that journey with them. They’re usually people here on vacation and it’s just an honor to be with them and show them what beauty we have here, the thrills and fun. I especially love seeing people out here for their first time. It doesn’t matter whether they are 80 or 8 years old. They come on the river and see that thrill the river gives you. The river travels you through. You have this whole journey that you are going on and I love seeing that.” I asked Nancy what she finds most challenging about being a guide. “When you come up to a river you have to be able to read it. It’s like reading a map. You’ve got to know what it’s doing. Is there an in and an out? How difficult is this? Where am I going? How do I get through this? I think part of me just enjoys that intrigue of how you are going to get through this like a maze. You have to know how to navigate and when you come through it you feel accomplished and worthy. You’re literally in God’s country. It is so beautiful and breathtaking. Just because you’ve been on the river one time, fifty times or a hundred times, it’s never the same.” Nancy continued, “I love where I’m at in my life. I just want to accomplish those passionate things and I can share them with others which is even more profound. I do prefer kayaking to rafting but I can share rafting with more people. It’s not just a boat and a person.
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It’s a whole way of living and the thrills and the people and the rivers and the mountains and the gorges. It’s all together.” Her enthusiasm is contagious. By watching and feeling people as they rode down the river with her, Nancy began to see that she could inspire them to give back to the community. “It’s one of the props that I get; whether it is big or small and pushing that a little bit further by picking up trash along the river or talking about water conservation because it’s important to the community. Water is a number one resource that we have to protect. We could live without a lot of things but we can’t live without water. It can be very spiritual.” In addition to being a raft guide and after having several inquiries, Nancy will be expanding to include teaching people more about kayaking. “I have extra kayaks, so we are going to start with that and go on the Tuskegee River where it’s a little warmer and let people feel it. If someone has that passion and love for it, it’s incredible.” I left the Nantahala River with a smile as wide as the river is long and I know I’ll be back soon.
Beth Fierberg enjoys the peaceful mountain life with her husband and three rescue dogs. She is an avid nature lover, photographer and writer, but her primary passion lies with saving abandoned animals and participating in many shelter and rescue projects. Beth can be contacted by email at bethegg@yahoo.com.
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Hitt The Outdoors
Appreciating Monarchs by Joel Hitt
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’ve never written about Monarch butterflies before now. I’ve enjoyed them for years but haven’t really understood them well enough to appreciate their miraculous place in nature. Now, the more I learn, the more I want to share their amazing history and culture. They are among the most abundant butterflies in North America, visible in season virtually everywhere in their range. Monarchs also have a fascinating “life history” that contains one of the more amazing examples of animal instinct of any species on Earth. That will be your take-home piece of information from this article, and I will offer it up in a few moments. So why out of 750 species of American butterflies do I get so excited with these Monarchs? Obviously, as seen in the image I’ve included here of a Monarch on my property last Spring, they are lovely, to say the least! With a prominent cinnamonorange coloration decorated with blackish veins, finished off with white dots variously strung along the wing, this species is so easy on the eyes! And with only a little experience and a pair of binoculars, they are a cinch to locate.
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There are only three other species one might mistake for a Monarch, two of which do not occur in Georgia. The third species is the Viceroy. It does take a little practice to distinguish the quick-moving insects from each other. But it’s fun, with your field guide and perhaps someone who’s “been there, ID’d that!” To me, the really astounding feature of this species is their life cycle. Further, of all the American butterflies, the Monarch is the only species that has a true migration route each year. All other butterflies live out their few weeks and months in the same area where they began life. But migrating Monarchs are “down and back” to and from the central Mexican mountains, over 6-7 months. As I watched the Monarchs coming through Rabun County recently, I thought how relatively “easy” it is to see our birds flying off for a few months. But a butterfly? A 2-3-thousand-mile migration each way? It is incredible! With some minor and limited exceptions during seasonal weather changes, the lives of almost all other butterflies are spent in the same geographical area without a migration. Monarchs are reminiscent of avian patterns, whereby they fly off in the fall and return the following spring.
It’s amazing enough to see the birds come and go during migration. But unlike the birds, the Monarchs are going through four generations in one year, a process known as metamorphosis. So the Monarch leaving in the fall is not the Monarch you get back in the spring. An offspring comes back, you can say. They leave their sites here in the Blue Ridge and return having completed one or two generation changeovers in several months. What an amazing example of instinct and genetic conditioning. Somehow, I had missed that the southward migrating generation has evolved an extension of their lifespan to upwards of 6 months (this evolution takes millions of years). Without stretching their life span they never would have found the roadmap to Mexico! They also have time to set up there for the next generation to secede them and return to the home grounds here. The final question that is begging recognition, then, is if these returning Monarchs were born “below the border,” how do they acquire the “directions” to northeast Georgia and the Blue Ridge? Same song, different verse! The species can “send” its new generation to the previous location of their predecessors, using the unconscious data embedded in their DNA! So when you see this remarkable species next Spring of 2020, think about everything that had to fall into place, over millions of years, to enable their safe return. Then share your awe with as many persons as possible! I hope I have been able to arouse your interest in this species, or increased it for those of you on the cusp. Get ready for closer and better-informed looks at Monarch butterflies in the Spring of ‘20! I can hardly wait!
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Experience One-of-a-Kind Old World Charm by John Shivers
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ith its stone arches and accents, and steeply-pitched slate roof capping a stucco exterior, this Europeaninspired home, set among a heavily-wooded lot on almost five acres±, is truly a house of a different color. It’s a home where beauty rivals comfort and offers up the luxury you deserve. You’ll almost believe you’re in the mountains of Italy or Germany, but in reality, you’ll be conveniently located at 340 Hawk Hill Lane, # 39, in Lakemont, Georgia, in south Rabun County. And if you think the exterior infused with an earthy color palette is eye-catching, you are in for a treat. The inside picks up the old-world theme, and everywhere you look, you’ll spy some architectural element, some design application that convinces you: THIS is the one. It’s a custom built home with the accent on custom. No cookie cutters in sight at this address. Four bedrooms, all of gracious size, anchor this home that delivers more than 6,500 square feet of living space on two levels. Three of the bedrooms boast of spa-influenced en suite bathrooms and oversize closet / dressing areas. The master bedroom, where you’ll find one of four fireplaces in the house, is mere footsteps away from the tile-floored covered back logia through a wall of windowed doors. Another fireplace there warms the winter evenings. The bathrooms include jetted air tubs, tile showers, double vanities, and towel warmers. While the main floor living area is wide open for gracious living and excellent traffic flow, there are still three defined areas. Opening off the spacious foyer, the living area is centered around a stone fireplace. A dedicated dining area nearby makes entertaining a pleasure, and adjacent is the chef’s kitchen, where professional quality appliances, granite countertops, and custom built furniture-quality cabinetry comprise the backdrop for gracious dining. With a restaurant style gas range and oven, stainless appliances, a French door refrigerator with bottom freezer and double-dishwasher, meal prep is a pleasure. The oversize island with a farmhouse sink and breakfast bar contributes both additional work space and expanded dining possibilities. You can stage a nice size buffet on this island. Throughout both levels of the home, many arched doorways beckon you to come explore, come find that special niche to call your own. From the back porch
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with a fireplace to the second family room with second kitchen on the lower level, where yet another fireplace predominates, more windowed doors access the outdoor living opportunities. The lot, which is within easy driving distance of Lake Rabun, slopes into a private backyard with beautiful stone paths, walls and hidden gardens, and opens onto a seasonal view. There’s a multi-functional home office that includes a comfortable window seat, camouflaged filing cabinets and generous work space that can disappear by closing two doors, allowing this room to do double, even triple duty. An oversized main floor laundry room with sink and many custom cabinets takes the work out of that chore. A hobby room and exercise space are on the lower level. Floors throughout the home are of Australian hardwood, slate or carpet. Everywhere you look, professional examples of trompe l’oeil, custom-painted scenes, add to the old-world ambience and lend a three-dimensional quality to what would otherwise be blank walls. Completing the main level is the oversize two-car garage. The home, which was built with energy-efficiency foremost in mind, also has handicapped-width doorways and hallways, and the baths are wheelchair accessible, but you’ll have to take a second look to realize this. What’s more, the home’s price includes all the furnishings! Contact Poss Realty agent Lorie Thompson at 706-490-1820 to view MLS #8656059. The Poss Realty office number is 706-782-2121.
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Live in the Tree Tops on Lake Rabun by John Shivers
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f you’re ready to talk serious turkey about property at the lake, you’ll definitely want to check out the home cradled amongst the trees at 649 Tame Turkey Road in Lakemont. This house is a fantastic personal home, full-time or just for get-away, and it has great rental potential. Either way, this super investment with a highly sought after Lake Rabun address is one you’ll want to see! Built in 1982, in the popular rustic cabin style, and sitting on 1.02± acres with access to the Lake Rabun launch ramp less than two miles away, this property harkens back to an earlier era, but with all the modern conveniences that homeowners seek today. The property has been wellmaintained and updated. What’s more, it’s a house that can be enjoyed year-round. Just call it the best of all worlds. From the exterior of chocolate board and batten accented with sage green trim and complementary metal roof, the curb appeal of this property is immediate, impressive and inviting. Oh, so inviting. Inside, the fun continues. This home is much larger than it initially appears, thanks to a spacious finished basement with a daylight entrance that adds to the livability factor. On the main level, vaulted ceilings, sturdy beams and lots of wood tango beautifully with the painted and finished surfaces that compose an artist’s palette of eye appeal. Don’t miss the skylight in the kitchen that floods that space with early morning sunshine to help launch your day. And remember… there’s just something about waking up around these lakes that makes it worth getting out bed! Three bedrooms, with the master on the main, and two bathrooms are in the main house. Adjacent is a freestanding, two-story garage of the same architectural styling, that houses two cars below and a spacious apartment up top, where another bedroom and bath are found. The lower level can also function as storage for your boat or jet skis, and there’s ample outdoor parking for your guests. What’s the use of having a place near the lake if you can’t share it with your family and friends? Here on Tame Turkey Road, the layout and the accommodations make it a perfect place to host Thanksgiving or Fourth of July celebrations. When the chow bell rings, there’s generous space inside to dine. Weather permitting, the feast can spill onto the adjacent screened porch and open deck, where many a plate of home cooking has been enjoyed in the past. The gas grill on the deck is just waiting for you to throw on
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another steak and kick back. Thanks to the slope of the lot, on the back side you’re literally living among the tree tops in your own treehouse. Hardwood and other hard surface flooring throughout add to the cabin ambience and make housekeeping simple. In the kitchen, a spacious amount of country-style bead board cabinets and countertop space make cooking for two or twenty-two a breeze. The appliances that remain with the house include a range, refrigerator, microwave and dishwasher. In addition, there’s a generator for those iffy weather situations. Located only about six miles from the center of historic Lakemont, this home makes a perfect base of operations for a lake-living lifestyle. The beach and campgrounds are just around the corner, along with your potential for investment and enjoyment. You’re just minutes from the main highways that lead to shopping and dining in other areas of Rabun County.
Listing agent for this exceptional property, GA MLS#: 8625452, is Mary Cobb Stone, with Harry Norman, REALTORS® Luxury Lake and Mountain. Contact her at (cell) 404-226-0942, or (office) 706-212-0228.
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Live Healthy and Be Well! “Flu Update” Dr. Stephen Jarrard, MD, FACS
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t is the special time of the year that we pause, spend family time, and give thanks for all we have been allowed. We want you to have all the things you wish, but we do not want you to have a case of the flu. While we have not been seeing a lot of cases yet, some of you may have had some symptoms, and hopefully many of you have gotten your “flu shot” for this year. Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a viral illness that starts in birds and mammals and ends up getting transmitted to humans. Although it is often confused with other flu-like illnesses, such as the common cold, influenza itself is a more severe disease caused by a different type of virus. The flu is mainly a respiratory illness, as it gets into your system when you breathe it in to your respiratory tract. It may
initially show up with other symptoms besides wheezing and cough. Although we often think that the flu is a rather minor illness, we are wise to remember that Influenza is responsible for millions of deaths worldwide over the years, and has been the cause of some major epidemics in the not too distant past (WWI era). Typically, influenza is transmitted through the air by coughs or sneezes, creating aerosol sprays containing the virus. Influenza can also be transmitted by direct contact with bird droppings or nasal secretions from infected persons, or through contact with contaminated surfaces. Influenza viruses can be inactivated by sunlight, disinfectants and detergents. As the virus can be inactivated by soap, frequent hand washing reduces the risk of infection. Often, new influenza strains appear when an existing flu virus spreads to humans from another animal species, or when an existing human strain mutates from a virus that usually infects birds or pigs. A few years ago, a bird strain named H5N1 raised the concern of a new influenza pandemic after it emerged in Asia in the 1990s. In April 2009, a novel flu strain evolved that combined genes from human, pig, and bird flu. Initially dubbed “swine flu” and also known as influenza A/H1N1, it emerged in Mexico, the United States, and several other nations. The World Health Organization’s declaration of a pandemic level 6 was an indication of spread, not severity, the strain actually having a lower mortality rate than common flu outbreaks. Approximately 1/3 of people who get the flu have no symptoms at all. Those who
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do, experience a myriad of symptoms noted in the illustration. There is a good test available that is very sensitive in detecting the flu virus, and it involves a swab of your nasal passages. It can usually be run in about 20 minutes, and if you do test positive, appropriate treatment or symptom management can be instituted. A common ailment that seems to be highlighted in the flu versus other viral illnesses is “body and muscle aches.” Some folks may have this to such a degree, and feel so ill, that they just want to stay in bed until they feel better. As the flu is a virus (and not bacterial), antibiotics typically will not affect the course. You may get better in a couple of days, but would have anyway if you had just rested, increased your fluid intake, and treated the symptoms – let the flu run its course. There is a treatment known as “Tamiflu” an anti-viral that is thought to shorten the course of the illness or make it less severe. Although it is widely used with varying anecdotal results – there is a shortage of published, properly designed studies of this medicine to “prove” its effectiveness. The flu vaccine is something that people seem to feel strongly about. Either they are very much in favor of it or hate it! Some people say it gave them the flu, or others say it makes them feel bad, and don’t want to take it. The flu shot we have available each fall is usually a “trivalent” vaccine, meaning that it is designed to protect against the three most likely strains of that season. Sometimes they get it right, and sometimes it misses the mark. The vaccine carries no risk of infecting anyone and is usually very benign and non-reactive. Before getting the shot, you will be asked if you have an allergy to eggs, or thimerisol. Eggs are used to incubate the virus to make the vaccine, and the other is a mercury-like compound used as a “carrier” for the injection. Some people may experience a mild temp increase after getting their flu shot – a dose of Tylenol or Ibuprofen before your vaccination will help with this situation. We do recommend the flu vaccine each year, especially for older folks, people prone to pneumonia, or those with COPD or other chronic respiratory disease. While it cannot be said to be 100% effective – there is evidence to believe that it does help prevent the flu, or lessen the symptoms and length of illness if you do happen to get it in spite of the shot. 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 706-782-3572, and we will be sure to consider your input. This and previous articles can be now 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. Like and follow our Facebook page at facebook. com/rabundoctor. Until next month, live healthy and be well!
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For Some the Top of a Horse is Life-changing by John Shivers
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n the hills of southern Macon County and northern Rabun, an operation exists where horse lovers can indulge their love of riding. Nothing unusual about that. After all, horseback riding is one of many area pastimes that locals and visitors alike can enjoy. The difference comes in when you understand who the riders are, why they’re there, and why the time they spend atop their mounts is so very critical to their well-being. Enter Macon TRACS that has, since 2008, offered Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy to adults and children with a wide range of disabilities. TRACS stands for Therapeutic Riding for Adults and Children’s Success, and were you to poll the more than 500 individuals they’ve served down through the years, you’d find that success has been both the byproduct and the outcome. Professional therapists explain that those individuals who take therapy from the top side of a horse respond to their steeds with enthusiasm that can’t be matched in a traditional clinical environment. Learning takes place while enjoying recreational riding. These speciallytrained horses accept each student unconditionally, no questions asked. But lessons here are a team approach, literally. Assisting each student are a horse leader, two side walkers, the instructor, and of course the horse. In the beginning, students ride in the safety of a 60-foot round pen, until they’re mentally and physically ready to venture out onto the open trail. Safety is the number one priority, and students wear helmets when interacting with the horses. In addition, Macon TRACS adheres to all the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) safety requirements. So what type special needs do these unique riders work to overcome? The list is extensive, but includes Cerebral Palsy, Autism, ADD, ADHD, Down’s Syndrome, Developmental Delay / Cognitive Delay, learning disabilities, PTSD, hearing and visual impairment, stroke, brain injuries, Muscular Dystrophy and Multiple Sclerosis, violence abuse, Spinal Bifida, and amputees, just to name a few. With such a diverse list of special needs, how can a one-size-fits-all solution be the answer? Experts say that horses are natural therapy tools, because horseback
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riding gently and rhythmically moves the rider’s body in a manner similar to the human gait. This engages and strengthens the rider’s core muscles, which in turn gives those riders improved flexibility, balance, strength, and speech. For people with emotional or mental disabilities, the unique relationship formed with the horse can lead to increased confidence, patience, self-esteem, and improved social skills. This happens because horses are a great motivator, and special is the bond that develops between horse and rider. For many of the students, the relationship with their horse is one of the few positive relationships and experiences in their lives. Horses are able to accurately perceive, respond to and learn from the impressions they receive from their riders. That “connection” may originate from changes in human biochemistry, body language, energy levels and even voice intonation. Indirectly, the horses provide motivation for the students to embrace their learning experience and excel, because accomplishments and especially behavioral goals achieved are rewarded with additional riding time. The life tools that the students take away from their partnership with their horse are often the beginning of a new way to approach and react to life. Jan McGee, President, Executive Director, and Horse Program Director, recalls one success story that illustrates the contribution equine therapy can bring about in the lives of their students. Today, she says, the young man in question is one of their biggest, most enthusiastic cowboys. But in the beginning, this little five year-old with Cerebral Palsy was terrified of the horses. Because the learning program is customized to the needs of each individual, the child was put astride a pony first, which allowed him to slowly overcome his fear, while still deriving the benefits that equine therapy provides. He’s still riding today. Macon TRACS also works with Macon County Schools to serve students in need there. When asked what she dreams for the future, Jan McGee is quick to say she’d like a permanent, indoor arena, where they can provide treatment year-round, never mind the weather. “We’d like to put down some real roots.” The application process is simple, and is outlined on their web site. Referral from a medical or emotional health professional is required, along with a low-key interview. Macon TRACS is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. To learn more about them and their mission, or to volunteer your time to make an investment in the lives of these special individuals, log on to their web site www.macontracs.org. Like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MaconTRACS. Contact them by email at macontracs@ymail.com or by phone at 828-349-6262. Make a tax deductible investment at gofundme/macontracs.org.
Major Fun at Tiger Drive-In Camp Under the Stars!
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f there is a couple in Tiger, Georgia who knows family fun, it is Tom and Sherryl Major. You see the Majors are the owners of Tiger Drive-In, a family business that provides Northeast Georgians with the opportunity to step back in time yet enjoy First-run films. Sherryl’s parents, Bill & Louise Wilson opened the drive in 1954 providing her with incredible childhood memories. The drive-in was eventually shut down but upon returning to Rabun, Sherryl and Tom restored and re-opened the Rabun County icon in 2004. Since there have been more first dates, birthday parties, cruise-ins, Scout Campouts, group events, and fundraisers. Hotdogs, burgers, candy and popcorn has been enjoyed by the entire family. On any given Saturday night front seats, back seats, lawn chairs, blankets and tailgates are filled with friends and family spending time together. Mom sits a little closer to dad, the kids get along, the teens are happy to be with the family - it is family fun!
So when Tom and Sherryl added Camping to Tiger Drive-Ins forté we loved the idea. Folks traveling from as far as 50 miles away for the “Drive-In experience” were finding a double feature putting them home too late. So this fun couple purchased two vintage campers and moved them to the drive-in. We smiled at the memories of camping with the family back in the day and how fun to combine that with Drive-In memories! “The Flamingle” and “The Disco Daze” are both available on Airbnb. Each camper is $99 a night plus a $40 cleaning fee. Includes two movie tickets, outdoor shower and bathroom, coffee and light breakfast. So what are you waiting for, go now to www.airbnb and book your stay! For movie info or to plan a special event call 404-680-5066 or visit www.tigerdrivein. com.
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The Language of by Liz Alley
Fall
all is for writers, it’s for artists, musicians, and poets. It’s for people who like crisp air through open windows. It’s for tender hearts who take in the beauty of golden leaves reflected on water as a holy experience. Fall is for those who love the mountains, those who are compelled to witness them dressed in their colorful splendor and watch as the valleys below are painted in patches of faded light.
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Fall reminds me of home. Home, where my mother stood in the kitchen, flour on her pen, as she added an ingredient to the recipe card for her fresh apple cake. Home, where she beat eggs and sifted flour knowing that soon the smell of cake perfection would waft through the house bringing its inhabitants to the kitchen. Fall reminds me of sitting on the screened porch, a slice of cake in hand and the sound of Amazing Grace echoing from the chimes at the Methodist church on Pleasant Place Road, behind our house. Fall takes me back to the wood stove in our basement and it’s rich, oaky smell. It reminds me of the wood Dad stacked in rows under the back porch. The “alarm system” mama concocted to guard the basement which was a pickax, shovel and hoe leaned against the inside door. We used to joke that if someone broke in, she would have supplied them with the weapons necessary to kill us in our sleep. Fall is for thick afghans and naps in Adirondack chairs on docks of lazy lakes. It’s for colorful pumpkins from Osage to adorn our waiting porches. It’s for goldenrod lining an old dirt road that leads to a place called nowhere. In the fall, I particularly like to walk Bridge Creek Road to the field by Traces of Tiger, where the cows commune in the late afternoon sun by the pond. They provide the onlooker with a living pastoral painting. It is here I take in Tiger Mountain, dressed in her finery of gold and red. She smiles at her village below with a snaggletooth grin from her missing trees at the top. Sometimes on my walk, I go by Tiger Baptist and sit on the front steps. I think of Vacation Bible School in the old church building where we had cookies, pimento cheese sandwiches cut into triangles and grape Kool-Aid for lunch. I made a “beautiful” craft there out of a cardboard five-gallon bucket, an array of construction paper and glue. My sister Lynn, cried when Mama said I could put it in our room on the dresser we shared. I was sure Lynn just didn’t understand art. I imagine Dad, with Mom beside him, driving to the old church building before they tore it down, so she could get me one of the pews they were offering to members. “Try to remember which one I was sitting on,” I said, “when I got saved.” Adding, “It never hurts to have good, solid evidence of my redemption.” She said that it poked out of Dad’s short bed truck so she decided to sit in the back and hold it until they got home. “I felt like Queen of Tiger in a parade.” She told me when we talked on the phone that night. I think about all the casseroles and cakes mother took to church, all the WMU meetings, sermons, weddings and funerals. As I contemplate the dappling light, I wonder who stands in her spot in the choir loft where she offered up her soft soprano to the heavens. When I’m swallowed up by the madness of this world, I head north. I feel the tension in my shoulders release right about Tallulah Falls and by the time I get to Tiger all is right with the world. I drive by our old home place with the memory of five Alley children playing in the yard, ole Blue, our dog, chasing after us and I am filled with gratitude for the solace of the mountains and the people that inhabit them. I am thankful that at least for now, time stands still in Tiger. Liz Alley was born and raised in Rabun County in the city of Tiger. She loves to write. She is an Interior Designer specializing in repurposing the broken, tarnished, chipped, faded, worn and weathered into pieces that are precious again. She is the mother of two daughters and one granddaughter. She divides her time between her home in Newnan and Rabun County.
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Noel Shumann
“LET’S GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE AND GO GET A BEER” Those were the last 10 words my mother said to me before she died.
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s you can see, I come from a very eccentric family taking me down paths many will never see in their lifetime! Just to introduce myself, my name is Noel Shumann. I belong to a family of writers, as my wife was a professional freelance writer, one of my sons, a screenplay writer and the other a sports broadcaster for San Franciso’s ABC 7 News currently writing his own novel. My writing career started as the Publisher of the Tallahassee Insider and I had always wanted to write a novel along with short stories. I couldn’t let my wife and children get all the glory and decided to embark on my own creative journey. From getting shot, drowning (hypthermia saving my life), a plane crash, helping the FBI look for Jimmy Hoffa’s dead body to having my mother shoot our doorbell to an early demise never to ring again, I found myself having a lot to write about. Not to leave my father out in all these shenanigan; you would think he trained Steve Spurrier on how to throw his hat to the ground when he gets angry and that anger sure did show when things were supposed to float on water. On one such occasion, he accidentally sunk a World War II Landing Craft in a lake, never to be retrieved. Did I mention, he also ran a Chris Craft onto shore, only to break in half before discovering the lights didn’t work. It is clear to say I have many stories to share, using my eccentric family and unique experiences as a backdrop to the context of my writing and beloved characters.
killed it, solidifying her reputation of being a good shot with a gun. 3. No Longer a Boy During an organized boxing match in front of 200 service men, my mother was determined to remove me by climbing into the ring. The fight ended with 8 people in the ring, including the Colonel trying to bring a sense of order to the whole mess. I never told my mother I was a boxer, and here she was, watching her son engage in a fight. While trying to stop the fight, she had her umbrella, raincoat and two shopping bags. With everyone chanting. “mama’s boy, mama’s boy”, the referee told her, “when your son stepped into the ring, he became a man, not a boy.” 4. Sometimes You Can’t Mix Fishing with Beer Seeing as how I had never been fishing in my life, my best friend, Mac, and another friend took me out for my first try. We had a great time telling stories, drinking beer and enjoying each other’s company. All this came to an end when upon our departure, I was navigating the trees and bushes only to accidentally back over my friend, Mac, breaking his leg in two places. Just when things could not get worse, we were 70 miles from the nearest hospital.
Below you will find a few cliff note versions of my upcoming stories that I’m sure will hold your interest, but if anything, will make you a little dizzy at times. 1. Looking for Jimmy Hoffa’s Body The FBI arrived at our 100 acre farm in Indiana with a search warrant. My mother held the agents off with an ancient track starters pistol, which don’t even have a hole in the barrel. She wanted those interlopers off her property. This is a story of how I participated and kept her out of jail for threatening an FBI agent. 2. Doorbells Can be Slightly Irritating As to express her anger at my failing to replace the doorbell a month ago, my Mother took matters into her own hands and shot the doorbell to the ground with a 45 caliber 1917 revolver. After it hit the floor, she shot it one more time and
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Lovin’ the Journey by Mark Holloway
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hanksgiving is close enough to Christmas to get my family really excited. Our son has long enjoyed Thanksgiving as his favorite holiday, and for good reason. This special time kicks off three months of celebrating around here. Cooking, feasting, hunting, football and laughter describe life around the Holloway home. As the festivities quickly roll into Christmas, then New Year’s, and birthdays. Both our kids celebrate January birthdays. So, Thanksgiving really does begin three months of family time. Thankfully, our kids love to come home and just...be here. When Carol was growing up, a tradition in her home was to turn on the oven and the TV on Thanksgiving morning and keep an ear and eye towards the floats, marching bands and on- camera hosts while ingredients in Oma’s sweet potato casserole came together. Living tucked away in these amazing mountains has a hidden benefit. We’re too far away (for most folks) to flock to big city stores on Black Friday. I’ll get up long before sunrise the day after but to sit quietly in the woods.
A shopper’s angry mosh pit before sunrise isn’t my cup of eggnog. Osage Farms in Scaly Mountain on Friday is a big deal too. Even our friends south of us now join in the family tradition of selecting a live prize along the steep festive slopes of the Christmas tree farm. We pose for silly group shots and wacky selfies as we wait for the chainsaw wagon to find us and harvest our trophy. We greet strangers and their pet dogs as we amble back down the mountain to pay and watch, in marvel, as the trees get machine spun into a travel-ready net. Another holiday tradition around our table is quite special. Before we ask the blessing, I set five kernels of corn on each empty plate. I then read Hezekiah Butterworth‘s poem, Five Kernels of Corn. The story recounts the starvation rations of the Pilgrims and points us towards the Lord’s kindness as we enjoy the bounty of the land. Before we load up our plates, I gather up the dried kernels and add them to kernels stored in a jar from Thanksgivings past. For us, Thanksgiving Day must always be about thankfulness. We endeavor each year to not reduce the day to merely overindulgence and shopping plans. I’ve learned some things along the way. Thankfulness is contagious and it leads to kindness, thoughtfulness and joy. Family time around the table is valuable. So is the cooking celebration in the kitchen leading up to the meal. The worn recipes pulled from a small wooden box, folded handwritten cooking instructions from loved ones now gone, and new options from a smart phone’s screen all point towards festive smells and flavors which grace our home. Jesus tells us about an abundant life intended for us here and to come. Thanksgiving is a picture of His abundance. The wise response is to position ourselves to receive all the goodness we can contain and then share life freely with others. This year we’re crafting a new family memory. The Holloway clan will enjoy the Big Apple event in person. Carol’s childhood dream to experience the parade is about to happen. And yes, we’re still planning to cook a feast and share the poem...this year in Manhattan. See you on the trail.
Mark and his wife, Carol, are the owners of Fresh Start, a company dedicated to stewerding the property and homes of their clients. The aspire to be the 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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By the Way...
Chattanooga—Cunningham returns by Emory Jones
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s you may or may not recall, I recently took my pet pig, Cunningham, to see Rock City. He wanted to take his pet rock, Hudson, up there to see the place and maybe learn more about his little rock’s ancestry. We’ve already traced the nugget’s lineage to the Stone Age, but for a rock, that’s not all that far back.
When he moved for that phone again, I knew I had to think fast.
Unfortunately, our visit didn’t go as planned, and we left Rock City in somewhat of a hurry. We were just turning towards the Georgia line when Cunningham abruptly sat up in the seat and started squealing like a pig.
When he turned to look, Cunningham raced to the birdhouses and grabbed up Hudson in his mouth.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, stopping in the center lane so traffic could easily pass us on either side. I would have turned on the emergency flasher if my truck was so equipped, but it isn’t, so I didn’t. The problem was that Cunningham had inadvertently left his pet rock, Hudson, back at Rock City. He probably lost him when the two of them bumped into that stack of “See Rock City” birdhouses outside the gift shop when we were so rudely asked to leave earlier. Obviously, we had to go back. Cunningham—unlike many pet rock owners—does not take his pet rock for granite.
“LOOK! OVER THERE! IT’S BIGFOOT ON THE SWINGING BRIDGE!”
I probably could have kept the man distracted a bit longer with the Bigfoot thing, but just then, Cunningham again knocked over those darn birdhouses in much the same fashion he’d done on our first visit. We both raced back to the truck while the guard blew his whistle, yelling, “Bring back that rock! It’s against the law to take a rock from Rock City!” I believe he was bluffing, but even if he wasn’t, they should have had a sign. Plus, I’m pretty sure you can’t charge a pig with much of anything—not in Tennessee, anyhow.
With the help of several motorists blowing their horns in encouragement, I finally got the truck across the median and headed back north on the four-lane. I can’t get over how much Chattanoogans love blowing their car horns. They obviously have some sort of civic plan in place to encourage that. Anyway, when Cunningham and I arrived back at Rock City, the same gentleman who’d all but sicced the dogs on us earlier was still on duty. I could tell he recognized us because he immediately reached for the security phone again. “Hold on,” I said politely. “There’s no need in that.” “I told you, we don’t allow pigs in Rock City,” he said. I started to once again point out that their brochure did not mention that fact, but I held my tongue. After all, working at Rock City is probably hard, especially if you don’t have the right shoes. “We just came back to pick up my pet pig’s pet rock,” I said. “He left him by mistake. His name is Hudson.” “Your pig’s name is Hudson?” “Don’t be silly,” I said. “Hudson would be a horrible hog name. My pig’s name is Cunningham. Hudson is his pet rock.” The man looked puzzled, so I restated my purpose clearly. “We think Hudson is hiding by that stack of “See Rock City” birdhouses,” I said, pointing. “If you’ll just let my pig trot over and get his rock back, we’ll be getting on towards the house.”
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