This Holiday Season, Enjoy Everything Effingham County Has to Offer

Story by Jane Grismer

The jewel of North Laurel Street in Springfield is undoubtedly the Mars Theatre, a community-supported entertainment hub offering a variety of events for adults and families in the Coastal region. A historic landmarkturned-high-tech venue, the Mars Theatre boasts a unique blend of music, film and performing arts.

“It’s a great place to meet friends without driving too far and spending a lot of money. We love seeing our regulars and we love meeting people who are just visiting for the first time,” Mars Theatre director Alison Newberry said. “Movies and live events can be experiences people never forget, and we like to think we are a small part of that.”

The venue hosts a wide range of concerts. From up-and-coming artists to renowned musicians and Grammy nominees, the Mars Theatre provides live music with exceptional sound quality. When the house isn’t a-rockin’, visitors can catch a flick on a large cinema screen. 912.754.1118 | marstheatre.com | 106 South Laurel St., Springfield

STAMPING AT THE STAMPER’S BOUTIQUE

Korin Sutherland is the owner of The Stamper’s Boutique, a popular Rincon establishment that has become a home base for stampers, crafters and shoppers alike. Her brick-and-mortar business grew from a successful online business (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps) that ships products to stampers around the world.

The classroom area is a popular space for classes both private and public. With projects such as “make & takes,” Bible journaling and traditional stamping projects, The Stamper’s Boutique workspace is available to crafters for just $5 per hour to use classroom tools. Group accommodations are available with the room that accommodates up to 28 people.

Sutherland attributes the success of her local business to where it resides: “Effingham County’s support for small business is like no other I’ve been in,” she said. “I’m so blessed to be a part of it.”

912.295.5174 | thestampersboutique.com | 586 S. Columbia Ave., Ste 11, Rincon

FRAGRANT WARMTH AT WRIGHT WICKS

Walk into Wright Wicks and you will be transformed from the sweet aroma wafting from both Heather Wright’s newly constructed open work area and a burning candle at the front counter. With the many signature fragrances in various sizes, soy coconut candles and wax melts are all hand-poured in house.

Accessories such as wax melt warmers, candle care accessories, bath bombs, soaps, body butters and scrubs create a variety of sale items to stock your home.

A meaningful component of Wright’s business is Wright Wicks fundraising for charitable, educational, religious, athletic teams and non-profit groups to raise money as part of its commitment to the communities it serves. A portion of the profits from every candle sold will go to the designated charity or organization.

Wright is amazed at the support from the business community.

“We have felt welcomed from Day 1,” Wright said. “The support, kindness and sense of community we have received has been incredible. Effingham offers a down-home, friendly environment that makes you feel like family. We love being a part of our little storybook community.”

Carlson and Co. is a retail mecca on the front end and a professional service powerhouse behind the scenes. The retail side is beautifully designed within a rustic setting against exposed brick walls that features a full stock of niche decor items, food products, clothing and very Carlson-esque floral displays throughout.

Since 2012, James Carlson has been known for his floral design talent in our region and now has cornered the market on North Laurel Street in the quaint downtown of Springfield. Known for extravagant holiday decor, Carlon and Co. is a must-see this holiday season. Their retail boutique is now open seven days a week for the season.

Professional services include—but are not limited to—event planning, venue rental, floral design and tuxedo rentals. With something for everyone, you are sure to find something that you love at Carlson and Co.

912.754.9116 | www.carlsonsandco.com | 405 N. Laurel St., Springfield

FAMILY VALUES AND HIGH-QUALITY BARBEQUE

Maybe it’s the made-from-scratch and closely guarded secret recipe of The Rusty Pig’s barbeque sauce, or perhaps it’s the tender meats and delicious sides. The restaurant believes the most important element of its success is the fresh selections.

Either way, regular customers flock from all over to The Rusty Pig for its famous barbeque.

The restaurant started as a family decision over 10 years ago. Cindy and Neal Anderson acted on their passion of delivering great barbeque to friends, family and neighbors. Fast forward—they now have two locations with a mobile food truck.

If you are one of the fortunate folks who have discovered Rusty Pig barbecue, you might already know they start preparing and cooking in the wee hours of the morning. Their selections are always fresh, their meat is never frozen and everything they prepare is as close to home grown as it gets.

Hours are Monday–Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., closed on Sundays.

912.826.4233 | www.rustypigbbq.com | 360 S. Columbia Ave. Rincon

VALUES REMAIN AT GNANN’S FIX-IT SHOP

Gnann’s Fix-It Shop has been the go-to store offering new equipment parts and service for outdoor power equipment since 1964 when it was founded by Bowers Gnann Jr.

They are certified dealers of well-known and reliable brand names such as Snapper, STIHL, Exmark, Billy Goat, Briggs and Stratton, Kohler, Tecumseh, and more. Financing options are available for qualified buyers and offer warranty work in-house.

The store is now owned and operated by Bowers’ sons Clarence and Charlie Gnann who both grew up working in the store. This family business has come a long way in the past 57 years, but the values remain the same: high quality and great service.

Business hours are Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

COFFEE, KINDNESS AND SMALL-TOWN CHARM AT PADDLES COFFEE

Nestled in a corner A-frame building on Springfield’s North Laurel Street, Paddle’s Coffee is a cozy coffee house serving locally sourced roasted java along with tasty entrees and savory sweets. Owned by the Kirkland family, the name was derived from an acronym of their names: PADL = Pat, Analisa, Dana and Layla. “We’ve worked hard to make sure it remains a family affair, so you’ll almost always see one of us behind the counter. Yes, even the youngest gets involved,” Dana Kirkland said.

“Here at Paddles, we like to say you come for the coffee and the kindness, and you leave with a little bit of small-town home. It’s our hope that everyone who enters our shop feels welcome.”

Paddles Coffee accepts Joe App, an online ordering solution accepted by over 1,500 independent coffee shops to serve customers while encouraging them to buy local.

Hours are Monday–Wednesday from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; Thursday–Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

912.407.0721 | www.paddlescoffee.com | 401 N Laurel St., Springfield

FURNISH WITH STYLE AT WILEY HOME CENTER

A longtime Rincon establishment, Wiley’s Home Center has long been the furniture source for Effingham County and surrounding region.

Wiley’s Home Center has combined old-fashioned customer service with quality products since 1987. Wiley and his wife Rosalyn opened the doors to a 20,000-square-foot furniture and appliance facility and added 15,000 additional square feet of floor space in 1988.

A family business, they are committed to making your house feel more like a home. Not just a furniture and appliance store, they also have interior design and appliance repair services to accommodate their customers’ needs. They do it all, from helping you choose a statement piece that adds a fresh look to redesigning an entire room.

Hours are Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. n

2453 G Hwy 17 South Richmond Hill, GA 31324

Developmental Milestones & Their Impact on Learning to Walk

Most parents are aware of gross motor milestones and may even be able to recall certain timelines that their little one should be mastering certain skills, but do you understand why it’s so important for an infant to successfully perform these skills? Many times, learning one skill leads to the ability to perform the following activity. These abilities then compound on one another and eventually lead to more advanced skills. For instance, if your child is having difficulty learning to walk, it may be because they have not fully mastered one of the prior milestones.

Key developmental milestones in infancy:

• Prone play • Rolling • Sitting • Army crawling • Crawling on hands and knees • Standing

Each of these milestones play a role in helping a child gain the skills needed to walk. Here is why each of them are so important!

Prone Play–Prone describes the position when your child is lying on their stomach. This is often referred to as “tummy time” and can be implemented as soon as they come home from the hospital. The prone position is important for gaining neck and back strength. This ultimately leads to head and postural control which will be needed for each of the subsequent milestones.

Rolling–Rolling is the first transitional skill on the list, meaning this is the first activity that helps your baby move around! It can occur from tummy to back (around 4 months) and from back to tummy (around 6 months). Rolling strengthens the entire body, especially the core and hips. This will be particularly important as your baby starts to learn to sit and eventually begins to stand and walk because our core is an important contributor to balance.

Sitting–Sitting is the first milestone which occurs in an upright position and mimics the position your child will be in while standing and walking. Since they are now upright, they are now beginning to bear weight through their spine, which they will also have to be able to do when in other upright positions. Sitting also further builds on the core and postural strength that your baby has already started to develop through earlier milestones, which is why sitting is also extremely important for developing the balance needed to stand and walk.

Army Crawling–Army crawling describes when an infant moves on their stomach using their arms and legs to propel themselves forward. This activity helps a baby learn to coordinate both sides of their body. It also helps with developing the strength needed in their arms and legs to be able to perform later skills.

Crawling on Hands and Knees–Crawling is important for a child to learn how to reciprocally move their limbs, which is a skill that will be needed later for walking. It also helps with further strengthening their core muscles, leading to even greater postural stability. This also provides weight bearing through the child’s legs which will prepare them for bearing even more weight when standing.

Standing–Standing is the direct precursor to walking. It is obviously very important for a child to obtain this skill prior to walking, but why exactly? Standing requires weight bearing through their entire lower body and spine and prepares them for the changes in weight bearing that occur when walking. It also further builds on the core strength obtained through earlier milestones and applies it to the exact position required for walking. Through building core strength, becoming more familiar with how it feels to be upright, and learning more about their body’s position in space, a child develops the reactions necessary for being able to maintain their balance while walking as their base of support changes rapidly.

Skipping any of these milestones could potentially be detrimental for your child’s development. Luckily, physical therapists are movement experts who will be able to determine the exact cause of any potential delays and help them catch up as well as prevent any further delays. If your baby is having trouble with walking or any other gross motor skills, reach out to your pediatrician to request a referral for a physical therapy evaluation!

FOR MORE INFORMATION related to your child’s development, use this QR code to check out our FREE developmental checklist.