Henry County Update - Newsletter

May 26, 2016

Board of

Commissioners Regular Meetings June 7 at 9:00 AM June 21 at 6:30 PM

Henry County Farmers Market Now Open

Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular Commission meetings air daily on Henry TV Channel 180 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

Shoppers at the 2015 Henry County Farmers Market visiting booths containing produce, homemade jams and jellies and crafts.

With ripe, juicy tomatoes, crisp bell peppers and succulent summer squash, now is the time to enjoy the warm weather abundance that is the Henry County Farmer’s Market, hosted by the Henry County Extension Office every Thursday, through the end of August from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Jason T. Harper Event Center.

Pick up local, seasonal fruits and vegetables for a perfect summer feast. In addition to farm fresh produce, there are handmade crafts and gifts for sale, as well as homemade baked goods, jams, jellies and other delicious offerings.

The Jason T. Harper Event Center is in Heritage Park, located at 97 Lake Dow Rd. in McDonough. For more information, contact the Extension Office at 770-288-8421.

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May 26, 2016

Published by Henry County Communications Department The Henry County Board of Commissioners

Editor Melissa Robinson

Graphic Designer Meredith Butler Samantha Watson

Layout Designer Samantha Watson

Contributors Melissa Robinson Samantha Watson Kevin Williams

Free Lunch for Children During Summer at All Henry County Library Branches

Knowing that children rely on provided school lunches, the Henry County Library System will be stepping in while school is out to serve free meals to children Monday through Thursday at various times at all five library branches, starting June 1, 2016.

There are no income or registration requirements; any child under the age of 18 may come to any Henry County Library System branch to eat.

Meal times at the McDonough and Cochran Library will be from 1-2 p.m. Meal times at the Fortson, Fairview and Locust Grove Library will be from 12:30-1 p.m. The Fortson Library will also be serving snacks from 4-5 p.m. and the Fairview Library will be serving snacks from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Safety and Protection Night to be Held on June 2

The Commissioner Bruce Holmes and Sheriff Keith McBrayer Safety and Protection Night will take place Thursday, June 2 in the Walmart Parking Lot, on 5600 North Henry Blvd from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This community event will feature free food and drinks, family fun, displays, various vendors and music.

Henry County families will have the opportunity to meet with local public safety professionals and elected officials to get to know them, ask questions and learn more about the services they provide.

For more information contact Sgt. Jimmie Spence at 770-288-7141 or Captain Chuck Simmons at 770-288-8215.

henrycounty-ga.org

Animal Care & Control’s “Operation Cool Down” is Heating Up

With warm temperatures upon us, Henry County Animal Care & Control is once again stepping up patrols to be on the lookout for pets left in hot cars.

To combat this distressing trend, Henry County Animal Care & Control is now in its fifth year of implementing “Operation Cool Down,” and will be employing Oscar, the Hot Dog mascot to remind people not to leave their pets in hot vehicles. Any animal that is found unattended in a vehicle, that is in distress, will be removed from that vehicle by Animal Care and Control officers by whatever means necessary, as permitted under Henry County Ordinance. Violators of the ordinance may face fines up to $1,000 or 60 days in jail.

Although since the implementation of Operation Cool Down, calls have been reduced a little each year, Supervisor Vince Farah, Henry County Rabies Control Officer, said that the temperature inside a car on a hot

day spikes higher than what the barometer reads on the outside, for example, on a 90-degree day, temperatures inside a car can quickly reach up to 120 degrees.

Farah said officers from Animal Care & Control will be patrolling parking lots for animals that are left in vehicles and they won’t be giving warnings, they will be writing citations.

“With more than 160 days of hot weather on average, we will be out daily to ensure that pets are not left in hot cars to suffer and possibly die,” said Farah.

Officials at Henry County Animal Care and Control advise residents to keep their pets at home if their pets cannot be with them at all times.

In addition, owners should make sure that their pets have a constant source of clean, drinkable water at all times and have adequate shelter from the heat.

For more information about Henry County Animal Care & Control, please visit www.hcacc.org.

Connecting Henry Hosts 5K on June 11

Adult Summer Basketball League Registration Opens Until May 31

Connecting Henry, Inc. is hosting a 5K race themed Unity in the Community on June 11 beginning at 8 a.m. near Shiloh Baptist Church and McDonough First United Methodist Church, just off the Square in McDonough.

Registration for the race will open at 6:45 a.m. on June 11 and close at 7:45 a.m. Those who wish to pre-register can do so online at Eventbrite.com.

The registration fee for the 5K race is $30 on the day of the race and $25 if you pre-register online.

The registration fee for the 1 mile race is $25 on the day of the race and $20 if you pre-register online. There is a group discount of $5 off per person for pre-registered teams of six or more.

For more information email Suzy at suzy@getsetgrow.com or visit www.getsetgrow.com.

Start summer off with a slam dunk in one of Henry County Parks and Recreation’s 2016 Adult Summer Basketball Leagues.

Registration for the Competitive Church and Competitive Open leagues is currently open and will continue through May 31 at the Parks and Recreation office in Heritage Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also register online at hcprd.org.

There is a $450 registration fee per team and a mandatory coach meeting on Monday June 6 at 7 p.m. at Heritage Park.

The season will start on June 16 and consist of ten games and a single elimination tournament.

For more information contact Peggy Hesselbach at 770-288-7294 or phesselbach@co.henry.ga.us.

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May 26, 2016 Memorial Day Service Set For May 30 Kickin’ it Old School Summer Day Camp Registration Open

Summer is the time for fun in the sun, not the time for binge watching Netflix and Nickelodeon.

Be prepared for when school lets out by registering students aged 5 to 13 for the Henry County Parks and Recreation’s eight week Kickin’ it Old School Summer Camp.

Registration is open at any Parks and Recreation office, Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for eight, one week sessions of summer day camp taking place May 31-July 1 and July 11-July 29, Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The registration fee for one child is $100 per week.

Each week of camp will offer a field trip and swim day. Week one, May 31-June 3, will feature a trip to a Braves game.

For week two, June 6-10, campers will go to Pin Strikes bowling. During week three, June 13-17, participants will visit the World of Coke. For week four, June 20-24, campers will enjoy a trip to Sky Zone Trampoline Park, and to wrap up week five, June 27-July 1, inflatables and karaoke will be set up at a Parks and Recreation office location. Week six, July 11-15, will feature a trip to Medieval Times. For week seven, July 18-22, chaperones will take the campers to Starlite Skating Center and for week eight, July 25-29, a field day will be set up at the J.P. Moseley Recreation Center.

For more information on the Kickin’ it Old School Summer Camp, visit www.hcprd.org or call Henry County Parks and Recreation at 770-288-7300. henrycounty-ga.org

The annual Memorial Day Service will be held at the Veterans Wall of Honor on Monday, May 30, 2016 at 11 a.m., to honor and remember the men and women in our military who have paid the ultimate price for America’s freedom.

The Keynote Speaker will be Colonel Robert Guy, U.S. Army (Retired). Colonel Guy was Congressman Robert G. Stephens’ (D-Ga) first appointee to the United States Military Academy. As a West Point cadet, he marched in the funerals of President John F. Kennedy and General Douglas MacArthur and in the inauguration parade of President Lyndon Johnson.

After graduating from West Point with a commission as a second lieutenant in the Infantry, he became Airborne and Ranger qualified and served two tours in Vietnam.

His troop and military teaching assignments, including Ranger School instructor, counselor to West Point cadets and commandant of the U.S. Army Inspector General School, prompted him to choose education as a second career.

The Memorial Day service will also include various musical interludes provided by bag pipe musician David Gregory, Ralph Guthrie, Sergeant First Class Fred Pedro and Jim Houston, with Bugles Across America, who will close the service with Taps.

There will also be a laying of the memorial wreath and a salute to all Korean War Veterans and their families lead by Mrs. Mary Brisenbine.

The Veterans Wall of Honor is located in Heritage Park at 101 Lake Dow Rd. in McDonough.

For more information, please contact Jim Joyce with Henry County Parks and Recreation at 770-2887300 or visit www.hcprd.org.