Volume 7 Issue 5 Kitchen Drawer Illustrated by Kitchen Drawer Illustrated

KITCHEN DRAWER VOL. 7 ISSUE 5

DIFFERENT & FREE

“

Liberty Technology professionally and effectively delivers world-class IT services with the right solutions at the right price. – Shari Thomas, Chief Financial Officer

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Staff picks (3) Plug in (4) Entrepreneur Focus (6) SlowExposures (9) Health focus (15) MOVIE REVIEW (21) Paparazzi (22, 57) Artist profile: ryan ross (25) HISTORY: A GEORGIA BULLDOG WALKS INTO the CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION (29) calendar (32) kitchen table with janice johnson of mansfield’s (35) indian springs bounces back (37) biography: bruce reid (41) magical places outdoors (45) restaurant review: South side diner (49) Rushton’s hope (53) Sports: atlanta falcons 2015 season preview (59) Fiction: the kinfolk magnet (61)

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STAFF PICKS

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU OWN THAT YOU WISH YOU DIDN’T?

ASHLEY

BETSY

CLARK

DREW

ELAINE

WRITER

The Ford that Fuzzy lavender doesn’t leave the earmuffs driveway

PETE

RACHEL

WRITER

My mortgage

A leaky roof

My body’s lousy connective tissue

RONNIE

STAN

OUTDOORS WRITER HISTORY WRITER

Too many books 1966 Motor Home and shoes to fit in my house

A mortgage

TAYLOR

SPORTS WRITER My broken tablet

JAKE

A pile of leather shoes that won’t be worn

MICHELLE

Social Anxiety

ASHLEY

A television

ALLISON

PHOTO BY MY LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

Wild onions in the yard

BEN

Any means to access Peppa the Pig

NICOLE Frizz

JOSH N/A I love #allthethings

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Plug In NOW IN OUR 7TH YEAR OF EXISTENCE, KITCHEN DRAWER ILLUSTRATED IS A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE THAT COVERS ALL THINGS LOCAL, INCLUDING BUSINESSES, PEOPLE, ART, FOOD, CAUSES, AND EVENTS. EACH ISSUE INCLUDES A CALENDAR OF EVENTS , LOCAL STORIES, HISTORICAL INFORMATION, PHOTOS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS AND MUCH MORE. (WE TRY TO THROW IN SOME SURPRISES TOO!)

WE THRIVE ON COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. WE’RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR: • • •

WRITERS PHOTOGRAPHERS ARTISTS

• • •

COMMENTATORS COOKS OPINIONATED FEEDBACK GIVERS

DON’T FORGET THERE IS EVEN MORE GOOD STUFF ON KITCHENDRAWER.NET ABOUT THE COVER: OUR TEAM’S ANDY WARHOL-INSPIRED HEADSHOTS WERE TAKEN BY CATHERINE RITCHIE PARK OF MY LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AND EDITED BY OUR ART DIRECTOR NICOLE.

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KITCHENDRAWER.NET

STUFF@KITCHENDRAWER.NET

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INSTAGRAM @KITCHENDRAWER

PINTEREST.COM/KDmagazine/

Kitchen Drawer Announces Our Second Annual Fiction Contest Submit an original, unpublished work of fiction in 1,500 words or less. Email your entry to stuff@kitchendrawer.net by November 30, 2015, with “Fiction Contest Entry” in the subject line. Please include your name, address, phone number, and birth date, 4

including year. Winners whose entries are selected for publication will receive a cash prize. Kitchen Drawer reserves the right to edit contributions. ( 7 7 0) 412 - 0 4 41

Entrepreneur JEFFREY’S BOTTLE SHOPPE

JEFF HATCH AND LYNN GRIFFIN Jeffrey’s Bottle Shoppe has been in Griffin for almost a decade, and Jeff Hatch and Lynn Griffin make it clear that they are extremely grateful to the community for all the support they’ve received. When you walk into Jeffrey’s, you’re entering exactly the kind of store Jeff and Lynn wanted to be able to patronize when they first opened their doors. The experience of browsing Jeffrey’s is light, airy, and refreshing, and the shop offers an excellent selection. Craft brews from all over cycle into and out of the store with the seasons, and if you’re looking for a certain vintage or an interesting new flavor, Jeff is the guy to ask. For the past two years, Jeff and Lynn have been working on their special event service, which provides drinks for events without the organizers’ having to lug their own coolers or secure a pouring license. When you come in to plan an event through Jeffrey’s, you sit down with Lynn for a short chat about the event. Whether you’re throwing a small birthday party or a massive gala, Lynn will help you pin down the expected attendance. Next, Lynn takes you on a tour of the shop as you discuss the various drink options. Here’s where Lynn’s technical skills shine through: once you’ve determined how many people you’re serving and what kind of drinks you would like, Lynn puts together a spreadsheet you can take home. These comprehensive budget/inventory/headcount spreadsheets show exactly where every penny of your drink expenditure is going. Lynn calculates how many drinks can be served with regular, measured pours, and from there you get to see how many people can be served with the amount you’d like to buy. To make things even easier, Jeffrey’s can get a pouring license and provide their own bartenders. Jeffrey’s can even create an in-store registry for a “stock the bar” party so your guests can contribute to the festivities. If you’re a party guest, you can bring your host something from the shop and take advantage of Jeffrey’s gift-wrapping service. With 24 hours’ notice, Jeffrey’s will wrap up any mixers, bottles, or bar accessories in a unique gift basket. Even if you’re just headed to a friend’s house for dinner, let them know and they’ll wrap your wine bottle in a free organza bag before you head out. Jeffrey’s Bottle Shoppe has grown tremendously in the 10 years since its doors first opened. Jeff and Lynn know that the community’s support has been key, and it’s clear that they are grateful for all their loyal friends and neighbors. Whether you’re coming into Jeffrey’s for a bottle to share with buddies or to plan a gala for 500 people, you’ll leave with what you need.

1012 MEMORIAL DRIVE SUITE 6 GRIFFIN, GA, 30224 (770) 233-1868

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FOCUS BRAGG ROOFING LES BRAGG

professional when it comes to roof work. He’s also glad to share how dramatically the industry has changed over the past 20 years. Shingles are no longer nailed on with roofing hatchets: “We use air guns,” says Les. There’s no more lifting shingles up by hand, either. “We send them up on power ladders.” Les advises all homeowners looking for a roofing contractor to “check their references, license, and insurance papers. Never pay up front, and hire local contractors, always!”

When you’ve been working on top of houses for as long as Les Bragg of Bragg Roofing has, you need to know your business. Specializing in residential roofing, Les and his crews have been providing roofing services to homeowners for over 34 years. Les doesn’t just sit around in his office all day; on any given day he’s out on the job with his crew or off doing estimates, face-to-face with homeowners. From a small office in downtown Zebulon, Les and his son, Avery, reach out to the surrounding eight counties of west central Georgia, providing a service that’s very much in demand. Whether a homeowner just needs a free estimate or a new roof that will take from sunrise to sunset to complete, they’ll be there. Les loves working with people. That’s why he continues working so hard in a profession that, more often than not, can be risky (to say the least). He’s quick to tell you that installing a new roof can be very dangerous. That’s why Les always advises homeowners that no matter how small a job may seem, it’s always worth it to call a

Entering Les’s office, the one thing that stands out isn’t the wall of shingles or the colorful selection of metal roofing panels, it’s the scores of business cards and thank you letters that line the walls around his desk. Each business card he pins up is an endorsement, every letter a reminder of his work’s value to the community. Les does very little advertising to promote his business. He says that 99 percent of the time, business comes to him from the referrals of satisfied homeowners. Interestingly, only half of Bragg Roofing’s headquarters is dedicated to the business. The remaining space is filled with amplifiers, musical instruments, and seating. When Les isn’t at a job site, he’s making music with people from all over the area he serves. Les and his friends have performed on stage, at charity events, in nursing homes, at fundraisers, in churches, and in retirement centers. And they don’t charge; Les just loves making music. It’s clear why Bragg Roofing has been around for a very long time. Les loves his work, and he’s more than happy to share with the community by doing what he loves best.

131 GRIFFIN ST ZEBULON, GA, 30295 (770) 567-0202

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SlowExposures 2015 Sturgis in Dixie By Chris Curry Photos by Ellen Tew

couple of friends of friends just headed to Sturgis, South Dakota (population 6,627), for the annual motorcycle roundup that happens there every August. This event began in 1938 with a couple dozen participants and now attracts half a million people to the little town in the middle of, well…South Dakota. Here in Pike County, we want to be the Sturgis of the photography world—population a little north of 17,500, two traffic lights, no hotels, but a whole lot of gorgeous Lower Piedmont landscape and genuine Southern hospitality. It helps that we’re only 60 minutes from one of the world’s busiest airports and you don’t have to ride a motorcycle to get here.

For the 13th year, a diverse group of volunteers from Pike, Spalding, Fayette, and surrounding counties will present SlowExposures, a juried photography show that attracts close to 1,000 entries from more than 20 states. We’re calling it “Four Slow Days: September 17-20.” Each year, we ask two accomplished fine arts photography luminaries to be our jurors—we send them the digital files and ask them to pick about 70 images. This year, John Bennette from New York City (plenty of southern cred, being born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama) and Jerry Atnip of Nashville, Tennessee, chose 75 photos. In all, there are 59 artists from

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all over the country, California to Boston. All of the images must be taken in the rural American South. We never know how the jurors whittle down the pile—but we’ve heard it’s been done in a small airport in the middle of Africa, from Australia to Germany, and all points in between. We hang the main show and several other satellite exhibits in Pike County buildings that harken back to our history as a big cotton producer from the 19th to the mid-20th century. The cutting-edge work is presented in old mercantile emporiums, tenant houses, mule barns, grocery stores, our 1895 Courthouse, and the only former whiskey bonding barn still standing today. Hundreds of visitors make the pilgrimage to Pike County every year to see the work, network with industry leaders, and see old friends while enjoying the party. If we can grow our idea of being the Sturgis of the photography world, we think it could contribute mightily to Pike County’s economy (after all, Sturgis brings $800 million annually to South Dakota). We want to host artists year round. We want them to stay at our bed-and-breakfasts, eat at our restaurants, and buy gas and everything else our retailers can offer. One of our residents is thinking how he can create a “photography park” to attract photographers who want to get off the beaten track. Last May, we hosted our first two artists-in-residence. From many fine entries, Tamara Reynolds of Nashville and Meg Griffiths of Columbia, South Carolina, were chosen to spend a week shooting pictures. They “gave back” by leading a workshop on alternative photo processes and creating a photo essay of Pike County faces and places. Visitors to SlowExposures will be able to see the results, including, we hope, Tamara’s images of a nighttime coon hunting experience and Meg’s narrative built from purchased and found heirloom pieces assembled during her stay. As these two accomplished photographers discovered, this place provides infinite opportunities to take some unforgettable pictures. SlowExposures was born in 2003 when Pike County was in danger of being bulldozed into another outer-ring suburb of Atlanta with subdivisions as far as the eye could see. We thought the medium of photography would be a great tool to reacquaint our citizens with the beauty of our landscape and environment—before they got swallowed up. Its parent organization is Pike Historic Preservation, a private nonprofit whose mission involves saving our historic buildings and finding 21st-century uses for them. One of the show’s locations, the 1870 Whiskey Bonding Barn, is now a thriving venue for weddings and special events. The city of Concord invested in saving the Strickland Store, and these days it hosts large gatherings throughout the year. Several local homes are finding new lives as B&Bs. We have our eye on several other 19th- and early 20th-century buildings, abandoned now, but potentially great office and seminar spaces, theaters, and galleries. Along the way, and every year, we encounter the great debate about whether the South still has a distinct character or has mostly disappeared into the numbing maw of national retail chains, fast food, and bad TV. Our answer: Take a look at the images that hang on the walls of our historic buildings. They testify to the fluid, dynamic shifts between the South’s historical roots and its place in the contemporary world. Visitors will see continued on pg. 13 10

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continued from pg. 10 timeless landscapes juxtaposed with cultural, environmental, and social images that challenge the status quo. Talk to the person standing next to you—he or she may be from next door or from anywhere in the U.S. We find that people are curious about the shifting fault lines between old and new, tradition and change that is the South. Because of the tired stereotypes, our first-time visitors are often surprised to encounter an engaged and worldly population composed of natives and immigrants who have settled here in Pike County and nearby...a local shop owner turns out to be fellow graduate of an exclusive private secondary school in New York City...a Pike County volunteer with a telltale west central Georgia accent refers to his graduate studies at Harvard University. An older Concord resident shares her memories of watching FDR’s funeral train wind through town on its way to Washington. A white man tells the story of encountering Jim Crow laws while traveling north with his best boyhood friend, an African-American, as Naval recruits during World War II. The conversations tease out the qualities that make the South distinctive: a generational connection to the land, a strong sense of place, the burden of its racial history, the role of evangelical religion, and a healthy dose of individualism. As Richard McCabe, one of this year’s faculty and Photography Curator of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art (and honorary Southerner) puts it, “…the South is both a geographic location and a state of mind…it’s got soul.” Our featured events invite visitors to experience this. Ashley Kauschinger will present her award-winning solo show exploring the relationship between mothers and daughters. She will discuss the symbolism of her work with local retired English professor Dr. Karen Lacey in a session moderated by GPB’s Celeste Headlee of “On Second Thought.” Folks who wonder how pictures are chosen can be enlightened at the Jurors Talk on Sunday morning, which is followed by a chance to mingle with the jurors and artists. The inaugural Pop-Up Tour will feature six juried satellite shows presented by artists from New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. These shows will be presented in nontraditional spaces including a barn, a stable, a tenant house, the old telephone exchange, and the 1895 Pike County Courthouse. All of the shows are free. There will also be an opportunity to purchase a Pop-Up Tour Passport for $10 that will entitle the bearer to enter a raffle for original prints contributed by the artists. The drawing will happen after the famous Saturday Supper in Concord and just before the free outdoor concert by Nashville’s Red Wine Effect. We’ll roll out the welcome mat for everyone from near and far. Hopefully, by honoring our past and embracing the future, we’ll get a little closer to our vision of transforming Pike County into a 21st-century nexus for photography. We’ll extend our legendary hospitality and continue to invite visitors and neighbors to be part of our own “Sturgis” miracle.

Visit www.slowexposures.org for times and locations or come to the main exhibition in downtown Concord for maps and schedules.

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Health Focus

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Spalding Regional Is Proud To Be Awarded

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION GOLD PLUS AWARD – 2015

IN THIS ISSUE: • Breast Abnormalities (It’s Not All Cancer) • Simple 3-Step Plan for Breast Health • Comprehensive Breast Care South of Atlanta

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

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BREAST ABNORMALITIES (IT’S NOT ALL CANCER)

FIBROCYSTIC CHANGES

One common benign condition is fibrocystic breast changes. Symptoms include lumpiness as well as tenderness or pain at certain times of the month. These changes are part of the menstrual cycle and not associated with breast cancer. Fibrocystic lumpiness has also been described as “ropey or granular” and seems to become more obvious as you approach middle age, as the milk-producing glandular tissue gives way to softer fatty tissue. This disorder is common and not threatening.

Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in American women today (after skin cancer) and is also the second highest cause of cancer death in women (following lung cancer). However, the good news is the mortality rates for breast cancer are falling, and have been since the early 1990s. This can be attributed to advances in treatment and earlier diagnoses, which in large part is due to women taking control of their breast health. Your breast health involves a thorough understanding of the changes your breasts may go through as you age, as hormone levels change, throughout pregnancy or breastfeeding, during menopause or due to medications. These changes can cause abnormalities to appear within the breasts, but most often, they are non-cancerous. Symptoms of these conditions can range from tenderness and change in the size or shape of the breast, to nipple discharge and skin irritation. It is important to remember that most breast changes are not cause for concern. But because some of these minor breast conditions have similar symptoms to more serious problems, you should always check with your doctor if you have any concerns.

However, general lumpiness in the breast may also make new lumps harder to distinguish. So it is important that you perform regular breast self-examinations and have regular physical examinations. Knowing the normal feel of your own breasts is important, especially to detect any unusual changes as you age. You know your body better than anyone else and will know if something feels different.

ATYPICAL HYPERPLASIA

Another abnormal tissue finding is known as atypical ductal hyperplasia, an accumulation of abnormal cells in a breast duct, or atypical lobular hyperplasia with an accumulation of abnormal cells in a lobule. Over a million biopsies are performed annually with benign findings; about 10 percent reveal atypical hyperplasia. Although benign, these will require further attention due to the fact that both types of atypical cells have the possibility of leading to cancer. It is important to note that atypical hyperplasia is not a diagnosis of cancer and does not necessarily mean you will develop it in the future. However, since this disorder has the potential to develop into a malignancy, it requires further observation and possible treatment.

OTHER BENIGN BREAST CHANGES NOT INCREASING YOUR CANCER RISK INCLUDE: Cysts: small, fluid-filled lumps that are most common in women between the ages of 30 and 50. Fibroadenomas: hard, round lumps that move easily within the breast tissue. Intraductal papillomas: wart-like growths in the milk ducts that can cause nipple discharge. Adenosis: causes small, round lumps due to enlarged breast lobules. Fat necrosis: appears as firm, round lumps usually after a breast injury, surgery or radiation therapy. Macro and microcalcifications: calcium deposits appearing as small white dots on a mammogram.

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SIMPLE 3-STEP PLAN FOR BREAST HEALTH

Many women live in fear of a breast cancer diagnosis, but ignoring the possibility that you may develop breast cancer and avoiding the processes to detect cancer can be dangerous. That’s why it’s so important to follow this three-step plan for preventive care. Early detection is key to providing the greatest possibility of successful treatment. When breast cancer is found early, the five-year survival rate is 95 percent.

STEP #1: BREAST SELF-EXAMS

The American Cancer Society says that breast self-exams are an option for women ages 20 and older, primarily as a means of familiarizing themselves with their breasts so they can notice changes more easily. Regular breast self-exams teach you to know how your breasts normally feel so that you can more readily detect any changes, which may include: • • • • •

Development of a lump A discharge other than breast milk Swelling of the breast Skin irritation or dimpling Nipple abnormalities (pain, redness, scaliness or turning inward)

If you notice any of these changes, see your health care provider as soon as possible for evaluation. Breast self exams should be done regularly at the same time every month. The best time to do a breast self-exam is about three to five days after the end of your period when your breasts are less tender or swollen. If you do not have a period, try to remember to do the exam on the same day every month. Most women have lumps or changes in their breasts that fluctuate during their menstrual cycles. This is normal, as is a firm ridge along the bottom of each breast. Breasts also may feel different in different places. Changes to look out for during a breast selfexam that you would need to talk to your doctor about include: • • • • • •

Dimples, puckers, ridges, or bulges of skin on the breast A nipple that turns in rather than sticks out Skin that itches or has scales, sores, or rashes Discharge from the nipple, other than breast milk Pain, redness, swelling, or warmth Any change in the color, shape, size, or texture of the breast

STEP #2: CLINICAL BREAST EXAMINATION

Breast self-exams are not a substitute for regular screening mammograms or clinical breast exams to detect breast cancer. A breast

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examination by a doctor or nurse trained to evaluate breast problems should be part of a woman’s physical examination. The American Cancer Society recommends: Women between the ages of 20 and 39 should have a clinical breast exam by a health professional every three years. After age 40, women should have a clinical breast exam by a health professional every year.

STEP #3: MAMMOGRAPHY

Mammography can detect cancer or other problems before a lump becomes large enough to be felt, as well as assisting in the diagnosis of other breast problems. The American Cancer Society recommends yearly screening for all women ages 40 and older. However, women should talk with their doctors or other health care providers about their personal risk factors before making a decision about when to start getting mammograms or how often they should get them. Today, most mammograms are digital, superior to film mammograms in several ways. The digital image can be enhanced, magnified, or manipulated for further evaluation more easily, which allows for more subtle differences between normal and abnormal tissue to be seen. Health care providers may also share image files electronically, making it easier for radiologists to consult with breast specialists. Digital mammography also leads to fewer follow-up procedures and fewer repeat images, reducing the exposure to radiation. A more detailed diagnostic mammogram may also be used when a questionable area is found during an annual screening mammogram. Mammograms are not 100 percent accurate, but they are the best method of early detection. A more detailed diagnostic mammogram may also be used when a questionable area is found during a screening mammogram. However, it is important to note that a biopsy is always required to confirm the presence of cancer.

PREPARING FOR YOUR MAMMOGRAM

To prepare for your mammogram, it’s a good idea to: • • •

Avoid deodorants, powder, perfumes, or creams around your breasts or underarms Wear an outfit with a separate top and bottom Bring previous mammography results if you’re seeing a new radiologist

Schedule your mammogram when your breasts are least sensitive, usually the week before your period. 17

COMPREHENSIVE BREAST CARE SOUTH OF ATLANTA

Breast care patients on the south side of Atlanta benefit from Spalding Regional’s multidisciplinary approach and highly skilled specialists in breast surgery and reconstruction, diagnostic radiology, radiation and medical oncology, and pathology. Our entire team is here to provide access to some of the most advanced diagnostics and treatments available for women.

ACR ACCREDITED DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY AND BREAST ULTRASOUND

Our Women’s Center is a comprehensive, onestop shop for your annual breast care needs. Our digital mammography and breast ultrasound are accredited by the American College of Radiation. Women over the age of 40 may selfrefer for their annual screening mammogram (no physician order required). Our Women’s Center also offers diagnostic mammography and biopsies (ultrasound-guided, stereotactic, needle, and surgical incision).

BREAST CARE SPECIALISTS

Spalding Regional provides you with the specialists to meet all your breast care needs. Your screening or diagnostic imaging is read by a radiologist specializing in breast care.

Carla Adams, RN - Oncology Navigator Should you require a surgical biopsy or further breast surgery, we have several surgeons dedicated to breast care, including the area’s only breast surgery specialist on staff, as well as a plastic surgeon available for immediate breast reconstruction.

ONCOLOGY NAVIGATOR

Our oncology navigator is a registered nurse specially trained to assist in all aspects of your care, from diagnosis through the successful completion of your treatment. She will provide you and your family with a single point of contact, working closely with your oncologists and other specialists involved in your care.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR A FREE PHYSICIAN REFERRAL, PLEASE VISIT US ONLINE AT SPALDINGREGIONAL.COM/BREASTCARE.

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS Spalding Regional’s 4th Annual Scrub Run: Saturday, September 12 A 5k, 1 mile, and Tot Trot for the kids. Proceeds go to Backpack Food for Kids. Register at Eventbrite.com. 2nd Annual BRAdazzled Fundraiser for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: October 1 Reception, fashion show, live/silent auction, and a lot of fun, featuring some of Spalding County’s BRAVEST first responders. Proceeds all go to Cancer Warriors and Cancer Survivors Network. Pre-registration is required online at SpaldingRegional.com/BRAdazzled or call 770.467.6136. Classes for moms-to-be, and the entire family; all classes are free, but registration is required. For more information on any of the classes below, or to register, call 770.467.6136 or visit us online at

www.SpaldingRegional.com/WomensServices. nd Third Tuesdays of each month 6:30 pm

OB TOURS: First and Third Tuesdays of each month 6:30 pm

PREPARED CHILDBIRTH: Sept. 21, 28; Oct. 5, 12 & 19 7:30-9:30 pm

PREPARED CHILDBIRTH: Weekends Nov. 6 & 7 and Dec 11 & 12; Friday, 6:30-8:30 pm; Saturday, 8:30 am to noon BREASTFEEDING: Sept. 3 & Dec 7 6–8 pm May nd INFANT CPR AND SAFETY: Sept. 10 & Dec. 14 6–8 pm SIBLING CLASSES: Oct. 6 4–5 pm

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HOURS Mon - Thurs 11am-9pm Fri - Sat 11am-10pm

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MOVIE REVIEW

It Follows BY CLARK DOUGLAS Maybe, but at other points it offers background props that suggest we’re watching a period film set at some point in the mid-1970s. The film never draws much attention to these inconsistencies, but you see them often enough to get the idea that It Follows takes place in an alternate universe that blurs the lines between the conventions of each decade. In more ways than one, this is a timeless horror film. The story centers on Jay Height (Maika Monroe, The Guest), an ordinary high school student with an active love life. She recently started dating a boy named Hugh (Jake Weary, As the World Turns), and the relationship seems to be going fairly well. Eventually, they end up making love in the backseat of a car. Then, things take a nasty turn: Hugh knocks Jay out with chloroform and ties her up; when she wakes up he forces her to listen while he tells her a deeply unsettling story. He claims that their act of intimacy was his way of freeing himself of a terrible curse and passing that curse on to her. From now on, a deadly...thing will start following Jay. It will always take the form of a person, and it will always move at a relaxed pace, but it will never stop following her. The only way she can get rid of it is to sleep with someone else. Why does Hugh bother giving Jay all of this detailed information? “If it gets you, it starts coming after me again,” he admits. It Follows certainly isn’t the first horror film to draw a connection between sex and death (the slasher films of the ‘70s and ‘80s were fond of punishing their most promiscuous characters, and David Cronenberg’s 1975 feature Shivers explored the notion of a sexually-transmitted virus that turned

Early in It Follows, there’s a shot of a teenage girl reading a book on a tiny e-reader designed to look like a clamshell makeup case. The device caught the attention of my wife, who began searching online to see whether she could find out whether such a thing actually exists. It doesn’t...not yet, anyway. Is the film set in the near future?

people into monsters), but it does so with remarkable effectiveness. While it’s a bit of a stretch to say that the unnamed demon of this film is a living, breathing incarnation of STDs (last time I checked, you can’t get rid of an STD by passing it on to someone else), it certainly seems to represent the subconscious knowledge that our relationship choices have serious, lifealtering consequences. The notion that the creature simply represents death is also a compelling one: the thing that will eventually get us all no matter how hard we work to avoid it.

of the opposite sex. The teenagers in It Follows aren’t much smarter than that (there are some borderline stupid decisions made by these characters in the third act), but the film cares about them and empathizes with their plight. Monroe does fine, layered work as Jay, and there’s a soulful young kid named Paul (Keir Gilchrist, United States of Tara) whose supposedly self-sacrificial willingness to help Jay get rid of her curse is both sweet and amusing. Life-endangering sacrifices are a little easier when they involve living out your greatest fantasy, I suppose.

The film is much closer in spirit to something like John Carpenter’s Halloween or Prince of Darkness than it is the bulk of modern horror, demonstrating a level of restraint, craftsmanship, and focus that deepens the effectiveness of its central idea. There are brief moments of violence and shock, but the film is built on lengthy, slow-burning passages of suspense. The terror is in the uncertain atmosphere director David Robert Mitchell builds, not something jumping out from around a corner. The monster is easier to escape than many horror film icons, but every escape merely delays the next inevitable encounter. This thing must be stopped eventually, and Jay is faced with a serious moral decision about whether she’s willing to give her curse to someone else.

This is Mitchell’s first feature film, and it’s obvious that he has a bright future. He has a great eye for composition, and the level of technical precision he demonstrates goes a long way toward making It Follows a film that stands out in a crowded genre. His use of music is striking, too, as the synth-heavy score (penned by Disasterpeace) alternately sounds like John Carpenter, Vangelis, an Italian giallo score, and atmospheric New Age ambiance—a level of diversity which further suggests that the story being told isn’t limited to a specific era. This isn’t the sort of horror film that will have you jumping out of your seat on a regular basis, but rather the kind that quietly gets under your skin and sticks with you for a long time. In other words, it lives up to the title.

One of the things I admire most about It Follows is that it takes no joy in persecution of its young characters. In many horror films, we’re encouraged to laugh at the fate of foolish teens who do all the things you shouldn’t do in horror movies: they stick their hand in the dark pool of water, scoff at the notion that a monster really exists, or get too distracted by a member

YOU CAN READ MORE OF CLARK’S MOVIE REVIEWS AT HIS WEBSITE, 365MOVIEGUY.COM.

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ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFI

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ARTIST PROFILE

ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFI Ryan Ross started drawing at 18 months old—when he ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTISTonPROFILE ARTIST PROFILE drew a stegosaurus the wall of his parents’ houseARTIST with PROFI a crayon. And he’s been creating ever since. Whether it’s PROFI ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST a comic book sketch, an oil painting, a sculpture, or a piece of PROFILE furniture, ifARTIST Ryan canPROFILE make it with his hands, he willARTIST turn PROFI ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST ARTIST PROFILE it into art. ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFI ArtPROFILE has always been PROFILE a major part of Ryan’s life. When ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST ARTIST ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFI he was growing up, he wasn’t able to participate in sports ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFI duePROFILE to a medical condition, so heARTIST had to PROFILE find a different outlet. He nurtured his creative, artistic side. He started out ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTISTinPROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFI extremely interested comics and practiced art by drawing comic book pictures and making his own comics. But PROFI ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST as the years went by, he found himself wanting to create ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFI more realisticARTIST art, so hePROFILE started painting.

RYAN ROSS

ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFI Now, Ryan does a little bit of everything. Instead of stickARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST ARTIST PROFILE PROFILE ARTIST ingPROFILE to one medium, he creates oil ARTIST and acrylic paintings, life PROFI drawings, sculpture, and furniture. “There’s nothing I won’t By Rachel Scoggins ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST ARTISTit PROFILE PROFILE try,PROFILE as far as making by hand,” ARTIST he said. And there’s ARTIST noth- PROFI Photos by Heather Santiago ing the man can’t do—he’s painted large murals, portraits, ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST PROFI

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and landscapes; made wood projects such as planters and large signs; and built coffee tables and other items from repurposed materials. Ryan draws inspiration from classical art and masters like Leonardo da Vinci. But he also finds inspiration and excitement in more recent nontraditional art, such as detailed action figures from McFarlane Toys and NECA. “It’s hard to describe my style,” Ryan said. “I go with whatever style is fitting for the individual project.” He really enjoys painting buildings, urban landscapes, and characters, but he also enjoys doing unique things that just pop into his head. He works to make some creations as realistic as possible, but allows himself more creative freedom on others. “My style evolves with whatever I’m doing at the time.” Ryan especially enjoys sculpting. “It’s fun for me to start off with that big blob and turn it into something,” he said. When sculpting, Ryan tries to achieve a solid depth of realism. He’s worked a lot with natural clay and terracotta, and at home he makes sculptures using polymer clay. Recently, he has gotten into building various types of furniture. He worked in construction for a time and kept seeing pallets and piles of spare wood. Ryan took the discarded wood home and started building with it. He built coffee tables and cabinets, along with other household items like planters. He even started making rustic signs from the pallets. He’s made various pallet signs with sports and business logos on them. Ryan also paints business signs. He built and painted the large Studio D sign on Hill Street in Griffin. “That was a true feat, especially hanging it up,” he said. Ryan glances through books and searches online to get ideas for what to build. “Sometimes I just draw inspiration from the pieces of wood I have,” he said. “I enjoy making different kinds of furniture, working with wood, and making different stuff from reclaimed and repurposed materials. I’m just trying to turn trash into something worth having.” The one thing he does not create is digital art. “I enjoy things that are tangible,” Ryan said. “Sitting in front of a screen is not where I want to be. I would much rather be in a studio creating something real that I can touch.” But anything else, he will tackle—even if he isn’t familiar with the medium. “The more challenging, the more fun it is to me as an artist. When it seems like it’s going to be too hard, I’m a sucker for it.” Ryan participates in various local art shows. He’s been part of shows at Journey Church and the Georgia National Fair, where he won a first-place blue ribbon for art. For a number of years, he built trophies for the moustache contest at the Doc Holliday Beer Festival. He has also worked in art restoration. One of Ryan’s most unique commissions was for 6th Street Pier in Griffin. He painted an ocean pier on the side of a portable bar that is rolled around the restaurant. “It turned out better than expected,” Ryan said, laughingly adding, “And it can never be put up somewhere else.” Between jobs and other time commitments, Ryan hasn’t had as much time lately to create art as he would like, but that doesn’t stifle his creativity or stop him from making use of his available time. “My studio is wherever I’m creating art,” he said. “That can be at home, my dad’s shop—just somewhere to create things. I’m a mobile artist.” He has two children, so he has to make sure to have a career that allows him to take care of them, but he admits, “It’s hard to make steady money to survive as an artist.” Art is Ryan’s life, and it is all around him. “If I can put my hands on it, I can make something out of it,” he said. Judging from the vast array of Ryan’s artistic creations, that is definitely true.

onestrokestudios.com 26

CHECK OUT RYAN’S WORK ON FACEBOOK AT ONE STROKE STUDIOS, OR ON HIS WEBSITE, ONESTROKESTUDIOS.COM. TO CONTACT HIM, DROP HIM A COMMENT ON FACEBOOK OR HIS WEBSITE, OR EMAIL HIM AT ONESTROKESTUDIOS@GMAIL.COM.

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Kitchen Drawer

History

A GEORGIA BULLDOG WALKS INTO

THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION BY STAN DEATON

FOR GEORGIA BULLDOGS, SEPTEMBER BRINGS THE ALWAYS-WELCOME RETURN OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL. LESS CELEBRATED IS CONSTITUTION DAY ON SEPTEMBER 17. THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION HAVE BOTH BEEN AROUND FOR OVER 225 YEARS, AND GEORGIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ABRAHAM BALDWIN WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN BOTH VENTURES.

e would think ourselves wildly successful if at any point in our lives we were involved in anything like the creation of a state university or a national government. Abraham Baldwin had done both by his 33rd birthday. His resume in 1788 included founder of the University System of Georgia, president of the University of Georgia, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and signer of the United States Constitution. His being a member of the Georgia state legislature, a lawyer, chaplain in the Continental Army, and Yale grad would have been the least of his accomplishments. Baldwin, born in Connecticut in 1754, was teaching at Yale when the American Revolution began, and in 1778 he joined the Continental Army as a chaplain and served for two years. He moved to Georgia in 1783 and settled in the backcountry, ostensibly to begin practicing law in Augusta. A fourth-generation New England Yankee, Baldwin spent the most productive part of his life living in and serving the southernmost state in the new federal union. He was the son of a blacksmith who attended one of the finest, most elite schools in the country and was a minister who never pastored a church; a lawyer who never had much of a practice;

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Kitchen Drawer a university president without buildings, students, or faculty; an 18th-century gentleman who remained unmarried in an era that put a premium on wedlock; and a career politician at a time when that term was about as popular as it is now. But something about public service was appealing to him; it became his profession long before it was accepted as such, and long before men willingly acknowledged it as their means of livelihood. Early in 1784, Georgia Governor Lyman Hall corresponded with Yale president Ezra Stiles about founding a college in Georgia. The Yale influence on the new state university was tremendous—the people involved, the curriculum chosen, the architecture on the fledgling campus (still to be seen in Old College), and the choice of Bulldogs as a mascot later on all bore the influence of Yale. In 1784, the Georgia Assembly set aside 40,000 acres of land for the proposed college. Baldwin was one of the eight trustees chosen to administer the land and set up the university. In January 1785, the legislature granted a charter to the institution that would become the University of Georgia. Baldwin wrote the charter, which was more than just a plan for one school. It set up an educational system for the state, all under the secular control of the state, to be supported by the state. The charter was a clarion call for Georgians to meet the responsibilities of independent statehood. Baldwin became the first president of this new University at the age of 30. For the next 14 years, the trustees collected land revenues for the future construction of buildings and teachers’ salaries. In November 1800, Baldwin finally presented the University’s governing body with a complete curriculum for the new school. But now where, exactly, to place this new seat of learning? The trustees chose a site on a bluff overlooking the Oconee River at Cedar Shoals on land donated by John Milledge in the remote backcountry of Jackson County. And they didn’t just put their finger down on a map; Baldwin, George Walton, Milledge, Major General John Twiggs, and Hugh Lawson all saddled up and rode into the wilderness to see the countryside for themselves. Imagine these men standing in the rolling, green hills of backcountry Georgia near the banks of the Oconee River on a hazy summer day in 1801 and believing that anything so grand as to deserve the title of University would ever exist there. To top it all off, they named the site Athens after the great classical city. Leadership lies not just in having the ability to dream, but in getting other people around you to believe that the vision can become a reality, and then making it so. This, Baldwin had done.

summer of 1787, Georgia elected him to serve in the group that had been called to modify the Articles of Confederation in Philadelphia. Certainly no one in May 1787 had any idea what would happen there that momentous summer, or that the group would become known as the Constitutional Convention and would forever be enshrined as that most august body of all, The Framers, the men who debated and drafted the United States Constitution. Baldwin was one of two Georgians to sign the finished document on September 17, 1787. How could a document written so long ago possibly have created a government that has survived even when the world has changed in unimaginable ways? It worked because Abraham Baldwin and the other 38 signers gave us a philosophy, not a code of laws. Philosophies can outlast the conditions that gave them birth. Their philosophy was simple, yet at the same time profound and revolutionary: that the people govern themselves through their elected representatives, and for the system to work we must all abide by the choices that the people make in free elections. Central to this is the idea that fundamental laws should be written, that government cannot be arbitrary and capricious; it cannot do whatever it wants. Above all, the Constitution expresses, both in its provisions and in the process by which it was written, the Framers’ abiding faith in man’s willingness to overcome political differences by means of rational discussion and compromise. It is pure genius in its simplicity, yet here it is: Republics choose order rather than having it imposed. It sounds easy, but men and women are dying right now trying to make it happen in other places around the world. Baldwin did his best to make sure that the experiment would succeed. He served five consecutive terms in the House, and then in 1799 the Georgia Legislature elected him to the U.S. Senate. He was serving there when he died unexpectedly in 1807 at the age of 52. He was buried in Washington, D.C. There was a movement a few years ago to have Baldwin’s body brought back from Washington and buried on the campus of the University of Georgia, but it didn’t happen, and I don’t think it should. The servant of the people, one of the best Georgia ever had, is still buried, rightfully so, halfway between his ancestral Northern home and his adopted Southern one, in the seat of the national government he helped create and that he so obviously loved.

While all this was going on, Georgia chose Baldwin to represent the state in the Continental Congress in 1785. In the

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Janice Johnson of Mansfield’s of Zebulon Fr esh Blueber ry-Pineapple Fluff Salad Small package blackberry Jell-O Small can crushed pineapple 1 cup sour cream ½ package miniature marshmallows 12 oz Cool Whip ¾ cup fresh blueberries Mix together Jell-O, pineapple, sour cream, and marshmallows; fold in Cool Whip and blueberries. Refrigerate overnight.

Ham & Broccoli Quiche ½ lb Black Forest deli ham, mediumchopped 4 oz frozen broccoli, cooked, drained, and squeezed out with a paper towel 2 Tbsp Vidalia onion sautéed in 2 Tbsp butter 2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese 4 eggs 1 can evaporated milk 1 tsp salt Nutmeg Cayenne pepper Black pepper Layer ham, broccoli, onion, and cheese in a refrigerated (not frozen) pie crust. Whisk together eggs, evaporated milk, salt, and a dash each of nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Pour over ham and cheese. Bake in 350º oven for 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Cr isp 1 15 oz can pumpkin 1 cup evaporated milk 1 cup sugar ½ tsp cinnamon Nutmeg 1 tsp vanilla 1 package butter-flavored yellow cake mix 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 2 sticks butter, melted Whipped cream or ice cream Mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, and vanilla. Pour into lightly greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture; sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle butter over nuts. Bake in 350º oven for one hour or until golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

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Indian Springs Bounces Back By Allison Smyly Photos by B. Michelle Cobb

ow’s the time for a return visit to Indian Springs. If you haven’t been lately (or especially if you haven’t been since the Central Georgia EMC held its Annual Meetings at Indian Springs State Park), you’ll be impressed by developments in the area, including historic preservation, gardens, the arts, and shopping. A key figure in the revitalization is Helen “Frankie” Willis, who moved to the once-thriving area and fell in love with its pristine nature and hidden potential. She was one of the founding members of Friends of Indian Springs State Park, the group that began working to improve the nation’s very first state park by planting native flowers, updating cottages, and refurbishing event pavilions. Personally, Frankie has spearheaded efforts to bring shopping, lodging, and events to Indian Springs. This witty and engaging entrepreneur loves nature and people, especially children and seniors, and has a passion for bringing people and nature together. Frankie’s enthusiasm for the area is evident: “We want people to come here and have a good time,” she says. “As a destination, there is something for everyone!” Five partner organizations work together to help the area achieve the goal of being a “relaxing, refreshing, and rejuvenating” destination: Indian Springs State Park, Indian Springs Historic Properties, Butts County Historical Society, Dauset Trails Nature Center, and the 1893 Indian Springs Holiness Campground.

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History and the Indian Spring Hotel

Many walking trails converged where Native Americans came to drink from the mineral spring, and the area now known as The Village at Indian Springs became a crossroads, stagecoach stop, and economic hotspot as new settlers discovered the spring. Originally known as the Stagecoach Inn, the Indian Spring Hotel was built in 1823 by Chief William McIntosh and his cousin Joel Bailey. It was the site of Chief McIntosh’s signing of the Treaty of 1825, which ceded the remaining 5 million acres of Creek land to the state of Georgia and was so controversial it gave rise to the first U.S. Congressional hearing. From the 1840s to the 1860s, the Indian Spring Hotel was one of Georgia’s most fashionable destinations, with wraparound porches, a ballroom, bar, billiards room, and the latest amenities. In 1840, a political party held a dinner at the springs; some 10,000 people attended, with 5,000 seated at one time. Orators spoke on the piazza of the Indian Springs Hotel. For over 100 years beginning in 1850, the hotel was owned by the Varner family, with unofficial mayor Miss Jo Varner hosting many dignitaries. The hotel served as a Civil War hospital for Northern troops, which is why it was not burned by Sherman’s cavalry as 12,000 of his men and their horses drank from the spring across the street while waiting to cross the Ocmulgee.

The town of Indian Springs became one of Georgia’s premier resort, casino, and spa destinations in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as the Indian Spring Hotel was joined by other large hotels such as the Foy, Calumet, Elder, and the majestic Wigwam, said to be the largest wooden structure in the country at the time. The town’s “Resort Era” came to an end in 1921 when an arsonist, whose identity remains a mystery, burned three of the most famous hotels, the Wigwam, Calumet, and Bryans, in one night. Indian Springs enjoyed a revival during the “sock hop” era of the 1950s and 1960s, with the Foy Hotel boasting an amusement park, bowling alley, and Olympic-sized pool. Then the Foy burned, and by the 1970s, as more travelers began visiting out-of-state theme parks rather than resorts, most of the town, including the Indian Spring Hotel, had fallen into disrepair. Determined not to lose this historic landmark, the Butts County Historical Society rallied to save the Indian Spring Hotel. The historic restoration began in 1977 and was completed in several phases, with a much-anticipated grand opening in 2006. Frankie Willis served as director for the last phase of a $1 million government-funded project to restore the Indian Spring Hotel, now a National Historic Site and museum. Frankie is quick to give credit to leaders of earlier phases of the restoration, including Deryl Lamb and Ann Kelley. She also praises local citizens, who provided what she estimates as at least a half million dollars’ worth of in-kind donations over the years. “People helped with construction, painting, repairs, clean-up, you name it,” Frankie says. “Most of the research, architectural plans, and even the grants were in place, so I just came in and put the icing on the cake during the last phase.” Today, the Indian Spring Hotel is the only known antebellum mineral springs hotel remaining in Georgia. After renovation of the Indian Spring Hotel was completed, representatives from the Tourism Division of Georgia’s Department of Economic Development advised that visitors would need places to “eat, stay, and shop.” Frankie, president of the Butts County Historical Society, began the private campaign to save and restore more than 20 buildings. Now, the previously blighted area has been transformed into The Village at Indian Springs, an historic district that includes shops, galleries, gardens, and rental cottages. Frankie Willis and Marketing Director Steven Lease treated Kitchen Drawer to a guided tour of the area, and we found that it really is “a sweet secret in the heart of Georgia.”

The Village at Indian Springs

A number of downtown buildings are now quaint shops named for well-known local citizens (and a few local characters). There’s Daisy Pearl’s Fashion Boutique, Village Post Antiques (formerly the post office and general mercantile), Watkins Outfitters (camping, fishing, and hiking gear), Ladybugs & Tadpoles Children’s Store, and Mrs. Lee’s Stagecoach Ice Cream & Sweet Shop. Generations Art Gallery displays the work of local artists throughout the year and provides free children’s art classes on Saturday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:00. As it has been since the 1950s, the town’s hub remains the Big Chief Country Store. Today, the Big Chief offers a variety of merchandise, including quirky, unusual gifts, as well as sandwiches, salads, and drinks for your day in Indian Springs. Weekends are best for shopping, as most of the shops are open Saturdays 10-4 and Sundays 1-4. If you happen to be in Indian Springs on a weekday and want to visit a shop or tour the hotel/museum, stop by the Big Chief.You just might find someone who can accommodate your request.

Amphitheater

A crowning achievement for the Village is an amphitheater that can accommodate up to 2,500 guests. With its richly stained cypress wood, massive stone columns, 100’ x 25’ stage, large dance floor, green rooms, two large video screens, and state-of-the art sound system, the amphitheater is equipped to host various special events, including concerts, plays, weddings, and family reunions. Completed in 2014, the amphitheater promises to be a key driver in helping The Village at Indian Springs once again become a weekend destination. The eight-acre Whimsical Botanical Gardens surrounding the amphitheater playfully salute all seven continents: the European Charlotte Weaver Rose Garden; the African Safari Experience; the North American Garden with Sweet Sara Ward’s Children’s Garden and Clemmie Ward’s Organic Garden; the South American rain forest, called The Enchanted Forest; the Asian Garden with Japanese maples, Chinese cherries, two koi ponds, and many statues and pagodas; and the Australian Outback.

An Antarctic Flora and Fauna area is even in the works. The botanical gardens were born of Frankie’s desire to share her love of nature and gardening with children. “I love to hear children running around the gardens experiencing accidental learning!” she says. “When their parents tell them to be quiet, I tell them it’s okay. They can run and scream here.” The botanical gardens have no admission fee and are open year-round during daylight hours.

Venues and Lodging

The Village at Indian Springs now has nine venues for weddings, reunions, parties, and other special events, including the beautiful Indian Springs Resort, an 80-acre antebellum estate built in 1852 by the Lawson family. The structure, also formerly known as the Hanes House, had fallen into disrepair after being empty for many years. In 1995, Frankie Willis began an 18-month journey to renovate the home, which had few windows and no electricity, plumbing, or flooring downstairs. The home and its grounds are now restored to grandeur and serve as a wedding and event venue, with on-site spa treatments, catered dinners, historic tours, and a private swimming pool. The Indian Springs Chapel, formerly Indian Springs Baptist Church, was built in 1890 in the Queen Anne style from leftover lumber milled for the Wigwam Hotel. Services are still held occasionally in the chapel, which features beautiful stained glass windows and its original kerosene light fixture and brass bell. It is available for weddings. Next to the Big Chief Country Store is Pinky’s Parlor and Café. Its ladies’ parlor features tables made of repurposed glass window frames, and the adjoining “man cave” has chairs carved from tree roots and tables made from stagecoach wheels. Seating 80, this venue is available for a receptions or birthday parties or to enjoy the air conditioning while sharing a sandwich from the fresh deli section next door. Formerly dilapidated houses, now luxurious rental cottages named for longtime residents Bill and Marjorie Holloway, Holloway Cottages feature full kitchens and living areas, spa bathrooms, custom cabinets with granite countertops, hardwood floors, private gardens, stone patios, screened porches, and high-speed Internet.

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Springs and State Park

Of course, no visit to Indian Springs is complete without a visit to the spring itself. Visitors still come every day to fill jugs with the mineral water, which for centuries has been believed to have health benefits. A plaque on the Spring House speaks of the Native Americansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and later travelersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; confidence in the curative power of the spring water: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Such were their belief and confidence in the medicinal virtues of the waters that they came with their sick and invalid and tented on the hillsides that the afflicted might drink of the lifegiving stream and be restored to health.â&#x20AC;? Though the first treaty of Indian Springs is not as well-known as the second (which Chief McIntosh signed at his hotel and which led to his demise), the spring itself was the site of the signing of the first treaty which ceded Creek land to the state of Georgia in return for cash payments. The Spring House and other enduring stone structures at Indian Springs State Park were built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a project of Franklin Delano Rooseveltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program to combat the Great Depression. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty to do in the 600 acres of the oldest state park in the nation surrounding the spring, including 23 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, putt-putt, and a beach with a swimming area. Through a government grant, Indian Springs State Park and nearby Dauset Trails Nature Center are now connected by a three-mile biking and hiking trail. The state park also has group dorms, rustic camping, RV sites, and lake cabins, providing overnight options for all budgets.

Special Events

One of the biggest annual events is the Native American Festival, scheduled for September 12 and 13 this year. The Indian Springs Hotel/Museum will be open for tours, and visitors will be welcome to stroll through the adjacent Elizabeth Harris garden, a rare example of an early 19th-century resort garden. Another popular event, Artifacts ID and Civil War Day, will be held October 10 on the hotel grounds, and the public is invited to bring any kind of artifact to be identified and dated by members of the Ocmulgee Archaeological Society. The Village at Indian Springs is just timeless. When I learned about the botanical gardens, I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to take my family, even though it was only two days before my meeting with Frankie. As I watched my children scramble up the same hills I played on as a child while my parents attended the EMCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual meeting, I imagined children of hotel guests climbing those same hills 100 years ago. As I stood in the stone pavilion and watched visitors filling their jugs with spring water, I pictured Native Americans filling gourds or clay pots 1,000 years ago. Visit The Village at Indian Springs and experience its magic for yourself.

Special events including concerts, art exhibitions, and tours are held in The Village at Indian Springs year round. Check TheVillageatIndianSprings.com for the calendar of events or call 770-775-5350.

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king in a roc t’s e m ti e a th passing e move, and th quietly th n id o e s R y e a Dr. Bruc is is a man alw n’t find h o T w . s u e r o Y reti name hen he with the rthoc hair w e likes it. r ia il m fa O h ho are surgeon with the way riffin w ic G s: c hoir d le e in c rthop ople er cir o e th p r, n o t a s o in s a up hm e playe Althoug Reid know him is name pop hurc h, bagpip only a h C e ce Dr. Bru I kept hearing ited Methodist rned these ar a , n le U ia r t n g a ye s. Firs I soo Geor out the h t Griffin ren’t enough, g a u r o e r b mem worn th at we he is a As if th ruce Reid has anada, who is cyclist. B C ts , a a h b ito the in Man iz, have a son tally, few of raised e, L d iden if n a w s. Coinc nd his s ago id r dia e a R e e y H r. r. 9 fD rom me Born 5 on docto in a long line o r graduated f y Bruce ti a r e n e e da next fathe fourth-g become rn the day his dy was born th to g in o y o r stud ce b on B was Bru d Liz’s s not only but Bruce an c hool. genol, ls rs, three was to cal sc ho d from medica c o d te coming father gradua n of be kiers. Bruce’s ociation. io it d a tr s s family n water iing As ion to a were c hampio onal Watersk Team when he it d d a In ids n Nati Waterskiing inters of Re anadia peting 23 l C m a o n eration c e o s ti th a a w e nt of ian N it at ag e of 16 preside de the Canad t the ag the world circu a d a n m a le on rs old Bruce 14 yea hed his pinnac ly n o s a c w ea t 26. lly. He r waterskiing a a n o ti a n m red fro and reti USA m the o r f d Liz re Team, he reti After s Waterskiing ter l g his la Nationa ’s coac h durin m. Ultice tea was Bru the national lan lete re o th s a h c a year o ne, their c antic o mately, ecame a rom fter he b rried a tionship got ma tive waterskiy e th peti and om com e family tradir f d e r reti n th the rrying o ber of ing. Ca y was a mem Team. is anod rskiing grade, te th a tion, Br f fi W e l th hool, tiona egan in into medical sc it’s b e USA Na c u r B t e s, whic h hen I go dicine, becaus ck agpipe id family. “W e a b m e t s o th e Ig b sid Playing ition in the Re else be whole life, so sa g a in s th d e e a other tr I needed som ke over your played bagpip demia ta d ca ed I realiz suming. It can ical sc hool an from all the a d n y e o a e c nd d.” so all- ipe band in m nded and aw nd grou a d u p e o d r e into th p me g me roun n to kee s what keeps io s r e iv t’ d a icine. Th of med

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After Bruce graduated from medical school in 1991, the Reids relocated to Illinois, where he practiced medicine as an orthopedic surgeon. In 2005, however, the Reids decided to move to a warmer climate and settled in Griffin, where the opportunities were also better for Bruce to practice medicine. Three years ago, Bruce became a U.S. citizen. Soon after moving to Griffin, Bruce joined the Middle Georgia Cycling Club which meets at Griffin First United Methodist Church for group bike rides. As he became a more experienced cyclist, Bruce’s competitive spirit kicked in. “You want to ride with the best,” Bruce said. “You want to be up with the ‘A’ group and hammer down and ride hard. They put up with me and my crashes, and I think I have slowly earned my place up there in the A group. After that, I wanted to try some age-group competition with Georgia cycling, so I competed in the Masters Series a couple of years ago and placed both in time trials and road races.” He also competed in a couple of triathlons and achieved a challenging goal on his bike. “One year ago, I completed a ‘cycle around the world’—25,000 miles. It took me seven years,” Bruce said. Bruce has been training with Sun City Peachtree resident Gary Kaping. “I told Gary three years ago that I would train and ride with him in the 2013 Golden Olympics. I had trained for eight or nine months and was in top shape. Then, a week before the competition, I crashed and broke my collarbone. I was off my bike for about four months.” After recovering from the crash, Bruce transitioned to a recumbent bike which he has been riding for two years. “It’s not allowed in competition, but I love it so much I haven’t often gone back to riding my road bike. It’s a little different, so I’m not part of the group as much. I’m a bit of a black sheep,” Bruce laughed. Always needing a challenge, Dr. Reid did return to his road bike to compete at the 2014 Georgia Golden Olympics, the state senior games in Warner Robins last September, where he qualified for the 2015 National Senior Games in Minnesota. The National Games, which took place this past July, proved to be a challenge for Bruce. Although he rode well in the 40-kilometer road race and placed 12th of 28 riders in the men’s 55-59 age group, he crashed and broke a rib during the 20-kilometer road race. The crash left him battered and bruised for his 10-kilometer and 5-kilometer time trials the following two days. “It’s been a long six months, probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Bruce said about the experience. Although cycling has been a big part of Bruce’s life, club rides and competition aren’t the only things about the sport that keep him motivated and interested. Bicycle safety—especially for children— became his passion during medical school, when he conducted a

research project on bicycling-related head injuries in children. Using his research findings, he teamed up with lawmakers in Manitoba to draft legislation making bike helmets mandatory. Bruce continues to passionately promote safe riding locally with the Griffin Bicycle Coalition. Created four years ago by Michelle Cannon, the coalition of eight bike enthusiasts was formed in an effort to make Griffin a more cycling- and pedestrian-friendly community. “We want to improve our children’s health and get them more active, and one way to do that is getting children riding their bikes to school,” he said, adding that Griffin needs to create safe bike routes and have bike racks at the schools. Members of the Griffin Bicycle Coalition also serve on the Bike and Pedestrian Subcommittee of the Griffin-Spalding County Area Transportation Committee. They have been encouraging the city of Griffin and Spalding County to create bicycle routes and lanes, provide bike racks downtown, and reinvent Griffin as a safe bikefriendly community. They have worked with the city and encouraged them to use SPLOST money for this purpose. “The idea is to go ‘old school’ and bring people back out of their cars and into a healthier lifestyle,” Bruce explained. “Our goal is to increase awareness. We would like to have more people commuting to work on bicycles and get employers encouraging that. We realized the importance of cycling not only for health but also as an alternative transportation.” Bruce recently added one more item to the long list of activities that keep him on the go. He and Liz set up a free mini-library in the front garden of their home at 806 Maple Drive, Griffin. “I wanted to do something to honor Terri Huddleston after working with her so many years on adult literacy in the Griffin community. Terri and I are both members of Daybreak Rotary Club of Griffin, and literacy is a primary focus of Rotary International. I got the idea from Rotary Magazine. We have a very active community with lots of people walking with their children, jogging, and walking their dogs. I love to read and I wanted to share my books with my neighborhood,” Bruce said. “We are thrilled with the traffic in the first two weeks,” he continued. “I’ve restocked it twice and added children’s and young reader’s books. Other people in the neighborhood have placed books in the library, and I’m getting all kinds of friends donating books for it.” The Reids are hoping more of these libraries will pop up in other areas of Spalding County as part of the national program. Learn more at about free mini-libraries at www.littlefreelibrary.org. “Rotary got me invested in literacy, and Terri Huddleston lit the fire,” Bruce said. “Terri’s work with the Bull Dawg Hunt, and others like Louisa Melton and the Ferst Foundation have done so much for literacy in Griffin. I thought this could be a small addition.” It may be small, but it’s one more thing keeping Bruce Reid on the move in Griffin.

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Magical Places

Outdoors By Ronnie Garrison

ay back when I was in the second grade, I read Two Boys and A Tree. The book is about two boys growing up in a northern state. An apple tree is on a nearby hillside, and it is a magical place for them.

The story follows their many adventures around the tree, season by season, as they grow up and the tree matures. At the end of the book, they come back and bring their children to share the magic of the tree, even though as adults, the magic is mostly gone for them. That loss of enchantment and innocence was sad to me back then and is even more so now that I am much older. It is a shame we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t retain more of the excitement of youth as we grow old.

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Over my years growing up, I found some of those enchanted places. Not long after reading that book, I ventured out from our farm to explore nearby woods. I grew up on a 15-acre farm where we had chickens, cows, hogs, and a couple of ponies. Most of the farm was a big field with Dearing Branch running along one side of it in a small strip of woods. I had gone over every inch of it before I was 10 years old. One day in the late summer, I crossed the fence at the back of our field and went into the woods on a neighbor’s property. Back then, kids were welcome to play and explore pretty much anywhere since everyone in the area knew us and our parents and knew we would do no damage. The woods behind the fence, unexplored territory for me, sloped gently down to the branch then rose steeply on the other side. On the steep hillside were some fairly big rocks and one huge white oak tree. The tree’s shade kept other plants from growing near it and provided a fairly big clear area. There was something magical about being under that tree. I could sit on a rock and listen to the quiet. The only sounds were the gurgling of the branch or wind in the tree limbs. I spent many hours just sitting there, enjoying the feeling of freedom and being alone at that age. Friends did go with me at times. We hunted squirrels around the tree in the fall, “skated” and fell through thin sheets of ice on the branch in the winter, and built huts under the tree in the spring and summer. To get across the branch and to have fun, we cut a big vine on an overhanging tree so we could swing across it like Tarzan. That vine lasted several years until it got weak and one of us broke it trying to swing across. We read about log cabins, so three of us boys decided to build one. We had no idea about notching logs to stack them for walls, and our little hatchets would not cut down big trees anyway. So we found four small sweetgum trees in something of a square about ten feet on each side at the edge of the clearing under the big oak and cleaned up around the area.

With our hatchets we cut dozens of sweetgum saplings about two inches thick. I got a bucket of old, bent nails from the farm. We never threw anything away on the farm and I got good at straightening out nails with my hatchet and a flat rock. We started nailing the saplings to the standing trees and got the walls about two feet high all the way around before thinking about a door. We managed to adapt and leave a gap for a door as we finished the walls, then laid more saplings, these with limbs and leaves attached, across the top. We had read in school about thatched roofs and thought this was how it was done. The first rain proved it took more than just laying limbs with leaves on top to make a good thatched roof. We never did get a roof that would keep the interior of our log cabin dry. The last time I saw that tree was when I was about 21 years old. The landowner had built a house back there, put a pond dam on the branch, and cleared out all the trees but that one big oak. It was still majestic standing on the hillside beside the pond, but for me, the magic was gone. I wish all kids could have the experience of exploring unknown woods and finding magical places. Unfortunately, the world has changed. In many places it is dangerous for kids to go far from home by themselves, and lawsuits have made landowners afraid to let kids play on their property in way too many cases. If you can, help a kid find a magical place and let them learn about it all on their own.

Read more from Ronnie at http:// fishing-about.com.

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SOUTH SIDE DINER BY LAURIE COCHRANE PHOTOS BY MICHELLE COBB Located right off I-75 on 20/81 in McDonough, South Side Diner offers both reimagined and traditional Southern cuisine in a casual, comfortable atmosphere; with beautifully presented, generous portions; and an attentive, knowledgeable staff.

South Side is the concept of three partners, George Hawxhurst, Chad Martin, and Chris Murphy. Cindy Hawxhurst and Loren Martin have daughters born just four days apart, and the mothers met at a Gymboree class where they became fast friends. The families began vacationing together, and it was on one of these trips that the idea for South Side Diner was born. Chad owned West Cobb Diner in Marietta, and he and George wanted to bring

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some of that great food (as well as 40-45 jobs!) to the south side. Chad’s wife, Loren, took charge of the front end of West Cobb Diner, while her brother Chris, who works in logistics, became the third partner. George is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the restaurant. He is an attentive manager and host – very appreciative and responsive to feedback from customers, whether positive or negative. West Cobb Diner regular menu items, along with some of its most popular specials supplied the menu for South Side. Chef Kyle Newland came to South Side Diner from Ted’s in Peachtree City. In the five months since the restaurant has been open, Chef Newland has been concentrating on building consistency with the core menu. Now he’s looking forward to getting creative with the specials. To Chef Newland, popular buzzwords like “local” and “seasonal” aren’t anything new and trendy. He grew up with fresh, seasonal foods from local growers so, to him, that’s simply the way it’s done. “I like to go back to the basics that I grew up with,” he commented, “like Brunswick stews and succotash. That kind of food just makes a lot of sense, and I see how people react to it.”

To get you into the rural Southern vibe right quick, South Side has a full bar and is one of the only places in the area that serves moonshine (at least out in the open) and offers a menu of specialty drinks featuring original and flavored varieties. Elly enjoyed a Moonshine Margarita with peach-flavored Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine, while Michelle sipped on the spiked South Side Lemonade. Both found their drinks smooth and tasty, without coming on too strong.

For starters, try the nicely seasoned

Fried Green Tomatoes, with a

crispy panko/cornmeal breading and house remoulade for dipping. South Side also offers crowd pleasers like Artichoke Spinach Dip and Fried Pickles with housemade honey-mustard and ranch. Or you can opt for the sophisticated

Baked Brie with pepper jelly and crostini. The Jumbo Shrimp & Cheese Grits entrée is outstanding. The shrimp are fried (although you can order them blackened or grilled if you prefer), and they are so satisfying dipped in the cheddar cheese grits with bacon-cracked pepper gravy and roasted corn salsa. Drew and I both recommend this dish.

The Thyme-Black Pepper Fried Boneless Chicken with green tomato chutney was Allison’s favorite. “So tender,” was all she could manage to comment with her mouth full. Available as both an entrée and a sandwich, the chutney is a lovely complement to a delicious dish that is likely to prove one of the most popular dishes on the menu. The smoky Mesquite Skillet Pork Chop with sweet and tangy Granny Smith apple chutney, likewise, was excellent. Drew remarked, “I actually wanted to eat more pork chop. I don’t think I’ve ever said that!”

ions on a toasted, buttered bun.” It has an entire KNIFE in it!” exclaimed Sylvia. There’s lots of flavor happening here. The Pim won the hearts of both Joshes.

South Side serves up a well-proportioned Reuben with your choice of corned beef, pastrami or turkey on marble rye with Swiss, and sauerkraut, with Thousand Island standing in for the traditional Russian dressing. “They did a good job with the proportions,” Drew observed. “There’s enough cheese and sauerkraut to make it a real Reuben.” Ashley agreed and gave this sandwich her seal of approval. The Southern Fried Grouper sandwich was perfectly cooked with a crisp, crunchy breading, lettuce, tomato, and remoulade, on a toasted bun. This was Sylvia’s favorite thing on the menu.

We also tried the insanely large

Country Fried Steak topped with Vidalia onion gravy. Just…be really hungry.

One of the standout sandwiches on the menu is The Pim, a towering burger spread with pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes, honey bacon slaw, and caramelized on-

And if that weren’t enough, the menu has 19 sides to choose from! “The Blue Cheese Slaw was my

favorite,” said Josh M., “and I don’t even like blue cheese!” He also weighed in favorably on the Broccoli Casserole, as did several others of our group. I was partial to the smoky, slightly sweet Collard Greens and the Sweet Potato Fries . Ashley preferred the Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes . Several enjoyed the Macaroni & Cheese . With so much to choose from, there’s something here for everyone. Cara, our server, was knowledgeable and friendly. Besides loading us up with food and keeping our glasses filled, she also kept us supplied with piles of clean plates and napkins and patiently answered our many questions.

With a concept firmly grounded in the tradition of Southern comfort food and generous hospitality, spiced up with the eclectic vibrancy that has become an Atlanta hallmark, this team of friends at South Side Diner believes they’ve found a recipe for success.

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Making a Difference

A chat with Ron Cook of Rushton’s Hope We are a faith-based organization that seeks to impact lives with hope in Christ—from our local inner city to the international—by planting spiritual seeds while meeting physical needs. We primarily serve the homeless, hungry, hurting, and helpless.

My wife, Wanda, and I saw a number of individuals, families, and children in the inner-city community where we lived who seemed to be lost, living without purpose, and looking for something better. We would pass them on our way to work and church, day by day, week after week, wondering what was going on in their lives and if could we help in some way.

Rushton’s Hope has a community café and clothes closet out of a warehouse at 312 West Solomon (the old Plott Hide and Fur building), where we serve an average of 300 people on Saturdays from 11-1. We provide

In February 2007, Wanda and I were offered $25,000 to start something that would make a difference. We began by selecting a board, then coming up with a business plan, bylaws, etc. On July 7, 2007—070707—we left

assistance appointments for food, household, and various nonfinancial needs from 10-4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, serving an average of 50-60 people each day.We also distribute snack bags on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-2.

a large portion of our livelihood behind, stepped out on faith, and launched Rushton’s Hope from our inner-city home in the old Rushton Mill Community. We truly began to learn about faith when the $25,000 fell through. However, the more we learned to trust God to provide, the more we grew!

What is Rushton’s Hope?

By Allison Smyly | Photos by Jake Gentry and from Rushton’s Hope Facebook page

When and how did Rushton’s Hope begin?

We serve 40-50 people on Sunday evenings at United Christian Fellowship Church; supper is 6-6:45 p.m., and the service is 7-8 p.m. We lead small mentoring and accountability groups on Wednesdays from 6:30-8 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. at various locations. Each year, we host three free block parties with an average of 500 people in attendance. These are held on Saturdays, one each in the spring, summer, and fall. We serve an average of 600 people at free holiday events the Saturday before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both the block parties and holiday events are held at a number of different locations to reach different areas of our community.

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Describe the growth of the ministry over the years. Wanda and I started the organization out of our 980-square-foot home, using one of our two bedrooms for an office, library, storage, etc. We had limited income with a few supporters and some salary from other jobs but began building relationships among our neighbors and those who were wondering. We began to feed and clothe those in need and meet other needs as they arose. We began partnering with a small church around the corner from our house, starting a Sunday evening service, and eventually set-

For more information, visit

rushtonshope.org.

ting up an additional office/storage area there. We planned block parties and other events with that church and other partners who began to support the work. As our storage needs outgrew our house and that church, another church offered their upstairs storage space. We also started a Saturday café and clothes closet at that church. More and more partners joined us as volunteers assisted us with the Saturday café. When the church around the corner from us relocated, we were unsure where we would go, but that’s when another church in town opened its doors to us for Sunday evenings. Of course, we still needed storage, and 10,000 square feet became available in the West Solomon warehouse. We began by storing just clothes, but eventually, due to increased donations and needs, the owners said we could use whatever space we needed. Not long after that move, we moved our Saturday meal to the warehouse. The warehouse is one of our three current locations; our residence is still the home base. It has been eight years now, and we have seen increases in all areas— from the numbers of people we serve, to our buildings, to donations, to our budget. It is nothing short of a miracle to see where we were and what we have become. Share an example of an individual life that has been touched. One of our favorite examples is a guy we met over a pizza seven years ago. He had a life of challenges, leaving his home in New York at age 14. He had brought his family to Griffin from California with high hopes of employment and education. When everything fell through, he was sitting on his front porch wondering how he was going to feed his family. We had a trunk full of pizzas that had been donated to distribute around the neighborhood and had pulled up in front of his house to deliver a pizza to his neighbor. When we popped the trunk, he saw all those pizzas and said, “Thank you, Lord, I can take it from here.” That led to him getting back on his feet and volunteering with us the last six years. We just added him as a full-time staff member.

Tell about the international impact of Rushton’s Hope. Though our primary base of operations is the inner-city community we serve day by day, we recognize there is a world of opportunity out there internationally. We want those in the inner city to know there is a world outside their world, and they can have a part in making a difference in it. We invite speakers who are working in other countries and take up love offerings to support them. Some we serve locally are considering traveling to other countries. Of course, we don’t have to go far. Our inner city is also full of internationals to impact. We often find that the same issues we deal with here are found all over the world. Opportunities are everywhere! What challenges is Rushton’s Hope facing right now and how can readers help? The warehouse where we are currently located must be sold in the next few months. It is a time of uncertainty and transition for us; we will either be able to acquire and restore it or have to vacate. It is one of the best locations for what we do, and we have been unable to find another location. We are hoping for a miracle! We were recently given a house to restore and use in one of our inner-city neighborhoods. It will be a place to mentor kids, meet needs, etc., just as our house was in the beginning. We need all types of skilled carpenters and assistants to finish it. Rushton’s Hope always welcomes donations of food, clothing, and other essentials, and we are in constant need of volunteers and partners in various areas, especially our Saturday cafés and clothes closets. Of course, financial support is always needed, especially monthly commitments. All gifts are tax deductible. How do your corporate sponsors help? They give donations, such as food and clothing; send volunteers; meet event needs; and provide financial support. Our desire is to connect our corporate sponsors to the community. Some corporate sponsors have provided giveaways for our block parties and building materials for the house we are restoring. What are your plans and goals for the future? Our ultimate goal is to have a 24/7 facility that serves anyone, anytime, for any need—lodging, job training, food, clothing, rehab, etc. Another goal is to take the many abandoned houses around our inner city, restore them, and make them homes for those in need.

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ATLANTA FALCONS

2015 SEASON PREVIEW

AF By Taylor Gantt

10 yards away from a Super Bowl appearance in the 2012 season.

In 2008, the Atlanta Falcons were on the brink of a complete disaster. Their franchise quarterback Michael Vick was serving out the remainder of a prison sentence for illegal dog-fighting. Head coach Bobby Petrino, the highly successful college coach, abandoned the team halfway through the year to flee back to the collegiate ranks. The starting roster was paper thin with very few exceptional players to build around. In short, the Falcons looked like an organization that would spend the next decade trying to recover.

But despite the amazing levels of success achieved in years prior, the Falcons went through two hugely disappointing seasons in 2013 and 2014. And although Mike Smith and his staff should be remembered for the amazing gains they made during their time with the team, the NFL’s mantra has always been “What have you done for me lately?” Smith was fired after the conclusion of last season, and a new regime has been given stewardship of the organization.

But in that 2008 offseason, the Falcons put together the building blocks for an unprecedented resurgence back to relevance. After being spurned by several high-profile candidates, owner Arthur Blank finally settled on little-known Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith to serve as head coach. Thomas Dimitroff, who worked in the New England Patriots organization, was signed on as the general manager of the team. Blank also landed one of the biggest free agents in team history when he convinced a young Michael Turner to bring his unique rushing talents to Atlanta. And, of course, with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Falcons snagged their franchise quarterback in the form of Matt Ryan from Boston College. The tactical decisions made in that formative off-season set the stage for the greatest period of sustained success in franchise history. During the next five years, the Falcons strung together consecutive winning seasons, four playoff appearances, and were

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Dan Quinn, the highly sought-after defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, joined the Falcons as the new head coach. Compared to Smith’s stoic and quiet personality, Quinn appears to have a more energetic approach to coaching. His track record with the Seahawks defense should encourage Falcons fans to expect more from a defense that has struggled mightily in recent history. Kyle Shanahan, the new offensive coordinator, has stated that he wants to implement a more balanced offense, which is a far cry from the pass-happy approach that made Atlanta one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL last season. The 2015 draft netted several young prospects that should bring an immediate impact to the club. First-round pick Vic Beasley is a lightning-quick edge rusher who will primarily focus on pressuring the quarterback. Ever since John Abraham left in 2013, Atlanta has been desperately searching for an athlete like Beasley who can disrupt the opposing offense in a meaningful way. In the second

round, the Falcons nabbed cornerback Jalen Collins, a physical defender who will look to earn a starting spot in the secondary and help strengthen the team’s porous passing defense. Later on, the team grabbed running back Tevin Coleman and wide-receiver Justin Hardy to help shore up needs on the offensive side of the ball. NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks gave the Falcons an “A” draft grade and said that the team “(has) started to reshape their roster after enduring a pair of disappointing seasons.”* Despite the new additions, Matt Ryan is still the anchor for this football team. Even when his teammates struggle or fall prey to injury, Ryan continues to provide a high level of play at the most important position in the game. With a new coach and an infusion of young talent from the draft, the team will look to overcome its recent shortcomings and once again reinvent itself. My prediction? The Falcons get back to their winning ways, ending the season at 9-7 or 10-6, which should be enough to get them back into the playoffs.

*http://www.nfl.com/news/ story/0ap3000000491802/ article/2015-nfl-draft-grades-bearstexans-falcons-earn-high-marks Photo credit (AP photo/John Bazemore, file)

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Fiction Contest Winner - 5th Place

THE KINFOLK MAGNETBY CHERRY MACK HILL

was sitting in the backseat with a rooster, scroonched up next to my sister, as far away as I could get from the yard bird’s twitchings and flutterings. He was supposed to be dead, Daddy having accidentally run him over and then, in an act of mercy, wrung his neck. I had my legs tucked under me, safe from his wrinkled claws. A rooster had been no part of our plans when we headed to Alabama before light on that late summer Saturday. Almost to Grandma’s, Mama had begged Daddy not to take the dirt road shortcut. But he said, “Oh yeah, this’ll save us at least 10 minutes,” speeding up and sliding blind into the unfamiliar curves. Loose rocks bumped under our seats. Mama held on to her armrest. I was not surprised to soar into a ditch. Daddy was not surprised to have hit a chicken. “Well, this is their yard, I reckon.” He spun out of the ditch, slammed his door, and went to talk to a stooped woman in a long dress and bonnet. I looked up a steep bank and could see part of an unpainted house with tools, buckets, and dishpans hanging on the porch posts. I saw him pay the woman for the chicken, and then he picked it up by the legs and laid it out on the back floorboard. I studied the critter with one eye. His shiny neck feathers were brownish-orange layered with teal. I had a teal crayon, and one called bronze that might do. When

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I noticed a yellow-edged pupil looking back at me, I closed both eyes and held on till we got to Grandma’s house. Grandma stewed the rooster into chicken and dumplings for our supper. I said, “Is this the chicken…” But Mama said, “Hush,” and I did. The next week Daddy’s third cousin called and said he had fixed the clank in the Ford’s underpinning, a clank that had begun on our journey home from Alabama the weekend of the rooster/ditch incident. But Daddy traded it anyway and drove back home in a 1957 Ford Skyliner Hardtop convertible, clean and white. My Uncle Red and his third wife, Jean, had once blown through town in a 1954 Cadillac convertible, black and sharp-finned, so I had pretended to be a movie star once before. Daddy showed us how, with just the pull of a lever, the boot lid of the Skyliner opened backwards because it was hinged near the bumper, and how the heavy steel top folded up into the long trunk. Once it stuttered, and Daddy breathed out a curse. Mama watched through the screen door and said, “Come on.” She started putting the fatback and pintos on the table. But later she allowed as how she would go for a ride in the bright white automobile. The September sky was clear. Daddy’s black hair was flattened with Brylcreem, but thick, sticky

strands lifted in the wind. All of us females had head scarves knotted under our chins, in case of earaches. Sister and me had fat cheeks pooching out. Mama looked like Piper Laurie. Daddy drove south toward Athens, turning off on Corinth Church Road. He stopped on a rise near the cemetery where the trees were few, showing off the car to his mother, Missouri Laveda, and his borndead brother, resting together in the moon glow. Dark is not totally black, and on that night, the sky was the color of my navy crayon. The stars were three-dimensional, jagged looking, layered and dancing in the swirling Milky Way. I wanted to show Aunt Belle our new car. I wanted my classmates to wave with envy. But I didn’t want my Sunday School teacher Miss Sarah Claire to see me. I knew she would preach at me till I was stiff and red, like the time she caught me in Massey’s picking up an order of T-bones instead of hamburger or stew meat. The car was a kinfolk magnet. Aunts, uncles, and cousins came to admire our fancy automobile, rubbing their hands along the chrome, listening to Daddy lecture about the top mechanism, lifting the hood to look at the engine. Daddy spoke around his Camels, blowing smoke and grinding the glowing ends into the dirt well away from the car. One Sunday, we drove it out to Homecoming at Carter Hill Church,

where most of our dead kin were buried. It was called dinner on the ground, but Mama said that meant on the grounds of the church; the men had built rough tables. I knew I could not eat what other people brought. Other people might not know about germs, and I might get sick and die. But first we had singing, preaching, and a boxed lunch auction. Some people in the church were twanging harmony and Mama fingered the notes in the hymnal till the boxed lunch auction started. Aunt Belle had sat straight-backed, staring at the preacher, and Mama had studied her fan when Daddy started bidding on Miss Hester’s box. He had already bid on and claimed Aunt Belle’s box, pretty and clean looking, wrapped in a plaid fabric and grosgrain ribbon. When Miss Hester’s box came up, nobody said a word. The preacher kept holding it up and sing-songing, Who will give me $2.00? Who will bid $2.00 for the cemetery fund? Finally, Daddy, who could be depended upon to fill a silence, said “$2.00,” just to be polite. No Christian standing in that church on that Homecoming Sunday wanted to eat Miss Hester’s fare, contaminated as it might be with snuff drippings or rat pills. Who will give me $2.50? Who will give me $2.50 for the cemetery fund? Daddy tried to catch the eye of Miss Hester’s neighbor, Johnson Blue, willing him to bid, but Johnson stared at his shoes, so Daddy jumped in again and raised his own bid to $2.50. And again, after a long silence: $3.00. Finally, the preacher, who had visited Miss Hester himself on

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occasion, closed the bidding with a bang of the gavel: “Sold to Willie Carson for $3.00.” Everyone clapped. Miss Hester was beaming. She nodded at Daddy as he walked up the aisle to collect his prize. He dropped his head and grinned. Mama and Aunt Belle were red as summer tomatoes. At dinner, Daddy had set Miss Hester’s box to one side. It was an unwrapped Buster Brown shoebox, tied with a ripped boot string. A spot of grease had softened the cardboard in one corner. Daddy was eating a pineapple sandwich, talking to some menfolk, when Miss Hester started up the slight hill toward our picnic spot. Daddy saw her coming, stepped back toward the table, untied the box, and grabbed a chicken back. I peeked in and saw what looked like a pile of grits, a pickled peach, and a burned biscuit.

He was loud, but Miss Hester was right deaf and, anyhow, was busy explaining how she had trapped the possum on her back porch and fed him corn and chicken feed for the last two weeks. The preacher announced that we had raised $250 for the cemetery fund. Cousin Buford teased Daddy not to get no possum grease on his new car seats. Technically, it wasn’t a new car. Daddy had bought it used. And soon it became clear why he had gotten such a good deal. The mechanism that automatically lowered and raised the top was “sensitive.” Mama said, “Sensitive, yes, and headed for a total breakdown.” It would get stuck in all different positions, embarrassing Daddy and me when Uncle Young and all the cousins were longing to be impressed.

“Thank you for fixing it, Miss Hester,” Daddy said.

One misty fall Saturday when the top got stuck down and wouldn’t unfold back up, Daddy surrendered. When the rain set in hard, he borrowed an umbrella from Aunt Belle and drove to the car lot. He drove with one hand and held the umbrella with the other. He returned with a plain old Ford Fairlane, not even two-toned.

She nodded and then said, “That possum’s right greasy, hain’t it? Possum meat’s bony, but tasty. Little greasy, though.”

Mama had the fat white limas and biscuits ready. We didn’t need no chicken nor steak nor possum. We had sweet potatoes for dessert.

Daddy put down the “chicken back,” said, “Heh, heh, heh,” and started toward the woods.

Daddy did not get drunk and turn the table over. He didn’t dance me around on his feet. He just watched Sid Caesar with us and did his Jonathan Winters impression.

When Miss Hester finally made her way up the slope, leaning on her cane to speak or spit, Daddy was gnawing on the bony meat. “Thank ye fer biddin’ on m’box, Willie,” she said.

Aunt Belle frowned at “poor Willie,” but took Miss Hester’s arm and drew her gently away from the circle of men. Daddy made it a few steps before he bent his head, gagged, and puked.

Biding his time till the next dream came along.

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