For hundreds of photos and updates about Oconee events and people, go to theoconeeleader. com
This Week: Calendar Crafternoon: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oconee County Library. Drop in for a fun, selfdirected “Make it and Take it” craft. All ages. Free. (706) 769-3950 or visit www.athenslibrary. org/oconee. TOPS weight loss: 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Government Annex Building, Highway 15, Watkinsville. TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is a nonprofit support group for weight loss. Members can share challenges, successes, or goals, hear a brief program and discuss plans for the week. (800) 932-8677 or www.tops.org. Walnut Grove Baptist Church Revival: 7 p.m. Thursday- Friday, Walnut Grove Baptist Church, 6121 Greensboro Highway, Watkinsville. WGBC Annual Revival with Rev. Christopher Wimberley of Hunter Hill First Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta as guest preacher for the week.
Issue 29
From the Oconee to the Apalachee
Volume 11
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Leading the way with Oconee news By Wayne Ford
TheOconeeLeader.com
The Oconee Leader has been a reflection of the people and places of Oconee County for years now and beginning this month I will be a point man for the weekly newspaper. If you need an item in the paper feel free to contact me. We want information about what
is happening to you, your organization or group in our publication. Facebook has a share button. We want the Leader to Ford be a share button for the community in our printed edition and the website. Communications comes in many sources today and the Leader
wants to be your source for community news. And our advertisers want to share what they offer in merchandise and services. I’m usually easy to get in touch with. Sometimes I’m not. I may be out on an interview, traveling from one place to another, or on my days off I might be sitting around a campfire deep in the woods somewhere with the cell phone off.
But we can connect. My e-mail is wayne.ford@onlineathens.com My desk phone is (706) 208-2218. My Athens Banner-Herald/onlineathens.com Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/WayneFordABH. I’ve met a lot of folks in Oconee County from past dealings and I’d like to hear from you again.
Affinis Hospice Grief Support Group: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Affinis Hospice, 1612 Mars Hill Road, Watkinsville. Affinis Hospice offers a grief support group on the fourth Friday of every month. You can contact Alex Stevens, Chaplain, or Rebekah Goodson, Social Worker. Free. (706) 705-6000. Oconee Farmers Market: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oconee County Courthouse, 23 N Main Street, Watkinsville. The market is open rain-or-shine on Saturdays through the last Saturday in November. Located in front of the courthouse in downtown Watkinsville. Apple iPad Basics: 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oconee County Library. Our Apple iPad Basics class will cover the physical parts of the device, how to protect your iPad, navigation by using swipe, pinch, tap, drag and double tap, how to add, delete and rearrange apps, keyboard options and shortcuts, adjusting settings, Apple ID, iCloud, how to connect to a local WiFi network, and more. Registration is required Free. (706) 769-3950 or visit www.athenslibrary. org/oconee. Crafternoon: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oconee County Library. Drop in for a fun, selfdirected “Make it and Take it” craft. Check our Facebook page on Wednesdays to find out what we’re doing Oconee County Library Children’s Section. All ages. Free. (706) 7693950 or visit www.athenslibrary.org/oconee., www.athenslibrary.org/ oconee
Photos by wayne ford
Hands of Respect, a work by Athens sculptor Stan Mullins, sits off Greensboro Highway.
Art works for Watkinsville By Wayne Ford
TheOconeeLeader.com
The city of Watkinsville has engaged its residents in an outdoors art program featuring sculptures and more than a dozen art panels. The artworks, including one granite piece weighing in at 12,000 pounds, are placed at various locations throughout the city. “We are pleased with what we have done to this point,” Watkinsville Mayor Charles Ivie said recently explaining that the program captured the curiosity of city leaders elsewhere. “We were invited by the (Georgia) Munici-
pal Association at its June convention to present our program to a group of mayors and city managers,” he said. At the GMA convention, Ivie made available hundreds of pamphlets about the project. “The mayor of Forsyth and the city manager are coming to Watkinsville in the near future to look at it,” Ivie said. The city put $10,000 in the budget in 2015 to help get the artwork ready and has budgeted a like amount this year. The city plans to alternate the sculptures each six months or until they are sold as most
of the artwork is offered for sale, Ivie said. The city was able to acquire two $5,000 grants from the Art Council of Georgia to get
Summer sports camps are a hit
Sunday sales of alcohol may go up for vote TheOconeeLeader.com
Oconee County citizens could be voting on Sunday alcohol sales as soon as the November 8 general election. The possibility of putting such a referendum on the ballot was expected to be discussed at the July 19 meeting of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners with consideration and a decision likely on the agenda for the Board’s August 2 meeting. The Board’s consideration of a referendum comes at the request of local store and restaurant owners. “We have had some requests from retailers and we’re going to put it on
Please see EVENTS
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Contact us:
Twitter @TheOconeeLeader
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By Mike Sprayberry
Homecoming Services: 11 a.m. Sunday, Ray’s
Email editor@theoconeeleader. com
Please see ART
Photo by matthew caldwell The action heated up at camps around Oconee. More photos on page 3 and at TheOconeeLeader.com.
Please see SALES
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