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MAY 23 - MAY 29, 2018
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TIMES-HERALD
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Dozens attend popular downtown music festival, ➤ page 4
your weekly connection to local news & entertainment
Plenty Raven Feathers is Newnan’s own shaman BY TAYLOR ROBINS
taylor@newnan.com Plenty Raven Feathers is a local shama n who ca n be seen around Newnan restoring positive energy to the earth. If you were for some re a s on ne e d i n g r a i n , you might wa nt to t h a n k Plent y R aven Feat hers . On Monday a fternoon, May 14, she danced to welcome rain at Greenville St reet Pa rk . Weat her forecasts t hen predicted t hat pa r ts of Georgia would receive rain well into the week. “ It ’s t i m e for r a i n , and I feel like the rain is going to continue to renew ener g y t h at i s here,” said the shaman, r e fe r r i n g to t h e r a llies that took place in and around the park in April. She defined shamans as “basically spiritual bei ng s who h ave one foot in this world and one foot in the next.” According to the sham a n , t he spi r it s told her that Monday was “a PHOTO BY TAYLOR ROBINS
Plenty Raven Feathers can sometimes be seen at Greenville Street Park doing ceremonial dances, dressed in traditional garb.
SHAMAN, page 2
Accountant by day, dessert designer by night
PHOTO BY MELANIE RUBERTI
Carla White, owner of Carla’s Creations561, helps a customer choose a uniquely decorative sweet treat during Market Day
BY MELANIE RUBERTI SUBMITTED PHOTO
Collier Harrison, a kindergartner, recently biked the five-mile trip around Stone Mountain with his father.
Six-year-old takes on Stone Mountain BY TAYLOR ROBINS
taylor@newnan.com Col l ier H a r r i son , a C o we t a C o u n t y k i n d e r g a r t n e r, r e c e n t l y biked around the base of Stone Mountain. “I was sweaty after,” C ol l i e r s a i d p r o u d l y after his April ride.. The distance around the mountain – a landm a rk i n t h e G e or g i a city of the same name – is f ive m i les , a nd according to Harrison’s f a t h e r, M ic a h H a r r ison, it took just under an hour to bike for the duo. “ T h a t ’s h o w I g o t my muscles,” said Coll ier about bi k i n g t he mountain. Col l ier ’s g r a ndpa r-
e n t s re s id e i n Sn el lville, which means t h e y p a s s t h e m o u ntain on the way to visit their family members. “Recently since he’s be en able to r ide h i s bi ke there,” sa id Ha rrison., “he’s been wanti ng to r ide h is bi ke there. I told him we’d have to put it off a nd that we didn’t have the time. So during spring break, back in the first week of April, I finally h on ore d my pr om i s e t hat before he turned 6 that he could ride his bike there.” Fat her a nd son v i sited t he mounta i n a week prior to actually bi k i n g t here . Col l ier said he liked the cable
cars, according to Harrison, who said his son recently took the traini n g whe el s of f of h i s bike by himself. “Last year in October I wa s work i ng on my tr uck,” Harrison said. “I hea rd my ratchet spi n n i ng beh i nd me and I saw Collier ta king off his tra ining wheels. I asked him what he was doing he said he was taking off one training wheel. And I told him, “That’s not how it works – you h ave to t a ke b o t h of them off.’” It took Collier a month to get comfort-
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melanie@newnan.com Carla White’s kitchen on nights and we e k e n d s l o o k s l i k e a l m o s t e ve r y c h i ld ’s nighttime fantasy. Countertops and t ables a re l i ned w it h delectable c upca kes a nd cook ies, chocolate-covered strawberries and Oreos, candycovered apple s , c a ke pops and pretzels, and succulent, full-f lavored desserts. W h ite is t he ow ner and founder of Carla’s Creations561. T h o u g h W h ite h a s called Newnan “home” for t he pa st 1 3 yea rs , the last three numbers on t he busi ness a re a nod to her root s a nd the area code in Palm Beach County, Florida. Some of her time in t he Su nsh i ne State is i ntricately desig ned o n t o W h i t e ’s e d i b l e sweet t reats , such a s f un a nd colorf ul ca ndied apples coated i n a tasty “under the sea” water adventure. White also const r uc t s c a ndy- coated apples in the shape of
unicorns, crafts bright and sparkly cake pops, regal and ref ined decorated wedding cookies, and everything in between. W h ite caters to her customers’ whimsica l ideas and dreams. “Ever y t h i ng I do is c u s to m - o r d e r e d ; t h e ca ndied apples, choco l a t e - c ove r e d O r e o s and cake pops – it’s all customized,” she said. “I meet with every client and talk with them to make it as personal a s t hey get . You c a n choose what you want a nd the f lavor you want, in more than one item.” White makes everything from scratch out of her own kitchen. Cu r rent ly, she on ly t a kes orders t h roug h her Facebook page and at her food booth during local festivals and events. “ T he most p opu l a r right now a re my red velvet and strawberry cake pops, plus my unicorn ca ndied apples,” W h ite sa id . “ T hey ’re all so intricate. If I control how many orders
I receive at once, t he m or e t i m e I h a ve to m a ke t he sweets a s detailed as I can.” White’s elite baking skills and creative talent happened by accident, she said. W h i le recoveri ng from major surger y at home i n November 2016, the Newnan mother decided to find a hobby and discovered the decorative desserts on Pinterest. She started handing out the treats to fa mi ly a nd f r iend s , t hen t u r ne d it i nto a side business in December 2016. T h at ye a r a nd i nto early 2017, White created her unique, desig ner desser ts for Christmas gatherings, Fa l c o n s S u p e r B o w l parties and Valentine’s Day events. Now, s he ba ke s for bi g ger c rowd s at events , such a s t he Gi n gerl i ly Fe st iva l , Taste of New na n a nd Main Street Newnan’s M a r k e t D a y, j u s t t o
DESSERT, page 2