Toombs County Magazine Spring/Summer 2019

Toombs County

farm … family

Flowers

What began as one family’s commitment to teach their children how to work is now a thriving “Georgia Grown” flower farm.

The Lady & Her Horses

At Rackettown Mustangs, Sandra Williamson gentles wild horses to ship to owners all over the world.

SaySay’s Kitchen

Saylor Herrin’s talent and passion for baking landed her a spot on the Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship.

More Than a Bystander

Always ready to make a difference, Logan Lawrence takes on the challenges of Washington politics.

Left to right: Dr. Stewart Hamilton, Dr. Kacy Morris, Dr. Rick Kimbrel

Left to right: Dr. Stewart Hamilton, Dr. Kacy Morris, Dr. Rick Kimbrel

12 | The Art of Storytelling

Lynn Skinner shares the adventures of a creative little mouse in her charming childrens book series.

23 | Diamonds Forever

Earl and Kathy Butler travel to Antwerp, Belgium, to purchase exquisite diamonds for their customers.

34 | Courage and Coffee

Having a place for locals to meet and enjoy good coffee and fresh baked goods is a dream come true for Samantha Moore.

46 | Vidalia’s Sweet Spot for Parties

Having a party? Check out Toombs County’s newest event venue.

52 | Farm, Family, Flowers

Started as a teaching experiment, WilMor Farms is now a thriving flower farm that promotes buying local.

64 | SaySay’s Kitchen

Saylor Herrin’s love for baking (at six years old) landed her a spot on the Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship

78 | The Good Bread

Matthew Bright credits hard work and a changed mindset to his ultimate success at A Taste of Phillie.

88 |

The Lady and Her Horses

At Rackettown Mustangs, Sandra Williamson is training wild mustangs with great results.

103 |

78

focus on health

8 | When it Comes to Your Health...Options Matter

Providing more local services is a win-win for healthcare patients.

114 | A Treatment Option for Skin Cancer

64

Teaching in Her Mother’s Shoes

Dance runs in the family for Jennifer Wooten whose mother started Vidalia Academy of Ballet in 1976.

118 | More Than a Bystander

On a path bent towards politics, Logan Lawrence is learning what it takes to have a voice in our ever-changing world.

144 | Last Words

The packing and planning can be a headache, but time spent together is worth all the fuss.

Vidalia now offers a non-invasive option for treating non-melanoma skin cancer

design+style

100 | Improve Your Home with Lighting

Give your home an instant makeover by updating your light fixtures.

About the Cover

88

issue

126 | Local Marketplace

128 | Downtown Vidalia Association

130 | Chamber of Commerce

132 | Hometown Happenings

136 | Scenes of Toombs

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive in Toombs County

“If you want to be in business, there is no better state than Georgia.” It was a definitive statement that came from my husband Tommie who spent 18 years in the state senate helping solidify Georgia as the number one state for commerce. There are many reasons that Georgia has earned this title for five consecutive years. A competitive labor environment and workforce development programs, low taxes and utility costs, favorable regulatory environments, global connectivity, a strong economy and a cooperative state government that supports small business are among the attributes that have helped put Georgia at the top.

Of course it is easy to take this all for granted if you don’t understand how good you have it. We’ve noticed during our time in Italy that small to medium-sized ventures make up 90% of the market, but getting them started is often complicated by bureaucracy, red tape and heavy tax burdens. Even though Georgia has recently been cast into political drama for its values, the bottom line is still this: it’s easier than ever to start a business in the Peach State where the budding entrepreneur is welcome with open arms. That means our door is open, and our future is bright.

While not everyone has the temperament, desire, or endurance to start a business, we all reap the benefits of living in an enterprise-friendly environment. So in this issue, we celebrate those who have made owning a business, and thus improving the community, a reality. Every business’s story has a different beginning. Lynn Skinner wanted to encourage reading and good stewardship when she began writing children’s books (p. 12), Earl and Kathy Butler decided to continue the business Kathy’s father started (p. 23), Samantha Moore wanted to provide locals with a place to slow down and congregate (p. 34), Sandra Williamson was inspired by her passion for horses (p. 88), Matthew Bright wanted to change his life’s course (p. 78), and Jennifer Wooten decided to pick up where her mother left off (p. 103). Our youngest entrepreneur is Saylor Herrin (p. 64) who, at age 11, has already started her own baking company.

Toombs County is FULL of commerce. A glance through our magazine reveals a diverse selection of businesses that all started with some kind of hope and dream. These businesses are built with love, dedication and hard work, so that you can enjoy trading local. We celebrate ALL the risk-takers and the doers who had the courage to weather the tough times, make some sacrifices and even reinvent themselves from time to time in order to bring the best businesses to Toombs County.

cheers to our businesses,

Stephanie Williams Executive Editor

To discover more that Toombs County has to offer, see our business index on page 144!

To share a story, send a note, or just get information: toombscountymagazine@gmail.com • (912) 293-0063

Follow us on:

Toombs County

PUBLISHER

Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Stephanie Williams

CREATIVE | DESIGN

Elizabeth Beasley

Stephanie Williams

ASSISTANT MANAGER

Nikki Anderson

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND MEDIA RELATIONS

Ann Owens

SALES

Dottie Hicks

Randall Montague

Daphne Walker

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Renée Martin

Beverly McClellan

Beth O’Neal

Ann Owens

Tonya Parker

Teri R. Williams

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Lillian Morse Burton

Logic4Design/Eric Love

Ann Owens

PIX Photography

Daphne Walker

Mary Gen Williams

PROOFING

Beverly McClellan

COVER PHOTO

Mary Gen Williams

For more stories, visit us at www.toombscountymagazine.com

When it Comes to Your Health... Options Matter

Making sure you have access to quality healthcare choices is important for both your health and your peace of mind. Generational changes, healthcare competition and a public demand for more personalized service is fueling a patient-centered care model that benefits us all. In response, many hospitals are implementing extra services that overall aim at improving patient safety, affordability, quality assurance and convenience.

As a patient, added services translates to more options within your own community and greater control over your personal treatment plan. It also provides a level of personalization that is difficult to achieve if you are dealing with providers beyond your community.

Healthcare options put the patient back in the driver’s seat, and for many, this can be a game-changer. With this in mind, Meadows Regional Medical Center recently announced three new service options to benefit local patients.

Meadows Health Immediate Care

Need immediate care and attention? Our newly opened Immediate Care is here

for you with convenient and affordable health care when you need it the most. Here you’ll find help for sore throats, colds, sprains and many other conditions that can’t wait but don’t require a trip to the emergency room.

Adjacent to the Wellness Center, Meadows Health Immediate Care is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, including Saturday and Sunday and appointments aren’t necessary. So the next time something is slowing you down, let us help. We’ll get you back on your way in no time!

Meadows Health Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Hear t attack, heart failure or lung disease can be a frightening and debilitating experience, so the last thing anyone wants is to have to drive to Macon or Savannah for rehabilitation.

That’s why Meadows Health is proud to introduce an exciting new service designed to dramatically improve the cardiovascular health of our patients.

Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation works to identify such risk factors as smoking, hypertension or poor diet that could be

contributing to a patient’s condition. Cardio specialists meet with patients after they are stabilized and work one on one to develop an individualized program that may include medical treatment, healthy lifestyle changes, nutrition and weight management.

This critical new program will work in conjunction with the Wellness Center to improve a patient’s overall health in an environment that’s comfortable and convenient.

Meadows Health Imaging Center

The opening of our new Meadows Health Imaging Center offers you affordable and convenient imaging services right here in Vidalia.

The center, in the Lucy Pierson Building, at 1707 Meadows Lane, Suite B, will offer MRI and ultrasound services without having to wait or go through the hospital.

ER VS. IMMEDIATE CARE

Wondering where you should go when you or a loved one becomes ill? Here’s a rule of thumb: If a medical condition is life-or limb-threatening or involves severe wounds, patients should go to the ER.

For non-life-threatening incidents, Immediate Care can be a less costly and more convenient alternative to the ER and can help with routine illnesses or injuries such as:

Providing more services on a local level is a win-win for healthcare patients.

For Life!

Spring 2019

Meadows Health Adds Three New Services

The arrival of spring often brings new growth and vitality. For Meadows Health that seems especially true this year since we welcomed several new programs and services to our growing network of providers and service areas.

We are particularly excited to announce the Meadows Health cardio rehabilitation program. Designed to dramatically improve the cardiovascular health of our patients, this program is vital to the long term outcomes of those who suffer from heart or lung disease or have suffered from a heart attack or related cardiac event.

We are also pleased to announce the opening of two new centers: Meadows Health Immediate Care and Meadows Health Imaging. Located here in Vidalia, both will offer advanced healthcare services that are affordable and convenient.

You can read more about these new programs and services –as well as other new advancements – in this issue of For Life!

Meadows Health. We’re here for you. For Life.

Vidalia, GA

(Left to Right) Kate Wall, FNP-C, Anglia Dailey, FNP-C,

Etta Boss-Cole, MD, Candice Purvis, PA-C, Molly Minter, FNP-C, Laura White, FNP-C

the art of storytelling

LYNN SKINNER LOVES TO TEACH AND TELL STORIES, BOTH OF WHICH LED HER TO WRITE TEN CHILDREN'S BOOKS THAT TEACH CHARACTER BUILDING, CREATIVE THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING.

"My grandmother Flora Snooks and her sisters founded the Garden Club in Ailey in 1929. It’s one of the oldest Garden Clubs in America,” said Lynn.

“She was part of a very large family with many siblings, and they all lived right in this area. It was always a happy place for me to come,” which was the explanation for why it was the place she and her husband had chosen to spend the years of their retirement in 2009. It also explained why it had become the perfect environment for Lynn’s gift of storytelling to flourish.

In addition to the time spent with her grandmother in Ailey, Lynn was also her grandmother’s traveling companion. From the time she was about five years old, she spent two weeks every August in the mountains with her grandmother. Lynn was not the only grandchild, but Flora Snooks was Lynn’s only living grandparent, which may have been the reason she was the one her grandmother chose to take.

Whatever the reason, Lynn always understood that the opportunity came with a responsibility. Her grandmother’s eyes had grown dim with time, and it was Lynn’s responsibility to make sure she didn’t stumble or fall. In a sense, she became her grandmother’s eyes. In return, Lynn was given the gift of seeing the world through the eyes of a woman who understood and valued the beauty around her. Lynn traveled with her grandmother every summer until she married—except for that one year she traveled to Europe between her junior and senior year of college. It was a decision that would prove pivotal.

“I was fortunate to get a position with the Proctors in Zurich, Switzerland, caring for their four young daughters,” said Lynn. “I had not met them before I arrived. We had only communicated by letter. When they picked me up from the train station, the first thing Ms. Proctor said was, ‘We are so excited that you're here because our friend’s college age boys will also be here for the summer. We can't wait for you to meet them.’”

Since they were the only two American families living in that particular area at the time, the Proctors and the Skinners spent a lot of time together. But Ms. Proctor’s excitement was not shared by her children’s new American guardian. “It was the same thing I’d heard every year when I traveled with my grandmother,” said Lynn. “We stayed at the same place and saw the same families year after year. Every summer someone wanted to set me up with

someone they knew. I thought, ‘I couldn’t believe I’ve come all the way across the ocean to hear the same thing again.’” Only this time, it was different. This time the young man was Sterling (Skip) Skinner. Four years later, the two married. It’s safe to say that Lynn forgave Ms. Proctor for playing matchmaker.

After one year of teaching school, her teaching career became a fulltime career of teaching as a mother. “I feel like I have always been teaching in one way or another,” she said, smiling. Like the best of teachers, Lynn crafted her lessons with stories. And even after her three children were grown and on their own, conversations with friends somehow turned to storytelling.

Some of my friends in Wisconsin, where they lived at the time, suggested she should put her stories into writing. “I didn't think too much about it at first,” said Lynn. It wasn’t

When Lynn was a child, she often traveled with her grandmother Flora Snooks. Flora's family was from Ailey and she and her sisters founded the Ailey Garden Club, which is one of the oldest in the country.

until she and her husband had moved to Ailey in 2009 that she began to consider following her friend’s advice. “We were sitting on the porch one day, and I was thinking about this story. It was going over and over in my mind. Finally, I decided to just get a pad and paper and write it down.” She smiled, and added, “Somehow that's a different commitment when you put it on paper.”

The story was a creative blending of nonfiction and fiction, facts spun in a barrel of imaginative play. With a mouse named Eugene, the middle name of both her husband and son, Lynn crafted a tale based on the memories of watching her son’s creative process as a child. “He loved this go-cart he got for Christmas when he was about six,” said Lynn. When he was fifteen, he decided he needed something bigger

“We were sitting on the porch one day, and I was thinking about this story. It was going over and over in my mind. Finally, I decided to just get a pad and paper and write it down.”

TOP The character of Eugene the Mouse is based on Lynn's son Sterling, who is pictured with his daughter Kate in front of a vintage race car. LEFT Lynn's husband Skip and her granddaughter Kate represented Eugene the Mouse at the Mount Vernon Christmas parade in December 2018. Kate is dressed up like the character from Lynn's books.

and built a street-legal dune buggy. Later, he built a Porsche using the best parts he could find from two or three old ones. “He drove that car to Georgia Tech where he was going to school. I said to him, ‘Sterling, this is crazy. That car will never make it.’ I followed him all the way there.” She laughed. “He drove that car for about five more years.”

Lynn envisioned her son’s search for parts and his creative process. “For the story, I made it a go-cart, since that was a much simpler machine for a mouse to make.” She smiled. “With the story on paper, it seemed to say, ‘What are you going to do now?’ I don’t do anything with art, so I began looking for an illustrator.” For two years Lynn talked to different artists, but none seemed the right fit for this particular book. And then a conversation and an invitation led her to the perfect person. It was almost as if the dots that connected her path to Mrs. Polly Rushton had been were sprinkled with fairy dust. “I’d just met Truett Andrew at church, and I said, ‘If you're ever up my way, stop by, and we'll have a cup of tea together.’ It wasn't many days before she called to say she was on her way some place and had to pass by my house. Of course, I invited her to stop by.”

Over cups of hot tea, the conversation turned to Lynn’s search for an illustrator for the children’s book she had written. “Truett immediately said, ‘Call Miss Polly,’” as she was affectionately called. “I had no idea who she was, but I called her. She said, ‘Well, why don’t you come over, and we’ll talk about it.’ I did, and she said, ‘Just leave your story, and I’ll see what I can do.’ A

few days later, she called and said, ‘Come see what I’ve done.’” Lynn smiled broadly. “That was really fun.” Everything with Miss Polly was fun.

Lynn’s first book was entitled, Eugene and his Go-Kart Machine: A Tale of a Creative Mouse. With the perfect illustrator, more stories were quick to follow: Eugene’s Mistake at the Garden Gate: The Resolve of a Creative Mouse, and Eugene Meets Bojean: The Acceptance of a Creative Mouse

“I was doing a book signing when someone walked in and said, ‘Happy Birthday, Miss Polly.’” That was the first time Lynn learned that her illustrator was ninety years old. For Miss Polly’s next birthday, Lynn threw her a party at her house. “A friend of hers, who was an excellent pianist, played for the birthday. I turned around, and there my husband was up dancing with Miss Polly!”

Three more of Lynn’s books in the Eugene series would be illustrated by Miss Polly. “I had given her the fifth one to do when she passed away in 2014,” said Lynn. The incredible Miss Polly Rushton was ninety-two.

Lynn’s next two books, Eugene, The Mouse, at the Big Farmhouse: The Contentment of a Creative Mouse, and Eugene Fishing & Wishing: The Reasoning of a Creative Mouse, were illustrated by the talented artist Pharis Davis. When she got ready for the next book to be illustrated, “Pharis was having some health problems and unable to do it. I had to find another illustrator.”

At the same time, Lynn also began a new series she based on the lives of people she knew with disabilities. Ever the teacher, she

“I want to teach something,” said Lynn about her stories. Whether they teach about “sharing, helping, apologizing, or accepting someone who is different,” Lynn hopes her stories encourage children to engage with people and nature.

“I was never in this for fame or fortune,” said Lynn with a smile. "I write these stories because it's fun."

said, “Each story would focus on someone with disabilities who has a beautiful positive attitude in spite of the limitations they face.” She hoped to base the first book on Dolly, the daughter of her college roommate. “I called Dolly’s mother and said, ‘I’ve got this new idea, and I’d like to write about your daughter Dolly.’” She agreed, but only if the illustrator was their mutual friend Ingrid Dohm, not only because of her talents as an internationally known artist, but also because Ingrid knew Dolly personally.

“Ingrid is a native of Austria,” said Lynn, “and she married an American. I met her many years ago when we were living in Wisconsin. She and her husband have three children who are roughly the same ages as our three children, so they grew up playing at one another’s houses. When Lynn called, it was the perfect time. “Ingrid just so happened to have a break in her schedule.” Happy Birthday, Dolly: Sharing Happiness was published in 2016.

In 2017, while Lynn was visiting some friends in Westchester County, New York, an idea for another book came while enjoying their garden. “As I was enjoying my coffee in the garden, the birds were chirping, the flowers were blooming, and I noticed my friend’s cat Bandit just meandering through this beautiful garden. I thought, ‘What a lovely idea.’” That lovely idea became Bandit’s Garden: Observing But Not Disturbing, and illustrated by Ingrid Dohm. The following year, Lynn added Anytime Is Party Time for Eugene the Mouse: The Wisdom of a Creative Mouse to her Eugene the Creative Mouse series with illustrations once again provided by Ingrid Dohm.

Lynn makes no attempt to mask the message in each story she writes. “I want to teach something,” she said. Whether her story is about “sharing, helping, apologizing, or accepting someone who is different than you,” Lynn’s hope is to encourage children to engage with people and nature.

“I have a problem with kids being so busy with electronics and computers. I think they’re missing something very important.” She’s

not the only one. In one book about this very issue entitled, Reset Your Child's Brain: A Four-Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen-Time by Victoria L. Dunckley, MD, she writes, “Like many other aspects of our fastpaced but often sedentary lifestyle, screen-time is introducing new variables into the health equation. Screen-time affects our brains and bodies at multiple levels, manifesting in various mental health symptoms related to mood, anxiety, cognition, and behavior.” Educators and parents alike are concerned. But history has proven again and again, tell a story, paint a picture, sing a song and art will change the world.

To date, Lynn has published ten children’s books for ages 4 through 8. Following the publication of Bandit’s Garden, a couple of people with the Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., which covers the Garden Clubs in six Southern states, suggested Lynn write another with the Garden Clubs of America in mind. Once again, the artist Ingrid Dohm was the illustrator. How Does Your Garden Grow: God’s Master Plan is dedicated to Garden Club members everywhere and specifically to Lynn’s fellow members in the Ailey Garden Club.

It’s been over seventy-years since Lynn first began visiting her grandmother in Ailey as a child. It’s ironic that the woman who was a founder of the Garden Club in Ailey was named “Flora,” which means “Flower.” A legacy can come in many ways. As her grandmother’s eyes, Lynn saw beauty in creation and enjoyed slowed moments that only age can teach us to take. Now a grandmother herself, Lynn said, “I was never in this for fame and fortune. I write these stories because it’s fun,” her eyes reflecting the life in the azaleas and magnolia trees that were just beginning to awaken with spring outside her window in Ailey.

Lynn's books can be purchased on Barnes & Noble, Amazon and at Phillip's Pharmacy in Vidalia

Diamonds Forever

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER

Vidalia business owners

Earl and Kathy Butler travel to world diamond center Antwerp, Belgium, to explore and purchase exquisite diamonds for their clients.

From Antwerp... to Vidalia

The Butlers are part of a buying group called Retail Jewelers Organization, which allows them to purchase from diamond houses in Antwerp, Belgium. Antwerp has a rich history as a world diamond center. The Butlers travel there frequently to purchase diamonds for their store, K E Butler & Company Jewelers, and for their clients. BELOW Earl selects a diamond for a customer. Diamonds shown in the rough. A single diamond with notes on quality and grade.

Earl Butler unfolded the small white package and carefully lifted the diamond with jewelry tweezers. The pyramidal-shaped stone was exquisite. “What color would you say this is?” he asked.

I can hardly tell the difference between a diamond and a cubic zirconia. “Color?” I asked. “Aren’t all diamonds colorless?”

He laid another diamond beside the first. I leaned in closer to the two diamonds that lay against the stark white wrapping. Side by side I could see that one was slightly more yellow than the other. “Which one is more valuable?” I asked.

“The color of a diamond is your personal taste,” said Jessica Aaron, store manager at K E Butler & Company Jewelers from 2014 through early 2019.

While it is true that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” it is also true that you wouldn’t want to pay for a Lamborghini and drive away in a Volkswagen. “Let me show you how diamonds are rated,” said Jessica as she pulled out a chart with a color grade scale rating diamonds by letters from D to Z. In 1953, I learned, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) established a standard by which all diamonds should be judged called the 4Cs: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat weight.

“Of the four, cut is the most important,” said Earl.

“We often think of a diamond’s cut as shape,” said Jessica, “but a diamond’s cut grade is really about how the diamond’s facets interact with light.” According to the GIA website, “Precise artistry and workmanship are required to fashion a stone so its proportions, symmetry and polish deliver the magnificent return of light only possible in a diamond.”

As a history enthusiast, I subscribe to “This Day in History” from history.com. Ironically, as I was working on this article, the headline that day read: “1905: World’s largest diamond found.” The 3,106-carat diamond, christened the “Cullinan,” was found in a mine in Pretoria,

South Africa, according to the article. The stone was presented to Britain’s King Edward VII as a birthday present, and in turn, he “entrusted the cutting of the Cullinan to Joseph Asscher, head of the Asscher Diamond Company of Amsterdam…. [Asscher] studied the stone for six months before attempting the cut. On his first attempt, the steel blade broke, with no effect on the diamond. On the second attempt, the diamond shattered exactly as planned; Asscher then fainted from nervous exhaustion.”

The importance of the perfect cut is one of the main reasons for traveling to Antwerp, Belgium. “We’re a part of a buying group called Retail Jewelers Organization [RJO],” said Earl, “which allows us access to purchase from diamond houses in Antwerp. There are about 800 retail stores in this buying group.”

Unlike jewelry chain stores, Kathy and Earl purchase each piece that comes into K E Butler often with specific customers in mind. “[Antwerp] is one of the oldest diamond centers, and has a rich history that in many ways tells the story of the changes in the global economy over the last five centuries,” writes diamond industrialist Ehud Arye Laniado, in his article, “Antwerp and Diamonds: A Rocky Love Story.”

After a ring design is chosen, a diamond is carefully set into a mount. The process takes precision and skill. The Butlers also do jewelery repairs and sizing.

Since their last trip to Antwerp in 2004, cellphones have opened up a whole new world of buying and selling. “Jessica took pictures of finished and rough diamonds, and as soon as she posted them on Facebook, people at home were texting saying, ‘I want that one!” said Earl.

“When I asked how long it takes to polish a diamond,” said Jessica, “I was told it could take two days or two years. The time it took was according to the diamond.”

“Diamonds have a grain just like wood,” said Kathy Butler. “They have to study it, which could take months for a larger diamond to decide the best way to cleave it and then polish the facets.”

Determining a diamond’s color, the second most important characteristic in the 4Cs, is actually about determining its lack of color. The less color the higher the grade. According to the color grade scale, D-F diamonds are colorless and extremely rare. “Once you get past Z, you get into your ‘fancy’ colors and the rarity and value picks up again. In Antwerp, we have to determine color by sight alone,” said Earl. “Kathy is great at it. When you get there, choosing a diamond is all about experience and knowledge.” Diamonds purchased on this particular trip ranged in size from a half to five carats.

In addition to Antwerp, “RJO holds two shows each year at different locations in the United States that is exclusive to members of the RJO buying group. In January, the owners of K E Butler Jewelers attended the show in Nashville, Tennessee, to select spring/summer merchandise and will purchase for their fall/winter selections in Schaumburg, Illinois, this summer.

Where it all started–Gay Jewelers, Inc.

As fascinating as I found the history of Belgium’s five centuries of diamond trade, the nearly six and a half decades of K E Butler Jewelers interested me even more. As a three-generation business in our community, their story is deeply rooted in the history of our community. The remarkable narrative begins with Kathy’s father, Alby Gay.

Born in 1921, Alby was the fourth of Henry and Ruby Gay’s nine children. Born in Kibbee, Georgia, a small unincorporated community to this day, his family moved around the area following fieldwork as sharecroppers. When WWII broke out, eighteen-year-old Alby enlisted and was appointed to the Army Air Corps. (The Air Force was not formed as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces until 1947 after the war was over). Stationed in Great Britain, he worked on instrument panels in planes.

When Alby contracted tuberculosis, he was sent home for treatment. “During both World War I and World War II in the US Army, tuberculosis was the leading cause of discharge,” according to the online Journal of Military and

Veterans’ Health. Alby was given a choice: He could either go to Charleston, South Carolina, or Denver, Colorado, for treatment. He chose Denver for one reason only: “He said if he’d gone to Charleston, he knew his family would try to come and care for him, and he didn’t want to be a burden to them,” said Earl. The “history” section of the store’s webpage gives more detail: “For treatment, the doctors cut out two of his ribs and collapsed his lung by laying a brick on it.”

It is certain Alby would not have chosen the events that led him to Denver, but it is just as certain if given a choice, he would not have chosen a different path. If he had not gone to Denver for treatment for TB, he might never have met his wonderful wife, Glenrose Mumm.

The two married in August 1946 at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Kibbee, Georgia. While Alby continued to recover, Glenrose found work at the paper mill in Savannah. When Alby came down with TB a second time, they returned to Denver once again for treatment. Following his discharge, Alby enrolled in the Joseph Bulova School for Watchmaking in Denver.

“Bulova was a well-known watch company in America at that time,” said Earl.

According to the veteranswatchmakerinitiative.org, “The Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking was started as a non-profit institution to provide training and rehabilitation for disabled World War II veterans….” Its purpose was “to repay, in some small measure, the sacrifice and service of returning disabled veterans after the Second World War.” According to a 1947 newsreel footage of the Bulova School of Watchmaking, “1,400 jewelers promise[d] employment for graduates.”

After graduating from the Bulova School of Watchmaking, Alby and Glenrose moved to her hometown of Yuma, Colorado, where he found work at Fenster’s Jewelers. In addition to using his skills in watchmaking, Alby also learned how to run a business. Not long after the birth of their Kathleen (Kathy), the small jewelry store could not support two families. “Mr. Fenster was an older gentleman, and Alby offered to buy him out. But he wasn’t ready to retire,” said Earl.

In 1955, Alby moved his family back to Georgia with plans to open his own jewelry and watch repair store. But times were tough, and banks had little money to loan. Luckily, Alby’s Uncle, Teddy Allmond, agreed to give his nephew a loan, and Gay Jewelers was open for business that August specializing in watch repair and repair of electric shavers.

A month or two later, “Mr. Alby had a cousin, Dick Bailey, who was getting married and wanted to buy a diamond. The store had very little revenue, but Alby went to Ewing Brothers Co., a diamond and jewelry wholesaler in Atlanta, from whom he purchased watch parts hoping to purchase a diamond for his cousin. The company agreed to sell him a ½ carat diamond (to be paid for within 30 days) based on his good standing as a Standard Oil Charge Card holder,” said Earl. “They changed the name from Ewing

Brothers Co., but we’re still doing business with that company today.”

Kathy was four years old when her family moved from Denver to Vidalia. During those early years, she said, “Of course, I was expected to work in the store after school and during the summer. It was our family business. But I had no interest in it.” When she was older, Kathy’s father pulled her aside and explained that as his only child, she would one day inherit the family business. But her dream was to become a teacher and so she followed her own path.

On November 6, 1976, Kathy married Earl Butler. Both had education degrees and began their careers as teachers. Earl’s teaching career was short-lived. Earl had only just begun his career as a teacher at Vidalia High School when Kathy’s father made him an offer: If his daughter didn’t want to learn the business, perhaps he could teach his new son-in-law and still keep it in the family. And that one year of teaching was enough to make the jewelry and watch repair business sound too good to pass up.

In June 1977, Earl’s education began with watch repair. “Mr. Alby gave me a screwdriver, tweezers, and an old pocket watch. I would take one screw out, put that screw back, take it out, put it back again. I did that for about a week to get used to the feel of the tools and small parts. The next week I took out two screws. About a month later, I could take out the whole plate and the wheels, and I could sometimes even reassemble it. Sometimes it would even run again.” He smiled.

By 1977, Gay Jewelers had moved to what is now the B B & T Bank shopping center. In the years that followed, Earl continued to learn from Mr. Alby and also took classes from Holland School for Jewelers, courses from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), as well as other classes

ABOVE Mark Butler, Earl Butler, Kathy Butler and Isaiah Gibson. BELOW Once the diamonds are cut and polished, they are available for purchase and can be set into mounts.

to increase his proficiency and skill. Following Gay Jewelers acceptance into the American Gem Society in 1986, Earl completed all the required coursework and study to become a Registered Jeweler.

As Earl devoted his life to the family business, Kathy returned to the store to help out from time to time. “I was free labor,” she said with a smile. As she helped her husband, it surprised her that the marketing side of the business was something she really enjoyed. Kathy left teaching and went back to school to take a marketing and visual merchandising diploma program at Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia. With both Kathy and Earl at the helm, Alby and Glenrose retired in 1994. In October 1995, the Butlers moved the store to its current location in the Palmer Place Shopping Center and changed the name to K E Butler and Company Jewelers to make the transition complete. They continue to serve our community with the same values and commitment to service that established Gay Jewelers as a bedrock in this community.

In October 2015, the Butler’s son Mark returned home to join the family business. “[Mark’s] future goal is to become owner and continue the staff practice of offering exemplary customer service and quality diamonds and fine jewelry to our community for another 60 years and beyond.” (The Butler’s daughter, Joni Ford, lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband Russ).

Isaiah Gibson, a 2017 graduate of VHS, came to K E Butler Jewelry in 2017. Much like Earl’s apprenticeship with Mr. Gay all those many years ago, Isaiah hones his skills in jewelry and watch repair and with the laser welder, gas torch, and designing in CAD under Earl’s tutelage. Isaiah plans to attend school in Texas to work toward a degree in jewelry design in the fall.

Many speak of legacy as something only the famous leave behind. But a legacy is more than someone’s fortune or even a person’s influence on a certain period of time. From the beginning, we were commissioned with a particular task–a job, if you will. When we demonstrate commitment and enjoyment in our work, whether as garden tenders, jewelers, or homemakers, we leave a legacy more valuable than money or fame. Such were my thoughts as I read the caption for a picture on the store’s website of Earl and Kathy’s son Mark as a young child with a magnifier headset strapped to his forehead, a steel ring mandrel in his right hand, and mallet in his left. The caption read: “In the shop with dad.”

There are few family businesses anymore. But the legacy passed on by Alby Gay and his wife Glenrose is about more than passing on a jewelry store. The legacy Earl and Kathy uphold is a legacy of honor and trust. While I still may not know a diamond from a cubic zirconia, I know Earl and Kathy Butler. And that’s enough to be sure that whether I like my diamonds canary yellow or with a richer red hue (a.k.a. a fancy), the price I pay will always match my idea of beauty.

UTCM

v Honor v Teach

National Wreaths across America Day began in 1992 at Arlington National Cemetery. Today, the event, which will be held on December 14, 2019, at 12:00 p.m., coordinates wreath laying ceremonies at more than 1,600 locations around the world at the same moment. As wreaths are lain, the name of each veteran is spoken aloud. The mission of this event is to REMEMBER the Fallen, HONOR those who Serve, and TEACH our children the value of Freedom. Help us Remember, Honor, and Teach by joining us at Lakeview Memorial Gardens on Saturday, December 14, 2019, at 12:00 PM. We hope to lay as many wreaths as possible to honor the 290 veterans buried here. If you would like to sponsor a wreath ($15) and/or volunteer, please visit our webpage at http://wreathsacrossamerica.org/GALAKE to sign up, or contact our event coordinator TyAnn Copeland at 912-314-9942.

Gray Meredith at Longleaf Builders understands that each home he builds is building our community. With four decades of experience, Altamaha Bank and Trust is proud to do business with people like Gray. Our staff is dedicated to helping you secure a bright future and helping our community grow. Stop in and see us today!

Lending Officer Jake Cleghorn with Gray Meredith of Longleaf Builders

Courage & Coffee

HER MARINE TRAINING TAUGHT HER ABOUT RESILIENCE, HAVING CHILDREN

TAUGHT HER ABOUT LOVE AND OWNING A COFFEE SHOP IN DOWNTOWN VIDALIA

TAUGHT HER HOW TO FULFILL A DREAM.

The sign read S'moore, and my first thought was chocolate marshmallow campfire treats. But S’Moore is all about coffee. Great coffee. It’s a smooth blend of the owner’s name: Samantha Moore, the young woman who took a little bit of money and stretched it out to start her own business as only a single mom could do. And the coffee? A cup is well worth a run to downtown Vidalia. Wait. That’s a great idea. And as you head out, take this magazine with you because you’re going to want to know more about the owner when you taste the best coffee and espresso in town (along with a piece of homemade cheesecake or quiche fresh from Samantha's oven).

I should say at the start that this is not a story for the faint of heart. Samantha served as a Marine, after all. You might guess as much from her various tattoos. She joined the Marine Corps fully intending on a military career. She was in for the long haul. And Samantha would still be serving our country if it had not been for the injury.

Why the Marines? That was the question her dad asked but not for the same reason as her mom. What his question meant was, “Why not the Navy?” since it was the branch in which he had served. Her mom’s question was just that: every mother’s concern. But neither one questioned that their daughter would do well. While there were plenty of air-conditioned options for summer jobs, Samantha chose to work alongside her stepdad, Ivey Oliver, finishing houses on St. Simons Island. She enjoyed the challenge and always gave her best to whatever she did.

When Samantha turned sixteen, she moved

from Brantley County, Georgia, to Temecula, California, to live with her father and stepmother. She managed to excel at school and run track while working a job at night. She started off at Taco Bell and then took a job at Starbucks. Her work was so proficient that as soon as she turned eighteen, she was promoted to shift supervisor by her manager, Matt Mincey.

But with high school graduation approaching, Samantha grew restless. She wanted more. She wanted to see the world and expand her knowledge. There wasn’t money for college, and she had enough common sense to know she did not want a future bound to student loan debt.

“I take a logical approach to things,” said Samantha. “I could join the Marines, and my school would be paid for.”

To answer the question “Why the Marines?” we have

only to look next door. Carla Perez was a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marine Corps at that time, and she was also Samantha’s next door neighbor. “I could ask her lots of questions to find out what it was like to be a woman

in the Marines, and she shared her own stories and experiences,” said Samantha. And Camp Pendleton, one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the U.S., was just down the road.

Samantha left California on September 11, 2006, for Parris Island, South Carolina, where all female Marines are sent for boot camp. Even though training was intense, the environment was much less of a culture shock for her. “I was raised in the South and accustomed to saying ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘no ma’am.’ Boot camp was more about overcoming fears for me. I had a fear of heights and a lot of opportunities to get over it,” she laughed.

As a Marine, everything in Samantha’s life was defined. “From the moment they wake you up to the moment they say you can sleep, it’s all about structure,” she said. It was a structure in which she excelled. In fact, Samantha graduated in the top 10% of her unit and received a

Located in downtown Vidalia, S'Moore Coffee Shop is a great place to meet friends for a good cup of coffee and some fresh baked treats. Samantha has an assortment of things on display from her years in the military.

meritorious promotion to Private First Class.

Following boot camp, Samantha was sent to Marine Combat Training (MCT). “The Marine Corps is different from most other branches of the military. Regardless if you are infantry or not, you still go through combat training because you’re a rifleman first,” said Samantha. After MCT, she was sent to Marine Occupational Specialist (MOS) school for training in supply where she received yet another meritorious promotion.

Her first duty station was back at Camp Pendleton. A few months later, Samantha’s unit was deployed to Altaqqedum, Iraq, where she served for seven and a half months. By the end of her second year of service, she had already earned the rank of Corporal (E4).

There was nothing unusual about the day of her injury. Samantha

“Boot camp was more about overcoming fears for me. I had a fear of heights and a lot of opportunities to get over it,” said Samantha.

had completed the 10-mile run over mountain paths with stops in between for calisthenics many times. “When you do something physical, you expect to ache for a day or two, but not weeks. After the run, I couldn’t seem to recover. The Marines teach you to have a ‘suck it up’ mentality, and that’s what I did. I kept going.”

A week after the run, she could still barely walk. Finally, she went to the doctor. “I had a hip injury and damage to my hip joints. But they did not want to do surgery because I was so young. The doctors felt scar tissue would be worse than the pain I had as a result of bursitis.”

Still, Samantha tried to push through. But no matter how hard she pushed, she knew she could not keep up with the physical training of her unit. “If you can’t get out there and out run your Marines, they’re not going to want to follow you no matter how much knowledge you have. I was not going to lead Marines that way.”

Finally, she was transferred over to the legal department. The transfer

Samantha has upgraded equipment and added some gift items to her shop as the business has grown. Her main focus is providing a place where people can come for good coffee and conversation.

gave Samantha an opportunity to learn the legal process of things in the Marine Corps, which she enjoyed. The change of environment was also an opportunity to return to two things she had always enjoyed: making great coffee and baking. “I had loved baking since I was a child, so I started baking again and brought my espresso machine to the office,” she said. Word quickly got around. “Officers began dropping by for the coffee and baked goods.” Samantha even used the opportunity to raise money for various functions like the Marine Corps Ball.

Samantha’s time of enlistment was over in June 2010. What was supposed to be twenty years of service had been only four. Two weeks later, she was taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was a time of endings and new beginnings both in her career and personal life. By the time she was finished with culinary school, she found herself far from family and ending a broken marriage.

The disappointment and heartbreak of giving up her dream of a career in the Marines followed by a failed marriage led to a season of disillusionment and an unplanned pregnancy. “I’d wanted to get pregnant when I was married and couldn’t. Now, here I was single and pregnant.” Even so, she said, “Regardless of the circumstances, I believed this baby was a blessing.”

Samantha was only eleven weeks pregnant when she awoke one morning to discover her baby’s father had taken his life. “The suicide made no sense,” she said. “He was so excited about the baby. But I had known from the beginning that he had a dark and troubled past. I just always thought I could save him. But suicide is something you never expect.”

Perhaps it was her training as a Marine or simply the resilience she gained as a child picking tobacco in the South Georgia heat, whatever the reason, it was enough to turn her heart away from her own sorrow to focus on the baby growing inside of her. No, she could not control another’s choices, so she grabbed ahold of what she could control for herself. “I could turn to medication or drugs, or I could trust God to help me. I was not going to let anything, not even depression, affect this baby.”

On November 3, 2012, Samantha gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy she named Antonio Justin (A.J.). Three months later, after moving to Vidalia, the unthinkable happened. “I’d run to town to pick up something for supper, when the babysitter called and said something was wrong with A.J. I immediately rushed home.” The ER felt his symptoms where due to dehydration and sent her home with instructions to give him Pedialyte.

When she returned to the ER a second time, A.J. was immediately put on oxygen and life-flighted to Savannah. As soon as Samantha arrived, she was told to call her family. “I kept asking, ‘Why?’ I didn’t understand. Finally, someone said to me, ‘Sweetie, your son may not make it.’” In that moment, it was as if the last domino had been tipped over, and every piece of her life was crashing down with it. “I just hit the floor and called out to God,” she said.

The hospital performed test after test. A CT scan showed A.J. had experienced a subdural hematoma. “They didn’t know if the hematoma caused him to have seizures or the other way around,” said Samantha. “At this point, he had already started going into septic shock. The lack of oxygen was so severe, I was told that best case scenario, if

“I had loved baking since I was a child, so I started baking again and brought my espresso machine to the Office" said Samantha.

he survived he would have cerebral palsy.” With her son on life-support, Samantha continued to cry out to God. “I just felt if I could truly make a connection with God and let my energy get in that flow with Him, my son would come back to me like Lazarus came back from the dead.”

At that very moment, six-year-old A.J. bounded into the coffee shop with his baby sister, Novaleigh, carried by Chad, Samantha’s fiancé and her daughter’s father. A.J. tossed a bag of Legos on the table insisting his mama look at his “invention.”

“As you can see, miracles aren’t just from Bible times,” said Samantha smiling. “We came home on Valentine’s Day.” She leaned forward as she said with deep conviction, “You can look at nature and know God exists, but there are moments when you see Him in a personal way. And when you see a miracle, it’s personal.” A.J. hopped down from his chair and headed to the back room with Chad and his bag of inventions in hand.

“The first time my dad saw A.J. was when I facetimed him from the hospital. He had been in California for twenty-years, but after that, he put his house on the market, and he and my stepmom moved here in 2013. When he came here, he gave me $5000 left from the sale of his house and said, ‘Sam, this is all I have. I don’t know if you can do anything with it, but I believe in your dream.’” Her “dream” was to open her own coffee shop. Samantha was actually finishing up a business degree from STC when A.J. got sick. “I had already mapped out a tenyear-plan.”

With only her father’s confidence in her and the $5000, Samantha did the impossible. In October 2013, she opened S’Moore Coffee Shop and invited our community into her dream. The goal was simply to be a place where people could gather and share a great cup of coffee and conversation. The first location for the coffee shop was on 102 Southwest Main in Vidalia. A year later, she moved to her present location at 114 Church Street. “Part of our success was in allowing the business to grow before upgrading equipment,” said Samantha. “We’ve added Green Tea Frappes and Iced Tart Berry Lemonade recently, and we are adding more new flavors all the time. She’s also able to put that culinary degree to work with fresh baked goods made daily from scratch.

“Do you still have trouble from the injury?” I asked.

Samantha pointed toward the beautiful wood counter. “My dad, Chad, and I made that together a week ago. I’m still moving slow from all the physical work, but I’ll be fine. It just takes some time for me to recover when I overdo it.” Chad returned from the other room for Novaleigh. His daughter smiled as he lifted her up. His love for both children was obvious.

“He was in the Army when we first met,” said Samantha as he left the room. “You know, I had already been through a divorce and the death of my son’s father. I didn’t want to rush into a commitment. In fact, I had pretty much lost all hope of love. My only focus was on my business in those first four years.” But from the first moment, Chad knew Samantha was the one. Slowly his love for her and A.J. restored her hope in love. And the restoration of her heart was as much a miracle as any physical healing of the body.

“When we got pregnant, he was stationed in Tennessee, and he drove here every weekend–eight hours one way–just to be with us,” said Samantha. “We decided together that he wouldn’t reenlist because of my business, which would have made travel for us impossible.” Chad served eight years in the Army and is currently enrolled in the electrical technology program at STC. “He also helps me at the coffee shop when he can.” She glanced toward the back room and said, “I know it wasn’t the traditional ‘marriage first, and then a baby.’”

Tradition. It’s a nice word for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but all the dotted I’s and crossed T’s of tradition can’t guarantee happiness, much less lasting love. Ultimately, life gives two choices: We can look back or move forward. Every soldier knows that his or her survival depends on movement even under fire. Some will choose to stay in their foxhole and assign blame for past failures or even fall prey to disappointment’s unquenchable thirst for the one thing we truly possess: the present. Not Samantha. She has opened her heart and invited us into her dream with some of the best coffee and fresh baked goods in town. S’Moore Coffee Shop is the kind of family-owned business that speaks of all things strong and true. And Samantha Moore is pretty tough, too.

WILLIAM PEARCE, MD

Acute Care - Same Day Appointments,

Physicals, Healthchecks & Vaccines

Most Insurance Accepted United Healthcare & Blue Cross/Blue Shield PPO & HMO Providers

Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Established patients may be seen at our sister clinic Vidalia Pediatrics after hours

Monday -Thursday, 5 PM - 6:30 PM and Saturday, 9 AM - 12 PM

MEET OUR PROVIDERS Left to Right:

Kate Wall, FNP-C, Anglia Dailey, FNP-C

Dr. Etta Boss-Cole, MD, Candice Purvis, PA-C Molly Minter, FNP-C, Laura White, FNP-C

Discover Vidalia’s Sweet Spot for parties and events

Weddings, graduation parties, corporate events, birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, and workshops. These were just a few of the possibilities Natasha Goss envisioned for the former Rocky Creek Club House. Every time she and her husband Monroe passed by it, she would say, “I wish I could do something. It has so much potential.” It was a sentiment many others had probably considered. Even so, the couple knew it would take more than a vision to turn the former club house into an event venue.

Finally, Natasha and Monroe could not simply watch the vacant building at 1916 Foxfire Drive continue to decline and not do something about it. This was their community. It was the town where their children attended school and would make lifelong friends. Doing something about the deteriorating building that had once served Rocky Creek Golf Course was now personal.

In 2017, after nearly two years of disuse, work began. There’s a very real difference between a remodel, a renovation, or a restoration, but turning the former club house into an

Take a luxury escape to the great outdoors by hosting your next event overlooking the Twelve Acre Lake at the newly renovated Rocky Creek Lodge in Vidalia.

event venue took all three. With an emphasis on the natural elements of the land, the building went through a complete transformation.

In August 2018, Rocky Creek Lodge held its first event. In only a few short months, Rocky Creek lodge has already facilitated weddings, business gatherings, concerts, parties, and many other events. On the main floor, a large meeting room with spacious windows invites the natural elements surrounding the Lodge into its modern design. The room is equipped with a builtin bar, a projector with audio and video capability with ceiling speakers throughout, TVs, and Wi-Fi. The former Rocky Creek Club House Pro Shop is now a caterer’s dream kitchen.

in a modern, rustic style with wood floors throughout, the presence of wood provides a sense of warmth and beauty. The upstairs also provides a large dressing room with make-up counter and full bath and shower as well as a laundry room. An open common room, which offers a quiet space to congregate, is equipped with a Keurig coffee maker, small refrigerator, and large screen TV. A step through double doors leads guests out to a balcony with a beautiful view of the property’s twelve-acre lake.

Outside, stairs were added to each side of the newlydesigned wrap-around porch. A beautiful walkway leads guests to a spacious gazebo that is situated out on the lake. Equipped with water and power, it’s the perfect setting for outdoor weddings and concerts. Two gasfueled fire pits provide guests with even more places to relax and enjoy conversation together. With a setting only nature can provide, Rocky Creek Lodge is the perfect venue for any event.

Whether your dream event calls for grand and large or intimate and quiet, Rocky Creek Lodge is the perfect location to make the best memories. Call us today to schedule a tour.

478-455-4524 or 229-407-0222

rCL@roCkyCreekLodgeVidaLia.Com

1916 FoxFire driVe, VidaLia, ga 30471

farm + family flowers

Born from a desire to teach their children about work ethic, Mike and Rita Williams's WilMor Farms is now a thriving flower farm that demonstrates the beauty you can find from buying local.

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY MARY GEN WILLIAMS

Why do flowers barely make it home from the store before they begin to wilt? It was not a question I had ever thought to ask until I visited WilMor Farms one morning in early August. As the noisy insects of late summer performed a continuous chorus, my senses were overwhelmed by the long rows of amaranths, yellow sunflowers, reddish orange marigolds, zinnias, rudbeckia triloba, celosias (cockscomb and rooster tail), basil, ageratum, and sweet-smelling white tuberose. Rita Williams pointed to each one as the names of the flowers rolled out like a native tongue.

The reason for the short life of most flowers we buy at the store is because, “80% of the flowers bought in America come from foreign markets,” said

Rita. According to 800florals.com, an online floral shop:

…[F]oreign imports dominate today's flower market, in some cases accounting for 90% or more of all U.S. sales within a particular category…. Together, Colombia and Ecuador accounted for roughly 90% of all roses, 98% of all carnations, and 95% of all chrysanthemums sold in the U.S. last year. And, they're not the only countries competing for America's love of flowers.

Local flower growers have struggled in recent years to compete with global markets. But with the “Buy Local” and “Slow Food” movement, there has been a cultural shift back to local farms and resources

WilMor Farms grows a variety of flowers, which change with the season. The farm holds many memories for Rita as it originally belonged to her grandparents.

by American consumers. WilMor Farms owners, Rita and Mike Williams, are members of four important organizations that foster this turn toward home: Slow Flowers founded by Debra Prinzing; Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers; American Grown Flowers and Georgia Grown.

Both Rita and Mike graduated from the University of Georgia. After college, Rita went to work as a registered nurse in the hospital in Athens. Mike, a horticulture major, worked with a large landscaping company in Athens. They married in 1998, and three years later moved from Athens to Statesboro where Mike established his own landscaping company called Olive Branch Landscaping, and Rita went to work at the East Georgia Regional Hospital.

The move to Statesboro in 2001 was a step closer to home, and home was the old family farm on the outskirts of Metter. Even though Rita grew up in Lyons, Georgia, she spent entire summers and nearly every weekend exploring the land and playing with her cousins.

“The Queen of England granted my ancestor 5,000 acres of land,” said Rita. “His name was John Dekle, and my grandmother was a direct descendant of his.” By the time Rita came along, her grandparents, Orita and Clifford Morgan, owned three hundred acres of the original land. Clifford Morgan built a house from wood on the property with the help of his brothers. The best anyone can figure, the old farmhouse was built sometime in the 1930s. Although her grandfather died when she was young, Rita still has distant snapshots of him in her memory.

Rita’s mother, Gen Morgan, taught school at Lyons Elementary for over forty years. Her father, Jimmy Morgan, worked for Nesmith Oil for many years and farmed a little on the weekends at the old homeplace. “My dad was young, in his fifties, when he died of lung cancer,” said Rita. She was only in the 8th grade at the time.

Not long after her father passed away, Rita’s grandmother had to move into an assisted living facility. After her death, the land was again divided, and Rita inherited forty acres and the old farmhouse. By the time she moved to Statesboro, the house had sat vacant for over twenty years.

Rita and Mike worked every spare moment and moved in after three years. “We’re still doing renovations,” laughed Rita. They moved in just before their first child, Mary Gen, was born. Within six years, they had all four children. Today, Mary Gen (14), Josie (12), Mason (10), and Morgan (8) are the seventh generation of Rita’s family to live on the land. The room in which their son Mason sleeps once belonged to Rita’s father. It’s the one room in the old farmhouse that she’s kept the same.

As Mike’s landscaping business continued to grow, Rita took a job auditing medical charts from home, which allowed her the flexibility to be with the children and homeschool. Although “buying local” is a message and mission of WilMor Farms today, it was not the catalyst behind their venture into flower farming. About four years ago, Rita and Mike decided to do something to help prepare their children for the world in a very real way.

“So many children today are growing up with no concept of how to work,” said Rita. “Even worse, they don’t see the value in it. Whether our children choose to work is up to them, but when they leave home, they will at least know how to work.” What better way to learn the principles of work ethics than with farming?

When the Williamses learned that there was a conference on organic gardening in Athens, they made plans to attend. In the beginning, the plan was never to grow flowers; it was to grow produce. While attending a farm tour in the area for attendees of the conference, the Williamses visited 3 Porch Farm.

“We couldn’t believe how their farmhouse looked almost exactly like ours,” said Rita. “Even their two old barns looked just like ours.” But 3 Porch Farm was growing flowers, not produce. “With Mike’s background in horticulture, it just made perfect sense. He looked at me and said, ‘We could do this.’”

Mike and Rita went home and did their research. “There were no flower farmers in our area that we could find,” said Rita. “We actually went back to Athens and met with Steve and Mandy O’Shea at 3 Porch Farm to see what we could learn. The first thing they suggested was that we join the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers in order to access all the articles and videos archived online from their conferences. It was a wealth of information,” said Rita.

In 2015, they decided to call the children’s new lesson “WilMor Farms” and planted their first crop of flowers. “Soil health is the one thing with flowers that is essential. We thought we had good dirt down here. The guy who farmed it took really good care of the land,” said Rita. But they learned that first year that the soil wasn’t in as good a shape as they had thought. “We had to bring in several loads of organic compost throughout the year.” Compost now only has to be added to the soil once a year. “We consider that as a year of learning and 2016 as our first actual year of business.”

Since there were so few flower growers in the south, information for this particular climate was hard to come by. “Our climate was different even from 3 Porch Farm in Athens,” said Rita. While listening to conference speaker, Rita Anders, a flower grower in Texas, speak, she said, “I learned that our climates are very similar. I went up to her after the meeting and asked if we could take her out for supper. She said, ‘Sure.’” That one meal turned into a longterm friendship and mentor.

“Rita Anders just took us under her wing,” said Rita.

“She’s been growing flowers for over twenty years and is a wealth of knowledge. Her farm is called Cuts of Color. We can grow the same flowers here as she grows in Texas, so we shamelessly do everything she does. She keeps me on track to make sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.”

“Does the guy on the tractor work for you?” I asked above the noise of the tractor.

“No.” Rita smiled. “That’s Jacques. He’s a truck driver and a good family friend. He’s in between work and just wanted to help us out.” She waved at Jacques as he continued cutting stalks from old flowers with a bush-hog. “Our family and friends are amazing. Mike’s mother Renée lives just through the woods and helps us with everything. She’s awesome.”

After the soil is tilled, netting is placed on top of the soil for plant support and placement. It’s the children’s job to clean the buckets, which is no small thing. “They have to be meticulous because of disease. Any bacteria can get into the flower stems, and that will kill your flowers.”

With supplies they already had on hand, Rita and Mike

built three small hoop houses for seeding and helping to protect small plants from harsh weather until ready to go into the ground. They received their “high tunnel,” which is a permanent “unheated greenhouse,” through a government grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). At the first of October, Rita got word that WilMor

During the height of the season, the Williamses assemble bouquets each week in the old barn that belonged to Rita's grandfather (below). On Saturdays, they take the bouquets to sell at three different markets (above). Friends and neighbors often come to the farm to help cut the flowers in preparation for the weekend markets.

Farms had just been awarded another grant for a deep well and irrigation system.

At the height of flower production (spring and summer), WilMor Farms will sell flowers at three markets. During this time, Rita and the children can cut flowers throughout the week because of the cooler. She squinted against the sun as she pointed back toward the barn. “We got the cooler from an old Subway restaurant, and Mike just bought the panels and insulated it good.” They will have cut about 2,000 flowers by Thursday evening.

“The zinnias can’t be gathered until the last minute because they don’t like the cold,” said Rita. “On Thursday evening, neighbors and family show up and grab a pair of clippers for the ‘zinnia party.’ They come out of the goodness of their hearts just to help out. It takes about four hours of cutting with eight people.”

Early Friday morning, two long tables are set up in the barn that once held Rita’s Grandfather’s cow feed and horse tackle. On this particular Friday, two extras are here to help: a cousin from down the road and Rita’s longtime friend, Meredith Brodnax. Of course, Mike’s mother Renée is on hand. “It takes about six hours to make the 120 to 130 big bouquets,” said Rita.

A chalkboard stood high on a shelf against the wall with instructions on the number of each variety for each size bouquet. “The children like to be creative and make their own combination,” said Rita. Even with no name to identify

the “artist,” she can easily identify which child made each one. “I have a regular customer who buys a bouquet every week at the market and without fail, she will pick a bouquet Josie made.”

Around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, Rita is out in the barn wrapping each bouquet in brown wrapping paper. As soon as the flowers are loaded onto the vehicles in buckets, Rita heads to the Statesboro market, and Mike takes his mother Renée to the market in Augusta. After he helps get her set up, he heads on to Columbia, South Carolina, for the Soda City Market. The four children are divided between them to help sell the flowers they have planted, cut, and arranged.

“We sell $20 bouquets, $10 bouquets and $5 bouquets, and we always have some $1 flowers for the children,” said Rita. “We always want to have something for everyone.” A small bag of water is tied to the stems after a bouquet is purchased to help ensure it stays fresh on the way home. Of course, these flowers have been freshly cut and will have a long table life.

“The best part is the people we meet at the markets,” said Rita. “We have a good many customers with whom we’ve developed relationships over these past three years. One particular woman in Augusta who lost her twelve-year-old daughter whose name was Frances comes every Saturday to buy two bouquets: a large one for her home and a smaller one for her daughter’s grave. “She tells me, ‘Every time I look at those flowers, I think, Frances has those flowers, too.’”

Around the end of September, WilMor Farms planted their crop of “cool flowers” that included larkspur, dianthus, snapdragons, bachelor’s buttons, ammi mist, statice, orlaya, agrostemma, campanula, yarrow, scabiosa, strawflower, dill, bupleurum, dusty miller, and poppies. “Even though they may seem dormant, they are busy growing a rich root system all winter long below the surface. And with the first good day of sunshine in the spring, they will just take off,” said Rita.

During the changing of seasons, WilMor Farms will continue to sell flowers at the Statesboro market, which runs through Thanksgiving, and return to the Augusta market perhaps a few more times in the fall. Beginning in February, florist sales will resume.

As busy as things can be at WilMor Farms, flowers are only one part of the Williams family life. Somehow in the midst of all the seeding and planting and cutting, these kids stay busy with school and sports. Mary Gen is on a swimming team in Statesboro and regularly competes in swimming competitions; Morgan works at Kelly Farms in Pulaski two days a week and rides English style; Mason plays soccer and spends every spare minute hunting and fishing; Josie likes to run and compete in races. But no matter where these kids go in life, there’s one thing for certain: They will know how to get out there and do whatever they want with their lives.

With the end of summer, Rita was also preparing to resume the children’s school lessons. Work in the garden will be minimal until next spring. On the day of my visit to WilMor

RIGHT, TOP Mike's mother Renée lives nearby and is always on hand to help with the flowers. RIGHT, MIDDLE The flowers are often purchased by individuals, but WilMor Farms also sells to florists. Wedding, prom and "date night" bouquets have become increasingly popular.

Farms, their oldest daughter, Mary Gen, started 9th grade in school in Statesboro. It was a first for both Rita and her daughter. A signal of change. Surely, nothing speaks of the changing seasons like raising children. As difficult as it may be, seasons of change are an important part of our growth. The Williams clan has done as much growing and learning in the past three years as the flower garden itself. “We’re constantly planting, harvesting, turning over, and planting again,” said Rita. “And every seed, plant, and flower are prayed over.”

Chickens peeked at pebbles near the second old barn on the property once known as the “prisoner’s barn.” “During the forties and the fifties, if you had a nonviolent criminal, they would allow them to serve out their time working on farms to pay off their debt to society,” said Rita. “This barn,” pointing to a wooden structure across the way, “had a cot and a little washroom where the prisoner stayed.” She smiled. “Mike and Mason say they’re going to remodel it to get away from all the women.”

On the way home from WilMor Farms, I remembered something Rita had said when talking about the house: “Everywhere I look I have a memory of my father here. I really don't have that anywhere else.” The house in Lyons where she grew up and where she and her mother lived in the years that followed her father’s passing burned to the ground. Rita was in her first year of college and home for the weekend when it happened.

“We don’t know what the future will look like,” said Rita. Their daughter Josie has a chronic illness. Even though there are future decisions to make, she’s doing well. And one year ago, Rita suffered a sudden “spontaneous coronary artery dissection” (SCAD). Thankfully, with help from Dr. Higgins and the staff at Meadows Regional Medical Center, she was able to put the event behind her. Now, she’s running wide open again.

With each season and through every change, the Williams family continues to grow, their roots running deep like the flowers that will bloom in the coming spring. Whether to brighten a room, shift the atmosphere with color and fragrance, or comfort a hurting heart, according to Rita, “Everyone needs flowers.” UTCM

ABOVE Mike and Rita Williams on their family farm near Metter.

WilMor Farms Flowers can be purchased locally at Pittman Farms. To learn more about WilMor Farms visit: Facebook and Instagram @wilmorfarmsflowers

When you need insurance, it’s important to find someone you can trust. Brown Insurance Group is an Independent Insurance Agency whose goal is to provide you with insurance coverage that is tailored to fit your needs, while providing you with the highest level of customer service. And most importantly, we’re a part of this community....just like you.

Blake Brown Steve Brown

SaySay's kitchen

SAYLOR HERRIN BEGAN

EXPERIMENTING IN THE KITCHEN WHEN SHE WAS SIX YEARS OLD. FIVE YEARS LATER, HER WELL-HONED CULINARY SKILLS LANDED HER A SPOT ON THE FOOD NETWORK'S KIDS BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP.

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY LILLIAN MORSE BURTON

Vanilla bean, saffron, a pasta extruder, and a blow torch...

Definitely not the typical Christmas list of an eight-year-old child. But Saylor’s parents, Madison and Lyndsay Herrin, were not surprised. The oldest of their four children and only daughter began experimenting in the kitchen with her mother at the age of six. Since the Herrins did not have a cable or satellite TV, Saylor used apps to watch episodes of baking shows. The year Saylor made out her culinary Christmas list was 2015, which was also the year Kids Baking Championship with judges Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes and Valerie Bertinelli of Valerie’s Home Cooking first aired.

“She would bring me recipes from the show that she wanted to try,” said her mother Lyndsay. “At first, I was nervous about her using the mixer and the oven. One day, I was helping her, and she said, ‘Oh no! The chocolate seized!’ I said, ‘What’s that mean?’ I knew she didn’t need my help anymore.”

By the age of eight, Saylor was baking on her own. I don’t mean making cookies from refrigerated cookie dough you buy at the grocery store in a tube. Saylor was measuring and mixing and making delicious deserts from scratch.

At the end of each season of Kids Baking Championship, Saylor listened carefully as kids between the ages of 10 and 13 were encouraged to apply for a chance to compete on their show. In 2017, when Saylor turned ten, she sent in her application with literally thousands of other applicants from across the nation. The Herrins did not want to discourage Saylor, but the chances of actually making it on the show seemed slim.

“Some of the children who compete on those baking shows have famous parents who are bakers themselves,” said Lyndsay. “They go to summer camps just for baking like our kids go to baseball camp or football camp here in the South. There’s nothing like that for Saylor here in

Ailey, Georgia,” she laughed. “We were on our own.”

I nodded as I tried to pace myself with the delicious blueberry scone Saylor had made for my visit that morning. What eleven-year-old kid gets up early in the morning and makes scones from scratch? I wondered. We’re not talking toast. We’re talking scones, no less.

Lyndsay offered me a cup of coffee with my blueberry scone. She said, “It’s Tim Horton’s. My parents bring it to us from Canada.” I smiled. I’m one of those people who get out of bed in the morning just for the coffee. My husband grinds expensive coffee beans

each night for our morning coffee. If anyone was qualified to judge a cup of coffee, it would be me. I took a sip and then another. It was so smooth and yet rich with flavor. I was ruined. “Canada?” wondering how was I going to get coffee from Canada.

Lyndsay smiled. The native Canadian met her husband while attending Brewton-Parker College on a softball scholarship. “My parents said, ‘You can go there, but don’t find an American boy to marry.’” She laughed. Her husband is now the softball coach at BPC where he also serves as the Baptist campus minister.

Back to the delicious blueberry

scone. “How do you make them so light and flaky?” I asked.

“It's really easy,” said Saylor. “You put a stick of butter in the freezer…”

“You put the butter in the freezer?” I asked, abandoning any pretense of culinary expertise.

“To grade the butter,” said Saylor. “It makes it easier to combine, and it makes the scone super flaky.” I nodded as I’d just temporarily forgotten that detail about baking. She continued with the recipe from memory. “You combine two cups of flour, half of a cup of sugar, a heaping cup of blueberries, a little salt, baking powder, heavy cream, an egg, and a lot of vanilla and cinnamon.”

“Is there cinnamon in the blueberry, too?” asked her mother. “I knew there was cinnamon in the chocolate.” That’s right. Saylor had made two kinds of scones from which I could choose. I wanted both. I took the blueberry. Deciding between note taking for the interview with Saylor and the blueberry scone in front of me was a real challenge. Thankfully, I had my recorder. I checked to make sure the recorder was working okay and chose the scone.

When Kids Baking Championship called and requested a Skype interview with Saylor, both she and her mom were more than a little surprised. Unfortunately, Saylor only made it through one interview. “About a month

Saylor created her own baking company called SaySay's Kitchen through which she makes beautiful and delicious cakes, pies, cookies and cupcakes.

later, we got an email saying ‘Your child is no longer being considered,’” said Lyndsay.

Over the weeks and months that followed, Saylor continued to hone her skills. She even started her own baking company called SaySay's Kitchen, a nickname coined by cousins and close friends. Using the name of her baking enterprise, she started posting pictures of her baking on Instagram. Soon, she was filling orders for everything from beautifully decorated cakes, pies, cupcakes, and delicious cookies to scones and macaroons.

In February 2018, Kids Baking Championship contacted Lyndsay to invite Saylor to submit a new application. After

hours and hours of interviews, Saylor became one of only nine children chosen from across the nation to compete in the show’s 5th season, which would consist of seven episodes. Competitors would have only two hours to complete each baking assignment. A competitor would be eliminated during episodes one through six to determine one winner and two runners-up.

To prepare, Saylor practiced her recipes until she knew the basics of any desert she might be called on to make by heart. She also searched social media for anything that was trending.

“We could not tell anyone that Saylor

had been chosen to compete in the upcoming season of Kids Baking Competition,” said Lyndsay, “but I realized there were some things she needed to know that I couldn’t help her with. So, I called my friend, Missy Hall, who runs a baking business out of her home in Lyons called Cookie Boss. I told her that Saylor was having trouble learning to make fondant and asked if she would help her.” Lyndsay also called Mimi Makes Cake, a business in Vidalia, and asked if Saylor could spend a day with them only stating that baking was her ten-year-old daughter’s career interest. “They were both so gracious and kind to let Saylor come and mentor her.”

In August 2018, Saylor and her mother were flown to New Orleans. The other competitors were: Zac (13) New York City; Matthew (12) Glendora, California; Mekdes (10) Boulder, Colorado; Enzo (10) Orlando, Florida; Taylor (12) Kailua, Hawaii; Natasha, (13) Bellevue, Washington; Issi (11) Coppell, Texas; and Davey (10) Akron, Ohio.

“We were picked up from the airport together,” said Lyndsay, “and on the way to the hotel, which was in the French Quarter, we learned there were two other things going on while we were there: a Dairy Convention and a Naked Bike Ride. We told the kids to be prepared to close their eyes.” We both laughed.

Friendships formed quickly among both the parents and the competitors. No one wanted the other to lose even though they were competing for $25,000. “The judges actually said they were

Saylor's mother Lyndsay called on friends and local bakers to help Saylor hone her baking skills before the competition actually began. During the competition, Lyndsay said friendships were quickly formed among the contestants and their parents. Although it was a stiff competition, the camaraderie was evident–no one wanted to see the others disqualified.

the most emotional group that they had ever had,” said Lyndsay. “The kids cried every time someone was eliminated.”

Saylor was amazed by the size of the kitchen and the amount of people used for filming. Right away, the kids went through boot camp. “They had to make sure the kids knew how to work these particular mixers and use a gas oven,” said Lyndsay. “Saylor had never used a gas oven before.”

In the first episode, their task was to make “Selfieclairs.” Each competitor worked with a different flavor. Eclairs also had to be decorated with something to represent each baker’s unique personality. In addition, competitors had to hashtag whatever they chose. Saylor’s chocolate hazelnut éclairs were decorated with sprinkles. She piped #sprinkle on top of an éclair for

which she was chosen as runner-up in the first round of baking.

There was no rule against kids helping another competitor if someone got in a tight, which is exactly what Saylor did in the very first episode for her new friend Davey from Ohio. This wasn’t something I learned from Saylor or her mom. It was something I discovered while watching the first episode in the competition, which aired on August 6, 2018. After meeting Saylor, I was not surprised. If I had to describe Saylor with an ingredient, I would have chosen sprinkles, too. She had the sweetest disposition, and her joy was simply infectious.

The second episode challenged bakers with a “Gravity Defying Cake” with a “ginger twist,” which she incorporated into her butter cream

Saylor has a collection of recipes that she keeps handy, but many of her creations she knows by heart. She has also learned many of the secrets to good baking.

icing. Saylor made a raspberry limeade cake, and somehow made it appear as if chocolate candies were spilling out of a bag in thin air and onto her cake.

“Ice Screamers” was the challenge in the third episode. “It was an ice cream sandwich, but each one was different. And the sauce was the challenge,” said Lyndsay. Saylor was awarded top baker in this episode for her homemade peach ice-cream and a confetti cupcake, which she topped with a razzle berry coulis sauce.

The challenge in the fourth episode for those left in the competition was “lasagna dessert imposters.” “It was basically a desert that looks like lasagna,” said Saylor. Once again, she escaped elimination.

Parents were not allowed on set during filming, but watched on a monitor in a separate building. “For episode five, each baker was assigned a different desert,” said Lyndsay. “One got a cookie bar. Another got a mini bundt cake. Another was assigned a cookie. The secret ingredient each had to incorporate into their baking was popcorn. When Saylor was given cheesecake, I thought, how is she going to do that in two hours? But she was very smart. She grabbed mini cheesecake pans.”

Saylor decided she would put the popcorn into her crust. Since caramel was an obvious choice for flavoring, she decided to use cinnamon, which gave her the idea to make a “cinnamon French toast bacon cheesecake.” She called her creation: “Saturday Morning Breakfast.”

“What gave you the idea to put bacon in cheesecake?” I asked. I mean, this kid took creative thinking to a whole new level.

She smiled. Actually, Saylor always smiled. “Duff loves bacon,” she said. “But,” she gave a brief pause, “it was terrible.”

“Val and Duff talked about how the texture of her cheesecake was like over

• Exceptional touch-up and spray application

• Excellent hide

• Perfect for residential/ commercial repaints and new construction

• Our best professional finish

Pro-Hide® Gold Ultra Interior

whipped or something.”

“I thought, I've made cheesecake before. I don’t think I overwhipped it,” said Saylor. It wasn’t until she was being interviewed after the show that she realized her mistake: she had forgotten the eggs, a main ingredient in cheesecake. Even so, she was certainly not the first to leave out a main ingredient in the rush to meet the time limit.

True to her nature, Saylor #sprinkles wasted no time focusing on her mistake. Through the experience, both Saylor and her mom both made lifelong friends with whom they still stay in contact. In addition, SaySay's Kitchen Instagram account grew to almost two thousand followers.

I had one more question for Saylor. “Do you remember anything in particular that made you want to start baking?”

She gave me a big smile. “I remember coming home from school, and my mom would have homemade cookies for us. I would be half-asleep, but the smell of cookies was so good.”

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that become our children’s sweetest memories. And who knows? Perhaps time spent reading books, singing songs, or simply sharing thoughts together will help guide them along the way. It may not be as obvious as Saylor’s passion for cooking, but no act of love for our children is ever wasted. Even when it seems they don’t notice or sometimes care, those small acts of love help provide a foundation strong enough for whatever path our children may choose to follow. U

The Good Bread

I“f you’re anywhere near Vidalia, make sure to go to Taste of Phillie.” The review was one of many confirming what locals already know: A Taste of Phillie is the real deal. But that’s what you know. This article is about what you may not know. Twenty years ago, when Matthew Bright first started making those delicious Philadelphia style hoagies and sandwiches, he was on a mission. It was a mission to redeem time.

Since he was the baby of the family, Matthew’s mother told him, “You’ve got to learn to fend for yourself,” and she taught him to cook. His father, on the other hand, taught him the importance of math. “He told me, ‘I don’t have an education, but I’ll teach you what I know.’” Although a mechanic by trade, his father found a more dependable income as a moonshiner.

When he was six, Matthew started riding with his dad when he went out on deliveries. “I learned math by counting the quarters I got for each baby jar full of moonshine. And my daddy knew exactly how many baby jars any amount of moonshine would fill.” Ironically, Matthew’s father “had very strict rules.” He gave me a half-smile and said, “I guess we’ll call it that. He always knew how many quarters I should have at the end of the day.”

As soon as Matthew was old enough, he and his adopted brother went to the big city of Philadelphia to find work. Life wasn’t easy, but Matthew always worked. “If I had to, I would shine shoes on the streets for a quarter a shoe just to pay for a sandwich,” which was most often only a hoagie with “lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise and cheese, no meat. “We ate that almost every day,” said Matthew. After a while, he had watched the cooks make everything on the menu enough times that he not only knew all the ingredients for each item by heart, he could cook it himself. But like most journeys, there would be some twists and turns in his life before that knowledge would be of any

Sometimes redemption comes in the form of hard work, changing your focus, and feeding the soul with the bread of life.

benefit to him.

As a consequence of some bad choices, Matthew ended up serving time, and the cost of his mistakes came in more ways than time served. “When you get out of jail, you’ve not only got to pay what you owe, you might have lawyer fees, money owed to the bondsman, probation fees, and a whole lot of other stuff you get billed for,” said Matthew. There’s a lot of debate surrounding issues to do with our prison system, but regardless of a person’s beliefs or opinions on the matter, added fees and penalties often make the path of change extremely difficult.

In order to break the cycle of addictions, he was required to attend meetings for everything from drug abuse and alcohol addiction to anger management. But he saw the steps that should have led him upward as only another obligatory expense in his already strained financial situation. “The only thing that will change you is to see something as more important to you than what you’re doing,” said Matthew. “I was under the impression that I was only hurting myself. But that wasn’t true. When you look back over your life, you see that you hurt your children, your wife or husband, your sisters, your brothers. You hurt the people you say you love.”

It was a realization that changed everything. “I can

never get that time back I wasted away from my family,” said Matthew. He was right. He could not go back. But he could move forward. And in moving forward, even time can be redeemed.

In 1998, Matthew asked God to bless him with income that would allow him to be a blessing to others. That was the same year that he and his oldest son Andre took a borrowed table from his church and one grill and sold their first Philly hoagies and sandwiches for a Cancer Relay for Life event. He donated the profits to the event.

Two years later, Matthew and his son opened A Taste of Phillie in downtown Vidalia. Tragically, Andre suffered a massive heart attack not long after that. He was only thirty-eight-years-old at the time. Following the tragic loss of his son, Matthew's wife Mary and the rest of the children stepped in to help with Matthew’s new business.

“My wife Mary stood by me when all we had was two white Styrofoam coolers for a refrigerator. For two years, we had five kids to raise and no refrigerator.”

In spite of the challenges, Matthew met each one head on. And as he worked, he taught his children to work. He was determined to spend the time of his redemption well. His children would know how to swim upstream against the tide of a generation’s entitlement issues and electronic excuse for connection.

“Many of these kids don’t even read,” said Matthew. “They don’t know what’s going on. Reading and math skills are important. You’ve got to be able to count, and you’ve

ABOVE Matthew named the "Miss Pie" sandwich after his wife Mary, who he says is his "chicken and my steak. She’s all three of my cheeses. She’s my lettuce and tomato. She’s my everything."

got to know how to put some back and save. If you don’t, it doesn’t matter how much you get for playing football or basketball; it’ll be gone before you know it, and you’ll end up with nothing.

“All my kids know how to work and take care of themselves. I taught my daughters that they don’t need a man to do something. They can take care of themselves. And I taught my sons that they don’t need a woman to do anything for them either. And all the ones that wanted to go to college went,” which was seven out of thirteen. Three of his ten daughters are nurses. Another is an accountant. His two sons have businesses. “All my children are doing well,” he said with pride. “I don’t have lazy kids.”

For A Taste of Phillie to be a success, Matthew knew it was essential to have bread from Philadelphia, which he has shipped in weekly. “Our beef comes from Texas,” said Matthew, “and the chicken is purchased locally. Everything is fresh and done by hand. Every order is made to order.

We’re not a fast food restaurant. We cut the beef for the day each morning. If we sell out, we go home.”

All those lunch breaks spent watching the guys behind the counter grill sandwiches and hoagies Philadelphia style in the “Philadelphia Cheese Steak capital of the world” had finally paid off. A Taste of Phillie soon developed a reputation for having great food. It is a reputation that has continued for nearly twenty years.

His best seller continues to be the “Miss Pie,” which is a shout-out to his wife. “She’s my ‘Pie,’” said Matthew. “She’s my chicken and my steak. She’s all three of my cheeses. She’s my lettuce and tomato. She’s my everything.” The sandwich was the first he created on his own over twenty years ago. “The rest of the sandwiches are all traditional Philadelphia,” he said.

In addition to the reputation of his food, the man behind A Taste of Phillie has also become a father figure to many young people in his community. Although he is

In Matthew's kitchen, “Every order is made to order. We’re not a fast food restaurant. We cut the beef for the day each morning. If we sell out, we go home.”

The beef for Taste of Phillie's cheese steak sandwiches comes from Texas and is cut fresh daily. The chicken is purchased locally, and the bread comes from Philadelphia. Matthew takes pride in serving handmade sandwiches with fresh ingredients, and his customers like that, too.

kind and always ready to give to those truly in need, he’s more of a “tables turned over in the temple” kind of father figure. There’s no room for disrespect in his establishment. “Many parents don’t teach their kids respect, and then when you correct them, they get mad,” said Matthew. “Somebody has to take responsibility and be the parent and teach the consequences of bad choices or the judicial system will do it for you. I don't want to see these kids grow up the same way I did. They don’t have to make the mistakes I made.”

Just as with his children, Matthew values the time and influence he has with his twenty-six grandchildren. In fact, he bought a used car recently for one of his granddaughters, but said, “For her to receive it, she has to help me work on it.”

Fair enough. But he didn’t mean change the oil or fix a flat. He meant put all the little pieces back together again because he purposely removed the motor from the car so his granddaughter could see how it worked.

“You know that commercial where the kid calls his parents because he’s got a flat tire, and they ask if he’s got

a lug wrench?” I nodded. “The kid says, ‘Yeah,’ and then whispers to his friend, ‘Is this a lug wrench?’ That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.” He shook his head.

There’s a reference to a verse from the Bible on the wall at A Taste of Phillie that reads, “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,’” Ironically, Matthew was also the name of the writer recounting the story of the temptation of Jesus. The Passion translation says it like this: “Bread alone will not satisfy, but true life is

found in every word, which constantly goes forth from God’s mouth.”

There’s more than one message in this Bible verse. Perhaps some customers will look at that bread that comes from Philadelphia each week and assume it’s a humorous picture of all that delicious meat and toppings you need to go with that bread. But those who know Matthew and his wonderful family know there’s more to it. Nothing will be enough—not food, not possessions, not even a person—to satisfy the need of the heart for relationship with God.

Some may look at Matthew’s childhood and blame his father’s moonshining ways for the bad decisions of his son’s younger life. But not Matthew. He owns his choices outright. When he looks back to point at something, it’s to the prayers of his mama, aunt, and grandmother. Four times he’s faced near death experiences. One of those times, he said, “I hit a deer on a Harley motorcycle. I had a helmet on that day that I’d never worn before, and it saved me. I thought I was lucky, but luck had nothing to do with it. Half my face burnt off in the accident, and today you can’t even tell it. Yeah, my daddy was drinking liquor all the time, but those women who loved me were praying for me, too.”

The prayers of agreement with Jesus’ words for

citydrug@bellsouth.net

Mon–Sat: 8 AM - 8 PM Sunday & All Holidays: 1 PM - 6 PM

Emergency after hours: 912-380-3128

Matthew in the courts of grace and mercy are the words he lives by today. Time isn’t the same for him as it was in the past. He lives in another season, another epoch, which is to say he’s redeeming the time.

What does this have to do with Phillie sandwiches, you might ask? Everything! Whatever the hours posted on the door, you can depend on A Taste of Phillie to be there when they say they’re going to be there. That’s a novelty these days. When you order that famous Miss Pie or any other item from the menu, you don’t have to wonder if it’s fresh or if it will be as good as the last one. And if you were to find yourself in a place where you had no money to eat and stepped up to the counter, you would not be turned away.

Two years ago, Matthew opened a second A Taste of Phillie in Swainsboro, Georgia. Matthew and Mary’s children and grandchildren continue to serve this community with the same principles of honor and respect that were instilled in them. A Taste of Phillie is not only a great place to eat, but also a message to our community of family, honor, and redemption.

1704 Meadows Lane • Vidalia, Georgia

REGISTERED PHARMACISTS Benjamin Black • Terry NeeSmith Ashley Willis • Geni Betts • Susanne Maxwell • Willene Hodges

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER

the lady and her horses

AT RACKETTOWN MUSTANGS, SANDRA WILLIAMSON TAKES ON THE PECULIARITIES OF WILD HORSES WITH LOVE AND RESPECT.

“Do you want a wild mustang?”

“How do you know it’s a wild mustang?” Sandra Williamson asked her friend.

“He’s got a freezemark.” A freezemark was the branding used on wild mustangs by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Since her friend lived nearby, Sandra decided to at least have a look at the white mustang that kept bucking off riders.

“As soon as I entered the pen with,” she said, “he pinched back his ears and turned around and walked away from me. He was telling me right away, ‘I don't want anything to do with you.’ I said to my friend, ‘I’ll take him.’”

Great writers, including Washington Irving and Herman Melville, caused the “White Steed of the Prairies” to occupy the imagination of many early Americans. Although a powerful image for writers of lore, the wild mustang actually descended from a domesticated breed brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers as far back as the 16th century. Because of its stamina and speed, the Mustang became vital to the survival of both Native Americans and pioneers of the Wild West. As images of “Home on the Range” shifted from horse-drawn carriages and plows to Model T Fords and John Deere tractors, the Mustang escaped the railroads, highways, and fences and fled to what was left of the wild American frontier.

As a TIP trainer with a Storefront Program training facility, Sandra Williamson and her team have gentled about 200 mustangs in the past 2 1/2 years at Rackettown Mustangs. After they receive training, the horses are shipped to new owners all over the world.

From the freezemark, the BLM was able to give Sandra an approximate age for the beautiful white gelding and identify his place of origin as Wyoming. As she worked with Maximus, the name she gave her own “White Steed,” the two formed an unbreakable bond. That was in 2013 and the first experience in Sandra’s incredible journey with the American Wild Mustang.

A native of Bavaria, Germany, Sandra came to the United States in 2009. Horses were always an important part of her life. “I started riding when I was five. My parents were always very supportive. I got my first horse when I was thirteen. But my parents always thought, ‘When she gets into the teenage years, she will quit doing the horses.’ I never did.” Sandra smiled.

But Maximus was not just another horse. He was her first wild mustang. As

she researched the history of this American legend, she learned their history went as far back into the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors first brought them to the Americas. “After they escaped or were released in the wild in the early twentieth century, they bred with all kinds of other breeds. That's why you see them now in all colors and sizes.”

Velma Vonn Johnston, also known as “Wild Horse Annie,” was the first to bring attention to the plight of the American Wild Mustang. In 1959, her efforts led to the passing of “a bill prohibiting the use of motorized vehicles to hunt wild horses and burros on public lands.” But it wasn’t enough. According to the BLM website, the bill “did not include Annie’s recommendation that Congress initiate a program to protect, manage and control wild horses and burros.”

By 1971, the wild horse population on public lands had notably declined due to human impact. This prompted the unanimous passage of the “Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act” (Public Law 92-195) to “provide for the necessary management, protection and control of wild horses and burros on public lands.” (www.blm.gov)

Even with the new bill, the mustang was still in danger. In a 2009 National Geographic article written by Alexandra Fuller entitled “Mustangs, Spirit of the Shrinking West,” she writes:

In 2005 an Oklahoma man who said he wanted wild horses for a church youth program adopted half a dozen for $50 each and sold them to an Illinois slaughterhouse for a small profit. Two years later the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the decision by Illinois to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption, and the last slaughterhouse in the country closed down.

But protecting the wild mustang turned into another issue. A herd of mustangs can potentially double in size every four years. According to the BLM website, “As of March 1, 2018, the wild horse and burro population on public lands was estimated at approximately 81,950 animals, which is now more than triple the size the land can support along with other legally mandated uses.”

“Almost 50,000 mustangs are in BLM offrange holding facilities waiting to be adopted right now,” said Sandra. It seemed unbelievable, but a BLM press release in January 2018

reported, “The total capacity of all BLM offrange holding facilities is 56,106 animals.” 49,339 were wild horses and the rest wild burros.

Sandra had to do something. She adopted another mustang and then a couple more. But she could only adopt so many. Adopting a wild mustang from the BLM for most people would be too dangerous. These horses weren’t just wild. They were feral, which was the problem BLM faced. For this reason, the Mustang Heritage Foundation created the Trainer Incentive Program (TIP), which is funded by the BLM, according to Sandra. A TIP trainer bridges the gap between the American Wild

Mustang and a potential home through a process referred to as “gentling.” The minimal requirements for “gentling” include being able to halter, lead, groom, pick up all four feet and load and unload the horse into a trailer. A TIP trainer is also required to meet building requirements, provide good quality food, cover the vet costs for both a medical examination and Coggins test, as well as farrier costs.

It was the perfect solution. Sandra could do the work of gentling the wild mustangs so that they would be adoptable. “We cut down trees on our land for the barn, the round pens, and the fences. My husband, Stone, did everything: the water lines, the electrical and plumbing.

The TIP training program that Sandra is part of includes burros as well as wild horses.

LEFT The mustangs and burros are "freezemarked" with a code using liquid nitrogen. The mark contains the BLM code, the estimated year of the horses birth, and a registration code that tells the region the horse was taken from and its tag number. BELOW Training can be dangerous and difficult, but Sandra strives to control the animals with mutual respect.

And if something needs to be fixed, he’s the one who does it.”

Sandra received her first wild mustangs in 2016. “Most of my mustangs come from the BLM facility in Oregon. They come to me totally untouched,” said Sandra. “When you step in there with them, they want to get away from you because they see you as a predator. These wild mustangs are totally different than a domestic horse. They depend on their senses to know danger in the wild, and you have to learn to read their signs.”

Marketing is also the responsibility of the TIP trainer. Once a potential adoptee is approved by the BLM, the TIP trainer can be reimbursed (up to a certain amount). According to the BLM website, “The success of the TIP program led to the expansion of the Storefront Program, a program designed for qualified TIP trainers with the training facilities capable of receiving 12 or more mustangs.” This exclusive program is designated only for qualified, vetted trainers.

As a Storefront, Sandra can also serve as a temporary holding and pick up location for other Trainer Incentive Program (TIP) and Storefront trainers and adopters, she explained. According to a January 25, 2018, BLM Oregon and Washington Facebook post, Sandra is one of 410 TIP trainers across the U.S., and one of only 14 Storefronts. To her knowledge, she is the only one presently sending these horses to adoptees overseas.

Over the past 2 ½ years, Sandra and her team have gentled about 200 mustangs. The most she’s had at her facility at one time was 100. Last year, she sent five shipments of mustangs by plane from Atlanta to Frankfurt, Germany. In addition to Germany, Sandra’s mustangs have been gentled for adoptees in Finland, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Austria. In 2018, Governor Nathan Deal presented her with the Georgia Global Award for exports.

The day of my interview with Sandra, she led me to a round corral where Josh Lynn, one of the employees at Raquettown Mustangs, attempted

to catch the lead rope on a newlyarrived mustang. Every time he got a little close, the mustang bolted. “It takes some time to build trust to just get so close to pick up that rope,” said Sandra. “It could take an hour or two days or two weeks. It all depends on the horse. When you walk in there, they can already see what you were thinking. If you want to control your horse, you’ve got to control yourself.”

This particular mustang was one of 18 headed for Germany in a few weeks for the second annual German Mustang Makeover. Modeled after the American Mustang Makeover, which is now in its twelfth consecutive year, trainers are given only 100 days

as lead him through an alleyway. “My focus is for them to trust me enough that I can walk him with a lead rope over this tarp, through the alley, and into a trailer, so they can be ready to get on the plane safely,” said Sandra pointing to a tarp she had intentionally placed in the alley for training purposes.

In addition to the 18 mustangs she’s sending for the Makeover event, there will be another 14 traveling to Germany that have already been adopted. Ann Vanderhorn, Sandra’s closest friend and an invaluable part of everything at Raquettown Mustangs, is the one who usually travels on the plane with the mustangs.

“to prepare to compete in a series of classes that will showcase their new skills. The horses will compete in handling and conditioning, a mustang maneuvers class and a trail class…. At the conclusion of the event all horses will be available to the public by competitive bid,” (www. extrememustangmakeover.com). It was hard to imagine the wild mustang running from Josh ready to compete with only 100 days of training.

It takes time just to halter a wild mustang and do something as simple

In another corral, Tommy Slack, a former Marine with eight months of his service spent in Afghanistan, walked into a round pen with one of the newest arrivals. “Tommy just comes to help when he can,” said Sandra. The metal rails rattled as the horse kicked and bucked. “Tommy, when he looks at you, turn and walk away,” she instructed. “That will take away the pressure he feels,” she added for my benefit. Tommy did exactly as she instructed, and the change was immediate. The mustang’s defensive

Life at Rackettown Mustangs is busy for Sandra and her family. She said her husband Stone keeps everything working properly. In addition, her parents came to visit from Germany for a few months to help out while Sandra prepared horses to be shipped for the German Makeover event. ABOVE (left to right) The Williamson's girls, Isabelle, Scarlett and Michelle like to help out, too.

position immediately changed to one of curiosity. “That’s good, Tommy. You have good energy.”

Later, I asked Tommy, “What is it about the mustangs that makes you want to come here and help out?”

“It’s so relaxing,” he said and smiled. “It helps me stay calm. I actually sleep better at night after I’ve been here.”

In addition to the work with the mustangs, Sandra has visitors throughout the year from all over the world. “We just had some people here from Austria,” she said.

That day, a couple from Germany was visiting. “How did you hear about Raquettown Mustangs?” I asked the nice-looking middle-aged woman named Karin Becker.

“I watched this movie called Unbranded,” she answered. “It’s about this guy, Ben Masters, and some college friends who ride mustangs from Mexico to Canada. After I saw this movie, I told my husband, ‘I’m going to get myself a mustang.’ I found Sandra on the Internet, and me and her daughter came here from Germany in 2016. While we were here, we fell in love with a wild mustang named Dakota.” In the spring of 2017, Dakota arrived at his new home in Germany. (Note: Last year, a German filming crew came to Raquettown Mustangs to film Sandra working with some of the wild mustangs. It’s to be released in German

theaters sometime this year.)

“My daughter is in school to become a Physical Therapist,” said Karin, “and wants to do Equine Therapy. Dakota will be perfect. He’s the most laid back horse you’ve ever seen.”

“One of our Makeover horses last year,” said Sandra, “is now a therapy horse for a 7-year-old girl who has been in a wheelchair since she was born. When we sent him, he was very tough to work with. They sent me a picture of that tall horse bending down his head to this little girl in her wheelchair. It was so moving. A trainer puts her on the horse and straps her in. They have a bond, this girl and her mustang. It’s like he can sense she needs him.”

Wild mustangs are used to help veterans with PTSD and prisoners for rehabilitation purposes. A movie named The Mustang, released on March 19, 2019, in the U.S., is

actually based on the true story of one prisoner’s extraordinary transformation in this program.

As I followed Sandra and Ann through another gate into a large pasture, 25 to 30 mustangs grazed on the other side of the field. “Shy Boy!” Sandra shouted. The day was windy. I was skeptical, not only that she would be heard, but that one horse out of so many would know its name and respond. Even so, Sandra called again, oblivious to my unbelief, “Shy Boy!”

A golden-brown mustang with a beautiful dark mane lifted his head and parted from the group. As he made his way across the field, Sandra smiled and said, “Shy Boy was one of the first ones I adopted after Maximus,” said Sandra. Other mustangs looked casually in our direction, and then one after another began to move toward us. “That’s Blue, Faith, Peanut from Wyoming, Pistol and Song from Oregon,” she said giving

Josh Lynn and Ann Vanderhorn help Sandra prepare the horses for adoption and for makeover events. Ann frequently travels with the horses to meet their new trainers at the airport.

each one a pat or a scratch as they rubbed up against her. “And this is Prince. He was born in the BLM facility. If we would not have gotten him, he might never have even seen grass. There are so many horses in those holding facilities that won’t see grass for years unless they are adopted. That’s why my heart and soul is into this.”

“Do you name all of them?” I asked.

“Yes, most of them,” said Sandra.

“I try not to name the ones going to the Makeover because they have to still be wild. But every time one leaves, we always cry. It’s like letting your child go to college. It doesn’t matter if this is my horse or if he’s going to a client across the world. You’re the first human to touch it, the first one the mustang trusted. It’s not just a horse or a number for us. We all put our heart into it. I have an awesome crew. I have a lot of people who are part of this operation. My vet, Dr. Faulk is a big support. He’s awesome. I couldn’t do this without him. He draws the blood for Coggins and does whatever else needs to be done. The horses that are gentled, I can pet all over. But we have to run the ones for the Makeover in the shoot because they are wild. And our farrier, Brett Register, is just great too. He’s so good with these wild mustangs.”

Waving to a man on a skid steer, Sandra said, “I want you to meet my dad.” Sandra’s parents

had arrived from Germany only a few days earlier. “My mom helps me in the house because we have so much to do right now to get the mustangs ready that are going to the German Makeover.” As we walked, she said, “My dad works so hard. He cleans the pens or does anything that needs to be done to help me.” Her chin lifted. “He’s not just my dad. He’s my friend.”

Charlie Kraus shut down the machine and jumped down spryly. I would never have guessed his age was seventy-three. After introductions, I asked, “How long do you plan to be here?”

“Three month,” he said with a strong German accent. “The daughter telephoned. She said, ‘You must come. I need your help.” Charlie shrugged as if deciding to leave Germany for three months to help his daughter needed no further explanation.

When I asked Sandra about the knee brace, she said, “I got hit by a gate with a little bit of force.” She shrugged. The work of gentling mustangs is clearly not without risks.

LEFT Sandra with her first mustang, Maximus. BELOW In 2018, Sandra received a Globe Award from Governor Deal for her work exporting mustangs.

“What do you think of all these mustangs?” I asked Charlie. Sandra translated in German, but her father’s grasp of the English language was more than sufficient. His eyes brightened. “I love them. I love them in the morning. I love them in the evening. And I dream of them all the night.” He paused, then added, “One day I looked for Sandra. I called, ‘Sandra!’ I went out to the

field. ‘Sandra!’ Then the horses began to part, and I saw my daughter. She was standing in the middle of the herd surrounded by these beautiful horses. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

It takes a certain gift to do this kind of work. According to Sandra, “You have to be half-human and half-horse.”

As with any healthy relationship, her

connection with wild mustangs involves a lot of listening. “I learn from each mustang, and I’m still learning. I listen to what they are telling me.” Somehow, it is a language she speaks, a language she trusts. And for that reason, the American Wild Mustang trusts Sandra in return. UTCM

Improve your home with lighting

UPDATE YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES FOR AN INSTANT MAKEOVER. HERE ARE THE TRENDS TO WATCH.

Often under-rated, lighting is a wonderful tool for transforming areas in your home. It can easily turn a dim and dreary space into bright and functional or be used to create a cozy evening atmosphere. In addition to illumination, lighting can instantly change the look and style of a room from traditional to contemporary or modern farmhouse. By simply replacing older light fixtures, the rooms of your home can get an instant makeover.

Like many home products, light fixture designs tend to trend, and this affects the options that are available. Here

are some of the latest trends in lighting to keep an eye on.

OUT IN THE OPEN

With homeowners opting for bright light, the bulb is actually becoming part of the overall design. There are a variety of specialty bulbs available–like edison bulbs, hairpin bulbs and gold topped bulbs– to compliment any light fixture.

GEOMETRICS

Taking hints from early 80s geometric glass panes that cast light patterns on the wall (you know the ones), this trend has led to some incredibly beautiful, atom-inspired fixtures sans

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY GENERATION LIGHTING

the beveled glass. By combining an open framework and vibrant light source, these fixtures shine light on sharp edges and angles and illuminate geometric silhouettes.

LIMITLESS LED

LED came onto the lighting scene as an energy efficient alternative to incandescent lighting. Lighting designers then began to experiment with ways to incorporate LED into artistic lighting so that beauty wasn’t sacrificed. The result has been some beautiful fixtures with great lighting and limitless possibilities.

ARTISANAL GLASS

You hang art on your wall, so why not hang it from your ceiling. Lighting fixtures with artisanal glass celebrate the time-honored technique of molding cut-glass into sophisticated shapes and exquisitely transparent forms. While these tend to be more expensive and not intended for every room in your home, a unique hand-made fixture in your foyer or above a dining table can make a huge statement in your home. As modern technology makes the process more efficient, artisanal glass fixtures will become more attainable and cost efficient while still offering the look of skilled craftsmanship.

LIGHTEN UP

Expect to see more light fixtures with a light, weightless feel made of shiny metal or transparent glass. Heavy, ornate candelabras and globes are being replaced by simple, thin metal frames and, in some cases, materials that are unique to lighting like wood. Modern fixtures are all about being creative with lines, materials and designs that think outside the box.

LIGHTING FOR THE OUTDOORS

Take the indoors out! Use decorative outdoor lighting, such as oversized chandeliers and multi-pendant clusters to provide functional illumination and bring a sense of warmth and comfort to your outdoor entertaining areas.

UTCM

Explore a variety of lighting options at Coley Electric & Plumbing Supply in Lyons, 524-5484.

Teaching in Her Mother's Shoes

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER & STUDIO 508 PHOTOGRAPHY

JENNIFER WOOTEN LEARNED TO APPRECIATE DANCE FROM HER MOTHER CHRISTINE. NOW SHE CARRIES ON THAT LEGACY AT VIDALIA BALLET.

PHOTO BY STUDIO 508 PHOTOGRAPHY

According to an Airstream online forum, that was the total number of Airstream travel trailer enthusiasts who gathered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, for the 13th Wally Wyam Caravan Club International (WWCCI) rally in 1970. I suppose it was as good a place as any to fall in love. Christine Leslie Powell had made the trip with her family from Ontario, Canada. James Wooten had traveled with his family from Alamo, Georgia. When they met, Christine was a professional ballet dancer with credentials from the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance, and James was studying to become an Optometrist at the Southern College of Optometry (SCO) in Memphis, Tennessee. Their lives could not have been more different. But among all those shiny aluminum Airstream trailers, they found one another, and their lives were forever changed.

Marrying James meant not only leaving her family and country for Christine, but also the dance studio she had started at the young age of fourteen. “The Leslie Powell School of Dance was very successful. They were even on

Jennifer's mother Christine Wooten was a professional ballet dancer with the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance and also owned a successful dance studio in Canada, but when she met Jennifer's father James, she gave it up to move to Vidalia. Soon the call to teach dance stirred her to open Vidalia Academy of Ballet in 1976.

public access television on Saturday nights,” said Jennifer, James and Christine’s daughter and only child.

They moved to Vidalia in 1975, and James established an optometry practice. By 1976, Christine had started a new dance school called the Vidalia Academy of Ballet. For over three decades, she poured her heart and soul into her students. In 2003, after forty years of teaching ballet, Christine decided to retire. In order to give young people in our community the same opportunity Christine had given them, “Four women whose children took from my mom started Vidalia Ballet,” said Jennifer. By 2009, Brii Tyson was owner of the studio.

It may have seemed as if Christine’s daughter had taken a completely different path with her life than the one her mother had chosen, but owning a dance school was actually her childhood dream. “I just thought I might get the opportunity later in life,” said Jennifer. After high school, she obtained a degree in business and a masters in higher education administration. When Brii Tyson called, she was working at Optometry Associates as an Optical Tec.

“Brii asked if I would teach a tap class at Vidalia Ballet. I agreed,” said Jennifer, “since it was only once a week for thirty minutes.” She had grown up in her mother’s ballet studio but took tap and jazz at Southern Dance Connection in Swainsboro, Georgia, from Melanie Thompson while Christine taught the studio’s competition students ballet.

"Daily dance uplifts the soul to spiritual realms”

-LAILAH GIFTY AKITA

In 2015, Jennifer lost her mother to cancer. The impact Christine Wooten had made on this community continues to live on through the many students she taught. But for Jennifer it was a legacy, and one she would step into much sooner than she had imagined. That same year, Brii Tyson’s husband was offered a job in the Atlanta area, and she offered to sell the studio to Jennifer. In 2016, Christine Wooten’s daughter became the owner of Vidalia Ballet.

“It’s ironic that I kept the name as it was,” said Jennifer as she glanced toward the piles

of tulle scattered in small puffs of color across her desk. “You know how kids rebel against their parents? My form of rebellion was to be a tap dancer as opposed to a ballerina.” She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

Today, Jennifer has over 120 regular students whose ages range from two to eighteen. “Our younger kids learn ballet basics and motor skills in our ‘Creative Movement’ class,” said Jennifer. “Classes go all the way up to advanced tap, jazz, contemporary lyrical, and point for ballet. We offer everything.” Vidalia Ballet has also added Acro to its repertoire. “It’s a style of Acrobatics that's useful in dancing. It's been really helpful, and our dancers have grown so much after introducing it. Ellen Chapman is an excellent Acro teacher. She also teaches ballet and contemporary dance. All of our teachers are phenomenal. Casey Miller teaches tap and jazz. Brandilyn Stroup teaches ballet and contemporary lyrical.”

Vidalia Ballet won their first National Championship competition last year. “It was only our second year competing,” said Jennifer. She pointed to all the dance paraphernalia laying here and there in the studio and said in a hoarse voice, “Our first competition of 2019 is this weekend.”

She had been diagnosed with walking pneumonia only a few days earlier and was scheduled to see the doctor a second time later that day as a precaution. Regardless, she would be ready for the competition one way or another. On Facebook the next week, Jennifer posted the results: “We had the highest score of the entire competition!” Each time Jennifer’s dancers have prepared for a competition, she’s been certain they were the best. “And then the next year comes, and somehow they have exceeded all my expectations. I don’t know how they could achieve more, but somehow they do,” she said.

Preparation for both the competition season and The Nutcracker begins in August. “We begin auditions for The Nutcracker at the end of August. After The Nutcracker performance in December, we really start hitting our competition choreography hard. This year, we have two regional competitions

After winning their first national championship in 2018 (only their second year of competing), the girls continued their success in 2019 with high scores and awards. Training for competitions is optional at Vidalia Ballet, and those who choose not to compete receive the same level of dance instruction.

"You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.”

-GENE KELLY

in March, two in April, one in May, and then Nationals in June.”

Logan Manning, now a freshman at the University of Georgia, is one of many dance students who have graduated high school since Jennifer took ownership at Vidalia Ballet.

“Logan was one of only two freshmen at UGA that made their fifteen-member competition team this year. I think there were over one hundred dancers that tried out. I saw that they actually just won their first competition this year, too,” said Jennifer.

Competition dance is only a part of all that Vidalia Ballet offers. “About half of our dancers are noncompetitors. Whether you compete or don’t compete, you take the same ballet classes. We divide the jazz, tap, and contemporary classes only because competitors have to learn different dances to compete. But even then, the techniques are the same. That’s something that is really

KNOW THE TERMS

port-de-bras: Carriage of the arms. cambré: A bend of the body from the waist to the front, back, or side, with an accompanying port de bras.

Arabesque: a pose on one leg with the other extended behind Rond de jambe: circle the leg

chasse: a triple step pattern of gliding

elevé: A rise upward onto the toes

échappé: Escape

glissade: Slide or glide

piroutté: Whirl or spin

promenade: A slow pivot of the body while standing on one leg.

relevé: A rise or spring onto the toes

jazz hand: Fingers are spread.

shimmy: Alternate shoulder shaking in a rapid motion.

ball change: Two quick changes of weight from one ball of the foot to the other.

bells/clicks: Clicking the heels together while in the air.

flap: Brush and step with transfer of weight.

tap: Striking the ball of the foot without weight transfer.

Vidalia Ballet offers traditional ballet technique as well as tap, jazz, comtemporary lyrical and Acro. Students can add competition to their training if they wish.

PHOTO BY STUDIO 508 PHOTOGRAPHY

call (912) 526-4459

important to me. You get the same level of instruction whether you choose to compete or not.” In addition to The Nutcracker, Vidalia Ballet also performs a spring recital each May.

Classes at Vidalia Ballet continue year-round. “We also do ‘drop-in’ classes during the summer. Anyone is welcome to come whether you are a student or not, and there’s no obligation to continue. You just pay as you go. We're going to start adult ballet classes soon. We’ll have a class that is

more fitness related for those who have never taken ballet and just want to learn, as well as a more technical class for those with experience who would like to get back in the studio,” she said. There’s no love like the love of a mother. In my opinion, it’s the purest, most powerful force on earth. And when your mother is gone, you somehow instinctively know that no one will ever love you quite like that again. Thankfully, it’s a love that doesn’t fade with time. I never knew

Christine Wooten, but there’s no doubt that Jennifer carries the cadence of her mother’s passion for dance in her heart. The most important legacy Christine Wooten left our community is her daughter Jennifer. No, she is not her mother. But it’s obvious to us all that the owner of Vidalia Ballet is her mother’s daughter. UTCM

For more information visit www. vidalia-ballet.com

Harden Chapel Road Aimwell Extension

To Vidalia

A treatment option for skin cancer

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS

The skin is the body’s largest organ and its first line of defense against harmful environmental factors such as UV rays from the sun and germs. The skin also regulates body temperature, removes some of the body's waste products through sweat, and helps make vitamin D.

Performing these tasks on a daily basis can be somewhat taxing. Occasionally, cells in the skin go awry and begin to behave abnormally. These erratic cells may lead to noncancerous (benign) growths that commonly appear as moles, skin tags and warts.

Changes to skin cells can also cause precancerous conditions. This means that the abnormal cells are not yet cancer, but there is a chance that they may become cancer if they aren’t treated.

Sometimes changes to skin cells produce non-melanoma skin cancer. It is the most common type of skin cancer in the world. Since cancerous growths can spread into and destroy nearby tissue, it is important to begin treatment right away. Non-melanoma skin cancer is divided into two categories. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) starts in the round basal cells found in the skin's top layer, or epidermis. BCC makes up about 75%–80% of all skin cancers. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) starts in the flat–or squamous–cells of the epidermis's outer layer. SCC makes up about 20% of all skin cancers. BCC and SCC tend to grow slowly and with regular skin checks, can be found early.

As with all preventive medicine, the key to halting any type of skin related disease lies in taking care of your body and keeping an eye on anything suspicious. If you discover something unusual, see a dermatologist. One newer option for treating non-melanoma skin cancer is Superficial Radiation Therapy (SRT), and it can be found right here in Toombs County.

We contacted Lynnsey Denney who is a graduate from Armstrong University with a degree in Radiologic Science to find out more about SRT. Lindsay is a certified Radiation Therapist and was trained by SkinCure Oncology in the operation of the SRT machine. Lynnsey works at Dermatology Associates in Vidalia with Lewis Collins, MD, Michelle Reeves, PA-C, and A. Shai Hobbs, NP-C.

It is estimated that more than 3 million people in the United States are diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer each year.

Q: What is SRT?

LYNNSEY: SRT stands for superficial radiation therapy, which is an alternative to surgery for patients diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancers like squamous cell and basal cell skin cancers and keloids.

The company I work for, SkinCure Oncology, operates in 90 different offices around the country. SkinCure Oncology provides the SRT machine and all the equipment. To my knowledge, the closest place that offers SRT besides Dermatology Associates is in Pooler.

Q: How do you determine which patients at Dermatology Associates will benefit from SRT?

LYNNSEY: First, a biopsy is done. When the report comes back, Dr. Collins, Michelle Reeves, or Shai Hobbs determines if it’s something that can be treated with SRT.

Q: How does it compare to Mohs surgery?

LYNNSEY: The cure rate is very comparable. We have a 95% success rate. But with the new protocols we’ve just received, we expect the cure rate to rise even higher.

Q: How does SRT work?

LYNNSEY: The SRT 100 delivers a high dose radiation to a small focused area. With Mohs surgery, you keep cutting deeper until there's no cancer. If the lesions are facial, the patient will often have disfigurement and may need skin grafts, for example. SRT eliminates all of that. There are no anesthesia, cutting, bleeding, stitches, scarring, or post-treatment reconstructive surgeries necessary.

Q: How is the radiation targeted to only the area needed?

LYNNSEY: We use lead shielding and applicators that go with the machine to target exactly what we're treating so we don’t have to be concerned with dosage to other parts of the body.

Q: Is the treatment with SRT painful?

LYNNSEY: No, you don't feel it at all. It's like getting an x-ray. The whole process is completely painless.

Q: Are there side effects with SRT?

LYNNSEY: There is some skin irritation and redness. We ask that patients use Aquaphor cream to promote healing. It can be purchased over the counter. Other than keeping the area out of the sun, there is no downtime or lifestyle restrictions.

Q: How is progress monitored?

LYNNSEY: The machine has an ultrasound probe attached to it that we use to do an ultrasound before treatment begins as a baseline. We continue to do ultrasounds at each treatment to monitor progress. After treatment is finished, we do a two-week follow-up ultrasound to monitor the healing process.

Q: How long does the treatment itself take?

LYNNSEY: At the initial appointment, Dr. Collins, Michelle or Shai will draw a margin around the area. After that, I figure out what shield and applicator to use. After that is done, I do the calculation and figure out the dosage. After the initial set-up, they can start treatment as early as the next day. The appointments take approximately 15 minutes per session. The treatment itself usually lasts less than a minute. The rest of the time is spent doing an ultrasound, putting the lead apron, eye protection, and thyroid shield in place, and then removing each one at the end of treatment.

Q: How is the dose of radiation determined?

LYNNSEY: It is determined by the type of cancer, size of the area, and depth.

Q: How many treatments does it take?

LYNNSEY: It takes a total of 20 treatments. They come three or four times a week, whichever fits their schedule best. After every five treatments, the patient meets with the doctor for a follow-up. We do an ultrasound that day for the doctor to look at. It’s an assessment day. We make sure everything's going like it should.

Q: What has been the outcome?

LYNNSEY: Dermatology Associates has had no recurrence in the area that was treated for any patient who has received treatment with SRT since we began using it in 2017. UTCM

Dermatology Associates has offices in Vidalia and Savannah. Visit their website at www.dermatologyassociatesga.com or their Vidalia office at 1013 E. 1st St., Vidalia, GA Phone: (912) 538-7702

A Hero Remembered

Honoring Staff Sergeant Dustin Michael Wright

It’s been over 18 months since Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright was killed during an ISIS ambush in Niger, Africa, but his legacy still remains strong. People from all over the country were touched and inspired by the life Dustin led and the hero he became. Befittingly, State Representative Greg Morris recently authored a Georgia General Assembly resolution naming U.S. Highway 1 in Toombs County as the “Staff Sergeant Dustin Micheal Wright Memorial Highway.” A ceremony was held on April 23rd in Santa Claus, hometown of Dustin’s father Ardie and grandfather Eddie, to dedicate the sign and celebrate Dustin’s life.

New menu • New Adventure experience the exciting flavors of Chef Lorenzo Klink.

Located at the Corner of US 1 & Hwy 292 in Lyons, Georgia

Most of my successful clients have tried keto and gained the weight back. WHY? Because keto is a diet and a form of deprivation, and that’s not sustainable. There is a reason for your current conditions and circumstances. I am committed to helping you see it through and want your success as much as you do. Working with nursing home patients, I see the ravages that poor health can have on the body. With my daily personal coaching and the right support through this 90 Day Challenge and beyond you can

Change your story, Change your body DROP FAT FOR LIFE.

Listen to clients that are enjoying the benefits of “FOOD FREEDOM”

...a lifestyle I will continue for the rest of my life. No more cholesterol and BP medicine for me. –MB

...more energy and the tools to shop, cook, eat, plan and create a healthy life for my family and future. Less medicine and joint aching and more energy is also a big plus. –NW

...My wife and I have tried every diet and we never stick to it beyond 6 months because it’s not a normal way to eat and enjoy food. This program is more than that. The support, community and the way we have changed our view on activity, family gatherings and food is really amazing to me. No more quick fix or fast foods. We are saving healthcare dollars, food dollars and we have more energy to enjoy life. You just gotta try this. –HB

...As a brittle diabetic Nancy has taught me how to use food as medicine. This is so huge for me. Lowering my insulin and enjoying a life less dependent on meds... sleeping better too and anxiety is much lower. –CB

...I say Nancy’s program is a ticket to skip the nursing home until I’m really old. –MJ

I’m down 60 lbs and three sizes.This has, legit, been THE EASIEST, most pain-free thing I have EVER done! I’m still a foodie, but now I see food as fuel for my body and strive to make nutritious choices. I exercise almost every day, but I don’t have to kill myself at the gym or be sore all the time. I feel FANTASTIC–no more brain fog or aching joints and no pills, shakes, or yucky prepackaged meals. I eat REAL FOOD. –Teresa

H.

This program offered me Accountability, Affirmations, Action-plans, Attitude Adjustment, Awareness, Advice and Aspiration to aim higher than I had before. I have changed my relationship with food and as an actor I now have the confidence try out for the “trim guy” parts rather than the chubby guy. Totally “Transformational”, best thing I’ve done for myself in a while.

–Paul K.

No more yo-yo dieting for me. I’m down to my goal weight and feel so much energy, mental clarity and confidence in my new “healthy” lifestyle. Why does this work? It works because I have a new relationship with food. The stories I am telling myself about why I need and want food have changed. This helps me to make the right choices daily. I can enjoy an occasional treat but quickly get back to healthy. –Michelle

W.

I lost my job because I was unable to perform the duties due to chronic fatigue. My former athletic self decided to join A Health Revival. Now 50 lbs lighter, I am excited about my new life. I have stayed with the program for 9 months now. The amazing coaching and community are like nothing else you will experience. –Deb R.

If you’re TIRED of diets, low energy, brain fog, belly bulge, salads, anxiety, depression or you’re frustrated with life and your health...try this virtual program that will change your life.

More than a Bystander

“For four hours, I sat in front of the White House, watching as thousands of women, men, and children marched down Pennsylvania Avenue. I read their signs, heard their chants, and listened to their stories. I overwhelmingly found their motives to be unclear, their language to be assaultive, and ideas to be skewed.

–Andrew [Logan] Lawrence, from “Republican Savannah Millennial goes to Washington for Inauguration, Women’s March,” published January 28, 2017, Savannahnow.com

The words Logan Lawrence penned following President Trump’s inauguration and the Women’s March the following day were not exactly thoughts I expected to hear from one so young. But, then again, those who grew up with him in this community would expect nothing less than a sharp sense of discernment and an unbiased opinion.

When Logan came home to visit family this past Easter, he had just finished an internship at the White House in the Office of Presidential Correspondence and graciously agreed to an interview. I had many questions for this politically-minded millennial who had penned such perceptive words.

The first revelation was that Logan’s interest in politics began with a discovery he made while researching his family lineage, a surprising hobby for someone in middle school. “One day,” he said, “I came across an article that was written in the Georgia Archives about my six times back grandfather, Solomon Gross. He was a sheriff in Screven County in the 1700s and served in the Georgia General Assembly. It made me want to learn more about my family’s history of public and military service.”

I left the march with the sum of the day being, “We want change, and we want it right now - but we don’t know what we want.”

On a path bent toward politics, Logan Lawrence is learning what it takes to have a voice in our ever-changing world.

BELOW Logan recently completed an internship at the White House in the Office of Presidential Correspondence.

OPPOSITE PAGE Logan is no stranger to Georgia's political scene. At age 14, he drafted a resolution to establish a Jewish Heritage Month in Georgia, and in 2018, he testified before the Georgia House Judiciary Committee about free speech on Georgia’s college campuses. His efforts contributed to the passage of Senate Bill 339.

Logan’s ancestor also played an integral part in events leading up to the American Revolution. “At the April 1768 session of Anson County Court, a mob of angry men stormed the Courthouse and broke up the Court,” said Logan. “They were led by Solomon Gross. This mob was a part of the Regulator movement in North Carolina and South Carolina protesting the high taxes and crooked officials imposed upon them by the British Royal Governor. This was a prelude to the unrest which started the Revolution in 1775. (Apr 28 1768)”

Another surprising discovery was that many of his ancestors were of the Jewish faith. These discoveries came together in a school assignment when Logan was 13 years old and in the eighth grade at J. R. Trippe. “Anna Helms, who was my English Language Arts teacher, had us read The Diary of Anne Frank. Knowing that many of my ancestors were of the Jewish faith, the story became so real to me. But there were students in the class who thought it was kind of a joke. I was deeply offended.” But it was more than personal offense. He realized he could either stand by in anger or take responsibility to do something that would bring change. “Bystanders can be just as guilty as the perpetrators when they see wrong being done, and they don't intervene or do something. A whole country watched Hitler come to power and have over six million people killed. And it was something people never thought could happen.”

He began to search for any Holocaust survivors still living in Georgia. “Burt Lewyn was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, where most of his family died in the Holocaust. He was living in Atlanta, so I just called him. I asked him to come and speak to my eighth-grade class about his experiences, and although he was elderly and no longer able to travel, he put me in contact with Sylvia Wygoda, the Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.”

Logan invited her to J. R. Trippe, and she came and spoke to the entire eighth grade. “Sylvia Wygoda’s father was a Holocaust survivor named Hermann Wygoda,” said Logan. “He was an amazing man. He saved an entire Italian village from the Gestapo. As she spoke, I could just see that everyone’s opinion and demeanor was changed because someone was standing in front of them telling them, ‘I lost my halfbrother and all my aunts and uncles in the Holocaust. My father was the only person I had left who survived.’” (Her father passed away in the 1980s.)

Logan was so inspired by Hermann Wygoda’s courage, he wanted to do more. The following summer, Sylvia Wygoda gave him the task of research and data collection for the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust. As he discovered more about the Jewish contributions in Georgia, he said, “I realized Georgia has a Black History Month, a Hispanic Heritage Month, an Italian American Heritage Month, a Caribbean

the Jewish people who had made significant contributions to our state. Dr. Samuel Nunes, a Jewish immigrant from Spain, saved the colony of Savannah from the plague, and the first Coca-Cola was sold in a Jewish department store in Little Five Points,” he stated.

At 14 years old, Logan drafted a resolution to establish a Jewish Heritage Month to commemorate everything Jews have done in Georgia and presented it in the Georgia General Assembly. “Denise Parson, who was the Family and Consumer Science teacher at VCHS at the time, was my advisor. She took me back and forth to Atlanta and helped me see it through. Besides family, she’s always been my biggest supporter.”

In January 2011, with Senator Renee Unterman and Representative Michele Henson as sponsors and the continued support of Senator Tommie Williams and Representative Greg Morris, Senate

PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Resolution 160 passed unanimously in both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly. At the age of 14, Logan became the youngest person in U.S. history to write and lobby for legislation that passed unanimously in both chambers of the Georgia Legislature.

On the day Governor Nathan Deal signed the resolution into law, the Georgia State Capitol was filled with supporters. In addition

the Holocaust survivor Logan had originally contacted about speaking to his eighth grade class was present, among others. He remembers, “After Senator Unterman addressed a full Senate chamber, she turned to me and said, ‘Come up and say a few words.’”

For young Logan, it was a moment he will never forget. “As I left the stage, Opher Aviran, the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast at the time said to me, ‘You’re going to be a great senator one day.’ And that has

resonated with me ever since.” From that moment, Logan knew what he wanted to do with his life.

When he was 16, Logan started working at Captain D’s in Vidalia. “I worked there for two and a half years. Then Donna Collins, who was the Computer Applications and Business instructor at VCHS at the time, helped me get a job with Chicken of the Sea,” said Logan. “I was the Human Resources Assistant for Nancy Palmer for about a year. I learned so much from Nancy about what it means to work in a business environment. Those are skills I use even today.”

Logan graduated from Vidalia Comprehensive High School in 2014 and began college at Armstrong State University in Savannah. “Being so young, I thought law school was the track you had to follow to be a good politician,” said Logan, “so I took a lot of classes on a track for law school.” For the next three years, Logan worked as an information services specialist for Savannah-based law firm Hunter, Maclean, Exley, and Dunn, P.C. He also wrote columns for the Savannah Morning News for about a year.

Still feeling a strong connection to Judaism, Logan began attending services at Mickve Israel, the third oldest Jewish congregation in America. After several months, he decided to reconnect with his own Jewish heritage by going through the conversion process. He then began taking classes with Rabbi Robert Haas. On October 20, 2016, his conversion ceremony was held, and he was given the Hebrew name Gabriel. “It means ‘God is my strength,’” said Logan.

His political journey continued. In the summer of 2017, Logan interned as a speech writer with U.S. Representative Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, who represents Georgia’s 1st Congressional District in Washington, D.C. Logan penned nearly two dozen floor speeches that commemorated important events in the lives of men and women within Georgia’s 1st District. “One specific speech that I helped draft honored the life of former Allman Brothers Band singer Gregg Allman.”

ABOVE In 2017, Logan interned as a speech writer for U.S. Representative Buddy Carter.

While working with Representative Buddy Carter, he attended briefings and wrote many legislative summaries to present to Congress. When the former CIA Director, John Brennan, gave his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Logan said, “I sat right behind him and got to see them question him about the whole Russian collusion narrative. It was amazing to have a front row seat to the headline of the day.”

Advice from a legislative staffer in Representative Buddy Carter’s office helped Logan determine how to proceed with his education to best prepare for the future. “When he asked about my plans for the future, I explained that I was going to law school because I wanted to eventually run for office. He said, ‘That's not necessary at all. I went to law school myself, and it was a waste. You would be taking a detour to get back to where you are

now.’” It made sense. Logan didn’t want to practice law; he wanted to serve the public. Working with those who were doing that very thing was the best education he could get.

In the summer of 2017, Logan transferred to the University of Georgia (UGA) to finish his undergraduate degree in political science. While a full-time student, he completed two additional internships: one with former Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s campaign for Governor, and another as a casework intern for U.S. Representative Jody B. Hice, who represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District in Athens.”

As if that wasn’t enough, he also ran for president of the Student Government Association, even though the odds were not in his favor as a nontraditional transfer student. “I wanted to give a voice back to the students because the Student Government

Association at UGA was being run like a country club…. It’s a student government for a reason.” Although not elected, he said, “I learned so much from the experience.”

In September 2017, Logan learned that the city had decided to explore removing a Confederate monument in downtown Athens. “I challenged the city’s decision,” he said. “I believe, as someone who has extensively studied history, that it is important to preserve even the most odious parts of American history. When Nazi concentration camps throughout Europe were liberated, they weren’t closed. They were opened as museums to serve as a testament to the power of hate and how we as a world cannot stand along the sidelines as bystanders who do nothing.” After Logan threatened the city with legal action, the decision was made to preserve the monument.

In March 2018, Logan testified

What’s Happening on Main Street

The Lyons Main Street program understands how important a downtown area can be, so we work to improve our Main Street every day. In addition to helping new businesses locate, issuing assistance grants, planning networking opportunities and coordinating beautification projects, we help host and plan a variety of events to engage the community. Take a look at some of this year’s fun-filled events. And if you missed one, make plans to attend next year!

All of our events have their own Facebook page so make sure to like them, and visit us regularly at www.lyonsmainstreet.com to see what’s happening in your downtown.

13,045 attendance at promotional events promotional events

5,995 volunteer hours

29 building rehabilitation projects

6 public improvement projects

2 new or expanding businesses

7

$1,104,120 new jobs created

7 private/public investment downtown

before the Georgia House Judiciary Committee about free speech on Georgia’s college campuses. In his testimony, he stated:

Now, more than ever, students understand the need for dialogue and expression on university campuses. When an administration infringes upon the rights of students, their practices run contrary to the purpose of a university. A university is a canvas for which to paint the masterpiece that is that of the human mind. When we only allow certain groups to express themselves on statefunded university campuses, we run contrary to the most basic function of higher education.

This testimony was paramount to the passage of Senate Bill 339, which restricts public, taxpayer-funded universities in Georgia from restricting the right to free expression on

campuses. The bill was later signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal.

Logan graduated from UGA with honors in December 2018. On February 5, 2019, he began an internship at the White House in the Office of Presidential Correspondence. Out of 7,500 applicants across the nation, Logan was one of only 84 accepted.

In addition to the opportunity to work in the White House, Logan said, “We had our photograph taken with the President, and I got to watch him board Marine One.” Interns at the White House were also provided a wonderful speaker series and heard from senior officials in the administration. The weekend prior to our interview, he attended the Spring Garden Tour in the White House Rose Garden, and he planned to attend the White House Easter Egg Roll when he returned to Washington D.C. the following week.

Logan has applied to graduate school at George Washington University to pursue a Master of Strategic Public

Relations degree and is already looking for work in D.C. “I am lucky to have grown up with a strong sense of worth and a desire to work hard. Nothing was handed to me. I was expected to have a job, pay bills, and eventually go to college. Maybe my home situation was unique, but I wasn’t coddled. And I thank my parents for that.” (Logan’s mom and stepdad are Rhonda and Dale Sheffield, and his dad and stepmom are Billy and Nancy Lawrence).

There is no way to know exactly what challenges lie ahead, but I do know it’s going to take those with true insight based on more than emotions and past wounds to bring unity to this nation. Logan has both a discerning heart and a good dose of Toombs County common sense that should make us all proud. “This will always be home and the place I will come back to one day,” said Logan. And when he does, I’ve no doubt it will be to serve the people of his community. U

sauna | massage facials tanning | spray tan hair & nails

Vidalia Main Street Shop Local. Eat Local. Spend Local. Your community will thank you.

The DVA Enjoys a Great Start to 2019

by Tonya Green Parker, Executive Director

Our Downtown Vidalia Association started off 2019 with exciting new events and opportunities. We introduced a membership brochure with 4 distinct levels of membership and benefits. Design is an integral part of the Main Street approach, and our Board of Directors saw a need to offer more. As an enhancement to our design benefit, general members may apply for $500 grants (2 annually) and our Gold level members or higher may apply for $1,000 façade grants (3 annually). Our goal is to keep downtown, and beyond looking fresh and inviting.

Coffee before Hours is a successful networking event held the first Wednesday of each month. For years, this has been a great time for community members to mingle. Thanks to the popularity and success of this event, we added another networking opportunity called “The 5:05 with DVA.” “The 5:05” takes place on the third Thursday of every other month and is hosted by our higher-level members. If you haven’t attended either of these, we invite you to drop by and socialize with the amazing people of our community.

Our Promotions Committee successfully planned and implemented our first Downtown Chocolate Walk. Tickets were sold, and 17 businesses participated in treating walkers as they shopped the Saturday before Valentine’s

Day. Each ticket holder was given a map of the participating businesses, a place to write down reasons why they would return, or maybe just a few of their favorite memories. Participating businesses provided shoppers with chocolate treats. This successful event provided patrons another reason to shop local, as if people need another reason to shop, right?!?! The businesses gained new customers, and shoppers said they visited stores they had never been. Chocolate and shopping turned out to be a great combination! Thanks to the event’s success, we plan to make it an annual event.

In gearing up for the 42nd annual Vidalia Onion Festival, our Promotions Committee decided to corral community pride with the first Sweeten Your Ride event. Committee members and volunteers drew an onion on car windows for a $5 donation. Not only were we able to show community support, we also presented a sizable check to East GA Fellowship of Christian Athletes. We hope this will become an annual event, and each year the DVA will donate to a different local non-profit organization. Our annual Onion Festival events were once again a success because of our generous community. The third annual Downtown Chalk Walk displayed colorful works of art down our downtown sidewalks. This year’s theme was “Chalk about Farmin”. We had artists from

Don’t miss what’s happening downtown....

Robert Toombs Christian Academy, Toombs County High School, Vidalia Heritage Academy, and Vidalia High School. Friday and Saturday of the Festival, we fried our delicious Vidalia Sweet Onion rings. Thanks to the generous donations from the community and volunteers, it was a successful fundraiser which allows DVA to continue promoting growth and bringing prosperity to our community, and participating members.

2019 Board of Directors

President

Kelly Wingate, Medixx Ambulance Vice President

Heather Mead, Million Pines Community Bank

Secretary

Rhonda Jones, Dermatology Associates

Treasurer

Bill Bedingfield, City of Vidalia

Sandy Dixon, Accordia Urgent Care

Charles Tapley, Lovins Realty

Greg Hudgins, GA Power

Tish Holland, Arlene’s Fine Jewelry

Valerie McLendon, Altamaha Bank & Trust

COFFEE BEFORE HOURS AT RIALTO

1ST PLACE CHALK ART AWARD

Ring Tent Sponsors

Altamaha Bank & Trust

Beasley Farms

DOT Foods

Food World

Huddle House

Kailey Dees State Farm

Million Pines Community Bank

Monroe Agency

Onion City Package

The Sandwich Shoppe

Shoney’s

Sonic

Vidalia Heritage Academy

Vidalia Masonic Lodge

Vidalia Valley

Webster Motor Co.

Woody Folsom Auto Group

And a lot of sweet volunteers!

2019 Members

Platinum Members

Altamaha Bank & Trust

Community Hospice

Dermatology Associates

Million Pines Community Bank

Toombs County Commissioners

Patron Members

Arlene’s Fine Jewelry

Kailey Dees State Farm

GA Power Company

McLain, Calhoun, McCullough, Clark, & Co., P.C.

Mt. Vernon Bank

Peoples Bank

Vidalia Communications

Gold Members

Accessorize It!

Ameris Bank

Darby Dental Services

DOT Foods

Estroff Properties

Gaston Crue Lifestyle & Interiors

Lovins Realty & Investments

M&M Realty

Massie McIntyre, P.C.

Meadows Sleep Center

Phillips Pharmac y

Shoney ’s

Tipton-Downie Attorney

Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home

General Members

1st Franklin Financial

Accordia Urgent Care

Acute Care Clinic/Allergy & Asthma Clinic of SEGA

Alliance Home Medical

Altama Museum of Art & History

American Tax Service

AmericInn Lodge & Suites

Anytime Fitness

Archie Branch & Associates

Bishop -Durden Insurance Group

Brown Implement

Brown Insurance Group

Brown’s Jewelry

KE Butler & Company Jewelers

Chicken of the Sea

Clarke Appliance Sales & Service, Inc.

Dean Architecture & Design

The Dixon Management Group, Inc.

Edna’s Marketplace Boutique

ERA Southeast Coastal Real Estate

ESG Operations, Inc.

Esquire Fashions

Justin Franklin

The Garden House

Georgia Eye Institute

Goin’ Postal

Handy Andy Home Warehouse

Ingley, Moore, Paradice, & Co. LLC

Johnny’s Barber Shop

J Leigh Hair, LLC

The Law Firm of Smith & Tillery, P.C.

Lovins & Associaties, LLC

Mar y’s/M Squared Design Firm

Meadows Regional Medical Center

Meridy ’s Uniforms

Merle Norman Cosmetics

Mimosa Gift Boutique

Northland Communications

The Onion Inn

Ann & Karl Owens

Palmer & Associates Insurors Pekoe’s Pretties

The Printed Word

Republic Services

Rhodes Electric

Robin’s Nest/Maddie Bea

Second Blessings

Serenity Hospice Care, LLC

Shuman’s Cleaners

Sign & Stamp Solutions

S’Moore Coffee Shop

Soothing Sensations

Specially for Her

Stewart-Rozier Funeral Service

Superior Services

The Temples Company

Tom Peterson Realtors, Inc.

Toombs County Magazine

Toombs-Montomery Chamber of Commerce

Tri-County Clinic of Chiropractic

The Unique Boutique

Vidalia Dental Associates

Webster Motor Company

Friends

Lisa Chesser

Debbie Kittrell

McArthur Rentals

Jennifer McComas

Becky Palmer

Ann Todd

Hometown Happenings

Annual Daddy Daughter Date Night

Chick-Fil-A Vidalia

Daddy Daughter Date Night is a great opportunity for dads (and granddads) to spend time with their princesses and to show their daughters what a date night should look like. This event filled with singing, dancing and a delicious meal is designed to make every girl feel special.

Hometown Happenings

APRIL

2019 Vidalia Onion Festival

From beauty pageants and a sidewalk chalk contest to food competitions, music, fireworks and arts and crafts, the Vidalia Onion Festival always provides a weekend of fun and entertainment for all ages. Now in its 42nd year and better than ever, the onion festival is a don’t miss event we all look forward to!

Hometown Happenings

Chick-Fil-A Road Race Downtown Vidalia

The annual Chick-Fil-A Road Road is gaining momentum with hundreds of runners and walkers of all ages participating this year. Sponsored in part by Zorn Insurance, Spivey Orthopedic Clinic and Altamaha Bank and Trust, the event raises money for WinShape Camps and Paul Anderson Youth Home.

Hometown Happenings

Showcasing Toombs

Showcasing Toombs brings out the best of Toombs County with auction items, trade booths, food, entertainment and fun. This year’s theme, “The Chamber Wants Your Booty,” brought out pirates galore, mermaids and fisherman for a blimey good time!

photo by | LiLLian Morse burton

Scenes of Toombs Co.

I’m not sure If It’s caused by the heat or sImply a state of mInd, but summer has always been a season of slowIng down, restIng and recuperatIng from the tensIon of wInter as soon as the days get longer, the thermostat rIses, and fIelds of green blanket the landscape, the world begIns to breathe steady agaIn. summer Is wIld, It Is encompassIng, It Is fIlled wIth memorIes, It Is a celebratIon of lazIness In a good way. and then It Is gone. enjoy your summer whIle It lasts In

Toombs County!

photo by | lIllIan morse burton

photo by | Milizabeth Mann

photo by | Sheila JaMeS

photo by | Diane Mixon

photo by | Diane Mixon

photo by | tim Underwood

photo by | Anslie meAd

photo by | lilliAn morse bUrton

photo by | lindSay riner

photo by | Joe claroni

photo by | John henry Stinnett

photo by | Diane Mixon

photo by | Joe Claroni

photo by | Joe Claroni

LAST Words

It’s time for a vacation

The packing, planning and checklists are overwhelming, but time together is worth it all.

It is summertime, and family vacation season is upon us. All that has me reminiscing about 24 years of road trips and adventures. It was never easy, but it was always worth it.

I think you moms can relate when I say it was my duty to make sure three girls plus myself were packed and ready to go. The dogs, plants, and mail were taken care of; sandwiches, snacks and coolers were packed; and all the bills were paid. Blinds were pulled, refrigerator cleaned out, garbage taken off, air turned up…check, check, check. Every time we went anywhere, I had a checklist a mile long. We used to do so much to get ready for a trip that my kids still joke that “we can’t go until we pressure wash the house!” So true.

Before we could get on the road, Karl would check behind me on everything. He would get a cold drink, a map, sunglasses, hat, GPS, Grateful Dead CDs, and a can of dip. He would leave the house, get things out of his truck, go back in the house, come back out and finally get in the car. Once in the car, a checklist was called off, and he would say, “If we don’t have it, we don’t need it.” The first 15 minutes on the road were spent getting everything set perfectly in the car; the address was keyed into the GPS while I cleaned his sunglasses, his seat was adjusted for maximum comfort, rear view mirrors set, air vents pointed at just the right angles, and the soap and windshield wipers were tested which was quickly followed by some sort of mumble about forgetting to put in the Rain-X and how we should have replaced the wipers.

The funny thing is, it doesn’t matter how much you prepare because the unexpected will happen anyway. We have come home to missing pets, a dead mouse that stunk up the whole house, a faucet that had been dripping for a week, and an entire closet shelving system that collapsed. You can’t plan for everything, but God knows we tried.

While most of our trips were road trips my very generous sister occasionally took us somewhere on an airplane and that was always interesting.

Our air travel adventures included: 1) not having the correct form of identification which resulted in having my birth certificate overnight mailed from Texas and missing an entire day in Puerto Rico; 2) my husband quite seriously being considered a possible terrorist right after 9/11 and being pulled out of line by security three times before we could get on the plane; and 3) the time we traveled with friends and again he was pulled aside by security, and again his luggage searched. This time they found some sexy lingerie in his bag that wasn’t his…I mean, mine. Turns out he had mistakenly grabbed the suitcase of our friend who was traveling with us.

We almost got arrested one summer for shooting fireworks off the beach, and once my sister and I were held captive in a St. Simons kitchen by a wharf rat the

TO GET STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AND DIE!”

Sweet words of encouragement, and the perfect way to keep the fear level down to a minimum, don’t you think?

On a mountain trip, my sister and her family drove down from Illinois to meet us. As we were ending our trip, we followed them down the mountain and there, pressed against the back window of their conversion van, an economy sized package of extra-large, super absorbent feminine hygiene products. Huge package. Big, big, huge, brightly colored package with lots of descriptive words pressed against one half of the entire back window. This was before we had a phone in our car, so we had nothing to do but laugh and feel incredibly sorry for them because they traveled hundreds of miles like that.

size of a small dog. I had no idea that either of us could jump straight up onto a counter, but it happened.

During a trip to St. Augustine when the girls were pretty young, we drug a plethora of coolers, umbrellas, beach toys, chairs, blankets, bags, and fishing equipment down to the beach. My brother-in-law got stabbed by a fish and Karl ended up having to take him to the hospital leaving me and the girls alone on the beach. Almost on cue, it began to get cloudy and started to thunder and lightning. I strapped umbrellas and toys onto the children’s backs, tethered bags around their ankles and wrists, and I drug the coolers, chairs, and fishing equipment hurriedly off the beach. The children cried and wailed as their feet were hot and their burdens were heavy, but I kept them motivated by screaming “KEEP MOVING OR YOU’RE GOING

Of course, we’ve made our share of trips to Florida. On our very first trip to Universal Studios, we stood in line in the blazing heat for 1.5 hours for a ride. Five minutes away from getting on, my nephew looks at me and says “Annie, I have to go potty really bad.” I have no recollection of why I stepped out of line and my brother did not, but I think I should still be mad about this. Anyway, an employee pointed us to the closest bathroom and we took off running. On the way to the bathroom, the poor kid, who already feels terrible about missing the ride, slips on “people poop” (his words) left on the ground from a diaper and I have to carry him the rest of the way because the resulting meltdown was as big and nasty as the people poop itself.

Fabulous memories, all of them. I hope we continue to do family vacations for many years to come although they are certainly beginning to look different as my little girls have been replaced with young women who have college, job, and husband responsibilities of their own. Sometimes I think it will be so nice when they start to pay for their own travel expenses and we will be able to simply walk out of the house, get in the car, and enjoy an easy and cheap adventure. Ha, who am I kidding? That doesn’t sound anywhere near as fun.

Ann Owens is a writer, creative genius, entrepreneur, mother, and wife who enjoys pondering what makes the world click.

CHPCA, CEO