V3 March 2016

NWGA's Premier Feature Magazine March 2016

Heart of the

HIGHLANDS Building better people is the lifeblood of Georgia Highlands Basketball organization’s championship charge.

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MARCH 2016 Is the institution of marriage in trouble? J. Bryant Steele thinks not, but he does have a few concerns about his monetary contributions to the UGA alumni fund.

Holly Lynch ponders one of the most important ways we present ourselves to the world – a name.

Bullying has such an ugly face, so James Schroeder has decided that he and his band of gingers will give it a beautiful makeover by way of the Ginger Pride Parade.

For Mike and Connie Sams, owners of River Dog Paddle Co., being a stand-up business is what they hope will get Northwest Georgians off the couch and out on the water.

Chieftains Museum is offering a plethora of new activities, giving Northwest Georgians a glimpse into the windows of their past.

Georgia Highlands Basketball, under the direction of Coach Phil Gaffney, has put together a program for success that is second to none.

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Community

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Last month, I turned 36. I know … still a spring chicken, right? Birthdays seem to get a little more meaningless the older you get, or maybe it’s just impossible for them to measure up to the milestone birthdays of your youth.

As they often do, my children give me a solid dose of perspective on a wide variety of topics, but my daughters 15th birthday, which was 11 days before my own, made my prior sentiment ring true.

When you’re a kid, every birthday is a big deal, but those milestone birthdays are game changers. From entering your teens to hitting the legal drinking age, it seems like every year offers a new opportunity/responsibility, and

Owner& CEO Ian Griffin Mag Art & Design Ellie Borromeo

Ian Griffin OWNER+CEO

Contributing Editor Tannika Wester

PUBLISHER’S NOTE watching my daughter whip out her learner’s permit was both terrifying and awesome at the same time. It took me back to being on the cusp of independence, and I remembered how exciting the prospect of being able to transport myself and my buddies all over town was.

I wanted to drive everywhere my parents would let me. I studied like I wish I had studied for school and, in general, did everything I could to ensure that I would have my license the day I turned 16. I allowed myself to get caught up in this whirlwind of emotions and, for a moment, I was so excited for the freedom Marley would soon enjoy; then the dad brain kicked in.

Before I go too far, let me start by saying we couldn’t ask for a more responsible daughter. But every teenager makes mistakes, and my nostalgic mind had already shifted to the dumb things I had done in a car either while driving or riding and panic ensued. Throw into the mix the fact that the only phones in cars when I started driving were in a bag and I really started to worry … and feel old.

In the end, all we can do is teach her the rules of the road, ban cell phone use in the car and hope for the best. Marley’s string of benchmark birthdays is well underway, while – for her mother and me – each year that passes simply makes us another year older. So, here’s to living vicariously through your children!

Now, if I can just quit getting bent out of OOPS! Our Bad. shape when I get in my car and my mirrors Please excuse our oversight in last are all adjusted to 15-year-old levels, I’ll month's Hardy Home feature. be good to go.

The correct price for the custome cottages at The Village start at $299,000. We sincerely apologize.

-V3 Editorial Staff

Editorial Manager Oliver Robbins

Writers J. Bryant Steele, Oliver Robbins, Erin deMesquita, Holly Lynch Corinna Underwood, Louis Spivak Executive Photographer Derek Bell, MFA 706.936.0407 Contributing Photographers Christian David Turner Cameron Flaisch Ad Sales & Client Relations Chris Forino, Diana Davis Morgan Ad Design & Marketing Concepts Ellie Borromeo, Christian David Turner Publisher V3 Publications, LLC Contact One West Fourth Avenue Rome, Ga. 30161 Office Phone 706.235.0748 v3publications@gmail.com Creator Neal Howard

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LORD of the

RINGS CENTS & SENSIBILITY with J. Bryant Steele

arriage is on the decline and won’t even exist by the year 2042, according to a recent article in The Washington Post that cited different demographic studies.

The first point I want to make here is that it’s not my fault. I’m just one person, so I can’t really skew the statistics. True, marriage hasn’t worked out for me (so far). Also true is that I am of the hippie generation that disdained institution and advocated for shacking up rather than shackles.

The second point I want to make is that I don’t believe these predictions, which seem to occur every decade or so, that marriage is on the way out. Marriage will be with us as long as there are poets and wedding planners, and 12

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we know that these give us, first, our enduring hope and, second, an injection to the economy.

I’m not saying that couples get married just to help business owners like my co-columnist Holly Lynch. But residual effects are still money in the bank.

Also, now, same-sex marriage is legal and in the money mix.

My father was a Southern Baptist preacher and officiated at a lot of weddings. Once, I came home from my summer job, in muddy work boots, my face rather grimy and sweaty, to find my father sitting with a young couple in our den.

“Good,” my father said. “We need another witness to sign the marriage certificate.” I was legally old enough, so I sat there and listened

to the briefest and least romantic wedding I’ve ever attended.

After my parents and I had walked the couple out to their car with our abbreviated good wishes, my father said to me, “I wish I could advise young people like that to just live together first.

Because they’re not going to last. But I can’t give that advice. It’s not biblical.”

My smart-aleck reply was, “Sometimes it’s better to be practical.” That helped a couple of years later when I gathered the nerve to tell my parents that I was moving in with my girlfriend at the time.

The Christian Science Monitor reported last year, as if you can’t tell just by looking around, that single adults outnumber married adults.

Articles like the one in The Washington Post cite demographic facts, such as: marriage has a nearly 50 percent failure rate. (OK, in that instance, maybe I did skew the statistic.) Half of children today in the U.S. are born outside of marriage. The Washington Post author also made the observation, “One size does not fit all.”

What all this brings to mind are the many longtime, happily married couples who are close friends of mine. Their stories are varied.

In most cases, it’s the second time around for at least one spouse.

I think of a couple who go together so well you would think it was love at first sight. Yet, he had to work at persuading her to even date him.

In another case, there is a glaring age difference.

I know another couple where each is an evangelical and extremely right-wing bigot who sits in the living room, tossing the remote back and forth to pass the time with trash TV, never reading or having profound conversation. In contrast, I know a bunch of couples who just pen sweet nothings to each other for no occasion at all.

Then there is the Jew and the Roman Catholic. Moreover, she is a Southern Jew, and he is a New York Italian Catholic. They participate in each other’s observances and they both love baseball.

There have been difficulties, disagreements, differences and disease in those relationships.

But the marriages have endured, which is what I hope for my daughter. I’ll share a little secret: Daddies want their daughters to be five years old forever. But they grow up and get married.

So, demographic studies be damned. Marriage is here to stay, as far as I can tell. Not because it was ordained by God or ordered by government, but because, however it came about, we want to love and to care and believe all the way down into to our marrow.

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Biz Bits The U.S. and Cuba have agreed to resume air travel between our countries, a big step forward in thawing relations. The irony here is that you have to fly to Cuba if you want to ride in an impeccably maintained ’57 Chevy Bel Air (unless you want to pay six figures for one on eBay.) Seriously, the question that has to be asked as Cuba becomes more enterprising is: will democracy follow capitalism? Best guess, not anytime soon.

Ga. State Rep. Tommy Benton caused a stir when he came off, in a media interview, as defending the Ku Klux Klan as “not a racist thing but a vigilante thing to keep law and order.”

Some, but not enough, fellow Republicans tried to distance themselves from the remarks.

Georgia has come a long way since the days of Lester Maddox as governor, but comments like Benton’s could set our reputation back to the level of Alabama or South Carolina and, morals aside, that’s not good for business.

I wish the speakers at the ecumenical gathering at Rome’s First United Methodist Church

back on Feb. 18, designed to address black-white relations, would have addressed this current event. Instead, the presentation was about five years old, not contemporary, and absent of local specifics.

But it was a good event overall, an overflow crowd, and it sets up another event on April 23 at Ridge Ferry Park. That’s the date a neo-Nazi organization, from Michigan of all places, will hold a “white-rights” rally in Rome in front of the Law Enforcement Center. The rally in the park is a response to that.

Finally, a memo to my college alma mater, the one over there in Athens. It was reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that you are paying $6.2 million to football coaches no longer employed by you. I will remember that the next time I get a letter from you asking me to donate generously.

J. Bryant Steele has won awards for business reporting, feature writing and opinion columns, and is based in Rome. *The views expressed in this column are those of the writer, and do not represent the opinions of V3 Magazine.

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THE NAME GAME

TRENDS & TRADITIONS with Holly Lynch

What’s in a name?

Juliet’s question rings true to many of us today. Does the name of what something or someone is called really make a difference? In this modern world, everything is fluid and ill-defined. People “identify” a certain way and declare their identity instead of becoming something. It’s a wonder there are not more people legally changing their names to better suit their mood.

Considering this idea, and in the midst of working a Shakespearean event,

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my thoughts turned to the famous lines of the bard. Juliet wonders if Romeo could change his name so they could be together. Or, conversely, she’s willing to change her name to be with him.

She ponders the theory that if Romeo were not called as such, would he not be as loveable? She proposes that his name is not any part of him.

Would a rose still smell sweet if it were called something else?

I say that the word rose, because of the meaning we have attached to it, smells sweeter than a toe or a rock. If we started calling roses “toes,” very few of us would lean in to give it a sniff.

When I named my company, I spent several agonizing days (weeks?) figuring out a name that told what we did, a name that did not have my own name tied to it (for future salability) and that meant something to me. Our company name is derived from Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. To everything there is a season. I was at a new season in my career and the verse spoke to me. I also liked the play on words to wedding season and Christmas season. Plus, the name longed for a green logo, and I like really like green. A name was born.

Recently, there’s been news of an upcoming business that will have a similar name to my company’s. After fielding lots of questions from staff and supporters, I’ve come to the conclusion that someone else may feel as strongly about the word “season” as I do. And that’s great! A word, a name, has to have a meaning. I spoke with the owner of this new business and we have already shared a laugh about our future referrals. After all, our town has survived many years with a couple of successful “harvest”-titled restaurants.

I think about the names of things I’ve learned.

Instead of meeting with the florist and describ-

ing the “velvet brain,” I now confidently ask for celosia. In the kitchen, my business partner has educated me on the difference between haricot verts (although I still can’t pronounce it) and “regular” green beans. Having these specific names helps us communicate better. Just today, we were laughing about the difference between a metal pan and a foil pan – in our world, they are very different pans!

Names have meanings and help us communicate exactly what we mean. So proper names, like the names of businesses, places, and people, must help us communicate what we mean as well. Instead of just saying “the bakery,” let’s specify whether we mean Honeymoon Bakery or The Sweet Bar. Their names were carefully chosen, and they are different places in both product and people.

For some, a name could truly be the enemy.

I’ve always wondered about places and businesses that are named for famous people – what happens when something scandalous happens?

Would you want to attend O.J. Simpson High School? I’m not certain there is one, but if during the athlete’s heyday a school or football stadium was named in his honor, it’s probable the name has been changed.

On the other hand, there are the places where the name is now famous because of tragedy, but the name remains. Like a badge of honor or an alternate definition, sometimes a name is so wrapped up in an event that the name MUST remain. Columbine High School is still Columbine High School. I am glad they haven’t changed the name of the school, despite the tragic events of 19 years ago.

In my business, a name change is part of the process of marriage (most of the time). I

have even developed a guide to navigating the name-change process for my clients, including links to the DMV and probate courts. Many of my brides retain their maiden name as their middle name. If Juliet were a southern girl and lived to marry sweet Romeo, she would be Juliet Capulet Montague. I think it’s beautiful that these women retain their original name as part of their evolving process of becoming a wife. For some, I know, the idea of changing your last name with marriage seems old fashioned. But I know that I couldn’t wait to become a Mrs. Lynch and add that new name to my own. The process of becoming a wife, and not just a single person, was signified by the addition of a name.

In some religions, a new name is given to a person as they complete certain parts of their religious training over time. Similarly, we gain titles as we grow in our professions. The names mean something as we learn. We do not suddenly declare ourselves to be a doctor or a lawyer and add that title to our name simply because we identify with that profession. Names have to have meaning.

After all, we don’t spend seventh grade reading a love story about Walter and What’s-her-name.

The tragic answer to Juliet’s question is that Romeo can only be Romeo, the man she loves, because he is what he is called.

Holly Lynch is the owner of The Season Events, a full service catering, event planning and design company located at 300 Glenn Milner Blvd. in Rome. *The views expressed in this column are those of the writer, and do not represent the opinions of V3 Magazine.

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Love Me GINGER Text Oliver Robbins Photos Cameron Flaisch Lifelong Roman James Schroeder has seen his fair share of mean-spirited comments that destroy self-esteems. As a teacher in the Rockmart City Schools system, even as an adult he has not been immune to the harsh realities of bullying. Using laughter as an unconventional response to hate is his answer. From the creative mind of one of Rome’s most talented artists comes the idea for a parade that welcomes everyone to laugh in the face of bullying and hopefully put an end to the pain. Gingers and friends will unite on March 19 to celebrate diversity and throw away the stigma of the red-headed stepchild.

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V3: When did you decide to start the Ginger Pride Parade and what sparked the idea?

JS: I was teaching at Model High School and I had a student say something pretty rude to me about having red hair. I’d had that happen before. It’s one of those things that is not that bad, but it still made me pretty upset and I went to the principal. They didn’t do anything about it and I realized that maybe this wasn’t the right path to take. I see kids getting picked on all the time. Negative reactions, whether it’s hateful speech in response to a bully, selfharm or violence against a pet or something like that, only makes the problem worse. So, I figured out a way to be brave and show people the right way to deal with bullying. To be honest, it was supposed to be just me banging pots and walking down the Broad Street. I put something on Facebook about my plans and this really cute girl comes up and says, “I’m going to your Ginger Parade.” Thinking that I was on to something, I tried making it as big as possible.

Only 15 people came the first year but it was awesome. We had a great first parade except for a lot of sunburn in August.

V3: So, what’s been the feedback from your community about the Ginger Pride Parade and how it’s been accepted, especially since you’re in the school system where ending bullying is a focus?

JS: First, people don’t really get it. They’re like, “What, a Ginger Parade?” It just doesn’t make sense to them unless they have red hair and they get it. It seems weird but once you explain that we are finding creative ways to combat bullying, people really love it. And I’ve heard some positive feedback. Our Facebook page got 5,000 likes today!

V3: How can we find more information about your parade?

JS: Unfortunately, I couldn’t really change the name [on Facebook]. I initially named the page Ginger Pride Walk, and I can’t change it again, so it remained Ginger Pride Walk. We’ve been in a magazine from Spain, a few publications in England, and we’ve been on Buzzfeed twice.

There have been some really great conversations started, especially with anti-bullying and creative ways to approach something that is very serious. Some people think that anti-bullying events need to be a candlelight vigil with lots of crying. When thinking about ways to draw more attention to the cause I thought, “Rome doesn’t have anything on St. Patty’s Day.” Savannah does, and other places have tons of St. Patrick’s Day stuff, but we have only a few events. We’ve got the pet parade and we’ve got

V3: What year was that?

JS: That was in 2011 and it was really hot. Everyone got really sunburned but the next year, that following March, I decided to try it again because people had heard about it they thought it was really cool. We had maybe 75 people come out and it’s grown each year. Now, we are expecting around 500 people to attend this year’s Ginger Pride Parade.

the Leprechaun-a-thon. So, we got together and said let’s make it happen. Let’s have three events going on; let’s make it bigger and bigger.

V3: The Ginger Pride Parade’s purpose is to help others deal with bullies. What 22

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are some of the philosophies behind your approach to coping with bullying, and how are you are using the parade to show kids how to handle bullying?

JS: I think for a lot of people, especially boys, there’s been the question: how do you deal with anger? Most fight anger with anger. You go play football or you hit someone. You get that anger out and, unfortunately, I think this only masks a lot those feelings. So, what we try to do is teach kids non-violent humor. An example of this is self-deprecation. It’s taking something like someone bullying you for having bright-red hair and rather than lash out at them and be a bully just the same, or internalize and take it home, you use non-violence and you poke fun

their life. You might be saving their day. Every little laugh helps.

V3: Tell us about some of the efforts you have used over the years to help grow the parade. It has gone from a couple of people to well over 500-600 people, right?

JS: Yes it has and it’s crazy cool! One of the things, I think, helped most was an online contest. It’s been both good and bad. We have an online Ginger Contest for Mr. and Mrs. Ginger, Junior Mr. and Miss Ginger, Little Mr. and Miss Ginger, and Ginger Family. Ginger Pet and Silverfox, which is for people who don’t have red hair anymore, are additional categories. It’s just silly and fun.

People from all over the world post pictures on

V3: Have you witnessed a memorable impact on anyone who has been bullied and participated in the parade?

our Facebook page and each like is a vote. Unfortunately, last year we had some people cheat, which almost became a type of bullying. So, this year, we are having the online contest and then we will take the top two or three people from each group and put their face on a container at the event. Each person who comes to the parade gets a ticket and they can drop their tickets in the container to vote for their favorite ginger.

We will present awards at the end of the parade.

JS: Parents of kids who have been bullied and have been to the parade talk to me often about the impact of teaching their kids how to deal with bullies. It’s really cool to have those moments and to have kids talk about issues like suicide and self-harm, and just how positive this event is. We are making people laugh. As little as that may seem, if you can make someone laugh at something so hurtful, you may change

Another way we spread the word is through social media, which has been huge. 92.9 The Game had a segment about bullying. I contacted them, told them that I run an anti-bullying parade and would love to talk to them. They were funny and made jokes, but it was a fun and educational experience for listeners. NPR is covering us this year nationally, and I am really excited about that.

at yourself. In doing that, you deflect the bully; you empower yourself and people laugh at what you say about yourself. They’re not laughing at you; they’re laughing at something funny you did. So, you win people over and it’s a great way to deal with that situation.

I am also making posters. The first year we had hand-drawn posters and the next year I spray-painted them a little bit. Last year, I made 150 and this year I am trying to go for 300. I’m at 238 right now. The visual response of people carrying these signs powerful. I am making them and giving a lot of them away for free. It becomes a constant reminder, especially

with the bullying in schools and media. Even if some of the posters are silly, all of them have a serious message. That’s why I put my mission statement and my goal on the back. It is a light-hearted approach to something that is very serious. So, there is a joke there, but there is also a serious message and I want to make sure that it’s not lost.

V3: This sounds like a ton of fun! Do you have to be a ginger to march?

JS: No, anyone can come! It’s not exclusive in any way. We made the joke a couple of years ago when Donald Trump wouldn’t allow transgender people to participate in the Miss America Pageant, so we made it a point to welcome transginger people to our parade. What’s cool about red hair is most of the time you think of pasty, freckly people with red hair who hate the sun. But on every continent, people with red hair exist. I wish there were more because it’s one of the most beautiful things. African Americans with red hair, like Malcom X, Red Fox and Blake Griffin are so cool looking. I have v3 magazine

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a friend who has a bi-racial kid and she has the brightest red hair. To me, it’s the coolest thing in the entire world, especially if you get the freckles. I cannot tell you how many people I have talked to who are embarrassed about their freckles. They hate them and call them dots. It’s amazing what people get picked on for. Whenever you see somebody with freckles in media, you see them as goofy, with glasses and called “Freckle Face.” Being different is one the most beautiful things to me.

V3: What are some the local businesses or organizations that you have partnered with for the Ginger Pride Parade?

JS: This past year, the Anti-bullying Commission in Rome and Healing Hearts – whose focus is suicide prevention – has donated money which is huge. Unfortunately, I don’t have my 501(c)3 and I don’t have the licensing to run a non-profit, so most of the funds are out of my pocket. I spend about $2,500 of my own money every year. Luckily, I have some people who have donated some money and prizes, and I can’t say how much that has helped. Last year, we had Greene’s Jewelers, some of the restaurants downtown, my dad, my aunt Louise, and Healing Hearts donate $500, which really meant 24

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the world to me. I try to get some really cool T-shirts each year. It’s not just like a grey T-shirt with some writing on it; I get T-shirts that folks can be proud to wear and promote. So, I go to this guy in Athens who I used to work with, and he makes really awesome T-shirts. But T-shirts

"We are making people laugh.

As little as that may seem, if you can make someone laugh at something so hurtful, you may change their life. You might be saving their day. Every little laugh helps" aren’t cheap and the stickers are expensive, too.

That’s another reason why I like to make the posters. I can make a poster and people bring them back the following year.

V3: So what are some of the good things that gingers and transgingers can expect for 2016’s installment of the Ginger Pride Parade?

JS: Rockmart High’s marching band is going to lead the parade, and I can’t express how excited I am about that. Kyle Brooks, an artist in Atlanta who goes by Black Cat Tips and has been in the AJC, is going to be our Grand Marshall. The Rome Knitting group, Knitterati, will be there.

They are going to make some red hats with red beards. Last year, we had the Darlington Tiger lead the parade. It is great to have schools get behind the parade. We will also have an art show after the parade at the DeSoto Theater. We will have some local red-headed musicians playing tunes as well. That will be from 1 to 6 p.m.

March 1st is Self-Harm Awareness Month, and March 1 is Self-Harm Awareness Day. So, I would love to raise money for Healing Hearts or the Anti-Bullying Commission of Rome.

They fight for causes that are at the heart of what I am doing with the parade. Whether I am making signs for MLK or making signs for this, it is doing what is important for Northwest Georgia, and to help those in Rome learn to love Rome and love themselves as much as they should. VVV For more information about the Ginger Pride Parade, “like” Ginger Pride Walk on Facebook.

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Paddle Me HOME Text Louis Spivak Photos Derek Bell. Additional images courtesy of Bote Boards and Ellie Mahon If you’ve noticed that the south end of Broad Street is alive with activity lately, just wait until you see the action a little further up river.

Y

ou know exactly what I am talking about. You and your dearest friends are enjoying the short-sleeves weather, a cold IPA, and the lively type of conversation where no one feels forced to speak but everyone wants to when, quite abruptly, conversation halts and all faces turn in unison.

From the deck of your riverside cabin, the patio of your favorite Floyd County beer garden, or any number of waterside hangouts, you notice the somewhat distant figure of what you assume to be a person walking on water. Together, you and your companions watch with expectant reverence for the arrival of this transcendent being. Closer and closer they come. With each subsequent step, you discover the figure, in fact, is a person – a person donning a backwards hat, brightly colored swimming trunks, and a pair of sunglasses complete with

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Mike and Connie Sams with their dog, River

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straps. Chuckling at your gut reaction, you soon determine this person is not a water walker. With conversation resuming, someone lightheartedly comments, “paddle boarders.”

Although the upright exploration of waterways may be a novel idea to many, historians often date the sport back to the 18th century and place its cultural origin in the island-rich geography of Polynesia. How did these surfboard-canoe hybrids find their way to the rivers and lakes of a county at the foothills of Appalachia, you ask?

You can thank Mike and Connie Sams.

Husband and wife co-owners of River Dog Paddle Co. and the River Dog Outpost, Mike and Connie love paddle boarding and love beer but had no intention of running a two-building, one-stop shop for both in Floyd County. For the Samses, the journey from enthusiast to entrepreneur has been all about being willing to say yes to a new perspective on adventure.

" You can get off the water and not worry about changing.

You can be dripping wet in your swim shorts and feel right at home.”

“The first time Connie and I went paddle boarding was May of 2013,” says Mike. “We had been going down to Destin (Fla.) yearly to spend time on the gulf and kept seeing all these people standing up and bouncing up and down on the waves.”

A lifetime lover of all things water, Connie was the first test pilot and, after an hour-and-ahalf, was a raving fan. “When we came back to Rome, Connie, right away, started researching where to get a paddle board and the best kind to purchase,” he continues. “The difficulty was, of course, there wasn’t anywhere local to talk with someone who knew something about them, and, more importantly, actually try one out.”

Not discouraged by this hurdle, Connie soon purchased her first board. Mike, an avid kayaker, quickly discovered that their afternoons on the Coosa, with Connie on a board and him in the water, were leaving him envious and ready for a change of posture.

“After Connie bought it, we went out together, giving her a chance to try it out,” he says.

“Quite hilariously, there I was hustling away to catch up with my wife who, with half the effort, was going twice as fast I was. It kind of sucked at first but, more than anything, it made me want one of my own.”

Ellie, David and Charlie Mahon

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Again, Mike and Connie faced the predicament of buying a board without the convenience of testing it out. Their continued interest in the sport also produced a passion for educating others about paddle boarding and helping others navigate the waterways of online decision-making.

“Because we were out on the rivers, people were constantly asking us about our boards and where they could get one,” explains Connie.

“Pretty quickly, we realized there needed to be

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a local resource where people could come with their curiosity, find out more from people who love the sport, and, if they so chose, try one out.”

Even with this newfound purpose, Mike and Connie were only planning on purchasing and renting out a handful of paddle boards to meet the curiosity-driven demand. However, small ambitions have a tendency to grow on their own, and opportunity is a frequent partner of adventure. After determining they needed more

storage space than a trailer could provide, the “For Rent” sign at 5 Broad Street opened doors to open doors at River Dog Paddle Co. “It all happened organically,” says Connie.

“We didn’t sit around debating whether or not to open a shop; we just kept doing what seemed right.”

The Samses were not trying to compete with other local outfitters but, instead, wanted to bring a new recreational channel to the outdoor life

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of Rome. River Dog Paddle Co., affectionately named for a dog Mike and Connie rescued along the banks of the Coosa, provides paddle boards, both for purchase and for rent, water apparel, and other beach-life accessories.

“I think we really do fit in with the culture of Rome, but we are also in the business of bringing something different to Broad Street and to Floyd County,” says Mike.

With this attitude in mind and the welcome the Samses received at the storefront, those small ambitions did, in fact, continue to grow.

“We told the landlords, if the standalone structure right next door (1 Broad Street) ever became available, we wanted it,” Mike says. “We didn’t expect anything to happen for years but, sure enough, it opened up on Oct. 1 and by Christmas Eve, River Dog Outpost was open with ice-cold brews.”

Now, three months later, Wednesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight, Fridays from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturdays from noon to 2 a.m., you will find a steady crowd of folks who are quite at home with the beach bar vibe of this riverside beer garden. Mike and Connie see it as the logical next step in their promotion of paddle boarding and, more generally, their passion for highlighting Rome’s waterways.

“I think people were hungry, and obviously thirsty, for something different than the typical bar scene,” says Connie. “We like to think, when you’re at the Outpost, you might feel like you’re at the beach, you might feel like you’re in the mountains, but either way, you’re experiencing a total getaway.”

With so many changes over the last two years, the Samses are settling into their role as a part of the local flavor of Broad Street. Although Connie jokes she wants to start up River Dog Costa Rica, more seriously Mike and Connie say they want to continue to “build the relationship between Romans and their rivers.”

“You can get off the water and not worry about changing,” says Mike. “You can be dripping wet in your swim shorts and feel right at home.”

Whether you are asking if you, too, will be able to successfully upright ride the Coosa current or you are just enjoying 5 o’clock at 1 Broad Street, the Samses and, of course, River the dog want everyone to know they are more than a customer; they are a guest. VVV

For more information about River Dog Paddle Co., visit riverdogpaddleco.com or call 706-512-5107.

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Trials of the Trail Text Corinna Under wood Photos Derek Bell With a full year of events on the calendar for 2016, Heather Shores and Chieftains Museum invite us all to join them on the trail.

B

orn in 1771, Major Ridge was given the name “Ca-nung-da-cla-geh” because he was viewed as a man of vision. He had a traditional Cherokee upbringing as a hunter and warrior and as he grew into manhood, he became part of a group of reformers who were committed to modernizing Cherokee life, while simultaneously preserving the Natives’ political autonomy.

In the 1820s, Ridge was a revered Cherokee leader and was instrumental in the reformation of the Cherokee government and the drafting of its constitution. Today, he is best remembered for the 1835 signing of the Treaty of New Echota, a

document that surrendered the Cherokee lands to the Federal Government, ultimately resulting in the forced relocation of the Cherokee people.

Major Ridge’s Connections to Rome In 1819, Ridge and his family moved into a two-story cabin on a property nestled on the banks of the Oostanaula River. The cabin was later renovated into a white clapboard plantation home. There, the Ridge family maintained a ferry, trading post and an extensive working plantation. A wealthy planter, Ridge’s main cash crops were cotton, corn and tobacco.

Over the past two-and-a-half centuries, the Major Ridge home changed ownership many times, but in 1971, it was purchased for preservation by the Junior Service League of Rome.

Since then, it has been the location of Chieftains Museum, whose exhibits focus on the life of Major Ridge and 19th Century Cherokee life and culture. In October 2002, the Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home was designated by the National Park Service as a site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

Today, the museum is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to preserving Cherokee history and culture, the museum hosts a number of annual activities and fundraising events.

“We are really trying to focus on making our landscape an outdoor classroom area,” explains Executive Director Heather Shores. “We have a Three Sisters Garden, which is open every summer. There we grow corn, beans and squash.

We also have a small Cherokee Remembrance Orchard that’s composed of fruit trees that Major Ridge had on his farm. So this year, we’re really trying to get people to come and look at our campus in a different way.”

For those interested in Cherokee culture, southern food and creative gardening, the 2016 calendar is packed with fun and interesting things to do.

Ghost Paths Traveling Exhibit Visitors can enjoy the exhibit “Ghost Paths: A walk back into history along the Trail of Tears,” created by British artist and photographer Elizabeth Waight. Comprised of photographs of sites along the Trail of Tears, the exhibit commemorates the 175th anniversary of the removal of the Cherokee. “Ghost Paths” features 13 panels of photographs accompanied by historical quotes and original poetry. This moving exhibit will be on display until June 30.

Herb and Plant Sales Chieftains’ annual herb and plant sale will take place April 9 and 10 at the Coosa Valley

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cannot fail to please. Sip on some moonshine and hard cider while you’re relaxing on the banks of the Oostanaula River, where Cherokee leader Major Ridge once operated his 233-acre plantation. Tap your feet to some bluegrass music and have a bite from one of Rome’s food trucks or represented restaurants.

Low Country Boil and Barbecue Summer is the perfect time of year for cookouts and on Aug. 4, the museum is hosting its annual low country boil and barbecue at Rome Civic Center/Jackson Hill. This event is not to be missed. You can get your fill of some delicious southern cooking starting at 6 p.m.

Fairgrounds. Stop by Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. to see new and exciting plant varieties, including unique heirloom and native plants, organic vegetables, and a wide selection of herbs. Floyd Master Gardeners will be on site to answer any of your gardening questions. This is a great opportunity to replace your dead annuals from last year and stock up on those hardy perennials. While you’re at it, why not try something new? All proceeds go directly to the museum.

Major Ridge Demonstration Garden This year marks the beginning of something different and very exciting for the museum and its visitors.

“One of the newest things we’re doing that’s really going to change the landscape of the museum is installing what we area calling the Major Ridge Demonstration Garden,” explains Shores, adding that the garden, located in front of the museum, will feature trees, shrubs, and raised beds. “They will all be either plants that were used by Native Americans, plants that Major Ridge had here on his farm, or plants that were important in some way for southern agriculture. So, all of them have a historical tie.”

The historic garden’s four raised beds will feature different specific categories of plant.

They will include a medicinal plant garden, a native garden that contains plants indigenous to Georgia, a kitchen garden, and a commercial garden, which will feature plants that have been sold commercially since the time of the Cherokee and before. The latter will include plants such as cotton, wheat and flax.

“What we are hoping to do is propagate some seeds and some seedling from these plants to perhaps sell in our 2017 plant sale,” Shores says.

Garden Tour The Junior Service League of Rome is hosting a garden tour on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Chieftains Museum is one of the stops along the way. Though this event does not impact the museum directly, it does impact the organization that owns the museum. Later in the evening, JSL is hosting a cocktail party where you can mingle with Rome’s residents and exchange gardening tips.

Moonshine Tasting Yes, that’s right. The Chieftains Museum is hosting a moonshine tasting called Shine in the Pines on May 27 at 5 p.m. Whether you’re an experienced shiner or a newbie, this event

Music and Dance Group This year, the museum is partnering with Berry College to create a music and dance group.

The event will take place on April 2 at Berry College, and you can watch or participate.

“The group presents different aspects of Cherokee culture for people to learn about,” says Heather. “It will be based on some of the traditional Cherokee dance accompanied by traditional Cherokee music.”

Chieftains Museum offers a fun outing for the entire family with exhibits and events taking place throughout the year. Keep an eye on their calendar so you won’t miss out. VVV For more information about the museum and its exhibits, visit chieftainsmuseum. org or contact Executive Director Heather Shores at 706-291-9494.

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BOYS2MEN Text Oliver Robbins Photos Cameron Flaisch Climbing the NJCAA rankings to the No. 2 seed in the nation is no easy trek, but the GHC Chargers say there is more than defense and offense that goes into practice at the Corral.

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IT

comes in waves. The smell of buttered popcorn mixed with the leather coating of the rock. The sounds of sneakers chirping against the freshly-shellacked gym floor and the hollow echo of a dribble over the startling buzz of the timeclock.

Scoring runs met with defense that is more art than athleticism and the crisp crack of the net as a shooter pulls up from five feet behind the arc. All of the senses are stimulated; every soul in the seats is engaged. Those of us who are basketball fans live to ride the waves.

Being a game of execution, endurance and perseverance offers the chance to incorporate life lessons into the practice regimens fashioned

" When I was a child, I thought like a child, talked like a child and acted like a child. But when I became a man, I threw away my childish ways.” by coaches nationwide. Although there are those who can put together a successful squad, few can translate the same expectations off the court. Besides being ranked the No. 2 team in the nation, the Georgia Highlands Chargers basketball organization offers a glimpse inside a program that is building champions on the court and in the community.

“Coach will be right back,” says assistant coach Matt Williams as he jogs from his office through the gym doors.

Practice is over and players gather just outside the gym, a battleground GHC fans refer to

Coach Phil Gaffney

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struggling ones around. “They have to buy in to your vision, and the guys who J.J., Matt, and Devin Williams recruit fit our system. Most of this team is guys they have recruited. Also, they are guys we can mold into players who become successful when they move on to four-year schools. That’s what our goal is at the junior college level.”

Also a former upstate New York player, Gaffney has always been in love with lay-ups and protecting the lane. Getting his high school basketball start in Watertown, N.Y., would eventually lead him to becoming a fan of one of the most respected college programs in the nation.

as the Corral. All but one of the Chargers wait patiently for study hall, which is a mandatory requirement for all team members. Sophomore forward Immanuel Griggs, at six feet seven inches tall, is still hard at work on the hardwood.

A recruiting coach from Florida International University is putting him to the test. Footwork, jump shots from the free throw line and passing drills using the left hand show what the big man’s got. Coach Williams is right by his side every drop step of the way.

Williams, a former junior college basketball player at Clinton Community College in upstate New York, knows the landscape of junior college athletics. After school, he knew that he wanted to always be a part of the sport he loved. That drive to stay connected to the game led him to Guildford Technical Community College in Greensboro, N.C. There, Williams worked with then-head coach Phil Gaffney, eventually leading them both to GHC’s fledgling program four years ago.

“I’d always wanted to be a coach and I got really lucky when I contacted Coach Gaffney early on,” recalls Williams. “That’s the biggest thing. Sometimes you just have to get lucky.

He got me in touch with the right people at Guilford Tech, and that’s how I was able to start doing what I love.”

“I never had a grey hair until I met him and J.J.,” Gaffney laughs as he walks into the office.

Coach Gaffney credits much of their team’s 42

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success to the recruitment efforts of Williams and J.J Merritt. As a matter of fact, Merritt was using a break in the schedule to visit prospects in Alabama and was not available for comment.

Still, Gaffney expresses the value of his coaching staff. “I’ve been really fortunate to have really good assistant coaches,” he explains as he talks about building programs and turning

“I was a Syracuse fan,” he says. “Watertown is only an hour north of Syracuse and my mother graduated from there. I started my college career at a juco (junior college) called Jefferson Community College in upstate New York for two years. I was then accepted to Brockport College, which is a four-year school, but I got hurt during my junior year. However, I was still allowed to contribute to the team because they asked me to coach there. That’s where I got my start.”

From Division I schools like the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to eighth-grade rec teams, Gaffney has coached many levels of competition. With over 20 years of experience

as a head coach, it’s easy to see how he has developed a winning formula for hoops.

“We get really great players, which helps us to be successful on the court. They really work hard out there, and that is a huge part of our success,” Gaffney explains. “We are a pressing, running team. We really look for guys who are athletic and can play great defense.

“And what’s really great about building a team around a system is that they can adapt to different forms of play,” he continues. “All of our guys can slow the tempo down, play man to man, or they are able to really pick up the pace and play a trapping style of defense that leads

to fast breaks. We try to get them ready for any system they will play in at the next level.”

Since the years of eligibility are numbered and most of your recruits can be headed to another school in a year, it can be challenging to build a great team. Getting kids from high schools and having them recruited by bigger schools a year later is business as usual around the Corral. It also becomes more common when the team is looking to compete for a national championship for the second year in a row.

Still, Georgia Highlands has managed to maintain the strength of its program, even with only three players returning from last year’s

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team. Currently on a 20-plus-game winning streak with no plans to end their dominance of the NJCAA field, the high school prospects have softened when offered a chance to join the Chargers.

To watch them play is like waiting for the lit fuse of a stick of dynamite to reach its end.

They patiently move the ball around, waiting for the perfect chance to attack the rim with fury.

This team eats in the lane, and dinner is served on a plate of hard-nosed defense.

Although being ranked the No. 2 team in the nation is a feat in itself, Gaffney has a much larger focus that will carry young men farther than the 94 feet of the court.

Perhaps what is most impressive is the manner in which they win. Approaching the game with respect for themselves and the school they represent is what stands out the most. There is no jawing with the referee, no pounding of the chest, and every member of the team communicates without blame.

Paris Ballinger, a sophomore and captain of the team, exemplifies this most when he dives for a loose ball and finds himself tangled with the opposition on the floor. After the whistle blows, Ballinger helps his opponent to his feet and lines up to play D.

When asked how the coaches help him and his teammates mature as players and as people, Ballinger quotes something Gaffney has written on the board in the locker room.

“When I was a child, I thought like a child, talked like a child and acted like a child. But

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when I became a man, I threw away my childish ways,” Ballinger recites as his coach looks on with a fatherly pride in his eyes.

Ballinger is a six-foot guard from Dunwoody High School. As one of the three returning players from last year’s Cinderella run, he is a leader on the team. And even though he is being recruited by countless NCAA teams, his focus still lies with seeing the Chargers hoist the championship trophy in Hutchinson, Kan., this spring.

Doniel Dean, the other captain on the Chargers’ lineup, is grateful for the lessons he has learned playing under Gaffney and his staff.

“When I got to Georgia Highlands, I was out of control on the floor. They taught me to slow down my game and start seeing the floor better,” Dean recalls. “In high school, I was the man. I took all the shots. But coming here helped to humble me because everyone was just as talented as I was.”

A product of Newnan High School, Dean has become one of the most unselfish players on the team. However, his explosiveness is evident when he drives the lane to throw one down through the foul of a defender.

Both of these young men carry themselves with dignity and class while giving much of the credit to the influence of their coaches.

Ballinger sums it up best with a simple saying they have been asked to carry with them on and off the court.

“Better person, better student, better athlete,” he says. “Winning is our goal, but these three things are what makes our success possible." VVV

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PH: 770-334-3431 www.johnnymitchells.com Open everyday from 11am-9pm Johnny Mitchell’s has hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood selections and authentic barbecue slow-smoked over cherry and hickory wood. Come experience the fusion of Southern hospitality and fine dining.

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PH: (706) 204-8173 www.curlees.com Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11:00am-9:00pm Fri-Sat: 11:00am-10:00pm Curlee’s offers casual dining, fresh seafood, hand-cut steaks, chicken and more! It is located on Broad Street in the center of the city, and it has a family-friendly atmosphere!

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Make it a meal worth remembering. Where to eat in Northwest Georgia. v3 magazine

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