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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2008
Second Georgia Club tour set Sunday
I t's the most wonder
ful time of the year
and The Georgia Club
Foundation is celebrating the
spirit of the season with its
second annual Christmas Tour
of Homes on Sunday, Dec. 7.
Festively decorated homes
from each of the communi
ty's distinctive neighborhoods
will be showcased on the tour.
Proceeds from the tour will
benefit several area charita
ble organizations. Last year,
the inaugural tour drew more
than 800 visitors and raised
$24,000 for the beneficiaries.
“The generous spirit of our
residents is what makes this
event happen, and we are
grateful for those opening their
homes and those volunteer
ing,” said Jim Vanden Berg,
CEO of The Georgia Club.
“The Georgia Club Foundation
is delighted to bring back this
signature event for a second
year and supporting organiza
tions that do so much for our
communities.”
Homes on the tour feature
colorful art collections, per
sonal movie theaters, cus
tomized entertainment spac
es and a car lover’s dream.
Private residences on the tour
include:
•The Village - Home
of University of Georgia
Gymnastics coach Suzanne
Yoculan and Don Leebern
•Oconee Springs - Home of
Brian and Gina Avery
•North Hill - Home of Ron
and Bonnie Deal
•North Hill - Home of Doug
and Linda Johnson
•Wexford Gardens - Home
of Vic and Mary Mixon
•High Bluff - Home of Jake
and Marisa Grant
Tickets are $20 in advance
and $25 at the door. Tickets
may be purchased at The
Georgia Club, the Barrow and
Oconee chambers of com
merce, North Georgia Bank
and the Peoples Bank.
TOUR SUNDAY
The second annual Georgia Club tour will feature
numerous private, exclusive residences.
Beneficiaries include the
High School Scholarship
Fund at Apalachee and North
Oconee high schools and
Athens Academy; the Partners
in Education Fund, benefit
ing programs at Bethlehem
and Rocky Branch elemen
tary schools and Haymon-
Morris and Malcom Bridge
middle schools: Peace Place,
a free, safe shelter assisting
battered women and their
children; Project Safe, an
organization working to end
violence against women in
Clarke and Oconee counties;
and Recording for the Blind
and Dyslexic, the local orga
nization that has been creat
ing audio recordings of texts
to contribute to the Princeton
Listen & Learn Library for
more than 50 years.
An addition to this year’s
tour is the Christmas Cottage,
Eight houses to be open
for Reunion tour of homes
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
If you're still looking for
some ideas for decorating a
Christmas tree, consider a stop
in one house on the tour of
homes in the Reunion neigh
borhood.
There, James and Cynthia
Taggart will display 17
Christmas trees in their five-
bedroom house in the residen
tial golf community located off
Thompson Mill Road in South
Hall, near Chateau Elan.
The Reunion community
will hold its annual holiday
tour of homes on Saturday,
Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. The eight houses on the
tour will be decorated for the
holidays.
Tickets for the self-guided
tour are $10 for adults, and
children ages three and up.
Tickets may be purchased at
the Meeting House, next to the
Reunion Hall, on Dec. 6, start
ing at 9:45 a.m., with the last
tickets being sold at 3 p.m.
All proceeds will be donat
ed to Eagle Ranch, a Christ-
centered home in Chestnut
Mountain for boys and girls in
crisis and in need of hope and
healing.
James Taggart — an inte
rior designer with 22 years
of experience — decided to
open his house for the tour
of homes to not only support
Eagle Ranch, but to also show
HOLIDAY DECORATIONS
The living room in the house of James and Cynthia
Taggart in the Reunion neighborhood includes plenty of
holiday decorations. Photo by Kerri Testement
a holiday gift shop located in
the Clubhouse that will offer
gourmet food items, teach
ers' gifts and unique holiday
crafts. All gifts are less than
$50, and proceeds will go to
the tour's beneficiaries.
Traditions tour to benefit youth house
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
The doors of six houses in
Traditions of Braselton will
be open for tour guests this
weekend — and homeowners
hope the effort will raise funds
for a local youth home.
Traditions of Braselton
will hold its inaugural tour of
homes on Saturday, Dec. 6,
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and
Sunday, Dec. 6, from 1-6 p.m.
Last tours begin at 4 p.m.
The golf community is
the largest residential neigh
borhood in Jackson County.
Homes featured on the tour
will be decorated for the holi
day season.
Tickets are $25 on the day
of the tour. Advance tickets are
$20, and are available at the
Braselton Antique Mall and
both Hometown Community
Bank locations.
Proceeds from the tour will
benefit the Amanda House,
a residential youth house in
Nicholson that serves girls
that are primarily ages 10-18,
who are in need of emergency
placement or can't be placed
in a regular foster home.
The Amanda House will
serve children in Jackson,
Banks and Barrow counties.
Real estate agents Larry
and Jean Beck volunteered to
have their 10,000-square-foot
DINING ROOM DECORATIONS
The dining room of Larry and Jean Beck greets guests
when they enter the Traditions of Braselton residence.
Photo by Kerri Testement
house on the Traditions tour to
benefit the Amanda House.
“The house is all about light
and openness, and bringing
light into the house,” Jean
Beck said.
Another family opening
their house for the Traditions
tour of homes are Bulldog
fans, as well.
Jerry and Cindy Hohman
moved into their 5,000 square-
foot residence on the first hole
of the Traditions golf course
in March 2006.
The couple has lived in
Georgia for 21 years and
moved from the Johns Creek
area to avoid traffic, Cindy
Hohman said.
The five-bedroom, three-
level house features a UGA-
focused game room, bar and
media room.
Guests for the Traditions
tour of homes are asked to
park at West Jackson Middle
School on Gum Springs
Church Road, located off
Ga. Hwy. 124. Several area
churches have donated their
buses to transport guests to
the houses.
For tickets, call Judy
Leatherwood at 404-403-9978
or visit www.traditionstourof-
homes.com.
For information about ads
in the tour of homes book, call
Jean Beck at 770-527-6059.
his four children the impor
tance of helping others.
“When you know it's for
a good cause, why not?” he
said.
And Taggart admits he’s
a fan of Christmas — that's
why there will be 17 decorated
trees in his house.
“Each one has a theme and
a different feel,” said Taggart,
who has three girls and one
boy whose ages range from
four to 12.
There’s a Barbie tree, a
beach tree, an American Girls
tree, a butterfly tree, a balle
rina tree, a bear tree and tree in
the master bedroom featuring
decorations with a chocolate
theme.
His wife Cynthia, who is a
professional baker, also has a
tree with cookies and kitch
en supplies hanging from its
branches.
When guests arrive at the
Taggart residence, a snow tree
featuring crystal and silver
decorations will greet them.
“Obviously as a decorator,
you believe in drama, but I
also believe in magic,” Taggart
said.
That explains the 17 trees in
his house, he added.
For more information,
contact Carrie Neville,
Reunion activities director, at
770-965-6144 or carrie.nev-
ille@jwhomes.com.
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Come celebrate the
Grand
Opening
of the only locally
owned newspaper
in Barrow County.
Christmas Open House
Join us for our
Christmas
Open House
December 11, 2008
Drop-In 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Refreshments will be served
Enter to win great door prizes with a grand prize:
1 night stay at The Evergreen Resort at
Stone Mountain Park with breakfast and park tickets for two.
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