About The Braselton news. (Jefferson, Ga) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2007)
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 The Braselton News Page 7B Celtic music show set Dec. 7 The Winder Cultural Arts Department will present “A Celtic Acoustic Christmas Show” on Friday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 9, 3 p.m. The show will feature singers and songwriters Harry O’Donoghue and Carroll Brown. The show will be filled with traditional Celtic, Southern and seasonal songs, complimented by stories and reci tations. Brown is an acoustic guitarist and singer/songwriter from South Carolina with more than 30 years of experience in the music busi ness. O’Donoghue is from the east coast of Ireland and has been performing professionally for 27 years. He lives in Savannah, where he performs locally and is the co producer and host of the “Green Island Radio Show” for Georgia Pubic Broadcasting. The show will be presented in the Colleen O. Williams Theatre, 105 E. Athens Street, Winder. There will be an intermission and refreshments and CDs from the artists available to purchase. Tickets are $15 a person and available at the Winder City Hall, 45 E. Athens Street, Winder. For credit card purchases, call 770-867-3106. Lighting of the Chateau ahead Friday, Nov. 23, Chateau Elan will hold its “Lighting of the Chateau” on Friday, Nov. 23, from 3-7 p.m. The event will include activities for families, such as holiday arts and crafts, giant bouncy things, Santa Claus, wine tours, magic performances by Joe M. Turner and story-telling. from 3-7 p.m. A fireworks display is planned at 7 p.m., but is subject to weather conditions. Other activities will include a puppet show by Peter Hart, cookie decorating, petting zoo and pony rides, “Like the Dickens” carol ers, wine market gift shopping and putt-putt golf. EMS personnel to hold toy drive Santa Claus and Sparky are teaming up again this year in the third annual Empty Stocking Toy Drive in Barrow County. Joining them in the fund-raiser will be the Barrow County Fire and Emergency Services, Barrow County Sheriff’s Office and the Barrow County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The drive will be held the first three Saturdays in December. Santa and Sparky will be in sub divisions throughout Barrow County. Personnel and units from the fire department and sheriff’s office will join them. Members of the CERT team also will be helping out and showing their Christmas spirit. The Empty Stocking Toy drive will accept new, unwrapped toys for children up to 18 years old. The toys will then be sorted and some will be given to the children that spend Christmas at Peace Place, a shelter for woman and children. The remaining toys will be given to the Holiday Connection. Every toy that is donated to the drive will be given to needy chil dren in Barrow County. If the drive does not make it to each subdivision, residents may drop off donations at any Barrow County fire station. Those who want to make a monetary dona tion may make checks payable to the Holiday Connection. The vol unteers conducting the drive will be collecting checks, as well. “I am hoping that with the citi zen’s help, every child in Barrow County will wake up to a great Christmas and have toys under the tree,” said Lt. Scott Dakin of the Barrow County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. “With everyone’s help we can make that happen.” Mentor training ahead Dec. 6 The Lindsay’s Legacy mentor ing program will hold a mentor training session from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce office. Another training will be held from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at Jefferson Middle School. A mentor breakfast was held recently at JMS, and 18 new mentors were trained and met with their student mentees. Jill Barefoot is the mentor coordinator at JMS and may be contacted at 706-367-2882. To sign up for either of the upcoming mentor training ses sions, contact Lisa Stephens at 706-410-5525 or jacksonmen- tors@yahoo.com. FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH, YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS! Let your members know when your group is meeting! Call (706) 367-5233 to advertise your meeting time, place and date in... • The Jackson Herald • The Commerce News • The Braselton News • The Banks County News • The Madison County Journal UNITY LODGE F& A.M. No. 36, Jefferson, GA 1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. A. Ben Wurtz • 706-367-1400 Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260 JEFFERSON ROTARY CEUB Meets Tuesdays Jefferson City Clubhouse 12:30 p.m. • (706) 654-2237 Clay Eubanks, President 260 <£& COMMERCE WAMERICAN LEGION Commerce Rec. Dept. Post 93 Carson Street - 1st Mon. night Each Month, 7:30 p.m. 335-6400 BANKS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. meets first Monday each month 7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441 North in Homer pd.-2/2008 JEFFERSON WAMERICAN LEGION Albert Gordon Post 56 Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Harvie Lance, Commander Phone (706) 654-1274 aio Georgia Real Estate Investors Association, Inc. - Athens Meets the third Thursday each month 7:00 pm at the Holiday Inn 197 East Broad St, Athens, GA 30601 Tom Hewlett - Chapter President mailto: the wlett 1 @charter.net website: www.gareia.org jo/07 The Jackson Co. Republican Party Would like you to meet us for breakfast the second Sat. of each month, 8:00 at The Jefferson House. For more information, call 706-652-2967 or email fishyglass@yahoo.com Pd.o5/os BANKS COUNTY ®|I AMERICAN LEGION Post 215 Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m. In Homer, GA at the American Legion Building on Historic Highway 441 pd.oe/os rpfe VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr. Each 4th Monday, 7:00 p.m. Mike Buffington, Commander Phone 706-335-6532 263 JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB Meets 2nd & 4th Monday Jefferson City Clubhouse 6:30 p.m. *(706)367-1400 Mark Bradley, President 260 Rising teen is thankful for early success as pop vocalist While most aspiring pop vocalists dream of mak ing Billboard magazine’s Top 100 Hot Singles list just once, Tiffany Milagro of Braselton just accom plished this for the second year in a row with two dif ferent songs. Now that’s really something for which to be thankful this Thanksgiving. Her first single, “Why Can’t It Just Be Christmas?” debuted at number 12 on this prestigious pop ularity chart in October of 2006 and her second hit song, “There Is No City as Pretty as Savannah,” scored number 19 just last week. She also has completed her first full album entitled, “What’s It to You.” The talented Mill Creek High School senior and former Miss East Georgia Teen pageant winner is best known to her classmates as Tiffany Piedrahita, but uses her easier-to-pronounce middle name, Milagro, professionally. And, the translation of that name pays befit ting tribute to her rapid assent on the show business ladder. In Spanish, Milagro means “mira cle” and, indeed, Tiffany is one in terms of her early success. But, aside from her own musical talent, what special ingredients or wizardry did it take to bring Tiffany to the brink of fame so early in her young life? I’d say good parenting skills, excellent vocal training and the input of a few already accomplished profes sionals. Upon meeting her parents Fred and Melba Piedrahita in their spa cious home in Chateau Elan, that mystery was quickly solved for this writer. The decor was punc tuated by musical instruments that ran the gamut from a baby grand piano in the great room to a banjo on the wall of a cozy upstairs the ater, which also featured an origi nal mural by Fred. There were tangible signs of family success, ambition and creativity every where. Throughout the home, there were numerous family photos, several featuring Tiffany and her older sister, Courtney, with Patrick Dempsey, Ivan Sergei and other contemporary celebrities. And, I was shown numerous press clippings which captured proud moments in the young lives of both girls. I could only imagine that a visit to the Osmond family home in Utah would feel much the same, albeit on a larger scale. This clear ly was a nurturing environment for achievement and wholesome In Focus with Fil Fil Jessee filwrites@aol.com family values passed down the line from one generation to the next. Tiffany’s dad is an accomplished architect and project superinten dent of Columbian heritage, and is presumably responsible for pass ing on to both daughters their flashing brown eyes and dark brown hair, as well as their sense of strong ambition. His employer, Wood Partners, Inc., is locally well known for work on Trump Atlanta and the construction of the high-rise buildings in Atlantic Station and Vinings Main. But, Fred Piedrahita also has assumed the responsibility for serving as Tiffany’s personal man ager and, as such, attends to the business details of her mushroom ing singing career, as well as to planning her busy schedule of weekend tours and public appear ances. “I didn’t want to compromise Tiffany’s personal values and pri orities by entrusting these duties to outsiders,” he told me. And, for similar reasons, he and Tiffany agreed that it was not in her best interests to participate in such national competitions as “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent.” “Besides, we didn’t need to. She’s already miles ahead of many other good talents simply because of what we’ve been able to accom plish on our own in just a few years,” he added. Tiffany’s voice covers a five- octave range with ease and has been described by her producers as “the voice of an angel with the chops of a seasoned pro. She’ll make you believe, wringing out every ounce of meaning from her lyrics.” Six years ago, the young vocal ist received training in piano, bal let and, finally, voice lessons from vocal coach, Chalice Montgomery, well respected for her work with aspiring opera singers. “She told me my daughter could do anything she wanted with her voice, and that’s when Tiffany really decided to pursue a career in writing and singing her own origi nal songs,” her mother explained. Later, a family friend introduced Tiffany to Duluth songwriter/pro ducer Jayne Olderman. With a Grammy award nomination and a list of famous clients to her cred it, Olderman didn’t expect to be FRE1 Camera Phone! America's Choice Lading Plans mcmlhrr amis wifi Unlrmlfrd nt Callm-g T.J V C-..i-jiis Wlli.011 ljM'.hiic! v |,4| nw m ipro ij r sJia n mrut-ii Uhl rutted N urn * WXfcmd Hs iSCHi'yrlort'Mlnin'-. Hurry! Limited Tune Orer FREE . r Hmnm-f Talk* CallitAr J-L'IChikniDrYT I'jMt (■! tlhin.t* IWIf tKJZPIMf fur Alt Fiitihmd ph-unt IKiiistiriiii! h JrffciFi w Ih hr d »ft ri ... HUhCi d i;z r AtalOfnl B'WHTt ay* rlmyr. I i—I.III.1 _ r- H* _ U.II hi Bl r^T. m —HI; 11 pA- m imd mm rU iT. ■ IF ■ w LI Jrr rflH-L fevSI'ill 11 Mm 4 FT-Sfi m nrih r Hll III h ■«] tajkt ip * tom iir FAMILY CONNECTION Fred and Melba Piedrahita are pictured with daughter Tiffany beside the baby grand in the greatroom of their Chateau Elan home. bowled over by Tiffany’s audition but, apparently, she was. Olderman, along with her song writing partner J. Donte Harris, continue to work as a team with the young singer and her par ents toward the goal of expanding Tiffany’s career to its full poten tial. But, until she graduates high school next spring, her profes sional engagements will remain limited to weekends. In the mean time, friends and classmates at Mill Creek High consider Tiffany the local counterpart to Hannah Montana. Much like that Disney character, Tiffany has led some what of a double life, keeping her musical accomplishments under cover until very recently. But, her unique story of blossoming suc cess is a secret no more. Whether signing her CDs at a retail store, singing the National Anthem at a major sporting event, or recording another pop single destined to become a new hit, Tiffany has clearly crossed the bridge from obscurity to celebrity. And, for one so young, she seemed to me to be unusually focused on her plans to use this status in a rather unselfish way. “I want to be able to use my talent to raise as much money as I can for charities,” she said. But, unlike so many profession al entertainers who will say such things just to polish their public image, Tiffany didn’t waste any time getting started with her genu ine philanthropy. From making colorful baby blankets for the neonatal unit at Northeast Georgia Medical Center and helping her dad build Habitat for Humanity homes to perform ing for a plethora of fund-raisers including, local Dare to Share events, Tiffany can take credit for raising the bar on good citizenship among celebrities, as well as for generating thousands of dollars for worthwhile causes. All this in mind, I’m thorough ly convinced that I’ll never see Tiffany Milagro’s name linked to some raunchy scandal report in the trash tabloids. But, I won’t be at all surprised to see it someday in the Music Hall of Fame. It appears that she’s already banging on that door right here in Braselton. Fil Jessee lives in Braselton, where he works as a freelance journalist. He can be reached at filwrites @ aol. com. Need Printing? Call 706-367-5233 Mary’s * 4B6D Atlanta Highway, Bogart - Athe ns One Mile West of Sam's Club 770-725-1977 «rn Farm & Ranch Work Ar ^s__ Hiking/Casual Carhartt H'_ j ai walk ilnne UN IGISO thermal Lined mis Henley Far Men Lad iei Crew N-wk One Stop For You Your Animals & Pets'
