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Page 6B The Braselton News Wednesday, December 19, 2007 Hoschton shop celebrates 40 years of enhancing the holidays TALKING TO SANTA Ryan Garrett, 7, of Braselton and Santa take a look at each other Dec. 13 at the Rotary Club of Braselton’s Christmas party for local children at West Jackson Primary School. Rotary Club helps needy children The Rotary Club of Braselton sponsored a Christmas party Dec. 13 at West Jackson Primary School for local children and their families. The party was the culmination of months of work by the Rotary Club of Braselton. Members sold raffle tickets to raise $30,000, tracked down families who needed help providing Christmas for their children, made wish lists, shopped for and wrapped gifts, and planned the finale at West Jackson Primary. This is the third year the club has bought toys and clothing, this year for 81 children. Rotary is an international organization dedicated to community ser vice at home and around the world. Locally, the club also supports the Braselton Library, Gwinnett Children’s Shelter and several area organi zations. “This Christmas party is just one way that the Braselton Rotary Club serves the community. We are honored and privileged to be able to sup port members of our community during the holidays,” club president Kim Phillips said. Jackson Co. Farm Bureau wins state program award For the second year in a row, the Jackson County Farm Bureau took home the state 2007 Promotion and Education Program Award, recognizing that county’s outstand ing effort to increase pride in and usability of Georgia’s agricultural products. The recognition came as part of the 69th annual Georgia Farm Bureau convention, held at Jekyll Island Dec. 2-4. Jackson County’s promotion and education committee held 14 promotional programs throughout the year and involved more than 1,500 Farm Bureau and commu nity members in Jackson County. This year alone, they hosted a Food Check-Out Day event; National Ag Week festivities; an Ag in the Classroom Day for 1,200 students; participated in Harvest for All, a national Farm Bureau food drive effort; designed and built a Jackson County agricultural products display; increased their media coverage and organized and conducted 33 in-class programs in the Jackson county educational system. Greg Pittman is chair of the Jackson County Promotion and Education Program. He also is president of the Jackson County Farm Bureau. Founded in 1937, Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization. There are 159 Farm Bureau chapters across the state in 10 districts. The Promotion and Education Program state win ner was selected from representa tives from each of those 10 dis tricts. While the continuing water shortage has brought countless nurserymen and landscapers to the brink of business failure, Georgia’s florist industry has suf fered little, if any, from this disaster. This holiday season, for exam ple, has never been better for Hoschton’s Town & Country Florist, which has served the greater Braselton area for more than four decades. Originally opened by Feora Dalton 40 years ago, the shop was purchased five years ago by Scott Fangston and Ronnie Stillwell and remains the only full-service florist business in the Braselton area. And, according to the current owners, the nature of the florist industry is primarily responsible for its immunity to the effects of drought, economic recessions, and other factors that can devas tate other horticulture-based busi nesses. Notably, the majority of the fin est cut flowers today are imported from Columbia and other regions where commercial growers are unaffected by water shortages. And in addition to that, flowers befittingly selected and arranged for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions remain in con stant demand in spite of history’s climatic and economic ups and downs. It was a combination of this inherent stability and their own talent for both marketing and design that prompted Fangston and Stilwell to purchase Town & Country Florist. And, since that day, their busi ness has become as well known in the regional floral trade as Chateau Elan has become in the local production of fine wines. Scott Fangston started selling flowers from a roadside cart when he was just 11 years old. His partner, Ronnie Stilwell, was a former chain restaurant manager in Fawrenceville. Together, with head designer Joy Mincey, they seem to have what it takes to thrive in a business where no two days are ever the same and in which the requirements of cus tomers are as varied as the natural In Focus with Fil Fil Jessee filwrites@aol.com treach ore jjew anjd used Euewiruee, 1-iArre.essES, HoqSeuoLp goods. ere 335-6084 USl N. Elm Si UnimerK, GA Your patrenage helps previde for :h:se in need. SI □ A Carrying The Latest In Stylish Quality Tile Startina At Only — BRASELTON TILE FACTORY Tile • Supplies • Installation • Design #1 in Customer Service 9907 Davis Street • Braselton, GA (at the corner of Hwy. 53 & Hwy. 124) 706-654-0819 • 770-962-1254 Open Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 3 p.m. ssSSSSs? materials used to satisfy these. Focated at the intersection of Highways 53 and 332, Town & Country takes many routine orders by phone for delivery to various homes and event sites, though a number of customers visit the store to make their selections from a hodge-podge of prearranged fresh and silk flowers, wreaths, European plant baskets, and flow ering potted plants that run the gamut from poinsettias and mums to orchids. The relatively small store is so packed with such merchan dise, I found myself maneuvering with great care through the nar row aisles to keep from breaking fragile Christmas ornaments or knocking over something. But, what really caught my eye was the unique show window display, as creative as anything you’ll see at Macy’s in New York. I’ve seen images of Santa on surf boards in Hawaii, water skis in Florida, and sunning himself on a Caribbean beach. But I’ve never seen him scrubbing his back in a bathtub as he is currently depicted in Town & Country’s window. “One of our customers said she drove 30 miles because her little boy wanted to see Santa in the bathtub,” Scott Fangston said. Similar imagination and creativ ity is responsible for this shop’s numerous accolades for floral design and marketing. The latest of these include the 2006 Northeast Georgia Florists Association’s Retail Shop of the Year award and, for Ronnie, the Floral Designer of the Year honor presented last January. CHRISTMAS DISPLAY Business partners Ronnie Stilwell and Scott Langston look for the best spot to display another Christmas decoration in their Hoschton florist shop. In addition to such acclaim from their professional peer group, Ronnie and Scott continue to receive applause from the general public for a long list of holiday assignments. These have included every thing from decorating a 40-foot Christmas tree on the courthouse square in Lawrenceville to interior and exterior design work for 11 homes in the Chateau Elan area, plus a number of charity proj ects for this community’s Dare to Share and Tour of Homes events. “Our customers often comment on how long our floral arrange ments last compared to those they have purchased elsewhere,” Stilwell told me. “That’s because we normally get fresh deliveries two times daily, and our flowers never stay in the cooler long. And, we also counsel our customers on how to keep floral arrangements looking their best long after they leave the shop,” he explained. Town & Country florists point ed out that buyers should try to keep arrangements in cool spots at a temperature range of 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and avoid placing these in direct sunlight, drafts, or downwind from heating vents or ceiling fans. Floral foam should be soaked in a mix of water and floral food, and the same solution should be used in vases. They further advise that woody stems of such flowers as roses, quince, and forsythia should be cut with sharp pruners about an inch from the ends, that all sub merged leaves should be removed, and that cloudy water should be replaced with fresh as often as necessary. From my own point of view as a husband of more than 30 years, nothing short of diamond jewelry makes a better gift for wives on special occasions than a surprise arrangement of fresh flowers and, as an added plus, you don’t have to wrap them. But do be aware that sending extravagant bouquets to your wife’s place of business can stir up the rumor mill. The last time I sent two dozen roses to my wife’s office, the coworker who signed for them commented, “Wow, he must have really done something bad.” I had not, but regretted the fact that I couldn’t save the credit as insurance against some future sin or indiscretion. Fil Jessee lives in Braselton, where he works as a freelance journalist. He can be reached at filwrites @ aol. com. This holiday season, share the joy, not the germs. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Athens Regional Medical Center's Infection Control Manager, Cathi Nix, hand washing is the single most important way to prevent the spread of illness and infections including colds, flu, strep throat and intestinal problems. Did you know that colds are caused by microscopic organisms called viruses, and there are about 200 viruses that can cause the symptoms we call a cold? The way to avoid getting a cold is to keep hands clean and to remember not to touch hands to mouth, nose or eyes. So during the flu season, please remember to wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and water. An alcohol-based hand cleaner can also be used if soap and water are not available. Athens Regional wishes you a happy and healthy holiday! Athens Regional MEDICAL CENTER A Passion For Medical Excellence 1199 Prince Avenue • Athens, Georgia 30606 • 706-475-7000 • www.armc.org