About The Braselton news. (Jefferson, Ga) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 2025)
Page 4A The Braselton News Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Opinion Revisiting the soul of the old Athens Varsity WATKINSVILLE - Since the Varsity on Broad Street in Athens closed its doors, I have not had a chilidog and a frosted orange in many moons until last week when I stopped by the location on Hog Mountain Road near Watkinsville. Believe it or not there are eight Varsity locations, including the original establishment on North Ave nue in Atlanta—but not one in Athens. That means for local Varsity aficionados there is no chance of heartburn, but we would gladly settle for that over the frustrations that come with Loran Smith having to drive twelve miles in stead of right around the corner. There are six additional lo cations—Gwinnett, Kennesaw, Dawsonville, Bethlehem, Car tersville, and Rome—which is a reminder that Varsity food is still in demand. Old timers will remember the halcyon days when you could drop by the downtown Varsity in Athens for a warm welcome from the late Epp Suddath, the impre sario of the restaurant for many years, which means that in many respects he was the de facto mayor of Athens. Nothing went on in our town in the fifties and sixties that Epp did not know about since The Varsity was the coffee drinking hub of the down- town business regulars, and the UGA administrative gang, anchored at the old Academic Building. They gathered at the Varsity for coffee, snacks, lunch, gossip, and small talk. Two of the mainstays who managed the counter and were as highly regarded in the downtown com munity as Uga, the Bulldog mascot, were “Brown and Doyal,” whose driver’s license identified them as Otha Brown and Doyal Jarrett. “Dog-talk” was on everybody’s agenda year- round. If a player was in academic distress or was having trouble with his girlfriend, Brown and Doyle knew about it. They were more than behind-the- scenes purveyors of whispers and hushed conver sation—they were worried men “singing a worried song.” They wanted the ‘Dogs to reign supreme. During my recent Varsity excursion, I felt the atmosphere was reminiscent of the past except we were out in the country and not at arms-length of the Arch and Barnett’s News Stand. There was one thing missing however, and that was the time-hon ored Varsity lingo sounding forth by the cast of the past, led by Doyal. If you are long in the tooth, you likely remember many of them: A “Skeet” was a Coke; an orange was a “squirt”; a PC was a chocolate milk with ice; A whirlwind of events (NOTE: This column originally appeared in the June 18 edition of The Jackson Herald.) The whirlwind of turmoil since January 20 has been a lot for most people to absorb. That’s undoubtedly by design as the Trump Administration uses a “shock and awe” strategy to overwhelm those who object to his Constitutional overreach and moves to consolidate power. Still, recent news has been extraordinary. Seldom in the nation’s history — during peacetime — have there Mike Buffington been so many events happening in such a short period of time. It feels like an inflection point, a moment in history that will echo far into the future. Let’s consider some of those happenings: TRUMP’S BIRTHDAY PA RADE: Let’s get real, last Satur day’s military parade in the streets of Washington had less to do with the 250th anniversary of the Army than it did Trump’s massive ego. As one wag put it, the event was like a bunch of middle school boys playing with their toys on a playground. Trump’s idea was to projects an image of power, but like all autocrats, such massive displays are rooted in fear and insecurity. Despots have large military parades because they want to intimidate detractors. As a television celebrity, Trump was playing to the cameras with the event, but the image that came through was one of weakness; an insecure man hiding behind a veneer of power. The image was one that you see in Russia or North Korea, not America. Trump used the Army to stoke his ego; the American military is better than that. THE NO KINGS PROTESTS: While Trump was preening in Washington, thousands, if not several mil lion, regular citizens took to the streets in towns across the nation to protest Trump’s power grab and lawless ness. The protests got under Trump’s skin so now he’s dispatched ICE to do raids in large cities controlled by Democrats as payback. But that just proves that Trump’s critics are right, he is politicizing police power on the streets of America. The move comes on top of Trump’s overreaction to the Los Angles protests where he federalized the National Guard and sent in Marines to the city. Those actions weren’t necessary; California has a huge amount of law enforcement trained to deal with protests and riots. (Funny how Trump was so quick to send in the National Guard to LA, but didn’t do that on Jan. 6, 2021, when his followers attacked the U.S. Capitol. I guess it’s ok to riot on behalf of Trump?) Trump is attempting to push the limits of the Constitution by using soldiers on American soil. He undoubtedly wants to use the military to put down pro ¬ NIPC was a no ice PC; a “hobo soda” was a glass of water; “Joe” was black coffee and “white Joe,” was coffee with cream; Mayo was, “grease,” if you wanted apple and peach pie with a scoop of vanilla, you asked for an “Alamo”. If you were interested in a “naked steak,” that meant you were ordering a hamburger with nothing on it. When Epp Suddath attended the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1933 and learned about burlesque dancer Sally Rand, a naked steak became a Sally Rand. A “C-dog,” was a regular hotdog with catsup. A “Chilli dog walking,” was a Chilli dog to go, a “na ked dog” was simply a hot dog and a bun. George Suddath, Epp’s youngest son, grew up at the Varsity and has this memory: “I can hear Doyal right now, ‘Gimme two dogs all the way, Chilli steak, ring, a fry, two skeets, peach, apple pie, walk ing. Before the customer had his wallet out of his pocket, he would have calculated the cost including sales tax in his head. If the customer had the correct change, he would throw the money in a washed out two-gallon mayo jar to be counted and put into the main cash register later.” You may have noticed there is no signature ref erence to a very popular Varsity staple, a hamburg er. I have a reason for addressing this item last. A hamburger in Varsity vernacular was a “steak.” If it was “glorified” or “through the garden,” that mean lettuce and tomato were added. When in high school, our coach brought a couple of carloads of his players to Athens. We could get student tickets for a dollar as I recall. Lunch at the Varsity was truly a treat, not just a filling meal, but a cultural experience. My memory is that a hamburger cost 15 cents and a Coke was a dime. So, I counted out 40 cents and meekly worked my way up to the counter from the street and whispered to Doyal, whom I did not know at the time, “I’d like to order two hamburgers and a Coke.” With that Doyal yelled out, “Pair of steaks and a skeet.” I immediately panicked since I did not understand the lingo, crying out, “No, no I said hamburgers not steaks.” Doyal could not stop laughing as I was dumbfounded by all of the hullabaloo. When I ordered my lunch at the Watkinsville Varsity last week, I enjoyed my meal like always, but when I finished, I stood aside near the counter afterwards and bowed in memory of Brown, Doyal, Epp and the unforgettable characters who hung out at the Downtown Varsity as I was learning the facts of life. Loran Smith is a UGA announcer and a columnist for Mainstreet Newspapers. tests to his power grab. The day is coming, perhaps this summer, when American soldiers kill American citizens on the street during a protest. Trump is spoiling for a fight on the streets, but the reaction may not be what he thinks it will be. American soldiers shooting Americans on American soil would doom Trump. Remember Kent State? MINNESOTA SLAYINGS: The political killings of a Democratic Minnesota state representative and her husband and the shooting of another state office and his wife has shocked the nation. The gunman reportedly had a hit list of people he wanted to kill. His motives aren’t yet clear, but officials said the shootings were political. IMMIGRATION FLIP-FLOP: In a move that was surprising, Trump said he would instruct ICE to stop raiding agriculture and hospitality places. That will snarl the Administration’s push to arrest 3,000 illegal migrants per day which is reportedly the quota. The major reason Trump moved beyond detaining criminals and began snatching law-abiding migrants was to fulfill that quota and because they are easy to arrest in em ployment raids. By telling ICE to back off certain eco nomic sectors, Trump is admitting that illegal migrants are indeed important to the nation’s economy. Most Americans want a more secure border, and they want criminal migrants sent to their home countries, but only the extremists want regular migrants deported. Trump’s move to back off detaining some migrants could set up a clash between immigration moderates and the racist wing of MAGA led by Trump advisor Stephen Miller. I expect Trump to flip-flop again on this issue and return to the easy-picking ICE raids at places of employment, especially in Blue states. We’ll know in a few months if ICE will begin massive raids in Georgia in places like Gainesville and Dalton which employ huge numbers of immigrants, both legal and illegal. The poultry industry in Georgia could be devastated if Trump decides to raid the various processing plants in Northeast Georgia. ISRAEL AND IRAN: Trump was supposed to fix all the world’s wars, or so he bragged on the campaign trail. But Russia and Ukraine are still at war and Israel is still pounding Gaza. Now, Israel has attacked Iran in a risky move that could spin out of control. Trump was attempting to negotiate with Iran when Israel attacked. By attacking when they did, Israel gave a middle-finger to Trump. The bottom line of all that is that Trump has been a failure at international diplomacy and has isolat ed the U.S. from both its foes and its friends. Trump’s only international friend is Putin, a murdering dictator. It’s true what your mama said, you are known by your friends. Mike Buffington is co-publisher of Mainstreet News papers. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews. com. Ronda Rich How amazing it was Even at the young age of 18, I watched it all in real time. And, though I was short on years and wisdom, I knew it was nothing short of amazing. There is a preface to this story. It isn’t fluff. It’s important to tell. Countless have been the times that I have been at a speaking engagement or book signing and had someone come through my line. It happens almost the same way every time. The per son will be in the middle of the line, which keeps others waiting until, finally, five minutes in, I will say, “Would you mind waiting and coming back when I’ve finished signing? I hate to hold up all these people.” If Tink is with me, he helps with books but then he gets pulled into a conversation by that same person who asks, “Once this book [they’re pro posing to write] is a bestseller, how do I turn it into a movie? Or do I write the movie first?” Tink, despite his 30 years in Hollywood, is always kind and patient. Meanwhile, I’m left with no help at the book table. When I finish, I say, “I’m sorry you had to wait. How may I help you?” “I’d like your guidance on writing a book.” I nod. “What do you want to write?” Usually, the answer is similar to one of two: “I’m one of many children. Daddy died and Mama raised us by herself. I put myself through law school.” I love those kinds of ideas. The one I hate is “I don’t know. I just want to write a book.” Most people write books like the ones they read. I have a friend who devours Westerns. He’s written over 23 cowboy books. “What do you read?” I’ll ask. “I don’t.” Wrong answer. My reply? “Then, you can’t write a book if you don’t read them.” This to tell you about a woman named LaVe- nier Hicks who wanted to write so badly that she put everything she had into it. Her full-time job was at a zipper plant where, after many years, she worked her way up to plant manager before it finally closed. She wrote freelance for our local, daily newspaper where I worked as an intern. She got off from work at four and, within an hour, came running into the news room, waving pages of stories she had written. There were days that she wrote the entire front page even though we were well-staffed. I remember one day, that there were four front page stories and she had written every one while working a full-time job. Her ability to turn out massive quantities of quality stories was stunning. All while working a full-time job. LaVenier may have had a high school degree but I doubt she had a college diploma. Yet, she figured out the art to crafting a captivating story then did it over and over and over. For $25 per assignment. Imagine working hard on chasing down sources for days while working full-time. She won awards. She won trust. And she won everyone’s admiration. She was a star. She could sniff out a story from a country mile away. Her sources were always strong and never wrong. She found an old man at the foot of Blood Mountain in Lumpkin County. He had a farmer’s stoop from all the years a mule had pulled his plow. He handcrafted spinning wheels and fiddles and was considered one of the best fiddle players the Appalachians had ever produced. He took a likin’ to LaVenier and took special care with the table and chairs he built for her. His history, she told with admiration and precision. That man, our Uncle Oscar Cannon, raised dad dy. Before she died, she wrote the book of his life and accomplishments because she knew what she wanted to write and what drew her. Oh, how amazing that woman was. Ronda Rich is the best-selling of the Stella Bank- well Mystery series. Visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletter. The Braselton News Mike Buffington Go-Publisher Scott Buffington Go-Publisher & Advertising Manager Ben Munro Editor MEMBER • Georgia Press Association • National Newspaper Association • International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Postmaster: Send Address Changes To: MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. PO Box 908 Jefferson, Georgia 30549-0908 Web Site: www.BraseltonNewsToday.com Email: ben@mainstreetnews.com Voice: 706.367.5233 Published weekly by The Braselton News 33 Lee St. Jefferson, GA 30549 Periodical Postage Paid at Jefferson, GA 30549 (SCED 23390) Yearly Subscriptions: $35
