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FFA, 4-H compete at
Georgia National Fair
COMMUNITY, 5B
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I OCTOBER 31,2018 DaWSOflNeWS ^com DAWSONVULE, GEORGIA $1.00
Holiday Inn, Olive Garden in the works
Businesses slowly filling in Kroger, Publix centers
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County Planning
Commission will hear a request
Nov. 20 for a variance for addi
tional parking at an Olive Garden
planned at the comer of Dawson
Forest Road East and Ga. 400.
The property where the Olive
Garden will be built is the cur
rent home of the vacant Huck’s
Apple Bam. The restaurant is the
first of several potential business
es to be developed on the
approximately 9.4 acres next to
the Dawson Marketplace shop
ping center.
Dawson County Planning
Director Jameson Kinley said
Oct. 26 that Olive Garden has
submitted building plans for the
county to review, and that the
two groups met the morning of
Oct. 25 to go over civil plans.
“As of now, we haven’t heard
of anything else going there for
sure, just prospects,” Kinley said
in an email.
Olive Garden Holdings has
requested 152 parking spaces as
opposed to the maximum 86,
stating in the variance applica
tion that “if parking is inadequate
it will negatively impact the new
restaurant’s success.” The appli
cation also refers to the develop
ment site as “Dawson Forest
Square.”
The planning commission
could vote to approve the vari
ance at the November meeting.
All meetings of the Dawson
County Planning Commission
are held at 6 p.m. in the second
floor assembly room of the
Dawson County Government
Center and are open to the pub
lic.
Also on the pipeline is a 70-80
room Holiday Inn Express, slat
ed to go in behind the
Applebee’s off Ga. 400 and
Carlisle Road.
Dawson County Chamber of
Commerce President Christie
Moore said that weather permit
ting, the hotel could be open the
fall of 2019.
See Garden 16A
Mountain Moonshine Festival
Photos by Jessica Brown Dawson County News
Downtown Dawsonville was filled to the brim with vendors and festival goers from all over north Georgia
during the 51st annual Mountain Moonshine Festival Oct. 28.
Great turn out for 51st
annual fundraiser
By Jessica Brown
jbrown@dawsonnews.com
The sun put the shine in the Mountain
Moonshine Festival Sunday after a chilly
start to the annual festivities on Saturday.
A cloudy sky, wind and the threat of rain
didn’t deter vendors or spectators from com
ing to downtown Dawsonville to partake in
the town’s historic event Saturday, Oct. 27.
Luckily the clouds parted Sunday morning
and ushered in a crisp fall day just in time
for the last day of the festival.
Thousands of festival goers from across
north Georgia and beyond came out to see
the parade, consisting of classic racing and
moonshine cars led by Grand Marshal
Jimmy “Mr. Excitement” Spencer.
Across three stages, local talent shone
bright all weekend as dancers, solo singers,
blues, rock and bluegrass bands and karate
students kept the fun going in Dawsonville
See Moonshine 19A
Commemorative bottles and jars were on sale at the K.A.R.E. for
Kids tent as unique souvenirs for this year's festival Oct. 28.
Austin Steele DCN Regional Staff
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candi
date Stacey Abrams speaks to a crowd at
Brenau University's Pearce Auditorium on
Friday, Oct. 26.
Abrams stops
in Gainesville
for rally tour
By Megan Reed
DCN Regional Staff
Speaking to a crowd at Brenau University,
Stacey Abrams said “Georgia has to prove we
have a soul.”
Abrams and Sarah Riggs Amico,
Democratic candidates for governor and lieu
tenant governor, stopped at the university
Pearce Auditorium in Gainesville on Friday as
part of a statewide bus tour.
On Nov. 6, Abrams will compete against
Republican Brian Kemp and Libertarian Ted
Metz for the position of governor. Riggs
Amico faces Republican Geoff Duncan.
Some ways to show the state has a soul,
Abrams said, are programs like wraparound
services in Georgia schools, adequate health
care and access to mental health treatment —
and protecting civil rights.
Abrams told of being invited to the
Governor’s Mansion after becoming valedic
torian of her DeKalb County high school, but
when she arrived after taking public transit
with her parents, a staff member at the gate
assumed she was not on the guest list.
“The only thing I remember about that
event is a man standing in front of the most
powerful place in Georgia, looking at me and
telling me I don’t belong,” Abrams said.
“With your help, on Nov. 6, we’re going to
open those gates wide.”
See Abrams 14A
Dawsonville woman found dead in mobile home fire
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
A woman killed in a mobile
home fire on Sunday has been
identified as Carol Smith, 64, of
Dawsonville.
According to Dawson
County Emergency Services
Director Danny Thompson,
emergency personnel respond
ed to a reported structure fire
with entrapment at 12:43 a.m.
Oct. 28 on Galagi-Na Drive off
Hwy. 53.
Upon arrival personnel
encountered a single wide
mobile home with flames show
ing. Thompson said personnel
entered the structure and locat
ed Smith, who was removed
from the mobile home and pro
nounced dead on the scene.
Thompson said Monday that
Smith was the only person liv
ing in the residence.
The incident is being investi
gated by Georgia State Fire
Marshall’s office, Dawson
County Fire Marshall’s and the
Dawson County Sheriff’s
Office. The cause is still unde
termined but has been ruled
accidental in nature.
“We would like to remind
everyone to change their batter
ies on smoke detectors on Nov.
4, when we change our clocks to
end Daylight Savings,”
Thompson said.
A woman was killed in a
mobile home fire shortly
before 1 a.m. Oct. 28.
Photo courtesy Dawson County Emergency Services
9 0 9 9
Inside
Volume 4, Number 6
© 2018, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
3B
Classifieds
9B
Dear Abby
8B
Deaths
2A
Legals
10B
Opinion
11A
Sports
1B
O A Elderly,
homebound
can apply for
home heating
assistance
oa Knights of
^ Columbus
donates bikes
for kids with
special needs
