About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2021)
8A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com Wednesday, October 27,2021 FROM 1A Festival Thousands of people from northeastern Georgia and beyond attended the festival, many donating to K.A.R.E. or supporting small businesses by pur chasing from booth ven dors. One of Saturday’s three inductees into the National Moonshiners Hall of Fame was Dawson native Pete Bearden. The other inductees were Dean Bauguess and Bobby Anderson. Bearden was bom into a family of moonshiners and has lived in Dawsonville for all of his life. K.A.R.E. board mem ber Hayley Garrett described the first and only time he got caught was “Halloween night in 1974 when making and moving a stash of 1,352 gallons.” For that, a judge sen tenced Bearden to six months in prison and five years of probation and asked him if the penalties had taught him a lesson. “Pete said, ‘No sir, before I let my wife and children go hungry, I’d do it again,”’ Garrett added. Bearden emphasized other family members’ involvement in the moon- shine business and thanked them and various friends for attending the ceremony. He called 99 percent of moonshiners “the most honest people I’ve ever seen in my life” and straight-talkers who need ed no contracts because they were “just that hon est.” “Moonshine really built Dawsonville,” Pete Bearden said.“Believe it or not, it really built the churches, the stores...all of them were involved in some way or another in past years...[and] I’m proud of it.” Photos by Julia Fechter Dawson County News MasonThompson, center right, watches petting zoo worker Virginia Wells lead a pony in the riding circle. Rachel Schmotz, center left, smiles as Jayden Waldrop leads her horse. Pool Room’s siren that sounds after every Elliott race victory. He also gave a nod to Gordon’s regular habit of sharing early rac ing stories. “Gordon loves his com munity, the people in it. He loves motorsports and preserving its legacy, and he’s a kind and caring person,” Clark said. “We’re going to make some happy kids on account of y’all being here,” Pirkle said to the audience of family, friends and other festival attendees. Before he stepped aside, a group of K.A.R.E. volunteers sang Pirkle a special rendition of the Ronnie Milsap song “What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life.” The song’s name and signature refrain carried through the crisp fall air, perhaps reminding listen ers that serving others can be in many ways its own reward. K.A.R.E. president Rhonda Goodwin Evans listens as Pete Bearden describes moonshine's role in Dawsonville's history and development. Longtime festival vol unteer and classic car enthusiast Clarence Haven was also given this year’s Humanitarian Award. “He took pride in get ting up at 4 a.m. every year to get parked around the old courthouse, where he always brought his flashlight and helped get everyone else parked,” Garrett said. She continued by call ing him instrumental to K.A.R.E. ‘s efforts, end ing with “we love you.” Appropriately, no men tions of altruism would have been complete with out recognizing the 2021 festival’s grand marshal, Dawsonville legend Gordon Pirkle. Rodney Robinson said Pirkle was one of a long line of people to sacrifice for his neighbors, quoting the adage that “true mea sure of character and integrity is what a person does when no one else is looking.” He cited examples such as Pirkle’s forming of Thunder Road and count less times providing food for bereaved families at the funeral home and at other community meetings. 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