About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2022)
Wednesday, January 26,2022 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3A 4-H announces winners of annual Pumpkin Growing Contest Photos courtesy of Dawson County 4-H Left: Cooper Beary won first place in the 2021 Dawson County 4-H Pumpkin Growing Contest with his 120 pound pumpkin. Center: Charlie McCall won second place in the 2021 Dawson County 4-H Pumpkin Growing Contest with his 104 pound pumpkin. Right: Tate Beary won third place in the 2021 Dawson County 4-H Pumpkin Growing Contest with his 94 pound pumpkin. By staff reports Dawson County 4-H has announced the winners of its annual Pumpkin Growing Contest for 2021. According to a release by the organization, each year Georgia 4-H promotes a Pumpkin Growing Contest, where stu dents compete at the county level with the hope of moving on to the state level. The county contest is sponsored by Burt’s Pumpkin Farm owners, Johnny and Kathy Burt. This year’s first place winner was Cooper Beary, whose win ning pumpkin weighed 120 pounds. He received a $75 check from Burt’s for his win ning pumpkin. The second place winner was Charlie McCall with his 104 pound pumpkin. He recruited help from his Papa and said in the release that “When I saw that pumpkin in my Papa’s gar den, it had winner written all over it”. He received a $50 prize. The third place winner was Tate Beary, who won first place in last year’s contest. He won a $25 prize with his 94 pound pumpkin and said in the release that “the weather was either too hot for several days and then too rainy so it made the pump kins smaller”. Both Cooper and Tate Beary have moved on from simply competing in the pumpkin growing contests to selling the pumpkins they grow, the release said. “The Beary brothers have taken their pumpkin growing hobby to another level and you can find them selling their pumpkins at the Amicalola Regional Farmers Market here in town once harvesting comes back around,” the release said. 4-H members who competed in the contest planted seeds, controlled weeds, applied fer tilizers, watered the plant and prevented pet mayhem in or around their prize pumpkins, the release said. This year’s contest has 32 4-H members signed up to participate so far. “They should have their seeds in the ground and already see the fruits of their labor sprouting,” the release said. To see highlights of all of the pumpkins entered in the 2021 pumpkin growing con test, go to www.georgia4h.org. To learn more about 4-H in Dawson County and how to get your students involved in the group, call the Dawson County Extension office at 706-265-2442. Deputy Henson cherishes 32 years with sheriff’s office By Julia Fechter jfechter@dawsonnews.com When Shane Henson started with the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office in 1989, he didn’t real ize his tenure with the agency would endure for over three decades. Now, 32 years later, he’s glad it turned out that way. Both Capt. Henson and Maj. Greg Rowan were recently recog nized by DCSO for working there for at least 30 years. Henson said that he initially intended on get ting involved with animal science, rather than law enforcement as a career. However, a different path opened up to him as a teenager living in Dawson County. While he was still in high school, he started on a volunteer basis with the county’s then much- smaller fire department, of which Rowan was the fire chief at the time. “There were probably 30 of us [volunteers] in training classes togeth er,” Henson said. “When we got involved with that (firefighting), we worked together with the sheriff’s office...with our buddies, we were there every night and on the weekends.” After a short stint away from Dawsonville, Henson returned and started with DCSO as a part-time dispatcher and jailer’s deputy. “Dispatch used to be both the jailer and the dispatcher. When I start ed, there were only like six inmates [at the jail],” he said. “From midnight to 8 o'clock in the morn ing, I was the only one there.” Then in 1992, he went to the police academy and subsequently began working full time at DCSO. He had stints as a patrol division deputy and a member of the Appalachian Drug Task Force before getting married and starting a family. Henson then worked in the criminal investiga tions division before returning to patrol. When he started work ing with the Dawson County School District in the 2000s, he held the rank of sergeant. Henson said he served as a school resource officer for at least 10 years and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant during that time. “What I liked about the school system was the kids...you could go to hang out with them and if you were in a bad mood, and they’d cheer you right up,” Henson said. For a little over a year now, he’s been working at the county court house. Without a doubt, though, Henson consid ers DCSO’s annual “Shop-with-a-cop” event “one of the biggest blessings” he gets each year as an officer. “It's just the joyful laughter and smiles you get out of everybody involved,” he said about the event. “It’s a good feeling to give back. If I'm alive and well, and my health is good, I’m going to be there for that.” Capt. Henson reflected on how his job and the nature of emergency calls have changed over the years. “Every call is interest ing,” he said. “You’ve got people who’ve lost something all the way to something really bad [that’s happened.]” Catching speeders has become more of a chal lenging and sometimes dangerous task with increased traffic on local roads. Henson also explained that citizens have become more friendly to deputies and show sup port over the past sever al years. He credits that to personnel keeping the public’s trust with the sacrifices they make and their love for the com munity. “It’s unbelievable how much more our county [as a whole] has gotten behind us,” Henson said. “It’s that kind of support that makes you pick your head up after a bad day and go back again.” PUBLIC NOTICE Election Qualifying Fees Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 21-2-131 Dawson County Governing Authority shall fix and publish qualifying fees for county offices not later than February 1 of any year in which a general primary, nonpartisan election, or general election is to be held. Offices for the year 2022 elections shall be as follows: Office Qualifying Fee County Commissioner, District 1 288.00 County Commissioner, District 3 288.00 Board of Education, At Large 288.00 Board of Education, District 3 288.00 The qualifying period will begin Monday, March 7, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. and will end on Friday, March 11,2022, at noon. Captain Shane Henson, pictured right, joined the Dawson County Sheriff's Office in 1989, shortly after graduating from Dawson County High School. Photo courtesy DCSO GIBBS GARDENS Part-Time Seasonal Employment Apply Now For Our 2022 Season Ticketing -- Cashiers & Greeters Gift Store Sales Parking Attendants JOB FAIR February 2 - 9AM to 3PM Gibbs Gardens Welcome Center 1987 Gibbs Drive Ball Ground, GA 30107 We look forward to seeing you! Unable to attend? Request an application: email -- info@gibbsgardens.com Gibbs Gardens is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Drug Free Workplace M/F/V/D.
