Bailey helping
Lady Tigers get
back on track.
SPORTS, 1B
Boy crafts, sells
bracelets for
‘Shop with a Cop’
fundraiser, inside, sa
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I September 14,2022 DawsonNews > com
DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Burt's Farm opens for 50th season
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
In 1972, local couple
Johnny and Kathy Burt had
the idea to grow and sell
pumpkins from their front
yard as a way to turn a hobby
into a little extra money. In
the 50 years since then, what
started as a hobby has turned
into a family-run business that
is a staple of Dawson County:
Burt’s Pumpkin Farm.
Today, the Burt family still
runs and operates Burt’s
Pumpkin Farm, which has
grown exponentially each
year. Johnny and Kathy’s chil
dren, Russell Burt, Cameron
Burt and Casey Sanders, all
help to run the farm, along
with their spouses, cousins,
aunts and other family mem
bers, making the fall attrac
tion a true family affair.
“The way it started was in
our front yard in 1972 which
was right here in front of
Amicalola Falls; back then we
had probably 300 pumpkins
for the whole year,” Russell
Burt said. “In 1991 we built
the barn down here and that’s
whenever everything changed;
now we grow about 60 acres
of pumpkins or about 150,000
pumpkins so it’s a big differ
ence from where we started.”
Sanders, who was three
when her parents started sell
ing their pumpkins, used to
bake and sell pies from her
parents’ stand in their yard.
When the business expanded
and moved to the barn where
it is located today, they added
a kitchen in the bam to allow
for more baked goods to be
made on site. Now, the num
ber of pies produced each
year has gone from about 10
to about 4,000, with at least
that many pumpkin rolls and
other pastries too.
While Burt’s Farm has
come a long way from where
it began, Russell Burt said
that the heart behind it is still
very much the same.
“I can remember when I
See Burts 13A
Erica Jones Dawson County News
This month, Burt's Pumpkin Farm officially opened for its 2022
season on Sept. 1, marking the farm's fiftieth year of being open.
GAINESVILLE
Ex-teacher
charged with
new sex crimes
By Ben Anderson
DCN regional staff
Additional charges have
against a former Gainesville
High teacher who was
charged with child molesta
tion last week, bringing the
number of victims to two.
On Friday, Sept. 2,
Cameron Millhollland, 26,
was charged with felony
sexual exploitation of a
minor and attempted
improper sexual contact by an employee,
agent or foster parent.
The new charges came two days after he
was charged with child molestation follow
ing a Gainesville Police investigation that
found he sent a live Snapchat video to a girl,
See Millholland 13A
been brought
Millhollland
Board to discuss
two rezonings at
Thursday meeting
1 was glad to see a smile on his face’
Photos courtesy of LaTanya Johnson with Make-A-Wish Georgia.
Mason Palmour, a Dawson County teenager battling brain cancer, gives his custom 1992 Chevy C1500 a thumbs
up after Make-A-Wish Georgia granted fellow local Max Grant's wish to give Mason the renovated pickup truck.
Dawson County teen battling cancer gifted custom ride
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Rezoning requests for two proposed sub
divisions will be on the Dawson County
Board of Commissioners’ voting session
agenda for this Thursday, Sept. 15.
The board’s voting session will immedi
ately follow the 4 p.m. work session. The
board can vote to either approve, deny or
table the rezones.
BOC meetings are held in the second-
floor assembly room of the Dawson
County Government Center, located at 25
Justice Way in Dawsonville. People can
also watch the voting session’s live stream
on the Dawson County Government’s
Facebook page.
See Rezoning 14A
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Almost one year after his
diagnosis with a rare type
of brain cancer, 16-year-old
Mason Palmour received a
present that would excite
any teenager: a renovated
Chevrolet truck.
The gift came courtesy of
Make-A-Wish Georgia and
Dawson County High
School alumnus and
18-year-old Max Grant,
who decided to give Mason
his wish.
Grant and volunteers
from Make-A-Wish
Georgia presented the 1992
Chevy Cl500 to Mason and
his family at an Atlanta-
area custom car shop on
Sept. 1.
“This was a project that
he (Mason) and his dad
began before his diagnosis,
and thanks to Max, Make-
A-Wish [Georgia] and
Monster Customs in
Marietta, it is now com
plete,” Mason’s mother,
Alison Palmour, said in a
Facebook post.
So far, Mason’s father,
Robert Palmour, said that
his son has “driven it and
loves it.”
See Wish 14A
DCHS alumnus Max Grant, right, hands Mason
Palmour the keys to the now-customized truck, a previ
ous project for Mason and his father.
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Inside
Volume 8, Number 32
© 2022, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Events
2B
Classifieds
6B
Dear Abby
5B
Deaths
2A
Legals
6B
Opinion
7A
Sports
1B
4A Chestatee
collecting
donations for
Backpack
Buddies.
6A Kids learn
about science
at interactive
library STEM
event.
element
invisalign
"We all try and go above
and beyond and give that
five start treatment, so it's
rewarding to know that
what we do matters."
i_
71^ yjamonvim
distinctive dentistry
B. MANZUR, D.M.D.
754 HWY. 53 WEST, DAWSONVILLE, GA
706-265-2505
