About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2022)
2A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com Wednesday, November 30,2022 Teen wins national livestock award with unique beef heifer By Julia Hansen jhansen@dawsonnews.com After attending the North American International Livestock Exposition show in Kentucky earlier this month, Dawson County Junior High School eighth grader Olivia Graham has gained both agricultural experience and multiple accolades. During the livestock competition at Louisville’s Kentucky Exposition Center, Olivia’s beef heifer, Holly, was named the reserve grand champion in the junior Belted Galloway category. In addition to her first place win, Olivia scored three other second-place wins, and she even compet ed with adults in the open Belted Galloway section, too. Earlier this year, Olivia was also selected to partici- pate in the Belted Galloway Society National Junior Council Board, an honor only allocated to six students in the country. She’s nurtured her pas- King Crossword ACROSS 42 Tavern 9 Start of a spell 1 Asian desert 44 Party pooper 10 King of the 5 Weep loudly 48 Small battery jungle 9 Swiss peak 49 Ireland 11 Frogs' hangout 12 Mideast gulf 50 Theater box 20 Everywhere 13 "Night" author 51 Norm (Abbr.) 22 Command to Wiesel 52 Swampy ter Fido 14 Life story rain 24 Prank 15 Pantheon 53 Portent 25 "Now, where members 54 That lady — I?" 16 Quest 55 River to the 26 Right angle 17 Director Baltic 27 "Xanadu" band Howard 56 Get one's feet 29 Cooking fuel 18 Region wet? 30 Ballpark fig. 19 Texter's "Wow!" 31 — Moines 20 Full house, e.g. DOWN 35 Cross 21 Dolphins' org. 1 Quite enthusi 36 Stovetop fea 23 Here (Fr.) astic ture 25 Used a hoe 2 Bloodhound's 39 Mama — Elliot 28 Put a price on clue 40 Swearword 32 Dole out 3 Eliot's "Adam 41 Commanded 33 Stage ii 43 Suffix for billion 34 Show bad 4 Important 45 "Arrivederci —" posture details 46 On in years 36 Creatures 5 Observe 47 Actor 37 Your 6 Grad Hackman 38 Ornate vase 7 Improvise 49 Punk-rock 39 Com castoffs 8 Allow subgenre 3 a V M N 3 I/M 0 3 G O i G V y a N s 1 s V 3 s V H a 3 G G 1 a N V N O u ■ 0 1 9 ■ d 1 ■ id 3 Q 3 id I N I id id V a id V H 1 N__Q I 1 O H a ■ 3 H s 1 a 1 s 1 v V V F a 0 0 i n 0 1 s 0 1 1 V a 3 3 M N v 3 y V S a 0 G N 3 a V Ll 3 0 9 sion for cows over the past several years, helped by grandparents who own a small pasture, her parents and other 4-H mentors. “Showing cattle is some thing I can do instead of something like playing a sport,” Olivia wrote in a let ter requesting local spon sorships before nationals. “Also, when I was sick [with cancer], animals were what helped me feel better. So, I love spending my time with them.” Five years ago, the teen began showing dairy cows before switching to an Angus steer calf for a year. Meanwhile, she’d always enjoyed riding by a pasture of Belted Galloways, which are not as common in the southeastern United States. “She wanted something that nobody else had... something that was a little bit different and stood out more. The community is small, and they’ve been watching her shows and her success,” her mother, Maggie previously said. Olivia said she was also drawn to this breed of cows, nicknamed Belties, because of their “big and fluffy” appearance. Fast forward to Olivia’s November competition, where she described being enthralled by the “magni tude of the atmosphere” and the biggest show ring, which was between three and four times the size to which she’s usually accus tomed. With the large arena and what Olivia called “tough competition,” it took all of her family being in the right place to help guide her as she and Heifer pre pared for the show. During the show, judges asked multiple questions about genetics and feed, something for which Olivia said she’d prepared. Since purchasing her first cows Holly and Hazel, Olivia has been a member of the Junior Belted Galloway Society. Their junior program provides resources related to genet ics, such as straws for her to artificially inseminate her heifers. Through those efforts, Hazel became pregnant and gave birth to a bull calf named Duke in October, Olivia said. “I liked meeting new people,” she added of her overall experience. “Since Belted Galloways are in the northern part of the coun try, I met a lot of people from Maine and Rhode Island.” She’s ever mindful of how Dawson-area locals helped her get to Kentucky. After word spread about Olivia’s sponsorship letter and national goals, Maggie elaborated that “quite a few sponsors” took money to the 4-H office, helping her daughter raise about $2,000 toward going to the live stock show. “Thank you, everyone who helped me get to where I did,” Olivia said. Her family went with her to nationals more for the experience and not neces sarily expecting awards, so they’re ecstatic. “It’s a huge sense of pride for dad and I both,” Maggie said. “We took her to Kentucky about four years ago right when she started showing cows... She had told us that ‘I’ll show on the green shavings [in Louisville].”’ They didn’t doubt that Olivia would, but Maggie said they didn’t realize “how driven she was and how quick she’d make it happen.” It’s with that same sense of drive that Olivia aspires to become a large animal veterinarian for her future career. After getting home from nationals, she’s preparing for a few shows in December and then a stacked competition sched ule through January and February, tapering off in March. Meanwhile, Olivia con tinues to diligently handle the daily ins-and-outs of owning livestock. In this case, that meant feeding her cows at the end of the interview, a job her mother called “a 24/7/365” kind of deal. Dawson Humane Society holding donation drive By Erica Jones ejones@dawsonnews.com As we all head into the holiday season, the Dawson County Humane Society is providing a way for community members to provide pets in the shelter with a merry Christmas. According to a release by the local nonprofit, people in the Dawsonville area can support the shelter and help pets in need by dropping donations off in any of the several “Presents 4 Paws” collection boxes that are set up at businesses throughout the community. “We are grateful to the businesses that are helping with this effort by allowing our Humane Society to place a drop box at their location,” Board President Tim Smock said in the release. “We truly appreci ate their participation and support. To date we have 16 local businesses where items on our wish list can be dropped off. I would also like to thank all our supporters who help by donating the needed items.” Currently, collection boxes in the community are set up at the following busi nesses: • All Animals Veterinary Hospital • Tru Value Hardware • Pak Mail • Coastal State Bank • Miller’s Ale House • BenchMark Physical Therapy • Thompson Creek Animal Hospital • Bank OZK • Humane Society Resale Shop and Boutique • PetSmart • Petco • Papa’s Place • Dawsonville Veterinary Hospital • Tractor Supply • John Megel Chevrolet • Dawsonville Library Some of the items cur rently on the organization’s wish list include: • Clay cat litter • Dry dog food • Dry puppy food • Dry cat food • Dry kitten food • Mr. Clean • Bleach • Flea topical • Blue Dawn dish soap • Liquid laundry soap • Contractor 3-ply black trash bags • Paper towels • Toilet paper • Blue nitrile exam gloves • Cash donations For more information about the holiday drive and the Dawson County Humane Society, go to dawsoncountyhumanesoci- ety.org or call the shelter at 706-265-9160. OBITS Obituaries Murrell Estelle Bearden November 19, 2022 Mrs. Murrell Estelle Bearden, age 98, of Dahlonega, Georgia, passed away on Saturday, November 19, 2022. She was born in Gilmer County on August 19, 1924, to the late Casper Southern and the late Jeanette Lowman Simmons. Mrs. Bearden will forever be remembered as a wonderful mother and the best friend that anyone could imagine. She had the perfect personality and would stick by your side no matter if you were right or wrong. She would be the first to tell you how it is, but she would be by your side nonetheless. Mrs. Bearden loved to crochet and was passionate about reading. In addition to her par ents, she is preceded in death by her loving hus band, Masteen Bearden; brothers Preston Southern, Harold Southern and Junior Simmons; daughter Sharon Knight; grandson Ben Nix and great grand children Jeremy Wehunt and Harper Sabater. She is survived by her children, Nell (Terrell) Holtzclaw, Pat Brackett, Charlotte (Melvin) Bryant, Ray (Nell) Bearden and Nancy (Russell) Cochran all of Dahlonega; brothers Robert Simmons and Albert (Sue) Simmons. Numerous nieces, neph ews, friends and other rela tives also survive. Funeral Services are scheduled for Wednesday, November 23, 2022 at 2:00PM in the chapel of Anderson-Underwood Funeral Home. Interment will follow in the cemetery of New Hope Baptist Church in Dawsonville. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 from 5:00PM - 8:00PM. Death Notices Brenda Sue Dean November 21, 2022 Brenda Sue Dean, 76, of Dawsonville died Monday, November 21st. Funeral service, Saturday, November 26, 2022, 1 o’clock, Mill Creek Baptist Church. Bearden Funeral Home, Dawsonville, GA. Renna Elaine Jordan November 19, 2022 Renna Elaine Jordan, 59, of Dawsonville died Saturday, November 19th. Funeral, Wednesday, November 23,rd at 2:00 p.m., Bearden Funeral Home Chapel. ^ Daws o n C o u nty N e ws A Metro Market Media Publication Established in 2015 by the merger of Dawson Community News and Dawson News and Advertiser 30 Shoal Creek Road i PUBLISHER | Stephanie Woody Dawsonville, GA 30534 PHONE (706) 265-3384 EDITOR | Erica Jones FAX (706) 265-3276 usps 018-876 | Updates online at DawsonNews fi: Display advertising For Wednesday: Retail and Classified deadlines are 3 p.m. Friday Classified liners (help wanted, for sale, etc.) For Wednesday: Deadline is noon Monday Advertising rates available upon request. To subscribe to the Dawson County News: ONE YEAR | $79.99 TWO YEARS | $149.99 For our digital subscription offerings, go to dawsonnews.com/subscribe Published Wednesdays by the Dawson County News Co., 30 Shoal Creek Road, Dawsonville, GA 30534. Second-class postage paid at Dawsonville, Ga., and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Dawson County News, P.O. Box 1600, Dawsonville, GA 30534.
