About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (May 10, 2023)
8A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com Wednesday, May 10,2023 Dawsonville veteran opens mobile coffee shop Photos submitted to DCN IGY6 Coffee owner Chris Sheets' friend Nate Belche, right, drove all the way from Maysville, Ga., to be the first person to pay cash for his coffee during the shop's April debut. By Julia Hansen jhansen@dawsonnews.com For Dawsonville resident Chris Sheets, the decision to open his business and call it IGY6 Coffee was deeply personal. IGY6 or “I got your six” is a common saying among military and first responders that means “I got your back.” Sheets previously served for about five years as a U.S. Army 13 th Bravo field artillery soldier before getting injured. What followed was a series of hardships where Sheets became addicted to opioid drugs and later methamphetamine, which even tually landed him in prison. “Through all of that, I found God,” said Sheets, “so not only is this to glorify veterans, but to glo rify God, too.” And as it turns out, faith can go really well with a cup of Joe. “Coffee came in because in recovery, you’re always drinking coffee in the [recovery] meet ings,” Sheets said. He also became active in groups like Celebrate Recovery and relished the comradery. IGY6 Coffee’s logo incorporates a well- known Bible verse, Proverbs 27:17. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” A portion of the coffee shop’s proceeds go back to the aptly- named IGY6; Foundation. This organization likewise aims to cre ate a supportive social environ ment for first responders by offer ing its members thrill-seeking events modeled after the bonds Resources • The Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 9-8-8 and pressing 1. For more information, go to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline website at 988lifeline.org. • IGY6; Foundation: To learn more about the organization Sheets helps support with a portion of his proceeds, go to https://www.theigy- 6foundation.org/. present in law enforcement, fire fighter, military and frontline medical communities, according to the foundation’s website. Like the foundation, Sheets wants his business to help fill a gap in support for veterans and first responders by bringing more awareness about mental health conditions like depression, anxi ety and PTSD. Although veteran suicide deaths decreased from 2019 to 2020, the rate of veteran suicides was still 57.3% higher than non veterans, and suicide was listed as the second-leading cause of death among veterans ages 18-44, according to a 2022 report from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Sheets pointed out that many iterations of IGY6, like on T-shirts or tattoos, have a semico lon next to the acronym. “It means [to] pause or rest. That’s what the semicolon in IGY6 is supposed to be about, helping people that are suicidal and bring more awareness to that,” Sheets said. As he regained control of his life through his faith and sobriety, Sheets knew he wanted to start a veteran-supportive business-he just didn’t know what type of business. But drawing on his now-well established habits with coffee, Sheets put two and two together three years ago. “I thought, ‘What’s the best way to start up a coffee shop?’ I knew I didn’t really have the cap ital to start up a brick-and-mortar store, so what’s the next best step from that?”’, he said. He’d learned other people who started coffee stores from a trailer before moving to a brick-and- mortar shop, so he began looking up specifications for building out a trailer. Then in 2021, he and his wife, Melissa, moved from Colorado to Dawsonville. Last year, Sheets firmly com mitted to his idea, and after months of preparation, he debuted the weekend of April 22-23, 2023, at Dawson County’s Atlanta Motorsports Park. “A lot of stuff had been worry ing me about opening it up, [like] the way the economy’s going right now and stuff like that, but I knew I had to keep on going with it. I couldn’t stop,” he said. For now, Sheets is doing his HVAC job during the day and selling coffee on the weekends, but he hopes to build up his busi ness more over time. So far, he’s been grateful for the support of businesses like AMP or Ruby’s Recipes that have allowed him to set up his mobile shop on their premises. “It’s been a great customer response,” Sheets said. “Folks here are very supportive of our military and very supportive of our deputies and the fire depart ment, too.” Despite the business having an acronym as a name, he added that more people than he thought picked up on its meaning “right away.” Sheets looks forward to more events and possibly setting up closer to places like the sheriff’s office or one of the local schools so he can serve deputies and teachers. And as Dawsonville residents, he and Melissa are hopeful that the business could grow into something more in the downtown area. “One of the things we’ve said is, “Let’s try to be the first brick- and-mortar [one] here. I would love to be the first brick-and-mor- tar coffee store here in Dawsonville.” For now though, Sheets appre ciates the flexibility of the coffee trailer and being able to go to events and meet people. “I want to be a part of the com munity,” he said. “I want to be able to help out, especially our local community here in Dawsonville.” Residents can get free admission to racing museum By Erica Jones ejones@dawsonnews.com Residents of Dawson County can now receive free admission to the local racing museum, thanks to a new initiative by museum leadership to let locals learn more about their hometown and its deep roots in racing. According to museum director Cindy Elliott, anyone who pres ents an I.D. with a Dawson County address or a proof of resi dency at the museum will receive free admission during the muse um’s normal business hours. “So many times we hear ‘we didn’t know you were here’, ‘I didn’t know you had all this in here’ or ‘this is so cool’, so this is trying to encourage local resi dents to come and see what we have to offer,” Elliott said. “We want them to have the time to go through and really enjoy the experience.” The free admission will apply to any day during the museum’s normal business hours, and admission will continue to be charged as normal for all people regardless of residency during special events. The goal of offering free admis sion to the museum, she added, is to allow local residents the chance to get to know more about their hometown by exploring not only the careers and success of some of Dawson County’s best known rac ers but also the county’s rich his tory and heritage as the birthplace of stock car racing. The Georgia Racing Hall of Fame is located at 415 Highway 53 East, next to Dawsonville City Hall. For more information including museum hours and upcoming events, go to https:// georgiaracinghof.com/. DCN file photo FROM 1A Teens A weapon allegedly used in the inci dent was listed as “unknown,” the report stated. In a follow-up call on May 4, Johnson confirmed that the teen victim suffered a broken tooth as a result of the fight. Though the fight was close to the junior high school, local land records show the property at the listed address is owned by the city of Dawsonville. Multiple parents use the farmers mar ket parking lot area as a pick-up spot for their junior high students after school. Since the incident occurred on city property, DCN contacted City Manager Bob Bolz on May 3 for clarification about surveillance camera footage of the farmers market area. “The sheriff’s office already has [sur veillance camera] access in cases like this, so we don’t have to wait for stuff like this to give them access,” Bolz said. “We’re all trying to help people be safe and secure as best we can.” Johnson confirmed that deputies have seen the camera footage and that the misdemeanor charges for the two teens were appropriate since one of the vic tim’s teeth was broken rather than a bone. DCN contacted Dawson County Schools Superintendent Nicole LeCave for comment to clarify if there would be any possible disciplinary action for the students charged. “The student code of conduct is enforceable at bus stops, on school buses, or other vehicles provided for student transportation by the school dis trict, at school on school property at any time, and off school grounds at any school or school-related activity, func tion, or event,” LeCave said in a May 5 email. “Any off-campus behavior of a stu dent which could result in the student being criminally charged with a felony may also be subject to disciplinary actions per the student code of conduct.” DCN will continue following this story. MAY 17, 2023 | 6:00PM BOWEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS 334 Highway 9 N., Dawsonville 30534 Help us celebrate the county's top athletes! Event will begin at 6 p.m. May 17 at the Bowen Center for the Arts. Former Dawson County High School Basketball Coach Steve Sweat will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $12 per person. SPACE IS LIMITED / TICKETS MUST BE PRE-PURCHASED Contact Megan Smarz to purchase your tickets today at msmarz@gainesvilletimes.com or 770-535-6371. Start earning today with BankOZK! <4.40%> 7-MONTH CD OR IRA CD** SPECIAL <5.00°/°> 13-MONTH CD OR IRA CD * SPECIAL Visit our Dawsonville location or open an account online at ozk.com** <> BankOZK Greater awaits" ozk.com I Member FDIC *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective as of the publication date. Offer applies to new CDs only. $1,000 minimum deposit to open and is required to earn stated APY. Penalty for early withdrawal. IRA CD is subject to eligibility requirements. Offer not available to Public Funds, brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Fees could reduce earnings. Offer subject to change without notice. Offer good at locations in Dawsonville, GA only. **IRA CD must be opened in person and cannot be opened online.
