Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current, May 17, 2023, Image 11

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Dawson County news., May 17, 2023, Image 11

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Newspaper Page TextWednesday, May 17,2023 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B Ronda and funerals By John Tinker (sitting in for Ronda Rich) For some unknown reason, the other day, I began adding up the number of funerals I’ve attended since moving to the South. I stopped at eight since I quickly realized what a morbid, mental exercise I was undertaking. Tallying funerals wasn’t what got me thinking in the first place, anyway. It was the fact that funerals are such a common occurrence for me and Ronda; so much so that, early in our marriage, she cau tioned me always to have a dark suit “ready” at all times. It is now my personal experience that — whether it’s a “home going”, a “celebration of life”, or some other kind of “send-off’ — death is treated with greater consequence here in the South. At this point, I should confess that, after my mother died, my siblings and I held no funeral for her. What’s more, after my father died, at his request, we held no funeral for him, either. My mother’s ashes are in a lovely urn atop my sister’s mantlepiece where she cheerfully speaks to our mom whenever passing. As for my father’s ashes? I’m aware they “reside” in a very lovely, wooden box. More than that, I know not. After all, it was he who made it clear, during his life, that he wouldn’t care, anyway. Please, understand: I don’t mean to sound cal lous. The fact that I regard their “shuffling off of their mortal coils” somewhat matter-of-factly is due to my own beliefs, beliefs which I thankfully share with many of those here in this region and, in particular, my married-into family. And another confession. Or, rather, a disclosure — even a bit of a spoiler for those fans of Ronda Rich: Ronda has instructed me that, when she dies, she’d like to be interred in a “Valentino red”(which, Ronda claims, is the “most perfect shade of red”) dress. She will, of course, be “featuring” a different ensemble prior to her actual interment. Yes, she’s requested a wardrobe change between the viewing and the burial. Ronda’s also requested several songs be sung including, “I’11 Fly Away” and “They Shall Walk With Me In White”. You may be surprised to hear that Ronda does have her limits. While she thoroughly enjoyed the playing of Elvis Presley’s, “Polk Salad Annie”, at one funeral we attended as the casket was wheeled from the sanctuary, that kind of “irreverence” is where she seems to draw the line. For herself, at least. Also on Ronda’s funeral list: a procession from the church to the cemetery — nothing so grand as a New Orleans jazz procession with mule-drawn carriage, coffin in tow, mourners following with parasols and singing along the way. No, just a long line of cars, one where folks who are not in the actual procession, pull to the side of the road and stop. If observers would step from their cars and remove any hats, that would please my wife. When she sees and takes part in such an occasion now, she dabs away tears. If this already isn’t too much information, know that Eve capitulated to Ronda’s insistence that I not be cremated. Our compromise was that she agrees to forego having a viewing for me (you’re welcome.) It isn’t that I regard a viewing as neces sarily macabre. However, we came close at one funeral where the electricity was out and we used flashlights, coffin-side. Maybe I’ve just gotten used to it all, though I can say for sure that when viewing someone whose life has been extinguished, they do not, at all, look a though they are sleeping.) As for me? Unlike Woody Allen who said, “I don’t fear death. I just don’t want to be around when it happens”, when it’s my time to go, I’ll be more than fine. After all, my Savior has promised, that in an instant, I will be with Him. And nothing could ever be any better. John Tinker, a television writer, is sitting in for his wife, Ronda Rich. He is a Southerner by choice, not by birth. FROM 1B Track level she had pursued for a long time. Having qualified for the State Finals in the pole vault, she had already set a new school record during the regu lar season at 8 feet 8 inches — an inch over her own previous record mark. But after weeks, months and even years of coming so close, Kurtz cleared the 9-foot mark at the best possible time at the State Finals, yet again setting a new school record and earn ing a sixth-place finish at State. LeCave continued her success in the 800-meter race, setting a new stan dard for herself and the Tigers program. She first broke the school record in that event during the 2022 season with a time of 2:25.6 — later proving she could consistently hit around that mark in 2023. After this past regular season, in which LeCave cut her time down by half a second, she went into the State Finals with confidence. LeCave excelled in her final race of the sea son, finishing third in all of Class 3A and setting another new school record time of 2:23.1. That two-second improvement was not only an impressive way to cap off her stellar year — it proved to be necessary for her finish ing position. The two runners behind her also had personal best times that broke the 2:25 mark. The other Dawson County State finals qualifiers included Ema Bliss, who competed in the high jump finals Thursday She cleared her previous season- high of 4 feet 10 inches and officially finished 15 th. Kurtz ran in the 400- meter event, also finish- ing 15th. Aaric Muilenburg ran in the boys 400-meter race, finishing 12th but set ting another personal best time of 52.07. He previously set a personal record the week before at the State Sectionals. The Region 7-3A champion 4x400 girls relay team finished sixth with a time of 4:10.37. I love Greek food. There is something so satisfying about the flavors and textures of Greek cuisine. Greek food is also incredibly healthy—I love food that is delicious and comes with no guilt! It is a total win win! Here are some of my favorite Greek dishes—per fect for the upcoming warm weather months. Enjoy! Hummus • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed • 1 clove garlic, minced • 14 cup tahini • !/4 teaspoon sesame oil • 1 !/4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • 2 tablespoons olive oil • !/4 teaspoon ground cumin • Pinch of salt and pepper • 'A cup water • Garnish: olive oil and paprika In a blender, pulse together chick peas and garlic. Add tahini, sesame oil, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. With blender running, add water until desired consistency. Pour into serving bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with pita bread, pita chips and cut up vegetables. Greek Chicken • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts • !/4 cup plain Greek yogurt • 14 cup olive oil • 4 lemons • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 2 tablespoons dried oregano • 1 teaspoon salt • Vi teaspoon pepper Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, zest from one lemon, juice from that lemon. Slice the other 3 lemons and set aside. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic zipper bag and pour half of the yogurt mixture over them. Massage to coat the chicken. Marinate the chick en in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Heat the grill over medi um-high heat. Grill the chicken breasts, basting with remaining yogurt mixture. Turn once you have some nice grill marks. Add the lemon slices to the grill and grill those on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side. When chicken is cooked through, remove to a platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Rest for a few minutes. Slice the chicken and top with grilled lemon slices. Greek Salad • 4-6 cups romaine, chopped • 1 European cucumber, sliced in half moons • Vi red onion, thinly sliced • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved • 1 cup pitted kalamatas, halved • 6 ounces feta cheese, cubed or crumbled • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar • !/4 lemon, juiced • 1 teaspoon dried oregano • Pinch of salt and pepper • 14 cup olive oil To a serving bowl, toss together let tuce, cucumber, onion, cherry toma toes, kalamata olives, and feta. In a small bowl or a small jar, whisk or shake red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Greek Grilled Eggplant • Vi olive oil • 1 teaspoon dried oregano • 14 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes • 14 teaspoon salt • 14 teaspoon pepper • 2 eggplants, cut into 14-inch rounds • 1/3 cup feta, crumbled • 2 tablespoons parsley, minced • Juice from Vi lemon • Tahini Dressing: • 1/3 cup tahini • 1 lemon, juiced • 2 tablespoons water • 1 clove garlic, minced • 14 teaspoon salt Whisk olive oil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Preheat grill over medium- high heat. Brush the eggplant rounds with the olive oil mixture and grill until you have nice grill marks, then flip, about 3 minutes per side. Remove eggplant to serving platter. Squeeze Vi lemon over the eggplant. Whisk together tahini, juiced lemon, water, garlic and salt. Drizzle the grilled eggplant with the tahini dressing and then sprinkle with feta and parsley. Tabbouleh Salad • 1 Vi cups bulgur wheat • 1 % cups boiling water • 2 lemons, zest and juice • Vi cup olive oil • Vi cup red onion, finely minced • 1 clove garlic, minced • 3 tablespoons parsley, minced • 3 tablespoons mint leaves, minced • 1 teaspoon salt • Vi teaspoon pepper • 1 European cucumber, diced • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved • % cup feta, crumbled • 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, minced Place bulgur in a large bowl and pour boiling water and lemon juice over, stirring to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 2 hours or in the refrigerator for 4 hours. To bulgur, add lemon zest, olive oil, onion, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, olives, and oregano. Toss to combine. Taste for seasoning. Its all Greek food to me ADLEN ROBINSON Columnist FROM 1B Soccer Two other members of the girls team were All-Region honorable mentions — Hayden Hand and Melodie Martin. Both players, along with Dussouy, were frequent choices as the front three in the team’s forma tion. Martin, a sophomore who made a big impression in her freshman campaign, contributed nine goals and seven assists. Notably, her hold-up play from the striker posi tion allowed her to provide those assists and give the team multiple scoring chances. Hand, another one of the team’s talented freshmen, scored 10 goals and used her quick pace to surprise opponents on the counterattack. All eight players will return to their squads next season. FROM 1B Signings mentors like him and others.” Assistant coach Gary Wilson brought up a specific instance where Pagel showed his true character. During Dawson County’s region championship matchup with rival Lumpkin County, Pagel voiced his support of the team continuing to use the same offensive package that had put the Tigers ahead in the game — even though Pagel was not a part of that package. Jett was also a member of the football team, playing through a partially tom ACL this past season and toughing it out until the latter part of the regular season. Previously, he was a member of Dawson’s track and field team as a short-distance sprinter. He will be joining former Tigers hurdler Chandler Bagley — who was present at Jett’s signing — on the track at TMU. Jett’s twin sister, Jadyn, described his path to a collegiate opportunity as a culmination of his perseverance through physical therapy and train ing over the past several months. “He’s passionate, a hard worker, he loves people [and] is a great friend,” Jadyn Jett said. “He always puts 110% into everything he’s pas sionate about, and when he tore his ACL and could no longer put 110% into football, he put it into his physi cal therapy.” Those two athletes wrapped up Dawson County’s collegiate signing season for this academic year. FROM 1B Football Rio White Dawson County News Luke Smith looks for a gap to run through after receiving a handoff from quarterback Davis Glass during Dawson County's spring game on Friday, May 12. Simeon Welch, Briggs Weaver and Anthony Garcia all shined in the spring game, helping rising junior quarterback Davis Glass get his reps in and allowing running backs to have breathing room. One particular running back, Luke Smith, had a very successful day and showed off agility and speed that evoked his older brother, Elijah. While the run game saw a new rotating cast, receivers Dom LeBlanc and Sawyer Bearden once again proved to be reliable targets for Glass. Defensively, experience showed its strength in the first half as the score remained 14-14 at halftime. Linebacker Colton Schuette gave a preview of what could be a big sea son for him, placing constant pres sure on the opposing quarterback. Garcia had perhaps an even stronger game on defense than he did on the offensive line. Two quick scores early in the sec ond half gave Dawson an advantage they would not give up, eventually outlasting the Broncos. The Tigers will resume summer practices in June and will prepare for the 2023 season with a scrimmage game against North Lorsyth on Lriday, August 4 at North Lorsyth. FROM 1B Elliott paint schemes — such as Dale Jarrett’s UPS scheme ran by Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell’s DeWalt tribute to Matt Kenseth. Sunday’s race also marked the surprise return of two significant figures in NASCAR history. Ryan Newman made his first start since 2021 — driving the No. 51 for Rick Ware Racing, while Carl Edwards made an appearance in the LOX Sports broadcast booth shortly after being named as one of NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers. With passing proving to be diffi cult at Darlington on Sunday, dom inant cars such as Truex, Chastain, William Byron and Kyle Larson stayed up front until a dramatic final 20 laps. Three major incidents near the end of the race defined the finish, beginning with a spin by Newman. Larson held the lead prior to the incident and battled Ross Chastain for the lead from the next restart, only for Truex Jr to trigger a much larger incident that involved Elliott and several others. The tension between Chastain and Larson would come to a boil ing point at the next restart, with the former pinching the latter aggressively toward the wall, resulting in both spinning out. Byron, who had remained in the top 5 for most of the day, took the lead out of the ensuing restart and won the race in overtime — secur ing his third win of the 2023 sea son. Notably, Elliott and runner-up Kevin Harvick were able to retain track position following the Truex incident, allowing them to improve their top-10 performances into top-3 finishes. Next week, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the hallowed ground of North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time since 1996 for the All-Star race.