Newspaper Page Text
Friday, December 25,2015
Lake Oconee News
Page B3
LAKE COUNTRY
Contributed
Kathi Russell decided to dream big and make it happen.
Elks deliver gifts
Contributed
The Elk/ Memory Lane Charity presented a check for
$2,000 to "The Caring Place" in Madison on December
18 to help with its Christmas food distribution to needy
families. Pictured is Elk Bill Lewis from the Lake Oconee
Elks Lodge, far right, presenting the check to treasurer
Ron Milton, far left, with CEO Nancy Pluckhahn, center.
Contributed
The Elk /Memory Lane Charity took $2,000 in toys to
be distributed in Greene County on Dec. 18. The Ladies
Auxiliary of Lake Oconee Elks Lodge went shopping
and chose the gifts to be distributed. Pictured from
Elks Dom Serra, Bill Lewis, Mike Daniels, Bob Colie,
Ladies Auxiliary President Joyce Kender and Elk Tommy
Meads.
Acura & Volvo of Athens
Middleton Automotive Group • 2890 Atlanta Highway • Athens, GA 30606
Hello I’m Charles Middleton, President of Acura & Volvo of Athens
and Chairman of the Greene County Safe & Secure Foundation. The
foundation was established in October of 2013 and was designed t
sdely benefit the needs of Greene County’s Public Safety Departments,
these y being the City Police Dept., the Sheriff’s Dept., the Fire Dept.,
EMS Ambulance Service, 911 Call Center, Air Life Helicopter, the
GA State Hwy. Patrol and the D.N.R. Although the State Highway
Patrol and Air Life Services are not located in Greene County ey are
included for the valued services they provide.
Having lived in Greene County since the late nineties and also owning
a business in Athens, I fully support the various dona " q “"
or sponsorships that come to me on a monthly basis. In 2013 and 2014
the residences and businesses in Greene County continued to sho
their support by making donations to Greene County Safe & Secure
Foundation. Not only do these donations enable the oun' a '°” °
continually grow, it also shows the men and women who wmk m thes
departments how very much their efforts are appreciated and needed.
It is my hope that you will continue to show your support by making a
donation to the Greene County Safe & Secure Foundation in 2015.
The advisors of the Greene County Safe & Secure Foundation, Joe
Bashore - Greensboro Fire Chief, Jimmy Britt - County Commissioner,
Darren Harland - Captain, Greene County Sheriff’s Department, Byron
Lombard - County Manager and Ossie Mapp - Chief, Greensboro Chy
Police Department, as well as myself wish you a very Happy and Sate
Holiday Season.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Appreciatively,
Chairman
Greene County Safe & Secure
Foundation
The Greene County Safe & Secure
Foundation is a 501C3 corporation and
donations are fully tax deductible. For further
information or to make a donation contact us
at:
Greene County Safe & Secure Foundation
1180 Mercer Trail
Greensboro, GA 30642
The Madison Tea Room
Didn’t some major publi
cation have a feature “The
Most Unforgettable Charac
ter” and a story concerning
someone who did something
unexpected or remarkable?
Madison has that person
embodied in Kathi Russell
and the Madison Tea Room.
Why, you might inquire?
The Madison Tea Room is
a living embodiment to who
and what she is all about.
It is the largest tea room
in North America at 8,000
square feet. But, size is just
a small part of this elegant
business. It has a staircase
that is worthy of Tara, which
has become a favorite for
brides at rehearsal dinners
and couples celebrating
events.
It features fireplaces that
add charm to any room.
The second floor has 4,000
square feet of space for
many different types of
events. And, kitchens that
make a caterer’s life easier
on both floors.
This business is the vision
of a personality whose motto
is “dream big and make it
happen.”
Already special events
have been held and client
reaction is very, very posi
tive.
The history of the build
ing is an important part of
what has been built at 200
W. Washington St. across
from Town Park. The orig
inal structure housed black-
owned businesses that were
operated in another era.
A promise was made to
take it carefully apart brick
by brick and equally care
fully bring it back, so the
exterior resembled the face
of the 1905 structure.
Some 60,000 bricks were
removed and stored off-site.
Architects determined the
floor would not support any
sort of modern enterprise
and it was rebuilt to code
that would allow kitchens
to contain modern equip
ment. A deck was added on
Dick
Hodgetts
Columnist
the rear for clients.
When completed, how did
they do? On a recent visit,
Pastor Hoke Smith and his
wife Ann exclaimed, ‘You’ve
made it something more
than we could hope.”
Nearly every day someone
from our African-American
community will ask to see
where their grandfather or
grandmother conducted
business and remark, “This
brings back so many mem
ories.”
The reality is Afri
can-American support
for Kathi Russell and her
reconstruction plans were
important for its approval
by a very reluctant Preser
vation Commission. It was
a unique and effective part
nership among people the
city is to serve.
The Madison Tea Room is
more than a monument to
our history. It will soon be
adding a continuing legacy
of its own.
On a recent visit, I
watched as Southern Lady
magazine was photograph
ing it for next year’s story:
Christmas in Madison.
Then I saw Kathi and her
team preparing for an event
where Madison children
would learn to decorate 200
cupcakes - all a donation to
our city.
That same morning, a
fire had struck the Vason
Building, and Kathi was on
the phone to the Alligood
family at Antique Sweets
offering her basement for
storage of any of his equip
ment that might need to be
refurbished after the smoke
and water damage to his
business.
This businesswoman is
guided by an admirable
principle: “Give a gift and it
will be returned a thousand
times over.”
In her previous businesses
in Franklin, Michigan and
Charleston, S.C., she men
tored young women who
have gone on to impressive
careers after leaving her
employment.
She has continued that
tradition in Madison with
Bridgit Wilson and Laura
Cuddeback, who assume
more responsibility as her
businesses expand. A young
woman under Kathi’s men
toring will gain an enor
mous amount of experience
in making things happen
with class and grace.
Another impressive
aspect of Kathi in all of her
operations is her continual
boostering of Madison and
its varied businesses. She
is nearly a one-person wel
come center.
Her presence in the Mad
ison Tea Room and soon in
the restored Ye Olde Colo
nial building will be a boost
to enterprises around the
City Square and around
Town Park.
The Tea Room will offi
cially open in mid-January,
and events are booked for
a good portion of the year.
Don’t be surprised to see the
community filled with peo
ple coming off tour busses
and visiting the Madison
Tea Room and spreading
out through downtown.
It will be a dream destina
tion for Red Hats and tour
groups from distant points.
Madison and its historic
district have been given a
gift with Kathi and Rick
Russell’s arrival. Normally,
we southern folk give a word
of thanks when given some
thing special. Wow, are we
lucky to have them as our
neighbors.
