Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS-WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1987
FALL Continued from the front
In Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, supervisory ranger Glenn Cardwell calls the
present colors of some poplars and various gum
trees “a preview of coming attractions.” Cardwell
said trees and plants highly sensitive to dryness,
such as yellow poplar and birch trees, have shed
many of their leaves already as a sort of protective
mechanism.
The last half of October, he said, and possibly into
early November are optimum leaf-viewing times on
the peaks there. The same goes for north Georgia
and western North Carolina, said U.S. Forest Serv
ice forester Frances Mason, who works at Georgia’s
highest point, Brasstown Bald.
She believes September rains, which are running
just about normal according to the National
Weather Service, will determine the ultimate brilli
ance of the tree-blanketed slopes.
Many authorities, including University of Georgia
forest ecologist Lindsay Boring, agree with Benfield
that a dry summer will bring an early fall. But an
inability to forecast weather long term, Boimg said,
means the same for long-range leaf color prospects.
“It’ll shape up one way and the rainfall patterns
may change,” said Boring, a professor in UGA’s
School of Forest Resources. “I thought I had some
of this figured out last year, but some of what
happened fooled everybody. If we could predict
what kind of temperature and what kind of precip
itation we’re going to get, then we could in turn
predict what kind of color we’re going to have.”
Leaf color, he explained, is masked by chloro
phyll, keeping the leaves green. Shorter days and
cooler air halt chlorophyll production and when the
green fades, other colors emerge. So, when the
chlorophyll is broken down, brilliant reds, oranges
and yellows can result.
Sunny days and moist cool nights will bring forth
the richest mountain mosiac, but a severe early
frost could draw a color blank. Periods of heavy
rain and winds, Boring said, could clean out trees.
For some in north Georgia, fall color means big
business. Jack Turner, owner of Tucker’s Inn, a
restaurant and inn near Blairsville, said the color of
leaves “affects our business tremendously.”
Fall is, of course, boom time for merchants up
there. Said Anita Whitmore of the Helen Chamber of
Commerce, "It’s our busy time. Oktoberfest is
going on right now, and people just keep on coming
through November.”
About 3.8 million people came to Georgia’s eight
mountain state parks last year and officials say
Atlanta is the most common origin of these trips.
If you want to make an overnight visit and need to
rent camping equipment, you should secure your
rental two weeks in advance, equipment renters
say. Plan on spending about $35 plus about S6O in
refundable deposits.
When you’re there, it will generally be about 10
degrees cooler than Atlanta, and for every 1,000 feet
in elevation you climb, temperatures wiU drop two
to four degrees. Going up 1,000 feet, DiGioia said, is
climatically equivalent to traveling 250 miles north.
...about which
newspaper to
read?
You get it all
in
The
Forsyth County
News
. '"' g : ~ ——' **■ ji
' - :
Free Home
TRADITIONS
Restaurant
Proudly Announces Reopening
Friday, October 2, 1987 5 pm-9 pm
Check our new menu items
Hours: Fri.-Sat. 5 pm-9 pm 889-2570
Sun. 8 am-3 pm Intersection Ga. 20 & Hwy. 372
COMMISSION Continued from the front
to $16,000 has already been expended, Hubbard said. In
1986, the program was allocated SIO,BOO, but due to heavy
expenditures, required a $5,200 increase by commission
ers to complete the year, he added.
“We’ve already worked on the budget for 1988, and (the
Department of Family and Children Services) will have
adequate funds next year to cover the program’” Hub
bard said. “We just need to get them through to next
year.”
But commissioners received money as well as gave it
out. A check for $7,500 from the governor’s discretionary
fund arrived Monday to pay for the grading of Coal
Mountain Park, according to Hubbard.
‘“There’s been talk for four to five months, and the
check finally got around to getting here,” he said.
When completed, Coal Mountain Park will resemble
Midway and Bennett parks with baseball diamonds,
tennis courts and recreational facilities, according to
plans described earlier this year by parks and recreation
department officials. The six-acres were donated to the
-COPIERS-
Complete Line of Copiers,
SHREDDERS. & FACSIMILE
ICONIC A’S ROYAL 1200 MC Copier.
f
DESKSIDE
SHREDDER #7 J
SAQJF Retail‘ls9s
Q#3 12 Copies Per Minute
Rent.
Lease, or Facsimile y
Purchase From s|^QJoo"
... ACE SUPPLY CO. iconica
LQll 4540 Buford Hwy. M:l»Mß»Win33ai
4Q/L OAAA 3% Miles North of AUTHORIZED
“O'tUUO Jimmy Carter Blvd. DEALER
Waterfalls near Helen display beauty of North Georgia mountains
county by the Coal Mountain Recreation Association
after the existing facilities began showing signs of
neglect.
Commissioners also accepted a $14,387 bid by Bruce
and Pugh Construction Co. for renovation of the commis
sioner’s office at the county courthouse. Acceptance of
the bid had been postponed at an earlier meeting until
specifics about the contract were reviewed and con
firmed.
The chamber where commissioners now meet, on the
first floor of the courthouse, would be changed into four
offices, and the commissioners’ podium as well as their
meetings will be moved to the top floor of the courthouse,
according to County Administrator Ralph Roberts.
The Dawsonville construction company will begin
work as soon as possible and will finish the project within
30 days, Roberts said.
In other business, commissioners approved five rezon
ing requests, one of which was pending from an earlier
meeting. Those approved were:
Open
Top of the Morning Biscuits
...Ham and Sausage
Morning Fresh Bakery
...Donuts, Pastries, and Cookies (Baked Fresh Daily!)
Golden Crisp Chicken
...Bam box (18 pieces), Dinners, and Snacks
Fresh Daily Deli Items
...Sandwiches-Assorted meats, cheese & bread
PRIME TIME-Movie Rentals
...Top 40 Releases- Vi price special $1.25 Tues. & Wed.
Circle M
24 hours
ALL LEAD FREE GASOLINES
Diesel Fuel - Truck Facilities
Leaf tour
can start
in Georgia
If you’re looking for leaves, it’s hard to go wrong in the
lower Appalachians. But following are a few areas that
rise abouve the rest:
• Brasstown Bald, rising 4,784 feet, is Georgia’s highest
summit. A U.S. Forest Service visitor center and obser
vation deck on the peak offers views of four states. To get
there, take Ga. 400 to Ga. 52 and continue on Ga. 52 to
Cleveland and Ga. 75. Take Ga. 75 morth to Ga. 180, then
go six miles and turn right on Ga. 180 spur and follow the
signs. For color updates and information, call (404 ) 896-
2556.
• Lake Conasuaga, at 3,150 feet, is the highest lake in
Georgia. To get there, take Ga. 75 north to U.S. 411 and
follow it north through Chatsworth to Eton. Turn right at
Eton’s only traffic light and follow the signs. For more
information, call (404 ) 695-6736.
• Clingman’s Dome in Tennessee is the Great Smokies’
highest peak at 6,643 feet. To get there, take U.S. 441 to
Newfound Gap Road. For more information, call (615)
436-5615.
• Mount Mitchell, N.C., is the highest mountain peak
east of the Mississippi, rising 6,684 feet. To get there,
take the Blue Ridge Parkway north from Asheville. For
more information, call (704 ) 675-4611.
• Helen’s Oktoberfest runs through Oct. 24. To get
there, take Ga. 400 to Ga. 115 and Ga. 75. For more
information, call (404) 878-2181.
• Dahlonega’s Gold Rush Days are Oct. 17-18. To get
there, go up Ga. 400 to Dahlonega. For more information,
call (404 ) 864-6133.
• Blairsville’s Sorghum Festival runs Oct. 9-11, Oct. 16-
18 and Oct. 23-25. To get there, take Ga. 400 to Ga. 115
through Cleveland on Ga. 129, then on to Blairsville on
Ga. 76.
• Unicoi State Park-Anna Ruby Falls; take Ga. 400 or
Ga. 129 to Helen, then Ga. 356 to the park.
• A pending request by Technology Park/Atlanta that
67.28 acres on Ga. 141 near McGinnis Ferry Road,
currently zoned agricultural and neighborhood shopping
be rezoned a commercial business district.
• A request by Harben Inc. that 1.66 acres on Old
Atlanta Road at the Pendley Road intersection now
zoned agricultural be rezoned for light industrial use.
• Scott Flanagan and Denise Chumbler’s request that
1.753 acres of agricultural land on Settendown Road be
rezoned residential, class two. If the property changes
owners, it will revert to agricultural zoning.
• Jerry Keasler’s request that 2.286 acres now zoned
agricultural be changed to residential zoning, class two.
The property is about seven miles north of Cumming on
Namon Wallace Drive.
• A request by Donald Glover that 3.81 acres on Atlanta
Highway near Martin Drive be rezoned from agricultu
ral and residential to a commercial business district
limited to child care and child compatible activities and
businesses.
at Hwy 9 and McFarland Rd.