Newspaper Page Text
Index
News 2,3,5,7,8
Obituary 3
Opinion 4
Around the County 6
Calendar 9
Sheriff's Report 10
Legals 10
Sports 11-12
Inside
Oglethorpe County's Amber
Watkins plays several posi
tions for the OCHS girls
basketball team, enjoys
playing defense and listens
to gospel music before ev
ery game. Find out more
H about Watkins in a Q&A.
... Page 12
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The Oglethorpe Echo
Volume 150, Number 11
December 14, 2023 ??? Oglethorpe County, Georgia
$1
MEADOW BARROW/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Sharon Crawford (left) and Delbra Kendrick (right), hosts of the "War Room Show" work with the Oglethorpe County Senior Center's
Christy Kearns (front left) and Sheryl Howard (center) to spread gifts at the center earlier this month. The "War Room Show" worked
with other organizations to buy and donate presents to those in need.
A season
of giving
???War Room Show, ??? other
groups give ???presents ???
to county organizations
By Meadow Barrow
The Oglethorpe Echo
Sharon Crawford, co-host of the ???War
Room Show,??? said she knows the value of re
ceiving gifts during the holiday season.
???I remember the time when I was the per
son on the other side who needed encourag
ing words,??? Crawford said. ???I was the person
on the other side that didn't know how to reach
out for help.???
For the second year in a row, Church Wom
en United and 95.9 FM The Beat of Athens
partnered with the ???War Room Show,??? which
is hosted by Crawford and Delbra Kendrick,
to provide hand-wrapped gifts to Oglethorpe
County residents in need.
Church Women United wrapped 1,600
pairs of white tube socks, using Christmas-
themed gift wrapping paper and plastic gift
bags, to be passed out to the Oglethorpe
County Senior Center, Quiet Oaks Nurs
ing Home, area churches and other organi
zations.
???The white socks in particular don???t have
2024 Resource Guide
Douglas and Linda Cosby, who or
ganize the Lexington Food Pantry at
Lexington Baptist Church, are part
of a set of organizations, groups and
volunteers who help those in need
throughout Oglethorpe County. The
Oglethorpe Echo's annual Resource
Guide provides information to those
who need help and where to find it.
Pages 2-3
dye in them,??? Kendrick said. ???Some of them
have sores on their feet or are diabetic, so
white socks are just healthy for elderly peo
ple.???
Church Women United allows women
in various churches to join forces, pool
ing their money to raise ???hundreds of
dollars??? to purchase the socks for the el
derly.
???This is a high for us,??? said Jewel Bar
nette, the ecumenical action person for Church
Women United and one of the organizers of
the giveaway. ???We have done well. We have
people who really go out and make sure that it
turns out really good.???
The Beat of Athens also helped organize the
socks and helped spread the word about the
charity.
See GIVING, Page 8
Emergency
vehicles
a tight fit
Officials: Driveways
with obstructions limit
first responder access
By Emily Lupo
The Oglethorpe Echo
Beaverdam Volunteer Fire
Department recently shared a
Facebook
post from
Chief Jehu
Post ask
ing: ???Will a
fire truck fit
down your
driveway????
???Most peo-
p 1 e don't
think about
making sure
their property is visible or accessi
ble by fire or EMS until they need
fire or EMS,??? assistant chief Cody
Gibbs said. ???The difference in a
minute can change the scenario
drastically.???
In an emergency, firefighters and
other emergency services may need
to access your property, so it???s impor
tant to have a clear path, Gibbs said.
Based on standards set by the
National Fire Protection Associa
tion, driveways should be at least
12 feet wide and provide at least
13.5 feet of unobstructed vertical
clearance for emergency vehicles.
Common obstructions include
vegetation, power lines and gates.
Gibbs said the long driveways of
some residences in Oglethorpe
County provide challenges for first
responders.
???There are several driveways
that we go to and we don???t have
the choice to stop on the road if
the driveway is half-mile long be
cause that???s a long way to stretch
the firehose, and tow the stretcher
and medicine bags,??? he said.
Gibbs said driveways with trees
that ???form a canopy and create a
tunnel??? are an issue for emergency
vehicles. When responding to past
fires, trees and branches have dam
aged equipment on top of the trucks.
???There???s been instances where
the antennas have been ripped or
broken off and the truck won't
have a radio, so we can???t talk to
our dispatch or other arriving units
and apparatuses,??? Gibbs said.
Cody Gibbs
See VEHICLES, Page 8
LILY REID ALDRICH/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
The Christmas in Oglethorpe parade ended
with a greeting from Santa Claus, who threw
out candy to the spectators while riding his
golf cart. The parade was full of various spon
sors who led floats down Main Street.
Parade, market bring community together
By Lily Reid Aldrich
The Oglethorpe Echo
Christmas spirit filled Oglethorpe Coun
ty this past weekend with an array of fes
tivities bringing the community together to
enjoy the sights and sounds of parades and
markets.
Lexington???s Christmas in Oglethorpe in
cluded a parade down Main Street and a
market at the Lexington Community Center.
Gail Spearing watched her husband
George Spearing, chief of the Lexington
Volunteer Fire Department, lead the parade
in a fire truck.
She said she was ???very proud of my lit
tle town??? for the support, especially with
the rain on Saturday.
The parade featured cars, floats, dancers,
animals and a special appearance by Santa
Claus, who traded his sleigh for a golf cart.
Candies and treats were thrown to families
who lined the street for the parade.
???People don???t know how important this
is,??? Lexington???s Kurt Wolfe said.
He added that events like the parade
make the town feel connected.
The market was held at the new Lexing
ton Community Center, a change from the
usual courthouse location. Work is ongo
ing at the center.
Vendors gathered to sell handmade
goods and raise money for the community.
The market also featured live music, food
and photos with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Gary Price and his wife Charmaine
Price, owners of PF Creations, which
makes unique and personalized gifts, said
he enjoyed seeing folks from around the
county come together and the kids at the
event.
???To be part of that, that's what I love,???
Price said.
In Crawford, the ???War Room Show???
Community Christmas parade was short
ened because of the rain. A makeup parade
will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday.
???We always want to thank the people
and the support they give us,??? said Delbra
Kendrick, co-host of the ???War Room
Show.???
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