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The Oglethorpe Echo
Thursday, December 28, 2023
Strickland Pride Produce to open Crawford storefront
By McCain Bracewell
The Oglethorpe Echo
Kendall Strickland grew up
around agritourism and fruit
stands, which led him to open
Strickland Pride Produce in 2020
as a roadside produce stand in
downtown Lexington.
But, his situation ??? more spe
cifically his location ??? is about to
change.
Strickland recently announced
he is packing up his roadside stand
to move into a storefront at 1129
Athens Road in Crawford.
He plans to open on Feb. 5 next
year.
???I really had been looking for
a storefront or brick-and-mor-
tar or some type of structure for
my business,??? Strickland said. ???I
wanted to have not a totally en
closed environment, but something
a little bit more enclosed that way
I can offer more varieties of pro
duce.???
The new building will have ga
rage doors to continue the open-air
feel, but Strickland will also have
the shelter he needs to expand his
business.
Linda Parish, office manager
of the Oglethorpe County Cham
ber of Commerce, said Lexington
???hates??? to lose Strickland???s busi
ness.
???It will help Crawford, but we
need him, too,??? Parish said. ???It???s
great to have him anywhere in the
county.???
The move allows Strickland to
offer produce like turnips, beets,
collards and lettuce, which can???t
be outside for long. Strickland also
hopes to sell eggs, milk and meats.
???I feel like I can keep those
items on hand a lot longer, and
also with having access to electric
ity, I can have a cooler and freez
er,??? Strickland said.
The new building will increase
personal efficiency for Strickland,
too.
???I pretty much store everything
inside of my produce trailers; I al
ternate which one I use throughout
the year depending on what I need
them for,??? he said. ???It requires
having to load and unload produce
every day.???
Strickland, who studied agri
business at Florida A&M, also
plans to host agriculture work
shops, such as beekeeping and
gardening, at his new location
to increase community engage
ment.
???I really want to center my busi
ness more as an agritourism des
tination other than just a retail,
food and produce establishment,???
Strickland said. ???I really want
to draw in more folks around the
state who are looking for agritour
ism spots to travel to.???
He said he might even hire
workers down the road.
???I'm gonna try to run it myself
for at least the first quarter to half
of the year to really make sure that
I have total control, and I can han
dle the transition on my own,???
Strickland said. ???I probably will
start hiring at least one hand prob
ably by summer of next year.???
Strickland said he will miss as
pects of his stand in Lexington.
???I really have tried to stand out
and be a reason why people come
and visit downtown Lexington, so
I definitely will miss it,??? Strick
land said. ???I still have some plans
I am working on with some oth
er business owners and people in
the community to see what we can
do to keep Lexington up and go
ing and hopefully growing in the
future.???
DESTINY HARTWELL/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Donald Randall, left, and Kendall Strickland, right, shake hands
after Randall buys vegetables from Strickland's stand in February.
Strickland Pride Produce will be moving on Feb. 5 from its current
stand in downtown Lexington to 1129 Athens Road in Crawford.
STORIES, From Page 1
RECREATION, From Page 1
Cost for the project is expected
to be $44-45 million, but the coun
ty has up to $49 million to spend,
$22 million of which will come
from the state and $27 million
from bonds.
The school is scheduled to open
in January 2025.
Superintendent Beverley Levine
said in August that the new school
is being built for 1,400 students
and should serve the system for
20 years. There are 1,021 students
enrolled at OCPS and OCES this
year.
B&T???s buys Bell???s
B&T???s Food Fresh Market,
a five-store chain based in East
Georgia, finalized its acquisition
of BelFs Food Stores in October.
Bell???s, which has five loca
tions, is the only grocery store in
Oglethorpe County, and has had a
presence in the county since 1973.
B&T???s retained the staff and
has kept the BelFs name, but cus
tomers should expect changes in
2024. Plans include renovations
and updates, introduction of dig
ital coupons and a direct deposit
payment system for employees,
among others.
???We know that change is hard,
especially for someone that???s been
doing the same thing for 20 years,???
B&T???s co-owner John Triplett told
The Echo in November. ???It???s hard.
But the bulk of what we do hasn???t
changed.???
Bobcat attacks children
Two children suffered injuries
from a bobcat attack in October.
The attacks were separate in
cidents at residences near the in
tersection of Melton Road and
Williams McCurley Road in
Winterville.
Crystal Yamasato, who was 3
years old at the time of the attack,
and a 14-year-old boy, required
treatment at hospitals after the at
tacks.
Anita Scoggins, Yamasato???s
grandmother, said her granddaugh
ter suffered a fractured pinkie fin
ger, multiple wounds on her hand,
scratches on her body and a bite
mark on her back. She also under
went rabies shots.
Oglethorpe County authorities
never located the bobcat.
Lexington???s
ongoing battle
The Lexington City Council met
last January determined to take ac
tion against the owner of six dere
lict downtown buildings.
Richard ???Rick??? Hawkins has
owned the buildings at 110, 112,
114, 116, and 118 Main Street,
and one structure on North Gilmer
Street, for almost 30 years.
Building inspections last spring
revealed structure damage, so the
city put warning signs on the doors
and windows, and closed the side
walk in front of the buildings.
Lexington also has gone the le
gal route to force action, but city
officials can???t comment about the
ongoing litigation.
Hawkins accepted bids this year
to repair the buildings and offered
the five storefronts for sale for
$350,000, more than twice their
estimated value, according to pub
lic records. The buildings are not
for lease.
PROPERTIES FOR SALE
HOMES
Move in ready - 3 bedroom, 2 bath single story
home with a privacy fence in Hartwell. $259,000
Lovely farmhouse on 5.4 acres with pasture and a 3-
stall horse barn - perfect mini farm. $350,000
Country farmhouse on 22.29 acres with a shop,
pasture, and a pond in Crawford. $529,000
Newly renovated 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on 2.68
acres in Carlton. $199,000
Beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath barndominium with
pasture, trails and Clouds Creek frontage on 37.79
acres in Comer. $625,000
LAND
10.08 acre timber tract with a new gravel driveway,
interior roads throughout, a cleared homesite, and a
completed perc test. $95,000
2.06 acre residential lot in Oconee County with a
well, septic tank, shop and paved driveway.
$150,000
11.33 acres on Deer Haven Run in Carlton, build your
home here with plenty of privacy. $114,000
44.68 acre tract featuring timberland, pasture,
Clouds Creek frontage and trails in Comer. $312,760
Iris Inc Jessica Arnold, Broker
office: 706.743.5812
www.irisincrealty.com
The recreation department did
build a new 19,000-square foot fa
cility, completed in December 2021,
that has two multi-use gymnasiums
with seating, 2,500 square feet of bat
ting cages, offices, facilities and oth
er rooms for a total cost of $806,000,
which was under the proposed
$834,000 budget for the project.
But according to recreation de
partment staff and residents, facil
ity use quickly outgrew that ad
dition. Coaches and communi
ty members presented the idea of
building more fields and facilities
to the Oglethorpe County Board of
Commissioners in spring 2022.
???I am scared that by next year,
if it continues to grow like this,
we will have to turn kids away
because we don???t have anywhere
to put them,??? softball coach Beth
Cleveland said at the March 7,
2022 meeting.
Board of Commissioners Chair
man Jay Paul said he agrees the
rec department would benefit from
more space, but he also said some
members of the county are appre
hensive about renovations.
???I???ve gotten it from both sides,???
Paul said. ???Those who don???t par
ticipate within the rec department
don???t want to pay for it.???
Indeed, some opponents say
they aren???t supportive of expan
sion simply because they don???t use
the facilities themselves.
???I would not mind if it was paid
for by the users," county resident
David Mason said.
White said he estimates the cost
of his planned renovations to be
between $75,000 to $100,000, and
he said he would hold fundraising
events to help with that total.
However, White said, it would
be difficult to host any events until
the county approves plans for ren
ovation.
???I can???t really put out there that
we are going to raise money for
something unless I know what it is
going to be for,??? White said. ???Peo
ple aren???t going to spend money
unless they know what you???re go
ing to do with it.???
With no specific plans set, White
said the recreation department will
continue to maintain Bryan Park.
In early November, the department
had tennis courts resurfaced for the
first time as the foundation was be
ginning to crack.
???The project I am trying to ac
complish may take a couple of
years, and I have programs that
need to be run, so I need to make
sure that all the courts are playable
and up to date,??? White said.
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