Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, December 28, 2023
The Oglethorpe Echo
Page 5
LILY ALDRICH/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Sam Johnson, owner of Bear Hug Honey Company, said he is happy
to have a new warehouse location in Lexington, which serves the
company's retail store, shown here, on Clayton Street in Athens.
Firefly Trail Race Series
marks fifth year in 2024
By Lily Reid Aldrich
The Oglethorpe Echo
The Firefly Trail Race series is
marking its fifth anniversary in
2024.
The four races take runners
throughout Oglethorpe Coun
ty, and the first race ??? the
Winterville Snowflake 10K ???
will be on Jan. 13. This also marks
a decade for the Snowflake 1 OK,
the oldest of the lour races.
The coordination team wants
to see increased levels of partic
ipants to run or walk in each se
ries race, in part to bring people to
Oglethorpe County to see the Fire
fly Trail???s development for them
selves.
???We would hope that the race
series would bring people that
are not used to perhaps being in
a particular area for them to see
what benefits that are there,???
said Anne Garner, series co-co-
ordinator.
The Firefly Trail is a planned
stretch of 39 miles connecting
Athens-Clarke County to Union
Point, which runs right through
Oglethorpe County. Funds from
race participants and sponsors go
into the trail communities and to
Registering
For The Race
The Winterville Snowflake
10K will start at 9 a.m.
Jan. 13 at 101 S. Marigold
Lane. The cost of enter
ing is $70. Participants
can register at runsignup.
com. Online registration
ends Jan. 8.
help build the Firefly Trail itself.
???I'm just so proud of all of the
work that's going on with the Fire
fly Trail and how hard the board
at Firefly Inc. works on getting
the grants and the funding and all
of that to get this trail complet
ed,??? said Carole Black, series co
coordinator and owner of Classic
Race Services. ???I'm very proud to
be just a very, very small part of
that.???
The team of Black and Garner
have worked in unison with John
Kissane, Firefly Trail develop
ment coordinator, and the Fire
fly Trail board to continue to de
velop the trail during the last five
years.
???Our goal is to be able to put
some amenities along the whole
trail and to have enough money to
put... signage or some kind of art
work or something along the trail,???
Gamer said.
In 2025, it???s possible that a fifth,
or even sixth, race would be added
to the series to include east Athens
and a town further down the trail.
For 2024, the other races in the se
ries are:
??? Maxeys Model Mile 5K,
Maxeys, on May 18
??? Restoration Run 5K, Craw
ford, on Sept. 2
??? Junction Jamboree Jog 5K,
Union Point, Sept. 28
Awards will be given to winners
in the following categories: over
all male/female, masters male/fe
male and top three male/female
finishers in five-year or 10-year
age groups.
The series will also continue to
be held virtually. In the past, racers
have competed in the series from
surrounding states and even Aus
tralia.
???That's probably what I'm most
proud of,??? Black said, ???bringing
participation to the trail and intro
ducing it to people that had no idea
about what it was.???
Bear Hug Honey now
makes products at new
location in Lexington
By Lily Reid Aldrich
The Oglethorpe Echo
Sam Johnson, owner of Bear
Hug Honey Company, recently
opened a warehouse in Oglethorpe
County.
He said the new Lexington loca-
|???tion helps his commercial store in
Athens, but he???s also hoping it will
spur growth for the downtown.
???We're excited to be out in Lex
ington,??? he said. ???Everybody's
been super nice and welcoming.???
The storefront at 106 W. Main
St. was remodeled, with a new roof
and new fixtures. Once it received
a license to operate as a commer
cial kitchen, the company then be
gan bottling and infusing honey.
Johnson said there is potential
to ton the Oglethorpe County lo
cation into a retail store, depend
ing on the development down
town.
???We're hoping that if there's oth
er buildings flipped and something
else needs to go in there, that it
could be a fun little shopping cen
ter, and then we would turn ours
into a little retail spot, too,??? John
son said.
The Bear Hug Honey Compa
ny team consists of four associ
ates, including one who is from
Oglethorpe County. They manage
the store, set up at farmers mar
kets and make products, including
beeswax candles.
Johnson said he hopes the new
warehouse will mean more col
laboration with local businesses,
but in the meantime, he???s enjoy
ing the atmosphere of Oglethorpe
County.
???I like getting out of the city
and kind of being out in the coun
try, away from everything where
I can concentrate on production,???
Johnson said, ???as well as have
some creative space out there to
think on other things, too.???
LILY ALDRICH/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Bear Hug Honey Company recently opened a warehouse in down
town Lexington to create more space to infuse and bottle honey,
along with other products. The building, at 106 W. Main St., has
been licensed as a commercial kitchen.
706-765-8190
We are available by plx>ne 24/7, 365 days a yeoi.
www.athenspetcremation.com
Around The County
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA DAY
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A Wreaths Across America ceremony was held at Winterville Cemetery on Dec. 16 as part of a larger,
coordinated effort to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying at Arlington National Cem
etery, which began in 1992. This year, Scott and London Swain, Joe and Jay Bowman, Ray Channell,
Coy Gibson, Steve Perschke,Troy Hitchcock, Dave Gossage and Charmaine Price participated.
Natural gas, Americas most popular home heating fuel, is increasingly popular for
use by homeowners, schools, businesses, factories and electric power-generation
plants because it is efficient, clean, reliable and a relative bargain compared to alter
native energy sources.
In our community, Tri-County Natural Gas Authority provides natural gas to more
than 2800 customers through a network of underground distribution lines. Main
gas lines, typically 2-inch in diameter, branch into household service lines which
are typically half-inch to three-quarter-inch in diameter and buried 12- to 18-inch
es below the surface. The service lines end at each customer???s meter where gas is
delivered.
To protect you and others in the community; federal and state government, along
with your utility provider have made your safety a high priority. Any time you dig
or move earth in any way, you are required to ???Call Before You Dig 48 hours before
beginning any digging. When you call 811, they will contact utility owners who
will locate all buried utility lines on your property, so you can safely dig and prevent
a potentially hazardous condition. Failure to use the 811 system is a known cause
of pipeline accidents. Calling before you dig can prevent a costly or even deadly
mistake.
Natural gas is a colorless, odorless gas; however, a chemical that smells like rotten
eggs is added to help detect a possible leak. Some of the signs of a gas leak include
seeing bubbling water, hearing a hissing or blowing sound from a pipeline or ap
pliance, dead or discolored vegetation in an otherwise green area, or dirt or dust
blowing from the ground, or the smell of rotten eggs.
If you smell gas, or just think you might have a gas leak, leave the area immediately
and call Tri-County Natural Gas Authority at 706-743-8484 or 911 from a neigh
boring home or business. Never turn on or off switches, open or close garage doors,
use a flashlight or phone/cellphone in the presence of the gas smell, as these devices
may be a source of ignition, causing an explosion.
Do your part to familiarize yourself and your family with these natural gas safety
tips and continue to enjoy the value, comfort and benefits of Americas cleanest,
most efficient energy source!
This message is brought to you by Tri-County Natural Gas Authority as a public
service. For additional information regarding this message,
please call 706-743-8484 or 1-800-919-1618. gM
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