Newspaper Page Text
Issue 1 Thursday, JANUARY 4, 2018
The Voice of Crawford County Since 1921
also serving Byron and Peach County
2 Sections, 10 Pages One Dollar
New year means it’s time for
Chamber’s annual meeting
We are now in a new year
and in Crawford County,
that means the chamber will
be holding its annual meet
ing soon.
Roberta Crawford County
Chamber will again, hold the
RCCCoC Annual Meeting
and Business Expo at Flint
Energy Headquarters, a
chamber member, on Thurs
day, February 22, 2018
beginning with the Business
Expo to begin at 6 p.m.
Business Expo, according
to Patti Temple, Executive
Director, is a gift to our
members each year, at no
cost, to effectively adver
tise your business, your
non-profit, or civic orga
nization. The Chamber of
Commerce directors want
you to take advantage of this
chance to advertise at no
cost providing information
to your peers regarding what
your commercial venture
has to offer or for non-profit
and civic organizations.
At 7 p.m. the dinner will
begin and the presentation
of awards; Citizen of the
Year, Youth of the Year,
Group of the Year, Business
of the Quarter and Business
of the Year in 2017 will be
awarded. The Un-Sung
Hero Award and Lifetime
Achievement Awards are the
last to be presented if there
are nominations regarding
these awards. All awards are
based on whether nomi
nations are made for each
category.
To nominate a citizen,
youth, group or candidates
for Lifetime Achievement
or Un-Sung Hero, stop by
the RC Chamber office at 39
Wright Ave, or The Georgia
Post on Dugger Avenue, or
visit www.robertacrawford-
chamber.org for nomination
forms. Return the form by
February 6, 2018 to allow
judges to approve nomina
tion categories. Business of
the Year will be awarded to
one of the four Businesses
of the Quarter in 2017. On
a side note, as an attendee
you will be one of the first to
know recipients of any of the
awards.
These awards began in
1987 with the first recipi
ent of Citizen of the Year
LaVerne Bentley. Youth
Individual of the Year
was first presented to Dr.
Shannon Trammell in 1989.
First Business of the Year
was presented to Dickey
Farms in 1996. Another
long time award given was
Youth Group and later called
Group of the Year in 1988
and was awarded to Craw
ford County Middle School
Arrive Alive.
Crawford County 4-H
received this honor a total
of four times beginning in
1998, 2003 and 2004 and
again in 2011. Crawford
County Future Farmers of
America won the award
three times from 2002, 2007
and 2009.
As for the meeting pro
gram, the chamber has had,
humorous entertainers,
philosophical entertain
ers, television anchors
and coaches- business and
football. Each was invited to
share or provide information
and great ideas to remember
as businessmen and women,
industries or goal oriented
people. This year’s speaker
will be announced very soon.
Expect it to be great!
Cost is $35 single and
table cost is based on six
and 10 seat tables; savings
on both table sizes $200 for
six and $325.00 for table of
10. All reservations must be
paid prior to February 22,
2018. No money collection is
permitted at the door.
Temple asks that you
please make your reserva
tion early and pay by Febru
ary 19, 2018. There will be
no ticket to present at the
event. Your payment will be
recognized at the door with
admission.
Please follow your Georgia
Post, as more on the speaker
and theme will be provided.
Expect this information,
to be nothing but good. As
always, Temple says this
is not a fund raiser event.
“Your chamber is proud to
recognize our members,
providing a Business Expo,
and presentation of year
ly awards for an enjoying
evening out for our members
and guests,” she stated. “Our
sponsors are those who are
primarily utility members
but any company is very
welcome to contribute to the
chamber. Call for reserva
tions, 478-836-3825 and pay
by February 19, 2018.
Look for other events from
the Chamber throughout the
year. They currently have an
early-bird special for Cham
ber members who would
like to sponsor the annual
Jugfest which is scheduled
for May 19, 2018. Deadline
to take advantage of the
early-bird special which is to
be included in the brochure
and/or help sponsor the
event is February 15, 2018.
You will also soon be
hearing about Peaches to
Beaches. Your chamber is
always working on keeping
the community in the fore
front. If you’re not a member
and would like to be, contact
Patti today.
As mayor, Andrews hopes
to bridge relationships
BY LINDA REYNOLDS
The Georgia Post
Jay Andrews, the incum
bent Mayor of Roberta was
bom in Macon,
but has lived in
Roberta all of my
life. Most of that
time he resided
on New Street.
He did move out
to the county for
three years, but
moved back to
the city in 1989
and has lived on
Lake View Drive
ever since. He
Mayor Jay Andrews
graduated from what was it
at the time ‘Crawford County
Comprehensive High School’
in 1982.
Andrews has owned and
operated C & H Pipeline, Inc.
since 2000 and has a back
ground in construction. As for
hobbies and interests, he says
simply, “Spending time with
my family.”
When asked what moti
vated him to ran for Mayor,
he answered, “To make
a change in the
community. I hope
to bring growth and
bridge relationships
with the county and
the citizens.” This is
the first office he’s
ever ran for, so he’ll
be on a learning
curve while bringing
fresh perspective to
the office.
He’s been married
to wife of Pam An
drews for 31 years. They have
two children, son Colby 27,
and daughter Haley 25.
His first city council meet
ing was this week January 2,
2018. When asked what were
his top priorities, he said,
“Whatever is on the agenda
will be the priority.”
New 4-H agent wants to be a community resource
BY VICTORIA SIMMONS
The Georgia Post
A chicken project in the
fifth grade put Sarah Greer,
on the path to become a
4-H agent. An agent came
into her classroom and that
project gave her a start to
all things agriculture. Greer
is the new 4-H Extension
Agent for Crawford County.
She grew up in Fairview,
Tennessee, about 30 miles
west of Nashville, and
attended the University of
Tennessee and has a bache
lor’s in Animal Science and
a master’s in agricultural
Leadership, Education and
Communications.
Growing up on a goal
farm, she has always worked
on farms including during
high school at a beef cattle
farm in her hometown. In
college she worked on UT’s
research stations. “I was
able to work with every
thing from turn and forage
to sheep, cattle, hogs and
poultry,” she said.
Last January she married
and her husband got a job
in Fayetteville. She briefly
worked at Stone Mountain
Park on their small barnyard
but knew she wanted to
pursue a career in extension.
Greer says she was drawn to
Crawford County because of
the split appointment. “I am
both the 4-H agent as well as
the Agriculture/Natural Re
sources agent. I really enjoy
both sides and am overjoyed
that I get to do both.”
In her positions she hopes
to be a resource for the com
munity. “My job is to listen
to the needs of an area and
develop education, pro
grams and activities that will
better the community. For
me, educating others is the
best way I now how to serve
others. Getting to combine
my love for agriculture and
helping others into a career
is a dream come true,” she
stated.
Sarah
Greer, new
4-H agent
in back.
Pictured
with some
of the 4-H
students. An
ice cream
social was
held to wel
come her to
the commu
nity.
2015 CCHS graduate pursuing his music career dreams
With Governor and Mrs. Deal.
BY LINDA REYNOLDS
The Georgia Post
Isrial Clark graduated with
honors from Crawford County
High School in 2015 and is
well on his way to a music
career. He recently signed
with Ari Armani & Compa
ny, which manages brands
totaling $800 million. In
November he had his first
ever airplane ride, flying to
New York City for a photo
shoot and recording session
at Jungle City Studios. He
recorded his own song called
‘Closure’ which still needs to
be ‘mixed and mastered’ prior
to release. The music indus
try is not easy to break into
and is often self-funded. He’s
hoping to raise the money to
get his song mastered through
his GoFundMe page, local
opportunities to perform, and
other sources.
Clark’s budding success has
been a life-long journey. “I
was responsive to music from
the time I was a baby,” he said
remembering what his mother
told him about crying if she
turned off the music. He can
remember ‘seeing music’ from
the time he was about four to
five years old and always knew
it would become his life’s
work. “For me, music is a
spiritual experience,” he said.
He started writing poetry
in third grade, started writing
songs and singing in fourth
grade, when he also joined the
school choir. By 8th grade
he had joined the marching
band, learned drams and
played ‘quints’, a five-dram
set. “In high school my friend
and I used to hang out in the
back of his mother’s beauty
shop. He had a trumpet he’d
never really played and I
started learning it on my own.
From there I learned the bari
tone (a low brass instrument)
and then I started teaching
myself keyboards. By elev
enth grade it was alto sax. I
was so inspired by my high
school band teacher, Donald
Clark (not related) who was so
musically versatile. He could
play anything and urged me to
explore different instruments
and genres of music.”
Those days in the back
room of the shop lent courage
to Clark’s dream. He and his
friend made YouTube videos
and posted them on-line.
“Seriously, they went viral at
the high school, kids would
mimic them in the halls,
teachers would Dlav them in
class, we even had one teacher
break-dancing to the music,”
he laughed. One of his biggest
supporters was the Roberta
United Methodist Church.
He taught himself keyboard
on their equipment where he
learned to lay down multiple
tracks. “I’d be there every
time I could get someone to
open the door,” he laughed,
“And on Wednesday night,
which was Youth Group.” The
UMC played other big roles
by encouraging his dream
and later contributing to his
management funding.
There were others that
contributed to the dream
such as Amelia Wilson of Joy
Tabernacle, Cynthia Dickey,
Assistant Principal at CCHS,
Nita Cramp and Wyatt Pyles,
another local musician who
he’s played with over the years
and who helped with trans
portation to the airport. “I owe
so many people so much, it’s
a long road, and these peo
ple (and many others) have
sustained me,” he noted. “I
learned so much working
at Turner’s and Hudson’s
restaurants, mowing grass,
and doing anything I could to
support my music.”
Clark attended Valdos
ta State University for two
Isrial Clark
semesters, but realized pretty
quickly, “I don’t ever want to
be a band teacher.” He admits
that he spent most of his col
lege time in a campus studio
working on his music and
laying down tracks for others.
It was there he realized he
just wasn’t ready for his big
dream. He hired a vocal
coach and actually deleted
what he thought was some of
his best music. “I just knew I
wasn’t ready yet,” he said with
sincerity.
But some of those contacts
he made while in college
led him to other things. He
opened for the American R&B
artist Keke Wyatt, but actu
ally had to buy a ticket to the
concert even though he was
a performer. “I had to pay to
perform, but at one point the
applause was so loud, I had to
stop,” he laughed, “It was the
biggest night of my life.” He
had paid for that ticket with
money earned by working for
Dollar General. A contract
was supposed to result from
that performance, but through
no fault of his own, it didn’t.
He continued to play locally
as much as he could, making
contacts, and working on his
music.
In August things started
to fall into place when Ari
Armani contacted him. “They
manage a TV show called
“Atlanta” on FX, Shady
Records (Eminem’s label),
and others,” he said excitedly,
“Normally they don’t take
anyone without at least $5000
cash in advance, but they took
me with less than half that
amount. It’s a ‘Catch 22’ in
that you have to concentrate
on your music and be ready to
respond if your manager calls,
but you also have to generate
money.” Clark has applied for
several jobs in Macon, and for
now he lives at home.
If you’d like to invest in his
dream the web site is www.
gofundme.com/isriahnusic
but he’s even happier if he can
perform and earn the funds.
He continues to write poetry,
for which he was a state-wide
finalist in 2015, and draws
inspiration from those that
have gone before him and
succeeded in spite of all the
obstacles.
