Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2009
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
Wonder where this is going?
IN THE absence
of an idea, with no
planning or orga
nization and not
even an outline, you
grab, steal (borrow)
what’s in front of
you, start to type,
and wonder where
you are going with
this. I used to write
term papers like that
in English 101, and
Dr. F. D. Mellon (Lord rest
his soul), head of the depart
ment at Murray State, flunked
every one of them. But he
gave me dozens of second
chances, and here I am - still
struggling.
❖ ❖❖
“Whenever the people are
well informed, they can be
trusted with their own govern
ment.’’ - Thomas Jefferson.
“If we don’t become better
informed, we are going to lose
this country.’’ - Neal Boortz,
on WSB Radio, November
28, 2008.
Neal is my favorite radio
talk show host, not because I
agree with him - sometimes
I do and sometimes I don’t
- but because he is fair. He’s
a Libertarian, and he doesn’t
cull anybody or anything.
Liberals and Conservatives
alike feel his wrath. He tells
his listeners not to believe
anything he says unless they
know it to be true, or through
research and study they deter
mine it to be true. He encour
ages us to read liberal and
conservative newspapers. He
even hopes Air America, the
ultra liberal radio talk show,
survives.
How different from Rush
Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.
I can understand why some
of you might think
I am obsessed with
my Mama. Looking
back over my recent
columns, I see I have
referred to her quite
often.
I don’t think it’s an
obsession. I think it
shows that I know a
good source of soli
darity, judgment and
wisdom, when I see
I was bolstered in that belief
when I read this Vent in The
Atlanta Journal Constitution:
“It is not a bad thing for old
people to review their lives to
see what they have learned.
I did and realized that my
mother was right about abso
lutely everything.”
“Education is a progres
sive discovery of our own
ignorance.” - Will Durant
(1885-1981), American writ
er.
Far be it from me to know
or understand exactly what
Mr. Durant meant. As I grow
older I’m trying hard to know
and understand that I do not
know or understand what’s
on another person’s mind or
in his heart when he speaks
or writes.
We can guess or imagine
what’s going on. We can sym
pathize with another. But per
fect empathy is impossible.
Oh, how we try.
“I know exactly what you
mean.” “I know just how you
feel.”
The truth is we don’t. Those
statements are lies - maybe
not intentional lies, but lies
right on.
So what did Mr. Durant mean
when he wrote, “Education is
a progressive discovery of our
own ignorance?” I honestly
don’t know. The best I can do
is try to interpret it, determine
what he is saying to me, and
what it means to me. Not you.
Me.
We err when we believe
another person sees exactly
what we see, hears what we
hear, feels what we feel, thinks
what we think and believes
what we believe.
That’s why “Judge not” is
pretty good advice - regard
less of where we read or heard
it.
I’m on a journey. I believe
that’s one thing Mr. Durant
is telling me. And the further
I go on that journey the stu
pider I become. That happens
when I compare what I know
with what I don’t know. The
gap becomes ever wider.
It’s all about perception. We
think and act as we perceive,
as we see things.
This pilot, flying into
New York City’s LaGuardia
Airport, set his plane down
right in the middle of the East
River. A guy in the control
tower yelled, “Look at that
crazy fool!”
He wasn’t a crazy; he just
saw things a little differently.
He perceived the East River as
the runway. Where else should
he set his plane down?
Those who are supposed to
know (I don’t know how they
know) say all living things
- from one-cell animals to
human beings - are out to
maintain or restore a favor
able environment. How some
of us try to do that is despi
cable.
It is a tragedy that some
individuals - and organiza
tions, institutions and govern
ments - have such flawed
perceptions that lying, cheat
ing, stealing, violence, torture
and killing are the only ways
to restore or maintain what
they perceive as their favor
able environment.
A Vietnamese immigrant
walks into a building and mur
ders 13 people in New York
State. A young Pittsburgh man
opens fire on police officers
who were answering a call at
his house. He shot two of the
officers in the head, killing
them, and then killed a third
officer when he came to help
the first two. An individual
walks into a nursing home in
North Carolina and slaughters
innocent people.
Why? How could those ter
rible deeds restore or maintain
anything favorable?
I’ve read that a very fine
line separates all of us from
sanity and insanity, and that
anyone of us can step - or
fall - over that line at any
moment. A friend and I, sit
ting in a crowded Waffle
House last week, discussed
that possibility. It was a scary
thought.
“Education is a progressive
discovery of our own igno
rance.” Would that someone
on this progressive journey
discover how to recognize,
treat and halt destructive per
ceptions before they lead to
hell on earth and the end of
lives and favorable environ
ments of innocent people.
Maybe somebody some
where, sometime, someway
will become ignorant enough
to do that. The intelligent
among us need all the help
we can get.
I guess that’s where I was
going with this.
Virgil Adams is a former
owner/editor of The Jackson
Herald.
virgil
adams
it.
Art Trax offers art, entertainment in Hoschton
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
HOSCHTON ISN’T just
a little town obsessed with
scarecrows — it’s also a
place where fine art meets
entertainment.
That’s what will be the
highlight of the Hoschton
Art Trax festival on Saturday,
April 18, from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m.
From pottery to glass, the
festival will not only fea
ture works from local artists,
but also performances from
a high school drama group,
Irish dancers, a storyteller
and other musical acts.
Now in its third year, Art
Trax organizers hope the free
festival will draw tourists and
art enthusiasts to Hoschton.
“(The festival) helps them
know about the uniqueness
of Hoschton,” said Robbie
Bettis, one of the key orga
nizers of the event and owner
of several antique stores in
the area.
Hoschton also became a
popular tourist attraction dur
ing its world record quest
for “The Most Scarecrows in
One Location,” to promote
the fall festival in 2008. The
city also has an antique trac
tor show in the fall.
“It’s one of our several fes
tivals that really does help
the local restaurants that
help people that haven’t seen
our little town,” Bettis said.
“We have several really nice,
quaint restaurants on our
Hoschton city square.”
The Hoschton Art Trax
will span two locations on
Ga. Hwy. 53 in downtown
Hoschton - the depot area
and city square.
Almost 30 local artists
— including the city’s mayor
— are scheduled to be fea
tured at Art Trax. Mayor Bill
Copenhaver will be demon
strating his artwork that uses
wood.
Another artist will be
Charlie Rakestraw, who uses
large springs to shape into
people-like figures.
“He’ll pull the spring back
and they kind of dance,”
Bettis said of the Jefferson
artist.
Broderick Crawford, an
award-winning stamp artist,
will be the featured artist at
the event.
Crawford’s work largely
features outdoor scenes and
he participates in numerous
painting competitions. His
work will be on display in
the depot.
Other “inspiration station
artists” will include Mildred
Threadgill, demonstrating
crayon art; Sariah Roth, a
photographer; and Nicholas
Gupta, a 15-year-old author.
Art Trax will kick off
with an opening night event,
including an auction, at the
residence of Hoschton attor
ney Robin Wyatt. The invita
tion-only event will be held
on Friday night.
The festival is a juried
art show and sale, meaning
a three to four-person jury
reviewed the artists’ work
and application before being
asked to attend the event.
Several food vendors will
also be available at the fes
tival. Guests may park at
Hoschton First B aptist Church,
Hoschton United Methodist
Church, the Hoschton Church
of God of Prophecy and area
secondary streets and walk to
the festival area.
For more information, visit
www.arttrax.org.
Lower Stage
•11-11:45 a.m.: Jefferson
High School Drama Dragons
performing selections of
upcoming performance of
“Oklahoma!”
•12-1:45 p.m.: “Upfront
Barbershop Quartet,” Stone
Mountain, will stroll through
the town.
•1:45-2:45 p.m.: “Just
Passen Thru,” bluegrass
group.
•3-3:45 p.m.: Irish dance
group from the Drake School
of Dance.
•4-4:45 p.m.: “The
Gainesville Strummers
Dulcimer Group,” Gainesville
Hoschton
City Square
•11:30-12 p.m.: “Half Fast,”
local light rock group playing
original music.
•12-12:30 p.m.: “Miss
Donna,” storyteller from
Nicholson.
• 12:30-1:45 p.m.: Keith
Davis, early American flute
player.
•2-2:45 p.m.: “Miss
Donna.”
• 3-5 p.m.: “Half Fest.”
Plenty of family fun ahead
in Braselton on Saturday
Car show, chili cook off, public
safety day among day’s activities
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
CALL IT three family-ori
ented events rolled into one
this Saturday in Braselton.
Starting at 3 p.m., YearOne
will host a Braselton Bash
car show, chili cook off, and
public safety awareness and
law enforcement day at its
Cherry Drive facility, located
off Ga. Hwy. 53, near 1-85.
The Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce will
hold its annual chili cook off
until 6 p.m., at YearOne.
When the event was held
last year in conjunction with
a car show, an estimated
5,000 people attended.
And while there will be
fewer teams this year, there
will be more chili ready to
serve guests.
In 2008, 18 teams served
chili at the cook off; this
year, 13 teams have regis
tered.
But, the teams are now
required to have seven gal
lons of chili ready for guests,
compared to five gallons last
year. The chili cook off is a
fundraiser for the chamber.
Guests may purchase $5
armbands, which provide
unlimited “tastes” of chili and
a favorite bowl of choice.
Another option is an indi
vidual ticket, which costs 50
cents each. One “taste” costs
one ticket, and one bowl of
chili costs five tickets.
Team prizes will be given
to the “Best Tasting Chili”
and “Showmanship,” along
with the people’s choice
award.
Another event set for
Saturday at YearOne is
the annual Public Safety
Awareness and Law
Enforcement Day.
The Braselton Police
Department, and the West
Jackson Fire and Rescue
Departments, are scheduled
to appear. The Gainesville
Police Department will pro
vide an interactive DUI dem
onstration. Planned appear
ances are slated for the Life
Flight and Georgia State
Patrol helicopters.
YearOne’s Braselton Bash
car show is a free event for
spectators, which will be
held until 8 p.m.
The event will include
food vendors, family activi
ties, a free kid’s play area,
and the “Leave Your Mark
BFGoodrich Burnout
Exhibition.”
The car show entry fee
is $10 for participants. All
makes and models are wel
come. The top 25 cars will
be given awards. A car show
awards ceremony, followed
by the burnout exhibition,
will start at 7:30 p.m.
NEXT WEEK IN
BRASELTON
Saturday’s events will
come a couple of days before
the Town of Braselton cel
ebrates Georgia Cities Week,
set April 19-25.
Georgia Cities Week
— which is sponsored by
the Georgia Municipal
Association — highlights the
importance of cities to the
community, said Braselton
town manager Jennifer Dees.
“(The week makes sure)
that people are aware of the
different things that cities do
for their citizens that make
their hometown unique and
remind them why they chose
to live there,” she said.
On Monday, April 20, the
Braselton Town Hall will be
open from 10 a.m. to noon
for public tours.
The former home of W.H.
Braselton — which became
the Braselton Town Hall in
1998 — will be 100 years
old this year. Birthday cake
will be served.
The Braselton Town Hall
is located at 4982 Hwy. 53
in downtown Braselton.
On Friday, April 24, a rain
garden will be featured at
town hall. Visitors will be
told how to install a rain
garden at their home. A
video demonstrating how to
construct a rain garden will
be available on the town’s
website, www.braselton.net,
along with a brochure.
The Rotary Club of
Braselton provided $1,200
to fund the rain garden proj
ect.
On Saturday, April 25,
the Braselton Mulberry
RiverWalk cleanup will start
at 9 a.m., at the wooden
bridge on Silk Tree Pointe
in the Mulberry Park subdi
vision.
Braselton has sponsored
the bi-annual event for at
least three years, according
to Dees.
Spring is typically when
the most volunteers partici
pate in the cleanup, although
a number of area residents
continue to cleanup the riv-
erwalk throughout the year,
she added. Groups such as
the Boy Scouts and stu
dents from Mill Creek High
School are also slated to
help remove debris from the
area.
Town staff and volunteers
will walk along the Mulberry
River to clean up the area.
The first phase of
the Braselton Mulberry
RiverWalk includes 2.5
miles of trails along the
river. A public parking
area is available on Liberty
Church Road.
A second phase of the riv-
erwalk — stretching 3.25
miles from New Liberty
Church Road to the town’s
71-acre property on Ga.
Hwy. 124 in Barrow County
— is expected to be con
structed this year.
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