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About Jackson herald. (Jefferson, Jackson County, Ga.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2023)
PAGE 4A THE JACKSON HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023 Opinions “Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. Henry Ward Beecher Mike Buffington, editor • Email: Mike@mainstreetnews.com The romance of dirt roads We live on a dirt road. The single-lane track isn’t a thru road: it serves a total of six houses and fades into a drive way for two at the end of the line. The Google mapping car recently drove down our lit tle lane and when the road forked, it stopped by the duck pond, obviously con fused as to where it should turn or go next. I’m sure the family at the end was sur prised when the Google car had to turn around in their side yard after mistaking the private drive for a road. There’s a certain mys tique about dirt roads. They map an image of rural Americana in our minds, of a time in the past when things seemed simpler: Mom, apple pie and dirt roads lead us to our past. • •• This isn’t the first time I’ve lived on a dirt road. As a young child in Summerville, we lived on a dead-end dirt lane. Across the road lived a kid my age and we trapsed up and down that road on our bikes, exploring the woods and fields nearby. We weren’t exactly Tom Sawyer, but it some times seems that way in hindsight. Later, after we moved to Jefferson, mom and dad build their home on Jett Roberts Rd., which in the late 1960s was still a dirt road. Before the road was paved, friends and I would sometimes walk the dirt lane all the way up to Dry Pond to buy cigarettes from a country store that used to be there. Like so many rural dirt roads, that one got paved and growth came and now traffic along the road is sometimes a nightmare. • •• Dirt roads are deeply ingrained in popular culture today. A number of songs are odes to dirt roads, or feature a dirt road theme. The oldest I could find was John Lennon’s 1974, “Old Dirt Road.” In the 1990s, Bob Dylan recorded “Dirt Road Blues” which starts with: “Gonna walk down that dirt road ‘til someone will let me ride.” Also in the 1990s, the band Sawyer Brown release a song and album called “The Dirt Road.” The song featured Earl Scruggs on banjo and had a refrain of: “I’ll take the dirt road, it’s all I know, I’ve been a’walking it for years, it takes me where I want to go... ” But it’s been in the 2000s — after so many dirt roads had been paved and no longer existed — that nostalgic songs about dirt roads have become a music icon, especially in country music: “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads” by Grang er Smith; “Red Dirt Road” by Brooks & Dunn: “Dirt Road Diary” by Luke Bryan; and “Dirt Roads Scholar” by Dean Brody (which is a clever play on Rhodes Scholar.) But perhaps the most famous dirt road song is “Dirt Road Anthem” written by Jefferson’s Brantley Gilbert and country musician Colt Lord. They recorded the song both individually and together and it later hit the top of the charts on a Jason Alden album. In a 2020 interview, Lord said Brantley had written much of the song and the rest they wrote together at Brantley’s house. It has some local references (Potts Farm) and is a celebration of country life. It was a number one hit for Al den in 2011 and remains popular today. • •• But dirt roads weren’t always popular. In fact, commu nities that had a lot of dirt roads were considered backward and not very modem. I’ve used that comparison myself in articles about the lack of internet in our area, calling the current broadband systems “digital dirt roads.” In Georgia, county boards of commissioners were found ed as boards of “roads and bridges” in the late 1800s as a means to maintain dirt roads and later, to pave over dirt. In rural areas, landowners were at one time responsible for maintaining the road along their property, which in the ear ly 1900s meant filling potholes and smoothing out rough surfaces. As cars became more common, the pressure to pave dirt roads increased, especially in areas where mud made travel difficult. In Banks County, the roads that were first paved (outside of state or federal roads) were those that went to popular local churches. Dirt roads remained common in most rural areas well into the 1960s and 1970s. Today, Jackson County only has about 100 miles of dirt roads left and Barrow County only around 35 miles. While it has mystique, living on dirt roads also creates some problems. Dust, for one thing, covers cars and homes during the hot, dry days of summer. Potholes and washouts from heavy rains are also a problem. Still, a lot of people in rural areas who live on dirt roads today don’t want those roads paved. One reason is that a paved road opens a corridor for development. A lot of county zoning rales require paved roads before develop ment can take place; and in a lot of rural areas, people don't want nearby subdivisions or any commercial projects. Dirt roads and a lack of sewer are guarantees that no high-den sity development can happen in an area. Dirt roads can also be a political issue in a community. That’s part of what’s happened in Jackson County where the county school system bought a large tract of land in North Jackson along Brooks Rd. for a future school site. But that property also abuts a long dirt road and coun ty leaders don’t want to have to pave that narrow road to accommodate the kind of traffic schools would certainly bring. (County school system leaders recently said they don’t have plans to develop that property in the next five years and hinted that they’d prefer other sites for future school locations.) • •• We recently attended a workshop in Southwest Virginia. The hosts for the program lived at the end of a 3.5 mile dirt/ gravel road, a lane that ran between two steep mountain ridges. Deer, turkey and bear are common along the road (hunting is very popular in the area). There were a number of homes along the road; some were weekend homes or seasonal getaways. A few were homesteads with a menagerie of farm animals in the front yard. Others were full-time residents who liked living in the isolated rural setting. The area isn’t too far away from West Virginia; drive thru a couple of tunnels on the 4-lane interstate nearby and you’re in WV with its steep mountains and deep hollows. All of which reminded me of the iconic John Denver song, “Country Roads” whose lyrics are stuck in all our heads: Country roads, take me home To the place I belong West Virginia, mountain mama Take me home, country roads He doesn’t say it in the song, but I suspect Denver’s country road is a dirt road, winding through the rural coun tryside, “Dark and dusty, painted on the sky.” • •• It may be wistful nostalgia, but I like living on a dirt road even if it does spew dust on the old bam and the muscadine vines nearby. It reminds me of a time before interstates and the fast-pace of life that we have today where getting some where quickly is important. Dirt roads represent something slower, maybe not gen tler, but authentic and romantic with a little roughness around the edges. As a Kip Moore song says, “No, I don’t wanna go. Un less Heaven’s got a dirt road.” Mike Buffington is co-publisher of Mainstreet Newspa pers. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com. Remembering Tom Plank (Editor’s Note: The following comes from Christian Standard online magazine where this commentary first appeared. Tom Plank was well-known in Jackson County and be yond for his years of service to his church and to the community.) BY NICK VIPPERMAN I co-preached alongside Tom from March 2012 till September 2012. when he official ly retired. Tom stayed at our church at my request and he was a blessing to me and our church as a teacher and member until his passing [on April 1], 11 years after his retirement.... There are many in our brotherhood who may not know Tom Plank, but he was the kind of man you would wish you had known. He earned his reputation as “The Bishop of Northeast Georgia”! He was a special lead er and a special man. . . . Tom’s longevity and impact in northeast Georgia, and grow ing a little struggling country church into a large church with an even larger impact, shouldn’t go unappreciated. Tom Plank—my good friend and men tor—was senior minister here at Galilee for 50 years (1962-2012). During that span, and over the last decade of his continued membership and service to Galilee Church, he impacted thousands of lives. Tom was the consummate Bible teacher, preacher, and pastor. He was what profes sional baseball scouts would call a “five- tool player.” Tom could preach, teach, thrive at pastoral care, sing, and walk the walk and talk the talk. The Lord blessed him im mensely with gifts and abilities, and he used what the Lord had given him to bless others. Tom spent years pouring into other preachers in the area, working with Point University, helping to establish North Geor gia Christian Camp, and serving at Beth- shean Mexico Mission. He also buried or married within one degree of separation just about everyone in Jackson County! Tom and his wife Carol’s ministry at Galilee should be celebrated! ... When my family and I were considering our call to come to serve here, there was a good deal of hesitation to follow someone who’d been here for 50 years. Friends and family members, mentors, and ministry ac quaintances all said, “Are you crazy? Don’t go there. It won’t last!” I explained to each of them, “I understand, I shared some of those same fears, but then I met Tom Plank. You don’t know the Tom I know.” When my wife, Abbie, and I sat down for dinner with Tom on one of our visits down to the area, we both knew there was some thing special about this man. And most im portantly. we could trust him. Tom said to us, “I’m going to be your biggest cheerleader, and the worst thing I could ever do is meddle in your ministry... . I want to see you succeed, and I’ll support you in every way I can.” Tom was a man of his word. I’ve never had a greater friend in ministry. As I started my ministry at Galilee. Tom said to me, “I know that we are in the next big season of needed change [in our ap proach to ministry]. Every decade or so, I’ve had to lead those changes, [but] I’m not the right one to lead this next change; I be lieve you are!” This meant so much to me! Tom and I shared a lot of meals, a lot of laughs, and some fun travels and services together. He and I officiated many funer als together through the years, and I loved to watch him work. I learned a lot just by watching and listening intently to him. He took me down to the Bethshean Mexi co Mission and invited me to sit on the mis sion board alongside him. Our travels and our leadership in this ministry were bless ings to me. He and I went to Bethshean and helped lay tiles in the medical clinic (which is now open and serving that community). Tom could no longer easily lift these heavy tiles, but he joked with me, “You have the knees for the job, and I have the knowledge,” He was right. Tom would tell me how to do it and we got it done! I thought about Tom at our sunrise service on Easter morning. It was the first in ap proximately 62 years here at Galilee Church where Tom Plank wasn’t here to greet the sun. Some of the best advice Tom ever gave me was to “not chase the next big thing.” Tom said this was a frustrating temptation for him during his early years of ministry. He eventually committed to “just stay up on this hill and do what the Lord tells me to do.” The Lord blessed this commitment im mensely, and Galilee Christian has thrived because of it. Tom was faithful to the Word of God and to his Savior. And while I’ll miss him im mensely, I’m so glad he is now rejoicing with Jesus. I believe with all my heart he heard the words he so longed for, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” I’ll be forever proud that Tom was pleased with the newest chapter of Galilee Chris tian Church. He was proud of what we’ve continued to accomplish, and he had confi dence the Lord was just getting started here ... yes, even after 153 years, the Lord is just getting started! I’ll miss my friend very much. Nick Vipperman serves as senior minister with Galilee Christian Church, Jefferson, Ga. Democrats out to get Trump Dear Editor: The case against Donald Trump is rooted in a deep blue Democrat con trolled state, a Democrat controlled county, and a Democrat controlled city. The 34-count indictment was ginned up by a Democrat district attorney and rubber stamped by a Democrat-dominated grand jury. Democrats are rolling around in the muck acting as if a fair-minded vic tory has been won for humanity, when in fact this is nothing more than an attempt to damage the next Republican candidate for President of the United States. Those jubilant Democrats will be removing their party hats, though, when the presidential ballots are counted, but until that day arrives, we will patiently wait and see. Whether they are well-known or small fry, every journalist in America feels a need to enter the fray. Anyone reading the opinion page of a news paper should keep the following in mind: An opinion piece is a safe harbor where journalists can express personal feelings and beliefs without having to include annoying provable facts. That being the case, it might be a good idea for us to take everything we read and hear with a few grains of sea salt. Sincerely, Claude Diamond Braselton (Editor’s Note: Claude, opinion pages are also a place for members of the public to express their opinions “without having to include any an noying provable facts.” It might be a good idea for readers to take what letter-writers express as fact with a grain of salt as well.) Yourone- ® stop site to search your community's ^ public notices as well as other . notices from across i the state. GEORGIA N0TICE.C0M IT'S Y0URRIC IHJii, TO K NOW. The Jackson Herald Founded 1875 Merged with The Commerce News 2017 The Official Legal Organ of Jackson County, Ga. Herman Buffington, Publisher 1965-2005 Mike Buffington Co-Publisher Scott Buffington Co-Publisher Alex Buffington News Editor Hannah Barron Reporter Taylor Heam Sports Editor MEMBER • Georgia Press Association • National Newspaper Association • Inland Press Association • International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Postmaster: Send Address Changes To: MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. PO Box 908 Jefferson, Georgia 30549-0908 Web Site: www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com Email: mike@mainstreetnews.com Voice: 706.367.5233 Periodical Postage paid at Jefferson, GA 30549 (SCED 271980) Yearly Subscriptions: $45 / $40 for seniors
