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THURSDAY. OCTOBER 14. 2010 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 21A
At Talking Rock Council meeting
Ready for Heritage Days Festival
By Jeff Warren
Talk of the Heritage Days fes
tival dominated much of the
Talking Rock Town Council
meeting Thursday evening, Oc
tober 7. Mayor Peter Cagle re
ported all systems on go for the
festival, set to fill up downtown
Talking Rock this weekend.
Sheriffs deputies will block off
State Highway 136 and Old
Blairsville Highway through
town, temporarily making Talk
ing Rock's main street a pedes
trian way through the business
district.
Thirty-two vendors are signed
up for the festival, offering
crafts, antiques, and festival
food. The vendor with chicken
on a stick returns, as does a bar
becue cooker stationed in Town
Park, the mayor reported. And a
representative of the Upper
Etowah River Alliance will run a
rain barrel demonstration near
the Talking Schoolhouse Teach
ing Museum.
The local law enforcement
troop of Explorer Scouts will as
sist during the festival in cooper
ation with sheriffs deputies. The
county sheriffs office is also pro
viding a van and driver for shut
tle duty.
A church located in a store
front at the comer of Highway
136 and the Jasper-Talking Rock
road will be providing some
parking close to downtown in ex
change for a two dollar donation
per vehicle.
Mayor Cagle reported he has
asked the church to clarify on its
parking signs that parking there
is not parking provided by the
town. The Town of Talking Rock
provides free parking and shuttle
service for the festival, the mayor
pointed out, and he wants to pre
vent confusion. The church
agreed to clarify the difference
on its signage, he said.
The council approved spend
ing $300 for festival decorations:
pumpkins and flowers from
Home Depot. After festival use,
the flowers are to be planted in
Town Park and near the Talking
Rock Schoolhouse Teaching Mu
seum.
The council also approved
spending $320 to hire an off-duty
deputy to provide overnight se
curity for booths of festival ven
dors. Based from Town Hall, this
night watchman will patrol
downtown on a sheriffs office
four-wheeler, the mayor said.
Under unfinished business
unrelated to Heritage Days,
Councilwoman Lynda Cagle
suggested the council delay ac
tion on a new animal control or
Cash Paid
for
Junk Vehicles
770-823-0133
October meeting of Talking Rock Town Council. Shown (l-r): Councilman Randall Payne, Coun
cilwoman Angelia Payne, Councilman Espey Smith, Mayor Peter Cagle, Councilman Charles Opden-
hoff, Councilwoman Lynda Cagle, (obscured) Town Clerk Carol Opdenhoff.
dinance until next month. "We
need to try to figure a way we
can have at least a minimal ordi
nance we can control ourselves,"
she said, "if the townsfolk will
support us on that."
Councilwoman Cagle also
presented some artwork depict
ing possible designs for a new
town sign. Two designs were
chosen as council preferences
and their prices requested.
The council hopes to place the
new sign at the comer of High
way 136 and the Jasper-Talking
Rock road. The town means to
negotiate with landowner Liz
Boctticher for placement of the
sign at that comer, directing mo
torists to Talking Rock's down
town.
Town Clerk Carol Opdenhoff
suggested town government
should check with the county to
find out if a breakaway sign is re
quired so near to highway traffic.
One of the possible sign designs
features non-breakaway stone
work.
Still under old business,
Councilwoman Lynda Cagle pre
sented a slate of rales for posting
in Town Park. The rales are
drawn from state and federal
laws but are more specific, she
said. Rules are to be posted on a
sign in the park and included in
paperwork signed by anyone
renting park facilities.
"I tried to keep them as simple
as possible," Councilwoman
Cagle said, "but it's not that sim
ple." Rules will include that "all
state and federal laws apply to
guns in this park," she said.
Councilman Randall Payne
asked for a copy of the suggested
rules to study before the next
council meeting, when a decision
concerning their acceptance is
expected.
Under new business, an appli
cation specific to vendors was
suggested for Town Park year
round. "People have reserved the
park for parties and brought in
vendors, food vendors," Mayor
Cagle explained. Such vendors
use water and electricity and
should sign a liability waiver, he
suggested.
A vendor application would
provide "a contact name, some
one to deal with if there's a prob
lem afterwards," Councilwoman
Cagle said. Renters of Town Park
will be asked when they reserve
the park if a vendor is part of
their planned use. If so, a sepa
rate application form is to be
filled out by the vendor. Any
catering service or jumping cas
tle would also be considered a
vendor, the mayor said.
Councilwoman Cagle said she
would pen a vendor application
form for approval by the council
at a future meeting. "Y'all can
read over it before we implement
it," she said. "I just think we need
a contract so they [park renters
and vendors] know they have re
sponsibility."
In the town clerk's report,
Steps on how to get out of debt
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loans, mortgages and school
Hoops Of Joy Nov. 13
to benefit the Joy House
Many of you have heard of
the Hoops of Hope program that
a 9-year-old Austin Gutwein
started in 2004. If you haven’t
heard this magnificent story,
you can read about it on the
Web site hoopsofhope.org or in
the book “Take Your Best
Shot.” The
main theme is
doing some
thing bigger
than your selves
and trying to
make our world a \
better place one
person at a time.
Building a better
place is exactly
what the Joy
House of Jasper LS
does and what
we want to do through this In
augural Event “Hoops of Joy!”
We are organizing a Free Throw
Marathon to raise money to
benefit the Joy House. The Joy
House is a home for hurting
teenagers that need reconcilia
tion with their families. The Joy
House is a place of Love, Hope
and Joy - who doesn’t want to
be a part of that?!?
This event is for everybody
and every shot counts! It does
not matter if you play basket
ball, football, cheer, dance,
music, ran, etc. We invite you to
join us. Please sign
up by e-mailing us
at hoopsoljoyl23
@gmail.com or
call 678-454-0976
and we will put you
on the list. 100% of
the proceeds will go to
The Joy House and are
tax deductible.
Things to remember:
1. Mark your calendar
for Saturday, Nov. 13
from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at
Pickens County Middle School.
2. Walk-ins are welcome.
3. We will accommodate all
ages of shooters.
4. Each shot is $1 whether
you make it or not.
5. Come take YOUR best
shot.
Clerk Carol Opdenhoff reported
a jump up in sales tax revenue
coming to the town. She also said
Talking Rock's Internet presence
has not gone unnoticed. "Our
webmaster is amazed at how
many hits we get," Opdenhoff
said. She also said State Repre
sentative Rick Jasperse has asked
to be included at a future Talking
Rock Council meeting.
Sheriff Donnie Craig has a
town hall meeting scheduled at
Talking Rock October 20, the
Wednesday following the Her
itage Days festival. The purpose
of that meeting is to allow the
sheriff opportunity to give a re
port of his work to town resi
dents and to accept input from
them.
Near the close of the council
meeting, Mayor Cagle expressed
appreciation for work done by
county employees in repaving
Old Blairsville Highway through
town. Importantly, the work was
accomplished before the Her
itage Days festival as desired.
"They did a great job on that,"
Mayor Cagle said. "I'd like to
thank the county for doing that
for us."
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