Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 5. 2015 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 9A
Weaver looks forward with enthusiasm
An enthusiastic Mayor John Weaver tells Rotary that paving will
begin in the spring do to SPLOSTfunds and talks continue to im
prove traffic flow in the city using roundabouts.
“Never been a
harder working
man,” says
Dr. McCurdy
By Max Caylor
Rotary member
“Come spring we are going to
use our SPLOST funds to pave
as many roads as possible in the
city of Jasper,” said an excited
Mayor of Jasper John Weaver
speaking at Rotary. He is in his
22nd year of office.
Weaver and prominent local
physician Dr. Carl McCurdy at
tended Shorter College during
the same years. McCurdy, intro
ducing the Mayor, stated, “He
worked full time and graduated
with honors in school and com
bined with his public service
there has never been a harder
working man.”
One of the Mayor’s and city
council projects noted was the
$600,000 downtown removal of
utility lines and poles plus im
proved sidewalks. “We want to
work in partnership with prop
erty owners and not regulate to
continue to enhance the beauty
of our shopping areas,” added the
Mayor. He had just met with the
Chamber’s Downtown Alliance
Committee chaired by Amy
Leake and co-chaired by Jack
Dunn.
Although not mentioning the
buyer, the Mayor informed the
group that the “blue building”
downtown had been sold and
soon the community would have
another business. “We want to
maintain the beauty of the moun
tains and businesses on 515 with
out heavy industrial facilities,”
added Weaver.
Roundabouts may be in the
future for the city of Jasper. The
Mayor mentioned the need for a
roundabout at the intersection of
Burnt Mountain and Cove Road
plus he thought a roundabout
would be beneficial to traffic
flow on Main and Spring streets.
The Water Park is still in
process according to Weaver. “I
know something will be about to
happen when the developers
begin applying for permits,” ob
served the city leader. Mayor
Weaver said, “Our 60 city em
ployees do the work of 160.
There have been no tax increases
in the city of Jasper over the past
22 years.”
The Rotary Club of Jasper
meets each Wednesday at noon at
Chattahoochee Technical Col
lege for lunch, fellowship and
service to the community and the
world. The gatherings are open
to the community.
Visit jaspergarotary.org.
South Cherokee/Jasper
Driver Improvement
Clinic #2102
1623B E. Church St. - Jasper, GA 30143
JASPER CLASSES
(706) 692-1632
New Driver Training
30 hrs. classroom/6 hrs. Behin<
Feb. 14
Sat.
8:30a- 5:30p
Mar. 28
Sa
Feb. 15
Sun.
8:30a- 5:30p
Mar 30
Mi
iOp
Feb. 16
Mon.
8:30a - 5:30p
Mar 31
Tu
Up
Feb. 21
Sat.
9:00a - 4:00p
Apr. 1
W
Op
“Special classes can be arranged with 5 students or more"
Defensive Driving #2102 *95 (1 day/6 hr course)
Feb. 21 Sat. 9am - 4pm Mar. 28 Sat. 9am - 4pm
Dl l Kisk Reduction #10053 *355 (3 day/20 hr course)
Feb. 28
Sat. 9am - 6pm
Mar. 21
Sat. 9am - 6pm
Mar. 1
Sun. 9am - 6pm
Mar. 22
Sun. 9am - 6pm
Mar. 2
Mon. 6pm-1 Opm
Mar. 23
Mon. 6pm-1 Opm
*DUI/Risk Reduction students required to pre-register & take NEEDS
ASSESSMENT prior to attendance. Assessments & Registration
every Thursday 3p-8p or by appointment.
Call or Go Online to Pre-Registrer
or for more lnformation(706) 692-1632
www.SouthCherokee.com
Other convenient location to serve you: Woodstock.
Order BBQ plates now for Ruth House
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The Ruth House, a restoration
facility for women struggling
with addiction, is gearing up for
their 2nd Annual BBQ
fundraiser, with proceeds going
to support operations at the west-
Pickens non-profit.
Since they opened their doors
in 2004 the Christ-centered or
ganization has helped women
overcome abuse of alcohol and
drugs through spiritual mentor
ing and classes that teach respect,
self-control and love and forgive
ness. They also teach life skills
Restoring Broken
Families
and family management, with
the ultimate goal of regenerating
women to a point where they are
healthy, productive members of
their family and of society as a
whole.
“Something I’m really proud
of is that we have several alumni
participating in this fundraiser,”
said Ruth House spokesperson
Stephanie Haradon. “They have
been through the program and
want to give back and I think
that’s amazing.”
The Ruth House is also in
need of a few supplies for the
fundraiser, including fork/napkin
combos, baked beans, buns, indi
vidual chips and canned drinks.
Plates are $8 each.
To order call the Ruth House
at 678-528-1642 or email
Haradon at StephanieH@Ruth-
HouseMinistries.org. Deadline
for orders is February 17.
Delivery is available for five
or more plates in Jasper and 10
or more plates in Ellijay and
Canton. Pickup date for orders is
Friday, February 20 from 11 a.m.
to 4 p.m. Plates can be picked up
at Recovery Resource Center,
174 Samaritan Dr. Jasper, Ga, lo
cated between the Good Samari
tan Health and Wellness Center
and the Community Thrift Store.
The Ruth House would like to
thank their sponsors: Karen and
Steve Thomas, Amanda and
Jonathan Long, Goss HVAC,
Zaxby’s, Home Depot, Captain
D’s, McDonald’s and BJ’s
Wholesale.
Mystery of the Trees documentary premiere Sat.
AT TALKING ROCK POTTERY
• PAINTING • PIZZA • FUN
Friday, February 13th. • 5:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
$30.00 for 1 - $20.00 each for 2 or more per family
Make your plans for a
Valentine’s dinner and drop the kids
off for 3 hrs. of painting, pizza and games!
You must pre-register for this class - space is limited
Call to reserve your space today!
TAKE SCARY GOOD SELFIES WITH SONY XPERIA® Z3v
The highest waterproof rating for a smartphone.*
The premiere screening of the
one hour documentary Mystery
of the Trees will be presented in
the sanctuary of the Episcopal
Church of the Holy Family, 200
Griffith Road, Saturday, Febru
ary 7, at 7 p.m. with reception
following.
This first-ever glimpse into a
part of Native American culture
that has been mostly hidden from
public knowledge is presented by
the Mountain Stewards, a non
profit organization located in
Jasper, who produced the film.
The narration and participation
of telling this story by Native
American actor Wes Studi
{Dancing with Wolves, Last of
the Mohicans, plus many other
films) and interviews with tribal
elders from the Cherokee,
Muscogee-Creek, Comanche,
Delaware, Ute, Osage, Quapaw
and other tribes anchor the film
In a seven year journey, the
Mountain Stewards, formed to
build trails so that hikers could
experience the beauty of the
North Georgia mountains,
moved from mere curiosity about
oddly shaped trees they began to
encoimter to an in-depth research
study of what many call Indian
Marker Trees. In the best tradi
tion of scientific exploration,
probing the mystery first found
in their own backyard raised
many questions. As a result, in
2007, researchers from multiple
states joined with the Mountain
Stewards in exploring this fasci
nating but obscure story. As re
search continued, interviews
with tribal elders provided
glimpses into the understanding
of the cultures which, after living
close to nature for thousands of
years, were almost destroyed.
The interviews with the elders
not only resulted in a greater ap
preciation of the Indians use of
trees but also instilled in the re
searchers a deeper respect for the
spirituality and wisdom of those
who were the first people on the
land. It is hoped that the docu
mentary will encourage the
preservation of the story-telling
trees as well as point the way to
future areas of study about many
other aspects of Indian culture
that have been impacted.
The initial presentation of in
formation on the Indian trees was
offered in a book Mystery of the
Trees published by tire Mountain
Stewards in December 2011 with
a second printing in November
2012. The book offers an in-
depth, world-wide look at the
story of the trees. It can be pur
chased through the website at
www.mysterytrees.org. Other in
formation about the Mountain
Stewards, a 501(c)(3) organiza
tion, can be found on its main
website, mountainstewards.org.
We are close by just 2 miles
—t North of Walmart on the left off Hwy. 515!
Talking Rock Pottery
706-253-3520
35 Hidden Creek Road • Suite 109
Jasper, GA 30143 • www.talkingrockpottery.com
Follow us at
Facebook.com/talkingrockpottery
American Legion 149 to host Bluegrass Festival
By Suellen Reitz
Did you know we live right in
the middle of a hotbed for fans of
bluegrass music? It’s true, and if
you have never experienced the
harmonious sounds of bluegrass
which is unlike any other music
genre, you are in for a treat!
Jasper’s Post 149 members
are in high gear with the prepa
rations for Jasper Blue Grass
Charity Festival 2015, scheduled
for May 8-10 in the open field off
Hwy. 515 and Hwy. 53 East.
Their goal: to offer great enter
tainment featuring 10 top name
bluegrass bands in a family
friendly environment plus great
shopping opportunities in the va
riety of arts and crafts and deli
cious eats. Listen, shop and dine
... and do all of this helping the
legionnaires raise money... lots
of money. All profits are going
back to our community and to
the support of American veterans
in need.
Ray Smith, general chairman
for the festival, came up with the
idea last summer while corre
sponding with old friends who
go across America for bluegrass
festivals Once he had clearance
from the Legion and city offi
cials, things started happening.
Ray excited about how things are
starting to gel stated, “Even
though things started slowly at
first, now that we are getting
closer to May, the Festival has
grown exponentially with the
support from the community and
veterans’ organizations. We are
expecting some big crowds so
come out join us for a lot of good
American music and good
times.”
Festival committee members
are still looking for a few more
crafts vendors and sponsors to
help grow the funds they plan to
give back. Check out the festival
website at www.legionfest.com
for more details on the bands and
how you can get involved. Be
sure and check back often for our
news updates.
Peking G<M*t>en
Fine Dining Chinese Restaurant
28 Bill Wigington Parkway
Suite 103
Jasper, Ga 30143
(Kroger Shopping Center)
Tel: 706-253-6828 Fax: 706-253-6808
^MMMMUoSED ON MONDAYS pg
So mark your calendars now,
May 8-10, for a fantastic week
end you don’t want to miss.
Hill City Elementary
Gf6?or|>ic)
"Registration for 2015-2016
Wednesday, February 28
8:oo a.m. to 6:oo p.m.
Hill City Elementary
6oo Hill Circle
(706) 253-1880
In order to qualify:
Please bring:
♦Age requirements may change pending
Bright ftpm the Start guidelines
Child must be <t years old by
September 1,2015
Students will be chosen based on a
lottery system
Students who live in the Hill City
Elementary district will be given
priority
*
right fl^mthe
• Child’s birth certificate
• 2 proofs of residency (lease, utility
bill, etc.)
• Shot records
• Parent identification
• Guardianship Information (if
applicable
Hearing, Vision, and Cental Form 3300 must be received
received within 90-days of entry into the program