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PAGE 10A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. DECEMBER 3. 2020
Continued From 1A
Events
“We are excited to be
playing in the parade this
year and we are glad that it
worked out so that we could
do it,” said PHS Band Direc
tor Michael Oubre. “The
Jasper Christmas parade is a
tradition we always like to be
a part of for our community.”
There is also a virtual tree
lighting ceremony this year,
which will air live on Know-
Pickens.com. The tree light
ing is at 6 p.m. Spectators
will not be allowed to gather
around the tree. There will be
volunteers on site to ensure
spectators do not gather.
Santa will be on one of the
stationary floats along the
route. But there will be no
photos with Santa this year.
There will also be no vendors
set up this year.
‘It’s been a challenge but
we are doing all this to keep
people safe,” Bouchie said.
“We hope people will come
out and enjoy the show - and
they can drive through as
many times as they want.”
There is no charge for this
event.
New Year party cancelled
The Jasper Merchants As
sociation, which also organ
izes the annual New Year
celebration on Main Street,
has cancelled this year’s
event. But this change had
nothing to do with the pan
demic. Bouchie said the
Jasper Merchants Associa
tion decided the event was
not enough of a draw to con
tinue.
“We decided to step away
from New Year’s,” she said.
“It is very time consuming
and costly, and no one shows
up. We’d spend a lot of time,
money, and energy and 40
people would come five min
utes to midnight. We said be
fore last year’s event we’d
see how it went and decide.
We can’t take it on anymore.”
Toys for Tots applications
skyrocket
Amy Brannon, who heads
up the local Toys for Tots
program this year, said the
organization has seen a surge
of applications, up from
2,000 in 2019 to 2,800 this
season.
“Our numbers are up I
think because people are out
of work, and because of how
hard this year has been for
everyone financially,” she
said. “I get applications on
my phone email and it just
dings constantly.”
And despite applications
being up 40 percent, the char
ity, which is run by the U.S.
Marine Corps Reserve, is still
able to fill all applications
without cutting back on the
number of toys each child re
ceives. Brannon said local
giving has been down due to
the pandemic, but the Toys
for Tots Foundation has
stepped up with funding. Toy
distributors have also stepped
up to provide the national
Toys for Tots program, in
cluding the local chapter,
with donations.
The local Toys for Tots
program has spent about
$11,000 at local retailers.
“We have been able to
keep things exactly the same
with that, but we are still
going through our own funds
quickly and are going to start
next year with not much,”
she said. “We still very much
need toys and donations.”
There are toy collection
boxes located at many busi
ness across the county (see
full list on their website or
Facebook page). This Satur
day, Dec. 5 and next Satur
day, Dec. 12 active and
retired Marines, and the
Georgia State Patrol will be
at Walmart in Jasper from 8
a.m. to 3 p.m. collecting new,
unwrapped toys.
Deadline for applications
is Tuesday, Dec. 8
Applications can be sub
mitted online at www.jasper-
ga.toysfortots.org.
Last day for toy pickup is
December 12. Pick-up loca
tion is at 95 Whitfield Drive
behind Advanced Auto Parts.
Pick-ups will be every Satur
day through December 12.
People will be notified of
their pickup time. People will
be asked to remain in their
vehicles. Upon arriving, they
will call a number on the
window. A volunteer will
come to the car, check iden
tification and fill the order.
Lions Fill-A-Stocking dates
The Jasper Lions Fill-A-
Stocking program has a big
collection event this weekend
with the 40th annual North
Georgia Toy Run, a motorcy
cle ride that ends at the Pick
ens Chamber of Commerce.
Riders are asked to bring two
toys on the ride to donate to
the local Fill-A-Stocking.
Organizer Leslie Miller
said at this point it’s too early
to tell if application numbers
are up or down. Applications
will be accepted until De
cember 15. They are avail
able at all Pickens schools
except for the high school.
They are also available at
Pickens County Head Start.
Applications can be returned
to schools or mailed to Jasper
Lions Fill-A-Stocking, P.O.
Box 1088, Jasper, Ga. 30143.
“We are not doing email
because I don’t want any of
the applications to acciden
tally go to a junk folder and
we don’t receive them,”
Miller said.
Toy pick up dates will be
determined by the first letter
of the applicant’s last name.
If there is an extenuating cir
cumstance and applicants
cannot make their assigned
time, they can come at an
other time.
“We are doing it this way
to reduce the number of peo
ple here at one time,” Miller
said.
At pick up, people will be
required to wear a mask. Pick
up dates are as follows:
Last name A-F: Thursday,
Dec. 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7
p.m.
Last name G-M: Friday,
Dec. 18 from 5:30 p.m. to 7
p.m.
Last name N-S: Saturday,
Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. to
11:30 a.m.
Last name T-Z: Saturday,
Dec. 19 from 1:30 p.m. to 3
p.m.
For information about
how to join the North Geor
gia Toy Run call 770-479-
8254. The event is sponsored
by Hartman Cycles, Custom
Riders Motorcycle Club,
Steelhorse Law, and Fowler
Insurance Agency.
Shop with the Sheriff
Despite JeepFest being
cancelled this year, the an
nual Shop with a Sheriff’s
program is still planned.
The program, funded by
the JeepFest and Sheriff’s
Foundation, allows kids in
need to meet up with
deputies at Jasper Walmart
and shop for Christmas gifts.
According to Sandy Essig
with the Pickens Sheriff’s
Office, the event is scheduled
for the week of December 14.
Essig said they have had re
ceived several donations and
promises of donation, but are
waiting a little longer than
usual to see if more donations
can be secured.
The program tries to serve
100 children each year,
which may be difficult to
achieve this year with fund
ing restrictions, Essig said.
Anyone wishing to donate
to the Sheriff’s Foundation
can bring or mail checks to
the Pickens Progress office at
94 N. Main Street, Jasper,
Ga. 30143.
Festival of Trees
The Festival of Trees
event at the Pickens County
Library has been cancelled
this year. The library typi
cally invites the community
to decorate and display
Christmas trees at the local
branch.
Continued From 1A
Nativity
was built by Marla’s husband
Rodney, a local contractor. “I
have circled the only screws
that need to be removed for
ease of takedown and re
building,” he said. The set
will be kept in their original
boxes and stored at Bub-ba-
Q’s warehouse.
Commission Chair Rob
Jones, Mayor Steve
Lawrence and Commissioner
Becky Denney expressed
their appreciation to Renner
and each contributor. The
Reverend Max Caylor said a
prayer of blessing and Casey
Ferguson led the gathering in
Christmas carols concluding
the unveiling.
Someone asked, “Where
is baby Jesus?” and Marla
replied, “He is coming
Christmas Eve.”
Michelle and Jay Hargett, (left) community volunteers, are standing with Marla and Rodney Renner following place
ment of the new Nativity scene Saturday afternoon.
A wise man is being lettered "Property of the Citizens of
Pickens County 2020" by Jay Hargett as wife Michelle is
admiring the kingly figure.
Marla Ren
ner is carrying
a lamb to be
placed at the
Nativity scene
she helped the
community
fund.
Continued From 1A
Chester
way it was folded it wound
up being like a Chinese fin
ger torture device - the harder
you push, the worse it made
it.”
Dr. Lewis said the poor
pup was frantic and he wor
ried sedating him would im
pair his airflow. Working
quickly, Dr. Lewis said it
took about a half hour to cut
him loose.
“I was afraid I would cut
off his ears because I couldn’t
tell where they were. I didn’t
know if they were flopped
over to the side or straight up
in the vent.”
But Chester wasn’t out of
the woods completely, Dr.
Lewis said. “The really sad
thing is the owners had about
five other dogs and when
Chester got stuck, he started
acting frantic and weird and
the other dogs attacked him,
adding insult to injury,” Dr.
Lewis said. Chester had
about 50 bite wounds, most
of them superficial. “I put a
few stitches in the bigger
wounds.”
Chester’s owner, Susan
Smith, said on Tuesday
morning that the 25 pound
dog is now “doing great.”
“He is tough as nails,”
Smith said. “He has spent his
life getting into as much trou
ble as he possibly can. I
swear he would do it again.”
Smith said Chester was
more excited about the car
ride to the vet than he was
concerned about what was
happening to him.
“He is really very sweet
and adorable,” Smith said of
Chester. “It was a scary thing
and looking back on it now
that he’s fine you can say,
‘yeah that’s just Chester.”
photo/Susan Smith
Chester is pictured De
cember 1st bundled up in his
winter sweater. “He has
spent his life getting into as
much trouble as he possibly
can. I swear he would do it
again, ” owner Susan Smith
said.
Continued From 1A
Meth
after the driver ran a red light
on Highway 515. The deputy
detected a strong scent of
burning marijuana in the ve
hicle and noticed the driver
looked nervous and was un
cooperative, according to
Stancil.
After calling for backup,
Deputy Anthony Sigman ar
rived followed by K-9 Han
dler Chris Bruce and Storm.
Stancil said Storm imme
diately alerted and they then
called for an agent from the
CMANS drag task force.
“Stopping the vehicle
after running the red light
was routine, but noticing the
nervousness and the smell of
the marijuana, the officers
should be commended for
recognizing this was more
than a traffic stop,” he said.
Arrested were Dustin
Ezekiel Payne, 37, and
Rachel Dara Watkins, 29,
both of Jasper. Both face the
same set of charges including
felony trafficking metham-
phetamine, possession of a
firearm in the commission of
a felony and possession of
firearms by convicted felons,
plus charges for marijuana
distribution, possession of
the bags of pills and traffic
violations.
Sheriff reports show that
2.56 pounds of meth, three
pistols, 54 grams of mari
juana, plus several bags of
pills, including Xanax and
other Schedule IV narcotics
illegal to have without pre
scriptions, and more than
$5,000 in cash were seized.
Captain Stancil said the
meth was in different bags of
varying amounts. Some were
ready to sell in smaller
amounts and others were
larger shards. The meth was
found in a blue tote bag in the
back seat of the vehicle.
“When they began search
ing the vehicle, they just kept
pulling out baggies,” Stancil
said. “It’s a large amount to
photo of Dustin Payne
photo of Rachel Watkins
find in a traffic stop.”
Based on the rough street
value the meth would be val
ued at $25,000 in bulk but
would have brought a lot
more in individual sales.
Stancil said based on the
amount seized and how it
was packaged, they were
likely “mid-level dealers,”
possibly returning from pick
ing up the meth in the Atlanta
area.
“With that quantity, it was
too much for a street-level
dealer,” he said. “They were
probably either selling it di
rectly or selling it to someone
who would then sell to cus
tomers.”
No bond has been set as
the pair will have to appear
before a judge to see if a
bond will be allowed due to
the seriousness of the traf
ficking meth charge.
Storm, the sheriff’s K-9 officer, was instrumental in the
seizure of meth and other drugs during a traffic stop.
He is shown with K-9 handler Chris Bruce.