Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, July 1,2021 | Volume 134 Number 11 | Jasper, Georgia | 24 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
Bunch
hired as
county
CFO
Charlene Bunch
Pickens County
press release
The Board of Commis
sioners is very excited to
announce that Charlene
Bunch has been hired to
serve the citizens of Pick
ens County as the finance
director for the Pickens
County government.
Bunch officially came on
board on June 14th and
has been working with the
existing finance director
during the transition. On
July 1 st, she will officially
become the finance direc
tor.
Bunch brings over 30
years of accounting expe
rience to Pickens County.
She joins our organization
from the State University
System of Florida, for
which Bunch served as
the fiscal and business an
alyst at the University of
South Florida. In that po
sition, Bunch was respon
sible for managing USF’s
capital improvements
budget, which exceeds
$200,000,000. Prior
thereto, Bunch held other
See CFO on 11A
Parks spark
contentious
debate in
Nelson
Nelson Mayor Sylvia
Green, in a recently pub
lished statement, chided
council members for fail
ing to move forward with
plans to improve the
Pickens Street Park.
By Larry Cavender
Contributing Writer
Interest and emotions
are both running high in
relation to plans, or the
lack thereof, for park im
provements in Nelson.
A work session was
held on Thursday, June
24th, in which the Nelson
mayor and council ad
dressed their differences
concerning the park is
sues. The work session
was followed by a special
called meeting of the
council.
This was the first meet
ing following an impas
sioned plea from Mayor
Sylvia Green in the form
of a public statement pub
lished in the June 17th
issue of the Pickens
County Progress. The
statement was in response
to the council's failure at
their previous June 7th
meeting to move plans
forward for improvements
at the Pickens Street Park.
In the statement,
Mayor Green chided the
council members saying,
"Capital improvements re
main stagnant. Ongoing
projects can't move for
ward due to lack of com
munication amongst
council."
On June 7th, council
See Nelson on 11A
THE FAIR IS IN TOWN — Peachtree Rides crew members work in the drizzle Tuesday assembling
a Merry-Go-Round canopy at Lee Newton Park. The fair, which has been operated by Peachtree
for the past several years, is an important source of revenue for the local Lions Club who use this
to fund the yearly Independence Day celebration.
Michael Jackson said he has been coming to Jasper with Peachtree Rides for the past six or
seven years - except last year of course. “That pandemic really messed things up, ” he said. “I am
glad we are coming out of it. ” Jackson said Jasper always puts on a good July 4th celebration.
“They really go all out with fireworks and other stuff, ” he said.
See a complete schedule, including hours at the fair on pages 4-5B. Photo / Dan Pool
Lions gear up for return
of July Fourth celebration
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
Tuesday morning, crews
were busy setting up colorful
fair rides at Lee Newton Park,
where the majority of the Inde
pendence Day celebration will
take place. The Jasper Lions
Club has been busy organizing
the 2021 event, and are excited
to have it back after it had to be
cancelled in 2020 due to the
pandemic.
“Once we got the go-ahead to
proceed with our plans for this
year’s celebration, all the pieces
just started falling into place
thanks to the hard work and ded
ication of our Lions members
and other volunteers who help
keep things running smoothly,”
said Leslie Miller, the club’s im
mediate past president. “We are
so excited to be back this year
with the Independence Day fes
tivities. I feel like we are emerg
ing from the pandemic fog, and
I can’t think of a better way than
celebrating our country.”
This year things are slightly
different, with the parade start
ing at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 3
(instead of the traditional 10
a.m. start time). Entertainment
at Lee Newton Park will be on
both Saturday and Sunday, with
fireworks Sunday, July 4 at 10
p.m. The popular Peachtree
Rides fair will run Thursday,
July 1 through Sunday, July 4.
Discount tickets for the fair are
available at a variety of busi
nesses across the county. See a
full lineup of events, entertain
ment, and fair times on pages 4-
5B.
Miller expects the parade to
be a big one this year, with a
large number of participants al
ready signed up. If you want to
participate but still haven’t filled
out an application, you can sign
up the day of the event. Parade
line-up/check-in starts at 11
a.m., Saturday, July 3 behind
Jasper United Methodist
Church. Application fee is $25
for up to four vehicles, and $5
per vehicle after that per appli
cation. The theme is “Celebrat
ing America.. .Together Again!”
Raffle tickets will be sold on
festival grounds. First prize -
$1,000; Second prize - $500;
third prize - $250. Tickets are $3
each or two for $5. Raffle is
drawn Sunday just before fire
works.
Grand Marshals raise awareness
for organ donation and transplant
A
Allison Stancil Traci Buckingham
Submitted by
Jasper Lions Club
The Jasper Lions
Club is proud to an
nounce the Grand Mar
shals of this year’s
parade: Allison Stancil
and Traci Buckingham.
Not only did both ladies
devote years to educat
ing children in Pickens
County, but they also
share a special bond.
While they do not like the spot
light, it is an opportunity to
share their story of a miracle and
God’s grace if we will just trust
Him.
During the 2017-18 school
year, Buckingham was diag
nosed with kidney failure. At
that time, she was teaching at
Jasper Elementary School. As
the school year was coming to
an end, she was told that Jasper
Elementary School would be
come a middle school and all the
teachers would be reas
signed to other elemen
tary schools.
“I questioned God
about how He could let
this happen. It was my
last year and I wanted
to finish where I
started. I started pray
ing against the con
struction - but God
knew better. He knew
I had to move,” Buck
ingham said.
She went to Harmony Ele
mentary, and it was there where
she met Stancil. Buckingham
said, “I was so close to my JES
co-workers that I never thought
I could be that close to another
See Marshals on 11A
| l
r
Home burns on Thrasher Lane
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
A mobile home on Thrasher Lane
suffered severe damage after an elec
trical outlet caught fire over the week
end.
According to Pickens Fire Marshal
Shane Callahan, five people were at
home when the fire broke out. At
around 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 27, res-
Photo / Pickens County Marshal’s Office
The fire originated on the back deck of this Thrasher Lane residence.
Thrasher Lane is located off Refuge Road.
ident John Quinton noticed the strong
smell of burning plastic and found an
electrical outlet on the back deck
smoking.
Callahan said Quinton and four
other residents, including two young
children, got out of the home safely and
called 911.
“By the time we got there the fire
had run up the back of the structure
into the roof,” Callahan said.
Approximately 50 percent of the
home was damaged by the fire and
smoke, and the family lost most of their
belongings.
A family member made a post about
the fire on the Pickens County Updates
Facebook page. Debra Bryant, mother
of DeLaney and grandmother of James,
said, “Our heartfelt and humbled thank
See Fire on 11A
Inside this Edition:
32 kids have fun
at Cowboy
Church’s Rodeo
Bible Horse
Camp Page 6B
Entertainment
July 4th
celebration
schedule of
events
Page 4-5B
Pets
More pets go
missing on July 4
than any other
day of the year
Page 3B
Body-builder talks
positive thinking
Page 1B
Obituaries - 8A
• Gene Troglin
• Irene Nixie
• Jimmy Lee
• Meg Calhoun
• Melesia McElveen
• Owen Finsted
• Robert Gregory Sr.
• Stacy Williams
• Styles Born
• Taylor Mundy
• Troy McElroy
Contact Us
94 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
www.pickensprogress.com
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