Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 25. 2021
Celebrate the holidays safely with family and friends
Follow COVID-19
and flu prevention
measures
Atlanta - The COVID
vaccine has helped make cel
ebrating upcoming holidays
together with family and
friends possible again. To
keep yourself and your loved
ones safe, the Georgia De
partment of Public Health
(DPH) urges all Georgians to
plan ahead and take steps to
reduce risk of exposure to
COVID-19 and the flu as
they celebrate.
•The best protection
against COVID and the flu is
vaccination, and the vaccines
can be administered at the
same time. People are con
sidered fully vaccinated for
COVID two weeks after their
second dose of the Pfizer-
BioNTech or Moderna
COVID-19 vaccines, or two
weeks after the single-dose
J&J COVID-19 vaccine.
Likewise, it takes about two
weeks after getting a flu vac
cine for antibodies that pro
tect against flu to develop in
the body.
•Wear well-fitting masks
over your nose and mouth if
you are in public indoor set
tings if you are not fully vac
cinated. People who are fully
vaccinated should wear a
mask in public indoor set
tings in communities with
substantial to high transmis
sion.
•Outdoor activities are
safer than indoor activities.
•Avoid crowded, poorly
ventilated spaces.
•Wash your hands fre
quently with soap and warm
water. Use hand sanitizer if
soap and water aren’t avail
able.
•If you are sick or have
symptoms of COVID-19 or
the flu, don’t host or attend a
gathering.
•Get tested if you have
symptoms of COVID-19 or
have a close contact with
someone who has COVID-
19.
•If you are not fully vacci
nated for COVID and must
travel, follow the CDC’s rec
ommendations.
Fifty-one percent of Geor
gians are fully vaccinated for
COVID-19 which means
every crowd is a mix of vac
cinated and unvaccinated in
dividuals and the risk of
COVID transmission exists,
especially the delta variant
which is more contagious
and can cause more severe
illness than other variants.
DPH is closely monitoring
COVID case increases in Eu
rope and parts of the United
States. Additionally, surveil
lance in Georgia indicates flu
activity is increasing in some
areas.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
(CDC) recommend several
ways to enjoy holiday tradi
tions while protecting your
health.
For young children who
aren't yet eligible for the
COVID vaccine, reduce the
risk of exposure by making
sure the people around them
are vaccinated.
•Everyone, even people
who are fully vaccinated for
COVID, is required to wear a
mask on public transporta
tion and follow international
travel recommendations.
Holiday traditions are im
portant for families and chil
dren. By working together,
we can enjoy safer holidays,
travel, and protect our own
health as well as the health of
our family and friends.
To find a COVID or flu
vaccine location in your area,
visit vaccinefinder.org.
For more information
about safely celebrating this
holiday season, log on to
https://www.cdc.gov/coron-
avirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-
coping/holidays/celebrations.
html.
Tri-State Model Railroad
ers will be hosting its
Thanksgiving Ride the
Rails/Open House events on
Friday and Saturday, Novem
ber 26th and 27th. Join them
for an exciting and scenic 5-
mile ride behind restored
open air railroad motor cars
traveling on the former
Louisville and Nashville
Railroad’s Murphy Branch.
Heading westward from the
restored Depot at Mineral
Bluff you’ll travel across the
iron bridge crossing over the
beautiful Toccoa River, then
ascend the grade out of the
river valley to Murphy Junc
tion, and return. A donation
of $15 for adults 18+ and $5
for youths 2-17 is requested.
Children under 2 - free.
These Motor Car rides will
operate from 10 a.m. with the
last trip at 3 p.m. on each day
and take 35-40 minutes.
Back at the depot, you
will have the unique opportu
nity to propel yourself down
the track on a replica of an
old time hand pump car. A
donation of $2 per person/per
trip is requested. Special for
children: Ride the miniature
7 1/2 gauge hand car for free!
It’s a Family Fun time you’ll
not want to miss! The depot
will be open for you to see
the interior of the oldest pub
lic building in Fannin County
and how the model railroad
ers have improved the HO
scale railroad by adding a
second level to the layout.
Several vendors will be on
hand offering their unique
wares and food, some items
very appropriate for Christ
mas giving.
The funds raised during
this event will be used to
maintain the Depot and con
tinue construction on the
large HO Model Railroad
Layout inside the Depot,
which depicts the route of the
Louisville and Nashville
Railroad’s “Old Line” as it
ran between Etowah, TN and
Marietta, GA through Cop-
perhill, Blue Ridge and Elli-
jay along with the branch
through Mineral Bluff to
Murphy, NC. It’s their way of
preserving the rich heritage
of railroading’s contribution
to the growth of this region,
and of educating future gen
erations about the important
role railroads play in our na
tion’s growth and progress.
For further information
see their website at
www.tsmri.org, see their
Facebook Page, send an
email to tsmri@yahoo.com
or call 423-299-3914.
(Mod® A ?®s/
TOYS -tots
jangles
Are You Looking For...
o Limitless career path opportunities with a fast-growing
company?
o A genuinely healthy, values based, community focused culture?
o Lucrative monthly sales and quarterly profit bonus
opportunities?
We are the largest franchisee in the Bojangles restaurant system.
We are one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the
Southeast and our looking for a General Manager and Assistant
General Manager to operate our new location in Blue Ridge, GA.
Assistant General Manager pay $36,000-$44,000 a year and General
Manager pay $45,000-$65,000 year (includes supplemental
bonuses), based upon experience.
Check Out What Makes Us Different!
Come Join our Growing Team of Leaders!
Apply online at www.Bocountry.com/emplovment
and select the location nearest you.
EOE/Drug Free Workplace
The Charitable Sisterhood
Christmas Spectacular
opens this Friday
Photo by Eve Sauer.
Away in a Manger are Mary (April Miller) and Joseph,
played by a very familiar-looking but heavily disguised
actor.
By Nan Nawrocki
Tater Patch Players
This Friday night The
Charitable Sisterhood Christ
mas Spectacular, by Bo Wil
son, begins three weekends
of comedy at Tater Patch
Players. The director, Jan
Simpson, calls the show a
"Christmas comedy whodun
nit." It will open November
26 for nine performances.
Tickets will be available at
www.taterpatchplayers.org or
at the box office one hour be
fore showtime. The Sunday
shows will be at 2 p.m. and
the others at 7:30 p.m. The
theater is a 95 Philadelphia
Lane, in Jasper.
Tater Patch is again host
ing "share night" on Tuesday,
November 23 at 7:30 p.m.
This special night is for
members of our community
who might not be able to af
ford tickets. The troupe
opens the doors to their final
dress rehearsal for them and
asks that Share Night atten
dees bring a donation of bags
of nonperishable food or toi
letry items for the CARES
Food Pantry.
This play is unique be
cause the backstage crew,
Amelia Zerkle and Jessie
Ray, appear often on stage,
especially in the second act.
The story switches back and
forth between the Sister
hood's church basement and
the stage of the Christmas
Spectacular. The two stage
crew are a big part of this
transformation and add to the
fun. The all-volunteer
scenery crew of Tater Patch
Players has outdone them
selves with this show. Be
sides the ever changing
location scenery, they have
created a huge number of
unique props and costumes.
The crew has worked hard to
create props that, while made
by Tater Patch's very skilled
volunteers, look like they
were made by four very am
ateur “church ladies” who are
on a very low budget and
who have run out of time.
They have created everything
from a one-of-a-kind Baby
Jesus to a Christmas sweater
slide show, to a very one-of-
a-kind Bethlehem. The group
volunteers to work every
week on these sets, and the
theater is filled with energy
and conversation while they
are there. They invite you to
join them by emailing the
troupe and volunteering to
join their busy crew. Every
one is welcome and has a tal
ent that the troupe needs.
Ms. Simpson is assisted in
directing by Phyllis Zerkle,
who has appeared previously
in several comic roles on the
Tater Patch stage. Both of
them have worked hard with
this cast and in developing
the very interesting staging
and are rightfully proud of
the results. The play is a
merry-go-round of laughter,
but is ultimately about how
we can lose the meaning of
the Christmas season in all
the preparations. The actors
are sure to leave the audience
brimming with smiles.
For further information or
questions, please contact the
theater, located at 96
Philadelphia Lane, by phone
(706-253-2800) or email
(taterpatchplayers@gmail.co
m).
Ride the Rails at Mineral Bluff
December 4, 2021
Tree Lighting - Santa
Shop Our Vendors
and Local Shops
Food & Drinks