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The Progress
Editorial
May 5,2022
From the Staff
Our town on the move
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
If you haven’t been to downtown
Jasper recently, you may be surprised
how the town is bustling. It seems more
often than not there are plenty of cars
parked along Main Street in the evenings
and people on the streets all day.
As several locals have observed, the
patrons downtown include many (maybe
mostly) new faces and small groups who
have somehow found their way to our
restaurants, wine bar and candy and cof
fee shops.
I am always curious about how the
people downtown arrived here. Possibly
new homeowners as part of the crowd
buying small farm/estate lots or maybe
from the gated communities? I met a
couple walking on Main Street recently
looking for somewhere to eat and asked
where they had come from. They turned
out to be pure tourists. The younger cou
ple saw a listing on Airbnb and decided
to give Jasper a try. They liked it.
One question they had, for which
there was no good answer, at 9 p.m. on a
weeknight, what are the food options? Is
there enough later evening business to
justify places staying open later? That
would be up for the business owners to
decide but I can tell you at least two peo
ple were looking recently.
This energy throughout downtown is
encouraging for the businesses investing
in our community. It is good to see there
are people who will come out, but also a
little concerning - what if it the growth
is more than we can handle?
Despite complaints by those opposed
to walking a block or two, parking is not
even close to being an issue at this time.
You will walk less to the front door of
any place in town than you will to shop
at a big box retailer.
We are now in the spring event period.
Much like the blackberry blossoms,
events pop up everywhere - in this
week’s paper you can find information
on a Kids Fishing Rodeo (Saturday); and
Jasper’s Second Saturday event series
(next week). Not to mention a real rodeo
in Marble Hill.
We’d like to invite/encourage our
community, especially the locals who
had years ago given up on Pickens
County as a fun place for an outing, to try
any of the events. They are either free or
low cost and don’t require driving too far.
The events provide a chance to con
nect with fellow members of this com
munity - maybe see people you haven’t
seen in a while.
A couple of particular notes: the
Sportsmen’s Club is working hard to re
vive the Kids Fishing Days which for
decades let many young anglers catch a
trout with the assistance of DNR person
nel and experienced anglers. City hall
crews have already whipped the creek
area on Cove Road into shape and volun
teers are working to get everything else
set. At its height this event included days
for the elderly and for the disabled. This
is an event the entire community should
be proud of. Simply having it here makes
us all look good. We wish all the anglers
luck landing a trout and the organizers a
smooth event.
The rodeo in Marble Hill is run by a
small family-owned operation and, in ad
dition to excitement, is committed to pro
viding a low-cost outing for people to get
outside and enjoy some honest to good
ness real entertainment, not requiring any
cell phone or app.
Finally, kudos to the city of Jasper and
their Downtown Development Authority
for moving ahead with the Second Satur
day series. Running once a month all
summer, this is a tremendous effort to
bring people to downtown businesses
and provide a free chance to socialize in
our community. As you read the article
on this event (See People Page), please
note how the organizers say they recog
nize they may need to make adjustments
after the first one. They want to please
people. We ask you to support their work
by coming out and being understanding
that this is the first time in years the city
has put on downtown concerts.
It’s great to see our small town
bustling. Event organizers are working
hard, let’s see that their work is sup
ported.
Tell us your thoughts with a letter to the editor. E-mail to news@pickensprogress.com
See letter submission guidelines on the Letters to the Editor page or call us 706-253-2457.
Senior Moments
Pet peeves
By Mary Migliaro
Every person has a list of
qualities and conditions they
hate to see in the people around
them. Whether it is bad breath,
talking during a movie, some
one biting their nails, overlook
ing somebody else when they
are on their phone, or some
thing more eccentric than that.
Those things generally
annoy someone more than the
average person and senior citi
zens are not immune.
Pet Peeves, according to the
dictionary, are things that annoy
people. There are no multiple
definitions, no partial interpre
tations, nothing subjective
about it. Something is either a
pet peeve or not.
As we age and approach our
golden years, we often become
cantankerous and obstinate. We
can get set in our ways and un
willing to bend.
Many of us 50 years-and-
over folks become our parents,
although we won’t admit it. I
promise not to turn into that old
lady sitting on her porch yelling
at the neighborhood youth to
get off her lawn!
Now I’m usually pretty laid
back, but there are a few things
that really irritate me. They
have become my personal pet
peeves, and here they are.
Adults who don’t pick up
after themselves
During a recent trip to the
grocery store, a man spilled his
coffee on the ground and used
paper napkins to clean off his
hands. Then he abruptly drove
off, leaving his Styrofoam
drink cup and soaked napkins
on the pavement. Please grow
up. Throw away your trash.
You are not a child.
Tailgaters
You know you’re getting
old when everyone passes you
on the road, even the bicyclists.
Just kidding. Seriously though,
nothing chaps my hide more
than drivers who tailgate. This
is especially a problem in At
lanta, where drivers will get
right in your rear-view mirror
even if you’re going ten miles
OVER the speed limit.
Trying to have a meaningful
conversation by text
It can take 20 texts back and
forth with someone to resolve
an issue that could have been
dealt with in a 30-second phone
call. The worst is getting caught
in a group text or email chain as
your phone buzzes incessantly
while you’re trying to relax.
Let’s try picking up the
phone more often and calling
our friends! It’s often great to
hear their voices and it’s usu
ally a better way to communi
cate. I always appreciate
someone who takes the time
and effort to call.
I’m trying to mellow a bit
more these days, but I don’t
think I’ll get over my pet
peeves. Now that I’ve shared a
few of mine with you, feel free
to share some of your pet
peeves with me. Drop me an
email and we’ll vent together!
[Mary Migliaro is a frequent
contributor to the Progress as
both a columnist and with a reg
ular parenting/family advice col
umn. She may be reached at
marymigliaro@aol.com.]
(USPS 431-820)
Published by Pickens County Progress, Inc.
94 North Main Street, Jasper, GA 30143
(706) 253-2457
www.pickensprogressonline.com
DAN POOL
Publisher/Editor
Published each Thursday at Jasper, Pickens County, Georgia.
Entered at the Post Office at Jasper, Georgia 30143
as Mail Matter of Second Class.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS, 94 N. Main St., Jasper, GA 30143.
One Year Subscription: $41.17 for residents of Pickens County
or the cities of Ball Ground, Fairmount, and Ranger;
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#lbe ^>cj)ool
Other Voices
Technology’s role in sustainable
agriculture discussed at UGA symposium
Adrian Robbins, a 2021 CAES graduate and current UGA
MBA, shared information about her ag tech startup, AgLite.
A UV-C light sterilization method to prevent the spread of
plant disease from contaminated seeds.
By Claire Sanders
University of Georgia
Peter Zimmerli, Consul
General of Switzerland in At
lanta, implored attendees to
expand their thinking regard
ing technology and sustain
ability at the opening of the
recent Cleantech Symposium
at the University of Georgia.
“Imagine a world where
all humankind has access to
sufficient food assured by
sustainable agriculture.
Imagine a world where we
have technology that ad
dresses these needs,” Zim
merli said.
A partnership between the
Consulate General of
Switzerland, the UGA Col
lege of Agricultural and En
vironmental Sciences, the
Swiss Business Hub and
UGA’s Office of Sustainabil
ity, the symposium featured a
panel discussion, breakout
sessions and a student poster
competition focused on the
future of innovation in sus
tainable technology.
Adrian Robbins, a 2021
CAES graduate and current
MBA at UGA, shared infor
mation about her ag tech
startup, AgLite, a UV-C light
sterilization method to pre
vent the spread of plant dis
ease from contaminated
seeds.
“The world is trying to
feed more people on less land
with fewer resources, and
today was a great example of
how we can do that. CAES
partnering with the Swiss
Consulate and the Office of
Sustainability created a
global viewpoint from which
we could have conversations
about how technology can
play a role in sustainability,”
said Chris Rhodes, director
of industry partnerships and
project-based learning at
CAES. “It’s these types of
collaborations that will ulti
mately keep us on track de
livering food to a hungry
world.”
Each entrepreneur, scien
tist and consumer has a
unique path to sustainable
operations and living, a con
cept that became the focus of
discussions among of a panel
of industry leaders at the
symposium.
Business leaders weren’t
the only curious minds in at
tendance at the Cleantech
Symposium. Students inter
ested in entrepreneurship or
environmental sustainability
sat in on sessions to glean
knowledge from current in
dustry pioneers.
“Hearing the entrepre
neurial experiences of others
encouraged me in my own
entrepreneurial aspirations to
keep on learning, communi
cating and advocating for
myself and my businesses as
a true entrepreneur does,”
said agricultural education
major Tania Guadalupe Rios.
“Hearing them refer to fail
ure as a good thing and as an
essential part of the entrepre
neurial journey has given me
even more motivation to con
tinue developing my passion
for entrepreneurship.”
For more on the Cleantech
Symposium, visit
newswire.caes.uga.edu. To
learn about innovation at
CAES, check out leadingin-
novation.caes.uga.edu.
Claire Sanders is the sen
ior public relations specialist
in the CAES Dean and Direc
tor's Office.
WEATHER
By William Dilbeck
HI
LOW
RAIN
April
26
63
43
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April
27
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48
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April
28
73
49
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April
29
75
51
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April
30
76
58
.01
May
1
76
58
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May
2
80
58
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