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PAGE 6A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. AUGUST 11.2022
THURSDAY. AUGUST 11.2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 7A
IGA grocery worker bags podium
By Alex Goble
Staff Writer
agoble@pickensprogress.com
Kirk Dotson, an employee at
Foothills IGA, placed third at the an
nual Georgia Food Industry best bagger
contest in July. The contest came down
to eight finalists from eight different
stores including Piggly Wiggly, Quality
Foods, Publix, and Kroger.
In the Georgia finals four check-out
stands were set up on stage and used in
four rounds - one round with four bag
gers for plastic, and a second round
with the other four baggers for plastic,
then a second set using reusable bags.
Each bagger is given the same 20 to 30
items to work with. “You might get a
box of cereal, some oatmeal, then some
cans and jars,” Dotson said.
According to Dotson, the competi
tion is judged on speed, technique,
style, attitude and appearance, with
speed being a main focus. “In the plas
tic round you had to bag it in under 40
seconds to get a perfect 10. For
reusable you had to be under 53 sec
onds. For technique it’s things like
glass can’t be touching glass and using
the boxes to build walls. For style they
look to see if you just threw some items
in there, look to see if things are stand
ing up or whether the bag was falling
over.”
(If you can find a video of a bagging
competition this reporter suggests giv
ing it a short watch, because the com
petition can be strangely compelling.)
Dotson did well, bagging in under
40 seconds for plastic and 54.05 for
reusable. “I just missed getting the 10.
If I had gotten the 10 I would have had
a better shot at winning,” he said refer
ring to the judges speed score. “All
three contestants: first, second and
third, it came down to tenths of a point.
It was really really close.”
To get to the finals each bagger has
to win competitions within their store
and other stores in the same chain. The
winner, who was from Publix, had a
long road to the finals, Dotson just had
to win his store’s competition.
“I was approached about it and
asked if I would be interested in com
peting and I said sure why not,” he said.
“In the store competition I was not very
good. I think I did plastic in like a
minute 20, so I got zero points for that.
Everything else I did pretty good so I
squeaked by to win the store competi
tion and then our store manager started
helping me out and coaching me up on
techniques.”
It all paid off in the end, with Dotson
bagging $500 for his third place finish.
“It was awesome,” he said. “I just
want to thank everyone here. I had a lot
of nice people around me to help me
out and I was glad to be able to get a
podium finish for them.”
Kirk Dotson minutes before the competition with a
cutout of his own face, provided by sponsor MDI. He
thanked Derek Abbot and Lisa Calhoun for all their hard
work in making his third place finish happen.
Jeepfest pays for event services, informs Sheriff Craig at Rotary
By Max Caylor
Contributing Writer
“The Sheriff’s Crawl for
Kids” founder Sheriff Donnie
Craig enlightened Rotary
about the workings of Jeep-
Fest which gave $180,000 in
2022 to charities. The event
is getting close to $ 1 million
in total donations mark over
the past 11 years.
Sheriff Craig said Jeep-
Fest operates as a foundation
purely for the benefit of the
community.
He added, the Sheriff’s
Foundation leases Home
Base for $3,300, pays for any
county road department work
and all security and traffic at
the event.
The Sheriff’s Foundation
was established in 2010 to
help families whose homes
had been damaged by torna
does.
“People gave me money
to assist those families and I
was informed I could not do
it out of my office so we es
tablished the foundation,”
shared Craig.
Craig told an amusing
story about the first Jeep ride.
He was addressing the 30
Jeepers when out of the blue
Craig said, “Come back next
year we are going to have a
three day event. The sheriff
smiled and said, “It must
have been a God thing.”
“We could not host 2,500
Jeeps without our volunteers,
vendors, governmental and
community involvement,”
added Craig.
Jeepfest will be Septem
ber 1-4 and will feature a
night ride in Jasper.
Visit sheriffsjeepfest.com
for more information.
Public Safety personnel accompanied Sheriff Donnie Craig to the Rotary meeting last week. They are (l-r) Matt
Dawkins, Jasper police chief; Mike Davis, assistant chief; Sheriff Craig; Shane Padgett, major with the sheriff’s office;
Marty Callahan, Rotary president; and John Sheerer, Jasper fire chief.
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SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
31
1
2
3
4
10AM-1PM Free Groceries, bag lunch &
school backpacks @ Talking Rock 1st Bap
tist Church
11:30AM-1PM Professional Women of
Pickens County program on Employee En
gagement and Retention @ Cty. Admin.
Bldg.
9:30AM Chose to Lose Weight Loss
Group @ Pickens Community Center v
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
6- 9PM Live music with Ryan Little Eagle
@ Old Mulehouse
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
7- 9PM Trivia Night @Pendley Creek Brew
ing Co.
/■:3UAivi-Noon Farmers Market (a) Lee
Newton Park C
8AM Yoga @ Rec. Center vJ
10AM Welcome Hands Quilters @ Episco
pal Church Parish Hall
11AM Tai Chi @ Episcopal Church of the
Holy Family
6- 9PM Live music with Weary Sons@ Old
Mulehouse
7- 9PM Singo @ Pendley Creek Brewing
Co.
iZviMM Live music with Andrew ^
Golden @ Old Mulehouse /
2PM The Shufflejunkies @ Rcocco’s
5:30PM Cardio Power Pump with Q
Karen @ Rec. Center
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Q
Center
10AM LOST negotiation meeting between
city of Jasper, Pickens County, Talking
Rock & Nelson @ Chatt. Tech
10AM Yoga @ Episcopal Church Confer
ence Center
11:15AM Gentle Yoga @ Episcopal
Church of the Holy Family
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
UniteC Methodist Church
BAM-1 PM Pinochle @ Pickens Sen- A
or Center (Daily) |
11AM-2PM Farmers Market @ Lee
Newton Park N Ride
Noon - Rotary Club @ Chatt Tech
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. . .
Center
4:15PM PHS Softball Vs. Gilmer @ 1 1
PHS
5PM Called Board of Education Board
Meeting @ Central Office
6PM Board of Education Regular Meeting
7PM Pickens Community Service Club @
Cty. Admin. Bldg.
7PM Amateur Radio Club @ Cornerstone
Church Auxiliary bldg.
7PM Jasper Lions Club @ First Baptist
Church Walker Hall
9:30AM Chose to Lose Weight a r\
Loss Group @ Pickens Community I J
Center 1 ^
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec.
Center
6-9PM Live music with Loose Shoes @
Old Mulehouse
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
5:30-8:30PM Sunset Supper & Concert @
Fainting Goat Vineyard
7:30PM PHS Varsity Football Scrimmage
@ Home
7:30AM-Noon Farmers Market @ a r\
Lee Newton Park H A
8AM Yoga @ Rec. Center
11AM Tai Chi @ Episcopal Church of the
Holy Family
3-9PM Benefit Gospel Singing @ Fair-
mount Community Center
5- 10PM Second Saturday @ Downtown
Jasper
6- 9PM Live music with Eric Reinhardt &
Leah Chapman @ Old Mulehouse
12-3PM Live music with Tom Blair 4 A
@ Old Mulehouse
2PM Stacy Wilson & The Band
Raven @Rocco’s
8AM-1PM Pinochle @ Pickens A f-
Senior Center (Daily) |
8AM-5PM Early Voting @ Commu
nity Center
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
12PM Legacy Ladies @ Episcopal Church
of the Holy Family
6PM Planning & Development Meeting @
Cty. Admin. Bldg.
6PM Water Authority Board @ Cty. Admin.
Bldg.
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. 1 R
Center 1 v
10AM Yoga @ Episcopal Church
of the Holy Family
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship Presbyte
rian Church
11:15AM Gentle Yoga @ Episcopal
Church of the Holy Family
5PM Football Vs. Towns (8th Grade)
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
BAM-1 PM Pinochle @ Pickens a ■y
Senior Center (Daily) I /
11AM-2PM Farmers Market @ Lee
Newton Park N Ride
Noon - Rotary Club @ Chatt Tech
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. 1 X
Center 1 w
4:15PM PHS Softball Vs. Lumpkin
@ PHS
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
6PM Talking Rock Council meeting @ TR
City Hall
6PM PHS Softball Vs. W. Hall @ PHS
6:30PM Young Guns @ First Mountain
Tasting Room
9:30AM Chose to Lose Weight \ 9
Loss Group @ Pickens Community
Center
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
6-9PM Live music with Rick Stone @ Old
Mulehouse
7:30PM PHS Varsity Football @ Sonorav-
ille
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
7:30AM-Noon Farmers Market @ _
Lee Newton Park y f]
8AM Yoga @ Rec. Center ^ SJ
10AM Welcome Hands Quilters @
Episcopal Church Parish Hall
11AM Tai Chi @ Episcopal Church of the
Holy Family
6-9PM Live music with Anderlan @ Old
Mulehouse
12-3PM Live music with Wesley O A
Earwood @ Old Mulehouse 1
2PM The Cover Band @ Rocco’s
8AM-1PM Pinochle @ Pickens OO
Senior Center (Daily) ^ L
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec.
Center
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
8AM-1PM Pinochle @ Pickens QQ
Senior Center (Daily)
10AM Yoga @ Episcopal Church
of the Holy Family
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship Presbyte
rian Church
11:15AM Gentle Yoga @ Episcopal
Church of the Holy Family
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
8AM-1PM Pinochle @ PickensQ^
Senior Center (Daily) lJA
11AM-2PM Farmers Market @ Lee
Newton Park N Ride
Noon - Rotary Club @ Chatt Tech
1PM GRIEFSHARE @ Foothills Commu
nity Church
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec.QC
Center L-O
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship
Presbyterian Church
10AM Yoga @ Episcopal Church of the
Holy Family
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
7PM Pickens Community Service Club @
Cty. Admin. Bldg.
7PM Jasper Lions Club @ First Baptist
Church Walker Hall
9:30AM Chose to Lose Weight r\r\
Loss Group @ Pickens Community ^ Q
Center
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
6-9PM Live music with Rusted Melody @
Old Mulehouse
5:30-8:30PM Sunset Supper & Concert @
Fainting Goat Vineyard
6:30PM Red Shoe Party Fundraiser @
Chateau Meichtry
7:30PM PHS Varsity Football @ North Mur
ray
7:30AM-Noon Farmers Market @07
Lee Newton Park ^ \
8AM Yoga @ Rec. Center
11AM Tai Chi @ Episcopal Church of the
Holy Family
6-9PM Live music with Orange Walls @
Old Mulehouse
12-3PM Live music with Julie Gib- Q O
ble @ Old Mulehouse ^ O
2PM Still Truckin’@ Rocco’s
8AM-1PM Pinochle @ Pickens 2 9
Senior Center (Daily)
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
10AM Prayer Shawl Ministry & Pet Ministry
@ Episcopal Church
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
8AM-1 PM Pinochle @ Pickens Sen- Q A
ior Center (Daily) OU
10AM Yoga @ Episcopal Church
Conference Center
6PM PHS Varsity Softball @ Lumpkin
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist Church
BAM-1PM Pinochle @ PickensQ A
Senior Center (Daily) O I
11AM-2PM Farmers Market @ Lee
Newton Park N Ride
Noon - Rotary Club @ Chatt Tech
1PM GRIEFSHARE @ Foothills Commu-
lity Church
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