Newspaper Page Text
TOP GOITERS
Pike County High School golf teams
win two out of three meets so far.
See page 2B
BIG WIN!
Pirates head baseball coach
celebrated his 400th win.
See page 1B
PIKE COUNTY
JOURNAL REPORT]
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021
PIKE'S PEEK
COVID-19
claims
24th life
Another Pike County
citizen lost their life
due to COVID-19, ac
cording to the Georgia
Department of Public
Health as of March 29.
Since last March, there
have been a total of
1.016 confirmed cases
in Pike, 24 deaths, 12
probable deaths and 67
hospitalizations.
The average age of
COVID-19 victims in
Pike is 70 years old,
with the youngest be
ing 42 years old and
two others in their
40s. The oldest was 94
years old.
See COVID-19 page 2A
Old Zebulon
Road closed
for work
Old Zebulon Road
will be closed from just
east of Howell Road
and continuing east
to Highway 19 due to
two 8 1/2 foot culverts
with severe deteriora
tion. The road could
be closed for weeks as
hydrology studies and
engineeering drawings
must be completed
before work can begin.
The culverts are
causing the roadway to
be undermined, mak
ing it unsafe for traffic.
The Pike County public
works department will
post road closure sig
nage on Old Zebulon
Road and have mes
sage boards on each
side of the culverts
to notify citizens of
closure.
All adults eligible for vaccine
Everyone in Georgia
who is 16 or older is now
eligible for the COV1D
vaccine. Pfizer is the only
COV1D vaccine currently
approved for children
aged 16 and older and
it is the only vaccine of
fered through the Geor
gia Department of Public
Health.
To find a vaccine loca
tion in the area, go to
dph.georgia.gov/covid-
vaccine or call the Health
Department Vaccine
Scheduling Resource
Line at 888-457-0186 from
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday
through Friday or 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday.
Citizens are encour
aged to pre-register for
the COVID-19 Vaccine.
“COVID-19 vaccines
continue to arrive in
Georgia in extremely lim
ited supply. As we await
additional vaccine supply
from the Federal Govern
ment, we urge currently
eligible Georgia residents
to pre-register today,”
says the DPH website.
Teachers and staff -
including substitutes at
Pike County schools had
the opportunity to re
ceive the first dose of the
vaccine on Friday, March
19. The vaccine was
administered by the Pike
County Health Depart
ment who distributed 130
doses of the vaccine at
the Ninth Grade Acad
emy building.
There are a total of
410 staff members in the
school system so around
32 percent of the staff
members took advantage
of the opportunity. Many
of the employees could
have eligibility earlier and
may have received the
vaccine at other times.
See VACCINE page 2A
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Courtney Gibson of the Health Department gives PCHS counsel
or and graduation coach Heather Jones dose one of the vaccine.
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
The Williamson Wisteria Festival brought hundreds of visitors to Pike at previous events as
vendors lined the Benson Hilley Walking Trail. This year’s event is set for April 2 and 3.
Williamson to host event April 2-3
The Williamson
Wisteria Festival bring
hundreds of visitors to
town this weekend as 65
different vendors share
unique items and popular
fair foods on Saturday,
April 3 from 9 to 4 p.m.
and talented locals take
the stage in the William
son Wisteria Festival
Talent Showcase Friday,
April 2 starting at 7 p.m.
Both events will be at the
Benson Hilley Walking
Trail Park in downtown
Williamson.
Saturday’s festival will
have something for every
one, including live music
all day, inflatables, pony
rides and a train for chil
dren and arts and crafts,
collectibles, antiques and
more at the many vendor
booths. Bands at the Sat
urday festival will include
The Wranglers at 10 a.m.,
Slim Pickins Combo at
11 a.m., Rivers Edge at
noon, Bonnie Ridge at 1
p.m., Line Creek at 2 p.m.
and Double Clutchin’ at 3
p.m. A forge and anvil will
be part of the Friendship
Baptist booth and visi
tors can see metal items
crafted during the event.
“We are so excited for
the festival!” said Wil
liamson city clerk Karen
Brentlinger. “Our Wisteria
Wagon got an update so
it is now lavender and
green with wisteria on it
and it will run from the
parking lots to the park
all day. The city’s tent will
have Wisteria Festival t-
shirts for $10 and limited
Wisteria plants. It’s going
to be so much fun for
everyone. We think it will
be a day to remember!”
Food vendors at the
Saturday festival will
include cheese sticks,
cotton candy, fresh pork
skins with more than 30
flavors, barbecue, Italian
ice, chicken, fish, slaw,
smokehouse barbecue,
lemonade, hot dogs, pea
nuts, homemade cakes
and pie, vanilla beans
and even a booth with
homemade spices and
flavorings.
Other vendors will
offer handmade clothing,
country boutique cloth
ing for children, clothes
for dogs, wood crafted
bowls and items, home
decor including signs and
candles, someone who
makes items out of bones,
portraits, crocheted
items and noodle boards,
health products such as
CBD items and more.
The winner of the
Friday Talent Showcase
will win a $100 prize and
nationally acclaimed
band the Appalachian
Travelers will perform as
well. A local DJ will offer
karaoke starting at 4 p.m.
for anyone interested be
fore the Talent Showcase
and will keep the music
playing between singers.
For more, go to CityOf
WilliamsonGa.org.
Easter services,
events planned
across
The pandemic
curtailed Easter cel
ebrations last year but
many services and
events are being held
this year, including
the largest egg drop in
central Georgia.
Christ Chapel Com
munity Church will
drop 100,000 Eas
ter eggs from a
helicopter on
Friday, April
2 at 6 p.m.
at the field
on Old
Zebulon
Road
across
from
the new
church.
Areas
sectioned
off for
different
age groups as
well as a special
needs area and parents
and children are asked
to be lined up and
ready at 6 p.m. for the
egg drop.
“We are just trying
to be the light in our
community and show
Jesus to those around
us, even through an egg
hunt event. It’s been
kind of a dark year for
everyone and we want
to do whatever we can
do for the community
to be the light they
need,” said Christ Cha
pel’s Chad Loyd.
Christ Chapel will
have two Easter ser
vices at 4 and 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 3 as
well as Easter Sunday
services at 8 a.m., 9:30
a.m. and 11 a.m. on
county
April 4.
Rock Springs Church
will have Easter servic
es at 5 p.m. Saturday,
April 3 and Sunday,
April 4 at 8 a.m., 9:30
a.m. and 11 a.m. at 219
Rock Springs Road in
Milner. Online services
will be offered as well.
For more, go to
RSEaster.com or
facebook.com/
rocksprings
online.
Life
Springs
UMC will
host an
Easter
sunrise
service
at 7 a.m. at
the newly
renovated
Prayer Walk
area next to
the church in
the pecan orchard
with breakfast to fol
low. They will also
have an 11 a.m. Easter
service in the main
sanctuary that will be
live streamed.
Concord United
Methodist Church at
62 McClendon Street
in Concord will hold a
Good Friday service at
12 noon Friday, April 2
with a complimentary
light lunch to follow the
service.
Northridge Church
will host an Easter
Sunrise service on
April 4 at 7 a.m. with a
view of the ridge at 430
Hickory Ridge Road in
Meansville that sepa
rates the south part of
Pike County and Upson
County.
Locals are National Outstanding Young Farmers finalists
Matt and Melissa Bot
toms of Concord were
recently announced as
finalists for the 2021
National Outstanding
Young Farmers Awards
Program.
Only eight finalists
were chosen from across
the country by the old
est farmer recognition
program in the United
States. The four winners
will be announced at
the 2022 NOYF Awards
Congress.
The Bottoms family
operates both a nursery
and a row crop farm
in Concord. As a fifth-
generation farmer, the
Bottoms have focused on
increasing yields, improv
ing plant quality and
marketing products while
working closely with
the Natural Resources
Conservation Service at
Bottoms Nursery.
The Bottoms join 2021
finalists from Connecti
cut, Iowa, Maine, New
Jersey, New Mexico,
Washington and Wiscon
sin.
Finalists were selected
for the award based
on their progress in
an agricultural career,
extent of soil and water
conservation practices,
and contributions to the
well-being of the commu
nity, state, and nation.
The NOYF program
selected its first group
of national winners
in 1955. The program
is sponsored by John
Deere, administered by
the Outstanding Farmers
of America, and support
ed by the U.S. Jaycees,
the National Association
of Conservation Districts,
and the National Associa
tion of County Agricul
tural Agents.
For more informa
tion or to nominate an
agricultural producer
for the 2022 award, go to
OutstandingFarmers.com
or find the Outstanding
Farmers of America on
Facebook.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Matt and Melissa Bottoms recently earned national recogni
tion for their work at Bottoms Nursery in Concord.