Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2021
WORLD SERIES BOUND
The Pike County 14U All Stars and 6U All Stars will play in the
USSSA World Series tournament in Louisiana this summer.
See page 2A
PIKE'S PEEK
Concord's
kids parade
set for July 3
Concord’s Indepen
dence Day Children’s
Parade is set for
Saturday, July 3, start
ing at 10 a.m. Riders
of all ages are invited
to participate and are
encouraged to wear
red, white and blue as
they ride bikes, trikes,
skateboards, skates,
wagons or any non-
motorized vehicles in
the parade. Pets are
welcome as well.
Refreshments will
be served at the city
park pavilion as the
prizes are awarded.
Participants are asked
to line up at the Con
cord Cafe at 9:45 a.m.
behind the fire truck.
New council
members in
Molena; ice
cream social
The city of Molena
will not need a spe
cial election after two
citizens qualified for
the two open council
posts. Andrea Ashby
will be the council
member for Post 3 and
Luis Vazquez Sr. will
be the council mem
ber for Post 4.
The Molena Civic
Club and city are
working together to
provide social events
during the summer.
“We have an ice
cream social coming
up July 1 from 6:30 to
8 p.m. hosted by the
Molena Civic Club
and the city is trying
to arrange for a flag
retirement ceremony,”
said Molena city clerk
Tina Lee. “Covid put
a stop to our city’s
social events and we
really want to just
draw the community
back together.”
SPECIAL PHOTO
The Oak Ridge Boys will perform for the Celebrate America event set for this Saturday, June 26
at Christ Chapel along with Jason Hoard. All are invited to enjoy free inflatables and fireworks.
Concerts, fireworks this Saturday
The Oak Ridge Boys
will bring their high-
energy stage show to
Zebulon on Saturday,
June 26 at Christ Chapel
as they perform classic
gospel, country and pa
triotic music outside the
church for the Celebrate
America event. Jason
Hoard will also perform
live music. The fun and
festivities will start at 5
p.m. with water slides,
inflatables and games
for kids as well as food
trucks and vendors.
Everyone is encouraged
to bring chairs and enjoy
the show, the fun and the
fireworks at dark.
“The concert is going
to be phenomenal. We
want people to know that
even though this is at
Christ Chapel, this is a
community event be
cause that’s what Christ
Chapel is all about,” said
Chad Loyd. “You don’t
have to go to our church,
we just want to pull
together as a community
and celebrate America!”
The Oak Ridge
Boys’ hits include the
pop chart-topper El
vira, as well as Bobbie
Sue, Dream On, Thank
God For Kids, American
Made, I Guess It Never
Hurts To Hurt Some
times, Fancy Free, Y’All
Come Back Saloon and
many others. They’ve
scored 12 gold, three
platinum and one double
platinum album, plus one
double platinum single
and more than a dozen
national Number One
singles and more than 30
Top Ten hits.
Parking will be in the
large field across Old
Zebulon Road from the
church and no drugs,
alcohol or tobacco is
allowed. The concerts,
fireworks and kids en
tertainment are free but
participants may want
to bring cash to spend
at the food trucks and
vendors or for Celebrate
America t-shirts that will
be for sale.
“We’re just trying to
bring some normality
back after the pandemic.
We want to continue to
give back to our commu
nity and show them the
love. We are trying to be
the light for our commu
nity,” said Loyd. “With
everything that’s been
going on, we want people
to know that the love of
Jesus still brings hope
and changes lives.”
PHOTOS BY JOHN ELLIS
Members of Boy Scout Troop 37 and Troop 465 ceremonially retire American flags during the
special Flag Day program hosted by American Legion Post 197 on June 14. Used and worn
American flags may be placed in a drop box outside the Post 197 facility on Old Meansville Road.
Flag Day program, retirement
ceremony retires record 506 flags
The Pike County
American Legion Family
197’s special flag retire
ment ceremony in honor
of Flag Day retired a
record number of flags
with more than 500
American flags ceremoni
ally retired.
“When we look at
our flag and pay it our
utmost respect, we know
there is much represent
ed within that flag. We
know that respect and
honor towards our Flag is
done not just today, but
every day, because what
the flag represents is not
just a one day affair,” said
Post 197 commander
Bryan Richardson. “The
American flag is the most
recognized symbol of
freedom and democracy
in the world. And every
day around the world to
include within our own
borders, we as a nation
are being tested. We
must be conscious of
what our freedoms are,
what a democracy is, and
finally practice, protect
and defend these ideals.”
American Legion Post 197
commander Bryan Richard
son shares the importance of
the American flag.
The ceremony includ
ing the posting of the
colors, the Pledge of
Allegiance led by Scout
Gryce Paslie, the read
ing of Ragged Old Flag,
prayers and the playing
of Taps in honor of those
who died defending the
flag, nation and Ameri
ca’s freedoms. The multi-
organizational Color
Guard consisted of U.S.
Army SFC Stephen Ponce,
SFC Eric Loving and SSG
Jonathon Hansen, Legion
Family members Stephen
Golias, Stefan Huckaby,
Melissa Patten and Jason
Patten, Troop 37 Scout
Elijah Mobley and Troop
465 Scout Lianna Rhodes.
“We have been present
ed with these flags of our
country which have been
inspected and judged as
unserviceable. They have
reached their present
state in a proper service
of tribute, memory and
love,” said Richardson. “A
flag may be a flimsy bit of
printed gauze or a beauti
ful banner of finest silk.
The intrinsic value may
be trifling or great; but its
real value is beyond price,
for it is a precious symbol
of all that our brothers
and sisters at arms have
worked for and lived
for, and died for - a free
nation of free men and
women, true to the faith of
the past, devoted to ideals
and practice of justice,
freedom and democracy.”
See FLAG page 2A
Voter IDs are free
at elections office
BY RACHEL McDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Pike County elections
supervisor Lynn Vick
ers wants all citizens to
know that the elections
office is able to make
free IDs for those who
do not have a driver’s
license and the Depart
ment of Drivers Ser
vices offers the same
service as
well.
“As part
of Senate
Bill 202,
citizens
will need
to have a
Voter ID
or govern
ment-is
sued photo
ID for in-
person vot
ing,” said
Vickers.
Citizens
applying for a Voter ID
will need to take their
birth certificate and a
piece of mail showing
their address (such as a
utility bill or other bill)
to the elections office
at 81 Jackson Street in
Zebulon. The process
takes around 20 min
utes to put all the infor
mation in the system,
take a photo and print
out a temporary Voter
ID. A hard copy of the
Voter ID will be mailed
to the resident’s home.
Vickers noted that
Georgia election law
requires voters to show
one of six forms of
photo identification in
order to vote in per
son. Those six forms
of ID include a Georgia
driver’s license (even if
it is expired), any valid
state or federal govern
ment-issued photo ID
(including the free Voter
ID card offered by the
DDS and county elec
tions offices), a valid
U.S. passport, a valid
employee photo ID from
any branch, depart
ment, agency or entity
of the U.S. government,
Georgia or any county,
municipality, board, au
thority or any other en
tity of the state, a valid
U.S. military photo ID or
a valid tribal photo ID.
She said
that those
taking ad
vantage of
absentee vot
ing will need
to include
their driver’s
license num
ber or Voter
ID number
and their
birthday in
order to vote
via absentee
ballot. She
said there are
other changes due to
the law as well.
“One thing that con
cerns me is I can’t send
out courtesy absentee
application mail like I
used to for the elderly
and disabled every
year,” she said. “They
will have to request it
themselves and once
we receive their ap
plication, they will get
absentee ballots for one
year only. I just don’t
want any voters expect
ing to get their absentee
application and it never
arrives.”
Vickers also remind
ed voters that the ballot
drop box will be inside
the office and open only
during the early voting
hours.
For more on ID re
quirements and obtaining
a free Voter ID, call the
Pike office of elections at
770-567-2003 or go to sos.
ga.gov/elections.
SPECIAL PHOTO
Voter IDs are now being
offered at the elections
office in Zebulon.
Pike’s Chris DeMarco
promoted with GBI
The Georgia Bureau
of Investigation an
nounces the promotion
of Pike County’s
Chris DeMarco
to Special Agent
in Charge of the
GBI Region 5
Field Office in
Statesboro, GA.
SAC DeMarco
will supervise
the agents as
signed to the
work unit and
will oversee the
administration
of criminal investiga
tions and the daily oper
ations of the office. The
Region 5 office serves
10 counties in southeast
Georgia.
SAC DeMarco began
his career with the GBI
as a Narcotics Agent in
2001, assigned to the
State Drug Task Force
where he worked state
wide as an undercover
agent. In 2002, he was
promoted to Special
Agent and assigned as
a task force agent at the
Atlanta High Intensity
Drug Trafficking Area
(HIDTA), a federally
funded multi-agency
drug task force, inves
tigating drug trafficking
organizations. In 2005,
he was assigned to
the GBI Region 2 Field
Office in Greenville,
currently located in
Columbus, GA. In 2008,
he returned to Atlanta
HIDTA as a task force
agent until 2014 when
he was promoted to
Assistant Special
Agent in Charge
of Region 2. In
2018, he was
assigned to the
Georgia Informa
tion Sharing and
Analysis Cen
ter (GISAC) in
Atlanta, and de
tached to the FBI
to serve as the
Deputy Com
mander of the
Transnational Organized
Crime Task Force at
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlan
ta International Airport,
where he served until
his promotion to SAC.
He holds an associ
ate of science degree
in criminal justice
from Georgia Military
College, a bachelor
of science degree in
criminology from Saint
Leo University and a
master of public safety
administration degree
from Columbus State
University. He is also a
graduate of the Georgia
Law Enforcement Com
mand College, the DEA
Leadership Develop
ment Program, and the
277th session of the FBI
National Academy. SAC
DeMarco has been a
P.O.S.T. certified instruc
tor since 2008.
See DEMARCO page 2A
CHRIS DEMARCO
