Newspaper Page Text
PIKE COUNTY
JOURNAL REPORTER
ONE DOLLAR 1VAVAVA>11 ATOl'IilU'M»H<■ l=H»lnM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22,2021
Leland's
lights shine
bright
Lights brighten
spirits and the season
at the home of the late
Leland Shoemake. The
show runs from 6 to 10
p.m. each night through
the end of Christmas
at 140 Beeks Circle in
Williamson. Visitors are
asked to park across
the cul de sac facing
the house and turn off
headlights. The show
is synchronized with
music and visitors can
tune radios to 88.3 FM.
SPECIAL PHOTO
The Shoemake’s Epic Christ
mas Lights can be seen at 140
Beeks Circle in Williamson.
Special
messages
shared
A resident in the
Ashley Glen subdivi
sion shares special
messages through
their Christmas lights
and decorations. The
message has changed
throughout the season,
with a different giant
message emblazoned
in Christmas lights. So
far the messages have
included the words,
Miracle, God, Hope,
Peace and Savior.
“I’ve found the mes
sages inspiring and
up lifting. It’s been a
rough year for many
and I’d just like to
spread the word and
the Christmas cheer,”
said Williamson resi
dent Kristy Lucio.
SPECIAL PHOTOS
Giant messages on display
in the Ashley Glen subdivi
sion in Williamson.
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Santa Claus received a letter from a child during the Lighting of Concord and made sure to read it closely. See hundreds of
local children’s letters to Santa in the Pike County Journal Reporter’s special Letters to Santa section on pages 1B to 8B.
Santa letters share Christmas spirit,
funny requests, magic of the elves
Letters in the Pike County
Journal Reporter’s, special Letters
to Santa section share local chil
dren’s Christmas wishes this year
- including requests for snow, new
electronics like phones and com
puters and old favorites like baby
dolls and toy cars. Maci Mudd
asked for a Callista Clark CD.
Some children were more
concerned with the wishes and
wellbeing of others than their
own, including Porter Duman
who wrote, “This year I want
kids with sicknesses to not have
sicknesses.” Levi W. wrote that
he really wants a new scooter, his
mom wants a bracelet and his dad
wants a new TV that has internet.
Scarlet Sharpe wrote, “This year
I want something different. I wish
my GG could not have cancer. 1
know it’s a lot to ask, but please!!!”
Clara Shaw Jones said, “1 want my
Bet and Aunt Morgan to feel better
and for my Jojo’s hip to feel better
too.” Cooper Johnston asked to
spend time with family and McKin
ley Phillips wrote, “P.S. I would
also like happiness for my family.”
Many children were sure to let
Santa know about their behavior
this year and Riley Campbell
was concerned about Santa’s
behavior too. She wrote, “Santa,
how are you? 1 have been good
this year. 1 hope you have too”
before requesting toys and wish
ing Santa a good Christmas Eve
night. Malcome wasn’t sure what
Santa would think of his behav
ior, writing, “1 think 1 have been a
good boy this year but Gigi don’t
think so. 1 do my chores every
day.” Malachi Jordan asked if he
is on the nice list or the naughty
list. Easton promised to be good
next year and asked for a TV and
video game.
Fisher Williams wrote that
he has “been a good boy this
year. I’ve been eating eggs that
are healthy for me because my
mommy wants me to eat them.”
Jaxson Ethridge wrote, “Dear
Santa, This is your friend Jaxson.
1 want Pokemon card and a trex
garage and 1 want a Santa toy
that does what 1 do. 1 would like
a horse for Christmas, a camera
and would like to go to Disney.
I’ve been a good boy and hope
you have too. I’ll give lots of car
rots for your reindeer.”
Lots of letters included thanks
for gifts from previous years
and some students even com
plimented Santa, including Boe
Carrington who wrote, “You are
the sweetest and 1 love all you do”
and Kanye and his elf Vinson who
wrote, “Dear Santa Claus, you are
the greatest of all time. 1 hope you
can come down this year.” Bray-
lee Wilkerson, 5, promised to “be
good all next week” and ended
the letter with “Thank you Santa, I
love you every single day.”
There were many unusual
requests, including Wyatt Whitley
who asked for a cool dinosaur, a
fake buck deer and an alligator
for Christmas. Colt Woods asked
for a camo shot gun, a space ship
and a bike. Wes Maguire asked for
a drone, toy lizard, go cart and
for Trump to be president again!
Hunter Reagan asked for “a real
electric guitar with a speaker as
big as my house.”
Some requests were quite dif
ficult, including Mason’s request
for the red car, dinosaur race car,
a monster truck and a motor
cycle, followed by “1 want the real
ones.” Cale W. Jenkins asked for a
million dollars. He also asked for
his mother to feel better. Easton
Hall asked for a real dinosaur.
Conner Tyler asked for a fire
breathing dragon that comes with
a remote control.
See SANTA LETTERS page 3A
Shooting
claims life
at Circle K
One man is dead and
another was shot in the
head after an incident at
the Circle K in Zebulon
around 11:30 p.m. Thurs
day, Dec.
Colbert,
CAMERON
COLBERT
16. Cameron
of Concord
was the victim
of the shoot
ing and he was
pronounced
dead at Well-
Star Spalding
Hospital as
the result of a
gunshot wound.
The two males got into
an altercation and one
sustained fatal injuries
in the incident. The
surviving male received
a non-life-threatening
gunshot to the head and
was treated and released
from the hospital.
“The Zebulon Police
Department is working
diligently to complete
this investigation and is
collaborating closely with
the Griffin Judicial Circuit
District Attorney’s Office.
Anyone with any informa
tion regarding this case,
please contact the ZPD at
770-567-8441,” said police
chief Jonathan Hemphill.
Rosalee King (left) and Grace
Ward (right) recently died.
Sisters over
100 years old
pass away
Two well-known local
sisters lived in Pike for
more than 100 years and
passed away within a
week of each other.
Rosalee Mangham
King, 105, died Dec. 17
and her sister Lucy Grace
Mangham Ward, 102,
died Dec. 12. Both sisters
lived nearly their entire
lives in Lifsey Springs
and both attended Beu
lah Baptist Church for
most of their lives.
See SISTERS page 2A
The ultimate Christmas present: A national title
SPECIAL PHOTOS
Above, Pike County’s Brooke Shavers makes a save in goal
for the Gordon State College Lady Highlanders. At right, she
holds a National Championship plaque she earned with the
Tennessee Southern Firehawks earlier this month.
Standout goalkeeper
Brooke Shavers, daugh
ter of Sharmaine and
Larry Shavers of Means-
ville, got the best Christ
mas gift a soccer player
can ask for earlier this
month, a national cham
pionship.
Brooke, who started
for four years at PCHS,
is now a member of the
Tennessee Southern
Firehawks which won the
NAIA Women’s Soccer
Tournament Dec. 6 at
Orange Beach, Alabama.
In the tournament
final, the Firehawks (23-
1) defeated the William
Carey Crusaders 4-3
on penalty kicks. The
Crusaders were unde
feated going into the final
match.
After starring for
the PC Pirates, Shavers
played at Gordon State
College in Barnesville
where her team won two
NJCAA Region 17 titles
and played in the nation
al tournament. This past
season was her second at
Tennessee Southern and,
due to COV1D, she gets to
go back for a third year.
Shavers was a mem
ber of the first ever girls
select soccer team in the
area that was put to
gether as a U12 Academy
team by her coach and
mentor Don Bohensky.
The PC Fury girls won
several Georgia Soccer
Class A titles.
Sharmaine Shavers
won the Cuties Ultimate
Soccer Mom contest in
2011 forher work with
the Fury. As part of her
prize, the Fury girls got
a training session with
Olympian Joy Fawcett.