Newspaper Page Text
Tristin English is chasing his MLB dream
as he earns honors in Minor League.
See page 3A
COUNTY
REPORTER
3 NZE
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2023
PIKE'S PEEK
COVID cases
drop to zero
There were no con
firmed cases of COVID
in Pike County over
the past two weeks,
according to the
Georgia Department of
Public Health.
There
were also
zero cases
in Upson
with two
cases in
Lamar
and Meri
wether and
five in Spald
ing over the past two
weeks.
There were 15 cases
per 100,000 citizens
across the state over
the past two weeks.
Join June 10
run to help
veterans
Pike County Ameri
can Legion 197 will
host a 5K/10K fun run
and walk on Saturday,
June 10 to help local
veterans and to fund
community programs.
Runners and walkers
can arrive between
7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
at the American
Legion Post at 645
Meansville Steet in
Zebulon and choose
between the 5K (3.1
mile) and the 10K (6.2
mile) course.
The fee is $35, even
the day of the run. Ev
eryone who registers
gets an event t-shirt.
For more, contact
event director Bryan
Richardson at 678-
764-2611 or rich5060@
bellsouth.net.
See RUN page 2A
Callista Clark, Ricky Skaggs play June 25
The Freedom Festival
June 25 at Christ Chapel
Community Church will
feature Pike County’s
own Callista Clark as well
as County Music Hall of
Famer Ricky Skaggs and
Kentucky Thunder in
concert.
“This will be a family
fun night! We will have
food trucks, kid activi
ties, concert and fire
works,” said pastor Billy
Smith.
“We have our home
town girl Callista Clark
and the legendary Ricky
Skaggs and Kentucky
Thunder who will put on
a phenomenal concert.
The gates will open at
5 p.m. You will need to
bring a chair to sit in.”
She started singing
and playing music as a
young girl and can now
play eight instruments.
She was on stage at her
grandfather’s church
Open Arms Baptist
Church in Zebulon along
with her sister and
cousin for many years.
Callista Clark made
waves with her first
album Real to Me in 2021
and has since performed
in London, Glasgow and
Dublin with the Country
to Country Festival and
toured the states on the
CMT Next Women of
Country Tour. She per
formed with the Grand
Ole Opry July 30, 2021
and has been featured in
People magazine.
She will perform June
11 at the 2023 CMA Music
Festival in Nashville, TN,
at the Peach Jam Jubilee
June 24 in Clanton, AL,
in Pike on June 25, at the
Bragg Jam Music Festival
July 29 in Macon and at
the 10th annual Rockin’
With Spirit Benefit Con
cert in Tallahassee, FL.
SPECIAL PHOTO
At right, Pike County’s Cal
lista Clark has toured the
U.S. and several countries
overseas and she will return
for the Freedom Festival in
Zebulon June 25.
?. i
rppa
ft'
, 1
PHOTOS BY JOHN ELLIS
The Honor Guard and Moody-Daniel Funeral Home escorted a flag draped casket to the court
house square for the Post 197 Memorial Day Observation program on May 29.
Name unveiled on Veterans
Memorial at Post 197 program
Glen Todd (far left) and Chase Lee Todd at the Veterans Me
morial where their relative Private Lee Roy Todd of Concord
was honored for giving the ultimate sacrifice as his name was
unveiled on the memorial May 29.
American Legion Post
197 held the annual
Memorial Day observa
tion on the square with a
special service to honor
WW1 veteran Lee Roy
Todd as his name was
unveiled on the Veterans
Memorial. He was killed
in action in France June
3, 1918 but his name
was never added to the
monument until recently.
“In 1949, Post 197
erected the Pike County
Veterans Monument for
WW1 and WW11 veterans
who lived in Pike County
and had given the ulti
mate sacrifice for those
wars. Since then, Post
197 has added veterans
from WW1, WW11, Korean
War, Vietnam War and
the War on Global Terror
ism,” said the Post 197
resolution.
Chase Todd is the
great nephew of Private
Lee Roy Todd from Con
cord and he and his fam
ily were honored at the
Memorial Day event and
during the special unveil
ing ceremony in honor of
Lee Roy Todd who died
serving our nation during
WW1.
During the Memorial
Day observation pro
gram, Moody-Daniel Fu
neral Home and the Pike
County Sheriff’s Office
provided a hearse escort
and then unloaded a U.S.
flag draped casket which
was escorted from the
hearse to the podium
and represented all of the
veterans of this nation
from its founding to cur
rently. There was a three-
round volley by Post 197
Honor Guard member
Ron Griffin which was fol
lowed by Taps, played by
Pike County High School
junior Will Busby.
Millie Smith sang the
National Anthem at the
start of the program as
well as Amazing Grace
and America The Beauti
ful. Millie rang a bell as
her mother, Legionnaire
Talena Smith, read the
names of each of the vet
erans who have passed
away since last Memorial
Day.
The Honor Guard for
the program consisted of
Pike County Fire Depart
ment Deputy Chief Doug
Neath and Chief Joe
Wiley, Sheriff’s Office
deputies Deangelo Smith
and Hannah Gardner and
Post 197’s Tim Dukes,
Steve Golias, Ron Griffin
and Stefan Huckaby.
Representatives of
America’s youngest
generation who led the
Pledge of Allegiance
included Anna Bottoms,
Madelyn Bottoms, Abigail
Bottoms, Eli Butler, Ryan
Crawford, Marrisa Ferral
and Savannah Smith.
At the conclusion
of the Memorial Day
service, Rep. Beth Camp,
Zebulon mayor Joe
Walter and the multi-
organizational Honor
Guard posted a memorial
wreath donated by Cin
dy’s Florist at the casket.
After the service, it was
moved to the base of the
Veteran’s Memorial.
Local students who led the Pledge of Allegiance include Anna Bottoms, Madelyn Bottoms,
Abigail Bottoms, Eli Butler, Ryan Crawford, Marrisa Ferral and Savannah Smith.
Superintendent
retires after 18 years
Superintendent Dr.
Michael Duncan will
retire after 18
years with the
Pike County
school system.
In an email sent
May 30, he said
leadership is a
relay and it’s his
time to pass the
baton.
““You allowed
me to have a
career that has
been filled with purpose
and joy. Your commit
ment, selflessness, and
love are evident every
day, and 1 feel so lucky
to have been on this
journey with you. Pike
County is a special
place, with spe
cial people on a
special journey,”
he wrote.
He noted
that the school
system is do
ing well aca
demically and
financially he
looks forward
to “sharing my
next great ad
venture” soon.
“It has been an
honor to serve as your
superintendent,” he
said. “The best days for
Pirate Nation lie ahead.’
Dr. Michael
Duncan
A previous SlowExposures photo taken on Second Street
in Concord features Willie Harris, Elsie Pope, Bobby Floyd
McDowell and Clarence Britt and it was given to Patricia
Beckham, a neice of Williie Harris.
SlowExposures to
celebrate 20 years of
spotlighting the south
For 20 years, the
SlowExposures Photo
has featured photos de
picting life in the rural
south and this year Pike
will again host photog
raphers from all over
the U.S. Submit photos
by June 18 this year
at SlowExposures.org.
This year’s event will be
held at locations across
Pike from Sept. 14-17.
“SlowE is a weekend
filled with incredible
photography, one-of-
a-kind, serendipitous
meetings and conversa
tions that can inspire
you - and propel your
art forward,” said Chris
Curry of the SlowExpo
sures Show Committee.
“Your entry will be seen
by our esteemed jurors
Aline Smithson and
Alexa Dilworth. Juried-
in, or not-this-time, your
entry is your invitation
to join us as honored
guests at the private
Soiree on Friday night
at Split Oak Farm where
conversation, contacts
and collaborations
happen every year. The
selections for the Main
Exhibition will highlight
a weekend of over a
dozen satellite shows,
portfolio reviews,
seminars, and career
changing networking
opportunities.”
SlowExposures
includes four days of
amazing photography -
all displayed in historic,
late-19th century build
ings throughout Pike.
After SlowE weekend,
the show will move for
a month to the Cochran
Gallery in LaGrang.
“We invite photogra
phers to submit work
that captures the diver
sity, contradictions and
complexity of the con
temporary rural Ameri
can South,” said Curry
Enter up to six imag
es taken in rural regions
of Virginia, West Vir
ginia, Maryland, North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama, Tennessee, Loui
siana, Kentucky, Missis
sippi, Texas, Oklahoma
and Missouri.
Submit photos at
SlowExposures.org by
midnight June 18.
