Newspaper Page Text
HOCO
2023
Pirates prepare for Sept.
15 Homecoming game
with parade, pep rally.
See page 1B
STRONG
START
Pike County middle
school runners finish
strong at first XC meet.
See page 2A
PIKE COUNTY
JOURNAL REP
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
Heroes and
princesses
visit square
on Sept. 23
Local kids of all ages
will get to meet their
favorite characters at
the Princess and Hero
Meet and Greet Around
the Square in Saturday,
Sept. 23.
“We have 19 charac
ters booked to be here
that evening and more
than 2,000 books are
sitting in our confer
ence room (courtesy
of L4GA) that are ready
to be given out at the
event,” said Faith Hen
drix of the Pike County
Chamber of Com
merce. “If you have
little princesses and
superheroes, please
register them for the
free event or buy
tickets for the private
Meet and Greet. We’re
so excited to join our
businesses, literacy,
and the community!”
Secure tickets for
the event at https://
pikecountychamberof
commerce.ticketspice.
com/princess-and-
hero-meet-greet.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE PIKE
COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Above, Belle from Beauty
and the Beast will return
to A Novel Experience this
year and there will be lots
of other superheros and
princesses.
PHOTOS BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Primary school students helped complete the landscaping project outside their school by covering up the roots of a Crape
Myrtle that will bloom with bright ‘Pike Pirate red’ flowers each year. Pictured are (l-r) Paislee Prince, Ensleigh Ellerbee,
Owen Flanders, Kash Weaver and Zachary Lord. Several recent landscaping projects around the school were completed at
no cost to taxpayers thanks to donations by Flanders Nurseries, Inc. and the Nelson Memorial Foundation.
Nelson Memorial, Flanders Nurseries give landscaping gift
Frankie Flanders talks to his grandson Owen Flanders before he and other Pike County
Primary School students finished planting a Crape Myrtle outside his school.
BY RACHEL McDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Students and citizens
will enjoy bursts of color
when blooms are at their
peak in three new areas
of landscaping donated
by a local company and a
foundation established in
honor of a Revolutionary
War hero. The Nelson Me
morial Foundation funds
beautification projects
regularly in the county
and it was established in
honor of Thomas ‘Centu
ry’ Nelson by his descen-
dent Thaddeus Nelson
Morris. Nelson Memorial
board member Larry
Lynch selected the high
school sign for this year’s
project and the founda
tion purchased five Miss
Frances Crape Myrtles
(with deep red flowers
from June to early Oc
tober), 10 Shishigashira
Camellia (with rose-red
flowers from October and
into the winter), 22 Miss
Lemon Abelia (with varie
gated leaves with yellow,
lime and cream blotches
and flowers in summer
that attract butterflies
and hummingbirds) and
44 Red Drift Roses (with
red flowers from late
April until frost).
Pike’s Frankie Flan
ders designed the land
scaping and was paid
to provide the labor for
installation of the plants
at the high school sign.
He installed the drip irri
gation for free and then
decided to donate more
plants and landscaping
at both the primary and
pre-K schools.
“The generosity of
the Nelson Fund’s donor
served as an inspiration
for Flanders Nurseries
Inc. to also give back
to our community. So
many folks have given
their time, services and
products to the schools
and the recreation fields
that it was time that we
stepped up to the plate
as well,” he said. “The
Miss Frances Crape
Myrtles were selected
to be as close to ‘Pike
Pirate Red’ as 1 could
find. Mick Rawls has
taken great care of the
plantings. We included
a simple drip irrigation
system that works with
a garden hose so that
the plants can survive in
the summer heat. With
all three landscape de
signs, special attention
was paid to try to have
something flowering
as many months of the
year as possible. In the
months without flowers,
there will still be inter
esting foliage.”
See LANDSCAPING page 3A
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Workshop
to address
changes
Sept. 13
Pike County commis
sioners will hold a joint
workshop with the Plan
ning and Zoning Board to
discuss the Pike County
Unified Development
Code from 10:30 a.m. to
5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.
13. The workshop will be
held at the Pike County
Parks and Recreation
Community Center after
the board of commis
sioners regular monthly
meeting which starts at
9 a.m. in the main court
room of the courthouse.
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL/
PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Citizens packed the court
house for the Aug. 29 com
mission meeting with many
speaking against proposed
changes. A workshop with
commissioners and planning
and zoning board members
from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 13.
Meeting
to hire rec.
director is
Sept. 15
The Pike County Parks
and Recreation Author
ity will hold its second
Special Called Meeting
to determine the next
recreation director at 6
p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 at
the community building.
Two applicants spoke
at the Sept. 1 special
called meeting, and others
are invited to do the same
at the Sept. 15 meeting.
Resumes can be sent
to chris@childressjustice.
com.
Inman Days to spotlight local legend's engine work, Pike tractor club
PHOTO BY RICK MINTER
Pike County’s well known mechanic Joe Mangham (left) ex
plains the boring bar to David Simmons.
The 26th annual
Inman Farm Heritage
Days is set for Sept.
15-17 at Minter’s Farm
in south Fayette County,
and as usual there will
be a big Pike County
presence at the annual
celebration of old-time
farm life. For years, the
Pike County Old Tractor
and Equipment Club has
played a big role in the
event, and this year will
be no different said club
president Jeff Ray.
“Our club has been at
tending the Inman
Heritage Farm Days since
the club was founded 20
years ago. It is a great
venue that displays our
farming heritage,” he
said. “One of our found
ing members, Joe Mang
ham, has an engine shop
there and gives dem
onstrations on engine
rebuilding. If not for Joe,
a lot of us wouldn’t have
a tractor to bring.” Ray
also had high praise for
the host family, including
show promoter Stepha
nie Minter Adamek, who
was raised in Inman but
now resides with her
family in Hollonville.
“The Minter’s do
a great job!” Ray said.
Among the new
things to see at Inman
this year is a new rest
room has been construct
ed inside an old grain
bin. And although much
of the focus for years has
been on farm tractors,
this year a special em
phasis is being placed on
smaller, garden tractors
and vintage lawn mow
ers. For most folks on
the Southside of Atlanta,
the first thing that comes
to mind when it comes
to old lawn mowers is
the Snapper, which was
made for years in nearby
McDonough.
On display this
year will be an array of
Snappers, from some of
the earliest ones made
in the 1950s to the red
rear-engine riders that
for many residents were
the first really good riding
mower they ever owned.
There also will be other
brands, and anyone with a
vintage mower or garden
tractor is encouraged to
bring it to the show and
participate in the display.
“We’ve seen oth
er shows have success
emphasizing the smaller
tractors and mowers,”
said Adamek, who grew
up riding one of the red
rear-engine riders. “But
we also expect a large
turnout of full-size trac
tors and equipment.” She
also pointed out that
there’s much more to In
man Farm Heritage Days
than farm tractors and
related equipment.
“One aspect of
our show that is grow
ing in popularity is our
digging exhibit,” she said,
“Nathan Mixon digs dirt
with an old cable-oper
ated dragline, and Greg
Thompson pushes it
around with his 1940s
Caterpillar D8 dozer. It’s
quite a sight to see.”
The Jim and Sar
ah Minter Walking Trail,
named for Adamek’s
great-grandparents who
once farmed the show
site, is in its second
year and carries visi
tors through the woods,
across a creek and to the
expanded Betsill Family
Moonshine Exhibit.
And the old mainstays
including the sawmill,
grist mill, pea sheller,
syrup cooking, black
smith shop, printing
press, machine shop,
engine shop, planning
mill and shingle mill will
be up and running.
See INMAN FARM page 3A
