Newspaper Page Text
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JJ
HIGH HONORS
6
Join local businesses in honoring
local veterans for their service.
See page 9A
AA SCHOOL l
Pike County schools could
be ranked AA next season.
See page 2A
^JOURNAL
PIKE COUNTY
REPORTER
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023
Bigfoot Fest
to feature
top speakers
Enjoy the Nov. 18
Bigfoot Fest in Molena.
The festival will be from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in
clude music, vendors
and the Elkins Creek
5K and 1 mile fun run/
walk. Speakers at the
2023 Bigfoot Festival
will include Matthew
Delph, Melissa Adair,
George Wrigley, Trey
Hudson, Jessica Jones
and Jonny Twobears.
According to Angie
Williamson there will
be a Bigfoot 101 tent
which will feature dis
plays regarding Elkins
Creek, local reports,
famous Bigfoot sight
ings, field research
information and more.
“1 think people are
really going to enjoy
checking it out,” she
said.
Flat Shoals
Bull Riding
is Nov. 24-25
XX Bulls and Jason
Mask and Company
present Flat Shoals
Bull Riding Nov. 24-25
at QC Arena, 1017 Flat
Shoals Road in Gay.
Gates open at 6 p.m.
and the show starts
at 8 p.m., featuring
Colt 45, food vendors
and heart-stopping
entertainment. An
after party will be held
at Towerhouse Farm
Brewery.
Tickets are $20
(cash only) at the
arena and kids 8 and
under are free.
Scouts to host Veterans Day on square
The annual Pike
County Veterans Day
Observance Program will
be held at 11 a.m. Satur
day, Nov. 11 on the south
side of the courthouse
square.
This year, the program
will be hosted by Boy
Scouts of America Troop
465G and sponsored by
American Legion Post
197. The program will
include youth guest
speakers, performers and
musicians.
“The Veterans Day
program recognizes and
honors America’s mili
tary veterans, extends
our nation’s appreciation
and pays tribute to all
deceased veterans,” said
Post 197’s Bryan Richard
son.
The theme for this
year’s program is “What
Veterans Day Means”
from representatives
of America’s youngest
generation. Highlights of
the Program will include
guest youth speakers,
the Pike County Junior
Players singing a set of
well-known songs, the
Pike County Schools Vet
erans Day Ensemble play
ing the National Anthem,
Armed Forces Medley
and more and a multi-or
ganizational Color Guard
posting the colors.
Deceased veterans
will be honored with a
moment of silence and
the playing of Taps. A
special memorial wreath
will also be placed at the
base of the Pike County
Veterans Memorial
“Please join the com
munity as we say ‘thank
you’ and show our appre
ciation to current active
duty military and veter
ans past and present, for
defending the freedoms
that we enjoy today,”
said Richardson.
Seating is limited, so
the public is encour
aged to bring their lawn
chairs. An inclement
weather location is ten
tatively planned for the
PHOTO BY JOHN ELLIS
The Honor Guard prepares to post colors, including (l-r) SFC
Eric Loving, SFC Stephen Ponce, Stephen Golias, Stefan
Huckaby and Matt Germain. This year’s event will be hosted by
the Boy Scouts and is set for Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. on the square.
Community Center at the Building on Twin Oaks
Pike County Community Road.
PHOTOS BY CHAD MOORE / BURSTMODE.SMUGMUG.COM
The Pirate Regiment performs at the fifth annual March the Plank marching band competition.
Pirate Regiment hosts marching band competition
The Pirate Regiment
hosted 15 schools at
Pirates Stadium Oct. 28.
“The fifth annual
March the Plank was a
rousing success with
nearly 2,000 people in
total attendance,” said
director of bands Lee Ew
ing. “The Pirate Regiment
performed their show as
an exhibition with great
feedback from the judges
and reception from the
crowd. Regiment parents
and other volunteers
made the event incred
ibly memorable and well-
run! Thanks to all of the
people involved!”
Jefferson High School
earned the Grand Cham
pion award.
Pirate Regiment colorguard members perform Oct. 28, includ
ing junior Ansley Turpin (left) and eighth grader Isabella White.
Find election results at
pikecountygeorgia.com
A total of 112 voters
cast ballots in elections
during early voting for
the Nov. 7 election. The
turnout was
8% percent
overall.
“All elec
tions are
important
and all votes
matter,
however lo
cal elections have a
greater impact on our
community,” said elec
tions supervisor David
Neyhart.
Local voters decided
the mayor and two
council members for
Williamson
and one coun
cil member in
Zebulon.
The Jour
nal Reporter
goes to press
Mondays so
the election
results will be online at
pikecountygeorgia.com
and in the upcoming
print edition.
Local teachers earn Bright
Ideas grants from SRE
Southern Rivers with gifts and checks
Energy (SRE) and Lrr) ranging from $700 to
the Southern Riv- $1,000 by members
ers Energy Trust of the Bright Ideas
Inc. recently Brigade. The grants
awarded $9,573 ammEEjL. will be used
to local teach- J \ V to fund proj-
ers to fund ects across
creative r .,^weSuppor^^^^ HERi ’ 3 various
and dy- ‘ areas of edu-
namic les- J E|3 Amber Dean $ 989oo cation, includ-
son plans m y ing farming,
for stu- f) Hrobotics, cod-
dents - U? ing and art.
including In Pike, all three
three teachers in grants were award-
Pike County. ed to elementary
Ten teachers jSp teachers, including
across six differ- Amber Dean (left),
ent counties were
recently surprised See GRANTS page 3A
student from Sweden hosted by Pike family
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Hedvig Rask of Sweden has a host family in Pike County as she attends the University of
Georgia as part of Rotary International’s exchange student program.
Exchange
BY RACHEL McDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Hedvig Rask of Sweden
has temporarily made
Pike County her home
as she visits the states
as part of an exchange
student program with
Rotary International.
She is a student at the
University of Georgia and
she lives with commis
sioner James Jenkins
and his family when she
is ‘home’ from school
on breaks. She said the
people here are very
open and nice and willing
to talk to everyone. The
biggest difference, she
said, is the way people
travel and how little cob
blestone there is in the
states. In Sweden, she
said everyone bikes back
and forth to school and
Jenkins got a bicycle to
use on campus at UGA.
“In Sweden, you can
start practicing to drive
when you are 16 but you
can’t get your license
until you are 18. Even
then, most people do not
get a car until they are in
their 30s or later because
they are very expensive.
Gas prices are about
double what they are in
the states and that’s for
liters, not gallons.”
Hedvig is following in
her father’s footsteps and
was scheduled to travel
to Argentina as a high
school exchange student
when the pandemic hit.
Her dad was a high school
exchange student in
Canada and her brother
was an exchange student
in England. Her dad’s four
siblings all did high school
exchanges with Rotary in
the United States. Hed-
vig’s mother helped her
find the UGA scholarship
and even though none of
the credits will transfer
back to Sweden, she is
enjoying her ‘gap year’
while taking ceramics,
Italian, Spanish, biology
and soccer. She is fluent in
English and Swedish and
also speaks Spanish and
German.
She hopes to become
a veterinarian when she
returns home. Hedvig
said in Sweden, it is com
mon to take breaks or
gap years between high
school and college and
that instead of having a
veterinary science major
like in American colleges,
she will start a program
with the Swedish Universi
ty of Agricultural Sciences
which will take around
five years to complete.
She added that there are
no scholarships in Swe
den since all universities
are completely free and
the government even pays
students to attend.
See STUDENT page 2A
