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bicycle ride across georgia J ®
is coming
back
More than 1,000 cyclists to stay in Burke
OOmotfuKO/ to
BRAG ABOUT
In 2004, BRAG cyclists
voted Waynesboro “Best
Overnight Town” and Burke
County High School “Best
Overnight Site.”
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
Brace yourself for
boo-coos of bikes
Bicycle Ride Across
Georgia (BRAG) offi
cials have confirmed
that Waynesboro will
be one of five stops on
its annual trek across the
state next summer.
When BRAG last rolled
through Burke County in
2004, the 1,000-plus cyclists
brought a three-day boon.
“There were tourists and bi
cycles everywhere,” Chamber
of Commerce Executive Direc
tor Ashley Roberts remembered.
“They filled up the restaurants
and were in and out of stores.”
Once again, Waynesboro will
be the designated R&R stop on
the weeklong ride from the
mountains to the sea.
If it pans out like it did nine
years ago, more than a thousand
people will be spending their
only off-day washing laun
dry, shopping, sightseeing and
eating out in Burke County.
“They were everywhere, and
they were all looking for one
thing ... air conditioning," re
members Athletic Director
Wade Marchman, who helped
coordinate indoor camping and
meals at Burke County High
School. “On their day off, they
wanted to go sightseeing. We
constantly ran three big school
buses of people back and forth
to downtown.”
Others set off on scenic bike
rides to see Di-Lane Planta
tion, Magnolia Springs and
historic homes and gardens.
This year, Marchman ex
pects they’ll want to see the
new history-making construc
tion at Plant Vogtle.
Already the Chamber of
Commerce and Waynesboro
Downtown Development Au
thority are working with school
officials and civic clubs to co
ordinate meals, entertainment
and a tourism kiosk for next
summer.
“This is a huge opportunity
for us to promote our commu
nity ... not just for this visit but
for future visits,” Roberts said,
noting a number of BRAG rid
ers made return trips to Burke
County long after the 2004 ride
passed through. “People came
back because they liked our
community so much.”
BRAG BASICS
The tentative route begins
in Elberton, June 8, with
stops in Thomson,
Waynesboro and Jesup.
The ride ends in Darien
on June 14. Approxi
mately 1,000 riders will
stay in Waynesboro June
10-12. Most will camp but
around 250 will be look
ing for hotel rooms or
other lodging. According
to BRAG officials, 104
children, age 12 and un
der, rode on the last trip.
With exception to their
June 11 day-off in
Waynesboro, cyclists will
ride approximately 60
miles per day. For more
information, go to
www.brag.org.
Charlie Gentry of Alexander and Caroline
Wasden of Millen take a ride on the merry-go-
round on opening night at the Burke County
Exchange Club Fair Tuesday. The fair, which
continues through Saturday, serves as a
fundraiser for the Waynesboro Exchange Club.
The proceeds are used to fund scholarships
and other community service initiatives. For
more information, check out the Burke County
Exchange Club Fair on facebook.
From 4th and 5th graders
Spooky stories
wanted
Go ahead ... scare us!
Between now and Oct. 16, fourth- and fifth-
graders are invited to give us goose bumps in
the annual Spooky Story Writing Contest,
sponsored by The True Citizen and Papa’s
Pizza to Go.
We’ll pick our favorites and publish them in
the Oct. 30 Halloween edition of the newspa
per; then readers will go online and vote for
their top picks.
The student with the most votes will win a
pizza party for his or her entire class.
The contest is open to all fourth- and fifth-
graders who live in Burke County or are en
rolled in Burke County public, private or home
schools.
Stories will be judged on readability, plot,
originality, the use of suspense and the ability
to scare the heebie-jeebies out of us. Movie Contest entries should be emailed
plots and graphic violence should be avoided. to TrueCitizenNews@live.com or faxed to 706-526-
Entries must be received at The True Citizen 4779. Stories should be typed or clearly printed, no
office, 629 Shadrack Street, Waynesboro, no more than 500 words and include the author’s full
later than 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16. name, grade, teacher and school.
UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD
Waynesboro
councilwoman
avoids jail time
By Roy F. Chalker Jr.
rchalker@bellsouth.net
Waynesboro City Council member Brenda Lewis was sec
onds away from being locked up Tuesday morning after Su
perior Court Judge Albert Pickett revoked her bond and or
dered her arrest. Only a last minute agreement which re
quired Lewis to pay $1,500 to
the Clerk of Court by close of
business Tuesday kept her from
being incarcerated.
The Ward 3 representative had
pleaded not guilty in February
to fraud involving 11 misde
meanor counts of violating the
Georgia Employment Security
Law. She later agreed to repay
the more than $4,000 the state
says she owes, but the deadline
set by the court passed several
Brenda Lewis i
weeks ago.
Tuesday morning. Judge
Pickett told Lewis that, “as far as I can tell, not a single
nickel has been paid.” After hearing statements from Lewis,
Solicitor Jackson Cox and Lewis’ court appointed attorney
William Fleming, the judge revoked her bond and deputies
moved in to place her in custody.
However, the judge accepted a last minute offer by the
defendant to come up with part of the money Tuesday, and
pay the balance within 45 days. Just ours before her dead
line, the councilwoman paid and prevented her arrest.
According to previous reports, Lewis was accused of re
ceiving 11 unemployment checks for $330 each, in addition
to a number of $25 federal compensation checks while she
was actually employed and earned $14,441 during the eleven-
week period she claimed to be jobless. She had agreed to pay
back the money and signed a document acknowledging that
she "fraudulently received” $3,905. By March of 2012, in
terest and penalties pushed the total to $4,337. She did pay
back a small amount of that but she was arrested after she
stopped paying.
&
Hospital to host Breast
Cancer Awareness Walk-
a-thon Saturday
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
The battle against breast cancer will rage at Burke Medical
Center this Saturday.
The 2 nd annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk-a-thon and
Health Fair is set to for 10 a.m.-l p.m. on the grounds be
hind of the hospital on South Liberty Street.
Burke Medical’s Tammie Salter is encouraging the entire
community to come support the event.
“This is a really good cause,” she said.
“One out of every eight women will
get breast cancer in their lifetime. So
we need all the research we can get
to make things better for our pa
tients."
A balloon release ceremony
just before the 2-mile walk will
honor loved ones who have been
affected by breast cancer.
Throughout the event, a
health fair will offer op
portunities for free
[f i such
echocardiograms, blood
pressure readings and
^ eye exams.
Children can enjoy
rides on the fire truck
train, an inflatable jump house and a host of games. Conces
sions, from hotdogs to healthy snacks, will also be for sale.
Registration for the walk-a-thon is $15, with all proceeds
going to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer re
search. Each participant will receive a drawstring bag and a
memory balloon. Forms are available at Burke Medical Cen
ter, First National Bank and Southern Bank.
For more information about the event, call 706-437-2673.