About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2020)
4A Tuesday, December 1, 2020 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com LOCA^LIFE Dahlonega planning parade as part of Old Fashioned Christmas Riverside Military Academy receives $1 million donation to fund student scholarships BY DANIELA CARRASCO dcarrasco@gainesvilletimes.com BY KELSEY P0D0 kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com Holiday cheer has already settled in Dahlonega for its annual Old Fashioned Christmas. The town’s tree and square now illu minate the cold night, and will continue until Sunday, Jan. 10. Like every year, shops in down town Dahlonega will keep their busi nesses open longer to welcome holiday shoppers. Starting Wednesday, Dec. 2, Cathy McLendon, information specialist at the Dahlonega Visitors Center, said horse- drawn carriage rides will run each day — not including Christmas — until the end of December. Weather permitting, she said three carriages will be on the square at a time to give people a tour of the town’s historic district. Dahlonega Carriage and Horse Rides will offer the experience on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 13 and under. Dahlonega Christmas Parade The annual Christmas parade will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, in downtown Dahlonega. Angelia Wilson, who coordinates the parade, said the floats and other vehicles will start at Dahlonega Bap tist Church, located at 234 Hawkins St., move through the square on East Main Street past the Dahlonega Gold Museum and turn around at the “annex building” on Enota Street. The parade will loop back and end at the church. Wilson said the path has changed into a loop this year to keep the crowd size down and encourage people to space out on both sides of the street. A map of the route can be found at dahlonegachrist- mas.com/christmas-parade. Wilson said Dahlonega has held its traditional parade for over 20 years. In years with good weather, she said thou sands of people have gathered for the event. For Dec. 12, she asks that people practice social distancing. “We would encourage people to stay within their own family groups,” Wilson said. “We want people to enjoy them selves, but be safe. It is a community event.” The deadline for parade entries is Tuesday, Dec. 1. To register your vehi cle or float, call Wilson at 706-892-9741 or email her at info@dahlonegachrist- mas.com. Cash prizes of $150 will be presented to participants who win in the four cat egories: walkers/animals, golf carts, vehicles and floats. A grand prize of $250 will be awarded for “Best Overall Parade Participant.” The judging will take place at 3 p.m., and the winners will be announced during the parade. “They’re judging on originality and just having that community involvement with Christmas,” Wilson said. “We call ourselves ‘Old Fashioned Christmas’ because Dahlonega is an old town. We like that hometown feeling.” Other festivities happening during Dahlonega’s Old Fashioned Christmas: ■ 6-8 p.m. Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. Live nativity in front of Dahlonega Methodist Church at 107 South Park St. ■ Visit Santa, while keeping a dis tance, at the Dahlonega Visitors Cen ter at 13 South Park St. To view Santa’s schedule, go to dahlonegachristmas. com /santa-schedule. ■ All day from Dec. 5 to Dec. 31. The nm Photos courtesy Angelia Wilson Dahlonega plans to hold its Old Fashioned Christmas, which includes a parade on Dec. 12 and other activities throughout December. Dahlonega Christmas Parade When: 4:30-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 Where: Along East Main Street in Dahlonega To participate: Call Angelia Wilson at 706-892-9741 or email her at info@ dahlonegachristmas.com For parade route: dahlonegachristmas.com/ christmas-parade Festival of Trees invites people to walk among decorated trees, sponsored by members of the community, in Hancock Park, located on Hawkins Street. ■ Tours at four wine tasting rooms in Dahlonega’s historic district throughout December. ■ 4-6 p.m. Dec. 12 and 2-4 p.m. Dec. 13. Learn about the history of coffee and preparation methods with local coffee Carriage ride schedule When: Wednesday, Dec. 2 through Thursday, Dec. 31 (excluding Christmas) ■ 3-8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday ■ 3-9 p.m. Thursday ■ 2-10 p.m. Friday ■ Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday ■ 1-8 p.m. Sunday Where: Dahlonega’s square How much: $10 for adults, $5 for children 13 and under aficionado, Bryan Garris, at The Little field Cottage, located next to Canvas and Cork on 78 North Meaders St. ■ Dahlonega Gold Museum’s Christ mas Music Escape Room will take place throughout December. For more information and to view an updated schedule for Old Fashioned Christmas, visit dahlonegachristmas. com. Riverside Military Academy is getting an early Christmas present this year with a $1 million donation from alumnus John Phelps. Phelps is the second person to donate $1 million to Riverside in the past 18 months. “We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of this gift as well as the timing,” Col. Stas Preczewski, president of Riverside, said in a press release. Phelps donated the money to create The John F. and Ann L. Phelps Endowment to fund student schol arships. He decided to give the money earlier because of the “financial hardships” brought on to many because of the pandemic. Phelps entered Riverside his junior year after the death of his father. He gradu ated in 1956, just 18 months after joining and went on to run an office supply and printing store in Pensacola, Florida. “John Phelps’ story is an excellent example of what RMA does for young men,” Ellen DeFoor, Riverside’s vice president for advancement, said in the release. Dunkin’ coming to Flowery Branch BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com A Dunkin’ doughnut shop is coming to Flowery Branch next to the McDonald’s restaurant off Spout Springs Road. Grading has begun at the site at 5915 Spout Springs Road, which is between Interstate 985’s Exit 12 and Hog Mountain Road. Other details about the project weren’t immediately available on Monday, Nov. 30. Rich Atkinson, Flowery Branch planning director, said Dunkin’ plans are being reviewed by Donald Bow ers, the city’s building inspector. “I recall that it did have some minimal seating on the inside,” Atkinson said. A sign on the property depicting a site development permit shows Donuts Holdings LLC as the owner. Com pany officials couldn’t be reached for comment. The Dunkin’ and McDonald’s will be on a site once occupied by Rite Aid pharmacy. The Rite Aid building was torn down as construction began in early 2020 on the McDonald’s. JEFF GILL I The Times A Dunkin’ doughnut shop is coming to this site in Flowery Branch next to the McDonald’s restaurant off Spout Springs Road. TALKS DEC. 8 AT NOON Women Source’s annual luncheon goes virtual BY KELSEY P0D0 kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com WomenSource has found a new way to empower ladies for its annual Motivating Women Luncheon. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 8, the nonprofit will hold its program online to keep attendees safe during the pandemic. “It stinks that we can’t do it in person, but we’ve made the best of allowing people to still participate,” Elizabeth Burnette, execu tive director of WomenSource, said. “I hope when the program ends, that they have a renewed sense of ‘I can do this, and ‘we can do this, especially if we work together.’” Darlene Drew is the afternoon’s keynote speaker. For 11 years, Drew served as the warden of three different facilities with the Fed eral Bureau of Prisons. She was the first female to work as warden at the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta. Burnette said Drew, who lives south of Atlanta, is now retired from the penitentiary sys tem and runs her own motivational speaking platform. “She has a truly powerful career story where she is the only female warden for the penitentiary in Atlanta,” Burnette said. “She was told, ‘You’ll never be able to do this job.’ People didn’t know how to refer to her because a female had never been in her position before. She has a very exciting story of fighting for her place in where she knew she belonged.” Burnette said WomenSource has held the luncheon on and off since the nonprofit became established in 2007. With each event, she said the speakers are asked the question: What can women do to take that next step to advance their lives personally and professionally? “We ask speakers to share their successes, but also share their learning experiences and the failures where they grew,” Bur nette said. “This year in particular, we have asked Darlene to really focus on women and resiliency, and persistence knowing that we’re all having to put one foot in front of the other. It’s more of a message of, ‘Hang in there, we can do this, and we can do this together.’” The deadline has passed to become a sponsor of a table for eight and have food delivered to your home or business. However, individuals can still purchase tickets up until the morning before the luncheon. Tickets cost $25 per person. People can register by visiting womensource.info/get- involved/ mwl2020. A Zoom link will be sent to those who sign up for the event. Drew WomenSource’s Motivating Women Luncheon What: Virtual luncheon featuring motivational speaker Darlene Drew When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8 Where: Via Zoom To register: womensource.info/get-involved/mwl2020 How much: $25 per person More info: womensource.info/get-involved/mw!2020 JOIN TIMES REPORTER JEFF GILL AND DAWSON COUNTY NEWS EDITOR ALEXANDER POPP FOR A LIVE CONVERSATION Join us for a discussion about the 2020 economy and what to expect in 2021. Panelists include Tim Evans with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, Kersha Cartwright, spokeswoman from the Georgia Department of Labor, and Bob Willis of Willis Investment Counsel in Gainesville. gainesyilletimes.com/virtualevents £hc DawsonCtmtyNews FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS SOUTH FORSYTH NEWS
