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Around Monroe County ► ► Forsyth • Juliette • High Falls • Bolingbroke • Culloden • Smarr
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Monroe County
CALENDAR
Calendar items run free
of charge as a
community service each
week as space allows.
Mail items to:
Diane Glidewell at
news@mymer.net
by 5 p.m. Friday.
Library Summer
Reading Program
Registration for the
2018 Summer Reading
Program at Monroe
County Library is open
to pre-school through
young adults. There
are programs, prize
drawings, story times, a
reading club and more
built around the theme
“Libraries Rock.” For
more information, cal
Monroe County Library
at 478-994-7025 or
stop by 62 W. Main
Street, Forsyth.
June 21, 28
Workshop for
parents about 'The
Talk
Many parents find
that talking with their
children about “The
Birds and the Bees" can
be overwhelming. There
are many tools to help
you if you've already
begun talking with your
children and just want
help answering specific
guestions or if you don’t
know how to start the
discussion. Led by the
Pregnancy Center of
Forsyth each Thursday
at 7 p.m. on June 21,
28.
June 21-22
Hospital Auxiliary
holds Masquerade
$5 Jewelry
Monroe County Hos
pital Auxiliary will host
its popular Masquer
ade $5 Jewelry and
Accessories fundraiser
on Thursday, June 21
from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and
Friday, June 22 from 7
a.m.-3 p.m. at Monroe
County Hospital Caf
eteria. Cash, credit and
debit cards, as well as
hospital payroll deduc
tion, are accepted.
June 23
Annual Community
Appreciation Day at
the Rose
The Backlot Players,
Inc. invite everyone to a
preview of the next sea
son at the Rose Theater
on Saturday, June 23 at
7 p.m.
Fox City Senior Line
Dancers have 1st
Anniversary
The Fox City Senior Line
Dancers will celebrate
their First Anniversary on
Saturday, June 23 from
1 -4 p.m. at Monroe
County Senior Center,
515 Highway 83 South,
Forsyth. All are invited.
June 23-24
National Amateur
Radio Field Day
Monroe County Ama
teur Radio Society will
host a national Amateur
Radio Field Day event
from Saturday, June 23
at 2 p.m. until Sunday,
June 24 at 2 p.m. at
Forsyths Country Club
Park. Since 1933, ham
radio operators across
North America have
established temporary
ham radio stations in
public locations during
Field Day to show
case the science and
skill of Amateur Radio.
This event is open to
the public and all are
encouraged to attend.
For more information
about Field Day or
Amateur Radio, contact
Craig Glaze, km4jex@
gmail.com
See CALENDAR
Page 2C
With a decorated wagon
full of goodies to share
(forefront) members of
Daughters of the American
Revolution and Children of
the Revolution prepare to
celebrate Flag Day in For
syth on Thursday afternoon.
Pictured, left to right, are
Phyllis Jackson, Monroe
County Sheriff s Office Lt.
Brad Freeman, Elijah Jen
kins, Elena Jenkins, Rebekah
Jenkins, Christopher Jen
kins, Gracie Jackson, Dylan
Parrish, Amanda Garnett,
Joshua Jenkins. Not pictured
but present and support
ing Flag Day were Chuck
Garnett, Allison Jenkins and
Neal Jackson. (Photo/Diane
Glidewell)
Local patriots share their enthusiasm for Flag Day
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Representatives of the local Lt.
James Monroe Chapter of Daugh
ters of the American Revolution
and the Liberty Tree Chapter of
Children of the American Revolu
tion took time to celebrate U.S.
Flag Day on Thursday, June 14. The
group circled around the Forsyth
square, visiting business on the
square and on the streets just off of
it, to share small American flags,
flag pins, bookmarks, information
about displaying the flag, coloring
sheets for children and greetings.
The origin of June 14 as Flag Day
goes back to 1777 when Congress
adopted the flag design of red and
white stripes and a blue field with
stars as the official symbol of the
country on that date. President
Woodrow Wilson declared June 14
as Flag Day in 1916.
In spite of very warm tempera
tures on the summer afternoon,
the local group was well-received
as it shared its message of patrio
tism. The first stop was Minoris
Italian Restaurant, where a table of
teachers having lunch were glad to
see them.
“The DAR is about patriotism,
not politics,” said DAR Regent
Amanda Garnett. “We focus on
love and respect of America.”
The group gives awards to school
children each year with the inten
tion of fostering good citizenship
and generating an interest in his
tory, historic leaders and traditions.
Garnett said the local chapter is in
volved in many activities, including
community service, and welcomes
those interesting in learning more
about the organization. The Lt.
James Monroe Chapter meets on
the fourth Tuesday of the month
at 6 p.m. at the Train Depot on
Adams Street. The Liberty Tree
Chapter for children meets at 4:30
p.m.
For more information, contact
Garnett at garnett31016@bell-
south.net.
Beulahland is in bloom
New 1-75 Central
Corridor Coalition
meets in Forsyth
Article and photo courtesy
of Vicki Smith, who meets
lots of folks stopping by her
real estate office at Proper
ties Plus, 6241 Highway 41S
in Bolingbroke to ask about
Beulahland.
Already this Spring, indi
viduals and garden clubs,
Master Gardeners and
church groups have trav
eled from all over Georgia
to visit Beulahland Hy
drangea Gardens in Boling
broke and be inspired
spiritually and emotionally.
The Gardens, owned by
Rev. Gary Starrett, will be
open through June.
Rev. Starrett hosted a
visit from Dr. Michael Dirr,
one of the nations leading
authorities and lecturers on
hydrangeas. After retiring
as a Professor of Horticul
ture at the University of
Georgia, Dr. Dirr and his
team have specialized in
creating new hydrangea
cultivars, such as Bloom-
struck, the best selling
hydrangea in the U.S.
They have also created
Twist & Shout, Blushing
Bride and a number of oth
er hydrangeas and woody
shrubs. Dirr has written 11
books and published over
300 scientific papers and
articles. Starrett first met
Dirr at the International
Hydrangea Conference at
Cape Cod, Mass, in 2015,
and the two have become
corresponding friends and
sharers of hydrangeas.
Because Rev. Starrett has
a collection of over 350
different cultivars, one of
the larger collections in
the U.S., Dr. Dirr wanted
to visit, take pictures and
journal the over two acres
of hydrangeas in full bloom
in June. He plans to publish
an article about Beulahland
and the collections.
Beulahland was featured
in an article by Vicki Smith
in the Monroe County
Reporter in 2016, which
led to a three-page article
in “Georgia Neighbors,”
published by the Georgia
Farm Bureau in 2017.
After that article circulated
to 300,000, Beulahland
welcomed visitors from
55 towns and counties in
Georgia who traveled to
Bolingbroke to visit the
gardens.
There is no charge to
visit Beulahland, but dona
tions support the upkeep
and the purchase of new
hydrangeas. Donations
also support the work of
Living Water International,
an organization that drills
wells in South America and
allows Rev. Starrett to par
ticipate as part of a drilling
team every three years.
To visit the gardens and
to get directions to them,
call Starrett at 478-747-
6520 or email gary.star-
rett@yahoo.com at least 24
hours in advance.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr. net
Monroe County and
Forsyth are part of the
1-75 Central Corridor
Coalition, a group of
seven counties and six
cities along 1-75 between
Henry County and Hous
ton County. The objective
of the Central Corridor
Coalition, which orga
nized last summer, is
to promote the cities
and counties working
together to benefit the
economic development of
the whole region.
The same type of group
has successfully coordi
nated development along
other sections of 1-75,
such as the area around
the Atlanta airport and
the area north of Atlanta.
Monroe County Com
mission Chair Greg
Tapley is chairman of the
Central Corridor Coali
tion board, and Macon
Mayor Robert Reichert
is treasurer. Dan Reuter
of RSI, Inc. is execu
tive director; the Reuter
Strategy company serves
as consultant, guiding the
efforts toward coordi
nated and intentional
community growth.
The group meets every
other month, and the
board holds conference
calls on the alternate
months. 1-75 Central
Corridor Coalition is
concerned with improve
ments along the express
way itself, like the South
Express Lanes, and is
interested in promoting
the major freight artery
but is also interested
in capitalizing on the
economic, recreational,
historic and educational
resources along the route.
Those involved feel that
they will achieve more
working together than
separately.
The 1-75 Central Cor
ridor Coalition met in
Forsyth on May 17 for
a program focusing on
tourism. Besides repre
sentatives from Monroe
County government,
board of education and
the city of Forsyth, there
were representatives
from Henry County, the
Georgia Municipal Asso
ciation, Jackson, Geor
gia Power, Fort Valley,
Barnesville, Butts County
IDA, Middle Georgia
Regional Commission,
Spalding County, Lamar
County, Southern Rivers,
Griffin, Middle Georgia
State College, Central
Georgia Tech and Central
Georgia EMC.
“This effort is not just
about how to grow the
corridor but about how to
plan it better,” said Reuter.
“It includes four regional
commissions. This is
about trying to stitch the
corridor together and
promote collaboration.
There are infrastructures
planned that will promote
growth.”
Reuter said that Georgia
Tech intern Dee Patel is
developing a website for
the 1-75 Central Corridor
Coalition with the assis
tance of Middle Georgia
Regional Commission.
The Georgia Munici
pal Association is also
helping with the website.
Reuter said there needs
to be an event portal that
lets people know what is
happening up and down
See COALITION . Page 2C