Newspaper Page Text
Page 4B
February 9, 2022
BB
Exporter
Plan to party with the bands in downtown Forsyth
By Diane Glidewell
news'-mymcr.net
Concerts on the Square
are back! Frank Wilder,
Forsyth Main Street
coordinator, has released
the schedule for the 2022
concerts so that businesses
and patrons can circle the
dates on their calendars
and begin making plans.
The popular Spring/Sum
mer series of concerts was
cancelled because of Covid
restrictions in 2020 and
2021.
The 2022 series will begin
on Saturday, April 2 with
The Tams coming to For
syth. Playing R & B, soul
and beach music, the Tams
rolled out hits in the 60s,
70s and 80s and have con
sistently remained popular.
A couple of their chart
toppers are “Be Young, Be
Foolish, Be Happy” and
“What Kind of Fool.” The
group is known for keeping
its audience engaged and
moving to the beat of its
music.
Wilder said he looked for
bands with mass appeal to
complete the concert series.
He asked for suggestions
on Main Street Facebook
for bands the commu
nity would like to see. The
Departure: Journey Tribute
Band, which is coming to
Forsyth on May 7, came
from one of those sugges
tions.
“I don’t think we’ve done
a tribute band before,” said
Wilder. “Departure has a
good following, and I’ve al
ready gotten good feedback
on them.”
He recalled that the Elton
John/Billy Joel tribute
singers who performed at
the Monroe County Fine
Arts Center had a good
response.
A Monroe County favor
ite high energy band, “The
Grapevine,” is returning
on June 4. Wilder said it
was the most requested
band when he sought in
put from the community.
Traditionally Forsyth Main
Street focuses on fireworks
and 4th of July celebration
in July. Then for August,
the Swinging’ Medallions
round out the concert
series on Aug. 6.
The concerts take place
on Saturday
evenings
with streets
around the
square closed
for people to
dance and
bring chairs
to sit and
listen. Wilder
said that he
hopes to get
people back
downtown.
The outdoor
events offer a
good venue
where the
concert goers
can spread
out and wear masks if they
wish. He hopes downtown
businesses will get on board
with extra hours, specials
FOR5YTJ-f
STREET
2022
Concerts on the Square
The
TAMS
May Departure:
Journey Tribute
Band
The
Grapevine
** Band
August swingin'
6 Medallions
and offerings from their
menus and inventory.
“It says something when
we can see people happy,
enjoying themselves, proud
to call Forsyth home,” he
said.
There are still oppor
tunities for businesses
and organizations to help
sponsor the concerts, and
all are invited to spread
the word and promote the
downtown events. Contact
Wilder at 478-994-7747 or
fwilder@dtyofforsyth.com
for more information.
Wilder said he is excited
to see more people enjoy
ing all Forsyth has to offer
after hours.
“I see people waiting at
restaurants and walking
around the square,” he
said. “It’s a view of what’s to
come.”
Monroe Co. Family Connection approves new board
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Monroe County Family Con
nection began the process of re
organizing at its monthly meet
ing on Feb. 1 as Georgia Family
Connection regional manager
Adam Swymer presented nomi
nations of seven new members
to its board of directors. Swymer
said the board needs to be in
place before the process of hiring
a new Monroe County Family
Connection coordinator/director
could begin because the board
will choose the coordinator from
applicants.
Georgia Family Connection is
a state-wide network, primar
ily funded by the state, tasked
with coordinating the efforts
of private and public organiza
tions in each county to direct
resources to improve the fives of
children and families. It began in
1993 and by 2004 existed in all of
Georgia’s 159 counties. The state
funds are managed by a fiscal
agency in each county, which
in Monroe County is the Board
of Commissioners. Monroe
County Family Connection has
been without a coordinator since
Drew Winters resigned in Sep
tember. All
except three
board mem
bers have
also resigned
since that
time, and
Swymer has
conducted
meetings.
As the fiscal
agent for the
organization,
the county
will handle gathering applica
tions for a coordinator, using
the hiring process it has in place.
The position has been part-time
in Monroe County, although
Swymer said it is a full time
position in most counties. Fund
ing a full-time position, which
would probably entail the county
providing an employee benefits
package, is at the discretion of
the commissioners. From 2011
until about 2016 Travis Blackwell
served as the Monroe County
coordinator while also working
as the Bibb County Family Con
nection coordinator.
Swymer said accord
ing to its by-laws Monroe
County Family Connec
tion must have a minimum
of five and not more than
11 board members, and
the number must be an
odd number. He presented
seven nominations for new
board members, including
nominating Jeff Holcomb
as chair. He advised leaving
one board position vacant
and asking the Monroe
County Board of Commissioners
to name someone to that seat.
Members present at the hybrid
virtual/in-person meeting on
Feb. 1 approved the slate pre
sented by Swymer, including
the open position to be filled by
commissioners. Holcomb is pas
tor of Living Word Community
Church on Juliette Road, which
opened in Monroe County in
October 2019, and is a project
manager at Delta Airlines. Other
new board members are Gwen
Byrd, Marilynne Fitts, Rachel
Frisbee, Margaret Holloway,
Vickie Nickel and Karen Peters.
One member commented that
at least two of those named to
the board have never attended a
Monroe County Family Connec
tions meeting. Swymer said that
all were contacted and agreed to
serve. Holcomb said that all are
involved in the community in
positions that support the initia
tives of Family Connection.
“I look forward to working
with our new executive board
members,” said Swymer after the
nominations were approved.
He said the fiscal year for Fam
ily Connections runs from July
to June, and the group needs to
set its focus for FY 2022. Mem
bers agreed to continue focus
ing on decreasing child abuse
and neglect in Monroe County.
Swymer said the group should
look at specific programs it has
been supporting and consider
whether to add new programs to
its 2022 strategy at its March 1
meeting. The annual plan must
be submitted to the state by
March 30.
Holcomb said that one area
with opportunity for Monroe
County Family Connection is
making its presence known in
the community, basically “mar
keting” itself to help it support
initiatives and pull resources
together.
“One of our major challenges
is that not a lot is known in the
community,” said Holcomb. “We
need to foster relationships.”
Swymer said that doesn’t fit
under the strategies but is a part
of the restructuring process. He
said he will provide notes from
three other counties that are
focusing on decreasing child
abuse and neglect so that Mon
roe County members can think
about some of the other coun
ties’ programs before the March
meeting. He said to keep in mind
that the goal is to prevent child
abuse and neglect, which is done
by supporting families in specific
ways rather than focusing on
children who have been victims.
Jeff Holcomb
Forsyth Convention & Visitors Bureau seeks permanent home
meeting with individu
als like travel writers
and also needs private
working space for Stan-
bery and other staff as
well as public space for
a Welcome Center.
CVB board member
Helen Walker said the
location of the rest
rooms at the present
site are a deterrent
Pictured left to right around the conference table at the Forsyth CVB board meeting are Amy Knight, Kerri
Swearingen, Navid Kapadia, John Howard, Gilda Stanbery, Bobby Melton.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
The Forsyth Convention
& Visitors Bureau (CVB)
board of directors held its
annual planning meet
ing on Jan. 21 and set as it
top priority establishing a
permanent location for the
CVB and resolving wheth
er the CVB will continue
to maintain a staff Forsyth’s
Welcome Center. Board
member Kerri Swearingen
said the CVB board has to
resolve how much the CVB
will be paying in rent and
other facility and staff
ing costs before it knows
what funds and resources
it will have available for
its mission of promot
ing tourism and bringing
visitors to Forsyth and the
surrounding area to boost
the economy.
The CVB was created in
2015 by legislative action
at the request of the city
and was located in the
downstairs part of the city’s
historic city hall/fire/police
station on North Lee Street
until repeated problems
with flooding caused it
to relocate a year and a
half ago. It is temporarily
housed in part of the for
mer city hall on the square
next door to Scoops Ice
Cream, which bought part
of the former city hall.
CVB executive direc
tor Gilda Stanbery said
that while there are some
positive aspects of the
temporary location, there
are other things that make
it unsuitable for the CVB.
Initially it was thought that
the city would resolve the
flooding issues at the N.
Lee Street building and the
CVB would return to it, but
that hasn’t happened. Now
the city plans to move its
municipal court into part
of the building, making it
less suitable for the CVB
and Welcome Center.
Stanbery said the CVB
has been “living out of
boxes” since it packed up
because of the flooding,
when it lost many of its
flyers and other printed
materials, and moved to its
temporary location. It has
continued to operate the
Welcome Center, which
greets visitors, answers
questions, and provides in
formation about things to
see and do in and around
Forsyth, on a smaller scale
than it did in its previous
location.
The CVB shares the front
window section of its pres
ent location with the 1823
Artisan Guild. That has the
advantage of the the two
groups working together
to provide attractive space
and items of interest to
visitors, but it makes it hard
to secure the area. Because
of the glass, the area is very
hot in the summer and
uncomfortable for anyone
to work in continuously.
Stanbery said the location
on the square is good for
the CVB, but the layout of
the space isn’t suitable for
the CVB’s functions. The
CVB needs storage space
for promotional materials,
like flyers, needs space for
both because of where
they are and because of
air flow. Stanbery said she
has enjoyed having the
opportunity to observe
the flow of people on the
square, learning when it
is busiest and who comes
to the square, but that the
temporary site doesn’t
function well.
CVB board chair John
Howard, who is a member
of the Forsyth city council,
noted that when council
decided it build its new
city hall off the square one
of the reasons was to open
up space on the square for
business instead of govern
ment offices.
CVB board member
Navid Kapidia said he had
recently toured the new
city hall and noticed that
there are a lot of offices
upstairs that aren’t being
used. Howard said that
while the CVB is an arm of
the city government, it isn’t
a city department and isn’t
under the direction of the
city manager or council.
The biggest problem with
locating it in city hall is the
Welcome Center function.
That would need to be in
the downstairs part of city
hall where space is limited
and not easily covered by
someone in an upstairs
office.
Staffing and managing
a Welcome Center isn’t
a designated part of the
CVB’s responsibilities, but
it fits well with the CVB’s
mission. As it seeks a per
manent location, the CVB
must determine whether it
will take care of a Welcome
Center.
Board member Amy
Knight, who operated
her boutique in the space
where the CVB is tempo
rarily located while her
building on the other side
of the square was remod
eled, agreed that the loca
tion is good but the layout
is not and doesn’t lend itself
to remodeling.
Swearingen, who has
been a Forsyth-Monroe
County realtor for many
years, said that office space
near downtown Forsyth
is currently at a premium,
with very little space
available. CVB currently
pays Forsyth $650/month,
including utilities, for the
temporary space. The
contract carried over from
the CVB’s agreement with
the city for the space on N.
Lee Street. Swearingen said
the spaces she knows to be
available are asking about
three times that amount.
Greg Boike of the Middle
Georgia Regional Com
mission, who facilitated
the CVB annual planning
meeting, summed up the
CVB’s need as for a site that
has visibility, is easy to ac
cess, has an interior design
that fits all of the CVB’s
functions and is affordable.
He said the known options
are N. Lee Street, the tem
porary space and the new
city hall.
“With the wrong loca
tion, the CVB could lose
its identity’ said Howard.
“Tourism sells the city.
That’s why Starbucks is
here.”
“I agree we need a nice
place to bring someone
into,” said Swearingen. “But
I don’t know if we can do
on our own what the city
city hall does.”
Stanbery said if the
Welcome Center continues
as a function of CVB, there
needs to be at least a part
time and possibly a full
time position dedicated to
it. She said there is a lot of
behind the scenes work as
sociated with the Welcome
Center besides having
someone available to greet
visitors during designated
hours.
She said that she takes
care of all buying, financial
balancing, decisions on ads
and marketing, etc. as well
as many personal con
tacts but needs someone
to monitor the essential
component of social media.
She said it is an art to use
the right words and make
just the right number of
posts at the right times to
maximize the exposure you
want to attract individuals
and groups to Forsyth.
There was discussion
of hiring a company to
handle CVB social me
dia, but Stanbery said she
has learned that having
someone local who actually
knows Forsyth is an impor
tant element in the suc
cessful use of social media.
She said she keeps trying to
find the right person. It was
suggested the CVB hire a
company while it continues
to search for a local person.