Newspaper Page Text
MONROE COUNTY
Community
Calendar
Calendar items run free
of charge as a community
service each week as space
allows. Mail items for the
Community Calendar to
Diane Glidewell at news@
mymcr.net by 8 a.m. on
Monday.
April 22
Monroe County Rec
Dept, has Movie Under
the Stars
Monroe County Parks &
Recreation, 100 Dan Pitts
Drive, Forsyth will present
Movie Under the Stars:
Sing 2 on Friday, April 22.
Grounds open at 6:30 p.m.
Admission is free. There will
be concessions, ice cream,
music and activities. The
event is sponsored by Mo
mentum Christian Church.
April 26
Lt. James Monroe DAR to
meet
The Lt. James Monroe DAR
meeting on Tuesday, April 26
at 6 p.m. at the Conley Build
ing will feature Bonnie Westray
from the Sukey Hart DAR of
Warner Robins with her pro
gram,"Our Seal and Insignia:
A Spinning Tale". She will dem
onstrate a variety of spinning
techniques on her spinning
wheel as she connects the
story of the DAR. There will
be a special presentation of
the gifts of a colonial spinning
wheel and yarn spinner to the
chapter from a local individual.
The public is welcome.
April 28
Candidate Forum
The Monroe County Reporter
will sponsor a Political Forum on
Thursday, April 28 at the new
Forsyth City Hall. All candidates
for Monroe County Board of
Education and Board of Com
missioners who face opposition
in the May 24 primary are
invited to come and share their
positions.
April 28-30
"The Sound of Music"
Mary Persons & Monroe County
Middle School will present “The
Sound of Music" on Thursday,
Friday & Saturday, April 28-30
at 6 p.m. and also at 2 p.m. on
Saturday at Monroe County
Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $15
pre-sale and $20 at the door
(cash or check).
April 30
Autism Awareness
Festival
The Annual Autism Aware
ness Festival will be
Saturday, April 30 from 8
a.m.-3 p.m. at the Day
spring Presbyterian Church
campus, 1045 Highway
41S, Forsyth. The event is
sponsored by the Anchor
of Hope Foundation. There
will be a 5K trail race and
family fun run that morning
and live entertainment, food
vendors, children's activities
and information about autism
resources during the day.
For more information, cal
478-994-0438.
May 2
Monroe County His
torical Society hears
the real story of Doc
Holliday
The speaker at the Monroe
County Historical Society
meeting on Monday, May
2 at 7 p.m. at the Conley
Building, 104 East Adams
St., Forsyth will be Victoria
Wilcox. Wilcox is the found
ing director of Fayetteville's
Holliday-Dorsey-Fife Muse
um and spent two decades
of research on Wild West
egend Doc Holliday and
his Georgia ties. She is the
author of a documentary film,
historical novel trilogy and
a pictorial biography. The
public is invited. For more in
formation, email ralphbassjr@
gmail.com.
May 6
Forsyth Tree Board
Golf Tournament
The 7th Annual Forsyth Tree
Board Golf Tournament will
be Friday, May 6 at the For
syth Golf Club, 400 Country
Club Drive, Forsyth. Registra
tion is 8 a.m., with tee time
at 9 a.m. It will be 4-per-
son scramble-best ball. To
register, $75/person, $300/
team. Contact Lyn Sandifer
at the City of Forsyth. Fees
include lunch, goodie bag,
green fees & cart and tickets
for door prizes. Cash prizes
for top three teams. Limit 18
teams. Proceeds help fund
See CALENDAR
Page 3B
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Representatives of the Towaliga Circuit district Attorneys Office, Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Monroe County
DFCS, counselors from Monroe County Schools, Monroe County CARE Cottage, Monroe County Superior Court and Monroe
County Boys & Girls Club of Central Georgia gathered on April 13 to show support for Child Abuse Prevention Month by
planting blue pinwheels on the courthouse lawn.
It takes a big team
to keep children safe
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
There are 250 blue pinwheels
spinning in the breeze on the
Monroe County Courthouse
lawn, representing the 250 times
that Monroe County Department
of Family & Children Services
(DFCS) has taken information
about possible child abuse or
neglect over the last 12 months.
April is National Child Abuse Pre
vention Month, and several of the
agencies tasked with dealing with
allegations of possible child abuse
and its aftermath joined together
at the courthouse on Wednesday,
April 13 to raise awareness.
Pinwheels were adopted as the
national symbol for child abuse
prevention in 2008. They symbol
ize the joy, freedom and whimsy
nature that characterizes a healthy
childhood. The emphasis is on
preventing anything from in
terfering with the playful joy of
childhood that contributes to a
healthy, productive adult.
Joining to plant pinwheels on
the courthouse lawn for April
were representatives of the Towa
liga Circuit district Attorneys
Office, Monroe County Sheriffs
Office, Monroe County DFCS,
counselors from Monroe County
Schools, Monroe County CARE
Cottage, Monroe County Superior
Court
and
Monroe
County
Boys & Girls Club of Central
Georgia.
“We appreciate you coming
out to show how much you care
for kids each and every day’ said
District Attorney Jonathan Ad
ams. “It’s a team effort in Monroe
County’
“Caring for our kids takes all of
us,” said Sametrice Adams-Carter,
Monroe County DFCS director.
She reminded those present to
encourage anyone who sees some
thing to say something and be a
voice for those who can’t speak up
for themselves.
She said it is especially impor
tant for the community to support
its children now as interaction
resumes after over two years
of isolation for many children.
DFCS, like many employers, is
struggling with a staff shortage.
She said the state is working to put
the right people in positions key
to preventing child abuse.
“We are so blessed to have com
munity agencies working with us
in Monroe County” said Adams-
Carter.
High Falls Lake Association
residents together again
is ready to bring
There are more houses
being built in the counties
around the parks, which
is also increasing use of
the parks. The parks are
still busier than they were
before the pandemic.
Miller urged the pur
chase of annual park
passes. He said that by
law anyone using the park
must have either a tempo
rary or annual park pass,
even if attending a meeting
or an event in the park. He
said the park pass is the
only money collected in
the park that is allocated
directly to the park. Funds
are used for maintenance
and construction projects.
He said High Falls State
Park gets credit for annual
passes bought at the park
but not online. Annual
passes are $25 for people
62 and over and $50 for
others.
Miller was asked if I
the Department of
Natural Resources (DNR)
is stocking High Falls Lake
with fish. He said not at
this time but possibly in
the future. He was asked
if he could lower the lake
when flooding is antici
pated. Miller said the park
used its flood gate to lower
the lake 3 inches last week
when there was flooding.
However, he noted that he
doesn’t have any control
over the Towaliga River,
which floods because of
waters coming into it from
the north and that direct
ing water from the lake
into the river would cause
more flooding.
DNR lowers the lake
every other winter to allow
for maintenance like dock
repair; next winter is the
schedule to lower High
Falls Lake.
Bob Chappell said those
interested in the High Falls
Lake Association need
to make some decisions
about its future. Right
now he is the only officer.
Over the two years without
meetings because of Co-
vid, the treasurer passed
away and the secretary’s
husband passed away and
she couldn’t continue as
secretary Chappell has
gotten ail pertinent records
and kept the finances up to
e High Falls • Page 2B
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
On Thursday evening,
April 14 the High Falls
Lake Association (HLLA)
held its first in-person
meeting since pre-Covid,
and residents of the High
Lalls area indicated they
are ready to get back
to working together to
improve their community.
Monroe County Sheriff
BradLreeman and High
Lalls State Park Manager
Terry Miller spoke to the
group and answered ques
tions.
Lreeman said his office
is working steadily on two
concerns in High Falls,
illegal drugs and blight. He
said there has been success
in reducing the number
or drug dealers in High
Falls and that residents can
expect to see more action
with that intent.
He said the Sheriff’s
Office is working with the
commissioners to reduce
blight but is waiting for the
commissioners to make
decisions on zoning and
ordinances for recreational
vehicles. The sheriff’s office
will enforce the ordinances
that commissioners adopt.
Freeman encouraged
everyone to download
the Sheriff’s app for alerts
on the local community
weather, traffic, etc. He
said weather alerts usually
come up on the app before
the alerts through the
county’s Code Red. The
app provides information
about jail inmates, and it
lets users send tips to the
Sheriff’s Office anony
mously Freeman said
there is no way for the app
to track the sender; tips go
straight to investigations.
Jan Knecht said she appre-
to, even though he con
siders the High Falls
Park home and hopes
to remain at it until he
retires in six years or so.
“We’re busy beyond
ciated the notices from the
app recently about roads
closed because of flooding.
Miller commended
Freeman for the job his
office has done in reducing
crime
Right, HFLA president Bob Chappell listens
as Sheriff Brad Freeman speaks to the
group on April 14. Below, many of those
attending lined up to pay dues and volun
teer to help lead the group after the April
14 meeting.
and
main
taining
order
at High
Falls
State
Park and
the sur
rounding
area.
“Since
you’ve
been on
board,
your
team has
done an
incredible
job, even
curtailing
speeding,” said Miller. “We
appreciate your support in
the area.”
Freeman said his office
is short about 17 deputies
and encouraged anyone
who knows good ap
plicants to send them to
him. He said he hopes
to have inmates working
trash pick-up details again
in a couple of weeks but
he hasn’t had the type of
inmates that he can put
on the road. He said that
like good deputies, “good
inmates are hard to find.”
Miller took the position
in charge of High Falls
State Park in March 2020,
just a week before Covid
shutdowns began. With
the parks being one of the
few places that remained
open and with problems
finding workers, Miller
said he hasn’t gotten to
know the community and
residents as he would like
belief” said Miller.
He said workers have just
finished work on an ADA
compliant trail that was
done with a federal grant.
The park is working on a
handicapped accessible
walkway from the park
office to the ADA Trail that
should be finished in about
two weeks.
The next project will be
re-doing the Falls View
trail. Miller said the Trail
will be closed for a while
as access to the water from
the trail is restricted for
safety. The result will be
easier walking and better
views from the trail.
Miller said all of High
Falls Park’s campsites are
staying booked, even on
weekdays. He said camp
sites at Dames Ferry in
Juliette, which he man
ages as well as High Falls,
also stay full as do those at
Indian Spring State Park.