Newspaper Page Text
Page 2B
^Reporter
April 26, 2023
Pictured, left to right, are State Senator John Kennedy, Joel Vinson, and Phil Ham.
(Photo courtesy of Laurie Pippin)
Phil Ham, Joel Vinson are
Golden Eagle recipients
The Central Georgia Council of Boy
Scouts of America hosted the annual
Monroe County Golden Eagle Dinner on
Thursday, April 20 at the Monroe County
Conference Center. This year's Golden
Eagle recipients are Phil Ham and Joel
Vinson.
The keynote speaker at the dinner was
State Senator John Kennedy. The Scout
speaker at the dinner was Eagle Scout
Zachary Dunlap. Also in attendance were
State Representative Robert Dickey and
State Representative Dale Washburn.
The purpose of the dinner is to recognize
individuals, such as Ham and Vincent,
who have shown a lifelong commitment
to community service and dedication
to the values of the Scout Law. The total
attendance at the dinner was just over 100
individuals.
Forsyth Bicentennial
Fun Fact
By Ralph Bass
ralphbassir@gmail.com
F orsyth has many traditions,
among them the Forsythia
Festival and the Mary Persons
football rivalry with Jackson,
but perhaps the oldest is Confederate
Memorial Day. Now more than 150
years after its first observance the tradi
tion continues every April in the Forsyth
City Cemetery.
There is no good evidence known today
for when the first observance of this day
happened in Forsyth, but by 1870 it was
being observed-although in that year
it was postponed from April until May
because there were not enough flowers yet
available to decorate the graves.
The Ladies Memorial Association was
then the sponsoring organization and
established the formula for the earliest
observances. Always there was an orator
who was obliged to pay eloquent tribute
to the Confederate soldier. There was
also a parade from the town square to the
cemetery in a prescribed order, typically
the marshal in the lead, followed by the
Quitman Guard. Next came the women of
the Memorial Association, the clergy with
students from Monroe Female College and
Hilliard Male Institute in tow. Members of
the city council preceded the citizens who
were divided into two groups, those on
foot and those in carriages, who came last.
When in 1886 there seemed to be a prob
lem with decorum in the parade, the ladies
of the Memorial Association announced
that the order of marching would be
strictly observed “to prevent confusion” so
“that everything maybe done decently and
in order.”
At the cemetery itself, those who were
present put “fresh spring flowers, wreaths,
and immortelles” on the Confederate
graves. [“Immortelles” were made of dried
natural or man-made materials and would
last longer than fresh spring flowers.]
The Ladies Memorial Association
organized Memorial Day observations
until about 1915, when they turned that
responsibility over to the Thomas B.
Cabaniss Chapter of the United Daughters
of the Confederacy (UDC), which had
been organized in 1900. Today, more than
150 years after the first Memorial Day in
Forsyth, the women of the UDC maintain
that tradition.
In this years observation, there was no
Quitman Guard to fire a concluding salute,
but Co. G, 27th Ga Re-enactors fired their
guns and cannon, sending dogs howling
in an otherwise quiet neighborhood.
Future
litigators
practice in
Monroe Co.
courtroom
Homeschool students held
a mock trial at Monroe
County courthouse. (Photo
courtesy of Laurie Heiney)
Community Calendar
Continued from page 1 B
The box office at The Rose
opens two hours before each
show, or buy tickets online at
The BacklotPlayers.org/Tickets.
May 13
Annual Fit to Achieve 5K
Due to weather the Monroe
County Achievement Center's
6th Annual Fit to Achieve 5K
has been re-scheduled from
March 25 to Saturday, May 1 3
at 8 a.m. For more information,
contact Sarah Alford at 478-
994-7072 or sarah.alford : s ) mc-
schools.org, Rebecca Harmon
at rebecca.harmon@mcschools.
org or Margie Bryant at camp-
bell margie® hotmail.com.
May 15-16
Auditions for "Treasure
Island"
Auditions for "Treasure Island"
- a BOOYA (youth) produc
tion at The Rose Theater in
Forsyth - are Monday, May
15 & Tuesday, May 16 at 7
p.m. for rising 6th-12th graders.
Show dates will be July 21 -23
& 28-30.
May 18
Monroe Co. Community
Blood Drive
Turf Magic LLC will sponsor a
Monroe County Community
Blood Drive on Thursday, May
1 8 from 2-7 p.m. at the River
Forest Community Room, 402
Forest Pointe Drive, Forsyth. To
schedule an appointment, visit
https://www.redcrossblood.
org and use the sponsor code
'turf magic. Streamline the
donation experience and save
up to 15 minutes by visiting
redcrossblood.org/rapidpass to
complete pre-donation reading
and health history questions on
the day of the donation.
May 20
Clay Shooting Fundraiser
for the Pregnancy Center
The Meadows Gun Club will
host a Clay Shooting Tourna
ment on Saturday, May 20 to
benefit the Pregnancy Center
of Monroe County. Check in
is at 8 a.m., shooting starts at
9 a.m. Awards, lunch and live
music follow the tournament.
A team of 4 is $500; an indi
vidual shooter is $150. A guest
pass (non-shooter) is $20 and
includes lunch. Call 478-994-
3173 for more information.
May 27
Special show at The Rose
“The Magic of Evan Dupree"
will be on stage at The Rose
Theater on Saturday, May 27
at 3 p.m. & 7 p.m. The 3 p.m.
program is a family show (rated
G), and the 7:30 p.m. show is
PG-1 3. Tickets are sold online
only at TheBacklotPlayers.org/
Tickets.
May 27-28
High Falls Volunteer Fire
& Rescue Annual BBQ
The Annual High Falls Volunteer
Fire & Rescue Fundraiser BBQ
will be Saturday, May 27 from
1 1 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Sunday,
May 28 from 1 1 a.m until BBQ
is gone.
June 3
1823 Artisan Guild pet
events
The 1823 Artisan Guild, 30
East Main Street, Forsyth is
Going to the Dogs’ on Satur
day, June 3 with three specia
events: From 10 a.m.-l p.m. will
be a Save A Pet adoption op
portunity. From 1-4 p.m. will be
‘Pawprints on Canvas' to bring
your leashed pet for pet art.
Create your artwork assisted
by Guild artist. The cost is $20/
pet, with half going to Save
A Pet. There will be an Arts
& Crafts Show all day with
animal-themed items from local
artisans. For more information,
contact Debbie Carter at 478
993 1823.
June 10
1st Annual Save A Pet
Rescue Ride
Monroe County Moose Lodge
2424 will host the Save A Pet
Rescue Ride on Saturday, June
10 starting from 524 Cabiness
Road, Forsyth. Sign in is 10 a.m.;
ride begins at 1 1 a.m. There will
be two routes: motorcycles &
cars. Jeeps.$20/bike or jeep,
$ 10/passenger. Lunch, raffle
prizes, entertainment by The
Mustangs. For more informa
tion, call Amanda after 5 p.m.
at 478-365-3033 or Mary
Edith at 478-394-0670.
Fan Design contest for
Indian Spring Hotel Bicen
tennial
The Butts County Historica
Society is having a fan design
contest for students K-12 to
create a design for the Bicen
tennial of the Indian Springs
Hotel/Museum. There will be
recognition for the top three
entries at each grade level
and prizes for the top entries,
including gift certificates. Entries
should be on 3 x 5 white index
cards or equivalent space. En
tries will be judged on creativi
ty and use of theme (the 200th
anniversary of the hotel built by
Chief William McIntosh of the
Muskogee nation). Deadline is
June 10. Visit the BCHS website
or the BCHS room at the His
toric Courthouse for detailed
instructions.
On-Going
Cooling assistance avail
able
Middle Georgia Community
Action Agency will accept
appointments for cooling
assistance applications for
households where all members
are 65 years of age or older
or homebound beginning Mon
day, April 3. Call 1 -844-588-
1552 or go to https://mgcaa.
appointment.works/ea/home to
schedule an appointment. No
walk-ins. Other income eligible
households may contact the
scheduling system beginning
May 1. Verification of income
for all household residents is
required as well as proof of
identify and recent utility bills.
The income limit for a two-per
son household is $36,690.
Forsyth Monroe County
Rotary Club
Forsyth Monroe County Rotary
Club meets a 1 2 noon each
Thursday at The Fox City Brew
ing Company, 45 N. Kimball
Street, Forsyth.
Friends of Monroe County
Library Book Sale
The Friends of the Monroe
Remember when...
1993
• Forsyth and Monroe
County are considering
mediation to resolve their
conflict over the Solid
Waste Plan.
• Rev. Joseph Lowery,
president of the SCLC,
will be speaker at the 3rd
Annual Hubbard Alumni
Banquet.
• Forsyth Red & White
Grocery and Ingram Center
will have a Grand Opening
Celebration. Developer
Otis Ingram says 10 stores
are available for retail or
office space; he hopes to
have tenants in all stores by
the end of the year.
• During an Artfest lec
ture on the Macon College
campus, Fannie Flagg says
she wrote “Fried Green To
matoes" as a love letter to
her hometown in Alabama
and was excited to see it
come to life in Juliette.
• St. James Baptist
Church and Parker Chapel
AME Church will both cel
ebrate their 127th anniver
saries on April 25. St. James
will also celebrate the 45th
anniversary of its pastor,
Rev. Adolph Parsons.
• Tammy Walker won
1st place representing
MP in word processing at
the State Literary Meet.
Debbie Kuhr placed 3rd in
keyboarding, and Suzann
McCloud, Libby Plath and
Lisa Edge 4th in girls trio.
• Rubye Watts of Forsyth
is unopposed for her third
term as House District 47
representative of the Silver
Haired Legislature.
• Members of the Black
Spider Motorcycle Riding
Club, based in Forsyth, work
to serve the community.
• Mary Persons senior
James “JT" Love Jr. signs a
letter of intent for a golf
scholarship to Kentucky
State. He is the son of
James and Alberta Love.
• The team of Lee Smith,
Darryn Williams, Mike
Hickman and Steve Sykes
win the 1993 Pizza Hut/
American Cancer Society
Golf fundraiser at 20 under
par 52.
• Robert Harris catches a
10 1/4 lb. Catfish in Pippin’s
Pond.
• A memorial concert
at the Left Banquet Cafe
raises $960 for a scholar
ship in memory of Johnny V.
Atkinson.
2003
• Latrina Pennamon, a
Hubbard Alumni Association
scholarship winner, unveils
the historical marker desig
nating the Hubbard dorm as
a Georgia historical site.
• Members of the U.S.
military with local ties
receiving orders to Iraq
include Pvt. James R. Jacobs
of Forsyth and U.S.MC. CpI.
Wesley Slayton.
• The Annual Confeder
ate Memorial Day Service
sponsored by Cabaniss
Chapter # 415 United
Daughters of the Confed
eracy will be held Sunday,
April 27 at the Forsyth City
Cemetery with Brig. Gen.
Harold Carlisle as speaker.
• Nine men and women will
be honored with crosses of
Military Service and Na
tional Defense Medals.
• Monroe Academy Girls
Soccer team captures the
region championship, unde
feated in their region.
• The Culloden Highland
Games and 9th Scottish
Festival will be held Satur
day and Sunday.
• The Olde Order of Tift
College will hold its Annua
Alumnae Weekend.
Monroe County Sherrifs
Office CpI. Clay Maddox
gets a new truck and new
responsibilities as Monroe
County DARE officer.
• Miriam Freeman writes
about her memories of the
Steinway & Sons piano in
the Mary Persons auditori
um that has been restored
by the Board of Education.
• Gov. Sonny Perdue
honors Georgia Power
Company Plant Scherer
for winning first place in
the Environmental Improve
ment category at the Keep
Georgia Beautiful awards
uncheon.
• Hannah Swearingen
and Katie Rowland are
recognized for perfect at
tendance at Sunday schoo
at Mt. Zion United Method
ist Church.
• Forsyth city clerk Carol
Ellerbee is named Georgia
Municipal Clerk of the Year.
• Through the 2003
Forsythia Festival more than
$30,500 is raised by local
non-profit organizations
for community projects.
Attendance for the two-
day festival is estimated at
20,000.
• Georgia’s Center of
Population based on the
2000 U.S. Census Bureau
data has moved to Butts
County near Lake Jackson. It
has gradually moved north
toward Atlanta.
2013
• Kitty Robinson of
Culloden is unhurt but hears
the explosion at the finish
line as she is running the
Boston Marathon.
• Mary Persons boys
soccer team claims its first
region championship. Mary
Persons began playing
soccer in 1999.
• Forsyth city clerk Janice
Hall tells council it has
approved $591,000 worth
of invoices it doesn’t have
money to pay.
• Jimmy Jones, Greg
Goolsby, Velda Shackelford
and Mike Dodd commit to
run for Forsyth City Council.
• Monroe County DFCS
director Jennifer Porter ex
plains changes in the office
to fewer caseworkers and
more on-line interaction.
• Prominent citizen Julius
Stroud Jr. passes.
• Brentwood Apartments,
Forsyth s first apartment
complex in 20 years, is
nearing completion with 80
units.
• Long-time county road
department employees
Willie Joe Smith and Morris
Jones retire.
• Concerts at the Juliette
Opry draw crowds at least
monthly to the historic venue.
• Coach Mike Dunlap has
agreed to let the Monroe
County Middle School boys
soccer team cut off his po
nytail if it finishes the season
undefeated and unsecured
upon.
Remember When
This look at what Monroe County residents were reading in the
Reporter 30, 20 and 10 years ago this week is brought to you by...
Monroe County
Memorial Chapel
We set the standards
that others follow 1
Harley Ray "Spanky" Beck
86 West Main Street • Forsyth
478-994-4266