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-!? egion Roundup
'Faery Fest' Set
Saturday In
Downtown Comer
When the Comer Downtown
Development Authority sought to
add something to the social cal
endar, it decided upon something
rather rare around these parts.
During conversations regard
ing spring events, business owner
Jennifer Lumpkin suggested to
DDAchairpersonTina McCullough
that Comer host a “Faery Fest"
Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in
the downtown.
“She mentioned a faery festival,
and I was like, That sounds inter
esting,”' McCullough said.
Faery Festivals, similar to
Renaissance Festivals, are com
mon throughout the country, but
not particularly in the Southeast.
These festivals basically celebrate
mythical faeries and medieval
European folklore through the art,
music and food.
Since there are none in the Deep
South, McCullough sees poten
tial for growth for Comer’s event,
thus it billing as “the official Faery
Festival of the Southeast.”
McCullough noted one particu
lar faery festival started with 100
patrons and has grown to 7,000 six
years later.
McCullough is a co-chair along
with Lumpkin who’s opened the
Faery Emporium in Comer next to
McCullough’s Blue Bell Gallery.
This Saturday’s faery festival
coincides with the opening of the
Comer Farmer’s Market, which
should help draw a crowd.
“This just made for a good combi
nation,” McCullough said.
Since this is the inaugural event,
there have been challenges.
For starters, there’s no Celtic
music, which is essentially the
soundtrack of a faery festival.
Organizers hope to add that in
future events.
They also have a very limited
budget.
But castle-themed aesthetics are
planned to represent the time peri
od.
Saving Grace will reopen to serve
up turkey legs — part of medieval
fare.
There will even be a pony dressed
up like a unicorn, similar to what a
knight might ride.
“That’s the vision,” McCullough
said of the historical motif. “We’ll
see where we go.”
Perhaps even jousting one day?
“Oh, maybe, who knows that this
would build to,” McCullough said,
laughing, and noting that a field
behind the Comer Farmers Market
could be bush-hogged for a joust
ing arena.
Aside from medieval-themed
attractions, the faery festival will
offer outdoor artists, vendors,
crafts, activities, live music and
entertainment, an exotic petting
zoo with an animal interaction/
education station, bouncing and
climbing activities for kids, and
games.
This year event is going to start
out very small, McCullough said,
but she wants youth groups to uti
lize this for fund-raising.
She’s optimistic that the faery
festival will have a good first-year
showing, especially with farmers’
market patrons being close by.
“I think we’ll have a crowd,”
McCullough said.
And she expects this to offer
those who come an experience
different from the usual spring fes
tival.
“Oh yeah, it’ll be different,”
McCullough said.
'Bluegrass, BBQ
And Blue Jeans'
Planned In Jefferson
JEFFERSON - A day of blue-
grass, barbecue and craft exhibits
will be offered from 9 am. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 3, at Curry Creek
Park.
Bluegrass show times will be from
noon to 6 p.m. at the Jefferson
Civic Center, with a $5 admission
for those 12 and up.
Bands scheduled to appear
include Walnut Grove, Hickory
Wind Bluegrass and Bluegrass
Remnants.
Barbecue and other food will be
offered.
Crafts, exhibitions and demon
strations will include pottery, bas
ket-making, woodworking, broom
making, chair caning, quilting and
more.
Airport Authority
Approves New
Ground Leases
The Jackson County Airport
Authority has a new ground lease
document.
Under the new document, an
individual or company would lease
property for 30 years, paying a
monthly fee for using the space.
As part of the lease, the rental rate
increases annually, in accordance
with the Atlanta area cost price
index. The vote to approve the new
lease was unanimous.
The authority also heard cost esti
mates for the building of hangars in
four areas at the airport. One plan,
which would include building on
all four sites, would cost $362,000,
including engineering, design and
contract work The board hopes
to present the estimates, as well
as other plans for airport develop
ment, to the Jackson County Board
of Commissioners at a workshop
prior to the next BOC meeting.
Also on April 15, the authority
heard the presentation of a con
tract offer from Harris Lowery
of RAI Aviation Properties on the
lease of space and the building of
a 20,000-square-foot hangar on the
west ramp of the airport. The com
pany indicated seven or eight multi-
engine airplanes would be brought
into the hangars. The authority will
review the request at a future work
session.
Airport manager Bob Stapleton
informed the authority about a
letter received from the Federal
Aviation Administration in regard
to possible land acquisition. In
the letter, an FAA spokesman
informed the authority that, while
the cost of land acquisition and the
cost of services for the acquisition
processes are reimbursable, the
FAA cannot guarantee an amount
for reimbursement, or a time table
for reimbursement. The authority
hopes to meet with the board of
commissioners on the reimburse
ment matter, as well as with a local
representative of the FAA, as part
of presenting funding plans for the
airport’s development.
Work Progressing
On New Jail
Grading has been done and the
flooring is in place. Next will be the
installation of the plumbing and
the walls going up.
Work is under way at the new
Jackson County Jail site and the
completion date is set for the sum
mer or fall of 2009.
The 130,000 square foot facility
will house a 424-bed jail, as well
as the sheriff’s deparatment and
administration offices. New South
Construction, Atlanta, is the con
tractor and Precision Planning, Inc.
is the architectural firm.
Jackson County has been deal-
TO THE CLASS
OF 2008!
ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 21,
The Jackson Herald, The Commerce News and The Banks
County News will dedicate an entire section of our
newspapers to the graduates of our local high schools.
Included will be the graduates of:
• Banks County High School
• Commerce High School
• Jackson County Comprehensive High School
• Jefferson High School
• East Jackson High School
This is an annual tradition and from the positive comments in the past, we believe this
section is a unique way for firms and individuals to express appreciation and pride for our
graduates' accomplishments. It is also an excellent way to make the graduates, their
families and over 16,000 households more aware of your business and the services you
offer. To become a part of this event, check with your ad representative or give us a
call at 706/367-5233 before Monday, May 5.
1/2 Page and Full Page ads will include Free Process Color
based on first come, first serve availability.
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IE A PART OF 1
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ing with overcrowding at the jail
for several years. Due to the over
crowding, the county has been
housing some of its prisoners in
other counties for a daily fee.
The current facility was built to
be used as a prison work camp,
but was converted to a county jail
in the mid 1980s. The county has
not made a decision on how the
current jail will be used.
A group of citizens served on
a jail advisory committee to help
with the planning and design of the
new facility. Members are still meet
ing monthly to discuss the budget,
time line and related issues.
Members of this committee
include Catherine Daniels chair
person, Clerk of Courts Camie
Thomas, Helen Gunnels, Martha
Martin, Gordon Wilson, Dr.
S.J. Shirley, Roy Baerne, Hunter
Bicknell, Hoschton Police Chief
Dave Hill and Nicholson Mayor
Ronnie Maxwell. Sheriff Stan
Evans and the sheriff’s office staff
have also been involved in the
project.
Noise Dispute
Continues At
Jefferson Nightspot
A lengthy dispute over noise
coming from Mike’s Down Under
bar in Jefferson has apparently led
to an obscene message painted
on the side of the building which
houses the bar and restaurant. And
the owner of the business, Mike
Carron, reportedly told police he’s
the one who painted the words to
“send a message.”
“F... you Retard!” was painted in
black letters on the building. It is
located on the side of the building
that houses an insurance office.
Carron’s restaurant and bar are
located in the same building.
The statement faces the resi
dence of Bobby Patterson, who
has filed numerous complaints
about noise coming from the bar.
Patterson filed a police report
Saturday about the painted words
on the building.
According to the police report,
Carron was notified by a dispatch
er that someone had spray-painted
obscene graffiti on his building.
Carron told the dispatcher that he
had painted the graffiti, according
to the police report.
“Mr. Carron told me that he
spray-painted the message and he
just wanted to send Bobby a mes
sage, but that he did not think it
was against the law,” the officer
wrote on the report.
Monday afternoon, the first two
words of the statement had been
painted over with only “retard”
remaining legible. By Tuesday
morning, all of the words had been
painted over.
At the Jefferson City Council
meeting Monday night, city man
ager John Ward said the city attor
ney and district attorney had been
contacted about the matter. Ward
also said the city is looking into
the town’s noise ordinance and the
matter would be on the agenda at
the May council meeting.
At a city council meeting two
weeks ago, Patterson and another
neighbor of the bar complained
about the noise level. At that meet
ing, Len Sturkie, who lives one
block from the bar, said the noise
from Mike’s has caused a “negative
quality of life in my residence.” He
said it has caused the “windows of
his home to rattle.” He added that
the noise is “impossible to ignore.”
But Carron said he checks the
noise level to make sure it is under
the city’s 60 decibel maximum.
At the earlier meeting, Sturkie
and Patterson both asked that the
decibel level maximum be low
ered.
Qualifying For
Elections Begins
In Banks County
Qualifying for candidates in
Banks County began Monday
and will continue through Friday.
Several candidates had qualified
locally as of press time including:
Democrats:
• Ron Gardiner, Board of
Education, Post 2.
• John David Kennedy, Board of
Education, Post 1.
•Margaret Ausburn, tax com
missioner.
•Tim Harper, clerk of courts.
Republicans:
• Henry Galloway, coroner.
• Milton Dalton, commission
chairman.
• Charles Chapman, sheriff.
• Becky Taylor, tax commis
sioner.
•John Williams, Board of
Education, post 4.
Qualifying to represent Banks
County at the state and national
level include:
U.S. Congress, District 10:
• Paul Broun, Republican.
• Barry Fleming, Republican.
• Bobby Saxon, Democrat.
State Senate, District 50:
• Nancy Schaefer, Republican.
•Jim Butter worth, Republican.
•Terry Rogers, Republican.
State Representative, District
28:
•Jeanette Jamieson, Democrat.
• Michael Harden, Republican.
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Next DUI Class begins on May 10, 2008
Next Defensive Driving Class will be held on May 3,2008
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