Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
Tiger Wrestlers
Prevail In
Madison Duals
SEE PAGE 7 A
Garden Club
Announces
Contest Winners
Vol. 133
No. 45
32 Pages
3 Sections
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Putting In A Last-Minute Request
Shawna Thompson tells Santa Claus what she wants for Christmas dur
ing last Thursday night’s Commerce Kiwanis Club/Commerce Key Club
Children’s Christmas Party at Commerce Primary School.
Photo by Mark Beardsley
Merchants Pleased With
'Commerce By Candlelight'
Friday night’s “Commerce by Candlelight” drew
a large crowd to the downtown, where merchants
reported that business was brisk.
Bad Economy
May Help
With CHS Bids
Recession Reduces Materials Costs,
Could Result In Better Bids
Newspaper
Deadlines
Are Moved Up
Because of the upcoming
New Year’s holiday and
the change in production
schedules, deadlines for
The Commerce News will
be advanced for the next
issue.
The paper will be printed
Tuesday will be available
Tuesday night at local
stores and will arrive in
local subscribers’ mailbox
es in Wednesday’s mail.
Ad deadlines, for both
classified and display ads,
will be moved to noon
Friday, Dec. 26, for the
Dec. 31 publication. The
news deadline for The
Commerce News will be
Friday at 4 p.m.
THURSDAY, DEC 25
r
Partly cloudy: Low, 52; high,
63; 10% chance rain
FRIDAY, DEC 26
Mostly cloudy: Low, 57; high,
61; 10% chance rain
SATURDAY, DEC 27
s
Few showers: Low, 54; high,
67; 30% chance rain
SUNDAY, DEC 28
f 1
r ^
Showers: Low, 40; high, 65;
10% chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 698.4 (.8 feet above
full)
Bear Creek: 692.2 (2.8 feet
below full)
Rainfall this month
4.22 inches
Rainfall This Year
46.74 Inches
INDEX
Births 7A
Church News 1 1A
Classified Ads 4-5 B
Calendar 3 A
Crime News 6A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 1OA
Opinions 4A
School News 6B
Sports 1-3B
Social News 7A
4 8 7 9 1 4 1 4 1 " 9
By Mark Beardsley
Last Friday night’s
“Commerce by
Candlelight’’ created
strong sales and brought
in new customers, partici
pating merchants said.
“It was great. It was very
successful,’’ exclaimed
Melissa Moody of
Peyton’s Place, a South
Broad Street gift shop. “I
sold a lot.’’
Moody said many of
the shoppers were new to
the store and that she was
busy all evening.
“I did as much that night
as I did the entire week,’’
she added. “It was defi
nitely worth it.’’
The event featured
extended hours for 22
downtown businesses,
refreshments and a draw
ing for door prizes. It
was sponsored by the
Downtown Development
Authority.
The DDA’s executive
director, Hasco Craver,
said the DDA will solicit
comments from participat
ing merchants “to get their
feedback on what worked
and what didn’t.’’
“We’ve discussed the
possibility of adding it
to the first of December
event schedule, with
Commerce by Candlelight
on Friday and roll it into
Hometown Holidays on
Saturday and finish with
the parade on Sunday,’’ he
said. “We’re going to get
as much feedback as pos
sible. I asked for a lot of
comments from folks on
the sidewalk.’’
A lot of DDA promo
tions are aimed at image
development; this one
focused on sales.
“From what we’ve
received in the way of
comments, it was success
ful,’’ Craver concluded.
Terry Minish, a DDA
member and owner of
Please Turn to Page 3A
By Mark Beardsley
The dismal economy is a
black cloud hanging over
Georgia, but it could pro
vide a nice silver lining for
the Commerce Board of
Education.
The board expects to
advertise for bids on its
new Commerce High
School in late January or
early February, and bad
economic times could
translate into more com
petitive — read lower —
bids.
“Right now we’re hearing
that the cost of steel has
gone down a little bit, along
with the cost of concrete,’’
said Superintendent James
E. “Mac’’ McCoy. “My
understanding is it (con
struction costs) is coming
down, so we’re hoping for
the best.’’
Jackson County and
Jefferson got a nice sur
prise recently when the bid
for the improvements to
John B. Brooks Road came
in about $1 million lower
than expected. The Jackson
County Airport Authority
experienced both a large
number of bidders and
lower-than-expected bids
on its runway expansion
project.
“It’s kind of nice when
contractors are hungry
and want to work,’’ said
McCoy.
The Commerce Area
Business Association will
throw a huge New Year’s
party.
The group expects
upwards of 400 people to
turn out to the Commerce
Civic Center Wednesday,
Dec. 31, for its annual New
Year’s party and dance.
It’s expected to be the
biggest New Year’s party in
Northeast Georgia.
The Jesters, an Athens
group that grew into promi
nence in the 1960s and has
both a wide repertoire and
a local following, will pro
vide the music from 8:30
The target price from
the board’s standpoint
was about $18 million, but
that will be inflated by the
construction of a second
gymnasium that had to be
completed before the main
project could be started.
“You’ve got to give the
boys and girls a place to
play,’’ noted McCoy.
The gym is more than half
completed and is dried in.
McCoy said it appears that
the current high school
basketball season will be
finished in the old gym.
Eventually, the bleachers
will be moved to the new
facility.
“We won’t be playing
in the new guy until next
year,’’ McCoy confirmed.
That facility will ultimate
ly serve as a practice gym.
A new multi-level gym will
be built adjacent to where
the tennis courts are cur
rently located. Dirt from
the hill by the west end
of the football stadium
(where the practice gym
is under construction) is
being compacted on the
site.
The practice gym will
also include rest rooms
and concession areas that
will be used during football
games.
The construction of the
main campus is expected
to take 18 months.
to 12:30.
Tickets are $25 per per
son, and tables for eight
can be reserved for $250
by calling the Downtown
Development Authority
(DDA) office at 706-335-
2954. No one under age 21
will be admitted.
Dinner Too
The CABA will also offer
a pre-party dinner in the
Commerce Room of the
civic center, catered by
the Telford-Burns House.
It starts at 6:30. The cost is
also $25, and reservations
can be made by calling the
DDA office.
O
Time To Party
CABA New Year's Party
To Be Biggest In Area