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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