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PAGE 4B THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2008 Diamond Talk Great time, fun promotions in the minors I once saw the Blues Brothers at a baseball game. Often forgotten venues of pure fun are the minor league teams of Major League Baseball. We are very lucky to be so close to several minor league cities, with another on the way. Some of the most fun times I’ve spent watching America’s past time has been at a minor league park. Many half inning breaks are filled with a promotional stunt meant to embarrass and/or reward some unsuspecting fan. Unlike watching a game at The Ted, where the Braves’ organization attempts to sell you something after every third out, real enter tainment abounds in the minors. Here are a few things one might see this year at a minor league ballpark near you. On May 10th - Mother’s Day eve - the Port St. Lucie Mets will hold an instructional camp for mothers looking to refine their hardball skills. If time allows, the moms also will play a game of wiffle ball while their families look on. One can enjoy midget wres tling in the 40-minute pre-game show on May 16th in North Little Rock Arkansas, the home of the Arkansas Travelers. If this isn’t enough for you, catch the black Elvis impersonator at the game between innings. If you yearn for the coun try while at the old ballyard, I suggest seeing Dairy Day at the August 2nd Visalia Oaks game. You will have to travel to Visalia, California, however. This California League team will be putting on the event for the sec- ond consec utive year thanks to a partnership with Land O’ Lakes. There will be a pre game cow milking contest, and players will wear Holstein print jerseys and 1,000 fans will receive complimentary cowbells. “It’s an udderly fun time,” said Dairy Day coordinator Jennifer Pendergraft. Want to see what may be the largest organized pillow fight? Easy. Just attend the Charleston River Dogs game at Charleston on May 31st. Women players from the PFL will be on the field before the game, each armed with a pillow (their weapon), and going at the other team with a vengeance. The Fort Myers Miracle team will help host what may be the first valid election in Florida for several years. Fans will be called down from the stands randomly and given the opportunity to select their favorite bobble-head presidential candidate. The candi date whose bobble head is first to run out will be declared the state’s winner. To cast your ballot, be at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers the week of August 4th. Fans may partake in traditional favorites like “Name That Tune” and “The Price Is Right,” as well as newer games shows like “Fear Factor” and “Deal or No Deal” at Lake Olmstead Stadium on May 22nd in Augusta. Bob Barker, it is reported, will not be in atten dance. And finally, (where the heck was this promotion when my two boys were still at home?) for those parents who cannot seem to get their children to pick up their dirty clothes, attend the New Britain Rock Cats game in New Britain, Conn. on August 20th. The Rock Cats will be giving away clothes hampers to every family attending. They are careful to point out that it’s up to you to get your kids to put their clothes in the hamper. Other than these great promo tional activities, attending a minor league game guarantees the base ball fan a sneak preview of up and coming talent, talent that may be seen soon in the majors. The fans watch these minor leagues games in a small park, where every seat is great and very close to the playing field. Tickets are extremely inexpensive ($5 - $15 range) and the food and beverages are equally affordable. The closest team to Banks County fans is just up I-85 in Greenville, South Carolina. The “Greenville Drive” team is an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and their one-year-old ballpark is even modeled after the famous Fenway Park in Boston. I encour age all baseball fans and their families to visit the Drive’s Fluor Field this year. John W. Rieken is an avid base ball fan and Banks County resi dent. E-mail comments about this column to jrieken@windstream. net. john w. rieken Television taping set at Atlanta Dragway Speed’s popular “Pinks All Out” television show will be taping this Friday and Saturday at the Atlanta Dragway. The program features grass roots drag racers getting the opportunity to win a share of $18,000 in prize money, with $10,000 going to the winner. The event is an open competition for door cars only. Competitors must pass tech inspection based on the NHRA rulebook. Cars must run 12.99 seconds or quicker in the quar- ter mile. The event will also feature a variety of exhibitions and competitions, and will provide on-track activities throughout the Saturday shooting day. A midway area will also be set up for local vendors, manufacturers, supporters and local groups. Spectator tickets are available for both days. For more information on the upcoming taping, log on to www.atlantadragway.com, or call the track office at 706-335-2301. I’m Lovin’ It™ YOU'LL LOVE IT. • Competitive Wages • Paid Vacation Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision & Life Ins. • Short-Term/Long-Term Disability • & Much More! ASSISTANT RESTAURANT MANAGERS The challenge. The experience. The rewards. When you join the Management team of an independently owned McDonald’s Franchise, you’ll love it all. Requirements: Four years experience in a management/supervisory capacity in a restaurant, hospitality or retail environment or two years of college. Positions available in Franklin Springs, Hartwell & Elberton, GA. ON-SITE INTERVIEWS May 20 - 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. - Franklin Springs City Hall If unable to attend go to www.mcgeorgia.com/10789 and submit application. Down the Stretch Reflecting on the ‘First Lady' of racing W ith the recent historic victories of Danica Patrick in Indy car and Ashley Force in NHRA Funny Car competition, that leaves one big question left to be answered. When will the glass ceiling be broken in NASCAR? Pundits are pointing towards the aforementioned Patrick as the one who could make that piece of his tory come true. It’s been specu lated that much like several of her open wheel contemporaries, Patrick could make the switch to the stock car circuit in the near future. Regardless, there have been sev eral talented ladies take the wheel in NASCAR racing that were very capable of winning. Barnesville native Louise Smith is always the first to jump to my mind. Known as “The First Lady of Racing,” Smith entered her first race at an event promoted by Big Bill France in South Carolina around 1946. France was looking for something to bring the fans in, and felt a lady driver would do the trick. Smith was the driver chosen, and finished third piloting a 1939 Ford modified. The only problem was, nobody had explained to her what the checkered flag meant. As the other drivers pulled off after the race, Smith continued charging around the track. Finally, an official realized the problem, and waved the red flag. She didn’t have any problems understanding the flags after that. Smith raced sportsman and modified cars for several years, picking up wins all across the south. Smith was also a driver for France’s fledgling NASCAR Grand National series, and France used her to pro mote events all over the east coast. But she was no novelty act - she was a real racer. She raced alongside the best of the best, including Tim Flock, Buck Baker, Curtis Turner and Ralph Earnhardt. She raced at some of the toughest tracks ever to be built, including Daytona Beach, Darlington, the famed mile at Langhorne, and the treacherous Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta. While she may not have broken into the Grand National (now Sprint Cup) victory lane, she did pick up 38 victories in modified events around the country. One of the best stories about Smith dates back to 1947, when she borrowed her husband’s car to go on vacation. In reality, she took the car to Daytona Beach to race it. The only problem was, she had trouble on the track, and wrecked the car. Smith took a bus back to her home in Greenville, S.C., and told her husband that the old Ford was a lemon, and had broken down near Augusta. That was when her hus band pulled out a copy of the Greenville newspaper, which showed a picture of her and the wreck on the front page. Another time she was rac ing at a NASCAR event at Hillsborough, N.C., when her car went out of control, rolling end over end, and coming to rest in the woods. Smith escaped injury in that accident. Track workers dragged the heap out of the woods, and she climbed back inside, helmet and goggles on, and posed for photos while flashing a big smile. Smith quit racing in 1956, but her heart was always close to the sport. I met her for the first time at the Tim Flock Memorial event held at Toccoa Speedway in 2001. We talked for nearly an hour, and she told me proudly about tell ing famed television personality David Letterman off on his show. “He wanted to treat me like I was a joke,” Smith said. She would have none of it. Smith was the first female racer inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame back in 1999. She surely will not be the last. Smith passed away in April of 2006. The path that she blazed and the people she touched can still be seen today. But the thing that I remember about Louise Smith stems back to the first meeting in 2001. When the races started that night, she was like a kid in a candy store. She had an absolute ball watching the cars tear around Toccoa’s little dirt track. Gender had nothing to do with it. She was a racer, through and through. Brandon Reed is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers. E-mail comments about this column to brandon@mainstreetnews.com. brandon reed Now you can place a classified ad or browse classified listings on-line. Whether you’re buying or selling, you’ll click with success when you use the on-line classifieds. Your 25-Word Classified Ad Goes Into 5 Newspapers & On The Internet For Just $10.00 CALL 677-3491 or ONLINE at mainstreetnews.com Unity Christian Church Will Celebrate Homecoming May 18, 2008 Guest Speaker: Dr. Jim Donovan "No Place Like Home" The Choral Ensemble from Jackson County Comprehensive Hie concert at 9:45 a.m. followed at 11:00 by guest speaker Dr. Jim Donovan Minister at Southwest Christian Church in East Point, GA. School will present a - Senior Dinner on the grounds will follow the service. Call the church office for details - 706-652-3183 Today we celebrate our planet. Today we commemorate its nature. Today we renew our commitment to nurturing both. The NEW Waste Management. Our planet is truly miraculous. It not only gives us beauty, but it also provides for us. So it’s worth celebrating. And nurturing. That’s why the NEW Waste Management is commemorating our planet’s wondrous nature as a committed supporter of Earth Day. We take care of our Earth every day with advanced recycling programs that employ the latest methods for sorting plastics and glass. We’ve pioneered effective technologies that turn waste products into clean energy. Our efforts to care for our planet are making a difference. Your efforts can too. Celebrate Earth Day with us by recycling plastics and cans, planting trees and promoting environmental awareness. An uncompromising commitment to nurture our Earth. It’s another way we’re making a difference. One community at a time. From everyday collection to environmental protection, look to the NEW Waste Management. 706-677-2650 www.wm.com