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PAGE 2A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 12, 2009 Band... cont’d from 1A the matter of funding. “There's a lot of kids who right now just don’t have the money to make a trip like that,” said Golding, noting the tough economic times. “But the community stepped up in such a big way that we were able to cover the kids' transportation, their lodging and the food for those with a real financial need.” All band members made the trip, with the bus pulling out of Danielsville at 6:30 a.m. last Thursday. The band stopped at Golding’s old high school, Orange High School in Hillsboro, N.C., for a two- hour rehearsal on the way. Golding said his outfit per formed well at the champi onships. But he looks back to the halftime show of the Apalachee game as the band’s best performance of the year. “The entire Apalachee band was standing on the sideline,” said Golding. “So this whole band is standing right on top of them and they really stepped it up.” Golding said the band has a swagger that it didn’t have last year. “The cool thing for me to watch was just the level of confidence,” said Golding. “The one thing I love about these kids is you can put them anywhere and they’ll throw down, no matter who’s in front of them.” Of course, developing that swagger hasn't come easily. Golding calculates the hours of practice, which stretch back over summer band camp, the numerous after-school rehearsals. When it comes to music, repetition is so necessary. And the band spent over 150 hours this year getting its six-and-a-half minute rou tine right. It’s an exhaus tive process, requiring focus, commitment, cohesion with a group. Golding saw improvement last year, noting that the out fit earned the school’s first “Superior” concert rating in 10 years. He said he was ready to push them further in 2009. “I just thought the group had grown so much that maybe they were ready to kind of step it up a notch and take it to the next level,” said Golding. So the director planned a more difficult show for 2009 — “Pathways,” a three- movement routine focusing on “control, tension, break away.” So, could the young group pull it off? Could they under stand the harder aspects of the new routine, the nuance of intended dissonance in the first movement? “It really appeared that they were going to make it happen at rehearsal, but something happened at the beginning of this season,” said Golding. “It just wasn't clicking. I just wracked my brain. Did I bite off more than we could chew?” But the band kept practic ing. And finally, early kinks were worked out. “I don’t know the exact day,” he said. “I know that it was about three and a half to four weeks ago, where, for whatever reason, the show just clicked. There was a mental barrier, a wall there, that once they got past, they were really able to take off ... This show, I really feel like we peaked at the end.” The director, an accom plished French horn player and arranger, said he’s excit ed about the rest of the band season, pointing out that the jazz band is “cranking back up next week.” He said the Christmas concert will be held in mid December, fol lowed by the concert band performance in March. Golding notes that brighter days are ahead for the band program in Madison County, adding that the middle school program is in good hands with MCMS director Phillip Smith. “It's definitely moving in the right direction,” he said. Mayors ... cont’d from 1A he said. “That way if we have an emergency come up or something, we’re not burrow ing money to try to fix it,” he said. Croya said he maintains a good relation ship with both the council and city mainte nance crew and looks forward to both sides working together. “That's something the council and main tenance crew said, the past 12 years they weren’t able to work with everybody and all be on the same page,” Croya said. “So I think we've got a good start.” Croya, who won the mayoral post by a 92-46 margin, said he's ready to get started. “There’s a lot of people out there that didn’t like the fact that I won,” he said. “But there's more that do like the fact that I won. You can't please everybody, but we’re going to get in there and do what we think is right and try to rebuild this city.” People of Comer ‘sent a clear message’ Comer’s mayoral election garnered the most political interest in the county last week, with 193 votes. Political new comer David McMickle garnered 123 of them to take the mayoral seat from Billy Burroughs. McMickle said he’s encouraged by the voter turnout, which he notes was almost 30 percent. “The people of Comer have sent a clear message that they are ready for some change,” McMickle said in an email to The Madison County Journal. “I will continue to listen to what the people of Comer want for their city and that will guide me in lead ing and managing this wonderful city.” McMickle added that there's “nothing wrong with change, as long as it is in the right direction.” McMickle said he’d “be remiss” if he didn’t acknowledge the highlights of Burroughs’ tenure. “The downtown project and the next phase, the travel museum, are something that the citizens of Comer will benefit from for years to come,” McMickle said. “The improvements to the city’s infrastructure and water quality are directly attributed to Billy's leadership and hard work.” Now, McMickle will work to acquaint himself better with his constituency by inviting all Comer residents to a “Meet Your Mayor” forum in January 2010. “This will allow the people of Comer to meet their mayor and voice any concerns that they may have,” he said. Peck replacing a legacy in Colbert Chris Peck will move down just a few seats at the Colbert Council table in January, but the view from the mayor’s chair might seem a bit weird. After all, John Waggoner has held that seat since 1969. “It's going to be exceptionally weird,” Peck said. “I don’t even know how to describe how different it’s going to be.” Peck acknowledges both nervousness and excitement in taking over but he’ll at least benefit from Waggoner's four decades of municipal knowledge with the longtime mayor staying on as an administrative assis tant. “I’m going to work with him to try to get his knowledge transferred over to me ... He's got a lot of stuff just locked up in his head,” Peck said. “When you’ve been there for 40 years, he's kind of just grown into the job.” As for his own tenure, Peck said he has to learn more about budgets but hopes to install more sidewalks in Colbert, perhaps renovate the Colbert depot to serve as a welcome center and possibly find a new city hall location. But first things first. “For the first several months, it's going to be a lot of sitting back and figuring out where we are financially,” he said. “I know we're in really good shape as far as being in the black.” As for his future, does Peck foresee a 40-year run in him to match that of his predecessor? “Let’s see. I’d be 88,” Peck said, with a laugh. “I don't see me going 40 years, I’m not going to put a limit on it, but 40 is a long time.” Republicans to meet Nov. 19 Madison County Republicans will meet Thursday Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Boutier Winery. All Madison County registered voters are welcome to attend. The guest speakers will be candi dates for District 47 State Senate. Currently three of the four candi dates have confirmed attending. CASH CALL AND COMPARE PER GRAM 706-369-0000 ■n);l ww 1 GREG REEVES Fine Jewelry 613 Hawthorne Ave. • Athens NOW HEAR THIS! 143 McAlpin, Winterville 3/2 brick home. Needs work. “As Is” Will sell, trade, rent or finance. Call 706-795-5025 NOTICE The City of Danielsville Governing Authority does hereby announce that a Public Hearing will be held on November 30, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. for review of the 2009 Millage Rate. The millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at the Danielsville City Hall on December 7th, 2009 at 7:00 p.m and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years. The City of Danielsville Governing Authority does hereby announce that a Public Hearing will be held on November 30, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. and on December 7, 2009 at 6:30 p.m., for review of the 2010 Budget. The 2010 Budget will be set at a meeting to be held at the Danielsville City Hall on December 7th, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.. Copies of the 2010 Budget will be available to view at Danielsville City Hall, during regular business hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. beginning on November 16, 2009. DANIELSVILLE 2009 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Real & Personal 12.085,363 16,445.132 16,216.175 17.295.476 16,642,669 17,289.195 Motor Vehicles 1.277.670 1.194.440 1,103,200 1.022.430 1.050.080 972.740 Mobile Homes 121,476 53,325 39,145 40,952 61,177 23.278 Timber -100% Heavy Duty Equipment Gross Digest 13,484,509 17.692,897 17.358.520 18.358.858 17,753,926 18,285,213 Less M& O Exemptions Net M & O Digest 13.484.509 17,692,897 17,358.520 18,358,858 17,753.926 18,285.213 Gross M&O Millage 10.210 10.080 11.100 12.010 11.660 11.290 Less Rollbacks 7.360 7.230 8.250 9.160 8.810 8.440 Net M&O Millage 2.850 2.850 2.850 2.850 2.850 2.850 Total City Taxes Levied $38,431 $50,425 $49,472 $52,323 $50,599 $52,113 Net Taxes $ Increase $3,488 $11,994 -$953 $2,851 -$1.724 $1,514 Net Taxes % Increase 9.98% 31.21% -1.89% 5.76% -3.30% 2.99% Madison Co. grad recognized as top Commerce teacher Madison County High School alum Stephanie (Tyner) Ring was named Commerce City Schools' Teacher of the Year at Monday night's Commerce school board meeting. Ring teaches at Commerce Middle School. "In my 30 years (in educa tion), she's as good as I've been around," CMS princi pal Chuck Bell said. Ring, a 2000 Madison County High School gradu ate, first received the middle school Teacher of the Year award before accepting the system-wide honor moments later at the meeting. Ring is only in her fourth year at CMS, but is already producing results that merit attention, according to Bell. Her students from Stephanie Ring 2007-2009 were among the highest achievers in the state on the science portion of the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). In fact, her sixth grade students ranked no. 1 last year in the state in science system-to- system comparisons. "You can't beat that,” Bell said. cont’d from 1A it’s just going to continue get worse,” said David Patton of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, who helps coordinate the event. “There’s going to be more people needing a lending hand, a helping hand. That’s what we’re there for is to help others.” Riders pay $20 to participate in the event coordinated by Madison County’s entire emergency services team (law enforce ment, the fire departments, EMS and 911 rescue). The proceeds then go toward buying the gifts. The toys stay in-county. “This is something we’ve done to take care of the local fami lies,” he said. That’s because some toy drives haven’t always done that. Patton said the schools ran into a tough situation a few years ago with the Toys for Tots program. “They sort of got burned on that,” Patton said. “They’d come in and load up these trailers full of toys that all these schools and everybody else had donated and they’d take it to Atlanta and wouldn’t come back here.” To insure that the toys go to the Madison Countians who need them. Toy Ride works with Madison County’s ACTION, Inc. — which also coordinates the county food bank — to distribute the gifts. “Because they already have an established relationship with those in need ... They know where the true need is,” Patton said. The ride — the length of the course depends on the weather — is fully escorted and winds along different state and local routes. “It covers the county with some scenic back roads along with some of the big roads as well,” Patton said. Patton said that holding a motorcycle ride in November, when weather can obviously play a role, is a gamble. But the goal this year is still to draw 100 bikers. And Patton said the motorcycle community is a reliable bunch. “That’s one thing about the motorcycle, the biker family,” he said. “It’s a group of good people. They come out to help out. They’re always there for a good cause. You can count on them.” In addition to the bike ride, the event includes a DJ, a 50-50 drawing and lots of door prizes. Patton said Toy Ride will also offer “pretty cool” T-shirts to those who participate. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. and kickstands go up at 12:30 p.m. “So come early and get a ride shirt and make history with us,” he said. Annual allmark Holiday Open House Saturday, Nov. 14th 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Your Hallmark & Specialty Gift Store 1668 South Broad Street Downtown Commerce (706) 335-2920 Pick up your favorite Hallmark Keepsake Ornament. Stock up on Holiday Gift Wrap and Boxed Christmas Cards. Join Us As We Start Our Christmas Celebration! Refreshments & Gifts