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Viewpoints
Our views
Welcome
The seventh annual Dogwood Festival takes
place in Perry this weekend. During the seven
year run, the festival has gone in many
directions seeking identity, but has, during the
past two or three years, settled into a single
weekend of activities designed to provide
something for everyone.
This year, the festival provides such fare as
a Saturday built around the downtown area
with an arts and crafts show, a parade,
activities for kids, and entertainment for all
ages.
The Sunday program, known as Family and
Friends at Rozar Park, includes more games
and events for all ages, along with a free lunch
served by members of the Perry City Council.
Festival Chairman Karen Nikitopoulos and
her associates have worked hard to prepare for
the Perry Area Chamber of Commerce
sponsored event. There’s something for
everyone this weekend from softball
tournaments to an attic sale to a car show.
To enable visitors and residents alike to
learn more about the events in Perry this
weekend, the staff of the Times-Journal has
assembled a 16-page special section included
in this edition.
We hope it will be beneficial to readers in
preparing their weekend activities. Be sure to
study the messages from the advertisers who
made this special section possible and
patronize them during the coming days.
Welcome to Perry. This is a great weekend
to visit. The dogwoods are near their peak of
beauty, and spring fever is sending Perryans
outside to enjoy the beauty of the community.
Enjoy the festival. Rejoice in the beauty of
the dogwood trees and the return of spring.
... and greetings
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
The Perry Area Chamber of Commerce
will celebrate spring by bringing you the
seventh annual Dogwood Festival April 1 and
2. The city of Perry, industry, civic clubs,
businesses and many hard-working citizens
have put together a terrific festival with
something for everyone.
We hope that people visiting Perry this
weekend will have so much fun basking in
our warm Southern hospitality that they will
return time after time.
Personally, and on behalf of the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce, I wish to thank all
who have participated and supported this
important community event.
Karen Nikitopoulos
Festival Chairperson
In search of
statewide honors
Frito-Lay, a potato processing company at
Kathleen, has been nominated for a statewide
economic development award by members of
the Houston County Development Authority
and the two chambers of commerce in
Houston Countv.
j
The nomination is based on the economic
development in terms of growth in numbers
of jobs, payroll and investment which the
company has in the county. That part of the
competition represents 50 percent of the
points which can be earned.
The other half of the competition has to do
with the company’s relationship with its
employees and the community. The company
can earn points for honors earned, for
assistance given to community organizations,
for employees who are active in the
community, and for good management
employee relationships.
Since opening in May 1988, Frito-Lay has
grown from about 190 employees to more
than 550, and the payroll has grown from $7.5
million to more than $22 million.
There is no doubt that Frito-Lay has been a
good corporate citizen, and that its employees
are valued members of the community. This
entry should win the award easily.
Houston Tims-Journal
P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry, Ga. 31069
(912) 987-1823 • (912) 988-1181 (fax)
Bob Tribble President
Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager
Sherri Wengler Advertising Manager
News: l.arry Hitchcock, Pauline Lewis; Sports: I'liil Clark; Composition:
Lynn Wright Sue Sapp, Classified Advertising: Melanie Hiillinplon;
Cm illation and Photo,"lapliy: Llic Xellais; Itookki-epinj’: Indy Mouow.
Page 4A
Festival in a downtown without dogwoods
It’s Dogwood Festival time in Perry.
But, where are the dogwoods?
The Perry Convention and Visitors
Bureau board wondered aloud about that
at their meeting last week.
The festival is meant to draw folks to
Perry and the dogwood blossom is
featured on the flags, tee shirts and other
items promoting the festival.
But you don’t see any downtown,
which is where most of the festival
action takes place. There aren’t any
dogwood trees in the divider strips of
our two main boulevards.
Macon's Cherry Blossom Festival, on
the other hand, is highlighted by the
thousands of cherry trees all over the
place, usually in full bloom while the
festival is happening.
The dogwood is an under-story tree,
one that thrives in an environment
shaded by taller trees. The downtown
area doesn’t offer much in the way of
overhead shade. Neither does Nunn
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Service frequently taken for granted
We often take for granted those
things which we experience on a routine
basis. When we turn on a faucet we
expect water to flow. When we turn on a
gas stove we expect to see a blue flame.
A dedicated group of people make
these services possible for you, the Perry
utility customer. Two specific areas of
the utilities department are involved in
providing these services. I am
responsible for managing the operation
of the water and natural gas distribution
systems in Perry. I am also responsible
for all new sewer construction, with
sewer maintenance being handled by
Hugh Sharp, Public Works
Superintendent.
The second aspect, the treatment of
water and wastewater, is managed by
Dan Walker, who will be explaining his
role in a subsequent article.
The actual “hands on” maintenance
of the water distribution system is
performed by a five-man crew including
Community made tragedy easier to accept
Editor:
On March 12, my father-in-law,
Berkeley Blackman, suffered a stroke
while visiting in Perry from his home in
Conyers. He was rushed to the Perry
Hospital, where he died March 14.
The family of Berkeley Blackman
would like to express our sincerest
appreciation to several people who made
a tragic event much easier to undergo.
The entire staff of the Perry Hospital
was very professional and kind to us.
Special thanks should go to Dr. Sampson
and Rob, Sally and the rest of the ICU
staff. We must also thank Mrs. Yates
Our Policies
Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page under the label of
Our Views reflect the position of the Houston Times-Journal. Signed columns
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the writers and not necessarily those of this newspaper.
Signed letters to the editor are welcomed. Please limit letters to 300 words and
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will be published without verification. Letters should be sent to P.O. Drawer M,
Perry, Ga., 31069, or brought to the newspaper office at 807 Carroll St., Perry.
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error.
We cannot be responsible for the return of pictures or materials unless a
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Our Goal
I'lie I Illusion Times-Journal is published proudly for the citizens of Houston
i Wednesday, March 29,1995
Larry I
Hitchcock f|H
News Editor |||jf
Boulevard or Hodges Boulevard. But
that could be remedied.
Some say the dogwood doesn’t offer
much beauty except in the spring.
Others, and I’m among them,
disagree. The tree is one of the most
colorful in the fall, when its bright red
berries and red leaves make it second
only to the sugar maple (in my
opinion).
The trees planted along Carroll Street
are large enough now to begin to hide
store names and touch the canopies
covering the walkways.
They may be an evergreen species,
Harold
Deal
•Aju®/y
City Utilities
Superintendent [___
foreman John Daugherty. These men
routinely connect new customers to the
system, respond to leak reports and
change out old meters. They also connect
all new sewer customers to our sewer
system .
John and his crew also extend water
and sewer mains as needed and perform
complete fire hydrant maintenance.
Large water and sewer main projects are
budgeted each year and contracted out.
The maintenance of our natural gas
distribution system is performed by a
five-man crew including foreman Berry
Green, Howard Green and the employees
of the New Perry Hotel. My in-laws were
staying at the New Perry Hotel when my
father-in-law suffered his stroke. The rest
of the family stayed there upon our
arrival to be with them. Everyone at the
hotel went way beyond normal acts of
kindness to see to our every need. For
this we are deeply grateful.
We all have a special place in our
hearts for Dr. Marcus Tripp, the minister
at First United Methodist Church of
Perry, and his wife, Jan. Dr. Tripp had
been my in-laws’ minister in
Hawkinsville when they lived there a
Houston Times-Journal
but there is no way they can be called
“beautiful.”
If the Dogwood Festival is to
continue in future years, perhaps this
spring is the time to do some planting to
give Perry some live dogwood blooms
instead of just those on the attractive
flags you see everywhere.
Meanwhile, come to town this
weekend and have fun, both downtown
on Saturday and at Rozar Park on
Sunday.
After all, how many times are you
going to have the chance to have lunch
served by Mayor Jim Worrall,
Councilman Ralph Gentry, Councilman
James Moore, Councilman Bobby
Glover, Councilman Charles Lewis,
Councilman Hervia Ingram and
Councilman Buddy Roper?
* * *
Speaking of Carroll Street, there isn’t
a day goes by that at least one vehicle
passes by The Times-Journal’s office
Moody. Much like the water crew, these
men connect new customers to the
system, respond to leak reports, and
change out old meters.
Berry and his crew have the
capability to extend two-inch diameter
gas mains as needed in the city. Larger
projects are budgeted each year and
contracted out.
All aspects of the natural gas system
operation are monitored by the Office of
Pipeline Safety of the U.S. Department
of Transportation. As a result detailed
records documenting our activities are
maintained and yearly reports are filed.
Our water and gas crews typically
work a 40-hour week. However, in the
event of a problem, long hours,
including nights and weekends, are
sometimes required to keep services up
and running. Every effort is made to
make repairs as quickly as possible with
(See DEAL, Page SA)
few years ago. He stayed with our
family at the hospital and afterwards,
upon Pop’s death, we were fortunate to
have him officiate at the funeral services
in Conyers. He and Jan were a true
source of comfort for us all.
Even under the best of circumstances,
an occurrence such as this is hard, but
when you are far from home, it makes it
even more difficult to bear. We are truly
grateful to the above mentioned people
for making our stay in-Perry less
stressful than it otherwise could have
been. It is nice to be reminded that there
(See LETTERS, Page SA)
and adjoining counties by Houston Publications Inc., Perry, Ga. Our goal is to
produce quality, profitable, community-oriented newspapers that you, our
readers, are proud of. We will reach this goal through hard work, teamwork,
loyalty and a strong dedication toward printing the truth.
Member of Georgia Press Association and National Newspaper Association.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances." Your right to read this newspaper is
protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The Houston Times-Journal (USPS 000471) is published weekly for
$18.90 per year by Houston Publications Inc., 807 C arroll Street, Perry, Ga..
31069. Second Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga. POSTMANIKR: Send
address changes to the Houston Times-Journal. P.O. Drawer M. Perry. C,a.
31069. ISSN: 1075-1874.
headed the wrong way.
Carroll Street is one-way headed east
from Jernigan Street to Washington
Street.
A check at the corner of Ball and
Carroll finds only one “One Way” sign
for north-south cars pointing Ball Street
traffic in the proper direction and the
signs are located on the opposite side of
the intersection that the traffic on Ball
Street is facing.
It would seem logical to have signs
on the same side of the street that the
traffic is on so the drivers would have no
excuse for overlooking them.
A “No Left Turn” or “No Right
Turn” sign (depending on which
direction the vehicle would have to go)
could also be placed on the appropriate
comer.
The placing of a couple of signs
seems like a desirable alternative to a
collision with the resulting property
damage and possible personal injury.
B °b Oj
Tribble
From Where I Sit
Make the
deadbeat
parents pay
The U.S. House has begun debate
on welfare reform and without doubt,
some reform will pass Congress this
year. It might not be the exact plan
Republicans put on the table with their
“Contract with America,” but it will be
close.
There is little question our present
welfare system for the most part has
failed. It was originally designed years
ago to assist poor people until they
were able to help themselves and not
to add generations of the same families
to the welfare rolls to stay.
The situation has grown to the point
that many who draw the federal (mine
and yours) dollars do not really
understand what it is all about and that
they should work for a living. They
just know they receive government
assistance, their parents did and in
their mind, this country owes them that
monthly check.
Then there are the mothers who do
not want on welfare but are forced
there by the system. Studies show the
number one reason women are forced
on welfare is failure to collect child
support. Experts say caseloads could
be cut in half if 80 percent of the child
support was collected.
A program on television recently
portrayed the true story of the lady
responsible for organizing the
Association for Children for
Enforcement of Support. It was a
touching story about the struggle she
had raising her two sons after her
husband, and their father, walked out,
refusing to pay any child support for
several years.
This lady did not want on welfare
but eventually was forced there
because of the system, a system which
offered her more not to work than she
could earn working.
The daily press carried an article
recently about a lady who had three
children, all with different fathers who
paid very little, if any child support.
She married only one of the men, was
on and off welfare, and at one time
danced nude to support the children.
The Republicans’ welfare reform
bill would establish a national tracking
system for deadbeat dads (moms) and
require states to maintain registries of
child support orders.
Two Republican legislators propose
an amendment to the bill which
requires using wage withholding laws
as the principal means of collecting
child support.
(See WELFARE, Page SA)