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Viewpoints Our Views Traffic jam With more than 35,000 people gathered at the Georgia National Fair grounds for the Big*Bang*Boom fireworks show and thousands more parked on U.S. 41 and other surrounding roads, traffic slowed to a crawl before and after the show. Traffic congestion of this sort is a natural result of the success of this outstanding facility, but it also proves once more the need for the new 1-75 interchange now under construction south of the Fair grounds. Once completed, this interchange will provide a second route to the Georgia National Fairgrounds, as well as opening up a substantial area to economic development. It won’t be open in time for the 1999 Georgia National Fair, but it is expected to be open in 2000. That’s something to look forward to the next time we find ourselves stuck in traffic in that part of town, whether the cause is thousands of motorcoaches, thousands of fair goers or thousands of middle Geor gians celebrating Independence Day. Hornet pride Eight Westfield athletes have been named to Georgia Indepen dent Schools Association all star teams. These outstanding young people will play in the games held at the First Presbyterian Day school July 22 and 23. They aEebaura.' * s-t Hartley, 'Robert Causey, fchad Ekey, Matthew Lee, Trevor Jones, Robbie Heaton and Jared Shell. Two Westfield coaches, Athletic Director Ronnie Jones and Assis tant Football Coach Jamie Watson have also been selected to take part in the football games. Westfield girls basketball coach Billy Sellers will be the assistant girls coach. Best wishes to all, and congratu lations on this outstanding achieve ment. Tough laws Effective July 1, 1999, Georgia child safety restraint laws have got ten tougher. Now, if you’re caught driving with a child who is not safely restrained, you will be fined SSO for first offense and SIOO for the second and subsequent offense, and you will have a point added to your dri ving record for the first offense and two for th second offense. Remember. It only takes 15 points in a 24-month period to have your driver’s license suspend ed. It’s something to think about. Following the law is the right thing to do to keep your children safe and to keep your drivers license! Have your own opinion? The Home Journal welcomes let ters to the editor from our readers. It’s easy to write the newspaper a letter. Put your thoughts together on paper and send them to the Home Journal at P.O. Drawer M, Perry, fax them to (912) 988-1181 or email them to homejm@hom.net Don’t forget that signature! Houston Home Journal P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry. Ga. 31069 email homejmOhom.net (912) 987-1823 (voice) • (912) 988-1181 (fax) Bob Tribble . President Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager Ellen T. Green Advertising Director Phil Clark.... Sports Joan Dorset! Lifestyles Tony Jolley News and Classified Aliine Kent - Sports Pauline Lewis Lifestyles Rob Mead News and Circulation Charlotte Perkins ..News and Composition Paula Zimmerman Bookkeeping Holiday weekend brings joy of family fun What a grand time my family and I had last weekend. My mother came in from Wichita Falls, Texas to visit with us for a couple of weeks. We grilled out, worked in the garden, and attended the Big Bang Boom July 3. I love the Fourth of July. I love the firework shows, the parties, and the fun. However. I respect the holiday. It repre sents our freedom or indepen dence from tyranny. How grate ful I feel when surrounded by red, white, and blue flags. Looking at the situation in Kosovo, I feel both sorrow and gladness. I feel sorrow because of the devastation. The Looking back to 100 years ago in Perry I went up to our hot and dusty attic a few days ago to bring down the next bound volumes from 25 years ago and 1 got sidetracked and never found it. Instead. I came back down stairs with the 1899 bound volume of the Home Journal which is just a delight to read. The oldtime newspaper writ ers enjoyed waxing eloquent, and their writing captures those early days with style and grace. So, even though I know there's nobody out there to remember these particular good old days, here are some gems from iOO years ago this week in Perry. On July 6. 1989, the Perry baseball team had just gotten whupped twice in a row. (I’m pretty sure from some other historical reading that these were grown men. not school boys.) First the Henderson team beat them 12 to 5. “The Perry boys know how to play good ball, but they didn’t give a good exhibition of such knowledge last Friday," the anonymous sports writer noted, adding that The visi tors played very well." Just after that game, the Byron ball team challenged the Perry team to a match, and at 10:30 the next morning, they arrived “in a wagon drawn by four gaily decorated mules" and beat the Perry teams 18 to 5. During the same weekend, the veterans of the Houston Volunteers, Company K, 11th , Our Policies Unsigned editorials appearing in larger* type on this page under the label Our Views reflect the posi tion of the Houston Home Journal. Signed columns and letters on this page (and elsewhere in this news paper) reflect the opinions of the writers and not nec essarily those of this newspaper. Signed letters to the editor are welcomed. Please limit letters to 300 words and include addresses and a telephone number for verification purposes. Letters are not published without verification. Letters should be sent to P.O. Drawer M. Parry. Ga.. 31069 or brought to the newspaper office at 807 Carroll St.. Perry. Our liability for an error will not exceed the coat Page 4A Wed., July 7. 1999 Torey Jolley Home Journal Staff destroyed villages, the mass graves, and the horror of mine fields left behind. Armed sol diers patrolling the area. 1 feel sorrow for the children who are forced to grow up with those things as memories. Charlotte Perkins Home Journal Staff Georgia Regiment, CSA, met in the oak grove of William M. Barker and enjoyed “barbe cued pig prepared in Mr. Bark er’s inimitable style" along with the “choicest viands." They were entertained by a group of young ladies who sang “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.” Other social events included a meeting of the Thursday afternoon club at the home of Mrs. James S. Brunson. The report indicated members enjoyed her hospitality. “The afternoon being extremely warm, “ the report said, “the refreshments of ices and cake made the afternoon one of the most delightful ever." Miss Marie Nunn’s class in the Perry Methodist Sunday School was planning a picnic at Norwood Springs, and Mrs. Ida Rogers had invited a group of Perry young people to a Fourth of July picnic at Nor wood Springs. (Does anybody know where Norwood Springs might be?) On to the business scene: Most of the bigger advertise ments back then were from of space occupied by the error. We cannot be responsible for the return of pictures or submitted materials unless a stamped, return address envelope is Included. Our Goal The Houston Home Journal Ls published proudly for the citizens of Houston 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 Nation al Newspaper Association Jmßt . .. Houston Horn Jem# I grew up with ice cream cones, parades, a beautiful home, and loving family. I had toys and clothes (my mother tells me I was spoiled rotten). I never had to fear traveling from one place to the other because of mine fields. 1 only saw sol diers on base or with their fam ilies, not patrolling the area. I feel sorrow for those little children who will grow up with twisted views of freedom. They will believe it is normal for armed soldiers to be on their streets. They will believe it is normal to watch for mine field warnings. As I watched the fireworks during the Big Bang Boom and Macon, but those that were from the Perry merchants were definitely good reading. There was not a lottery back then, but W.D. Day, a mer chant, came up with his own game of chance. Here’s how he described it. “I have placed in my store a handsome oak money box con taining S2O in silver. I have had made a number of keys, some of which will unlock the box. With every cash purchase of $1 will be given a key attached to a tag. The keys can be tried the first week in Sep tember and the holders of keys that unlock the box will be given $5 as a present." Day also informed the public that he had received the first carload of shoes ever shipped to Perry. They were mostly $1 a pair. Fred M. Houser, billing him self as "wrecker of high prices" was offering rib sides, hams and hamlets for sale. L.F. Cater had ladies’ “dress goods", including piques, lawns, dimities, organdies, French Nainsook and Persian lawn. L.M. Paul’s had a new stock of buggy harnesses, saddle pads, halters and buggy whips. And finally, a note from the city government:"The Mayor and Aldermen met and voted that no one shall ride a bicycle on any of the sidewalks of said town on Sunday after this date.” listened to the music, 1 was filled with pride and gratitude. I am proud our country is free. That freedom cost us more than dollars and cents. Remaining free continues to cost even more. I enjoy going places with out caution, buying things I want, and knowing I am free. As the “Star Spangled Ban ner" played and the fireworks burst in the night sky, hun dreds of thousands of people stood. The sight was awesome. Everyone was at the Georgia National Fairground and Agri center for a good time and, yet, at that moment, we all knew the price paid for that privi lege. Bob Tribble Home Journal President Another look at local newspapers This will be the third and final column I will write about community newspaper pub lishing. I can hear you now. “Thank goodness,” you say, “Enough is enough!” Thank you for hanging in there these three weeks as we make our final effort to help you, our readers, better under stand what your community newspaper is all about. Matthew Arnold once wrote, “America is the chosen home of newspapers." Despite the presence of the electronic media, America is still the chosen home of news papers and will continue to be as long s we produce quality, community oriented newspa pers. Thomas Wolfe once said, “Americans love their newspa per." He was right. Most folks in the communities we serve do love their newspapers. Your community newspaper must be the guardians of the First Amendment on the local level, just as the national press must assume that responsibili ty on the national level. The First Amendment protects the rights of those with whom we disagree as well as the rights of those with whom we agree. We should never forget that. Pastor Martin Niemoller was imprisoned by the Nazis during Hitler’s rule and wrote the fol lowing. “First they came for the socialists and 1 did not speak out because I was not a social ist. then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out cause I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and 1 did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came from me and there was no one left to speak out for me." A free press exists for the rights of the people and we must be unyielding when we act to protect the public’s right to know. There is little room for compromise on this issue. Over the 35 years plus I have been privileged to be in the newspaper business, our com munity newspaper editors, including myself, have faced some trying times for printing what we believed the people had a right to know. We have been sued, threat ened with suits, cussed at, had our lives threatened, lost advqjtisers and had gossip spread around our communi- Continued on page SA “Congress shall make no law respecting an estab lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exe;. z 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 news paper is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Houston Home Journal (ÜBPB 000471) is published weekly for $21.40 per year (Including sales tax) by Houston Publications Inc.. 007 Car roll St., Perry, Ga„ 31060. Periodicals Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga. POSTMASTER : Send address changes to the Houston Home Journal, P.O. Drawer M. Perry, Qa. 31060. HMN: 1076-1874. w*.