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FANNIN
VOLUME 10, ISSUE 34
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 | WWW.FANNINSENTINEL.COM
Fannin Regional honors Pink Ladies
By Elaine Owen, Editor
CEO David Sanders presented pins for service hours, to (from Left): Brenda Long, 1,500 hours; Grace
Corn, 4,000 hours; Frankie Pickelsimer, 4,500 hours; Wanda Patterson, 16,000 hours. (At Right) Director
of Professional Outreach Kristy Lindstrom congratulates the Pink Ladies
McCaysville native Wanda
Patterson is the first and only Pink
Lady to receive a 16,000-hour pin
for her years of service at Fannin
Regional Hospital (FRH).
Since Day One, Patterson has
served Fannin Regional through
its Auxiliary--even assisting
hospital administration with preopening activities in the community.
Since that time, she has served
as vice president and president of
the Auxiliary, as well as taking on
special projects including helping
start the first hospital Health Fair
decades ago and initiating the
long-standing practice of making
pink and blue bows for hospital
newborns. She even served several years on the Hospital Authority Board.
According to Carlie Hammond, a long-time Nurse Practitioner and now business owner,
“Wanda Patterson is known for
her neat attire, her smile and her
willingness to help as a Pink Lady
as well as in the community. She
served for years on the Board of
Fannin County American Cancer
Society and helped establish the
first Relay for Life. She started
and for years maintained the Cancer Society Memorial Board that
hangs in the hospital foyer. She
is a member of Lebanon Baptist
Church and spearheaded the 9
a.m. Wednesday Senior Bingo at
Ingles for seven to ten years. She
is a caring and remarkable hostess to many folks from all walks
of life in our community.”
Patterson was honored July
28 for giving over 16,000 hours
of service, representing 39 years
of volunteer service to the Pink
Ladies. She was presented her
16,000-hour service pin by hospital CEO David Sanders.
In presenting the award, Sanders said a full-time employee who
works a 40-hour week equals
2,080 hours in a year. According
to his calculation, Patterson has
volunteered seven-and-one-half
years of time to the Auxiliary.
Modestly, Patterson said, “I’m
a people person and love helping
others. It is a blessing to be out
there helping people.” She added
that she sometimes worked extra days when other ladies didn’t
show up for their shifts and those
hours contributed to her total
hours.
IRS warns of back-to-school scams; encourages
students, parents, schools to stay alert
The Internal Revenue Service
today warned taxpayers against
telephone scammers targeting
students and parents during the
back-to-school season and demanding payments for non-existent taxes, such as the “Federal
Student Tax.”
People should be on the lookout for IRS impersonators calling students and demanding that
they wire money immediately to
pay a fake “federal student tax.”
If the person does not comply,
the scammer becomes aggressive
and threatens to report the student
to the police to be arrested. As
schools around the nation prepare
to re-open, it is important for taxpayers to be particularly aware of
this scheme going after students
and parents.
“Criminals pose as the IRS to
trick victims out of their money
or personal information,” said
IRS Spokesman Mark Green.
”Students and parents don’t let
yourself get involved in a tax
scam or be bullied by a Con artists,” said Green.
The IRS encourages college
and school communities to share
this information so that students,
parents and their families are
FANNIN
Sentinel
P.O. Box 799
Blue Ridge, GA 30513
Thursday
aware of these scams.
Scammers are constantly identifying new tactics to carry out
their crimes in new and unsuspecting ways. This year, the IRS
has seen scammers use a variety
of schemes to fool taxpayers into
paying money or giving up personal information. Some of these
include:
● Altering the caller ID on incoming phone calls in a “spoofing” attempt to make it seem like
the IRS, the local police or another agency is calling
● Imitating software providSee IRS WARNS pg 4A
Friday
Saturday
Director of Professional Outreach for Fannin Regional, Kristy
Lindstrom, said, “Wanda is noted
for her loyalty, serving on the
Ways and Means Committee,
bringing vendors to the hospital,
leading a scrub and bake sale, and
helping with the new Auxiliary
cookbook.”
In other business at the Auxiliary’s quarterly meeting, the Pink
Ladies named Jean Bonnewitz
“Auxilian of the Quarter.”
CEO David Sanders presented
pins to four Pink Ladies for service hours, including Brenda
Long, 1,500 hours; Grace Corn,
4,000 hours; Frankie Pickelsimer,
4,500 hours; and Wanda Patterson, 16,000 hours. Leslie Bechtel
(with 100 hours) and Brenda Higdon (100 hours) were not at the
meeting.
New officers elected include:
President Linzy Haynes, First
Vice President Carol Doherty,
Second VP Janie Payne, Treasurer Barbara Cheatham, Recording Secretary Shirley Copeland,
Pink Lady Jean Bonnewitz (Center) was honored as Auxilian of the
Quarter by CEO David Sanders and Director of Professional Outreach Kristy Lindstrom.
Federal judge blocks
Obama’s transgender directive
Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens issues statement
By Elaine Owen, Editor
A federal judge in Texas blocked the Obama administration’s directive to U.S. public schools that
transgender students must be allowed to use the
bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their
chosen gender identity.
The order by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor
was issued Sunday after Texas and 12 other states
challenged the Obama directive as unconstitutional
during a hearing in Fort Worth last week. It applies
to schools nationwide, as many districts reopen this
month after the summer vacation.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, immediately cheered the decision, stating,
“This president is attempting to rewrite the laws
enacted by the elected representatives of the people,
and is threatening to take away federal funding from
schools to force them to conform. That cannot be allowed to continue, which is why we took action to
protect states and school districts.”
The federal government told U.S. public schools
in May that transgender students must be allowed
to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with
their chosen gender identity. That announcement
came days after the Justice Department sued North
Carolina over a state law that requires people to use
public bathrooms that correspond with the sex on
their birth certificate, which U.S. Attorney General
Loretta Lynch had likened to policies of racial segregation. Republicans have argued such laws are commonsense privacy safeguards.
Schools were not explicitly told to comply or lose
federal funds. But the Obama administration didn’t
rule out that possibility in court documents filed in
July, saying recipients of federal education dollars
“are clearly on notice” that anti-discrimination polices must be followed. Georgia alone gets millions
in federal education funds.
The lawsuit was filed in May by Texas, Alabama,
Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma,
Sunday
Monday
Attorney General Sam Olens
Louisiana, Utah and Georgia, and the Republican
governors of Maine, Mississippi and Kentucky. Two
small school districts in Arizona and Texas, which
have fewer than 600 students combined and no transgender persons on their campuses, also joined the effort to prevent the directive from being enforced.
Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens released the
following statement Monday after the court’s favorable ruling, “We are pleased that the federal court
agrees that the guidance letter is yet another example
of the President’s unconstitutional overreach. The
Constitution gives only Congress the power to write
and rewrite laws. Threatening to withhold taxpayer
dollars from schools if they don’t comply with this
mandate is unconstitutional. I will continue to defend the Constitution on behalf of Georgians.”
Tuesday
Wednesday
Cherokee Sentinel
1162 Andrews Rd., Suite E
Murphy, NC 28906
87/66
89/67
88/67
Corresponding Secretary Joyce
Mitchell, Ways and Means Jean
Bonnewitz, Gift Shop Becky
Guthrie, and Parliamentarian Sarah Lanning.
88/67
88/66
The Sentinel Newsgroup
(828) 837-6397
87/67
87/67
COMMUNITY NEWS
Page 2A FANNIN SENTINEL • Thursday, August 25, 2016
Tractor
Show!
UGA plant breeder takes the
mystery out of GMO crops
By Wayne Parrott
Bring your own
tractor and
participate!
Or just come
and browse
the tractors!
Saturday, Aug 27 9:am-3:pm
Live: Whistle Stop Bluegrass
Band, starting 10:30am
Blairsville School of Dance
Cloggers at 10:30
Tractor Rides for the
whole family: $4.00 a person,
2 and under are free!
For more info call 706-632-3411
B L U E
R I D G E
Mercier-Orchards.com
G E O R G I A
706-632-3411
Gopher
Broke at
Blue Ridge
Brewery
Live Music night at the
Blue Ridge Brewery!
Gopher Broke is a band
rooted in Southern
Appalachian folk, blues
and rock genres. Show
starts around 6:00 p.m.
Jedd Dotson (Guitar,
Vocals) Bobby Don
Bloodworth (Guitar
Vocals) Bill Fleming
(Steel Pedal Guitar)
Paul Kusmer (Bass)
Ron Smith (Drums)
James “Roscoe”
Sargous (Percussion)
Tammy Baker (Vocals).
706-632-6611
A supermarket shopper 50 years ago would never
believe the amount of fresh produce available today,
especially in the winter. No generation before us has
had a more plentiful, nutritious or safe assortment of
fresh fruits and vegetables at their disposal.
New fruit and vegetable variety development is
an ongoing process. Most of the fruits and vegetables
found in supermarkets today simply do not exist in
the wild. Over the past centuries, farmers derived
fruits and vegetables from wild plants. In many cases, it is very difficult to recognize the wild versions.
Some fruits and vegetables, like cabbage and cauliflower, did not exist until around 400 to 600 years
ago. Brussels sprouts and orange carrots have only
been around for about 300 years. Today’s strawberries did not come into being until the mid-1700s.
Newly invented crops, such as flower sprouts,
kalettes and celtuce, continue to fascinate top chefs
and the public.
As knowledge of biology has improved, it has
become possible to take the guesswork out of the
development of new varieties of field crops, as well
as fruits and vegetables. Such new varieties are the
result of changes at the DNA level. Rather than waiting for nature or an X-ray to make the change, these
changes can now be made in a laboratory, often by
gene splicing.
A new plant variety made by gene splicing is
called a GMO, which stands for genetically modified
organism. Thus, GMO is not an ingredient; rather,
it refers to a new plant variety made using gene
splicing.
In the era of genome sequencing, we find that
nature is the most prolific gene splicer of all. Although the DNA changes made by gene splicing resemble those made by nature, GMOs are set aside for
safety testing. Such testing is seldom, if ever, done
on conventionally developed crops, because their development has never resulted in unanticipated health
problems.
Safety is top priority for genetically modified
foods
The safety testing on a GMO is done before it
reaches the market. It can take over a decade and
cost tens of millions of dollars. As a result of the
global economy, many importers, including Australia, the European Union, Japan and Korea, review or
repeat the safety tests, meaning that there is lots of
redundancy in the system. Thus, GMOs are the most
safety-tested foods in history.
The international standard requires that GMO
foods must be as safe as their non-GMO versions,
both for the environment and when used as food
or feed. Otherwise, GMO foods are not allowed to
reach the marketplace. GMO food safety tests have
two parts. If the GMO has a new protein, studies must
prove that the food is safe and its nutritional value is
unaltered. Then, the GMO must show no unexpected
changes that might harm consumers.
Following gene splicing, some GMOs can have
traces of a new protein. It is this new protein that may
give a GMO a desirable trait, such as the ability to
resist insects without requiring insecticide application. As such, this new protein will be one of tens of
thousands in the plant. However, because a few proteins are known to cause allergies and can be toxic,
the new protein must be shown to not be allergenic
or toxigenic.
This testing phase uses bioinformatics to compare
the new protein to those that are known to be toxic
or to cause allergies. This procedure ensures that the
proteins are not alike. After rodent food is spiked with
the protein and they are fed, the rodents are examined
for signs of toxicity. The protein can also be used in
skin prick tests or tested on blood serum samples to
look for evidence of allergies. Next, the new variety
is analyzed to ensure that its nutritional value has not
been altered.
Having ensured that the new protein is safe for
people and animals to eat, the second phase ensures
that the gene-splicing process itself has not created
any unexpected changes that might be harmful to
consumers. Accordingly, the new crop variety is subjected to extensive compositional analysis in a laboratory to ensure nothing has gone amiss.
People often question why GMOs are not subjected to human studies. Human studies clearly have
a place in pharmaceutical testing, but they have a
poor track record for food testing. Just think of studies on the health effects of things like butter, chocolate, wine, salt, coffee, etc. The results are all over the
place, and there are many contradictory studies.
Simply put, human studies have too much “noise”
to be useful. There are no special lab strains of
humans in the way there are lab strains of rats, and no
human wants to live in a controlled room for years at
a time. Laboratory results are far more dependable,
so that is what is used.
In the end, the proof is in the pudding. Between
1995 and today, the Food and Drug Administration
has examined 151 different GMO plant varieties and
found all of them to be free of unexpected changes.
And, although there have been many claims of harm
to people or animals who ate GMO-derived foods,
not a single one has ever proven that a GMO was
the cause.
For more information on GMOs, go to http://
tinyurl.com/GMLinks.
(Wayne Parrott is a professor in the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. His research focuses on molecular plant breeding.)
8th Annual 911 Awake America
Prayer and Memorial Service
Fannin County
High School
Performing Arts
Center
~
Keynote Speaker
Zachary
Stotler
~
North Georgia
Honor Guard
Saturday
September 10
11:45 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
GOVERNMENT / COMMUNITY NEWS
Thursday, August 25, 2016 • FANNIN SENTINEL Page 3A
City and county discuss plans to
handle expected demand for water
By Elaine Owen, Editor
Blue Ridge’s Mayor Donna Whitener,
Utility Billing Supervisor Becky Harkins, Council member Angie Arp, Distribution Supervisor Shannon Payne and
Mapping Coordinator Kim Keenan, met
with the Fannin County Water Authority
members Aug. 19. The purpose of the
meeting was to discuss coordination between the Water Authority and the City
of Blue Ridge to prepare for an anticipated increase in water usage and how
to reduce costs of getting water to the
cities. This would involve collaboration
in laying new water lines and building
pumping stations, as well as determining responsibility for implementation.
After introductions, Whitener immediately laid out her concerns and asked
the Water Authority for cooperation in
preparing for expected demand for water and sewer.
Whitener specifically requested an
outline of the areas the Water Authority plans to put in water lines from Blue
Ridge city limits to McCaysville.
According to Whitener, Blue Ridge
needs to find a way to exchange water with McCaysville in the event of
an emergency and anticipates Georgia
Environmental Protection Department
(EPD) will soon make that a requirement. She said that EPD is starting to
push the issue that Blue Ridge isn’t
working through the county Water Authority and will eventually want to see
all three Fannin municipal water providers (cities of McCaysville, Morganton
and Blue Ridge) work through the Water
Blue Ridge Mayor Donna Whitener
Former Water Authority Chair Stan Helton
Authority.
The Mayor outlined the problem: Blue
Ridge is under pressure to repair its water and sewer infrastructure. Complaints
from downtown businesses are increasing and “something needs to be done.”
Some areas do not currently have the
proper size pipe for full fire service;
however, the Orchard St. area is being
upgraded. The city has upgraded some
sewer facilities, but anticipates additional funds will be required to complete the
project. She said, “Right now, our water
budget is as much as our general fund.”
Continuing to describe the problems
facing Blue Ridge, Whitener stated the
city draws water only from the Toccoa
River, with an average daily draw of 1
million gallons. The city’s permit is for
1.2 million gallons per day and they
can pull as much as 1.5 million gallons.
When water usage reaches 1.2 million
gallons per day, the city will need to
draw from the lake. Another factor in
anticipated water usage is that Ellijay
has approached Blue Ridge about the
possibility of drawing water from the
lake.
Whitener predicted that new businesses and residents moving to the city will
soon increase the average water usage.
In addition, she is concerned that new
apartment buildings, two new housing
complexes expected, a potential restaurant and hotel on Hwy. 5, possibly condos at the marina, and Blue Ridge Assisted Living opening in September, will
be more than the city can handle. She
wanted assurance that the city and the
Water Authority would use the upcoming expansion of Hwy. 5 to increase water lines and potentially lay sewer lines.
Regulations that weren’t put into place
when subdivisions were developed also
concerns Whitener, who says stricter
regulations are needed. She used the
Mountain Tops subdivision as an example that was not constructed properly by
the developer.
Water Authority Vice Chairman Larry Chapman, a licensed engineer with
46 years of experience in water treatment and distribution, agreed with the
Mayor. Chapman stated that Fannin
County has 30 private well systems
permitted by the EPD and he doesn’t
want to see anymore. Chapman is a
Georgia-licensed engineer with 46
years of experience with water treatment and distribution.
Stan Helton, former chair of the Water Authority, who facilitated the joint
meeting, issued an open invitation to
the Mayor and representatives from McCaysville and Morganton to attend future Water Authority meetings.
In addition to Helton and Chapman,
other Water Authority members attended the meeting, as did Kurt McCord, engineer with Carter and Sloope.
Thank You!
THANK YOU Blue Ridge for making our first Parkinson’s Fundraiser a huge success! With more than 100 participants taking part in this
Team Hope™ event for the National Parkinson’s Foundation (NPF) and the incredible generosity of the overall Fannin County community,
we will exceed our stretch goal of $10,000! This was an incredible evening of information, food and fun in the spirit of “believing in better.”
SPECIAL THANKS to: Collin Queen & Sue Griffin (Event Co-Chairs)
Rob Kaser (Emcee)
Ace Hardware
Amedysis Home Health
Angelinas
Anne Williamson
Ashley Maliken
Beth Roberts
Betsy Steffanich
Black Bear Cabin Rentals
Black Sheep Restaurant
Blue Jeans Pizza
Blue Ridge Adventure Wear
Blue Ridge Bird Seed
Blue Ridge Brewery
Blue Ridge Diamond Center
Blue Ridge Framing Company
Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association
Blue Ridge Police Department
Brian Beck (Medtronic)
Broken Bull
Bumble Bee’s Café
Canoe Look LLC
Chester’s
Christine Vernon
Christy Lee’s Courtyard Grille
Cindy & Joe Owens
Cochran’s Jewelers
Cohutta Cove Mini Golf
Coleen Clinton
Courtney Queen
Cucina Rustica
Dairy Queen
Dana & Mike Hasson
David Baker
Douglas Smith
Elizabeth Zylstra (Blue Ridge Assisted Living)
Fannin County Thespians
Fannin Regional Hospital
Fannin Sentinel
Folger Gas
Gracious Me
Greg Maliken
Grumpy Old Men Brewery
Harvest on Main
Ingles
Jack Morton
IF YOU MISSED THIS
Jennifer Danner
INCREDIBLE EVENT,
John Salt
Julie Fitts Queen
Kaye’s Auto Parts
Kenny’s Pizza & Subs
Kevin Panter Insurance
Margaret Johnstone
YOU CAN STILL
MAKE A DONATION.
Go to Parkinson.org/
unclefloyd. This will
show Team Hope for
Parkinson's, Blue Ridge,
GA Parkinson's event.
Click "donate" above
Collin Queen's name.
Mason Tractor
Masseria
Mel Rothchild
Mercier Orchards
Thank You!
Michael Brunson
Morganton Grill
Mountain Valley Motors
Mucho Kaliente Mexican Restaurant
Multitudes Gallery
North Georgia Ford
North Georgia Paper
North Georgia Physical Therapy
OMS3
Orion Keifer, Jr. (Emory University of Medicine)
Out of the Blue
Paul Gribble
Pearly Gates
Premier Mountain & Land
Presents of Mine
Ruthie Buffington
Sebastien Cotte (Flowering Hope Foundation)
Serenity Garden Café
Serenity Garden Riverside
Serenity in the Mountains
Shape Healthy
Subway
Taste of Amish
Teresa Bioust
Terry Wilson, Esq.
The Andersons
The Copper Grill
The Last Stop
The News Observer
The Sweet Shoppe of the South
Tin Loong Restaurant
Tina Maslankowski
Toccoa Riverside Restaurant
Victor Chong (Emory University of Medicine)
W. Richard May
Wanda Dostall
White Path Golf Course
WPPL (Mountain Country 103.9) Radio
Paul Blom, Chief Executive Officer (National
Parkinson Foundation)
Rob Shaw, Vice President of Corporate
Relations (National Parkinson Foundation)
“REFUSE TO SURRENDER”
Floyd Smith & Tony Nix
COMING EVENTS / COMMUNITY NEWS
Page 4A FANNIN SENTINEL • Thursday, August 25, 2016
Conquer or be conquered
By Shelly Bishop
Joshua was raised up to
take the Israelites into the
promised land. God had already said that it was theirs
and to go in and take the
land. It was part of their
destiny. The only problem
was that the people with
him focused on the giants,
not the fruit. They didn’t
Mondays – Kiwanis of
Blue Ridge meets at 11:45
a.m. Circle J Family Steak
House, 4004 E. First St.,
Blue Ridge.
Tuesdays – Rotary Club.
12 p.m. Community &
Southern Bank Community
Building, 15 Orvin Lance
Connector, Blue Ridge.
Food Pantry and Clothes
Closet open every Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. and the
first Saturday of each month
from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon at
Morganton Baptist Church
located on the corner of
Loving Road and Old Hwy
76. Please call 706 3745100 for questions.
Awake America community prayer meeting
– Individuals from the area
gather every 2nd Thursday
downtown Blue Ridge, Ga.
to pray.
Location: City park at
gazebo flag pole. Time is
11:59.
We invite you to come
and join with us to pray for
our Nation, its leaders, and
revival for America. Please
avail yourself to attend. Any
questions regarding this
please contact Lydia Long
706-374-6175 Ext 302 or
prayer@whcnorth.org..
The Copperhill Kiwanis
Club will now be meeting
every Tuesday evening at
6:00 p.m. on the third floor of
Copperhill City Hall. Come
join our growing group of
men and women for a light
meal and learn how you can
become involved in an established group of leaders
who support fundraising efforts and community events
to benefit local families and
children. Please contact
Copperhill Kiwanis President Don Wirtz with any
questions at (706) 632-9011.
We look forward to meeting
you!
United Daughters of Confederacy meets third Sun-
have the faith to step into
their destiny, like Joshua
and Caleb did and the entire nation suffered for it.
(Numbers 13)
It’s the same way with us
today. It’s hard when everyone around you is doing
the opposite of what you
feel like God is telling you
days – The Fannin County
Group for the United Daughters of the Confederacy Joseph Emerson Brown Chapter
#2613 meets the third Sunday
of the month, at 2:30 p.m. at
Fannin County Fire Station #9
on Hwy. 60 in what was once
known as Margret, Ga. For
more information call Janie
M. Turner at 706-838-4100
or Brenda B. Registrar at 706838-4535.
NAMI Blue Ridge Family Support Group – The
NAMI (National Alliance on
Mental Illness) Family Support Group meets monthly at
Georgia Mountains Health
on the 1st Wednesday of the
month, 12:00-1:30 p.m. We
invite anyone who is supporting a family member or friend
with a mental health diagnosis
as well as individuals living
with a diagnosis to come support and learn from each other.
For more information, please
contact Linda Beaver at 706835-6649 or Joe Davis at 770735-3686.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s
Caregiver Support – Come
join us monthly on the 3rd
Tuesday of the month at 5 p.m.
for Dementia and Alzheimer’s
Care Giver Support. Susan
Greene, NP Emory Graduate
in Geriatric Psychiatry, will
educate and answer questions
you may have. Please come.
All are welcome. PruittHealth
of Blue Ridge, 99 Ouida
Street, in the Recreation
Room. Contact: Joy Haizlip,
RN SCP 706-632-2271 Ext
19.
THURSDAY: The Blue
Ridge Mountain Photographers welcome new members on the 1st Thursday of
each month at 6 p.m. at The
Art Center. Get help from the
experts with your questions
and problems. Professional
and amateur photographers of
all experience levels are welcome. To see meeting dates
and programs or more information about the guild contact BlueRidgeArts.BRMP@
to do. Any faith you have
gets wiped out by fear and
doubt. Then the giants come
to consume you. The giants
you are facing that are trying to steal your destiny or
thwart your life purpose
might be fear, intimidation,
rejection,
unforgiveness,
offense, shame or jealousy.
If you carry these through
life you will make poor decisions, use bad judgement
and do things to your body
that destroy it, like drugs,
alcohol, abuse, etc.
You won’t consider yourself worth enough to receive
the blessings from The Lord
and you will try to sabotage
your success and fulfillment in life. This can be
done willingly or subconsciously. But you can rise
up out of the ashes of your
bad choices and mishaps
and begin a new life in The
Lord. God is always there
with open arms waiting for
your return to restore you
and make you whole.
There is no sin or transgression that is so terrible
that he can’t forgive; or no
place that you are in that
is so low that He can’t lift
you up and restore you. He
wants to wipe away all the
shame and heartbreak and
set you on a new path to
your God-given destiny today.
Stop what you are doing
and look around today at
your life. Go back to those
old almost forgotten dreams
that you used to have. They
can still come to pass. God
wants to give you the desires of your heart. He put
them there in the first place
and wants you to live an
abundant life.
The place that God wants
to bless you is the area that
the enemy fights the hardest. We have to rise up and
take back what the enemy
has stolen or we will be devoured by him. He has no
sympathy or mercy on you.
His job is to steal, kill and
destroy every good thing
that God has promised you.
Don’t give in to the enemy and his lies. There is
hope for you and for this
country too. If the people
of God will rise up and take
their place in the Kingdom
of God and come together
in unity as the true body
of Christ, the ecclesia, the
governing body and take
back what the enemy has
stolen there will be victory
in this Country and in your
personal life also.
EVENTS
Southern
Appalachian
Modern Quilt Guild – Come
join us on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at
Bless My Stitches quilt shop
in Murphy, North Carolina.
Our guild serves the tri-state
area of Western North Carolina, North Georgia and Eastern
Tennessee. Come explore new
ways to create modern quilts!
Questions, call Pam Howard –
828-835-6025.
Happening at the Art Center – TUESDAY: Blue Ridge
Carvers meet at 6 p.m. on the
second and fourth Tuesday
from April through September
at the Art Center. Everyone
interested in wood carving of
any type is welcome! Experience is not necessary. You can
always come learn and enjoy.
Just drop in on any of our upcoming meetings! For more
information, you can contact
us at blueridgecarvers@yahoo.com or jschlok@gmail.
com.
4TH WEDNESDAY: Blue
Ridge Poets & Writers meet
the fourth Wednesday of
each month from 2-4 p.m. at
The Art Center to read, share
their work, and offer suggestions and encouragement to
fellow writers. New writers
are always welcome. Bring
any genre: fiction, nonfiction,
poetry, or whatever you are
working on. For meeting dates
and program information go
to
www.blueridgearts.net,
then Guilds & Clubs, then Poets and Writers. For more information about the club: contact Dr. Kathleen Thompson,
706.632.5757, tjthomps@tds.
ers to trick tax professionals-IR-2016-103
● Demanding fake tax payments using iTunes gift cards-IR-2016-99
● Soliciting W-2 information
from payroll and human resources professionals--IR-2016-34
● Verifying” tax return information over the phone-IR-2016-40
● Pretending to be from the tax
preparation industry--IR-2016-28
If you receive an unexpected
call from someone claiming to
be from the IRS, here are some
of the telltale signs to help protect
yourself.
The IRS Will Never:
● Call to demand immediate
payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid
debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first
mail you a bill if you owe any
taxes.
● Threaten to immediately
bring in local police or other lawenforcement groups to have you
arrested for not paying.
● Demand that you pay taxes
without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the
amount they say you owe.
● Ask for credit or debit card
numbers over the phone.
If you get a suspicious phone
call from someone claiming to be
from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:
Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
● Search the web for telephone
numbers scammers leave in your
voicemail asking you to call back.
Some of the phone numbers may
be published online and linked to
criminal activity.
● Contact TIGTA to report the
call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page
or call 800-366-4484.
● Report it to the Federal Trade
Commission. Use the “FTC
Complaint Assistant” on FTC.
gov. Please add “IRS Telephone
Scam” in the notes.
● If you think you might owe
taxes, call the IRS directly at 800829-1040.
Shelly Bishop
Pastor of the House of
The Living God
Mineral Bluff, GA
706-455-7913
COMING
gmail.com.
IRS WARNS continued from pg 1A
net, or R. K. VanOrsdal, simonetta@tds.net.
THURSDAY: Fiber Arts
group meets each Thursday
from 2-4 p.m. at The Art Center. Join in the camaraderie as
you work on your current fiber
project and meet other artists
working in crochet, knit, felting, quilting, surface design,
silk painting, rug hooking, and
weaving. If you don’t know
how to knit, crochet or hook
a rug yet, we will teach you!
Just bring yarn and a crochet
hook from G-I or knitting needles 6-10 to these afternoon
sessions. For more information, contact Betty Schaefer at
bluerfiberarts@gmail.com.
1ST THURSDAY: The Blue
Ridge Mountain Photographers welcome new members on the 1st Thursday of
each month at 6 p.m. at The
Art Center. Get help from the
experts with your questions
and problems. Professional
and amateur photographers of
all experience levels are welcome. To see meeting dates
and programs or more information about the guild contact BlueRidgeArts.BRMP@
gmail.com.
2ND THURSDAY: Southern Appalachian Artists Guild
meets on the 2nd Thursday
of each month at 5 p.m. at
The Art Center. Join us for
food, drink, fun, camaraderie
and an art-charged evening!
For more information see the
website www.southernappalachianartists.org.
Mountain High Hikers Hiking Club – Mountain High
Hikers schedule two hikes ev-
ery Tuesday, one long and one
shorter, as well as occasional
specialty hikes. Weekly trail
maintenance trips are scheduled every Thursday. Come
enjoy the beautiful mountains and waterfalls we have
here. Check the website www.
mountainhighhikers.org for
schedule and contact numbers.
BMTA Hike Yonah Mountain Sept. 2 – BMTA Group
Hike: Mt. Yonah near Cleveland,
GA: This is a moderately strenuous hike 2 1/2 miles uphill to
the summit of Yonah Mountain,
and 2 1/2 miles back down. The
climb is over 1400 feet in elevation but you will be rewarded
with a magnificent view where
we will eat our lunch/snack. Always bring more water than you
think you will need. There is no
water source on the mountain.
Mt. Yohah is also the mountain
training ground for the US Army
Ranger School and we may see
some military activity there. After completing the hike some of
us may visit one or more local
wineries before returning home.
To register, contact Mike Pilvinsky at mikepilvinsky AT hotmail.com - For more information on The Benton MacKaye
Trail, see www.bmta.org
Prime Time Choir open to
new members – Do you love to
sing? Are you over 55 years of
age? Would you like to be part
of a choir that shares the Word
of God? You don’t read music?
That’s okay, it’s not a necessity.
The Copper Basin Prime Time
Choir is open to members of all
Christian denominations. We
will begin meeting on Mondays
from 11 a.m. to 12 noon starting
Monday Sept 12th in the First
Baptist Church of McCaysville/
Copperhill choir room. In addition to singing two concerts
each year, we sing at local nursing homes and enjoy Christian
fellowship in a variety of activities. Please come and be a part
of this fun group of “seniors.”
For more information please
call Fred at 706-492-5139 or Pat
Dotson at 706-492-5671.
Murphy Medical Center
Events – Register today for
Murphy Medical Center’s 26th
Annual “Two Hours From Anywhere” 5K Challenge, TwoMile Heart Walk and Kid’s Fun
Run to be held Saturday, Sept.
17 at Murphy Medical Center.
Participate in one of western
North Carolina’s best road races
to help provide scholarships to
area students pursuing higher
education in the healthcare arena. To make a tax-deductible
donation, or to register for the
event, please contact Deena
Collins at (828) 835-7506 or
online at www.murphymedical.
org/race.
September 6 – Murphy Medical Center’s Tuesday, Sept.
6 Ladies’ Night Out featured
speaker is Licensed Clinical
Social Worker Mark Cadavero,
whose topic “There’s a light at
the end of the tunnel” will provide helpful tips for overcoming
depression. This month, we’re
introducing “Bring a friend
night. Bring someone who has
never attended and receive an
extra door prize ticket. Also,
this month features “Crazy Hat
Night”--wear a fun hat, with a
prize given to the most original! Enjoy a relaxing hour with
friends and a chance to win
valuable door prizes donated by
local merchants. Ladies’ Night
Out is free to all ladies 13 and
over and held at McGuire’s
Millrace Farm in Murphy from
5:30-6:30 p.m. Bring a canned
or dry good to donate to needy
families and receive an extra
door prize ticket. Past attendees
wearing their Ladies’ Night Out
shirts will also receive a bonus
door prize drawing ticket. Please
call (828) 835-3667 for details.
September 8 – Every two seconds, someone in America needs
blood. Help make sure your
neighbors, friends, and family
have the blood they need, when
they need it. Murphy Medical
Center and Blood Assurance are
hosting a blood donation drive
Thursday, Sept. 8 from 12:00
p.m. to 4:00 p.m. adjacent to the
hospital’s cafeteria. All donors
will be provided a free T-shirt,
snacks, and our sincere thanks
for helping give the gift of life.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Thursday, August 25, 2016 • FANNIN SENTINEL Page 5A
Help send
FCHS Band to
Philadelphia
Thanksgiving
Day Parade!
This Saturday
FCHS Marching
Band will kick off
two of their major
fundraising efforts
by participating
in a 5K March A
Thon and raffling a
week at a condo in
Florida. We would
like to invite each
of you to attend
the March A Thon.
Our route will be
from FCHS thru
downtown Blue
Ridge and back
to FCHS. We
plan to begin the
March A Thon at
9:00 a.m. from the
High School. The
marching band
has been invited
to participate in
the Philadelphia
Thanksgiving Day
Parade, which is
the oldest parade
in the nation.
State
approves
higher
increase for
Blue Cross
The state insurance
department Tuesday
approved an average
premium increase of
21.4 percent for Blue
Cross and Blue Shield
of Georgia for the 2017
health insurance exchange in Georgia.
The company earlier
had requested an average premium of 15.1
percent, but it raised
the request in the wake
of Aetna’s pullout from
exchanges in Georgia
and 10 other states last
week.
State insurance officials said Tuesday
that Blue Cross was
the only health insurer
to request a new rate
after Aetna’s move.
While state approval
is a factor, the federal
Department of Health
and Human Services
has the final say on
what premiums will
be charged on the
insurance exchange,
where hundreds of
thousands of Georgians will get their
coverage.
Insurance exchanges help consumers
with modest incomes
find and buy health
insurance. Georgia,
like most states,
has opted to leave
the running of its
exchange up to the
federal government.
School athletes benefit from Pickleball Tournament
By Nancy Oliver Smith, Blairsville Pickleball Club
Members of the Blairsville
Pickleball Club were pleased
to present a check for $750
to the Ed Webster Memorial
Scholarship Fund of the Union
County Recreation Department. The presentation took
place in the old Middle School
Gym on Friday, August 19,
with many club members in
attendance. The money was
raised by way of entry fees to
participate in a ‘members only’
tournament held August 4-5.
The Ed Webster Memorial
Scholarship Fund was established after the death of Ed
Webster, the highly respected
former Athletic Director of
Union County Recreation Department. The funds are used
to help pay fees for needy students to participate in sports.
According to Director Larry
Conley “no student is ever
turned away from playing
sports because of inability to
pay.”
The Blairsville Pickleball
Club, now with 107 members,
urges people to come to Meeks
Park on Tuesday and Thursday
mornings to meet the members, get information about the
game, and play!
Page 6A FANNIN SENTINEL • Thursday, August 25, 2016
GOVERNMENT / COMMUNITY NEWS
EDITOR’S INBOX
An alternative proposal for Hwy. 5
BUY 1 PLATE AND 2 DRINKS, GET 2ND PLATE OF EQUAL OR
LESSER VALUE 1/2 OFF WITH COUPON ONLY.
Today’s Devotional
By Pastor Asa Dockery
Forgiving and Forgetting
Philippians 3:13-14: Brethren,
I do not count myself to have
apprehended; but one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are
behind and reaching forward to
those things which are ahead,
I press toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus. NKJV
If you were to put a bucket of
rocks in a dryer, climb in it and
close the door, guess what would
inevitably happen? The rocks
would cause severe wounds on
your body. Let’s face it; we live
in a world that is filled with
rocks (sin), and eventually we’re
going to run into a rock (offense)
or two.
When this happens, we must
decide how we’re going to
respond to that bruise and the
rock (or person that caused us
to be inflicted). We can hold an
offense against them until we
die with the bruise. However, a
better way to respond is to give
it to the Lord...who, by the way,
took our sins upon Himself and
was bruised for our iniquity. We
give Him our hurts, disappointments, failures, and weaknesses
through obedient faith. Even so,
it’s not enough just to have faith;
we must also change our ways.
We must be willing to obey
Jesus during the restoration process, so that we don’t have to
live with the poison of the hurt.
Jesus forgave our sins, but the
work of grace didn’t stop there.
He went on to “forget” our sins;
they have been cast into the sea.
Forgiveness is just part of the
restoration work of moving forward from a past hurt. Paul tells
us in the text today that he had
to be willing to forget the things
which were behind him and to
move on toward the finish line
for the prize.
If we choose to forget the
wrongs that others have inflicted
on us while we’re inside of this
“dryer” called the world, then
the Lord will wipe it from our
hearts; our minds will simply
forget it. Think of it in these
terms; every computer has a
monitor and a hard drive. The
hard drive represents your heart,
and the monitor represents your
mind. Even though you shut
down the monitor, the system
will keep a record of the account
because it is still on the hard
drive. Choosing to forget allows
the Holy Spirit to wipe it permanently off of our hard drive...in
the same way that God chooses to remember our wrongs no
more.
In Genesis 37, Joseph had
many opportunities to be offended, but when God delivered him
from all that was wrongly done
against him, Joseph came to a
place of restoration in his personal life. He was given two
sons by the names of Manasseh
and Ephraim. Manasseh means:
causing to forget; to remit or
remove. Before we can move
forward, there are some things
that we have to remove. Ask
the Lord what needs to come
off of your hard drive. He will
remove that burden and destroy
that yoke with His anointing and
lift your head with His grace.
Forgiveness leads us to forgetfulness. However, bitterness
prevents the forgiveness process
from being completed. If we
stop in the middle of the forgiveness process and refuse to
forget, then bitterness can defile
the fruit of the Spirit in our
own lives. Fruit that isn’t eaten
eventually rots. Use the fruit of
the Spirit and destroy the decay
instead of allowing the decay to
destroy your fruit.
Moving Forward,
Pastor Asa Dockery
STUDENTS, PARENTS, and GUARDIANS:
Fannin County High School is hosting a Peach State Tour.
You are invited to this Information Session to learn more about
Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and the
University of Georgia.
The event is FREE and open to ALL high school students and their
families.Register online at http://www.peachstatetour.org/students.html.
Please feel free to contact adm-rsvp@uga.edu<mailto:adm
rsvp@uga.edu> or Tammy Roberts at 706-632-2081
(troberts@fannin.k12.ga.us<mailto:troberts@fannin.k12.ga.us>)
if you have any questions regarding this event.
Student Session Date & Location
Aug. 30
6-8 p.m. Blue Ridge, GA FCHS Performing Arts Center
Recent local news reports (August 10) about the Hwy 5 widening project spoke
as if the bypass of McCaysville was a done deal.
My understanding is that this is not at all the case and that the final decision
will be made on this phase of the project after a period of evaluation and public
comment.
In fact, the group I lead, “Stop the McCaysville Bypass,” intends to offer an
alternative. We believe we have a better idea, one that will avoid spoiling a lot of
good Fightingtown Creek property and endangering practically every business in
McCaysville and Copperhill.
As I put it to Speaker Ralston back in May, our proposal is, “5-lane
GA-5 only to Epworth and then 3-Lane (center turning lane) the existing
highway from Epworth to W. Tennessee Street, 3-Lane W. Tennessee (including new pedestrian sidewalks), and then a New Bridge to cross the
river just before Raymond’s Store. This proposal would eliminate the disruption a new stretch of highway would bring to the Epworth and Fightingtown Creek communities, reduce the amount of private property taken via
eminent domain, reduce overall costs, and would improve (rather than destroy) the Downtown McCaysville/Copperhill Business Districts. With this
scenario, the Old Steel Bridge could be converted to a pedestrian bridge as
was done in Chattanooga. These improvements would allow traffic to flow
better without diverting river business away from town. This would also
enhance the tourist draw to the downtown area by making it more pedestrian friendly and ascetically pleasing.”
The Speaker’s reply was encouraging,
“Thank you for this idea. This concept interests me very much. Let me
tell you where we are on the planning for this project. The 5-lane highway
is planned now from Blue Ridge only to Epworth. No concept is locked in
from Epworth to the Tennessee line. One proposal would involve a bypass
around McCaysville to intersect with Highway 64. Another proposal would
provide some kind of improvement through McCaysville. Another idea is
to do nothing beyond Epworth. Beginning late this summer and into the
fall DOT will be holding public hearings on these proposals. I would encourage you to bring this idea up for discussion. Thank you for your interest and please let me know if you have any questions or if I can provide
additional information.”
- David Ralston
We do plan to follow the Speaker’s guidance and present this proposal when
the time comes. Let’s take this opportunity to use some of the $84.2 million already allocated to this project towards the much needed revitalization of the McCaysville/Copperhill Business District. A portion of the money could be used to
make sidewalk and streetscape improvements along W. Tennessee Street while
also improving traffic flow through town. W. Tennessee Street is already plenty
wide enough to accommodate this and is in much need of repaving. This would
encourage growth within the existing business district and even expand it along
the W. Tennessee Street Riverfront.
This along with making the Historic Steel Bridge a pedestrian friendly tourist
draw would bring more people into town rather than diverting them away from it.
In the meantime, please “like” us on our Facebook page “STOP the McCaysville
Bypass” and remember, as a very wise man once said, “Whatever gets bypassed
dies.”
Sincerely,
Rob Strangia
McCaysville, GA
Fannin Sentinel
PUBLISHER: Frank Bradley / EDITOR: Elaine Owen
SENIOR STAFF WRITER: Dora Walters
REPORTERS: Elaine Owen / Terry Davis
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: William Reynolds /
Noey Vineyard / Gary Gobeo /
Asa Dockery / Shelly Bishop
INTERNS: Savannah Crews / Damien Godfrey
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Jeniffer Godfrey /
Patricia Fish / Connie Clark
CIRCULATION: Debbie Walker
COMPOSITION: Jim Owen
The Fannin Sentinel (USPS # 024-582) is published weekly
each Thursday by Fannin Sentinel at P.O. Box 799,
Blue Ridge, GA 30513. Subscriptions are $15 for 1 year
in Fannin County; $45 out of area. Single copy rate is 50¢.
Periodical postage is paid at Blue Ridge, GA.
To subscribe: call 706-258-3406
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the address listed below:
Fannin Sentinel, P.O. Box 799, Blue Ridge, GA 30513
fanninsentinel.elaine@tds.net fanninsentinel.marci@gmail.com
fanninsentinel.terry@yahoo.com fanninsentinel.jennifer@gmail.com
fanninsentinel.patricia@yahoo.com jim@fanninsentinel.com
706-258-3406 706-632-6564
Fax 706-632-8994
MISSION
STATEMENT
Mission: The Fannin
Sentinel has a responsibility to readers, the
service we provide to
advertisers, our duty
to report the good and
the bad; to expose
corrupt public servants who betray the
public trust and seek
to serve themselves
first at the expense of
taxpayers. We must
report the news as
we see and hear it
at public meetings,
events and interviews.
We will not change a
quote nor censor anything that is said at a
public meeting. It is
not our right to distort
or slant what is said--it
is your right to express
your thoughts. We
welcome your letters.
Return of iconic eagle
license plate aimed
at helping wildlife
If birds are singing in your yard and frogs are leaping in
the local pond, it could be because one of Georgia’s most
popular wildlife license plates is making a comeback.
A redesigned plate featuring a bald eagle and the U.S. flag
is now available through county tag offices, the state Department of Natural Resources announced today.
This iconic combo is a throw-back to DNR’s smaller eagle-and-flag design that sold by the thousands from 2004 to
2013. Those tags, still common on cars and trucks, raised
millions to conserve Georgia wildlife not legally hunted or
fished for, as well as rare plants and natural habitats statewide.
Like DNR’s other five plates, the new eagle tag costs only
$25 more than a standard plate to buy or renew. Most of
those fees-- up to 80 percent--are dedicated to wildlife. DNR
eagle and hummingbird tags benefit the Georgia Nongame
Wildlife Conservation Fund, used to acquire habitat and
conserve species, such as bald eagles. The number of eagle
nests in Georgia has surged from zero in 1970 to more than
200 this year.
DNR Wildlife Resources Division Director Rusty Garrison said the new license plate will generate funds that enable
the agency to better manage wildlife and serve constituents.
“Our mission is to conserve, enhance and promote Georgia’s wildlife resources, and this tag is going to help us do
just that,” Garrison said.
The eagle-and-flag tag, created by DNR graphic artist
Ryan Holt, replaces the flying eagle version, one of three
DNR plates introduced in 2013 with designs that covered
the full license plate. The flying eagle plates are still sold
at county tag offices that have them in stock, but supplies
are limited. Call 706-632-2645 to see if tags are available in
Fannin County.
McConnell donates
160th pint of blood
By Dora Walters, Sentine Senior Writer
Jere McConnell recently
donated his 160th pint of
blood at the Blood Assurance blood drive held at
Riverstone Medical Campus in Blue Ridge.
McConnell began donating blood in 1965 when a
close friend of his, Frank
Sierra, passed away with
leukemia.
“I decided I wanted do
something in his memory.”
McConnell’s blood type
is A negative but he said,
“All blood types are needed.”
Friday, Sept. 2 Blood Assurance will be having another blood drive.
Blood technician Holly Shaw says she is proud of McConnell for helping others.
McConnell is holding his 160th pint of blood.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Thursday, August 25, 2016 • FANNIN SENTINEL Page 7A
Page 8A FANNIN SENTINEL • Thursday, August 25, 2016
COMMUNITY NEWS
Bringing back Fannin football tradition
By Damien Godfrey, Sentinel Intern
On Friday night the Fannin
County Rebels did just what
their opening banner said, took
back their tradition of beating
their arch-rival, the Gilmer Bobcats, ironically on the opening
night on their new turf.
The first half of the game was
straight to business by the Rebels with Gilmer helmets off by
the third play, and Luke Cowart, a junior, making a breakaway that unfortunately ended
in a fumble.
Most of the first half consisted of defensive stands until
Austin Brown, another FCHS
junior, caught a fake punt and
intercepted a pass and returned
it for the first score of the game.
Just before the halftime buzzer
sounded, however, the Bobcats
were able to complete a 51-yard
touchdown pass, tying the game.
The Rebels came out prepared
and ready in the second half.
Brad Davis, the Rebels QB,
started off the third quarter with
a 40 yard rushing touchdown,
then Fannin’s kicker Carranza
had a 33-yard field goal putting
the rebels ahead 17-7 at the end
of the third.
With just under two minutes
left in the game, the Bobcats
were able to complete another
deep touchdown pass. Then
shortly after Gilmer attempted an
onside kick that was unsuccessful and Fannin was able to take
the win as the buzzer sounded.
This is the first time that the
Rebels have defeated the Bobcats since 2009. Their goal was
to take back the tradition and
this night, their hard work paid
off. A truly great way to start
the season!
COMMUNITY NEWS
Thursday, August 25, 2016 • FANNIN SENTINEL Page 1B
COMMUNITY
B
MEC students visit Tri County Community College
M
By Chris Martinez, Counselor
ountain Education Charter
High School students are off to
a running start this school year.
Twenty students participated
in a college visit to Tri County Community
College in Murphy Thursday, Aug. 18.
Students were able to avoid the rain and
tour the five main buildings on the campus,
including their welding, cosmetology and
automotive labs.
Students who live or work in North
Carolina are eligible for in-state tuition. Tri
County is a viable option for many MEC
students. This field trip kicked off many of
the college and career site visits planned for
the new school year.
Top Left: In Automotive Lab, Left to Right: William Stewart, Charity Jones, Taylor Mull, Conner
Ledford, (Back to Camera) Samantha Jones, Coordinator of Recruitment & Retention-Tri County,
Lee Beal, Director of Enrollment Management. Center Left: In Medium Center, Left to Right:
Chris Martinez, MEC Counselor, Tami Summers, Career Specialist, Lucas Wilson, Chris Davis,
Gavin Treon, Kaitlin Bolling, Garrison Woods, Charity Jones, William Stewart, Conner Ledford,
Taylor Mull, Dylan McClure. Bottom Left: Left to Right: Mandy Cox, Michael Gilliam, Zack
Gilliam, Chris Martinez, MEC Counselor, Josh Mathis, Jack Davis, Savannah Jones, Coordinator
of Recruitment & Retention Tri-County, Lee Beal, Director of Enrollment Management. Above
Top: In Welding Lab, Left to Right: Kaitlin Bolling, Gavin Treon, Garrison Woods, Lucas Wilson,
Tami Summers, MEC Career Specialist, Jason Penley, Welding Instructor. Above: Left to Right:
Trey Hamilton, Mandy Cox, Michael Gilliam, Zack Patterson, Taylor Mull, William Stewart.
Triebert shows many
talents at Theater
By Dora Walters, Sentinel Senior Writer
Sherry Triebert moved to Blue Ridge five years
ago and after settling in began looking for a way
to get involved in the community and make new
friends.
She saw the Blue Ridge Community Theater was
looking for volunteers. Although Triebert had no
special interest in the theater, she volunteered.
And she has been there ever since.
“I have been a stagehand, handled props, was a
stage manager and been on stage in several productions including “Southern Fried Funeral” this
season.
Theater is a new experience for Triebert. “Except
for being a member of the Drama Club in Junior
High and attending theater performances, that was
it.” She admits that after a short time at the theater
and her first on stage role, “I was bitten by the acting bug.”
Most novice actors and many veteran performers
as well suffer from nerves before a performance but
not Triebert. “I really wasn’t nervous at all,” she
said.
Why directing? “I thought directing might make
me a better actor.” Casting the play has been the
most challenging for Triebert. “There was so much
talent to choose from and to pick a cast that would
complement each other.” In addition to directing,
she designed the set.
The play, “The Last Romance,” has a special
appeal for Triebert.
“I would describe it as a romantic comedy with
the theme that love is possible at any age. The main
character is Ralph, played by Joshua Durst, a newcomer to the Blue Ridge Community Theater stage,
a spirited 80-year-old widower.
See TRIEBERT pg 4B
Old Unicoi Trail DAR
honors Founders
“After the ground is broken,
who shall tend the garden?”
This was the question after
Old Unicoi Trail Chapter’s
Organizing Regent, Anne
McNeill Darwin, passed away
March 24, 1998, only seven
months after organizing what
began a new DAR Chapter,
Old Unicoi Trail, currently of
Blairsville.
Grieving Chapter members
stepped forward and took on
the daunting task of leading
the organization forward. Over
a 20-year period, each Chapter
leader brought something of her
unique personality to nurture the
membership. This statement was
shared by Carole Thompson,
Chapter Charter Member of
Blairsville, at the Chapter’s
Founders Day Picnic at Meeks
Park, Aug. 17.
Old Unicoi Trail’s annual
picnic focused on Organizing
Regent Darwin and founding and
other leaders who maintained
their Chapter membership and
involvement. The picnic organized by Dru Fox of Blairsville,
kicked off a year-long celebration leading up to the 20th anniversary of the Chapter’s founding Aug. 17, 1997.
By Annette Hopgood, Regent
Eight leaders are featured in a
commemorative Chapter publication entitled, “After the Ground
is Broken, Who Shall Tend the
Garden.” The title, chosen by
its author Carole Thompson, is
based on the current focus of
Annette Hopgood, Regent, on
the Chapter as a garden tended by
chapter members.
Members featured in the publication include Anne McNeill
Darwin, deceased, formerly of
Hiawassee; Barbara Twiggs
Davenport of Blairsville; Cayce
Lynn Davenport Friedly of
Blairsville; Frederica (Riki)
Blanchard Fiebel of Hayesville;
Ethelene Dyer Jones of
Milledgeville; Vivian Stewart
Ledford of Young Harris; Marian
Bartak Malac of Blairsville;
Margaret
Ann
Stanton
Wischmeyer of Blue Ridge and
Carole Dale Richard Thompson.
Seventy members and guests
celebrated at the picnic including members of the Blue Ridge
Mountains Sons of the American
Revolution, led by Sid Turner,
President.
See OLD UNICOI pg 7B
Old Unicoi Trail prospective members Nancy Page and Shelbia
Wimberley meet at picnic.
Page 2B
FANNIN SENTINEL • Thursday, August 25, 2016
The Mountain Creek Rambler
COMMUNITY NEWS
heat. Add peaches. Simmer
3 to 5 minutes.
Serves 4 either hot or cold.
Make yourself a batch
of Peach Butter and you
will enjoy delicious Georgia peaches any time of the
year.
By Noey Vineyard
Diamond in the Desert
By Dora Walters, Sentinel Senior Writer
peaches, peaches,
peaches
Her coat was the color of the desert
sand where she had been born; her mane
and tail long and flowing. She moved
with the easy grace of a ballerina, her
muscles defined and fluid under her skin.
She looked nothing like the band of mustangs that grazed around her. Her slender muzzle, pointed ears, and solid color
told that she had been born in a far away
land and was not of their blood, but she
was their queen nonetheless. A title that
had not been earned, not given.
Born in one of the hottest deserts
on earth, she had been captured at a
young age, put in a strange machine and
brought across the water. When she arrived at this new land she had been purchased by a man that had chosen her
for the pure blood that ran through her
veins. The purest of horse blood, in fact,
the well-spring of all horses: Arabian. But
her captivity was short lived.
The man’s ranch was surrounded by
desert, and every day and night it called
to her until one night she could take it no
more. She cleared the four-tiered fence
the rancher had been foolish enough
to think could contain her wildness. He
thought that the harshness of the barren
desert would drive her back but he was
wrong. The desert was a part of her and
generations of survival instinct had been
programmed into her blood. It was those
instincts that kept her alive the first year.
The second year she took up with the
resident herd of mustangs, the dominant
stallion only too happy to add another female to his harem.
She had not started out as queen as
not all of the herd was as welcoming as
the stallion, far from it. She had started at
the bottom of the pecking order but submission was not her way and over time
fought her way to the top.
Ten years later, she still ruled and
under the bright, desert sun, she was as
beautiful as any creature on earth and
walked with an air of privilege about her.
She answered to no one but the dominant
stallion and even he had felt her teeth
when he overstepped his boundaries. His
jobs were to maintain the bloodline and
protect the herd, hers was the leadership
of it. It was she that maintained discipline
within the ranks and it was her memory
and wisdom that led the herd to water,
food, and safety. None had challenged
her in quite some time and those that did
only did so once. Her explosive temper
and vicious attacks were well known and
respected throughout the herd.
Over the years she had developed a
sixth sense and right now is was telling
her that something was off. As if on cue
she heard her stallion’s voice. But his
notes were not those of danger, rather one
of challenge. She knew instinctively with
that meant. Another stallion had come to
challenge for leadership of the herd. She
relaxed slightly knowing that the danger
to the herd was minimal, though she did
give a slight knicker to bring the herd in
closer. This was stallion business which
meant it was none of hers.
This was not the first challenge for
leadership she had seen nor would it be
the last, and the outcome interested her
not at all. Her instincts ran deeper and
more primal than that. She had never
developed any deep affection for any of
the stallions that had ruled the herd and
would carry the seed of only the strongest
and fittest of the stallions. Love and affection was simply a luxury she could not afford. So it was with only mild interest that
she watched the challenger approach.
He was solid in color, like her, but
where her coat shone almost golden in
the sun, his was jet black. When he turned
his attention to her she pinned her ears
back so flat they almost disappeared. She
might be a prize that could be won, but
she could not be taken. And he had not
earned that yet. But he was about to get
his chance, because at about that time,
the dominant stallion slammed into his
side with the force of a runaway train…to
be continued.
Get In Step Line Dancers
entertain at Senior Center
There were lots of smiles and audience participation when the Get In Step Line Dancers entertained at
the Fannin County Senior Center on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. Pictured Left to Right: Jackie Keene, Wanda
Conrad, Esta Carver, Donna McWilliams, Sandy Schubert, Laverne Caccavallo, Polly Warren, Ann Wilson.
Peaches and Cream Casserole
Is there anything any better than biting into a ripe
peach with the juice running
down your chin?
Yes, there is.
Two peaches.
Georgia is known as
the Peach state and has
hundreds of acres of the
luscious fruit trees under
cultivation.
But it wasn’t until the
1850s that peaches were
grown in Georgia.
History relates that peaches were initially grown by
Franciscan Monks in St.
Augustine, Florida in the
1570s and then introduced
to Georgia’s coastal areas.
In the 1700s, Cherokee
Indians cultivated peaches
and plums.
Peaches were first marketed in Georgia in the 1850s
when they were introduced
by Raphael Moses, a planter
in Columbus.
Samuel Henry Humph is
recognized as the father of
the Georgia peach industry
when, in the late 1800s he
introduced a new variety of
peach, the Elberta, which he
named after his wife.
The
peach
industry
grew…and by 1928 the annual production was over
8 million bushels a year.
Since then production has
grown and today it is over
20 million annually.
For an extra special breakfast or Sunday brunch, try
this Peaches and Cream
Casserole.
Peaches and Cream
Casserole
1½ cup rolled oats
1½ cups thinly sliced
peaches
¼ cup sugar
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
3 cups milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray with
non-sticking spray an 8-inch
baking pan.
Peach Crisp
In large bowl, combine
sugar and peaches.
In another bowl, combine
oats, egg whites, vanilla and
almond extracts and milk.
Whisk until blended.
Add mixture to bowl with
peaches. Mix well.
Place mixture in baking
pan and bake uncovered for
50 minutes.
Serve hot.
Serves 4-6.
Stores well. Reheat before
serving.
HINT: The addition of
pumpkin pie spice to fresh
peaches creates a delicious
sauce to be served over vanilla ice cream.
Equally delicious served
warm over pancakes or
waffles.
Spiced Peaches
½ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pumpkin
pie spice
2 tablespoons firmly
packed brown sugar
4 peaches, peeled and
thinly sliced
In small sauce pan, combine water, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and brown
sugar.
Bring to boil over medium
Spiced Peaches
Peach Butter
Peach Butter
2 cups sliced peaches
1 tablespoon plus
1 teaspoon cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash ground cloves
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plus
1 teaspoon sugar
In a blender, combine all
ingredients. Blend until
smooth. Pour mixture into
medium saucepan. Cook
over medium low heat, stirring frequently until mixture comes to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer
stirring. About 2 minutes.
Pour into jar and chill.
Makes 16 servings.
Without a doubt, Peach
Cobbler, is a favorite.
There are so many variations it is hard to select any
one recipe.
This recipe for Peach
Crisp is one variation and
different as it has rolled oats
as one of its ingredients.
Peach Crisp
4 peaches, peeled and
thinly sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose
flour
2 ounces rolled oats,
uncooked
1 teaspoon ground
cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter
or margarine
3 tablespoons firmly
packed brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss peaches with 1 tablespoon of flour and place
in a 6 by 11-inch baking
pan sprayed with non-stick
spray.
In a small bowl, combine
all remaining ingredients.
Mix well until mixture is
crumbly.
Sprinkle evenly over
peach mixture.
Bake 30 minutes until
crisp. Serve warm or cold.
Serves 4.
COMMUNITY NEWS / REEL MEMORIES
Life in the Country by Dora Walters
Excitement Abounts!!
To: Morganton Homeowners Association
From: Jake, Head of Security Memo #81
Wow! This is overwhelming! I have just learned
that homeowner J.P. Johnston’s daughter, Elisabethe, is getting married Labor Day weekend.
The wedding will be held in the Johnston Gardens and he has asked that Lottee and I handle security. That is a BIG job!
I have met Mr. Johnston and he is nice man but I
don’t know much about him. Morganton is his summer residence and scuttlebutt is that he is some big
wheel in Homeland Security in Washington. I have
seen Elisabethe come and go. She is very pretty.
All I know is that we will be handling the guests
arrival and not at the garden ceremony. Checking
invites and be sure they are legitimate and absolutely no paparazzi. That is the one specific received so
far. NO paparazzi.
The wedding will be at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a garden reception. It will be a long day
what with caterers, musicians, florists and more arriving much earlier in the day to set up.
I assume we will be given a guest list. Of course,
we must have that and maybe a list of potential gate
crashers.
Oh my, this is already getting complicated.
My initial thought is that we have two gates into
the community. The outside gate and the actual
community entrance gate. I could maybe put Possum Jakie at the outside gate. Arriving cars would
have to stop at the gate. Jakie could quickly check
their IDs and license plates then call field mouse
Tinkerbella who will be at the entrance gate with
me. She is such a whiz on the computer with incredible contacts that she likely can confirm the info as I
do an ID check before I open the gate. I can set her
up nearby where she can’t be seen.
I may need to recruit our neighbor, Weslie, the
hunk Golden Retriever, to be present as a show of
force. I know I can handle it but visible backup can
sometimes stop action before it starts.
You know this is a bit overwhelming. A bit? Who
am I kidding! It is overwhelming. I just have to give
this some more thought, serious thought.
And of course, the Pasture kudzu gossip vine is already spreading the wedding news. With our enterprising critters, they have discovered the Johnston
garden is visible from one section of the pasture and
they are selling tickets for choice locations. Oy vey!
I can’t let this wedding thing take over. I have
other business to handle. I finally convinced Possum Jakie to stick to his band business and let Possum Billie Joe Bob go to Asheville to get Possum
Josette.
She will be singing with the Classee Critters Jazz
Band during our Labor Day celebration. That’s another problem. I don’t know where she’ll stay. Petunia Possum generally takes in our guests but her
cousin Fayette and her twins who were flooded out
in West Virginia are still there. I guess we can always put in a cot or air mattress. She is not going to
be here long.
I hope Sgt. Bunny Sam, who is organizing our Labor Day festivities, isn’t having any problems.
I’m frazzled. I just have to get out my yoga mat
and try to relax.
Security continues to be the norm in our community and we are safe and secure.
Respectfully submitted,
Jake
Head of Security
Reel Memories
NO. 436
Ann Savage
By William V. Reynolds
Ann Savage, the screen
name of Bernice Maxine
Lyon, is best known for her
work in B motion pictures
during the 1940s, especially
film noir. But this attractive
blonde made a significant
contribution to the Western
genre during the same period. She gave Mike Fitzgerald
an interview years later so we
know something about her
Western contribution.
Ann was born Bernice
Maxine Lyon, Feb. 19, 1921
in Columbia, South Carolina. Her father had been in
the military and had become
a jeweler. Even though this
seems to have been an opportunity to settle down, he
moved his family around a
great deal, settling in New
Orleans for a time and then
moving to Dallas where he
supposedly abandoned them.
Ann’s mother remarried and
her stepfather moved the
family to Hollywood.
The movie theaters became
Ann’s babysitter while her
mother worked in a jewelry
store. That’s how she aspired
to become an actress. Later
she was working a part-time
job at a bowling alley when
an acquaintance told her Max
Reinhardt had an opening in
his acting school. She got the
job and was being trained for
her wages. Both 20th Century
Fox and Columbia Pictures
saw some of her work and
offered her a screen test. She
accepted the offer from Columbia because she was told
Fox had too many blondes.
Her first appearance for
Columbia was in One Dangerous Night. Her first Western role was with Russell
Hayden in Sagebrush and
Saddles. She thought Hayden
was a very nice fellow and
she also found Dub Taylor,
a.k.a. Cannonball, to be very
nice and funny also. She appreciated his ability as a musician on the xylophone. Ann
said that she found most of
the people she worked with
very amiable except Tom
Neal with whom she was frequently fighting.
The main scene that Ann
remembers from that film is
one where she is driving a
buckboard when the horses
actually run away--giving
her quite a scare. Hayden rescues her and she supposes the
photographers got the shot
and added it to the film. She
declared that it was a romantic rescue and a real rescue
not a reel rescue. Ann would
make other Westerns with
Russell Hayden and they
would date each other until
the studio broke it up.
She found herself working
with Tom Neal in Klondike
Kate where she learned to
despise his childish antics,
as she called them. They did
other pictures together where
she found him more mature.
Ann left Columbia and began freelancing looking for
better parts, but she had to
take what was offered. She finally transferred to television
where she appeared in such
Western fare as Death Valley
Days. She left the film business for the most part until
she took a role in 1986. Her
final appearance was in 2007.
Ann was a popular World
War II pinup model and an
Esquire Centerfold and a
tireless barnstorming seller
of war bonds during the war.
She married Clark Tennesen
before marrying Max Reinhardt. Her third marriage was
to Bert D’Armand until his
death in 1969.
Her other achievements
consisted of working as a legal secretary and becoming a
licensed pilot. She died Dec.
25, 2008 at age 87. She is buried beside Bert D’Armand in
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California.
Here’s a Reel Memories
salute to Ann Savage, a.k.a.
Bernice Maxine Lyon and a
thank you for her contribution to the Western genre.
William V. Reynolds is a
local author and his novels
are available at The Curiosity
Shop in Murphy, Pat’s Country Kitchen in McCaysville,
Mercier Orchards in Blue
Ridge, and Book Nook in
Blairsville. Review all of
his books by going to www.
doubleeagleenterprises.com
and reading an excerpt from
each one of his books. You
may order on-line also. His
latest books “Murder on the
Alta-maha”and “Murder in
the Okefenokee” are now
available online in eformat
and print.
Thursday, August 25, 2016 • FANNIN SENTINEL Page 3B
We Salute
Ken Brenneman
USAF – Lt. Colonel
Brenneman today--as seen at Blue Jeans Pizza.
One of the most memorable moments in the
21-year Air Force career of Ken Brenneman
occurred on June 14, 1986 when he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant at Ohio State
University as a member of the Air Force ROTC.
It was just the beginning of many memorable
incidents as his Air Force career took him to
Iceland, Afghanistan, Japan, Washington, Qatar
and more before his discharge as a Lt. Colonel on
Jan.1, 2008 in South Carolina.
After training as a helicopter pilot, his first tour
of duty was in Japan where he flew local and
visiting dignitaries as needed.
Then it was on to Washington where he was a
part of a special unit selected for their skill and
experience. His duties were similar to his Japan
assignment.
“I flew almost all the Washington officials
except for President and Mrs. Clinton as well as
visiting foreign dignitaries.”
Another memorable moment. “I taxied in Air
Force One and my family and I had a tour of the
plane. It’s awesome.”
In 1995 Brenneman joined a combat rescue
outfit flying Pave Hawks and was stationed in
Iceland.
“I vividly remember my first rescue. It was a
fisherman, actually a fisherwoman, 460 miles
off shore. She had a miscarriage and we were
successfully able to rescue her and get her to a
hospital.”
He moved on to Moody Air Force Base in
Valdosta, the Rescue and Combat Center for Iraq.
A year later Brenneman was assigned to Robins
Air Force Base in Macon where he was the
Active Duty Liaison Officer at the Reserves
Headquarters.
“Our mission was always as a facilitator, working together to coordinate rescues.”
He was deployed from here to Iraq where the
mission became more dangerous. “We were constantly on the alert. But it was here that we had
what we been waiting for...an opportunity to do
what we had been trained to do.”
“It was very satisfying. The rescue unit is a very
dedicated group...it is by what we do that others
may live.”
In 2006 Brenneman was sent overseas for a
year as Director of the Joint Personnel Recovery
Center. It served a 27 country area including
several in Africa with an estimated population of
250,000 people.
“Again it was coordinating all agencies and
individuals to facilitate rescues.”
Back to the States in 2006 to South Carolina,
continuing to coordinate the assignment and
deploying of recovery units as needed.
Brenneman briefly considered extending his
service career but decided it was time for him to
“once again reinvent myself”’ and try a civilian
career.
With family ties in Alabama, he joined a waste
disposal company which was getting organized.
He enjoyed it but “old friends” called and in
2011 Brenneman returned to the Middle East and
for three years worked with government private
contractors. “I was working on an airport project
about 60 miles from Bagdad. Our goal was to create an airport where F16s could land. When ISIS
invaded and captured the city of Mosul, we had
to abandon it. Later work resumed and F16s can
now land there.”
In another project, he was in Kabul working to
train local pilots and help to develop an Air Force
for the country. “We had to be constantly on the
alert for suicide bombers and sneak attacks.”
Back in the States again, the always active
Brenneman looked for another way “to re-invent
himself.”
He and his wife, Terri, had vacationed in Blue
Ridge and enjoyed it. When the Blue Jeans restaurant was up for sale a year ago, Brenneman
bought it.
Despite no restaurant experience, Brenneman
said, “I’ve been serving people all my life. Now
I’m serving people again--but salad and pizza this
time.”
He is busy making changes at Blue Jeans. “We
are adding 40 more seats in what used to be the
original restaurant. We are also renovating a section to be a lounge. Lounge hours will be determined by the patrons.”
Thoughts for the future. “I would like to go
back to Japan and Iceland. I enjoyed the country
and have great respect for the people.”
For recreation, he says, “I took a boat out on
Lake Blue Ridge for the first time last week and
had a wonderful three hours. I’m an avid golfer
but haven’t had much time for it lately. Maybe
some recreational flying.”
Brenneman also keeps in touch with friends in
the service, many who suggest he return to active
duty.
“Not a chance, he says, “I’m having too much
fun in Blue Ridge.”
(In image below, Brenneman is in center,
shown with two friends in Iceland.)
--By Dora Walters, Sentinel Senior Staff Writer--
West Fannin Elementary School
Get the facts…Get connected…
GET INVOLVED!
West Fannin Elementary School
School Governance Team (SGT)
Meets at 8:00 am the THIRD TUESDAY*
(8/9, 9/20, 10/18, 11/15, 1/17, 2/22, 3/21, 4/18, 5/16)
Parent Advisory
Meets at 8:00 am the LAST TUESDAY*
(8/30, 9/27, 10/25, 11/29, 1/31, 2/28, 3/28, 5/16)
School Improvement Team (SIT)
Meets at 1:30 pm the LAST THURSDAY*
(8/30, 9/29, 10/27, 11/17, 12/15, 1/26, 2/23, 3/30, 4/27, 5/2)*
*Some committees do not meet every month. Some dates have been
adjusted due to our school calendar.
***Please contact Shannon Cioffi if you have any questions***
Page 4B
COMMUNITY NEWS / OBITUARIES
FANNIN SENTINEL • Thursday, August 25, 2016
OBITUARIES
Ruby Lee Wimpy Parks
Ruby Lee Wimpey Parks
passed away Thursday, Aug.
18, 2016 in Union General
Hospital. She had a long
and full life, during which
she enjoyed teaching for 35
years, helping her husband on
their farm and apple orchard,
and spending time with her
family.
She was born in Union County
on Nov. 2, 1917 to John Andrew
and Nellie Duckworth Wimpey.
An education was stressed in
the family so when Ruby and
her siblings had finished the
grades available in rural Union
County, Mr. Wimpey bought a
car and drove his children as
well as some neighbor children
into Blairsville to attend The
Blairsville Collegiate Institute.
Next on her ladder of education was Young Harris College.
When Ruby graduated from
there she took some time off
to teach at Trackrock School
and also to work in her father’s
country store on Town Creek
before entering Piedmont
College.
Once again she spent a year
teaching--in Oconee County.
She loved to tell the story of her
first employment after receiving her Bachelor’s degree from
Piedmont. “Jobs were hard to
come by then,” she would say.
But her father called to tell her
to be ready to leave as soon as
graduation was over because
she had an interview for a teaching position in Pickens County.
This was almost time for school
to start and she was hired!
She had many interesting stories to tell about that year when
many of the boys in high school
were older than her, and also
about the many special friendships made then. The superintendent and his wife became
lifelong friends and they eventually introduced her to her
future husband. She later taught
in Cobb County, Gilmer County
and Fannin County. Her longest
tenure was at West Fannin High
School from 1955 until 1974
when she retired.
Ruby had met a young soldier, Howard Franklin Parks,
from Gilmer County while
working with these friends in
Pickens County. Howard was
discharged at the end of World
War II and bought an apple
orchard a few miles from Blue
Ridge. He and Ruby were married in October 1946, moving
into the house he had built for
them on the farm. They worked
together on the farm while
Ruby continued her teaching career. They always grew
apples and raised cattle, and at
times, raised chickens or pigs.
She continued to live in that
house that Howard had built
until 2015 when she moved
to the Lazy R Personal Care
Home in Blairsville.
Ruby’s family was her pride
and joy. She was always willing to help them in any way and
was thrilled to keep her grandchildren whenever the opportunity arose. And she couldn’t
have been more excited than
when the great grandchildren
began to arrive. She enjoyed
them, every one!
She was a member of
Epworth First Baptist Church,
Fannin Regional Pink Ladies
Auxiliary, Retired Educators
of Fannin County and was a
charter member of Delta Kappa
Gamma International, Beta
Epsilon Chapter.
Ruby was preceded in death
by her husband Howard, her parents John and Nellie Wimpey,
brother Charlie Wimpey, sisters
Ethel Rawlins and Charlene
Ash. Surviving are her daughter
and family, Patricia and Danny
Brown, Carlton Brown, Becky
and Brannon Dyer, Rachel and
Robby Brown, Parks Brown,
Justice Dyer, Ruby Katherine
Dyer, and Sarah Burns Brown.
Extended family includes brothers and sisters-in-laws, nieces,
nephews and cousins. She also
had many friends who admired
her spunk and determination.
Funeral Services for Mrs.
Parks were held Sunday afternoon at two o’clock at Epworth
First Baptist Church with interment in the church cemetery.
Rev. Dr. Tom Jordan and Rev.
Stanley Ritter officiated the
services. Music was provided
by Rev. Doug Simonds and
Barbara Cheatham. Pallbearers
were Tony Rogers, Sheldon
Henderson, Carson Owenbey,
Charles Corbin, Jim Taylor,
Jerry Guthrie and Robby
Russell. Friends and family
wishing to make a memorial
in Ruby’s memory may choose
one of the following: Georgia
Baptist Children’s Home, P.O.
Box 329, Palmetto, GA 30268;
Retired Educators of Fannin
County Scholarship Fund, C/O
Faye Sisson, P.O. Box 2203,
Blue Ridge, GA 30513; or First
Baptist Church of Epworth, P.O.
Box 187, Epworth, GA 30541.
Condolences may be sent to
the family at www.akinsfuneralhome.com. Akins Funeral
Home of Blue Ridge was in
charge of the arrangements.
Hope Scholarship funding
could be in jeopardy
A new study of the Hope
Scholarships program, which
is funded by the Georgia lottery, contends the program
could run out of money for
the broad base of students
who now receive the funding.
However,
the
study
includes a number of
assumptions to reach its
conclusion, and Ray Perren,
president of Lanier Technical
College, noted all of those
assumptions “probably are
not going to play out exactly
the way they assume.”
The study done by the
Committee to Preserve Hope
Scholarships concludes,
“that portion of Hope that
supports the state’s average
students—those for whom
the program was created—
will be out of money” by
2028.
The committee assumes
annual increases of 7.5 percent in tuition at state colleges, a 2.5 percent annual
increase in lottery funds and
a 6 percent annual increase
in the number of Zell Miller
Scholars, who get full tuition.
If those assumptions were
true and no changes were
made in the scholarship program, the Hope Scholarship
money would have a deficit
of $70 million in 2028.
Perren pointed out the lottery for fiscal year 2016,
which ended June 30, provided $1.1 billion for Georgia
scholarships. According to
the study, that level of funding would be reached in fiscal year 2018.
Joyce Wheeler Jordan
Mrs. Joyce Wheeler Jor-dan,
age 87, of Blairsville, Georgia,
passed away on Monday, Aug.
8, 2016 in Atlanta.
Joyce was born Dec. 14,
1928, in Banks County,
Georgia, near Homer and
Commerce, a daughter of the
late Earnest B. Richey and
Lillie Dale McGalliard Richey.
Joyce was an active member of First Baptist Church of
Blairsville--a dedicated member of her Faith Sunday School
class; The Silver Ties; and
Lifestyle Women on Missions
Group. Joyce was instrumental in organizing The Lifestyle
Women on Missions Group.
Always concerned about
Betty Fay Bailey
6/29/1941 – 8/15/2016
Most people knew her as
Grandma Bet or Aunt Bet. She
raised 21 kids other than her
three. She loved Christmas and
put up enough lights and decorations for all to see. She was a very
happy and giving person. She
loved life and has taken strangers
off the street, so they would have
Murray George Merrill
Murray George Merrill, age
87 of Blue Ridge, passed away
August 10, 2016 at Life Care of
Copper Basin. Mr. Merrill was
born Aug. 6, 1929 in Chelsa,
MI to the late John Arthur
Merrill and the late Lucille Hall
Merrill. Mr. Merrill was a graduate of Wayne State University
in Michigan and worked for
Verlin Earl Raburn
Mr. Verlin Earl Raburn, age
81, of McCaysville, GA passed
away Friday, Aug. 19, 2016 in
the Fannin Regional Hospital
in Blue Ridge, GA. Mr. Raburn
was retired from Verizon where
he worked as a PBX Installer.
He was a member of Dalton
Lodge #105 F&AM and was a
Shriner.
Mr. Raburn was born in
Cohutta, GA on Oct. 14, 1934
to the late Anvil Raburn and
TRIEBERT
Kenneth Jordan and wife
Vernice. Also surviving are
several step grandchildren and
step great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Funeral services have been
scheduled for Friday, Aug.12,
2016, at 11:00 a.m. at First
Baptist Church of Blairsville
Main Sanctuary, with Rev.
Roy Bateman officiating.
The following gentlemen are
requested to serve as pallbearers: C.W. Johnson, Spencer
Lewis, Walter Young, Alan
Kumler, Horace Parker, and
Jim Allison. Requested to
serve as honorary escort to
the family are John Killebrew,
Guy Burger, and Neal Moon.
Burial will be in Union
Memory Gardens Cemetery in
Blairsville. Visitation will be
held at the church on Friday,
beginning at 10 a.m.
If you wish to do so, memorial contributions may be directed towards Missions Groups
or Youth Groups at First
Baptist Church of Blairsville;
P.O. Box 2058, Blairsville, GA
30514.
Arrangements have been
entrusted to the care of Cochran
Funeral Home of Blairsville.
a warm bed and a good meal.
She survived breast cancer and
a massive heart attack. She made
it 5½ years before she passed.
She was from Paulding Co., but
moved to McCaysville, GA. six
years ago.
She is leaving behind:
Rachael A. Roux-Day, daughter; Norman L. Blankinship,
Glen Christian Blankinship,
Billy Joe Henson her three sons,
and Steve Bailey her stepson.
She also leaves behind four sisters, Lois Allen, Irene (Opel)
Brooks, Ann Blankinship, and
Ethel Swafford, as well as many
grandkids and great grandkids,
nieces and nephews.
She will be cremated and a
memorial will be planned at
Full Life Gospel Ministries on
August 27th, at 12:30 pm in Villa
Rica GA.
Michigan Bell in Michigan,
American Bell International in
Iran, and AT&T in Florida.
Murray and Alice, his wife of
41 years, moved to the area in
2005 after retirement. He loved
the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing, duck decoy carving, golf, and spending time
with his dogs.
Survivors include: wife,
Mary Alice Merrill.
A memorial service will be
held Saturday, Aug. 27 at 11:00
a.m. from St. Mark’s Episcopal
Church
in
Copperhill,
Tennessee.
Arrangements entrusted to
the Finch-Cochran Funeral
Home of McCaysville, GA.
You may send condolences to
the family and sign the guest
register at www.cochranfuneralhomes.com.
Sadie Cross Raburn. He was
a Korean War veteran, having served in the United States
Army.
He is survived by his wife,
Joann Raburn of McCaysville,
GA; son and daughter-in-law,
Verlin and Jennie Mansfield of
Linden, NC; daughters and sonin-law, Suzan and Glenn Curtis
of Chatsworth, GA and Carol
Mansfield of Spring Lake,
NC; sisters and brother-in-law,
Margaret Deal of Chatsworth
and William Dorothy and Rick
Stiles of Benton, TN; grandchildren, Philip Curtis, Jesse
Aaron (Andi) Curtis, and Tony
Mansfield; great grandchildren,
Nathaniel Curtis, Matthew
Curtis, and Ellie Curtis; and
several nieces and nephews.
A graveside farewell will be
held Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016
at 6:00 p.m. from the Milsaps
Cemetery. Condolences may
be sent to the family at www.
akinsfuneralhome.com. Akins
Funeral Home of Blue Ridge is
in charge of arrangements.
continued from pg 1B
While walking in the dog
park, he meets an equally spirited 79-year-old widow, Carol,
played by Norma Bean, and love
blossoms.
Totally disgusted by the situation is Ralph’s sister, Rose,
played by Beth Inman.
Romance is not in Rose’s soul.
She is married but is separated
from her husband to whom she
hasn’t spoken in 22 years. In
flashback, Luke Fanelli is Ralph
as a young man.
Triebert said, “The play has
U.S. Senator
David Perdue
(202) 224-3521
Fax: (202) 228-1031
others, Joyce helped in the
Sonshine Ministry Group, and
made many visits to homebound members and also was
a member of the Celebrators,
a senior adult group. Joyce
enjoyed working with her
flowers, and she and her late
husband Lewis enjoyed fishing, camping and gardening
together.
She was preceded in death by
three brothers: Wynton Richey,
James Richey of Commerce,
and Robert Baker Richey of
Buford; a sister, Anne Richey
Dowdy, of Blairsville; her first
husband, Robert Wheeler of
Atlanta; and second husband,
Lewis Jordan of Blairsville.
Two daughters-in-law also
preceded Joyce in death: Linda
Wheeler and Karol Wheeler.
Joyce is survived by two
sons: Michael Robert Wheeler
of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee;
Stephen Richey Wheeler,
of Decatur, Georgia; granddaughter and her husband,
Alicia and Josh Helton; granddaughter, Marci Rosalen; two
great grandchildren: Nicolas
and Elizabeth Rosalen; Two
step children: Vickie Gibson
and her husband Terry; Lewis
poignant moments which will
bring you to tears but also
moments of great humor. I am
pleased to report it is being well
received by our audiences.
“At the theater, I have found a
wonderful group of people and
I enjoy working with them. It
doesn’t leave me much spare
time.”
But she is sure to find time
to plan a family reunion in
December. “We have five children who live in Vermont.
Australia, Boston and Europe.
They will all be here, plus four
grandchildren.”
In addition, Sherry and her husband renovated the building now
occupied by Chester’s and also
developed the Gartrell Gallery on
the second floor. There are seven
artists studios plus a gallery with
works of local and regional artists.
“The Last Romance” performances are Thursday, Friday
and Saturday evenings at 7:30
and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
through Sept. 4. Tickets are
available at the box office at
706-632-9223 or online at
BlueRidgeCommunityTheater.
com.
CROSSWORD / COMMUNITY NEWS
Last Summer Concert at Brasstown
Community Center is Saturday
Thursday, August 25, 2016 • FANNIN SENTINEL Page 5B
August 27 - doors open at 6 p.m., music starts at 7 p.m
For the last concert in the
Summer Concert Series, the
Brasstown Community Civic
Center is proud to bring back
Nation’s Band. In addition to
his singing and songwriting
skills, Chuck Nation is equally skilled at playing fiddle,
banjo, mandolin and guitar.
He is a member of the Atlanta
Country Music Hall of Fame,
a two-time Georgia State
Fiddle Champion, Georgia
State Mandolin Champion,
and a Louisiana State Fiddle
Champion.
He is joined by his wife
Susan, an acclaimed singer/
songwriter as well, on bass,
his daughter Libby on guitar,
Jody Hughes a vocalist from
Marietta, GA and three-time
winner of the Georgia State
Championship on both guitar
and banjo, and Steve Vincent
(not pictured) also a multi-talented musician, member of the
Chattanooga Symphony for 15
years and Georgia Mountain
Fair Staff Band.
Close harmony singing and
superb instrumental playing
are the hallmarks of the band’s
distinctive sound. Whether it’s
old favorites, modern songs,
or original material, this group
delivers top grade bluegrass,
americana and gospel music
that engages and entertains
an audience from the first
moment they take the stage.
The Brasstown Community
Civic Center is proud
to be a part of the Blue
Ridge Music Trails. Visit
BlueRidgeMusicNC.com to
find more Traditional Music
of Western North Carolina.
Crossword puzzle
ACROSS
1. Pulsate
6. Killer whale
10. Ship
14. French for “Red”
15. Apply
16. Annul
17. A drama set to music
18. Calamitous
19. Violent disturbance
20. As deserved
22. Numbskull
23. To make a fool of (archaic)
24. Go-between
26. Mold
30. Religious law
32. Not silently
33. Soft leather shoes
37. Association
38. Film
39. By mouth
40. Guessed
42. Alpha’s opposite
43. Basic belief
44. Fancy
45. Anew
47. Central
48. Gait faster than a walk
49. Avatar
56. Hindu princess
57. A soft sheepskin leather
58. Lowest point
59. Chocolate cookie
60. Lie in wait
61. Without company
62. Alert
63. Cravings
64. Englishman
DOWN
1. Stepped
2. Expect and wish
3. Regrets
4. Monster
5. Whiskered
6. More peculiar
7. Police action
8. Ringlet
9. Temporary cessation
10. Onerous
11. Scallion
12. Take as one’s own
13. Carry
21. Solemn promise
25. A state of SW India
26. A ceremonial staff
27. Ailments
28. Boor
29. Act of doubting
30. Desire
31. Corrosive
33. Bit of dust
34. Angers
35. Badgers
36. Kill
38. Socially correct in behavior
41. Japanese apricot
42. Denoting a numerical order
44. Accomplished
45. A kind of macaw
46. Lost cause
47. They live in monasteries
48. Anagram of “Wort”
50. Pout
51. Farm building
52. A landlocked African
republic
53. Anagram of “Dome”
54. 3 times 3
55. 3
Admission is $5, children
under 12 are free. Hot dogs,
barbecue sandwiches, homemade cobbler, ice cream, and
root beer floats will be available for purchase.
The Brasstown Community
Civic Center is located at 255
Settawig Road. The center
is a non-profit, and all proceeds from the concerts are for
maintenance and upkeep of
the building. For details, call
Clay Logan at 837-3797.
Georgia Deer Quota
Hunt Application
Deadline is Sept 1
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (8/18/2016)
From left to right: Chuck Nation, Susan Nation, Libby Nation, Jody
Hughes.
Crossword solution Aug. 18
Hunters, be sure to get online
soon and get your quota application submitted for a Georgia deer
hunt! An online quota application
must be received before midnight
September 1, according to the
Georgia Department of Natural
Resources’ Wildlife Resources
Division.
“Some of the best deer hunts
in the state are on Georgia’s
well-managed public lands,”
said John Bowers, chief of Game
Management. “To have a chance
at one of these outstanding opportunities, you better get that application in before the deadline.”
Deer quota opportunities
include hunts on wildlife management areas and state park
lands, dog-deer hunting and
adult/child hunting opportunities.
How to Apply
To apply, go to www.gohuntgeorgia.com/hunting/quota. The
quota hunt system allows applicants to sign up for a chance at
a quota hunt using their existing
license purchase account. If you
don’t have an existing account,
you can create one. Those applying should be sure to keep their
email and mailing address current in order to receive quota
updates, confirmations and any
notices about quota hunts.
For more information on the
upcoming deer season, hunters can review the 2016-2017
Georgia Hunting Seasons and
Regulations guide, available at
www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting/regulations.
For more information, visit
www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting/quota.
GriefShare is a special weekly
seminar/support group for people
grieving the death of someone
close. You’ll find it to be a warm
caring environment and learn
valuable information that will
help you through this difficult
time in your life.
The support group will meet
on Monday evenings at the First
United Methodist Church of Copperhill, Tennessee at 146 Scenic
Drive from 6-8 p.m. beginning
August 8th. Seminar topics include: “Is This Normal?”, “The
Challenges of Grief” and “Why?”
For more information, please
call the church office at 423496-4931 or visit their website at
www.fumc-copperhill.org.
Word Search
abbreviate
Word Bank
mental
alone
misery
always
necessary
anthem
never
astronomy
night
belt
obey
blast
plomb
broad
pram
brush
repeat
cent
river
close
scan
dance
taken
dream
tear
earth
temperature
enough
thanks
fence
think
happy
thrift
ideal
troll
janitor
vixen
lode
yacht
Page 6B
CLASSIFIEDS / COMMUNITY NEWS
FANNIN SENTINEL • Thursday, August 25, 2016
CLASSIFIEDS/NEWS
Place your ad in our classifieds and reach thousands of North Georgia readers. Cost is only $4 for the first 10 words for one week
and $..20 per word thereafter.
Call (706) 258-3406.
DENTAL HYGIENIST WANTED
Join our dedicated dental team in Ellijay, GA as a part time Dental
Hygienist to continue the fostering of life long relationship with our
patients. We are looking to hire 2 days a week which may become
full time as our practice grows. You must have an outgoing personality with exceptional Dental Hygiene skills. You may fax resume to
706-698-3383 or email to lykinsfamilydentistry@yahoo.com.
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




LAND FOR SALE
Dial, South Fannin County; one mile west of Appalachian Trail; half mile NFS high ground boundary,
eight acre Lake, five streams, pastures, mountain
views; 35 acre preserve; 12 acre lake lots, Starting
at $122,000. Realtors with Buyers welcome. Call
Joe Webb, 706-838-4575, owner.
PART TIME RETAIL SALES ASSOCIATE
Town & Country Furniture is looking for a Part Time Retail Sales Associate for our
downtown location.
Position requirements include; retail sales experience, must be available to work weekends, exceptional customer service, friendly, self motivated, dependable, computer
experience. Please send resume to leslie@tcfurn.com
LAND
FOR SALE
17.2 acres, 8+ acres river front
on Toccoa River. Parcel #0001010A, Suches area. 561-7471221. Leave message.
ST. CLARE’S
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Diocese of Atlanta
777 Ledford Road
Blairsville
706-745-0607
Sunday
10:15 am ... Children’s Sunday School
10:30 am ... Holy Eucharist
Priest-In-Charge
The Rev. Liz Schellingerhoudt
Fall is perfect time for soil sampling
By Eddie Ayers, County Extension Agent
Taking a soil sample of your
lawn and garden can be one of
the most beneficial activities
you can do for your landscape.
Soil sample results will tell
you a wealth of information,
including the pH of your soil, if
you need lime and how much
you need. The report will also
tell you how much fertilizer
you need for proper growth of
your plants. By maintaining the
proper pH and nutrient levels of
your lawn, garden, field, vineyard, or orchard many plant
disorders can be averted, and
you maximize production. The
fall is the perfect time to sample
because if lime is needed, it
takes a few months for it to get
into the ground and correct pH
problems.
The key to reliable results is
proper soil sampling technique.
The idea behind soil sampling
is to take soil from an area
of the landscape that is representative of the area you are
interested in. In other words,
take a sample of an area where
the plants require similar nutrient levels and pH. Go through
your area and decide how many
different areas you have. For
example, vegetable garden,
azalea bed, annual flower bed,
fruit trees, and/or lawn, then
take a representative sample of
each of these different areas.
The idea of a representative
sample may be different to
different people, but to me it
means getting soil from a minimum of ten random locations
and mixing the soil together
in a “soil sample bag” or clean
plastic container. If there are
any areas that plant growth
is abnormal, then that area
should be sampled separately.
The more random samples you
obtain from an area, the more
accurate the soil test results
will be. Using this technique
will make you have more soil
than you need, but that will be
fine. Once you get a representative sample, mix the soil up
thoroughly and fill up the soil
sample bag to the fill line. Soil
sample bags can be obtained
from the Extension office on
Progress Road in Ellijay, or you
can bring the sample in your
container and we’ll transfer it
to the soil sample bag at the
office.
We collect soil samples all
week and send them to the lab
in Athens every Friday morning. The results will return in
about a week. The cost of a soil
sample is $9 per bag. Sampling
your lawns or gardens has the
potential to save you money
by taking the guesswork out
of how much fertilizer or lime
you need to buy. Once you
get your garden in shape, then
you know when to stop adding
more nutrients that you don’t
need. By adding the amount of
nutrients needed and not more
not only saves you money, but
prevents nutrients from moving
into our lakes and rivers. If you
have your soil tested every couple of years, then you will be
less likely to be a cause of this
inadvertent pollution. If there
are any questions about soil
sampling, please feel free to
give me a call at 706-635-4426.
The Gilmer County Farmers
Market sponsored by the Gilmer
County Master Gardeners and
the Gilmer County Cooperative
Extension office for the
University of Georgia will be
open until Oct. 1, 2016. Don’t
miss out on your opportunity to
shop locally and buy from the
produce growers and artisans
in this area. The market is on
Broad Street in Ellijay, adjacent
to the Gilmer County courthouse. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to
Noon.
The Gilmer County Extension
Office still has Six Flag Tickets
for sale for the 2016 season.
Stop by or call for more information.
BARTENDERS-COOKS-GOLF-RETAIL-CATERINGCASHIER/GREETER-ROOM ATTENDANT-GENERAL
MAINTENANCE
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
STUDENTS, PARENTS, and GUARDIANS:
Fannin County High School is hosting a Peach State Tour.
You are invited to this Information Session to learn more about
Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and the
University of Georgia.
The event is FREE and open to ALL high school students and their
families.Register online at http://www.peachstatetour.org/students.html.
Please feel free to contact adm-rsvp@uga.edu<mailto:adm
rsvp@uga.edu> or Tammy Roberts at 706-632-2081
(troberts@fannin.k12.ga.us<mailto:troberts@fannin.k12.ga.us>)
if you have any questions regarding this event.
Student Session Date & Location
Aug. 30
6-8 p.m. Blue Ridge, GA FCHS Performing Arts Center
Atlanta Gas Light Offers
Safe Digging Tips on
National 811 Day
Have you been procrastinating to start an outdoor project?
If building a deck or installing
sprinklers are on top of your
to-do list, Atlanta Gas Light is
reminding homeowners and professional contractors to call 8-1-1
at least 48 hours/two working
days before starting any project
that requires digging or excavation. This reminder coincides
with National 811 Day, which
is celebrated on Aug.11. It’s a
day that promotes the importance of requesting a locate to
mark underground utility lines,
which helps prevent serious injury, costly property damage and
inconvenient utility service interruptions. Atlanta Gas Light is
providing the following safe digging guidelines for homeowners
and contractors:
Call 8-1-1 Before You Dig:
When starting an outdoor project involving digging, make contacting GEORGIA 811 at 8-1-1
or 800-282-7411 part of your
plans. Calls to the free locating
service can be made up to 14
days in advance. The requests
to have utility operators mark
underground facilities, including
natural gas, electric, water, sewer,
OLD UNICOI
telephone and cable lines, can be
made 24-hours a day, seven days
a week.
Wait the Required Time:
Before doing any digging, customers are urged to call 8-1-1
and wait the required time to
have underground utility lines
marked. The approximate location of underground utility lines
will be marked with color-coded spray paint, flags or stakes
that correspond to the utility.
The color used for natural gas
is yellow.
Respect the Marks: Once the
lines are marked, use the appropriate digging methods, which
may include hand tools, and dig
no closer than 24 inches from the
marked utility lines.
Dig with Care: Make sure the
marks remain visible during the
project. If the lines are damaged or removed, customers are
encouraged to call 8-1-1 to have
lines re-marked. If a natural gas
line is accidentally damaged or
the distinct odor of gas is present, call the Atlanta Gas Light
24-hour emergency phone line
at 1-877-427-4321 from a safe
location. Do not operate any
machinery or any equipment that
continued from pg 1B
Prospective members in
attendance included Nancy
Page of Morganton, Gloria
Wells of Blue Ridge, Shelbia
Wimberley of McCaysville,
and Cindy Rafter of Blairsville,
who lead the group in singing the Star Spangled Banner.
Carol Reid of the Archibald
D. Murphey Chapter, DAR,
of Murphy, NC was also a
guest.
Unicoi Trail was a footpath used by the Creek and
Cherokee Indians in the
early days. It began at the
Tugaloo River east of Toccoa,
ran through Helen over the
Unicoi Gap, through present locations of Hiawassee,
Georgia; Hayesville and
Murphy, North Carolina and
on to the Nine Mile creek near
Marysville, Tennessee.
During the Revolution,
when the British were calling for the fall of Charleston,
recruited Cherokees sent
160 horse loads of ammunition via the Unicoi Trail
to aid His Majesty’s Service.
In fact, it was at the Battle
of Island Flats that the first
Revolutionary War engagement in the west took place
with guns delivered via the
Unicoi Trail.
The DAR was founded in
1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patrio-
COMMUNITY NEWS
might cause a spark.
For information about natural
gas safety, visit www.atlantagaslight.com.
About Atlanta Gas Light
Atlanta Gas Light is one
of seven natural gas distribution companies of Southern
Company Gas, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Southern Company
tism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won
American independence during the Revolutionary War.
Members of Old Unicoi Trail
come primarily from Union,
Towns, and Fannin counties
in GA and Clay and Cherokee
Counties in NC.
The next regular meeting of
the Old Unicoi Trail Chapter
is 10:30 a.m. Saturday,
Sept. 10, 2016 at Mountain
Presbyterian Church, 3831
Hwy 76, Blairsville, GA. The
speaker will be Dr. Lee March
of Young Harris College who
will speak on the Impact of
the Vietnam War on current U.S. Policy. If you are a
prospective chapter member
and would like to attend as a
guest, email Annette Hopgood
at oldunicoitrail@gmail.com.
(NYSE: SO). Atlanta Gas Light
provides natural gas delivery
service to more than 1.5 million
customers in Georgia. In operation since 1856, the company is
one of the oldest corporations in
the state. For more information,
visit www.atlantagaslight.com.
About Southern Company Gas
Southern Company Gas is
Thursday, August 25, 2016 • FANNIN SENTINEL Page 7B
a wholly owned subsidiary of
Atlanta-based Southern Company
(NYSE:SO), America’s premier energy company. Southern
Company Gas serves approximately 4.5 million natural gas
utility customers through its
regulated distribution companies
in seven states and more than 1
million retail customers through
its companies that market natural gas and related home services. Other nonutility businesses
include asset management for
natural gas wholesale customers
and ownership and operation of
natural gas storage facilities. For
more information, visit Southern
Company Gas at www.southerncompanygas.com.
Mountain Community
Chorus begins rehearsals,
auditions Sept. 12
In December 1974, the
Mountain Community Chorus
began its first season of choral concerts. Since then it has
been entertaining the residents
of Western North Carolina and
North Georgia with seasonal
concerts in May and December
which are open free to the public. This September it will begin
its 43rd season of quality musical offerings. With more than 50
chorus members who represent
the mountain communities of
north GA, western NC, and eastern TN, it strives to provide an
opportunity for talented singers
in our mountain communities to
learn and perform superior choral
music.
On Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. at
6:00 p.m., auditions will be held
in the Clegg Recital Hall, Young
Harris College, bottom floor, for
the 43rd Christmas season concert. This will be followed by the
first rehearsal at 7:00 p.m. of the
13-week season in preparation for
the concerts on Dec. 2 and 4.
All rehearsals are held in Clegg
Recital Hall at Young Harris
College on Monday evenings at
7:00 p.m. Persons who have a
heart and voice for fine choral
music, from classical to pop, secular to sacred, are invited to join.
The membership fee for each season is $20 to cover the purchase
of music to be sung by the chorus.
This talented group of musicians is directed by Laura
Stooksbury, former voice coach
at Young Harris College, who is
pictured above.
For more information, visit
www.mountaincommunitychorus.org or call Laura Stooksbury
at 706-897-4267 for details.
Dove season opens Saturday, Sept. 3
Founding Chapter members, Marian Malac, Barbara Davenport and Cayce Davenport reminisce at picnic.
Bingo to benefit
Warriors Veteran Outreach
Bingo--A fun family evening. All proceeds benefit Warriors Veteran Outreach--helping area veterans.
Ranger Community Center Friday, 7 p.m. Aug. 26, 155 Little Ranger Road, Murphy. Off Hwy. 64 West
next to Ranger Fire Dept. Grocery bingo, potluck supper donations by players with free coffee and snacks.
828-557-6881.
News from Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Georgia dove hunting season opens at noon on Saturday,
Sept. 3, 2016.
“Hunting for doves brings a
lot of joy to families that are
anxious to kick off the fall
hunting season,” said John
W. Bowers, chief of Game
Management. “Georgia has a
great choice of fields to choose
from with approximately 40
state public dove fields, plus
opportunities on private land
available to the public through a
U.S. Department of Agriculture
program called the Voluntary
Public Access (VPA)/Habitat
Incentive Program.”
The official 2016-2017 dove
seasons are Sept. 3-18, Oct.
8-Oct. 28 and Nov. 24 - Jan. 15. are in luck! Each year, WRD owners before hunting on priShooting hours are noon until biologists and technicians pre- vate property.
Dove hunters 16 years of
sunset on opening day (Sept. 3) pare a dove field forecast for
wildlife
management
areas
and
age
and older must possess a
and one-half hour before sunrise to sunset for the remainder some additional fields identify- Georgia hunting license and
of the season dates. Sunrise and ing available crops and antici- a free Migratory Bird Harvest
sunset times are available on pating the conditions for open- Information Program (HIP)
the Outdoors GA app (available ing day. This forecast is avail- Permit. HIP provides biolofree on ITunes or in the Google able at www.georgiawildlife. gists with needed information to ensure conservation
Play store) or at http://aa.usno. com/DoveForecast.
Regulations quick review: of migratory bird populanavy.mil .
Many WMA public dove The daily bag limit is 15 doves tions while providing quality
fields are reserved solely for per hunter. Collared doves may hunting opportunities. When
quota hunts on opening day, so be taken, but do not affect the hunting on a WMA, you
be sure to review dove hunting count of your daily limit. Any also must possess a WMA
rules and regulations to ensure autoloading or other repeat- license. Hunters may purthe availability of the field you ing shotgun must be plugged chase licenses online at www.
to hold no more than three georgiawildlife.com/licensesplan to visit.
Want to know what a field shotshells while hunting doves. permits-passes, by phone at
is expected to look like before And, as always, hunters must 1-800-366-2661 or at license
you head that way to hunt? You obtain permission from land- vendor locations.
Page 8B
COMMUNITY NEWS
FANNIN SENTINEL • Thursday, August 25, 2016
HONORING OUR HEROES BLOOD DRIVE
Friday, 9-9-16
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Faith Presbyterian Church
56 Mountain Street
Blue Ridge
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SPONSORED BY FAITH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Get In Step Line Dancers
entertain at Union
County Nursing Home
Everyone invited!
Keynote Speaker
Ret. Lt Col
George Pletcher
Saturday
Sept. 10, 2016
9 a.m.
Veterans
Memorial Park
North Georgia
Honor Guard
21 Gun Salute/Taps
As a part of the monthly birthday celebration, the Get In Step Line Dancers entertained at Union County
Nursing Home on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Pictured Left to Right: Jackie Keene, Kathy Wosyluk, Wanda
Conrad, Donna McWilliams, Sandy Schubert, Laverne Caccavallo, Ann Wilson, Annie Shumway-Asbill,
Judy Cheyne.
Design ReFind Book
Club donates to Library
HUEY WILL BE OPEN 9 a.m.
JOIN THE VOICES
FOR RECOVERY:
OUR FAMILIES,
OUR STORIES,
OUR RECOVERY!
Recovery Month Awareness in the Park
hosted by
Meeks Park, Pavilion #3
September, 15, 2016 | 3pm - 6pm
Join us for cake, snacks, beverages, raffles,
a balloon memorial & more!
The Design ReFind Book Club generously donated $466.80 to the Fannin County Public Library for books!
The group raises the money by selling their gently used books in the Design ReFind store. All books donated
by book club members go toward this cause. The library was very grateful for such a generous donation!
Row 1: Cindy Trimble, Denise Burn, Diane Sloan, LouAnn Potito,Gere Blankinship, Clare Barton. Row
2: JoAnn Myers, Debbie Peterson, Kim Deutsch, Toots Greene. Row 3: Gail Caldwell, Tracy Allen, Dee
Massengale, Maureen Escott, Donna Blade, Jamielee Green. Back Row: Sylvia Goodyear.