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Editorial
The Banks County News
March 3, 2004
Development authority funds used incorrectly
It’s appalling that the members of the Development Authority were not consulted before thousands of dollars were taken from their budget to fund a marketing program for a private business.
Members of the Development Authority didn’t know until after the fact that $4,928 came out of its account to go toward an advertising campaign with Tanger Factory Outlet Mall.
The authority is in place to work toward economic development for the county—not to increase the retail tax base at Banks Crossing.
Tanger has been a boost to the county and the board of commissioners made the decision to assist with the marketing effort. That’s fine. However, the BOC should not have taken the money from the development authority—especially without at least discussing it with the board.
The money should have been taken from the BOC’s general fund. It would have been much more appropriate for the money to come from the Convention and Visitors Bureau budget.
The CVB works to promote the Banks Crossing area and to participate in a marketing effort with Tanger would have been more in line with their purpose and goals.
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Column
By:Angela Gary
The Banks County News
March 3, 2004
Southern ladies love their tea time
Sitting in a refined old Southern home with a dainty cup of hot tea in one hand and a warm scone covered with cream in the other hand.
Tea time is a tradition in the south and many women enjoy nothing more than an afternoon of hot tea and sweet treats. My mother, sister and I are among the ladies who love tea time.
We found a new tea room in the area to add to our list of favorites on Saturday. We had long enjoyed Eli and Hattie’s in Hoschton and are happy to hear it is opening again. Now, we have The Byrd House, in Jefferson, to add to our collection of favorite tea rooms.
My mother and I took Amanda to The Byrd House Saturday for a birthday tea. We started out with a hot apricot tea, blueberry muffins and hot scones covered with cream and jam. The feast included chicken salad croissants, brownies and other delicious pastries, as well as a pot of Earl Gray tea.
Tea is served in both the downstairs and upstairs of the old home. We enjoyed our tea in the upstairs “pink room.” The room is filled with lovely antiques tastefully displayed.
An old trunk used for travel is opened in one corner with gloves, hats and scarves on it. Another corner has a miniature horse from a carousel with a hat on top of it. In another room, more antique hats, scarves, gloves and feathered boas can be found. We had to try on a few while we waited for the next course.
One of the best parts of a tea is the social aspect. As you wait for the different courses to arrive, you can catch up on the lives of your family and friends. We enjoyed slowing down for a few hours and sharing our favorite “Jake” stories. Now that my nephew is 2-years-old and talking up a storm, he keeps us laughing all the time.
He called me one day last week at work tell me “Quincy gone.” He knows I get excited when my cat, Quincy, accidentally gets outside and must have wanted me to rush home. Quincy was safe inside but it’s too funny that Jake is beginning to play jokes on us. Most likely, he figured out that Quincy being gone would lead me to hurry home from work. He is always telling me, “No office. No work.”
If you ever see a tea room in your travels, be sure and check it out. The food is great and the fellowship is even greater. One warning though, hosting a tea is not as much fun as going to one.
Our love of an afternoon tea actually led us to host one over the Christmas holidays. I have to say that going to a tea is much more fun than hosting one. It takes a lot of work to get all of those delicate pastries and hot tea on the table.
Angela Gary is editor of The Banks County News and associate editor of The Jackson Herald. She can be reached at AngieEditor@aol.com.
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