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Column
Sherry
Lewis
The Banks County News- September 29, 1999
Enjoys fall festivals
Boiled peanuts, caramel apples, hay rides
and arts and crafts are just a few of the things that remind
me of a fall festival. While I am a lover of the summertime,
I must admit those first crisp mornings and that September sky
have got me in the mood for fall.
Growing up, the closest thing I remember to a fall festival was
the Halloween carnival at school. My friends and I would bob
for apples, play games or walk for cakes we'd been eyeing all
evening. While my mother would trek off to arts and crafts shows
in the area, I was more interested in riding my bike and playing
ball.
It was in the early 1980s, when I met my husband, Chris, and
listened to the Lewis family talk about the Maysville festival.
It was almost a year later when I had the opportunity to attend
and I quickly figured out the novelty of that annual event. It's
not just the food, nor the booths or the entertainment. It's
a time for friends from near and far to come back together and
fellowship. It reminds me of the Sunday School Celebration in
Homer, though the festival is only 32 years old.
As the Maysville festival gets under way this weekend, I would
bet one of the favorite events will be the parade on Saturday
morning at 10. Children and adults alike will line the streets
of Maysville, watching local ball teams, beauty queens, politicians
and cowboys ride through town as they race to get their hands
on the candy that is strewn down the street.
Fall celebrations seem to have caught on near and far. I haven't
been able to pick up a paper lately without seeing another announcement
for a festival. I guess I've gotten old enough that traveling
through the North Georgia Mountains and strolling through the
arts and crafts is my idea of a good time. Some of the festivals
I hope to attend include the Georgia Mountain Fall Festival in
Hiawassee Oct. 8-17. The festival is scheduled to have clogging,
singing, arts and crafts, kiddy rides and an Old Time Fiddler's
Convention on October 15 and 16.
The 28th annual Georgia Apple Festival is scheduled for Oct.
9-10 and Oct. 16-17 in Ellijay. The festival will include arts
and crafts, food, live entertainment, a parade and an antique
car show on Oct. 9th.
Also, the annual Gold Rush Days is scheduled for Oct. 16 and
17 in Dahlonega. I attended a summer festival there that was
full of wonderful work by area artists.
Closer to home the Big Red Apple Festival is scheduled for Oct.
23-24 in the city park in Cornelia.
Walking around and enjoying the weather and scenery at the festivals
is great therapy for me and I'd encourage every one to give it
a try.
Sherry Lewis is news editor for The Banks County News.
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Letters
The Banks County News- September 29, 1999
'BOE
causes chaos'
Dear Editor:
Once again, the Banks County Board of Education, by continuously
crossing over into areas that they have no business in, has caused
another quality person to quit our school system. What more chaos
must the BOE cause before the people of this county wake up and
scream ENOUGH!
It was bad enough when we could never seem to have any sort of
stability and continuity with the high school leadership, but
now you people of the BOE have run off a servant of this community
of almost 30 years. It is a travesty when the long-serving school
superintendent, who found himself exhausted by butting heads
with you people, finds no other alternative to the situation
but to resign his post, a post that he served loyally and faithfully
for almost two decades.
Just what are you people on the BOE hoping to accomplish by continuing
to cause such a hostile environment that you have to run off
some of our most talented people. Even the folks that you had
a hand in hiring, you run off. It is amazing that we have had
the same principal in the high school for two years in a row.
With the BOE's track record, what person in their right mind
would come to work for this school system?
You are causing some very talented people to not even consider
coming to work for our school system because of your seeming
inability to stay within your job descriptions. Are you people
not going to be satisfied until you have a bunch of robots filling
some of the most critical positions in our school system? What
in the world gave you the impression that you know more about
how best to run our school system than someone who has been working
for this system for almost 30 years? Someone who had earned his
post by coming up through the ranks of this system. No, he was
not perfect, and he erred as all mortals do, but his loyalty
and dedication were never in question.
This latest episode has only solidified my skepticism of the
competency of the ability of the BOE to do its job. You people
undermine the smooth running of our school system by the constant
turnover of quality people, and the upheaval it is causing. The
Banks County News had it right when it stated in its editorial
that the BOE needs to stay within its purpose, and that is to
make policy, not to directly involve itself in matters where
it does not belong. Because of the constant meddling, the BOE
is causing our school system to become a pariah in which no able
person would want to work.
I feel for the current employees of our school system, and am
amazed that they are able to continue to do such a good job in
the face of all this adversity. Big kudos to y'all. As for the
people of this county who have children in this system, take
back control of your most important county entity before the
BOE completely destroys it.
Sincerely,
Michael Johns
Wilmonts District
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