THE JOHNSON JOURNALA newspaper that cares about the people of Johnson County

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012

75 centsVolume 15 Number 10

THE JOHNSON JOURNAL

The First Annual Relay forLife Christmas Parade andChili Cook and Chamber ofCommerce Light-a Liteceremony will be heldThursday, December 6that 6 p.m. Parade entriesare $30 a float; Chili CookEntries are $30 per per-son/Group. The Chamberwill have their lite-a-litesfor sale at the Chamberoffice and various busi-nesses for $1.00 ea. and$20.00 for courthousewindow lites. Forms can bepicked up and dropped offat the Chamber and Bet-ter Hometown offices.Contact any RFL Commit-tee Member for info.

Retired Educatorswill meet Todayat BOE Office

Countdown to Christmas --- Only 21 more days!!!

RFL Christmas Parade &

Chili Cook Off is planned

Georgia StatePatrol; Safe

Schools/HealthyStudents conduct

a Food DriveLocal food banks need

your help to stock theirpantries and preventhunger in our communi-ty. This Christmas Holi-day, you can make a dif-ference through your do-nation of a non-perish-able item. Drop boxes arelocated at Piggly Wiggly,Dollar General, Rite Aid,and Family Dollar. Dona-tions will be acceptedthrough December 20.

Guest Speakerat New Homewill be Rev.

Richard ThigpenThe Guest speaker atNew Home BaptistChurch on Sunday, De-cember 9th will be Rev.Richard Thigpen ofSandersville. SundaySchool begins at 9:45A.M. Worship servicesare at 11:00 A.M. and 6p.m. Everyone is invited.

The Johnson CountyRetired Educator’s Asso-ciation will meet todayat the BOE Office at 10a.m. Mary Ann McDaniel,President of the GREA,will be the guest speaker.Gloria Davis and MaryDixon will show their art.

New rates are: OneYear- $29.00, One Year(Senior Citizen)- $25.00,One year (out of coun-ty)-$35.00, and Oneyear (out of state) -$39.00. Online editionwill be $29.00 and aCombo Subscription(print and digital), willbe $40.00.

New Rates setfor Subscriptions

Johnson County WritingTest Results see Increase

The hard work and dedi-cation of the staff, adminis-tration, teachers and studentsat Johnson County HighSchool is starting to pay off,as local officials recently re-ceived proof with the recentrelease of the GHSGT Writ-ing Test results.

Across the state and local-ly at Johnson County HighSchool (JCHS), our GeorgiaHigh School Writing Test re-sults have increased. Allstudents must pass the Geor-gia High School WritingTest to receive a high schooldiploma, and can take itmultiple times in their juniorand senior years. Studentscan score up to 350 points,with 200 points required topass the test.

At the state level, the per-centage of high school stu-dents meeting or exceedingstandards on the GeorgiaHigh School Writing Test(GHSWT) increased thisyear, with 93 percent passingthe exam.

Locally at JohnsonCounty High School the stu-dents (first time test takers)meeting or exceeding stan-dards rose to 89 percentpassing the exam. This wasa 5 percent increase fromlast year's scores. There isevidence of the achieve-ment gap narrowing as mi-nority and special educationstudents improve their per-formance on the test.

There was also improvementin JCHS students masteringthe exceeds area of the GH-SWT.

One of the district goalswas to take students from themiddle, scoring in the meetsarea, to pushing them overthe top, into the exceeds ar-eas. Last years results yield-ed 1 percent in the exceedsarea, but this year the resultsincreased to 8 percent.

Johnson County HighPrincipal, John Sharpe, waselated as he led a team instudying the data. Superin-tendent Rebecca Thomasand Director of Curriculum/School Improvement, TeciaMcKay, give much credit tothe high school English de-partment and newly appoint-ed Writing Specialist, MaryBeth Thompson.

One of the strategies thatteachers believe made a dif-ference is being committedto writing every day. Thisis a habit that originateswith a routine of writingthat begins at Johnson Coun-ty Elementary School.Even teachers in other con-tent areas, like Reid Bethea,a JCHS Business Educationteacher, frequently men-tions using writing as a toolas students write across thecurriculum.

For Johnson County stu-dents not passing the GH-SWT, a remediation plan hasbeen developed to focus onspecific areas of needs basedon individual student feed-back from test results.

By Deidre LedfordEditor

Christmas Parade, Chili Cook-Off & Lite-A-Lite is Thursday

A Relay for Life Christ-mas Parade & Chili Cook-Off will coincide with thisyear’s Chamber of Com-merce Light-a-Lite Ceremo-ny on Thursday, December6 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The Parade begins at 6:00p.m. and Santa Arrives 6:45

p.m. Light-a Lite will beheld at 7:00 p.m. Chili Cook-Off Entries will be Judged at7:15 p.m. and Closing Cere-monies will be held at 7:45p.m. Entertainment will beprovided throughout theevening.

The City Hall will beclosed at 5:30 p.m. and noparking will be allowed. TheParade Route will run

straight down Highway 319from the Elementary Schoolto the Courthouse. Localbusinesses are encouraged tostay open during theseevents.

Parade entries $30; ChiliCook-Off entries $30 (teamor individual) This event isSponsored by: Relay forLife, Chamber of Com-merce, Better Hometown

with special thanks to theCity of Wrightsville & John-son County Commissioners.

For more information,Contact: Ashlyn Williams,Lynn Lamb, Debbie Gaston,Jessica Keown, JennyKersey, Rosheda Darrisaw,Lisa Clark, or Jessica Reese.

•Santa will be a specialguest. No other "actual" San-ta's will be permitted in the

parade. Santa decorationsmay be used.

•The Parade Theme is:"Winter Wonderland". TheCommittee wishes to thankRelay for Life CommitteeMembers, Lynn Lamb, Mrs.Debbie Gaston, The City ofWrightsville, and JohnsonCounty Commissioners for

By Deidre LedfordEditor

Please see PARADE,, Page 3a

Crusade to sponsor Christmas ConcertA Christmas Concert featuring ScottFerguson & His Band, as well as theJohnson County Crusade Choir, will

be held on December 8 at 6 p.m. This Concert, which is sponsored by the Johnson County Crusade for Christ, will be held at the Mt. Olive Church of the Nazarene. Everyone is invitedand encouraged to attend this event.

A Love Offering will be taken.

Veteran English Languages Arts teacher,Stephanie Jackson, guides students at John-son County High School to explore poetry.

New JCHS English/Languages Arts teacher,Katie McDowell, conducts a writing conferencewith her students.

The Washington ElectricFoundation recently present-ed the Johnson County FFAwith an Operation RoundUp® grant check for $2,000.The funds were requested byJohn Harrison, FFA Advisorwith Johnson County HighSchool.

The money will help pur-chase electrical wiring mate-

rial and supplies for the Agstudents to use in the electri-cal wiring courses taught bythe Ag Department at John-son County High School.

"Fifty to seventy studentsenroll in the electrical wiringcourse each year," says Har-rison. "Electrical wiring isone of the most importantcourses that Ag Ed offers.

Students learn to identifyand maintain electrical tools,select proper materials, pre-pare and connect wires todevices, perform basicwiring, install circuits andmany other aspects of elec-trical systems. It is also mostimportant because students

JoCo FFA receives Round Up Grant

John Harrison, JCHS FFA Advisor, in center, accepts a WashingtonElectric Foundation grant of $2,000 to help fund the electrical wiringcourse at the school.

Please see FFA, Page 3a

The Chamber of Commerce and Better

Hometown’s firstChristmas in the

South was a hugesuccess!! Shoppers

had the opportunity tocross items off oftheir lists as they visited the local

vendors during thetwo-day event this

weekend. The Depotwas packed with arts,

crafts, food, andmuch more.

Page 2a / Tuesday, December 4, 2012

SPIRITUAL LIVINGTTHHEE JJOOHHNNSSOONN JJOOUURRNNAALL

OBBIITTUUAARRIIEESS

Maegan T. SalterMrs. Maegan T. Salter

Rountree, the daughter ofMr. Michael Salter and Mrs.Johnnie Salter, was born De-cember 1, 1985, in Dublin,GA. She departed this life onNovember 22, 2012.

Maegan attended Kinder-garten at Kite ElementarySchool. She then attendedJohnson County Schools un-til her graduation in 2004.While attending, her charis-matic personality earned herpopularity among her teach-ers, administrators, and staffas well as her classmates.She was a valuable memberof the basketball team andvarious other organizations.

In 2006, Maegan met andmarried Freeman JamieRountree. She graduatedfrom Southeastern TechnicalCollege with an Associate’sDegree in Medical Assistingand also received a certifi-cate for Phlebotomy. Shewas the dutiful mother ofthree children: Amber, Bre-anna, and Cayden. Maeganhad a giving heart andshowed compassion toeveryone that she met. Shestrove to make a better lifefor herself and her children.

She leaves to cherish hermemories, Jamie Rountreeof Swainsboro; two daugh-ters, Amber Rountree of Kiteand Breanna Rountree ofKite; one son, Cayden Roun-tree of Kite; her parents,Michael and Johnnie Salterof Kite; two sisters, Marida(Walter) Kahres of Smyrna,and Mallory Salter of Kite; ahost of relatives, includingaunts, uncles, cousins andfriends.

Sandra M. SullensSandra M. Sullens, age

50, of Wrightsville, enteredinto rest on Monday, No-vember 26 after an extendedillness. Mrs. Sullens wasborn in Bibb County, July30, 1962, to the late Geneand Shelby Poole Skipper.

Sandra has lived in John-son County all of her life andwas a graduate of JohnsonCounty High School. Shehad been employed as aCNA with Nightongale Hos-pice and Health Care.

She was a loving and car-ing person who enjoyed lifeto the fullest. With her de-clining health, she did notgive up and continued to dothings with her family andfriends. Mrs. Sullens was amember of Rehoboth BaptistChurch in Kite.

Mrs. Sullens was preced-ed in death by her first hus-band, Robbie Meeks.

Funeral services wereheld at Rehoboth BaptistChurch on Thursday, No-vember 29 with burial fol-lowing in the church ceme-tery. Rev. Allen Meeks, Rev.Dwayne Payne, and Rev.Matt Reece were the officiat-

ing ministers. Mrs. Sullens is survived

by her husband, Donald“Stanley” Sullens ofWrightsville; one son, Na-then Meeks (Tara) of Kite;two Step-sons, Tony Sullens(Amanda) of Kite and D.J.Sullens (Toni) ofWrightsville; two daughters,Shelby Sullens of Kansasand Buffy Walley (Doug) ofCommerce, GA; one grand-daughter, Natalie Poole, nu-merous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers were EthanReece, Rusty Oxford, SidEubanks, Eugene Poole, JayPoole and Chad Burton.

Brantley-Powell FuneralHome of Wrightsville was incharge of arrangements.

LeRoy Gordon YoungLeRoy Gordon Young, 86,

of Wrightsville, entered intoeternal rest at his residenceon Thursday, November 29after an extended illness,surrounded by his family.Mr. Young, a lifelong resi-dent of Johnson County, waspreceded in death by his par-ents, Dee Olin Young andMary Lizzie Parker Young,and his brothers, Franklin D.Young and Ralph E. Young.

Survivors include hiswife of 46 years, Betty H.Young; son, Sammy Young(April); daughters: MaxineGarnto (Wendell) and Patri-cia Williams (Bobby); sis-ters: Melvina Mitchell ofGordon, Sara Webb of Ma-con, and Henrietta Buck ofJupiter, FL; Six grandchil-dren and eight great grand-children.

After having served in theUnited States Navy, Mr.Young returned to JohnsonCounty and worked as a me-chanic for the JohnsonCounty Board of EducationTransportation Division for35 years, retiring in 1998.He was a member of theAmerican Legion.

Services were held Satur-day, December 1st, at BrownMemorial Baptist Church inWrightsville.

Brantley-Powell FuneralHome of Wrightsville was incharge of arrangements. Richard Earl O’Mary, Jr.

Graveside funeral ser-vices for Mr. Richard EarlO'Mary, Jr., of Dublin, wereheld on Friday, November 30at Westview Cemetery. Rev.Billy Glosson officiated.

Mr. O'Mary was born onSeptember 3, 1941 in Stokes,North Carolina. He was theson of the late Richard Earland Dorothy SilverthornO'Mary, Sr. He was retired asa L.P.N. for the Carl VinsonVA Medical Center. He wasalso retired as Sergeant FirstClass in the United StatesArmy. Mr. O'Mary passedaway on Friday, November28 at Shamrock Health andRehab.

Mr. O'Mary was survivedby his loving wife, BrendaO'Mary, of Dublin, a step-son, Cecil John Hollis, Jr., ofDublin, a stepdaughter, Bob-bie Jo Hollis, of Kite, two

sisters, Sudie Manning, ofWillington, NC, and MarieDunn, of Jacksonville, FL,and 5 grandchildren.

Stanley Funeral Homeand Crematory ofWrightsville was in chargeof funeral arrangements.

Helen L. TompkinsFuneral services for Mrs.

Helen L. Tompkins, age 89,of Wrightsville, were heldTuesday, December 4 at theRichard N. Stanley Memor-ial Chapel with intermentfollowing at WestviewCemetery. Rev. BrantKennedy officiated.

Mrs. Tompkins was bornAugust 5, 1923 in Dublin,Georgia. She has lived inWrightsville for the past 28years after having lived inAtlanta. She was precededin death by her parents, the

WHHAATT’’SS HAAPPPPEENNIINNGG•A Benefit for Gene “Bear”Cross will be held on Satur-day, December 8 from 11 a.m-1 p.m. at the CornerStoneCafe in Kite. For info, contactDebra Hooks at 478-469-7729 or 478-455-1062. Anydonations are appreciated.•A Christmas Concert featur-ing Scott Ferguson & HisBand, as well as the JohnsonCounty Crusade Choir, willbe held on December 8 at 6p.m. This Concert, which is

being sponsored by the John-son County Crusade forChrist, will be held at the Mt.Olive Church. A Love Offer-ing will be taken. •The Georgia State Patroland Johnson County SafeSchools Healthy Studentsteam have placed Drop Box-es at Piggly Wiggly, DollarGeneral, Rite Aid and FamilyDollar for donations of non-perishable items to be givento our local food bank.

AT THE DUBLIN MALL

All Sizes Available

9 am until

“A Christmas Tradition”

Ronald Daniel

(478) 689-6087

-Wreaths & Garland-

Isaac Watts

It Never Rains on our Pool Parties!

Call LaQuinta at 478-272-3110 for q u o t e s .

December17th - 24th

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Reserving your ham or turkey is highly recommended.478-971-4528 • 4027 Watson Blvd., Warner Robins, GA

(Exp. 12/25/12) Not valid with other offers. Coupon required for discount.

Celebrate the holidays with a HoneyBaked Ham...HoneyBaked and family ... something to be truly thankful for

$5 Off Bone-In Half Ham$3 Off Boneless Half Ham

“The World’s BEST

Ham!”

w/purchase of any ham

Compliments of

The Johnson Journal

Roy Wilcher.....................................................December 4Jennifer Sanavitis............................................December 4Ossie P. Moorman...........................................December 4C.J. Wombles..................................................December 4Thomas Self....................................................December 5Johnathan Wiley.............................................December 6Ty H. Powell.....................................................December 6Adam Bennett.................................................December 6Clint Thompson...............................................December 6Elizabeth Stephenson.....................................December 7Susan Wood....................................................December 7Morgan Hall.....................................................December 7Brantley Waters...............................................December 7Charles Blackburn..........................................December 8Amanda Burleson...........................................December 8Aaron Simpson................................................December 8Jaylen Harris...................................................December 8James Price.....................................................December 8Glenn Rogers..................................................December 8LuAnne Barber................................................December 9Rhonda Dent...................................................December 9Lincoln Price...................................................December 9Heather Martin..............................................December 10Cassie Powell................................................December 10Jeremiah Elbert.............................................December 10

Terru & Patricia Glover....................................December 4

late Norman M. and LucilleKitchens Whitfield and herhusband, Eddie HermanTompkins, Sr. While in At-lanta, she worked as aSwitch Board operator forthe City of Atlanta. She wasalso a member of BeulahBaptist Church. Mrs.Tompkins passed awaySunday, December 2.

She is survived by herdaughters, Nancy Louise(Gary) Major ofLawrenceville, Norma Har-riett Mosier of Chambleeand Edith Faye (Dennis)Weaver of Dawsonville, hersons, Larry Dale (Linda)Johnson of Dahlonega andEddie Herman (Val) Tomp-kins, Jr. of Lawrenceville, asister, Myrle Joiner of Har-rison, eight grandchildrenand 12 great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers were EddieTompkins, III, HaroldChannel, Dennis Weaver,Claude Caponi, Ben Joinerand Roger Price.

Stanley Funeral Homeand Crematory ofWrightsville was in chargeof funeral arrangements.

Willie Lee WatkinsMr. Willie Lee Watkins,

Sr., age 61 of Soperton diedFriday, November 30,2012.

Mr. Watkins was born inTreutlen County and waspreceded in death by his fa-ther, Rabon Watkins and hiswife, Barbara Ann BeckWatkins. He was a retiredand was a member of Nor-ristown Revival Center.

Survivors include hisson, Willie Lee (Laurie)Watkins, Jr., Soperton;

mother, Susie Lee Watkins,Adrian; brothers, DonnieWatkins and CharlesWatkins, both of Adrianand G. C. Watkins, Forsyth;sister, Ann Beck, Adrian;grandchildren, Mark,Joseph and Judith Dickensand great-granddaughter,Aubree Lea Dickens.

Funeral services wereheld Monday, December 3in the Chapel of SammonsFuneral Home with Rev-erend Jack Stafford offici-ating. Burial was in HeathCemetery, Treutlen County.

Pallbearers were AllanBeck, Ricky Beck, ByronBrantley, AlvinWilliamson, Chris Watkinsand Craig Jackson.

Sammons Funeral Homewas in charge of arrange-ments.

The Winner of this year’s Senior CitizensCenter Quilt Drawing was Dylan Marsh, son ofAngie Marsh and the late Phil Marsh, all ofSwainsboro. The winner is drawn each yearduring the Senior Citizens Center’s ChristmasBazaar, which was held Saturday. Congratula-tions to Dylan!

Dylan Marsh wins SeniorCitizen’s Quilt Drawing

The Johnson Journal / Tuesday, December 4, 2012 / Page 3a

FROM THE FRONT

24 Hour Roadside Service

275-2964

National & Commercial Customers Welcome Great Service! Great Prices!

Oil Change Special... $ 25.95

Dublin 1318 Bellevue Ave.

478-275-2964

We do tires and a whole lot more! 2 Convenient Locations in Dublin!

Bubba’s Tire Center Bubba’s Tire Center

Truck/Tire Center 1707 Telfair S. 478-275-2555

helping start this tradition. Entries will be staged in

their designated space by5:45 pm.

2. In order to lend addi-tional color and flavor to theoccasion, and to increasespectator appeal, the Com-mittee has established a min-imum decoration require-ment:

•All autos and trucks mustbe decorated from windowdown (except special indus-trial equipment, antique au-tos and special interest au-tos).

•Entries must not be widerthan 20 feet or taller than 17feet

•Motorized car clubs/mo-torized group cars must notbe longer than 300 feet inlength.

•You may display anynumber of suitable identify-ing cards relating to yourbusiness or organization.

•In order for the announc-ers/commentators to identifyyour entry, your entry num-ber must be displayed.

3. Absolutely NO objectsother than candy may bethrown from the parade en-tries. NO ALCOHOL will beallowed in the parade stagingarea or is to be consumed orcarried by the parade partici-pants during the parade. Vio-lators will be disqualified byparade officials.

4. All participants must bedressed in FAMILY AC-CEPTABLE dress code. Al-so, there will be No waterguns, water balloons orspraying of water from en-tries.

Please remember Santawill be a special guest in theparade. We request,PLEASE NO other "actual"Santa's. Santa decorationsare allowed.

5. All entries must movein a forward line ofmarch/direction.

6. Attention MarchingGroups and Drill Teams:Please keep pace with theparade procession. Therewill be a parade monitorsstationed along the paraderoute to help maintain uni-form spacing.

8. Awards to follow at theCourthouse Square

9. Parade judges will belooking for the best incorpo-ration of the parade themeinto your entry.

Prizes: 1st place $25 andcertificate, 2nd Place $20and certificate, 3rd Place $15and certificate.

From Page 1aParadeFor more information

contact Ashlyn Williamsonor Lynn Lamb at the Cham-ber of Commerce for EntryForms. Relay Committee

members are: AshlynWilliamson, Jessica Keown,Jenny Kersey, Lisa Clark,and Rosheda L. Darrisaw.Find them all on Facebook.

learn safety procedures andrules when working withelectricity. This knowledgealone may help to save a liveone day," comments Harri-son.

The Johnson County FFAorganization is dedicated tomaking a positive differencein the lives of young peopleby developing their potentialfor leadership, personal

growth and career successthrough agricultural educa-tion. The mission of theJohnson County School Sys-tem is to prepare all studentsto meet or exceed standardsin order to graduate on timeand be college and careerready.

The Washington ElectricFoundation is funded withOperation Round Up dona-

tions provided by the volun-tary contributions of Wash-ington EMC participatingmembers.

Washington EMC is anelectric membership corpo-ration that provides electrici-ty and related services tomore than 15,300 membersin ten east-central Georgiacounties, including JohnsonCounty.

From Page 1aFFALocal 4-H’ers showed their true talents during the annual 4-H Hobby

Show. At left, cooking participants explain how to make their favorite dish;Center-Rachael Allen performs her Bon Ray Ray skit; Barrett Pritchardand Megan Powell speak about the artificial insemination of cattle.

Local talent is showcased during annual 4-H Hobby Show on Saturday

PPaaggee 44aa // TTuueessddaayy,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 44,, 22001122

VIEWPOINTSTTHHEE JJOOHHNNSSOONN JJOOUURRNNAALL

Those who see no benefits in local newspaper areas much value to the town as a delinquent tax listDecember 4,1913The merchants of

Wrightsville may haveChristmas goods for thecoming holidays, if theyhave, they are very slowabout making it known, orare altogether indifferent asto whether they sell evenwhat they may have leftover from last Christmas.“What's the matter with themerchants of our progres-sive little city anyway?”was asked.Our popular and efficient

sheriff, W.D. Rowland, hasinvested in an up-to-dateautomobile which will aidhim greatly in getting overthe country in transactingbusiness affairs and other-wise. J.W. Linder and fami-ly of Higgston came over ina handsome new Ford car.Dr. Bascom Anthony was

elected a clerical delegate tothe methodist conference.Two churches of theWrightsville circuit have

been added to the appoint-ments for this year. PineyMount, 1st Sunday; Bethel,2nd Sunday; MapleSprings, third Sunday; Ar-line Chapel 4th Sunday;Wesley Chapel, 2nd Sunday3pm. Rev. J.B. Griner who has

been pastor of WrightsvilleMethodist church was ap-pointed to Redsville andShiloh.Mr. & Mrs. T.F. Elton

had a daughter arrive onNovember 28th. Rev. E.L.Wainwright moved to theresidence of Mrs. J.W. Flan-ders, occupying rooms on

South Myrtle Avenue. Miss-es Rowena Daley and Em-ma Gailliard and Mr. FredDaley went to Macon satur-day to see "Ben Hur". MissCleo Wiggins, one ofWarthen's 1913 graduatesvisited the college.Miss Billie Johnson who

is in failing health is a littlebetter this week. CashierR.L. Kent of theWrightsville Bank returnedfrom Atlanta where he hasbeen treated by Dr. Johnsonof that city.After an extended illness

of cancer of the stomach,Mr. W.W. Waddell died at

his home in Dublin and wasburied at Northview Ceme-tery. Not quite a year ago hemarried Miss Daisy Kent bywhom he is survived.There seems to be quite a

fatality among the coloredpopulation of Wrightsvilleat present. Three Negrowomen have died within aweek, and their deaths wereall three from different ill-ness, no epidemic or conta-gious disease.When you hear a man

sneering at the local paperbecause it is not big, cheapand newsy as the city pa-pers, you can safely bet hedoes not squander any ofhis wealth in assisting tomake it better, and that gen-erally the paper has donemore for him than he hasfor it. The man who cannot see

the benefits arising from alocal newspaper is about asmuch value to a town as adelinquent tax list.

FromDays

Gone ByHistorian

Donald Smith

TTHHEE JJOOHHNNSSOONN JJOOUURRNNAALLA member of the Georgia Press Association

The Johnson Journal (USPS 016221) is published weekly for$29.00 in county, $35.00 out-of-county and $39.00 out-of-state an-nually by The Courier Herald Publishing Company, Inc., 110 E. ElmStreet, Wrightsville, Ga. 31096. Periodicals Postage Rate paid atWrightsville, Ga. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THEJOHNSON JOURNAL, 110 E. Elm St., Wrightsville, Ga. 31096.Office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.The telephone number is (478) 864-0007. The fax number is (478)864-2719.Copyright 2002, The Herald Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Publisher ....................Griffin LovettExecutive Editor ........Dubose PorterEditor........................Deidre Ledford

Weekly Division Editor .......Jason HalcombeAdvertising ..................Deidre Ledford

“

(Dan King is taking sometime off. Here he shares hisarticle from the December 6,2011 issue of The JohnsonJournal.) Just before the first

Christmas, a single teenagegirl named Mary was in adifficult place. She foundout that she was going tohave a baby. Joseph, theyoung man she was engagedto, knew that he was not thebaby’s father. Joseph lovedMary very much. He musthave been very hurt to thinkthat Mary had cheated onhim. Joseph was in a diffi-cult place also. Joseph decided to call off

the wedding. However, hedid not want to hurt Mary.He planned to break off theengagement privately. Thena very strange thing hap-pened. In a dream, an angelfrom God told Joseph to goahead and marry Mary. Theangel explained that Godhad prepared Mary’s body tohave a baby without the helpof a natural father. The angel even told

Joseph that the baby wouldbe a boy and that His namewould be Jesus because ofHis special life mission tosave His people from theirsins. Joseph would be the

earthly father of God’s ownSon! Even though Joseph did

not understand all that wastaking place, he must havebeen very relieved to findout that Mary had not cheat-ed. Matthew, the writer of the

first book of the New Testa-ment, tells this story in chap-ter one. He says that Godhad announced the baby’sbirth ahead of time throughone of His spokesmen calleda prophet. The prophet useda different name for Jesus,“Immanuel,” which means“God with us.” A writer by the name of

Luke tells another part of thestory in the third book of theNew Testament, chaptersone and two. Augustus,chief officer of the RomanEmpire, ordered that a cen-sus be taken. The govern-ment did not send out formsfor everyone to fill out andreturn. The people had to goto the towns of their ancestryand be counted. The trip from Joseph’s

hometown of Nazareth toBethlehem, his ancestral

home, was about 80 milesand four days. Mary mayhave required a slower pacedue to her late-term preg-nancy. In addition to having to

deal with a pre-marital preg-nancy, messages from Godthat were hard to under-stand, and a challenging tripacross rugged terrain, Maryand Joseph had additionalproblems. While they were in Beth-

lehem, Mary’s time came.There was no 911 center tocall and no hospital. Eventhe Bethlehem motels werepacked out with others whowere there to comply withthe census. Luke keeps it pretty sim-

ple, “…and while they werein Bethlehem, the time camefor her to have her baby. Shegave birth to her first son…”Mary’s little boy was bornand first cradled where ani-mals were kept. The events and announce-

ments of that first Christmasgave Mary a lot to thinkabout. Luke says, “Mary re-membered all these thingsand thought deeply aboutthem” (chapter 2, verse 19).Mary was in a good place.

DDaann KKiinnggRR..FF..DD.. SSoouutthh

Where Should We Be At Christmas?

Christmas Dogs available forpickup in downtown Wrightsville.Free and just in time for Christ-mas!!! Can be seen on any streetat pretty much any time of day.

-----------------------------What's the all-time best car-

toon to air on television?-----------------------------

Just a thought....I've neverheard anyone say 'Man, all thoseyears of smoking were reallyworth it.'

-----------------------------The Westview Cemetery is

NOT a playground for your chil-dren. Skateboards and walking ongraves?? It’s just not accetable.Show some Respect! Or have youbeen taught that?

-----------------------------I think Georgia fans are still

trying to get their blood pressuredown from Saturday’s game.Even though the end was heart-breaking, it really was a greatgame.

Submit your Tell It! Call 478-864-0007after hours and leave a message;Or emailjjournal@nlamerica.com. We reserves the

right to print any or all comments.

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

-John 6:35

THE GOODWORD

The holiday shopping sea-son has begun, and as Geor-gians hit the stores lookingfor gifts, the Georgia Emer-gency ManagementAgency/Homeland Security(GEMA) is encouragingthem to also shop for coldweather emergency suppliesduring Winter Weather

Awareness Week, Dec. 3-7.The National Weather Ser-

vice refers to winter stormsas “deceptive killers” be-cause most deaths are indi-rectly related to the weather.Instead, people die in trafficaccidents on icy roads and ofhypothermia from prolongedexposure to cold. Most resi-

dents still remember the win-ter storm in January 2011 thatshut down transportation inparts of the state for fivedays, eventually affecting 70percent of Georgia.“Snow can be a lot of fun

and can create some beautifulscenery in Georgia, but it al-so has the potential to knock

out power and communica-tions services and make theroads dangerous,” saidGEMA Director CharleyEnglish. “Preparing for win-ter weather is simple, inex-pensive and important be-cause it can help you avoid

Residents are urged to prepare for Winter Storms

Please see GEMA, Page 5a

Please see KING, Page 6a

“People say money is

not the key to happiness, but I have always figured if you have enough money,you can have a key made.

-Joan Rivers

WORTHREPEATING

CharlieHarper’s

PoliticsGGAA

Saturday didn’t go exactlyas I had hoped. The game be-tween the University of Geor-gia and Alabama was one forthe ages. Alas, this was not tobe Georgia’s year. I was in6th grade the last time it wasour year. My incoming grayhair reminds me that was along time ago. As a true fan, Iwill keep waiting, and keepcheering.

The day at the GeorgiaDome was special. For thefirst time, I was a guest in oneof the Dome’s suites to watchthe game, courtesy of a greatfriend who is someone I knowwell outside of politics. Thesesuites are much of the focus inthe desire to replace the cur-rent facility with a new one,though the official reason is sothat the Falcons can play un-der a retractable roof.

Retractable roofs do notimprove a team’s cash flow,however. More luxury suiteswhich cost even more will.Georgia taxpayers are beingasked to back $300 million innew bonds that will be paidwith Atlanta Hotel Motel taxdollars between now and2050. They’re also beingasked to waive sales taxes onconstruction materials. Andto buy the land for the newstadium. And to make trafficinfrastructure improvementsaround the area of construc-tion. A half billion dollars is anice, round number that tax-payers should use when look-ing at their total contributionfor this gift to the Falcons andtheir owner, Arthur Blank.

As evidenced by Saturday’sgame, the Falcons are not theonly team that uses theDome. The SEC Champi-onship game is one of thehighest profile events heldthere, with a contract to con-tinue doing so until 2017 –conveniently the time that theFalcons would like their newhome ready.

SEC Commissioner MikeSlive gave glowing praise tothe existing facility this pastweek in an interview with theAtlanta Journal-Constitution,saying “the Georgia Dome hasbeen terrific for us. The facili-ty has been good and theDome staff is really superb.And having the proximity ofthe World Congress Center sothat we can have our FanFarerunning in conjunction withthe game, that has becomevery popular. It’s that, plusthe fact Atlanta is an easy cityto get to. With the develop-ment of Centennial Park andall the surrounding eventsand places that people can go,it has worked out extremelywell for us. And we are look-ing forward to continuing on,

even beyond our current con-tract.”

The AJC’s natural follow-up was regarding his opinionof the plans for a new stadiumand extending the SEC’s con-tract there. He said that oncethe plans are finalized theywill resume discussions,adding “we’ve not been un-happy at all with the currentDome. But we like the factthat the new stadium is pro-jected to be in essentially thesame footprint with the WorldCongress Center. It reaffirmsthe fact that Atlanta is com-mitted to staying at the fore-front and therefore evenmakes the game more attrac-tive for us there.”

Supporters and detractorsare likely to use these wordsas their own, as Slive is a goodpolitician and understandshe’s wading into an area ofcontroversy. Of note is thathis primary concern – andstrengths of the current setup– is the overall logistics of At-lanta and the Dome/GeorgiaWorld Congress Center cam-pus. While a new stadiumwould be shiny and a pre-sumed upgrade, the packageoffered by Atlanta includes arelatively new Domed Stadi-um attached to a world classconvention center, all sur-rounded by a convention andtourism district with restau-rants and attractions for outof town guests.

All of that already existstoday, without the additionalhalf billion dollars of taxpayermoney set to be earmarked tobenefit one taxpayer – ArthurBlank.

The SEC, Georgia State’sPanthers, and many othergroups use the Domethroughout the year. It ispart of the World CongressCenter complex and as such,is an integral part of Atlanta’sconvention business.

The case has not beenmade, however, that commit-ting a half billion dollars oftaxpayers’ funds to replaceone part of this complex witha similar building that func-tions largely the same formost spectators will providemore benefit to the city andstate than it will cost.

Beware of rosy estimatesthat place the “value” of a newstadium as economic activitythat we already have, with anexisting facility. I’ve spent alot of time in the cheap seats,and one Saturday afternoonin the nicest of them. Whatwe have pleases the SEC andevery other user of the Dome.Additional taxpayer funds arenot warranted for a replace-ment at this time.

Georgia DomeAttracts TopEvents As Is

The Johnson Journal / Tuesday, December 4, 2012 / Page 5a

COMMUNITY NEWS

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Monday, Wednesday, Fridayand the following Saturdays:

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Be Sure to

CourthouseChristmasTree readyfor VisitorsAnyone entering theCourthouse will be

filled with delight asthey are welcomed

by this beautifulChristmas tree,

which was decoratedlast week by LynnLamb (Chamber

of Commerce) and Debbie Gaston (BetterHometown Program)

potentially life-threateningsituations.”

As extra incentive to helpresidents get prepared,GEMA’s Ready Georgia<http://www.ready.ga.gov/>campaign is hosting a give-away on its blog<http://ready.ga.gov/Ge-tReady/> . All Georgia resi-dents who read the “Are YouReady for Winter?” post andanswer the question in thecomments will be entered in-to a drawing to win one of sixNOAA weather radios, aswell as the grand prize: atwo-night stay at Lake Black-shear Resort & Golf Club<http://www.lakeblackshear-resort.com/> and a weatherradio. The contest launchesDec. 3 and ends at midnighton Dec. 16.

In addition, Ready Geor-gia offers these tips to helpresidents prepare, plan andstay informed about severewinter weather:

Prepare a Ready Kit ofEmergency Supplies

Prepare a Ready kit ofemergency supplies for yourhome and car. Include with a

three-day supply of nonper-ishable food, water, a flashlight with extra batteries, aNOAA Weather Radio, ade-quate clothing and blanketsto keep you warm, as well asadditional supplies for theunique needs of your family,such as medication.

Ensure proper home insu-lation by placing weatherstripping around doors andwindows, allowing faucets todrip during cold weather toprevent freezing and openingcabinet doors to let heatreach uninsulated pipes un-der sinks and appliances nearexterior walls.

Winterize your vehicleand keep your gas tank atleast half full to prevent yourfuel line from freezing.

Create a Winter WeatherPlan

Plan to stay inside, if nec-essary, for at least three days.If trapped outside during se-vere winter try to stay dry,cover all body parts, periodi-cally move limbs to keepblood circulating and, if pos-sible, build a fire.

Avoid traveling by car in

icy conditions. If you mustgo out and do get stuck, staywith your car. Leave theoverhead lights on when theengine is running so you canbe seen.

Plan for pets to come in-side and store adequate foodand water for them.

Create an emergency com-munications plan so familymembers will know who tocontact if separated during astorm. Designate at least oneout-of-town contact that allfamily members can call.

Stay Informed about Win-ter Weather

Listen to a NOAA weatherradio and monitor commer-cial radio, television and theInternet to stay informed ofwinter weather.

Learn about the termsused to describe winter haz-ards such as freezing rain,sleet, winter weather adviso-

ry, winter storm watch andwinter storm warning.

Know the symptoms offrostbite and hypothermia.Frostbite occurs when yourbody tissue freezes. Your ex-tremities may have a white orpale appearance and maylose feeling. The most sus-ceptible areas of your bodyare the fingers, toes, earlobes,or the tip of your nose. Hy-pothermia occurs when yourbody temperature falls below95 degrees. Warning signs in-clude uncontrollable shiver-ing, memory loss, disorienta-tion, incoherence, slurredspeech, drowsiness and ex-haustion. If you suspect youhave frostbite or hypother-mia, get medical attentionimmediately.

For more information onpreparing for winter weatherand other disasters, visitwww.ready.ga.gov

From Page 4aGEMA

HOLIDAY DEADLINESAll submissions to The Johnson Journal for publication

in the December 25 edition, must be submitted no later than Wednesday, December 19 at 12:00 noon. Late submissions cannot be taken. No exceptions.

Kids Don’t Forget....SEND US

YOUR

LETTERS

TO SANTA! Deadline to submit Letters to Santa is

Friday, December 7

Lady Trojans take win from Panthers

The Johnson CountyLady Trojans took a

big win from GlascockCounty Friday night

with a score of 68-43.Pictured clockwisefrom above: YikeriaCordy takes a shot

and scores; PorscheHall leaps over the defense to score;

Drikeria Wright looksto pass the ball

Page 6a / Tuesday, December 4, 2012 / The Johnson Journal

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Javian Butler“Santa Claus puts them

in his sleigh.”

Journey Johnson“They use their wings to

fly in the sky and they wakepeople up.”

Lillian McLemore“They use their magic legs to

fly Santa to the North.”

Cora McNeely“They sit in the sleigh and give

toys to the boys and girls.”

Each week Johnson County Pre-Kindergarten teachers ask their students a question andchoose some of the answers to be printed in the Johnson Journal.

Ms. Tammy Jordan and Ms. Jackie Wallace’s class

Ms. Robin Parker and Ms. Leann Powell’s class

Ms. Marla Jackson and Ms. Teresa Hutcheson’s class

THE PRE-K VIEWPOINT

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Job Opening: Johnson County Assistant MechanicWe are current accepting applications for the position of Assistant Mechanic. The salary will be based upon experience and qualifications. Applications can be picked up and submitted at the Johnson County Board of Commissioners Office, located in the Courthouse at 2557 East Elm Street,Wrightsville, Georgia 31096.Johnson County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.APPLY BY: December 19, 2012

A description of the position can be found below:

JOB SUMMARY: This position is responsible for assisting the Head Mechanic with the day to day operations of the Fleet Maintenance Department. This position is responsible for overhauling and maintaining automotive and road maintenance equipment. Work requires the application of standard trade practices, but within established departmental policies and procedures. Difficulty and responsibility increase based on experience, training and/or service.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:The following duties are representative of the work required for this job. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Other duties may be required and assigned.• Performs diagnostic, corrective, and preventative mechanical maintenance on automotive equipment, heavy

equipment, and trucks, including diesel engines with diagnostic tools available.• Examines and locates mechanical defects in a wide variety of automotive and road maintenance equipment,

making necessary repairs or recommending replacement.• Performs general welding tasks in the repair of equipment and vehicles.• Performs major-minor mechanical repairs.• Disassembles, repairs, grinds or replaces worn parts.• Fits new parts and adjusts engines, transmissions, gear boxes, oil, water and fuel pumps, carburetors, and

fuel injectors, governors, starting gear; times and adjusts motors, replaces electrical wiring.• Performs paint and body repair work on county vehicles.• Tears down and rebuilds components and assemblies by fitting and installing needed parts such as rings,

pistons, bearings and gears; aligns, meshes and connects repaired units to related mechanisms, for example, the engine and related clutch units; and makes adjustments to assure their proper operation.

• Maintains and repairs miscellaneous stationary power plants, small engines, water pumps and generators.• Tests all vehicles and equipment repaired to ensure corrective actions taken solve the problems.• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND/OR EXPERIENCE TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:Ability to read, write, and perform basic mathematical calculations that are commonly associated with the completion of, at a minimum, a high school diploma. The incumbent must also possess sufficient experience to understand the basic principles relevant to the major duties of the position, usually associated with the completion of an apprenticeship/internship, or having held a similar position for one to two years. The incumbent must possess of or have the ability to readily obtain a valid driver’s license issued by the State of Georgia for the class of vehicles or equipment operated.

Celebrating EmanuelCounty’s Bicentennial: Sat-urday, December 8 from11:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Eventwill be held at the Farm andHome Museum, locatedacross from the Jaycee Fair-ground Events include:

•A historical monumentdedication will be held onthe Courthouse Lawn at 11a.m.

•"Light up the Village":

Re-enactment of the passageof 1812 Georgia legislationto create Emanuel Countywill be held at 1:30 p.m.

•Tours of old buildingswhich will be decorated inperiod décor by the SeedlingGarden Club.

•The Coleman Acade-my— a one-room school

•The Sycamores House—a 1860s dog-trot house

•Madison Dixon’s Black-smith Shop

•Carriage Shop o Hend-ley Log Cabin

•Dr. Wilder Smith’s Med-ical Museum

•George L. Smith II’smemorabilia

•Sam’s Restored Rocket•Living history and do-

cents in period costume•Children’s Games, Food

and Fun•Bonfire at 5:00 p.m. and

Christmas carolingThese events are being

sponsored by the EmanuelCounty Historic PreservationSociety and the SeedlingGarden Club of Swainsboro.

Emanuel Co. plans its BicentennialCelebration Saturday, December 8

Special to the Johnson Journal

At the Georgia Associa-tion of Primary Health Care,P.E.A.C.H., (ProfessionalExcellence and Achieve-ment in Community HealthAwards) ceremony held inAtlanta on October 18,Sharon King, site coordina-tor for Community HealthCare Systems, Wrightsvilleoffice, received the presti-gious Curtis V. Cooper Spe-cial Recognition Award.

This award recognizes anindividual for outstandingservices, demonstratingachievement, commitment,excellence, compassion andcaring in response to healthcare needs of patients.

Sharon has worked forCommunity Health Caresystems for almost twentyyears providing qualityhealth care services as bothSite Coordinator andProvider Assistant. GAPHC

describes her as an individ-ual who has the innate abili-ty to handle patient flow andbalance her position as aprovider assistant, whilemaintaining a seemingly ef-fortless demeanor.

Community Health CareSystems CEO, Carla Belcherremarked, "In identifyingwhat separates a good em-ployee from a great employ-

ee, the same five core princi-ples come up over and over:Trust, honesty, respect, in-tegrity, and commitment.Sharon possesses all five ofthese principles and it showsin both her work and herpersonal life."

In her acceptance speech,Sharon remarked, "First IGive God the Honor and Iwant to thank GAPHC mem-bers for choosing me forsuch a great award. Withoutmy coworkers at Communi-ty Health Care Systemsworking as a team, thiswould not have been possi-ble. I accept this award onbehalf of my patients andmy family who are here toshare this special occasionwith me."

Sharon is married to JohnKing and resides inWrightsville. They have onedaughter Tasha Stokes.

Sharon King receives the PrestigiousCurtis V. Cooper Recognition Award

Sharon King

JCRD announces Registration datesfor new Adult Co-Ed Kickball League

It's time to relive those nos-talgic days of gym class, andget your kickball team togeth-er! The Johnson County Recre-ation Department has decidedto offer a League for the youngand the old to enjoy together.

As the JCRD is steadilygrowing with youth sports, wealso want the adults to be ableto have fun and enjoy partici-pating in this community. TheKickball League that we are in-corporating in our program is

for ages 15 and up, and is a co-ed league. The League willstart sometime in January orFebruary.

The rules are basically thesame as Co-Ed Softball withalternating male/female; oneand one count; bunt rules; andthere will be no throwing theball at someone above theknees. There are already manypeople excited about this up-coming league and have decid-ed to start getting teams togeth-er.

So, if you are wanting toKick It Old School in

Wrightsville and relive thoseawesome days of Kickball, geta team together. Team fee willbe $200 per team, which in-cludes team t-shirts (max of12), players over the max of 12per team is $10 extra per play-er.

Umpires, balls, etc. will beprovided by the RecreationDepartment.

The Deadline to enter ateam in the 2012 KickballLeague is December 28, 2012.However, we are only except-ing 10 teams in this league sobe sure to enter a team quickly.

By Daniel TannerJCRD Director

Perhaps we need to jointhe new mother, Mary,back there in that very firstChristmas—remembering,and thinking deeply.

Remembering Hisnames, “Jesus, Immanuel.”

Thinking deeply about Hispurpose--to save. Insideourselves with God. Seemsa good place to be atChristmas time.

Dan King Sr is a seniorliving planner, pastoral

counselor, and registeredmediator. He may bereached at 478 272-9355or www.senior plan.info.Copyright 2012, Daniel M.King Sr. All rights re-served.

From Page 4aKing

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The Johnson Journal / Tuesday, December 4, 2012 / Page 7a

COMMUNITY NEWS

Visitors to Ball's Ferry, offof Ga. 57, are greeted by theglories of nature, and a cou-ple of rather curious sights.If you turn onto the pavedroad near the Ball's Ferryhistorical marker, you quick-ly come to realize why thelocals call it 'the road tonowhere;' it abruptly stopsbefore really going any-where.

To access the river and theboat landing, visitors musttake the small dirt road notfar from the marker. It mean-ders a bit but leads to acleared area where treesdraped by Spanish mosshang over the slowly-movingwater, and a picnic tablebeckons. A closer look at oneof the trees shows that whatfirst appear to be two stuntedbranches on either side of thetree are actually the remnantsof a braided metal cablearound which the tree hasgrown.

The cable is all that re-mains of a flourishing ferryoperation that crossed theriver into Washington Coun-ty. The site got its name fromJohn Ball, a RevolutionaryWar soldier who built theferry in 1806. The ferry re-mained in operation until1939, when a bridge over theriver was built.

The history of Ball's Ferrygoes back several hundredyears. Some historians be-lieve that the Spanish explor-er Hernando de Soto camethrough the area in 1540. InNov. 1864, Confederatetroops held off Gen. WilliamT. Sherman’s much largerforce for three days at Ball’sFerry before the Union sol-diers finally broke throughand allowed Sherman to con-tinue his infamous March tothe Sea. Jefferson Davis,President of the Confedera-cy, is believed to have stayedat Ball’s Ferry. The area isrich in Native American his-tory.

So what do the moss-draped trees, the road tonowhere, the river, the treewith the cable going throughit, and the rich history ofBall’s Ferry have in com-mon? All are the ingredientsfor a great State park, ac-cording to Wilkinson CountyCommission Chairman Den-nis Holder.

Holder has been workingfor more than 12 years topromote the development ofthe Oconee River surround-ing the Ball’s Ferry area.Several County commission-ers and citizens from Bald-win, Johnson, Washingtonand Laurens counties joinedtheir Wilkinson Countycounterparts and representa-tives from historical soci-eties, Chambers of Com-merce, Georgia Power, theGeorgia Civil War Commis-sion and several State agen-cies to discuss the future ofthe site.

This group transitionedinto the Ball’s Ferry Histori-cal Park Association, createdto preserve the natural re-sources and the historicalsignificance of the area whilepromoting eco-tourism in the

area through theestablishment of aState park.

The group hasmade several ac-complishments, in-cluding a feasibili-ty study in 2000and a Park MasterPlan in 2002.

But it was dur-ing WilkinsonCounty’s 2003 bi-centennial celebra-tion that a connec-tion was made thatultimately broughtin big money andmore possibilities.

Holder said that the pro-ject caught the eye of U.S.Rep. Jim Marshall, who wasattending the festivities.Marshall ultimately scoredalmost $1 million in line-item appropriations in 2004to pay for the purchase ofroughly 538 acres of landfrom Plum Creek.

And in 2005 Marshallsponsored a bill that bringsanother $1 million to theBall’s Ferry coffers for theconstruction of sidewalks,trails, lighting and amenities.

This final $1 million isabout to be spent. Bids arebeing solicited for the projectand should be opened Dec. 4,according to Department ofTransportation Project Engi-neer Eric Wilkinson. He an-ticipates construction to be-gin around Feb.1.

“There’s a little bit ofclearing to do, and you haveto consider the river and theweather, but the projectshouldn’t take more than sixmonths to complete,”Wilkinson said. “I’d say sixmonths to a year.”

Part of the constructionwill extend the road tonowhere and actually directit somewhere, taking it to theriver and connecting to anew boat landing. The pro-ject also includes a coveredpavilion instead of walkingtrails.

“Paddle Georgia camethrough last year and it wasraining, but they had noplace to shelter,” Holdersaid. “We thought a pavilionwould be something good tohave in the park.”

So while outdoor enthusi-

asts enjoy the river and themoss-draped trees, Holder ishoping that the area can be-come an official State park,focusing not only on the nat-ural beauty but the rich histo-ry of the area, while bringingjobs and capital investmentto the County as well. Thetree with the cable in it is justa symbol of the legacy thatthe site brings to the State.

“We’re sitting on historythat has never beentouched,” Holder said.“There’s history, history, his-tory everywhere. We’vecome a long way on it, butwe have a lot of work left todo.” Holder is looking to thenext step, which is figuringout how to get more moneyfor the project.

“Either the State of Geor-gia has to come up to bat andsay ‘We’re going to supportour State parks,’ or they needto show us how to get fundsfor Phase II,” Holder said.“Until the State gets back onboard and votes for it, PhaseII won’t happen.”

Holder’s long-term goal isto put the ferry back into ex-istence, crossing the river tothe opposite shore, where theweathered boards of the orig-inal ferry were found in thewoods.

“As far as I know, there’snot a ferry in existence in theState of Georgia” Holdersaid. “This area has a lot ofpotential.”

State Parkat Ball’s

Ferry maybe Open

Next YearBy Pam Beer

Staff Writer

A view of the Spanish Moss-lined river atBall’s Ferry; Below, the remnants of a braidedmetal cable around which the tree has grown.

JCMS Cheerleaders raise money forOperation Christmas Child Project

The Johnson County Mid-dle School Cheerleaders re-cently participated in a com-munity outreach project.They held a bake sale at thePiggly Wiggly and took theproceeds to purchase itemsfor Operation ChristmasChild, the Samaritan’s PurseProject.

All 13 girls were able tobuy enough items to fill ashoebox each. The purchased

items such as school sup-plies, personal hygiene items,socks, hair accessories, etc.Each box will be delivered toa girl approximately the sameage as the cheerleaders. Aspecial thank you to the par-ents, Piggly Wiggly and tothe ones who purchasedbaked goods or donated mon-ey.

The Squad consists of:Mackenzie Hadden, Jessie

Hightower, Da’Kiya Butler,Madison Kersey, MemoreeCason, Lauren Price, Tybri-anna Mack, Shianne John-son, Juslexia Daniels, LexiTanner, Savanna Fisher,Heather Claxton (not pic-tured) and Josie Sumner (notpictured).

The JCMS CheerleadingSquad is led by coaches Tay-lor Winfrey and KristieBrantley.

The JCMS Cheerleaders recently held a bake sale and used the pro-ceeds to buy supplies to fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Free Kittens, 9 weeks old. Two bob-tail, two longtail. One male, 3 fe-males. Call 478-299-1085.

Lost-1 1/2 year old German Short-Haired Bird Dog, answers to the

name ‘Katie.’ She is liver spotted andwhite, and is wearing a bright orangecollar about an inch thick. If anyonehas any information, please call 478-697-4921.

Myrtle Beach Timeshare. SouthBeach Resorts. Local owner wants tosale. 150,000 points. Can be used at

anytime of the year and at other resorts.$750 yearly dues. $4,500. Valued at$10,500. Buyer pays closing. SeriousInquires only. Call 478-304-0653.

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Page 8a / Tuesday, December 4, 2012

TTHHEE JJOOHHNNSSOONN JJOOUURRNNAALL

FAMILY FUN PAGE

CROSSWORDANSWERS

MAZE ANSWERS