Recent Articles

Recent articles in the Athens Banner-Herald:


After 75 years, Winterville Church's key player stepping down


Candidates want councilmen to work together


In crisis, store manager knew what to do

Recent Articles

Here are links to some of my recent articles from the Athens Banner-Herald and local-only community websites under the helm of Patch.

Athens Banner Herald:

Senior center plans may hit funding snag

Council weighs raises vs. library

Winterville ponders next move for building

Libraries hit by cutbacks

Big plans taking shape at Sandy Creek

Food bank starts fight with fans

Text-to-give new option for donation

Pet Food Bank's namesake dies

Masada owner thrilled that it's the right weather for leather


Oconee Patch:
Proposed Epps Bridge Centre might grow


Lawrenceville Patch:
Bridges over 316 planned for Collins Hill, Hwy 20

Council weighs raises vs. library

By Jennifer L. Johnson - jennifer.johnson@onlineathens.com
Published Wednesday, September 29, 2010

WINTERVILLE - City councilmen are considering whether to provide annual raises for city employees or allocate more money to the local library, a hotly debated question that came up after they'd already adopted next year's budget.

Under the current economic conditions, the council's two-member finance committee opted not to give 4 percent raises, a perk that's not based on performance but had become customary for the past several years, Councilman Mark Farmer told colleagues at a meeting last week.

Doing away with the raises doesn't mean that city employees aren't doing a good job, according to Councilman Rob McNiff.

But some council members were angry that the changes made to the budget were not discussed earlier this month, when city leaders voted to accept the budget.

"In the 10 years that I've been on (the) City Council, we've discussed every comma and semicolon that's been changed," said Councilman Kenneth Tweedell. "I can't believe nobody brought this to our attention."

The $4,000 that would have gone to raises instead was allocated to the Winterville Library, part of the Athens Regional Library System, which is absorbing a $53,000 drop in state funding this year and anticipates another $50,000 budget cut next year.

"I'm on the (Winterville) library board of directors. I know we need money at the library," said Bob White. "But not at the expense of city employees. These people work their hearts out for the city, and we need to pay them fairly."

The council reviewed what the city already contributes to the library - including the $18,000 that's already budgeted, electricity costs and insurance - to figure out if the city should contribute more money.

Although Winterville can't legally amend the $513,757 operating budget after it has been adopted, line items and dollar amounts within the budget can be adjusted, meaning city leaders could cut library funding and reinstate the raises.

The council will revisit the issue at an agenda workshop set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Kids, officer talk about who not to talk to

Officer Jimmy Fulcher talks to kids at the Winterville Library's Stranger Danger presentation. Photograph by David Manning.

By Jennifer L. Johnson - jennifer.johnson@onlineathens.com
Published Thursday, September 23, 2010

WINTERVILLE - Nine-year-old Beatrice Carrillos and her sisters didn't come to the local library to talk to a police officer.

But when they arrived at the Winterville Library after school Tuesday, they ran into Officer Jimmy Fulcher, there to teach children age-old lessons about avoiding strangers and finding a police officer for help.

"I thought police officers were only there to arrest bad guys," said Beatrice, who came with sisters Elena, 10, and Rosie, 6, to use the computers at the library. "I didn't know that the police can help you with people you don't want to talk to."

Invited to talk by library branch manager Julie Carnes, Fulcher, a 31-year veteran officer, delivered the half-hour "Stranger Danger" presentation to a dozen preschoolers last week and to Winterville's older kids this week.

"Learning about strangers was one of my mom's biggest things," said Carnes, who organized the presentation with the Winterville Police Department a few weeks ago. "Kids should have this information and know what to do, from toddlers right on up to more mature kids."

Fulcher answered questions about his uniform and let some kids touch his badge, just so they'd know what a real one looks like.


Librarian Julie Carnes reads a book to kids about police officers before introducing Officer Fulcher at the Winterville Library. Photo by David Manning.

All the kids knew that they aren't supposed to speak to strangers, but most couldn't define one.

"If you've never seen anybody before, they're a stranger," Fulcher said. "Even your librarian was a stranger to you at one time. Yes, you know her now and know that she's here to help you, but when you first met her, she was a stranger."

Eight-year-old Hope Painter has a clever answer if a stranger asks where she lives, she said.

"I wouldn't tell him (the truth). I'd say 'Michigan,' " she said.

"Well, now, there's an idea," Fulcher said. "It would take them a really long time to get to Michigan, wouldn't it? But you don't want to tell them anything. Remember, we don't talk to strangers."

It's a lesson that Hope's mother, Deborah Painter, has taught her two daughters since they were old enough to talk. Painter brought Hope and Emma, 11, back to Winterville after seeing a flyer for the "Stranger Danger" talk at the library the day before.

"I wanted the girls to hear the presentation, just in case there's anything I missed or didn't think about before," Painter said.

Emma and Hope stay close to their mom in public, but also aren't allowed to answer the front door at home.

That's a good practice, according to Fulcher. He recommends kids tell their parent or guardian whenever someone knocks on the door, even if they know who it is.

"If they're not supposed to be there, don't open the door," Fulcher said. "If you're home alone and you get scared, call the police. We never have a problem coming to help scared boys and girls."

When police officers respond to 911 calls, they always arrive in patrol cars and wear badges, Fulcher said. It's OK to ask to see the badge before opening the door, he added.

Like adults who contemplate how they would respond in a perilous situation - like a mugging - Fulcher had the children run through their own danger scenario: A stranger tempting them with the trinket all kids want these days.

"You've got your own Silly Bandz at home and you should tell strangers that," Fulcher said. "That way you can be safe and get more Silly Bandz from your parents."

The library hasn't yet scheduled another "Stranger Danger" talk, but will if program planners find interest.

For more information about free programs at your local library, visit the website www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us.


Photo by David Manning.

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Thursday, September 23, 2010

Winterville ponders next move for building

By Jennifer L. Johnson - jennifer.johnson@onlineathens.com
Published Thursday, September 16, 2010

The committee charged with restoring the Winterville High School building and turning it into a senior center will hold a workshop with city officials later this month to figure out how to proceed now that they've won a $500,000 state grant for the project.

The grant money awarded last week is roughly one-third of what it would take to complete the project, according to committee members.

In applying for the grant, city leaders agreed to spend sales tax money to extend a sanitary sewer to the school building and its adjacent 450-seat auditorium. Some officials now want to wait until November - when they will know whether voters agree to extend a 1 percent sales tax - before they accept the grant.

The city could reject the grant and not build the sewer, but even with the $500,000, Winterville still would need about $174,000 to finish the senior center in the school building.

To close that funding gap, the restoration committee may form an official nonprofit to apply for grants and solicit donations. The nonprofit foundation also could oversee community resources such as the school and auditorium, Carter-Coile Country Doctors' Museum and the Winterville Depot.

"Right now, we're looking into models of how other small communities function under umbrella nonprofit foundations to manage their civic programs," said Jo Mercer, who sits on the restoration committee. "Nothing is certain. We're simply exploring the options - and there are many."

Citizens may attend the workshop, which will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Winterville Depot.


Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Thursday, September 16, 2010

Planters eager for Marigold Festival to blossom

Rick Marucci and children Noah, 9, and Jamie, 13, plant marigolds Saturday on North Main Street in Winterville. Volunteers helped plant 4,000 marigolds all over Winterville in preparation for the festival May 15. This is the second year of the festival following a seven-year hiatus. The marigolds were grown from seed by Thyme After Thyme of Winterville.
Photograph by Melissa Williamson.

Published Sunday, April 11, 2010

By Jennifer L. Johnson

WINTERVILLE - Last year, a group of citizens longing for the small town's signature event revived the Winterville Marigold Festival, and now they want to leave no doubt that the town really is the City of Marigolds.

Volunteers gathered Saturday to plant 4,000 of the small flowers - some blooming, others not yet showing their color - along Main Street, near the historic train depot, country doctor's museum and in Pittard Park in preparation for this year's festival May 15.

In 2003, a group of long-time volunteers closed the festival after repeatedly asking for new residents to step forward to organize and run the event.

After a seven-year hiatus, some of those new residents joined with longtime locals to stage a comeback festival last year, drawing 4,000 people, a little more than half the number the festival drew in its peak years.

"When we quit doing it, everyone got on the bandwagon to do it again," said Brenda Mercer, who is on the board of the group planning the festival. "We knew they loved the festival, but we needed the volunteers to really do it."

While Marigold Festival organizers lamented a few years ago that they couldn't get new volunteers, a strong sense of community swelled in the festival's absence, making people long for the old days. After last year's successful festival, more volunteers are working to make the event possible this year.

"A lot of my volunteers' parents were volunteers a few years ago," said festival organizer Emily Eisenman. "We've got the second generation - maybe even the third generation - helping out this year."

Nine-year-old Elizabeth Dutch is a third-generation volunteer. She came out to help plant flowers and talk about the coming festival.

"I want to go to the festival this year," Elizabeth said. "I went last year and liked the parade the best."

In its heyday, the marigold tradition was as much about preparing for the festival as staging the one-day event. Residents planted batches of marigolds on city property and in their own yards to make sure the yellow and orange blooms were everywhere on festival day. Dorothy Heintz, Elizabeth's grandmother, moved to the area in 1982 and liked that aspect of the tradition.

"This is my favorite job," Heintz said. "Gardening is what I do best."

With the rebirth of the festival last year, volunteers had to plant the flowers twice - once in spring and again after a hard freeze killed the first batch, according to 68-year-old volunteer Randall Covington.

Heintz saw a sign on the Winterville Depot marquee about this year's planting and got details from her neighbor Jack Eisenman, the chairman of the landscape committee for the festival.

Ashley Conner, 23, learned about the planting from a friend at church, and came out to help plant, even though she's never been to the Marigold Festival before.

"It's one of those things where I always wanted to go, but never did make it," Conner said. "Planting the flowers today will keep the festival in my mind."

Conner has lived in the city for 14 years, but you don't have to be from Winterville to love the official symbol.

Athens resident and Master Gardener Jean Colquett has been to several Marigold Festivals in the past, but she's never lent her love of gardening to getting ready for it.

"Marigolds are wonderful flowers because they have very few pests that bother them," Colquett said. "The marigolds we're planting have buds now. They should be beautiful in five weeks, just in time for the festival."

While the Marigold Festival brings the small town together, organizers hope to draw people from outside the community, too.

To help make it easy for outsiders to get there, the city has arranged a free shuttle service through Athens Transit that will take people from Walmart on Lexington Road to the festival and back. Buses will run all day so people don't need to worry about driving to the city, finding a parking spot down the street from the square and walking back.

Although organizers hope for good weather, Eisenman hasn't found that a few dark clouds deter most people on event day.

"The interesting thing is that, even though we threatened rain and we had one shower during the festival last year, it didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm at all," she said. "The city really loves this festival."

Volunteers interested in helping Winterville prepare for the festival can sign up at www.cityofwinterville.com/ marigold.


Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Sunday, April 11, 2010

Winterville Library fundraiser to put pets on parade

Oakley is used to dressing up for special occasions. The dachshund wore his tux last Halloween to the PetSmart in Fayetteville, where owner Ben Mazzucco showed him off. Mazzucco will bring Oakley to the Winterville Doggie Parade on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Ron Wetherbee



By Jennifer L. Johnson - news@onlineathens.com
Published Monday, April 05, 2010

Fido and the family will get the chance to strut their stuff in Winterville - just don't call the parade a "catwalk."

The Friends of the Winterville Library, a nonprofit group working to raise money for the public library, is hosting the Winterville Doggie Parade on Saturday. Dogs and their owners can participate in a costume parade - even without paying - and those who pay an entry fee can compete for prizes.

The $5 contest registration fee and all proceeds from the event will be donated to the Winterville Library.

The fundraiser is the first big event for the Friends of the Winterville Library since the opening of its Front Porch Bookstore in December. The used books sold at the store are modestly priced, from a quarter for mass-market paperbacks to $3 for hardbacks. Things like audio books, DVDs and special collections cost a little more, depending on the item. All the proceeds from sales are donated to the library.

The bookstore - staffed entirely by Friends volunteers - will be open until 4 p.m. the day of the parade.

"Every day, I see tons of people walking by the store with their dogs," said Front Porch manager Ron Wetherbee, who came up with the idea for the doggie costume contest. "We really wanted to get people involved in coming out, enjoying themselves and at the same time, let everyone know that the bookstore is here."

Athens-Clarke Animal Control will have pets available for adoption after the parade, and Athens-based Lucky Dog Agility will let dogs try running an agility course next to the bookstore.

Two-legged family members can get in on the action, too. The folks at Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful will hold a "Scoop-the-Poop Relay," in which contestants of all ages will race to pick up plastic props that look like the real thing.

The Friends will provide plastic bags for poop - the real kind - as well as bowls of water for the visiting dogs.

The event is meant to be low-key and fun, and the costume contest really isn't competitive, according to Friends board member Deborah Goldberg. There will be several prizes in other categories, like the dog who travels the farthest for the event or one for the pooch that's older than the other tail-wagging contestants.

"That way, everybody gets a shot at helping the Winterville Library," Goldberg said. "We're not dog experts. This is a day that's about having fun."

Register for the contest at 9 a.m. Saturday at Front Porch Bookstore on Marigold Lane. The pet parade will make its loop around Winterville Square at 10 a.m.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Monday, April 05, 2010

Senior center plan may help land grant

The Historic Winterville School Building

By Jennifer L. Johnson - news@onlineathens.com
Originally Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Monday, March 01, 2010

WINTERVILLE - City leaders continue to make plans to renovate the historic Winterville school building for a senior center and have agreed to apply for a $500,000 block grant that could pay for part of the restoration.

Applying for the Community Development Block Grant from the state Department of Community Affairs requires the city to get building inspections, conceptual designs and a tentative floor plan. That work will cost $8,500, but much of the work would have to be done anyway, according to Bob White, chairman of the school restoration committee.

The city acquired the school building and an opera-style auditorium last year from the Clarke County School District.

The restoration committee has been working to find a use for the school building and money to restore it.

Athens Community Council on Aging officials continue to talk with restoration committee members about becoming a long-term tenant in one section of the school building.

"The (Council on Aging) is essential as a partner to the validity of the grant," said Jo Mercer, who sits on the restoration committee. "They're a viable, established community eager to work with us to bring these programs and services to Winterville."

Council on Aging leaders are ready to start selecting existing programs that would work well in Winterville, according to Mercer.

Although the restoration committee and Council on Aging leaders haven't figured out which programs Wintervillians would like at the satellite location, the grant application doesn't require that information.

The senior center won't take up all of the two-story, 9,000-square-foot building, and the grant money only will go toward restoring the sections that house senior programs. If the city receives the grant, restoration of those parts of the building could be completed in as little as two years, according to Mercer.

Finishing the entire building could cost the city up to $1 million based on estimates by city engineer George Chandler, also a committee member.

The grant recipients won't be determined until October, according to Charlie Armentrout, the civil engineer who is assisting Winterville in the application.

"It will be a lot of additional work to pull this thing together," Armentrout said.

In public hearings about the building, Winterville residents said they wanted to use the buildings for senior programs. Other popular ideas included a health center, a space for Winterville's overloaded library and the relocation of city hall.

Programs for other age groups may benefit from the restoration.

"Our grant just has to focus on senior citizens to qualify," Mercer said. "The Athens Community Council on Aging has many programs that they could bring to Winterville."

The grant application requires a conceptual floor plan, not a detailed design, according to Armentrout. The Council on Aging still will have the flexibility to change programs.

"I don't think that anything that we would be doing would be cast in stone," said architectural consultant David Matheny. "It's fluid and flexible enough that we're going to be able to react to the citizens' feelings about this facility."

A public forum for citizens to provide input about the partnership and discuss which Council on Aging programs and services would work best in Winterville will be held at 7 tonight in the Winterville Depot.

Civitan Club marks 65 years in community

By Jennifer L. Johnson - news@onlineathens.com

Published Sunday, December 13, 2009

WINTERVILLE - Fifty-six years ago, the Winterville Civitan Club bought land next to Pittard Park and constructed a small building that soon became home to the local Boy Scout troop.

More than five decades later, the club spruced up the building and replaced its roof, and last year, became the official sponsor of Boy Scout Troop 44.

When the Civitan Club makes a commitment, the group sticks to it, and the city of Winterville is recognizing that continuity as the club celebrates 65 years this month.

"With the change in agriculture and demise of the railroad, Winterville could have easily disappeared," said Mary Quinn, who gave a presentation about the history of the city during the annual Founder's Day banquet Thursday. "People like these, supporting this community, are the reason we're still here."

In Winterville, the civic group has about 30 active members, but there are hundreds of Civitan chapters and more than 40,000 members across the world. Each club - Georgia has 42 - picks which service projects best suit that community, though the organization emphasizes assisting people with developmental disabilities.

The Winterville Civitan Club builds wheelchair ramps and sends two kids to Camp Big Heart, a summer camp for children and adults with mild to moderate mental disabilities at Fort Yargo State park in Winder.

"We go and take refreshments to one of their night parties, too, and that's always fun because they just swarm us," said Shawn Kotch, Winterville chapter president. "We're happy to do things like that because it means a lot to them, and to us."

Longtime member Betty Jo Cape gets a sense of community through the club.

"We do handicap ramps, sponsor the Boy Scout troop, and we give a scholarship to a high school student every year, which are great things," Cape said. "It's also about fellowship."

The club extended that sense of fellowship last year when it helped set up a club in Oconee County. The Winterville chapter was chartered in 1944 by the Watkinsville Civitan Club, which folded in 2000, and Winterville members thought the area needed an organization that could enable citizens to give back to their community.

"We knew we wanted to extend the group beyond Watkinsville, and we knew a lot of individuals in Oconee County," Kotch said. "But a lot of people that we cold-called are really happy to be involved (now), and are some of the most active members."

The club also puts on events like the annual auction and chicken barbecue fundraiser that last year shared the spotlight with the return of the city's popular Marigold Festival.

"We recognize a need in the community and go out and meet that specific need," said Ray Marden, governor of the Georgia District of Civitan International.

Civitan clubs across the state are branching out from the traditional fruitcake sales to host motorcycle rides, wine tastings, chili cook-offs and bowling tournaments to raise money for disability research at the Civitan International Research Center in Birmingham, Marden said.

Although the local club picks up litter along Main Street four times a year and has candy boxes to raise money for disability research at places like Agua Linda, Taco Stand and Bel-Jean, its real impact can be seen in Winterville itself.

"We put up the 60-foot flagpole in the square, and another at Wesley Whitehead Park last year," said George Chandler, a former president and son of one of the charter members. "We're a presence in the community even if you don't know it's us."

Civitan members were particularly proud of the $2,000 they recently spent to put up bulletin boards in the halls of the new Winterville Elementary School so students could see their work displayed.

Those kids are the future of the Civitan club, said Kotch.

"We're made up of a lot of older people right now, and that's one of the things we're trying to change," Marden said. "We need to be advertised a little better to younger people because we're doing good things for people."

He's hoping that the "Civitan rocks!" slogan might attract the attention of younger members, since the membership is mostly 50 and above right now.

Membership organization-wide is open to anyone at least 18 years old and of good character. The local club has an open invitation for citizens to come out to the Winterville Depot at 7 p.m. every second and fourth Thursday to see if Civitan is right for them and get a free meal on the first visit.

To find out more about the Winterville Civitan Club, log on to www.wintervillecivitan.com or visit the Georgia District Civitan International at www.georgiacivitan.org.

Santa taking train for visit to Winterville

By Jennifer L. Johnson
Published Friday, December 04, 2009


Santa Claus will make a stop in Winterville tonight.

Winterville's annual Christmas in the Park welcomes locals to a decorated Pittard Park from 6 to 8 p.m. today for free hot dogs, popcorn, hot cocoa and a visit from the man himself.

Winterville's holiday train will bring Santa down Church Street to Pittard Park at 6 p.m., where Santa will meet with children under the gazebo.

Public Works' Marla Getford will be driving the Marigold Express, a four-car and handmade caboose that was converted from an old airport luggage carrier and outfitted with school bus seats. The train is decorated with Christmas lights and reminds Getford of an amusement park ride.

"It's kind of hard to explain what it looks like," Getford said. "But in the dark - all lit up - it looks great."

The train will run continuously throughout the evening, and seats about 30 adults and children at a time. Last year, lines were 60 to 100 people long to take a free trip around the downtown square, according to Getford.

The train will run down North Church Street from the park and turn down Marigold Lane in front of the library, where event-goers can get off to participate in the grand opening of Front Porch Books.

The bookstore, which is operated by the Friends of the Winterville Library, will be raffling off tickets for Christmas gift baskets - $1 a ticket or $5 for six - with proceeds to benefit the library. The store also has planned a reading of a holiday story for children of all ages on the front porch at 6:15 p.m.

"We'll have free hot cider and goodies, and, of course, tons and tons of books for sale," said General Manager Ron Wetherbee.

Last year, Christmas in the Park drew about 800 people. Organizers are hoping the kickoff to the season of giving will inspire people to bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. The city will have a box in the Pittard Park Pavilion to drop off donations during the event.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Friday, December 04, 2009

New chapter for old Winterville building with opening of bookstore

By Jennifer L. Johnson
Published Tuesday, November 24, 2009

WINTERVILLE - The people running the newest shop in Winterville know they won't be able to pay their workers a dime this holiday season, but that's OK.
The proceeds from every sale at the Front Porch Bookstore will be donated to the Winterville Library.

"One hundred percent of the profits goes right back to the library," said bookstore Manager Ron Wetherbee, a volunteer with the nonprofit Friends of the Winterville Library. "Nobody gets any money, and the library gets every penny."

The bookstore opened ahead of schedule in preparation for its grand opening Dec. 4, the evening of the Christmas in Winterville holiday celebration at Pittard Park.

The used books sold at the store are modestly priced, from a quarter for mass-market paperbacks to $3 for hardbacks. Things like audio books, DVDs and special collections cost a little more, depending on the item.

The bookstore is on Marigold Lane, just off the square in a tiny single-room house crowded with wooden bookshelves and a few rocking chairs in front of the children's section.

The Winterville City Council offered the former city hall building to the Friends after Mayor Jim Mercer saw a small bookstore in another state operated by a group supporting its local library.

Most libraries sell some books at once- or twice-a-year book sales, but those fundraisers don't have the consistency of a full-time, full-fledged store.

"When we got this opportunity, all the Friends thought it was a great idea, so we all just came together and got it going," said Friends President Jan Mazzucco. "Hopefully, we will make more money by having a continual store, rather than just selling books at the Marigold Festival."

The council had the empty building refurbished, added a coat of paint and acquired a few shelves that Wetherbee repaired. The city is paying for the electricity and isn't charging the group to use the building.

"The city council is 100 percent behind us," said Wetherbee, who founded the Friends of the Winterville Library in 1998.

"(The bookstore) helps the city, because the building is in use, and we're donating money and support to the library - things they would have to pay for out of their budget."

Some Wintervillians are just glad there's now a bookstore in their community.

"The community really needs a place where we can go to get a book," said Martha Beach. "This is a good thing for Winterville, and I hope it succeeds."

Susan Reese and her 13-year-old daughter, Lizzy, recently brought in three boxes of books they hope their neighbors might want. "It benefits everyone. There is no downside to this."

Winterville Librarian Lizz Bernstein put out the word that the new store is looking for donations to fill the shelves, according to Reese.

"This really represents Winterville - not just the brick and the mortar and the wood, but reusing the historical buildings," Reese said. "They're giving back to the community, and not just financially."

Before the store opened, the 1,500-square-foot library had only enough room to display a handful of titles for sale. Now with the new designated space, Front Porch Books can accommodate a few thousand books.

Wetherbee has been to about 20 homes in and around Winterville in the past few weeks to pick up book donations - fiction, self-help, travel, biography, children's books and romance novels.

Martha Beach was the first paying customer when the store opened Nov. 9. Wetherbee framed the dollar she spent and put it on the wall behind the register - only to be perplexed later that night when recounting the drawer. When Wetherbee realized why he was $1 off, he replaced the money with a bill from his wallet.

Wetherbee has given a lot more than that to help the bookstore open its doors.

Aside from the time he's donated to fixing bookshelves, fetching books from people's homes and manning the store, Wetherbee has recruited his family to help. His brother, sister-in-law and wife have shelved books, hung Christmas decorations and painted signs, and all are picking up hourlong shifts when the need arises.

The new bookstore is staffed by volunteers and always needs more, according to Wetherbee.

Potential volunteers may call (706) 372-1236 or e-mail fowl1012@yahoo.com.

The bookstore is open during the same hours as the library, in part because there are no restroom facilities in the one-room building. Front Porch will be closed Wednesday and Thursday for the holiday. While the store normally will be closed on Fridays, it will open Dec. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. to celebrate its official grand opening.

Winterville School plan talk of town

By Jennifer L. Johnson
Published Saturday, November 07, 2009

WINTERVILLE - The historic Winterville School might become government offices, a senior citizens community center or home to the city's library.

"Everybody's been talking about this project for years, and we wanted to hear what the citizens of Winterville really want from this space," Jo Mercer said as citizens gathered Thursday to tell her and other members of a restoration committee what they see as the future of the school. "I wanted them to think past what everyone has said before, to be practical but also think outside of the box."

Some people want city hall moved into the renovated school, they told members of the restoration committee.

The current city hall is an old market building with about 200 square feet, estimated Mayor Jim Mercer, who is Jo Mercer's husband.

"Instead of saying city hall, why don't we call (the school building) a municipal government property?" said Wintervillian Wayne Gabriel. "We could have city hall, the police department and the library all in one building."

The 9,000-square-foot building, acquired this summer along with an opera-style auditorium, is large enough to accommodate offices, a courtroom and city council chambers.

One of the more practical uses for the school building on North Church Street might be housing the Winterville Library, which is part of the Athens Regional Library System.

The library is squeezed into a 1,500-square-foot building, so cramped that the city is allowing the Friends of the Winterville Library to begin selling books in the tiny house city hall once occupied.

Along with general meeting spaces, a health center, an all-purpose artists' venue and a community center, the old school could be become a historical museum with the building restored to its former purpose, perhaps spotlighting its use in the 1920s.

Councilwoman Mary Quinn included the school on a walking tour of Winterville's historic district this fall, and in preparing for the tour, created a history of the town that needs a home.

"Mary has accumulated stacks and stacks of historical data on the history of Winterville that needs a place," Jo Mercer said. "The school would be an excellent place to house the history of our city."

Some of the proposed uses might even bring the city a little money.

Grants may be available to turn the school building into a senior center, according to Committee Chairman Bob White, a place that could host meetings, computer classes and workshops on canning, knitting or other crafts.

The committee is considering residents' suggestions to turn the school into a place for learning and continuing education.

University of Georgia adjunct professor Harriet Allison struggles to find places where her education students at UGA can get experience.

"I'm drifting toward the different possibilities to do education-type things," Allison said. "That includes everything from a senior center and computer classes right on down to the kids and after-school tutoring."

Committee members are entertaining ideas of housing a consignment or thrift shop in the school building, in part because they can apply for certain grants if the building is used to serve low-income people.

But they rejected one group's suggestion - a coffee shop - because the city won't lease any of the school as retail space. The city might allow people to rent part of the building for weddings, meetings and other events. The school building's cafeteria could become banquet hall and could better accommodate public hearings and forums than the Winterville Depot or tiny city hall.

If planners relocate existing services and offices - like the library or city hall - to the school building, it would free up other buildings in the city square.

But those types of changes are a long way off.

"This isn't going to happen tomorrow," White said. "First, we want to try to stop the deterioration of the buildings."

The dilapidated school needs major repairs from the roof down. Committee members caution that the historic school can't be used in some ways - like for a functioning school or day care - because both buildings contain lead paint, and removing all of it isn't practical. Asbestos abatement is planned for both buildings, but the committee hasn't yet decided how to take care of the lead paint.

One thing is clear - the 450-seat opera-style auditorium will be restored for its original use, with a few upgrades like audio/visual equipment and a screen for showing family-friendly movies.

"I think that auditorium is going to be the next torch that's going to light up the area," Jim Mercer said. "It will be one of the best things that can happen to Winterville."

The auditorium is the logical first rehabilitation project, said Jo Mercer, as it's in the best shape and will require the least amount of work to restore. Committee members hope that the completed auditorium will drum up funds to complete the restoration of the school.

"Whatever we do, I think that it's an important thing that when we get to the end of this, it's something every member of the community can be proud of," said committee member George Chandler.

A second forum will be held in January before the committee determines the future of the historic school. Citizens who couldn't attend the public forum can submit their ideas for the school building to winterville@charter.net.

Winterville planners won't back new class of zoning

By Jennifer L. Johnson
Published 11/4/2009
Athens Banner-Herald

WINTERVILLE - The Winterville Planning and Zoning Commission voted Monday night to recommend that the city council not adopt a new zoning class that would allow assisted-living communities.

The proposal for an "assisted residential district" would accommodate Sycamore Ridge, a proposed community for developmentally disabled people. A nonprofit proposed building the community on an 87-acre tract of land stretching from Parkview Drive across to South Main Street that supporters hope to buy.

"I've heard no one give me - not one - one concrete example of how the city of Winterville benefits from such a district," said commission member Jack Eisenman, who voted to recommend denial. "This, I think, would compromise tremendously the (city's) comprehensive plan."

Georgia communities are required to prepare comprehensive plans every 10 years; Winterville's plan was last adopted in April 2008.

After trying to rezone the tract of land - and failing because the existing zoning classes don't include a use like Sycamore Ridge - supporters worked to create a text amendment to Winterville's zoning codes to allow a development like theirs.

Lee Carmon, a Northeast Georgia Regional Development Commission planner hired to advise city leaders, said the proposed district doesn't fit into the city's land-use plan and its terms are vague.

"This proposed zoning district doesn't fit with any of the character areas in its comprehensive plan," Carmon said. "It's not a tightly written ordinance."

Jon Williams of Williams and Associates, the firm that drafted the text amendment and spoke for Sycamore Ridge, heard Carmon's assessment for the first time Monday night.

"I'm sure that I can work with her and add things to the zoning amendment," said Williams. "A community like this could definitely be beneficial to the city of Winterville. We just ask that you keep an open mind."

The proposed zoning district would allow commercial, agricultural and retail facilities on the property, Carmon said, a fear that other speakers echoed.

"We don't have any guarantees about what's going to go there," said Wintervillian Nikki Crew.

Sycamore Ridge's plans include family-style cottages with private rooms for residents and businesses like a garden center, an artist market and a cafe that would be open to the public, but provide meaningful jobs for the developmentally disabled adults living there.

Citizens worried that if Sycamore Ridge fails, a commercial or industrial buyer might turn the property into something bad for Winterville.

But the people who drafted the proposed district worked to make sure that wouldn't happen, Williams said.

"If the community goes away, there can't be a McDonald's on the site, or a vegetable stand on the site," said Williams. "Everything that is specifically enunciated in this zoning district is there for the benefit of the developmentally disabled people that will reside in this community."

Commission member George Chandler recommended that Sycamore Ridge supporters look for a tract of land in Clarke County, though he recognized the need for services for developmentally disabled people.

"We want to stay a single-family residential community," said Chandler.

The decision to deny the proposal was not unanimous. Commission member Shawn Kotch voted against recommending denial, and commission Chairman David Dreesen abstained.

"I try to keep a very open mind," said Dreesen. "If I was required to vote, I think I'd almost have to flip a coin."

The commission voted on the merits of the proposed zoning district, and not on the merits of Sycamore Ridge's program, according to Dreesen.

Sycamore Ridge supporters were disappointed with the commission's recommendation, but haven't given up.

"We really feel that this concept, as written, is in keeping in your comprehensive land-use plan, at least in spirit," said David McKenna, one of the people who proposed Sycamore Ridge. "We need to work on the words."

Williams plans to approach the mayor and city council at its workshop meeting Dec. 1, the first time the council will take up the zoning proposal.


Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Pumpkins all around at church sale

Garrett Smith, 1, looks over a pumpkin at the Winterville United Methodist Church pumpkin patch on Sunday. Photograph by Richard Hamm


by Jennifer L. Johnson

It normally takes about five months for a pumpkin to grow to maturity, but the front lawn of Winterville United Methodist Church turned orange overnight.

Nearly 800 pumpkins have arrived on the lawn facing Main Street in the Winterville city square for the church's second annual Pumpkin Patch, a sale benefiting the church's ministries.

"This year the pumpkins are bigger and better looking," said JoAnn Snow, Winterville UMC outreach and mission chairwoman and Pumpkin Patch coordinator. "They're much better than last year's delivery."

The pumpkins come from an Indian reservation in New Mexico, and last year before the church received the delivery, a three-day freeze damaged or destroyed many of the 500 pumpkins that made their way to Winterville.

"We threw out more than we sold," Snow said.

After all of their expenses last year, the Pumpkin Patch only made $141.

"Despite that, we felt that the camaraderie of the volunteers and our impact on the community was worth the cost of continuing this year," Snow said. "Last year was a very enjoyable experience for everyone."

The Pumpkin Patch quickly became popular with local day care groups and pre-school classes. At $1 a child, groups brought children to see the pumpkins, have story time, take a hay ride, play in the church's playground and shoot a group picture in the patch's fall-themed photo center.

The photo center was such a big hit last year that program leaders decided to leave it up until Thanksgiving, according to Snow.

"I remember driving down the street in the evening well into November and seeing families taking pictures of their kids on the bench," Snow said.

About 50 church volunteers - nearly a third of the church's membership - will be taking shifts at the Pumpkin Patch before the end of the month.

The Pumpkin Patch has mini-pumpkins for table decorations, huge carvers for the front stoop, and all the sizes in between, as well as gourds like swan and star gourds. Prices range from tiny pumpkins for $1 to huge pumpkins at $40.

"Fruits of the Vine," a cookbook of pumpkin recipes from the church, is free with any purchase of $20 or more.

While this year's crop is a treat, Snow told volunteers on opening day about the trick that she'd just discovered: A misprint in the cookbooks means some pages are upside down.

"So if anyone should make mention of it," Snow said, "Just tell them that it's the trick of trick or treat."

Winterville's family-friendly Halloween celebration will be the church's Fall Festival on Oct. 24 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event is open to the public and will have free hot dogs and drinks while supplies last. In addition to the pumpkins and gourds still for sale, there will be games for the kids, face-painting and hay rides.

Volunteer Bob Liedberg can't wait.

"What was great about the Fall Festival was it was everybody coming together-not just the congregation but the community, too," Liedberg said. "Things like this really bring a place together."

The Pumpkin Patch is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.


Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Monday, October 19, 2009

Hearing planned on project for disabled

by Jennifer L. Johnson


WINTERVILLE - The Winterville Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing next month about a new zoning class proposed by a nonprofit working to build a community for developmentally disabled people.

Sycamore Ridge supporters are working to build a community in Winterville where disabled people could live and work meaningful jobs.

After trying to rezone an 87-acre tract of land on Parkview Drive - and failing because the existing zoning classes don't include a use like Sycamore Ridge - the nonprofit proposed its own "assisted residential district."

"Unfortunately, your existing zoning regulations didn't have a place for us to fit," land planner Jon Williams of Williams and Associates told planning commission members Monday night, when he presented the three-page document.

The new zoning class would allow assisted-living communities for people with physical or developmental disabilities.

The commission is required to conduct a public hearing, which will be held at the November planning meeting.

Meanwhile, Winterville planning officials are reviewing the proposal.

"We have (the text amendment wording) out to legal authorities and the Georgia Municipal Association," said planning commission Chairman David Dreesen. "This would be a major change to the city to incorporate a new zoning district."

The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 2, likely in the Winterville Depot or the Winterville Elementary School because of the large turnout at a public meeting about Sycamore Ridge in August.

While planning commissioners are open to public comments.

"At that time, it would be our intention to vote to recommend or not recommend the new district to the mayor and the city council,” Dreesen said.

While planners are considering only whether to add a zoning class, Sycamore Ridge supporters expect to hold another round of public hearings before city leaders decide whether to rezone any specific tract of land.

"We think everything is on track," said Nicholas Harris, executive director of Sycamore Ridge. "This works in our favor because now we have more time to fund-raise more dollars."

Citizens should put their comments into writing for the commission to consider before the hearing, which doesn't yet have a set location, Dreesen said.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story contained an incomplete quote from Winterville planning commission Chairman David Dreesen.

Council making plans for historic renovation

Photo by Richard Hamm

by Jennifer Johnson

WINTERVILLE - City leaders have taken the first step toward renovating the historic Winterville High School - finding out just what's inside.

The Winterville City Council recently agreed to spend $1,440 for an asbestos inspection of the old Winterville High School and auditorium, which the city bought for $1 this summer, as leaders make plans to renovate the historic buildings.

"Until we do an inspection, we don't have any idea what we're dealing with," said City Councilwoman Mary Quinn.

A group of citizens and government officials is overseeing the renovation of the two buildings after the city purchased them from the Clarke County Board of Education in June. The committee arranged for an environmental hazard testing company to take samples of various materials around the buildings located on North Church Street.

The samples will be analyzed in a lab to identify any problems with the materials in the building.

"This is step one of where we have to go," said Bob White, chairman of the rehabilitation committee.

Next up, the committee will solicit quotes from architects, who will have to incorporate in their plans how to deal with any asbestos or other hazardous material that turns up in the inspection, according to White, who works at the physical plant at the University of Georgia. Those proposals likely will be due in November or December.

The cost of architectural work could range from $125,000 to $167,000, according to White, but actually completing the work may run $1 million to $1.5 million.

"Let's face it - it's going to be expensive," he said. "When you get into historic preservation, it gets real expensive."

In the meantime, city leaders will do what they can to improve the property. A fence and cracked asphalt behind the school will be removed and recycled in the next few days.

"We're trying to make it look better for the community and the environment," White said. "Hopefully, just for the cost of 20 or 30 pounds of grass seed."

Next month, locals will get a chance to tell city officials how they'd like to see the space used.

"We're in the research stages," White said. "We need to find out what the community wants to do with these buildings."

Committee members warn that the buildings can't be used for just anything - no school or a day care - because both buildings have lead paint, and removing all the paint isn't practical, he said.

Suggestions may be sent at any time via the city clerk at winterville@charter.net.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Nonprofit seeks new zone class

by Jennifer L. Johnson

WINTERVILLE - A nonprofit organization working to build a planned community for developmentally disabled people may ask the city of Winterville to create a new zoning class.

The would-be developers of Sycamore Ridge are working on a proposal for a new zoning district for Winterville, a class they are calling an "assisted residential district," said Planning and Zoning Commission member David Dreesen.

Sycamore Ridge representatives met with Dreesen and the city engineer to ask about how best to present their proposal, which is on the agenda for the commission's Oct. 5 meeting, said Dreesen.

"We're currently working with the Winterville Planning and Zoning Commission about zoning requirements," said Nicholas Harris, executive director of Sycamore Ridge. "Once the land has been zoned in the appropriate category, we'll be ready to move forward with developing."

Organizers met with the Planning and Zoning Commission early this month and proposed the city rezone the land under the "professional limited commercial" class, the type of zoning for places like doctor's offices and private schools.

Planning commissioners voted unanimously to reject the proposal because they didn't see the development - which plans to provide jobs for its residents in a garden center, artist market and café - as a private school, as organizers had suggested.

The developers decided not to appeal to the city council, and instead will propose the city create the new district.

The group plans to close on an 87-acre tract of land stretching from Parkview Drive across to South Main Street in Winterville on Dec. 31.

The development hinges on the zoning and closing the contract, said Harris. If everything goes according to plan, some housing and vocational programs for the first set of residents would be up and running within 16 months of closing on the land.

At a hearing in August, Winterville residents worried that rezoning the entire 87 acres would leave the city with no control over the type of commercial business that might go there if Sycamore Ridge fails.

Though some people expressed concern about traffic, Sycamore Ridge has not received any calls or e-mails from opponents.

"It's a collaborative effort," said Harris. "We're trying to meet the needs of the community, and the community is trying to meet the needs of Sycamore Ridge."

The organization has been receiving calls from families with questions about admission requirements, people interested in serving on the board and professionals looking for jobs.

"The residents of Winterville have been very, very open to us," said Harris. "We've tried very hard to address their concerns without jeopardizing the true mission of what Sycamore Ridge is all about."

The next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in Winterville City Hall.


Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Saturday, September 19, 2009

A story at every stop on Winterville tour

Photograph by Tricia Spaulding


By Jennifer L. Johnson | news@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 12:31 am on 9/5/2009

WINTERVILLE - When trains carrying soldiers to a Civil War hospital in Union Point stopped at a station like the one in Winterville, they sometimes left the dead behind to make more room for the living.

John Schroeder was left behind.

Though the Confederate Army made an effort to return dead solders to their families, Schroeder is buried between four unmarked graves and an air-conditioning unit behind Winterville United Methodist Church on the town square. The graves aren't visible from the church parking lot or the road, and there are no signs letting visitors know they even exist.

Mary Quinn can't wait to show people where they are.

"There's a story everywhere you turn here," said the longtime Wintervillian.

Quinn would know - she's learned the depth of the city's history through research and interviews with the families who call Winterville home.

"The facts that you can find are real limited," she said. "It's the stories you got to get from people."

Quinn will share the stories she's learned when she leads a tour of Winterville's historic district Sunday.

The tour is part of a series organized by the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation to celebrate Athens' designation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of its 2009 Dozen Distinctive Destinations.

"We really needed to come up with something great to celebrate this," said Amy Kissane, the executive director of the foundation. The tour series continues through this summer and autumn as part of the foundations' Athens Heritage Walk campaign.

"Walking tours to me are the best way to get to know an area because you're with a small group of people, with someone who obviously loves the area," said foundation trustee Amy Andrews.

Andrews helped organize the schedule and works with the amateur historians who are conducting the tours of places like the Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery, the Milledge Circle historic district and the University of Georgia's Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

"With this focus, we wanted to look at some unique aspects of Athens-Clarke County," she said. "Places like Winterville that are a little bit off the beaten path."

Quinn welcomes the opportunity to share stories of her childhood home, she said, and is glad the heritage foundation included Winterville in the historical tours.

"We see it as a perfect opportunity to introduce others to our quaint community," she said.

Andrews wasn't very familiar with Winterville, even though she had attended the city's celebrated Marigold Festival, which was held from 1971 to 2002 and revived this year.

"I didn't even know how it got its name until I started to talk to Mary Quinn," said Andrews.

Georgia Railroad station manager John Winter volunteered his family name when it came time to title the one-mile radius around the wood-and-water stop six miles east of Athens.

When the tour participants gather in the recently renovated train depot to start their tour at 2 p.m. Sunday, they'll hear how Winter and his brothers immigrated from Germany and settled in the railroad town.

Though no descendants of the German immigrant live in the city today, four former Winter family homes will be stops on the tour.

The tour begins in the train depot, and will include a blacksmith shop, the Carter-Coile Doctors Museum, Pittard Park, the Hunnicutt Hotel and several architecturally significant houses in the area that are included in the National Register of Historic Places.

The walking tour also will stop at the city's newest acquisition, the old Winterville High School and its 450-seat opera-style auditorium.

The school has sat dilapidated for about five years, said Quinn. Though they won't get to go inside, tour participants will peek in windows and step over the dedication stone from the graduating classes of 1926 and 1927.

The tour will pass parts of the abandoned railroad that runs parallel to Main Street. The right-of-way is part of a proposed rails-to-trails project to convert 38 miles of abandoned railway into a walking and cycling trail from Athens to Union Point.

"This is a railroad town, where everyday people worked and where they lived," said Quinn.

Tour spaces still are available for Sunday and for a reprise of the same tour, scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 10. Registration is $12 for Athens Clarke Heritage Foundation members and $15 for non-members. Registration forms, tour details and schedules can be found online at www.achfonline.org.

Though space is limited, there may be room for last-minute participants who arrive at the train depot on Main Street in downtown Winterville before 2 p.m. For more information, call the ACHF at (706) 353-1801.

Ambitious jobs-for-disabled plan raises questions

By Jennifer Johnson | news@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 12:19 am on 8/5/2009

Nick Harris wants what any father wants for his teenage son - to be happy, healthy and find a rewarding career. But cleaning McDonald's restrooms or chasing down carts in a grocery store parking lot are the only options for Ethan, a teenager born with Down syndrome.

Harris is hoping a proposed community for people with disabilities would give Ethan and people like him the chance to live independently and find a meaningful way to contribute to society.

"The need for job opportunities for adults with disabilities is astronomical," said Harris, executive director of Sycamore Ridge, a nonprofit organization with plans to open a residential community for the developmentally disabled in Winterville.
Not everyone agrees that Harris and his team have picked the right way to help developmentally-disabled people land good jobs.

As they came out to hear the group's plans at a public hearing Monday, some said they worry about traffic and what will happen if Sycamore Ridge's ambitious plan fails.

An 87-acre tract stretching from Parkview Drive across to South Main Street will include an equine barn, riding rink, garden center, artist market and café open to the public, creating jobs for the people who live there. The campus-like community will include four six-bedroom cottages with private rooms for residents and could house 80 adults when the project is complete.

But neighbors worry that once the property is rezoned, the plans might change.
"We like the community the way it is," said resident Dawn Perry.

Winterville residents are especially wary of development after a legal tussle over city ordinances left a planned 158-lot subdivision called Winterville Station only partially constructed.

"I have no problems with the adults that you're planning on putting here," said Perry, whose home is close to the property. "But what if this doesn't work and you have to abandon the property? I want some guarantees - something substantial - that says you're going to succeed."

Sycamore Ridge isn't intended as a profit-making venture, developers said. The café, market and other businesses wouldn't have to pay the original cost to build infrastructure, investments that a charity would fund.

"I don't know what's going to happen in five, 10, 15 years," said Winterville Mayor Jim Mercer. "But I can guarantee you that eventually, something's going to happen to that land."

The property comprises 5 percent of the land inside the city limits, and that is one reason why citizens are concerned, said Mercer. Though the project is just beginning the process of government approval, Winterville residents were clear that they don't want the entire 87 acres rezoned.

Some of the regulations over the project may be addressed as variances, rather than rezoning the entire area commercial, said planning and zoning committee member David Dreesen.

"We're not here to bait and switch," said Sycamore Ridge Vice Chairman David McKenna. "We'll commit to whatever we have to commit to, to get your approval."
Not all residents disapprove of the group's plans.

"A planned community with greenspace and a park-like atmosphere is far more appealing than having 80 houses built which would cause increased traffic and demands on our infrastructure," said resident Rebecca Silver.

Developers have not done a traffic study, said McKenna, but from his 20 years experience in real estate, he doesn't anticipate traffic problems. Employees arriving in the morning and leaving in the afternoon will come in the opposite direction of rush-hour traffic, and Sycamore Ridge residents won't have their own cars.

"We really think that there is an economic benefit for Winterville," said McKenna. At full capacity a few years from now, developers anticipate between 90 and 120 jobs could be created for non-disabled local residents.

"Frankly, we just fell in love with your community," said McKenna. "Everything just clicked with Athens, Winterville and this site."

But some experts don't think the Sycamore Ridge model is best for developmentally disabled people.

"Having this here is going to take resources and attention away from people in the community," said Jenny Manders of the Institute on Human Development and Disability, a federally-funded agency at UGA that advocates to keep developmentally disabled people living in their own homes and a part of the community. Organizations like the Statewide Independent Living Council and the Georgia Advocacy Office agree and are opposed to the facility.

Developers recognize that there are groups that oppose their planned community.

"It may not be the place for everybody," said Harris.

A special education director and parent to a developmentally-disabled child, Joan Baird recognizes that some groups don't agree with the group's mission.

"Having spent my life trying to make the world better for people with disabilities, (I think) this is a great thing for some people," said Baird. "Not for everyone, but for some people."

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Town abuzz as Marigold Festival returns

Winterville's back in bloom
By Jennifer L. Johnson | news@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 12:01 am on 5/16/2009

WINTERVILLE - When the organizers of Winterville's Marigold Festival decided they needed a break in 2002, Donny Seagraves, the event's publicity chairwoman, felt awful.

"I felt like we were taking away Santa Claus from the kids," Seagraves said. "Winterville really loved it."

Today, after a seven-year hiatus, the festival returns, giving Wintervillians a chance to celebrate their unique city.

Friends and former neighbors used to time their visits to Athens to coincide with the festival. Members of Seagraves' family who live in Tennessee have re-established the tradition and returned for this year's festival.

"We've missed that for the past few years," Seagraves said.

Half of the people helping to revive Winterville's Marigold Festival never attended one before, but they'd heard enough stories.

Emily Eisenman, who moved from West Palm Beach, Fla., with her husband two years ago, wanted to be part of the Winterville tradition and took on the task of organizing the festival's return.

When word spread through the community about plans for 2009, Winterville began to buzz.

"I think it pleased a lot of people because they can go back and relive their memories," Seagraves said.

Marigold Festival 2009 will keep many of the features that drew people for three decades - at its peak 7,000 visitors - but the time away will allow for some changes, too.

"Not having a festival for several years is allowing us to do some things differently," Eisenman said.

Organizers, for instance, moved the date of the festival from late June to mid-May to avoid the worst of the summer heat.

"Thank God, 'cause it would get burning hot," said Lanora Pierce, a former Miss Marigold who now works as a preparator for the Georgia Museum of Art. "The festival was a big deal when I was a kid. I walked down from my house, which was on the other side of town. I loved it."

While this year's festival tries out new events like dog agility courses and alpaca petting, it is bringing back many of the traditions that make hometown festivals unique.

The Winterville Civitan Club will barbecue chicken in the Pittard Park Pavilion to raise money for an annual scholarship for a local student.

Mary Whitehead, the whose husband, Wesley, was mayor when the festival started and helped make it a community tradition, will serve as grand marshal of the festival's parade.

Glassblowers and potters will sell their wares, but art offerings will range from the work of children to professionals.

The Georgia Museum of Art contributed several sculptures on Main Street near the train Depot, large scrap-metal animals by Georgia artist Doug Makemson that will be displayed until August.

Winterville Elementary School students also created works for the festival, and Principal Deborah Holcomb Haney was looking forward to her first Marigold Festival.
"Being out with the community, mingling and seeing parents and grandparents I normally see around here in a different context is a really great thing," Haney said.

Administrators at Winterville Elementary, which was relocated to the old Gaines Elementary building on Gaines School Road while the Winterville school undergoes renovations, sent home fliers to encourage parents to support the festival.
Like many people contributing to the festival this year, Haney already is looking to the future.

"I'm hoping that next year, when we're back in our school, maybe we'll participate more in having groups sing," she said.

There will be plenty of music this year, including the first Winterville Marigold Festival performance of the town's official song, written by singer-songwriter and Winterville native Wilma.

David Blackmon, who played the fiddle at one of the early Marigold Festivals with his brother and father, will perform with The Wintervillians in their first public appearance.

Pork barbecue and ribs will be cooked up in the Depot by Ken Hodges BarBQ. Hodges' father's barbecue was a highlight at previous festivals.

"There are several things coming full circle," Seagraves said. "And I'm looking forward to the new as well as the old."


Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Saturday, May 16, 2009