Board of Education Urges Students to Study the U.S. Constitution

Pictured (l-r) are: James Waldrop Chapter DAR members Alice Mallory, Carol Key, Regent Betty Harrah and Constitution Week Chairman Ann Eldredge.

Staff photo

The Fayette County Board of Education recently passed a resolution to proclaim September 17-23 Constitution Week for the schools in Fayette County, Georgia. All children of the Fayette County School System are encouraged to read and to study the U. S. Constitution.

The Board of Education presented the proclamation to the James Waldrop Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Each year, members of the James Waldrop Chapter DAR visit several of the elementary schools and present an educational program to the children.

2008 marks the 221st anniversary of the signing of the U. S. Constitution.

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The Rick Massengale Trio Performs Free on the Courthouse Lawn

Fayetteville Main Street and the Fayette County Development Authority presents the third Lunch on the Lawn Friday, September 12 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the historic Courthouse. Fayetteville’s own Rick Massengale Trio will perform at this free event and Pies-On Pizza will be on hand selling box lunches.

Guests may bring their own lunch or purchase a box lunch from Pies-On Pizza. They will have boxed lunches that include chips and a drink with a choice of turkey and cheese sandwiches, slice of pizza or hotdog for only $5.00. During lunch, the Rick Massengale Trio will perform jazz favorites to include Miles Davis, John Coltrane and musical selections of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald.

Mercedes Benz of South Atlanta will be showcasing their new sports model car. Also, they will be giving away tickets to the Rita Coolidge Mercedes Benz of South Atlanta concert on Saturday, September 13 at the Villages Amphitheater.

This year, Main Street will host more than twenty events downtown. View the 2008 Calendar of Events at: www.downtownfayetteville.org under “Events & Headlines” and visit the Villages Amphitheater website for concert and free event information at: www.villagesamphitheater.com .
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Opinion: 1-800-Got-Junk-ie Streets in Fayette County, Georgia

I don't know who owns 1-800-Got-Junk. I'm not 100% sure how they operate but I "assume" they come pick up junk from your home for a fee or maybe if it's good enough junk they pay you ;-).

What I do know is that periodically someone goes through Fayette County sticking 1-800-got-Junk signs all over the place. A day, two days, three days later, the cities and county take all the signs down. Then a few months or weeks later, the signs pop up again.

Now maybe it's part of 1-800-Junk's advertising strategy to make a place look junkie, kind of a theme: We'll make you county look junkie by sticking up signs so you'll think about the junk in your garage and call us... Or maybe they're just thinking "boy we love counties with sign ordinances 'cause ours really stand out..."

There are sign ordinances in the county. They can put a sign in your yard if you let them, but they're not supposed to be sticking them in the right-of-way and they're not supposed to just be sticking them anywhere and everywhere.

Can you imagine what the county would look like if every business chose to stick their signs around like that?

Whether you agree or disagree with the sign ordinances in the cities and the county, they are there and the kind of companies I choose to do business with would respect the local rules and ordinances. If they're the kind of company that chooses to thumb their noses at rules or the kind that just doesn't choose to check out ordinances (I mean, gee, they have to notice they're the only company out there with signs around, should ring some kind of bell in the old brain wouldn't you think?), then they don't make the short or long list of businesses I might call.

I think that if the owners of a business aren't old enough to know better or intelligent enough to check the sign ordinances once, then maybe the powers-that-be should give them a pass. Pick up the signs, toss them in the trash and hope the guys learn their lesson.

However, if they do it again, they can't plead ignorance. The owners should be fined and then have to go out picking up trash on the streets for a few weekends, starting with their own signs.

- Janet McGregor Dunn
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Celebrate Constitution Day with Bells

Carolyn Balog and Regent Betty Harrah
Photo by Ann Eldredge

The James Waldrop Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution will kick off Constitution Week with bell ringing on September 17th at noon at the old Fayette County Courthouse in Fayetteville. The weeklong commemoration of America’s most important document is one of our country’s least known official observances. Our Constitution stands as a testament to the tenacity of Americans throughout history to maintain their liberties and freedom, and to ensure those unalienable rights to every American. The public is invited to bring bells and join in as our country celebrates the day. In addition to the bells, all are invited to publicly sign their support of the U. S. Constitution. The Marquis de Lafayette Chapter Sons of the American Revolution will be providing a musket salute for the occasion.

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First Presbyterian Church of Peachtree City Launches Concert Series with Sam De Carlo

A new tradition begins at First Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City on Sunday, September 21 at 4 pm as organist Sam De Carlo presents an afternoon of inspirational music. De Carlo will be joined in concert with John Beresford, senior music student from the University of Michigan. The community is invited to attend the concert at no charge. A love offering will be taken. First Presbyterian Church is located in Peachtree City at 206 Willowbend Rd. across from the Library and City Hall. For more information, please call (770) 487-7757 or email concerts@firstpresptc.com.






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Public Invited to Tour Starr's Mill with Fayette County Historical Society

8/24/08 (4:50 p.m.) The next meeting for the Fayette County Historical Society is Sunday, September 28th at 3 p.m. at Starr’s Mill. Local resident, Bobby Kerlin is going to share the history of the Mill along with his stories of growing up around this area. The public is invited to bring a chair and join the Historical Society as they learn more about this Fayette County treasure.

To learn more about Starr's Mill, click here for an article by Tony Parrott.

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Living in Faith at Death

Editor's note: There are plenty of excellent hospice groups around. The staff of the Fayette Front Page wish to acknowledge Hospice Advantage in Fayetteville for their assistance to one of our own as our staff member's family recently faced this issue in another state. A special "thank you" to Rebecca Folkes for her kindness.

It's the moment we all dread. It's the sound of the phone ringing at a time of day that is typically unusual. The voice on the other end of the line chokes out the words, "It's over."

Death is hard. Whether you or a loved one is staring at that door, it's just plain hard.

I have long been a strong believer in hospice care. Actually, I was sold on the hospice approach back in 1986 when my father was staring at that door. The local hospice in the town my parents lived in was there. They assisted my mom. There was someone there for her to lean on as she faced the day when her world stopped.

There's a new study out just this week that shows the hospice approach of incorporating faith in their program works. Whether it's the emotions of pleasure, guilt, sorrow, regret or any other emotion one goes through during this time, the study validates the faith approach of hospice. It's common for everyone to evaluate everything in their life as they face death. For my family, their care has been so very helpful. It's nice to have had those extra eyes caring and praying for us.

Death is a time when the world stands still for those who have lost their loved ones. Don't face it alone. Let someone whose heart is filled with compassion stand by your side.


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One Creative Kid Chef Could Win a $25,000 Scholarship Fund

FL Note: Come on Fayette County kids! Grab that peanut butter, put on your thinking caps, and bring home lots of peanuts!

(NAPSI)-As parents prepare for the back-to-school season, packing school lunches such as the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a great way to stick to the family budget and satisfy even the pickiest eaters. A recent survey conducted by Kelton Research on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company found a variety of ways adults prefer to eat their sandwiches made with peanut butter--69 percent of consumers prefer to use creamy peanut butter while 36 percent like their sandwiches toasted. However, for the past six years, thousands of kid chefs from across the country have been able to think outside the "lunch box" and create butterfly pancakes, lettuce wraps and even a "Monstwich" using Jif® peanut butter and their own imagination to earn scholarship funds.

From August 4 through November 14, 2008, the makers of Jif peanut butter are accepting entries for the 7th Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest™. The grand-prize winner will receive a $25,000 scholarship fund and four runners-up will be awarded a $2,500 scholarship fund. The contest is open to children ages 6 to 12.

Last year's most creative peanut butter sandwich was influenced by a child's love of Chinese food. Eleven-year-old Samuel Sosa of Riverside, California, hit a home run with his "Crunchy Chinese Fortune Cookie Sandwich," consisting of Jif Creamy peanut butter, celery and apple on wheat bread crimped into the shape of a fortune cookie. The "fortune cookies" are served with a dipping sauce of Jif Creamy peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, sesame oil and chili powder. Samuel added more creativity to his sandwich by handwriting fortunes such as "Smile, Mom Loves You" for his "cookies."

Jif is also offering up something for adults to help spark their creativity. For years, choosy moms have made Jif their No. 1 choice of peanut butter, which is why Jif is inviting adults to share stories--250 words or less--of how moms make the best choices for their families in the Jif Moms Voice their Choice Contest™. One grand-prize winner will win a trip to New York City to serve as a judge at the 7th Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest final live judging event in March 2009. Last year's winner and mother of two, Mary Grabowski, from Commerce, Mich., said in her winning essay "The way I make the best choices for my family is simply by using two things: my heart and my head. The job of 'Mom' is the hardest job in the world but is definitely the most rewarding."

For Official Rules, entry form, recipes or to learn more about the contests, visit www.jif.com.

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U. S. Rep. Westmoreland Visits Westpark Toastmasters

The Hon. Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-3rd) visited the Peachtree City offices of CIBER Defense Technology Systems (DTS) during the August recess of the U.S. Congress. He met with Ron Smith, Senior Vice President of CIBER Federal, and attended a meeting of Westpark Toastmasters. The Westpark Toastmasters club was chartered in October of 2007 with CIBER DTS as its corporate sponsor. Membership in the club is open to the public.

During the Toastmasters meeting, Mr. Westmoreland presented a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol building in honor of Westpark’s upcoming one year anniversary as a club. Speaking to a standing room crowd he thanked the club for providing people in the local community with the opportunity to develop and improve their public speaking abilities. He went on to say that, in his personal view, community organizations like Toastmasters are part of the moral fiber of our Nation. Mr. Smith accepted the honor as President of Westpark Toastmasters and thanked Mr. Westmoreland for the flag and for his service in U.S. House of Representatives.

Representative Westmoreland entered Congress in January 2005 where he serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, and Government Oversight and Reform committees. He represents Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from the southern suburbs of metro Atlanta – including Peachtree City – into Middle Georgia.
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PTC First Presbyterian Kids Climb The Wall in Faith

The Peachtree City First Presbyterian Church held its Back 2 School Bash August 17th for all school age kids. Over 175 children turned out for rock climbing, waffles, and worship time. Joining in on the fun were the Clowns of New Hope and Waffle House, who donated a full waffle breakfast for the youth. Director of Discipleship Jake Dukes said, "We had a lot of fun this weekend celebrating our faith and praising the Lord." For more information on upcoming youth programs, visit www.firstpresptc.com



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Superintendent Cox to Visit Schools in Coweta and Fayette Counties

State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox is heading to Coweta and Fayette Counties on Monday for "Back to School" visits.

"These visits give me the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the people on the front lines of education in Georgia," said Superintendent Cox. "I am always excited to get into schools and see the learning that is happening around the state, especially at the beginning of a new school year."

"What I learn on the road has a big impact on the work of the Georgia Department of Education and the State Board of Education," she said.

Traveling to Georgia's schools and visiting with local educators is part of the State School Superintendent's job description (O.C.G.A. 20-2-35), but Superintendent Cox has taken it to a new level. Since taking office in 2003, she has visited over 500 schools in every school system in the state.

Schedule for Monday, August 18, 2008

Coweta County
8 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. (Elm Street Elementary)
9:20 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. (Evans Middle School)

Fayette County
11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. (Sara Harp Minter Elementary School)
12:50 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. (Whitewater High School) - Superintendent Cox will teach an American Government class at 1:25 p.m.
2:50 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. (Whitewater Middle School)
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Georgia's Own Credit Union Awards Fayetteville Student $2,000

In the continued spirit of giving back to the community, Georgia’s Own Credit Union presented Amy Evans of Fayetteville a $2,000 college scholarship. Evans was the third-place winner in Georgia’s Own Credit Union’s college scholarship contest. Evans is a rising freshman at the University of Georgia and plans to study chemistry. Some of her numerous accomplishments included membership in the National Honors Society, Beta Club, chorus, and the Girl Scouts.

For seven years, Georgia’s Own Credit Union has given scholarships to young adults who demonstrate good financial habits, a commitment to their community and a commendable academic record. Applicants were required to write an essay outlining their goals, aspirations, and future plans. Evans was one of the many exemplary students who applied this year.

According to Georgia’s Own Credit Union’s CEO, Charlotte Ayers, “Each year, the selection process becomes more difficult as the number and quality of applications increases. We congratulate all of our young adult members for their outstanding achievements, and we are honored to facilitate the education of these future leaders.”

To find out more about Georgia’s Own Credit Union or its youth programs, visit georgiasown.org.

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Offshoot Offers Audience Participation in Murder Mystery and Improvisation Troupe

Offshoot Productions, the Southside’s longest-running professional theatre, has shifted its focus to touring and special events. Having recently completed its wide and resoundingly successful tour of the company-developed children’s show, Tales from Near and Far, the theatre is turning its attention to interactive performances for adult audiences.

Rehearsal for Murder is a sequel to 2006’s Audition for Murder and features several of the same characters. The play takes place in a police station following the death of Dr. Marcy Masters, a wacky theatrical director who has recently been released from an institution after getting off with a “not guilty due to temporary insanity” plea in the murder of an actress. The suspects in Marcy’s murder are two performers, Toby and Anne, who were trapped in a malfunctioning freight elevator with Marcy. The audience members, who have been given lines before the start of the show, play police detectives.

In addition to developing the murder mystery, Offshoot has expanded its improvisation troupe, the Gallery Players, over the past few months. The highly experienced and witty performers can tailor a performance to the needs of any group. Moreover, audience members supply many of the characters and situations enacted by the performers, and occasionally a few brave souls have an opportunity to join the actors on stage. Because the audiences always provide different input and because not every member of the Gallery Players appears in every show, performances are always different.

As the company’s need for set and costumes is greatly reduced, it will continue to sell much of the contents of its Peachtree City storage space. Interested parties should call the Offshoot office for details.

Those interested in booking Rehearsal for Murder or the Gallery Players should contact Offshoot at (770) 631-2362 or offshootpr@aol.com.
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School Zone Changes in Peachtree City

The Peachtree City Police Department wants to ensure that our City is a safe place to live, work and visit, therefore, our department sponsors a variety of educational and enforcement programs relative to traffic concerns. Every year the department’s Community Response Team conducts a traffic safety audit of the safety of the city’s school speed zones. During these audits, the department found some deficiencies in the locations of the school speed zones, and discrepancies in the signage for pedestrian crosswalks. In response the city has redefined the locations of the school zones, the times of the school speed zones, and the signs for the pedestrian crosswalks.

In conjunction with the Georgia Department of Transportation, the City Engineer of Peachtree City, and the Peachtree City Public Works Department, the police department has conducted over a year of engineering studies and research into the configuration of the city’s school zones in compliance with the Federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Over the next several months, motorist should realize the changes to the configuration of the signs for the school zones. The first phase of this project is to configure the times for all the elementary schools to the same school speed zone time, as well as for the high school and middle school. The times for the elementary, middle, and high school speed zones have been modified as follows:

Elementary Schools (Braelinn, Oak Grove, Huddleston, Peachtree City, Crabapple, Kedron):

7:15 AM to 8:15 AM
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
SCHOOL DAYS ONLY

Booth Middle School and McIntosh High School:

7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
SCHOOL DAYS ONLY

These new times have been posted on all the school zone speed limit signs at all of the city’s schools. For the first part of the school year officers will be conducting educational enforcement compliance checks of the speed of motorists through the school zones, as well as advertising the new times with the department’s visual message board trailer. Over the next several months, motorist will see additional signage being installed to further enhance the visibility and traffic safety around the city’s schools. The ultimate goal of these changes is to encourage more children to walk to school by reducing the speed surrounding the pedestrian crosswalks at the schools.

The Peachtree City Police Department has several programs in place in support of traffic safety initiatives. Through educational programs at the schools, non-enforcement car seat inspections at schools, and through enforcement at road safety check points in cooperation with the initiatives of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

Throughout this school year, the Peachtree City Police Department’s Community Response Team will be conducting informational seat belt checks, and bike and pedestrian safety rodeos at your child’s school. These informal seat belt checks will be conducted on a periodic basis and have been endorsed by the principal or administrator of your school. These checks will be conducted as you are transporting your child away from the school, or your child (with a driver’s license) is driving away from the school. Traffic safety information pamphlets will also be distributed at these events. The bike and pedestrian safety presentations will be coordinated throughout the school year.

If you have any questions concerning this or any other of the department’s traffic safety programs, please contact Lt. Mark Brown at markbrown@peachtree-city.org. If you have a traffic concern or complaint, please feel free to call 770-487-8866 and speak to any member of the Community Response Team. Your traffic concern may also be reported by checking with the following website: http://www.peachtree-city.org/traffic. This link will also provide resources for additional traffic safety information.

LEC Personnel Relocated Due to Storm Damage

Building “B” of the LaFayette Educational Center sustained substantial storm damage to the roof Sunday evening resulting in water damage to the interior and the temporary closure of the building.

All personnel working in Building “B” have been placed in other buildings on the LEC campus. Personnel/departments affected include Exceptional Children’s Services, School Heath Services, the CARE program, Testing and Assessment, Pupil Personnel Services, Instructional Department, School Nutrition, Safety, Discipline and Athletics, Elementary Curriculum and Professional Learning and the offices of Assistant Superintendent of Education and Assistant Superintendent of Operations.

Anyone needing to contact these departments can do so by calling 770-460-3990, ext. 450. More information regarding the status of Building “B” and the temporary relocation of staff will be given as it becomes available.

Only Building “B” suffered damage from the storm. All other LEC buildings are open and operational.

Army Ground Forces Band and Guest Soloist to Perform Salute to Pavarotti

The U.S. Army Forces Command’s Army Ground Forces Band will perform a concert in honor of opera’s great lyric tenor Luciano Pavarotti at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater in Peachtree City, Ga., Aug. 7 at 7 p.m.

World-class guest tenor Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Giuliano will help make the evening a memorable one.

With selections from Verdi’s Aida, Puccini’s La Boheme, Ponchielle’s La Gioconda and Verdi’s Rigoletto, as well as overtures from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Wagner’s Lohengrin, the evening should prove to be not only a tribute to Pavarotti but also a celebration of some of classical music’s greatest moments.

On Sep. 6, 2007, Pavarotti lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 71. Under the direction of Capt. Domingos Robinson and 1st Lt. Dae Kim, the Army Ground Forces Band has put together a program that honors his extraordinary life as one of classical music’s most popular personalities and talents. The program includes six of Pavarotti’s favorite arias from various operas.

In a culture where opera music is often regarded as a musical form for the elite, Pavarotti managed to popularize opera and become a household name.

Pavarotti certainly made a lasting impression on young Antonio Giuliano, who bought two Pavarotti albums in 1982 when he was a high school student in Pensacola, Fla. Now Sgt. 1st Class Giuliano sings with The U.S. Army Chorus.

Giuliano has had some memorable performances of his own. He has appeared in operas, concerts and recitals throughout the United States and Europe. As a senior vocalist and soloist with The United States Army Chorus, he has performed for heads of state, royalty and presidents worldwide. At the funeral services for President Ronald Reagan, he sang an a cappella version of "Amazing Grace," President Reagan's favorite hymn.

“Since 1988, I have been serving my country while using my God-given voice to represent our great Army and our nation as a musical ambassador,” he says. “I am an American Soldier. My mission is to serve as a musical ambassador of the American combat Soldier -- instilling pride in our troops, promoting a spirit of patriotism within our nation, and sharing a universal vision of peace, liberty and freedom through music.”

As one of only three Army bands with a national touring mission, the Army Ground Forces Band has traveled throughout the United States, performing at local, regional and national events.

The band also performs internationally when directed. Last year the Army Ground Forces Band traveled to Kuwait, playing five concerts for hundreds of Soldiers and other service members who were deployed there in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

To learn more about the band or Sgt. 1st Class Giuliano, visit the band’s website www.forscom.army.mil/band.