BRAG – The 31st Annual Bicycle Ride Across Georgia!

The Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) will celebrate its 31st consecutive ride this year as approximately 1500 cyclists gather for the annual bicycling trek across the state. BRAG is a family –oriented tour, not a race, with bicyclists of all ages and abilities.

Riders & family members will begin to arrive at Our Lady of Mercy High School on Evander Holyfield Hwy, Fayetteville, on June 4th and 5th for Saturday registration and prepare to start the ride on Sunday morning, June 6 and return to Fayetteville on June 12.

From Fayetteville, cyclists will travel to Spaulding High School in Griffin on Sunday, and the Thomaston-Upson Civic Center in Thomaston on Monday, then a layover day and two nights spent at the Corn Center for the Visual Arts in Columbus. The layover day on Wednesday, June 9, provides an opportunity for cyclists to rest, do laundry, or complete a shorter ride in the middle of the week. It is also the day for BRAG’s Century Ride, 100 miles on a bicycle, earning those who complete it the coveted BRAG bandanna. Departing Columbus on Thursday morning, cyclists will visit West Side Magnet Middle School in LaGrange and Newnan High School in Newnan on Friday, before completing their journey by returning to Our Lady of Mercy High School in Fayetteville on Saturday, June 12.

BRAG began in 1980 under the direction of Dot Moss, who was inspired to do a cross state tour similar to Iowa’s RAGBRAI. Known as GASBE (Georgia’s Annual State Bicycling Event) at that time, the first route began in Savannah and ended in Columbus. From 120 riders that first year, BRAG grew to 1800 riders by 1989 and has had as many as 2600 participants in 1996 for an Olympic route from Atlanta to Savannah.

The BRAG ride has a very positive impact on the communities they visit by patronizing local motels, restaurants, shopping areas and points of interest. Most of all, this charitable event benefits Special Olympics Georgia. For more information or to register, visit www.brag.org, email info@brag.org, or call 770-498-5153.

The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce applauds Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School for hosting this year’s BRAG event. Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School is a co-educational, college-preparatory school in Fayetteville serving grades 9 – 12. Our Lady of Mercy offers 180 days of instruction, traditional math curriculum, and a 100% college acceptance rate. For more information about Our Lady of Mercy, please call 770-461-2202 or visit www.olmbobcats.org.

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Sharpsburg man wins $12M Mega Millions jackpot

A Sharpsburg man is celebrating a mega win. Wayne Reese, 54, matched all of the winning numbers in Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing and won a $12 million jackpot.

Reese discovered his win Wednesday evening while checking the Georgia Lottery's Web site.

"I said, 'Whew' like Ric Flair," he said with excitement. "I shouted out to my family, 'Y'all won't believe what's right here!' "

Winning numbers for the drawing were: 2-9-28-51-53 and the Mega Ball was 19. Reese stopped at Red & Ed's Convenience Store, located at 874 Corinth Road in Newnan, for a MoonPie and a Coca-Cola Zero when he purchased the lucky Quik Pik ticket.

Reese, who is a contractor and owns a septic tank business, wants to build homes for his two adult children. He and his wife, Linda, also intend to remodel their own home.

The Reese's were already winners of the lottery. His daughter, a school teacher, attended the University of West Georgia as a lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship recipient.

"We're on a new ride now," Reese exclaimed. "It sure feels good."

Any Georgia Lottery retailer who sells a winning Mega Millions jackpot ticket can earn the $25,000 retailer incentive bonus payment. If more than one winning jackpot ticket is sold in Georgia, the retailer selling the winning tickets will share the $25,000 retailer incentive bonus. Red & Ed’s Convenience Store will receive the $25,000 retailer incentive bonus.

As with all other Georgia Lottery games, proceeds from Mega Millions will benefit education in the state of Georgia.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned more than $11 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs including Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia's Pre-K Program. More than 1.1 million students have received HOPE, and more than 940,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.

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Line Creek Nature Area is Finalist for Save the Trails™ Funding

Southern Conservation Trust invites local residents to vote at www.wheresyours.com before October 31st.

Southern Conservation Trust is pleased to announce that the Line Creek Nature Area is among 20 finalists in a competition for Save the Trails™ funding through Nature Valley® and the American Hiking Society. Line Creek was selected from a competitive pool of 160 trail projects located throughout the nation.

“We’re honored to be a finalist for Save the Trails funding,” said Abby Jordan, the Trust’s Executive Director. “This money would help us improve the trails at Line Creek, our most popular of three preserves the Trust manages. I hope that outdoor enthusiasts will log on to www.wheresyours.com by October 31st and support us with your vote.”

Save the Trails, in cooperation with the National Trails Fund, will award $5,000 to each of the top 10 finalists, based on online votes, to restore and revitalize hiking trails in their communities. Voting is open to the public now through Oct. 31, 2008, at www.wheresyours.com.

“Hiking trails are gateways to nature’s greatest experiences, but they need regular maintenance to ensure their longevity and safety,” said Gregory A. Miller, president of American Hiking Society. “The National Trails Fund is dedicated to preserving America’s hiking trails, and Nature Valley’s generous donation has doubled the size of this year’s fund. All area outdoor enthusiasts will benefit from the funding if Line Creek is selected by online voters.”

Southern Conservation Trust, the only land trust protecting greenspace in the Southern Crescent, applied for the American Hiking Society National Trails Fund earlier this fall to repair hiking trails at the Line Creek Nature Area, located on Hwy 54 between Peachtree City and Newnan. Funds will be used to upgrade the trail surface and install trail signs. More information on the Trust and its preserves may be found at sctlandtrust.org.

Nature Valley launched Save the Trails in June 2008 with a $50,000 contribution to the National Trails Fund. The annual fund’s sole purpose is to preserve our nation’s trails. Save the Trails funding recipients will be announced in April 2009; all funds are to be used towards trail restoration during summer 2009.

“National Trails Fund finalists were selected from a competitive pool, which was a record number topping 160 applications,” said Martin Abrams, Nature Valley marketing. “We’re grateful to be working with the American Hiking Society and truly excited to see how the National Trails Fund is piquing interest in hiking trails in local communities across the country. We are committed to helping make hiking trails enjoyable and accessible while protecting and preserving nature. Support your favorite trail at www.wheresyours.com.”

Since its inception in 1998, the National Trails Fund has granted nearly $340,000 to 89 different trail projects across the United States. Community preservation efforts include land acquisition, constituency building campaigns and a variety of trail work projects. With more than 200,000 miles of trails in the United States, the National Trails Fund is the only national private grants program that helps trail-maintaining organizations build and improve hiking trails and galvanize volunteers to ensure long-term trail sustainability.
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Coweta County Welcomes Nationally Known Economist October 22

The Coweta County Economic Summit is a "must attend" for business owners, business professionals, elected officials, candidates for office, and all citizens interested in the future of Coweta's local economy.

Nationally known economist William H. "Bill" Fruth will conduct Coweta County's first-ever Economic Summit, Wednesday, October 22, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon, at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts of Coweta County, 1523 Lower Fayetteville Road, Newnan. Coffee, Danishes, and networking will be available at 8:00 a.m. Admission is free.

Bill Fruth is certainly not considered a typical "run-of-the-mill" economist. Unlike many of his colleagues who spend much of their lives in an academic setting, Fruth has mostly "walked the walk" in both the private and public sectors.

After earning his Bachelor and Master degrees from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Bill Fruth began his economic journey in 1980, when he was elected to serve as the full-time Mayor of Tiffin, Ohio. It was quite a challenge, as manufacturing companies / jobs were leaving town, the nation was in the grip of a deep recession, and the city's economy and finances had
reached crisis level.

Facing the unthinkable, a relatively young Mayor Fruth had no other choice but to become heavily involved in economic and community development, in order to save his city from financial collapse. His hard work and accomplishments drew accolades from across the State, and Fruth was named one of "Five Outstanding Young Men of Ohio" before finishing his term in
office.

Bill Fruth's rise to notoriety in the economic development field soon led him to Palm Beach County, Florida, where he served as president of the Business Development Board. Once again, Fruth earned statewide recognition, and was named Florida Economic Development Professional of the Year in 1987.

It wasn't long before private industry took notice of Bill Fruth's accomplishments. He embraced the opportunity and served as Vice President of a major industrial land development company from 1988-1995. Fruth's responsibilities included directing the development and marketing of a
500-acre corporate park in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In 1996, Bill Fruth founded POLICOM Corporation, an independent economics research firm, located in Palm City, Florida. For the past twelve years, he has specialized in studying the dynamics of local economies, whether they are growing or declining, and what may be causing this to happen.

Fruth has personally evaluated more than 600 economies across the Nation. He has created more than 150 community studies, and since 1998, has provided presentations and workshops for state associations and communities in 32 states.

Bill Fruth is recognized by the Florida Administrative Court as an expert witness regarding local economies. He is the author of Where the Money Is ... America's Strongest Local Economies, along with numerous economic articles for newspapers and trade magazines.

Bill Fruth's presentation style may come as a surprise to those who have suffered through dry, often uninspiring economics lectures. To the contrary, he provides a fast-paced, entertaining, but mostly thought provoking analysis. Fruth's numbers are based on reality, rather than theory, and his purpose is to generate discussion of what makes an economy strong, and what each community must do to improve its economic condition and quality of life.

As a segment of the Coweta County Economic Summit, Fruth will first present examples of some of the strongest and weakest economies in the Nation. He'll then examine Coweta County's own economic strengths and weaknesses, and further compare them to those of Fayette County, Cobb County, Gainesville, GA, Auburn-Opelika, AL, the Atlanta area, and Georgia.

As Bill Fruth explained, "The purpose of this summit goes beyond presenting Coweta's economic strengths and weaknesses. I'd like to encourage discussion of what your community must do to further improve its economy during these difficult times, while motivating community leaders to work as one toward a common goal of long-term economic prosperity and a better standard of living for all citizens."

The Coweta County Economic Summit is sponsored by AT&T, Atlanta Gas Light, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Georgia Power, and Newnan Utilities. For reservations and further information, contact the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce at 770-253-2270.

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Walk to Help Fight Alzheimer's Disease on October 4th in Peachtree City

Consider yourself blessed if you can read this article. If you were a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease, you probably couldn’t. If you were a caregiver for an Alzheimer’s patient, you probably wouldn’t have time. Nearly 200,000 Georgians suffer with this dreaded disease. And nearly 350,000 others are affected by it through their roles as family caregivers.

The purpose of the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter, is to lighten the burden of care giving through personalized support, education and training, as well as contributions to research for the prevention, cure and treatment of the disease.

Saturday, October 4th is your opportunity to aid in fighting this disease by participating in the Southern Crescent Memory Walk in Peachtree City. Participants come from six adjacent counties: Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Henry, South Fulton and Spalding. Last year nearly $220,000 was raised to combat this disabling disease. Since the Walk’s beginnings in 2000, nearly $1,300,000 has been raised! The Co-Chairs for the Walk are Iola Snow and Fred Brown.

Registration for the 5K (3.2 miles) walk along the city’s cart paths is from 8:00 – 9:30 AM in the parking lot of the Frederick Brown, Jr. Amphitheater. Come as a member of a team, family group, neighbors, friends, or by yourself….just come and make a donation. Over 1000 people participate. Dogs are welcomed, too. A free continental breakfast is available upon your arrival. Face painting and balloons sculptures will be provided by the Clowns of New Hope Baptist Church. Music is provided by the Peachtree Jazz Edition.

A balloon release with a personalized tag attached is scheduled just before the walkers depart. But first, you must “warm up” with the assistance of World Gym trainers. Runners depart at 9:15 AM while walkers leave at 9:30 AM. Watering stations are located along the walking route. Golf carts are stationed at various locations to transport you back to the parking lot if the need arises.

Upon your return, enjoy a free hot dog or hamburger lunch courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City. Visit several of the sponsor tables to see what they have to offer. And don’t forget to stick around for some spectacular prize drawings. Make it a family function by joining in on the fun and please make a meaningful donation to help those in need.

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Local Junior Team Tennis Players Represent Fayette County at State Championships

SSG Note: Super kudos to the teams who represented the Southern Crescent Junior Team Tennis League. Teams from Braelinn Golf Club, The Summit, Peachtree City Tennis Center and Woodcreek were among those invited to play. What super kids we have! You all performed spectacularly. We are proud of your game skills and of your excellent sportsmanship!

Congratulations to all 998 junior team tennis players who competed this past weekend at the Georgia State Championships. With over 100 teams vying for the title of top racquet, competition was stiff. All of the players who participated in the invitation only tournament are to be congratulated. They are all winners.

Cribbage Club Meets At PTC Starbucks on Monday Nights

The Southsiders Cribbage Club, formerly of Newnan, now meets each Monday at Starbucks on Hwy 54, in Peachtree City. Play starts at 7 P.M. and all players are welcome.

The club is now in its summer phase where play is less competitive. This is a good time for former players to renew their association with the game, and to familiarize themselves with the official rules of the American Cribbage Congress. A session is nine games and usually takes about tw0 and a half hours.

Call Gene Bradshaw at 770-463-9946 for more information.