Fayette has TALENT

Wow. I spent the weekend manning the booth for Offshoot Productions (Theatre) at the 2nd Annual Festival of Arts in Fayette County. I knew there would be art, and I knew there would be things for the kids to do, and I knew there would be some peformances. What I didn't know was how fantastic the performances would be!

We are truly overflowing with exceptional talent in this county! I've known about the talented folks who perform for Offshoot Productions and have been impressed for many years with the multi-talented writers, singers and actors.

This past weekend I learned about many of the other performers from Fayette.

We're going to see some of these kids on stage and will be listening to them on the radio at some point in the future. There were entire families chocked full of young performers (the Wade family is 'just all broke out' with talent!).

Something else I noted was the phenomenal support provided by the performer's families. Also, they had the support of the school system, numerous local non-profit theater groups and art groups.

The YMCA has been involved in promoting the arts in various ways for some time. The Endowment Committee for Cultural Arts was on-hand this weekend and has a long-term commitment to supporting the arts through scholarships and endowments.

Recently Andre DeLorenzo started up the Southside ARTS Agenda, an email newsletter that goes out weekly to inform a growing membership list about all the arts happenings.

The Fayette Art Center & Gallery, another non-profit, is doing their part to promote and support artists and craftsmen of all ages. They recently moved into the yellow building across from Publix on Hwy. 54 just outside the Peachtree City limits.

We in this county are very lucky to have all the home-grown talent I saw and heard this weekend. I know it's just the tip of the iceberg, too. These kids are very, very lucky to live in such a great county and to have such a strong support system that allows them the ability to stretch their wings and discover their talents.

There is power in the arts and there is power in Fayette County's art "scene."

They're coming to get us...

Ho ho, hee hee, ha ha... "They" have been after this beautiful little jewel for many years. They make little inroads here and there... They grab this, snipe that...

“They” are all those who want to turn our county into just another crowded suburb of Atlanta. We've been lucky for some number of years in that we've had some fairly stalwart guardians. However, there have always been some weak spots in our armour. A rezoning here, a sewer deal there, annexations everywhere.

Rather than looking at the big picture, rather than looking down the road to see the implications of a current action, exceptions have been made, and are being made by our elected officials for this developer or that friend.

Coweta (which we have zero control over) is developing right up to the edge of our borders. Peachtree City is annexing and developing the West Village. Surprise, surprise, Tyone isn't happy about it (the same Tyrone that has annexed and annexed and brought in sewer and exploded in growth over the past few years).

There's a developer wanting to put a high-density development right in the middle of the county on Ebenezer Church Road. It was turned down by the previous County Commission a few years back, but rumor has it that Herb Frady is working hard to get it passed this go around. The neighbors have gathered and they've shown up in force for the rezoning requests. It's back on the drawing board again so they'll have to gather one more time.

If you’re watching the papers, the online news media and the various city and county sites, you’re aware of all the rezoning requests. If you drive around the county you can see for-sale, signs for upcoming developments and rezoning requests everywhere.

Prior to Harold Bost, Greg Dunn, Linda Wells and Peter Pfeifer's tenure on the Fayette County Board of Commissioners there were activists who attended every County Commission meeting. They kept the citizens informed and yelled when deals were being cut or the land use plan was being corrupted. They stopped when the aforementioned Board members were elected. No need. They had excellent guardians who walked a tight line, adhering to the land use plan.

Tyrone was once a small town and almost to a person, that's the way they wanted to keep it. It ain't a sleepy town no more folks. They're growing so fast the town looks like a stuffed Christmas stocking getting ready to burst – except most of the long-time residents don’t seem to particularly like the presents in the stocking

What can we as citizens do to stop what’s baying at our doors? Go to your city council and /or county commission meetings. Look at the rezoning requests that are in the pipeline. When you see a rezoning request sign on someone’s yard, even when it’s across town or in another neighborhood, go online to see what they’re wanting to do. Don’t wait until they’re in your backyard. Once they’re in your comfort zone, it’s too late. The battle needs to be won when they’re making that first change.

There is a point in every battle that is decisive. It’s easy to see that point in time when you’re looking back studying the war. However it’s sometimes difficult to know that a particular action is so critical when you’re in the midst of the battle. We may have already passed our critical point in the battle to save the flavor of our county. There are many who are packing up and heading out already. If you plan to raise your children in this county, if you plan to live here until you die, if you want to save what’s left of the county then it doesn’t matter if the critical battle has been lost. We have to fight to save what remains. Maybe we can slow what looks to be the inevitable down. Maybe we can turn back the tide to some degree right now. No matter what, if we get involved and try we’ll make the future better.

Tour de Georgia

What an exciting event! I'll have to admit that I don't keep up with biking, don't know much about the sport (although who hasn't heard of Lance Armstrong?). However, that said, it was a lot of fun yesterday at the kick-off.

These are world-class athletes and they have a huge fan base! They are obviously completely committed to their sport and love it. They were gracious, fun and intense.

Another thing that struck me about the start was the community involvement and enthusiasm the Tour generated. I have no idea how many people were there, how many lined the streets to see the racers zoom by their spot, but there were a LOT of people milling around.

I stood next to a couple from Minnesota who were here simply to see the race. They had their bikes and probably took a nice spin after the hoopla was over.

I took over 600 photos! That's a record for me. I have quite a daunting task ahead, sorting through them to find the keepers. I took a quick look last night and haven't seen many that I'll easily give up! We also filmed the event and will have the video on the site within the week. We're going to air some clips on our TV show this Friday if we can get it edited into the show in time.

I met a 3-time Olympic athlete volunteering at one of the booths. I saw so many people I knew I'm surprised I found time to take photos. We didn't get to all the booths set up by Main Street, local vendors and various businesses and non-profits. We could hear the band, but only managed to get one shot. Quite a few showed up on their bicycles, many in full biking gear. There was food, food, food, give-away items, the Delta "airplane" flitted around and there were plenty of porta-potties. What more could you want?

If the Tour comes through again next year, grab your family & come enjoy the fun! This year Peachtree City was chosen as the starting point for the Tour. Hopefully they'll get it again next year!

Honesty & Flash Foods

Tonight we stopped at the Flash Foods station on the corner of Hwy. 54 & Jeff Davis in Fayetteville. My husband went in to pay (so we could get our 2 cents a gallon discount). He came back out, we started to drive off. We were flagged down by one of the guys who worked at the store before we could get away. Turns out Greg had dropped a $5 bill on the counter (or maybe the floor) when he was getting his change. The guy handed Greg the $5 and ran back inside.

Wow.

You know he could have pocketed that $5 and we probably never would have realized it was missing.

Seems like every time I start to get a little down in the mouth about the future, someone does something really nice and restores my optimism.

We patronize Flash Foods whenever we can, partially because they have a nice discount rewards card (you get the discount on gas, plus various special sales and more). The other reason is that the people in the stores are, as a rule, nice.

Another reason? They don't get their gas from Chavez.

Kroger, Publix

I hit any number of grocery stores any given month. I go to the DeKalb Farmers Market once a month, Wal-Mart, Kroger and Publix at various times. Each store has something the other doesn't so I have to vary. Greg (my husband) is a traditional eater, I tend to travel the extremes.

In a couple of my blogs I talked about my quest for the least expensive raw honey (Kroger).

Yesterday, I popped over to Publix to pick up a few things they carry that none of the other local stores stock. I really like Publix. It's clean, the people are friendly, they'll stock anything if you ask them.

However, I was shocked at the price difference in some items.

I buy a black tea at Wal-Mart and Kroger, same brand, common name. It's usually on sale at one of the two places for $2, regular price being $2.19. I've seen it as high as $2.39 but that's rare. It was $3.19 at Publix. A dollar difference. I've always known they were a little higher on some products, maybe a penny or two. Now all of a sudden prices have jumped. And when I say jumped, I mean sky-high jumped!

I thought that was an anomaly, but it wasn't! Maybe it's just because I buy things that aren't always mainstream items, but almost every thing I picked up ended up going back on the shelf. The were consistently close to a dollar higher on many things.

I still ended up spending $62 so I didn't walk out empty handed! But I put more things back than I bought.

I don't think I'll be going back to Publix any time soon, much as I like some of their foods. Just to end this on a positive note, I really like the selection of healthy foods at Publix, and I like the way they have them with the regular foods instead of stuck off in a section somewhere. I would imagine they sell quite a bit more that way.

Out riding around

I've always considered myself an optimist. I enjoy life. I love the life I have here in Fayette County.

That said, I'm becoming pessimistic about the future of our county. According to some of my friends, I'm late coming to that way of thinking.

Yesterday (St. Patrick's Day) Greg & I went to the first ever St. Patrick's Day parade in Tyrone. It was great and I'd call it a huge success. Lots of reason for optimism when you see all those wonderful folks coming out to watch the parade, participate in the dog contest, and enjoy all the other events planned for the day.

After the parade we rode around a little. Later in the day we met some friends to go out to dinner and that entailed driving across the county, seeing a different area.

Every time I go out anymore I see signs that we're heading slowly, hopefully very very slowly, toward being just like all those counties that so many wanted to get away from. If we're not vigilant, we're going to be there sooner than most in this county would want.

It seems if there's an empty space someone is building. In Tyrone, a developer wanted to put eight houses to an acre right in the middle of town. It was turned down by a 2 to 1 vote when it came before the City Council! The Mayor lives next to the property and would benefit, so she recused herself. It came down to Mike Smola, Gloria Furr and Grace Caldwell to decide. Smola said yes, Furr and Caldwell said no.

In the late 1990's I went through Leadership Fayette. We split into groups and each did a "report" on a town in the county. I didn't have Tyrone, but I know all those who did and I heard their report. They surveyed a fairly good sampling of people living in the town, asking them what they wanted for their home city. They all wanted growth to bypass them. They wanted deer in the backyard. They wanted restaurants in Peachtree City close enough they could get to them but not in their quiet, friendly little town.

If you haven't been to Tyrone lately you have missed an explosion. There are some on the Council who are staying true to what the residents want, and others who seem to want the town to become a big city overnight.

It's not just Tyrone though. It's all across the County. Some can't be stopped due to legal considerations; some can't be stopped because of poor past planning or poor past decisions by those in government.

There is almost an inevitability to the path a city and a county takes. Especially if decisions are made looking at the short term instead of the long term. Especially if the people living in the county don't take the time to monitor their government.

The only way to stop our county from becoming like any other county in the metro area is for those who live here to get involved and fight to protect what we have. Unfortunately, realistically, most people are "NIMBY's" (Not In My Back Yard). Until something directly affects us, until some developer wants to put 8 houses to an acre on the spread next to ours, we wear blinders.

Take a ride around the county. Look at how growth is nibbling at the edges of many areas in the county. Once an area is rezoned, the one next to it can be changed... and then the next... and the next... If you like what we have, get involved now.

Turkey on the Porch...

How many of you have ever walked up to your front porch and found a wild turkey perched on it? We have some HUGE wild turkeys that wander around our yard off and on.

Wild turkeys traverse wide swaths of territory each day and we've found they don't stick to the same routine. Last year we had a bunch of baby chicks that seem to have been hatched under a large growth of wild looking bushes in the back. Once they were out and about they certainly didn't hang around for long!

We'd see them on occasion. They started out a gaggle (is that term for geese only?) but ended up dwindling down to two. There was one who never seemed to stick with the rest of the group. He'd stray off into the bushes or lag behind pecking at whatever struck his fancy. He lasted longer than I initially thought, but one day he just wasn't there anymore.

I imagine our local fox enjoyed a nice turkey dinner whenever he could.

It's hard to get attached to turkeys, but I did hate to see the little ones disappear.

Anyway, back to the turkey in this story (no, not me!). I headed out to my studio one afternoon and saw something huge getting ready to knock on the door.... yeah, you guessed already, it was a turkey. This monster turkey stayed on the porch looking in the glass window for quite some time. He (I assume it was a he) seemed to be fascinated with his reflection.

I had to wonder what was going through that tiny little turkey brain as it peered at the window. It didn't get mad, didn't show off its huge array of feathers like they do when they're strutting or trying to be imposing (or trying to show off for the opposite sex). It didn't peck at the window (thankfully).

I hope we never lose our turkeys, our wild fox, the hummingbirds, and all the other wonderful wildlife that flits in and out of the yard. We have some chipmunks (really cute) that scamper around back near the studio. It's fun to watch them jumping around.

It seems that so much of Fayette County is being built-out. There are houses going up everywhere. So much commercial growth is happening in the cities. One of the things that makes Fayette County such a special place to live is our large open spaces, the large lot sizes and the quality of homes we build.

If we want to keep our way of life, we have to be vigilant. We have to be involved. There are too few who are involved and it concerns me at times. So many of my friends, and others I encounter, are saying they're planning to move. They think the county is on a downhill slide, that we've peaked and it's time to get out before it gets too bad.

I hope they're wrong. I plan to do what little I can to try and keep our way of life like it is. There's not much one person can do, but hey, you gotta do what you can.

Readers Beware!

I just rec'd a notice from SitePro News saying spammers and hackers and nasty types are sneaking garbage onto blogs. Here's the link to read about it: http://www.fortiguardcenter.com:80/advisory/FGA-2007-04.html

Watch what you click on blogs! When I put a link on my blog just know it'll be easy to tell it came from me.

Meteor?

Last night as I was working on the Fayette Front Page I saw a meteor. We converted a sunroom into an office so I'm surrounded by windows. About 10:15 or so I caught something bright out the window to the left of the computer. I looked up and saw a burning white ball with a tail of white streak downward.

It difficult to say exactly how big because I couldn't tell exactly how far away it was. It was pitch black outside... no way to tell distance looking out from a lighted room into the sky.

I didn't hear it hit, I didn't hear it as it plummeted to the ground. I'm "assuming" that if it were close the impact would have made some sort of sound. It was fast.

We went outside just to see if it were possible to see anything. I'd think if it hit close that someone else might have seen it. In this area we're all on minimum 5 acre lots and there are some properties that are much, much larger. There's a lot of woods.

I may never know what happened to the meteor. It could have hit in the middle of the woods somewhere, it could have disintegrated before it hit the ground... but I doubt that. It was just above tree leve when I saw it and it was a good size.

If anyone happened to see it, let me know!

Frustrating...

I've been unable to get in to blog for a while. Spent ages working through every different problem it could be... researching on the Internet... even went to so-called tech support on Blogger. Man that's a hoot. You go round and round trying everything, finally get to the point where you've exhausted every suggestion on their site so you opt to send an email. It takes you through all kinds of hoops, loops and just when you think you're actually going to get to a screen with an email on it you're right back where you started. I had to laugh when, after almost a full week I got their reply. It was the same canned message that's on their site (which I had already explained I'd tried). At the end, it said if none of that worked to send them an email.

I know they do this for free. I know they want us to try everything. I really appreciate the fact that I can have all these blogs, etc., etc. But geez, they should at least read the email once we manage to get through all the guard gates, land mines and barriers they have to keep you from being able to get to the email! Nothing frustrates me more when dealing with tech support --- they have canned responses that get sent once they see a key word.

I think I need to learn how to better communicate with tech support... I need to avoid using any phrases that trigger the canned response. I need to put the problem at the END maybe rather than the beginning? Anyone out there ever found a good way to cut through the layers that most places have set up to keep us frustrated? You know the routine... you call, they run you through the stuff on their list of things to do in response to the problem. You've already tried them all, but you go through it anyway. It doesn't work. They finally say they'll have to send the problem to the next level, do a ticket or whatever. You wait, wait, wait. You get an email finally... and it goes through all the same things you've already done.

Congratulations to Vicki Turner

Vicki was chosen as the Business Person of the Year by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. She received the well-deserved award Saturday night.

Vicki is everywhere and she's always giving. She and husband, Tommy, have made their computer business a fantastic success.

Vicki paints wonderfully and has been known to donate one or two of her paintings to support some of her favorite charities. If you've not seen any of her paintings you need to track them down. Arts & Expression Magazine did a piece on her last year sometime, the article may be on their website. You can also check with the Fayette Art Center & Gallery in Fayetteville, I've seen her work in there at times, too.

Vicki has won every award the Chamber hands out now I think! Ambassador of the Year, the Chet Wells Award and others. She is past Chair of the Chamber Board.

She supports Fayette Senior Services and is on their Board (she may be the Chair? or she was the Chair last year, don't know when they switch out).

She is in the Metro Fayette Kiwanis and is always there when needed.

Those are just the areas I know about from my involvement in various activities where our paths cross. I have always been amazed at her energy, her graciousness, her ability to draw the line when needed, her business, her giving... the list could go on. As far as I'm concerned, they could give her the award every year.

Congratulations Vicki!

Fox in Fayette!

I bet when you saw that headline your first thought was about a female type fox . Well, sorry to disapoint, but I'm talking about the real thing. The furry kind that runs on four legs.

I headed out the garage this morning toward the studio. Came around the corner and startled a real, live fox. It went streaking across the yard -- all the way across the backyard -- into the woods.

We've been here a little over three years and that was a first! I've seen plenty of wild turkey (although they're dwindling), deer, rabbits, opposum and the ever-present pesky squirrels, but never a fox.

He (or she) was a good size fox, too. Red with lighter patches. It looked like the tail was darker, and maybe the paws, too. I wish I had my camera, although it was going so fast I don't know if I could have turned it on in time!

Now I'm going to be watching for the fox. I'm also heading on the Internet to see what I can find out about them. It probably explains the bird feathers I see at times on the ground.

Hard to believe!

It's hard to believe I haven't posted anything since before Christmas! But I have been writing and I have been busy.

The biggest news is that the Fayette Forum is now the Fayette Front Page. AND... we now have the Georgia Front Page site, too. (www.georgiafrontpage.com). AND... we're gearing up for our very first television program called, surprise, surprise, the Georgia Front Page.

If having that on my plate (our collective plates... there are a number of great folks working to make the Fayette Front Page, etc. something folks want to come back to)... if having that on my plate wasn't enough I'm working on getting audio and video onto the site. You'll be able to watch shows, interviews and other fun and /or informative bits on both Front Page sites soon.

While all that is going on, if it wasn't enough alone, I've been to the Capital to visit state legislators on issues for the Front Page, been to umpteen events, am collecting items for the upcoming Fayette Youth Protection Home auction (event is Feb. 5th), went to the Governors Inauguration, had a couple of receptions at the Fayette Art Center & Gallery for my pottery (www.Hummingbird-Hollow.com), the list goes on and on. Somewhere in there was Christmas and New Years.

Family is of utmost importance to me and I drop any and everything for a chance to spend time with them. We've spent a fairly good amount of time (never enough) together in the recent past. The older I get the more value I place on family. It's funny growing up how the world revolves around your own wants and for most, family is just something you take for granted. As we grow older, most of us begin to realize that while much that we do may have an impact on the world or the future of the world in some small, small way, the biggest thing we'll leave behind are memories in other people's minds. The best memories should be in the minds of our family.

Well, back to the grind. I have about an hour that I can put into updating the site before I'm off again!!! I'll try to be a bit more regular about the things that are going on in Fayette County. Sometimes I'm so busy putting things on the main site that I forget to tell you about all the fantastic things going on in the county.

Fayette Historical Society

Fayette County is chocked full of interesting places to visit. One that many might not have on their list of places to visit is the Fayette Historical Society. The Society can't be compared to Disney World, but it certainly is fascinating in its own way!

Recently I made my first visit to the Society, not having any idea as to what I'd find inside the aged house in Fayetteville.

I could have spent hours just flipping through the file drawers of old photos alone! People have donated photos through the years to the Society. Unfortunately, many of the photos don't have any information written on them so we'll never know who is pictured. Still, even without identifying information, the photos tell a story of days gone by.

The old newspapers are wonderful. People told of their trips, family news, who was ill, and generally shared their life in little vignettes on pages titled "Your Affairs" and similar. Today's newspapers are filled with all the horrible things that tantalize and grab attention. Yes, they printed the bad news way back when, and they editorialized quite a bit, too. But maybe because of all the personal inclusions, the way things were written, and the "homey" touches, things just didn't seem so over sensationalized.

The Society has volumes and volumes of old records. It's extremely time-consuming to try and research marriages and family history though as most of the older records were hand-written. Also, there was not any consistency in the spelling of words. It takes a lot of patience to trace a family using those old records!

There are old yearbooks, mementos from all aspects of the county's history and books by local authors. It's a small building but it houses a world of knowledge. Even if you have absolutely zero interest in the history of Fayette County, you'll have fun looking through the old papers and photos. For those who are interested in the history of the county, it's well worth a visit or two or three. Who knows, you may just find a photo of one of your relatives!

Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House

I've lived in Fayette County for umpteen years and somehow have not ever managed to find time to visit the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House! I corrected that huge oversight this past Thursday.

What a treat! I took two young home-schooled friends thinking it would be something that might make history a bit more interesting. I was right. My only mistake is I looked at it as something for them --- it turned out I enjoyed the visit at least as much, if not more, than they did!

We were lucky to visit at a time when we were the only visitors. We had a one-on-one tour led by John Lynch, official historian. Lynch is a walking encyclopedia of historical knowledge and community lore.

We started in the front "parlor" known as "The Family Room." We learned about the Holliday family and Doc Holliday's ties to Fayette County. Not only did we find out about who they were, but Lynch painted a picture of times gone by, giving us a glimpse of how it was way back when.

As it was just past Halloween, some of the costumes and articles show-cased were still hanging around. Mourning attire, photos and other bits from the past helped us to visualize how difficult life was not too long ago - and how our ideas about death and the value of life have continued to evolve.

The Dorsey and Fife history is almost as interesting as the Hollywood Holliday history! I imagine that not many know that a past Governor lived in Fayetteville! It was amazing to see the many crossties there were among the various famous families and to get a small snapshot of how Fayette Countians have played a part in the making of history in the area and in Georgia.

I had heard that Fayette County boasted some connection to Margaret Mitchell of Gone With the Wind fame. Turns out Fayette County plays a much larger part in that book than I knew. I would bet that not many in Fayette County know how Gone With the Wind, Doc Holliday and Fayetteville are connected! You'll have to go visit the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House if you want to find out more.

There is one room in the House devoted to Gone With the Wind. Costumes, photos, artifacts and history make the book come alive and give it a place in our past.

We learned about the much photographed Starrs Mill, the War Between the States, how our great county came to be and so much more than I could ever begin to capture in a short blog.

This week we're traveling over to the Historic Society. We're going to hopefully look at some of the old newspapers and try to get a different perspective on the past.

If you'd like to find out more about the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House visit their website at www.hdfhouse.com, call 770-716-5332 or send an email to manager@hdfhouse.com. We planned to spend an hour and ended up having to cut the visit short after a two-hour stay! Plan to relax, learn and have fun.

Vote

I have many frustrations with our voting system, just like many, many others. I sometimes don't like either candidate I have to choose from. I can't stand the negative attacks on candidates. If I gave it much thought I could make the list of frustrations very long!

No matter what though, I won't give up my right to vote. I will not relinquish what in realitiy is just a tiny, tiny little mark, barely noticeable for the government of my choice.

If you read history you'll see that the voices of a few became the only voices that were heard when country's fell. When the masses sit on their hands, when the masses don't make their voices heard, ideals are destroyed.

It's easy to throw up your hands in frustration, abdicate your responsibility, use any number of excuses to avoid voting. There will be a point in our future where we in America will be wondering what happened to our country. Some of us are already wondering! I think the majority of our problems are rooted in apathy. Laziness. It doesn't take much to vote. It doesn't take much to find out enough information about the candidates to make a choice, even if your choice is the lesser of two evils.

Want better choices? That takes involvement and time. Staying home in protest is not going to fix anything. You'll find your choices are worse in the next election. Get involved. Someday "get involved" is going to mean fighting for whatever is left of our democracy unless you take the time now to make your little mark. Vote.

Gingercake Road

What's going on over on Gingercake Road? I've gotten in the habit of counting For Sale signs as I drive down that road now... Last week the total had reached fifteen (15). Yep, 15 For Sale signs on the road (that includes a few of those small corner signs pointing down the side streets to houses for sale).

Is it just me or has the number of For Sale signs across the county been on the rise lately?

What goes with Fayette & the Arts?

Yesterday I attended the one-year anniversary celebration at the Fayette Art Center and Gallery in Fayetteville. It's a non-profit with a mission to highlight local arts in the county. I know that over 6,000 invitations were mailed out. The attendace was good, but it should have been great.

This county is filled, chocked to the top, with good artists in all genres. Why aren't we supporting each other? Where are the family and friends of the arts?

I have been truly impressed with what has been happening in Coweta County. They are hopping when it comes to promoting the arts. It would seem that given the make-up of this county that we would be in the lead on the arts. Instead it seems we're lagging behind Clayton, Coweta and many other counties around the metro area.

Is it because we have too many things to choose from? Do we put too much focus on sports (not that I have a problem with sports!)? Our children have a better chance of making money playing for a symphony, being an architect, writing for a paper, teaching art, or working for a museum than they would playing for the Atlanta Braves.

Art is somewhat of a solitary field so it can be hard to generate enthusiasm. We don't go to a museum and cheer for our team. Is that why people don't get behind the arts?

The arts should be supported in this county. What do we need to do to make it happen? I for one don't think it's the responsibility of the government to build us an art center or to make something happen. If we're passionate about the arts, we should be able to band together and support building a venue.

In Kennesaw a local developer took it upon himself to build the Dozier Cultural Arts Center as a FOR-profit venue. Instead of holding our hands out to the government, we should be taking our hands and using them to pull out our wallets. Yes, there are grants, and more power to anyone who has the initiative and know-how to get them. But lets get this movement going. Let's get behind those who want to build a center for the arts. ALL the arts, not just the theater or painters or potters or musicians.

Lets bring the Endowment Committee for the Cultural Arts, Society for the Fine Arts, the Fayette Art Center & Gallery, the YMCA, the various musical groups, theater groups and others together and make it happen. Let's quit dancing around the issue, get all the factions together and do it.

Jim, we want a do-over

Left: Bill Nigro, Mike Riley , Greg Dunn and Jim Steinbach.

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If ever a person existed who lived to give to others, it was Jim Steinbach. Jim didn’t just touch someone’s life, he made an impact.

If you knew Jim for very long, sooner or later you were going to get one of his famous early morning calls. He got up before the crack of dawn and probably paced waiting for the first glow of sunlight so he could call his target at a “decent” hour. Sometimes he would almost be mid-sentence before who ever he woke from a deep sleep registered what he was enthusiastically saying.

He would usually start out with some variation of “I need you to do something for me.” The “for me” always, always somehow actually meant “for someone else.” It might be a person he’d met in the grocery line who was having difficulty with a broken pipe, or a member of his church who couldn’t solve a problem, or a retired soldier who needed a visit.

Oftentimes it was for help on one of his big projects. He worked tirelessly to get Fayette Senior Services a new home. He worked selflessly to get “his” candidates elected. Those at St. Matthews Catholic Church know how he devoted so much to his faith and his church.

Most of us will never know how many people he impacted and how much we have to thank Jim Steinbach for doing.

Jim went through a lot physically over the past many years. He had a hip replacement, had a stroke, and had a myriad of lesser physical problems that would have most of us sitting in a rocking chair. In early 2005 we came within a hair’s breadth of losing him when his aorta burst. He was supposed to slow down, and he did. Instead of whirling around like Superman in super turbo speed, he slowed down to ten times the normal speed of most.

If Jim wanted something done and he thought you could help him do it, you could run, but you couldn’t hide! He was a bulldog who kept digging until he found the right person to do what HE needed done.

Jim was even bigger than his giving though. He was sharp with a keen sense of right and wrong. He kept up with the happenings of the world and was a veracious reader. He loved his computer and used it as a tool to – you guessed it – help and educate others. Phone calls from Jim in the morning, faxes in the afternoon and emails in the evening were just a matter of course. He was witty and had a great sense of humor.

Somehow, amidst all he did for others, he found time for nurturing his relationship with his wife, Ellen and their family. He was a loyal friend and knew what true friendship was all about. He golfed until his health made him slow down. He worked out at the gym and kept in good physical shape.

He was a member of the Fayette Metro Kiwanis and was always the first to volunteer to go for training, to sign up to help at an event or to head a committee.

Right now the world is out of kilter and it is going to take some time for it to begin to right itself. Jim Steinbach is no longer walking the earth in the flesh and many, many – more than can ever be counted – are going to miss those early morning phone calls, those visits and his caring.

Jim, we want a do-over. There are just too many who are going to miss you and too many things that need a proud old soldier's attention.

Just a quick note to all who will join Jim in heaven in the future: He’s already in the process of reorganizing things to make them more efficient, so just know it’s going to be better than it was before he signed on for duty with the angels.

The family is asking that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Fayette Senior Services or to Catholic Relief Services, Baltimore. Parrot Funeral Home is handling the arrangements with services and viewing to be held at St. Matthews Catholic Church, Tyrone. A family-style luncheon will be held in Jim’s honor after the service on Tuesday.

If you’re a friend and would like to do something to help, please know the church has the food situation pretty much under control through Tuesday. Help is needed with food for the after-service luncheon. If you are a member of St. Matthews please contact Lisa Shupenus, blessus5@hotmail.com, if you’d like to find out what is needed. If you are NOT a member of St. Matthews and would like to help, please email Janet Dunn, info@jmacsnippets.net or call 770-631-9630.

Photos 2, 3 & 4:

2. Jim decorating his truck for the 4th of July parade in Peachtree City.

3. Eating breakfast during a break from working at the annual Metro Kiwanis fund-raising pancake breakfast in Fayetteville.

4. Checking out the Easter bunny's basket at the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast.

Hummingbirds still here?

I still have two hummingbirds hanging out at my feeders. It seems to me that they're usually gone by now? I know they'll stay the winter if they have new babies or they're too old to make the trek back to South America or Mexico or wherever they head. I'm wondering if anyone else is still seeing any at their feeders. I had a bunch for a while, but they have moved on, probably just made a pit stop here for fuel.