Set among 1,100 lush wooded acres, and bordered by nine miles of Lake Oconce shoreline, Harbor Club is an award-winning golf and lake community located an hour east of Atlanta in prime Georgia lake country, Whether you are looking to build the home of your dreams or revel in the comfort of a move-in-ready residence, Harbor Club offers an array of real estate opportunitics for you to craft your greatest lake lifestyle.
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Since 1987, Reynolds Lake Oconee Properties has represented buyers and sellers alike in the sale of thousands of properties, all of them only at Reynolds Lake Oconee. Our team is connected every day with club operations; plugged in daily with the social rhythms of clubs and events; and not distracted by, or obligated to buyers and sellers of any properties beyond the gates of Reynolds.
Reynolds Lake Oconee is what we do. It’s also all we do, and it shows.
by Riezl Baker
by Riezl Baker
VOLUME XXVIII, NO. 2, SUMMER 2025
The magazine that reflects the lifestyle of residents of the Lake Oconee area and beyond.
PUBLISHER
GENERAL MANAGER
EDITOR
ART DIRECTOR
SALES & MARKETING
CIRCULATION
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
OTIS BRUMBY III
LEE GARRETT
PATRICK YOST
BETH POIRIER
ALEXIS BROWN
DAVE GOSSETT
BETH SLAUGHTER SEXTON, TIA LYNN IVEY, JUDITH GARRISON, LEN GARRISON, SEEING SOUTHERN, CRYSTAL JACKSON, EMILY WHITTEN, SCOTT KEY, CHIP BELL
Unsolicited queries and submissions of art and writing not accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope will not be returned. Response time varies and Lake Oconee Living cannot assume responsibility for unsolicited materials. To contact the editor by email, address correspondence to editor@loliving.com.
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
Lake Oconee Living is published for the United States, its territories and possessions. Four issues per year: $17. Single issues in the U.S. $5. If you are moving, renewing, or have a question, please enclose subscription label with all correspondence; allow four weeks for change of address. Address all correspondence pertaining to subscriptions to:
Lake Oconee Living, 259 N. Second Street, Madison Ga. 30650, or call 706.342.7440 or fax 706.342.2140.
Chip Bell brings us three great beach reads by Georgia authors that are sure to keep you page turning during a long summer day.
In The Garden
We know times are tough so it’s time to grow vegetables and flowers for ourselves. Crystal Jackson walks you through the rewards of growing your own food.
In the Spirit
Once the yard work is done, it’s time for the perfect cool drink. Mixologist Scott Key makes a compelling argument for compelling drinks based, of course, on the effort you put into the yard work. It’s a refreshing read!
Andrews Acres
When the Andrews family had a hard time finding good, quality organic mushrooms, they began growing their own. People and restaurants are beginning to notice.
Hamilton Flower Farms
Courtney Catterton decided to give up a corporate existence for her love of farming. Now, along with her dogs Huey Lewis and the News and Maybelline the Majestic, she grows some of the finest flowers in the region.
The Transformer
When Thomas Preston Real Estate Founder and President
Preston Snyder took a hard look at downtown Madison, he saw the possibility of a booming, energetic downtown square full of interesting restaurants and meeting places. Then he made it happen.
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An American Classic
Reynolds Lake Oconee ESSE restaurant at The Landings has completely retrofitted both its environment and its menu and people have noticed. Come for a walk through one of Lake Oconee’s hottest restaurants.
The Builder
Lakesha Jones doesn’t just want to have a restaurant. She is using Grits & Gravy in downtown Sparta as a vehicle for change, inspiration and ‘feel good food.’ See the amazing transformation this hard working woman is bringing to a town desperate for change.
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Open Mic, Open Hearts
For one night a month, everyone has a chance to be a star at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center’s Open Mic Night. Come for a behind the scenes look at an authentic evening filled with poetry, song, and readings that resonate.
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Vintage Designs
Tariff’s got you down? Two local interior decorators are adjusting on the fly to find solutions that are both practical and economical in the face of uncertainty. Hint: true classics never go out of style.
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See Rock City
The iconic marketing campaign for the iconic travel destination had an amazing start. Read about how ‘See Rock City’ became synonymous with travel across the South.
Spirit League
A new field just opened that provides dedicated space for a group of athletes that find joy, purpose and fun in getting in the game. Welcome to the Spirit League.
God help me, I love a wellsmoked rib and a bowl of cole slaw.
Same thing with fried chicken, too. I had a bowl of greens recently at Betty Gene’s in downtown Madison that literally made my neck tingle.
The anticipation that comes with the unfolding of a sharp-edged linen napkin in an elegant setting opens your heart. I love the sweat on a beer glass and the steam coming off a good cup of coffee.
It is a visceral experience, for sure, or should be. If it’s not, you’re in the wrong restaurant.
In this issue we track the idea of food from the origins and benefits of an organic mushroom farm to a restaurant where the wine poured is curated by a Master Sommelier (trivia note here, there are only 279 Master Sommeliers in the world and 172 in the U.S).
While we went in search of both iconic and interesting new places to eat we found an interesting thread. Like any great idea or project, making food takes passion and fortitude. It is also wholly transformative if done well, we learned.
Look at Preston Snyder in Madison. Snyder is a man who has created extensive real estate holdings but could never get the restaurant itch out of his system after working at the Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead and other restaurants as a college student. He took that passion for service, combined it with vision and opportunity and has transformed downtown Madison with a wealth of restaurants and meeting spaces that enhance an already vibrant downtown scene.
Mason Carter, in a partnership with legacy owner Ben Crowe, is working to elevate the iconic Crowe’s BBQ brand and doing new things to a timeless way of cooking. He obsesses with every plate handed out over the counter.
And then there is Lakesha Jones. Jones, a life-long Hancock County native, got the opportunity to transform a former Hardee’s restaurant (which had become Prince’s Pizza and Wings) on the main street through Sparta and turn it into a family restaurant. With her family, paint and vision Lakesha Jones beat back the odds and opened a restaurant that had people lined up around the old Hardee’s building on opening day. Sunday lunch, these days, you can hardly get in the door.
They all have passion, that’s for sure. But there is more. There is something communal about a restaurant. Snyder gets it, Carter gets it and Jones absolutely gets it. It is the reason we smile, or should, when we sit down to have a meal at a place we know cares as much about the food as we do.
That’s one of the reasons Holcomb’s Bar-B-Q has existed with sawdust floors, good manners and pleasant memories off of Georgia Highway 15 for nearly 50 years.
Good restaurants and great food are important for a spirited, connected community. We salute you all.
Editor Lake Oconee Living
About the Cover
A crispy grilled octopus with spring carrot puree, homemade tzatziki and sweet carrots prepared by Executive Chef Troy Thompson at The Dining Room in Madison.
Georgia Beach Reads
by Chip Bell
Summertime, and the reading is easy. Plots are jumping, and the mystery’s high. The big question: What are the book titles to grab, along with your sunscreen, when heading for the beach? Georgia Writers Museum is your best source for “what’s hot’ and what goes best with the sun and relaxation. We have three surprising and diverse titles to suggest, all written by Georgia authors.
Rednecks by Taylor Brown, who was born in Brunswick, Ga.
Rednecks won the 2025 Southern Book Prize. The book is a powerful historical novel that dramatizes the 1920’s events of the West Virginia Mine Wars. From the Matewan Massacre through the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest armed conflict on American soil since the Civil War, when a million rounds were fired and bombs were dropped on Appalachia.. The term “redneck” would come to have an unexpected origin story. Brimming with the high-stakes drama of America’s buried history, Rednecks tells a powerful story of rebellion against oppression.
American doctor, toils amid the blood and injustice of the mining camps. When Frank Hugham, a Black World War One veteran and coal miner, takes dramatic steps to lead a miners’ revolt with a band of fellow veterans, Doc Moo risks his life and career to treat sick and wounded miners, while Frank’s grandmother, Beulah, fights her own battle to save her home and grandson. Real-life historical figures burn bright among the hills: the fiery Mother Jones, a labor organizer once known as “The Most Dangerous Woman in America,” struggles to maintain the ear of the miners (“her boys”) amid the tide of rebellion, while the sharp-shooting police chief “Smilin” Sid Hatfield dares to stand up to the “gun thugs” of the coal companies, becoming a folk hero of the mine wars.
In a land where the coal companies use violence and intimidation to keep miners from organizing, “Doc Moo” Muhanna, a Lebanese
Award-winning novelist Taylor Brown brings to life one of the most compelling events in 20th-century American history, reminding us of the hard-won origins of today’s unions. Rednecks is a propulsive, character-driven tale that’s both a century old and blisteringly contemporary: a story of unexpected friendship, heroism in the face of injustice, and the power of love and community against all odds.
Find your Place at the Lake
Charity Gives - We contribute a portion of our proceeds to a local charity of your choice every time you buy or sell a home through our services.
Charity Joiner
Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley from Atlanta, Ga. Jane and Dan have been married for 19 years, but Jane isn’t sure they’re going to make it to 20. The mother of two feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has been unsuccessful. Her one published novel sold under 500 copies. Worse? She’s sure Dan is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their anniversary, Jane thinks it’s as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce.
But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Jane is shocked— and not just because she’s in a hostage situation, the kind of situation she’s only seen in the movies. Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of her failed book. Even Dan (who Jane wasn’t sure even read her book) admits it’s eerily familiar.
This means Dan and Jane are the only ones who know what’s going to happen next—and they’re the only ones who can stop it. Jane wasn’t thinking of this when she said, “’til death do us part,” all those years ago, but if they can survive this, maybe they can survive anything— even marriage.
James by Percival Everett who was born at Fort Gordon, Georgia. You have read about it---many weeks at the top of the NY Times best-seller and the 2024 National Book Award winner, soon to be a new movie produced by Steven Spielberg. Now, it is time to read it finally. James is an action-packed reimagining of Mark Twain’s classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , told from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved character. When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father. Thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many of the familiar set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain, Everett reintroduces us to Jim in a bold new way. The Boston Globe called James , “A provocative, enlightening literary work of art.”
Summertime is a great time to enjoy an entertaining book recommended by Georgia Writers Museum. Happy reading!
Chip Bell is an award-winning, international best-selling author who serves on the board of Georgia Writers Museum and is also the managing editor of the museum’s magazine, Page Turner.
Growing Garden Fresh Groceries
Southern gardens delight the senses, particularly during the summertime when every single day yields a new shoot or bloom. The anticipation of gathering seeds and carefully planning a garden is a pleasure. Flowers and herbs increase curb appeal while benefiting the ecosystem by attracting pollinators, but with industry forecasts predicting the continued rise in grocery prices, it may be time to consider growing our own groceries.
Growing a kitchen garden is a good first step.
The most important part of growing any garden is planting the fruits and vegetables we like best. Summer staples like tomatoes and salad greens can be grown in planters and even in hydroponic (water-based) kitchen counter gardens. Salad greens
tend to tolerate cooler weather, making them an ideal outdoor plant during the fall and spring and an ideal indoor plant during the extreme temperatures of summer and winter. Tomatoes can be planted in late spring and in the summer to take advantage of the heat.
Potatoes and mushrooms can be grown in bags. Carrots will grow in containers if lawn space isn’t available. Blueberry and blackberry bushes can be grown in the ground or planters, and herbs are simple to grow in any kitchen garden.
When planning my garden this year, I decided to skip the cozy kitchen garden and start a food forest instead. It’s an ambitious project. I sectioned off one side of my lawn to grow native wildflowers, vegetables, and fruit trees. Rather than separating
Crystal Jackson
Vine ripened tomatoes are a summer staple in anyone’s garden.
Zinnias are great for flower arrangements or to share with helpful neighbors.
them, I have them all growing together. I planted herbs along the paths for easy access and designated particular areas among the wildflowers for vegetables to grow.
In my container garden, the first of my many garden projects, I plant marigolds and other natural pest deterrents alongside my vegetables. On another side of my lawn, I planted a row of dwarf fruit trees and added herb and flower companion plants around them to support their growth. I’m even trying my hand at a Three Sisters Garden using an indigenous method of planting corn, peas, and squash together so that each benefits the others. I added sunflowers to the mix to support the climbing peas.
Biodiversity in gardening is important. Planting a variety of native flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruits supports a healthier environment for humans as well as local wildlife. This doesn’t just increase pollination in our gardens. It also creates the right conditions for natural pest control, improved soil health, and decreased water erosion.
A food forest is a great way to fight food insecurity with the rise in grocery prices, but it also supports our overall health. I know that pesticides aren’t used on the food I’m growing, and I have the benefit of a farm-to-table dining experience right at home.
Growing our groceries might not have the instant gratification of a grocery shopping experience, but there’s nothing quite like taking that first bite of a ripe tomato still warm from the summer sun.
A Sunflower heralds summer’s arrival with big, showy petals.
Baby Red Potatoes are easy to grow and great to eat. Peach trees produce an iconic fruit and this delicate bloom.
BY SCOTT KEY
Ps of Cocktails
The Four After Yard Work
Self-identity is a heck of a thing. Anaïs Nin put the sentiment only slightly better when she wrote, “we don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are.”
Nowhere is identity and delusion more on display than in our self-concept as gardeners. There, indeed, may be an inverse relationship between how strongly you see yourself as a gardener and how much others tend your grounds. The most famous gardens in America bear the name of a person other than those who labored there. If all this talk of class is depressing, the good news is that God gave us cocktails. Today, we will discuss four of them: each sharing the letter P (think of this as adult Sesame Street), paired with your unique gardening identity.
This is your cocktail:
Pacifica Clara Pilsner
Take a bottle of Pacifico Clara Pilsner beer with you into the shower after a grueling day of working in the yard. Remove the cap and enjoy. Bask in the superiority of those who will be described below.
Pimm’s
Pacifico Clara Pilsner
You need no validation from anyone. You are a true gardener. You are too busy to read these words. You cut your grass, weed eat the tricky places, edge the curb and driveway, fertilize your lawn, lop down errant branches, and shape your shrubs into a corkscrew design of some sort. At the exact right time of the year, you bring soil samples to the extension office. You listen to that garden show on the radio on Saturday morning.
You mow your lawn. It is not a huge lawn. But the lawnmower you own is one serious piece of heavy equipment. Lawn service owners long to one day own this lawnmower of yours as it would easily up their professional game. But you own it for your suburban plot of land, and you are proud of it. You wear custom ear protection that allows you to listen to music and podcasts from your phone. You also wear custom eye protection, manufactured in Germany. You love every second of lawn mowing. But to your partner and family, you pretend that mowing the lawn is a huge burden. Also, you have “people” who do everything else in the yard that does not involve driving the mower.
And this is your cocktail:
The Pimm’s Peach Tea
In a large clear tea glass, combine two ounces of Pimm’s No. 1 Cup with 1.5 ounces of peach schnapps. Stir. Fill the rest of the glass with ginger beer and ice.
A cold Pacifica Clara Pilsner hits the spot after an afternoon of yard work. A refreshing Pimm’s Peach Tea makes the hard work worth the reward.
Pegu Club
You have traded in the home and all the work that comes with it for a nice condominium or loft over a small town’s storefront. However, you remain obsessive about your window boxes. You troll the aisles of Lowe’s in search of the perfect combination of plants and flowers You can afford to fuss over your cocktail, but the ingredients must be easily found.
This is your cocktail:
The Pegu Club
In a shaker combine 2 ounces of gin, ¾ of an ounce of Grand Mariner, ½ ounce of lime juice, 1 dash of Angostura bitters, and 1 dash of orange bitters, with ice. Shake vigorously and double strain into a coupe glass.
Pisco Sour
You have a great lawn because you have people who do it all for you. Your garden and home bear your family’s name, and people will one day tour it when you are
dead. While everyone else was sneezing in the Georgia Spring pollen, you were in the Autumn of South America shooting game birds. You returned with a few bottles of Pisco, as recommended by the locals. Not only can you afford to write a check or spring for under-thetable cash for any gardening help still in the country, but you can also afford eggs.
This is your cocktail:
The Pisco Sour
Add 2 ounces of pisco, 1 ounce of lime juice, ½ ounce of simple syrup, and one egg white to a shaker without ice. Dry shake vigorously. Add ice and shake again until your drink is well chilled. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass or coupe. Alternatively, strain it into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with 5 drops of Angostura bitters. Using a toothpick, swirl the bitters into a design.
Scott Key is an amateur mixologist with aspirations of owning an upscale establishment where the patrons are sophisticated, low maintenance, and pay in cash. When he is not mixing the greatest cocktails the world has ever beheld, he practices complex trial and appellate law out of his Madison, Ga., law office. And he is a law professor at Mercer University’s School of Law, which he is told is a dry campus. Before you write us; yes, he knows that he shares a name in common with the guy who wrote the national anthem.
The Pegu Club (above being poured; photo by Karen Peters) and the Pisco Sour (Left two photos) both come with a refreshing bite that sets a summer mood.
Andrews Acres
Exploring the Mushroom Farm in Comer, Georgia
BY CRYSTAL JACKSON
Golden Oyster mushrooms are both stunning in appearance and a popular variety.
Mike Andrews opens the door to Andrews Acres with a smile and warm greeting. This family-owned and operated business was established in 2023 in downtown Comer, Georgia. Andrews welcomes farm tour guests, available by appointment only, into a room that looks nothing like any farm you’ve ever seen. This small, unassuming storefront houses an impressive indoor farm where gourmet mushrooms are cultivated using sustainable farming practices.
To the right, there’s a cooler filled with golden oyster, blue oyster, lion’s mane, and chestnut mushroom varieties. They also grow Black Pearl, Bears Head, Enoki, Reishi, Shitake, and Maitake varieties in-house. The Andrews family is happy to make recommendations based on your particular food tastes and preferences, and their enthusiasm for the product comes through loud and clear.
A coffee pot is brewing mushroom coffee, which comes in small batches from Southern Roasters in Gainesville. The coffee is ground in-house and has grown in popularity since its introduction. There’s also a small stand of mushroom-infused products available for purchase. The room to the left is covered in mushroom wallpaper, and straight ahead, the building branches off into separate rooms, each designed to handle a specific part of the mushroom cultivation process. The farm tour begins informally in the front room.
Andrews divulges that he got handson experience in mushroom farming with another business that closed during the pandemic. Along with his parents, Carrie and Patrick, they decided to start their own gourmet mushroom business to share their passion with the community. “I fell in love with doing this. It’s very rewarding. You’ll have a crop within two weeks. The full cycle takes about a month from bagging to inoculating to fruiting. We pump about 200 pounds a week of mushrooms out of here. We maximize a very small space.”
While outdoor farms are contending with the weather, pests, and other
Top: The Andrews family use farm festivals and outdoor markets to introduce their organic product to the public. Bottom: Blue Oyster variety of mushrooms grown at Andrews Acres.
environmental factors, the Andrews family is creating ideal conditions for mushroom growth inside their facility. “We get all of our substrate in bulk. Mushrooms are a hardwood-loving species, so we grow on hardwood in these specialized grow bags called unicorn bags. We fill the bags, hydrate them, and place them into the pasteurizing barrels. It’s a raw substrate with no mushroom cultures yet. Then, we’ll bring it into our laboratory, which is a HEPA-filtered space with positive pressure. We use gloves and masks and keep it clean. This is where we inoculate our mushroom blocks.”
Each room of the farm seems more like a laboratory than the typical vision a farm brings to mind, but it’s easy to see the level of work, care, and attention each stage receives. “We also have liquid cultures. This is how we maintain our mushroom culture. It’s a nutrient broth with mycelium in it. We put those into grain bags and then into our main blocks. We introduce the culture into the main blocks with the pasteurized substrate, and they will colonize for a week or two. The room in the front is the incubation space. Then, we have a fruiting chamber that’s humidity-controlled and climate-controlled.”
Each room of the farm was designed by the Andrews family to provide ideal conditions for each stage of a mushroom’s growth. Soon, they’ll be expanding into a bigger facility with double the space and a shipping dock to facilitate even more cultivation. This will also help with their plans to add USDA Organic certification to their credentials (they are already Certified Nationally Grown), and the expansion will help facilitate some of their future projects, such as expanding the line of mushroom coffee to offer different roasts and flavors. They are also planning mushroom walks in mid-summer or fall to utilize Andrews’ certified foraging experience to teach others how to recognize edible mushrooms in the wild. Their vision includes offering educational tours and workshops to schools and community programs to share the love of mushrooms as well as the sustaining farming practices used to cultivate them.
Chestnut, Golden Oyster and Lions Mane varietes for sale at a festival. Below, the mushrooms are packaged on the day of sale and kept refrigerated until sold.
Carrie Andrews displays a large cluster of Golden Oyster mushrooms (also pictured at left).
Andrews Acres also offers take-home mushroom grow kits that make it easy to grow gourmet mushrooms in your own home. They don’t expect you to have climate and humidity-controlled environments. Rather, they’ve done the initial work to simplify the process. Simply place the grow bag in indirect light and mist it with water. They are so confident in their product that they guarantee results.
The newest direction of the farm has been in creating mushroom tinctures.
“The tinctures,” Andrews explains, “are a dual extract. We have lion’s mane, our crown jewel. It’s great for cognitive health. There’s been research that it’s beneficial in Alzheimer’s and dementia. There’s new research that shows it creates neurogenesis, which is pretty profound. It creates neural pathways and also helps with mood support. We give it to the family dog to help with her arthritis. We also have a fullspectrum tincture powder with a variety of medicinal mushrooms that we dehydrate and powderize.” A portion of the proceeds are donated to John Hopkins’ mushroom research for cognitive health.
While farm tours are available by appointment, the farm also participates in several local farmer’s markets in Athens, Monroe, and Atlanta, making their products accessible outside of Comer. Try a cup of healthy mushroom coffee or add a tincture to your health routine. Elevate your at-home farm-to-table experience when you source locally cultivated, organic mushrooms from Andrews Acres or grab a grow kit to try your luck at home.
Farm tours are available by request at Andrews Acres. The family-owned company also provides take home grow kits for varieties like Golden Oyster (above) and Blue Oyster (below).
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Visit their website and book a free 30-minute farm tour and experience the magic of gourmet mushroom cultivation firsthand! Visit the farm to see the latest in sustainable farming practices, learn about our growing techniques, and discover their premium mushrooms, including Blue Oyster, Golden Oyster, Lion’s Mane, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Andrews Acres’ operations and enjoy the chance to take home some of their freshly harvested mushrooms. Book your appointment today and immerse yourself in the farmto-table experience while supporting local agriculture. Perfect for food enthusiasts, families, and anyone curious about mushroom farming!
Chestnut mushrooms ready for harvest at Andrews Acres.
‘The flowers are there to slow you down.’
Courtney Catterton searches and finds organic happiness
By Crystal Jackson
Courtney Catterton, sole owner and operator of Hamilton Flower Farms, steps outside of her historic farmhouse in pin-striped overalls and a wide straw hat, the quintessential picture of a flower farmer.
It’s not a costume.
Every square inch of her property has been lovingly cultivated by her hand. She’s given literal blood, sweat, and tears into taking a property overrun with poison ivy and turning it into a showpiece without the use of pesticides.
“This house was started in the 1880s and finished in 1902. It was built from wood on the property. The house was scheduled to be demolished, and I saw its potential. The entire property was covered in poison ivy, and no one really wanted it. It took the first year to get rid of all of the poison ivy. I started with a potager’s garden, which is a European kitchen garden. I grow herbs and nice filler annuals here.”
Walking around the property, she points to low stone beds and stone stairs that were discovered in the landscaping process. They are original to the property. While once hidden beneath weeds and brambles, it is now filled with flowers and berries in various stages of growth.
A beautiful bouquet dominated by Snapdragons in the Hamilton Flower Farm greenhouse. Hamilton Flower Farms grows a wide variety of Snapdragons.
A cottage garden lies between the potager garden and the farm’s greenhouses. She points out peonies, tea roses, gladiolas, hostas, dahlias, eucalyptus, zinnias, and ferns on the way. An electric deer fence discourages grazing visitors, and Catterton points out that she’s already released over 5,000 live ladybugs to help with natural pest control for the property. Three 70-foot x 12-foot hoop houses are used during the early spring and in the fall to offer year-round blooms for her business.
The business is named for Hamilton, the dog Catterton adopted when she was 19. He accompanied her from college in Georgia to her career as a marketing executive in Portland and San Fransisco and back again to her farm in Morgan County.
“Hamilton was the strangest dog. He loved flowers. When we went on walks, he would stop and smell all the flowers. So, I planted him a garden when he was two, and it’s just grown from there.” Hamilton passed away two years ago, and his grave is covered in the flowers he once loved. Now, she’s accompanied by two new dogs, Huey Lewis and the News and Maybelline the Majestic who’ve both acclimated beautifully to life on a flower farm.
RIPLEY RADAR
NAOT
HAMMITT
Hamilton Flower Farms attracts area pollinators to Farmington Road farm.
Catterton is a Morgan County local who traveled the world in her career as a marketing executive before realizing that she wanted a different life. During the pandemic, she decided it was time to come home.
“Life is too short not to be joyful. I’d rather spend my days creating joy. Even though it’s hard, is it harder than waking up every morning hating what I do all day? It’s been a rebel act to give up the American dream to run a flower farm. You can create what you want. It might be hard, and it’s uncertain, but uncertainty isn’t bad. It’s just different.”
The business went from a part-time concern to a full-time business this year. Hamilton Flower Farms now offers subscription options as well as providing floral design for weddings, bridal showers, and other events. She also sells farm-side bouquets at Farm 441 and plans to extend to Farmview Market in Madison.
Courtney Catterton has free range chickens at the farm for organic egg production.
Braelyn Mines,4, the niece of Catterton’s partner, helps collect flowers at the farm.
Hamilton Flower Farms relies on natural pollinators like this butterfly to aid in the growth process.
“Joy is a rebellion — and flowers are how I fight for it. In a world that glorifies hustle, exhaustion, and disconnection, I choose beauty. I choose slowness. I choose joy. Every day.” - Courtney Catterton
“Flowers are in every moment that matters. It could be a somber moment like when someone dies. An anniversary. A birthday. A baby shower. A wedding. The flowers are there to slow you down. That olfactory sense solidifies a memory. Being able to help curate those moments and to help people to slow down and look up from their phones feels like a life worth living. It feels meaningful to me. It feels more meaningful than just making rich people even richer.”
“Most people don’t realize that the cut flowers you buy from any florist are usually coming from wholesale dealers that buy their flowers from Brazil, Ecuador, or Mexico, and those flowers are covered in child labor and pesticides. I do like to handle flowers with my hands and inhale the fragrance of a bouquet free of pesticides. It just feels good to me, and it feels good to give flowers this way.”
“I’m just wowed all the time. It’s a labor of love. It’s only romantic because I make it that way. It’s a lot of work. Anything in life can be romantic if you let it be. I’m an artist, and everything is art. It is romantic. I’ll get frustrated sometimes and want to be completely done, and then I’ll turn around and see a new bud or some flower I’ve never seen bloom the way that it’s blooming. The fascination and awe starts all over again. It’s a beautiful life if you have the patience for it.”
Courtney Catterton with the beautiful product of her farm labor.
Catterton offers her Hamilton Flower Farms manifesto: “Joy is a rebellion — and flowers are how I fight for it. In a world that glorifies hustle, exhaustion, and disconnection, I choose beauty. I choose slowness. I choose joy. Every day.”
“I grow flowers, not just for arrangements, but to create moments that matter. Moments that make you pause. Breathe. Feel something. Because in a life that moves too fast, beauty is a protest. And I believe we need more reasons to stop and remember we’re alive.”
Each bloom I grow is touched by my hand, shaped by the Georgia soil, and designed with intention. Not one is mass-produced. Not one is thoughtless. They are imperfect, fleeting, and full of meaning — just like life.”
In addition to a floral subscription service and floral design for special occasions, Hamilton Flower Farm is also interested in educating the community about flowers, sustainable farming, and floral design. Local agricultural teacher Rachel Kinsaul is going to bring her Floral Design students out to the farm to learn more about the business. Catterton is also planning to offer floral design classes at the farm. She doesn’t want to gate keep the secret to flowers. She wants to share the joy and beauty with others.
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hospitality Small Town Southern Charm MeeTS
STORY BY CRYSTAL JACKSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLAY BENFIELD
Preston Snyder has taken his real estate expertise and love of the restaurant industry to make transformative change to downtown Madison.
RRis ready Your Table
eturning visitors to historic downtown Madison, Georgia, may notice a few welcome additions to the area. A coffee shop across the street from the iconic courthouse sees a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. Two doors down, a breakfast, brunch, and lunch business is doing a brisk trade. Just around the corner, an English-style pub sits side by side with an upscale fine dining experience, and just down the street, freshbaked bread and beautiful pastries can be spied in the window of the local patisserie. Preston Snyder’s MadHospitality has left an indelible mark on the downtown restaurant scene. Struggling businesses and empty storefronts have been replaced with a vibrant collection of restaurants under the MadHospitality umbrella.
The journey from a hospitality concept to a fully realized business was a long and circuitous one that involved old friends, past experiences, and perfect timing. Snyder grew up in nearby Milledgeville but returned to the area to help take care of his aging parents in nearby Lake Oconee. He still worked in real estate in Atlanta at the time and commuted between the lake and the city.
“In some of the driving back and forth with construction on I-20, I would cut through Madison. When you’ve got the real estate curse, you look at signs and look at properties, and Madison had always been on my radar having grown up in a small town with a lot of historic structures that were a primary interest for me since I was a kid. At one point, a sign caught my eye. I called a former classmate, Joey Eidson, on a building I saw. I liked the building. It was Doc Weaver’s old office, and it was an interesting property. The same family also had a house in the historic district that sat vacant for years. I loved it, and I got on the front porch and called my wife Cyndi. She asked what was wrong with me, and I told her I’d just found our next house. She always says that I bought the house, but she bought the yard. We had a 1-year-old daughter and a son on the way, and we were of a mind with raising the kids. We wanted them to understand what a city is about but to grow up
in a small town. About the same time, I’d been managing a real estate partnership for over 20 years. It felt like a good time for a transition out. I was able to keep focusing on real estate and development on my own.”
For those who’ve visited Madison and noted the thriving downtown business scene, it might be hard to imagine. Yet, Snyder saw the opportunity hidden behind and unused spaces. “There were several vacant or significantly underutilized buildings on the square in Madison at that time, which seemed to create an opportunity. I picked up five or six of them and that created a pipeline of opportunity for development. Around 2020, I had this idea of populating the retail spaces beneath the lofts I was developing. I wanted to create an amenity for the developments I was working on while having a positive impact on the local community with the hope of lifting all boats.”
Snyder’s past experience in the restaurant business with the Ritz-Carlton’s flagship Buckhead location made a hospitality consortium a natural segue in his career. It combined his love of real estate development with his appreciation for good service and fine dining. “I spent years bartending and waiting tables, and I had 15 to 20 years of restaurant experience. My last run in the restaurant business was at the Ritz-Carlton in the late 80s or early 90s. I worked in the dining room at their flagship Buckhead location. I love food and wine, and I learned a lot. Horst Schulze was CEO of the organization and acting general manager of the hotel, and it was an exciting time to be there. The company had won the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award twice during that period of time, the first time anyone had ever done that. Being involved in that process was fascinating, and the business had a lot of appeal. I decided I wanted to create a hospitality business.”
Reaching out to his restaurant connections, Snyder found a sounding board for his hospitality facility idea and developed a plan to get it started. “The Sinclair was vacant, and I knew it had
to be a coffee shop. It was a great way to take advantage of the space, to create some energy on the street, and the porte-cochere was set up to have tables under it for a place to hang out. That made sense, and in the middle of COVID, we decided to build a commercial kitchen on the Wagonworks across the street. Originally, we saw it as the ghost kitchen. Then, we kicked around the idea of street tacos, and that’s where the Mad Taco idea came from. The Sinclair opened in September of 2021, and in October of 2021, we opened MadTaco and the ghost kitchen. As we were looking at the space next door, we considered an English pub concept, which was the idea for The Hart & Crown.”
The taco concept gave way to an expansion of Hart & Crown. The Mad Taco space was converted into added seats and table for Hart & Crown and an impressive open kitchen concept.
The connections he’d made in the restaurant business were pivotal to creating the MadHospitality concept and executing it in downtown Madison. The timing for much of the development seemed fortuitous. “In the process of developing the restaurants, an old friend from Atlanta, designer Paula Carr Wideman, called to say she’d been laid off after 20 years of international
1. The Sinclair, a notable coffee and small plate restaurant in a former car dealership sits directly next to the historic Morgan County Courthouse.
2. The Sinclair has become a popular spot for outdoor dining and drinks.
3. The Sinclair offers a wide variety of specialized coffee and drinks. 4. The Sinclair sits on the square of downtown Madison.
retail design. I offered her the coffee shop. She said she was going to make the bathroom the best gas station bathroom you’ve ever seen, and then there’s a giant mirror and a chandelier on the ceiling. The aesthetic we talked about and ended up developing is Grandma’s house meets a speakeasy. You can see how she executed that.”
Timing also played a role in bringing worldclass chefs into the picture. Executive Chef Troy Thompson came on board earlier this year after previous chefs transitioned to new opportunities. “Preston and I have been friends for years and years. We worked in The Dining Room together. I was a cook and became a sous chef, and he was a server. After COVID, I took on positions to open up hotels in Virginia Beach, Nashville, Seattle, Houston, and other ones. I’d been following Preston on social media for years. I called up Preston and told him I was about ready to get out of Seattle, and it was the perfect time. Shaun (Doty) was here as an interim chef and a space was opening up for a fulltime position.”
Thompson’s culinary credentials include Executive Sous Chef at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton flagship hotel in Buckhead under legendary Michelin Chef Gunter Seeger, which is where he met both Snyder and MadHospitality’s interim Chef Shaun Doty. He was also the executive chef for Fusebox Restaurant in Atlanta and spent time working in international cuisine in Japan. His diverse culinary experience made him an ideal fit for MadHospitality’s creative vision.
MadHospitality Manager Olivia Simpson understands the value of having a chef like Thompson join the team. “I don’t think people realize the caliber of the chefs that we have. I’ve worked in the service industry since I was 15. My father worked in food, and my mother worked in hotels. I’ve always been around food and beverage, and I’ve never worked with anyone as creative as Chef Troy. It’s like nothing you’ve seen before. I’ve learned so much, and he has such an artistic side in plating food. His plates almost tell stories. It’s like a painting on the plate — both chaotic and beautiful.”
Chef Thompson recognized the timing for the incredible opportunity that it was.
“I’ve been in this business over 45 years, and it was a full circle moment. It’s a unique opportunity to be in a small town, and this is a place where I can dig into and help be a stable part of the business. The people here are absolutely wonderful. We have younger staff, and we hope to instill our values from the culinary world of cooking, communication, and a sense of urgency.”
Young staff are Morgan County High School students that work with MadHospitality through their culinary program. This program provides local jobs as well as culinary and service experience for area students. Simpson echoed Chef Troy’s emphasis on instilling these values at a young age.
“A lot of people look at the restaurant
5. Executive Chef Troy Thompson has an impressive resume that he brings to the MADHospitality restaurant group.
6. The Dining Room provides an intimate and impressive setting for incredible fine dining.
7. Chef Troy Thompson gets creative in the Dining Room.
8. The Dining Room includes curated wine selections paired with each dish.
industry as not as highly regarded as other fields, but I love this quote by Anthony Bourdain: “I’ve long believed I gained more knowledge in kitchens, bars, and dining rooms than any college could even hold.”
“You learn people. You learn those soft skills of conversation that you only get from personal interaction and real-life experience. It’s been amazing for me to see some of the kids that we have work here grow into confident young men and women. Leaving us, they will know how to sit in a job interview because they know how to talk to people and how to talk about life. As Bourdain said, “You can always tell when a person has worked in a restaurant. There’s an empathy that can only be cultivated by those who’ve stood between a hungry mouth and a $28 pork chop, a special understanding of the way a bunch of motley misfits can be a family. I feel blessed to be able to teach these kids those types of things in the workplace so they can leave feeling confident in themselves as they go into the real world,” she says.
Sharing their love for the culinary business as well as the service industry is a part of what makes MadHospitality unique. In addition to partnering with the local high school, they also started The
MadHospitality scholarship for the hospitality program at UGA. Snyder shared that in addition to supporting the community through these partnerships, “It can be this window that might otherwise not have existed, which is a reward in itself.”
“Service is huge. One of the takeaways from working at the Ritz is that the room at the Sheraton is exactly the same size as the room at the Ritz but goes for a third of the rate. The ultimate difference is in service. What’s the experience you have when you go in, and what’s the perceived value of that experience? There are all these intangibles that an accountant can see on the page when they’re counting the beans, but they can’t tell what made the difference. We have this sort of fanatical, burned-in expectation in terms of service and trying to pursue that level of excellence. Not perfection but excellence. A big part of that is when you do make the inevitable mistake, how do you handle that? How do you turn it around? That’s the professionalism.”
Chef Troy says his enthusiasm is for moving MadHospitality restaurant dining to another level. “Menus are meant to change as the seasons change. With the economy being what it is, local is the best thing
11. An elegant plate setting at The Dining Room. 12. Chef Troy Thompson brings his personal flair to MADHospitality.
you can go after right now. That’s what we’ve always been trained to do, and that’s the best relationship you can have. My purveyors and the farmers are important. Preston has about nine beds of produce and herbs along with a partnership with local business Community Roots Market. The menu is based on what we can pick seasonally.” The roots of his farm-to-table mentality run deep. All my family are Illinois farmers and ranchers. My grandfather always had an acre garden, and that’s how I grew up. He lived to be 99, and he would sit in an old iron chair rocking back and forth. He would peel a potato and put it in a rusty old bucket and then wash it and eat it, raw. He had an amazing garden, and he canned everything. When I was in Japan, my ex-wife’s grandmother had a huge farm out in the mountains of Kyoto. They would grow things and give land to others to grow things as well.”
Snyder agrees. “To the extent we can, we try to work with local producers wherever we can. We work with vendors like Liberty Farms and Diamond Hill and Crystal Springs Organics. We get our cheeses from Raymond Hook in Atlanta, the former cheesemonger for Star Provisions. Michael McNeil, the sommelier from the dining room at the Ritz and now the head of wine for Georgia Crown, came up with an award-winning wine list for The Dining Room in February of 2022.”
Change can be challenging in a small town. Chef Troy hopes to reinvigorate the pub menu with his own particular brand of creativity. “I’d like to make a unique style of pizza from a crumpet. I think the one thing that’s missing from the pub is a little bit of creativity. You need some color and flavors. English food isn’t just fish and chips. Curries are all over the place there. They’re amazing. I’d like to bring some fun back into it — some tomatoes and goat cheese and hummus. I think that’s where we’ll try to go. People thought the guy from L.A. took away the fried green tomatoes, but I didn’t take away anything. I’m adding things. And fried green tomatoes are better at the end of the season. You experiment and have fun and use seasonal ingredients.”
For Simpson, the totality of the change has been impressive. Simpson, a Morgan County High School graduate came back home to a downtown she recognized until Syder began the transformation.
“ I left for several years and came back to work as a barista in the coffee shop. I think one of Preston’s biggest policies was to not try to come in and take over or mimic something that’s already here. Before we opened Betty Gene’s, people would say that there was nowhere to eat breakfast right in town. This allows people to come in and experience more food. I think the town does an incredible job, particularly in the historic district, of keeping it small and keeping it local. People fear that the new stuff happening is going to make us too big and take away from the charm, but I think
13. MADHospitality General Manager Olivia Simpson. 14. An exquisite dish at The Dining Room.
the town does a good job of maintaining that small-town feel.”
Snyder’s desire for collaboration over competition gave him the idea of bringing a world-class French bakery to the downtown district. “Our old friend and pastry chef Edouard (Fenouil) came out to visit Madison. I mentioned to Ed that if he ever wanted to move out of the city, we could use a good bakery. He called me a week later to accept the offer, so I needed to build a bakery. It wasn’t in the original plan, but then we were in the bakery business. The Dining Room opened in December of 2022, and the Patisserie opened in February of 2023.”
Chef Edouard and Preston Snyder met during their Ritz-Carlton tenure and also played in the same Sunday soccer league. Now, they’re involved in a different team altogether with MadHospitality. Chef Edouard brings his passion for pastry to the downtown restaurant scene with the Patisserie on Main.
“I am from the Chamonix region of France, and in the middle of high school, you have to choose the direction of higher study. I took an apprenticeship in a bakery. It allowed me to work with food and to travel around the world. I started at 15, and I liked it.” He’s been in the industry ever since.
“I have a team here of two local young people. I start at five in the morning, and they come in at 7 a.m. I do a lot of classic pastries because that’s what people like.
15. Sourdough loaves are baked daily at the Patisserie.
16. Chef Edouard works his magic at the Patisserie.
17. The Patisserie on Main repurposed an empty space on Madison’s Main Street.
18. Chef Edouard at the Patisserie.
Yesterday, someone stopped me at The Sinclair and said our croissants reminded them of being in Paris. I keep it simple and classic and good. My motto is to do better than the day before. That’s what we do.”
As with the other areas of the business, Chef Edouard is training young people rather than hiring seasoned professionals. They are getting a worldclass apprenticeship in small-town Madison. “Everything is made fresh, from scratch, every day. We have our regular customers, so we must be doing something right. Since we opened, we’ve had an amazing response from the people of Madison. The feeling you have is like we’ve been there forever, but it’s only been two years. We’ve become a part of the town, and that’s an amazing feeling.”
“I come from a town in France about the size of Madison, although with less people. We had three bakeries in one town, and here, there’s one bakery in the entire county.”
The Patisserie also provides dessert for the other MadHospitality restaurants
19. Croissants, fresh bread, sweet rolls, tarts and a multitude of baked goods and pastries are available at the Patisserie. 20. Patisserie retail associate Parker Clark.
in town as well as catered events through The Buggyworks event facility. Chef Edouard noted that Americans often see dessert as an optional part of the menu, but in his culture, it’s a necessary and appreciated part of any meal. His desserts are designed to compliment and complete a meal.
Madison Mayor Fred Perriman says he has witnessed MadHospitality become a major factor in the revitalization of his city. “When Preston came to town, this side of town was experiencing a dark, bleak period. Businesses had come in and just couldn’t survive. When MadHospitality came to town, they looked at it from a different perspective. They could see that this side of town needed a facelift. They came in and took an old gas station and turned it into an amazing coffee shop people love,” he said, referencing The Sinclair.
“It’s what people love to come to Madison to see and be a part of — that history.”
“I remember when Betty Gene’s was a Pontiac place. When you sit inside that restaurant, cars used to be in that building. It’s the same room, but it feels so much like home. You can sit and share a meal or cup of coffee with a friend and not feel in a hurry to leave because it’s a homestyle environment. Preston even was able to
21. Betty Gene’s, named after Preston Snyder’s mother, has become a popular breakfast and lunch hangout on the Madison square 22. A perfect omelette and fried potatoes at Betty Gene’s.
uplift the former funeral home. I went in one day and thought, instead of coming into this place with a broken heart, you can come into this place with an uplifted spirit and have a great conversation. He took something that was brokenhearted and made something very unique out of it. People can now go there and enjoy the setting.”
“I feel that Preston had the mindset and vision to come up with a plan that’s unique for the business and the entire city. It’s made such a vibrant difference. We love all our restaurants here. They’re all thriving. MadHospitality has brought careful thought and consideration to each part of the business to make it all successful. I’m fortunate to be the mayor of a city that keeps its charm but also moves and progresses as well. People come and share in what we have here, and we have to have something to offer them. The MadHospitality businesses add to what we can offer and have entirely brightened up Hancock Street. It’s made it more memorable. People visit, are impressed, and want to come back. I think that’s the beauty of Madison.”
For new residents and visitors in Madison, the thriving downtown restaurant scene is all they’ve known. For those who’ve visited before or lived here longer, the changes are both
23. A vegetable plate including Mac and Cheese, field peas and pork and greens at Betty Gene’s.
24. Outdoor seating at Betty Gene’s.
25. Strawberries and French Toast with whipped butter.
noticeable and welcome. MadHospitality is not only providing jobs and supporting the downtown economy, but it’s also bringing fresh ideas and flavors to the table — and inviting visitors to sit down and savor the experience of connecting over a beautifully prepared and delicious meal.
26. Hart & Crown, a British Pub concept, faces East Washington Street.
27. A beautiful salad dish at Hart & Crown.
28. A great place to have a whiskey at the Hart & Crown.
29. The inviting bar at Hart & Crown.
30 A plate of Fish and Chips at the British Pub-styled Hart & Crown.
‘IT’S NEW AMERICAN’
Reynold’s ESSE continues ‘to be’
BY BETH SLAUGHTER SEXTON
“If you had been to The Landing before and we blindfolded you and brought you into the new space, you would have no idea you were in the same place,” Plazola said. “That’s how big the transformation was. The membership
has been so very happy with it and that’s the most rewarding part of it.”
Jason Plazola, General Manager
Its very name in Latin means “to be.”
And indeed, ESSĒ lives up to that name and even more so as the root word for “essence,” since many say the recently remodeled restaurant embodies the spirit of life at Reynolds Lake Oconee. That it has tripled its business since reopening is certainly a sign it is where many members want to be and now, this signature restaurant of The Landing community at Reynolds Lake Oconee has been recognized nationally with a major industry award.
ESSĒ has received second place in the remodeled private food and beverage facility category of the 2025 Golden Fork Awards and was recently featured with a glowing review in Golf Inc. Magazine
“Awards are always wonderful,” General Manager, Reynolds Lake Oconee Jason Plazola said. “It took a lot of hard work and planning and our team spent many years on this. We have received many positive reviews even beyond the borders of our lake here. It’s certainly not the reason why we endeavor to do so many of these fun projects here at the club, but it’s enjoyable.”
Before it was ESSĒ, the site was known as The Restaurant at The Landing. Its menu and décor were both described as traditional clubhouse fare and style.
“We transformed that,” Plazola said. “One of the major themes of this project was transformation. We thought it was appropriate to give it a fitting name, as well. This transformation was transcendent... We really feel like ESSĒ captured and embodied not only the transformation of what we were able to deliver to the members and it also embodied and represented what it means ‘to be’ here at Reynolds and The Landing. For our members to be able to come together to eat and drink and gather and socialize and fellowship and so we really embraced that word and that concept in finding the new name for the restaurant.”
In preparing for the transformation, the restaurant closed in the spring of 2023, and work began under direction of the award-winning restaurant design firm, The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry. The firm has done hundreds of projects, including The Ritz-Carlton in
the Cayman Islands; The Edith in Los Angeles, Calif.; Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in Atlanta and in Los Angeles; Juniper & Ivy in San Diego, Calif; Rumi’s Kitchen in Washington, D.C.; Oak in Nashville, Tenn. and Molly B’s in Atlanta, just to name a few.
“It was transformed into a sleek and modern space that instantly draws you in,” Plazola said. “It’s a modern design featuring stunning architectural arches with the bar directly in the center of the restaurant. We have some beautiful bars and bar tops around the club, but this one took it to another level.”
The octagonal central bar features a bar top with Blue Roma Quartzite with rust veins that tie in with the burnt orange and rust upholstery of the new furniture. Dark wooden arches were added to the vaulted ceiling running through the center of the space to create a sense of grandeur and to help connect the front bar area to the dining space. The veranda, which is accessible from the dining room or new outdoor staircase, offers al fresco dining opportunities as well as beautiful wooded and water views of the golf course. While the restaurant had outdoor seating before, it expanded to 30 outdoor seats with soft seating and fire pits.
“It’s such a beautiful space, it makes you want to linger longer,” Plazola said.
“If you had been to The Landing before and we blindfolded you and brought you into the new space, you would have no idea you were in the same place,” Plazola said. “That’s how big the transformation was. The membership has been so very happy with it and that’s the most
Fresh oysters and locally sourced beef are staples at ESSĒ.
rewarding part of it. That’s the intention, so much so that their utilization of the restaurant has tripled from before. They keep coming back. One of the really cool things about it is that once you’re inside, you now feel like you could be in downtown Atlanta or New York City or Austin. It’s a testament to the vision of our architect.”
A native of Southern California, Plazola came to Reynolds Lake Oconee nine years ago from the Waldorf Astoria La Quinta Resort and PGA West near the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains, a desert resort destination in California.
“It’s a beautiful part of the world and we loved it so much, but we always said the only way we would consider leaving is if we found a place more beautiful than that,” Plazola said. “We found it at Lake Oconee. It’s a very, very special place in the world here...Everything at the club is very near and dear to my heart. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. It is absolutely home sweet home. We love it.”
Plazola first came to Reynolds Lake Oconee as director of food and beverage then became director of hospitality before being named general manager four years ago. He and his wife of almost nine years, Christine, live in the Reynolds community where Mrs. Plazola is director of membership for the club.
“The menu has changed dramatically from what you would describe as a traditional golf course clubhouse menu,” Plazola said. “It’s really innovative to what we describe as locally sourced and ingredient-driven. It’s new American. That’s how we describe the menu...Some of the most popular items have been the red grouper, which actually has a hint of southern Asian in it with lemongrass and coconut. The Wagyu beef sliders are also very popular and we’ve got the best roast prime rib at the lake.”
Plazola said Chef Zeb Hartline was named director of Culinary Operations for Reynolds Lake Oconee in January and oversees the club’s restaurants, including ESSĒ and its new menu. The Michigan native and his wife, Jesse and their 4-year-old daughter, Avery came to Lake Oconee after Hartline served as executive chef for the Houston County Club in Houston, Texas, for three years.
“I decided to make the transition to country clubs because I like that personal experience of getting to know the membership and creating close relationships with the members,” Hartline said. “Reynolds is such an amazing place. Everywhere you look, the view keeps getting better and better. It’s like out of a magazine. I grew up in a small town in Michigan and I think Reynolds has that small town charm and feel, but it’s a very exciting and busy place to be. There are new and exciting things happening all the time with all of the events.”
While Hartline never saw the restaurant before its transformation, he said he has seen photos.
“What a breath of fresh air the ESSĒ renovation is,” he said. “Our Executive Chef John over there is doing a fantastic job running the restaurant and the culinary piece of it.” Chef John Morales, along with Assistant Director of Culinary Operations Bill Greenwald and Hartline work together on the menus and focus on the locally sourced products.
“We really want to give the best culinary experience we can to our membership, but also make sure we have
Chef Zeb Hardline, director of Culinary Operations for Reynolds Lake Oconee, oversees all of Reynolds Lake Oconee food and beverage operations including the creation of a new menu at ESSĒ.
some upscale familiar items that are ingredient-driven that are also new age American-driven, like the Wagyu beef sliders on the menu. We have smaller plate options over there, so that helps when you can sit down and order a few of the smaller plates and not just sit down and get a larger portion of food. We have those options available too, but it’s a nice mix. It’s something for every occasion at ESSĒ and that’s what we like most about it.”
Hartline is a graduate of the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Orlando. He grew up on his family’s 67-acre produce farm in Michigan and remembers watching his mother juicing grapes, making pickles and canning vegetables in jars and going with his father to the cider mill to have their apples pressed. He remembers sitting there at the cider mill as a little boy drinking fresh apple cider out of a paper cup.
“With those memories, I’ve got a whole new appreciation for farmers,” Hartline said. “Growing up on a farm and seeing how hard my family worked in the farming industry, I knew I wanted to kind of give back. My way of giving back is utilizing those locally sourced ingredients and bringing to light the farmers providing them whether writing their family name on the menu or being able to have that
Our expert team has over 25 years of aesthetic experience to serve you.
The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry completed a total transformation of the interior of the restaurant including intimate sitting areas.
appreciation... We go around and reach out to some different farmers… We’re looking at getting in locally sourced beef just minutes down the road. We’re really trying to use connections within the community to build those relationships and get great products that are local here.”
“Every restaurant has its own thing,” Hartline said of the many restaurants at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “ESSĒ is kind of like the new age American style restaurant. At all of our restaurants, we always have a couple of member favorites, but we also want to come up with new items.”
Hartline said until now, menus at ESSĒ have changed twice a year; spring and fall. However, for the first time, a new summer menu will debut in June, which will focus on fresh summer ingredients. This month, ESSĒ will add a Sunday Brunch to the menu.
“We’re very excited about that,” Hartline said. “We had a great time putting this together. Some of the best sellers will be huevos rancheros, avocado toast with soft boiled egg, lemon ricotta pancakes, chilaquiles tossed in salsa verde and topped with eggs and ultimate French toast with bourbon caramel and berries with a little Chantilly crème and syrup.”
For a full listing of Reynolds Lake Oconee restaurants and menus, visit www.reynoldslakeoconee.com.
“Reynolds really has an amazing culinary team,” Hartline said. “There are a lot of great talented chefs. I’m just happy to be part of the team. I’m very excited for what the future holds.”
ESSĒ has formed local connections with product providers as a staple for their extensive food and drink options.
Classic Barbecue Joints
While you can argue, and folks do, both Crowe’s and Holcomb’s have stood the test of time in the BBQ world
BY CRYSTAL JACKSON
Barbecue joints are a classic Southern tradition, but not all BBQ is created equal. While some businesses have come and gone over the years, two local BBQ restaurants have stood the test of taste and time: Crowe’s BBQ in Madison and Holcomb’s BBQ in Greensboro and White Plains. Both remain the best BBQ in Lake Oconee according to both visitors and area residents.
The Crowe family started making BBQ back in the 1960s when L. J. Crowe ran a Dekalb County dairy and served up his BBQ recipe on customer appreciation day each year. In 1976, his son Bobby would open up a country store in Centerville, and later a Snellville restaurant, where he would serve up BBQ using L. J.’s original sauce recipe. His philosophy was simple: “The meat has to be good before you put sauce on it. If the meat isn’t good by itself, the sauce won’t make it better.”
His son, Phillip Crowe, opened Crowe’s BBQ in Madison, Ga., in an old car wash back in 1991. Staying faithful to his roots and family traditions, Crowe’s BBQ became an area favorite. In 2019, his son Ben Crowe in partnership with Mason Carter took over the business and continued the tradition of serving up great BBQ in the heart of Lake Oconee.
Mason Carter has always loved food and flavor. “My parents had a restaurant when I was 6, right here in town called Taste of the Islands serving up Jamaican cuisine. I was in the back of the kitchen, running around and wiping down tables as a child. It was a good experience growing up there, and although they sold out after three or four years in business, I’ve always cooked. When my parents would come home from work, I’d be sitting on the couch. When most kids were watching cartoons, I’d be watching Rachel Ray. I have always been
Wren Carter, 3, is ready to help his father Mason at Crowe’s BBQ.
Photo by Mallory Agnew
fascinated with flavor.”
Carter began his career as a food salesman for Crowe’s along with his father, Gary Pritchett. In high school, Carter took a job working in the restaurant. When Phillip Crowe wanted to take a step back from the business, Carter and Crowe’s youngest son Ben stepped up to continue the family business. Two years later, the pandemic hit, sending the restaurant business into chaos.
“We had just borrowed the money to buy the business, and the world shut down. We had a service business. Not only did I have the added pressure of being 23 and trying to run a business but I also had people working in the business who had been with it for 20 years. I think of the ladies in the restaurant as second mommas since I started working in the restaurant when I was 18. We had people depending on us to keep going. It was terrifying, but they say strength is a product of struggle. It was God taking care of us and the people of Madison taking care of us by eating local and supporting our business.
One great benefit is that 75 percent of our business was take-out to start with. The dining area was shut down for a year and a half. We switched our entire system and the way we do business, and we couldn’t switch back. We were faster and more efficient. I’m really proud of the fact that it’s not fast food; it’s slow food, but we serve it fast. People on a 30-minute lunch break know that they can come here and be taken care of in that time. It’s important to make sure it’s right and
Crowe’s BBQ is a family affair, says Mason Carter, that strives on empowering employees to produce exceptional plates. Photo by Mallory Agnew
Mason Carter creates a plate. Note the old school order board above his head.
Photo by Mallory Agnew
fast. We put in a second register and asked longtime employee Patsy, formerly of Ye Old Colonial restaurant downtown, to switch from the kitchen to the front of the house.”
Carter emphasizes that while there have been some additions to the menu, the flavor profile and recipes have stayed the same. The Carolina-style BBQ sauce is still what it’s always been, and it’s still cooked the same way. Meat is sourced from Cisco Atlanta, but they’ve been able to utilize the same local wood supplier, The Greenways, for 18 years. On an average day, they cook about 375 pounds of BBQ a day, 50 slabs of ribs, and about 75 halfchickens.
Recently, brisket was added to the menu after the owners got a crash course in cooking brisket from a Grill Master in Texas.
“We started in January of last year. We only offer it on Saturdays. We usually sell out early. We’re experiencing some growing pains right now. While our product, team, and cookers have grown, the one thing we can’t grow is the shell of the restaurant. We committed to never reheating food. We cook the food fresh each day. Our major proteins are brisket and pork. We start cooking the day before for 14 or 16 hours followed by a 10-hour rest. We cool it at midnight so that it’s ready the next morning to be chopped and prepared.
If a barbecue restaurant never runs out,
Mason Carter, his wife Allison and their children Nora Clarke Carter, 14 months and Wren Carter, 3. Photo by Mallory Agnew
they’re either reheating food or dealing with massive amounts of food waste. When you see a sold-out sign on a BBQ restaurant, it’s a badge of honor. It’s not about creating demand; it’s a commitment we have to serving quality BBQ.”
Carter describes the business as a hole in the wall, a title he’s proud to claim. The decor is simple, and photos added to the wall are often gifted by customers. A framed article on the wall featuring the business was a gift from Carter’s wife.
When asked how the business is holding its own while so many are shutting their doors, Carter explained, “We expanded into catering. We do black tablecloth events from Atlanta to Lake Oconee. We do super fine grazing tables and smoked meats. We do our BBQ but church it up for catered events. Smoked pimento cheese pinwheels are the same pimento cheese served in-house. We hired Amanda Crowe, a distant relative, to handle our catering. There’s a high demand for it. The catering side of the business usually manages two events each weekend. We also have the Crowe’s food truck, which can go out to cater events.”
But in the end, Carter still credits God and the community for their ongoing success.
If you want to go: Crowe’s BBQ is located at 1320 Eatonton Road in Madison, next door to a convenience store and down the street from the New South Motor Inn.
Holcomb’s BBQ is the other Lake Oconee BBQ powerhouse. Another family-run business, Holcomb’s has locations in both White Plains and Greensboro. The White Plains location is original to the business. They still cook their stew in the original 100-gallon cast iron pots, and the pit-cooked BBQ is made with the same family recipe passed down through the generations. The sawdust flooring in the dining area is unique to Georgia and offers diners a one-of-a-kind restaurant experience. The menu is short, and the receipts are handwritten. The simplicity of the operation underlines their appreciation for good value and family tradition.
Holcomb’s BBQ was founded in 1971 by David Holcomb who ran the business until he passed in 1994. His wife Grace ran it until her passing in 2016. Holcomb’s two daughters, Sandra and Jan, joined the
ABOVE: Long time Crowe’s BBQ employee Patsy Peppers (longtime employee at the window) leans against an order window at the Eatonton Road restaurant. Photo by Mallory Agnew.
LEFT TOP: A smoker full of hams are almost ready for BBQ plates at Crowes. Photo by Mallory Agnew.
LEFT BOTTOM: Customers wait at the serving line at Crowes. Photo by Mallory Agnew.
Holcomb’s Bar-B-Q owners Luke Askew and his father Allen at the original
Holcomb’s Bar-B-Q on Georgia Highway 15 just outside of White Plains.
Photo by Clay Benfield.
Holcomb’s Bar-B-Q outside of White Plains in Greene County has been favorite since 1971. Photo by Clay Benfield.
business in 1985 but took over officially after 2016 until Jan left the business in 2023. It’s continued operating as a family affair with Allen, husband of Sandra, and their children Luke and Erica. The recipes used today are exactly the same as they’ve always been. The one significant change has been the way that they are cooked. Allen Askew explained, “We had to get away from using wood. We couldn’t keep the labor. We now cook with gas. Each cooker holds about a thousand pounds of meat. It takes about 12 hours to cook. We did add ribs to the menu, but we haven’t taken anything away from it.”
Sandra Askew has always worked with family. She began helping out in her father’s business at the age of 13.
“My dad never met a stranger,” Sandra Askews shared. “People would stop by and talk to him for an
hour or two hours. He sat on the cushion near the kitchen at the White Plains location, he and my mom. If he saw you once, the next time he saw you, he knew your name.”
This level of service has clearly continued within the family as the Askews frequently pause to greet familiar diners coming in the doors of the business.
Before the Georgia games were televised, Holcomb’s would see a steady stream of football fans in the restaurant. Many of them would bring memorabilia to hang up on the walls of the restaurant. Allen Askew, wearing a signature Holcomb’s BBQ hat shared, “Back before they started televising all the games, the restaurant would be full of Georgia people on a Saturday. It was the same with deer hunting. There used to be so many deer hunters crowded in here you couldn’t stir them with a stick. They’d be lined up outside, and the tables would be full.” Although they have fewer hunters and sports fans stopping by these days, the business still has a loyal following from locals and visitors alike.
ABOVE: Luke Askew at the take-out window of Holcomb’s Bar-B-Q.
Photo by Clay Benfield.
LEFT: A large batch of Brunswick Stew being prepared at Holcomb’s. Photo by Clay Benfield.
When asked about the secret of their success, Askew asserts, “Keep the service good, keep it consistent, and keep it clean.” The Greensboro location opened in 1981 in a former gas station where it remains today. Askew emphasizes that the family has steadily run the business, closing only when there’s no other choice. Since 1985, Allen Askew has only taken about four weekends off, and two of those were following his open heart surgery. Sandra Askew echoes the same work ethic as she battles cancer while still maintaining her work schedule in the family business. She agrees that consistency matters in growing a strong following — in business hours as well as in flavor. While desserts have been added to the menu, the other menu items are as they’ve always been. “People come here and know exactly what they’re getting.”
In their time, Holcomb’s has even seen their share of famous patrons. They recounted a visit by President George W. Bush and the Secret Service that took place many years ago when the Bush family was visiting Lake Oconee. That day, they fed the President of the United States, the Secret Service, and members of the Georgia State Highway Patrol.
Like Crowe’s, Holcomb’s has also found that the
catering portion of the business supports and maintains the restaurant side of it. They do church socials, weddings, and other events regularly. They’ve also had requests to ship their barbecue across the country and overseas.
A great barbecue restaurant is more than just a good recipe and quality ingredients. According to the Askew family at Holcomb’s, it’s about tradition and consistency. According to Carter at Crowe’s, it’s about having a heart for the work and a personal investment in the business succeeding. Both restaurants aren’t trying to impress visitors with fancy gimmicks. They stand out as local dives serving up quality food that’s consistently good with service that’s consistently fast and friendly. If you’re looking for the best BBQ in Lake Oconee, Crowe’s and Holcomb’s stand out as the best of southern barbecue.
If you want to go: Holcomb’s BBQ has two locations, one at 404 West Broad Street, Greensboro, Ga. and the original location (complete with sawdust floors) at 7070 Ga. Hwy 15, White Plains.
ABOVE: A perfect BBQ sandwich ready for the window at Holcomb’s Bar-B-Q. Left: Holcomb’s employees Jackie Swain and Nicole Mullis at the Georgia Highway 15 location.
Photos by Clay Benfield.
Say Goodbye to Thumb Arthritis
Georgia’s Leading Orthopedic Surgeon Now Performs Advanced Implant Procedure at Morgan Medical Center
While the early symptoms of thumb arthritis may be subtle, without proper treatment, they can start to significantly impact your quality of life. Everyday tasks like opening jars, texting, or even enjoying your favorite outdoor hobbies can become painful. But now, there’s hope.
Morgan Medical Center now offers the BioPro® Modular Thumb Implant, an advanced, state-of-the-art procedure that restores thumb mobility and strength. Unlike traditional surgical treatments, this procedure replaces the thumb joint instead of removing it.
Dr. Thomas Parent, one of Georgia’s leading orthopedic specialists and the only surgeon in the state performing this procedure, is seeing patients right here in our community.
A less invasive procedure and convenient outpatient experience
A personalized implant fit, with over 40 different combinations
Preservation of your thumb’s anatomy
Restored pinch and grip strength
Faster recovery, returning to unrestricted activity 8-12 weeks after surgery
If the pain just won’t go away, schedule a consultation with Dr. Thomas Parent.
Thomas E. Parent, MD
Feeding the Soul of a Starving Downtown
With grit and vision, Lakesha Jones wants to be a vessel of change for Sparta
By Tia Lynn Ivey | Photos by Clay Benfield
One brisk walk through Downtown Sparta in Georgia will deliver a disheartening sight--entire blocks of boarded up brick storefronts and abandoned dilapidated buildings lining the city’s historic Broad Street, decaying relics from decades of deterioration and a persistent depressed local economy.
But one new soul food restaurant is reviving the starving soul of downtown Sparta, thanks to the persevering vision of a local entrepreneur Lakesha Jones, a 40-year-old native of Sparta determined to cook up both classic comfort food and a new era of prosperity for her beloved hometown.
“This isn’t just a restaurant. This isn’t just a business. This is for our community and our community needs us here,” says Lakesha.
Operating out of an unassuming location tucked between a gas station and convenience store on Broad Street, the old Hardee’s building has been transformed into Grits and Gravy, a family-run southern eatery “serving up big flavor in a small town.” The popular
Get ready for Bertha’s breakfast at Sparta’s newest dining establishment. Breakfast includes two Salmon patties.
On opening day, Grits & Gravy had people lined around the old Hardee’s restaurant location.
WE PAMPER
THEY PLAY LODGELEARNSHOPPLAY
Here for all of your pets needs!
Lifelong local and animal lover Stephanie White created Harmony Pet Resort in 2006. Harmony Pet Resort has provided the awardwinning care our pets deserve. Our state-ofthe-art facility and attentive staff ensure your pet feels right at home while having lots of fun. Visit us for deluxe overnight pet boarding, dog daycare, full service grooming & spa, professional dog training and supplies!
Love the staff and the service that my babies receive every time they go. Don't have to wait or worry about t heir treatment. Thank you and keep up the good work!!!
Now offering professional dog training to the Lake Oconee area. Since partnering with Sit Means Sit, we are now able to offer fully customized programs to help your pet achieve the highest level of obedience.
restaurant has quickly become the breakfast and lunch hub of Sparta, strengthening community bonds and putting Sparta back on the map as a destination stop for feasting on traditional southern cooking.
Grits and Gravy opened to fanfare this past February, drawing hoards of locals and out-of-town visitors forming a line that wrapped around the building for hours on the first day of business.
“We thought it was just the excitement for the grand opening,” reflects Lakesha. “But 30 days in and it was still happening and we were still packed, we knew then that this was the real thing.”
With both skill and intuition, Lakesha serves up delicious dishes with a keen eye for complimentary flavors and pleasing presentations. When Lakesha crafts a meal from scratch, she doesn’t follow a recipe, she follows her heart.
“I cook with emotion,” says Lakesha. “I want my food to feel good, to make people feel good.”
Lakesha is a trained culinary chef who graduated from Helms College in Augusta. But her expansive menu isn’t created from the cookbooks she studied in school, rather she crafts her meals after the tried-and-true dishes of her ancestors, the cherished family recipes passed down from generation to generation.
“My family is in everything we make. Some of the recipes are mine, some were my mother’s, some are my father’s, some were my grandmother’s and some come from even further back,” says Lakesha.
She credits her grandmother, Miss Lucille Jones, for perfecting the fried chicken recipe used at Grits and Gravy today, one of the most popular dishes in demand.
On any given day, guests up bright and early for breakfast can dine on buttermilk pancakes, strawberry-topped Belgium waffles, crumbly hot biscuits, fluffy scrambled eggs, creamy grits, plump smoked sausages or crispy bacon strips.
Lunch and Dinner dishes rotate between golden fried chicken, smoked ham, hearty meatloaf, tender pork chops, crispy catfish, flaky salmon patties or gravy-smothered turkey wings. These can be paired with velvety macaroni and cheese, savory cornbread and gravy, earthy black eyed peas, tender collard greens, or subtly sweet cabbage and beets, among other tasty sides, along with freshly baked cakes and pies for dessert.
Every Sunday, Lakesha and the staff gear up for the highlight of the week, the all-day dinner rush, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Every Sunday the line of people continues to wrap around the building as hungry patrons eagerly await to dine on delicious southern delicacies cooked up in the Grits and Gravy kitchen.
“Well, we are open until 5 p.m. on Sundays, but I am still figuring out how to make it until five o’clock without running out of food,” says Lakesha of the busiest day of the week. “It doesn’t matter what we make, we always sell out of food before we close.”
The success of Grits and Gravy has renewed hope for Sparta’s future, as city leaders have tried for years to lure new
Owner Lakesha Jones, a Sparta native, cooks with emotion, including her fabulous strawberry and waffles dish. 'I want my food to make people feel good,' she says.
businesses to its struggling downtown district.
And yet just one year ago, Lakesha had given up all hope of ever owning her own restaurant, after previous projects did not pan out. After being forced to close a different restaurant venture in Warren County during the COVID pandemic, Lakesha was resigned to leaving her restaurant dreams behind for good.
“I vowed I would never have another restaurant again,” laughs Lakesha.
But fate, it seems, had other plans.
When the building in the heart of her hometown became available for rent, Lakesha could not pass up the opportunity to open her own eatery to feed her hometown community, boost economic development, and expand employment opportunities for local workers.
“This was the opportunity to do all of the things that matter to me,” says Lakesha. “This was a gift from God that I could not refuse.”
So Lakesha set out to make Grits and Gravy a family affair, first hiring her father, Matthew Jones, 70, as one of the main chefs, and also the resident contractor to revamp the atmosphere.
“It still looked like a Hardee’s when we got in here,” remembers Lakesha. “But we wanted to make this place into something special.”
The renovation began in October 2024 as Lakesha and her father got to work on bringing her vision to life. After months
of painting, replacing the booths, adding lighting, building tables, installing a new service bar and hot case, along with adding new industrial kitchen equipment, Grits and Gravy was ready to open to the public. But not without first adding a few personal touches to honor a lost loved one in Lakesha’s life.
Every table at Grits and Gravy is set with linen-wrapped silverware and vases of locally-sourced fresh flowers in honor of Bertha Mae Jones, Lakesha’s late mother, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 65 from COVID.
“She was a lover of flowers,” says Lakesha fondly. She described her mother as a talented caterer and prolific baker who often chided Lakesha to “just follow the recipe.”
“I learned eventually,” she laughs.
Grits and Gravy seemed like the perfect place to pay homage to her late mother, who influenced so much of who Lakesha grew up to be.
“When we opened, we made the ‘Fresh Flower Promise’ that all of our tables would be reset with new fresh flowers every week.”
Lakesha even set aside one table near the front of the restaurant in honor of her mother, seating just one chair at the table and adorning it with a special plant. It is known as Bertha’s Table.
“Everyone knows that table is for my mom. I always get a
Downtown Sparta is searching for a new identity and hoping entrepreneurs like Lakesha Jones can make a difference.
Grits & Gravy Owner Lakesha Jones with her daughter, and employee, Jordyn Ingram.
Grits & Gravy transformed a former Hardee’s building that became a former pizza and wings establishment into a restaurant with gravitas.
special feeling when someone comes in and asks to sit there. There may be just one person sitting at the table, but they aren’t eating alone,” says Lakesha.
Once Grits and Gravy was ready to open, Lakesha hired on other family members to work in front of the house and back of the house positions.
“It’s not only my dad. It’s my daughter, my cousin, my niece, and even my godmother,” says Lakesha.
Lakesha, who also serves as president of the local Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO), also formed a partnership with the school system to recruit high school students to work at Grits and Gravy on the weekends.
“I didn’t go to culinary school until I was 30-years-old. I was never exposed to cooking as a profession, as a career you could really make it in,” says Lakesha. “So I wanted to give our local school students the opportunity to learn the business and see how the restaurant industry works and how to make a living at it.”
Lakesha hopes to one day run a teaching farm for local students.
“The ultimate goal is to have a teaching farm, since we don’t have a culinary program at our high school. I want our students to be exposed to that early on,” said Lakesha. Lakesha also devised her business plan to account for
paying employees a living wage, estimating that her staff is paid at least $5 dollars more an hour than the typical service industry wage in the area.
“It was important for me to give jobs to people in our community and to pay them a decent wage,” explains Lakesha. “After working a 40-hour week, I don’t want my employees to go home and have to look for a second job. I want them to be able to afford to live off of one job.”
Grits and Gravy did not open in Sparta to merely line Lakesha’s pockets with money, it was launched as a labor of love for her hometown.
“People ask me why I fight this fight? Why not just go to another city and open a place elsewhere? I tell you, my bank account would look a lot different if I did, but so would my soul and not in a good way.”
For Lakesha, who lives just three miles away from Grits and Gravy, home will always be where her heart lies.
“I feel safe at home. We are still a village here. People look out for one another. My grandparents made a good life here. My mom and dad made a good life here. I am making a good life here and I want to help make it possible for my daughter to make a good life here, but I fear she won’t be able to because there aren’t many opportunities to make a living here,” says a teary-eyed Lakesha. “I feel most people would love to stay in their hometowns if it were financially feasible to do it.”
Lakesha wants the world to see Grits and Gravy as an act of defiance against the narrative that Sparta is a dying small town, irrevocably lost to a bygone era that cannot be brought back to life.
“If you give people something to come to, they will come,” says Lakesha. “Grits and Gravy has already proven that and in a very short period of time.”
“I want to see other people come and do the same. I want to see our Downtown give our people places to work and things to do. I want to be a part of making that happen,” says Lakesha, who jokes that she has her hands in “so many pots” around town that she barely has time to rest.
“I don’t sleep, I take cat naps,” she laughs.
Lakesha spends the bulk of her professional life in the kitchen, leading some to mistake the driving force that truly motivates her.
“People say food is my purpose. But they’re wrong. Food is my passion. People are my purpose,” says Lakesha. “I am here to do what I can do for the people.”
Grits and Gravy is located at 12834 Broad Street in Sparta, Georgia. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., and on Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Grits and Gravy is closed on Mondays.
For more information, visit: www.eatgritsandgravy.com or follow the Grits and Gravy Facebook page.
It’s a family affair. Lakesha Jones with her father Matthew Jones. Matthew cooks and was the general contractor during the renovation period of the restaurant.
One of several murals in downtown Sparta in Hancock County.
Open Mic Open Heart AND AN IT’S AN
Once a month, everybody has a placed on the stage at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center
BY CRYSTAL JACKSON PHOTOS BY MALLORY AGNEW
It’s a warm Monday night in early spring. There’s a food truck parked behind the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, and the parking lot is starting to fill. Guests are streaming steadily between the food truck outside and inside the historic Hall, located at the back end of the Center’s parking lot in a beautifully restored high school gymnasium.
Inside The Hall on Foster, the air is thick with anticipation. The stage spotlight lit and a lone mic stands waiting. It’s almost possible to hear the nervous heartbeats of performers beneath the quiet music as community members shuffle around the room, getting drinks and greeting one another. Any member of the audience could be a performer, and every performer is an audience member.
It’s Open Mic Night in Madison.
Open Mic Night, held every first Monday evening of each month, was the brainchild of Mallory Agnew, Madison-Morgan Cultural Center’s (MMCC) Event & Marketing coordinator. The first Open Mic Night was held in October of 2024, and while the attendance was low, it still provided the first hint that a creative event would be both unique and welcome here.
“It’s important for us to foster an environment where people can show up exactly as they are, sharing a piece of their heart,” Agnew shared. “Open Mic Night is our fun bubble of original expression, whatever that looks like. If you need a supportive place to share a song, dance, poem, or magic trick, our doors are always open, and we can’t wait to meet you!”
This free community event might have started small with a handful of hopeful creatives, but it’s growing in both size and enthusiasm. Recently, Open Mic Night has partnered with local food trucks to offer a dining experience for attendees. Audience members and performers can purchase dinner from the food truck of the evening and then head inside where beverages (including beer and wine) are available for purchase.
Mallory’s husband Colin Agnew, a local musician as well as MMCC’s
Luna Jackson, 12, has become a sensation at the monthly Open Mic events held at The Hall on Foster.
Performing Arts Coordinator, opens the evening, “The benchmark for a good arts and music scene in any city is a quality open mic night,” he tells the audience.
On this particular night, performances range from singers to songwriters and musicians to storytellers and poets.
The show is opened by professional musician Geoff Wood with a soulful start to the evening with his original songs “Vacation” and “Joe Paints Horses.”
Twelve-year-old Morgan County student Luna Jackson, an Open Mic night favorite, sings a heartfelt cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s hit song “Vampire.”
Jackson is followed by original poetry from her mother Crystal Jackson before shifting back to musical numbers by Morgan County student Emily Highfill, who is accompanied by fellow student Nathan Smith. Highfill performs a stunning cover of “Mirror” by Madison Ryann Ward, and Smith offers up a passionate rendition of “Iris” by the GooGoo Dolls.
The evening then shifts into storytelling and the audience is treated to “What the Trainer Said,” the second chapter in an ongoing riveting tale by Valle Ashley about rescuing a wild Mustang.
Emmy Smock treats the audience to a sentimental short story that enjoys a warm reception and noted baseball historian Jim Halloran follows with a baseball story a comedic tale of professional baseball player Rube Waddell.
Frank Walsh follows this telling with several poetry selections before treating the audience to his rendition of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”
Wood, who opened the show, closes it out. When the night is over, many audience members and performers alike linger, reluctant to see an end to the evening.
It’s not unusual to run into a familiar community member at
Performer Emily Highfill is accompanied by Nathan Smith. Both students at Morgan County High School, the performers relish their time on the open stage. At left, the crowd watches attentively as people perform.
but it’s just as
Ashley describes this event as “an eclectic and surprising broader community gathering. From Athens, we’ve had standup comedians. From Augusta, we’ve had singer/songwriters. Locally, we’ve had poetry readers and poetry writers, adult and youth singers, and storytellers. As the word gets out, more people are coming to entertain and be entertained.”
Morgan County Elementary School student Luna Jackson loves to entertain. “It makes me feel good to perform. I like to show off my talent. I’m nervous when I go up to perform because I’m afraid that someone will criticize me, but everyone is nice. I’ve made friends, and people have told me that I’m really talented. It’s fun, and each time I step on stage, it helps me get braver.”
Frank Walsh read several selections of poetry and then broke out a rendition of “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” at the event.
Bravery is necessary to stand up and walk out onto the stage, but it’s not the only commonality among performers. Each one has a strong desire to either share a creative talent or enjoy the talents of fellow community members.
Smock, a beloved local storyteller, echoes this sentiment, joking that Open Mic night allows “the ham in me to be tolerated.”
“When you’re a creative writer, you really have a place where you can sing or read what you’ve written. You go for years writing with no one witnessing what it is you create. It’s wonderful to have a safe place and community to share your creativity. It makes me think that this is the heart of Madison. It’s an open mic and an open heart.”
Geoff Wood, a professional musician, opened and closed the recent open mic night. Organizer Mallory Agnew and her husband Colin Agnew, a noted professional musician and producer, at the event.
Design industry stays nimble Local designers adjust with tariff’s looming
BY BETH SLAUGHTER SEXTON
Stanton Home Furnishings gets strategic as rules change
Featured in the most prestigious design magazines in the region, Jimmy Stanton is a name synonymous with timeless elegance and unsurpassed quality. With more than 28 years of experience in interior design, the founder of Stanton Home Furnishings has witnessed many ups and downs in the furniture business. What is happening now worldwide across the industry is of particular note. Stanton says tariffs are already being felt in Madison.
“We deal with vendors from so many different companies and a lot have just tacked on a fee,” Stanton said. “Most are tacking about a 10 percent fee onto their pricing. I’ve also noticed that shipping has gone up, as well. Definitely on our products, all of them are starting to do a fee.”
At the time of this interview, Stanton was getting ready to leave for the biannual High Point Market in High Point, N.C.
“The High Point Market is the biggest market where everybody goes to shop for furnishings twice a year,” he said. “They’ll have furniture from all over the world. They’re trying to make people buy before the tariffs hit and entice people to go ahead and buy.”
As for Stanton Home Furnishings, its founder says his business is starting to offer more antiques in its decor, which bypasses the entire tariff issue.
“It’s been a hit,” Stanton said of adding in more antiques. “We used to do a lot of antiques and one-of-a-kinds years ago and we’ve started filtering it back in. At the big Madison Antiques Show, we had a space there and it was a great experience to show people what we have.”
The 23rd Annual Madison Antiques & Fine Things was held this spring at The Hall on Foster in downtown Madison and brought more than an estimated 1,500 people to one of the South’s most distinguished antique shows. Antiques dealers from across the country were there offering curated antiques, art, jewelry, silver, rugs and home décor. The three-day event featured lectures and programs by acclaimed interior designers, floral designers, architects and landscape architects.
Stanton Home Furnishings had a booth at the event where Stanton and his team got to meet many antiques dealers and aficionados. He said they work with antiques and vintage dealers who deal with multiple areas. As for his firm, which is located at 1561 Eatonton Road in Madison, Stanton says he offers a mixture of old and new.
“We’re all new upholstery and mix in vendors from all over and sprinkle in antiques and found objects all over the showroom,” he said. “With antiques, it’s nice to have a unique piece mixed in. Most of our customers want all new upholstery. We mix in a few one-of-a-kinds.”
A Georgia native, Stanton graduated from the American College for the Applied Arts in Atlanta with a degree in design. He went to work for renowned Atlanta designer John Craft, who did high-end work through his firm, John Craft Interiors and Image Design. While still a student, Stanton said he would work for Craft until 5 p.m., go across the street to the American College for the Applied Arts and be in class from 5:30 until late each night.
“I learned more from him than anything,” he said of his mentor. Stanton opened his own showroom on the west side of Atlanta,
Jimmy Stanton says new tariff’s are affecting how designers approach projects and buy.
but when COVID-19 hit, he said everything changed. At the time, he was living between Atlanta and Madison and due to the pandemic, Stanton had to shut down his Atlanta showroom.
“I realized how great it was out here,” he said of Madison. “The whole community out here is so amazing. With that, I found a building and purchased it and that’s where the showroom is now. We recently expanded the building, adding an outdoor space, too. It’s close to 15,000-square feet now.”
The designer opened Stanton Home Furnishings in Madison five years ago and decided to make Madison his home. He owns one of the city’s famous historic homes, Honeymoon 1851 Mansion. His house has been on the popular Madison Tour of Homes a couple of times. His partner is Patrick Greco, who works with The Joint Chiropractic and is a developer.
“I live in Madison full time,” he said. “I love being so close to the store. It’s just two miles from my house. It’s a lot easier than when I was in Atlanta.”
The pandemic finally a thing of the past, Stanton’s industry now faces a tariff war.
“I think we all depend on the overseas market,” he said. “We’re really going to find out soon with the fabrics. A lot of companies might find a lot of fabrics are American-made, but it’s the fabric coming from Europe and each upholstery company gets fabric from all over. We get stuff from all over.”
Stanton describes his work as combining “timeless aesthetics with contemporary flair.” He has participated in numerous show houses and collaborated with renowned designers. He has completed many full-service interior design projects with much of his work done at homes around Lake Oconee.
“Many people there buy from us and we do a lot of design there,” Stanton said. “We had three deliveries go there yesterday. We’re constantly delivering to the lake.”
The designer said Stanton Home Furnishings is known for its custom-made pillows, which it sells right off the showroom floor. Stanton said it is sometimes a challenge to offer sales off the floor and yet keep the showroom constantly looking good. Stanton Home Furnishings is a one-stop shop offering interior design services and providing luxury brands and custom furnishings, casegoods, upholstery, rugs, lighting and décor directly from the showroom floor.
“We’re open to the public,” he said. “Anybody can come in and see a table or sofa. They don’t have to wait. They can take it with them that day. We sell right off the showroom floor. We do design work and then we work with a lot of designers. It's almost like three businesses in one.”
Stanton’s designs have been featured in Atlanta Home & Lifestyles, DECOR, Atlanta Magazine and Lake Oconee Living, to name a few. His company is at www.stantonhomefurnishings.com.
Alexis Brown SAY HELLO
Alexis
Alexis Joins the team after spending many years in the
& beverage industry honing her customer service skills…that’s probably why you’ll recognize her!
Alexis is a Morgan County, GA native and a Morgan County Bulldog Lifer.
Everything old is new, & valuable, again
Vintage treasures remain unaffected by trade winds
BY BETH SLAUGHTER SEXTON PHOTOS BY KRISTIN KARCH
In the beautiful world of fabrics and furnishings, treasures and collectibles, the word tariff sits on the shelf like an ugly plastic vase. Not a pretty word for those who make a living importing furniture and other finds from around the globe. But it is why one local designer says antiques dealers look prophetic.
“As international tariffs reshape the furniture industry, our long-standing tradition of antique collecting suddenly feels less like nostalgia and more like we accidentally became economic geniuses,” says Amanda Archambault, owner of Archambault Interiors in Madison. “The current state of furniture pricing has become, to put it plainly, rather absurd. Those coveted new pieces arriving at port? Their price tags are climbing. Every fresh trade announcement sends costs soaring higher, making one question the wisdom of new furnishings altogether. For the economists among us, it’s a fascinating market shift. For the design enthusiasts, it’s an excellent excuse to tell your spouse, ‘Actually, darling, this antique shopping is basically fiscal responsibility.’”
Blessed with a sense of humor and a sharp eye for decorating, Archambault launched her fullservice interior design firm in 2015.
Amanda Archambault is embracing a love of antiques in a time when the price of new furniture remains a moving target.
While she continues to decorate many homes at Lake Oconee and surrounding communities, it is the store she opened in Madison in 2020, that not only complements her firm, but helps her connect with shoppers and business trends.
The U.S. is the largest importer of furniture in the world at almost $58 billion a year, followed by Germany at $17 billion and the United Kingdom at $10 billion, according to industry reports. It comes as no surprise that China is the world’s largest exporter of furniture at $75 billion a year, followed by Germany at $14 billion and Italy at $13 billion, published reports show. With the U.S. implementing reciprocal tariffs this year, the cost and availability of new furniture is in flux, with China responding to the reciprocal tariffs by putting additional tariffs on the U.S. followed by the U.S. putting additional tariffs on imports from China.
“Talking politics can be unsettling when you don’t know who voted for whom, but regardless of your political alignment, we can all acknowledge the shift in the cost because of tariffs,” Archambault said. “Whether you believe it is temporary or not, we have to be prepared for how it’s affecting new construction, remodeling and decorating.”
Archambault said she is “embracing the shift” and is in fact, excited about this turn of events. Her Madison showroom is evolving into a curated space where vintage pieces “from the finest estates meet modern design sensibilities.”
“We’ve rather cleverly assembled an exceptional network of specialized pickers, true masters of their craft, who traverse estate sales and hidden venues, unearthing those particularly special pieces that make a room sing,” she said. “... Here’s where both passion and pragmatism align beautifully. While new furniture prices continue their ambitious ascent, those inherited pieces and antique store finds have become surprisingly shrewd investments. These storied pieces, many pulled from historic homes and estates, sit immune to modern-day trade complexities...That mahogany secretary desk isn’t just a
“These vintage treasures, with their rich provenance, are becoming both clever investments and delightful finds. It’s rather like discovering your grandmother’s vintage Chanel was actually a brilliant retirement plan.”
AMANDA ARCHAMBAULT
“When markets become unpredictable, there’s something rather wonderful about choosing pieces that have already graced the finest homes...”
AMANDA ARCHAMBAULT
conversation piece anymore. It’s become both a joy to discover and a rather brilliant financial decision.”
Archambault should know. With a business administration degree from Georgia State University, she became a freelance designer in 2015, just months after graduating with an interior design degree from Athens Tech at the age of 21. She was also working at the time as a custom sales associate and interior designer at a home store in Conyers. As more and more clients sought her services, she moved into a Grant Park bungalow in Atlanta with three set designers she met on Facebook and while still working at the store, she was also doing her freelance work in a makeshift home office, which was actually a seven-foot tall crawlspace.
Her client roster continued to grow and at the same time, Archambault and her mother started talking about opening a store that would be an extension of the design firm. In 2019, with Archambault as the lead designer, the mother and daughter opened Archambault Interiors on Jefferson Street in Madison before moving two years later to its current location in the almost 200-yearold Swords Building near the town square at 140 West Washington Street in Madison. Archambault Interiors is a fullservice interior deign firm and boutique home décor store that has about 2,500-square-feet of space. The store features items for kitchens, dining rooms, barware, baskets, patterned lamp shades bedding, vintage finds and much more.
“I try my hardest to find furniture from the U.S.,” Archambault said. “You never know how long it takes overseas. We buy from New Jersey, Dallas and other places in the states. One of our furniture companies buys a lot from Taiwan and Mexico. The thing is all their furniture comes from overseas. We have a handful of great brands from North Carolina. The lower price point usually comes from Taiwan, Mexico, Japan or China... Sometimes it’s not the furniture, but the foam. They might buy their foam in China. It’s hard to get 100 percent American-made pieces.”
Through her travels, Archambault seeks out unique items to bring back home for her clients. Her family hosted a German exchange student who has now become Archambault’s “traveling buddy” as she calls Rojda Han. She works for the Bank of Germany and the two friends often meet at some far-flung place in the world where they enjoy the local culture, new food and seek out new sources for items to sell in Archambault’s store, such as porcelain house tiles from Spain and rugs from Morocco. She is also always on the lookout for special vintage pieces and antiques.
“Here’s the brilliant part,” Archambault added. “When markets become unpredictable, there’s something rather wonderful about choosing pieces that have already graced the finest homes. Whether you’re drawn to the economic wisdom of beating rising tariffs or the joy of discovering that perfect piece, the timing is rather perfect. The best rooms have always been the ones that tell a story and these antiques tell the best stories of all.”
Ever since she was a little girl, Archambault knew she loved interior decorating. She remembers being impatient when her father
was building her a treehouse because she wanted him to hurry and finish so she could put up the curtains. Her passion for interior design continued to grow and today it has served her well as she celebrates a decade of design work and a store that offers its customers new pieces while weaving in a curated selection of vintage and antique finds. Archambault says it is a direction she had always envisioned for the showroom and now market conditions have made the timing perfect.
“The savvier collectors among us, whether driven by investment potential or aesthetic pleasure, have already begun making quiet moves,” Archambault said. “While others wait for furniture prices to stabilize, these few are exploring hidden shops down quiet streets, acquiring pieces that stand remarkably unaffected by current trade winds. These vintage treasures, with their rich provenance, are becoming both clever investments and delightful finds. It’s rather like discovering your grandmother’s vintage Chanel was actually a brilliant retirement plan.”
The Power Idea of an
SEE ROCK CITY
BY JUDITH GARRISON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEN GARRISON, SEEING SOUTHERN
Once upon a time— as most fairy tales begin— on a mountaintop rising high above a lush green Appalachian valley, a woman had an idea. Not knowing the immediate how, she walked out her back door carrying a ball of string, allowing the string to unravel, falling behind her as she walked. Through rocks and flowers, past boulders and trees, the woman felt the spirits lead her footsteps. Although not everyone believed as the woman did of the magic and power that radiated from the landscape, she would make sure that everyone who walked her path, would understand the enchantment that she felt.
The Grimm Fairytales told to her as a young girl by her father always delighted Frieda, and the magic never left. And now on the mountaintop that she called home, she felt the same spell being cast. Where the string landed became the genesis for the trails that would become known as Rock City Gardens.
Entrepreneur Garnet Carter and his wife Frieda created a development dubbed Fairyland perched on the rocky top of Lookout Mountain, Ga., with streets designated as Cinderella, Robin Hood, and Princess Trail—in honor of Frieda’s fairytale love. Creator of Tom Thumb Golf, the first miniature golf course, Carter’s significant plans for the mountain were halted when the Depression hit, causing closures of the existing hotel and ceasing the work on his golf course.
As her husband concentrated on his development, Frieda had continued to follow her string through the massive boulders, and with the aid of workers, added stones to create paths. Her inspiring city of rocks became their financial lifeline, and in 1932, the gardens opened to the public as a geological marvel of nature. The trails promised a conclusion with a view of seven states and Lover’s Leap with a breathtaking view of the Chattanooga valley. Complemented by German statues of gnomes and fairies—sustaining the fairytale theme through the gardens—along trail points, the path highlighted wildflowers as well as indigenous ones Frieda had planted.
With a slow start to the attraction opening, most agreed that the problem was the location. Being at the top of the mountain, off the main roads of Chattanooga, Tenn., no one knew it was there. And in order to be a success, Carter needed to convince tourists to detour.
Much like Frieda, Carter had an idea and the rest, they say, is history.
Carter’s business partner owned a Chattanooga advertising agency where a 22-year-old painter worked; his name was Clark Byers. The idea was simple. Byers would ride the major roads that fed into Chattanooga, find roadside barns with huge roofs or massive sides that could not be missed by travelers, and paint the simple message of ‘See Rock City’ on the roof or side. In return for painting the advertising logo on their barn, Byers would paint the entire barn, and to sweeten the deal, would offer the barn owners yearly family passes to Rock City or a thermometer or a five-dollar check in perpetuity—whatever enticed them the most. With America falling in love with the automobile and the road trip, travelers filled the roadways, leaving home and navigating to another destination that delivered everyone from the routine of daily life. The barns with the enormous white letters on a black background could not be
Top: Frieda and Garnet Carter, creators of Rock City Gardens. Photo by Chattanooga Public Library. Middle: Clark Byers in front of one of his first barns. Photo by Chattanooga Public Library.
Bottom: The only barn remaining in South Carolina is in Abbeville.
missed as the drivers passed, and that was exactly what Rock City wanted—pique everyone’s curiosity just enough to make them detour and discover what the fuss was all about. Much like the Burma Shave signs in the West, and Mail Pouch Tobacco barns in the North, the See Rock City barns became symbols synonymous with the American road trip.
For the next three decades, Byers painted barns with a fourinch paintbrush, without any stencil or pattern, and made each barn an iconic piece of advertising history. He retired in 1969 after painting more than 900 barns in 19 states. With the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, it curtailed the painting of barns because they fell under the billboard and roadside sign legislation. Some of Byers’ work was painted over while many homeowners refused to cover the signage regardless of what
My Barn Story
When my husband and I started our barn project in 2022, we couldn’t wait to hit the road. Afterall, it was the road trip that introduced these barns to my generation, and family road trips defined our childhood. The goal: to photograph every standing barn and share its history. After our first road trip, we quickly learned that reality had something else in store.
After pouring through Rock City Inc. records, we learned that physical directions were often vague; owners didn’t live on the property; and the road and interstate system had sliced into every country road.
Making a plan, we arrived at our first barn in Rutledge, Tenn., the state where most remaining barns stand. It was exhilarating. The red-sided, black-background, white lettered barn was in good condition, still part of a working farm. We couldn’t wait to round the corner and locate the next one. According to addresses we had in hand, we were scheduled to photograph at least five-to-eight barns per day. Our first day delivered one barn. That was it. The trajectory of the project changed because the world had changed.
As we look back on the finished project, it is more apparent than ever that a slice of Americana is disappearing, but the passion for those icons is not. Talk to a barn owner who has been a steward of the barn for generations; to someone who vividly remembers a family road trip and spotting a barn on route; to one who has a Rock City birdhouse hanging in the garden; or to someone who has walked the paths that Frieda created almost 100 years ago.
The magic of these two ideas—gardens and barns—lives in 2025 and will continue to live through the voices of those with stories to tell.
We hope you’ll join us as we uncover the history of Rock City barns in our upcoming book from The History Press. Follow our Facebook or Instagram pages—Seeing Southern Travel Magazine—for updates and tours.
Top: The Rydal family during the “See Rock City today” repaint.
Right: Safety is the primary objective during a repaint. Although Clark Byers climbed a ladder, today, painters use lifts to complete the job quicker.
Bottom: Len Garrison gets to brush letters on the Rydal, Ga., barn in 2023, with official painter Troy Freeman looking on.
the “Ladybird Act” stated.
In 2025, approximately 40 barns still stand, with some getting a repaint by Rock City Inc. if they continue to meet the company’s advertising goals. Three of those barns have been given a color-refresh in collaboration with Tennessee Titans; these were painted by Nashville artist doughjoe. Since its inception, Rock City has welcomed people from all over the world who have traveled to the gardens to marvel at nature’s composition. As popular as the attraction, the barns seem to have a bigger cult following for those with an affection for nostalgia, advertising, and road trip memories.
L eading the enterprise into the twentyfirst century is Doug Chapin, the new owner and fourth-generation descendent of Garnet and Frieda Carter, maintaining the familial foundation. The mission statement is, as it always has been, to “create memories worth repeating.” When people visit the gardens, and even before they leave, they make plans to return. They want to do it again, and if that’s the sentiment, then Chapin and his team have achieved success.
Top: The Tennessee Titans barn in East Tennessee. Photo by Tennessee Titans.
Middle: The first dotcom barn is located within miles of Rock City Gardens. Bill Chapin, former Rock City Inc. owner, shares plans for this barn as a repaint candidate.
Bottom: The repaint of the Maryville, Tennessee, barn in 2016.
Don’t Miss The Best Rock City at
With summer being one of the most beautiful seasons at the top of the mountain, make plans to be immersed in nature and activities for all ages. Enjoy the gardens and watch the birds and native animal shows at the Critter Classroom. Guided tours are also available during your visit.
Fall ushers in the beauty of autumn with multitude of colors from the top of Lookout Mountains. Book a room for your visit at Chanticleer Inn B & B, located across the street from the
entrance of Rock City. Visit the website for plans as activities are unveiled.
During the winter holidays, the Enchanted Garden of Lights showcases the gardens at night, presenting the most enchanting visit to the gardens.
For more information, hours of operation, and to plan your visit to Rock City Gardens and Chattanooga, visit www. seerockcity.com.
Hall of the Mountain King
Walk through the cavernous corridors where art installations and lighting effects showcase the magical atmosphere.
Fat Man’s Squeeze
Slide through this skinny passage without fear of getting stuck.
Rainbow Hall
A magical walk that colors visitors with stained glass windows.
Balanced Rock
Stand underneath the balanced boulders.
Swing-A-Long Bridge
Walk the suspended bridge for unbeatable views of Chattanooga.
High Falls
A man-made waterfall that flows from the rocks.
Fairyland Caverns
An enchanting experience depicting scenes from fairytales.
Seven States Flag Court & Lover’s Leap
One of the most iconic spots that offers a sweeping view of seven states and the valley below.
Top: The view of the valley from the top of Rock City. Middle: The Swing-A-Long Bridge. Bottom: Seven States Flag Court at Lover’s Leap.
BY EMILY WHITTEN
PHOTOGRAPHY: MADDIE BROWN
‘Spirit
League’
celebrates the joy of sport
and
the love of people
Many Saturdays in the spring a special group of ball players head to the field for practice in Morgan County.
They vary in age, size and ability but one thing is clear. They all have a great love for the game.
The members of the Morgan County Spirit League, a non-competitive, adaptive sports league for people with disabilities, cannot see spending their weekends any other way.
This is also true for their devoted group of coaches and family members.
Drew Addison has served as a Spirit League coach and a pitcher since its inception even though he has no relatives on the team. He said the joy these players have for the game led him to participate.
Unlike other leagues that quickly become competitive with even young athletes obsessed with winning, the Spirit League is all about having a good time.
“They always have a smile whether they hit the ball or not so it makes it fun,” Addison said.
thoughts.
“Baseball’s good,” he said.
With no score keeping, the league is perfectly designed for these special athletes.
Coach Tony Sells started the league in 2015 while looking for activities for his special needs daughter, Niki, who loved sports.
Now just having celebrated its tenth year anniversary, Sells said the motto of the league has always been to have “have fun.”
And that is what these athletes do. They have fun. It does not matter what sport they are playing.
“They always have a smile whether they hit the ball or not so it makes it fun,”
VOLUNTEER DREW ADDISON
On April 19 of this year, the team had fun participating in the soft opening of the new Morgan County Recreational Complex on Old Buckhead Road that has several multipurpose fields for baseball and softball.
This momentous occasion allowed Spirit League to celebrate baseball with all the other young ball players in the county.
While waiting for the ceremony to start, Eric Nicholson expressed why he looked forward to baseball season every year.
“I like it tons. I love it,” he said.
And his teammate, Jon Barnett shared similar
The overall goal of spirit league families is not only to play softball but to offer a wide variety of activities for special needs people and to promote the league in the community.
“We come across a lot of people, especially the ones who have just moved here who don’t know about the spirit league,” said Tammy Downs, a league parent and volunteer who often provides team members transportation to games when needed.
It is a much enjoyed way for members of the special needs community and their loved ones to get exercise through league sports, parties, skill clinics during the summer and other activities.
Allowing the members of the special needs community a chance to spend time with their friends is also very important.
Downs said her son, Braden, has developed friendships in the league, an area which he has struggled with in the past.
“It just does my heart so much good to see how they all interact,” Downs said.
Softball is especially popular with team members calling her regularly to talk about all the home runs they are going to hit, Downs said.
They also play fall kickball and winter basketball but softball is a favorite. During the spring season, the team previously gathered at William “Bill” Wood Park at the T-ball field.
Now with the new recreation complex, the league has a brand new field equipped with wheelchair accessible turf, a score board and dugouts to protect the players from the heat and the sun.
Although Downs said that William “Bill” Wood Park was nice, it was not able to accommodate people who needed walkers or wheelchairs as the new field will be able to do.
“We are just so grateful and feel so blessed to have that in our community now,” she said.
With this new field, the league can also have night games and feel a part of the entire world that is Morgan County baseball.
“It’s a heartwarming thing,” said Scott Downs, father of Braden.
The players will no longer feel isolated from other teams and hopefully new fans will be able to watch them play.
“I think there’s such a sense of inclusion they are feeling on the new field among all the other fields,” Downs said.
They now can experience “the real feel of baseball,” she added.
So like all the other Morgan County teams, the Spirit League players ran on the field at the opening of the complex and they were recognized before the community to the sounds of a cheering crowd.
Then it was off to play their first game on their new field.
They wear their team jerseys proudly with the name Niki Sells, in memory of Coach Sells daughter and in memory of Jesse Bryant, two former players who passed away.
Even with his daughter no longer with him, Sells could not
Spirit League Player Richard Lamar runs the bases at the first game at the new customized field for people with special needs at the Morgan County Recreational Complex.
even think about stepping back from the league.
“We love the kids. That’s the whole deal,” Sells said. “They need us basically.”
He is sure his daughter would love the new field if she could see it today.
“She would think it’s wonderful,” he said. “She loved to play.”
While watching the game, Cindy Peters says, the members of this team are like family. She has been associated with the league for years with her adult sister, Sam Minish, who was born with cerebral palsy, and her young son, Jep Peters who also now plays.
“They know each other’s weaknesses and strengths,” she said.
She describes the league as a ministry where everyone leaves a game rejuvenated and everyone’s included.
For some players, this may mean they only bat or for others this means running the bases is an extra challenge.
But instead of teams who are constantly pushed to win, in the Spirit League differences are embraced.
“They meet them where they’re at,” Peters said.
And everybody leaves the field feeling better than how they felt when they arrived, she said. This included her sister, Sam, whose family was told she would never learn to walk. Now she can make it around the bases at her own pace.
“This helped her to stay active. It helped her stay mobile,” Peters said.
And Eric Nicholson’s mother, Hazel Nicholson, said the league is proof that people with special needs can play sports just like other people.
And she agreed it is all for the love of children and a truly “special heart” that keeps the volunteers and families showing up for practice.
“It takes special people to work with special needs kids,” Hazel Nicholson said.
Spirit League Coach Jamie Waldrip helps League Member Korbin Baker run the bases at the league’s first game on the special needs field at the Morgan County Recreational Complex.
Summer Happenings
June
June 1
Madison will host Summer Nights; free events in Town Park, on select Thursdays in June and July. madisonga.com
The Steffen Thomas Museum of Art will host a special exhibition, “From Tears to the Sea” and other works until June 28 featuring the art of Alex Huynh. The museum will also feature the art of painter, Raven Waters, and potter, Senora Lynch and Steffen Thomas for the “Touch Grass” exhibit. Another art exhibition, “The Madness of Clowns” will be on display until July 1.
steffenthomas.org
The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host its members’ exhibition until July 25.
ocaf.com
June 2
The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will host Open Mic Night from 7p.m. to 9 p.m. mmcc-arts.org
The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton will host the Artrageous: Art Intensive 9 a.m to 4 p.m. June 2 to 6 for 6th to 12th graders. plazacenter.org
June 3
The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host its Kids Summer Arts Camp from June 3 to June 6 at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the OCAF School Street Studios. ocaf.com
The Georgia Writers Museum, in Eatonton, will host Meet the Author with author Jerry Grillo at 7 p.m. georgiawritersmuseum.org
June 5
The Madison Artists Guild at 125 W. Jefferson St. will host the annual MAG Members Exhibition, entitled “Shades of Contrast” celebrating the diverse talents of Guild members. The exhibit will be on display until July 12. An opening reception will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on June 6. themadisonartistsguild.org
The city of Madison will host Summer Nights, free events in Town Park, on select Thursdays in June and July with live music and movies and other events. More information and specific dates to be announced.
madisonga.com
June 6
Millidgeville will host its Main Street Bash from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. milledgevillemainstreet.com
June 7
Putnam County Dairy Festival will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Courthouse Square in Eatonton. A festival kickoff concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. on June 6.
putnamcountydairyfestival.com
Madison Morgan Cultural Center will host Funk on the Lawn, a free concert with the original Splitz Band from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. mmcc-arts.org
The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host its Live Music Event in the OCAF Main Gallery from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ocaf.com
Friends of Hard Labor Creek State Park will host the Waterwheel Golf Tournament fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. gastateparks.org
June 9
The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton will host Camp Broadway 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., June 9 to 13 for rising 3rd to 8th graders. plazacenter.org
June 10
The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host the Kids Summer Arts Camp 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from June 10 to 13 at the OCAF School Street Studio. ocaf.com
June 13
The Rutledge Summer Concert Series will host the EG Kight Trio in the Downtown Rutledge City Park from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host Fun Friday at Rocket Field, a collaborative event with the city of Watkinsville. ocaf.com
June 14
The Rutledge Community Depot will host the Second Saturday Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host a Father’s Day Event at the Main Gallery from noon to 2 p.m. ocaf.com
The Downtown Getdown Concert Series will take place in Eatonton from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
downtowneatonton.com
June 17
The Sunflower Concert Series at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia will feature the Randall Bramblett Band. For more information or to purchase tickets visit botgarden.uga.edu
June 19
The Artisans Village Guild’s Lake Country Juried Art Show Reception and Experience will take place at Barrel 118 in Eatonton from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The show will take place on June 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on June 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
theartisansvillage.org
June 20
Greensboro will host Moonlight on Main from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
downtowngreensboro.com
The Rutledge Summer Concert Series will host Darin and Brooke Aldridge in the Downtown Rutledge City Park from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
June 21
The city of Madison will host a Juneteenth Celebration of Culture and Community at the Morgan County African American Museum. mcaam.org
June 25
The Artisans Village Guild in Eatonton will host its monthly free plein air outings at beautiful locations around the Lake Country on June 25, July 23 and Aug. 20. theartisansvillage.org
June 26
The Milledgeville Players will present the “Sound of Music” at the Grove from June 26 to June 29 on the historic Central State Hospital campus.
milledgevilleplayers.org
An Evening in Eatonton will take place in downtown Eatonton from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
downtowneatonton.com
June 27
The Rutledge Summer Concert Series will host Blue Velvet Atlanta in the Downtown Rutledge City Park from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
June 29
Gibbs Memorial Baptist Church will host its 3rd annual 4th of July Celebration at 6 p.m. at Bostwick Sod Farm.
July
July 3
The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center Independence Day Picnic will take place on the front lawn of the cultural center with an old-fashioned festive event. Bring your picnic baskets, coolers, tables and/or chairs and enjoy a free patriotic concert. mmcc-arts.org
Madison and Morgan County will host its annual July 4 festival at 6 p.m. at the Morgan County Recreational Complex.
“Honk! - The tale of the Ugly Duckling,” a summer musical will take place at the Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton July 3, 5, 6 and 10 - 13. plazacenter.org
July 4
Bostwick will host its annual Fourth of July BBQ at the Pecan Grove in Downtown Bostwick from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
July 5
Farmview Market will celebrate Local Heroes, firefighters, police officers, EMS and healthcare professionals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
farmviewmarket.com
July 7
The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will host Open Mic Night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. mmcc-arts.org
July 8
Festival Hall of Georgia will host Magic Camp with Mark the Magic Man from 9 a.m. to noon from July 8 to 10 for children ages 7 to 12.
festivalhallga.com
Concert goers enjoy dancing to the music at the annual Sunflower Concert Series at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
The MAGallery in Madison will host a members exhibition from Jun 5 to July 12 entitled “Shades of Contrast.” It will celebrate the diverse talents of Guild members with works void of the distraction of color including this image, “Butterflies Told the Money, Monkey Told the Cricket” by Susan Pelham.
July 10
Festival Hall of Georgia will host Solitaire, A Night of Grand Illusion with Mark the Magic Man at 7 p.m. festivalhallga.com Farmview Market will host July Supper Club from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. farmviewmarket.com
July 11
Madison will host its Seasonal Sidewalk Sale on July 11 and July 12 during regular business hours downtown. madisonga.com
The Rutledge Summer Concert Series will host Doug Deluxe and the Rodeo Clowns in the Downtown Rutledge City Park from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
July 12
Milledgeville will host its Main Street Christmas in July Vendor Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. milledgevillemainstreet.com
The Steffen Thomas Museum of Art at 4200 Bethany Road in Buckhead will hold its annual Founder’s Day from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. steffenthomas.org
The Rutledge Community Depot will host the Second Saturday Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Downtown Getdown Concert Series will take place in Eatonton from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. downtowneatonton.com
July 15
The Sunflower Concert Series at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia will feature the New Orleans Jazz Stompers. For more information or to purchase tickets visit botgarden.uga.edu
July 17
The Madison Artists Guild at 125 W. Jefferson St. will host the vibrant folk art of Scott Pepper renowned for his signature “polka dots on tin” style. The exhibit will be on display until Aug. 23. An opening reception will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on July 18. themadisonartistsguild.org
July 21
The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton will host Art Camp from 9 a.m. to 12:30p.m. July 21 to July 25 for rising 1st to 5th graders. plazacenter.org
July 25
The Firefly Festival Kids’ Night will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Town Park in Madison with a fun-filled evening with bouncy inflatables, puppets and magic. Admission for kids 12 and younger is $5. madisonga.com
July 26
The Firefly Festival Date Night Concert will take place in Town Park in Madison with the Sensational Sounds of Motown Band. $15 tickets can be purchased at the gate. madisonga.com
August
August 1
Milledgeville will host its First Friday Car Show from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. milledgevillemainstreet.com
August 2
Rock Eagle 4-H Center will host a Back to School Bash from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
August 4
The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will host Open Mic Night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. mmcc-arts.org
August 7
The Artisans Village Art Gallery in Eatonton will host a reception for “Vivid” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. theartisansvillage.org
Fireworks light up the sky during the annual Moonlight on Main Free Summer Concert in downtown Greensboro.
August 9
The Old School History Museum will host its annual “August Adventure.” The event is free and open to the public at the Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton. Time to be determined. oldschoolhistorymuseum.org
Farmview Market will hold Ag Fest from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. farmviewmarket.com
The Downtown Getdown Concert Series will take place in Eatonton from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. downtowneatonton.com
August 14
Festival Hall of Georgia will host Jazz Legacy Project: Ray Charles, Jazz+Soul=Genius at 7:30 p.m. festivalhallga.com
August 19
The Sunflower Concert Series at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia will feature Abby Road Live. For more information or to purchase tickets visit botgarden.uga.edu
August 22
The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host Perspectives, the 23rd annual Georgia Pottery Invitational at the OCAF Rocket Hall and Main Gallery from Aug. 22 to Sept. 7, Friday to Sunday with an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m on Aug. 22. ocaf.com
Aug. 23
A Journey Tribute concert will take place in Eatonton at 7 p.m. Tickets on sale at plazacenter.org
August 28
The Madison Artists Guild at 125 W. Jefferson St. will host the striking sculptures and mixed media works of Helene Roberts, exploring the human form with a focus on textiles and ceramics. An opening reception will take place on Aug. 29 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 4.
themadisonartistsguild.org
August 29
The city of Madison will host Fifth Friday in downtown Madison with extended shopping hours at select stores, fun themes and giveaways from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. madisonga.com
August 31
The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host the OCAF Live Music Series: “Hog-Eyed Man’ with special guests Paddy League and Michael Starkey at OCAF School Street Studios from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. ocaf.com
Discover What GWM has to offer: Meet the Author - Writers Workshops - Book Clubs
There must be something in the soil! Nine of America’s most celebrated authors called middle Georgia their home. Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker and best-selling author Joel Chandler Harris began their literary journeys in Eatonton, Georgia. Five more lived and wrote within a 30-mile radius of the Georgia Writers Museum.
In total, more than 90 writers from across the state are recognized at the Georgia Writers Museum for their literary success by receiving the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame induction, the Georgia Author of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award, or the Townsend Prize. Only three authors have received all three honors – visit us to find out who!
Georgia Writers Museum is dedicated to inspiring today’s writers and readers and celebrating Georgia’s literary heritage through exhibits, programs, workshops, and student education.
VISIT
WED: By Appointment | THU – FRI: 10am – 4pm SAT: 10am – 4pm | SUN – TUE: Closed
The MAGallery in Madison will host a members exhibition from Jun 5 to July 12 entitled “Shades of Contrast.” It will celebrate the diverse talents of Guild members with works void of the distraction of color including this image, “Time to Go” by Keith Bennett.
Our Ingles Table family of professional chefs and home cooks has created all-new, delicious recipes for spring. Visit ingles-markets.com and click on the Ingles Table banner to check them out—along with hundreds more!
